Occurrence and significance of pyrochlorins in a lake sediment

The occurrence of pyrochlorophyll a and pyrophaeophytins a and b in the bottom sediments of a small eutrophic lake (Priest Pot, Cumbria, U.K.) is reported on the basis of HPLC coinjection with standards. Assignment of pyrophaeophytins a and b was confirmed by FAB mass spectrometric and nuclear magnetic resonance studies of the isolated components and comparison with standards. The co-occurrence of pyrochlorins with their non-pyro counterparts, even in a surface sediment, shows that decarbomethoxylation can occur at the very earliest stages of the Treibs diagenetic pathway linking the chlorophylls and sedimentary porphyrins.     

Palynology and sediment slumping in a high arctic Greenland lake

A 103-cm core from a high arctic lake (80°49'N, 15°00'W) on Amdrup Land, NE Greenland has been analysed for pollen and other microfossils, as well as bulk samples from 10 cores for macrofossils. AMS ¹⁴C-dating of aquatic mosses ( Drepanocladus exannulatus and Scorpidiurn scorpioides ) revealed that the lowermost 90 cm of the core was deposited during a 1.5-2 ka interval in the early Holocene, before the appearance of Salix arctica which immigrated to N Greenland c . 7 ka BP. Armeria scabra , now extinct in the area, larval cases and apotomes of Apatcmiu zonella , today not known north of c. 77°N, and other indices point to a climate warmer than that of today. A thin, sandy layer 13 cm below the lake bottom, accompanied by marked changes in the content of pollen and macrofossils, such as the sudden occurrence of large amounts of Salix pollen and leaves, indicates a large hiatus. This is confirmed by the dating to c . 7 ka BP of mosses just below the sand, and of Salix leaves just above it to c . 1 ka BP. The hiatus must be caused by sediment slumping which transported all the sediment from the intervening period to the deeper part of the lake. A similar, sandy layer in the uppermost 2–6 cm may be caused by younger, (sub-)recent slumping, or both may be the result of the same disturbance. The possibility of a reservoir effect causing too old ¹⁴C-ages for the moss is discussed.     

Subglacial to proglacial sediment transition in a shallow ice-contact lake

A complete subglacial to glacial-lacustrine facies transition is described from a temporary exposure in the Lake Michigan bluffs of southeastern Wisconsin. This transition occurs where a Late Woodfordian terminal moraine intersects the bluff line and grades from basal meltout till to chaotic diamicton to rhythmites over an abrupt 90 m lateral distance. The boundary of the subglacial meltout deposits is marked by an abrupt increase in pebbles and cobbles, which cluster at specific horizons, producing an incipient stratification. Thereafter, the diamicton develops contorted flow structures with progressive segregation into coarse and fine-grained fractions, ultimately into well-stratified rhythmites.     

Coarse-grained sediment gravity flow facies in a large supraglacial lake

Near Williams Lake, in the central interior of British Columbia, the Fraser River exposes long sections of late Pleistocene glaciolacustrine sediments selectively preserved within a bedrock trough. The dominant facies types are thick, normally graded gravels and sands that occupy steeply dipping multistorey channels up to 300 m wide and several tens of metres deep. Channels appear to have been simultaneously cut and filled by high density turbidity currents in a glacial lake floored by stagnant ice. Fining upward sediment gravity flow sequences up to 50 m thick may be the product of quasi-continuous ‘surging’ turbidity flows triggered by catastrophic meltwater discharges into the trough or retrogressive failure of ice-cored sediments. Large-scale post-depositional deformation structures, such as synclinal folds, normal faults, sedimentary dyke swarms and dewatering structures, record gravitational foundering of sediment and pore-water expulsion caused by the melt of underlying glacier ice. Melting of buried ice masses along the floor of the trough appears to have controlled the flow paths of turbidity currents by producing sub-basins within the overlying sediment pile. An idealized model of ‘supraglacial’ lacustrine sedimentation is developed that may be applicable to other glaciated areas with similar bedrock topography.     

Assessing the natural recovery of a lake contaminated with Hg using estimated recovery rates determined by sediment chronologies

Deer Lake is an impoundment located near Ishpeming, Michigan, USA. Iron mining assay laboratories located in Ishpeming disposed of Hg salts to the city sewer whose outfall was located along an inlet to Deer Lake. An effort to remediate the system in the mid 1980s which consisted of drawing down water in the impoundment in order to volatize Hg from the sediments did not result in recovery of the system. Since the mid 1990s, the remediation strategy has been to allow the continual burial of the contaminated sediments, i.e., natural recovery. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this strategy. This was accomplished by investigating the state of the system in terms of its recovery and estimating the time frame for recovery. Sediment cores were collected in 2000 to determine historical trends in accumulation rates and concentrations of Hg and other metals. Sedimentation rates and sediment ages were estimated using ²¹⁰Pb. Event-based dating (e.g., peak of ¹³⁷Cs in 1963) was used to supplement ²¹⁰Pb data due to non-monotonic features in the ²¹⁰Pb profile and activities that were not at supported levels at the base of the core. Selected results are that: (1) drawdown significantly influenced sedimentation patterns causing slopes for ²¹⁰Pb profiles that reflected the influx of older sediment, (2) periods of Fe production correlate to Hg loading indicating the point source for contamination, a relationship not previously identified, (3) Hg:Al ratios indicate a recent change to a watershed pathway for Hg loading and (4) Hg concentrations had decreased from their peak, remain elevated, and were increasing after 1997. The cause of the recent Hg concentrations may be related to influx of contaminated watershed soils or sediments. Estimating the time frame for recovery is challenging in this system because the process of natural recovery seems to have been arrested and deeper, uncontaminated sediments, were not recovered as a basis for reference. However, a recovery to background conditions is likely not achievable since rates of Hg loading to nearby lakes and the current rate of atmospheric deposition are greater than an estimate of background conditions for Deer Lake. Assuming recovery continued after 2000, estimates of the time required for recovery varied based on the system state used to define it (e.g., recent rates of wet Hg deposition or Hg surface concentrations/fluxes from similar systems), but were less than 12 a. However, the recent increasing values of recovery indicators (e.g., Hg concentrations) suggests that these estimates are conservative and will be longer if recovery remains arrested, which may in part be due to the legacy of Hg contamination on the landscape. This study shows that estimates of recovery of highly disturbed lake systems can be made in the absence of within lake reference conditions by using comparisons to reference systems and challenges of estimating ages from atypical ²¹⁰Pb activity profiles can be overcome in part using event-based dating techniques.     

Early diagenetic influences on iron transformations in a freshwater lake sediment

Iron transformations in a calcium carbonate rich fresh-water sediment were studied by analyzing the relevant constituents of both interstitial water and solid matter. Analysis of interstitial water shows that the observed redox sequence NO⁻₃/NH⁺₄, MnO₂/Mn(II), FeOOH/Fe(II), SO²⁻₄/S(−II) is roughly in agreement with that predicted by the Gibbs Free Energy for the corresponding reactions. In contrast to marine sediments, these redox transitions occur in the uppermost sediments, i.e., at depths of 0–4 cm.

Deeper in the sedimentary sequence, the depth profile for dissolved iron exhibits a steady non-linear increase up to 400 μmol dm⁻³. In this anoxic zone, according to thermodynamic predictions, iron (II)-minerals such as iron sulfide, siderite, and vivianite should precipitate while Fe(III) oxides should be completely dissolved. However, microscopic analysis showed that Fe(III) oxides were present throughout the studied sediment. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis suggests the presence of iron sulfide could be verified but not that of siderite or vivianite. These observations indicate kinetic control of iron transformations.

We have investigated the importance of kinetic control of iron distribution in anoxic sediments using a diagenetic model for dissolved iron(II). A rough estimate of time scales for dissolution and precipitation rates was made by imposing limiting boundary conditions. Using the calculated rate constant, we established that more than 1000 years would be required for the complete dissolution of Fe(III) oxides, which is agreement with our observations and experimental data from the literature. Calculated precipitation rates of Fe(II) for a given mineral phase such as siderite yield a maximum value of 3 μg_(FeCO3) g⁻¹_{(dry sediment)} yr⁻¹. Such low rates would explain the absence of siderite and vivianite.

Finally, it can be inferred from the Mn_T/Fe_T ratio in the sediments that this ratio depends on the redox conditions of the sediment-water interface at the time of deposition. Thus, this ratio can be used as “paleo-redox indicator” in lacustrine sediments.     

Hydrology,hydraulic, and sediment considerations of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

The planning, design, and construction of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was a massive undertaking Ten locks and dams were constructed that form lakes with a total water surface area of over 42,400 acres The overall length of the waterway is 234 miles and required the excavation and disposal of over 307 million cubic yards of material Because of the magnitude of the project and the many factors and complexities involved, this article can only serve as an overview of the topics presented During the course of the development of the project, many design memoranda and reports were generated which portray the details of design Some of the more pertinent of these design documents are listed in the references.     

Characterization and sources of extractable organic matter from sediment cores of an urban lake (Tasik Perdana), Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia

The extractable organic matter of sediment samples from six sampling sites in Lake Perdana, Kuala Lumpur, was analyzed to characterize the source inputs. The analysis of aliphatic homologous series indicated that terrestrial higher plant waxes can be assigned as the major sources of the identified aliphatic components in the lake sediments. The presence of an unresolved complex mixture of branched and cyclic compounds and a series of hopanes ranging from C₂₇ to C₃₅ reflected the contamination by petroleum residues from urban vehicular emissions brought in by runoff and fallout. The steroids present included stenols and stanols and showed an input of organic matter from higher plants. The detected pentacyclic triterpenoids comprised oleanane, ursane, lupane and friedelane skeletons including unsaturated oxygenated, mono-, di- and triaromatic counterparts. They are recognized as biomarkers for angiosperms. The presence of des-A-triterpenoids and their aromatized derivatives as the major diagenetic products of triterpenoids reflected the degradation of natural organic matter in the sediments occurring under mainly anoxic conditions. In addition, the presence of tetrahymanol and ββ-bishomohopan-32-ol indicated a minor algal/plankton and bacterial input to the sediments.     

Iron in a post-glacial lake sediment core; a Mössbauer effect study

The distribution of iron in a 6-m core of post-glacial sediment from an oligotrophic lake (Connistonwater, England) was determined, principally by Mossbauer spectroscopy on dried samples. The immediate post-glacial deposits contain 4.8 wt. % of iron, with a Fe²⁺; Fe³⁺ ratio ～- 4. The iron there is predominantly in the form of chlorite, but there are small amounts in hematite and illite. The distribution of iron is different, and very variable in the recent sediments (~ < 13,000 BP), which contain 25–35 per cent organic matter and 5.2 wt. % of iron relative to the inorganic fraction. Typically half the iron is present there as chlorite, and the rest is ferric, mostly in the form of an amorphous gel which is also present in undried samples. To explain the observed ferrous:ferric profile, it is proposed that the latter includes iron which was once mobile, having been leached from the Fe²⁺-bearing clays under reducing conditions in the soils of the drainage basin, or in the sediment itself. It was subsequently precipitated as ferric hydroxide on contact with the oxic lake water. In contrast, the ferrous iron in the sediments is immobile iron, which remained locked in the chlorite phase of the clay particles as they were carried from soil to sediment intact.All the sediments are rather inhomogeneous. Chlorite, and especially hematite, are mechanically concentrated in pink varves in the immediate post-glacial deposits. In the partly inorganic sediments, the concentration of ferrous iron (chlorite) is approximately uniform, but the ferric content may differ by a factor of five between regions only a few millimeters apart.     

Organic matter mineralization in sediment of a coastal freshwater lake and response to salinization

Solid phase and pore water chemical data collected in a sediment of the Haringvliet Lake are interpreted using a multi-component reactive transport model. This freshwater lake, which was formed as the result of a river impoundment along the southwestern coast of the Netherlands, is currently targeted for restoration of estuarine conditions. The model is used to assess the present-day biogeochemical dynamics in the sediment, and to forecast possible changes in organic carbon mineralization pathways and associated redox reactions upon salinization of the bottom waters. Model results indicate that oxic degradation (55%), denitrification (21%), and sulfate reduction (17%) are currently the main organic carbon degradation pathways in the upper 30 cm of sediment. Unlike in many other freshwater sediments, methanogenesis is a relatively minor carbon mineralization pathway (5%), because of significant supply of soluble electron acceptors from the well-mixed bottom waters. Although ascorbate-reducible Fe(III) mineral phases are present throughout the upper 30 cm of sediment, the contribution of dissimilatory iron reduction to overall sediment metabolism is negligible. Sensitivity analyses show that bioirrigation and bioturbation are important processes controlling the distribution of organic carbon degradation over the different pathways. Model simulations indicate that sulfate reduction would rapidly suppress methanogenesis upon seawater intrusion in the Haringvliet, and could lead to significant changes in the sediment’s solid-state iron speciation. The changes in Fe speciation would take place on time-scales of 20-100 years.     

Biodiversity and biomass of a natural and degraded mangrove forest of Peninsular Malaysia

Anthropogenic activities have always been the cause of most environmental degradation, and mangrove disappearance is no exception. A comparative assessment on the biodiversity of natural and degraded mangrove forests has been undertaken, looking at the biomass, both above-ground and below-ground. The natural and the degraded mangrove forests were situated at Kuala Selangor and Sungai Haji Dorani, respectively, both on the West coast of Peninsular Malaysia. A random sample scheme with quadrate sample plots (10 m × 10 m) was adopted for the measurement of the diameter at breast height and total height of individual tree species at both forests. Diversity indices and above- and below-ground biomass were estimated from this inventory. Eight mangrove tree species were identified at both study areas, namely: Bruguiera parviflora, Avicennia officinalis, Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba, Avicennia marina, Bruguiera cylindrica, Xylocarpus mekongensis and Excoecaria agallocha. The mangrove species in Sungai Haji Dorani showed high diversity with a Shannon–Weiner Index (H′) value of 0.91, compared to the natural mangrove of Kuala Selangor which has a lower value, H′ = 0.55. The dominant species in the natural mangrove area was B. parviflora, with the highest Important Value Index (IVI) of 70.96 %, as opposed to A. marina which was the most common species in the degraded mangrove area, with IVI of 49.16 %. An estimate of 305.46 t/ha of above-ground biomass was calculated for the natural mangrove, while 122.78 t/ha was obtained for the degraded mangrove forest. This contrasts with the below-ground biomass estimates, which were 14.09 t/ha for the natural mangrove and 36.35 t/ha for the degraded mangrove.     

Lake Søbygaard: a shallow lake in recovery after a reduction in phosphorus loading

The development and recovery of a shallow and hypertrophic lake following a reduction in the external phosphorus load has been documented. In spite of this reduction, phosphorus concentrations and phytoplankton biomass in the lake water are still very high. The reason for this development can be explained by three main factors: (1): the sediment has been accumulating a large phosphorus pool which is now causing a high internal phosphorus load, (2) due to the shallow conditions, resuspension of the upper sediment often takes place because of wind action and thereby increases the phosphorus loading from the sediment, (3) the development of a large population of planktivorous fish decreases the zooplankton biomass resulting in the development of a large phytoplankton biomass.     

Role of sediment composition in trace metal distribution in lake sediments

Sediment cores were collected from 20 lakes from the Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada, to study vertical changes in trace metal concentrations with depth and the distribution of metals amongst humic material, amorphous and crystalline Fe and Mn oxides, insoluble organics/sulphides, and silicates. Based on their total concentrations, trace elements displayed different degrees of affinity for the organic fraction (represented by organic C) and the mineral fraction (represented by Al). Certain elements (Hg, As, Sb, Pb, Cd, and Zn) displayed a positive correlation with organic C, a negative correlation with Al, and enrichment in surface sediments (with enrichment factors ranging from 2 to 24). Detailed speciation studies revealed that these elements were associated mainly with humic material and to a lesser extent with oxides in surface sediments. Other elements (Al, Cr, Co, Fe, and Mn) displayed a negative correlation with organic C, a positive correlation with Al, and no consistent enrichment in their total concentration at the surface. The speciation study revealed that metals of the latter group were mainly associated with the silicate fraction in both surface and deep sediments. This study shows that relative affinities for organic and mineral fractions play an important role in the distribution of trace metals during burial and diagenesis, and hence in the shape of their vertical profiles.     

Origin of water salinity in a lake and coastal aquifer system

The studied area is in the Algerian Northeast. A number of interacting factors at the site are able to modify salinity. The main influences are: (1) The lithology, (2) Fedzara Lake, (3) marine waters, and (4) a prolonged drought. (1) The lithology is very clearly delineated by the outcrop of metamorphic formations (gneiss, marbles, micaschists, and quartzites) and sedimentary formations (limestones, clay, sandstones, and sands). All these formations can influence the chemical composition of waters. (2) Fedzara Lake evacuates its salted waters via the Wadi Meboudja, which connects with the Wadi Seybouse and the phreatic surface. These lake waters might induce changes in salinity. (3) The marine waters represent the third source of salinity change. Over-pumping of water from wells and drillings can cause an imbalance to the fresh–salted water interface. (4) The effects of a local prolonged drought of more than 10 years may increase water salinity. Over-pumping to augment water supply generates a fall in water levels and the drier atmosphere increases evapotranspiration. Both may contribute to increased salinity. Results of water analysis were used to observe the evolution of these various factors.     

Structures and profiles of novel sulfur-linked chlorophyll derivatives in an Antarctic lake sediment

High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry has permitted the identification of a homologous series of novel alkylsulfide derivatives of chlorophyll a containing between one and five carbon atoms, in sediment from a coastal Antarctic lake. The sulfur-containing compounds are present in varying abundance in stratigraphic horizons representing a phase when the lake was a marine basin. Throughout this marine phase photic zone anoxia is recorded by the presence of bacteriochlorophyll c and d-derivatives. Distributional variations between sulfurised and non-sulfurised chlorophyll a-derivatives throughout the sediment section studied indicate that the extent of sulfurisation is not controlled by chlorophyll a abundance alone.     

Trace metal profiles in the varved sediment of an Arctic lake

Varved (annually-laminated) sediments offer a rare and physically undisturbed archive of past trace metal deposition and limnological conditions. Here, a high-resolution 1,300 year record of metal accumulation is presented from a varved lake sediment on Devon Island in the Canadian High Arctic. Down-core concentration profiles of Cd, Cu and Zn were positively correlated (P < 0.01) with organic C (Cd, Zn) or with leachable Fe (Cu), while distinct sub-surface peaks of these metals coincided with those of Fe, S and other redox-sensitive elements such as Co, Cr and U. The fluxes of these metals since 1854 were correlated with elements such as Ca, Al and La (P < 0.001) which are predominantly of local geological origin. Furthermore, the Cd, Cu and Zn patterns did not match concurrent records in Greenland Summit ice over the last century, nor global industrial emission histories. These facts suggest that inputs from local geological sources, coupled with some degree of post-depositional mobility or association with organic matter inputs, explain the metals’ sedimentary profiles, which were apparently not affected by long-range atmospheric metal pollution. Mercury concentrations were strongly correlated with total diatom abundance over the last 400 yrs, especially during the 20th Century when a two-fold increase in Hg concentrations and a four order-of-magnitude increase in diatoms occurred in tandem. Since 1854, 81% of the variation in Hg flux was associated with diatom and Ca fluxes. A similar correspondence between Hg and diatoms was found in a second lake nearby, confirming that the relationship was not unique to the main study lake. Recent Hg increases in Arctic and sub-Arctic lakes have been attributed to global anthropogenic Hg emissions. We propose an alternative hypothesis for High Arctic lakes: the recent Hg increases may be partly or entirely the product of elevated rates of Hg scavenging from the water column caused by markedly greater algal productivity, which in turn was driven by accelerating climate warming during the 20th Century. Given the important environmental assessment and policy implications if the alternative hypothesis is true, the possible effects of climate warming on sedimentary Hg fluxes in this region deserve further study.     

Seasonal variations in the loosely sorbed phosphorus fraction of the sediment of a shallow and hypereutrophic lake

On the basic of selective extractions, loosely sorbed phosphorus (ADS-P) has been shown to constitute much of the total phosphorus in the P-rich near-surface sediments of Lake Søbygaard, Denmark. The concentrations of ADS-P are seasonally variable, ranging from 0.2 mg Pg^?1 DW in the winter to more than 2 mg Pg^?1 DW in the summer. The variations can be observed as deep as 10 cm into the sediment but are most pronounced in the upper few centimeters. During the summer, lake and pore water pH levels are very high, and photosynthetic activity causes elevation to pH 10–11 in the lake. Laboratory experiments demonstrated a strong association between ADS-P and high pore water pH. It is likely that Lake Søbygaard represents an extreme example of pH control on sediment/water phosphorus equilibria in which high concentrations of internal ADS-P contribute significantly to the total P load of the Lake.     

Correlations of natural radionuclides in sediment from Danube

The correlation between specific activities of some natural radionuclides (²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K) measured in sediment taken from river bottom was studied. The sediment was taken from the Serbian part of the Danube River. Good correlation between some of the isotopes is observed, so that their specific activity ratios are spread over a lower range than specific activities themselves. This suggests that evaluation of specific activity ratios of some natural radionuclides could be a more sensitive method for the determination of increased levels of some of them than the straightforward analysis of specific activities.