Sedimentary carbon forms in relation to climate and phytoplankton biomass in a large,shallow, hard-water boreal lake

Carbon storage in lakes can have huge implications for the global carbon cycle, as lakes annually accumulate up to one half the amount of organic carbon buried in marine sediments. Yet little is known of the effect of recent climate change on carbon storage in lakes. We analyzed century-scale time series of climate variables (precipitation, temperature, NAO winter index) and profiles of sediment characteristics in a dated sediment core from shallow, eutrophic Lake Võrtsjärv, south Estonia. We used path analysis to evaluate the effect of climate conditions on phytoplankton biomass in the lake and accumulation of organic and inorganic carbon in the sediment. Changes in winter and spring climate influenced the lake’s phytoplankton growth significantly. Carbon pathways in hard-water Lake Võrtsjärv were influenced by both hydrological (most significant in colder periods) and biogeochemical processes. Increased nutrient and water input to Lake Võrtsjärv, anticipated with projected climate warming, favours greater in-lake productivity, larger accumulation of inorganic carbon in sediments, and an increase in organic carbon mineralisation, which fuels atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions from the lake.     

Relationships between hydrological and limnological conditions in lakes of the Slave River Delta (NWT,Canada) and quantification of their roles on sedimentary diatom assemblages

Water chemistry and surface sediments were analyzed from 41 shallow lakes representing three previously-defined hydrological categories in the Slave River Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada, in order to identify relationships between hydrological and limnological conditions and their associations with recently deposited diatom assemblages. Evaporation-dominated lakes are physically removed from the influence of the Slave River, and are characterized by high alkalinity and high concentrations of nutrients and ions. In contrast, flood-dominated lakes tend to receive a pulse of floodwater from the Slave River during the spring thaw and have low alkalinity and low concentrations of most nutrients and ions. Exchange-dominated lakes are variably influenced by floodwaters from the Slave River and seiche events from Great Slave Lake throughout the spring thaw and open-water season, and are characterized by a broad array of limnological conditions that are largely dependent on the strength of the connection to these sources of floodwater. Specific diatom ‘indicator’ taxa have been identified that can discriminate these three hydrological lake categories. Evaporation-dominated lakes are associated with high relative abundance of common epiphytic diatom taxa, while diatoms indicative of flood- and exchange-dominated lakes span a wide range of habitat types (epiphytic, benthic) but also include unique planktonic diatoms (Stephanodiscus and Cyclostephanos taxa) that were not found in surface sediments of evaporation-dominated lakes. The planktonic diatom taxa originate from the Slave River, and thus are indicative of river influence. In complex, remote, freshwater ecosystems like the Slave River Delta, integration of results from hydrological and limnological approaches provides a necessary foundation to assess present, past and future hydroecological responses to changes in river discharge and climate.     

Early Holocene water budget of the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin, Central Kenya Rift

The Nakuru-Elmenteita basin in the Central Kenya Rift, contains two shallow, alkaline lakes, Lake Nakuru (1770 m above sea level) and Lake Elmenteita (1786 m). Ancient shorelines and lake sediments at 1940 m suggest that these two lakes formed a single large and deep lake as a result of a wetter climate during the early Holocene. Here, we used a hydrological model to compare the precipitation–evaporation balance during the early Holocene to today. Assuming that the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin was hydrologically closed, as it is today, the most likely climate scenario includes a 45% increase in mean-annual precipitation, a 0.5°C decrease in air temperature, and an increase of 9% in cloud coverage from the modern values. Compared to the modeling results from other East African lake basins, this dramatic increase in precipitation seems to be unrealistic. Therefore, we propose a significant flow of water from the early Holocene Lake Naivasha in the south towards the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin to compensate the extremely negative hydrological budget of this basin. Since we did not find any field evidence for a surface connection, as often proposed during the last 70 years, the hydrological deficit of the Nakuru-Elmenteita basin could have also been compensated by a subsurface water exchange.     

Evidence of the North Atlantic Oscillation in varve composition and diatom assemblages from recent, annually laminated sediments of Lake Belau, northern Germany

The recent sediment record of Lake Belau (Schleswig–Holstein, Germany), deposited in the period 1945–2002, was compared with instrumental meteorological and limnological data. The sediments deposited during this period are annually laminated. A varve chronology was established and supported by ¹³⁷Cs measurements. Micro-facies and diatom assemblage composition analyses were confirmed in thin sections and compared statistically with limnological and meteorological data. Comparison of phytoplankton data with diatom assemblage data from the sediment for the time interval from 1988 to 1999 proved that the sediments reflect limnological processes in the lake and record seasonal changes in the primary producer communities. Among the climatological data, the number of contiguous ice days (days with maximal temperatures ≤0 °C) and the state of the winter NAO are strong predictors for micro-facies development and diatom assemblage composition. Furthermore, solar and local (nutrient input) influences are visible in the diatom assemblage compositions. Our study illustrates the high potential for using analyses of micro-facies and diatom assemblages to reconstruct past weather conditions in varved sediments of Lake Belau.     

Late Holocene lake level dynamics inferred from magnetic susceptibility and stable oxygen isotope data: Lake Elsinore, southern California (USA)

Southern California faces an imminent freshwater shortage. To better assess the future impact of this water crisis, it is essential that we develop continental archives of past hydrological variability. Using four sediment cores from Lake Elsinore in Southern California, we reconstruct late Holocene (3800 calendar years B.P.) hydrological change using a twentieth-century calibrated, proxy methodology. We compared magnetic susceptibility from Lake Elsinore deep basin sediments, lake level from Lake Elsinore, and regional winter precipitation data over the twentieth century to calibrate the late Holocene lake sediment record. The comparison revealed a strong positive, first-order relationship between the three variables. As a working hypothesis, we suggest that periods of greater precipitation produce higher lake levels. Greater precipitation also increases the supply of detritus (i.e., magnetic-rich minerals) from the lake's surrounding drainage basin into the lake environment. As a result, magnetic susceptibility values increase during periods of high lake level. We apply this modern calibration to late Holocene sediments from the lake's littoral zone. As an independent verification of this hypothesis, we analyzed ¹⁸O_(calcite), interpreted as a proxy for variations in the precipitation:evaporation ratio, which reflect first order hydrological variability. The results of this verification support our hypothesis that magnetic susceptibility records regional hydrological change as related to precipitation and lake level. Using both proxy data, we analyzed the past 3800 calendar years of hydrological variability. Our analyses indicate a long period of dry, less variable climate between 3800 and 2000 calendar years B.P. followed by a wet, more variable climate to the present. These results suggest that droughts of greater magnitude and duration than those observed in the modern record have occurred in the recent geological past. This conclusion presents insight to the potential impact of future droughts on the over-populated, water-poor region of Southern California.     

A comparison of chironomid biostratigraphy from Lake Vuolep Njakajaure with vegetation, lake-level, and climate changes in Abisko National Park, Sweden

Chironomid remains from the sediment of Lake Vuolep Njakajaure reflect limnological conditions resulting from changing climate and vegetation throughout the Holocene, but do not strictly follow accepted climate trends or the vegetation history based on regional pollen and macrofossil analyses. Chironomid community changes appear to be influenced by organic nutrient input from the surrounding catchment vegetation and lake hydrology, both of which are indirectly responding to some combination of climate change, hypolimnetic oxygen concentration, and changes in basin morphology. The chironomid-based quantitative mean July air-temperature reconstruction differs from other regional quantitative records; this discrepancy is likely related to limnological conditions particular to Lake Vuolep Njakajaure. Comparison of a northern Swedish temperature transfer function and one from western Canada reveals differences in the mean July air-temperature optima of several common taxa, suggesting that the existing conservative estimates of Holocene climate change in northern Sweden may be underestimated due to the limited temperature gradient captured by the Swedish training set.     

青海湖水量变化模拟及原因分析

为了探讨气候变化和人类活动对流域水文过程的影响,以分布式水文模型SWAT为基础,结合湖泊水量平衡模型,建立了青海湖水位(水量)模型,模拟了青海湖过去几十年水位变化过程。水文因子分析表明,20世纪80~90年代青海湖流域径流和湖泊水位变化的主要原因是气候变化。根据不同气候情景,对未来青海湖水位变化进行了预测。结果表明,未来30年径流增加的可能性比较大,青海湖水位下降速度将会减缓甚至出现上升趋势。这一结果将会缓解青海湖流域水资源日益紧张的局势,并有利于植被的恢复,减少土地沙化面积,对流域生态环境的改善和社会经济的发展将会有极大的帮助。     

The History of Recent Limnological Changes and Human Impact on Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon

Hypereutrophic Upper Klamath Lake has been studied for almost 50 years to evaluate the nature, cause, and effects of its very productive waters. Mitigation of undesirable effects of massive cyanobacterial blooms requires understanding their modern causes as well as their history. Knowledge of the pre-settlement natural limnology of this system can provide guidelines for lake restoration and management of land and water use strategies to maximize the benefits of this aquatic resource. This investigation uses a paleolimnological approach to document the nature and chronology of limnological and biological changes in Upper Klamath Lake for the past 200 years, covering the time when the lake was first described until today. A 45-cm gravity core, dated by ²¹⁰Pb and diatom correlations, was analyzed for diatoms, pollen, akinetes (resting spores) of the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, reworked tephra shards, and sediment magnetic characteristics. Pollen profiles show little vegetation change during this time. In contrast, diatoms indicative of increased nutrient fluxes (P and Si) increase moderately, coinciding with the settlement of the region by Euro-Americans. Numerous settlement activities, including draining of lake-margin marshes, upstream agriculture and timber harvest, road construction, and boat traffic, may have affected the lake. Magnetic properties and reworked tephra suggest riparian changes throughout the basin and increased lithogenic sediment delivery to the lake, especially after 1920 when the marshes near the mouth of the Williamson River were drained and converted to agricultural and pasture land. Drainage and channelization also decreased the ability of the marshes to function as traps and filters for upstream water and sediments. Akinetes of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae record progressive eutrophication of Upper Klamath Lake beginning in the 20th century and particularly after 1920 when lake-margin marsh reclamation more than doubled. The coincidence of limnological changes and human activities following European settlement suggests a major impact on the Upper Klamath Lake ecosystem, although ascribing specific limnological changes to specific human activities is difficult.     

Reconstructing past precipitation from lake levels and inverse modelling for Andean Lake La Cocha

Knowledge of paleoclimates and past climate change is important to put recent and future climate change in perspective. In the absence of well-developed methodology to reconstruct paleoprecipitation the majority of climate reconstructions focus on temperature, whereas precipitation is an equally important climate parameter. This paper explores the possibility of inferring paleoprecipitation from lake-level records by inverse hydrological modelling. Pollen spectra of a lacustrine sediment core were used to infer changes in past temperatures and lake levels during the past 14,000 years. A hydrological model that calculates lake levels using meteorological parameters and a digital terrain model were developed for the catchment area of Lake La Cocha. After calibration the model accurately simulated modern lake levels. A sensitivity analysis shows that the model results are most sensitive to temperature and precipitation. This hydrological model was subsequently used to estimate mean annual precipitation needed to reproduce the pollen-based reconstructed lake levels (inverse modelling). The lake currently discharges through the permanent Guamués River, with a modelled mean annual discharge of 3.6 m³ s^?1. However, past lake levels and hydrological modelling results suggest that Lake La Cocha has been free of discharge during most of the Holocene, and after an intermittent phase only recently started discharging permanently. The uncertainty in the inferred precipitation during the discharge-free period is estimated at ~22 mm. Quasi stable lake levels seem to justify using equilibrium conditions when reconstructing precipitation. Early Holocene lake levels were ~10 m lower than modern values, implying that precipitation must have been 30–40 % less than today.     

Water and sediment chemistry of Lake Pumayum Co,South Tibet,China: implications for interpreting sediment carbonate

A combination of water and sediment chemistry was used to investigate carbonate production and preservation in Lake Pumayum Co (altitude 5,030 m a.s.l.), south Tibet, China. We compared the chemical composition of lake water in various parts of the lake with that of input rivers and found that the loss of Ca²⁺ results from calcite sedimentation induced by evaporation and biogenic precipitation. This is supported by evaporation data from the catchment and δ¹⁸O measurements on water. Results suggest that CaCO₃ is the predominant carbonate in this lake. There is a positive correlation in the sediments among concentrations of total inorganic carbon (TIC), Ca, total organic carbon (TOC), and total nitrogen, confirming that most carbonates in sediment are endogenic. The Jiaqu River is the largest inflow to Lake Pumayum Co and has a strong influence on both lake water chemistry and sediment composition. The river and lake bathymetry influence carbonate sedimentation by affecting water flow velocity and growing conditions for macrophytes. Different carbon contents and relationships between TIC and TOC in the two long cores from different depths in the lake reveal that hypolimnetic conditions also influence carbonate precipitation and preservation.     

Prediction of fish yield and potential productivity from limnological data in Lake Borollus, Egypt

Four limnological models (lake shoreline development (D_L), Morphoedaphic Index (MEI), primary production and total nutrient input) have been applied to Lake Borollus to estimate existing fish yield and future potential productivity. The estimated existing fish yield from the lake is about 1260 kg/ha (i.e. 53,000 tons/annum), which is at or near its existing potential and is considered in the ultra enriched category. From 1931 to 1935, the estimated fish production of Lake Borollus was about 68 kg/ha, which is considered low enriched category, while from1960 to 1970, the lake belonged to the moderately enriched category, where the estimated fish production was about 155 kg/ha, and then tremendously increased to about 580 kg/ha during the 1980's.Thisincrease in fish yield is mainly attributed to the nutrient loading of the southern and eastern drains to the lake. In the long term, and based on existing nutrient input to fish yield relationships, it is estimated that increased nutrient loading from drainage water may elevate its yield by 24, 580 tons by the year 2005 (i.e. total fish yield could be increased to 77,500 tons/annum). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

黄旗海沉积岩芯烧失量变化曲线:冰后期环境演变的有效代用指标

重建黄旗海水位、水化学和湖泊生物学变化历史可为研究我国夏季风边缘区冰后期气候变化提供重要环境记录。对该湖中央HQH4岩芯研究结果显示,末次冰期晚期沉积物中湖泊自生有机质烧失量和自生碳酸盐烧失量的平均值分别仅为全新世沉积物的1/13和1/5,造成这种结果的主导因素是夏季气温在全新世初显著升高和黄旗海从此进入稳定的湖泊环境。晚全新世自生碳酸盐烧失量平均值比早、中全新世低14%,其最大值也明显低于早、中全新世,这种情况很可能是因为晚全新世夏季温度略低于早、中全新世所致。自生有机质和碳酸盐烧失量是快速、经济地获取闭流型半咸水湖泊冰后期环境变化的有效代用指标。     

哈拉湖岩芯XRF扫描元素统计分析及其环境意义

青藏高原东北缘高山湖泊哈拉湖是位于季风与西风影响的交汇带的封闭深水湖泊,是区域环境和气候变化的良好记录载体。目前对该湖的研究还较少,缺乏对沉积物中元素环境意义的系统认识。通过高分辨率XRF岩芯扫描,用相关、聚类和因子分析的方法对哈拉湖沉积岩芯地球化学元素进行分析。结果显示Ti、K、Si、Al、Fe、Mn等元素变化一致,相关性高,归为同一类,即径流输入的陆源碎屑组分,反映了流域水文状况如径流量的变化。Sr、Zr元素相关性高,为赋存在粗颗粒沉积物中的元素,根据哈拉湖实际,应为冬季湖泊冰面风力搬运,反映了湖区冬季风力强度的变化。Ca元素既与径流输入元素总体变化一致,也与Sr、Zr元素显著相关,且在第一和第二主成分(径流和风力)上的载荷相当,表明哈拉湖沉积物中的碳酸盐既有粗颗粒的外源碎屑,也有湖泊自生的组分,这在利用碳酸盐进行地球化学研究时应重视,注意去除外源碎屑碳酸盐的影响。可溶元素S和Cl可能反映了入湖水量与蒸发对比情况,与湖泊盐度有关。     

A statistical approach to disentangle environmental forcings in a lacustrine record: the Lago Chungará case (Chilean Altiplano)

A high resolution multiproxy study (magnetic susceptibility, X-ray diffraction, XRF scanner, gray-colour values, Total Organic Carbon, Total Inorganic Carbon, Total Carbon and Total Biogenic Silica) of the sedimentary infill of Lago Chungará (northern Chilean Altiplano) was undertaken to unravel the environmental forcings controlling its evolution using a number of different multivariate statistical techniques. Redundancy analyses enabled us to identify the main provenance of the studied proxies whereas stratigraphically unconstrained cluster analyses allowed us to distinguish the “outsiders” as result of anomalous XRF scanner acquisitions. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to identify and isolate the main underlying environmental gradients that characterize the sedimentary infill of Lago Chungará. The first eigenvector of the PCA could be interpreted as an indicator of changes in the input of volcaniclastic material, whereas the second one would indicate changes in water availability. The chronological model of this sedimentary sequence was constructed using 17 AMS ¹⁴C and 1 ²³⁸U/²³⁰Th dates in order to characterize the volcaniclastic input and the changes in water availability in the last 12,300 cal years BP. Comparison of the reconstructed volcaniclastic input of Lago Chungará with the dust particle record from the Nevado Sajama ice core suggested that the Parinacota volcano eruptions were the main source of dust during the mid and Late Holocene rather than the dry out lakes as has previously been pointed out. The comparison of the water availability reconstruction of Lago Chungará with three of the most detailed paleoenvironmental records of the region (Paco Cocha, Lake Titicaca and Salar Uyuni) showed an heterogeneous (and sometimes contradictory) temporal and spatial pattern distribution of moisture. Although the four reconstructions showed a good correlation, each lacustrine ecosystem responded differently to the moisture oscillations that affected this region. The variations in the paleoenvironmental records could be attributed to the dating uncertainities, lake size, lake morphology, catchment size and lacustrine ecosystem responses to the abrupt arid events.     

鄱阳湖水位变化的复合驱动机制

基于对鄱阳湖开放水文系统特点和影响因素的深入分析,通过构建一组联合的神经网络模型,定量辨识了包括湖盆地形变化、三峡工程作用、长江流域气候变化等因素对湖泊水位变化的影响分量、时空差异及其发展趋势,并对其作用机制进行了探讨。结果表明：相对于1980—1999年,2003—2014年鄱阳湖湖盆地形变化、三峡工程运行、长江流域气候变化和其他人类活动对湖泊水位降低的平均贡献率分别为50%、18%和32%。由于影响机制的不同,湖泊水位对这3个驱动因子的响应表现出明显的时空差异。冬、春季节湖泊水位降低主要由湖盆地形变化引起,而夏、秋季节的水位降低则主要归因于长江流域气候变化及其他人类活动的综合影响。湖盆地形变化对湖泊水位的影响在湖区都昌站附近最为突出,并且该影响仍呈长期增加趋势。三峡工程引起的湖泊水位变化在湖口处最大,向南部湖区逐渐减弱,其长期变化趋势日渐稳定。长江流域气候变化及其他人类活动的作用值得特别注意,该影响年际间波动较大,在某些年份里（如2006年、2011年）可成为湖泊水位降低的主导因素,但年际变化趋势不明显。     

鄱阳湖流域水文变化特征成因及旱涝规律

本研究分析了1960-2008年鄱阳湖流域的气候和水文变化特征,用水量和能量平衡关系解释和印证了这些特征,并由此揭示了鄱阳湖流域水文变化特征的成因及干旱和洪涝发生的规律.得到以下主要结论:1)正常或偏湿年份鄱阳湖流域6月份容纳水量能力已达到饱和,若6-7月降水量超出正常年份,则流域超饱和,洪涝发生.长江中上游降水量7月份的异常偏多会对鄱阳湖流域的洪涝起触发和强化作用.2)鄱阳湖流域7-10月蒸发量大于降水量,特别是7-8月蒸发量大于降水量的一倍以上,所以若4-6月流域降水量少于平均年同期量的20％以上,则累积效应使秋旱发生.当初冬(11月)降水偏少时,秋旱可持续到来年的初春,形成严重的春旱.长江中上游降水量对鄱阳湖流域的春旱没有直接影响,但7-8月降水量偏少时则对秋旱起重要的强化作用.3)长江对鄱阳湖流域的水文过程和旱涝的发生、发展的影响主要在7-8月的“长江与鄱阳湖耦合作用”时期和9-10月的“弱长江作用”期.     

人类活动对鄱阳湖泥沙收支平衡的影响

以鄱阳湖流域内的赣江、抚河、信江、饶河和修水（五河）和鄱阳湖为研究对象,利用水文控制站的水文资料,分析了各流域内主要河流的入湖泥沙和鄱阳湖出湖泥沙特征,对鄱阳湖泥沙收支平衡进行了分析。结果表明：① 1955~2010年五河总入湖泥沙811.69 Mt,其中赣江（占59.7%）>信江（占13.7%）>修河（占10.2%）>抚河（占9.7%）>饶河（占6.7%）;② 径流量是影响入湖输沙量的最主要因素,入湖泥沙与入湖径流的季节特征一致;③ 水库的蓄水拦沙作用是五河入湖泥沙下降的主要原因,但水库对入湖泥沙的影响强度与水库库容和集水区的植被覆盖状况有关;植被覆盖变化对赣江、抚河、饶河和修河的入湖输沙量的影响明显;④ 1955~2010年,鄱阳湖总出湖泥沙560.10 Mt,其中1955~2000年出湖泥沙量呈降低趋势,但受鄱阳湖采砂影响,2001年以来出湖泥沙显著增加;丰水季长江水对鄱阳湖的顶托和倒灌,使出湖泥沙与出湖径流在时间上不同步;三峡工程的运行改变了（长）江（鄱阳）湖之间的水动力关系,长江倒灌泥沙显著减少;⑤ 受鄱阳湖采砂的影响,鄱阳湖泥沙平衡系统由净沉积转变为净侵蚀,1955~2000年入湖泥沙大于出湖泥沙,年均泥沙沉积约为1.41 mm;2001~2010年出湖泥沙大于入湖泥沙,加上采砂输出沙量,2001~2010年鄱阳湖泥沙净减少2 213.65 Mt。     

Holocene aquatic ecosystem change in the boreal vegetation zone of northern Finland

We studied multiple variables in a sediment core from Lake Kipojärvi, northern Finland, to investigate Holocene ecosystem changes in relation to catchment characteristics and known climate variations. We focused on a forested catchment because previous paleolimnological studies conducted in Fennoscandia focused mainly on subarctic lakes within a range of shifting treeline(s). Data on aquatic macrophytes, diatoms, Cladocera, C:N ratio, organic matter (LOI) and regional vegetation (pollen), revealed a three-phase limnological development. The early Holocene, species-rich, mesotrophic lake was transformed into an oligotrophic, species-poor aquatic ecosystem by the early middle Holocene, ca. 7,500 cal years BP, earlier than has generally been reported. The transition involved considerable changes in aquatic macrophytes. Changes in the Cladocera and diatom communities appear to have been linked to aquatic macrophyte development, which in turn, was probably regulated by catchment development and hydrology, and a consequent decrease in nutrient input from the catchment. During the more humid late Holocene, surface flow from the catchment probably increased, but the lake??s nutrient status remained oligotrophic. Possible reasons for low nutrient concentration in the late Holocene include: 1) slower biogeochemical cycling due to cooler climate, 2) a new hydrologic outlet and associated shorter water-retention times, and 3) accelerated peatland development in the catchment that affected water flow patterns and nutrient cycling.     

A multi-proxy approach to reconstruct hydrological changes and Holocene climate development of Nam Co, Central Tibet

Holocene lake level fluctuations were reconstructed from a 2.7-m sediment core from Nam Co, Central Tibet, China dating to >7.2 cal ka BP. Results were compared to existing lake records from the Tibetan Plateau to infer variations in the strength of the Asian Monsoon. Geomorphological features in the Nam Co catchment, such as beach ridges and lake terraces, indicate high lake stands during the late Glacial. A major low stand is suggested for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Sands and sandy silts at the base of the core are transgressive facies, with material transported by melt water and deposited under rising lake level conditions that followed the LGM low stand. Variations in grain size, major elements, biomarker stable isotopes and minerals in the core suggest a climate evolution reflected in at least five depositional units and subunits. Sediments in Unit I (~7.2 to ~5.4 cal ka BP) were deposited at highest lake levels. Large amounts of allogenic minerals and allochthonous organic matter suggest high precipitation and melt water input, implying positive water balance. Increasing aquatic productivity points to favourable environmental conditions. Unit II (~5.4 to ~4.0 cal ka BP) marks a transition between favourable, stable hydrological conditions and lake level decrease. Lower lake levels were a consequence of drier climate with less monsoonal precipitation, higher evaporation rates, and increased moisture recycling in the catchment. Unit III (~4.0 to ~1.4 cal ka BP) reflects the driest periods recorded, at ~3.7 cal ka BP and 1.6 cal ka BP. Lake shrinkage and salinization was interrupted as suggested by the deposition of Unit IV (~1.4 to ~0.8 cal ka BP), when increased precipitation and runoff that might be related to the Medieval Warm Period, led to a stable, but still low lake level. Unit V (800 cal years BP—present) is characterized by progressive lake shrinkage due to intense evaporation. Large fluctuations in geochemical variables indicate humid and arid periods, respectively, at Nam Co between ~450 and ~200 cal years BP, with the latter assumed to correspond to the Little Ice Age. Modern hydrological data indicate the lake level is rising. Comparison of the Nam Co record with other lake records from the Tibetan Plateau suggests general agreement with the broader picture of Holocene environmental evolution. The timing of dry and wet climate conditions at lake sites across Tibet indicates a gradually decreasing influence of the southern monsoon during the Holocene, from NW to SE. Nevertheless, further research is needed to improve our understanding of Holocene spatio-temporal hydrological variations across the Asian continent.