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We present a new set of clay mineral and grain-size data for the siliciclastic sediment fraction from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1456 located in the eastern Arabian Sea to reconstruct the variabilities in the continental erosion and weathering intensity in the western Himalaya, elucidate the sediment source-to-sink processes and discuss the potential controls underlying these changes since 3.7 Ma. The clay minerals mainly consist of smectite (0–90%, average 44%) and illite (3–90%, average 44%), with chlorite (1–26%, average 7%) and kaolinite (0–19%, average 5%) as minor components. The compositional variations in the clay minerals at IODP Site U1456 suggest four phases of sediment provenance: the Indus River (phase 1, 3.7–3.2 Ma), the Indus River and Deccan Traps (phase 2, 3.2–2.6 Ma), the Indus River (phase 3, 2.6–1.2 Ma) and the Indus River and Deccan Traps (phase 4, 1.2–0 Ma). These provenance changes since 3.7 Ma can be correlated with variations in the Indian summer monsoon intensity. The siliciclastic sediments in the eastern Arabian Sea were mainly derived from the Indus River when the Indian summer monsoon was generally weak. In contrast, when the Indian summer monsoon intensified, the siliciclastic sediment supply from the Deccan Traps increased. In particular, this study shows that the smectite/(illite+chlorite) ratio is a sensitive tool for reconstructing the history of the variation in the Indian summer monsoon intensity over the continents surrounding the Arabian Sea since 3.7 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First millennial-scale study on erosion and weathering of the western Philippine Sea. • Sea-level lowstand favored erosion and weathering of exposed shelf sediments. • Anthropogenic activity has been a dominant control on Luzon erosion since 2.1 ka. Multiproxy records from Core MD06-3054 in the western Philippine Sea and published results from the nearby Core MD06-3052, which are both located at the northern margin of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP), provide precise reconstructions and evidence for the potential controls on continental erosion and weathering intensities in Luzon. These data also constrain sediment source-to-sink processes in the sea since 27 ka at the millennial scale. We demonstrate that the siliciclastic fraction is derived from Luzon volcanic rocks and eolian dust from mainland Asia. Stronger physical erosion and chemical weathering generally occurred during the last glaciation, Heinrich Event 1, the Younger Dryas, and the period from 10.3 to 11.3 ka. In contrast, the Bølling-Allerød was characterized by weaker physical erosion and chemical weathering. During the last glaciation, Heinrich Event 1, and the Younger Dryas, the lower sea level led to enhanced erosion and weathering of the exposed shelf sediments. In contrast, the weaker physical erosion and chemical weathering that occurred during the Bølling-Allerød and the Holocene, except after 2.1 ka, are closely correlated with the higher sea level. The stronger physical erosion and chemical weathering at 10.3–11.3 ka may be derived from the reworking of older sediments during the time of a strengthening summer monsoon. Furthermore, enhanced human activity since 2.1 ka has become the dominant control on erosion in Luzon. Rapid weathering changes in the WPWP during the last deglaciation highlight the high variability in local controls at low latitudes during these periods and the potential influence of controls at high latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated grain size, clay mineralogy, elemental geochemistry, organic composition, and AMS 14 C dating ages in Core KX12-3 from the middle Okinawa Trough in order to better understand the sediment provenances and transport processes and also the forcing mechanisms behind their variations over the last 18.5 ky. The geochemical–mineralogical indices reveal three notable phases of change in the sediment provenance of the core, which are related to the development of the Kuroshio Current coupled with sea-level fluctuations, the position shift of the mouths of large rivers, the magnitude of tidal bottom stress, and the East Asian monsoon intensity. The sea-level lowstand deposits of Interval 1 (18.5–9.3 ka) formed from mixed sediments originating mostly from Chinese rivers (the paleo-Huanghe and the paleo-Changjiang) as well as from materials eroded from seafloor by the strong tidal stress. Thereafter during Interval 2 (9.3–8.7 ka), a significant sea-level rise, the moderate tidal bottom stress, and a gradual landward retreat of river mouths led to obviously decreased sediment supplies from both seafloor erosion and mainland China rivers (especially the paleo-Huanghe) into to the study area. After this transitional period, the dominant sediment provenance during the mid-to-late Holocene (Interval 3) changed to the Changjiang and seafloor erosion, resulting in lower detrital linear sedimentation rate and finer grain size. At the same time, some fine-grained materials from Taiwan may have been transported northward to the study area by the Kuroshio Current, as evidenced by higher values of chlorite/kaolinite ratio and chemical index of illite, and lower TOC/TN values. In addition, a prominent decline in chlorite/kaolinite values that occurred at 5.0–3.5 ka may have been linked to a suppression of the Kuroshio Current, probably related to the Pulleniatina minimum event and/or the late Holocene Neoglacial cold event commonly found in the northwestern Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For this study, elemental and Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of AMS 14 C age-dated core sediments from the northern Okinawa Trough were investigated to reconstruct sediment provenance and transport processes over the last 22.3 ka and further to trace the forcing mechanisms behind the provenance changes. The results clearly showed that large compositional variations of these elements and isotopes occur in deposition, suggesting three-phases of changes in sediment source: paleo-Huanghe (Unit 3, 22.3–14.8 ka), East China Sea shelf-derived (Unit 2, 14.8–7.3 ka), and Taiwan-derived detritus stages (Unit 1, < 7.3 ka). Such provenance changes since the last glacial maximum may be closely correlated to sea-level fluctuation, the evolution of Tsushima Warm Current, as well as East Asian monsoonal climatic variation. At 22.3–14.8 ka, the paleo-Huanghe mouth was situated close to the study area, thus dominating sedimentation therein, especially during stronger winter monsoon periods. At the beginning of Unit 2 (14.8–12.8 ka), rapid sea-level rise and significant retreat of the river mouth overwhelmed enhanced continental weathering, leading to less detrital sediment supply from the paleo-Huanghe to the study area. Subsequently, the East China Sea shelf-derived matter dominated detrital deposition therein from 12.8 to 7.3 ka. Since 7.3 ka, the fully evolved Tsushima Warm Current has transported some detrital particles from Taiwan to the study area, especially during the strengthening period at 7.3–5.1 ka. A prominent decline in Taiwan-sourced matter supply at 5.1–2.8 ka may have been caused by suppression of the Tsushima Warm Current, possibly associated with the Pulleniatina minimum event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Holocene changes in the riverine, eolian, and erosional supplies to the eastern part of the central Yellow Sea (YS) and their forcing mechanisms were determined on the basis of multiple mineralogical and geochemical indices of three age-dated piston cores from the central Yellow Sea mud (CYSM) deposition. The core records of the indices, including clay minerals, rare earth element fractionation parameters, and conservative trace elements, revealed abrupt changes in the sediment sources, especially ∼9.0 and 4.8 ka. The late last deglaciation and early Holocene sediments (Units 3 and 4, ∼14.1 to ∼9.0 ka) most likely originated from the paleo-Huanghe and the sea bed erosion, together with some contribution from the paleo-Changjiang Shoal sediments that extended northeastward into the YS. After that period, the dominant sediment source gradually changed to the Changjiang during the middle Holocene (∼9.0–4.8 ka, Unit 2), while the supplies from Huanghe and sea bed erosion to the south YS decreased. In the last 4.8 ka (Unit 1), the CYSM largely received Changjiang-derived sediments. Besides, some clay-sized particulates from the Huanghe, sea bed erosion, and Korea rivers might be transported to the CYSM during Unit 1. Possible mechanisms behind such changes in the riverine and erosional sediment sources and contributions include position shifts of river mouths, tidal stress evolutions, shelf sea-level fluctuations, East Asian monsoon climate changes, and the development of the YSWC and coastal circulation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a δO chronology, rare earth elements (REE) and other typical elements in sediments from core MD06-3047 in the western Philippine Sea were analyzed to constrain the provenances of the sediments and investigate quantitative changes in the Asian eolian input to the study area over the last 700 ka. Among the competing processes that might affect REE compositions, sediment provenance is the most important one. Provenance analysis suggests that the study sediments have two provenance end-members; local volcanic sources are dominant, and eolian dust from the Asian continent has a smaller contribution. During glacial periods, eolian input to the western Philippine Sea was enhanced. In contrast, material supply from local volcanics increased during interglacial periods. Changes in eolian input to the study area were probably related to the strength of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) as well as aridity in the Asian continent on an orbital time scale, and were partly influenced by local control factors on shorter time scales. Therefore, we propose that the present study expands the application of the REE-based method for quantitatively estimating the eolian component from the mid-latitude northern Pacific to the low-latitude western Pacific. Additionally, the study preliminarily confirms the influence of EAWM-transported eolian material on sedimentation in the western Philippine Sea since 700 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Provenances of clay-sized terrigenous sediments and a comprehensive interpretation of their high-resolution variations in the northern Okinawa Trough since the late last glaciation remain unclear, especially in regard to the Huanghe- and Taiwan-derived matter. Grain size, clay mineralogy, typical elemental ratio, oxygen isotope, and AMS 14C dating of core PC-1 in the northern Okinawa Trough were investigated to trace clay-sized sediment provenance and transport process and thus to recover their forcing mechanisms over the last 22kyr. Variations in linear sedimentation rate, grain size, δ18O, Ti/Ca ratio, and clay minerals can be clearly divided into three distinct intervals, consistent with changes in sediment provenance that can be close related to sea-level fluctuation, evolution of the Tsushima Warm Current as well as influence from the East Asian monsoon climate evolution. During the late last glaciation period (Interval 1, 22–16kyrBP) when the Tsushima Warm Current was absent in the East China Sea, the paleo-Huanghe mouth was situated close to the study area and thus the paleo-Huanghe could have played major role in sedimentation therein. In Interval 2 (16–7.3kyrBP), global sea-level rise led to gradually retreating of the paleo-Huanghe mouth and thus decreasing terrigenous sediment supply from it to the study area. Since 7.3kyrBP (Interval 3), some clay minerals from Taiwan might have been transported northward to the study area by the fully evolved Tsushima Warm Current, characterized by higher chlorite/kaolinite ratios. In contrast, the decreasing influence of the Huanghe-derived sediments during the strengthening of the Tsushima Warm Current periods was probably caused by the blocking effect of the Tsushima Warm Current. Particularly, chlorite/kaolinite ratio and smectite content in the Okinawa Trough sediment might be good proxies for indicating the Tsushima Warm Current-related sedimentary environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To synthetically realize the character of major-element compositions as well as its significance for provenance and paleoenvironment recorded in core sediments of the West Philippine Sea over the last 700 ka, grain size and major elements of 221 bulk sediments, together with major-element compositions in the detrital phase of 16 typical samples, in core MD06-3047 collected from the Benham Rise were analyzed. Both discrimination plot and R-mode factor analysis indicate that vertical changes of major elements are mainly controlled by the sedimentation of nearby volcanic matter and the eolian dust input, whereas influences from marine biologic deposition and hydrothermal activity are minor. In particular, AlO and KO are representative of an eolian dust factor. The variation in the eolian dust factor score is characterized by the obviously glacial-interglacial periodicity and can be well compared with the paleotemperature record of the Antarctic ice core and the evolution of the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) recorded in the Chinese loess sequence, and then offers a new proxy for the evolution history of eolian dust input into the study area that is controlled by the EAWM intensity and aridity in the continental source regions of atmospheric dust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Clay mineral assemblage of the core MD06-3047 in the western Philippine Sea has been used to trace sediment provenance and transport process and thus to constrain the East Asian monsoon evolution as well as its forcing mechanism over the past 700kyr. Clay minerals mainly consist of smectite (61%) and illite (23%), with minor chlorite (10%) and kaolinite (6%). Provenance analyses suggest that the smectite originates predominantly from the alteration of nearby Luzon volcanic rocks. Illite is primarily derived from the Asian continent with eolian origin. Illite contents show strong glacial/interglacial cyclicity as constrained by oxygen isotope stratigraphy. Variations of illite contents are ultimately controlled by the East Asian monsoon evolution, characterized by higher illite values during glacials with relatively stronger East Asian winter monsoon but weaker East Asian summer monsoon. During interglacials, enhanced East Asian summer monsoon and rainfall could produce more smectite with poor crystallinity from Luzon to the study core. Spectral analyses of illite content and smectite crystallinity display a strong periodicity at 100kyr for the East Asian winter monsoon and 100kyr, 30kyr, and 23kyr periodicities for the East Asian summer monsoon, respectively, suggesting the unique forcing processes of the East Asian winter monsoon from high-latitudes (i.e., ice volume) and the East Asian summer monsoon from both high-latitudes and low-latitudes (i.e., tropical Pacific). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A millennial-scale paleoceanographic record of the Ulleung Basin in the southern part of the East (Japan) Sea (ES) for the last 20,000years was reconstructed based on variations in the element compositions of core sediment. Most of the elements showed relatively wide content ranges throughout the core, largely because of different sediment types, their grain size spectra, biological components, and geochemical conditions (i.e., redox conditions). In particular, biogenic components (Ca, Sr, Ba, and CaCO3) and some minor elements (Cu, Mn, Mo, U, Cd, Zn, and V) revealed three distinct intervals of major paleoceanographic changes. Interval 1 (∼18–9.3kyr BP) is characterized by a rhythmic alternation of dark- and light-colored sediment bands. Distinctive differences in the abundance of organic carbon, carbonate, and redox-elements between the dark- and light-colored-sediment layers are probably attributable to especially those associated with bottom-water redox variations combined with the enhanced primary productivity and water stratification in the Ulleung Basin. These alternations perhaps reflect fluctuations in paleo-discharge from Chinese and/or Korean rivers during the last deglaciation. From a global perspective, the repetition of dark sapropelic sediment layers suggests a possible teleconnection between oceanographic change and development of the East Asian summer monsoon and consequent fluctuations in fluvial discharge from Korean and Chinese rivers to the East Sea basin. In Interval 2 (9.3–6.5kyr BP), a remarkable increase in the concentrations of organic carbon and redox elements is probably linked to the intrusion of the warm/saline Tsushima Current to the basin, which would have enhanced ventilation and upwelling of nutrient-rich sub-surface waters. In parallel, a pronounced decrease in carbonate content indicates extensive carbonate dissolution due to the consumption of large amounts of free pore-water oxygen in surface sediments that would have accompanied by the decomposition of organic matter. In Interval 3 (6.5kyr BP–Present), most geochemical parameters are relatively constant, suggesting little changes in paleoenvironments; these observations indicate that modern oceanographic conditions were established in the East Sea at about 6.5kyr BP. In particular, a prominent decline in carbonate contents centered at around 3–4kyr BP appears to have been caused by a decrease in primary productivity in association with a suppression of the warm Kuroshio Current, rather than by geochemical processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rare earth elements (REEs) of 91 fine-grained bottom sediment samples from five major rivers in Korea (the Han, Keum, and Yeongsan) and China (the Changjiang and Huanghe) were studied to investigate their potential as source indicator for Yellow Sea shelf sediments, this being the first synthetic report on REE trends for bottom sediments of these rivers. The results show distinct differences in REE contents and their upper continental crust (UCC)-normalized patterns: compared to heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), light rare earth elements (LREEs) are highly enriched in Korean river sediments, in contrast to Chinese river sediments that have a characteristic positive Eu anomaly. This phenomenon is observed also in primary source rocks within the river catchments. This suggests that source rock composition is the primary control on the REE signatures of these river sediments, due largely to variations in the levels of chlorite and monazite, which are more abundant in Korean bottom river sediments. Systematic variations in ΣLREE/ΣHREE ratios, and in (La/Yb)–(Gd/Yb)UCC but also (La/Lu)–(La/Y)UCC and (La/Y)–(Gd/Lu)UCC relations have the greatest discriminatory power. These findings are consistent with, but considerably expand on the limited datasets available to date for suspended sediments. Evidently, the REE fingerprints of these river sediments can serve as a useful diagnostic tool for tracing the provenance of sediments in the Yellow Sea, and for reconstructing their dispersal patterns and the circulation system of the modern shelf, as well as the paleoenvironmental record of this and adjoining marginal seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coastal zoning aids environmental impact assessment. • Sediment textural and geochemical properties are key characters affecting zoning. • This (Ahn et al., 2001) study applies sediment characters to science-based marine spatial planning. • The South Korean coast can be scientifically divided into three zones. The three zones partly coincide with the previous arbitrarily categorized blocks. • A primary factor constraining the zoning in this case study is tidal range. To assess the environmental impacts of offshore wind farming and sea sand mining, coastal areas are zoned on the basis of their natural oceanographic characteristics. Textural and geochemical properties of South Korean coastal sediments, including mean grain size (Mz), CaCO 3 and organic-matter contents, and metal concentrations (Al, K, Ba, rare earth elements, Zr, etc.), were analyzed and categorized in this case study, practically applying common sediment properties for rational zoning of the South Korean coastal environment. Three characteristic zones are scientifically classified in the study area, although four groups of sediment sampling stations were statistically clustered based on their major sediment properties. Zone 1, in the northwestern part of the Korean west coast, is characterized as covered with coarse-grained sediments containing low concentrations of the measured elements under a macro-tidal regime (6.5–9 m), while Zone 3 is characterized by fine-grained sediments with high elemental concentrations under a micro-tidal regime (>3.5 m). Silty Zone 2 sediments appear to be a mixture of sandy Zone 1 and muddy Zone 3 sediments under a meso-tidal regime. The difference in tidal forces among the zones is proposed as a primary constraint of overall sediment textural and geochemical characteristics, while sediment provenance provides subsequent control. Sediment contamination with anthropogenic pollutants is unperceivable in this case study. However, the K and Li concentrations in coarse-grained feldspar and fine-grained illite, respectively, are likely not limited by the tidal flow regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment provenance in the Yellow Sea and northern East China Seas (YECSs) has long been a subject of interest, but its quantification is still inconclusive. Here, we present an improved Al Mg regression analysis by refining its methodological approach to strengthen quantification of sediment source-to-sink transports in the YECSs, with focus on its forcing mechanisms during the Holocene. Our quantitative source estimates clearly depict a considerable supply of the Chinese river (CR) sediments (~50%) to the southwestern Korean coastal region, and the Korean river (KR) sediments (30–40%) to the Central Yellow Sea Mud deposit, which accounts for a good balance between the sediment supply and budget of the shelf deposit. Of particular note is an abrupt decline in the CR contributions around 124°E, which indicates that the CR sediments do not directly reach the eastern part of the Yellow Sea blocked by a strong physical boundary. Further, the observed variations in proportions between Huanghe-, Changjiang- and Korean river-derived sediments over the last 15 kyr – notably an abrupt increase of CR contribution since ~7 ka, followed by a sudden drop at ~3–4 ka – exhibit a good correspondence with other mineralogical proxy records. These temporal provenance changes witnessed robust palaeoenvironmental signals which fit to major climatic and oceanographic events linked with sea-level, intensity of the Kuroshio Current inflow and the East Asian monsoon. This study improves understanding of what pathways and sinks exist within the YECS basin, and how rates of sediment supply from adjacent rivers have changed over time. • An improved Al Mg regression analysis for quantifying sediment source in the YECSs is proposed. • Our estimation well defines spatiotemporal sediment source-to-sink dynamics in the sea. • Sedimentary deposits are characterized by different proportions of the sources over the last 15 kyr • This study provides a broader understanding of the present- and paleo-depositional systems of the sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late Quaternary paleoceanography and paleoenvironment of the South China Sea (SCS) have been well reconstructed over the last decade. In contrast, the provenance of the terrigenous sediments that have accumulated in the northwestern continental shelf mud area remains enigmatic. This study investigated the provenance of these sediments and the paleoenvironmental changes archived in Core X2 via the analysis of geochemical elements, grain size, and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14 C ages. Based on the upper continental crust (UCC)-normalized REE patterns and REE fractionation parameters, southwestern and western Taiwanese rivers and the Pearl River were identified as the main sources of the fine-grained sediment deposited in the northwestern shelf mud area off Hainan Island. This finding further confirms the long-distance transport (> 1000 km) of fine-grained sediment from Taiwanese rivers to the northern SCS shelf and slope. Obvious changes in the grain size and Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) record occurred at approximately 4.0 cal kyr BP and were likely caused by increased Hainan Island inputs due to sea level changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clay mineralogical analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis were performed on deep-sea sediments cored on the Benham Rise (core MD06-3050) in order to reconstruct long-term evolution of East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) rainfall in the period since 2.36 Ma. Clay mineralogical variations are due to changes in the ratios of smectite, which derive from weathering of volcanic rocks in Luzon Island during intervals of intensive monsoon rainfall, and illite- and chlorite-rich dusts, which are transported from East Asia by winds associated with the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM). Since Luzon is the main source of smectite to the Benham Rise, long-term consistent variations in the smectite/(illite + chlorite) ratio in core MD06-3050 as well as ODP site 1146 in the Northern South China Sea suggest that minor contributions of eolian dust played a role in the variability of this mineralogical ratio and indicate strengthening EASM precipitation in SE Asia during time intervals from 2360 to 1900 kyr, 1200 to 600 kyr, and after 200 kyr. The EASM rainfall record displays a 30 kyr periodicity suggesting the influence of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). These intervals of rainfall intensification on Luzon Island are coeval with a reduction in precipitation over central China and an increase in zonal SST gradient in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, implying a reinforcement of La Niña-like conditions. In contrast, periods of reduced rainfall on Luzon Island are associated with higher precipitation in central China and a weakening zonal SST gradient in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, thereby suggesting the development of dominant El Niño-like conditions. Our study, therefore, highlights for the first time a long-term temporal and spatial co-evolution of monsoonal precipitation in East Asia and of the tropical Pacific ENSO system over the past 2.36 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To geochemically characterize mercury (Hg) in the deep-sea ridge environment, the total concentration, chemical forms (sequential leaching extraction), and isotopic compositions of Hg in surface sediments from the middle portion of the Central Indian Ridge were investigated. Highly elevated Hg concentrations (up to 13,000 ng/g) in sediments near the hydrothermal vent are associated with intense hydrothermal activity driven by serpentinization. The hydrothermal impact on these sediments is also evident in the REE CN fractionation pattern with a remarkably strong positive europium (Eu) anomaly. Most volcanic and hydrothermal Hg in the study area is preferentially precipitated with sulfides; in the hydrothermal vent area, however, scavenging by Fe-Mn hydroxides is another significant removal pathway of Hg. Thus, such precipitation and production of sulfides and hydroxides are a major cause of local enrichment of Hg around the mid-ocean ridge. Most sediments show limited or no mass-independent fractionation (Δ199Hg = +0.02 ± 0.21‰, 2σ, n = 15), indicating that syngenetic magmatic or mantle-derived materials are the dominant Hg source. However, the large variation in mass-dependent fractionation was observed, especially in the vent-distal sediments (δ202Hg = −1.10 ± 0.80‰, 2σ, n = 11), which occurred mainly during the formation of the sulfides and may be associated with preferential precipitation of lighter isotopes. Our study demonstrates that an off-axis high-temperature hydrothermal system driven by exothermic serpentinization of ultramafic mantle rocks may serve as a significant Hg source and provides further insights into grasping the behavior of hydrothermal and volcanogenic Hg in active deep-sea ridge systems. • Extremely high Hg concentrations are observed in the serpentinization-driven hydrothermal vent sediments. • Sequential extraction demonstrates the depositional pathways of Hg in deeps-sea ridge system. • Most volcanic and hydrothermal Hg is sequestered by co-precipitation with sulfides. • Fe-Mn oxides are another prevalent Hg speciation, especially in the hydrothermal sediments. • Significant Hg-MDF may occur during the formation of Hg-sulfide precipitates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rare earth elements (REE) along with selected major and trace elements were measured in laminated Ethmodiscus rex diatom mats and associated sediments (diatomaceous clay and pelagic clay) in two sediment cores collected from the Parece Vela Basin of the eastern Philippine Sea. REE distributions are characterized by strong enrichment of middle REE (MREE) and heavy REE (HREE) over light REE (LREE) and slight enrichment of MREE over HREE. This distribution pattern suggests that REE compositions of the laminated E. rex diatom mats were not the product of E. rex blooms, an inference also supported by the fact that Ti-normalized REE concentrations are not clearly different from those in the diatomaceous clay and pelagic clay. Comparison of REE patterns with the vertical distribution of authigenic phases in the sediment indicates that LREE were dominantly associated with detrital materials, whereas MREE and HREE were selectively enriched by Mn oxyhydroxides and authigenic phosphates. In the pelagic clay, a weak negative Ce anomaly cannot be linked to oxic depositional conditions but instead is attributed to the retention of a negative Ce anomaly associated with authigenic phosphates. In the laminated E. rex diatom mats, a weak positive Ce anomaly is consistent with depositional sulfidic anoxic conditions and is interpreted to represent enhanced scavenging of reduced aqueous Ce3+ by barite in a strongly reducing environment. Moreover, variably negative to positive Ce anomalies in the diatomaceous clay may reflect the concurrent operation of the two processes controlling Ce accumulation in the laminated E. rex diatom mats and pelagic clay. The study cores show a ubiquitous positive Eu anomaly owing to the presence of volcanic materials. The smaller Eu anomaly in the laminated E. rex diatom mats and diatomaceous clay relative to that in the pelagic clay may be attributed to the release of reduced Eu2+ from mineral phases to the sediment pore water under strongly reducing conditions. Previous studies have shown that the advection of Lower Circumpolar Water (LCPW) strengthened during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), which should have resulted in better ventilation of the deep eastern Philippine Sea. Evidence presented here for more reducing bottomwater conditions during the laminated E. rex diatom mats formation implicates elevated primary productivity and enhanced organic sinking fluxes as primary controls on redox changes in the eastern Philippine Sea during the LGM. Enhanced primary productivity and more reducing bottomwaters during the laminated E. rex diatom mats deposition resulted in a larger respired carbon pool in the deep eastern Philippine Sea, which may have been part of a larger-scale modulation of atmospheric CO2 variation during Pleistocene glacial–interglacial cycles by deep-ocean carbon storage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Discriminating sediment sources quantitatively of several unique shelf-mud deposits in the Yellow Sea has received considerable attention, because they are active sedimentary depocenters that can elucidate the river sediment dispersal patterns and the depositional systems of the sea. Here, we propose a new sediment source proxy model of rare earth elements (REEs) that reflects innate characteristics of their fractionation distribution patterns and provides a reasonable and practical estimation for quantifying sediment source apportionments in the Yellow Sea. REEs of riverine and shelf-mud sediments were granulometrically and chemically partitioned, and the unique characteristics of their fractionation patterns were recorded and numerically indexed. We found distinct differences in the REE fractionation pattern index of riverine sediments, possibly due to the different source rock compositions. Notably, the acid-leached phase of the clay fraction may be a better material for quantitative evaluation of river contributions in the Yellow Sea. Using the REE-source index model presented here, proportional contributions of Chinese river sediments to the central and southeastern Yellow Sea mud deposits were estimated to be 55–80% and 10–40%, respectively, with higher percentage in the leached fraction. Our results elucidate the disagreement between mud budget and river discharge, particularly in Korean coastal mud deposits, as well as the source interpretation of the Yellow Sea shelf-mud deposits, which have been debated since the 1980s. • REEs of the river and shelf sediments were granulometrically and chemically partitioned. • REE fractionation patterns were categorized and indexed to quantify the sediment source. • We proposed a new REE-source index model applicable to the Yellow Sea sediments. • The results provide significant insights on dispersal systems of riverine sediments in the sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]