Fire is an essential component of tropical savannas, driving key ecological feedbacks and functions. Indigenous manipulation of fire has been practiced for tens of millennia in Australian savannas, ...and there is a renewed interest in understanding the effects of anthropogenic burning on savanna systems. However, separating the impacts of natural and human fire regimes on millennial timescales remains difficult. Here we show using palynological and isotope geochemical proxy records from a rare permanent water body in Northern Australia that vegetation, climate, and fire dynamics were intimately linked over the early to mid-Holocene. As the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) intensified during the late Holocene, a decoupling occurred between fire intensity and frequency, landscape vegetation, and the source of vegetation burnt. We infer from this decoupling, that indigenous fire management began or intensified at around 3 cal kyr BP, possibly as a response to ENSO related climate variability. Indigenous fire management reduced fire intensity and targeted understory tropical grasses, enabling woody thickening to continue in a drying climate.
The isotope signatures registered in speleothems during tropical cyclones (TC) provides information about the frequency and intensity of past TCs but the precise relationship between isotopic ...composition and the meteorology of TCs remain uncertain. Here we present continuous δ18O and δ2H data in rainfall and water vapour, as well as in discrete rainfall samples, during the passage of TC Ita and relate the evolution in isotopic compositions to local and synoptic scale meteorological observations. High-resolution data revealed a close relationship between isotopic compositions and cyclonic features such as spiral rainbands, periods of stratiform rainfall and the arrival of subtropical and tropical air masses with changing oceanic and continental moisture sources. The isotopic compositions in discrete rainfall samples were remarkably constant along the ~450 km overland path of the cyclone when taking into account the direction and distance to the eye of the cyclone at each sampling time. Near simultaneous variations in δ18O and δ2H values in rainfall and vapour and a near-equilibrium rainfall-vapour isotope fractionation indicates strong isotopic exchange between rainfall and surface inflow of vapour during the approach of the cyclone. In contrast, after the passage of spiral rainbands close to the eye of the cyclone, different moisture sources for rainfall and vapour are reflected in diverging d-excess values. High-resolution isotope studies of modern TCs refine the interpretation of stable isotope signatures found in speleothems and other paleo archives and should aim to further investigate the influence of cyclone intensity and longevity on the isotopic composition of associated rainfall.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We present precipitation isotope data (δ
H and δ
O values) from 19 stations across the tropics collected from 2012 to 2017 under the Coordinated Research Project F31004 sponsored by the International ...Atomic Energy Agency. Rainfall samples were collected daily and analysed for stable isotopic ratios of oxygen and hydrogen by participating laboratories following a common analytical framework. We also calculated daily mean stratiform rainfall area fractions around each station over an area of 5° x 5° longitude/latitude based on TRMM/GPM satellite data. Isotope time series, along with information on rainfall amount and stratiform/convective proportions provide a valuable tool for rainfall characterisation and to improve the ability of isotope-enabled Global Circulation Models to predict variability and availability of inputs to fresh water resources across the tropics.
We provide a 1-year dataset of atmospheric surface CO2, CH4 and H2O concentrations and δ13C-CO2 values from an Australian savanna site. These semi-arid ecosystems act as carbon sinks in wet years but ...the persistence of the sink in dry years is uncertain. The dataset can be used to constrain uncertainties in modelling of greenhouse gas budgets, improve algorithms for satellite measurements and characterize the role of vegetation and soil in modulating atmospheric CO2 concentrations. We found pronounced seasonal variations in daily mean CO2 concentrations with an increase (by 5–7 ppmv) after the first rainfall of the wet season in early December with peak concentrations maintained until late January. The CO2 increase reflected the initiation of rapid microbial respiration from soil and vegetation sources upon initial wetting. As the wet season progressed, daily CO2 concentrations were variable, but generally decreased back to dry season levels as CO2 assimilation by photosynthesis increased. Mean daily concentrations of CH4 increased in the wet season by up to 0.2 ppmv relative to dry season levels as the soil profile became waterlogged after heavy rainfall events. During the dry season there was regular cycling between maximum CO2/minimum δ13C-CO2 at night and minimum CO2/maximum δ13C-CO2 during the day. In the wet season diel patterns were less regular in response to variable cloud cover and rainfall. CO2 isotope data showed that in the wet season, surface CO2 was predominantly a two-component mixture influenced by C3 plant assimilation (day) and soil/plant respiration (night), while regional background air from higher altitudes represented an additional CO2 source in the dry season. Higher wind speeds during the dry season increased vertical mixing compared to the wet season. In addition, night-time advection of high-altitude air during low temperature conditions also promoted mixing in the dry season.
Insects encode proxy environmental information about regional vegetation structure in the stable carbon isotope (δ13C) composition of their tissues. However, uncertainty lies in the exact ...relationship between “community” insect δ13C values and the overall structure of the vegetation from which the insects come, specifically the cover of C3 and C4 plants. This study aimed to determine this relationship using modern samples of insects collected from sites ranging from rain forest (high C3 cover) to savanna (high C4 cover) across an environmental gradient in tropical Australia. Insect δ13C values were strongly related to modern variations in C3 and C4 cover, although difficulties arose when estimating the vegetation structure of sites with low vegetation cover in arid central Australia. We further found the best models for predicting vegetation structure also included additional constraints provided by variation in precipitation. Overall, our results confirm that ancient insect δ13C values, such as those recovered from insectivorous bat and bird guano deposits, can indeed provide a robust palaeoenvironmental proxy for inferring the trajectory of past vegetation change in the tropics.
•Insect δ13C values measured along an environmental gradient in Australia.•Relationship between insect δ13C values and vegetation C3/C4 composition was strong.•This relationship was improved when arid sites were excluded.•Using precipitation data significantly improves prediction of C3/C4 composition.•This study confirms that ancient guano can be used as a proxy for past vegetation.
Cave guano derived from insectivorous bats and birds contain unique geochemical and mineralogical signatures. We investigated the mineralogy, pH, C, N and metal abundance patterns of cave guano ...spatially and temporally (with depth) along a W–E transect in Malaysia and Palawan from five remote cave sites, each housing large populations of bats and Aerodramus spp.(cave swiftlets). Guano deposits were rich in phosphate and/or sulphate minerals (e.g., gypsum, bassanite) with leucophosphite, spheniscidite, and variscite present in most profiles. Metal abundances measured from modern and ancient bat guano revealed high concentrations of transition metals relative to the local environment. Highly enriched metals, however, were associated with phosphate rather than sulphate minerals. Copper and Zn were enriched in all profiles, whereas other metals were associated with specific caves consistent with known local mineral resources. For example, Sn, Pb, and Rb were particularly enriched in Batu Cave, located in the Peninsular Malaysian granitic tin belt, whereas Ni and Cr were high in regions associated with ultramafic ophiolites and Ni-laterites found on Palawan.
The aim of this study was to identify the main meteorological drivers of rainfall isotopic variation in north Australia in order to improve the interpretation of isotopic proxy records in this ...region. An intense monitoring program was conducted during two monsoonal events that showed significant and systematic isotopic change over time. The results showed a close link between isotopic variation in precipitation and variability in monsoon conditions, associated with the presence of large convective envelopes propagating through the study site. The largest negative amplitudes in the isotopic signal were observed when eastward and westward moving precipitation systems within the convective envelope merged over the measurement site. This suggests that the amplitude of the isotopic signal is related to the size and activity of the convective envelope. The strong correlation between rainfall isotopic variation, regional outgoing longwave radiation and regional rainfall amount supports this conclusion. This is further strengthened by the strong relationship between isotopic variation and the integrated rainfall history of air masses prior to arriving at the measurement locations. A local amount effect was not significant and these findings support the interpretation of δ18O as proxy for regional climatic conditions rather than local rainfall amount. Meteorological parameters that characterize intra-seasonal variability of monsoon conditions were also found to be strongly linked to inter-seasonal variability of the monthly based δ18O values in the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) database. This leads to the conclusion that information about the Australian monsoon variability can likely be inferred from the isotopic proxy record in North Australia on short (intra seasonal) and long (inter seasonal or longer) timescales.
•Spatially resolved 12 h rainfall isotopic evolution during monsoon burst-break cycle.•Largest isotopic excursions observed during merging of atmospheric tropical waves.•Isotope composition on both short and long time scales driven by the same factors.•Enables Australian monsoon conditions to be inferred from isotopic proxy records.
This work provides a comprehensive physically based framework for the interpretation of the north Australian rainfall stable isotope record (δ18O and δ2H). Until now, interpretations mainly relied on ...statistical relationships between rainfall amount and isotopic values on monthly timescales. Here, we use multiseason daily rainfall stable isotope and high resolution (10 min) ground‐based C‐band polarimetric radar data and show that the five weather types (monsoon regimes) that constitute the Australian wet season each have a characteristic isotope ratio. The data suggest that this is not only due to changes in regional rainfall amount during these regimes but, more importantly, is due to different rain and cloud types that are associated with the large scale circulation regimes. Negative (positive) isotope anomalies occurred when stratiform rainfall fractions were large (small) and the horizontal extent of raining areas were largest (smallest). Intense, yet isolated, convective conditions were associated with enriched isotope values whereas more depleted isotope values were observed when convection was widespread but less intense. This means that isotopic proxy records may record the frequency of which these typical wet season regimes occur. Positive anomalies in paleoclimatic records are most likely associated with periods where continental convection dominates and convection is sea‐breeze forced. Negative anomalies may be interpreted as periods when the monsoon trough is active, convection is of the oceanic type, less electric, and stratiform areas are wide spread. This connection between variability of rainfall isotope anomalies and the intrinsic properties of convection and its large‐scale environment has important implications for all fields of research that use rainfall stable isotopes.
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