Lithological and geochemical record of anthropogenic changes in recent sediments of a small and shallow lake (Lake Pusty Staw,northern Poland)

The article presents the results of lithological and geochemical investigations of recent sediments of Lake Pusty Staw. The analysed sediments document about 300 years of the history of this lake. Historical materials indicate that significant changes in the catchment of the lake took place from the beginning of the 18th century (deforestation and afforestation) followed by 19th century tourist development, and 20th century industrialisation. The sediments were dated using the ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs method and core lithology. These made it possible to establish a reliable chronology to the year 1730. The calculated sedimentation rates ranged between 0.17 and 0.83 cm year^–1. There was a period of intensified erosion caused by land clearance between 1734 and 1810, which resulted in an acceleration in sedimentation rate (0.36 cm year^–1) and a change of lithological type of sediment from detritus gyttja to clayey gyttja. On the basis of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb content in the sediments, it was determined that the beginning of pollution of the lake dates back to the 19th century and was caused probably by the existence of a health resort. A systematic increase in pollution occurred in the 20th century as a result of industrial plants. Normalised with respect to Al, the content of heavy metals in polluted sediments was from several to twenty times higher than in sediments of the preindustrial period, and a comparison of historical materials with changes of sediments in most cases made it possible to identify the direct causes of the increase in pollution.     

Historical rates of sediment and nutrient accumulation in marshes of the Upper St. Johns River Basin, Florida, U.S.A.

We used 210Pb-dated sediment cores from wetlands and Blue Cypress Lake, in the Upper St. Johns River Basin (USJRB), Florida, USA, to measure historical accumulation rates of bulk sediment, total carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and total phosphorus (P). Marsh cores displayed similar stratigraphies with respect to physical properties and nutrient content. Wetland sediments typically contained > 900 mg organic matter (OM) g^–1 dry mass, > 500 mg C g^–1, and 30–40 mg N g^–1. OM, C, and N concentrations were slightly lower in uppermost sediments of most cores, but displayed no strong stratigraphic trends. Total P concentrations were relatively low in bottommost deposits (0.01–0.11 mg g^–1), but ranged from 0.38–2.67 mg g^–1 in surface sediments. The mean sediment accretion rate in the marsh since ~ 1900, 0.33 ± 0.05 cm yr^–1, was calculated from ten ²¹⁰Pb-dated cores. All sites displayed increases in accumulation rates of bulk sediment, C, N, and P since the early part of the 20th century. These trends are attributed to recent hydrologic modifications in the basin combined with high nutrient loading from agricultural, residential, and urban sources.     

Sediment Stratigraphy and Heavy Metal Fluxes to Reservoirs in the Southern Pennine Uplands, UK

Reservoir sediments are rarely used as environmental archives because of the potential for sediment disturbance by fluctuating water levels. However, rapid rates of sedimentation, proximity to urban centres and often the existence of management records, may make them potentially important resources for reconstructing recent, anthropogenically-derived environmental change. This project assesses the potential of reservoir sedimentary records for reconstructing past atmospheric and drainage basin fluxes of heavy metals (manganese, iron, nickel, copper, zinc and lead) in the southern Pennines, UK. Five reservoirs were selected on the basis of management history and drainage basin characteristics. Multi-parameter analysis showed sediments to be replicable across the ȁ8accumulating zone’ with reasonably consistent rates of sedimentation. Water level fluctuations were not found to detrimentally affect sediment records in the deepwater area of the reservoirs. In fact, spheroidal carbonaceous particle (SCP) profiles show trends in inputs that closely reflect major changes in industrialisation, indicating the reservoir sediments to be excellent records of particulate inputs. Only lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) were significantly enriched in the reservoir sediment in comparison to background levels. Manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and to a limited degree, copper (Cu), appeared to be affected by post-deposition mobility. Preliminary calculations of Pb fluxes indicate that over 80% of the current Pb input to the reservoirs is from Pb deposited onto drainage basin soils in the past, rather than from direct atmospheric deposition or natural background inputs. In Howden reservoir, for example, the total Pb flux to deepwater sediment cores in 2000 was 119 mg m⁻² a⁻¹. Of this, an estimated 99 mg m⁻² a⁻¹ was from anthropogenically-derived Pb, initially deposited onto drainage basin soils and subsequently entering the reservoir via erosion and leaching processes. There is, therefore, no indication that the flux of Pb to the aquatic system is declining in response to reductions in Pb deposition. The ecotoxicological effects of the high and continuing Pb flux to these reservoirs, despite recent decreases in atmospheric deposition, is an area requiring further investigation.     

Palaeoenvironmental Reconstructions Based on Geochemical Parameters from Annually Laminated Sediments of Sacrower See (northeastern Germany) Since the 17th Century

The history of hardwater lake Sacrower See (Brandenburg, northeastern Germany) was reconstructed back to the 17th century based on a multi-proxy study of five short sediment cores dated by varve chronology, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs isotopes. We were able to distinguish three main phases: The lake was mesotrophic prior to the 1830s with an oxic hypolimnion. From the early 19th century on, δ¹³C of organic matter indicates that primary productivity starts to increase slowly. Between the 1830s and 1872, the lake went through a transition towards eutrophy. Low calcite contents in the homogeneous sediment are caused by dissolution connected to increasing primary productivity and growing importance of decomposition processes. After 1873, and accelerated since 1963, Sacrower See is characterised by growing nutrient input, and thus further increasing primary productivity. The lake is eutrophic, and decomposition of organic matter causes high oxygen consumption in the hypolimnion, which becomes regularly anoxic during thermal summer stratification. Biogenic varves are preserved in the sediment, characterised by layers of autochthonous, biochemically precipitated calcite crystals. In this study, we were able to demonstrate that Sacrower See is an example of exceptional slow increase of anthropogenically enhanced nutrient input, and of the imprint which these processes have on sediments of a hardwater lake.     

Historical genetics on a sediment core from a Kenyan lake: intraspecific genotype turnover in a tropical rotifer is related to past environmental changes

Using molecular genetic methods and an ancient DNA approach, we studied population and species succession of rotifers of the genus Brachionus in the Kenyan alkaline-saline crater lake Sonachi since the beginning of the 19th century as well as distribution of Brachionus haplotypes in recent and historic sediments of other lakes of the East African Rift System. The sediment core record of Lake Sonachi displays haplotypes of a distinct evolutionary lineage in all increments. Populations were dominated by a single mitochondrial haplotype for a period of 150 years, and two putatively intraspecific turnovers in dominance occurred. Both changes are concordant with major environmental perturbations documented by a profound visible change in sediment composition of the core. The first change was very abrupt and occurred after the deposition of volcanic ash at the beginning of the 19th century. The second change coincides with a major lake level lowstand during the 1940s. It was preceded by a period of successively declining lake level, in which two other haplotypes appeared in the lake. One of these putatively belongs to another species documented in historical and recent Kenyan lake sediments. The analysis of plankton population dynamics through historical time can reveal patterns of population persistence and turnover in relation to environmental changes.     

Sedimentary evidence for recent eutrophication in the northern basin of Lake Taihu,China: human impacts on a large shallow lake

Environmental change in Lake Taihu and its catchment since the early to middle part of the twentieth century has left a clear geochemical record in the lake sediments. The human activities in the lake and its catchment responsible for the change include agriculture, fishery, urbanisation, sewage and industrial waster disposal. Sediment cores were collected from Meilian Bay of northern Lake Taihu to investigate the record of anthropogenic impacts on the lake’s ecosystem and to assess its natural, pre-eutrophication baseline state. Two marked stratigraphic sediment units were identified on the basis of total phosphorus concentration (TP), pigments, total organic carbon (TOC)/total nitrogen (TN), δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N corresponding to stages in the lake history dominated by phytoplankton, and by aquatic macrophytes. Results show that as TP loading increased from the early 1950s the lake produced sediments with increasing amounts of organic matter derived from phytoplankton. In the early 1950s, the first evidence for eutrophication at the Meilian Bay site is recorded by an increase in C/N values and in sediment accumulation rate, but there is little change in phosphorus concentrations, pigments, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N at this time. After 1990 a more rapid increase in trophic status took place indicated by increased levels of phosphorus, pigments, δ¹⁵N and by decreased δ¹³C and TOC/TN values in the lake sediments. The first increase in trophic status of the early 1950s results mainly from agricultural development in the catchment. In contrast, the acceleration from ca. 1990 originates from the recent development of fisheries and the urbanisation and industrialisation of the catchment.     

Recent sedimentary histories of shallow lakes in the guatemalan savannas

Shallow basins in the savannas of Peten, Guatemala filled with water after 305±55 BP (calibrated age+1430–1660 AD). Aguadas Chimaj and Chilonche possess dilute waters and iron-rich, clayey sediments that are poor in Ca and Mg, reflecting the highly weathered nature of riparian soils. Low ²¹⁰Pb flux rates to Chimaj (0.085 pCi cm^-2 yr^-1) and Chilonche (0.134 pCi cm^-2 yr^-1) are attributed to low ²²²Rn emission rates from the nearby Caribbean Sea. Mean sediment accumulation rates in Chimaj and Chilonche for the past 150 years are 0.015 g cm^-2 yr^-1 and 0.047 g cm^-2 yr^-1 respectively. Forest expansion after 305 BP is documented in pollen profiles from the small aguadas and larger Lake Oquevix. Regional reforestation postdates the 9th century Classic Maya collapse and coincides with indigenous depopulation that was a consequence of European intrusion that began in the early 1500s. The timing of forest regrowth indicates the importance of historical anthropogenic factors in controlling Peten's vegetation. Nevertheless, other sedimentological lines of evidence (e.g. lithology, algal remains and charcoal particles) suggest that changing climate and/or local hydrology may have played a role in the reforestation process.     

Phytate as a novel phosphorus-specific paleo-indicator in aquatic sediments

A reliable geochemical paleo-indicator for phosphorus remains elusive, despite the importance of understanding historical changes in the nutrient status of aquatic ecosystems. We assessed the potential of phytate (salts of myo-inositol hexakisphosphate) as a novel phosphorus-specific paleo-indicator by measuring its concentrations in dated sediments from an embayment in Helsinki, Finland, with a known 200-year history of trophic changes. Phytate was extracted in a solution containing sodium hydroxide and EDTA and detected by solution ³¹P NMR spectroscopy with spectral deconvolution. Concentrations varied markedly with sediment depth and paralleled previously determined changes in diatom assemblages and geochemical indicators linked to trophic status. In contrast, total sediment phosphorus did not reflect phosphorus inputs to the embayment, presumably due to the mobilization of inorganic phosphate under anoxic conditions during periods of high pollutant loading. Importantly, phytate appeared to be stable in these brackish sediments, in contrast to other organic and inorganic phosphates which declined abruptly with depth. We therefore conclude that phytate represents a potentially important indicator of historical changes in phosphorus inputs to water bodies, although additional studies are required to confirm its stability under conditions likely to be encountered in lakes and coastal ecosystems.     

Sediment-chemistry response to land-use change and pollutant loading in a hypertrophic lake, southern Sweden

Responses to recent land-use changes and pollutant loading in the sediment of a hypertrophic lake in southern Sweden were studied by comparison of geochemical, pollen and magnetic records with historical land-use data. A chronology was constructed for the last two centuries by correlating changes in the pollen diagram to major events in the land-use history. Sediment accumulation was low (mean c. 0.2 g cm^-2 yr^-1) prior to 1800 AD, when less than 25% of the catchment was arable land. Reorganization of the agrarian system during the 19th century increased the annually tilled area by 300%, which accelerated soil erosion and substantially increased the accumulation of allochtonous matter in the lake. Since the turn of the century 90% of the catchment has been ploughed every year. The deposition of clastic matter in the lake has, however, decreased due to a gradual rerouting of the drainage system, which has reduced the effective catchment area by c. 85%.Authigenic vivianite (Fe3(PO4)2.8H2O) is a major P phase in the preindustrial non-sulphidic sediments, which suggests that the sediments at that time served as a fairly efficient sink for P. The arable expansion, increased manuring and, eventually, the introduction of artificial fertilizers during the 19th century led to a massive influx of nutrients, which elevated primary production in the lake. Subsequent development of bottom water anoxia around 1900, in combination with an additional pollutant burden of sulphate within the lake basin, led to major alterations of the biogeochemical cycles. The most critical change in the post-1900 sediments involved the cycling of Fe and P. The linkage between the lacustrine P and Fe cycles can explain that FeS formation was paralleled by a release of P from the sedimentary pool. This supply of P to the lake basin must have supplemented the nutrient supply by modern agriculture and contributed to recent hypertrophication. The bacterial sulphate reduction also affected the generation of alkalinity which supported a significant calcite precipitation in the post-1900 sediments.S is enriched 10-fold in the post-1900 sediments compared to preindustrial values. Along with the rise in S, soot particles derived from fossil fuel combustion appear in the sediments for the first time. Therefore, Bussj¨osj¨on is thought to be a good example of how a well-buffered, highly productive lake may respond to the pollution by sulphur from acid rain.     

Magnetic properties of recent sediments in Lake Baikal, Siberia

Mineral magnetic measurements of six ²¹⁰Pb-dated surface cores from different basins of Lake Baikal, Siberia, show temporal records controlled by a range of internal and external processes. With the exception of sediments on the Academician Ridge, there is clear evidence for widespread reductive diagenesis effects on the ferrimagnetic component coupled with neo-formation of paramagnetic iron minerals. Greigite formation, bacterial magnetosome accumulation and turbidite layers may affect the properties of some sediment levels. Concentrations of canted antiferromagnetic minerals (eg. haematite) appear to increase from the 19th century onwards. These minerals are less affected by dissolution processes and probably represent detrital minerals delivered by catchment fluvial processes. The magnetic evidence for recent atmospheric pollution by fossil-fuel combustion processes is weak in all the cores, and supports the findings from studies of spherical carbonaceous particles (SCPs) and heavy metals that pollution is largely restricted to the southern basin. Correlations between recent sediments based on magnetic data may be insecure over long distances or between basins.     

Anthropogenic impacts recorded in recent sediments from Otisco Lake,New York,USA

Geochemical analysis of ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores from Otisco Lake (New York) combined with analysis of recent land cover change in the watershed revealed the history of land use change, lake management, and industrial pollution since European settlement in the northeastern US. Clearance of forestland for agriculture characterized the early settlement era that was marked in the Otisco Lake sediments by a decline in organic carbon (OC) and OC:N ratios, which indicate a change in the sources of organic matter to the lake. Agricultural land use reached its greatest areal extent in the Otisco watershed around 1900, followed by field abandonment and reforestation over the last century. In the 1920s sediment accumulation rates began to increase coincident with residential development along the lake shore. Nitrogen and organic carbon, which are transported from the watershed, show increased fluxes to the lake in response to this change. Deposition of inorganic carbon increased markedly over a short period from the 1940s to the 1980s, which is consistent with enhanced mobilization of watershed calcium by increased acidic deposition, followed by alkalinization of the lake waters and calcite precipitation. An increase in copper content in the sediments reflects application, since 1942, of the algicide copper sulfate to the lake waters to control algal blooms. This CuSO₄ marker confirmed the accuracy of the ²¹⁰Pb chronology. Atmospheric mercury (Hg) fluxes to the lake were affected by increased sediment transport from the watershed. The maximum Hg peak in the sediment record, however, was dated to the early 1970s and coincides with maximum Hg emissions to the atmosphere in the Great Lakes region.     

Geochemical signatures of two different coastal depositional environments within the same catchment

The geochemistry of lake (Renstradträsket) and estuarine (Pieni Pernajanlahti Bay) sediment was investigated in a medium sized watershed draining to the Gulf of Finland, Baltic Sea. Catchment land-use types were compared and found similar. Sediment cores were dated using ²¹⁰Pb- and ¹³⁷Cs-chronologies and analyzed for Al, K, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, phosphorus fractions, TN, TC and biogenic silica (BSi). Differences between the sediment cores were studied by using linear regression analysis and principal components analysis (PCA). Despite similarities in catchment land-use and history, the sediment geochemical profiles of the sites varied significantly. Some of the differences could be related to differences in chemical sedimentation environment (lacustrine versus estuarine). TP concentration was found to be positively correlated with sediment iron content in estuarine sediment but negatively correlated with Fe in lake sediment. In the estuarine core sedimentary iron was not correlated to lithogenic potassium and aluminum but in the lake core the iron seemed to be lithogenic in origin, as suggested by the strong positive correlations (r ² = 0.95–0.96) between these three variables. Most similarities among the cores were found in Al concentrations. Estuarine nutrient profiles appeared relatively monotonous compared to the lake core. This is probably due to more vigorous mixing of the sediments that may ensure more rapid and complete consumption of the organic matter deposited on the bottom of the estuary. Therefore the lake sediment appeared to preserve the historical record of eutrophication better. Biologically less active and more particle-bound materials like the trace metals Cu and Zn seemed to retain good records of anthropogenic impact also in the estuarine core. The study highlights the need to take the sedimentation environment into account when interpreting geochemical record.     

Mechanisms for Organic Matter and Phosphorus Burial in Sedimentsof a Shallow, Subtropical, Macrophyte-Dominated Lake

We studied the role that submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) plays in the sedimentation of organic matter (OM) and phosphorus (P) in Lake Panasoffkee, Florida (USA), a shallow, hard-water, macrophyte-dominated water body. Carbon/Nitrogen ratios (C/N) and stable isotope signatures (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) in algae, higher plants, and surface sediments were measured to identify sources of OM to the lake mud. Pollen, plant macrofossils, and geochemistry in sediment cores indicated that primary productivity and SAV abundance in Lake Panasoffkee increased in the late 1800s, probably as a response to increased P loading from human settlement and forest clearance. SAV and associated periphyton served as temporary sinks for soluble P, maintaining relatively clear-water, low-nutrient conditions in the lake. P accumulation in Lake Panasoffkee sediments increased together with indicators for greater SAV presence. This suggests that SAV and associated epiphytes promote P burial and retention in sediments. Although it might be assumed that rooted submersed macrophytes are directly responsible for P uptake from water and transfer to sediments, C/N and stable carbon isotope results argue for the importance of other macrophyte growth forms, and perhaps epiphytic algae, in permanent OM and P sequestration. For instance, high rates of photosynthesis by epiphytes in hard-water systems consume CO₂ and promote CaCO₃ precipitation. Sloughing of accumulated carbonates from macrophyte leaves transfers epiphytes and associated P to the sediment. Our paleolimnological findings are relevant to restoration efforts in the Florida Everglades and support the claim that constructed SAV wetlands remove P from waters effectively.     

Catchment disturbance inferred from paleolimnological studies of three contrasted sub-humid environments in Morocco

Paleolimnological techniques for assessing recent drainage basin disturbance are evaluated in three Moroccan lakes with catchments contrasted in terms of land-use and vegetation. Rates of sediment accumulation in the two lakes with agricultural catchments were relatively high (>1.6 cm yr^-1) in the most recent past. Dilution effects prevented core dating by the ²¹⁰Pb method alone and post-1953 chronologies were constructed by combining ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs data. The recent sediment accumulation rate at the currently least disturbed site, where natural Cedrus forest is still abundant, was relatively low (<0.4 cm yr^-1) but has increased since the mid-19th century.Magnetic, geochemical, pollen, and diatom studies of all three lake sediment cores linked with modern field survey data show that soil erosion in the most vegetationally disturbed catchment (Dayat-er-Roumi) has been high throughout the recent past and that intensity peaks are probably associated with wetland drainage operations beginning in the 1940's. At the partially forested site (Dayat Affougah), pre-1950's woodland clearance and other land-use changes are the likely cause of past major soil erosion episodes. The site currently dominated by natural Cedrus forest (Lac Azigza) shows only minor disturbance during the past c. 150 years although a major soil erosion episode occrred in the 17th century.Paleolimnological analysis has clearly demonstrated that major landscape change has occurred at all three sites. However, only at the two sites with catchment cultivation do previously accelerated soil erosion and lake sediment accumulation rates persist to the present. Information essential for formulation of appropriate management plans is presented and the importance of paleolimnology in assessing man-induced lake-catchment disturbance is stressed.     

Sources of organic matter for bacteria in sediments of Lake Rotsee,Switzerland

Determination of carbon sources and microbial activity in lake sediment is important for understanding organic carbon preservation and methane production. This study aimed to determine the organic carbon sources and microbial activity over the last 140 years in sediments of methanotrophic Lake Rotsee (Switzerland). We investigated phospholipid-derived fatty acid biomarkers and their stable carbon isotope signatures in the sediments of this eutrophic lake. Strong bacterial activity in the sediment deposited during the 1920s–1960s could account for the relatively low ratio of long-chain to short-chain fatty acid ((C24 + C26 + C28)/(C14 + C16 + C18), TAR_FA) values, which is consistent with low TOC/TN ratios in the sediment deposited during that interval. The carbon stable isotope records, both bulk and compound-specific, showed greater values at such times, although the offset between the bulk and fatty acids decreased. This implies that the microbial community residing at sediment depths deposited in the 1960s preferentially utilised the compounds derived from the enhanced surface-water productivity at that time. This observation contrasts with data from the depth intervals before and after, when a major portion of the labile organic matter was derived from methane-sourced production. In sediments deposited before ca. 1964, the overall very low fatty acid δ¹³C values suggest that labile carbon was primarily derived from methanotrophs.     

Sedimentary geochemical record of recent environmental changes around Lake Middle Marviken,Sweden

Geochemical properties of sediments deposited in Lake Middle Marviken over the last 185 years record the impacts of a succession of environmental changes that have occurred in the watershed. Clear-cutting of forests for wood and charcoal and extensive water harnessing to support the local iron mills from 1897 to 1957 is recorded by low C/N ratios, high black carbon, and low TOC and N_total accumulation rates. Larger δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values in sediments deposited during this period imply higher productivity. Fluctuations in N_total and P_total accumulation rates show that the lake chemistry has varied between P or N-depleted systems that affected the δ¹⁵N values. Organic matter in the sediments is predominantly immature terrestrial material. Furthermore, hydrocarbon CPI, TAR, and P_aq values conform with the observed geochemical trends, variations in organic matter sources, and changes in the watershed. Accumulation rates of Cd, Pb, Zn, and S remained mostly unchanged throughout the period of mining, but an increase from 1957 to 1980 is most likely associated with air-borne industrial and fossil fuel emissions from regional urbanization. In situ microbial processes, such as iron and manganese reduction, also appear to be important in carbon cycling and in affecting the sediment and water chemistry of this lake.     

Evaluating sedimentary geochemical lake-level tracers in Walker Lake, Nevada, over the last 200 years

Walker Lake, a hydrologically closed, saline, alkaline lake located along the western margin of the Great Basin of western United States, has experienced a 77% reduction in volume and commitment drop in lake level as a result of anthropogenic perturbations and climatic fluctuations over the last century. The history of lake-level change in Walker Lake has been recorded instrumentally since 1860. A high-resolution multi-proxy sediment core record from Walker Lake has been generated through analysis of total inorganic carbon (TIC), total organic carbon (TOC), and oxygen and carbon isotope ratios (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³ C) of both downcore bulk TIC and ostracods over the last 200 yr. This allows us to examine how these sediment indices respond to actual changes in this lake’s hydrologic balance at interannual to decadal timescales. In Walker Lake sediments, changes in %TIC, %TOC, and δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O of TIC and ostracods are all associated to varying degrees with changes in the lake’s hydrologic balance, with δ¹⁸O of the TIC fraction (δ¹⁸O_TIC) being the most highly correlated and the most effective hydrologic indicator in this closed-basin lake. The δ¹⁸O_TIC record from Walker Lake nearly parallels the instrumental lake-level record back to 1860. However, comparison with sporadic lake-water δ¹⁸O and dissolved inorganic carbon δ¹³C (δ¹³C_DIC) results spanning the last several decades suggests that the isotopic values of downcore carbonate sediments may not be readily translated into absolute or even relative values of corresponding lake-water δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C_DIC. Changes in the lake’s hydrologic balance usually lead to changes in isotopic composition of lake waters and downcore sediments, but not all the variations in downcore isotopic composition are necessarily caused by hydrologic changes.     

Bridging the gap between ancient metal pollution and contemporary biogeochemistry

Paleolimnology provides long-term data that are often essential for understanding the current state of the environment. Even though there is great potential, paleolimnology is rarely used together with process-related studies to solve issues regarding cycling of elements in the environment. Clearly, this is a drawback because the cycling of many elements, which cause great concern in the present-day environment, was altered long before the advent of monitoring programs. The pioneering work of C.C. Patterson and his colleagues emphasized the importance of a long-term perspective for understanding the current cycling of metals, with a focus on lead, and in particular for estimating background concentrations and human-related impacts in the environment. In Sweden the first traces of atmospheric lead pollution are found in lake sediments dated to about 3500 years ago. The long-term changes in the pollution lead record in lake sediments led us to consider how lead biogeochemistry has changed over time in response to this historical deposition—where has this lead gone, and how much does this lead contribute to the present-day biogeochemical cycling of lead? How was lead distributed in ‘pre-industrial’ soils or more properly in natural soils not impacted by atmospheric pollution? There are many studies that have examined the effects of increased metal concentrations on soil biota, but what are the appropriate background conditions for comparison? Using lake sediments as our foundation we have analyzed lead, including its stable isotopes, in other environmental compartments, including peat, soil, and a range of boreal forest plant species, to develop a better understanding of the fate of lead derived from long-term pollution. Three important conclusions from our studies in Sweden are: (1) atmospheric lead deposition rates during the 20th century were 100 to as much as 1000 times higher than natural deposition rates a few thousand years ago. Even with stricter emission standards during the past three decades and the resultant reductions in deposition, lead deposition rates today are still 10–100 times greater than natural rates. This increase in deposition rates modeled from sediment and peat records is of a similar scale to estimated changes in body burdens of lead in modern versus ancient humans. (2) In Europe about half of the cumulative burden of atmospherically deposited lead was deposited before industrialization. In southern Sweden the cumulative burden of pollution lead during the past 3500 years is 2–5 g Pb m^?2 and in the ‘pristine’ northern parts of the country there is about 1 g Pb m^?2. (3) Predicted recovery rates for soils are slow; in the cold climate of Scandinavia, we find that the soil surface (O horizon), where most soil biota reside, retains lead deposited over the past 150–500 years. Therefore, although lead deposition rates in Europe, as well as N. America, are only 10% of those a few decades ago, it will take several decades or longer for lead concentrations in soils to respond appreciably. The slow turnover rates for lead in the environment and gradual immobilization of lead in deeper soil mineral horizons also inhibits a loss of lead to surface waters in areas removed from point sources.     

Environmental Changes at the Desert Margin: An Assessment of Recent Paleolimnological Records in Lake Qarun, Middle Egypt

Lake Qarun has been profoundly affected by a combination of human activities and climatic changes during the past 5000 years. Instrumental records available for the 20th century show that during most of this period both lake water level and salinity increased and that by the late 1980s lake water salinity was approximately that of seawater. Sediment cores (c. 1 m long) were collected from this shallow (Z_max 8.4 m) saline lake in 1998 and the master core (QARU1) was used to examine the potential of paleolimnology for reconstructing the recent environmental history of the site. According to ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb radio-assay, the recent sediment accumulation rate in QARU1 was around 5 mm year⁻¹ during the latter half of the 20th century but radionuclide levels were low. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) were present in the upper c. 30 cm of QARU1 and indicates contamination by low level particulate pollution, probably beginning around 1950. The record of exotic pollen (Casuarina) indicated that sediment at 51–52 cm depth dated to around 1930. Otherwise the pollen spectra indicated a strongly disturbed landscape with high ruderals and increased tree planting particularly since c. 1950. Diatom records were strongly affected by taphonomic processes including reworking and differential preservation but typical marine diatoms increased after the 1920s. Instrumental records show that the lake became more saline at this time. Freshwater taxa were present at approximately similar abundances throughout the core. This distribution probably reflected a combination of processes. Reworking of ancient freshwater diatomites is one likely source for freshwater diatoms in QARU1 but some taxa must also be contributed via the freshwater inflows. Overall, the diatom stratigraphy indicated increasingly salinity since the 1920s but provided no firm evidence of lake eutrophication. Diatom inferred salinity reconstructions were in only partial agreement with instrumental records but inferred for the lower section of the core (pre 20th century to the 1960s) accord with measured water salinity values. Surficial sediments of Lake Qarun contain environmental change records for the 20th century period but high sediment accumulation rate and pollen reflect the high degree of human disturbance in the region. Because of poor preservation and evidence of reworking, the relationships between diatom records and past water quality changes require careful interpretation, especially in the upper section of the core. Nevertheless, early to mid 20th century measurements of increasing lake water salinity are well supported by sediment records, a change that is probably linked to ingress of saline ground water     

A geochemical record of recent anthropogenic nutrient loading and enhanced productivity in Lake Nansihu, China

Total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N), total phosphorus (TP) and organic phosphorus (OP) were measured in surface sediments and two short cores (DU-3 and WS-4) from Lake Nansihu, China to infer historical changes in anthropogenic nutrient inputs and corresponding shifts in lake primary productivity. Results indicate that organic matter preserved in the sediments is mainly autochthonous and that analyzed sediment variables were affected little by post-burial diagenesis. Increasing TOC, TN, OP and TP concentrations since the 1940s reflect increased P loading and elevated lake productivity. The δ¹³C values varied from ?21.5 to ?26.6‰ in the two sediment cores. Values were relatively more negative before the 1940s, but thereafter increased until the mid-1980s, reflecting elevated lake productivity. Since the mid-1980s, δ¹³C values remained relatively constant in core WS-4 and decreased in core DU-3, perhaps reflecting a change in the phytoplankton community. The δ¹⁵N values ranged from ?0.5 to 1.3‰ in core DU-3 and from 1.2 to 2.5‰ in core WS-4 before the mid-1980s, and increased to between 2.1 and 8.0‰ and 5.2 and 7.8‰, respectively, thereafter. Topmost sediments in the two cores display δ¹⁵N values similar to those recorded in the surface sediments (5.5–7.5‰). Higher δ¹⁵N values in recent deposits correspond to greater nitrogen concentration in water, and likely indicate anthropogenic nitrogen input, mainly from human and animal wastes.