Estimating phytolith influx in lake sediments

So far, no phytolith extraction protocols have been tested for accuracy and repeatability. Here we aim to display a phytolith extraction method combining the strengths of two widely used protocols, supplemented with silica microspheres as exogenous markers for quantifying phytolith concentrations. Phytolith concentrations were estimated for samples from two sedimentary sequences in which numerical age–depth models make it possible to calculate phytolith influxes (phytolith numbers per cm²per yr). Analysis of replicates confirmed the statistical robustness, the repeatability and the very few biases of our extraction technique for small phytoliths, since the relationship between grass silica short cells and microspheres was kept stable. Furthermore, we demonstrated that silica microspheres are robust exogenous markers for estimating phytolith concentrations. The minimum number of items (i.e., phytoliths plus silica microspheres) that must be counted to estimate phytolith concentrations and thus influxes depends on the ratio of phytoliths to microspheres (R) and is minimized when R = 1. Nevertheless, we recommend using ratios R ≤ 1 in order to avoid having the counting process become excessively time-consuming, because microspheres are easier to identify and count than phytoliths.     

Trace fossils from proglacial lake sediments

Trace fossils have been discovered in Middle Pleistocene proglacial lake sediments from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England. They indicate that this environment was capable of supporting a variety of benthonic animals. The fossils are described and tentatively assigned to several invertebrate groups.     

Controls on uranium distribution in lake sediments

Uranium geochemistry has been investigated in three acid lakes located on the Canadian Shield and one circumneutral lake in the Appalachian Region of Eastern Canada. In all Shield lakes, dissolved U concentrations were higher in the porewater than in the overlying water. In one of them, whose hypolimnion is perennially oxic, U released to porewater at depths of Fe remobilization was removed from the porewater at depths of Fe oxyhydroxides precipitation; these similarities in the U and Fe profiles indicate that part of the U becomes associated to Fe oxyhydroxides. The dissolved U and Fe profiles in the other two Shield lakes, whose hypolimnions were anoxic when sampled, did not show any significant recycling of these elements in the vicinity of the sediment-water interface and both elements diffused from the sediment to the overlying water. In contrast, in the Appalachian Lake, dissolved U concentrations were higher in the overlying water than in porewater, strongly decreased at the vicinity of the sediment-water interface and then remained relatively constant with sediment depth. Diagenetic modeling of the porewater U profiles, assuming steady-state, reveals that authigenic U always represented ?3% of the total U concentration in the sediments of all lakes. This observation indicates that diagenetic reactions involving U are not quantitatively important and that most of the U was delivered to the sediments at our study sites as particulate U and not through diffusion across the sediment-water interface, as is seen in continental margin sediments. Comparison of the U:C_org and U:Fe molar ratios in diagenetic material collected across the sediment-water interface with Teflon sheets and in surface sediments (0-0.5 cm) of the lake having a perennially oxic hypolimnion suggest that solid phase U was mainly bound to organic matter originating from the watershed; a strong statistical correlation between sediment non-lithogenic U and C_org in the Appalachian Lake supports this contention. Thermodynamic calculations of saturation states suggest that dissolved U was not removed from porewater through precipitation of UO_2(s), U₃O_7(s) and U₃O_8(s) as previously proposed in the literature.     

Long chain alkenones preserved in Miocene lake sediments

Over the last few decades, the occurrence of long chain alkenones (LCAs) in Quaternary lacustrine settings has been reported, the distributions being remarkably different from those of open ocean settings. We report here the occurrence of LCAs with modern lake-type composition from Middle Miocene sedimentary strata in the Dahonggou Section, Qaidam Basin, northern Tibetan Plateau. This is the first report of LCAs with preserved lake compositions in pre-Quaternary lacustrine sediments. The discovery implies that the producers of modern lacustrine LCAs could originate from similar lake species living at least as far back as the Miocene epoch. It also sheds new light on the potential of “alkenones” as palaeotemperature indicators in lacustrine systems back to at least 10.5 Ma.     

Selective extraction of organically bound gold in soils, lake sediments and stream sediments

The extraction of organically bound gold from surficial materials is accomplished by using a solution of 5% sodium hypochlorite. A 10-g sample is digested at least twice with 50 mL of hypochlorite solution. The recovery of gold from the organic phase is nearly quantitative for lake sediments and stream sediments high in organic content. For stream sediments and soils low in organics, the recovery of gold is complicated by the sorption of released gold onto inorganic sample components. For these materials, recoveries as low as 70% of the organically bound gold are possible. For a stream sediment sample containing 53.4 ppb gold, the precision of the method is approximately 6% for a 10-g sample and 14% when a 5-g sample of stream sediment is used. The results obtained for all materials tested indicate that a substantial fraction of the gold found in sediments and soils exists as organically bound gold.     

Chronological strategies and metal fluxes in semi-arid lake sediments

The largest flux of sediments to a semi-arid lake (Barrett Reservoir) was stream influx after the winter rains. During the times of no stream flow, resuspension of previously deposited material dominated. Direct atmospheric transport was minor but atmospheric particulates were evident in the sediments due to stream influx of particles containing a significant atmospherically derived component. Only an anthropogenic lead influx was measurable in the sedimentary record due to the high sedimentation rate. In semi-arid areas where intermittent stream flow occurs, more than one technique must be used to obtain an overall sedimentation rate.     

A rapid estimation of organic carbon in silty lake sediments

A rapid and convenient method is described for the estimation of active organic carbon in silty lake sediments collected in regional geochemical surveys. The method utilizes measurement of optical density at 500 nm, of a 4 M nitric acid ? 0.1 M hydrochloric acid leach of a sediment sample and has a precision of ± 26% as determined from separate replicate analyses. An attractive feature of the method lies in its use of the same leach solution on which atomic absorption analyses of trace metals may be made.     

Effect of organic matter on DOM sorption on lake sediments

The effect of organic matter on the sorption of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on lake sediments is critical to understanding the fate and transport of contaminants at the sediment–water interface in lake ecosystems. Results indicate that DOM sorption on sediment is largely due to ligand exchange between the DOM and hydroxyl groups, and the amount of DOC sorbed is a linear function of added DOC. With increasing organic matter content the sediment has lower binding strength, higher releasing ability for DOM, and the higher amount of DOM sorbed by sediment naturally. There was no clear difference before and after the sediment was treated with H₂O₂, but the constant b implied that after the sediments were treated DOC release was promoted. Organic matter in the sediment tends to impede the sorption of DOC and results in a remarkable decrease in DOC sorption rates.     

Late-glacial climatic oscillations as recorded in Swiss lake sediments

Regional pollen assemblage zones for the late-glacial period of the Swiss Plateau are introduced and defined. They include four major zones (Artemisia, Juniperus—Hippophaë, Betula, Pinus PAZ) with several subzones. Pollen and oxygen-isotope analyses on lacustrine sediments from several lakes in the area reveal four distinct phases of climatic oscillation in the time period of 13 000-9500 yr BP. The first oscillation, termed the Aegelsee fluctuation, occurs shortly before 12 000 yr BP and varve counts suggest its duration was ca. 100 yr. It is characterised by a short decrease in the oxygen isotopes as well as a short increase in NAP associated with a depression in birch pollen values. The second oscillation, which occurs in the δ¹⁸O record shortly before the deposition of the Laacher See Tephra (ca. 11 000 yr BP), is termed the Gerzensee fluctuation. It occurs during a pine-dominated phase and its vegetational effects cannot be determined palynologically. The most prominent regressive phase is the Younger Dryas biozone (ca. 10 700-10 000 yr BP) characterised by an increase in heliophilous NAP and low δ¹⁸O values. The Younger Dryas biozone can often be subdivided palynologically into two parts: a first part rich in grasses and juniper and a second part with higher Filipendula and birch values. During the Preboreal biozone another distinct oscillation is evidenced only in the oxygen isotope ratios. Comparison of the Swiss oxygen isotope profiles with the Greenland Dye 3 record suggests that not only the three major shifts in the δ¹⁸O curves but also the minor ones are closely comparable, suggesting some common climatic control.     

Arsenic, iron and sulfur co-diagenesis in lake sediments

Profiles of porewater pH and dissolved As, Fe, Mn, sulfate, total sulfide (ΣS^−II), total zero-valent sulfur (ΣS⁰), organic carbon and major ion concentrations, as well as those of solid As, acid-volatile sulfide (AVS), total S, Fe, Mn, Al, organic C, ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs were determined in the sediment of four lakes spanning a range of redox and geochemical conditions. An inverse modeling approach, based on a one-dimensional transport-reaction equation assuming steady-state, was applied to the porewater As profiles and used to constrain the net rates of reactions involving As (). The model defines depth intervals where As is either released to (positive ) or removed from (negative ) the porewaters.At two of the sites, whose bottom water were oxygenated at sampling time, a production zone ( = 12 × 10⁻¹⁸ mol cm⁻³ s⁻¹-71 × 10⁻¹⁸ mol cm⁻³ s⁻¹) is inferred a few cm below the sediment-water interface, coincident with sharp porewater As and Fe peaks that indicate an intense coupled recycling of As and Fe. This process is confirmed by solid As and Fe maxima just below the sediment surface. In these two lakes a zone of As consumption ( = −5 × 10⁻¹⁸ mol cm⁻³ s⁻¹ to −53 × 10⁻¹⁸ mol cm⁻³ s⁻¹), attributed to the slow adsorption of As to authigenic Fe oxyhydroxides, occurs just above the production zone. A second-order rate constant of 0.12 ± 0.03 cm³ mol⁻¹ s⁻¹ is estimated for this adsorption reaction.Such features in the porewater and solid profiles were absent from the two other lakes that develop a seasonally anoxic hypolimnion. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that the porewaters of the four lakes, when sulfidic (i.e., ΣS^−II ? 0.1 μM), were undersaturated with respect to all known solid As sulfides; the calculation also predicts the presence of As^V oxythioanions in the sulfidic waters, as suggested by a recent study. In the sulfidic waters, the removal of As ( = −1 × 10⁻¹⁸ mol cm⁻³ s⁻¹ to −23 × 10⁻¹⁸ mol cm⁻³ s⁻¹) consistently occurred when saturation, with respect to FeS_(s), was reached and when As^V oxythioanions were predicted to be significant components of total dissolved As. This finding has potential implications for As transport in other anoxic waters and should be tested in a wider variety of natural environments.     

Kinetics of nutrient and metal release from decomposing lake sediments

Rates of anaerobic decomposition of Lake Erie sediments were determined for seven depth intervals at three temperatures. Sealed sediment sections were incubated under anoxic conditions and the interstitial waters were serially sampled over a period of approximately 200 days. Concentration increases of bicarbonate, phosphate, ammonium, Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn in pore water within any given depth interval followed zero order kinetics over the sampling period and exhibited Arrhenius temperature dependency. Rates of release to the pore waters were proportional to the concentrations in the solid phases, indicating first order kinetics overall.The rates and temperature dependencies of these fermentation reactions were only slightly less than those reported from sediments undergoing sulfate reduction. The observed release rates decreased exponentially with depth in the sediment due to a corresponding decrease in the amount of metabolizable organic matter and acid hydrolyzable mineral phases.A stoichiometric model was constructed utilizing the observed release rates and assumed chemical reactions to predict the stoichiometry of the decomposing organic matter and the nature of the hydrogen buffer. The modeling indicates that 60% of the observed bicarbonate release is the direct result of organic decomposition, that 20% of the release is from the dissolution of calcium carbonate mineral phases, and that the remaining 20% of the release is from the dissolution of magnesium, iron und manganese carbonate mineral phases.Kinetic modeling of the observed production rates accurately predicts the vertical profiles of Ca, Mg, Fe and Mn, but cannot quantitatively account for all the concentration differences of the nutrient elements C, N and P. This implies that in addition to decomposition, increased depositional flux also accounts for the significant changes in concentrations of the nutrient elements in the near surface sediments.     

Geochemistry of Vellayani lake sediments: Indicators of weathering and provenance

The Vellayani lake, located on the west coast, Kerala, South India, is a natural fresh water lake. In order to understand the source and nature of the sediments; thirteen lake floor sediment samples were collected from the Vellayani lake at different intervals along the S-N transects covering the entire surface area of the lake. Textural studies indicate that lake floor sediments are dominant in sand (55.39%) followed by clay (30.57%) and silt (14.04%) fractions. Coarse components are dominant at the inlet ofthe stream into the lake. The geochemical content of the sediments reveals low SiO₂, MnO, CaO, MgO, Na₂O, K₂O, and P₂O₅ content while TiO₂, Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ are high when compared with Post Archean Australian Shale (PAAS) and Upper Continental Crust (UCC) values. SiO₂ is high in coarse fractions while Al₂O₃ is strongly associated with fine sediments. Major oxide contents supported by Rare Earth Element (REE) data reveal a distinct negative Eu anomaly reflecting a dominant cratonic origin of the sediments. Detailed geochemical data indicate a mixed source, predominantly, the lateritic soils, sedimentary and metamorphic bedrocks exposed around the lake and in the catchment area.     

Evaluating the influence of lake morphology,trophic status and diagenesis on geochemical profiles in lake sediments

Recent geochemical studies provide evidence that changes in vertical distributions of nutrients in lake sediments are driven by anthropogenic activities, based primarily on trends of increasing concentrations in upper sediment layers. However, the present study shows that vertical concentration profiles of C, N and P in lake sediments can be higher in the upper, most recently deposited sediment strata, driven largely by natural diagenetic processes and not eutrophication alone. Sediment cores from 14 different lakes in New Zealand and China were examined ranging from oligotrophic to highly eutrophic and shallow to deep, and it was found that the shape of vertical profiles of total P, a key nutrient for lake productivity, can be similar in sediments across gradients of widely differing trophic status. Empirical and mechanistic diagenesis steady state profile models were derived and applied to describe the vertical distribution of C, N and P in the sediments. These models, which focus on large scale temporal (decades) and spatial (up to 35 cm in the vertical) processes, revealed that density-differentiated burial and biodiffusive mixing, were strongly correlated with vertical concentration gradients of sediment C, N and P content, whereas lake trophic status was not. A sensitivity analysis of parameters included in the diagenetic model further showed that the processes including flux of organic matter to the sediment–water interface, burial (net sedimentation), breakdown of organic matter and biodiffusion all can significantly influence the vertical distribution of sediment P content. It was concluded that geochemical studies attempting to evaluate drivers of the vertical distribution of sediment C, N and P content in lake sediments should also account for the natural diagenetic drivers of vertical concentration gradients, assisted with application of similar models to those presented in this study. This would include quantification of key sediment diagenesis model parameters to separate out the influence of anthropogenic activities.     

Perylene dominance in sediments from a subtropical high mountain lake

Perylene formation in sediments of water bodies has been a topic of continual discussion and debate. We report the concentration and age (ca. 660 yr) profiles of perylene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a sediment core from Emerald Peak Lake, the largest high mountain lake in Taiwan. Perylene is dominant at all depths of the sediment (ranging from 60% to 98% of total PAHs), a feature not commonly found in other sediments. The concentration profile of perylene with sediment age fits a first order kinetic model, which might be an indication of a steady sedimentary environment.     

Hydroxy acids in Antarctic lake sediments and their geochemical significance

Hydroxy acids in sediments of Lakes Bonney, Fryxell, Joyce and Vanda, and unnamed ponds (B2, NF1, NF2 and L4) as well as in cyanobacterial mats from the McMurdo Sound region of southern Victoria Land in Antarctica have been studied to clarify their features and elucidate their source organisms. Normal and branched (iso and anteiso) 2-hydroxy acids were found in all the samples studied with the predominance of even- and odd-carbon numbers, respectively. The most dominant 2-hydroxy acids in the sediments were mainly short-chain components (<C₂₀). Normal and branched 3-hydroxy acids were detectewith the predominance of even- and odd-carbon numbers, respectively, in total concentrations between 0.48 and 53 μg/g of dry sediment. (ω-1)-Hydroxy acids were all long-chains (C₂₂, C₂₄, C₂₆, C₂₈ and C₃₀). 9,10-Dihydroxyhexadecanoic and/or 9,10-dihydroxyoctadecanoic acids were identified in all the sediments and a cyanobacterial mat. The composition of hydroxy acids differ considerably among the lakes and ponds, suggesting the difference of source organisms. These 2-, 3- and (ω-1)-hydroxy, and 9,10-dihydroxy acids may be derived from cyanobacteria and microalgae, in addition to non-photosynthetic microorganisms. Cyanobacteria and microalgae which are widely distributed in the world, may be important sources of hydroxy acids in the natural environments.