Search

Depositional processes recorded by shelf deposits may vary widely along‐strike, depending largely on the mode of delivery and deposition of sediments to the basin. In fine‐grained systems in particular, depositional processes are difficult to reconstruct with standard facies analysis of sediment cores due to the ostensibly featureless and homogenous appearance of muds. In this study, sedimentological, palaeontological, geochemical, and oceanographic data were combined in a detailed characterization of depositional conditions via sedimentary structures, type of organic matter, trace‐metal geochemistry, and benthic fauna assemblages (foraminifera and ostracods) along the 600 km long shelf delta clinothems of the West Adriatic shelf (Italy). Processes inferred from sedimentary facies and micro‐structures were then considered in the context of the modern Adriatic oceanographic regime. Specific attention was given to the Little Ice Age stratigraphic unit (1500–1850 ce), which contains a continuum of genetically related fine‐grained strata. The Little Ice Age deposit offers the opportunity to examine a source‐to‐sink system with the high resolution typical of modern analogues, at a time interval when Apennine rivers were not yet hydraulically engineered with man‐made sediment traps along their trunks. Individual beds within the Little Ice Age muddy prodelta form hectometre to kilometre‐wide bedsets that reflect the interplay between energetic meteo‐ocean conditions (storm‐dominated beds), flood supply (river‐dominated beds or hyperpycnites) and along‐shelf bottom‐current dispersion (drift‐dominated beds). The multidisciplinary approach applied at different scales of observations helped in understanding sediment provenance and the relative timing of sediment transport before final burial that strongly promoted organic matter oxygen exposure and the loss of carbon by microbial degradation. Overall, the distinctive depositional processes that acted in concert along the prodelta slope produced a subtle lateral heterogeneity of preserved sedimentary structures, faunal associations, and organic matter composition in a laterally‐continuous lithostratigraphic unit deposited at centennial scale. These findings have implications on the forcing conditions that ultimately control the location and nature of fine‐grained beds in both modern and ancient, mud‐dominated depositional systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic warming is causing permafrost thaw and release of organic carbon (OC) to fluvial systems. Permafrost-derived OC can be transported downstream and degraded into greenhouse gases that may enhance climate warming. Susceptibility of OC to decomposition depends largely upon its source and composition, which vary throughout the seasonally distinct hydrograph. Most studies on carbon dynamics to date have focused on larger Arctic rivers, yet little is known about carbon cycling in lower-order rivers and streams. Here, we characterize the composition and sources of OC, focusing on less studied particulate OC (POC), in smaller waterways within the Kolyma River watershed. Additionally, we examine how watershed characteristics control carbon concentrations. In lower-order systems, we find rapid initiation of primary production in response to warm water temperatures during spring freshet, shown by decreasing δ13 C-POC, in contrast to larger rivers. This results in CO 2 uptake by primary producers and microbial degradation of mainly autochthonous OC. However, if terrestrially derived inorganic carbon is assimilated by primary producers, part of it is returned via CO 2 emissions if the autochthonous OC pool is simultaneously degraded. As Arctic warming and hydrologic changes may increase OC transfer from smaller waterways to larger river networks, understanding carbon dynamics in smaller waterways is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last deglaciation is the most recent relatively well-documented period of pronounced and fast climate warming, and, as such, it holds important information for our understanding of the climate system. Notably, while research into terrestrial organic carbon reservoirs has been instrumental in exploring the possible sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide during periods of rapid change, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here we investigate the mobilization of organic matter to the Bay of Biscay, located in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of France and Spain. Specifically, we focus on the area that was the mouth of the Channel River during the last deglaciation, where an enhanced terrigenous input has been reported for the last glacial–interglacial transition. We conducted a comprehensive suite of biomarker analyses (e.g. n-alkanes, hopanes and n-alkanoic acids) and isotopic investigations (radiocarbon dating and δ13 C measurements) on a high-resolution sedimentary archive. The present study provides the first direct evidence for the fluvial supply of immature and ancient terrestrial organic matter to the core location. Moreover, our results reveal the possibility of permafrost carbon export to the ocean, driven by processes such as deglacial warming and glacial erosion. These findings are consistent with observations from other regions characterized by present or past permafrost conditions on land, which have shown that permafrost thaw and glacial erosion can lead to carbon remobilization, potentially influencing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We really appreciate the interest and comments regarding our manuscript. We hope we address all the lingering issues in this reply. This also gives us the opportunity of publishing an update on our dataset that will complete the original manuscript (see Table 1). We have followed the author pattern in our answers: I-Gas sampling procedure, 2-Reported gas concentrations results, 3-General remarks, 4-Conclusions. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Arctic warming is causing permafrost thaw and release of organic carbon (OC) to fluvial systems. Permafrost-derived OC can be transported downstream and degraded into greenhouse gases that may enhance climate warming. Susceptibility of OC to decomposition depends largely upon its source and composition which varies throughout the seasonally distinct hydrograph. Most studies to date have focused on larger Arctic rivers, yet little is known about carbon dynamics in lower order rivers/streams. Here, we characterize composition and sources of OC, focusing on less studied particulate OC (POC), in smaller waterways within the Kolyma River watershed. Additionally, we examine how watershed characteristics control carbon concentrations. In lower order systems, we find rapid initiation of primary production in response to warm weather, shown by decreasing δ13C-POC, in contrast to larger rivers. As Arctic warming and hydrologic changes may increase OC transfer from smaller waterways through river networks this may intensify inland water carbon outgassing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TR17-08, a marine sedimentary core (14.6 m), was collected during 2017 from the Edisto Inlet (Ross Sea, Antarctica), a small fjord near Cape Hallett. The core is characterized by expanded laminated sedimentary sequences making it suitable for studying submillennial processes during the Early Holocene. By studying different well-known foraminifera species (Globocassidulina biora, G. subglobosa, Trifarina angulosa, Nonionella iridea, Epistominella exigua, Stainforthia feylingi, Miliammina arenacea, Paratrochammina bartrami and Portatrochammina antarctica), we were able to identify five different foraminiferal assemblages over the last ∼ 2000 years BP. Comparison with diatom assemblages and other geochemical proxies retrieved from nearby sediment cores in the Edisto Inlet (BAY05-20 and HLF17-1) made it possible to distinguish three different phases characterized by different environmental settings: (1) a seasonal phase (from 2012 to 1486 years BP) characterized by the dominance of calcareous species, indicating a seasonal opening of the inlet by more frequent events of melting of the sea-ice cover during the austral summer and, in general, a higher-productivity, more open and energetic environment; (2) a transitional phase (from 1486 to 696 years BP) during which the fjord experienced less extensive sea-ice melting, enhanced oxygen-poor conditions and carbonate dissolution conditions, indicated by the shifts from calcareous-dominated association to agglutinated-dominated association probably due to a freshwater input from the retreat of three local glaciers at the start of this period; and (3) a cooler phase (from 696 years BP to present) during which the sedimentation rate decreased and few to no foraminiferal specimens were present, indicating ephemeral openings or a more prolonged cover of the sea ice during the austral summer, affecting the nutrient supply and the sedimentation regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last deglaciation is the most recent relatively well-documented period of pronounced and fast climate warming and, as such, it holds important information for our understanding of the climate system. Notably, while research into terrestrial organic carbon reservoirs has been instrumental in exploring the possible sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide during periods of rapid change, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here we investigate the mobilization of organic matter to the Bay of Biscay at the mouth of the Channel River, where an enhanced terrigenous input has been reported for the last glacial-interglacial transition. A suite of biomarker and isotopic analyses on a high-resolution sedimentary archive provided the first direct evidence for the fluvial supply of immature and ancient terrestrial organic matter to the core location. In the light of what has been reported for other regions with present or past permafrost conditions on land, this result points to the possibility of permafrost carbon export to the ocean, caused by processes that likely furthered the observed changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic rivers will be increasingly affected by the hydrological and biogeochemical consequences of thawing permafrost. During transport, permafrost-derived organic carbon (OC) can either accumulate in floodplain and shelf sediments or be degraded into greenhouse gases prior to final burial. Thus, the net impact of permafrost OC on climate will ultimately depend on the interplay of complex processes that occur along the source-to-sink system. Here, we focused on the Kolyma River, the largest watershed completely underlain by continuous permafrost, and marine sediments of the East Siberian Sea as transect to investigate the fate of permafrost OC along the land-ocean continuum. Three pools of riverine OC were investigated for the Kolyma main stem and five of its tributaries: dissolved OC (DOC), suspended particulate OC (POC), and riverbed sediment OC (SOC) and compared to earlier findings in marine sediments. Carbon isotopes (d13C, 14C), lignin phenol, and lipid biomarkers show a contrasting composition and degradation state of these different carbon pools. Dual isotope source apportionment calculations imply that old permafrost-OC is mostly associated with sediments (SOC; contribution of 68 ± 10%), and less dominant in POC (38 ± 8%), while autochthonous primary production contributes around 44 ± 10% to POC in the main stem and up to 79 ± 11% in tributaries. Biomarker degradation indices suggest that Kolyma DOC is relatively degraded, regardless of its generally young age shown by previous studies. In contrast, SOC shows the lowest 14C signal (oldest OC), yet relatively fresh compositional signatures. Furthermore, decreasing mineral surface areanormalised OC- and biomarker loadings suggest that SOC is reactive along the land-ocean continuum supporting the idea that floodplain and shelf sediments are efficient reactors. A better understanding of DOC and POC dynamics in Arctic rivers is still necessary, however, this study highlights that sedimentary dynamics play a crucial role when targeting permafrost-derived OC in aquatic systems. Chemical and physical processes (e.g. degradation, sorption) along fluvial-marine transects will determine to what degree thawed permafrost OC may be destined for long-term burial, therewith attenuating further global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arctic rivers will be increasingly affected by the hydrological and biogeochemical consequences of thawing permafrost. During transport, permafrost-derived organic carbon (OC) can either accumulate in floodplain and shelf sediments or be degraded into greenhouse gases prior to final burial. Thus, the net impact of permafrost OC on climate will ultimately depend on the interplay of complex processes that occur along the source-to-sink system. Here, we focused on the Kolyma River, the largest watershed completely underlain by continuous permafrost, and marine sediments of the East Siberian Sea as a transect to investigate the fate of permafrost OC along the land-ocean continuum. Three pools of riverine OC were investigated for the Kolyma main stem and five of its tributaries: dissolved OC (DOC), suspended particulate OC (POC), and riverbed sediment OC (SOC) and compared to earlier findings in marine sediments. Carbon isotopes (δ13C, Δ14C), lignin phenol, and lipid biomarkers show a contrasting composition and degradation state of these different carbon pools. Dual isotope source apportionment calculations imply that old permafrost-OC is mostly associated with sediments (SOC; contribution of 68 ± 10 %), and less dominant in POC (38 ± 8 %), while autochthonous primary production contributes around 44 ± 10 % to POC in the main stem and up to 79 ± 11 % in tributaries. Biomarker degradation indices suggest that Kolyma DOC is relatively degraded, regardless of its generally young age shown by previous studies. In contrast, SOC shows the lowest Δ14C signal (oldest OC), yet relatively fresh compositional signatures. Furthermore, decreasing mineral surface area-normalised OC- and biomarker loadings suggest that SOC is reactive along the land-ocean continuum supporting the idea that floodplain and shelf sediments are efficient reactors. A better understanding of DOC and POC dynamics in Arctic rivers is still necessary, however, this study highlights that sedimentary dynamics play a crucial role when targeting permafrost-derived OC in aquatic systems. Chemical and physical processes (e.g. degradation, sorption) along fluvial-marine transects will determine to what degree thawed permafrost OC may be destined for long-term burial, therewith attenuating further global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]