A 1500-year record of temperature and glacial response inferred from varved Iceberg Lake, southcentral Alaska

We present a varve thickness chronology from glacier-dammed Iceberg Lake in the southern Alaska icefields. Radiogenic evidence confirms that laminations are annual and record continuous sediment deposition from A.D. 442 to A.D. 1998. Varve thickness is positively correlated with Northern Hemisphere temperature trends, and more strongly with a local, ∼600 yr long tree ring width chronology. Varve thickness increases in warm summers because of higher melt, runoff, and sediment transport (as expected), but also because shrinkage of the glacier dam allows shoreline regression that concentrates sediment in the smaller lake. Varve thickness provides a sensitive record of relative changes in warm season temperatures. Relative to the entire record, temperatures implied by this chronology were lowest around A.D. 600, warm between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1300, cooler between A.D. 1500 and A.D. 1850, and have increased dramatically since then. Combined with stratigraphic evidence that contemporary jökulhlaups (which began in 1999) are unprecedented since at least A.D. 442, this record suggests that 20th century warming is more intense, and accompanied by more extensive glacier retreat, than the Medieval Warm Period or any other time in the last 1500 yr.     

The impact of pro‐glacial lakes on downstream sediment delivery in Norway

Glacier recessions caused by climate change may uncover pro‐glacial lakes that form important sedimentation basins regulating the downstream sediment delivery. The impact of modern pro‐glacial lakes on fluvial sediment transport from three different Norwegian glaciers: Nigardsbreen, Engabreen and Tunsbergdalsbreen, and their long‐term development has been studied. All of these lakes developed in modern times in overdeepened bedrock basins. The recession of Nigardsbreen uncovered a 1.8 km long and on average 15 m deep pro‐glacial lake basin during 1937 to 1968. Since then the glacier front has been situated entirely on land, and the sediment input and output of the lake has been measured. The suspended sediment transport into and out of the lake averaged 11 730 t yr^?1 and 2340 t yr^?1 respectively. Thus, 20% remained in suspension at the outlet. The measured mean annual bedload supplied to the lake was 11 800 t yr^?1, giving a total transport of 23 530 t yr^?1 which corresponds to a specific sediment yield of 561 t km^?2 yr^?1. A 1.9 km long and up to 90 m deep pro‐glacial lake basin downstream from Engabreen glacier was uncovered during 1890 to 1944. The average suspended sediment load delivered from the glacier during the years 1970–1981 amounted to 12 375 t yr^?1and the transport out of the lake was 2021 t yr^?1, giving an average of 16% remaining in suspension. The mean annual bedload was 8000 t yr^?1, thus the total transport was 20 375 t yr^?1, giving a specific sediment yield of 566 t km^?2 yr^?1. For Tunsbergdalsbreen glacier, measurements in the early 1970s indicated that the suspended sediment transport was on average 44 000 t yr^?1. From 1987 to 1993 the recession of the glacier uncovered a small pro‐glacial lake, 0.3 km long and around 9 m deep. Downstream from this, the suspended sediment load measured in 2009 was 28 000 t yr^?1, indicating that as much as 64% remained in suspension. Flow velocity, grain size of sediment, and morphology of the lake are important factors controlling the sedimentation rate in the pro‐glacial lakes. A survey of the sub‐glacial morphology of Tunsbergdalsbreen revealed that there are several overdeepened basins beneath the glacier. The largest is 4 km long and 100 m deep. When the glacier melts back they will become lakes and act as sedimentation basins. Despite an expected increase in sediment yield from the glacier, little sediment will pass these lakes and downstream sediment delivery will be reduced markedly. Beneath Nigardsbreen there was only a small depression that may form a lake and the sediment delivery will not be significantly affected. © 2014 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

东北松嫩平原区湖泊对气候变化响应的初步研究

以气候变暖为主要特点的气候变化已成为当前研究的焦点,气候变化和不同类型的生态系统之间的相互作用更是受到广泛关注.东北地区作为我国气候变化的一个敏感区,观测记录和多种模式预估显示该区气候变暖显著并将进一步增强,降水变化趋势则不明显或略有增加.东北松嫩平原湖泊群是我国湖泊密度最大的湖区之一,但近几十年来,该区湖泊生态环境不断恶化,其中气候因素最为受人关注.本文从以下几个角度综述了松嫩平原湖泊群对气候变化的响应:(1)湖泊面积和湖泊水位;(2)湖泊水质;(3)湖泊生态多样性.在此基础上,探讨了该区未来气候变化对湖泊的可能影响以及湖泊的演变趋势,也阐述了在这种自然背景下的人类活动对湖泊环境演变的影响.     

风浪扰动引起湖泊磷形态变化的模拟试验研究

为了解一次完整的大风浪过程(包括风浪扰动及扰动后的静风期)水体中各形态磷的变化情况及其影响因素,进行了室内模拟风浪扰动的试验研究。结果显示大风浪扰动初期水体中悬浮物(SS)、总磷(TP)、颗粒态磷(PP)和溶解性总磷(DTP)的浓度大幅增加,扰动持续半天后水体SS、TP、PP的浓度均达到最大值,扰动停止后,至少需要10d时间水体中SS、TP、PP的浓度才能回复到扰动前水平;扰动期间水体DTP浓度居于高值,但风浪停止后立即降低;整个风浪过程水体中溶解性反应磷(SRP)浓度变化不大。试验表明,扰动初期沉积物中Fe、Mn结合态磷能快速释放到水体中,但随着扰动的持续,水体复氧,释放到水体中的溶解性活性磷又能与Fe、Mn结合随悬浮物沉降到水底。扰动期间及随后静置1d时间内,水体中悬浮颗粒物的中值粒径连续下降,意味着悬浮颗粒物对磷的吸附能力在不断增强。但水体静置较长时间后,扰动引起的悬浮物几乎全部沉降,絮凝等作用导致水体颗粒物粒度增大。本研究说明虽然大风浪扰动初期能引起浅水湖泊中颗粒态和溶解态营养盐浓度的迅速提高,能够为水华蓝藻的快速生长提供大量可直接利用或酶解的营养盐,但随着风浪扰动的持续,由于水体复氧、水中颗粒物粒度不断细化、颗粒物中的有机成分比例不断增高等,悬浮颗粒物对活性磷的吸附能力也相应提高,两种作用相互削减使得风浪扰动后期水体活性磷浓度的增幅并不明显。     

中国湖泊生态系统突变时空差异

人类活动的加强导致湖泊生态系统发生"突变",造成生物多样性下降、藻类暴发、水质恶化等等环境和生态问题.中国许多湖泊已经发生"突变"或面临着突变风险.获悉湖泊生态系统发生突变的时空差异对于区域湖泊的保护,预防湖泊突变的发生以及制定合适的修复策略至关重要.本研究收集了中国55个不同区域湖泊的古湖沼学数据,探讨了湖泊突变的区...     

How water exchange and seasonality affect the eutrophication of Murchison Bay,Lake Victoria

Murchison Bay in the Northern part of Lake Victoria has for decades received a daily wastewater load of 0.2% of its volume from Kampala City, through the Nakivubo channel. In spite of this, the Water Treatment Works abstracts raw water from this bay and has been able to produce drinking water of sufficient quality for the capital. This study monitored various physical−chemical components within the bay during 2000−2003 to understand the processes responsible for the acceptable quality of raw water. Four sampling stations were located along a transect from the channel mouth towards the open lake.Resultsshowed that the wastewater did not accumulate in the bay, instead was already strongly diluted 2.5 km from the channel mouth. This caused an abrupt reduction in conductivity and the concentrations of the nutrients total phosphorus (Tot-P), orthophosphate (PO₄-P) and total nitrogen (Tot-N).Inshore−offshore exchange of water was mediated by flows from daily and sub-daily water level fluctuations and wind-driven currents. As a daily average, 2% of the Murchison Bay flowed in and out and the incoming wastewater was diluted 9.7 times.During the dry season from June to August (D2), when the weather was influenced by the south-east monsoon, the thermal stratification in the main lake disappeared and cooler and deoxygenated water from deeper depths entered the bay influencing its water quality.The daily flushing of water in and out of the bay due to water level variation was identified as the main factor diluting the bay water.     

Recent occurrence of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii in Waikato lakes of New Zealand

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii is a toxin‐producing species of cyanobacteria that in autumn 2003 was recorded for the first time in three shallow (max. depth ≤5 m) Waikato lakes and a hydro‐electric dam on the Waikato River, New Zealand. It formed water blooms at densities >100 000 cells/ml in Lakes Waahi and Whangape. Net rates of population growth >0.2 day_–1 were recorded for C. raciborskii in Lakes Ngaroto, Waahi, and Karapiro, based on comparisons of low numbers (detection of <10 cells/ml) from initial samples and its presence at bloom densities (>15 000 cells/ml) in the subsequent sample “x"‐"y” days later. C. raciborskii may be well adapted to rapid proliferation in the Waikato lakes, which are eutrophic to hypertrophic, with high light attenuation, and where nitrogen (N) fixation may provide it with a competitive advantage over non‐nitrogen fixing algae under N‐limited conditions.     

Seasonal variations in phytoplankton biomass and primary production in the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes Ziway, Awassa and Chamo – The basis for fish production

Seasonal variations in the biomass (Chl a) and primary production (¹⁴C-method) of phytoplankton were studied during 12 months of 2005 in the three Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes (ERVL) Ziway, Awassa and Chamo. Chl a showed an average value of 40, 20, and 30 mg m⁻³ for the three lakes, respectively. Integrated areal primary production for the total phytoplankton (g C m⁻² d⁻¹) varied 2-fold in the three lakes but on different levels, from 0.67–1.8 in L. Ziway, 1.8–4.6 in L. Awassa, and 1.0–2.6 in L. Chamo. The overall photosynthetic efficiency of utilizing photosynthetically active radiation by the phytoplankton on molar basis (mmol C mol of photons⁻¹) resulted in an average value of 1.4 for L. Ziway, 3.5 for L. Awassa and 1.6 for L. Chamo. Among the different factors regulating phytoplankton primary productivity, light penetration and nutrients were the most important in the three lakes. The seasonal variations of incident radiation (most values between 5 and 7 E m⁻² h⁻¹) and water temperature (most values between 22 and 24 °C) were small and unlikely to result in the marked differences in phytoplankton primary production. Although relative increase in nutrient concentrations occurred following the rainy periods, the major algal nutrients were either consistently low (nitrate and/or silicate) or high (phosphate and/or ammonium) and remained within a narrow range for most of the study period in all the three lakes. Consequently, phytoplankton biomass and primary production seem to be maintained more by nutrient regeneration or turnover (facilitated by high temperature) than by allochthonous nutrient input. This would be coupled with wind-induced mixing that would play an important role in determining hydrographic characteristics (water column structure) and the associated redistribution of nutrients and phytoplankton, the availability of light and subsequently the spatial (vertical) and temporal patterns of phytoplankton production in these three ERVL. Phytoplankton production (PP) is regarded as a good predictor of fish yield in lakes and seasonal measurements of PP is a prerequisite for good such estimates.     

Recent variations of supraglacial lakes on the Baltoro Glacier in the central Karakoram Himalaya and its possible teleconnections with the pacific decadal oscillation

This study discusses the formation and variations of supraglacial lakes on the Baltoro glacier system in the central Karakoram Himalaya during the last four decades. We mapped supraglacial lakes on the Baltoro Glacier from 1978 to 2014 using Landsat MSS, TM, ETM + and LCDM images. Most of the glacial lakes were formed or expanded during the late 1970s–2008. After 2008, the total number and the area of glacial lakes were found to be lesser compared to previous years. We tried to find any teleconnections exists between the glacial lake changes in this region and the pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), which entered its prolonged warm regime in the late 1970s and again to its cold regime in 2008, based on observational investigation. The decrease in the number and area of the supraglacial lakes after 2008 is hypothesised to be linked with the recent cold phase of PDO.     

Volcanogenic Tsunamis in Lakes: Examples from Nicaragua and General Implications

This paper emphasizes the fact that tsunamis can occur in continental lakes and focuses on tsunami triggering by processes related to volcanic eruptions and instability of volcanic edifices. The two large lakes of Nicaragua, Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua, host a section of the Central American Volcanic Arc including several active volcanoes. One case of a tsunami in Lake Managua triggered by an explosive volcanic eruption is documented in the geologic record. However, a number of events occurred in the past at both lakes which were probably tsunamigenic. These include massive intrusion of pyroclastic flows from Apoyo volcano as well as of flank-collapse avalanches from Mombacho volcano into Lake Nicaragua. Maar-forming phreatomagmatic eruptions, which repeatedly occurred in Lake Managua, are highly explosive phenomena able to create hugh water waves as was observed elsewhere. The shallow water depth of the Nicaraguan lakes is discussed as the major limiting factor of tsunami amplitude and propagation speed. The very low-profile shores facilitate substantial in-land flooding even of relatively small waves. Implications for conceiving a possible warning system are also discussed.