Marie Revel

Asian provenance of glacial dust (stage 2) in the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 Ice Core, Summit, Greenland

Samples of dust from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) ice core, Summit, Greenland, dated within marine isotope stage 2 (between 23,340 and 26,180 calendar years B.P.) around the time of the coldest, local, last glacial temperatures, have been analyzed to determine their provenance. To accomplish this, we have compared them with approximately Coeval aeolian sediments (mostly loesses) sampled in possible source areas (PSAs) from around the northern hemisphere. The <5-μm grain-size fraction of these samples was analyzed on the basis that it corresponds to the atmospheric dust component of that time and locale, which was sufficiently fine grained to be transported over long distances. On the basis of comparison of the clay mineralogy and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope composition with ice dust and PSAs and assuming that we have sampled the most important PSAs, we have determined that the probable source area of these GISP2 dusts was in eastern Asia. The dust was not derived from either the midcontinental United States or the Sahara, two more proximal areas that have been suggested as potential sources based on atmospheric circulation modeling. Except for a brief period during an interstadial, when dust transport was exceptionally low (for glacial times) and had a mineralogical composition indicative of a slightly more southern provenance, the source area of the dust did not change significantly during times of variably higher fluxes of dust with larger mean grain size or lower fluxes of dust with smaller mean grain size. This includes the high-dust period that correlates with the Heinrich 2 period of major iceberg discharge into the North Atlantic. Variable wind strengths must therefore be invoked to account for these abrupt and significant changes in dust flux and grain size.

Antarctic (Dome C) ice-core dust at 18 k.y. B.P.: Isotopic constraints on origins

We have determined the source area from which dusts from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) section of the Dome C ice core were derived, by comparing their strontium and neodymium isotopic ratios with those of samples from potential source areas. The87Sr/86Sr and143Nd/144Nd isotope ratios of the dusts deposited ≈ 18 k.y. B.P. at the East Antarctic Dome C site were compared with potential Antarctic, Australian, southern African and South American sources. The isotope ratios clearly define the Patagonian provenance of the dust, with the other potential source areas being, at most, minor contributors. Contributions by volcanic ash and tephra to the dust sample were also determined to be minimal, based on the patterns of rare earth elements. Knowing the source of the dusts places constraints on the aeolian trajectory by which it was transported to Antarctica, and this serves as a test of the simulation of southern hemispheric circulation by atmospheric global circulation models during the LGM.

Rhone River flood deposits in Lake Le Bourget: a proxy for Holocene environmental changes in the NW Alps, France

The Holocene evolution of Rhone River clastic sediment supply in Lake Le Bourget is documented by sub-bottom seismic profiling and multidisciplinary analysis of well-dated sediment cores. Six high-amplitude reflectors within the lacustrine drape can be correlated to periods of enhanced inter- and underflow deposition in sediment cores. Based on the synthesis of major environmental changes in the NW Alps and on the age-depth model covering the past 7500 years in Lake Le Bourget, periods of enhanced Rhone River flood events in the lake can be related to abrupt climate changes and/or to increasing land use since c. 2700 cal. yr BP. For example, significant land use under rather stable climate conditions during the Roman Empire may be responsible for large flood deposits in the northern part of Lake Le Bourget between AD 966 and 1093. However, during the Little Ice Age (LIA), well-documented major environmental changes in the catchment area essentially resulted from climate change and formed basin-wide major flood deposits in Lake Le Bourget. Up to five ‘LIA-like’ Holocene cold periods developing enhanced Rhone River flooding activity in Lake Le Bourget are documented at c. 7200, 5200, 2800, 1600 and 200 cal. yr BP. These abrupt climate changes were associated in the NW Alps with Mont Blanc glacier advances, enhanced glaciofluvial regimes and high lake levels. Correlations with European lake level fluctuations and winter precipitation regimes inferred from glacier fluctuations in western Norway suggest that these five Holocene cooling events at 45°N were associated with enhanced westerlies, possibly resulting from a persistent negative mode of the North Atlantic Oscillation.

African humid periods triggered the reactivation of a large river system in Western Sahara.

The Sahara experienced several humid episodes during the late Quaternary, associated with the development of vast fluvial networks and enhanced freshwater delivery to the surrounding ocean margins. In particular, marine sediment records off Western Sahara indicate deposition of river-borne material at those times, implying sustained fluvial discharges along the West African margin. Today, however, no major river exists in this area; therefore, the origin of these sediments remains unclear. Here, using orbital radar satellite imagery, we present geomorphological data that reveal the existence of a large buried paleodrainage network on the Mauritanian coast. On the basis of evidence from the literature, we propose that reactivation of this major paleoriver during past humid periods contributed to the delivery of sediments to the Tropical Atlantic margin. This finding provides new insights for the interpretation of terrigenous sediment records off Western Africa, with important implications for our understanding of the paleohydrological history of the Sahara.

Late Quaternary incision rates in the Vésubie catchment area (Southern French Alps) from in situ‐produced 36Cl cosmogenic nuclide dating: Tectonic and climatic implications

We have estimated recent river incision rates using the in situ-produced 36Cl cosmogenic nuclide concentrations. The target site consists of a ~25 m high vertical profile along a polished river cliff located in Jurassic limestones in the Vesubie catchment area, in the southern French Alps. The 36Cl exposure ages of the sampled river polished surface range from 3 to 14 ka, i.e., after the Last Glacial Maximum. Our data suggest as a first approximation a linear age/height relationship and lead to a mean incision rate of 2.2 mm a−1 over the last 14 ka. More precisely, incision rates are characterized by two peaks reaching ~2 and 4–5 mm a−1 at 4–5 ka and 11–12 ka, respectively, separated by a period experiencing a lower incision rate (~1 mm a−1). A chi-plot of the river longitudinal profile suggests that on the long term, the river is close to equilibrium conditions with a concavity index of 0.475. The evolution of the Vesubie River longitudinal profile over a time period of 2 Ma based on the stream power law of river incision was then modeled with varying erodibility coefficients and uplift rates ranging from 0.5 to 2 mm a−1. The best fitting models yield erodibility coefficient values ranging from 2.5 to 9.0 × 10−6 m−0.475 a−1 for the considered uplift rates. For long-term uplift rates lower than 2 mm a−1, an increase of the erodibility coefficient during the last 16 ka, with two peaks at 11–12 and 4–5 ka, is necessary to precisely match the observed incision rates and is interpreted as resulting from recent climatic changes. These variations do not strongly affect the general shape of the river profile and suggest that the measured short-term incision rate is dominated by a climatic signal, which does not preclude the possible role of tectonic uplift.

Abrupt response of chemical weathering to Late Quaternary hydroclimate changes in northeast Africa

Chemical weathering of silicate rocks on continents acts as a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide and has played an important role in the evolution of the Earth’s climate. However, the magnitude and the nature of the links between weathering and climate are still under debate. In particular, the timescale over which chemical weathering may respond to climate change is yet to be constrained at the continental scale. Here we reconstruct the relationships between rainfall and chemical weathering in northeast Africa for the last 32,000 years. Using lithium isotopes and other geochemical proxies in the clay-size fraction of a marine sediment core from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, we show that chemical weathering in the Nile Basin fluctuated in parallel with the monsoon-related climatic evolution of northeast Africa. We also evidence strongly reduced mineral alteration during centennial-scale regional drought episodes. Our findings indicate that silicate weathering may respond as quickly as physical erosion to abrupt hydroclimate reorganization on continents. Consequently, we anticipate that the forthcoming hydrological disturbances predicted for northeast Africa may have a major impact on chemical weathering patterns and soil resources in this region.

Circulation Changes in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Over the Past 23,000 Years Inferred From Authigenic Nd Isotopic Ratios

The Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) is a key region to study circulation change because of its own thermohaline circulation. In this study, we focused on intermediate/deep water circulation since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) including the sapropel S1 period. Two cores from the Levantine Sea and the Strait of Sicily, respectively, collected at 1,780 m and 771 m water depth, were studied using 143Nd/144Nd (eNd) of foraminiferal tests and leachates as well as benthic foraminiferal stable isotopes (δ13C, δ18O). This approach allowed the determination of variations in (1) the North Atlantic water contribution to the Mediterranean basin, (2) water exchanges at the Strait of Sicily, and (3) the influence of the Nile River over the last 23,000 years. During the LGM, high benthic foraminiferal δ13C values indicate well‐ventilated intermediate and deep waters in the EMS. The eNd values were more radiogenic than at present, reflecting a smaller contribution of unradiogenic North Atlantic waters to the EMS due to reduced exchange at the Strait of Sicily. The sluggish circulation in the EMS initiated during deglaciation was further enhanced by increased Nile River freshwater inputs between 15 ka BP and the S1 period. Partial dissolution of Nile River particles contributed to an increase in EMS eNd. The large eNd gradient between the EMS and the Western Mediterranean Sea observed during LGM and S1 suggests that each basin had a distinct circulation mode. Decreasing eNd values at the Strait of Sicily after S1 reflected improved water exchange between both basins, leading to the modern circulation pattern.

Quantified sensitivity of small lake sediments to record historic earthquakes: Implications for paleoseismology: LAKE SENSITIVITY TO RECORD EARTHQUAKES

Seismic hazard assessment is a critical but challenging issue for modern societies. A key parameter to be estimated is the recurrence interval of damaging earthquakes. This requires the establishment of earthquake records long enough to be relevant, i.e., far longer than historical observations. We study how lake sediments can be used for this purpose and explore conditions that enable lake sediments to record earthquakes. This was achieved (i) through the compilation of eight lake-sediment sequences from the European Alps to reconstruct chronicles of mass movement deposits and (ii) through the comparison of these chronicles with the well-documented earthquake history. This allowed 24 occurrences of mass movements to be identified, of which 21 were most probably triggered by an earthquake. However, the number of earthquake-induced deposits varies between lakes of a same region, suggesting variable thresholds of the lake sequences to record earthquake shaking. These thresholds have been quantified by linking the mass movement occurrences in a single lake to both intensity and distance of the triggering earthquakes. This method offers a quantitative approach to estimate locations and intensities of past earthquake epicenters. Finally, we explored which lake characteristics could explain the various sensitivities. Our results suggest that sedimentation rate should be larger than 0.5 mm yr−1 so that a given lake records earthquakes in moderately active seismotectonic regions. We also postulate that an increasing sedimentation rate may imply an increasing sensitivity to earthquake shaking. Hence, further paleoseismological studies should control carefully that no significant change in sedimentation rates occurs within a record, which could falsify the assessment of earthquake recurrence intervals.