Comparison of temperature and humidity during MIS 11 and MIS 5e interglacials with the Holocene using stable isotopes in tufa deposits from northern France

Many recent palaeoclimatic studies have focused on Pleistocene interglacials, especially Marine Isotopic Stages (MIS) 5e and 11, as analogs to our modern interglacial (MIS 1). In continental area, archives allowing comparison between interglacials remain scarce. Calcareous tufa deposits, as they are characteristic of these periods and can provide long, almost continuous, palaeoclimatic records through their isotopic content, appear highly suitable for such investigation. In this paper, δ18O and δ13C values from the three well-dated tufas of Saint-Germain-le-Vasson, Caours, and La Celle are combined to compare temperature and moisture conditions prevailing during MIS 1, 5e, and 11, in the Paris Basin. Both Pleistocene interglacials, and especially their optima, appear stronger than the Holocene: MIS 11 was wetter and warmer than both the Holocene and MIS 5e, which itself experienced wetter conditions than the Holocene. These observations are consistent with palaeontological data from the studied sites, especially malacological assemblages, which record, as at other European tufa sites, a relative depletion of molluscan diversity during the Holocene compared with the Pleistocene (MIS 5 and 11) interglacials.

Influence of the Hydric State and Lime Treatment on the Thermal Conductivity of a Calcareous Tufa

An experimental study was conducted to investigate changes of thermal conductivity of a raw and lime-treated calcareous tufa (north-west of Algeria) during drying process. Treated (with 4% of lime) and untreated samples were prepared by static compaction at the Standard Proctor Optimum (SPO), Modified Proctor Optimum (MPO) and at a constant stress level of 4 MPa. Transient Hot Wire (THW) method was used to measure the thermal conductivity and the water content and degree of saturation of samples were determined at various drying times. Results show that the drying process induces a decrease in thermal conductivity. This parameter seems to vary linearly with the water content and the degree of saturation. In addition, it was found that the lime treatment leads also to a decrease in the thermal conductivity. Thus, the drying process and the lime treatment will jointly contribute to the reduction of the thermal conductivity of the studied material in such a way that it is more insulating than some traditional building materials like concrete or fired bricks. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091663 Full Text: PDF

Calcareous Tufa Deposition in Connection with Late Pleistocene Abrupt Warming Events

Based on the comparison between the U/Th dates of samples obtained by different authors and the trend of the 18O/16O ratios in the MIS 4-3-2 interval, this short note investigates the relationships between the deposition of calcareous tufa and surface temperature changes. The data analysis indicates that the deposition is decidedly favoured with rising temperatures, as happened repeatedly during the abrupt thermal rises of the Dansgaard-Oeschger events. The above observations confirm the role of climate-induced anomalies of surface/ground thermal gradients in controlling calcareous tufa deposition rates.

Reconstruction of Thermal Conditions in the Subboreal Inferred from Isotopic Studies of Groundwater and Calcareous Tufa from the Spring Mire Cupola in Wardzyń (Central Poland)

Studies with application of stable isotopes of oxygen and carbon have been performed on calcareous tufa, groundwater and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from the spring mire cupola in Wardzyń. This study was focused on the verification of the a priori hypothesis that the analysed calcareous tufa is a chemical deposit and on the attempt to supplement an earlier scenario of environmental changes in the Subboreal with oscillations of water temperature. The constructed model of chemical and isotope balance, and δ13C determinations in DIC, allowed for calculating ratios of stable isotopes of carbon in particular speciations and in gaseous CO2. The obtained results coupled with δ13C values in calcite indicate that this mineral precipitated from the solution chemically (without the contribution of living organisms). Additionally, it was possible to reconstruct the temperature range at which the calcareous tufa was formed. The reconstructed scenario of changes in the thermal conditions was refined based on δ18O determinations in groundwater and calcite. Accordingly, the oldest calcareous tufa, with an age of about 5500 cal years BP, was formed in cool climate conditions (with average annual temperatures by about 3 °C lower than presently). The formation of younger series of the calcareous tufa took place between 4400–2900 cal years BP and represents a much warmer period with two distinct cooler episodes at 3900 and 3000 cal years BP, respectively. The course of the obtained temperature curves correlates well with the GISP2 curve and curves obtained for other sites in Northern, and Central Europe.