Characteristics and Origins of Suspended Pyrite in the Mixing Zone of the Yangtze Estuary

For a long time,most studies about pyrite have focused on sediments while only a few have focused on pyrite in water.In this study,a method that combines the scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and the energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry(EDS)was used to compare pyrite particles suspended in water to those in associated bottom sediments,both obtained from the mixing zone of the Yangtze Estuary.It was found that the pyrite particles in the two media have similar morphologies and size distributions.The particle morphology mainly includes two types,single crystal and aggregate,and the particle size mainly ranges from 0.5 to 2μm.The pyrite particles in water exhibit an increase in relative content towards the sea,and their transport and deposit processes are mainly affected by hydrodynamic conditions.It is concluded that the pyrite particles in the suspended matter mainly derived from the resuspension of sediments,which are products of the early diagenesis.Precursor minerals may appear during the formation of pyrite,but are generally restricted by the diagenetic environment and local microenvironment.

The Origin and Preservation of Suspended Barites near the 90°E Ridge in the Northeastern Indian Ocean

Suspended particulate barite crystals were detected in the water columns at four different stations near the 90°E ridge in the Indian Ocean.Four distinct morphological types of marine barites were distinguished:euhedral-subhedral crystals,oval or round crystals,rhombic crystals,and irregular crystals.The barite crystals in the study area are typically fine,with a dominant size of 1–3μm.The vertical distribution of barites is significantly affected by the formation and sedimentation processes.Barites begin to appear at a depth of 30 m and are formed primarily from the surface to the depth of 2000m with a concentration peak at the depth of 200m,where particles are coarser than those in the other layers.The barites begin to settle and dissolve once formed in the water column,resulting in finer barite particles and lower particle concentrations.The formation of barite crystals is related to biological processes associated with the decomposition of barium-rich skeletons in the microenvironment of decaying organic matter that is affected by the primary productivity and dissolved oxygen content in the water column.The dissolving process of barite crystals showed similar variation with the concentration of dissolved barium in ocean water,and the substitution of strontium for barite in crystals promotes the selective dissolution of barite and exerts an important impact on its morphology.It is approximately 33%of barites in the amount and 22%in the concentration to settle to the bottom of the water column compared to that observed in the main barite formation zone.

Biomarker Records of Phytoplankton Productivity and Community Structure Changes in the Central Yellow Sea Mud Area During the Mid-Late Holocene

The Yellow Sea(YS)environmental and ecological changes during the Holocene are driven by the interactions between the Yellow Sea Warm Current(YSWC),the East Asian Winter Monsoon(EAWM)and the Kuroshio Current(KC).We report marine biomarker records of brassicasterol,dinosterol and C37 alkenones in core ZY1 and core ZY2 from the South Yellow Sea(SYS)to reconstruct the spatial/temporal variations and possible mechanisms of phytoplankton primary productivity and community structure changes during the Mid-late Holocene.The contents of the corresponding biomarkers in the two cores are similar,and they also reveal broadly similar temporal trends.From 6 kyr to 3 kyr,the biomarker contents in the two cores were relatively low with small oscillations,followed by a distinct increase at about 3 kyr indicating productivity increases caused by a stronger EAWM.The alkenone/brassicasterol ratio(A/B)is used as a community structure proxy,which also showed higher values in both cores since 3 kyr,indicating increased haptophyte contribution to total productivity.It is proposed that the YS community structure has been mainly influenced by the YSWC,with stronger YSWC influences causing an increase in haptophyte contribution since 3 kyr.Some differences of the biomarker records between ZY2 and ZY1 suggest spatial variations in response to YSWC and KC forcing.When the KC was intensified during the periods of 6 4.2 kyr and 1.7 0 kyr,the YSWC extended eastward,exerting more influence on core ZY1.On the other hand,when the KC weakened during 4.2 1.7 kyr,the YSWC extended westward,exerting more influence on the ZY2.

Heavy metals in surficial sediments of the central Bohai Sea:their distribution,speciation and sources

The semi-enclosed Bohai Sea has received large amount of pollutants from surrounding rivers and sewage channels along the densely populated and industrializing Bohai coasts,as well as the offshore oil exploration in the sea.The concentrations of heavy metals copper,cobalt,nickel,zinc,lead,chromium and cadmium in 25 surface sediment samples from the central Bohai Sea are obtained by ICP-MS analysis.The speciation of these heavy metals is extracted and their distribution,fractionation,pollution status and sources are presented.High concentrations of copper,cobalt,nickel,zinc and chromium are found in the sediments off the coastal area of the Bohai Bay and the central Bohai Sea mud,while high concentrations of cadmium and lead are found in the sediments in the whole study area.The residual fraction is the dominant form of copper,cobalt,nickel,zinc and chromium in the surface sediments,while cadmium and lead have large proportions in the nonresidual fractions.The ecological risk assessment shows that the sediments in the study area are unpolluted with respect to the heavy metals of cobalt,nickel and chromium and unpolluted to moderately polluted with respect to copper,zinc,cadmium and lead.Cobalt,nickel and chromium mainly have natural origin and their concentrations significantly vary with the composition of the sediments.The contents of copper,zinc,lead and especially cadmium in sediments are suggested to be influenced by pollutants of human activities.The heavy metals in the surface sediments at most sampling stations are mainly come from the Huanghe River;the heavy metals in the sediments in the northernmost part of the study area are significantly affected by the sediment from the Luanhe River;while in the Bohai Bay and the central region they were affected by the sediment from the Haihe River and aerosol deposition.

Major Mid-Late Holocene Cooling in the East China Sea Revealed by an Alkenone Sea Surface Temperature Record

Although the mid-late Holocene cold and dry event about 4000 years ago(the 4 ka event) has been observed almost globally, it was most prominent in terrestrial climate proxies from the lower latitudes. Here we evaluate the oceanic response to this event in terms of a Holocene sea surface temperature(SST) record reconstructed using the K'37U index for Core B3 on the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The record reveals a large temperature drop of about 5℃ from the mid-Holocene(24.7℃ at 5.6 ka) to the 4 ka event(19.2℃ at 3.8 ka). This mid-late Holocene cooling period in Core B3 correlated with(i) decreases in the East Asia summer monsoon intensity and(ii) the transition period with increased El Nino/Southern Oscillation activities in the Equatorial Pacific. Our SST record provides oceanic evidence for a more global nature of the mid-late Holocene climate change, which was most likely caused by a southward migration of the Intertropical Converge Zone in response to the decreasing summer solar insolation in the Northern Hemisphere. However, the large SST drop around Core B3 indicates that the mid-late Holocene cooling was regionally amplified by the initiation/strengthening of eddy circulation/cold front which caused upwelling and resulted in additional SST decrease. Upwelling during the mid-late Holocene also enhanced with surface productivity in the East China Sea as reflected by higher alkenone content around Core B3.

Biomarker evidence for paleoenvironmental changes in the southern Yellow Sea over the last 8200 years

Previous studies have indicated that the Yellow Sea underwent significant environmental changes during the Holocene, but many questions remain concerning the timing of the establishment of the modern circulation system, which would have major implications for the Yellow Sea ecosystem and carbon cycle. In this study, marine and terrestrial biomarkers were analyzed in Core YE-2 from a muddy area in the southern Yellow Sea to reconstruct Holocene environmental and phytoplankton community change. The content of three individual marine phytoplankton biomarkers (alkenones, brassicasterol and dinosterol) all display a similar trend, and their total contents during the early Holocene (362 ng/g) were lower than those during the mid-late Holocene (991 ng/g). On the other hand, the contents of terrestrial biomarkers (C27+C29+C31n-alkanes) during the early Holocene (1 661 ng/g) were about three times higher than those during the mid-late Holocene (499 ng/g). Our biomarker results suggest that the modern circulation system of the Yellow Sea was established by 5-6 ka, and resulted in higher marine productivity and lower terrestrial organic matter inputs. Biomarker ratios were used to estimate shifts in phytoplankton community structure in response to mid-Holocene (5-6 ka) environmental changes in the Yellow Sea, revealing a transition from a dinoflagellate-diatom dominant community structure during the early Holocene to a coccolithophore-dominant community structure during the mid-late Holocene.

The grain-size distribution of the suspended particulate matter in the Huanghe Estuary and its adjacent sea area in winter

The grain-size of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Huanghe Estuary and its adjacent sea area was investigated with an in situ laser particle size analyzer (LISST-100) in November 2006.The spatial distribution of the grain-size parameters was very complicated.The results show that (1) the mean particle size of SPM ranged from 3.00Φ to 6.41Φ,with an average value of 4.66Φ;(2) the frequency distribution patterns of the SPM grain-size showed three different types,which were mono-mode,dual-mode and tri-mode,respectively;(3) C-M chart suggested that the transportation-processes of the SPM not only included suspended mode,but also the bed load transportation mode.The bed load transportation mode mainly occurred at the bottom layer.The characteristics and space distribution of SPM grain-size might be mainly controlled by sediment discharge of the Huanghe River,hydrodynamics condition,surface sediment types,and biological process within the study area.

The Mineral Composition and Sources of the Fine-Grained Sediments from the 49.6?E Hydrothermal Field at the SWIR

We used the X-ray diffraction method to determine systematically the mineral phases in bulk sediment samples and acid undissolved residuals of the fine-grained fraction of the surface sediments from the 49.6°E hydrothermal field at the Southwest Indian Ridge(SWIR)and discussed the mineral sources of the surface sediments.The results showed that the surface sediments in this region were composed of calcareous ooze,and calcite was the dominant mineral.The sediments also contained quartz,feldspar,clay minerals,pyroxene,sphalerite,barite,serpentine,and magnetite.The quartz,feldspar,and clay minerals were exogenous minerals that mainly originated from the Namib and Kalahari deserts in southern Africa.The pyroxene,serpentine,magnetite,sphalerite,calcite,and barite were endogenous minerals from weathering of seafloor basement rocks and seafloor hydrothermal activities.The sulfide particles in the sediments were mainly deposited from upwelling plumes.

Grain size records reveal variability of the East Asian Winter Monsoon since the Middle Holocene in the Central Yellow Sea mud area,China

Three cores(ZY-1,ZY-2 and ZY-3) retrieved from the Central Yellow Sea mud(CYSM) were analyzed in sensitive grain size and AMS 14 C dating to reconstruct the history of the East Asian Winter Monsoon(EAWM) since the Middle Holocene in the study area.The results show that these data provide a continuous history of the EAWM over the past 7.2 ka and that the EAWM can be divided into three periods:strong and highly fluctuating during 7.2-4.2 ka BP;moderate and relatively stable during 4.2-1.8 ka BP;and weakened during 1.8-0 ka BP.Compared with the East Asian Summer Monsoon(EASM) recorded in the previous studies,the evolutionary history of the EAWM broadly follows the orbital-derived winter insolation with a similar long-term step-decreased trend as the EASM.At the centennial scale,however,the EAWM intensified events correlate well with the EASM weakened events and the North Atlantic climatic variations(Bond events 0 to 5) within the dating error,most likely forced by the reduction of solar irradiance through changes in the oceanic-atmospheric circulation patterns.

Sea surface temperature records of core ZY2 from the central mud area in the South Yellow Sea during last 6200 years and related effect of the Yellow Sea Warm Current

Sea surface temperature (SST) records in the South Yellow Sea during the last 6200 years are reconstructed by the unsaturation index of long-chain alkenones (K 37 U ') in sediment core ZY2 from the central mud area.The SST records varied between 14.1 and 16.5°C (15.6°C on average),with 3 phases:(1) A high SST phase at 6.2-5.9 cal ka BP;(2) A low and intensely fluctuating SST phase at 5.9-2.3 cal ka BP;and (3) A high and stable SST phase since 2.3 cal ka BP.Variation of the SST records is similar to intensity of the Kuroshio Current (KC),and corresponds well in time to global cold climate events.However,the amplitude of the SST response to cooling events was significantly different in different phases.The SST response to global cooling event was weak while the KC was strong;and the SST response was strong while the KC was weak.The difference in amplitude of the SST response is possibly caused by the modulation effect of the Yellow Sea Warm Current which acts as a shelf branch of the KC and a compensating current induced by the East Asia winter monsoon.The warm waters brought by the Yellow Sea Warm Current cushion the SST decrease induced by climate cooling,and both the Kuroshio and East Asian winter monsoon play important roles in the modulation mechanism.The SST records display a periodicity of 1482 years.The same period was found in the KC records,indicating that variation of the SST records in the central South Yellow Sea is strongly affected by KC intensity.The same period was also found in Greenland ice cores and North Atlantic and Arabian Sea sediment cores,showing a regional response of marine environmental variability in the East China Seas to that in the global oceans.

End member inversion of surface sediment grain size in the South Yellow Sea and its implications for dynamic sedimentary environments

Four end members were inverted from surface sediment grain size data from the South Yellow Sea by using the end member(EM) model. The sediment provenance and hydrodynamic meanings of each EM were discussed based on the frequency and spatial distributions of the EMs. EM1 and EM2 reflect the dynamic transport and sorting processes of the terrigenous sediment, and EM3 and EM4 reflect the modification of relic sand. The ocean front mainly affected transport of relatively coarse terrigenous sediment in the South Yellow Sea, and the fine terrigenous sediments were generally unaffected by the ocean front. Fine sediment could pass through the ocean front and deposit in the central South Yellow Sea under weak tidal condition to form most part of the Central Yellow Sea Mud(CYSM). The CYSM extended toward northwest and southwest. The sediment in the north part of the CYSM mainly consisted of sediment from the Yellow River(Huanghe) in the northwest, and the sediment in the southwest part of CYSM mainly consisted of Subei coastal sediments from both the Yangtze River(Changjiang) and the Yellow River. Compared to the traditional method of sediment grain size analysis, the EM model can determine the EMs and provide better explanations of the sediment provenance and dynamic regional sedimentary environment in the study area.

Compound-specific carbon isotope compositions of individual long-chain n-alkanes in severe Asian dust episodes in the North China coast in 2002

The molecular compositions and com- pound-specific carbon isotope compositions of indi- vidual long-chain n-alkanes of atmospheric aerosols collected during two severe Asian dust episodes in Qingdao in spring of 2002 were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/IRMS). Typical plant wax n-alkanes (C29 and C31) had lower δ 13C values than those from anthropo- genic (engine exhaust) sources (C21―C23). The av- erage δ 13C value of plant wax n-alkane C29 in non-dust episode periods was -30.5‰ (?30.3‰― ?31.9‰), while -31.3‰ (?31.1‰―?31.5‰) in dust episode periods; for C31, it was ?31.4‰ (?31.1‰― ?33.0‰) in non-dust episode periods, and ?31.7‰ (?31.3‰―?32.6‰) in dust episode periods. Plant wax in the dust episode samples was mainly from herbaceous plants via long-range transport, while local plant wax was mainly from deciduous plants and woody plants. In North China coast, 83.3% of the plant wax in the severe dust episode samples was from C3 plants while 80.0% for the non-dust samples, indicating that plant wax transported to the north- western Pacific Ocean by airborne dust from East Asia was mainly from C3 plants. The results suggestthat the molecular and molecular-isotopic composi- tions of individual long-chain n-alkanes can, as an effective indicator, identify the terrestrial organic components in the dust from East Asia and sedi- ments in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

Biomarker evidence for changes in terrestrial organic matter input into the Yellow Sea mud area during the Holocene

We present lipid biomarker records of two cores(ZY1 and ZY3) from the central South Yellow Sea mud area to investigate the changes in sources and transport processes of the sedimentary organic matter(OM) throughout the Holocene. Based on the analysis of marine biomarker content(SPB(Phytoplankton Biomarker, total content of brassicasterol, dinosterol and C_(37)-alkenones) and crenarchaeol), and terrestrial biomarkers(Sn-alkanols and br GDGTs) as well as TMBR′ and BIT index values, the marine organic matter(MOM) and terrestrial organic matter(TOM) deposition history was reconstructed. Changes in TOM and MOM were related to variations in land vegetation density and marine productivity, as well as transport processes dominated by the oceanic circulation system. The marine biomarker contents from the South Yellow Sea have generally increased throughout the Holocene, indicating that the increased MOM contents were mainly controlled by the strengthening of the circulation system. The terrestrial biomarkers, on the other hand, were more variable, indicating more complex influence of TOM burial in the Yellow Sea. During the Early Holocene(7200–6000 cal yr BP), the moderate TOM input revealed by the terrestrial proxy records may result from abundant land source supply by strong river transport despite the lack of transport via circulation system. The Mid-Holocene(6000–3000 cal yr BP) was characterized by decreased terrestrial biomarker contents. The balance between the decrease in land source supply and increase of transportation by the current system of the TOM resulted in the lower but stable contents of TOM. During the Late Holocene(3000 cal yr BP to present), the TOM deposition in the South Yellow Sea increased as the current system was further enhanced and thus transported more TOM to the central South Yellow Sea, although the land supply of TOM was further reduced.