Stratigraphy of total metals in PIRLA sediment cores

Sediment cores from 30 low-alkalinity lakes in northern New England (NE), New York (NY), the northern Great Lakes States (NGLS) of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin, and Florida (FL) have been dated by ²¹⁰Pb and analyzed for water and organic content, eight major elements (Al, Ti, Fe, Mn, Ca, Mg, Na, K) plus four trace metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, and V). Variations in the percentages of major elements through time are dominated by long-term independent variations in the abundance of SiO₂, FeO, and to a lesser extent Ca and Al. Additional variations are caused by varying proportions of inorganic matter. Major variations in chemistry are generally unrelated to documented distrubances in the watersheds; most disturbances are minor fires or selective logging.Accelerated accumulation of Pb from atmospheric sources into sediment first occurs in sediment dated between 1800 and 1850 in NY and NE, slightly later in the NGLS region, and about 1900 in FL. Modern accumulation rates in all areas are comparable (ca. 1 to 4 g cm^–2 yr^–1). Accumulation rates of Pb in some lakes have declined significantly from 1975 to 1985. Atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic Zn and Cu is also indicated by generally increasing accumulation rates in sediment cores, but the record is not as clear nor are chemical profiles in all lakes parallel to the trends in atmospheric emissions inferred on the basis of fossil fuel consumption, smelting, and other industrial activities. Inter-lake variations in profiles of Cu and Zn are large. Vanadium accumulation rates increase by the 1940s in NY and NE, but not until the 1950s in the NGLS region. This timing correlates with regional trends in the combustion of fuel oil, a major source of atmospheric V.Acidification of some of the lakes is suggested by decreases in the concentration and accumulation rates of Mn, Ca, and Zn in recent sediment, relative to other elements of catchment origin. The decreases generally occur slightly before the onset of acidification as indicated by diatoms. Increased sediment accumulation rates for Fe may indicate the acidification of watershed soils. The use of the accumulation rate of TiO₂ as an indicator of rates of erosion and for normalization of trace metal accumulation rates is in question for lakes where the flux of TiO₂ from the atmosphere varies and is a significant fraction of the total flux of TiO₂ to the sediment.This is the thirteenth 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.     

Diatom-based interpretation of sediment banding in an urbanized lake

Sediment stratigraphy and diatom succession were studied in an 80.5-cm core taken from the deepest part of Third Sister Lake, a small kettle hole in a recently urbanized landscape of southeastern Michigan. Alternating light clay and dark organic bands documented sporadic inputs of clay from outside the basin during rain events, rather than annual laminations. Urban construction activity also disrupted the inflow stream bed and facilitated transport of clay into the lake to generate non-rhythmic banding in the lake's deep hole. Diatom analysis revealed dramatic changes in predominant taxa with sediment depth verifying the non-annual nature of the sediment bands. Observation of halophilic diatom taxa also documented effects of human activity such as road salting on this small, urban lake.     

The postglacial environmental development of Raffles Sø, East Greenland: inferences from a 10,000 year diatom record

A 341 cm long sediment sequence was recovered from the unofficially named Raffles Sø on Raffles Ø, outer Scoresby Sund region, East Greenland. The sediment sequence consists in the upper part (0–230 cm) of a stratified gyttja enriched in organic carbon and biogenic silica whereas the lower core part (235–341 cm) is composed of terrigenous, consolidated glacio-limnic sediments. ¹⁴C-AMS measurements indicate that the sediment sequence represents the entire Holocene lake history from 10,030 calibrated radiocarbon years.The geochemical parameters (opal, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN)) and the total diatom concentration show similar developments during the Holocene, and reflect changes in biological production and nutrient input into the lake. These records clearly reveal a broad Holocene TOC-opal-maximum interval between 5200 and 1800 cal. yrs BP.The diatom flora consisted of 66 taxa representing 20 genera but only seven taxa were abundant and, sometimes, these were monospecifically dominant during the Holocene. In the sediment core from Raffles Sø four successive stratigraphical zones can be distinguished. Accumulation of diatom valves began at 9900 cal. yrs BP with a Stephanodiscus minutulus (Kütz.) Cleve and Möller dominated assemblage (stratigraphic zone 1) followed by a diatom flora dominated by Cyclotella pseudostelligera Hustedt and, less frequently, by Diatoma tenuis Agardh (9400 until 5900 cal. yrs BP, zone 2). Cyclotella sp. A, a taxon which belongs to the Cyclotella rossii-comensis-tripartita-complex, was the dominant floral element between 5200 and 1800 cal. yrs BP (zone 3). From 1800 cal. yrs BP, the periphytic taxa Fragilaria capucina var. gracilis (Østr.) Hustedt and F. capucina var. rumpens (Kütz.) Lange-Bertalot attained highest relative abundances, also almost monospecifically (zone 4).The distribution and composition of the diatom assemblages in the sediment record from Raffles Sø probably reflect past variations in the extent of the lake-ice cover during the growing season. More or less ice-free conditions during summer may have prevailed during the early Holocene until ca. 1800 cal. yrs BP, which allowed growth of planktonic diatoms (Cyclotella taxa) in the pelagic lake region. From 1800 cal. yrs BP, colder conditions lead to a perennial lake-ice cover with a small ice-free moat in summer which favored the growth of periphytic, littoral species (Fragilaria capucina varieties).     

Diatom stratigraphy in five offshore sediment cores from the northwestern Baltic proper implying large scale circulation changes during the last 8500 years

Five Holocene sediment cores from the northwestern Baltic proper were analysed for lithology, siliceous microfossil assemblages and geochemical parameters. The data indicate that surface water salinity and redox conditions below the halocline have changed drastically at least four times since the Baltic Sea changed from a fresh water lake (the Ancylus Lake) to a semi-enclosed brackish water sea (the Litorina Sea) c. 8500 yrs BP. These variations appear to be mainly effects of changes in water depth at the thresholds of inlet areas. Based on these changes, and earlier studies of the shoreline displacement in the inlet areas, we propose a tentative model for changes of large scale water circulation in the Baltic Sea during the last c. 8500 yrs.At the transition from fresh to brackish water 8500 ¹⁴C yrs BP, upwelling of nutrient rich bottom water started to occur, causing a slight increase in primary production. Diatom assemblages in sediments indicate a slow rise in surface water salinity during this period.At 7000-6500 ¹⁴C yrs BP, surface water salinity and primary production simultaneously increased, as anoxic bottom conditions were established at depth below the halocline. We suggest that high primary production was caused by increased input of oceanic water, leading to increased upwelling of nutrient rich bottom water. At the anoxic bottoms laminated sediments formed until 5000-4500 ¹⁴C yrs BP. This period (c. 7000-4500 ¹⁴C BP) was contemporaneous with the post-glacial transgression maximum in Öresund, and we suggest it represents the most saline phase of the Baltic Sea post-glacial history.Due to a regression in Öresund starting 4500 ¹⁴C yrs BP, upwelling decreased and the halocline was lowered, resulting in decreased primary productivity and hence oxic deep water conditions. The diatom assemblages of the sediments indicate a lowering of salinity at the beginning of this period.We suggest that the second period of anoxic bottom conditions c. 2000-1500 ¹⁴C yrs BP was caused by a change of dominating inflows from the Öresund to the Belt Sea. This resulted in decreased salinity of the inflowing water which did not penetrate to the deepest parts of the basin as frequently as before. The diatom record indicates both a second lowering of salinity and a change in the large scale water circulation at the beginning of this period.     

阳宗海硅藻群落对水体污染和水文调控的长期响应模式

在人类活动持续干扰的背景下,云南部分湖泊面临着污染物输入增加的环境压力,特别是营养盐富集和重金属污染。以云南地区遭受过严重工业污染的阳宗海为研究对象,通过沉积物硅藻群落、砷浓度、营养元素与稳定同位素、粒度等多指标分析,结合文献记录和湖泊调查结果,揭示了阳宗海硅藻群落对湖泊富营养化和砷污染的长期响应特征,并识别了不同时期的主要环境压力与其驱动强度。结果表明：长期的营养盐累积使得浮游硅藻逐渐占据优势地位,且耐污染的底栖硅藻种的快速增加与砷污染出现的时段一致。在阳宗海长期富营养化的背景下,当水体砷污染物浓度达到一定阈值水平后,硅藻群落结构的改变和多样性的降低都指示了湖泊生态系统发生了灾难性的转变。同时1965年开始的湖泊引水工程导致了贫营养种的突然增加。因此,水体富营养化、重金属污染与湖泊水文调控是导致阳宗海硅藻群落长期变化的主控因子,对阳宗海的生态修复与综合治理需要综合考虑不同胁迫因子的长期影响与驱动作用。     

Long cores from small lakes—recovering up to 100 m-long lake sediment sequences with a high-precision rod-operated piston corer (Usinger-corer)

We present a unique, versatile piston corer for recovering continuous lake and bog sediment sequences with superior accuracy and quality. The main components of the system and their function are described, with special focus on measures for obtaining long, continuous lake sediment sections up to a current maximum length of 95 m. Examples of lake sediment profiles obtained with this system from different climatic zones are presented.     

Diatom transfer-functions for quantifying past air temperature, pH and total organic carbon concentration from lakes in northern Sweden

The relationships between diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) in surface sediments of lakes and summer air temperature, pH and total organic carbon concentration (TOC) were explored along a steep climatic gradient in northern Sweden to provide a tool to infer past climate conditions from sediment cores. The study sites are in an area with low human impact and range from boreal forest to alpine tundra. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) constrained to mean July air temperature and pH clearly showed that diatom community composition was different between lakes situated in conifer-, mountain birch- and alpine-vegetation zones. As a consequence, diatoms and multivariate ordination methods can be used to infer past changes in treeline position and dominant forest type. Quantitative inference models were developed to estimate mean July air temperature, pH and TOC from sedimentary diatom assemblages using weighted averaging (WA) and weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) regression. Relationships between diatoms and mean July air temperature were independent of lake-water pH, TOC, alkalinity and maximum depth. The results demonstrated that diatoms in lake sediments can provide useful and independent quantitative information for estimating past changes in mean July air temperature (R² _jack = 0.62, RMSEP = 0.86 °C; R² and root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) based on jack-knifing), pH (R² _jack = 0.61, RMSEP = 0.30) and TOC (R² _jack = 0.49, RMSEP = 1.33 mg l^-1). The paper focuses mainly on the relationship between diatom community composition and mean July air temperature, but the relationships to pH and TOC are also discussed.     

A high resolution proxy-climate record from an arctic lake with annually-laminated sediments on Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada

Sediments from a 3 ha lake (75 °34.34N, 89 °18.55W) from the coastal region of northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, contain discrete laminations in the deepest part of the basin. The laminations are varves as indicated by the correspondence between counts and thickness measurements of the couplets and ²¹⁰Pb dating. A 14 cm core representing 150 years of sedimentation contained laminated couplets consisting of a lighter inorganic layer with a higher percentage of calcium and magnesium, alternating with fine darker bands, typically more cohesive, and comprising higher proportions of silica and carbon. A reddish oxidation zone with higher iron and aluminum frequently separates the laminations. The dark layer represents a biogenic component deposited in summer and is made cohesive by bacterial filaments among the other particles. The light inorganic layer represents clastic deposition from allochthonous sources. Deposition rates were relatively consistent through the core with an increase in varve thickness in the 1950s. Diatom concentrations in the sediments increased by two orders of magnitude in this century, with major increases in the 1920s and 1950s. The increase in varve thickness and diatom abundance coincides with an increase in summer melt percentage in an ice core from the Devon Island Ice Cap (Koerner, 1977). The relatively high sedimentation rate (0.15 cm yr^-1) coupled with the consistency of deposition makes this lake a significant indicator for recent climate changes of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.     

Variability of sediment diatom assemblages in an upland,wind-stressed lake (Loch Fleet,Galloway, S.W. Scotland)

The variability of diatom distribution in an acidified, upland wind-stressed lake (Loch Fleet, Galloway, S. W. Scotland) was assessed by analysis of 28 surface sediment samples and 11 cores. Correspondence analysis (CA) and cluster analysis were used to illustrate the variability of the surface sediment and core samples. There was reasonable uniformity of taxa in most of the surface sediment samples, although 7 samples, as indicated by both CA and cluster analyses were atypical. Most cores recorded clearly the acidification of the lake, although percentages of individual taxa varied up to 20% between cores. Two cores had old, preacidification diatom assemblages (of indeterminate age) close to the sediment surface. These old sediments were probably the source of the re-worked diatoms found in the atypical surface sediment assemblages. Diatom trends, as CA ordinations and pH profiles, were less variable than the surface sediment assemblages. It is argued that non-uniform sediment accumulation rates and diatom deposition cause variability in surface sediment diatom samples. This variability may be reduced in core profiles by homogenization during further resuspension/deposition cycles and burial. Cores, and the associated time component they offer, may be useful in assessing the variability of surface sediment assemblages.     

A synthesis of post-glacial diatom records from Lake Baikal

The biostratigraphy of fossil diatoms contributes important chronologic, paleolimnologic, and paleoclimatic information from Lake Baikal in southeastern Siberia. Diatoms are the dominant and best preserved microfossils in the sediments, and distinctive assemblages and species provide inter-core correlations throughout the basin at millennial to centennial scales, in both high and low sedimentation-rate environments. Distributions of unique species, once dated by radiocarbon, allow diatoms to be used as dating tools for the Holocene history of the lake. Diatom, pollen, and organic geochemical records from site 305, at the foot of the Selenga Delta, provide a history of paleolimnologic and paleoclimatic changes from the late glacial (15 ka) through the Holocene. Before 14 ka diatoms were very rare, probably because excessive turbidity from glacial meltwater entering the lake impeded productivity. Between 14 and 12 ka, lake productivity increased, perhaps as strong winds promoted deep mixing and nutrient regeneration. Pollen evidence suggests a cold shrub — steppe landscape dominated the central Baikal depression at this time. As summer insolation increased, conifers replaced steppe taxa, but diatom productivity declined between 11 and 9 ka perhaps as a result of increased summer turbidity resulting from violent storm runoff entering the lake via short, steep drainages. After 8 ka, drier, but more continental climates prevailed, and the modern diatom flora of Lake Baikal came to prominence. On Academician Ridge, a site of slow sedimentation rates, Holocene diatom assemblages at the top of 10-m cores reappear at deeper levels suggesting that such cores record at least two previous interglacial (or interstadial?) periods. Nevertheless, distinctive species that developed prior to the last glacial period indicate that the dynamics of nutrient cycling in Baikal and the responsible regional climatic environments were not entirely analogous to Holocene conditions. During glacial periods, the deep basin sediments of Lake Baikal are dominated by rapidly deposited clastics entering from large rivers with possibly glaciated headwaters. On the sublacustrine Academician Ridge (depth = 300 m), however, detailed analysis of the diatom biostratigraphy indicates that diastems (hiatuses of minor duration) and (or) highly variable rates of accumulation complicate paleolimnologic and paleoclimatic reconstructions from these records.     

A reference typology of low alkalinity lakes in the UK based on pre-acidification diatom assemblages from lake sediment cores

This paper has two aims: (1) to show for the first time how a natural typology can be established using palaeoecological methods; and (2) to show how it can be used in lake restoration studies with respect to the definition of recovery targets for acidified lakes. By defining the characteristic reference assemblages for low alkalinity site types rather than for a specific site it allows success to be measured more broadly, unconstrained by the specific composition of the pre-acidification flora. We analyse statistically the pre-acidification diatom assemblages of sediment cores from 121 low alkalinity lakes in the UK in order to assess whether a reference typology for such lakes can be defined on the basis of their diatom floras. We use samples dating to ~1850 AD to represent pre-acidification conditions. The results show that three main clusters can be identified, two dominated by benthic taxa (Clusters 1 and 3) and one dominated by planktonic taxa (Cluster 2). Cluster 1 is characterised by taxa such as Brachysira vitrea, Cymbella microcephala and Fragilaria spp., Cluster 2 by Cyclotella comensis, C. radiosa, Asterionella formosa, Aulacoseira subarctica and Achnanthes minutissima and Cluster 3 by Eunotia incisa, Frustulia rhomboides var. saxonica, Fragilaria virescens var. exigua, and Cymbella perpusilla. Although environmental data for 1850 AD are not available it is apparent from the contemporary distribution of the taxa in the different clusters that Cluster 2 represents the most alkaline pre-acidification conditions. Some sites in this cluster have been acidified, but some, especially the larger, deeper lakes have been enriched. Cluster 1 includes sites that contain diatoms with relatively high pH optima (pH 6.4–7.4) whereas Cluster 3 sites contain diatoms with the lowest pre-acidification pH conditions in the data-set. Sites in this cluster also have the lowest base cation concentrations at the present day and include the sites in the UK that have been most affected by acid deposition.     

Holocene diatom flora and stratigraphy from sediment cores of two Antarctic lakes (King George Island)

The diatom stratigraphy of Holocene sediment cores from two Antarctic lakes (Mondsee, Tiefersee; 62° 10 S/58° 50 W) of King George Island was investigated. The diatom assemblages were dominated by cosmopolitan species. The flora was composed of three main components: 1) taxa of submersed bryophytic habitats, which also occur in the bryophilic diatom flora of southern South America; 2) species of various terrestrial habitats, including some specific subantarctic taxa; 3) species distributed in coastal inland waters influenced by sea-spray.Changes in sediment pattern and diatom species composition seemed to reflect climatic changes. At least three different core sections were distinguished in both lakes: Two sections rich in mosses occur between approx. 7000–4700 B.P. and from 3200 B.P. to present, in general resembling present day conditions. In between is a section of high allochthonous content with generally low diatom concentrations and rising percentages of aerophilic, halophilic and alkaliphilic diatoms. An increase of melt water discharge, possible sea-spray influence, and lake- level fluctuations are discussed.Three new taxa are described: Achnanthes metakryophila nov. spec., Achnanthes renei nov. spec., Navicula australomediocris nov. spec. The taxonomy of selected taxa is discussed.     

An expanded weighted-averaging model for inferring past total phosphorus concentrations from diatom assemblages in eutrophic British Columbia (Canada) lakes

Eighteen lakes were added to a published training set of 46 British Columbia (BC) lakes in order to expand the original range of total phosphorus (TP) concentrations. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to analyze the relationship between diatom assemblages and environmental variables. Specific conductivity and [TP] each explained significant (P0.05) directions of variance in the distribution of the diatoms. The relationship between diatom assemblages and [TP] was sufficiently strong to warrant the development of a weighted-averaging (WA) regression and calibration model that can be used to infer past trophic status from fossil diatom assemblages.The relationship between observed and inferred [TP] was not improved by the addition of more eutrophic lakes, however the [TP] range and the number of taxa used in the transfer function are now superior to the original model. Diatom species assemblages changed very little in lakes with TP concentrations greater than 85 µg 1^–1, so we document the development of a model containing lakes with TP85 µg 1^–1. The updated model uses 59 training lakes and covers a range of species optima from 6 to 41.9 µg 1^–1 TP, and a total of 150 diatom taxa.The updated inference model provided a more realistic reconstruction of the anthropogenic history of a highly eutrophic BC lake. The model can now be used to infer past nutrient conditions in other BC lakes in order to assess changes in trophic status.     

A new sediment slicer for rapid sectioning of the uppermost sediment cores from marine and freshwater habitats

The new sediment slicer described herein provides an easy and time-efficient way of sectioning cores of varying length, diameter, and composition from a wide range of habitats and sediment types. It is designed to process sediments collected by means of any soft-sediment core sampler with the core tube detachable from the sampler head and trigger unit. It is useful for sectioning core samples that include both the undisturbed sediment/water interface and highly consolidated sediments. The slicer is composed of three parts: (1) a supporting block, (2) a gliding block with the incorporated 10 cm sub-sampler holder designed to glide freely in the grooves along the supporting block, and (3) a metal blade for sediment slicing.     

A field extruder for rapidly sectioning near-surface cores from lakes and wetlands

The soft uppermost sediments in lakes and wetlands contain important records of past environmental change. Although the technology for coring these sediments is relatively well established, there has been a continuing effort to improve the design of equipment that can provide the precise volumetric samples required for high-resolution dating and elemental analysis. Soft-sediment cores are usually sectioned near a coring site under a wide range of field conditions creating a challenge for both field crews and equipment. A new field extruder was therefore designed to simplify the process of fine-sectioning these cores in the field while improving volumetric-sampling accuracy. The new extruder is relatively light, stable, and easy to use, but sufficiently strong to extrude long continuous cores of stiff sediment if required. The key features of this extruder minimize sampling errors by enabling an operator to automate the measurement and extrusion of a pre-determined volume of sediment. The extruder was successfully field tested on a variety of sediment types in a large wetland from southern Florida, USA and proved easy to master by even inexperienced field crews.     

A method for the extraction of carbonaceous particles from lake sediment

The methods found in the literature for the extraction of carbonaceous particles from lake sediment are discussed. The technique used by Griffin & Goldberg (1975) on Lake Michigan sediments was improved by modifying the procedure to halve the extraction time and reduce the risk of fragmentation. This method was then applied to a sediment core taken from Loch Tinker in Western Scotland, which had previously been analysed using the Renberg & Wik method. Although the basic trends for both methods are the same, the new method is found to be more sensitive to low particle numbers and more accurate, due to a more efficient extraction and a higher magnification for microscope counting.     

A palaeolimnological study of Tugulnuit Lake, British Columbia, Canada, with special emphasis on river influence as recorded by chironomids in the lake's sediment

Sediments from Tugulnuit Lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, were examined for chironomid assemblages. The chironomid stratigraphy obtained encompasses the last 4000 to 5000 years and suggests a warm and fairly stable climate typical for a temperate lake at low- to mid-elevation. This is indicated by the even distribution of warm-water taxa, such as Cladopelma, Dicrotendipes, Polypedilum, Pentaneurini, Stempellina, Stempellinella/Zavrelia and Pseudochironomus throughout the core. Very few cold-water taxa occurred in the sediments. However, stream inputs have had a major impact on Tugulnuit Lake. Sandy sediments and the appearance of Simuliidae and stream-inhabiting chironomid taxa (e.g., Brillia/Euryhapsis, Eukiefferiella/Tvetenia, Rheocricotopus) indicate that a stream intruded into the current lake's basin ca. 3800 yr Before Present (BP). Sediments deposited prior to, and after, the stream's intrusion show a distinctly different chironomid assemblage exhibiting chironomid taxa more typical for lentic habitats. This result indicates that chironomids can serve to detect past stream influences on lake environments. Thus, rheophilic chironomids preserved in lake cores provide a new alternative for reconstructing stream palaeoenvironmental records.     

A method for the selective removal of inorganic ash particles from lake sediments

Inorganic ash particles are formed by the fusing of inorganic material present during the high temperature combustion of fossil fuels. As they accumulate in lake sediments, they record the history of atmospheric contamination produced from such sources. A technique has been developed for concentrating these particles from lake sediments involving the stepwise removal of unwanted components of the sediment, including organic material and biogenic silica.When applied to a sediment core taken from Loch Tinker, central Scotland, a particle concentration profile, very similar to that of the carbonaceous particle profile (the other component of fossil-fuel combustion ash) is produced. The concentration of the inorganic ash spheres in the sediment is approximately an order of magnitude higher than the carbonaceous particles and there appears to be a continuous pre-industrial background value. This seems to imply a similar source (i.e. coal combustion rather than oil) for both inorganic ash and carbonaceous particles. This method has also been used with success on peat cores.     

A multi-proxy analysis of climate impacts on the recent development of subarctic Lake Saanajärvi in Finnish Lapland

Responses to recent climatic changes in the sediment of subarctic Lake Saanajärvi in northwestern Finnish Lapland are studied by comparison of various biological and sedimentological proxies with the 200-year long climate record, specifically reconstructed for the site using a data-set of European-wide meteorological data. The multi-proxy evidence of simultaneously changing diatom, Cladocera, and chrysophyte assemblages along with the increased rates of organic matter accumulation and pigment concentrations suggest that the lake has undergone a distinct typological change starting from the turn of the 20th century. This change, indicating an increase in lake productivity, parallels a pronounced rise in the meteorologically reconstructed mean annual and summer temperatures in the region between ca. 1850 and 1930's. We postulate that, during the Little Ice Age, the lake was not, or was only weakly, thermally stratified during summer, whereas the subsequent increase in air and hence epilimnetic water temperatures resulted in the development of the present summer stratification. The increased thermal stability of the lake created more suitable conditions for the growth of phyto- and zooplankton and changed the overall primary production from benthos to plankton. Mineral magnetic and carbonaceous particle records suggest long-distance pollution, particularly since the 1920's, yet the observed changes in lake biota and productivity can hardly be explained by this very minor background pollution; the 20th century species configurations are typical of neutral waters and do not indicate any response to pollution.     

The late Quaternary development of three ancient tarns on southwestern Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island, Arctic Canada: paleolimnological evidence from diatoms and sediment chemistry

Sediment diatom and chemical analyses of cores from three poorly buffered extra-glacial lakes on the northeastern margin of the Canadian Shield (Cumberland Peninsula, Baffin Island) record interactions between aquatic and terrestrial spheres that were influenced by late Quaternary climatic conditions. Although differences exist between each of the lakes, notably with regards to the intensity of pre-Holocene catchment erosion and the timing of the onset of organic sedimentation, an underlying pattern of lake ontogeny, common to all three lakes, is identified. Although intensified watershed erosion characterized the Late Wisconsinan and Neoglacial cold periods, the lakes nonetheless remained viable ecosystems at these times. Sudden catchment stabilization during the late-glacial to earliest Holocene is associated with incipient organic sedimentation. Lake-water pH increased at this time, likely in response both longer base cation residence times as lake flushing rates decreased, and enhanced alkalinity production from sediment biogeochemical reactions. Subsequently, as the catchments remained stable during the productive early Holocene (c.9–7 ka BP), then gradually received a renewed increase of minerogenic sedimentation, the breakdown of sources of lake alkalinity resulted in natural acidification. Burial of cation-rich mineral sediments and the loss of permanent sedimentary sinks for the products of microbial reduction likely impeded within-lake alkalinity production, and catchment-derived base cations appeared ineffective in curtailing pH declines. The general nature of the Holocene development of these lakes is similar to that observed elsewhere on crystalline terrains, following deglaciation. Our data therefore suggest that catchment glaciation is not a necessary precursor for models of lake development characterized by initial base cation enrichment and subsequent gradual acidification.