新疆塔里木板块巴楚隆起区寒武系石盐氯同位素研究

塔里木板块巴楚隆起区主体部位的寒武纪地层多为典型浅水局限台地蒸发相、潟湖相沉积,在早中寒武世时期沉积石膏与岩盐层。本次研究对中寒武世阿瓦塔格组石盐进行了氯同位素分析,发现该地区的海水存在强烈的陆源水体输入。     

勘误说明

29卷1期中的《全球古海水化学演化与世界主要海相钾盐沉积关系暨中国海相成钾探讨》一文中,项目资助部分"本文得到973课题(2011CB40300)……资助",应为"本文得到973课题(2011CB403007)……资助"。特此说明。     

陕南寒武纪早期仙女洞组生物礁灰岩微相序列

扬子地台北缘在寒武纪筇竹寺期—沧浪铺期出现海退,该时期的仙女洞组属浅海碳酸盐岩与碎屑岩的混合沉积单元,分布于陕西南部及四川北部。陕南南郑福成和碑坝剖面组成完整仙女洞组序列,其中包含8期生物礁相单元。单层礁体为米级厚度,形态特征显示丘状隆起或平缓延伸。水体的清澈度、深度以及水动力强度变化对各期礁相单元生长的控制力度因时而异,陆源碎屑数次侵入导致海水浑浊度增高,点断了礁体生长。礁灰岩微相类型包括钙质微生物粘结岩、古杯-钙质微生物绑结岩、古杯漂砾-砾屑灰岩、粒泥状-泥粒状灰岩以及泥状灰岩。早期礁灰岩中钙质微生物粘结岩含量丰富,之后古杯绑结岩在礁灰岩构建中具有丰度增长的趋势,且上部礁灰岩层位中不规则古杯占主要地位。仙女洞组沉积晚期海水变浅和水动力条件增强,常见漂砾灰岩和砾屑灰岩。     

宁强广元地区志留系宁强组灰岩的微相研究

志留纪时期在扬子地台西北缘宁强湾沉积的宁强组,是一套巨厚的泥页岩夹小型局限台地相灰岩。局限台地相灰岩的沉积类型主要有生物礁、生物层和灰泥丘三种,按岩性可分为灰泥岩、颗粒岩、障积岩、粘结岩、格架岩、漂浮岩、灰砾岩等类型。岩石的微相分析和宏观相带的识别相结合,能指示各种沉积类型不同部位的环境和形成机制。     

盐生植物作物化

正我们生存的地球是一个以盐碱环境为主体的星球,地球上的水资源更是含盐的海水和咸水远多于淡水。虽然淡水资源主要分布在陆地,但全球干旱与半干旱地区却广泛分布着咸水湖泊和盐湖。而地质历史时期的地下盐矿、卤水与盐水咸水资源更是遍布世界各大洲的陆地和海底,构成了规模宏大的地下盐碱矿藏与地层构造。     

微生物岩稀土元素恢复古海洋环境的研究综述

沉积岩中的稀土元素组成特征对于解释古海水稀土元素来源和海水地球化学演化有重要意义。海洋无机成因和生物成因的矿物在保存古海水稀土元素信息方面都存在各种问题。由于微生物岩是由微生物的诱导矿化作用形成的, 早期研究认为它是能够记录古海水稀土元素信号最可靠的地质载体之一。但最新研究发现, 成岩作用和陆源碎屑输入也能够引起微生物岩稀土元素组成的变化, 由此可能导致古环境解释出现错误。然而, 非海水控制因素对微生物岩稀土元素组成的影响还不清楚, 也缺乏系统的研究, 这使得微生物岩稀土元素指示古环境的可靠性受到质疑。如何从微生物岩中提取真实可靠的古海水稀土元素信号是研究的主题之一, 这对于解决古海水稀土元素随时间演化的问题, 理解生物与环境的协同演化都具有重要意义。     

大气降尘沉积对塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地土壤水盐运移的影响

利用微型蒸渗仪(MLS)对不同粒级和不同厚度大气降尘沉积条件下塔克拉玛干沙漠腹地土壤水分蒸发和盐分运移进行了模拟试验.结果表明：不同粒级和不同厚度大气降尘沉积均对研究区土壤水分蒸发和盐分运移有显著影响;在相同的沉积厚度和相同的初始含水量条件下,细粒物质（粒径<0.063 mm）沉积可促进土体蒸发、加速下层土体的干旱和盐分的表聚,而粗粒物质（粒径0.063～2 mm）沉积则抑制了土壤水分蒸发、降低了深层土壤水分的损失和盐分的表聚;研究区土壤水分蒸发抑制效率在0.20 mm粒径处出现拐点,粒径在0.063～0.20 mm时,蒸发抑制效率随粒径增大而增大,当粒径>0.20 mm时,蒸发抑制效率则随粒径增大而减小.在相同粒级和相同的初始含水量条件下,不同厚度大气降尘沉积对土壤水分蒸发具有抑制作用,且土壤水分蒸发抑制效率随着沉积厚度的增大而增大,蒸发抑制效率与沉积厚度呈对数关系;沉积厚度越大,盐分向表层积聚越困难.降尘的加入可能导致干旱荒漠区生态系统的不稳定.     

云南香格里拉上三叠统沉积混杂岩中的晚古生代和中三叠世放射虫及其地质意义

香格里拉地区位于义敦弧后盆地与中咱地块的过渡带,出露的地层主要为上三叠统哈工组、图姆沟组。其中,哈工组发育大量的沉积混杂岩。笔者从硅质混杂岩块中分离出保存完好的放射虫化石。这些放射虫化石分异度较高,主要有内射虫目、泡沫虫目、罩笼虫目和少量隐管虫目、阿尔拜虫目的放射虫。本文报道了其中的内射虫目、泡沫虫目、罩笼虫目和隐管虫目放射虫共计50种27属。这些放射虫的地质时代自中泥盆世至中三叠世。因为沉积混杂岩中的硅质岩块源自甘孜理塘构造带,这些保存较好的放射虫化石为解释甘孜理塘构造带的构造演化提供了必需的地质时代证据。根据这些放射虫组合所代表的深水环境,我们认为甘孜-理塘构造带所代表的沉积盆地自中泥盆世至中三叠世时期应为深水盆地,也即德格-中甸微板块在中泥盆世时期就已逐渐与扬子板块裂离。     

中国新生代海洋微体古生物学研究现状与发展

我国拥有辽阔的海域,其地理地貌类型齐全,生态与沉积环境多样,是进行微体古生物学研究的一个绝好天然场所.中国的海洋微体古生物学研究开始于20世纪50年代末,当时属于起始摸索阶段.真正发展并奠定基础的时期是在近30年以来,较为全面地开展了分类学、生态学、沉积学、生物地层学、古海洋环境分析与地质资源勘探应用研究等,基本摸清了各个主要类群的种类组成、生态环境、沉积分布及其历史过程的变化特征,提供了翔实的基础资料,并在古环境应用研究方面实现与国际接轨.文章简要回顾和分析这一历程的一些主要特点.     

贵州桐梓红花园剖面下奥陶统桐梓组灰岩微相和区域沉积分异

早奥陶世桐梓红花园剖面位于扬子区的内陆架沉积带,碳酸盐岩相的桐梓组浅滩序列中频繁出现强水动力环境下三叶虫、棘皮类、腕足类、砾屑和鲕粒单独或混合构建的沉积单元,有些滩相单元是在高能带风暴浪中快速堆积的,间或出现有云坪带沉积的白云岩。盐度异常和强水动力条件皆不利于后生动物造礁,仅见薄层钙质微生物席。通过与红花园之南的贵阳乌当以及之北的桐梓水坝塘剖面桐梓组的岩相学比较,厘定它们分别由蒸发云坪为主—高能滩为主—潮下带为主的相变序列构成,藉此划定桐梓组沉积期由南到北古地理背景差异性,认为朝北方向海水有逐渐变深的趋势,水深控制了白云岩化强度和海水能量指标。     

Heavy metals in the Dead Sea and their coprecipitation with halite

After a prolongued period of stratification (about 300 years) the Dead Sea overturned in 1979 and again in 1982. Its waters became saturated with respect to halite and the massive precipitation of halite which occurred in winter 1982/83 has been monitored. We followed the fate of the heavy metals during this period of physical and chemical changes.The concentrations of Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu in the Dead Sea waters have been measured by anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) which provided sensitive measurement of these elements after a minimal pretreatment of the samples (dilution 1: 1 and acidification). In the meromictic lake (prior to 1979), the concentrations of all four elements were larger in the deep anoxic layers. With the onset of halite precipitation a decline in their concentrations was observed. Most dramatic was the decrease in Cd, which practically disappeared from the water column in 1985. The coprecipitation of heavy metals with halite — collected by sediment traps in 1983 — was examined, as well as that of older halite recovered from a sediment core. Although concentrations of heavy metals were somewhat larger in recent halite, all halite samples had the same coprecipitation pattern: the concentration of Pb was the largest, followed by Cd, and that of Cu was the smallest. The apparent distribution coefficient was larger for Cd than for Pb.We estimated the amount of Cd which may have accompanied the deposition of halite during 1983–1985; it is compatible with its observed disappearance from the water column in 1985. The amounts of Pb and of Zn which are missing from the Dead Sea of 1985 are much larger than can be accounted for by coprecipitation with halite. A possible explanation is that the formation of halite crystals may have enhanced settling of particulates which in turn, may have scavenged Pb and Zn from the Dead Sea waters. Cu seems to be much less affected by the physical and chemical events which occurred in the Dead Sea during 1976–1985.     

Impact of paleoclimate on the distribution of microbial communities in the subsurface sediment of the Dead Sea

A long sedimentary core has been recently retrieved from the Dead Sea Basin (DSB) within the framework of the ICDP‐sponsored Dead Sea Deep Drilling Project. Contrasting climatic intervals were evident by distinctive lithological facies such as laminated aragonitic muds and evaporites. A geomicrobiological investigation was conducted in representative sediments of this core. To identify the microbial assemblages present in the sediments and their evolution with changing depositional environments through time, the diversity of the 16S rRNA gene was analyzed in gypsum, aragonitic laminae, and halite samples. The subsurface microbial community was largely dominated by the Euryarchaeota phylum (Archaea). Within the latter, Halobacteriaceae members were ubiquitous, probably favored by their ‘high salt‐in’ osmotic adaptation which also makes them one of the rare inhabitants of the modern Dead Sea. Bacterial community members were scarce, emphasizing that the ‘low salt‐in’ strategy is less suitable in this environment. Substantial differences in assemblages are observed between aragonitic sediments and gypsum–halite ones, independently of the depth and salinity. The aragonite sample, deposited during humid periods when the lake was stratified, consists mostly of the archaeal MSBL1 and bacterial KB1 Candidate Divisions. This consortium probably relies on compatible solutes supplied from the lake by halotolerant species present in these more favorable periods. In contrast, members of the Halobacteriaceae were the sole habitants of the gypsum–halite sediments which result from a holomictic lake. Although the biomass is low, these variations in the observed subsurface microbial populations appear to be controlled by biological conditions in the water column at the time of sedimentation, and subsequently by the presence or absence of stratification and dilution in the lake. As the latter are controlled by climatic changes, our data suggest a relationship between local lacustrine subsurface microbial assemblages and large‐scale climatic variations over the Dead Sea Basin.     

Archaeal diversity along a subterranean salt core from the Salar Grande (Chile)

The Salar Grande in the Coastal Range of Northern Chile is a fossil evaporitic basin filled with almost pure halite (95% NaCl average). It is assumed that the basin has not received input of brines since the Pliocene (5.3 to 1.8 million years). Below 1 m the halite has remained undissolved since this time, whereas the upper layer has been dissolved and recrystallized by dripping fogs and occasional rainfall. We compared the archaeal community at different depths using both nested PCR and cultivation. The upper 10 cm of halite crust contained diverse haloarchaeal species, including several from new genera, but their provenance is unknown. For samples deeper in the core, a new and rigorous procedure for chemically sterilizing the surface of single halite crystals was developed. These halite crystals contained only species of the genus Halobacterium (Hbt.). Halobacterium salinarum-like sequences were detected by PCR, and evidence that they were from ancient DNA include: comparison with numerous negative controls; detection of 16S rRNA sequence differences in non-conserved regions, indicating genuine evolutionary mutations rather than PCR-cloning artefacts; independent isolation of Hbt. salinarum from ancient halite; and diverse mechanisms possessed by this species for minimizing radiation damage and thus enhancing its potential for long-term survival. Haloarchaea related to Hbt. noricense were obtained from enrichment cultures from ≈ 0.4 and 15.4 m depth. We investigated Hbt. noricense strain A1 and found that when trapped inside halite crystals its recovery was as rapid after 27 months of entombment as at day 0, faring much better than other extreme halophiles. A biogeographical investigation showed that Hbt. noricense-like organisms were: commonly found in surface-sterilized ancient halite, associated with salt mines, in halite crusts, and, despite a much more intense search, only rarely detected in surface environments. We conclude that some Halobacterium species are specialists at long-term survival in halite.     

Extremely halophilic archaeal communities are resilient to short-term entombment in halite

Some haloarchaea avoid the harsh conditions present in evaporating brines by entombment in brine inclusions within forming halite crystals, where a subset of haloarchaea survives over geological time. However, shifts in the community structure of halite-entombed archaeal communities remain poorly understood. Therefore, we analysed archaeal communities from in situ hypersaline brines collected from Trapani saltern (Sicily) and their successional changes in brines versus laboratory-grown halite over 21 weeks, using high-throughput sequencing. Haloarchaea were dominant, comprising >95% of the archaeal community. Unexpectedly, the OTU richness of the communities after 21 weeks was indistinguishable from the parent brine and overall archaeal abundance in halite showed no clear temporal trends. Furthermore, the duration of entombment was less important than the parent brine from which the halite derived in determining the community composition and relative abundances of most genera in halite-entombed communities. These results show that halite-entombed archaeal communities are resilient to entombment durations of up to 21 weeks, and that entombment in halite may be an effective survival strategy for near complete communities of haloarchaea. Additionally, the dominance of ‘halite specialists’ observed in ancient halite must occur over periods of years, rather than months, hinting at long-term successional dynamics in this environment.     

Differential modification of seawater carbonate chemistry by major coral reef benthic communities

Ocean acidification (OA) resulting from uptake of anthropogenic CO₂ may negatively affect coral reefs by causing decreased rates of biogenic calcification and increased rates of CaCO₃ dissolution and bioerosion. However, in addition to the gradual decrease in seawater pH and Ω _a resulting from anthropogenic activities, seawater carbonate chemistry in these coastal ecosystems is also strongly influenced by the benthic metabolism which can either exacerbate or alleviate OA through net community calcification (NCC = calcification – CaCO₃ dissolution) and net community organic carbon production (NCP = primary production ? respiration). Therefore, to project OA on coral reefs, it is necessary to understand how different benthic communities modify the reef seawater carbonate chemistry. In this study, we used flow-through mesocosms to investigate the modification of seawater carbonate chemistry by benthic metabolism of five distinct reef communities [carbonate sand, crustose coralline algae (CCA), corals, fleshy algae, and a mixed community] under ambient and acidified conditions during summer and winter. The results showed that different communities had distinct influences on carbonate chemistry related to the relative importance of NCC and NCP. Sand, CCA, and corals exerted relatively small influences on seawater pH and Ω _a over diel cycles due to closely balanced NCC and NCP rates, whereas fleshy algae and mixed communities strongly elevated daytime pH and Ω _a due to high NCP rates. Interestingly, the influence on seawater pH at night was relatively small and quite similar across communities. NCC and NCP rates were not significantly affected by short-term acidification, but larger diel variability in pH was observed due to decreased seawater buffering capacity. Except for corals, increased net dissolution was observed at night for all communities under OA, partially buffering against nighttime acidification. Thus, algal-dominated areas of coral reefs and increased net CaCO₃ dissolution may partially counteract reductions in seawater pH associated with anthropogenic OA at the local scale.     

Calcite and aragonite seas and the de novo acquisition of carbonate skeletons

A longstanding question in paleontology has been the influence of calcite and aragonite seas on the evolution of carbonate skeletons. An earlier study based on 21 taxa that evolved skeletons during the Ediacaran through Ordovician suggested that carbonate skeletal mineralogy is determined by seawater chemistry at the time skeletons first evolve in a clade. Here I test this hypothesis using an expanded dataset comprising 40 well‐defined animal taxa that evolved skeletons de novo in the last 600 Myr. Of the 37 taxa whose mineralogy is known with some confidence, 25 acquired mineralogies that matched seawater chemistry of the time, whereas only two taxa acquired non‐matching mineralogies. (Ten appeared during times when seawater chemistry is not well constrained.) The results suggest that calcite and aragonite seas do have a strong influence on carbonate skeletal mineralogy, however, this appears to be true only at the time mineralized skeletons first evolve. Few taxa switch mineralogies (from calcite to aragonite or vice versa) despite subsequent changes in seawater chemistry, and those that do switch do not appear to do so in response to changing aragonite–calcite seas. This suggests that there may be evolutionary constraints on skeletal mineralogy, and that although there may be increased costs associated with producing a mineralogy not favored by seawater, the costs of switching mineralogies are even greater.     

Estimation of the air/sea exchange of ammonia for the North Atlantic Basin

As gas phase atmospheric ammonia reacts with acidic aerosol particles it affects the chemical, physical, and optical properties of the particles. A knowledge of the source strengths of NH₃ is useful in determining the effect of NH₃ on aerosol properties on a regional basis. Here, an attempt is made to determine the direction and magnitude of the air/sea flux of ammonia for the North Atlantic Basin from both measured and modeled seawater and atmospheric ammonia concentrations. Previously reported measured seawater concentrations range from less than 30 to 4600 nM with the highest concentrations reported for the Caribbean Sea, the North Sea, and the Belgium coast. Measured atmospheric ammonia concentrations range from 2 to 500 nmol m^–3 with the largest values occurring over the Sargasso Sea, the Caribbean Sea, and the North Sea. For comparison to the measurements, seawater ammonia concentrations were calculated by the Hamburg Model of the Ocean Carbon Cycle (HAMOCC3). HAMOCC3 open ocean values agree well with the limited number of reported measured concentrations. Calculated coastal values are lower than those measured, however, due to the coarse resolution of the model. Atmospheric ammonia concentrations were calculated by the Acid Deposition Model of the Meteorological Synthesizing Center (MSC-W) and by the global 3-dimensional model Moguntia. The two models predict similar annually averaged values but are about an order of magnitude lower than the measured concentrations. Over the North Sea and the NE Atlantic, the direction and magnitude of the air/sea ammonia flux calculated from MSC-W and Moguntia agree within the uncertainty of the calculations. Flux estimates derived from measured data are larger in both the positive and negative direction than the model derived values. The discrepancies between the measured and modeled concentrations and fluxes may be a result of sampling artifacts, inadequate chemistry and transport schemes in the models, or the difficulty in comparing point measurements to time-averaged model values. Sensitivity tests were performed which indicate that, over the range of values expected for the North Atlantic, the accuracy of the calculated flux depends strongly on seawater and atmospheric ammonia concentrations. Clearly, simultaneous and accurate measurements of seawater and atmospheric ammonia concentrations are needed to reduce the uncertainty of the flux calculations, validate the model results, and characterize the role of oceanic ammonia emissions in aerosol processing and nitrogen cycling for the North Atlantic.     

Similar controls on calcification under ocean acidification across unrelated coral reef taxa

Ocean acidification (OA) is a major threat to marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs which are heavily reliant on calcareous species. OA decreases seawater pH and calcium carbonate saturation state (Ω), and increases the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). Intense scientific effort has attempted to determine the mechanisms via which ocean acidification (OA) influences calcification, led by early hypotheses that calcium carbonate saturation state (Ω) is the main driver. We grew corals and coralline algae for 8–21 weeks, under treatments where the seawater parameters Ω, pH, and DIC were manipulated to examine their differential effects on calcification rates and calcifying fluid chemistry (Ω_cf, pH_cf, and DIC_cf). Here, using long duration experiments, we provide geochemical evidence that differing physiological controls on carbonate chemistry at the site of calcification, rather than seawater Ω, are the main determinants of calcification. We found that changes in seawater pH and DIC rather than Ω had the greatest effects on calcification and calcifying fluid chemistry, though the effects of seawater carbonate chemistry were limited. Our results demonstrate the capacity of organisms from taxa with vastly different calcification mechanisms to regulate their internal chemistry under extreme chemical conditions. These findings provide an explanation for the resistance of some species to OA, while also demonstrating how changes in seawater DIC and pH under OA influence calcification of key coral reef taxa.     

Climate Change and the Potential Spreading of Marine Mucilage and Microbial Pathogens in the Mediterranean Sea

Background

Marine snow (small amorphous aggregates with colloidal properties) is present in all oceans of the world. Surface water warming and the consequent increase of water column stability can favour the coalescence of marine snow into marine mucilage, large marine aggregates representing an ephemeral and extreme habitat. Marine mucilage characterize aquatic systems with altered environmental conditions.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We investigated, by means of molecular techniques, viruses and prokaryotes within the mucilage and in surrounding seawater to examine the potential of mucilage to host new microbial diversity and/or spread marine diseases. We found that marine mucilage contained a large and unexpectedly exclusive microbial biodiversity and hosted pathogenic species that were absent in surrounding seawater. We also investigated the relationship between climate change and the frequency of mucilage in the Mediterranean Sea over the last 200 years and found that the number of mucilage outbreaks increased almost exponentially in the last 20 years. The increasing frequency of mucilage outbreaks is closely associated with the temperature anomalies.

Conclusions/Significance

We conclude that the spreading of mucilage in the Mediterranean Sea is linked to climate-driven sea surface warming. The mucilage can act as a controlling factor of microbial diversity across wide oceanic regions and could have the potential to act as a carrier of specific microorganisms, thereby increasing the spread of pathogenic bacteria.