• Refine Query
  • Source
  • Publication year
  • to
  • Language
  • 3
  • 1
  • Tagged with
  • 6
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

The last 100,000 years alkenone-based paleo-SSTs and terregenous n-alkane concentrations of core MD012404 in the Okinawa Trough

Yang, Yung-hua 14 September 2010 (has links)
In this study, concentrations of organic biomarkers of core MD012404, recovered from central part of the Okinawa Trough, were analyzed, included of unsaturated alkenones and n-alkanes, for reconstructing paleoenviromental and paleoclimatic records for the past 100,000 years. The unsaturated alkenone index of Uk¡¬37 were calculated for reconstructing past variations of sea surface temperature (SST) in the East Chna Sea (ECS). Through the past 100,000 years, our record revealed that the varied pattern of paleo-SSTs of the ECS was mainly reflecting Interglacial/Glacial cycles. This result indicates that the enhanced East Asian winter monsoon which is induced by the changing orbital forcing is the dominant controlling factor to influence the hydrological conditions in the ECS. Otherwise, except of the warming event of Bølling-Allerød and cooling event of Younger Dryas, no obviously cooling trends were observed in the record indicating that the Uk¡¬37 based SST was not sensitive to the millennial-scaled climate events. This may be caused by the slow response of the SST to the millennial-sclaed events. The concentrations of unsaturated alkenones reconstructed in this study can represent to the surface productivity of the ECS. Our record shows that the values are higher in glacial period than in interglacial period. The higher productivity observed in glacial period may result from the wind-driven water mixing. Therefore, the well-mixing of surface and subsurface water thus can supply higher nutrients upto the surface water than induce the higher productivity in glacial period in the ECS. However, a more complicated pattern is found in MIS 5, the unsaturated alkenones have extremely high values in this interval which is different to the Holocene even though that the climatic conditions and global sea level are similar in these two periods. These high values may be caused by either higher surface production or well preservation, which results from the pool ventilation in the ECS. In addition, distributed pattern of n-alkanes can represent to the possible sources of organic materials and vegetation changes on land. Our record shows that n-C31 alkane is dominant in n-alkanes, and the distribution pattern of n-alkanes (C31 > C29 > C33 > C27 > C25 ) is similar to the sediments discovered on the continental shelf of ECS and the estuary of the Changjiang River and is different with the sediments from the Lanyang Hsi River. This fact indicates that the organic materials buried in sediments of the Okinawa Trough are mainly contribute from the ECS continental shelf and the Changjiang River is serves as the main contributor of terrestrial sediments in the study region. Our calculated Carbon preference index (CPI) indicates that terrigenous orangic matters are less influenced by degradation and diagenesis in glacial period, especially during LGM, and the changing pattern is highly correlated with the global sea level changes. Lower sea level observed in glacial period shorten the transporting distance of sediments from the Changjiang River to the Okinawa Trough thus causes more terrestrial inputs and deposits in the Okinawa Trough.
2

Preliminary investigation of n-alkanes and alkenones in East Greenland lacustrine sediment: Implications for possible Holocene climate reconstructions

Mergenthal, Zachary L. 11 October 2012 (has links)
No description available.
3

TOWARDS THE TOTAL SYNTHESIS OF 7-<em>EPI</em>-CLUSIANONE

Dutta, Shubhankar 01 January 2017 (has links)
Polycyclic polyprenylated acylphloroglucinols (PPAPs) are plant- (Guttiferae) derived natural products. They have fascinating bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane-2,4,9-trione or [3.2.1]nonane-2,4,8-trione cores decorated with prenyl or geranyl groups. More than 200 PPAPs have been isolated, but only a few of them have been synthesized, although most of the synthesized PPAPs are of type A and have an exo substituent at C (7). Here, we are trying to make a type B 7-endo PPAP, 7-epi-clusianone. The synthetic plan involves an alkynylation–aldol strategy to construct the bicyclic core. Having established the bicyclic core, the synthesis presents a new challenge: the oxidation of a very hindered 2-alkenone to the β-hydroxy 2-alkenone.
4

A High-Resolution Temperature Record from Lakes of the Lofoten Islands, Northwestern Norway based on a New Uk37 Temperature Calibration from in situ Measurements

Huang, Xiaohui 01 January 2011 (has links) (PDF)
Water filters and sediment trap samples were collected weekly from late May to early September 2009 from four lakes of the Lofoten archipelago, northwestern Norway, and were used to explore the applicability of the alkenone unsaturation index (UK37) for temperature reconstruction in limnic systems in the area. For the first time, we observed the occurrence of long-chain alkenones (LCAs) within the water columns of lakes in this region. Water filters from two of the four studied lakes contained measurable concentrations of alkenones that were restricted to spring turnover and disappeared with the onset of summer stratification. These results indicate that alkenones in the lake sediment of these lakes reflect biological production and temperature during lake mixing, taking place in late spring to early summer. Measurements from sediment trap material collected over the sampling season combined with water temperature measurements from automated data loggers provide an in situ calibration of the alkenone paleothermometer (Temperature = 33.0 x UK37 + 22.8; N=10; R2=0.95). Notably, this calibration reveals a UK37 sensitivity to temperature (i.e., the slope of the relationship) that is very similar to previous calibrations reported from both marine and lacustrine environments. LCAs can therefore serve as the first quantitative proxy for reconstructing past temperature variability from the Lofoten Islands. Based on this temperature calibration, a high-resolution temperature record was reconstructed over the past millennium, which shows unprecedented lake surface temperature warming during the past decades.
5

[en] INVESTIGATION OF ORGANIC GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES AS INDICATORS OF PALEOTEMPERATURE IN THE SOUTH-EASTERN BRAZILIAN CONTINENTAL MARGIN / [pt] INVESTIGAÇÃO DE MARCADORES GEOQUÍMICOS ORGÂNICOS COMO INDICADORES DE PALEOTEMPERATURA NA MARGEM CONTINENTAL SUDESTE BRASILEIRA / [de] ORGANISCHGEOCHEMISCHE PROXIES ALS PALAOTEMPERATUR-INDIKATOREN AM SUDOSTLICHEN KONTINENTALRAND VON BRASILIEN

MILENA CECOPIERI DA ROCHA 30 June 2020 (has links)
[pt] A reconstrução da temperatura da superfície do mar (TSM) através de proxies geoquímicos orgânicos tem sido um tema central das pesquisas paleoclimáticas nos últimos anos. Determinações da variabilidade da paleotemperatura no Atlântico Sul são de grande interesse dado o papel da TSM no transporte de calor global, mas este tema ainda requer estudos mais aprofundados. O sistema de ressurgência de Cabo Frio (SRCF) representa uma área de estudo particularmente interessante por ser um sistema de ressurgência de contorno oeste sujeito a vários processos oceanográficos peculiares. Este projeto tem como objetivo a utilização de proxies geoquímicos orgânicos como indicadores de paleotemperatura, tais como: o índice de insaturação das alquenonas (U37K), o índice dos tetraéteres (TEX86H) e o índice dos diois de cadeira longa (LDI) registrados em sedimentos da margem continental sudeste brasileira. Também foram testados os índices de metilação e de ciclização dos tetraéteres ramificados (MBT e CBT) como indicadores da temperatura média anual do ar (TMAA) e do pH do solo. O presente trabalho possui dois focos: (i) investigar a aplicabilidade dos índices U37K, TEX86H e MBT/CBT considerando as condições ambientais locais e regionais observadas na região da Bacia de Campos utilizando 53 amostras de sedimento superficiais; (ii) aplicar uma abordagem multiproxy (U37K, TEX86H e LDI) para reconstruir a paleotemperatura durante o período do Holoceno a partir de dois testemunhos sedimentares localizados nas plataformas adjacentes a Cabo Frio e Rio de Janeiro. Os resultados revelam que U37K e TEX86H são proxies de temperatura adequados para estudos paleoclimáticos em escala regional na margem continental do sudeste brasileiro. Exceções na forma de desvios negativos entre a TSM média anual reconstruída e observada (World Ocean Atlas 2013) foram observados na porção sul da região estudada e ressaltam que, em escala local, os efeitos da ressurgência devem ser levados em consideração ao aplicar esses proxies na mesma região. Em relação aos índices MBT/CBT, os resultados se encaixam na faixa superior do pH do solo e na faixa inferior da TMAA encontrados na bacia de drenagem adjacente para a maioria das amostras. No entanto, a distribuição dos GDGTs ramificados apontam para a existência de diferentes fontes e efeitos pós deposicionais, e.g. degradação seletiva e produção in situ, que comprometem a aplicabilidade desses proxies nos sedimentos marinhos na Bacia de Campos. Ao aplicar os proxies U37K, TEX86H e LDI na reconstrução da temperatura para os últimos 14,5 kyr no testemunho do Rio de Janeiro e 7,1 kyr no testemunho de Cabo Frio, as variações observadas estão em acordo com diversos dados paleoclimáticos pré-existentes para a mesma região e período. Na plataforma do Rio de Janeiro, uma fase distinta antes de 7,5 cal kyr BP coincide com o período em que o nível do mar se encontrava baixo e passou a aumentar gradualmente. Na plataforma de Cabo Frio, a transição entre o Holoceno médio e o tardio é bem marcada pelo aumento na TSM-U37K e da TSMLDI provavelmente relacionados a uma atividade mais intensa da Corrente do Brasil (BC) sobre a plataforma, enquanto a temp-TEX86H apresentou uma tendência oposta de resfriamento que pode ser um resultado da ressurgência das Águas Centrais do Atlântico Sul em subsuperfície. Uma diminuição na temperatura reconstruída após cerca de 2,0 cal kyr BP pode ser explicada pelo estabelecimento do SRCF às condições modernas. Diferenças entre o Rio de Janeiro e Cabo Frio provavelmente estão relacionadas às instabilidades locais da CB próximo à região do SRCF. De forma geral, para o período investigado em ambos os testemunhos, a TSM-LDI mostrou-se mais quente, a TSM-TEX86H obteve uma clara tendência a temperaturas mais frias de subsuperfície e a TSM-U37K foi a mais afetada pela variação no nível do mar e pelo fluxo da CB. As diferenças entre os proxies forneceram informações valiosas sobre as mudanças paleoceanográficas locais durante o Holoceno, contribuindo para os estudos paleoclimáticos na margem sudeste do Brasil. / [en] The reconstruction of past sea surface temperature (SST) using organic geochemical proxies has been a central theme of paleoclimatic research in recent years. Paleotemperature variability determinations in the South Atlantic are of great interest given the SST role in the global heat transport, but still requires further studies. The Cabo Frio Upwelling System (CFUS) is a particularly interesting study area for being a western boundary upwelling system subject to several peculiar oceanographic processes. This thesis aims at using organic geochemical proxies as indicators of paleotemperature, namely: the alkenoneunsaturation index (U37K), the tetraether index (TEX86 H ) and the long-chain diols index (LDI) as registered in sediments in the south-eastern Brazilian continental margin. The methylation of branched tetraether index (MBT’) and the cyclization of branched tetraether index (CBT) were also tested as potential indicators of continental mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and soil pH. There are two focuses: (i) to investigate the applicability of U37K, TEX86H and MBT’/CBT proxies under local and regional environmental conditions in the Campos Basin region using 53 surface sediments; (ii) to use a multiproxy approach (U37K, TEX86H and LDI) to reconstruct the paleotemperature during the Holocene period from two sediment cores located in the shelves adjacent to Cabo Frio and Rio de Janeiro. The results reveal that U37K and TEX86H are suitable temperature proxies for paleoclimate studies in regional scale in the SE Brazilian continental margin. Exceptions in the form of strong negative biases between reconstructed and observed mean annual SST (World Ocean Atlas 2013) were observed in the southern portion of the Campos Basin and highlight that, on a local scale, the effects of upwelling must be taken in consideration when applying these proxies to the same region. Regarding the MBT/CBT proxies, the results for most of the marine sediments agree with the upper range of soil pH and lower range of MAAT found in the adjacent drainage basin. However, the spatial distribution of the branched GDGTs points to the existence of different sources and post-depositional effects, e.g. selective degradation and in situ production, that compromise the applicability of these proxies to the marine sediments in the Campos Basin, especially more offshore. When applying the U37K, TEX86H and LDI proxies to reconstruct the SST for the past 14.5 kyr in the Rio de Janeiro core and 7.1 kyr in the Cabo Frio core, the variations observed agreed with several pre-existing paleoclimatic data for the same region and period. In the Rio de Janeiro shelf, a distinct phase before 7.5 cal kyr BP coincides with the period when the sea level was low and gradually increased. In the Cabo Frio shelf, the transition between mid- and late Holocene is well marked by a warming in SST-U37K and SST-LDI, probably related to a more intense Brazil Current (BC) activity over the shelf, whereas temp-TEX86H showed an opposite cooling trend that may be a result of the subsurface upwelling of the cold South Atlantic Central Waters. A decrease in reconstructed temperatures after ca 2.5 kyr BP may be related to the establishment of the CFUS to modern conditions. Differences between Rio de Janeiro and Cabo Frio can be explained by the local instabilities of the BC near de CFUS region. Overall, for the entire covered period in both sediment cores, SST-LDI was warmer, SST-TEX86H was clearly biase towards colder subsurface temperatures and SST-U37K was the most affected by the sea level variation and BC flow. The differences between the proxies signal provided valuable information about the local paleoceanographic changes during the Holocene period, contributing to the paleoclimatology studies in the southeastern Brazilian margin. / [de] Die Rekonstruktion Oberflächenwassertemperaturen in der Vergangenheit mit organisch geochemischen Proxies ist in den vergangenen Jahren ein wichtiges Thema der Palaoklimaforschung gewesen. Die Rekonstruktion von Palaotemperaturvariabilitat im Südatlantik ist hierbei in Anbetracht der wichtigen Rolle der Ozeane im globalen Wärmetransport von zentraler Bedeutung, erfordert jedoch noch weiterführende Untersuchungen. Das Auftriebssystem von Cabo Frio ist in diesem Zusammenhang wegen seiner speziellen Lage auf der westlichen Seite eines Ozeanbeckens und der damit zusammenhangenden besonderen ozeanographischen Prozesse ein interessantes Arbeitsgebiet. Diese Arbeit hat zum Ziel, die organisch-geochemischen Proxies U37K (Alkenon-UntersattigungsIndex), TEX86H (Tetraether-Index an sogenannten GDGTs, Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Teteraether) und LDI (Langkettige-Diole-Index) aufgezeichnet in Sedimenten des sudostlichen brasilianischen Kontinentalrands zu verwenden. Zudem wurden die Indices MBT und CBT, die die Methylierung bzw. Zyklisierung verzweigter GDGTs quantifizieren, als Proxies fur die Jahresmitteltemperatur an Land und fur den pHWert der Boden getestet. Der Fokus der Arbeit liegt hierbei einerseits darauf i) die Anwendbarkeit der Proxies U37K, TEX86H , MBT/CBT im unter den lokalen und regionalen Umwelteinflussen des Campos Bessens auf Grundlage von 53 Oberflachensedimentproben zu uberprufen und ii) eine sogenannte multi-proxy Rekonstruktion der Palaoumweltbedingungen anhand der U37K, TEX86H und LDI Proxies an zwei Sedimentkernen vom Schelf vor Cabo Frio und Rio de Janeiro zu erstellen. Es zeigt sich, dass sich sowohl U37K als auch TEX86H fur regionale Palaoumweltstudien am sudostlichen brasilianischen Kontinentalrand eignen. Ausnahmen in Form von starken negativen Abweichungen zwischen rekonstruierter und instrumentell beobachteter (World Ocean Atlas 2013) Oberflachenwassertemperatur treten im sudlichen Teil des Campos Beckens auf und zeigen, dass sehr lokal die Auswirkungen von Auftrieb bei der einer regionalen Anwendung dieser Proxies berucksichtigt werden mussen. Die Ergebnisse der MBT/CBT Proxies an marinen Sedimenten stimmen mit den Gegebenheiten an Land weitgehend uberein, wobei die pH-Rekonstruktionen im oberen Bereich der Beobachtungen im angrenzenden Einzugsgebiet liegen, wahrend die Rekonstruktion der Jahresmitteltemperatur an Land zu den niedrigeren Werten der Beobachtungen neigen. Die raumliche Verteilung der verzweigten GDGTs in deutet zudem auf unterschiedliche Quellen sowie diagenetische Effekte wie selektiven Abbau und in-situ Produktion von verzweigten GDGTs hin, die die Anwendbarkeit der MBT/CBT Proxies an marinen Sedimenten des Campos Beckens, insbesondere in den kustenfernen Regionen, einschranken. Die Rekonstruktion der Palao-Oberflachenwassertemperaturen mithilfe von U37K, TEX86H und LDI fur die letzten 14.5 kyr vor Rio de Janeiro und fur die letzten 7.1 kyr vor Cabo Frio ergab eine Variabilitat, die mit Ergebnissen aus mehreren vorherigen palaoklimatischen Studien fur die Region ubereinstimmt. Auf dem Schelf vor Rio de Janeiro kann eine Phase vor 7.5 kyr deutlich vom Rest der Zeitreihe unterschieden werden, wahrend derer der Meeresspiegel niedriger war und allmahlich anstieg. Auf dem Schelf vor Cabo Frio ist der ubergang vom mittleren ins spate Holozan von deutlichen Anstiegen der U37K - und LDI-basierten Temperaturrekonstruktionen gepragt, die wahrscheinlich mit der Intensivierung des Brasilstroms auf dem Schelf in Verbindung stehen. Im Gegensatz dazu verzeichnet die TEX86H -basierte Temperaturrekonstruktion eine deutliche Abkuhlung, die das Ergebnis von verstarktem Auftrieb von kaltem sudatlantischem Zentralwasser sein kann. Eine Abnahme der rekonstruierten Temperaturen nach 2.5 kyr vor heute deutet auf die Etablierung moderner Bedingungen im Cabo Frio Auftriebssystem hin. Unterschiede zwischen den Temperaturrekonstruktionen fur die Regionen Cabo Frio und Rio de Janeiro konnen mit lokaler Instabilitat des Brasil-Stroms im Bereich des Cabo Frio Auftriebssystems zusammenhangen. Insgesamt sind über die gesamte Untersuchungsperiode die Temperaturrekonstruktionen auf Grundlage von LDI am warmsten, die auf TEX86H basierenden von kalteren Temperaturen in etwas groberen Wassertiefen beeinflusst und diejenigen auf Grundlage von U37K am starksten von Meeresspiegelanderungen und Variabilitat im Brasil-Strom betroffen. Diese Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Proxies liefern wertvolle Informationen uber die lokalen palaozeanographischen Veranderungen wahrend des Holozans und somit einen Beitrag zum Verstandnis des Palaoklimas am sudostlichen brasilianischen Kontinentalrand.
6

Investigations on rainfall variability during the late Quaternary based on geochemical analyses of lake sediments from tropical and subtropical southern Africa

Kristen, Iris January 2009 (has links)
This thesis presents investigations on sediments from two African lakes which have been recording changes in their surrounding environmental and climate conditions since more than 200,000 years. Focus of this work is the time of the last Glacial and the Holocene (the last ~100,000 years before present [in the following 100 kyr BP]). One important precondition for this kind of research is a good understanding of the present ecosystems in and around the lakes and of the sediment formation under modern climate conditions. Both studies therefore include investigations on the modern environment (including organisms, soils, rocks, lake water and sediments). A 90 m long sediment sequence was investigated from Lake Tswaing (north-eastern South Africa) using geochemical analyses. These investigations document alternating periods of high detrital input and low (especially autochthonous) organic matter content and periods of low detrital input, carbonatic or evaporitic sedimentation and high autochthonous organic matter content. These alternations are interpreted as changes between relatively humid and arid conditions, respectively. Before c. 75 kyr BP, they seem to follow changes in local insolation whereas afterwards they appear to be acyclic and are probably caused by changes in ocean circulation and/or in the mean position of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Today, these factors have main influence on precipitation in this area where rainfall occurs almost exclusively during austral summer. All modern organisms were analysed for their biomarker and bulk organic and compound-specific stable carbon isotope composition. The same investigations on sediments from the modern lake floor document the mixed input of the investigated individual organisms and reveal additional influences by methanotrophic bacteria. A comparison of modern sediment characteristics with those of sediments covering the time 14 to 2 kyr BP shows changes in the productivity of the lake and the surrounding vegetation which are best explained by changes in hydrology. More humid conditions are indicated for times older than 10 kyr BP and younger than 7.5 kyr BP, whereas arid conditions prevailed in between. These observations agree with the results from sediment composition and indications from other climate archives nearby. The second lake study deals with Lake Challa, a small, deep crater lake on the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. In this lake form mm-scale laminated sediments which were analyses with micro-XRF scanning for changes in the element composition. By comparing these results with investigations on thin sections, results from ongoing sediment trap studies, meteorological data, and investigations on the surrounding rocks and soils, I develop a model for seasonal variability in the limnology and sedimentation of Lake Challa. The lake appears to be stratified during the warm rain seasons (October – December and March – May) during which detrital material is delivered to the lake and carbonates precipitate. On the lake floor forms a dark lamina with high contents of Fe and Ti and high Ca/Al and low Mn/Fe ratios. Diatoms bloom during the cool and windy season (June – September) when mixing down to c. 60 m depth provides easily bio-available nutrients. Contemporaneously, Fe and Mn-oxides are precipitating which cause high Mn/Fe ratios in the light diatom-rich laminae of the sediments. Trends in the Mn/Fe ratio of the sediments are interpreted to reflect changes in the intensity or duration of seasonal mixing in Lake Challa. This interpretation is supported by parallel changes in the organic matter and biogenic silica content observed in the 22 m long profile recovered from Lake Challa. This covers the time of the last 25 kyr BP. It documents a transition around 16 kyr BP from relatively well-mixed conditions with high detrital input during glacial times to stronger stratified conditions which are probably related to increasing lake levels in Challa and generally more humid conditions in East Africa. Intensified mixing is recorded for the time of the Younger Dryas and the period between 11.4 and 10.7 kyr BP. For these periods, reduced intensity of the SW monsoon and intensified NE monsoon are reported from archives of the Indian-Asian Monsoon region, arguing for the latter as a probable source for wind mixing in Lake Challa. This connection is probably also responsible for contemporaneous events in the Mn/Fe ratios of the Lake Challa sediments and in other records of northern hemisphere monsoon intensity during the Holocene and underlines the close interaction of global low latitude atmospheric circulation. / In dieser Arbeit werden Ergebnisse von Untersuchungen an den Sedimenten zweier afrikanischer Seen vorgestellt, die ein Archiv für Klimaveränderungen über einen Zeitraum von mehr als 200.000 Jahren darstellen. Der Schwerpunkt liegt in dieser Arbeit auf dem letzten Glazial und dem Holozän (ca. 100.000 Jahre vor heute [nachfolgend als 100 kyr BP bezeichnet] bis heute). Grundlegende Voraussetzung für solche Studien ist ein gutes Verständnis der Ökosysteme in und um den See, sowie des gegenwärtigen Sedimentationsgeschehens. Deswegen beinhalten beide Seestudien Untersuchungen der heutigen Organismen, Böden, Gesteine, Wasserchemie und Sedimentablagerungen. Im Tswaing-See im nordöstlichen Südafrika wurden anhand eines 90 m langen Sedimentprofils Studien zur Sedimentzusammensetzung und Untersuchungen der Zusammensetzung und Qualität des organischen Materials durchgeführt. Sie zeigen einen Wechsel zwischen Phasen hohen detritischen Eintrags, während derer v.a. kaum autochthones organisches Material im See erhalten blieb, mit Phasen geringen Eintrags und dafür karbonatischer oder evaporitischer Sedimentation, die hohe Gehalte v.a. autochthonen organischen Materials aufweisen. Diese Phasen werden als relativ feuchte bzw. trockene Perioden interpretiert und folgen bis vor ca. 75 kyr BP Schwankungen der lokalen solaren Einstrahlung. Dieser Einfluss nimmt nach 75 kyr BP ab und azyklische feuchte Phasen werden beobachtet. Mögliche Ursachen sind Veränderungen in der ozeanischen Zirkulation und Verschiebungen in der Lage der Innertropischen Konvergenzzone (ITCZ); beides sind auch heute Haupteinflussfaktoren auf die Niederschläge in der Region. Die heute lebenden Organismen des Tswaing-Kraters wurden mittels Analysen der Biomarkerzusammensetzung und der Kohlenstoffisotopie charakterisiert und ihr Einfluss auf die heutigen Seeablagerungen untersucht. Dabei konnten zusätzlich Indikatoren für die Aktivität methanotropher Bakterien nachgewiesen werden. Der Vergleich heutiger Sedimente mit denen des Zeitraumes 14 bis 2 kyr BP zeigt deutliche Veränderungen sowohl in der Zusammensetzung, als auch in der Kohlenstoffisotopie der Biomarker, die mit Veränderungen in der Hydrologie erklärt werden können. Die gefundenen Hinweise auf feuchtere Bedingungen im Zeitraum älter als 10 kyr BP, für trockenere Verhältnissen zwischen 10 und 7.5 kyr BP und für die nachfolgende Wiederzunahme an Feuchtigkeit werden durch die sedimentologischen Ergebnisse unterstützt. Objekt der zweiten Seestudie ist der Challa-See am Fuß des Kilimanjaro. Hier werden heute im mm-Maßstab laminierte Sedimente gebildet, die mit Mikro-XRF-scanning auf Veränderungen in der Elementzusammensetzung untersucht wurden. Zusammen mit Untersuchungen der Mikrofazies und im Vergleich mit ersten Ergebnissen noch laufender Sedimentfallenstudien, mit meteorologischen Daten und Analysen des Umgebungsgesteins werden die saisonalen Veränderungen in der Temperaturverteilung, der Durchmischungstiefe, dem detritischen Eintrag und der Bioproduktivität des Sees in den Sedimenten nachvollziehbar. Der See ist in den feucht-warmen Perioden von Oktober bis Dezember und von März bis Mai stratifiziert. Während dieser Zeit erfolgt der Eintrag detritischen Materials und Kalziumkarbonat fällt aus; eine dunkle Lage mit hohen Gehalten an Fe und Ti und mit hohen Ca/Al- und niedrigen Mn/Fe-Verhältnissen bildet sich am Boden des Sees. Diatomeen blühen während der kühlen, windigen Periode von Juni bis September, wenn die Durchmischung bis auf etwa 60 m Tiefe Nährstoffe verfügbar macht. Die Ausfällung von Fe- und Mn-oxiden sorgt für hohe Mn/Fe-Verhältnisse; es bildet sich eine helle Lage auf dem Sediment. Trends im Mn/Fe-Verhältnis werden als Signal für Veränderungen in der Intensität oder Dauer der saisonalen Durchmischung interpretiert. Dies wird unterstützt durch parallele Trends im Gehalt an organischem Material und an biogenem Silizium, wie durch Analysen an einem 22 m langen Bohrkern gezeigt werden kann. Nach gut durchmischten und von erhöhtem Eintrag von außen geprägten Verhältnissen während des letzten Glazials erfolgt gegen 16 kyr BP ein Übergang zu stärker stratifizierten Bedingungen. Diese korrespondieren mit einem steigenden Seespiegel und verbreiteten Hinweisen auf feuchte Bedingungen im tropischen Ostafrika. Stärkere Durchmischung herrschte während der Jüngeren Dryas und von 11.4 bis 10.7 kyr BP. Diese Perioden entsprechen Zeiten verringerter Südwest- und vermutlich verstärkter Nordostmonsunintensität im Bereich des Indisch-Asiatischen Monsuns und spiegeln eine global beobachtete südliche Verschiebung der ITCZ wider. Nach einer kurzen stabilen, feuchten Phase im frühen Holozän nimmt die Durchmischung des Sees im Verlauf des Holozän wieder zu. Abrupte Ereignisse während des Holozän scheinen im Challa-See zeitgleich mit Veränderungen der Monsunintensität der Nordhemisphäre aufzutreten und bezeugen die starke klimatische Kopplung der niederen Breiten in globalem Maßstab.

Page generated in 0.0456 seconds