Identifying recent sources of organic matter enrichment and eutrophication trends at coastal sites using stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in sediment cores

We studied the potential for using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in sediment profiles to trace external nutrient sources and eutrophication at four coastal sites in the Baltic Sea. The sites are characterized by various present and past activities in their catchments, including residential development, sugar processing, agriculture and fish farming. Radiometrically dated sediment cores were analysed for nutrient isotope ratios, organic carbon and total nitrogen. Background information was collected from historical sources, literature and water monitoring data. Despite the multiple organic enrichment sources, it was possible to identify individual sources and processes in the sediment profiles using stable isotope analysis of bulk sediment. The largest changes in δ¹⁵N values were seen at sites receiving urban wastewaters. The site that received effluents from a sugar cane (C₄-plant) refinery in the past showed a clear effect on δ¹³C values compared to the site that received wastewater from a sugar beet (C₃-plant) factory. Fish farming produced detectable, albeit minor changes in the sediment profile. Slightly lower δ¹³C values reflected the influence of fish feed and fish metabolism, and higher δ¹⁵N values likely indicated the influence of increased sediment denitrification. The land-sea connection via river discharge was observable in the overall δ¹³C levels of the sediment cores. Our results suggest that temporal changes in sources of organic matter enrichment can be detected in well-dated coastal sediment cores using nutrient stable isotope analyses, even at sites subjected to multiple impacts. There is not, however, a simple relationship between sediment stable isotope profiles and the eutrophication history of our study sites.     

Relationships between environmental variables and zooplankton subfossils in the surface sediments of 36 shallow coastal brackish lakes with special emphasis on the role of fish

Subfossil zooplankton assemblages (Cladocera 22 taxa, Rotifera 1 taxon) were identified from the surface sediments of 36 shallow (median depth = 0.7 m) Danish coastal brackish lakes differing in epilimnic salinity (SAL, range 0.2–17.4), summer-mean total phosphorus (TP, 27–327 g l^–1) and total nitrogen (TN, 0.850–2.629 mg l^–1), as well as in submerged macrophyte coverage and planktivorous fish density (PL-CPUE). Cladoceran species richness declined significantly with increasing SAL, TP and TN, while no significant correlation was found to either PL-CPUE, macrophyte coverage or lake surface area. Bonferroni-adjusted forward selection within canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that 22.1% of the variation in zooplankton data was explained by PL-CPUE, SAL and TP uniquely; each variable explaining an almost equally significant amount of variation in the zooplankton data. Predictive models to infer PL-CPUE, SAL and TP were developed using variance weighted-averaging (WA) procedures. Almost similar values of boot-strapped coefficient of determination (r²_{boot-strapped} 0.22–0.38) were produced by the WA inference models of PL-CPUE, SAL and TP, while the inference models of TP produced the lowest boot-strapped root-mean-squared-error of prediction (RMSEP_{boot-strapped} 0.29–0.36 log(TP + 1), g l^–1). Yet, zooplankton TP and SAL optima (WA) were strongly correlated (r² = 0.46), while PL-CPUE optima (WA) were independent of both TP and SAL optima, indicating that only the PL-CPUE inference models are suitable for making reconstructions.     

不同岩性盐湖沉积物中挥发性有机质的特征

本研究通过不同岩性盐湖沉积物中C/N值,确定其有机质的来源均为藻类,然后采用气相色谱-离子迁移谱（GC-IMS）联用技术对不同岩性盐湖沉积物中的挥发性有机质进行了研究。结果显示不同岩性沉积物的挥发性有机质虽然来源相同,但是其种类和含量存在显著差异。在砂岩沉积物中,检测出16种挥发性有机质,而石盐中共检测出30种挥发性有机质。其砂岩样品中未检测出酯类化合物,而检测出的醛类、酮类、醇类以及呋喃类化合物的含量均比石盐中的含量要小,硫化物的含量与石盐中的含量差距较小,但砂岩中酸类物质的含量比石盐中高。这可能是由于在不同沉积时期,湖泊中生产有机质的藻类物质的种类和含量的不同,以及在早期成岩过程中沉积环境对有机质的保存和降解不同所造成的。本文为下一步深入研究挥发性有机质在盐湖沉积物中的地质意义提供了理论指导。     

Late-Holocene equatorial environments inferred from deposition processes,carbon isotopes of organic matter,and pollen in three shallow lakes of Gabon,west-central Africa

Seven vibro-cores were collected from three shallow lakes of the Gabon (Kamalété, Nguène, Maridor) along a 300-km west–east transect close to the Equator. These lakes are located in very distinct landscapes: coastal forest-savanna mosaic, rain forest and savanna with colonising forest, respectively. Core chronologies were established by radiocarbon dating. Study of these lacustrine archives (textural variables, clay minerals, organic matter components, δ¹³C, pollen) allowed comparison of late Holocene environmental changes recorded at each site and with results from other studies. Lake Kamalété indicates minor climatic deterioration (increased drying and greater seasonality) between 1,410 and 500 cal. years BP, which is also recognised in southern Cameroon and east-central Africa. Lake Nguène was surrounded by dense moist forest throughout the last 4,110 years, but shows significant deterioration from ~2,800 cal. years BP, a phenomenon seen at nearby sites. Lake Maridor shows a decline of forest initiated a little after 3,800 cal. years BP, which indicates timing that is distinct from the two other sites. This was probably a response to local conditions (i.e. outlet damming). Although the three lakes display generally parallel climatic trends perhaps linked to SST oscillations, there is not perfect coherence between these three sites. Differences among the three basins may be attributable to local factors like groundwater hydrology and slope instabilities of such shallow lake systems in this equatorial region.     

长江中下游浅水湖泊表层沉积物潜在可交换性磷研究

利用无限稀释外推法 (IDE法 )和Hieltjes与Lijklema提出的H-L法对长江中下游浅水湖泊表层沉积物中可交换性磷进行测定,研究了IDE法测定的潜在可交换性磷 (IDE-P )与H-L法使用NH₄Cl测定的氯化铵磷 (NH₄Cl-P )在不同污染程度沉积物中的分布规律及二者关系,并对IDE-P和NH₄Cl-P与沉积物土壤测试磷 (STP)、磷吸附饱和度 (DPS)、总磷 (TP)和有机质关系进行讨论。结果表明,沉积物IDE-P和NH₄Cl-P分布遵循重污染沉积物>污染较轻沉积物的规律,IDE-P含量高于NH₄Cl-P含量;不同沉积物的(NH₄Cl-P/IDE-P)%变化较大;IDE-P和NH₄Cl-P与STP、DPS、总磷和有机质的相关性较好。     

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.     

青藏高原北部湖泊沉积物中基于不同碳源可培养细菌多样性

自然环境溶解有机碳（DOC）的组成影响着微生物群落结构,不同微生物类群对有机碳源类型的利用表现出差异。然而,纯菌株的碳源利用选择性及其和盐度的关系却仍不是很清楚。本文采用单碳源纯培养技术、聚合酶链式反应（PCR,Polymerase Chain Reaction）和相关统计方法,研究了青藏高原北部六个湖泊（洱海、青海湖、托素湖、尕海1、尕海2、小柴旦湖）沉积物中的基于不同碳源可培养细菌多样性及其与盐度的响应关系。采用七种不同类型的单碳源（甲酸钠、乙酸钠、丙酮酸钠、乳酸钠、葡萄糖、纤维素、混合氨基酸）进行培养筛选。本文共获得10个细菌分类属,它们分属于假单胞菌属（Pseudomonas）、气单胞菌属（Aeromonas）、希瓦氏菌属（Shewanella）、脱氯单胞菌属（Dechloromonas）、动性球菌属（Planococcus）、盐单胞菌属（Halomonas）、微小杆菌属（Exiguobacterium）、弧菌属（Vibrio）、交替假单胞菌属（Pseudoalteromonas）和芽孢杆菌属（Bacillus）。其中,盐单胞菌属菌株可利用本研究使用的所有碳源类型,说明这类细菌具有广泛碳代谢途径,并潜在地参与了青藏高原北部湖泊碳循环过程。所得的纯菌株利用不同碳链长度的碳源具有选择性,即随着盐度增高,某些菌株更偏向利用结构更加复杂的碳源。总之,盐度不仅影响着纯培养细菌群落多样性,而且还影响着细菌对碳源类型的选择。     

滇池流域宝象河水库沉积物中有机碳的来源

通过对滇池流域宝象河水库沉积物TOC、TN、C/N、δ13C及粒度等指标的测定,分析了沉积物中有机碳的主要来源及其变化趋势。结果表明:水体中不同位置沉积物有机碳来源并不相同,距三岔河入库河口相对较近的沉积柱芯A中C/N比值介于2.93~11.73,δ13C值介于-23.66‰~-21.78‰,有机碳主要来源于水生生物,陆源输入贡献较小,有机碳含量受粒径大小影响显著;距三岔河入库河口相对较远的沉积柱芯B中,其TOC和TN含量较高,分别介于14.62~24.93 g?kg-1和2.11~3.3 g?kg-1,δ13C值变化范围为-28.36‰~-26.36‰,粒度以黏土和细粉砂为主,有机碳主要来源于水库周边陆源输入,受人类活动影响强烈。     

Relationship between C:N ratios of lake sediments, organic matter sources, and historical deforestation in Lake Pleasant, Massachusetts, USA

The C:N ratios of lake sediments may reflect proportions of terrestrial and algal carbon contributing to accumulation of sediment. This possibility was tested in Lake Pleasant, Massachussetts, USA which underwent watershed deforestation in about 1780 A.D. The C:N profile of a 70-cm sediment core clearly reflected deforestation through a rise in C:N ratio caused by an increase in watershed contributions to sedimentary carbon. Spatial variability of C:N in modern surficial sediments is small compared to the change caused by deforestation.     

Distribution of diatom assemblages and their relationship to environmental variables in the surface sediments of three northern Egyptian lakes

Surficial sediments of three northern Egyptian lakes (Manzala, Burullus and Edku) show differences in diatom assemblages deposited in different sites of these lakes. A total of 172 species and varieties belonging to 58 genera were identified and counted from 62 samples. Of these, 163 diatom taxa were recorded from Manzala Lake sediments, 147 taxa were found in Burullus Lake sediments, and 117 taxa were identified in Edku Lake sediments. The considerable variation in the composition and distribution of the diatom assemblages among these lakes was mainly related to differences in the water quality, salinity, the concentration of nutrients and climatic changes. The planktonic diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana was dominant in the majority of the samples from Manzala Lake, but dominant in only a few samples from the middle parts of Burullus and Edku lakes. The non-planktonic epiphytic taxa Cocconeis placentula and Epithemia sorex were the subdominant species in the surface sediments, especially in shallow and marginal parts of the lakes. Multivariate statistical techniques (hierarchical ascending clustering and canonical correspondence analysis) were used to identify ecological groups of diatoms and to investigate which environmental variables were important in explaining the variation between these groups. Eight ecological groups containing distinctive diatom assemblages reflect current environmental conditions; especially saltwater intrusion in the north and nutrient-rich freshwater in the south.     

Freeze coring soft sediments in tropical lakes

A new freeze corer is described that is specifically designed for operation in warm tropical lakes. It combines the standard wedge-shaped freeze-on container with a 20-liter thermos from which pellets of solid CO₂ descend into the wedge to replace those that have sublimated. This extends the duration of effective freezing from ~20 to ~45 min, sufficient to form an adequate thickness of frozen crust in warm (> 22 °C) lakes and prevent its premature melting during retrieval through the water column. The instrument contains no electrical components, which simplifies construction, operation, and maintenance. The front and back surfaces of the freeze wedge are fitted length-wise with serrated ridges to facilitate removal of the crust as four rectangular sediment slabs. The feasibility of freeze coring studies in tropical regions is mainly determined by the local availability of a large-volume dry ice producer.     

Quaternary changes in delivery and accumulation of organic matter in sediments of Lake Biwa, Japan

A 911-m-long sediment core from Lake Biwa, Japan, provides a record of organic matter delivery and accumulation in this large lake during a succession of tectonic and climatic changes dating back to the latest Pliocene. Sediments deposited since 430 ky are profundal; older sediments vary in setting between shallow-water and fluviodeltaic conditions, with occasional deep-water intervals. C/N ratios identify algal production as the dominant source of organic matter throughout the core, although the proportion of land-derived contributions episodically increases in the fluviodeltaic and shallow-water sediments. Rates of organic matter delivery and burial in lake sediments change in response to glacial-interglacial climate changes over the past 430 ky. Sediments deposited during interglacial intervals have organic carbon mass accumulation rates up to 9 times greater than those from glacial intervals, reflecting interglacial climates that were wetter than glacial climates. Algal production of organic matter increased during interglacial times because of greater wash-in of soil nutrients, and organic matter preservation was enhanced because of faster sedimentation rates.     

基于多元成土因素的土壤有机质空间分布分析

以陕西省蓝田县2013年667份土壤有机质样本为对象,运用GIS空间分析及遥感数字图像处理收集整理土壤类型、地形、植被等成土因子,利用多元线性回归分析集成所有成土因子对土壤养分进行空间分布预测。结果表明:通过分级统计均值定权法和像元线性拉伸法将所有成土因子统一为相对度量值,并根据成土因子与有机质含量的相关性显著程度进行因子取舍,有利于集成各类成土因子构建多元线性回归模型。预测结果定性分析表明:多元线性回归预测结果与kriging法预测结果在宏观上具有一致的空间分布趋势;但多元线性回归预测结果土壤有机质空间分布特征带有各种成土因子的变化特征,从视觉效果上,克服了传统插值法中存在的斑块状分布现象,更精细的描述了本区域内有机质空间分布趋势; MPE和RMS定量精度分析显示,在集成多元成土因素对有机质进行空间分布分析时,本文方法优于常用kriging插值法,该法可作为集成多元成土因子对土壤养分空间分布预测的有效方法。本区域内土壤有机质高值区域主要集中在地势低平、坡度缓和、湿度适中的农耕区,地势较高、坡度陡的山区有机质含量低。     

Oxygen isotope ratios of organic matter in arctic lakes as a paleoclimate proxy: field and laboratory investigations

Paleoclimate research based on the stable isotopic composition of lake sediments is often hampered by the lack of preservation of suitable material for isotopic analysis. We examined organic material as a proxy for past water isotopic composition in a series of experiments. First, we cultured aquatic moss under constant illumination, temperature, and water ¹⁸O, and show that new cellulose records source water ¹⁸O precisely (r² = 0.9997). Second, we analyzed paired lakewater and vegetation samples collected from sites spanning strong climatic gradients. In field conditions, the relationship between organic ¹⁸O and water ¹⁸O is more variable, though it is still controlled by environmental water isotopic composition. However, terrestrial mosses in the arctic are often significantly enriched in ¹⁸O relative to aquatic mosses in nearby lakes due to their use of different water sources. Third, we measured ¹⁸O of cellulose extracted from disseminated sedimentary organic material. In the majority of the middle- to high-arctic lakes in this study, the ¹⁸O of disseminated sediment cellulose is greatly enriched relative to the expected values based on lakewater ¹⁸O, suggesting a significant component of terrestrial cellulose. This interpretation is supported by radiocarbon dates from a Holocene sediment core in which ¹⁴C ages of sediment cellulose are 700-5000 yrs older than the enclosing sediments. We conclude that aquatic cellulose can be used as a reliable tracer of lakewater isotope ratios, but terrestrial cellulose often dominates the sedimentary cellulose pool in places such as Baffin Island where sedimentation rates are low enough to allow the degradation of aquatic cellulose. Care must be taken when interpreting sediment cellulose ¹⁸O records where diagenesis has played a role, because terrestrial cellulose is more resistant to degradation, and therefore can predominate in environments with low organic carbon burial.     

Within-lake variability of subfossil chironomid assemblages in shallow Norwegian lakes

Subfossil chironomids in the surface sediments of five small and shallow Norwegian lakes were studied to determine the within-lake variability of fossil assemblages, changes in chironomid assemblages with respect to water depth, and the representativeness of single samples for the entire chironomid fauna of a lake. In each of the lakes studied, six short sediment cores in the deepest part of the lake basin and two littoral to deep-water transects of seven cores each were obtained using a gravity corer, and chironomid assemblages in the uppermost centimetre of sediment were analysed. In three of the five lakes, chironomid concentrations were highest in the deepest parts of the lake basins. In the remaining two lakes, concentrations were either very variable or, in a lake with clear indications of anoxia in the bottom waters, highest at intermediate water depth. Chironomid assemblages tended to be dominated by the same taxa within a lake basin. However, in each of the lakes studied there was a clear and statistically significant shift in chironomid assemblages with respect to water depth. The organic content of the sediments was statistically significant in explaining the variance in the chironomid assemblages only in lakes where organic matter content was closely related to water depth. Only a few chironomid taxa were restricted to the shallowest parts of the lake basins, whereas a number of chironomids were found exclusively in deep-water sediments. Chironomid head capsules of running water taxa and simuliid remains were generally found in sediments close to lake tributaries and in the deepest parts of the lake basins. Although any individual sample contained only a part of the total subfossil chironomid fauna (21–63% of the total taxa per lake), chironomids dominant in any section of the study lakes were found in most of the transect and mid-lake samples.     

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.     

Sediment records of phosphorus-driven shifts to phytoplanktondominance in shallow Florida lakes

Primary producer community structure (PPCS) in shallow lakes isinfluenced by phosphorus (P) load and water column P concentration.Theoretically PPCS may shift between phytoplankton and macrophyte states withintermediate P loading, but phytoplankton dominate when P loading exceeds acritical threshold. We analyzed sediment cores from five shallow, eutrophiclakes (size range: 0.6 to 125 km²) that arephytoplankton dominated to determine whether the development of the currentstate was associated stratigraphically with an increase in sediment total P(TP) and a shift in PPCS. We used sponge biogenic silica(BSi_Sponges) concentrations and total carbon to total nitrogenratios (TC:TN) as proxies for macrophyte abundance and sediment organic mattersource, respectively. Three stratigraphic groups of sediments were identifiedwith k-means cluster analysis. These samples were grouped by increasing TPconcentrations and decreasing age and identified as macrophyte, transitionaland phytoplankton sediments. Results show that as P loading increased in thelate 19th and early 20th centuries, the lakes producedsediments with an increasing contribution from phytoplankton. Four of our lakesmay represent a subset of shallow lakes because of their large size (30 to 125km²) and relatively rapid historic P enrichment. Inthese Florida lakes, PPCS shifted to phytoplankton dominance with nopaleolimnological record of lake-wide alternating stable states or of lake-widephytoplankton dominance before anthropogenic P enrichment.