Hydrologic and climatic implications of a multidisciplinary study of late Holocene sediment from Kenosee Lake, southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada

Sediment lithology and mineralogy, as well as ostracode, plant macrofossil and stable isotope stratigraphies of lake sediment cores, are used to reconstruct late Holocene hydrologic changes at Kenosee Lake, a relatively large, hyposaline lake in southeastern Saskatchewan. Chronological control is provided by AMS radiocarbon ages of upland and shoreline plant macrofossils. All indicators outline an early, low-water, saline phase of lake history (4100–3000 BP), when the basin was occupied by a series of small, interconnected, sulfate-rich brine pools, as opposed to the single, topographically-closed lake that exists today. A rapid rise in lake-level (3000–2300 BP) led to the establishment of carbonate-rich, hyposaline lake conditions like those today. Lithostratigraphic data and ostracode assemblages indicate peak salinities were attained early in this period of lake infilling, suggesting that the lake-level rise was initially driven by an influx of saline groundwater. Lake-level and water chemistry have remained relatively stable over the last 2000 years, compared to earlier events. Because of a lack of datable organic material in sediments deposited during the last 2000 years, the chronology of recent events is not well resolved. Plant macrofossil, lithostratigraphic and ostracode evidence suggests that lake draw-down, accompanied by slightly higher than present salinites, occurred sometime prior to 600 BP, followed by peak lake-level and freshwater conditions. This most recent high lake stand, indicative of a high water table on the surrounding upland, may also have led to the establishment of an extensive cover of Betula in the watershed, possibly in response to paludification. Ostracode assemblages indicate that peak freshwater conditions occurred within the last 100 years. Since historically documented lake-level fluctuations correlate with decadal scale climatic fluctuations in the meteorological record, and late-Holocene hydrologic dynamics correspond to well documented climatic excursions of the Neoglacial and Little Ice Age, Kenosee Lake dynamics offer insight into the susceptibility of the region's water resources to climate change.     

Zooplankton distribution and abundance in saline lakes of British Columbia,Canada

Zooplankton in saline lakes of the Southern Interior Plateau of British Columbia were collected on three occasions: mid-May and early August, 1990, and in late July, 1991. Salinities ranged from 2.6 to 45.8 g L⁻¹. Of the 17 lakes examined, 13 were hyposaline (∼-20g L⁻¹), four, mesosaline (20–50 g L⁻¹) and none, hypersaline (>50 g L⁻¹). pH ranged from 8.7 (Three Mile) to 10.7 (Goodenough), with values <9.6 in 10, and <9.0 in only three lakes. Lakes with high pHs had high bicarbonate-carbonate alkalinities. Thirty one species of zooplankton occurred: Protista (1), Rotifera (13), Anostraca (2), Cladocera (7), Ostracoda (1) and Copepoda (7). Sixteen species were restricted to hyposaline waters, with seven found only in salinities of ≤5 gL⁻¹. Two species (Diaptomus connexus, Artemia franciscana) were restricted to mesosaline waters of salinity >35 g L⁻¹. Eurysaline species includedBrachionus plicatilis, Hexarthra fennica, Limnocythere staplini, Artemia franciscana andDiaptomus connexus. Most species were abundant in 1+ lakes, but six species always had low populations.B. plicatilis, Hexarthra polyodonta, A. franciscana, Limnocythere staplini, Daphnia similis andD. connexus had densest populations in one or more of the three most saline lakes, viz. Long, Goodenough and Three Mile. Cladocerans other thanD. similis (Alona sp., Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, Daphnia pulex) were usually abundant in lakes of low salinity (<5 g L⁻¹).Diatomus sicilis, present in all except the three most saline lakes, also occurred in abundance in ten of these lakes.Moina hutchinsoni andH. polyodonta were present in both hyposaline and mesosaline lakes, but, more importantly, tended to occur only at higher pH values (>pH 9.4) but not in all such lakes. These can be regarded as alkaline-saline species. Sorensen’s Coefficient of Community Similarity was used to compare communities in Alberta-Saskatchewan and British Columbia. It was low (0.37). A comparison restricted to just Cladocera gave a slightly higher value, 0.44, but a comparison of Copepoda gave a value of 71 per cent similarity between the regions. Multiple regression analyses using pH, TDS and K regressed on species richness for all samples accounted for only 41 per cent of the variance. However, when the analysis was seasonally restricted (May), and thus to a limited chemical range, 47 to 77.5 per cent of the variance was accounted for by these three variables.     

Zooplankton distribution and abundance in saline lakes of Alberta and Saskatchewan,Canada

Zooplankton collections were made during 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1989 from 17 lakes in Saskatchewan and 3 in Alberta. Salinity ranged from 2.8 to 269 g L⁻¹ (total filtrable residue). A total of 35 species was present in four taxa: Anostraca (3 species), Cladocera (11), Copepoda (7) and Rotifera (14). Species richness was greatest at salinities <7 g L⁻¹ (15–16 species). Lakes with salinities between 7 and 100 g L⁻¹ generally had 6–8 zooplankton species, while the most saline lakes (>100 g L⁻¹) had 2–5 species. The largest concentrations of zooplankton occurred at <30 g L⁻¹, but some species (Brachionus plicatilis, Hexarthra polyodonta, Artemia franciscana, Diaptomus connexus) were abundant at salinities >50 g L⁻¹. Eurysaline species included the rotifersAsplanchna girodi (3–111 g L⁻¹),Brachionus plicatilis (13–146) andKeratella quadrata (2.8–103).Artemia franciscana (33–269—but absent from Big Quill Lake, 49–82),Daphnia similis (3–104).D. connexus (9–82),Diacyclops thomasi (3–72), andCletocamptus albuquerquensis (17 to 126—but never abundant in the plankton). About half the species were restricted to hyposaline waters (3–20 g L⁻¹), but some (Hexarthra fennica, Moina hutchinsoni, Hexarthra polyodonta) occurred only at intermediate salinities. The latter two species were also only present at high pH values (>9.2). There was a trend of decreasing species richness with increasing salinity. TWINSPAN classification of 94 lake samples (six parameters) based on zooplankton species abundances yielded a dendrogram with 14 ‘indicator’ species characteristic of seven lake groups related partly to a salinity gradient, but with other environmental factors such as water column depth, pH, Secchi disk transparency, water temperature and month sampled also influenced lake separation. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** A02GG004 00002     

The Laguna de Mar Chiquita (Córdoba,Argentina): A little known,secularly fluctuating,saline lake

Although the Laguna de Mar Chiquita is among the largest saline lakes of the world (2,000–6,000 km² area), knowledge about it is scarce. Like other large salt lakes, Mar Chiquita undergoes strong inter-annual changes in water level that are primarily linked to the variable expression of three different types of climate throughout its extensive catchment area. Water-level fluctuations and their overall environmental influence, especially on salinity (25–360 g L^–1) and biota, have significant results. Comparison of Mar Chiquita with other fluctuating large salt lakes shows an independent long-term pattern of water-level (and salinity) changes. Primary determinants of its limnology are (1) its extensive catchment, (2) the occurrence of three different types of climate on the catchment, (3) the shallowness of the basin and (4) the effects of strong wind, water circulation within the lake, and sediment inputs from rivers. The effects of fluctuation on the lake biota are more evident at the level of dominant organisms at every fluctuation stage and their functions than in overall biodiversity and food-web complexity.     

Paleolimnological potential of chrysophyte cysts and scales and of sponge spicules as indicators of lake salinity

Chrysophyte cysts and scales and sponge spicules were enumerated, along with diatoms, from the surface sediments of 102 western Canadian lakes. The salinities of these lakes ranged from 0.042 to 369 g L⁻¹ in late summer. Sponge spicules and chrysophyte cysts and scales were more common in fresher waters, although chrysophyte cysts were also present in subsaline and hyposaline waters at lower relative percentages. These siliceous microfossils can easily be distinguished and counted along with diatom valves, with little extra effort. It is likely that using these additional indicators will strengthen paleolimnological inferences of past lakewater salinity.     

Littoral benthos of the saline crater lakes of the basin of Oriental, Mexico

Two saline crater lakes in the basin of Oriental, Puebla-Tlaxcala-Veracruz, were investigated for littoral benthic macroinvertebrates. Fifty taxa were identified with the oligochaetes, amphipods, chironomids and leeches the dominant organisms. These four taxa made up to 99 per cent in both number and biomass.Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri, Hyalella azteca, Tanypus (Apelopia) sp. andStictochironomus sp. were the most abundant organisms. Unlike other saline lakes which have a littoral benthos dominated by chironomids, Alchichica and Atexcac were dominated by oligochaetes (70–73 per cent). The gastropod,Physa sp., was found up to a salinity of 8 g L⁻¹; in other studies, it has been found in lower salinities.L. hoffmeisteri is also a typical inhabitant of freshwater lakes, particularly of deep waters. It was dominant in the shallow, saline waters of the two lakes studied. Salinity did not affect species richness. Alchichica, the most saline of the six crater lakes of Puebla (salinity, 7.4 g L⁻¹), had 30 per cent more species than the freshwater lakes, and double the species number of Atexcac. It seems the main factor controlling species richness and the density and biomass of organisms in Alchichica and Atexcac is the presence of aquatic vegetation. It does this by increasing habitat heterogeneity and providing food and protection against predators.     

A weighted-averaging regression and calibration model for inferring lakewater salinity using chrysophycean stomatocysts from lakes in western Canada

Chrysophycean stomatocysts were identified and enumerated from the surface sediments of 60 lakes located on the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. The lakes span a salinity gradient from freshwater to hypersaline (0.0–92.4 g L^–1), with the majority being fresh to hyposaline. One hundred and ten stomatocyst morphotypes, almost all of which were previously described, were identified from the lake sediments. The first axis of direct gradient analysis, which was highly significant, was essentially a salinity axis (i.e. [Ca], [Mg], [K], [Na], [SO₄], [DIC], and [Cl]). Most cysts were found to have fairly broad tolerances, with the narrowest tolerances occurring among morphotypes with the lowest salinity optima. Weighted-averaging regression and calibration techniques were used to develop an inference model to measure the relationship between measured average lakewater salinity and stomatocyst inferred salinity (apparent r²=0.80). Simple weighted-averaging produced a model with a lower bootstrapped RMSE of prediction than weighted-averaging with tolerance downweighting. These data indicate that chrysophyte stomatocysts are useful quantitative indicators of past lakewater salinity (in the freshwater to hyposaline range) in B.C. lakes, and can be used to strengthen the interpretations from diatom-inference models already developed from the same region.     

Biomonitoring past salinity changes in an athalassic subarctic lake

A short sediment core was taken from a small saline lake located on an intermontane plateau in the central Yukon Territory, Canada. In July 1990, chemical analyses indicated that, although the lake was shallow (Z_max=1.1 m), it was also chemically stratified, with hyposaline (9.9 to 10.0 g L⁻¹) surface waters and slightly mesosaline (22.0 g L⁻¹) deeper waters. The surface water was dominated by Na⁺ and HCO ₃ ⁻ . To our knowledge, this is the northernmost athalassic saline lake yet recorded. Quantification of algal (diatom, chrysophyte, and pigment) and invertebrate (chironomid, ceratopogonid, andChaoborus) fossils at four stratigraphic levels indicated that the lake sediments preserved numerous biological indicators that could be used to infer recent lake development. Many of the taxa are found in other athalassic salt lakes. The most striking stratigraphic change was a remarkable drop in the species richness of diatoms and invertebrates in the recent sediments, which parallels the elimination of species characteristic of less saline conditions. Halophilous taxa dominate the most recent sediments, indicating the development of more saline conditions. At the same time, a significant shift in chrysophyte cyst composition was observed. Fossil carotenoids and chlorophylls indicated a decrease in total algal abundance in recent sediments, as green and blue-green algae replaced diatoms and chrysophytes. Together, these paleolimnological data suggest a recent shift to drier conditions or increased evaporation in the central Yukon Territory.     

Seasonal ecosystem variability in remote mountain lakes: implications for detecting climatic signals in sediment records

Weather variation and climate fluctuations are the main sources of ecosystem variability in remote mountain lakes. Here we describe the main patterns of seasonal variability in the ecosystems of nine lakes in Europe, and discuss the implications for recording climatic features in their sediments. Despite the diversity in latitude and size, the lakes showed a number of common features. They were ice-covered between 5–9 months, and all but one were dimictic. This particular lake was long and shallow, and wind action episodically mixed the water column throughout the ice-free period. All lakes showed characteristic oxygen depletion during the ice-covered-period, which was greater in the most productive lakes. Two types of lakes were distinguished according to the number of production peaks during the ice-free season. Lakes with longer summer stratification tended to have two productive periods: one at the onset of stratification, and the other during the autumn overturn. Lakes with shorter stratification had a single peak during the ice-free period. All lakes presented deep chlorophyll maxima during summer stratification, and subsurface chlorophyll maxima beneath the ice. Phosphorus limitation was common to all lakes, since nitrogen compounds were significantly more abundant than the requirements for the primary production observed. The major chemical components present in the lakes showed a short but extreme dilution during thawing. Certain lake features may favour the recording of particular climatic fluctuations, for instance: lakes with two distinct productive periods, climatic fluctuations in spring or autumn (e.g., through chrysophycean cysts); lakes with higher oxygen consumption, climatic factors affecting the duration of the ice-cover (e.g., through low-oxygen tolerant chironomids); lakes with higher water retention time; changes in atmospheric deposition (e.g., through carbon or pigment burial); lakes with longer stratification, air temperature changes during summer and autumn (e.g., through all epilimnetic species).     

Reconstructing air temperature at eleven remote alpine and arctic lakes in Europe from 1781 to 1997 AD

Pristine and sensitive environments, such as remote alpine and arctic lakes, are particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change. However, these remote environments do not have sufficiently long instrumental climate records to support studies on contemporary climate change. The issue of the scarcity of instrumental climate data at remote regions is addressed by reconstructing monthly mean air temperatures from 1781 to 1997 AD at eleven remote alpine and arctic lakes in Europe, as part of the MOuntain LAke Research (MOLAR) project. Stepwise multiple regression is applied to establish linear transfer functions of temperatures between each of eleven upland records and twenty homogenised long lowland records. Twelve monthly transfer functions are obtained for each lake. The skill of these transfer functions is found to range typically between 60 and 99%. The lower skill values generally correspond to winter months. The temperature reconstructions obtained using the transfer functions need to be corrected with vertical temperature gradients. Air-temperature lapse rates were obtained for each lake region by spatial interpolation of radiosonde air-temperature data (1990–1997). The resulting reconstructions at each lake were checked using air-temperature data (1996–1997) from automatic weather stations installed at the lakes during the MOLAR project. We estimate the typical reconstruction errors to be about 1.3 °C for low-sun months and about 0.98 °C for high-sun months. Trend analyses on the reconstructed annual mean air temperatures at the lakes show two distinct types of trends for the 19th and 20th centuries. During the period 1801–1900, the western European lakes show no significant trend whereas annual mean air temperatures at the eastern European lakes decrease significantly. The period 1901–1997 presents a warming trend at all but the Fennoscandian lakes. Our results are in good agreement with previous studies on the spatial distribution and magnitude of temperature change in Europe. Principal component analysis performed on the reconstructed annual mean air temperature reveals two different regimes of trends for the past two centuries. It also allows a regional clustering of the inter-annual variability of air temperature at the lakes to be identified.     

巴丹吉林沙漠湖泊-沙山近地表风沙动力环境

高大沙山与湖泊交错发育的地貌景观多年来引起了学术界的广泛关注。基于巴丹吉林沙漠腹地大沙枣海子及其周边5个气象站点的同步风况资料,探讨了区域起沙风况、输沙势以及主导输沙风向的空间分布特征。并结合湖泊-沙山独特的地貌格局,初步揭示了大沙枣海子局地环流以及风沙动力环境。由于受高大沙山的影响,大沙枣海子及其外围局地环流非常明显,合成输沙方向自湖泊中心向外围呈反向发散分布。从沙山外围至湖泊中心,起沙风次数呈同心圆状递减。合成输沙势[RDP]和合成输沙方向空间变化较大,湖泊西侧合成输沙方向以东南向为主,而东侧以西南向为主,区域风能属于低能环境。     

Invertebrates in salt lakes of the Bolivian Altiplano

Based upon a short reconnaissance (March 1991), the chemicalnature and principal invertebrate fauna of seven saline lakes on the Altiplano of southern Bolivia are discussed (Lago de Uru-uru, Pastos Grandes, Lago Ramiditas, Lago Hedionda, Lago Cañapa, Laguna Colorado, pool at L. Colorado). Salinities ranged between 4.4 and 156 g L^–1. The fauna was depauperate. Except at the lowest salinities (<5 gL^–1), rotifers were absent. At high salinities (>50 g L^–1), onlyArtemia, Boeckella poopoensis, ephydrids and a dolichopodid were present.     

Diatom,pollen, and geochemical evidence for the palaeosalinity of Medicine Lake,S. Dakota,during the late-Wisconsin and early Holocene

Medicine Lake is a highly saline meromictic lake in eastern South Dakota. A lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic study of the late-glacial and early post-glacial sediments shows that it was a relatively deep dilute freshwater lake during the period of the Picea pollen zone. When spruce forest changed to a Betula and then to a Quercus/Ulmus woodland in the early post-glacial period, the lake water became more concentrated but remained fresh. However, during the subsequent rapid transition to prairie in the early Holocene, when Gramineae, Ambrosia, and Artemisia dominated dry-land vegetation, the freshwater diatom flora was progressively replaced by a saline assemblage characterized by Cyclotella quillensis, Chaetoceros, and eventually Cyclotella caspia. The lake became permanently saline at about 9000 yr BP. A comparison of the fossil diatom assemblages with surface-sediment samples from a range of lakes in the Dakotas indicates that the change involved an increase in conductivity from about 500 S cm^–1 in the late-glacial period to > 10 000 S cm^–1 in the early Holocene. This rapid change is also marked by an abrupt increase in sulphate concentration in the sediment, the first appearance of bands of gypsum crystals, and the beginning of a well-laminated core sequence that continues through the remaining sediment record. Conditions of high salinity have prevailed to the present day.Contribution 299, Limnological Research Center.     

Temporal salinity variation in salt evaporation basins in south-eastern Australia

Salt evaporation basins in south-eastern Australia, in contrast with natural saline lakes in this region, were not highly saline and exhibited little seasonal pattern in water depth and salinity over a 2-year sampling period. Lack of seasonality arose from either constant inflow (from continuous groundwater pumping) or erratic inflow (from unpredictable irrigation demands). Differences in zooplankton species composition between the salt evaporation basins and natural saline lakes might reflect the differences in temporal salinity patterns. Some typical saline lake zooplankton were not found in the evaporation basins. Salt evaporation basins therefore may represent additions to the inland water habitats of semi-arid Australia.     

Late Quaternary-Holocene lake-level changes in the eastern margin of the Thar Desert,India

A study on two closed salt lake basins, Tal Chapar and Parihara in the eastern margin of the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, was carried out to unravel late Quaternary geomorphic evolution of these saline lakes. Both lakes are elliptical in shape bordered by stabilised dunes, and are oriented in a NE-SW direction, i.e., in the direction of the prevailing summer monsoon wind. Both lakes have been formed in the wind-shadow zones of isolated hills of Precambrian quartzite. Our study indicates that the late Quaternary sediments in the lakes began with the cyclic deposition of laminated fine silt layers (0.5 m thick), rich in organic matter, alternating with ripple cross-bedded sand layers (each ∼1.5–2 m thick). Sand layers that are moderately sorted are separated by laminated silt-clay layers with gypsum/calcite and this unit occurs in the upper most 4 m sequence in deeper sections. The presence of gypsum crystals within the laminated sediments suggests a high concentration of Ca in the inflowing water. At Parihara Lake the organic carbon-rich sediments at 95 cm depth was dated to 7,375 + 155/−150 year BP. At Tal Chapar radiocarbon dates of 7,190 + 155/−150 and 9,903 + 360/−350 was obtained from the sediments rich in organic carbon occurring at a depth of 1.35 m and 1.80 m, respectively. The study reveals strong hydrologic oscillations during the past ∼14,000 year BP (13,090 + 310/−300 year BP). Quaternary geomorphic processes, especially the strong aeolian processes during dry climatic phases, played a major role in the formation of the lake basins, as well as the fringing linear dunes. Geochemical and mineralogical analyses of the lacustrine sediments, supported by radiocarbon dates indicate the existence of an ephemeral lake earlier than ∼13,000 year BP as sediments began to be deposited in a lacustrine environment implying sustained runoff in the catchments. A freshwater lake formed between 9,000 year and 7,000 year BP. The lake dried periodically and this strong fluctuating regime continued until about ∼7,000 year BP. Mid-Holocene was wet and this was possibly due to higher winter rains A saline lake existed between 6,000 year and 1,300 year BP and finally present day semi arid conditions set in since 1,200 year BP. Remnants of a habitation site (hearth and charred bones) on stabilised dune at Devani near Tal Chapar were dated to 240 ± 120 year, while that at Gopalpura was dated to 335 ± 90 year. These historical sites on stabilised dunes were, according to the local accounts, settlements of people who used the lake brine for manufacturing salt.     

Sedimentary evidence for changes in the pollution status of Taihu in the Jiangsu region of eastern China

As part of a study using lake sediments to determine the extent and causes of human impacts to lakes along an east–west transect following the Yangtse River, sediment cores were taken from Taihu in eastern China. Previous studies have focussed on the impacts of direct inputs of pollutants from municipal and industrial wastewater but little work has been undertaken on trends in atmospheric deposition from the many industrial sources surrounding the lake. Analysis of the Taihu sediment cores for atmospheric pollutant indicators such as trace metals, magnetic parameters and spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) show the lake has become increasingly contaminated over the last 40–50 years. Sediment levels of atmospherically deposited pollutants are currently similar to some of the more contaminated lakes in Europe. Further, sediment nitrogen, phosphorus and geochemical analyses confirm the dramatic increase in eutrophication at the site and periods of recent soil erosion in the catchment.     

Inland saline lakes of Wadi El Natrun depression, Egypt

The morphology and geochemistry of saline lakes in the Wadi El Natrun depression were studied. All lakes had pH values of 8.5--9.5 and a salinity from 283 to 540 g/L. The main ionic components were sulphate, chloride, carbonate and sodium. Traces of magnesium were also present. The water of the lakes is of the Cl^– to SO ₄ ^2– -Cl^– type. Increased Cl^– in Wadi El Natrun brines can increase metal solubility due to the formation of soluble chloro-complexes of trace elements. The metal concentrations decrease in the order: Pb > Cu > Cd > Ni > Zn > Fe > Mn. The characteristics of Wadi El Natrun saline lakes are compared with those from other saline lakes.     

巴丹吉林沙漠盐湖面积变化对湖泊边缘表层沉积物盐类矿物组合影响

选择巴丹吉林沙漠17个代表性盐湖,采集了2013年春季和秋季湖泊边缘表层沉积物样品,通过X衍射分析其盐类矿物组成和百分含量;应用Landsat 8遥感数据提取了上述两时段湖泊面积。结果发现,自春季到秋季13个面积减小的湖泊中,碳酸盐类矿物百分含量均较低,变化不明显;氯化物矿物和总盐类矿物百分含量均有增加,其增加幅度与湖泊面积变化有关。面积减少超过10%的湖泊,氯化物矿物或硫酸盐矿物百分含量总体明显增加;其余面积减少的湖泊,氯化物矿物百分含量均较春季有一定的增加,盐类矿物总百分含量也有一定程度的增加,但与湖泊面积减小程度相比没有更为明显的规律。4个面积增大的湖泊中沉积物的总盐类矿物百分含量和各盐类矿物的百分含量并未呈现显著相关性,表明在该区域湖泊面积的变化过程中,湖泊边缘表层沉积物中的盐类矿物百分含量对盐湖萎缩的指示意义相对高于湖泊扩张时期,氯化物矿物百分含量变化对湖泊面积萎缩变化响应更为敏感。     

Early-Holocene geochemical evolution of saline Medicine Lake,South Dakota

Medicine Lake is a highly saline, meromictic, magnesium sulfate, closed-basin lake in northeastern South Dakota. The geochemical, mineralogical, and magnetic stratigraphies of sediments deposited from about 10.8 to 4.5 ka B.P. document the evolution of the saline brine in response to climatic change in the early to mid-Holocene. During the spruce occupation of the Medicine Lake catchment (10.8–10.0 ka B.P.), dark-grey massive basal sediments with low total-sulfur and carbonate content, upwardly increasing organic-carbon content, and high magnetic susceptibility were deposited in a deep freshwater lake. As the vegetation in the area changed from spruce to birch to oak and elm and finally to prairie between 10.0 and 9.2 ka B.P., and as the lake became shallow and salinity increased from <2 to >10%, light-and dark-grey calcareous and organic-carbon-rich banded sediments with low total-sulfur content and low magnetic susceptibility were deposited. Previous studies have shown that during the forest/prairie transition the lake then changed abruptly from fresh to saline as it lost a substantial portion of its volume. During the early prairie period (9.2–5.5 ka B.P.), alternating sections of aragonite-rich laminae and grey massive sediments with high total-sulfur content and multiple gypsum layers were deposited in a meromictic environment under conditions of fluctuating lake levels and salinity. Continued aridity during the mid-Holocene (5.5–4.5 ka B.P.) probably maintained the lake at relatively low levels and high salinity as dark-grey generally massive sediments with moderate total-sulfur, carbonate, and organic-carbon content and no measurable magnetic susceptibility were deposited.     

Is salinity the only water quality parameter affected when saline water is disposed in rivers?

The effect of saline lake water disposal from the Lough Calvert Drainage Scheme on water quality of the Barwon River, in south west Victoria, Australia, was investigated. The Scheme is used to regulate the levels of several saline lakes outside the Barwon's catchment. This study found that the disposal of saline lake water was associated with increased total phosphorus, PO₄, TKN, suspended solids, electrical conductivity and stream discharge and lower NOx in the Barwon River. Thus, when disposing of saline water, factors other than salinity should be considered in order to prevent an impact on the aquatic environment. At present this is generally not done. The results are discussed with reference to the effects of saline water disposal on aquatic biota and how the effect of saline lake water disposal on water quality may differ from the disposal of saline groundwater.