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The polar oceans play a vital role in regulating atmospheric CO2 concentrations (pCO2) during the Pleistocene glacial cycles. However, despite being the largest modern reservoir of respired carbon, the impact of the subarctic Pacific remains poorly understood due to limited records. Here, we present high-resolution, 230Th-normalized export productivity records from the subarctic northwestern Pacific covering the last five glacial cycles. Our records display pronounced, glacial-interglacial cyclicity superimposed with precessional-driven variability, with warm interglacial climate and high boreal summer insolation providing favorable conditions to sustain upwelling of nutrient-rich subsurface waters and hence increased export productivity. Our transient model simulations consistently show that ice sheets and to a lesser degree, precession are the main drivers that control the strength and latitudinal position of the westerlies. Enhanced upwelling of nutrient/carbon-rich water caused by the intensification and poleward migration of the northern westerlies during warmer climate intervals would have led to the release of previously sequestered CO2 from the subarctic Pacific to the atmosphere. Our results also highlight the significant role of the subarctic Pacific in modulating pCO2 changes during the Pleistocene climate cycles, especially on precession timescale (~ 20 kyr). Ice sheets and precession are shown to control westerly strength and position, impacting nutrient-rich water upwelling and productivity in the subarctic Pacific. This finding underscores the subarctic Pacific's significant contribution to Pleistocene CO2, particularly on a precession timescale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xianxian geothermal exploitation area is one of the areas with the best occurrence conditions of geothermal resource in North China, rich in medium and low temperature geothermal resource, and is a typical carbonate geothermal field. However, its hydrogeochemical evolution process is not clear, and no complete conceptual model of geothermal genesis has been established to guide the exploration, development and utilization of geothermal resource in the area. It restricts the sustainable development of regional geothermal resource and the realization of carbon emission reduction targets. In this study, geothermal fluids in the area were collected for testing and analysis in terms of hydrochemical characteristics and stable isotopes. Based on systematic geochemical research, the formation mechanism of geothermal fluids was analyzed, and a conceptual model of geothermal genetic in the study area was established. The main understanding is as follows: the hydrochemical type of geothermal water in the study area is Cl-Na type, and the water-rock interaction is not balanced. The formation of geothermal water in the area is affected by the infiltration of atmospheric precipitation, and it is terrestrial leached water. The flow path of geothermal water is long, the water circulation is slow, and the metamorphism is deep. Dolomite, calcite and gypsum dissolution are the main sources of Mg2+, Ca2+, , and in geothermal water, besides, other minerals containing calcium and magnesium are also part of their sources. The source of geothermal water recharge is atmospheric precipitation, and the recharge elevation of geothermal water is about 619–1069 m. The age of the geothermal water is between 16 000 and 18 000 years. The sulfur in geothermal water mainly comes from the leaching of sedimentary layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the study of microplanktonic organisms in the Arctic has increased owing to their direct participation in the process of sedimentation and sensitive response to changes in environmental and climatic factors. This study presents new data on the taxonomic diversity and content of radiolarian skeletons and agglutinated tintinnid ciliate loricae in the Upper Holocene sediments of the Laptev Sea, East Siberian Sea, and the adjacent part of the Arctic Ocean. We traced the spatial distribution of representative microfauna of these groups in surface sediments and sediment cores. Radiolarian skeletons were found in the surface sediments of the continental slope of the Laptev Sea and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean. These belong to the following six species: Stylatractus (?) sp., Actinomma leptoderma leptoderma, Actinomma leptoderma longispina, Streblacantha circumtexta, Spongotrochus glacialis, and Cycladophora davisiana. The radiolarian fauna detected was in deep sea and close to the fauna of the Nansen Basin (Central Arctic). Furthermore, we found tintinnid ciliate loricae belonging to the following seven species: Tintinnopsis ventricosoides, Tintinnopsis fimbriata, Tintinnopsis turbo, Tintinnopsis nitida, Tintinnopsis sp. cf. fusus (?), Tintinnopsis sp., and Stenosemella nivalis. In the study area, the tintinnid ciliate loricae of these species were discovered for the first time and traced mainly in the coastal shelf zone, which can be explained by their ecology. The only exception is that of T. nitida, which was found only on the continental slope of the Laptev Sea. Our findings advance knowledge on the biodiversity of Arctic seas and can be used to monitor ecological and paleoceanographic changes in the Arctic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research was motivated by significant warming in the Arctic in recent decades and the influence of this warming on diatoms, which are the main producers in the seas of the Eastern Arctic. For this purpose, we studied the qualitative concentrations and quantitative ratio of diatoms from the surface sediments of the Laptev Sea (LS), the East Siberian (ESS) and Chukchi seas (ChS), and the Arctic Ocean (AO), obtained by box corers in 2016 and 2018. The ecological structure of the diatom assemblages of these sediments, reflecting the current environmental conditions, was also analyzed. Compared with the end of the last century, there were significant changes in species composition and quantitative ratio of the diatom assemblages in the sediments from the AO and the LS and ESS. In contrast, the diatom assemblages in the sediments from the ChS had not significantly changed in terms of species composition or quantitative ratio over the same three decades. The observed transformations in the diatom assemblages of the surface sediments were associated with substantial changes in water temperature, current flow, salinity, ice melting, and prolonged ice-free periods associated with global warming in the Northern Hemisphere in recent decades. The foregoing processes have clearly had strong impacts on the environment and the biota of the Arctic region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the two most important greenhouse gases (GHGs). To examine the variation characteristics of Ch4 and CO2 in the coastal South China Sea, atmospheric CH4 and CO2 measurements were performed in Bohe (BH), Guangdong, China, in summer 2021. By using an adaptive data analysis method, the diurnal patterns of CH4 and CO2 were clearly extracted and analysed in relation to the sea breeze (SB) and land breeze (LB), respectively. The average concentrations of CH4 and CO2 were 1876.91 ± 31.13 ppb and 407.99 ± 4.24 ppm during SB, and 1988.12 ± 109.92 ppb and 421.54 ± 14.89 ppm during LB, respectively. The values of CH4 and CO2 during SB basically coincided with the values and trends of marine background sites, showing that the BH station could serve as an ideal site for background GHG monitoring and dynamic analysis. The extracted diurnal variations in CH4 and CO2 showed sunrise high and sunset low patterns (with peaks at 5:00–7:00) during LB but mid-morning high and evening low patterns (with peaks at 9:00) during SB. The diurnal amplitude changes in both CH4 and CO2 during LB were almost two to three times those during SB. Wind direction significantly modulated the diurnal variations in CH4 and CO2. The results in this study provide a new way to examine the variations in GHGs on different timescales and can also help us gain a better understanding of GHG sources and distributions in the South China Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral), the dominant planktonic foraminiferal species in the mid-to-high latitude oceans, represents a major component of local calcium carbonate (CaCO3) production. However, the predominant factors, governing the calcification of this species and its potential response to the future marine environmental changes, are poorly understood. The present study utilized an improved cleaning method for the size-normalized weight (SNW) measurement to estimate the SNW of N. pachyderma (sin.) in surface sediments from the Amundsen Sea, the Ross Sea, and the Prydz Bay in the Antarctic Zone of the Southern Ocean. It was found that SNW of N. pachyderma (sin.) is not controlled by deep-water carbonate dissolution post-mortem, and can be therefore, used to reflect the degree of calcification. The comparison between N. pachyderma (sin.) SNW and environmental parameters (temperature, salinity, nutrient concentration, and carbonate system) in the calcification depth revealed that N. pachyderma (sin.) SNWs in the size ranges of 200–250, 250–300, and 300–355 µm are significantly and positively correlated with seawater temperature. Moreover, SNW would increase by ∼30% per degree increase in temperature, thereby suggesting that the calcification of N. pachyderma (sin.) in the modern Antarctic Zone of the Southern Ocean is mainly controlled by temperature, rather than by other environmental parameters such as ocean acidification. Importantly, a potential increase in calcification of N. pachyderma (sin.) in the Antarctic Zone to produce CaCO3 will release CO2 into the atmosphere. In turn, the future ocean warming will weaken the ocean carbon sink, thereby generating positive feedback for global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The grain size distribution of bulk sediment samples was decomposed in a core to reconstruct paleoceanographic evolution over the past 60 ka in the northern Norwegian Sea. The results show that sediments consisted of 3–4 grain populations derived from the North Atlantic Current (NAC) and Barents Ice Sheet (BIS). The grain size data suggest three palaeoceanographic evolution stages: (1) an environment affected by BIS and NAC and changed with the interstadial/stadial transition in phase with the Greenland ice-core record at 60–31 ka BP, during which discharge of icebergs and the content of the coarsest population containing ice-rafted debris (IRD) in the sediments increased significantly during stadial, while the fine silt population containing volcanic glasses increased with the enhancement of NAC during the interstadial; (2) an extreme environment controlled by BIS at 31–13 ka BP. BIS reached to its maximum at about 31 ka BP and the turbid plumes that formed at the leading edge of BIS contributed to a significant increase in the clayey population in sediments. Icebergs drained into the northern Norwegian Sea with periodical calving of the BIS at 31–19 ka BP. Subsequently, the ablation of the BIS discharged massive floods with clayey sediments and icebergs into the Norwegian Sea at 19–13 ka BP, resulting in a constant increase in clay and IRD in sediments; and (3) a marine environment similar to the present one under the strong influence of NAC following the complete melting of the BIS after 13 ka BP, NAC is the dominant transport agent and no IRD occurred in sediments. The fine silt populations containing volcanic glasses transported by NAC significantly increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the biogenic silica (BSi) content and produced a diatom-based summer sea-surface temperature (SST) reconstruction for sediment core GC4 from the Holsteinsborg Dyb, West Greenland. Our aim was to reconstruct marine productivity and climatic fluctuations during the last millennium. Increased BSi content and diatom abundance suggest relatively high marine productively during the interval of AD 1000–1400, corresponding in time to the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). The summer SST reconstruction indicates relatively warm conditions during AD 900–1100, followed by cooling after AD 1100. An extended cooling period during AD 1400–1900 is characterized by prolonged low in reconstructed SST and high sea-ice concentration. The BSi values fluctuated during this period, suggesting varying marine productivity during the Little Ice Age (LIA). There is no significant correlation between the BSi content and SST during the last millennium, suggesting that the summer SST has little influence on marine productively in the Holsteinsborg Dyb. A good correspondence between the BSi content and the element Ti counts in core GC4 suggests that silicate-rich meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet was likely responsible for changes in marine productively in the Holsteinsborg Dyb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mariana Trough, a relatively simple intra-oceanic back-arc basin, is ideal for investigating magmatic processes and mantle-crust interaction in a subduction setting. We present new major- and trace element compositions for 31 basaltic lava and glass samples from the Mariana Trough back-arc spreading center. The studied lavas include phenocrysts of plagioclase, olivine and pyroxene. Major element compositions show that these lavas range from tholeiitic basalt to basaltic andesite, and belong to a sub-alkali tholeiitic series produced by fluid-influenced fractional crystallization of primary basaltic melts. Trace element compositions show that these lavas are transitional between typical normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) and island arc basalt (IAB), and are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs). Trace element ratios, e.g., Ba/Th, Pb/Ce, Th/Nd, La/Sm, Th/Nb, Ba/Nb and Th/Nb, indicate that the mantle from which these lavas were derived underwent modification resulting from the addition of multiple subduction components. Some typical trace element ratios (e.g., Ba/Nb- total subduction component, Ba/Th- shallow subduction, and Th/Nb-deep subduction component) from our new data and the literature suggest that a latitudinal variation exists in addition to subduction components, and indicates a more complex and heterogeneous distribution of subduction components in the Mariana back-arc region. We suggest that, (1) compared to back-arc locations at 18° N and 15.5° N, lavas from back-arc locations at 17° N indicate higher levels of modification by hydrous fluid released from the subducted slab, and (2) compared to back-arc locations at 17° N and 15.5° N, petrogenesis of lavas from back-arc locations at 18° N indicates a greater influence of sediment melt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being located at higher latitudes with seasonal ice-cover, the Bering shelves and slope are still one of the most productive regions of the world. Existing reports regarding marine production of the Bering Sea are mainly confined to its high water column production and high biomass of macrobenthos. Compared with biomass, secondary production estimates are more functionally based and have assumed a fundamental role in the quantification of ecosystem dynamics. Based on Brey's empirical model (in: Brey, Population dynamics in benthic invertebrates. A virtual handbook, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany, 2001), macrobenthic production across the majority of the Bering Sea was quantified during the 4th, 5th and 6th Chinese Arctic Scientific Expeditions. Mean total production (TP) and community P/B for the entire survey area were 220.6 ± 341.5 kJ m−2 year−1 and 0.4 ± 0.2 year−1, n = 46, respectively. Higher TP occurred in the shallower shelves and slope with values exceeding 131.0 kJ m−2 year−1, whereas lower TP occurred in the deep basin with values of 1.0 kJ m−2 year−1. Comprehensive analysis revealed that the sediment, water flow, temperature and depth were the major factors affecting the macrobenthic production. Owing to the relatively high biological production in the upper water column and the tight pelagic-benthic coupling, higher production occurred in the shallow shelves and slope, particularly in the northern Bering Sea. In contrast, the high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll characteristic and deficient particulate organic carbon input led to low production in the deep basin. Similar to the conditions in the Arctic and Antarctic, the energy conversion rate of macrozoobenthos was relatively low for the Bering Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, the reconstruction of variations in the duration over several hundred years was conducted on the basis of models developed by comparing hydrometeorological observations and detailed scanning of the chemical composition of bottom sediments accumulated during the corresponding period. The gauge models for the reconstruction of air temperature and ice cover of the water area for three sites in the northern part of the Chukchi Sea have been developed. During the reconstruction, an insignificant increase in the duration of the ice-free period during the Little Ice Age was established, which does not coincide with the changes in the temperature regime that took place. It is concluded that the dynamics of the inflow of warm Pacific waters through the Bering Strait had the predominant influence on the ice regime of the Chukchi Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was to investigate bacterial and archaeal community structure of pan-Arctic Ocean sediments by pyrosequencing. In total, investigation of three marine sediments revealed 15 002 bacterial and 4 362 archaeal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at the 97% similarity level. Analysis of community structure indicated that these three samples had high bacterial and archaeal diversity. The most relatively abundant bacterial group in Samples CC1 and R05 was Proteobacteria, while Firmicutes was dominant in Sample BL03. Thaumarchaeota was the most relatively abundant archaeal phylum in Samples CC1 and R05, and the relative abundance of Thaumarchaeota was almost as high as that of Euryarchaeota in Sample BL03. These two phyla accounted for nearly 100% of the archaeal OTUs. δ-Proteobacteria and γ-Proteobacteria were the two most relatively abundant classes at Proteobacterial class level, and their relative abundance was more than 60% in Samples CC1 and R05. There were also differences in the top 10 relatively abundant bacterial and archaeal OTUs among the three samples at the 97% similarity, and only 12 core bacterial OTUs were detected. Overall, this study indicated that there were distinct microbial communities and many unique OTUs in these three samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO is now considered as a novel heat transmission fluid to extract geothermal energy. It can achieve the goal of energy exploitation and CO geological sequestration. Taking Zhacanggou as research area, a 'Three-spot' well pattern (one injection with two production), 'wellbore-reservoir' coupled model is built, and a constant injection rate is set up. A fully coupled wellbore-reservoir simulator-T2Well-is introduced to study the flow mechanism of CO working as heat transmission fluid, the variance pattern of each physical field, the influence of CO injection rate on heat extraction and the potential and sustainability of heat resource in Guide region. The density profile variance resulting from temperature differences of two wells can help the system achieve 'self-circulation' by siphon phenomenon, which is more significant in higher injection rate cases. The density of CO is under the effect of both pressure and temperature; moreover, it has a counter effect on temperature and pressure. The feedback makes the flow process in wellbore more complex. In low injection rate scenarios, the temperature has a dominating impact on the fluid density, while in high rate scenario, pressure plays a more important role. In most scenarios, it basically keeps stable during 30-year operation. The decline of production temperature is <5 °C. However, for some high injection rate cases (75 and 100 kg/s), due to the heat depletion in reservoir, there is a dramatic decline for production temperature and heat extraction rate. Therefore, a 50-kg/s CO injection rate is more suitable for 'Three-spot' well pattern in Guide region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of phytoliths to total biogenic silica (BSi) volumes in rivers worldwide, and the associated implications for the biogeochemical cycle, require in-depth study. Based on samples from rivers in Peninsular Malaysia, this project investigated the source and characteristics of BSi found in Asian tropical rivers, as well as the process of reverse weathering taking place in these fluvial systems. Results indicated that BSi samples collected in sediments consisted of phytolith, diatom and sponge spicules. Phytoliths, predominantly of the elongate form, comprised 92.8%-98.3% of BSi in the Pahang River. Diatom BSi in this river consisted mainly of pennatae diatoms, but represented a relatively small proportion of the total BSi volume. However, diatom BSi (predominantly of the Centricae form) was more prevalent in the Pontian and Endau Rivers with shares of 68.8% and 79.3% of the total BSi volumes, respectively, than Pahang River. Carbon contents of the BSi particulates ranged from 1.85% to 10.8% with an average of 4.79%. These values are higher than those recorded in other studies to date, and indicate that BSi plays a major role in controlling permanent carbon burial. This study suggests that phytoliths from terrestrial plants are the primary constituents of BSi in the rivers of Peninsular Malaysia, and therefore represent a significant proportion of the coastal silica budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high resolution record of sea-ice concentration on the North Icelandic shelf during the last millennium has been reconstructed using a diatom-based sea-ice transfer function. The reconstructed sea-ice record for the top of sediment core MD99-2275 exhibits a slightly increasing trend over the last 1000 years. Prior to AD 1300 sea-ice abundance was generally below the mean value, suggesting the strong influence of warm waters from the Irminger Current during the Medieval Warm Period. A marked increase of sea-ice concentration indicates an abrupt change to colder conditions after AD 1300, corresponding to the onset of the Little Ice Age. The agreement between the reconstructed sea-ice concentration and IP data obtained from the same core, as well as with historical records of Icelandic sea ice, suggests that diatoms may provide a valuable tool for future quantitative reconstructions of past sea-ice variability. In addition, agreement between changes in the reconstructed sea-ice record and variations in the abundance of the major diatom components indicates that sea-ice conditions on the North Icelandic shelf are generally strongly influenced by changes in the strength of two different water masses, the cold Polar water periodically derived from the East Greenland Current and the warm Irminger Current derived from the North Atlantic Current. Our proxy evidence also indicates that variations in solar activity have a considerable impact on ocean dynamics, which in turn affects sea-ice abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two sediment cores, KCES1 and ODP797, which were recovered from the Sea of Japan (JS), were measured for alkenone-derived sea surface temperatures ( $$U^{{\text{K}}^{\prime}}_{37} {\text{-SSTs}}$$ ). Our results revealed that the SSTs closely follow the glacial-interglacial cycles during the last 170 ka, except in the last glacial maximum (LGM), during which the SST was higher than in the Holocene. The anomalous high temperature in the LGM is considered as an effect of the intrusion of a low salinity water mass into the JS when the sea level was almost below 130 m. On the glacial-interglacial to orbital timescale, the $$ U^{{\text{K}}^{\prime }}_{37} {\text{-SSTs}} $$ record in the JS correlated well with the benthic foraminiferal δO record and solar insolation, which suggests the dominant control of solar insolation and its related sea ice development on the SST in the JS. On the sub-orbital/millennial timescale, reduced SST corresponds to an enhanced east asian winter monsoon (EAWM) during the last glacial period (MIS3 and MIS4), indicating the dominant control of sea ice expansion due to the enhanced EAWM on the SST in the JS. In contrast, during the last interglacial period (MIS5), the SST in the JS was controlled by variations in the east Asian summer monsoon. These results highlight the key role of solar insolation and associated glacial-interglacial conditions in the variations of the SST in the JS since the last 170 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface sediment samples collected off the Huanghe (Yellow) River mouth during the period 2007-2009 were analyzed for major and trace element concentrations. Concentrations of 16 elements were measured using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Results demonstrate that sediment grain size is the dominant factor controlling the spatial variations of elemental concentrations. Correlation and cluster analyses allowed classification of the study area into four geochemical regions: Regions I and III are characterized by high concentrations of AlO, FeO, MgO, NaO, KO, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn, and contain fine-grained sediments with mean grain size ( M)<22 μm; and; Regions II and IV contain mostly coarse-grained sediments, and are characterized by high concentrations of SiO, NaO, and Zr. The sediment entering the sea from the Huanghe River and its tributaries is enriched in Ca. Thus, the Ca/Al ratio was used as an indicator of the proportion of sediments in the study area that originated from the Huanghe River. Ca/Al ratios decrease from Regions I and II (located in the nearshore zone of the Huanghe River delta) to Regions III and IV (distributed in the offshore zone of the northern Huanghe River delta, southern and southeastern Laizhou Bay area). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical sediment transport model was embedded into a coupled wave-tide-circulation model to quantitatively estimate the suspended sediment fluxes (SSF) and distribution in different areas for the Yellow River derived sediment. The model is validated by comparing model simulated sediment deposition rates with those from observations. Simulated results show that the SSF of the Yellow River across two major sections (the Bohai Strait and the 37° N section) are highest during September and October, whereas for the 32° N section the flux is negligibly small (less than 0.1 kg/s). We demonstrate that the sediment flux is primarily driven by the buoyancy forcing of the Yellow River freshwater discharge and modulated by the wind-driven surface wave and circulation patterns in this region. The SSF across the Bohai Strait is about 30 % of the Yellow River discharge, while across the 37° N section it is 15.8 %. Therefore, about 70 % of the total discharged Yellow River sediments are deposited in the Bohai Sea, 14.1 % in the North Yellow Sea, and 13.9 % in the South Yellow Sea. There are two deposition branches in the Yellow Sea. The primary one is located off the eastern tip of the Shandong Peninsula and extends to the southwest off the coastline, which is consistent with the observed 'Ω'-shape deposition pattern. This simulated tongue shape deposition pattern is isolated from the north by the strong resuspension off the eastern tip of Shandong Peninsula. The secondary branch extends to the middle of the South Yellow Sea and has been strengthened by resuspension process. The two deposition branches are separated by the wintertime Yellow Sea Warm Current in the bottom layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer was used to analyze sediment samples collected from the Hangzhou Bay to determine major and trace elemental concentrations. Based on these concentrations, the study area can be classified into three geochemical provinces. Province I covers the northern Hangzhou Bay area and contains high concentrations of AlO, FeO, MgO, NaO, KO, MnO, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, Co and Zn. Province III is located in the western Hangzhou Bay, near the Qiantang River mouth, and contains high concentrations of SiO, NaO, PO, TiO, Cr, Sr, Zr. Province II is located in the middle and eastern Hangzhou Bay, with the medium concentrations of major and trace elements. The results also demonstrate that the grain size is the dominating factor controlling the spatial variations of elemental concentrations, and the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) and Qiantang River sediments play an important role in the distribution of these elements. Anthropogenic impact on heavy metal concentrations (especially Cr, Sr and Zr) can be detected in the surface sediments near the Qiantang River mouth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Located at the collision boundary between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Continental Plate, the island of Taiwan is generally recognized as an important example in the MARGINS Program Science Plan and 'source-to-sink' research because of its high tectonic activity, heavy rainfall and unique geography. Large suspended sediment loads are transported to the adjacent ocean by Taiwanese rivers every year, making Taiwan an important source of sediments into the adjacent seas and a natural laboratory for studying the systemic movement of fluvial sediments from source to sink. A detailed study on the clay mineral composition of surface sediments collected from the drainage basins of 12 Taiwanese rivers using X-ray diffraction methods was conducted. Our results indicated that the clay mineral assemblages consisted dominantly of illite (approximately 73%) and chlorite (approximately 24%), with lesser abundances of kaolinite (approximately 3%) and even lower levels of smectite from the Danshuei River sediments in northwestern Taiwan. The Jhuoshuei River sediments from western Taiwan contained clay mineral assemblages that consisted of illite (approximately 75%) and chlorite (approximately 25%), but they lacked kaolinite and smectite. In southwestern Taiwan, the clay mineral assemblages were dominated by illite (approximately 75%) and chlorite (approximately 23%), but had a low abundance of kaolinite (generally < 2%) and no smectite. The clay mineral assemblages in eastern Taiwan are obviously different from those in western parts of the island. The most noticeable difference is that the average abundance of chlorite in the Hualien River from eastern Taiwan was the highest (approximately 48%) of all the Taiwanese rivers. We concluded that, in general, the clay mineral assemblages in Taiwanese rivers were mainly composed of illite and chlorite with kaolinite and smectite being scarce, and these trends are different from those in China's mainland rivers. The clay mineral composition shown in this study was primarily determined by the properties of the bedrock, and the differential weathering intensities of the drainage area. The surface sediments in Taiwan's rivers showed a greater abundance of illite and chlorite because the outcropped rocks were mainly composed of Tertiary sedimentary rocks, especially sandstone, shale and slate, and show strong physical weathering. The relatively high relief and more abundant rainfall also caused the clay minerals in the fluvial sediments to be transported to the estuaries down rivers from the mountains and then delivered to the adjacent seas by currents and waves over a shorter time scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) from above and below 7.31 m in a core from the southern Ulleung Basin shows clear differences on an equal area projection of the lower hemisphere. Rather concentrated steep inclination of K and horizontal inclination of K and K ( K⩾ K⩾ K) are located within the upper part, and the latter two axes lie perpendicular to each other near the bedding plane. In contrast, random distribution of the three axes and extremely high value of shape parameters ( Q=( K− K)/[( K+ K)/2− K]) are evident in the lower part, indicating complete destruction of the original sedimentary structure. This result is consistent with data from X-radiographs, which show numerous conglomerates, distortions and cleavages in the lower part. According to age models by Liu et al. (2010) and Zou et al. (2010), the bottom age at 7.31 m is 48 cal ka BP, and the time domain is discussed below. The degree of AMS ( P) is low, 1-1.08, and linearly related to the foliation ( F) ( R=0.95, N=176). The relationship between F and linearity ( L) implies oblate aligning patterns that are typically sedimentary in origin. At least five redox couplets were found with the aid of S ratios and other rock magnetic parameters, and in most cases, the original signals of climate survived early diagenesis. The paleomagnetically reoriented AMS show corresponding changes with millennial events in the last 48 cal ka. Clearly tilted K directions and reduction of P and F occurred within DO1-BA warm events, when melt water pulse 1A nd the YD cold event took place. The turbulent conditions therein, synchronous with coarsening of sediments, provide evidence of strong bottom currents and possible directional changes, as evidenced by different K tilting directions. A NE current direction in the last 4.5 cal ka is consistent with in situ measurements of bottom currents. Responses of AMS, mainly to climatic modulation, show on the one hand, the limited influence of diagenesis on rock magnetic signals and, on the other hand, the dramatic change of hydrodynamic conditions and terrigenous inputs during rapid sea level rise during the last deglaciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The $$ {\text{U}}^{{{\text{K}}\prime}}_{{37}} $$ index has been widely applied for sea surface temperature (SST) reconstruction in open ocean environments, but has inherently limited applications at smaller, regional scales including some marginal seas where both historical and reconstructed SST records are urgently needed for understanding regional climate evolution. We determined the spatial distribution of alkenone contents in surface sediments from the southern Yellow Sea to assess the regional $$ {\text{U}}_{{{37}}}^{{{\text{K'}}}} $$-SST relationship for paleo-SST reconstructions. C and C alkenones were detected at all 36 sites covering most of the southern Yellow Sea. Alkenone content ranges from 17 to 1,063 ng/g, with high values (ca. 400 to 1,000 ng/g) at deep water sites and a decreasing trend shoreward. For six samples at shallower depths near the coast and further offshore, the values were too low for statistical evaluation. This spatial pattern of alkenone contents is consistent with existing knowledge on the spatial distribution and productivity of alkenone-producing coccolithophorid species in the region. There is a significant positive relationship ( $$ {\text{U}}_{{{37}}}^{{{\text{K'}}}} = 0.059{\text{SST}} - 0.350 $$, R = 0.912, n = 30) between the $$ {\text{U}}_{{{37}}}^{{{\text{K'}}}} $$ values and satellite-derived annual mean SSTs (0 m) for the last 27 years, providing support for the application of a region-specific $$ {\text{U}}_{{{37}}}^{{{\text{K'}}}} $$ index as paleothermometer in the southern Yellow Sea. However, the slope of the southern Yellow Sea calibration (0.059) is considerably larger than that of the well-known global core-top calibration (0.033). This implies that global SST trends may not adequately encompass regional SST patterns and/or that environmental factors other than temperature may gain importance in explaining coccolithophore dynamics in marginal seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paleoclimate record was revealed in Core MZ01 covering the mid-Holocene in age, located in the mud area of the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea. The ancient environment featured low-energy shallow sea shelf deposition formed mainly by coastal currents. The results show that temporal variation in geochemistry corresponds with the climate changes inferred from historical record. Relatively low MgO/AlO, CaO/KO and high AlO/NaO, KO/NaO, MnO/CaO values reflected a warm and humid climate in general, and vice versa. Therefore, these chemical indices could be applied to identify the variation of palaeoclimate in eastern China. The authors reconstructed the history of mid-Holocene climatic variation of the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea. From 8 300 a BP to 4 200 a BP, the climate was moderately warm and humid. From 4 200 a BP to 2 000 a BP, the climate turned cool and dry, and the regional climate frequently fluctuated in alternation of cool-dry periods (3 700 a BP, 2 850 a BP and 2 400 a BP) and warm-wet periods (3 250 a BP and 2 650 a BP). After 2 000 a BP, the climate of the study area gradually turned warm again, while the Little Ice Age, a cold event centered at around 250 a BP was indicated by those geochemical indices as mentioned above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is based on the sedimentological data from a piston core KCES1 off the southern Ulleung Basin margin, the East Sea (Sea of Japan). The data include sediment color ( L*), X-ray radiographs, grain size distribution and AMSC date. Four kinds of sediments (homogeneous, laminated, crudely laminated and hybrid sediments) are identified according to the characters of the sedimentary structures that were considered to reflect changes in bottom-water oxygenation. Alternations of dark laminated/crudely laminated sediments and light homogeneous sediments represent millennial-scale variations that are possibly associated with the high-resolution changes in the East Asian monsoon (EAM). The relative contributions of the East China Sea Coastal Water (ECSCW) and the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) were likely the main reasons for the repetition of the anoxic and oxic depositional conditions in the East Sea since the last 48 ka BP. During the interstadial, the strengthen summer EAM was attributed to the expansion of the ECSCW because of more humid climate in central Asia, and then more strongly low-salinity, nutrient-enriched water was introduced into the East Sea. The ventilation of deep water was restricted and therefore the dark laminated layer deposited under the anoxic bottom water condition. During the lowest stand of sea level in the last glacial maximum (LGM), the isolated East Sea dominated by stratified water masses and the euxinic depositional environment formed. The homogenous sediments have been predominating since 17.5 ka BP indicating that the TWC has intruded into the East Sea gradually with the stepwise rise of sea level and the bottom water oxygen level was high. During the late Younger Dryas (YD) period, the last dark laminated layer deposited because the ventilation of bottom water was restricted by stronger summer EAM. The TWC strengthened and the bottom water became oxic again from 10.5 ka BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AMS14C dating and analysis of grain size, major elements and clay minerals were applied to Core MZ01 from the mud area on the inner shelf of the East China Sea. Based on the environmentally sensitive grain size, clay mineral and major element assemblages, the history of the East Asia winter monsoon since the mid-Holocene could be reconstructed. These three proxies, mean grain size (>9.71 µm), chemical index of alteration (CIA) and ratio of smectite to kaolinite in particular, show similar fluctuation patterns. Furthermore, 10 extreme values corresponding to the contemporary cooling events could be recognized since the mid-Holocene; these extreme values are likely to have been caused by the strengthening of the East Asia winter monsoon. The cooling events correlated well with the results of the δ 18 O curves of the Dunde ice core and GISP2, which therefore revealed a regional response to global climate change. Four stages of the East Asia winter monsoon were identified, i.e. 8300-6300 a BP, strong and unstable; 6300-3800 a BP, strong but stable; 3800-1400 a BP, weak and unstable; after 1400 a BP, weak but stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New Nd and Sr isotope data are presented in this paper for sediments from the Yellow and Yangtze River drainage basins. The average 143Nd/144Nd isotope compositions of fine-grained sediments from two drainage basins seem similar. The T ages of sediments from the two drainage basins are relatively uniform but exhibit subtle differences. This reflects the different underlying bedrocks, in association with the unique tectonic terranes that comprise central and southeastern China, including the North China Block, the Yangtze Block, the South China Block, the Tibet Plateau and the Qinling-Dabie Orogenic Belt. In contrast, there is an obvious difference in the 87Sr/86Sr ratios between fine-grained sediments of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, which actually reflects an increase in chemical weathering intensity from northwestern to southeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on its microstructure, Co-rich crust A1-1 from seamount Allison, central Pacific, was scraped at averaged interval of 1.3 mm to measure osmium isotopic composition, and subsequently to establish the 187Os/188Os profile of scraping section of the crust. By observing the variation of 187Os/188Os under 10Be chronology and matching it to the well-known seawater Os isotope evolution of the past 40 Ma, two growth hiatuses (H1 and H2) occurring in the periods respectively between 13.6 and 29.6 Ma and between 8 and 9.8 Ma in the crust were recognized. According to the two hiatuses, the dating scheme for each scraped layer of the crust was suggested. For the upper layers younger than 6.8Ma, their growth ages were calibrated under 10Be chronology; for the lower layers older than 6.8Ma, their growth ages were obtained from 187Os/188Os evaluation curve by linear interpolation. Hereby, the age for the most inner layer of the crust was determined to be 39.5 Ma. H1 and H2 exactly correspond to the boundary between phosphatization and non-phosphatization and volcanic ash layer in the crust, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomarkers have been widely used to reconstruct phytoplankton productivity and community structure changes, and this method has been applied for the first time in the middle Okinawa Trough during the transition from the last deglaciation to the Holocene. The total content of all marine phytoplankton biomarkers, used as a total productivity indicator, reveals higher productivity during the deglaciation. The ratios of the biomarkers are used as community structure indicators which show that, compared with the Holocene, the contribution from haptophytes decreased while the contributions from diatoms and dinoflagellates increased during the deglaciation. The increased productivity during the deglaciation was likely caused by the stronger winter monsoon. Also increased nutrient supply from terrestrial sources contributes to the higher productivity due to lower sea-level, which is consistent with higher terrestrial biomarker (long-chain n-alkanols) content. These changes in the nutrient supply also contributed to the community structure changes in the Okinawa Trough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed rock magnetic and paleomagnetic studies have been undertaken on borehole EY02-2 (70m in length) in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS). The main Curie point revealed by magnetic susceptibility-temperature (k-T) curve is 580–600C indicating magnetite dominance. The hysteresis loop parameters show large variation of magnetic mineral size in different sedimentary contexts: it is larger in subtidal sediment than in terrigenous sediment and even larger than in shallow sea sediment. This trend is correlative with distance to sediment source and dynamic strength. Magnetostratigraphic results show that the M/B polarity boundary (MBPB) is at 63.29m and there are at least 7 polarity transitions (Nr1-7) in Brunhes chron that can be tentatively correlated with 6 named polarity reversals. Three positive polarity reversals occur in late Matuyama chron and the early two may be the record of Kamikatsura happening in 886±3 kaB.P. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) and sediment grain size behave so differently in some sedimentary facies that certain big environmental changes can be clearly revealed. Generally, the MS and grain size of subtidal and terrigenous sediments are larger than shallow sea sediments and MS value around 10 × 10-5SI and mean grain size of 7Φ seems to be indicators of shallow sea sediments of deep water depth. However, the frequently used excellent climatic proxies such as MS and grain size in bess and deep sea sediments fail to record such climatic cycles revealed by oxygen isotope in continental sea. The various sediment sources, sedimentation dynamic and their complex changes between glacial and interglacial periods should be the cause of failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two gravity piston cores (Cores 155 and 180) involved in this study were collected from the middle Okinawa Trough. Stratigraphy of the two cores was divided and classified based on the features of planktonic foraminifera oxygen isotope changes together with depositional sequence, millennium-scale climatic event comparison, carbonate cycles and AMS14C dating. Some paleoclimatic information contained in sediments of these cores was extracted to discuss the paleoclimatic change rules and the short-time scale events presented in interglacial period. Analysis on the variation of oxygen isotope values in stage two shows that the middle part of the Okinawa Trough may have been affected by fresh water from the Yellow River and the Yangtze River during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The oxygen iso-tope value oscillating ranges of the cores have verified that the marginal sea has an amplifying effect on climate changes. The δ13C of benthic foraminifera Uvigerina was lighter in the glacial period than that in the interglacial period, which indicates that the Paleo-Kuroshio’s main stream moved eastward and its influence area decreased. According to the temperature difference during the “YD” period existing in Core 180 and other data, we can reach the conclusion that the climatic changes in the middle Okinawa Trough area were controlled by global climatic changes, but some regional factors had also considerable influence on the climate changes. Some results in this paper support Fairbanks’s point that the “YD” event was a brief stagnation of sea level rising during the global warming up procession. Moreover, the falling of sea level in the glacial period weakened the exchange between the bottom water of the Okinawa Trough and the deep water of the northwestern Pacific Ocean and resulted in low oxygen state of bottom water in this area. These procedures are the reasons for carbonate cycle in the Okinawa Trough area being consistent with the “Atlantic type” carbonate cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sediment core DGKS9603 collected from the Okinawa Trough was used as research target. By use of unsaturated index U of long-chain alkenone, δC of POC and of planktonic foraminifera ( G. sacculifer), the evolutions of sea surface temperature and partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during the Holocene were reconstructed in the Okinawa Trough. And in combination of δO of planktonic foraminifera, the relative difference of sea surface salinity during the Holocene was also reconstructed. Consequently, three cooling events (E-E) were identified, each of which occurred at 1.7-1.6, 5.1-4.8 and 8.1-7.4 kaBP (cal), respectively. Of the three events, E and E are globally comparable, their occurrence mechanism would be that the main stream of the Kuroshio Current shifted eastward due to the enhanced circulation of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, which was driven in turn by amplified intensity of sunshine and subsequent enhancement of subtropical high pressure; E corresponds to the Small Ice-Age Event occurring between 1550 and 1850AD in China. In the Oki-nawa Trough, E might be also related to the eastward shift of main stream of the Kuroshio current driven by powerful Asia winter monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research of the geophysical survey in the east of the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) (122°-125°E) in 1999 reveals that the SYS has a structure of three-uplifts and two-basins. The structure can be well concordant with the gravity and magnetic anomalies. In the basins, most of the gravity and magnetic anomalies are low and gentle. As well in the uplifts, the gravity anomalies are high positive ones, but the magnetic anomalies are plus and minus variant ones. Seismic data show that the mid-uplift is a Cenozoic one. The Paleozoic is under the Q+N strata, the thickness of which is less than 1 km, with no Palaeogene. The Wunansha uplift area and the Sunan uplift area have good continuity, which indicates that they belong to the same geological unit. The basin in the northern part of SYS, which developed in the late Cretaceous period, is a Cenozoic one mainly made up of Cenozoic sediment. On the contrary, the basin in the southern part is the seaward extension of Subei basin and is a medial Cenozoic sediment basin mainly made up of Cenozoic sediment. Because of the striking left-lateral sense translation of Tanlu fault zone, the east plate of fault zone moved northward on a large scale, which generated a massive north-south pull-apart stress field to make the earth crust pulled apart, revolved and tilted, and the pulling-apart basin came into being in the upper part of the crust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By reference of the δ18O and δ13C isotopic compositions of G. sacculifer and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)14C dates, the U, ∑C/∑C and Pr/Pn in core DGKS9603 have been used to characterize the changes of paleooceanographic environment occurring in the East China Sea (ECS) during the last 35000 years. The stratigraphic records of these proxies have shown that during the last 35 ka the Okinawa Trough has gone through 7 stronger cold-climate events (C1–C7) and 9 terrigenous matter-decreasing events (e2–e9), of which, the C1 corresponds to the cold episode occurring in the middle late Holocene, C2–C4 and C7 correspond to the H1–H4 events, respectively. e1 and e3–e8 correspond to the decrease of sea surface temperature (SST), respectively. The terrigenous inputs increased when Heinrich events occurred. Climate colding resulted in the decrease of terrigenous matter transported by rivers, and the increase of that transported by winter monsoon. Heinrich events are closely related to East Asia monsoon. During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 15.5–25.8 Cal ka BP), reduction environment fluctuated strongly, bringing forth three stronger reduction events (R1–R3) and one weaker reduction event (O), of which, R1–R3 correspond to the decrease of SST and increase of terrigenous nutrient and O corresponds to the decrease of terrigenous nutrient. The fluctuation of reduction condition must be related to the change of sea surface productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tephra layers within marine sediments provide information on past explosive eruptions, which is especially important in the case of remote island arcs where data on proximal pyroclastic deposits can be scarce. Three Alaska-Aleutian tephras (labeled Br2, SR2, and SR4) were found in the late Pleistocene-Holocene sediments of the Bering Sea (north Pacific). We fingerprint glass from these tephras with the help of single-shard electron microprobe and LA-ICP-MS analyses and provide microprobe data on minerals from two of these tephras. The large compositional variability of the Alaska-Aleutian volcanoes permits the use of ratios of highly incompatible trace elements (Ba/Nb, Th/Nb, Th/La, La/Nb) for identification of distal tephra sources by comparison of these ratios in tephra glass and proximal bulk rock analyses. This method, along with mapped tephra dispersal, has allowed us to link tephras under study to Aniakchak, Semisopochnoi, and Okmok volcanoes, respectively. Our results indicate that tephra Br2 was derived from the ~ 3.6 ka Aniakchak II caldera-forming eruption (Alaska, USA). This is the first ever finding of the Aniakchak II tephra in Bering Sea sediments, which permits enlargement of its tephra volume and eruption magnitude to ~ 100 km3 and 6.8, respectively. Tephra SR2, dated at ~ 12.2 ka, is likely associated with a post-glacial caldera on the Semisopochnoi Island, Aleutians (USA). Tephra SR4 (dated at ~ 64.5 ka), likely was derived from an earlier undocumented eruption from Okmok volcano (Aleutians). All three regionally spread tephra layers are valuable isochrones, which can be used for correlating and dating of Bering Sea sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ocean is the largest active carbon reservoir on Earth. Organic carbon (OC), as the primary species of carbon sequestration in the ocean, plays an important role in the global carbon cycle through its deposition and burial. In this study, sedimentary OC data from 5796 stations, together with relevant geochemical and sedimentological parameters in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea (BYES) were used to summarize and elucidate the distribution and burial patterns of sedimentary OC, and assess carbon sink effect of sedimentary OC burial. The results show that the OC content in the sediments of the BYES ranges from 0.00% to 2.12%, with an average content of 0.47%±0.26%. OC content is significantly correlated with finegrained sediments, with an average OC content in mud areas being 39% higher than that in non-mud areas. Modern OC buried in the BYES are mainly deposited in 7 major mud areas, with a total sedimentary OC burial flux of approximately 8.20 Mt C yr−1. Among them, the burial flux of biospheric OC is 6.92 Mt C yr−1, equivalent to the OC consumption amount of silicate weathering of the 9 major river basins in the eastern China. In its natural state, the annually sequestered OC in the sediments of the eastern China seas is equivalent to 25.37 Mt of atmospheric CO2, indicating a significant carbon sink effect. The distribution and burial of terrigenous OC in the BYES are mainly influenced by the large river inputs and complex marine hydrodynamic environment, while human activities such as dam construction have significantly altered the OC burial in these coastal mud areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]