Diatoms as indicators of climatic and limnological change in Swedish Lapland: a 100-lake calibration set and its validation for paleoecological reconstructions

This study investigated the distribution of subfossil diatom assemblages in surficial sediments of 100 lakes along steep ecological and climatic gradients in northernmost Sweden (Abisko region, 67.07° N to 68.48° N latitude, 17.67° E to 23.52° E longitude) to develop and cross-validate transfer functions for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Of 19 environmental variables determined for each site, 15 were included in the statistical analysis. Lake-water pH (8.0%), sedimentary loss-on-ignition (LOI, 5.9% and estimated mean July air temperature (July T, 4.8%) explained the greatest amounts of variation in the distribution of diatom taxa among the 100 lakes. Temperature and pH optima and tolerances were calculated for abundant taxa. Transfer functions, based on WA-PLS (weighted averaging partial least squares), were developed for pH (r² = 0.77, root-mean-square-error of prediction (RMSEP) = 0.19 pH units, maximum bias = 0.31, as assessed by leave-one-out cross-validation) based on 99 lakes and for July T (r² = 0.75, RMSEP = 0.96 °C, max. bias = 1.37 °C) based on the full 100 lake set. We subsequently assessed the ability of the diatom transfer functions to estimate lake-water pH and July T using a form of independent cross-validation. To do this, the 100-lake set was divided in two subsets. An 85-lake training-set (based on single limnological measurements) was used to develop transfer functions with similar performance as those based on the full 100 lakes, and a 15-lake test-set (with 2 years of monthly limnological measurements throughout the ice-free seasons) was used to test the transfer functions developed from the 85-lake training-set. Results from the intra-set cross-validation exercise demonstrated that lake-specific prediction errors (RMSEP) for the 15-lake test-set corresponded closely with the median measured values (pH) and the estimations based on spatial interpolations of data from weather stations (July T). The prediction errors associated with diatom inferences were usually within the range of seasonal and interannual variability. Overall, our results confirm that diatoms can provide reliable and robust estimates of lake-water pH and July T, that WA-PLS is a robust calibration method and that long-term environmental data are needed for further improvement of paleolimnological transfer functions.     

Diatoms and pollen as indicators of water quality and land-use change: a case study from the Oak Ridges Moraine,Southern Ontario,Canada

Swan Lake is a small kettle lake located on the Oak Ridges Moraine; a moraine that is recognized as an important source of ground water for the nearby and rapidly expanding Greater Toronto Area. A paleolimnological reconstruction using pollen and diatoms from the lake sediments showed significant changes in biological community composition through the last ∼400 years. Alterations in the diatom and pollen assemblages were most dramatic ca. A.D. 1850, correlating with the highest sediment flux in the lake between the period ca. A.D. 1850 and A.D. 1870. These changes were directly linked to regional deforestation and agricultural activities associated with European settlement. The pollen record from ca. A.D. 1850 to present day indicated that tree species (e.g. Pinus spp., Tsuga canadensis) were declining, while grass (Poaceae) and invasive species (e.g. Ambrosia) were increasing. Around A.D. 1850, the diatom flora changed from an assemblage dominated by large, benthic species (e.g. Sellaphora pupula, Pinnularia cf. maior, and Stauroneis phoenicenteron) to an assemblage characterized by smaller, tychoplanktonic (e.g. Fragilaria tenera, Staurosirella pinnata) and epiphytic (e.g. Achnanthidium minutissimum, Rossithidium linearis) taxa. This diatom community change supports the intermediate disturbance hypothesis which predicts a high level of diversity and richness following an intermediate to intense disturbance of short duration. Phosphorus concentrations in Swan Lake were inferred using a diatom-based regional calibration model, and the results indicated marked changes in lake water chemistry through time (from below detection limits before land clearance and settlement to 19.3 μg l⁻¹ in the current sediments), which were concurrent with episodes of regional deforestation and land-use change. Although the sediment and biological records indicate that the lake ecology has stabilized over the last 30–50 years, paleolimnological records show that the water quality and biology of Swan Lake has changed dramatically and not returned to pre-settlement conditions. Swan Lake presents a detailed record of the impact created by deforestation and urban development with a population of <50 individuals per km². Detailed paleolimnological studies like Swan Lake, in tandem with global human footprint studies, can create realistic estimates of land-use impacts at the global scale.     

Cladoceran and chironomid assemblages as qualitative indicators of water depth in subarctic Fennoscandian lakes

The relationship between surface-sediment cladoceran and chironomid communities to lake depth was analysed in 53 lakes distributed across timberline in northern Fennoscandia using multivariate statistical approaches. The study sites are small and bathymerically simple, with water depth ranging from 0.85-27.0 m (mean 6.36 m). Maximum lake depth was the most important factor in explaining the cladoceran distributions and the second most important factor in explaining the chironomid distributions in these subarctic lakes, as assessed on the basis of a series of constrained RDAs, Monte Carlo permutation tests, and variance partitioning. Quantitative inference models for maximum lake depth were created for both groups of animals. Well-performing calibration functions for predicting lake depth were obtained in each case using linear partial least squares (PLS) regression and calibration, weighted averaging (WA) with an 'inverse' deshrinking regression, and weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS). Quantitative reconstructions of lake level fluctuations should be possible from cladoceran and chironomid core data with a root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP), as estimated by jack-knifing, of about 1.6-3.0 m.     

Cladocera as indicators of trophic state in Irish lakes

We examined the impact of lake trophic state on the taxonomic and functional structure of cladoceran communities and the role of nutrient loading in structuring both cladoceran and diatom communities. Surface sediment assemblages from 33 Irish lakes were analysed along a gradient of total phosphorus concentration (TP; 4.0–142.3 μg l⁻¹), using a variety of statistical approaches including ordination, calibration and variance partitioning. Ordination showed that the taxonomic structure of the cladoceran community displayed the strongest response to changes in lake trophic state, among 17 measured environmental variables. Trophic state variables chlorophyll-a and TP explained about 20% of the variance in both cladoceran and diatom assemblages from a set of 31 lakes. Procrustes analysis also showed significant concordance in the structure of cladoceran and diatom communities (P < 0.001). Thus, lake trophic state affects the taxonomic structure of both primary and secondary producers in our study lakes. We also found a significant decrease in relative abundance of taxa associated with both macrophytes and sediments, or sediments only, along the TP gradient (r = −0.49, P = 0.006, n = 30), as well as an increase in the proportion of the planktonic group (r = 0.43, P = 0.017, n = 30). This suggests that cladoceran community structure may also be shaped by lake trophic state indirectly, by affecting habitat properties. We found no relationship between lake trophic state and the relative abundance of each of three cladoceran groups that display different body size. We compared community structure between bottom and top sediment samples in cores from six Irish lakes. Results revealed similar trajectories of nutrient enrichment over time, as well as a strong shift in cladoceran functional structure in most systems. This study confirms that Cladocera remains in lake sediments are reliable indicators of lake trophic state. This study also highlights the fact that taxonomic and functional structure should both be considered to account for the multiple factors that shape cladoceran communities.     

Lacustrine ostracodes as hydrochemical indicators in lakes of the north-central United States

The modern ostracode distribution in lakes of the north-central United States shows how ostracode abundances are related to concentrations of major ions such as calcium, sulfate, and bicarbonate. These relationships are quantified for species living in lakes that range from fresh water (200 S cm^-1) to saline water (17 000 S cm^-1). Lakes located in the Minnesota forests have different ostracode assemblages and different water chemistry than lakes located on the prairie of North Dakota and South Dakota. These differences are attributed to differences in precipitation and rock-water interactions. Multivariate analyses of the ostracode and water chemistry data set indicate that different ostracode species are associated with different water types. For example, Limnocythere sappaensis and Heterocypris glaucus are found in bicarbonate-enriched sulfate-dominated waters, whereas Limnocythere staplini is found in bicarbonate-depleted sulfate-dominated waters. Candona ohioensis and Limnocythere itasca are found in fresh water, and Candona rawsoni is eurytopic and found in both bicarbonate-enriched and bicarbonate-depleted sulfate-dominated waters. Ostracodes can be used to identify changes in both ionic composition (solutes) and ionic concentration.This publication is the second of a series of papers presented at the Conference on Sedimentary and Paleolimnological Records of Saline Lakes. This Conference was held August 13–16, 1991 at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada. Dr Evans is serving as Guest Editor for this series.     

Cladocerans and chironomids as indicators of lake level changes in north temperate lakes

Water level fluctuations affect the size of the pelagic zone relative to the size of littoral habitats, and thus may influence the relative abundance of remains from planktonic and littoral cladocerans in sediment. The application of this planktonic/littoral ratio for the reconstruction of past water level changes is discussed using examples of: (1) surficial profundal sediments from lakes of different water depths; (2) Holocene variation in a profundal sediment core; (3) horizontal variation in surficial sediments within a lake; and (4) long term variation in an inshore sediment core. The latter seemed to be the most promising application of this ratio. Maximum effects of water depth changes on the lake fauna are expected in the littoral zone. It is, however, difficult to read this effect directly from subfossil cladoceran and chironomid assemblages from inshore sediments as shown by a sediment profile from a site exposed to a long term decrease of water depth.     

Diatom-environmental relationships in 64 alkaline southeastern Ontario (Canada) lakes: a diatom-based model for water quality reconstructions

Lake eutrophication is a problem in many areas of Ontario, although the history of nutrient enrichment is poorly documented. The aim of this study was to construct a diatom-based transfer function to infer past phosphorus levels in Ontario lakes using paleolimnological analyses. The relationship between diatom assemblages and limnological conditions was explored from a survey of diatoms preserved in the surface sediments of 64 Southern Ontario lakes, spanning a total phosphorus gradient of 0.004 to 0.054 mg L^-1. Over 420 diatom taxa were identified, 98 of which were sufficiently common to be considered in statistical analyses. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) determined that pH, ammonium, aluminum, spring total phosphorus (TP), strontium, total nitrogen (TN), maximum depth (MaxZ), chlorophyll a (Chla) and mean depth were significant variables in explaining the variance in the diatom species data. The environmental optima of common diatom taxa for the limnologically important variables (TP, pH, TN, MaxZ, Chla) were calculated using weighted averaging (WA) regression and calibration techniques, and transfer functions were generated. The diatom inference model for spring TP provided a robust reconstructive relationship (r² = 0.637; RMSE = 0.007 mg L^-1; r² _boot = 0.466; RMSE_boot = 0.010 mg L^-1). Other variables, including pH (r² = 0.702; RMSE = 0.208; r² _boot = 0.485; RMSE_boot = 0.234), TN (r² = 0.574; RMSE = 0.0899 mg L^-1; r² _boot = 0.380; RMSE_boot = 0.127 mg L^-1) and MaxZ (r² = 0.554; RMSE = 1.05 m; r² _boot = 0.380; RMSE_boot = 1.490 m), were also strong, indicating that they may also be reconstructed from fossil diatom communities. This study shows that it is possible to reliably infer lakewater TP and other limnological variables in alkaline Southern Ontario lakes using the WA technique. This method has the potential to aid rehabilitation programs, as it can provide water quality managers with the means to estimate pre-enrichment phosphorus concentrations and an indication of the onset and development of nutrient enrichment in a lake.     

Diatom-based models for reconstructing past water quality and productivity in New Zealand lakes

The trophic status of lakes in New Zealand is, on average, low compared to more densely populated areas of the globe. Despite this, trends of eutrophication are currently widespread due to recent intensification in agriculture. In order to better identify baseline productivity and establish long-term trends in lake trophic status, diatom-based transfer functions for productivity-related parameters were developed. Water quality data and surface sediment diatom assemblages from 53 lakes across the North and South Islands of New Zealand were analysed to determine species responses to the principal environmental gradients in the data set. Repeat sampling of water chemistry over a 12-month period enabled examination of species responses to annual means as well as means calculated for stratified and mixed periods. Variables found to be most strongly correlated with diatom species distributions were chlorophyll a (Chl a), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP), ionic concentration (measured as electrical conductivity (EC)) and pH. These variables were used to develop diatom-based transfer functions using weighted averaging regression and calibration (simple, tolerance down-weighted and with partial least squares algorithm applied). Overall, models derived for stratified means were weaker than those using annual or isothermal means. For specific variables, the models derived for the isothermal mean of EC (WA-tol r²_jack = 0.79; RMSEP = 0.15 log₁₀ S cm^–1),the annual mean of pH (WA r²_jack = 0.72; RMSEP = 0.25 pH units) and the isothermal mean of Chl a (WA r²_jack = 0.71; RMSEP = 0.18 log₁₀ mg m^–3 Chl a) performed best. The models derived for TP were weak in comparison (for the annual mean of TP: WA r²_jack = 0.50; RMSEP = 0.24 log₁₀ mg m^–3 TP) and residuals on estimates for this model were correlated with several other water quality variables, suggesting confounding of species responses to TP concentrations. The model derived for the isothermal mean of DRP was relatively strong (WA-tol r²_jack = 0.78; RMSEP = 0.17 log₁₀ mg m^–3 DRP); however, residual values for this model were also found to be strongly correlated with several other water quality variables. It is concluded that the poor performance of the TP and DRP transfer functions relative to that of the Chl a model reflects the coexistence of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation within the lakes in the data set. In spite of this, the suite of transfer functions developed from the training set is regarded as a valuable addition to palaeolimnological studies in NewZealand.     

Holocene environmental history of thermokarst lakes on Richards Island, Northwest Territories, Canada: Theocamoebians as paleolimnological indicators

Richards Island, Northwest Territories, Canada, is characterized by thermokarst lakes which record Holocene limnological change. This study is the first report of thecamoebian assemblages and continuous annual lake water temperatures from these Arctic lakes. Ecological environments on Richards Island are influenced by a climatic gradient resulting from the contrasting influences of the cold Beaufort Sea to the north and the warm waters of the Mackenzie Delta to the east and west. This climatic gradient in turn influences modern thecamoebian assemblages, and is an indication of the complexity involved in interpreting past conditions from core material in this area.Population abundance and species diversity of thecamoebian assemblages on Richards Island are not significantly different from those reported from temperate and semi-tropical latitudes. However, certain assemblage characteristics, such as large and coarse agglutinated tests, dominance of assemblages by one or two species and low morphological variation are interpreted to be diagnostic of Arctic conditions. Thecamoebian assemblages in core material from the area indicate that the local paleolimnological conditions may have changed within the last 3 ka, and this is unrecorded in previously reported pollen data.Paleoenvironmental interpretations in a permafrost landscape have to take into account morphological instability of thermokarst lakes, which can be the cause of paleolimnological and consequently faunal change. In this area ecosystem development is clearly related to geomorphology and local climatic effects and is not exclusively controlled by regional climate change.     

Surface-sediment and epilithic diatom pH calibration sets for remote European mountain lakes (AL:PE Project) and their comparison with the Surface Waters Acidification Programme (SWAP) calibration set

A modern diatom-pH calibration data-set consisting of surface-sediment diatom assemblages from 118 lakes and 530 taxa is presented. The AL:PE data-set is from high-altitude or high-latitude lakes in the Alps, Norway, Svalbard, Kola Peninsula, UK, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Portugal, and Spain (pH range = 4.5-8.0; DOC range = 0.2-3.2 mg l^-1). In addition, 92 epilithon samples from 22 high-altitude or high-latitude lakes comprise an AL:PE epilithon diatom-pH data-set. Weighted averaging partial least squares regression is used to develop pH-inference models. The AL:PE data-set has a root-mean-square-error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.33 and a maximum bias of 0.36 pH units and r² of 0.82, as assessed by leave-one-out cross-validation. The epilithon data-set has, after data-screening and the deletion of one very obvious outlier, a RMSEP of 0.23 and a maximum bias of 0.18 pH units and r² of 0.88. The 167 sample SWAP diatom-pH data-set from lowland or upland lakes in the UK, Norway, and Sweden has a RMSEP of 0.29 and a maximum bias of 0.23 pH units and r² of 0.86.The pH optima, as estimated by weighted averaging and Gaussian regression, are compared for the three data-sets (AL:PE, SWAP, AL:PE epilithon). There is a good correspondence between the AL:PE and the AL:PE epilithon optima, but a consistent bias between the AL:PE and SWAP optima, with the SWAP optima being lower than the AL:PE estimates.The predictive performances of the AL:PE and SWAP calibration data-sets are compared using independent test samples and six core sequences, all from high-altitude lakes, one in south-east Siberia and five in eastern Scotland. The results show the importance of using the AL:PE data-set for inferring lake-water pH from diatom assemblages in high-altitude or high latitude lakes with low DOC concentrations.     

Inferring lake depth using diatom assemblages in the shallow,seasonally variable lakes of the Nebraska Sand Hills (USA): calibration,validation, and application of a 69-lake training set

The Nebraska Sand Hills are a distinctive eco-region in the semi-arid Great Plains of the western United States. The water table underlying the Sand Hills is part of the High Plains/Ogallala aquifer, an important water resource for the central Great Plains. Lake levels are affected directly by fluctuations in the water table, which is recharged primarily by local precipitation and responds quickly to climatically induced changes in regional water balance. Instrumental records are available for only 50–100 years, and paleolimnological data provide important insights into the extremes and variability in moisture balance over longer time scales. A set of 69 lakes from across Nebraska was used to establish a statistical relationship between diatom community composition and water depth. This relationship was then used to develop a diatom-based inference model for water depth using weighted averaging regression and calibration techniques. Development of the inference model was complicated by strong intra-seasonal variability in water depth and the linkages between depth and other limnologic characteristics, including alkalinity, water clarity and nutrient concentrations. Analysis of historical diatom communities from eight lakes allowed for the reconstruction of lake-level fluctuations over the past several thousand years. Comparisons of the more recent portion of these reconstructions with the instrumental Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) showed that sediment records may not faithfully reflect short-term fluctuations in water level, except where sedimentation rates are very high. However, large and persistent changes in moisture availability were discernible even in longer, low-resolution records. Thus, diatoms are a useful addition to the tools available for understanding past drought in the central Great Plains, especially when trajectories of change are constrained by data from multiple sites or other proxies.     

Sub-fossil chironomids are significant indicators of turbidity in shallow lakes of northeastern USA

Small, shallow, temperate lakes are predominant landscape features in North America, however, little is known about their long-term ecosystem dynamics, and few data exist on the chironomid fauna they harbor. Using multivariate analyses, we defined relationships between sub-fossil chironomid assemblage composition and environmental variables in 26 shallow lakes of northeastern USA and quantified how differences in taxonomic resolution affect transfer function model performance. Using redundancy analysis, we found that chironomid assemblages are best explained by turbidity, dissolved inorganic carbon and drainage basin/lake area ratio. Turbidity explained the greatest proportion of variance found in the chironomid assemblage (10.4%), followed by total nitrogen. Through ordination analyses and an analysis of similarity, we found that macrophyte density was also a significant predictor of chironomid assemblages. We used partial least squares analysis to develop a robust model for quantitative reconstruction of turbidity, with r _jack² = 0.62. When using a more coarsely resolved taxonomic dataset, we found that model performance statistics were weaker, suggesting the need for fine-resolution taxonomy. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of variables related to lake trophic state in structuring chironomid assemblages in shallow, temperate lakes and provide tools for inferring past ecological changes in these ecosystems.     

Mesozoic sedimentation rates in the Western Canada Basin as indicators of the time and place of tectonic activity

Abstract The Mesozoic stratigraphy of the westernmost part of the Western Canada Basin is used to estimate sedimentation and relative crustal subsidence rates in the region between 49^oN and 60^oN, immediately to the east of the disturbed belt. Average rates of subsidence varied from zero to 120 m/Myr, with prominent maxima occurring three times during the Mesozoic. The first occurred during the Tithonian, when rates rose to 100 m/Myr; the second during the Albian to early Santonian, when rates rose to 120 m/Myr in the north and to 70 m/Myr in the south, with subsidence occurring earlier in the north than in the south. The third period of rapid subsidence occurred during the Campanian and Maastrichtian, with rates rising to 120 m/Myr in the southern part of the basin. During non-peak periods, average rates of subsidence ranged from 3.5 m/Myr to 35 m/Myr in the Triassic, from zero to 20 m/Myr in the Jurassic and from zero to 30 m/Myr in the Cretaceous.
Tectonic loading of the lithosphere is considered to be the most probable cause for all three of these periods of rapid subsidence. The three separate episodes are correlated with the separate arrivals of accreted terranes; the first in north-east Oregon and central west Idaho during the Late Jurassic, the second in the central Yukon during the late Early Cretaceous and the third in south-east British Columbia during the Late Cretaceous.     

Sedimentary pigments as indicators of cyanobacterial dynamics in a hypereutrophic lake

Lac Saint-Augustin is an urban lake located on the outskirts of Quebec City, one of North America’s oldest cities. Anthropogenic inputs from land clearing, agriculture, highway development and urbanization in the surrounding catchment have resulted in strong impacts on the limnology of the lake throughout the past three centuries. In recent years, this lake has experienced severe eutrophication, including persistent cyanobacterial blooms. In winter 2011, a sediment core was extracted from the deepest area of the lake. A detailed paleopigment analysis was used to assess eutrophication processes in the lake and to determine the timing and appearance of cyanobacterial blooms and their subsequent variability. Extracted chlorophyll a, its degradation products and 11 carotenoid pigments were identified and quantified via reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography to examine relative changes in the phytoplankton. The results revealed large variations in the phytoplankton community structure of Lac Saint-Augustin over the past 356 years. Chlorophyll a concentrations per unit organic matter (OM) increased significantly from the base of the core to present day, rising more than 15-fold from 18.4 µg (g OM)^?1 at the base of the core to 287 µg (g OM)^?1 in the most recent strata. Biostratigraphical analysis revealed three major periods of enrichment, with episodes of cyanobacterial abundance from the 1890s onwards. The greatest changes occurred in the most recent period (from the 1960s to the present) relative to earlier periods, with pigment increases for all phytoplankton groups. The cyanobacterial pigments canthaxanthin, echinenone and zeaxanthin (also a marker for green algae) showed concentrations in the surface sediments that were significantly above values at the bottom of the core, and these differences were large, even giving consideration to the lesser pigment degradation near the surface. Overall, the results indicate that cyanobacterial blooms are not a recent feature of Lac Saint-Augustin but began to occur soon after catchment modification 150 years ago. The pigment records also imply that cyanobacterial and associated algal populations have risen to unprecedented levels over the last few decades of ongoing development of the Lac Saint-Augustin catchment. This study highlights the utility of multiple pigment analysis of lake sediments for identifying the timing and magnitude of anthropogenic impacts.     

A Landsat-based evaluation of lake water clarity in Maine lakes

Temporal trends in water clarity and land-use/land-cover (LULC), as well as the relationship between changes in water clarity and LULC, were analyzed using water clarity values extracted from Landsat images from 1986 to 2008, acquired for east-central Maine. Of 40 lakes identified using satellite imagery, our analysis found one lake with a significant decrease in water clarity. In a second data-set, with 99 lakes, we identified two lakes with a significant increase in water clarity. Analyses of the relationship between temporal changes in the water clarity and LULC did not identify any clear, consistent, relationships between changes in the water quality variables and LULC. Overall, the results of this study aid in the identification of the relationship between water clarity and LULC, and identify temporal changes in water clarity. The findings of this study support the previous research that demonstrates the ability of satellite imagery to be used in assessments of water clarity, thus enabling evaluation at broader spatial scales and longer temporal scales than assessments that rely solely on ground-based data.     

Controls on the contemporary distribution of lake thecamoebians (testate amoebae) within the Greater Toronto Area and their potential as water quality indicators

Thecamoebians were examined from 71 surface sediment samples collected from 21 lakes and ponds in the Greater Toronto Area to (1) elucidate the controls on faunal distribution in modern lake environments; and (2) to consider the utility of thecamoebians in quantitative studies of water quality change. This area was chosen because it includes a high density of kettle and other lakes which are threatened by urban development and where water quality has deteriorated locally as a result of contaminant inputs, particularly nutrients. Fifty-eight samples yielded statistically significant thecamoebian populations. The most diverse faunas (highest Shannon Diversity Index values) were recorded in lakes beyond the limits of urban development, although the faunas of all lakes showed signs of sub-optimal conditions. The assemblages were divided into five clusters using Q-mode cluster analysis, supported by Detrended Correspondence Analysis. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to examine species-environment relationships and to explain the observed clusterings. Twenty-four measured environmental variables were considered, including water property attributes (e.g., pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen), substrate characteristics, sediment-based phosphorus (Olsen P) and 11 environmentally available metals. The thecamoebian assemblages showed a strong association with phosphorus, reflecting the eutrophic status of many of the lakes, and locally to elevated conductivity measurements, which appear to reflect road salt inputs associated with winter de-icing operations. Substrate characteristics, total organic carbon and metal contaminants (particularly Cu and Mg) also influenced the faunas of some samples. A series of partial CCAs show that of the measured variables, sedimentary phosphorus has the largest influence on assemblage distribution, explaining 6.98% (P < 0.002) of the total variance. A transfer function was developed for sedimentary phosphorus (Olsen P) using 58 samples from 15 of the studied lakes. The best performing model was based on weighted averaging with inverse deshrinking (WA Inv, r_jack² = 0.33, RMSEP = 102.65 ppm). This model was applied to a small modern thecamoebian dataset from a eutrophic lake in northern Ontario to predict phosphorus and performed satisfactorily. This preliminary study confirms that thecamoebians have considerable potential as quantitative water quality indicators in urbanising regions, particularly in areas influenced by nutrient inputs and road salts.     

Chaoborus (Diptera: Chaoboridae) mandibles—paleolimnological indicators of the historical status of fish populations in acid-sensitive lakes

Paleolimnological analyses of Chaoborus mandibles were used to assess the status of fish populations over the previous 150 to 300 years in five lakes from the Adirondack region of New York State. Windfall Pond (pH 6.5) has not acidified and currently has viable fish populations. Big Moose Lake (pH 5.0) has acidified in recent years, and the number of fish populations declined from 14 in the 1930's to seven in the early 1980's. The occurrence of only migratory Chaoborus (subgenus Sayomyia) in the cores indicated the long term presence of fish populations in Windfall Pond and Big Moose Lake. Brooktrout Lake (pH 5.0), Deep Lake (pH 4.7) and Upper Wallface Pond (pH 4.8) have all acidified in recent years, and all three are currently fishless. Chaoborus (Sayomyia) was present throughout the Brooktrout Lake core, but the entirely limnetic species, C. americanus, appeared in the topmost interval in the core. The appearance of C. americanus in the top of the core indicated a recent elimination of fish from Brooktrout Lake, probably during the 1970's. Elimination of fish by the 1940's was inferred for Deep Lake because C. americanus appeared above the 1930 level and replaced C. trivittatus as the dominant. Dominance of C. americanus throughout the Upper Wallface Pond core indicated that planktivorous fish were never present. These results strongly suggest that stratigraphic analyses of Chaoborus mandibles provide a useful assessment of the general status of historical fish populations in Adirondack lakes. The technique should be useful in other regions, as well as for applications other than those concerning lake acidification.This is the eleventh of a series of papers to be published by this journal which is a contribution of the Paleoecological Investigation of Recent Lake Acidification (PIRLA) project. Drs. D.F. Charles and D.R. Whitehead are guest editors for this series.     

Recent water quality trends and a comparison to sediment-core records for two riverine lakes of the Upper Mississippi River basin: Lake St. Croix and Lake Pepin

Long-term water quality monitoring data from two riverine lakes in the Upper Mississippi River basin, Lakes St. Croix and Pepin, were analyzed to compare the long-term average water quality conditions and land use distributions, water quality trends and loads at lake inlets and outlets, trends from long-term versus short-term monitoring records, and the ability of paleolimnological cores to accurately infer lake water quality conditions. During the 1976–2004 period, the long-term average concentrations of nutrients, suspended solids, and chlorophyll-a were consistently lower at the Lake St. Croix inlet versus the Lake Pepin inlet, which drains a greater proportion of urban and agricultural runoff. Despite these differences, nutrient trends were similar at the inlets to both lakes; reductions in total phosphorus and ammonium concentrations were attributed to improvements in point source technologies, whereas increasing nitrate concentrations were attributed to both point source changes and nonpoint source increases. Despite improvements in several water quality variables, nitrate concentrations are increasing in both lakes, sediment trends indicate persistent nonpoint source inputs to Lake Pepin, and current total phosphorus concentrations remain well above pre-1950s levels in both lakes. Since urban development and agriculture are increasing in the Lake St. Croix and Lake Pepin Watersheds, continued point source regulation and additional nonpoint source control efforts will be needed to further improve water quality in these lakes. The 1976–2004 trends for most water quality variables were similar at inlet versus outlet sites on Lake St. Croix. Trends at Lake Pepin inlet versus outlet sites were less similar, but data availability limited the comparison to the 1993–2003 period. While the truncated data record highlighted short-term trends in both lakes, the full data record was most useful for exploring general patterns in water quality. Length of monitoring record affected our ability to detect trends at the inlets to both lakes, and altered the magnitude of detected trends. During the two decades of the 1980s and 1990s, paleolimnological estimates of retained phosphorus loads were similar to those estimated from recent water quality monitoring. These similarities support the use of paleolimnological approaches to infer past water quality conditions in Lakes St. Croix and Pepin. This is one of eight papers dedicated to the “Recent Environmental History of the Upper Mississippi River” published in this special issue of the Journal of Paleolimnology. D. R. Engstrom served as guest editor of the special issue.     

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.     

Diatoms and sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) population dynamics: Reconstructions of salmon-derived nutrients over the past 2,200 years in two lakes from Kodiak Island, Alaska

The return of hundreds to millions of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), which have returned from the ocean to their natal nursery lake environment to spawn, can result in significant nutrient loading. By analyzing sedimentary diatom assemblages from nursery lakes, we demonstrated that a salmon-derived nutrient signal could be traced over time and be used to infer past sockeye salmon population dynamics. We conducted a 2,200 year paleolimnological study of two Alaskan sockeye salmon nursery lakes, Karluk and Frazer lakes. The two lakes are very similar, except that sockeye salmon were only introduced into Frazer Lake in 1951 (first spawners returned in 1956). In both lakes we found a strong correspondence between diatom assemblages and the number of adult salmon spawners recorded in the historical data (40 and 70 years for Frazer and Karluk lakes, respectively). Given this robust relationship, we then used our analyses of diatoms from Karluk Lake over the past 2,200 years to gain insight into salmon-derived nutrient loading changes (which are directly related to the number of sockeye salmon spawners). The diatom record from Karluk Lake recorded dramatic species changes on both decadal and century timescales, and was strongly correlated with an independent indicator of sockeye salmon abundances, ¹⁵N. Together, these data suggest pronounced variability in sockeye salmon abundances at Karluk Lake over the past 2,200 years. The direct impacts of regional environmental variability were not likely responsible for the patterns apparent in Karluk Lake, as the diatom and ¹⁵N profiles from Frazer Lake were relatively stable prior to the introduction of sockeye salmon. Application of total phosphorus transfer functions to the Karluk and Frazer lakes' diatom records revealed that sockeye salmon carcasses substantially increased the trophic status in these lakes, which has important implications for the health of juvenile salmon that rear in nursery lakes. Overall, this paper illustrates the potential use of diatoms in reconstructing past sockeye salmon population dynamics, which in turn can lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms influencing abundances of sockeye salmon.