Land use dynamics derived from colluvial deposits and bogs in the Black Forest,Germany

The Black Forest is considered to be a rather unfavorable area, having a short vegetation period, low mean annual temperatures, high precipitation, and a pronounced relief. These conditions do not favor agricultural land use and thus it is widely accepted that people only began using the land intensively during the Middle Ages. In this integrated study 17 soil profiles, two peat bogs and a database of archaeological finds were used to reconstruct past land use impacts on the environment. AMS–¹⁴C datings of charcoals, luminescence datings of colluvial deposits, archaeological finds and pollen records indicate land use already during the Neolithic. This pre‐medieval land use might be related to seasonal settlements dominated by pastoralism and the use of wood or bedrock to build settlements and infrastructure or as energy supply. There is new evidence of human activity dating back to the Bronze and Iron Age, which is a discrepancy to the absence of archaeological finds in the direct vicinity of the studied sites. With the beginning of the Middle Ages land use practices changed, most likely with the expansion and intensification of agricultural land use, which coincides with the increasing use of natural resources in the Black Forest. Hence, the main phases of colluvial deposition date to the Middle Ages and Modern Times. Increased contents of As, Cr, Cu, Pb, or Zn in medieval colluvial deposits might indicate smelting or mining, even though there are no known archeological sites pointing to such activities nearby. Whereas the pattern of colluvial deposition in the southeastern Black Forest points to distinct, but local land use in pre‐medieval times and to intensified and widespread land use since the Middle Ages, thick and multi‐layered colluvial deposits indicate intensive land use in the neighboring Baar region since the Neolithic. The different land use patterns of these two regions originate from the rather favorable conditions for agriculture in terms of soils, climate, and topography in the Baar region compared to the unfavorable conditions in the Black Forest.     

青海湖流域草甸土光释光年代学研究

高山草甸土是青藏高原的主要土壤类型,其特征为土层薄、土壤发育微弱,但由于土壤具体的发育时代尚不明晰,限制了对草甸土成土过程和气候背景的理解。选取青海湖流域西南部的橡皮山顶草甸土两个剖面(XPSD1、XPSD2)和东南部的日月山垭口两个剖面(RYS1、RYS2)进行了光释光(Optically Stimulated Luminescence, OSL)年代学研究,系统分析草甸土中颗粒(38～63μm)石英单片再生法测年的可靠性,探讨了草甸土发育的气候背景。结果表明:(1)OSL测年方法可有效运用于高山草甸土的测年中,释光自检验表明该测年结果可靠。(2)四个剖面的年代结果显示,现存的草甸土主要是晚全新世(4～0 ka)形成的,可能是相对干冷气候下的产物,其成土发育过程以风尘加积为主。(3)橡皮山顶2号剖面底部的黄土母质年代为16.2±1.8 ka,与上部土壤呈假整合接触,存在约14 ka的沉积间断。     

安徽宣州黄棕色土和第四纪红土的比较研究及其古气候意义

通过地貌和型面的考察和研究,发现安徽宣州地黄棕色土的层序位于第四纪红土层之上。用ＥＳＲ测年法测得黄棕色土年龄约为８０ｋａＢ．Ｐ．,红土年龄 ２４０ｋａＢ．Ｐ．,。对这两种成土母质的各项理化性状和磁化率指标进行比较研究,发现黄棕色土受风化作用的程度不如第四纪红土。     

土壤的年龄

通过文物考证,地质历史及14C测定的资料对多种土壤推断,大部分土壤形成的年龄约在二千年前到一万年之间,提出土壤来之不易,要爱惜土壤资源,保护和合理利用土壤资源。     

西汉河西走廊谷物及其籽粒特性考证

了解河西走廊农作物种类、食物结构和饮食文化有助于认识东西方物质和文化交流历史。西汉时期,汉王朝大力开发河西走廊地区的农业资源,特别是绿洲农业资源,以满足士兵和移民的粮食和饲料需求,固疆戍边。笔者对甘肃省敦煌市敦煌藏馆提供(由黑河流域牧民收集)的谷物籽粒进行特性分析以及同位素测年,发现敦煌藏馆保留的谷物籽粒形态完整、色泽清晰,直观可辨。这些籽粒包括大麦(Hordeumvulgare L.)、青稞(Hordeumvulgare Linn.var.nudum Hook. f.)、糜子(Panicum miliaceum)和谷子(Setariaitalica)。两批大麦样本的单籽粒平均粒重为0.029 g和0.030 g,最大单籽粒粒重达到0.041 g,但大麦籽粒已无发芽能力。两批青稞单籽粒平均粒重为0.025 g和0.028 g,最大单籽粒粒重达到0.048g。经碳同位素(¹⁴C)测年鉴定,大麦距今2 063～1 898年,青稞距今2 010～1 885年,糜子距今1 994～1 865年,均为西汉时期的谷物籽粒。这一结果对研究东西方物质和文化交流具有重要的历史和学术...     

Inorganic Sediment Budget for the North Inlet Salt Marsh,South Carolina,U.S.A.

Most salt marshes along the east coast of North America appear to accumulate sediment at a rate sufficient to keep pace with the rise in eustatic sea level and local subsidence. Thus, these marshes must be importing sediment from the coastal ocean and/or the adjacent estuaries. The sediment accumulating in the North Inlet salt marsh, South Carolina, is 80% inorganic, and, based on ²¹⁰Pb dating, is accreting at a rate of 0.098 g cm^–2 yr^–1, equal to a 2.7 mm yr^–1 vertical sedimentation rate. Tide gauge records show a relative sea level rise of 2.2 to 3.4 mm yr^–1, indicating this marsh is maintaining its elevation relative to mean sea level rise. The North Inlet salt marsh has two avenues of sediment exchange: (1) through the tidal inlet to the ocean and (2) through Winyah Bay, the adjoining estuary. Long-term inorganic suspended sediment flux through the inlet is calculated to be a net import of 1.35 kg s^–1, based on application of a tidal hypsometric flow model to seven years of daily suspended sediment concentrations. However, the import required to balance relative sea level rise is only 0.80 kg s^–1, implying an excess net import of 0.55 kg s^–1. The difference between import and accumulation is explained by the progradation of the marsh toward Winyah Bay, a conclusion which is supported by the geomorphology and stratigraphy of the marsh-estuary border. Thus, the North Inlet marsh imports sediment on the average through the tidal inlet, at a rate which allows for both vertical accumulation at a rate approximately equal to the relative sea level rise and also lateral expansion of the marsh.     

Natural abundance radiocarbon in soil microbial biomass: Results from a glacial foreland

We present a method for determining the natural abundance radiocarbon (¹⁴C) content of soil microbial biomass (SMB) based on existing fumigation-extraction procedures. We applied the technique to soils from the foreland of the Ödenwinkelkees glacier in the Austrian Alps, which has a well-characterised chronosequence of soils at different stages of development. Across the chronosequence, SMB contained post-bomb levels of ¹⁴C, suggesting it was substantially composed of carbon that had been fixed since the 1960s. Comparison of our results with previous findings from the same site showed that at most stages in the sequence the SMB had a similar ¹⁴C content to the bulk soil organic matter (SOM). However, soil respired CO₂ was ¹⁴C-depleted relative to SMB, indicating that at least a component of the microbial community was mineralising some older carbon. In the most recently exposed soils, SMB was ¹⁴C-enriched compared to both soil respiration and SOM, suggesting that a small component of the microbial biomass that utilises older carbon contributes disproportionately more to the CO₂ efflux. Although other interpretations are possible, this explanation is consistent with the notion that early on in the succession a large proportion of the microbial biomass is dormant.     

土壤时间序列的构建及其在土壤发生研究中的意义

土壤时间序列在研究土壤演化速率与方向、建立土壤发生演化模型上具有重要的价值,并且能为土壤发生学理论的验证提供宝贵的信息。为了获得可靠的结果,时间序列的构建必须包括剖面内与剖面间母质均一性或母质不连续性的判定以及土壤的绝对或相对年龄的判定这两个重要过程。本文综述了土壤时间序列的类型及其构建方式,详细论述了在时间序列建立过程中母质不连续性的判定方式与土壤定年方法,并阐明了土壤时间序列方法在土壤发生研究中的重要意义,旨在为正确建立土壤时间序列、深刻理解土壤发生中的时间因素提供较为详尽的参考。     

A Top Height Equation for Pinus pinaster

A number of equations were fitted by means of stepwise regression to data from 171 compartments enumerated for working plan purposes in the southern and south-western Cape Province. Top height (= the mean height of the 100 biggest trees per ha in terms of diameter at breast height) or a function of top height was used as the dependent variable. Mean height, age (A), stems per ha (SPH) and mean diameter at breast height were used as the independent variables. The following equation gave the best results:

Top height = mean height + 0,03 log (SPH—99) A