• Refine Query
  • Source
  • Publication year
  • to
  • Language
  • 20
  • 11
  • 6
  • 3
  • 1
  • Tagged with
  • 50
  • 50
  • 12
  • 11
  • 10
  • 10
  • 9
  • 9
  • 8
  • 8
  • 8
  • 6
  • 6
  • 5
  • 5
  • 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.
31

Lakustrine Sedimente als Archive des spätquartären Umweltwandels in der Amery-Oase, Ostantarktis / The Late Quaternary climatic and environmental history of Amery Oasis, East Antarctica

Hultzsch, Nadja January 2006 (has links)
Im Rahmen einer deutsch-australischen Forschungskooperation erfolgte im Südsommer 2001/2002 eine Expedition in die Amery-Oase (70°50’S, 68°00’E), die im Einzugsgebiet des Lambert-Gletscher/Amery-Schelfeis-Systems, dem größten ostantarktischen Eis-Drainagesystem, liegt. Von deutscher Seite wurden im Zuge der Geländekampagne erstmals lakustrine Sedimentsequenzen gewonnen, um die bislang wenig erforschte spätquartäre Klima- und Umweltgeschichte dieser rund 1800 km<sup>2</sup> großen eisfreien Region zu rekonstruieren. Die drei untersuchten Glazialseen Beaver, Radok und Terrasovoje unterscheiden sich sowohl deutlich in ihrer Größe, Bathymetrie und den hydrologischen Merkmalen sowie in ihren Sedimentabfolgen. <br><br> Einen Schwerpunkte dieser Doktorarbeit bildet die Rekonstruktion der Sedimentationsprozesse und des Ablagerungsmilieus sowie Untersuchungen zur Herkunft des detritischen Sedimentmaterials in den Seebecken. Der methodische Ansatz verfolgt die Charakterisierung der klastischen Sedimentfazies an Hand lithologisch-granulometrischer Merkmale sowie mineralogisch-geochemischer Analysen der Sedimentherkunft. Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt ist die Rekonstruktion der holozänen biogen gesteuerten Ablagerungsbedingungen im Terrasovoje-See, die Rückschlüsse auf den kurzfristigen postglazialen Klima- und Umweltwandel in der Amery-Oase gestattet. Dabei wurden mikrofazielle Untersuchungsmethoden und hochauflösende Elementscannermessungen angewandt. <br><br> Die klastische Sedimentherkunft in den drei Seen unterscheidet sich räumlich deutlich voneinander und spiegelt den komplexen geologischen Aufbau der Amery-Oase wider. Als Sedimentquellen konnten präkambrische Metamorphite, permotriassische Sedimentgesteine und tertiäre Lockersedimente identifiziert werden. Die Varibilität der Herkunftssignale ist zeitlich weniger deutlich als räumlich ausgeprägt und deutet auf relativ konstante Liefergebiete in den einzelnen Seen hin. <br><br> Das glaziolakustrine Ablagerungsmilieu der drei untersuchten Seen zeigt klare räumliche und zeitliche Unterschiede. In allen drei Seen setzen sich die älteren Sedimente aus grobkörnigem, häufig diamiktischem Material zusammen, während die jüngeren Sedimente aus feinkörnigen Laminiten bestehen. Die lithofazielle Zweiteilung in den Sedimentabfolgen deutet auf einen Rückzug der Gletscher und/oder einen Anstieg der Wassertiefen im Übergang von den grobkörnigen zu den feinkörnigen Ablagerungseinheiten hin. Die oberen feinkörnigen Kernabschnitte spiegeln in allen drei Seen die postglaziale lakustrine Sedimentation wider. Im Beaver-See wird die postglaziale Fazies durch laminierte klastische Stillwassersedimente repräsentiert, im Radok-See durch Turbiditsequenzen und im Terrasovoje-See durch Algenlaminite. <br><br> Abgesehen vom Terrasovoje-See ist die zeitliche Einordnung der Fazieswechsel auf Grund mangelnder Altersinformationen schwer erfassbar. Im Terrasovoje-See setzte die postglaziale Sedimentation um rund 12,4 cal. ka ein. Somit weisen die darunterliegenden glazigenen Klastika mindestens ein spätpleistozänes Alter auf. Die sedimentologischen Eigenschaften, Änderungen der Sedimentationsraten und organogene Zusammensetzung der postglazialen Biogenlaminite des Terrasovoje-Sees deuten auf Variationen der paläolimnologischen Bedingungen hinsichtlich Eisbedeckung, biologischer Produktivität, Wasserstand, Redoxbedingungen und Salinität hin, die mit regionalen holozänen Klimaänderungen in Verbindung gebracht werden können. Weitere Anhaltspunkte ergeben sich aus der Zusammensetzung und den Mächtigkeitsvariationen der Laminae, die generell aus Wechsellagerungen von Cyanobakterienmatten mit feinklastischen Lagen bestehen. Lagenzählungen der Laminae belegen Änderungen des Ablagerungsmilieus auf subdekadischen Zeitskalen, wobei zeitweilige jährliche Signale nicht ausgeschlossen werden können. Unter Berücksichtigung aller faziellen Indikatoren lässt sich aus der Sedimentabfolge des Terrasovoje-Sees ein frühholozänes Klimaoptimum zwischen 9 und 7 cal. ka sowie weitere Wärmephasen zwischen 3,2 und 2,3 cal. ka sowie 1,5 und 1,0 cal. ka ableiten. <br><br> Im Vergleich mit Eiskernarchiven und anderen Seesedimentabfolgen aus ostantarktischen Oasen zeigt sich, dass das Auftreten postglazialer Warmphasen nicht allenorts einem allgemein gültigen räumlich-zeitlichen Muster folgt. Die Ursachen hierfür liegen vermutlich in den lokalen geographischen Gegebenheiten. Es lässt sich daraus schliessen, dass die bisher vorliegenden Klimarekonstruktionen eher das Lokalklima an einem Untersuchungsstandort als das Großklima der Ostantarktis reflektieren. Daraus ergibt sich die Notwendigkeit weiterer Untersuchungen von antarktischen Klimaarchiven und Untersuchungsstandorten, um örtliche von überregionalen Klimasignalen besser unterscheiden zu können. / In the scope of a German-Australian research cooperation field work was conducted in the Amery Oasis (70°50’S, 68°00’E), situated in the Lambert Glacier/Amery Ice Shelf region, the largest East Antarctic ice drainage system. The German part comprised the retrieval of lacustrine sediment cores for the reconstruction of the late Quaternary development of the palaeoenvironment in the 1800 km<sup>2</sup> large ice-free region. The three studied glacial lakes Beaver, Radok, and Terrasovoje reveal marked differences in size, hydrology and their sedimentary inventory. The goals of this thesis were to infer the onset of depostion in the lacustrine basins and to characterize changes in the depositional environment in the course of glacial retreat and the postglacial climate development. The methodic approach followed the recognition of sedimentary facies variability and sediment sources by means of facies analysis and mineralogical-geochemical provenance analysis. Another aspect was the high-resolution reconstruction of postglacial biogenic sedimentary modes in Lake Terrasovoje that provide insights into the short-term Holocene palaeo-climatic and palaeoenvironmental development. <br><br> The origin of siliciclastics shows marked spatial differences between the lakes, reflecting the complex geological setting of the Amery Oasis. The main detrital sources comprise crystalline rocks of the East Antarctic craton, Permotriassic and Tertiary sedimentary rocks. The temporal variability of sediment provenance is less developed than the spatial pattern, pointing to relatively constant sediment sources through time in the respective lakes. <br><br> The glaciolacustrine depositional environment of the three lakes shows clear spatial and temporal contrasts. In all lakes, the older sediments are composed of coarse, partly diamictic lithologies, while the younger materials consist of fine-grained laminites. The twofold lithofacial pattern is related to regional glacial retreat at the boundary between both sedimentary units that reduced direct glacigenic sediment input. In the epishelf Lake Beaver, in addition, the effect of postglacial sea-level rise led also to the rise of lake level and shifted the study site towards a more distal position from the shore, away from the influence of coarse clastic sediment input. The upper sedimentary units of the three lakes are dominated by fine-grained sediments, which only occasionally include ice-rafted dropstones. The postglacial sediments comprise clastic stillwater laminites at Lake Beaver, finely laminated turbidites in Lake Radok, and algal laminites in Lake Terrasovoje. <br><br> Apart from Lake Terrasovoje the timing of the lithological change is hard to determine, because of missing age constraints. At Lake Terrasovoje, the postglacial sequence started at approximately 12.4 cal. ka BP, suggesting an late Pleistocene age for the underlying glacial sediments. Sedimentological features, changes in sedimentation rates, and the compositional variability of the organic-rich postglacial laminites in Lake Terrasovoje point to variations in the palaeolimnic environment in terms of ice cover, biological productivity, lake level, redox conditions, and salinity that can be related to the regional Holocene climate history. Further evidence arises from the structure, composition, and thickness variations of the laminae, which basically consist of alternations of algal mats (cyanobacteria) and fine-clastic layers. The counting of laminae couplets reveal changes in the depositional enviroment at sub-decadal time scales that partly might include annual layering. Under the consideration of all sedimentological facies indicators, the postglacial laminite sequence of Lake Terrasovoje documents an early Holocene climate optimum between 9 and 7 cal. ka as well as two warm spells between 3.2 and 2.3 cal. ka and 1.5 and 1.0 cal. ka, respectively. <br><br> In comparison with ice-core records and lake records from other East Antarctic ice-free regions, it becomes evident that the appearence of warm episodes does not follow a consistent spatial-temporal pattern. Common trends comprise the existence of an early Holocene climate optimum, as seen in the ice-core records and in the Amery Oasis, and several warm episodes in the middle to late Holocene that are often time-transgressive. The cause of this inconsistent pattern probably can be explained by local boundary conditions that affect the study sites, such as topography, maritime influences and the distance to glacial ice. Therefore, many climate reconstructions basically document local climate rather than overregional Antarctic climate. In conclusion, there is need for ongoing palaeoclimatic studies in East Antarctica and the establishment of a dense network of study sites to distinguish and validate local from overregional palaeoclimatic fingerprints.
32

Accelerator Mass Spectrometric Radiocarbon Chronology during the Last 30,000 Years of the Aira Caldera, Southern Kyushu, Japan

Okuno, Mitsuru 03 1900 (has links)
タンデトロン加速器質量分析計業績報告 Summaries of Researches Using AMS 1996 (平成8)年度
33

Late Quaternary vegetation, climate and ocean dynamics inferred from marine sediment cores off southeastern South America

Gu, Fang 08 February 2018 (has links)
No description available.
34

Estudos floristicos, fitossociologicos e fitogeograficos em formações vegetacionais altimontanas da Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, sudeste do Brasil / Floristic, phytossociology and phytogeography of the high-altitude vegetation of Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, southeastern Brazil

Meireles, Leonardo Dias 14 August 2018 (has links)
Orientador: George John Shepherd / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T22:19:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Meireles_LeonardoDias_D.pdf: 52013493 bytes, checksum: d5034b3efafae60949067d81a6753f38 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: A Serra Fina é o nome de umas das áreas da Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, uma cadeia montanhosa na divisa geográfica entre Minas Gerais, São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro, sudeste do Brasil. A Serra Fina compreende um dos maciços de rochas alcalinas que forma uma das áreas de maior altitude dessa região com mais de 2.500 metros de altitude em vários locais. Ela apresenta um destacado gradiente altitudinal que permite a ocorrência de diferentes formações vegetacionais altimontanas. Sua vegetação apresenta-se ainda relativamente conservada, mas pouquíssimo conhecida. Nós objetivamos analisar a composição florística de suas formações vegetacionais altimontanas, descrever a estrutura fitossociológica das florestas nebulares, verificar a similaridade dessa floresta com outras florestas montanas brasileiras e verificar como mudanças climáticas quaternárias influenciaram a distribuição geográfica das espécies que as compõem. Nos campos de altitude, matas de candeias e nas florestas nebulares foram coletadas 393 espécies das quais sete são provavelmente novas para a ciência. As famílias Asteraceae, Poaceae, Melastomataceae, Rubiaceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Orchidaceae e Ericaceae apresentaram as maiores riquezas específicas. Duas espécies novas da família Asteraceae restritas aos campos de altitude acima de 2.500 metros de altitude foram descritas e ilustradas e as demais necessitam de estudos detalhados por especialistas. A riqueza específica amostrada denota a importância das áreas de altitude na diversidade da Floresta Atlântica e denotam a importância fitogeográfica da Serra Fina por apresentar um grande número de espécies endêmicas ou com distribuição geográfica restrita e comportar espécies com fortes relações com a flora dos Andes, oeste da América do Sul. As florestas apresentaram características típicas de florestas nebulares como menor riqueza, elevada densidade e um dossel reduzido. Myrsinaceae, Myrtaceae, Symplocaceae e Cunoniaceae foram as famílias de maior valor de importância. As florestas alto-montanas da Serra da Mantiqueira apresentaram alta similaridade florística com florestas nebulares sulinas e em parte com as florestas alto-montanas do interior de Minas Gerais e do topo da Serra do Mar em São Paulo, que apresentam uma composição florística relativamente diferenciada. A similaridade dessas florestas com florestas em altitudes mais baixas é relativamente menor. Os modelos de distribuição potencial para espécies florestais montanas destacaram intensas modificações na área de ocupação dessas espécies em cenários climáticos para o Quaternário Tardio e sugerem que estas espécies possam ter ocorrido em altitudes e latitudes menores e longitudes maiores do que atualmente observado. Esses resultados sugerem que florestas com composição florística similar às atuais florestas alto-montanas possam ter ocupado uma área mais extensa no passado, formando em algumas regiões florestas mais extensas que foram posteriormente fragmentadas e confinadas ao topo de cadeias montanhosas na região leste ao sul do Brasil. / Abstract: The "Serra Fina" is the name given to a block of the Serra da Mantiqueira, a mountain chain that forms the boundary between the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. The Serra Fina largely corresponds to a massif of alkaline rocks and forms the highest part of the range, rising to more than 2500m at several points. It offers an exceptionally extensive altitudinal gradient, with the occurrence of several high-montane vegetation formations. These formations are still relatively well-conserved, but are very poorly known. The main objectives of the present study were to analyze the floristic composition of some of the high-montane vegetation types, describe and analyze the phytosociological structure of the cloud forests, determine the degree of similarity between these forests and other montane forests in Brazil and to investigate possible explanations of the patterns seen, especially with regard to climate changes in the quaternary. A total of 393 species, of which seven are probably new to science, were collected in the grasslands, "candeia" scrub and cloud forests. The greatest species-level richness was found in the families Asteraceae, Poaceae, Melastomataceae, Rubiaceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Orchidaceae and Ericaceae. Two new species of Asteraceae, confined to grasslands above 2500m have been described and illustrated, and the remainder await more detailed studies by specialists. The species richness encountered demonstrates the importance of the contribution of high altitude areas to the overall diversity of the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, and the phytogeographic importance of the Serra Fina with a large number of endemic species or species with restricted distributions with strong links to the Andean flora of western South America. The forests showed a number of characteristics typical of cloud forests, such as low richness, high density and a reduced canopy, with Myrsinaceae, Myrtaceae, Symplocaceae and Cunoniaceae as the most important families. The Serra da Mantiqueira upper montane forests showed their greatest floristic similarity to be with the cloud forests of southern Brazil and to some extent with the upper montane forests of the interior of Minas Gerais and the crest of the coastal range ("Serra do Mar") in São Paulo, though with a somewhat differentiated floristic composition. Similarities with the surrounding forest matrix at lower altitudes were much less. Models of potential distribution for montane forest species using scenarios for Late Quaternary conditions suggest that extensive modifications of currently observed distributions are likely to have occurred, with many species occupying much lower altitudes and latitudes, together with much greater longitudes. These results suggest that forests similar in composition to current upper montane forests may have occupied much more extensive areas in the past, forming an almost continuous forest that has subsequently been fragmented and confined to high mountain areas in the east-south Brazil. / Doutorado / Doutor em Biologia Vegetal
35

Minulé a současné charakteristiky a formy vázané na permafrost a činnou vrstvu jako indikátory pozdně kvartérních změn přírodního prostředí / Past and Present Permafrost and Active-Layer Phenomena as Indicators of Late Quaternary Environmental Changes

Uxa, Tomáš January 2020 (has links)
Late Quaternary has seen numerous major permafrost expansions and retreats associated with alternating glacial and interglacial periods as well as stadials and interstadials, the research of which is necessary to understand the past environmental evolution, but also provides useful analogues for its present-day and future behaviour. How- ever, observations of permafrost and active-layer phenomena are still limited, and sometimes misleading, even in many present-day permafrost regions, and naturally less comprehensive evidence is available from areas where permafrost existed in the past. The thesis provides comprehensive information on the distribution and morphology of mostly relict patterned ground and rock glaciers in the High Sudetes Mts. and in the Western and High Tatra Mts., respectively, which are the most widespread permafrost features that occur in these Central European mountain ranges situated north of the Alps. It shows that the landforms are closely related to increased severity of climates and/or sparser vegetation at higher elevations and as such they attest to the environmental conditions, which prevailed there towards the end of the Last Glacial Period to the early Holocene, but also to their current states. Similar elevation trends in the pattern morphology are also documented for...
36

Caught in a Bottleneck: Habitat Loss for Woolly Mammoths in Central North America and the Ice-Free Corridor During the Last Deglaciation

Wang, Yue, Widga, Chris, Graham, Russell W., McGuire, Jenny L., Porter, Warren, Wårlind, David, Williams, John W. 01 February 2021 (has links)
Aim: Identifying how climate change, habitat loss, and corridors interact to influence species survival or extinction is critical to understanding macro-scale biodiversity dynamics under changing environments. In North America, the ice-free corridor was the only major pathway for northward migration by megafaunal species during the last deglaciation. However, the timing and interplay among the late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions, climate change, habitat structure, and the opening and reforestation of the ice-free corridor have been unclear. Location: North America. Time period: 15–10 ka. Major taxa studied: Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). Methods: For central North America and the ice-free corridor between 15 and 10 ka, we used a series of models and continental-scale datasets to reconstruct habitat characteristics and assess habitat suitability. The models and datasets include biophysical and statistical niche models Niche Mapper and Maxent, downscaled climate simulations from CCSM3 SynTraCE, LPJ-GUESS simulations of net primary productivity (NPP) and woody cover, and woody cover based upon fossil pollen from Neotoma. Results: The ice-free corridor may have been of limited suitability for traversal by mammoths and other grazers due to persistently low productivity by herbaceous plants and quick reforestation after opening 14 ka. Simultaneously, rapid reforestation and decreased forage productivity may have led to declining habitat suitability in central North America. This was possibly amplified by a positive feedback loop driven by reduced herbivory pressures, as mammoth population decline led to the further loss of open habitat. Main conclusions: Declining habitat availability south of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and limited habitat availability in the ice-free corridor were contributing factors in North American extinctions of woolly mammoths and other large grazers that likely operated synergistically with anthropogenic pressures. The role of habitat loss and attenuated corridor suitability for the woolly mammoth extinction reinforce the critical importance of protected habitat connectivity during changing climates, particularly for large vertebrates.
37

La sédimentation récente sur la marge nord-vénézuelienne (littoral central) : enregistrement superposé des instabilités d’origine climatique et des conséquences de l’activité sismique (glissements, tsunamis) / Recent sedimentation on northern Venezuela continental margin (central coastal district) : imbricated record of climatic instabilities and earthquakes effects (landslides, tsunamis).

Colón, Sirel 27 March 2018 (has links)
La bordure septentrionale du Vénézuela (bordure méridionale de la Plaque Caraïbe) correspond pour l’essentiel à un relais de grandes failles décrochantes actives, génératrice d’une marge escarpée et accidentée (Sud de la Mer Caraïbe, Fosse et Golfe de Cariaco, Fig. 1). Cette région est donc exposée à trois sources d’aléas naturels : 1) séismes et effets directs, 2) tsunamis (liés à ces failles, à l’activité plus lointaine des Arcs Antillais, ou à des glissements sous-marins), 3) glissements et coulées aériens, parfois liés à des événements climatiques brutaux (cf. flash flood de Vargas, Décembre 1999). Le deuxième et le troisième type de phénomènes affectent directement la sédimentation soit marine (littoral et plateforme) soit lagunaire ou lacustre. Par ailleurs, les dernières variations globales (rapides) du niveau marin ont subdivisé et structuré l’empilement sédimentaire.La partie récente de ces dépôts (env. 150 000 à 200 000 ans) a fait l’objet de deux campagnes préliminaires d’imagerie sismique à haute résolution, la première consacrée à la partie orientale (Golfe de Cariaco; Audemard et al., 2007 ; Van Daele et al., 2010) et la seconde au littoral central (entre Cabo Codera et la Golfe Triste, Fig. 2). Cette seconde mission sera complétée par une nouvelle acquisition d’imagerie et la prise de carottes courtes en mer et dans les lagunes côtières. L'interprétation des sections sismiques et l'analyse sédimentologique des carottes sera utilisé pour ce travail de thèse avec un double but : 1) reconstituer l’évolution générale de la sédimentation sur la marge, et l’influence des changements environnementaux globaux, 2) connaître la distribution géographique et dans le temps (pour une période d’au moins 100 000 ans) des phénomènes catastrophiques majeurs (séismes, tsunamis, flash floods) qui se sont intercalés dans cette sédimentation. L’impact possible de la superposition de phénomènes externes et sismo-tectoniques (cf. récent séismes de Tucacas pendant un épisode pluvieux) et la localisation des zones à risques pour les tsunamis, seront modélisés et discutés. / The northern border of Venezuela (southern border of the Caribbean Plate) corresponds essentially to a relay of large active strike-slip faults, generating a steep and rugged margin (South of the Caribbean Sea, Pit and Gulf of Cariaco, Fig. 1). This region is therefore exposed to three sources of natural hazards: 1) earthquakes and direct effects, 2) tsunamis (related to these faults, to the more distant activity of the West Indies bows, or to submarine landslides), 3) slips and airflows, sometimes linked to sudden climatic events (see Vargas flash flood, December 1999). The second and third types of phenomena directly affect sedimentation, whether marine (littoral and platform), lagoon or lacustrine. In addition, the latest global (fast) changes in the sea level have subdivided and structured the sedimentary stack.The recent part of these deposits (about 150 000 to 200 000 years ago) was the subject of two preliminary high resolution seismic imaging campaigns, the first devoted to the eastern part (Gulf of Cariaco, Audemard et al. 2007, Van Daele et al., 2010) and the second at the central coast (between Cabo Codera and the Sad Gulf, Fig. 2). This second mission will be complemented by a new imaging acquisition and the taking of short cores at sea and in coastal lagoons. The interpretation of the seismic sections and the sedimentological analysis of the cores will be used for this work of thesis with a double aim: 1) to reconstruct the general evolution of the sedimentation on the margin, and the influence of the global environmental changes, 2) to know the geographical distribution and over time (for a period of at least 100,000 years) major catastrophic phenomena (earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods) that have interbedded in this sedimentation. The possible impact of the superposition of external and seismo-tectonic phenomena (see the recent Tucacas earthquakes during a rainy episode) and the location of tsunami risk areas will be modeled and discussed.
38

Interpretation and Climatic Significance of Late Quaternary Valley-fill Deposits in Wadi Hasa, West-Central Jordan

Winer, Emily R. 28 April 2010 (has links)
No description available.
39

Late Quaternary Louisiana Shelf-Margin Deltaic Deposition, North-Central Gulf of Mexico

Mobley, Casey 20 May 2005 (has links)
This study aims to establish a depositional framework for an area of the Louisiana shelf, north-central Gulf of Mexico. The depositional history of the study area is poorly understood, especially within the last cycle of major eustatic fluctuation (~18, 000 yrs BP – present). Data sets used in this study include pre-existing and previously unanalyzed two-dimensional, highresolution seismic profile records (Acadiana 86 and Acadiana 89), geotechnical foundation boring data (Coleman and Roberts, 1988a), and an industry lease block survey report (Cole, 1983). Seismic sequence stratigraphic methods are employed in this study to analyze seismic profile data. Seismic sequence analysis results indicate the presence of five unconformable surfaces and five seismic facies units. Through correlation of seismic profile data with lithologic and chronologic data, it is possible to conclude that these seismic facies units represent shelf-margin deltaic deposition during the last lowstand of sea level (~18, 000 yrs BP), sourced by the Pearl River. .
40

The use of δ]¹³C values of leporid teeth as indicators of past vegetation / The use of [delta]¹³C values of leporid teeth as indicators of past vegetation

Wicks, Travis Zhi-Rong 15 November 2013 (has links)
Records of change of [delta]13C values in vertebrate teeth offer an opportunity to gain insight into changes in past vegetation. Increasingly, teeth from small mammals are used for such purposes, but because their teeth grow very rapidly, seasonal changes in vegetation potentially provide a large source of variability in carbon isotope composition, complicating interpretations of small mammal tooth isotope data. To investigate the controls of seasonality on the stable isotope composition of fossil teeth, we constructed a Monte-Carlo-based model to simulate the effects of changes in the seasonal pattern of diet in leporid lagomorphs (rabbits and hares) on the distribution of [delta]¹³C values in random populations of leporid teeth from the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. Changes in mean-state, seasonal vegetation range, and relative season length manifest themselves in predictable ways in the median, standard deviation, and skewness of simulated tooth [delta]¹³C populations, provided sufficient numbers of teeth are analyzed. This Monte Carlo model was applied to the interpretation of a 20,000 year record of leporid tooth [delta]¹³C values from Hall's Cave on the Edwards Plateau in central Texas. Variations in the [delta]¹³C values of teeth deposited at the same time (standard deviation = 1.69%) are larger than changes in the mean vegetation composition reconstructed from bulk organic carbon [delta]¹³C, indicating the influence of short-term variability, making it difficult to assess changes in mean C3/C4 vegetation from the tooth [delta]¹³C data. However, populations of teeth from different climate intervals (e.g., the late Glacial, Younger Dryas, and the Holocene) display changes in the shape of the tooth [delta]¹³C distributions. Interpretation of these changes as shifts in seasonal vegetation patterns that are based upon results from our model are consistent with hypothesized climatic changes. An increase in the standard deviation of the tooth population between the late Glacial and the Younger Dryas -- Holocene is consistent with an increase in seasonality. Furthermore, a shift to more C3-dominated vegetation in the tooth [delta]¹³C distribution during the Younger Dryas is accompanied by a more skewed population -- indicative of not only wetter conditions but an increase in the duration in the C3 growing season. However, late Holocene changes in vegetation are not clear in the tooth data, despite the evidence from bulk organic carbon [delta]¹³C values for an increase in % C3 vegetation of 57%. Small mammal teeth can potentially provide unique insights into climate and vegetation on seasonal and longer timescales that complement other data, but should be interpreted with a careful consideration of local conditions, taxon ecology and physiology, and the dominant timescales of isotope variability. / text

Page generated in 0.0595 seconds