Trace elements in speleothems as recorders of environmental change

Fairchild, Ian J.; Treble, Pauline C.

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.11.007

Cited by 477 publications

(489 citation statements)

References 129 publications

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“…Recent research has indicated that (i) seasonal dripwater trace element hydrochemistry, if recorded by stalagmites, may provide geochemical markers of seasonal growth laminae (Fairchild and Treble, 2009;Wong et al, 2011), and (ii) δ controls the time constant for CO 2 degassing (Hansen et al, 2013). In light of these results, our empirical constraints on the relationship between δ and stalagmite morphology and R 0 modelling results provide a timely test of stalagmite growth rate theory.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…At higher rates, Sr occupies interstitial and defect lattice sites, the abundance of which increases with R 0 (Boch, 2008), because the lattice is less able to distinguish between Ca 2+ (ionic radius = 1.08 Å) and larger divalent trace metals, such as Sr 2+ (1.44 Å) . Therefore, R 0 and the effective partition coefficient for Sr in calcite (K d Sr ) may co-vary (Fairchild and Treble, 2009;. Boch (2008) reported higher Sr and vertical extension rate associated with porous laminae (summer deposition) in stalagmites sampled from Katerloch Cave, southeast Austria.…”

Section: Model Validation: Comparing Growth Seasonality With Gib04a Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater films

Baker

Mattey

Baldini

2014

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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. (2014) 'Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater lms.', Earth and planetary science letters., 392 . pp. 239-249. Further information on publisher's website:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.036Publisher's copyright statement: NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be re ected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A de nitive version was subsequently published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 392, 15 April 2014, 10.1016/j.epsl.2014 Additional information: Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-pro t purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. AbstractInterpretations of high-resolution proxy datasets from stalagmites require support from longterm cave monitoring data and quantified changes in sample growth rate. One cave site for which the modern climate signal transfer systematics are relatively well characterised by cave monitoring is New St Michael's Cave, Gibraltar. This site provides a rare opportunity to reconstruct modern calcite growth, to link growth with the cave environment and local climate, and to test the sufficiency of existing growth rate theory on monthly to inter-annual timescales. Here, we use a numerical time-series growth rate model, driven by cave monitoring and local meteorological data, and the results of an experimental investigation into variation in dripwater film thickness as a function of stalagmite apex morphology to reconstruct the modern growth (AD 1951(AD -2004 of 'Gib04a', a stalagmite retrieved from New St Michael's Cave. Our experimental measurements demonstrate that dripwater film thickness decreases linearly with increasing stalagmite curvature and that the presence of millimetre-scale surface microtopography reduces film thickness by an order of magnitude. We identified changes in growth laminae curvature from a Gib04a cut section to determine film thickness variability through time and combined this with estimated dripwater [Ca 2+ ] and cave air pCO 2 seasonality to drive the model. Our reconstruction exhibits strong seasonality and tracks variability in calcite [Sr 2+ ], a trace metal whose incorporation into calcite is partially growth rate-controlled. Reconstructed growth also shows co-variation with seasonal changes in calc...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Model Validation: Comparing Growth Seasonality With Gib04a Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater films

Baker

Mattey

Baldini

2014

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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“…For example, drier conditions can result in a lower drip rate, which can increase the d 13 C values due to the longer time available for calcite precipitation between successive drips Scholz et al, 2009;Dreybrodt and Scholz, 2011). Dry conditions can also favour disequilibrium fractionation at and/or 'upstream' of the drip site during prior calcite precipitation (PCP) (Fairchild et al, 2000;Fairchild and Treble, 2009), a process by which CO 2 degassing causes preferential loss of the lighter 12 C isotope to the gas phase and hence enriches the percolation water, and ultimately the speleothem, in 13 C. Another process affecting the C isotopes is fractionation between gaseous CO 2 and HCO 3 À (in the aquifer) and HCO 3 À and CaCO 3 (during calcite precipitation).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These phase relationships suggest that during wetter periods, when DCF values are high and Mg/Ca ratios are low, the C isotopes undergo less fractionation than would be the case during drier intervals when PCP is enhanced (Griffiths et al, 2010a). In general, wet periods permit less PCP (Fairchild et al, 2000;Fairchild and Treble, 2009) and tend to result in higher drip rates, which lead to less fractionation during stalagmite growth Scholz et al, 2009;Dreybrodt and Scholz, 2011) and hence higher stalagmite d 13 C values. Therefore, it is clear that for d 13 C, variations in the host rock contribution are more than counterbalanced by variations in fractionation effects related to karst hydrology.…”

Section: Host Rock Contribution To Dcfmentioning

confidence: 94%

Hydrological control of the dead carbon fraction in a Holocene tropical speleothem

Griffiths

Fohlmeister

Drysdale

et al. 2012

Quaternary Geochronology

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a b s t r a c tOver the past decade, a number of speleothem studies have used radiocarbon ( 14 C) to address a range of palaeoclimate problems. These have included the use of the bomb pulse 14 C to anchor chronologies over the last 60 years, the combination of U-Th and 14 C measurements to improve the radiocarbon agecalibration curve, and linking atmospheric 14 C variations with climate change. An issue with a number of these studies is how to constrain, or interpret, variations in the amount of radioactively dead carbon (i.e. the dead carbon fraction, or DCF) that reduces radiocarbon concentrations in speleothems. In this study, we use 14 C, stable-isotopes, and trace-elements in a U-Th dated speleothem from Flores, Indonesia, to examine DCF variations and their relationship with above-cave climate over the late Holocene and modern era. A strong association between the DCF and hydrologically-controlled proxy data suggests that more dead carbon was being delivered to the speleothem during periods of higher cave recharge (i.e. lower d 18 O, d 13 C and Mg/Ca values), and hence stronger summer monsoon. To explore this relationship, we used a geochemical soil-karst model coupled with 14 C measurements through the bomb pulse to disentangle the dominant components governing DCF variability in the speleothem. We find that the DCF is primarily controlled by limestone dissolution associated with changes in open-versus closed-system conditions, rather than kinetic fractionation and/or variations in the age spectrum of soil organic matter above the cave. Therefore, we infer that periods of higher rainfall resulted in a higher DCF because the system was in a more closed state, which inhibited carbon isotope exchange between the karst water dissolved inorganic carbon and soil-gas CO 2 , and ultimately led to a greater contribution of dead carbon from the bedrock.Published by Elsevier B.V.

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“…The present-day vegetation 238 11 above the cave is a mixed conifer -deciduous forest association, composed primarily of Fagus 239 sylvatica, Picea abies and Abies alba (Fairchild et al 2009; Miorandi et al 2010). Most trees started to 240 grow ca.80 years ago (Borsato et al, 2007a) following forest clearance carried out to facilitate military 241 operations before World War 1 (cf.…”

Section: Sites Description Data Sources and Methods 219 220mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sulphate concentration in cave dripwater and speleothems: long-term trends and overview of its significance as proxy for environmental processes and climate changes

Borsato

Frisia

Wynn

et al. 2015

Quaternary Science Reviews

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18 19Sulphate concentration in speleothems identifies major volcanic eruptions, provide useful information 20 on soil and aquifer dynamics and, similarity to the 14 C bomb peak, its Anthropocene peak can be used 21 to date recent cave formations. However, the transmission of S from the atmosphere to cave dripwater 22 and its incorporation in speleothems is subjected to biogeochemical cycling and accurate studies of 23

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Trace elements in speleothems as recorders of environmental change

Cited by 477 publications

References 129 publications

Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater films

Reconstructing modern stalagmite growth from cave monitoring, local meteorology, and experimental measurements of dripwater films

Hydrological control of the dead carbon fraction in a Holocene tropical speleothem

Sulphate concentration in cave dripwater and speleothems: long-term trends and overview of its significance as proxy for environmental processes and climate changes

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