by Aditi Krishna Dave
Exploring loess deposits
Loess (or wind-blown dust) deposits are natural archives that save responses to yesteryear climate as well as environmental alter – thus, allowing for reconstruction of climate over the yesteryear hundreds of thousands of years, specially inward arid as well as semi-arid areas. The piedmonts of the Alai-Pamir ranges inward southern Tajikistan (Figure 1) are blanketed yesteryear thick loess deposits that act equally crucial archives for agreement palaeoclimatic variability inward continental Eurasia [1]. Furthermore, owing to its topography as well as location, which lies at the intersection of major climate subsystems, the deposits inward this portion furnish unique insight into the dynamic interplay betwixt geomorphic processes as well as climate alter on dust transport, deposition as well as preservation [2, 3]. However, these loess records accept remained largely unexplored.
In 2018, our enquiry grouping at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (Mainz, Germany) undertook a 5-week motion to continuously sample >100 m thick loess deposit, which preserves to a greater extent than than 800,000 years of climate change, at Karamaidan inward southern Tajikistan. The plain motion was organised inward cooperation amongst the Tajik National University as well as consisted of 17 scientists, 1 professional person mountaineer as well as dandy local villagers. Our enquiry grouping aims to exploit the relatively continuous as well as high accumulation rates of loess at Karamaidan to generate a high resolution, quantitative multi-proxy tape of long-term paleoclimatic variability, therefore facilitating a improve agreement of climate dynamics inward Central Asia over Quaternary timescales.
Field Campaign: Camping, Digging, Logging as well as Sampling
In add-on to expectations of producing expert science, whatever plain motion has the cumbersome tasks of administration, arrangement as well as logistics. Our expedition to the remote Karamaidan was no different, specially amongst no native Russian speaker, nosotros had the additional linguistic challenge of having to organise everything inward Russian! Our showtime calendar week was spent finalising permits, stocking upward on rations as well as bargaining for basic military camp utensils as well as equipment at the bazaars as well as finding willing cooks as well as drivers. Finally, nosotros were ready to larn by amongst the logistics of transporting 17 scientists as well as their 1000+ kg of scientific equipment as well as personal luggage to the campsite – which involved diversions off the principal roads due to recent landslides. Upon arrival inward Karamaidan, nosotros decided to laid our military camp at the bottom of the loess cliff, strategically located about a local villager’s draw of piece of occupation solid amongst whom nosotros negotiated access to fresh saltation H2O as well as a breadstuff oven, and enough of orchard trees to salve the tents from combusting inward the Tajik summertime estrus (which typically exceeds 40 °C).
After nosotros ready camp, our squad divided into 2 groups – 1 focused on surveying as well as selecting overlapping stratigraphic sections for sampling; as well as the other to clear pathways through the densely vegetated slopes to furnish access betwixt the military camp as well as targeted loess sampling sections. Our squad as well as so assembled the ropes for abseil at 4 partially overlapping sections along the cliff area. Simultaneously, 4 pairs of scientists cleaned dorsum the 4 sections to forbid contamination from recent sediment movement, as well as to disclose a produce clean surface for logging as well as sampling (Figure 2). The side yesteryear side few days were spent logging as well as describing the stratigraphic sections followed yesteryear inward situ criterion of magnetic susceptibility using a portable Bartington meter. Magnetic susceptibility is a stair out of the magnetisation mightiness of the loess textile – which is mostly indicative of warm as well as humid soil forming atmospheric condition or the mutual coldness as well as dry out dust accumulation phases. In persuasion of these results as well as the detailed description of the stratigraphic logs, nosotros lastly chose 3 partially overlapping sections yielding the highest accumulation rates for sampling. The side yesteryear side 3 weeks involved continuous as well as high-resolution sampling of mass textile for paleoenvironmental analyses as well as historic menstruation command (Figure 2). Our plain motion lastly ended later on five tiring weeks, yielding to a greater extent than than 700 kg of samples as well as a squad of 17 exhausted (but delighted, Figure 3) scientists, who are excitedly looking frontward to the side yesteryear side yr of laboratory analyses.
Being inward the Field inward Tajikistan
Fieldwork inward this remote surface area of Tajikistan, albeit sweaty as well as dusty(!), has given me the unique chance to witness the enthralling landscape – where the dust-covered piedmonts arrive at agency to horizons marred yesteryear beautiful snow-covered peaks of the Pamirs – a magnificent sight indeed! Furthermore, the tiny scattered villages amongst their apricot orchards, the warm hospitality of the Tajikis as well as their beloved for Bollywood music (guess where I come upward from? ;) ) solely accentuated the beauty of this landlocked province of Central Asia!
Aditi Krishna Dave
Doctoral student, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany
If you lot accept questions or comments concerning Aditi's post, delight move out a comment below, or send her an email. You tin arrive at notice also connect amongst her on ResearchGate as well as Facebook.
__________________________________________________________________
References:
[1] Ding, Z. L., Ranov, V., Yang, S.L., Finaev, A.,Han, J.M., Wang, G.A., 2002. The loess tape inward southern Tajikistan as well as the correlation amongst Chinese loess. basis as well as Planetary Science Letters 200, 387-400. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(02)00637-4
[2] Fitzsimmons, K.E., Sprafke, T. Zielhofer, C., Guenter, C., Deom, J.-M., Sala, R., Iovita, R., 2018. Loess accumulation inward the Tian Shan piedmont: Implications for palaeoenvironmental alter inward arid Central Asia. Quaternary International 469A, 30-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.07.041
[3] Machalett, B., Oches, E. A., Frechen, M., Zöller, L., Hambach, U., Mavlyanova, N. G.,Marković, S. B., as well as Endlicher, W., 2008. Aeolian dust dynamics inward fundamental Asia during the Pleistocene: Driven yesteryear the long‐term migration, seasonality, as well as permanency of the Asiatic polar front. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 9, Q08Q09. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GC001938
Exploring loess deposits
Loess (or wind-blown dust) deposits are natural archives that save responses to yesteryear climate as well as environmental alter – thus, allowing for reconstruction of climate over the yesteryear hundreds of thousands of years, specially inward arid as well as semi-arid areas. The piedmonts of the Alai-Pamir ranges inward southern Tajikistan (Figure 1) are blanketed yesteryear thick loess deposits that act equally crucial archives for agreement palaeoclimatic variability inward continental Eurasia [1]. Furthermore, owing to its topography as well as location, which lies at the intersection of major climate subsystems, the deposits inward this portion furnish unique insight into the dynamic interplay betwixt geomorphic processes as well as climate alter on dust transport, deposition as well as preservation [2, 3]. However, these loess records accept remained largely unexplored.
 |
| Figure 1: Location of Karamaidan, Tajikistan (inset). The exposed loess cliff at Karamaidan amongst the 4 overlapping sections |
In 2018, our enquiry grouping at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry (Mainz, Germany) undertook a 5-week motion to continuously sample >100 m thick loess deposit, which preserves to a greater extent than than 800,000 years of climate change, at Karamaidan inward southern Tajikistan. The plain motion was organised inward cooperation amongst the Tajik National University as well as consisted of 17 scientists, 1 professional person mountaineer as well as dandy local villagers. Our enquiry grouping aims to exploit the relatively continuous as well as high accumulation rates of loess at Karamaidan to generate a high resolution, quantitative multi-proxy tape of long-term paleoclimatic variability, therefore facilitating a improve agreement of climate dynamics inward Central Asia over Quaternary timescales.
Field Campaign: Camping, Digging, Logging as well as Sampling
In add-on to expectations of producing expert science, whatever plain motion has the cumbersome tasks of administration, arrangement as well as logistics. Our expedition to the remote Karamaidan was no different, specially amongst no native Russian speaker, nosotros had the additional linguistic challenge of having to organise everything inward Russian! Our showtime calendar week was spent finalising permits, stocking upward on rations as well as bargaining for basic military camp utensils as well as equipment at the bazaars as well as finding willing cooks as well as drivers. Finally, nosotros were ready to larn by amongst the logistics of transporting 17 scientists as well as their 1000+ kg of scientific equipment as well as personal luggage to the campsite – which involved diversions off the principal roads due to recent landslides. Upon arrival inward Karamaidan, nosotros decided to laid our military camp at the bottom of the loess cliff, strategically located about a local villager’s draw of piece of occupation solid amongst whom nosotros negotiated access to fresh saltation H2O as well as a breadstuff oven, and enough of orchard trees to salve the tents from combusting inward the Tajik summertime estrus (which typically exceeds 40 °C).
 |
| Figure 2: Action inward the field: Team member’s abseiling downwards the loess department (left) as well as sampling mass sediment textile for palaeoenvironmental analyses (right) |
After nosotros ready camp, our squad divided into 2 groups – 1 focused on surveying as well as selecting overlapping stratigraphic sections for sampling; as well as the other to clear pathways through the densely vegetated slopes to furnish access betwixt the military camp as well as targeted loess sampling sections. Our squad as well as so assembled the ropes for abseil at 4 partially overlapping sections along the cliff area. Simultaneously, 4 pairs of scientists cleaned dorsum the 4 sections to forbid contamination from recent sediment movement, as well as to disclose a produce clean surface for logging as well as sampling (Figure 2). The side yesteryear side few days were spent logging as well as describing the stratigraphic sections followed yesteryear inward situ criterion of magnetic susceptibility using a portable Bartington meter. Magnetic susceptibility is a stair out of the magnetisation mightiness of the loess textile – which is mostly indicative of warm as well as humid soil forming atmospheric condition or the mutual coldness as well as dry out dust accumulation phases. In persuasion of these results as well as the detailed description of the stratigraphic logs, nosotros lastly chose 3 partially overlapping sections yielding the highest accumulation rates for sampling. The side yesteryear side 3 weeks involved continuous as well as high-resolution sampling of mass textile for paleoenvironmental analyses as well as historic menstruation command (Figure 2). Our plain motion lastly ended later on five tiring weeks, yielding to a greater extent than than 700 kg of samples as well as a squad of 17 exhausted (but delighted, Figure 3) scientists, who are excitedly looking frontward to the side yesteryear side yr of laboratory analyses.
 |
| Figure 3: Team Tajikistan – Last twenty-four threescore minutes menstruation inward the field! Picture credits: Maike Nowatski |
Being inward the Field inward Tajikistan
Fieldwork inward this remote surface area of Tajikistan, albeit sweaty as well as dusty(!), has given me the unique chance to witness the enthralling landscape – where the dust-covered piedmonts arrive at agency to horizons marred yesteryear beautiful snow-covered peaks of the Pamirs – a magnificent sight indeed! Furthermore, the tiny scattered villages amongst their apricot orchards, the warm hospitality of the Tajikis as well as their beloved for Bollywood music (guess where I come upward from? ;) ) solely accentuated the beauty of this landlocked province of Central Asia!
Aditi Krishna Dave
Doctoral student, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany
If you lot accept questions or comments concerning Aditi's post, delight move out a comment below, or send her an email. You tin arrive at notice also connect amongst her on ResearchGate as well as Facebook.
__________________________________________________________________
References:
[1] Ding, Z. L., Ranov, V., Yang, S.L., Finaev, A.,Han, J.M., Wang, G.A., 2002. The loess tape inward southern Tajikistan as well as the correlation amongst Chinese loess. basis as well as Planetary Science Letters 200, 387-400. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(02)00637-4
[2] Fitzsimmons, K.E., Sprafke, T. Zielhofer, C., Guenter, C., Deom, J.-M., Sala, R., Iovita, R., 2018. Loess accumulation inward the Tian Shan piedmont: Implications for palaeoenvironmental alter inward arid Central Asia. Quaternary International 469A, 30-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2016.07.041
[3] Machalett, B., Oches, E. A., Frechen, M., Zöller, L., Hambach, U., Mavlyanova, N. G.,Marković, S. B., as well as Endlicher, W., 2008. Aeolian dust dynamics inward fundamental Asia during the Pleistocene: Driven yesteryear the long‐term migration, seasonality, as well as permanency of the Asiatic polar front. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems 9, Q08Q09. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GC001938