A sedimentary record of human disturbance from Lake Miragoane,Haiti

Lake Miragoane, Haiti is one of the largest, natural freshwater lakes in the Caribbean (A=7.06 km², z_max=41.0 m, conductivity = 350 S cm^–1). Lake waters are dominated by calcium and bicarbonate ions. The lake was thermally stratified, and oxygen profiles were clinograde during summer visits in 1983 and 1985. A 72-cm mud-water interface core was taken near the center of the lake and dated with ²¹⁰Pb. The local ²¹⁰Pb fallout rate is low (0.09 pCi cm^–2 yr^–1), about 20% of the global average. Bulk sedimentation rates ranged from 0.008 to 0.030 g cm^–2 yr^–1 during the past 130 years (0–8 cm depth). Sediment geochemistry and pollen have been analyzed in the topmost 58 cm of the section. Tentative ages were assigned to the core by extrapolation of ²¹⁰Pb dates. According to this preliminary chronology, the bottom part of the core (58–30 cm) records pre-Columbian sedimentation (1000–500 B.P.) and contains pollen evidence of intact, dry and mesic forest. Pre-Columbian deposits are rich in organic matter (x = 30%) and relatively poor in carbonates (x = 15% as CO₂). The top 30 cm of the core preserve the record since European contact (500 B.P. to present). Pollen data reveal two episodes of deforestation following European arrival. Consequent soil erosion is documented by a decrease in organic matter content (x = 15%) and an increase in carbonates (x = 27% as CO₂). Surficial sediments reflect the widespread deforestation and soil loss that characterize the watershed today.     

Recent environmental changes inferred from the sediments of small lakes in Yellowstone's northern range

Recent sediments of eight small lakes in the northern winter range of Yellowstone National Park were cored to examine stratigraphic records of past changes in limnology and local environment that might be attributed to grazing and other activities of elk, bison, and other large ungulates. Cores of undisturbed sediment were analyzed at close intervals to depths covering the last 100–150 years according to chronologies established by lead-210 dating. Pollen analyses were made to show change in regional vegetation, and diatom and geochemical analyses were made to reveal possible limnological changes resulting from soil erosion and nutrient input from the lake catchments.Variations in sedimentary components prior to establishment of the Park in 1872 indicate some natural variability in environmental factors e.g., erosional inputs in landslide areas west of Gardiner. All lakes had abundant nutrient inputs.After the Park was founded, fire suppression may have been responsible for small increases in pollen percentages of various conifers and Artemisia tridentata (big sagebrush) at different times in different lakes. Perceptible decreases in pollen of willow, aspen, alder, and birch at different times may reflect local ungulate browsing, although drier climatic conditions may have been a factor as well.The most striking manifestation of accelerated erosion in a catchment was found at a lake located beside a road constructed in the 1930s. In contrast to changes at this site, the record of erosion at other lakes is hardly perceptible. Changes in sediment-accumulation rates seen at most sites result from redistribution of sediment within the lake after initial deposition.In the century following Park establishment, the abundance of planktonic diatoms relative to benthic taxa varies among lakes and may reflect differential nutrient inputs or changes in lake level. Four of the five lakes analyzed for diatoms show in the last few decades an increase in planktonic relative to benthic species, implying elevated nutrient inputs. The recent flora, however, is similar to that in pre-Park levels which suggests that these lakes have not been perturbed outside their normal range. Increased nutrient supply in recent decades for at least two of the lakes is supported by the geochemical data, which show an increase in biogenic silica and in organic matter.As a whole, our investigation of the sedimentary record does not support the hypothesis that ungulate grazing has had a strong direct or indirect effect on the vegetation and soil stability in the lake catchments or on the water quality of the lakes.     

Sediment focusing and210Pb dating: a new approach

In this paper we test the utility of the mud deposition boundary depth (mud DBD) theory (Rowanet al. 1992) as a means of maximizing sampling efficiency in paleolimnological investigations, particularly those that apply to²¹⁰Pb dating. The mud DBD is defined by the relationship between near bottom wave velocity and particle threshold velocity, with wave and particle threshold theory simplified to terms of exposure and depth. Mud DBD theory can be used to define the depositional zone in lakes, and within the depositional zone defined by the mud DBD: 1) there is a high probability of obtaining a representative core, 2) variation in mass sediment accumulation rate (MSAR) is not correlated with water depth, and 3) variation in MSAR is considerably reduced from the whole lake average. This suggests that mud DBD theory can account for the effects of sediment focusing, and that the mud DBD defined depositional zone is the zone to which fine-grained sediments are focused. Finally, we have shown that to optimize sampling effort, 5 to 10 cores within the depositional zone are necessary for a reasonably precise estimate of the mean mass sediment accumulation rate. In addition, the use of mud DBD theory prior to sampling can dramatically reduce the cost associated with analyzing large numbers of cores for²¹⁰Pb.This is the fifth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of take sediments. Dr P. G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

Sources and chronology of fifteen elements in the sediments of lakes affected by metal deposition in a mining area

Sources and chronologies of metal contamination were studied in sediment cores of three lakes of the Rouyn-Noranda mining area (Québec, Canada) affected by atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic contaminants. One of the three lakes also received acid mine drainage. The sediments were dated using ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs and analysed for stable Pb isotope ratios and for total concentrations of 15 elements (Ag, Al, Au, Ca, Cu, Cd, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, S, Ti, Zn). Stable lead isotopic signatures helped to determine the quantitative contributions of different industrial Pb sources to our sampling sites. This source apportionment showed the dominant influence of the Rouyn-Noranda copper smelter in airborne Pb emissions for the decades following 1926, when industrialization began in the region. The smelter source had a low ratio of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ranging between 0.90 and 1.05, as typical of the Abitibi Archean sulphides. The relationships between element (metal) sedimentary fluxes and anthropogenic Pb fluxes allowed us to infer the origin of the anthropogenic source. These relationships strongly suggest that the copper smelter was (and may still be) an atmospheric source of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ag and Hg to the surrounding lakes. Our study indicates that the efforts made by the Rouyn-Noranda copper smelter to reduce airborne emissions of metals have been translated in reduced atmospheric metal loadings to the surrounding lakes.     

Drainage ditch erosion history as recorded in the varved sediment of a small lake in East Finland

Short core stratigraphy of total N, P, Zn, Hg and diatoms were investigated in the varved sediment of Lake Heinälampi, a small 8 m deep pond in East Finland. The sediment has recently changed from organic mud to minerogenic silt. The presence of varved sediment offers independent control for ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs dates and these are in good agreement: the sediment quality initially changed around the year 1930 due to increaed field erosion, and the inflow of mineral matter was further increased by ditching of paludified forests in 1980.Diatom analysis reveals that eutrophication has occurred before and concurrent with the sedimentary change. The causes of eutrophication and the increased levels of Zn and Hg are discussed.     

210Pb and 137Cs dating methods in lakes: A retrospective study

²¹⁰Pb has been used for more than two decades to provide the geochronology of annually deposited sediments and to construct pollution histories. Evidence from some lakes suggests that this radionuclide may be adequately mobile to compromise dating reliability. This study provides one test of that possibility by comparing recent measurements of ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals to ones carried out more than 20 yrs in the past. ¹³⁷Cs dating is used to confirm sediment accumulation rates in the recent cores. In the three Connecticut, USA, lakes studied, sediment accumulation rates changed abruptly to higher values between 40-50 yrs ago (increasing by factors of 2.2, 2.9, and 3.0). In all three lakes, rates calculated from ²¹⁰Pb distributions both above and below this horizon agreed, within measurement uncertainty, in recent and older cores. Furthermore, when the older data were corrected for 20 yrs of burial, the changes in slope in ²¹⁰Pb distributions occurred at the same depth in each pair of cores. The depth of sharp peaks in concentrations of trace metals also matched. In general, this evidence supports the idea that sediments in these lakes have simply been buried, without significant diagenetic remobilization of ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals . Nevertheless, some important differences were also observed. For two of the three lakes, there was a significant difference in average sediment accumulation rate during the past 33 yrs as calculated from ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb in the recent cores. Most potential causes for this difference can be ruled out, and it appears that one of the two nuclides is remobilized compared to the other. There were also significant differences in the total inventories of both ²¹⁰Pb and trace metals (both up to 2 ×) between recent and older cores in some cases. This may be due to dissimilar sediment focusing, since it is not known for certain whether the new cores were collected at exactly the same sites as in the past.     

Highly variable sediment distribution in shallow, wind-stressed lakes: a case for sediment-mapping surveys in paleolimnological studies

We examine sediment distribution patterns in seven Florida lakes and discuss implications for paleolimnological studies of shallow, subtropical lakes. The study lakes are highly productive and should exhibit thick organic sediment deposits, but organic sediments are often grossly lacking because basins are shallow, and frequent mixing, lack of stratification, and warm temperatures lead to breakdown of organic material.Organic sediment distribution patterns are highly variable. We observe three types of distribution patterns. When organic sediments are abundant, there may be (1) uniform sediment distribution. In lakes lacking organic sediments, there are (2) distribution to deeper areas if present, or (3) distribution to peripheral areas and embayments when deep waters are absent. We advocate the use of systematic mapping surveys to locate optimal coring sites for paleolimnological studies of shallow, wind-stressed lakes. Because numerous factors affect diagenesis and sediment redistribution, sediment abundance and location are not predictable. Sediment chronologies may be discontinuous and disturbed even in accumulation zones. The extent to which sedimentary records are discontinuous or disturbed is not quantifiable in any practical manner. ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs radioisotopic profiles provide qualitative evidence of the degree of stratigraphic disturbance. Total excess ²¹⁰Pb inventories show that sediments are focused into depositional zones when sediment distribution is uneven. Excess ²¹⁰Pb inventories are not informative about the completeness of sedimentary profiles unless small inventories suggest discontinuous sedimentation or erosional events. We present examples of disturbed and undisturbed profiles, and discuss how we use radioisotopic and geochemical evidence, and multiple cores to assess stratigraphic continuity.Journal Series No. R-04815 of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.     

A multi-proxy trophic state reconstruction for shallow Orange Lake, Florida, USA: possible influence of macrophytes on limnetic nutrient concentrations

We retrieved four sediment cores from shallow, eutrophic, macrophyte-dominated Orange Lake (A = 51.4 km2, zmax <5 m, zmean < 2 m), north-central Florida, USA. The 210Pb-dated profiles were used to evaluate spatial and temporal patterns of bulk sediment and nutrient accumulation in the limnetic zone and to infer historical changes in lake trophic state. Bulk density, organic matter, total carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and non-apatite inorganic phosphorus (NAIP) concentrations displayed stratigraphic similarities among three of four cores, as did accumulation rates of bulk sediment, organic matter and nutrients. Accumulation rates were slower at the fourth site. Nutrients showed generally increasing rates of accumulation since the turn of the century. Percentages of periphytic diatom taxa increased progressively in the cores after ~ 1930. Diatom-inferred limnetic total P trends were similar among profiles. Eutrophic conditions were inferred for the period prior to the turn of the century. The lake was hypereutrophic in the early decades of the 1900s, but inferred limnetic total P values declined after ~ 1930. Declining inferred limnetic total P trends for the last 60--70 years were accompanied by concomitant increases in accumulation rates of total P and NAIP on the lake bottom. Several lines of evidence suggest that after ~ 1930, phosphorus entering Orange Lake was increasingly utilized by submersed macrophytes. Paleolimnological records from Orange Lake highlight the importance of using multiple sediment variables to infer past trophic state and suggest that aquatic macrophytes can play a role in regulating water-column nutrient concentrations in shallow, warm-temperate lakes.     

Lacustrine sedimentary record of human-induced gully erosion and land-use change at Providence Canyon, southwest Georgia, USA

Providence Canyon, one of a series of large gullies in the upper Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, formed as a result of deforestation and agricultural development in the early 1800's. Sediment eroded from the canyon aggraded the floodplain downstream, dammed tributary valleys, and formed North and South Glory Hole lakes (NGH, 4.8 ha and SGH, 2.5 ha). Sedimentary sequences in these lakes include a basal unit (I) of layered sand and clayey-sand overlain by 0.05-0.1 m of mud, fine sand and organic matter, with large fragments of wood (Unit IIa). An upper unit (IIb) 0.29-1.61 m thick consists of silt and clay containing discrete layers of sand. We interpret Unit I as floodplain alluvium deposited before the lakes were dammed, Unit IIa as sediment deposited during the early phase of the lakes when detritus from trees killed by flooding was abundant, and Unit IIb as lacustrine mud deposited after lake levels stabilized, with periodic pulses of sand eroded from Providence Canyon introduced to the lake by backflooding events. Basal dates extrapolated from a ²¹⁰Pb chronology for the upper part of SGH core suggests that development of the canyon and formation of the lakes began in the 1840's, and that lake levels stabilized by about 1880. Although consistent with historical accounts of the age of Providence Canyon, these dates must be considered as approximate because of uncertainty in extrapolating dates to the bottom of the core.In contrast, the ²¹⁰Pb chronology for the upper portion of the core (post 1930) is validated independently using historical climatic records, and indicates that lacustrine sedimentation faithfully records recent land-use change visible in historical aerial photography. An 8-fold increase in lacustrine sedimentation occurred after the clearing of forest near SGH in the 1930's and 1940's, and a 1.5-fold increase occurred because of road construction in the l950's. Individual sand layers deposited between 1830 and 1957 correlate with erosion at Providence Canyon during major storm events. Since then, downcutting and headward incision by the stream draining Providence Canyon have reduced backflooding to the Glory Hole lakes. As a result, the thickness of individual sand layers decreased, although increases in mass sedimentation rates for mud correspond more directly with large precipitation events after channel incision cut off the major source of sediment from Providence Canyon. The results of this study illustrate the value of the lacustrine sedimentary record in assessing geomorphic, climatic, and human-induced environmental change in heavily disturbed landscapes.     

The design and performance of a new box corer for collecting undisturbed samples of soft subaquatic sediments

The Baikal sediment box corer represents an innovation in design of the closing mechanism and involves a single, thin, and flexible stainless steel blade rather than closing jaws. With this light-weight box corer only a relatively small cross-sectional area is offered to the sediment, allowing easier penetration. The closure blade is propelled smoothly across the base of the box in a downwardly convex path by a set of constant force springs. Depending on choice of blade-release mechanisms, the corer can either be triggered immediately as the support cable slackens, after a delay of a few seconds, or immediately upon retrieval. The box corer has been used successfully to sample poorly consolidated sediments in freshwater lakes over a depth range of 8 to 1624 m. Cores of deep-water surficial sediment from Lake Baikal were tested for representativity and replicability by profiling natural and artificial radioisotopes and lithostratigraphic features.     

Baptiste Lake,Alberta — A late Holocene history of changes in a lake and its catchment in the southern Boreal forest

Lead-210 assay and dating are subject to several sources of error, including natural variation, the statistical nature of measuring radioactivity, and estimation of the supported fraction. These measurable errors are considered in calculating confidence intervals for ²¹⁰Pb dates. Several sources of error, including the effect of blunders or misapplication of the mathematical model, are not included in the quantitative analysis. First-order error analysis and Monte Carlo simulation (of cores from Florida PIRLA lakes) are used as independent estimates of dating uncertainty. CRS-model dates average less than 1% older than Monte Carlo median dates, but the difference increases non-linearly with age to a maximum of 11% at 160 years. First-order errors increase exponentially with calculated CRS-model dates, with the largest 95% confidence interval in the bottommost datable section being 155±90 years, and the smallest being 128±8 years. Monte Carlo intervals also increase exponentially with age, but the largest 95% occurrence interval is 152±44 years. Confidence intervals calculated by first-order methods and ranges of Monte Carlo dates agree fairly well until the ²¹⁰Pb date is about 130 years old. Older dates are unreliable because of this divergence. Ninety-five per cent confidence intervals range from about 1–2 years at 10 years of age, 10–20 at 100 years, and 8–90 at 150 years old.This is the third 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.     

Distribution coefficients of210Pb and210Po in laboratory and natural aquatic systems

We have measured the distribution coefficient (Kd) of²¹⁰Po and²¹⁰Pb in laboratory systems and in natural freshwater systems. In the laboratory systems, an inverse relationship was observed between the particle concentration of sand or lake sediment, and the distribution coefficients of²¹⁰Po and²¹⁰Pb. The slope of the log-linearK _d vs particle concentration relation is consistent with existingK _d-particle concentration theories. These laboratory observations are consistent with similar measurements in two lakes. TheK _d values of Po and Pb for the bottom sediment-pore water system with a high particle concentration were 10 to 100 times lower than those for dilute concentrations of particles suspended in the lake water. TheK _d of²¹⁰Pb in the sediments was >10⁴ so that the diffusive transport of²¹⁰Pb has only a small influence on the interpretation of²¹⁰Pb concentration-depth profiles and the²¹⁰Pb dating of these sediments.This is the second of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr P. G. Appleby is guest editing.     

A test of the integrity of metal records in sediment cores based on the documented history of metal contamination in Lac Dufault (Québec, Canada)

There is an important volume of published information on Lac Dufault (Québec) which describes the history of metal inputs over 70 years and the changes that occurred in the lake as a result of this contamination. We used this abundant source of chronological markers to test the hypothesis that lake sediments can provide true historical records of trace metal loading from metal mining. Sediment cores were obtained from the deepest zone of the lake (19 m). The sediments were dated using ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs and they were analyzed for total elemental concentrations (Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, P, Pb, S, Zn). Metal profiles in the sediment core preserved the distinct signatures of different mine exploitations documented in the lake watershed. In particular, the core recorded: the beginning of industrialization in 1926; increasing sedimentation rates associated with perturbations in the lake watershed; the maximum of sediment [Cu] and the contemporary exploitation of ore bodies rich in Cu; the maximum of sediment [Fe] and the contemporary production of pyrite by a mining operation; the low sediment [Cu] and [Zn] in the 1950s and the low contemporary production of these metals by mining operations; the maximum of sediment [Cd] and the contemporary production of Cd by a subsequent mining operation. Anomalies in the distribution of ²¹⁴Pb activities in sediments reflected the intensity of acid mine drainage (AMD). There is good evidence that the lake resisted acidification from this AMD for the last thirty years. Overall, our results support the thesis that profiles of sedimentary Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb and Fe levels reflect the past history of metal input to Lac Dufault.     

Low-background gamma counting: applications for210Pb dating of sediments

Sediment cores from three lakes were dated with²¹⁰Pb using a constant rate of supply (CRS) model. We used low-background gamma counting to measure naturally occurring levels of²¹⁰Pb,²²⁶Ra, and¹³⁷Cs in sediment samples because sample preparation is simple and non-destructive,²²⁶Ra activity provides a direct measure of supported²¹⁰Pb activity for each sample analyzed, and¹³⁷Cs activity may provide an independent age marker for the 1962–1963 peak in atmospheric fallout of this radionuclide. In one core supported²¹⁰Pb activity was estimated equally well from²²⁶Ra activity of each sampling interval or from the mean total²¹⁰Pb activity of constant activity samples at depth. Supported²¹⁰Pb activity was constant with depth in this core. In a short freeze core, determining²²⁶Ra activity of every sample proved advantageous in estimating supported²¹⁰Pb activity because supported²¹⁰Pb activity could be estimated from²¹⁰Pb measurements only at the deepest sampling interval. Supported²¹⁰Pb activity estimated from²²⁶Ra activity also yielded more precise estimates of highly variable sedimentation rates. In the third core²²⁶Ra activity exceeded²¹⁰Pb activity at the top of the core and varied 20 fold with depth. This high input of²²⁶Ra in disequilibrium with²¹⁰Pb is attributed to recent erosion of radium-bearing materials in the drainage basin. These data invalidate the assumption that supported²¹⁰Pb activity is constant in sediment cores and can be estimated from the mean total²¹⁰Pb activity at depths where²¹⁰Pb activity is constant. We recommend using gamma counting or another independent assay of²²⁶Ra to validate the assumption of constant supported²¹⁰Pb activity in sediment cores if there is reason to expect that²²⁶Ra activity varies with depth.This is the fourth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr. P.G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

A multi-proxy study of Holocene environmental change in the Maya Lowlands of Peten, Guatemala

We used multiple variables in a sediment core from Lake Peten-Itza, Peten, Guatemala, to infer Holocene climate change and human influence on the regional environment. Multiple proxies including pollen, stable isotope geochemistry, elemental composition, and magnetic susceptibility in samples from the same core allow differentiation of natural versus anthropogenic environmental changes. Core chronology is based on AMS ¹⁴C measurement of terrestrial wood and charcoal and thus avoids the vagaries of hard-water-lake error. During the earliest Holocene, prior to 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP, the coring site was not covered by water and all proxies suggest that climatic conditions were relatively dry. Water covered the coring site by 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP, coinciding with filling of other lakes in Peten and farther north on the Yucatan Peninsula. During the early Holocene (9000 to 6800 ¹⁴C yr BP), pollen data suggest moist conditions, but high ¹⁸O values are indicative of relatively high E/P. This apparent discrepancy may be due to a greater fractional loss of the lake's water budget to evaporation during the early stages of lake filling. Nonetheless, conditions were moist enough to support semi-deciduous lowland forest. Decrease in ¹⁸O values and associated change in ostracod species at 6800 ¹⁴C yr BP suggest a transition to even moister conditions. Decline in lowland forest taxa beginning 5780 ¹⁴C yr BP may indicate early human disturbance. By 2800 ¹⁴C yr BP, Maya impact on the environment is documented by accelerated forest clearance and associated soil erosion. Multiple proxies indicate forest recovery and soil stabilization beginning 1100 to 1000 ¹⁴C yr BP, following the collapse of Classic Maya civilization.     

Historical rates of sediment and nutrient accumulation in marshes of the Upper St. Johns River Basin, Florida, U.S.A.

We used 210Pb-dated sediment cores from wetlands and Blue Cypress Lake, in the Upper St. Johns River Basin (USJRB), Florida, USA, to measure historical accumulation rates of bulk sediment, total carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and total phosphorus (P). Marsh cores displayed similar stratigraphies with respect to physical properties and nutrient content. Wetland sediments typically contained > 900 mg organic matter (OM) g^–1 dry mass, > 500 mg C g^–1, and 30–40 mg N g^–1. OM, C, and N concentrations were slightly lower in uppermost sediments of most cores, but displayed no strong stratigraphic trends. Total P concentrations were relatively low in bottommost deposits (0.01–0.11 mg g^–1), but ranged from 0.38–2.67 mg g^–1 in surface sediments. The mean sediment accretion rate in the marsh since ~ 1900, 0.33 ± 0.05 cm yr^–1, was calculated from ten ²¹⁰Pb-dated cores. All sites displayed increases in accumulation rates of bulk sediment, C, N, and P since the early part of the 20th century. These trends are attributed to recent hydrologic modifications in the basin combined with high nutrient loading from agricultural, residential, and urban sources.     

The sedimentary record of spheroidal carbonaceous fly-ash particles in shallow Danish lakes

Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP) from combustion of oil and coal have been quantified in cores from top sediments of Danish shallow lakes. Chronologies were provided by ²¹⁰Pb-dating supplemented by measurements of other radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs, ²⁴¹Am). All cores show indications of sediment mixing but most still retain a characteristic SCP record. Deposition rates of SCP were low until the 1920s, increased strongly after World War II, reached maximum levels around 1970 and decreased thereafter. These results were used to infer a new chronology for a sediment core from a shallow lake, from which a ²¹⁰Pb chronology had previously been published.SCP inventories are positively correlated with ²¹⁰Pb inventories and dry matter accumulated since 1900, suggesting that absolute SCP accumulation rates may be more influenced by sedimentary processes than by atmospheric fluxes. The concentrations of SCP in surface sediments of the six lakes do, however, correlate with regional SO₂ emissions.     

Resolving the chronology of recent lake sediments: an example from Devils Lake,North Dakota

Devils Lake is a closed, saline lake in North Dakota; it is typical of lake basins in the Great Plains Region, where windy conditions and fluctuating water-levels disturb sediment and confound chronostratigraphy. Pollen analysis and ²¹⁰Pb dating of two cores collected from bathymetrically contrasting embayments demonstrate (1) how certain agriculture-related pollen types differ in their value as chronostratigraphic markers, (2) how pollen and ²¹⁰Pb stratigraphies can be reconciled to determine the approximate depth of sediment mixing, and (3) the importance of coring-site selection, especially in lakes with unstable sedimentary conditions.     

Evaluating the mobility of137Cs,239+240Pu and210Pb from their distributions in laminated lake sediments

Post-depositional mobility of¹³⁷Cs,^239+240Pu and²¹⁰Pb was assessed in six small lake basins by comparing sedimentary nuclide profiles with their known fallout history. Laminae couplets, when present, were determined to be varves because the¹³⁷Cs and^239+240Pu 1963 fallout peaks are present in laminae couplets corresponding to years 1962–1964. There is no evidence of mobility of²¹⁰Pb, because 1) mass accumulation rates based on²¹⁰Pb agree with those based on¹³⁷Cs and^239+240Pu peak depths and with those based on varve counts, and 2)²¹⁰Pb ages agree with varve ages. Significant mobility of¹³⁷Cs is evident from the penetration of¹³⁷Cs to depths 15–20 cm deeper than^239+240Pu. Deep penetration of¹³⁷Cs in spite of a sharp gradient below the peak is interpreted by a numerical model to suggest that¹³⁷Cs is present in two distinct forms in these sediments, 67–82% as an immobile form and 18–33% reversibly adsorbed with a K _d of approximately 5000. The profiles can be interpreted equally well assuming a small portionof the total¹³⁷Cs was present as an extremely mobile phase (K _d 5000) in the months to years following peak fallout, slowly becoming more strongly adsorbed. High NH ₄ ⁺ concentrations in porewaters may enhance diffusion of the mobile form of¹³⁷Cs, but not of the immobile form of¹³⁷Cs that defines the sharp gradient. Mobility of¹³⁷Cs is likely also enhanced by the low clay content and the high porosity of these sediments. Thus the first detection of¹³⁷Cs in the sediments cannot automatically be assumed to correspond to a date of 1952 (initial testing of thermonuclear weapons), although the depth of the peak can be assumed to correspond to 1963 (the year of maximum fallout from testing of thermonuclear weapons).^239+240Pu is a more reliable sediment chronometer than¹³⁷Cs because it is significantly less mobile.This is the sixth of a series of papers to be published by this journal following the 20 ^th anniversary of the first application of²¹⁰Pb dating of lake sediments. Dr P.G. Appleby is guest editing this series.     

The paleoecological record of human disturbance in wetlands of the Lake Tahoe Basin

Increased human activities since discovery of gold in northern California have changed the structure and function of many ecosystems. To reconstruct the changes in watershed environmental conditions, sediment cores were collected from three montane marshes in northern Sierra Nevada, CA. Pollen analysis was conducted, and water content, bulk density, ash, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, major cations, and lead concentrations of sediments were determined. Cores were dated by the 210Pb method. Pollen analyses showed changes in plant communities in this region due to severe logging in the late-1800s and moderate logging in the 1900s. The local changes were more clearly recorded in small marsh pollen profiles than regional changes. The water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum L.) introduction into Tahoe Basin was inferred from the pollen record and ²¹⁰Pb dating. Road construction and maintenance activities were recorded in physical and chemical characteristics, such as increases in sodium, calcium, and magnesium concentrations. Pollen and physical and chemical records also documented the time line of the expansion of dry meadow, and the decrease of pine forest in one of the watersheds. This study showed that sediments in small marshes were especially useful to reconstruct local disturbance by human activities.