Climatic significance of seasonal trace element and stable isotope variations in a modern freshwater tufa

Abstract

We present a continuous ∼ 14-yr-long (1985 to 1999) high-resolution record of trace element (Mg, Sr, Ba, U) and stable isotope (δ13C, δ18O) variations in a modern freshwater tufa from northwestern Queensland, Australia. By utilizing the temperature dependence of the δ18O signal, an accurate chronology was developed for the sampled profile, which allowed a comparison of the chemical records with hydrological and meteorological observations. As a consequence, it was possible to constrain the relevant geochemical processes relating climate variables, such as temperature and precipitation, to their chemical proxies in the tufa record. Temperatures calculated from the Mg concentrations of the tuf..