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Article Reference The fossil bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni: a potential seasonally resolved stable isotope-based climate archive to investigate Pliocene temperatures in the southern North Sea basin
Bivalves record seasonal environmental changes in their shells, making them excellent climate archives. However, not every bivalve can be used for this end. The shells have to grow fast enough so that micrometre- to millimetre-sampling can resolve sub-annual changes. Here, we investigate whether the bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni is suitable as a climate archive. For this, we use ca. 3-million-year-old specimens from the Piacenzian collected from a temporary outcrop in the Port of Antwerp area (Belgium). The subspecies is common in Pliocene North Sea basin deposits, but its lineage dates back to the late Oligocene and has therefore great potential as a high-resolution archive. A detailed assessment of the preservation of the shell material by micro-X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and electron backscatter diffraction reveals that it is pristine and not affected by diagenetic processes. Oxygen isotope analysis and microscopy indicate that the species had a longevity of up to a decade or more and, importantly, that it grew fast and large enough so that seasonally resolved records across multiple years were obtainable from it. Clumped isotope analysis revealed a mean annual temperature of 13.5 ± 3.8 ∘C. The subspecies likely experienced slower growth during winter and thus may not have recorded temperatures year-round. This reconstructed mean annual temperature is 3.5 ∘C warmer than the pre-industrial North Sea and in line with proxy and modelling data for this stratigraphic interval, further solidifying A. benedeni benedeni's use as a climate recorder. Our exploratory study thus reveals that Angulus benedeni benedeni fossils are indeed excellent climate archives, holding the potential to provide insight into the seasonality of several major climate events of the past ∼ 25 million years in northwestern Europe.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Organic Matter Composition of Biomineral flocs and Its Influence on Suspended Particulate Matter Dynamics Along a Nearshore to Offshore Transect
The seasonal variation in concentration of transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs), particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were investigated together with floc size and the concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) along the cross-shore gradient, from the high turbid nearshore toward the low-turbid offshore waters in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. Our data demonstrate that biophysical flocculation cannot be explained by these heterogeneous parameters, but requires a distinction between a more reactive labile (“fresh”) and a less reactive refractory (“mineral-associated”) fraction. Based on all data, we separated the labile and mineral-associated POC, PON, and TEP using a semi-empirical model approach. The model's estimates of fresh and mineral-associated organic matter (OM) show that great parts of the POC, PON, and TEP are associated with suspended minerals, which are present in the water column throughout the year, whereas the occurrence of fresh TEP, POC, and PON is restricted to spring and summer months. In spite of a constantly high abundance of total TEP throughout the entire year, it is its fresh fraction that promotes the formation of larger and faster sinking biomineral flocs, thereby contributing to reducing the SPM concentration in the water column over spring and summer. Our results show that the different components of the SPM, such as minerals, extracellular OM and living organisms, form an integrated dynamic system with direct interactions and feedback controls.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Flocculation with heterogeneous composition in water environments: A review
Flocculation is a key process for controlling the fate and transport of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in water environments and has received considerable attention in the field of water science (e.g., oceanography, limnology, and hydrology), remaining an active area of research. The research on flocculation has been con­ducted to elucidate the SPM dynamics and to diagnose various environmental issues. The flocculation, sedi­mentation, and transportation of SPM are closely linked to the compositional and structural properties of flocs. In fact, flocs are highly heterogeneous in terms of composition. However, the lack of comprehensive research on floc composition and structure has led to misconceptions regarding the temporal and spatial dynamics of SPM. This review summarizes the current understanding of the heterogeneous composition of flocs (e.g., minerals, organic matter, metals, microplastic, engineered nanoparticles) and its effect on their structure and on their fate and transport within aquatic environments. Furthermore, the effects of human activities (e.g., pollutant discharge, construction) on floc composition are discussed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Pavements et placages, l’ornementation du balnéaire privé de Warcq (Ardennes, France).
Introduction: Une fouille préventive s’est déroulée aux lieux-dits « Simonelle » et « Sous le Chemin de Tournes » de la commune de Warcq. Cette commune se situe à trois kilomètres au nord-ouest de Charleville-Mézières, à la confluence de la Meuse, du ruisseau de This et de la Sormonne. Les opérations de terrain ont permis de mettre au jour les vestiges d’une partie d’une petite villa gallo-romaine constituée d’une cave, d’une cour ainsi que d’un balnéaire . Son occupation, qui s’étend du 1er au 4e siècle de notre ère, est caractérisée par de nombreux réaménagements pouvant être rassemblés en quatre grandes phases distinctes (fig. 1). Le secteur thermal est construit vers 130-150 de notre ère (phase 2) et forme l’aile occidentale de la villa. Vraisemblablement contraints par le bâti existant, les bâtisseurs ont opté pour un plan longitudinal où seule la natatio est en saillie. Il en découle un alignement des pièces et plus particulièrement celui du caldarium et du tepidarium dans celui du praefurnium. Sur près de deux siècles, cette partie de la villa a été soumise à des modifications architecturales dont l’agrandissement du frigidarium aux dépends de la cave (phase 3, fin 2e – début 3e siècle), puis l’ajout d’un apodyterium (phase 4, milieu 3e siècle ?). Dans son dernier état, l’ensemble thermal mesure environ 18 m de long pour 5 m de large offrant aux baigneurs un itinéraire rétrograde. L’accès se fait par le vestiaire dont aucun décor n’a été observé. Le secteur froid est une salle, presque carrée (3,40 m x 2,90 m). Elle comporte un bassin à immersion (natatio) à l’ouest et une banquette plaquée contre le mur oriental. On passe ensuite par le tepidarium, une salle rectangulaire (3,30 m x 1,90 m). Le parcours se poursuit par le caldarium. Cette pièce, aux mêmes dimensions que la précédente, est pourvue en sus d’une petite alcôve de 1,20 m de long sur 0,90 m de large dans laquelle est logé un bassin. Une seconde baignoire est flanquée contre le mur occidental (fig. 1). Ce balnéaire se distingue par l’utilisation de la pierre pour son apparat décoratif. Elle est employée aussi bien pour les pavements que pour les parois. Ce type de pratique reste méconnu et peu fréquent dans le sud de la Gaule belgique. L’ornementation des thermes sera abordée au travers de l’étude de ces décors et, dans un second temps, par la caractérisation et la provenance des roches utilisées. Il convient de mentionner que ces roches se distinguent des pierres de construction qui sont en calcaire gréseux coquillier de couleur jaune pâle à beige, attribuées à la Pierre de Romery, d’extraction locale. Ce matériau affleure à quelques kilomètres de Warcq. Ce travail résulte d’une collaboration entre archéologue, géologue, restauratrices et spécialiste des pavements, et fait suite à une intervention de dépose des pavements et des revêtements muraux mis au jour lors de la fouille.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Chimpanzees surviving in a fragmented high-altitude forest landscape of the Congolese Albertine Rift
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Inbook Reference The first record of the genus Trichogomphus Burmeister from Nepal, and a checklist of Nepalese Dynastinae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Editorial. Two urgent topics: climate change and biodiversity loss
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference A masculinizing supergene underlies an exaggerated male reproductive morph in a spider
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Revision of the morphology, phylogenetic relationships, behaviour and diversity of the Iberian and Italian ant-like Tachydromia Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Hybotidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference A new species of the genus Stilpon Loew, 1859 from Morocco (Diptera: Empidoidea, Hybotidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021 OA