8000-year history of palaeoproductivity in a large boreal lake

An 8000-year record of palaeoproductivity, based on the chemical and chironomid stratigraphies from Lake Päijänne, S. Finland, was assessed with respect to known morphometric, climatic and anthropogenic events. A gradual trend of dystrophication and an associated decrease in aquatic production was detected during the Holocene, with the following exceptions: (1) high diatom and chironomid production around 8000-6000 cal yr BP, (2) eutrophication around 2000 cal yr BP, and (3) an anthropogenic signal during the last few decades.The changes in chironomid assemblages, before the past few decades, have mainly been shifts in concentration, but not in species composition. Variation in chironomid production was mainly explained by the accumulations of biogenic silicon, carbon and organic matter. Nutrient availability seems to be important in controlling biogenic silicon, which we use to infer past diatom production. The high production ca. 8000-6000 cal yr BP and the fluctuation in chironomid influx after ca. 2000 cal yr BP, however, were probably caused by the proposed warm/dry and cold/wet conditions during these times, respectively. These results highlight the sensitivity of boreal shield lake ecosystems to climatic forcing. In contrast, the pronounced change in the morphometry of the basin around 7000 cal yr BP had little effect on the trophic state of the lake. The human-induced trophic change during the past few decades has affected the Lake Päijänne ecosystem to an extent never experienced before during the last 8000-years.     

湖泊流域生态系统演化对人类世研究的重要意义

人类世可能成为一个全新的地质时期,以描述人类活动对地球环境造成极为深远的影响,目前已被广泛讨论。湖泊及流域生态系统作为与人类社会最密切的地球单元之一,受到人类活动显著影响,相关研究成果能为理解人类世做出贡献。本文从湖泊流域生态系统和人类世本身特征为切入点,讨论了湖泊及流域生态系统演化对人类世研究的重要意义。我们认为,湖泊具有相对独立的整体,清晰的内部作用关系、完备的理论支持和时空数据支撑,能够为人类世地球各圈层交互作用提供研究框架。湖泊流域生态系统演化的稳态转换与地球环境进入新的地质时期具有诸多相似之处,相关研究成果能够更好地界定人类世开始时间、总体特征以及演变过程和机制。本文指出人类世湖泊及流域生态系统演化研究依然面临诸多挑战,并提出了对未来相关研究的展望。     

川中东北部中-下侏罗统湖相碳酸盐岩碳氧同位素特征及其古环境意义

在钻井岩心观察和岩石学分析的基础上,对川中东北部龙岗地区中-下侏罗统自流井组和凉高山组典型钻井取心段碳酸盐岩样品进行了碳氧同位素分析。40余件样品的测试结果表明,δ¹³C_PDB值在-1.24‰～4.59‰之间,除了1个负值外,都为正值。δ¹⁸O_PDB值在-15.7‰～-9.83‰之间,都为负值。与海相和陆相碳酸盐岩同位素值对比显示,自流井期和凉高山期古湖泊均表现出内陆开放性淡水湖泊的特点,没有经过明显的海水入侵。在中-下侏罗统广泛存在的碳同位素正偏移是由湖泊初级生产力提高所导致的。岩相和同位素变化显示了古湖平面经历了2次主旋回和6次次级旋回变化,湖平面变化总体表现为东岳庙段沉积期＞大一三亚段沉积期＞大一亚段沉积期＞凉高山期＞马鞍山段沉积期。古湖泊初级生产力的变化表现为大一三亚段沉积期＞东岳庙段沉积期＞大一亚段沉积期＞凉高山期＞马鞍山段沉积期。     

The response of sedimentation in three varved lacustrine sequences to air temperature,precipitation and human impact

Human activity and climatic forcing have influenced sedimentation in three of Finland's deepest lakes during the last centuries. High-resolution sediment sequences of Lake Päijänne, Lake Pääjärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi represent records of the last 440 years, 839 years and 633 years, respectively. The accumulation rates of dry matter, organic carbon and biogenic silica refer to changes in human activity in the catchments. However, they also reveal the importance of climatic forcing on lake sediment deposition. A significant correlation was found between instrumentally measured records of temperature (163 years) and precipitation (148 years), and varve thickness. Warm winter months indicating a short ice-cover period have the strongest control on varve thickness. This shows that wind-driven resuspension of littoral material is the forcing mechanism of climate on lake sediments. The long-term human-induced erosion pulses observed may even have magnified the climatic signals in some cases. Nevertheless, increased anthropogenic field erosion in the catchment, and the associated leaching of bioavailable nutrients, hampers the observation of climate signals, especially during the last 50 years, in the lakes studied.This is the second paper a series of papers published in this issue on high-resolution paleolimnology. These papers were presented at the Sixth International Palaeolimnology Symposium held 19-April, 1993 at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Dr A. F. Lotter and Dr. M. Sturm served as guest editors for these papers.     

Environmental changes in an alpine lake (Gossenköllesee, austria) over the last two centuries – the influence of air temperature on biological parameters

Changes in microfossils (diatoms, chrysophytes, chironomids and cladocera remains), geochemistry and deposition of atmospheric pollutants have been investigated in the sediment records of the alpine lake Gossenköllesee (Tyrol, Austria) spanning the last two centuries. The sediment records were compared with seasonal and annual air temperature trends calculated for the elevation (2417 m a.s.l.) and the geographical position (47° 1346N, 11° 0051E) of the lake, and with precipitation records available since 1866 from Innsbruck. Temperature trends followed a 20–30 year oscillation between cold and warm periods. Regarding long-term changes, temperature trends showed a U-shaped trend between 1780 and 1950, followed by a steep increase since 1975.Physical, geochemical, and organic parameters were not controlled by air temperature. Among the biological records only diatoms and chrysophytes reacted to air temperature changes: the relative abundance of planktonic diatoms increased during warm periods and changes in mean annual alpine air temperature explained 36.5% of their variation. The relation between abundance of seasonal stomatocyst types and air temperature varied on two different time scales: while summer stomatocysts were influenced by short term temperature fluctuations, the autumn stomatocysts were affected only by the long term changes. Other biological parameters exhibited a constant species composition (chironomids, pigments) or changes were small and independent of temperature (cladocera). Spheroidal carbonaceous fly-ash particles, and trends in Pb and Cr indicated increasing deposition of atmospheric pollutants but had no detectable effects on the biological parameters either. In respect to temperature variations over the last 200 years, this alpine lake is much less sensitive than expected and has thus to be regarded as a well buffered site. However, temperature alone is not sufficient to understand changes in species composition and other biogeochemical processes with unknown historical patterns might have affected species composition more strongly.     

Sediment heavy metal record in Lake Baikal: natural and antrhopogenic sources

Geochemical analysis of six radiometrically dated short cores of recent sediment from Lake Baikal shows clear evidence of enhanced Pb supply. However, the sediment concentration increases are very small; the average Pb concentration rises from a baseline value of 10.9 g g^-1 to a peak value of only 14.8 g g^-1. In contrast to the more polluted lakes commonly studied in Europe and North America, variation in Pb concentration is far more strongly influenced by natural variation than by pollution. In sediment deposited over the last 150–200 years 73% of the variance in the sediment Pb concentration can be accounted for by variation in bulk composition of the sediment, and by atmospheric pollution. Factors influencing Pb concentrations over this time period are, in order of decreasing average importance (fraction of total variance explained), catchment supply (indicated by ²²⁶Ra activity variation) (43%), anthropogenic Pb emissions (24%), and dilution by ferromanganese hydroxides (6%). On longer (1000s of years) time scales dilution by biogenic silica is probably more important.The recent enhanced supply of catchment Pb correlates with accelerating accumulation rates, indicating a link with enhanced erosion. Anthropogenic sources dominate only in the southern basin, where local fossil-fuel burning industry is situated. The evidence for a local industrial source for the Pb pollution is strengthened by the high correlation between the inventories for Pb and for spheroidal carbonaceous particles. The absence of detectable anthropogenic Pb enrichment in the northern part of the lake suggests that long-distance Pb pollution is small compared with the local natural supply.     

Tremendous change of the earth surface system and tectonic setting of salt-lake formation in Yuncheng Basin since 7.1 Ma

The Yuncheng salt lake has formed under the setting of stepped subsidence of fault-blocks from the north to the south in Yuncheng Basin. In the phase of red clay accumulation during 7.1-3.6 Ma, the size of palaeo-lake was larger than the present salt lake, and palaeo-monsoon had formed. At 3.6 Ma, the northern basement in the basin raised abruptly due to the radiative effect of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplifting, and palaeo-lake was contracting southwards. At ca. 2.6 Ma ancient river flowed into the northern part of the basin. During ca. 2.0-1.9 Ma aerolian effect strengthened and loess started to accumulate on the most part of the basin. Since ca. 1.8-1.0 Ma the subsidence of the lake fault-block has been speeding up abruptly. As under the natural hydrogradient the salt lake received enough groundwater supply, and the rate of loess accumulation in the lake area was lower than that of subsidence of the lake fault-block, the lake could be preserved and becomes the only modern lake on Chinese Loess Plateau. Four large strengthening change records of the monsoon were found in the lake sequence of 5.8-1.9 Ma B.P.     

Seed-like hydroptilid larval cases (Insecta: Trichoptera) from Holocene freshwater deposits

The seed-like larval cases of hydroptilid caddis flies may be mistaken for plant remains in subfossil studies. However, being correctly identified, they may be important for the interpretation of former freshwater environments. Two such subfossil caddis fly remains from Holocene lake sediments and river deposits are described morphologically and their palaeoecological significance interpreted.     

Climate variability and ecosystem dynamics of remote alpine and arctic lakes: the MOLAR project

This paper introduces the results of an integrated project designed to compare high resolution analysis of proxy records of climate change in the sediments of seven mountain lakes across Europe with reconstructed instrumental records of climate change over the last 200 years. Palaeolimnological methods used include radiometric dating (²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs), mineral magnetics, dry weight, loss-on-ignition, carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, pigments, diatoms, chrysophyte cysts, cladocera and chironomids. Changes in fossil assemblages were summarised using principal components analysis. The stratigraphic data were compared with the instrumental record using linear regression techniques. The dated sediment records for each proxy from each site were treated as the response variables and the various attributes of the instrumental climate record as the predictor variables. The predictor variables were generated for each site for the period 1781 to 1997 using temperature reconstructions based on meteorological records. To harmonise the climatic predictors and the response variables, the climatic variables were smoothed along time with a LOESS regression. The results of the various analyses at the seven sites are presented in the following papers. A synthesis of the project and the relative performance of the different proxy methods are discussed in the final paper.