Browsing by Author "Schmidt, Sabine"
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- Exploring offshore sediment evidence of the 1755 CE Tsunami (Faro, Portugal): implications for the study of outer shelf Tsunami depositsPublication . Kümmerer, Vincent; Drago, Teresa; C. Veiga-Pires, C.; Silva, Pedro F.; Magalhães, Vitor; Mena, Anxo; Lopes, Ana; Rodrigues, Ana Isabel; Schmidt, Sabine; Terrinha, Pedro; Baptista, Maria AnaOuter shelf sedimentary records are promising for determining the recurrence intervals of tsunamis. However, compared to onshore deposits, offshore deposits are more difficult to access, and so far, studies of outer shelf tsunami deposits are scarce. Here, an example of studying these deposits is presented to infer implications for tsunami-related signatures in similar environments and potentially contribute to pre-historic tsunami event detections. A multidisciplinary approach was performed to detect the sedimentary imprints left by the 1755 CE tsunami in two cores, located in the southern Portuguese continental shelf at water depths of 58 and 91 m. Age models based on 14C and 210Pbxs allowed a probable correspondence with the 1755 CE tsunami event. A multi-proxy approach, including sand composition, grain-size, inorganic geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility, and microtextural features on quartz grain surfaces, yielded evidence for a tsunami depositional signature, although only a subtle terrestrial signal is present. A low contribution of terrestrial material to outer shelf tsunami deposits calls for methodologies that reveal sedimentary structures linked to tsunami event hydrodynamics. Finally, a change in general sedimentation after the tsunami event might have influenced the signature of the 1755 CE tsunami in the outer shelf environment.
- Footprint of roman and modern mining activities in a sediment core from the southwestern Iberian Atlantic shelfPublication . Mil-Homens, Mário; Vale, Carlos; Naughton, Filipa; Brito, Pedro; Drago, Teresa; Anes, Bárbara; Raimundo, Joana; Schmidt, Sabine; Caetano, MiguelA 5-m long sediment core (VC2B), retrieved in the Southwestem Iberian Atlantic shelf, at 96 m water depth, was used to assess major changes in climate and human activities during the last 9.7 kyrs. Analytical measurements included sedimentological (mean grain size, and the contents of sand, silt and day), geochemical (major, minor, trace and rare earth elements; REEs) and chronological (Pb-210 and C-14) parameters. Two episodes of increment of fine-grained particles, occurring at 3050 BCE and 1350 CE, suggest the retreat of the coast line to the present level and the beginning of a wetter phase associated with the "Little Ice Age". The North American Shale Composite (NASC)-normalized REE-pattern detected in the shelf is similar to that found in the Guadiana estuarine sediments. The possibility of this estuary as a contributor to the sediment load deposited in the adjacent coastal zone was indicated. Trace elements were significantly correlated with Al until 1850 CE, pointing that grain-size rules its distribution in sediments. The depth variation of As, Cu and Pb enrichment factors relative to background values shows two periods of intense human activity that can be mainly linked to mining: (i) across the Roman Period, marked by low enrichments; and (ii) starting on the second half of the 19th century until nowadays with significantly increased enrichments, especially of Pb and Cu. In addition to As, Cu and Pb, this period is also marked by high enrichments of Hg and Zn. Despite the decrease/closure of sulphide massive deposits mining exploitation (e.g., Sao Domingos, Las Herrerias) during the second half of the 20th century, results showed ongoing input of Pb,Cu, As, Hg and Zn to coastal sediments. Thus, the legacy of contamination by these elements, mainly from leaching of slags and tailings, and remobilization/reworking of contaminated estuarine sediments, is still recorded in marine sediments. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Insights of Pb isotopic signature into the historical evolution and sources of Pb contamination in a sediment core of the southwestern Iberian Atlantic shelfPublication . Mil-Homens, Mario; Vale, Carlos; Brito, Pedro; Naughton, Filipa; Drago, Teresa; Raimundo, Joana; Anes, Barbara; Schmidt, Sabine; Caetano, MiguelStable Pb isotopic ratios and concentrations of Al, Cu and Pb were measured in a 5 m long sediment core (VC2B) retrieved at 96 m water depth in the southwestern Iberian Atlantic shelf. Five phases during the last 9.5 kyrs were identified, two of them (Roman Period and modern mining) marked by a decrease of Pb-206/Pb-207 ratios reflecting additional inputs of Pb derived from mining activities. The Roman Period was also characterized by high Pb-208/Pb-206 ratios suggesting the exploitation of the outcropping portion of the orebody intensely weathered when compared with the other formations later mined. The shift of Pb-208/Pb-206 ratios towards linearity took approximately 1.0 kyrs, which may mirror the time of environmental recovery from the impact of Roman mining activities. The application of a mixing model allowed the quantification of the contribution associated with anthropogenic mining activities to the shelf sediments. The maximum values of Pb contamination occurred in the 20th century. This study gives direct evidence of Pb and Cu exploitation over the last 2000 years. The stable Pb isotopic signatures point to legacy of mining activities that are still the prevailing metal source recorded in the southwestern Iberian Atlantic shelf sediments. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Modern relationships between microscopic charcoal in marine sediments and fire regimes on adjacent landmasses to refine the interpretation of marine paleofire records: an Iberian case studyPublication . Genet, Marion; Daniau, Anne-Laure; Mouillot, Florent; Hanquiez, Vincent; Schmidt, Sabine; David, Valérie; Georget, Muriel; Abrantes, Fatima; Anschutz, Pierre; Bassinot, Franck; Bonnin, Jérome; Dennielou, Bernard; Eynaud, Frédérique; Hodell, David A.; Mulder, Thierry; Naughton, Filipa; Rossignol, Linda; Tzedakis, Polychronis; Sánchez-Goñi, Maria FernandaMarine microcharcoal records provide invaluable information to understand changes in biomass burning and its drivers over multiple glacial and interglacial cycles and to evaluate fire models under warmer climates than today. However, quantitative reconstructions of burnt area, fire intensity and frequency from these records need calibration studies of the current fire-microcharcoal relationship. Here, we present the analysis of microcharcoal concentration and morphology in 102 core-top sediment samples collected in the Iberian margin and the Gulf of Cadiz. We show that microcharcoal concentrations are influenced by the water depth or the distance from the river mouth. At regional scale, the mean microcharcoal concentrations and microcharcoal elongation (length to width ratio) show a marked latitudinal variation in their distribution, primarily controlled by the type of burnt vegetation in the adjacent continent. High microcharcoal concentrations in marine sediments represent rare, large and intense fires in open Mediterranean woodlands. Based on these results, the increasing trend of microcharcoal concentrations recorded since 8 ka in the well-known marine sedimentary core MD95-2042 off the Iberian margin indicates the occurrence of large and infrequent fires of high intensity due to the progressive degradation of the Mediterranean forest and the expansion of shrublands.