Late-glacial and early Holocene lake sediments,ground-water formation and climate in the Atacama Altiplano 22–24°S     

Martin Grosjean  Mebus A. Geyh  Bruno Messerli  Ueli Schotterer 《Journal of Paleolimnology》1995,14(3):241-252

Precipitation rates in the Atacama Altiplano 22–24°S were 400–500 mm yr^–1 during late glacial and early Holocene times as opposed to 200 mm yr^–1 today. This humid phase (Tauca phase) was likely due to strengthened tropical (monsoonal) circulation, which brought continental moisture to the Atacama Altiplano. The lake level of Laguna Lejía (23°30S, 4350 m) at that time was up to 25 m higher than it is today. Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca data from lake sediments show that, what today is a highly saline lake was a freshwater lake at that time. Seasonally-laminated calcareous sediments were deposited between 13 500 and <10 400 yr B.P. indicating the maximum of the humid phase. Climatic changes in the past are important for current groundwater resources.¹⁴C and³H data from lake-, ground- and well water suggest that modern groundwater formation (i.e. water <40 years) in the Altiplano is very limited under current arid conditions. We conclude that significant amounts of the water resources in this area originated during the time of the late-glacial and early Holocene humid climate. Tritium data from snow samples show that the moisture in the Altiplano at 22–24°S is mainly of continental origin, whereas precipitation from the westerlies hardly contributes to the water supply in this area. This precipitation pattern matches the paleodata, and we suggest that current precipitation formation may provide an analogue framework for late-glacial circulation in this area.This is the 3rd in a series of papers published in this special AMQUA issue. These papers were presented at the 1994 meeting of the American Quaternary Association held 19–22 June, 1994, at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Dr Linda C. K. Shane served as guest editor for these papers.  相似文献   

Observation of isotopes in the water cycle—the Swiss National Network (NISOT)     

Schürch  Marc  Kozel  Ronald  Schotterer  Ulrich  Tripet  Jean-Pierre 《Environmental Geology》2003,45(1):1-11

The Swiss National Network for the Observation of Isotopes in the Water Cycle (NISOT) includes eleven precipitation, seven surface water (river) and three groundwater stations, where tritium, deuterium and oxygen-18 are monthly measured in composite samples. The network provides a good overview of the characteristic isotope signatures in recharge waters in Switzerland and of the relations between isotopes and altitude, orography and the amount of precipitation. Mixing of air water vapour and surface waters can be observed along a NW/SE cross section through the Alps. With increasing length of the data series, the network provides a valuable contribution for national and international scientific and practical applications in surface and subsurface hydrology, climatology and biology. The Swiss Geological Survey at the Federal Office for Water and Geology operates the isotope network within the legal framework of the Federal Law on the Protection of Waters and guarantees quality, access and distribution of the isotope data.  相似文献   

Glaciers and Climate in the Andes between the Equator and 30° S: What is Recorded under Extreme Environmental Conditions?     

U. Schotterer  M. Grosjean  W. Stichler  P. Ginot  C. Kull  H. Bonnaveira  B. Francou  H. W. Gäggeler  R. Gallaire  G. Hoffmann  B. Pouyaud  E. Ramirez  M. Schwikowski  J. D. Taupin 《Climatic change》2003,59(1-2):157-175

Sublimation and melt disturb the environmental information obtained from ice core records in the Andes. In two case studies we demonstrate to what extent these post-depositional processes may remove major parts of the accumulated snow cover. Dark ash layers from the Tungurahua eruption changed the albedo of surface snow on Chimborazo glacier (6268 m, 1°30 S,78°36 W, Ecuador) between two ice core drilling campaigns and forced substantial melt. Re-distribution and washout of the chemical constituents shifted the concentration profiles obtained in December 1999 as compared to an equivalent core drilled in December 2000. The stable isotope records showed that approximately the water equivalent (weq) of an annual layer had melted, and that the percolating melt water penetrated within the firn layer to a depth of at least 16.5 m without refreezing. In the second example, from a site on the dry axis between the tropical and extra-tropical precipitation belts, significant loss of accumulated snow layers occurred by sublimation. A surface experiment at Cerro Tapado glacier (5536 m, 30°08 S,69°55 W, Chile) revealed that losses of 2 mm weq (5 mm snow) per day occurred during the dry period following the 1997/98 El Niño. This loss generally included the entire surface layer enriched in stable isotopes, and thus caused minimal disturbance of the isotopic signature (and hence climatic information) of the net accumulation, yet chemical constituents again experienced considerable changes in concentration. From annual layer counting and direct dating it is obvious that the major part of the accumulated ice on both glaciers is younger than 100 years; however, isotopic and chemical variations at least in the basal ice from Cerro Tapado clearly point to climate conditions different from the recent centuries. This evidence is supported by mass balance considerations derived from a glacier-climate model. The possibility of a third type of disturbance aside from sublimation and melting – in this case a significant hiatus in the environmental chronology – also deserves consideration for other icecore records from this region. Potential disruptions or discontinuities need to be carefully evaluated given the profound changes in climatic and glaciological conditions since the Last Glacial Maximum throughout Holocene times.  相似文献   

A hydrogeochemical survey of Kilimanjaro (Tanzania): implications for water sources and ages   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Jeffrey M. Mckenzie  Bryan G. Mark  Lonnie G. Thompson  Ulrich Schotterer  Ping-Nan Lin 《Hydrogeology Journal》2010,18(4):985-995

Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa, has undergone extensive hydrologic changes over the past century in an area where water resources are critical. A hydrochemical and isotopic synoptic sampling program in January 2006 is used to characterize hydrogeology, hydrology, and water quality of the area. Samples were collected from the summit and southern side of Kilimanjaro and the Moshi region (Tanzania). Sample sources included four glaciers, seven groundwater wells, 12 rivers, 10 springs, precipitation, and a lake. Analyses included major ion chemistry, stable isotopes of water (¹⁸O and D); in addition, seven samples were analyzed for tritium. The samples generally have good water quality with the exception of three samples with elevated fluoride concentrations (>3 mg/L) and elevated nitrate concentrations (>2.5 mg/L NO₃ as N). There is a strong elevation control on stable isotopes, with an apparent elevation effect of – 0.1 ‰ δ¹⁸O per 100 m rise in elevation (R ² = 0.79). The results, including the tritium values, show that the hydrogeologic system is comprised of both local and regional flow systems, and that regional rivers are receiving significant inflow from shallow groundwater, and at very high elevations the hydrologic system is derived from groundwater, precipitation, and glacial melt water.  相似文献