The origin of boron in boron-rich salt lakes in the Tibetan Plateau is highly controversial.In this study,we carried out a detailed study on boron geochemistry and isotope composition of lake sediments collected in Zi...The origin of boron in boron-rich salt lakes in the Tibetan Plateau is highly controversial.In this study,we carried out a detailed study on boron geochemistry and isotope composition of lake sediments collected in Zigetang Co,central Tibet.Evaporites had high boron concentrations of 172.3–418.6 lg/g and δ^(11)B values of-8.2%to-3.3%,suggesting a non-marine origin for the saline lake.The boron isotopic fractionation factor,a,between evaporite and brackish water(a_(evaporite–brackish))decreased systematically with depth,from 0.9942 at the top of the drill core to 0.9893 at the bottom;the linear variation between α_(evaporite–brackish)and depth reflects boron isotopic fractionation associated with progressive crystallization.The positive correlation between δ^(11)B versus[B]and δ^(11)B versus depth in the evaporite phase reflects pH and boron speciation in the solution control on the adsorption of boron,and B(OH)_3 species incorporated preferentially into Mg(OH)_2 precipitation at high pH.展开更多
Iron isotopic composition of the upper continental crust(UCC) is critical for understanding Fe mobilization and migration through the Earth. Because rocks exposed at Earth's surface have heterogeneous δ^(56)Fe, f...Iron isotopic composition of the upper continental crust(UCC) is critical for understanding Fe mobilization and migration through the Earth. Because rocks exposed at Earth's surface have heterogeneous δ^(56)Fe, finegrained clastic sediments can be used to estimate the average composition of UCC. In this study, we report δ^(56)Fe of loess-paleosol sequences from Yimaguan, Chinese Loess Plateau(CLP), to constrain the average Fe isotopic composition of UCC. The loess-paleosol sequences in this area formed in glacial-interglacial cycles and are characterized by varying degrees of weathering. Our data show that the loess-paleosol layers have extremely homogeneous Fe isotopic compositions with δ^(56)Fe ranging from 0.06‰ to 0.12‰, regardless of variations in the major element composition and weathering intensity. Our study indicates that since Fe isotopes are not significantly fractionated during loess deposition, the loess can be regarded as representative of UCC. It follows that the average δ^(56)Fe of UCC is 0.09‰± 0.03‰(2SD), consistent with previous estimates based on igneous rock data.展开更多
Using the recent compilation of the isotopic composition data of surface snow of Antarctic ice sheet, we proposed an improved interpolation method of δD, which utilizes geographical factors (i.e., latitude and altit...Using the recent compilation of the isotopic composition data of surface snow of Antarctic ice sheet, we proposed an improved interpolation method of δD, which utilizes geographical factors (i.e., latitude and altitude) as the primary predictors and incorporates inverse distance weighting (IDW) technique. The method was applied to a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) to produce a grid map of multi-year mean δD values with lkm spatial resolution for Antarctica. The mean absolute deviation between observed and estimated data in the map is about 5.4‰, and the standard deviation is 9‰. The resulting δD pattern resembles well known characteristics such as the depletion of the heavy isotopes with increasing latitude and distance from coast line, but also reveals the complex topographic effects.展开更多
The hydrogen isotopic composition(δD) of leaf wax long-chain n-alkanes(C27, C29, and C31) from lacustrine sediments has been widely applied to reconstruct terrestrial paleoclimatic and paleohydrological changes. Howe...The hydrogen isotopic composition(δD) of leaf wax long-chain n-alkanes(C27, C29, and C31) from lacustrine sediments has been widely applied to reconstruct terrestrial paleoclimatic and paleohydrological changes. However, few studies have addressed whether the aquatic-derived n-alkanes can affect the δD values of lake sedimentary long-chain n-alkanes, which are usually regarded as a recorder of the terrestrial hydrological signals. Here we systematically investigated δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from modern aquatic plants, both near-shore and off-shore surface sediments, surrounding terrestrial plant litters, as well as river water and lake water in Lake Qinghai and its satellite lakes on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our data showed that(i) δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from aquatic plants varied from-184‰ to-132‰ for n-C27, from-183‰ to-138‰ for n-C29, and from-189‰ to-130‰ for n-C31, respectively, with no significant differences among the three n-alkanes homologues;(ii) δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from aquatic plants were generally more positive than those from surrounding terrestrial plants, possibly because that they recorded the D-enrichment of lake water in this semi-arid region;(iii) δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from surface sediments showed significant differences among the three n-alkanes homologues, due to the larger aquatic input of n-C27 to the sedimentary lipid pool than that of n-C31, and(iv) n-C27 δD values of near-shore aquatic plants and near-shore sediments are more negative than those from off-shore as a result of lower δD values of near-shore lake water. Our findings indicate that in this region(i) the offset between sedimentary n-C27 and n-C31 δD values(ΔδDC27-C31) could potentially be used to evaluate if sedimentary long-chain n-alkanes are derived from a single source;(ii) while δD values of n-C27 may be influenced by lake water hydrological changes, sedimentary n-C31 is derived predominantly from terrestrial plants and thus its δD can serve as a relatively reliable indicator for terrestrial paleoclimatic and paleohydrological reconstructions.展开更多
Foliar and root carbon isotope composition(δ13C) of grassland communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,was obtained by the biomass weighting method and direct measurement.We investigated the characteristics and...Foliar and root carbon isotope composition(δ13C) of grassland communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,was obtained by the biomass weighting method and direct measurement.We investigated the characteristics and altitudinal patterns of foliar and root δ13C and determined which environmental factors influenced foliar δ13 C most.Foliar δ13 C of alpine steppe was significantly higher than that of alpine meadow and temperate steppe.For alpine meadow,root δ13C was significantly higher than of foliar δ13C.Foliar δ13C increased with altitude at an average rate of 0.60‰ km 1 for the whole grassland ecosystem.This rate was lower than that at species level.However,there were no significant relationships between root δ13C and altitude.Atmospheric pressure was a more important factor than temperature and precipitation in its influence on the altitudinal pattern of foliar δ13C at the community level.展开更多
To apply carbon isotope composition (δ13C) analyses of C4 plants to the quantitative reconstruction of paleoclimate, the functional mechanism linking plant δ13C (δ13Cp) to the environment, which is based on the...To apply carbon isotope composition (δ13C) analyses of C4 plants to the quantitative reconstruction of paleoclimate, the functional mechanism linking plant δ13C (δ13Cp) to the environment, which is based on the plants' physiological characteristics and morphological adaptability, must be thoroughly understood. Foxtail millet (Setaria italic) and common millet (Panicum miliaceum), as C4 plants, are representative crops of the rain-fed agriculture present in northern China. Fossil millets are ideal for paleoclimatic studies because of the ease of acquisition and identification to the species level. Modem seeds of foxtail and common millet collected from different habitats of the Chinese Loess Plateau, and their carbon isotope compositions, were an- alyzed and correlated with environmental factors, such as latitude, altitude, temperature, precipitation, water availability, and relative humidity. The results showed that the δ13C of foxtail millet had a significantly negative correlation with latitude (R=-0.46), which may indicate the influence of light. The effect of light on the δ13C of foxtail millet accounted for only 21% of variability, while other climatic factors did not exert significant influences. Thus, the δ13C of foxtail millet was not suitable for extracting climatic information. The δ13C of common millet was significantly and positively correlated with precipitation during the growing period (R=0.75), explaining 56% of variability. The functional mechanisms analyzed, using the plants' physiological characteristics and morphological adaptability, indicated that common millet can adapt to environmental changes because of stomatal sensitivity and some non-stomatal factors. Therefore, the 813C of common millet can record precipitation during growth and is a promising factor for paleoclimatic reconstruction.展开更多
Boron isotope values in Paleozoic brachiopods and corals, collected from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, China, can be used to constrain the boron isotope compositions of past oceans. All brachiopod shells and coral sampl...Boron isotope values in Paleozoic brachiopods and corals, collected from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, China, can be used to constrain the boron isotope compositions of past oceans. All brachiopod shells and coral samples were screened for diagenetic recrystallization by cathodoluminescence microscopy, trace element geochemistry of B, Fe, Mn, Sr, and scanning electron microscopy. The boron isotope ratios for brachiopods in Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Triassic calcites are in the ranges 8.9‰-14.0‰, 8.8‰-13.8‰, 10.3‰-16.3‰, and 6.7‰-12.4‰, respectively. The boron isotope ratios of coral calcites in the Silurian, Devonian, and Permian are 9.1‰-12.2‰, 6.1‰-13.8‰, and 9.2‰-16.1‰, respectively. The δ11B values for both brachiopods and corals are significantly lower than those for modern biogenic carbonates, indicating that the Paleozoic oceans were depleted of δ11B by up to 10‰. Our results are consistent with previous published studies. The boron isotope compositions of corals and brachiopods show the consistent trends. The low δ11B values may be explained by an enhanced riverine flux of boron from the continents.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program(973 project)of China(2013CB956401)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41210004,41661144042)
文摘The origin of boron in boron-rich salt lakes in the Tibetan Plateau is highly controversial.In this study,we carried out a detailed study on boron geochemistry and isotope composition of lake sediments collected in Zigetang Co,central Tibet.Evaporites had high boron concentrations of 172.3–418.6 lg/g and δ^(11)B values of-8.2%to-3.3%,suggesting a non-marine origin for the saline lake.The boron isotopic fractionation factor,a,between evaporite and brackish water(a_(evaporite–brackish))decreased systematically with depth,from 0.9942 at the top of the drill core to 0.9893 at the bottom;the linear variation between α_(evaporite–brackish)and depth reflects boron isotopic fractionation associated with progressive crystallization.The positive correlation between δ^(11)B versus[B]and δ^(11)B versus depth in the evaporite phase reflects pH and boron speciation in the solution control on the adsorption of boron,and B(OH)_3 species incorporated preferentially into Mg(OH)_2 precipitation at high pH.
基金financially supported by the National Science Foundation of China(41173031,41325011 and 41503001)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(WK3410000004)
文摘Iron isotopic composition of the upper continental crust(UCC) is critical for understanding Fe mobilization and migration through the Earth. Because rocks exposed at Earth's surface have heterogeneous δ^(56)Fe, finegrained clastic sediments can be used to estimate the average composition of UCC. In this study, we report δ^(56)Fe of loess-paleosol sequences from Yimaguan, Chinese Loess Plateau(CLP), to constrain the average Fe isotopic composition of UCC. The loess-paleosol sequences in this area formed in glacial-interglacial cycles and are characterized by varying degrees of weathering. Our data show that the loess-paleosol layers have extremely homogeneous Fe isotopic compositions with δ^(56)Fe ranging from 0.06‰ to 0.12‰, regardless of variations in the major element composition and weathering intensity. Our study indicates that since Fe isotopes are not significantly fractionated during loess deposition, the loess can be regarded as representative of UCC. It follows that the average δ^(56)Fe of UCC is 0.09‰± 0.03‰(2SD), consistent with previous estimates based on igneous rock data.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40825017, 40576001)100 Talents Project of Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Key Technologies R&D Program of China (No. 2006BAB18B01)
文摘Using the recent compilation of the isotopic composition data of surface snow of Antarctic ice sheet, we proposed an improved interpolation method of δD, which utilizes geographical factors (i.e., latitude and altitude) as the primary predictors and incorporates inverse distance weighting (IDW) technique. The method was applied to a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) to produce a grid map of multi-year mean δD values with lkm spatial resolution for Antarctica. The mean absolute deviation between observed and estimated data in the map is about 5.4‰, and the standard deviation is 9‰. The resulting δD pattern resembles well known characteristics such as the depletion of the heavy isotopes with increasing latitude and distance from coast line, but also reveals the complex topographic effects.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41573005)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB955901)
文摘The hydrogen isotopic composition(δD) of leaf wax long-chain n-alkanes(C27, C29, and C31) from lacustrine sediments has been widely applied to reconstruct terrestrial paleoclimatic and paleohydrological changes. However, few studies have addressed whether the aquatic-derived n-alkanes can affect the δD values of lake sedimentary long-chain n-alkanes, which are usually regarded as a recorder of the terrestrial hydrological signals. Here we systematically investigated δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from modern aquatic plants, both near-shore and off-shore surface sediments, surrounding terrestrial plant litters, as well as river water and lake water in Lake Qinghai and its satellite lakes on the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Our data showed that(i) δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from aquatic plants varied from-184‰ to-132‰ for n-C27, from-183‰ to-138‰ for n-C29, and from-189‰ to-130‰ for n-C31, respectively, with no significant differences among the three n-alkanes homologues;(ii) δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from aquatic plants were generally more positive than those from surrounding terrestrial plants, possibly because that they recorded the D-enrichment of lake water in this semi-arid region;(iii) δD values of long-chain n-alkanes from surface sediments showed significant differences among the three n-alkanes homologues, due to the larger aquatic input of n-C27 to the sedimentary lipid pool than that of n-C31, and(iv) n-C27 δD values of near-shore aquatic plants and near-shore sediments are more negative than those from off-shore as a result of lower δD values of near-shore lake water. Our findings indicate that in this region(i) the offset between sedimentary n-C27 and n-C31 δD values(ΔδDC27-C31) could potentially be used to evaluate if sedimentary long-chain n-alkanes are derived from a single source;(ii) while δD values of n-C27 may be influenced by lake water hydrological changes, sedimentary n-C31 is derived predominantly from terrestrial plants and thus its δD can serve as a relatively reliable indicator for terrestrial paleoclimatic and paleohydrological reconstructions.
基金supported by National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No.2010CB950902)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.31070427)National High-tech R&D Program of China(Grant No.2009BAC61B01)
文摘Foliar and root carbon isotope composition(δ13C) of grassland communities on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,was obtained by the biomass weighting method and direct measurement.We investigated the characteristics and altitudinal patterns of foliar and root δ13C and determined which environmental factors influenced foliar δ13 C most.Foliar δ13 C of alpine steppe was significantly higher than that of alpine meadow and temperate steppe.For alpine meadow,root δ13C was significantly higher than of foliar δ13C.Foliar δ13C increased with altitude at an average rate of 0.60‰ km 1 for the whole grassland ecosystem.This rate was lower than that at species level.However,there were no significant relationships between root δ13C and altitude.Atmospheric pressure was a more important factor than temperature and precipitation in its influence on the altitudinal pattern of foliar δ13C at the community level.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41301042&41172161)the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2015CB953803)
文摘To apply carbon isotope composition (δ13C) analyses of C4 plants to the quantitative reconstruction of paleoclimate, the functional mechanism linking plant δ13C (δ13Cp) to the environment, which is based on the plants' physiological characteristics and morphological adaptability, must be thoroughly understood. Foxtail millet (Setaria italic) and common millet (Panicum miliaceum), as C4 plants, are representative crops of the rain-fed agriculture present in northern China. Fossil millets are ideal for paleoclimatic studies because of the ease of acquisition and identification to the species level. Modem seeds of foxtail and common millet collected from different habitats of the Chinese Loess Plateau, and their carbon isotope compositions, were an- alyzed and correlated with environmental factors, such as latitude, altitude, temperature, precipitation, water availability, and relative humidity. The results showed that the δ13C of foxtail millet had a significantly negative correlation with latitude (R=-0.46), which may indicate the influence of light. The effect of light on the δ13C of foxtail millet accounted for only 21% of variability, while other climatic factors did not exert significant influences. Thus, the δ13C of foxtail millet was not suitable for extracting climatic information. The δ13C of common millet was significantly and positively correlated with precipitation during the growing period (R=0.75), explaining 56% of variability. The functional mechanisms analyzed, using the plants' physiological characteristics and morphological adaptability, indicated that common millet can adapt to environmental changes because of stomatal sensitivity and some non-stomatal factors. Therefore, the 813C of common millet can record precipitation during growth and is a promising factor for paleoclimatic reconstruction.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 407760071 and 40976074)
文摘Boron isotope values in Paleozoic brachiopods and corals, collected from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, China, can be used to constrain the boron isotope compositions of past oceans. All brachiopod shells and coral samples were screened for diagenetic recrystallization by cathodoluminescence microscopy, trace element geochemistry of B, Fe, Mn, Sr, and scanning electron microscopy. The boron isotope ratios for brachiopods in Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, and Triassic calcites are in the ranges 8.9‰-14.0‰, 8.8‰-13.8‰, 10.3‰-16.3‰, and 6.7‰-12.4‰, respectively. The boron isotope ratios of coral calcites in the Silurian, Devonian, and Permian are 9.1‰-12.2‰, 6.1‰-13.8‰, and 9.2‰-16.1‰, respectively. The δ11B values for both brachiopods and corals are significantly lower than those for modern biogenic carbonates, indicating that the Paleozoic oceans were depleted of δ11B by up to 10‰. Our results are consistent with previous published studies. The boron isotope compositions of corals and brachiopods show the consistent trends. The low δ11B values may be explained by an enhanced riverine flux of boron from the continents.