Defining drivers of nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) of surface sediments in temperate lakes

The nitrogen stable isotopic signature (δ¹⁵N) of sediment is a powerful tool to understand eutrophication history, but its interpretation remains a challenge. In a large-scale comparative approach, we identified the most important drivers influencing surface sediments δ¹⁵N of 65 lakes from two regions of Canada using proxies that reflect watershed nitrogen (N) sources, internal lake microbial cycling and productivity. Across regions, we found that water column total nitrogen (TN),  %N in the sediments and lake morphometric variables were the best predictors of sedimentary δ¹⁵N, explaining 66 % of its variation. Significant relationships were also found between sediment δ¹⁵N and human-derived N load ( \( R_{{{\text{adj}} .}}^{2} \)  = 0.23, p < 0.001), the latter being a strong predictor of TN ( \( R_{{{\text{adj}} .}}^{2} \)  = 0.68, p < 0.001). Despite a relatively strong overall relationship, variation partitioning revealed an interesting difference in the dominant variable that influenced regional δ¹⁵N. Alberta lake sedimentary δ¹⁵N signature was dominated by human derived N load. In contrast, internal processing appeared to be more important in Quebec lakes, where sediment δ¹⁵N was best explained by  %N in the sediments and lake volume. Overall, our findings support the use of δ¹⁵N in paleolimnological investigations to reconstruct changing N sources to lakes but also highlight that regions may have distinctive drivers. Interpretations of sediment δ¹⁵N are likely to be strongest when multiple lines of evidence are employed and when placed in a regional context.     

The influence of flushing rates, terrestrial input and low salmon escapement densities on paleolimnological reconstructions of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) nutrient dynamics in Alaska and British Columbia

Recent advances in paleolimnology have enabled reconstructions of past sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) dynamics using a number of proxy-indicators, including diatoms and stable isotopes. Thus far, studies have focused on nursery lakes with high escapement densities and low flushing rates, ensuring that levels of salmon-derived nutrients (SDN) are high and are incorporated into the food chain. This study examines three oligotrophic sockeye salmon nursery lakes in Alaska (Afognak and Saltery lakes) and British Columbia (Hobiton Lake) to determine if sockeye salmon populations can be tracked in nursery systems with lower salmon escapement densities, higher flushing rates and/or higher terrestrial input. We adopted a multi-proxy approach using diatoms, stable isotopes (¹⁵N), organic carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios and pollen to draw inferences from ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores. ¹⁵N showed little response to historic variation in sockeye salmon populations, even in Saltery Lake, which has a very high escapement density, and in Afognak Lake, in which average escapement is known to have increased. Dilution effects due to high flushing rates were likely partly responsible for the low ¹⁵N and minimal variation throughout the cores, although very high terrestrial input in Hobiton Lake also dampened the salmon signal. Small changes in diatom species assemblages, however, were evident in all three lakes and may be in response to fluctuating loads of salmon-derived nutrients. Most notably, increases of mesotrophic diatom taxa, such as Asterionella formosa and Aulacoseira subarctica, corresponded to increased salmon production in Alaskan lakes as a result of enhancement (fertilization) activities and climatic changes. Changes in the relative abundance of Cyclotella pseudostelligera in Hobiton Lake may also be in response to a significant decline in sockeye salmon populations off the west coast of Vancouver Island in the 1970s. Other factors, however, such as logging and lake fertilization may also have influenced diatom species composition. These results confirm that, while salmon-derived nutrients may be of key importance in juvenile salmonid development in some lakes, this may not be the case in all systems, especially those in which flushing rates are high. Further, in these systems, diatom communities appear to respond more sensitively to fluctuations in salmon populations (and therefore nutrients) than stable isotope methods, provided that other changes in trophic status are minor.     

Paleolimnological evidence of the consequences of recent increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in lakes of the northeastern USA

As a result of reductions in sulfate deposition and changing climate, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations have increased in many lakes situated in forests of northeastern North America and northern Europe since the 1990s. Although this increase is well documented, the associated ecological implications remain unclear. In particular, DOC strongly influences the vertical temperature structure of lakes, with increasing DOC often leading to a shallower epilimnion. We investigated the effect of increased DOC concentrations on lake thermal structure using fossil diatom records from six remote Maine lakes. Sedimentary diatom profiles from three pairs of small (<0.5 km²) lakes were compared, with each pair containing one lake with a documented significant increase in DOC and the other experiencing no change in DOC since the early 1990s. Lake thermal structure was inferred from changes in the relative abundance of Discostella stelligera and Aulacoseira species, two diatom taxa that are associated with changes in thermal stratification. The three lakes without increasing DOC showed no change in diatom-inferred mixing depth over the past few decades. Of the lakes with documented increases in DOC, two showed the highest turnover in diatom community structure over time. Profiles from both of these lakes also indicated directional change in diatom-inferred mixing depth over the past 20 years, but the direction of change differed. This study demonstrates that recent increases in DOC have the potential to alter the physical and biological structure of lakes, but that these responses may differ across lakes.     

Stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) signatures of sedimented organic matter as indicators of historic lake trophic state

We explored the use of carbon and nitrogen isotopes (¹³C and ¹⁵N) in sedimented organic matter (OM) as proxy indicators of trophic state change in Florida lakes. Stable isotope data from four ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment cores were compared stratigraphically with established proxies for historical trophic state (diatom-inferred limnetic total phosphorus, sediment C/N ratio) and indicators of cultural disturbance (sediment total P and ²²⁶Ra activity). Diatom-based limnetic total P inferences indicate a transition from oligo-mesotrophy to meso-eutrophy in Clear Lake, and from eutrophy to hypereutrophy in Lakes Parker, Hollingsworth and Griffin. In cores from all four lakes, the carbon isotopic signature of accumulated OM generally tracks trophic state inferences and cultural impact assessments based on other variables. Oldest sediments in the records yield lower diatom-inferred total limnetic P concentrations and display relatively low ¹³C values. In the Clear, Hollingsworth and Parker records, diatom-inferred nutrient concentrations increase after ca. AD 1900, and are associated stratigraphically with higher ¹³C values in sediment OM. In the Lake Griffin core, both proxies display slight increases before ~1900, but highest values occur over the last ~100 years. As Lakes Clear, Hollingsworth and Parker became increasingly nutrient-enriched over the past century, the ¹⁵N of sedimented organic matter decreased. This reflects, in part, the increasing relative contribution of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria to sedimented organic matter as primary productivity increased in these waterbodies. The Lake Griffin core displays a narrow range of both ¹³C and ¹⁵N values. Despite the complexity of carbon and nitrogen cycles in lakes, stratigraphic agreement between diatom-inferred changes in limnetic total P and the stable isotope signatures of sedimented OM suggests that ¹³C and ¹⁵N reflect shifts in historic lake trophic state.     

Impact of copper smelting on lakes in the southern Ural Mountains,Russia, inferred from chironomids

Karabash (52°2 N, 60°10 E) is a copper smelting town in the southern Ural Mountains of Russia. The town is affected by sulphur dioxide emissions and deposition of metal-rich particulates from the smelter, acid drainage from old mine workings, and leachates from disused waste dumps and tailings dams. The close proximity of houses to these sources of pollution is of concern to human health and has devastated terrestrial vegetation in the environs. The environmental impact of the smelter on lakes in the area has been assessed using chironomids. Short sediment cores were taken from 16 lakes within a 50 km radius of the smelter and the composition of the chironomid fauna from the bottom of each core, representing conditions prior to the commissioning of the smelter in 1910, was compared with the present chironomid fauna in the surface sediments. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that changes in the chironomid fauna of most lakes were driven by trophic change, independent of the industrial activity. Lakes and ponds adjacent to the smelter and waste dumps, which directly receive contaminated waters were devoid of macro- and mesofauna and flora, but there is no evidence that other lakes have been severely impacted by smelter emissions. Local geology ensures that the lakes are well-buffered to the effects of acid deposition which will limit the bioavailability of metals in the water column and sediment.     

Regional climate changes drive increased scaled-chrysophyte abundance in lakes downwind of Athabasca Oil Sands nitrogen emissions

Several limnological and paleolimnological investigations have linked enhanced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition to nutrient enrichment and increased primary production. The Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) in northeast Alberta, Canada is a significant source of N emissions, particularly since development intensified during the 1990s, and recent paleolimnological investigations provide evidence of increased lake production in adjacent areas subject to enhanced N deposition. The AOSR, however, has also experienced atmospheric warming since ca. AD 1900, and therefore the relative effects of nutrient deposition and climate changes on lake production remain unclear. We undertook a factorial-design paleolimnological assessment of 16 lakes in northwest Saskatchewan to quantify changes in abundance and species composition of scaled chrysophytes over the past 100 years. Study sites included both N-limited and P-limited lakes within control regions, as well as lakes that receive enhanced N deposition from the AOSR. We hypothesized that a change in algal communities within N-limited AOSR-impacted lakes, without concurrent changes in the other lake groups, would suggest AOSR-derived N as a driver of enhanced primary production. Instead, marked increases in concentrations of scaled chrysophytes, mainly Mallomonas crassisquama, occurred in the recent sediments in cores from all four lake groups (N-limited vs. P-limited, impacted vs. control), suggesting that regional climate change rather than N deposition was the paramount process enhancing chrysophyte production. Because chrysophyte abundances tended to be higher in deep, lower-pH lakes, and chrysophyte time series were fit best by lake-specific generalized additive models, we infer that climate effects may have been mediated by additional catchment and/or lake-specific processes.     

A caveat regarding diatom-inferred nitrogen concentrations in oligotrophic lakes

Atmospheric deposition of reactive nitrogen (Nr) has enriched oligotrophic lakes with nitrogen (N) in many regions of the world and elicited dramatic changes in diatom community structure. The lakewater concentrations of nitrate that cause these community changes remain unclear, raising interest in the development of diatom-based transfer functions to infer nitrate. We developed a diatom calibration set using surface sediment samples from 46 high-elevation lakes across the Rocky Mountains of the western US, a region spanning an N deposition gradient from very low to moderate levels (<1 to 3.2 kg Nr ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ in wet deposition). Out of the fourteen measured environmental variables for these 46 lakes, ordination analysis identified that nitrate, specific conductance, total phosphorus, and hypolimnetic water temperature were related to diatom distributions. A transfer function was developed for nitrate and applied to a sedimentary diatom profile from Heart Lake in the central Rockies. The model coefficient of determination (bootstrapping validation) of 0.61 suggested potential for diatom-inferred reconstructions of lakewater nitrate concentrations over time, but a comparison of observed versus diatom-inferred nitrate values revealed the poor performance of this model at low nitrate concentrations. Resource physiology experiments revealed that nitrogen requirements of two key taxa were opposite to nitrate optima defined in the transfer function. Our data set reveals two underlying ecological constraints that impede the development of nitrate transfer functions in oligotrophic lakes: (1) even in lakes with nitrate concentrations below quantification (<1 μg L⁻¹), diatom assemblages were already dominated by species indicative of moderate N enrichment; (2) N-limited oligotrophic lakes switch to P limitation after receiving only modest inputs of reactive N, shifting the controls on diatom species changes along the length of the nitrate gradient. These constraints suggest that quantitative inferences of nitrate from diatom assemblages will likely require experimental approaches.     

Diatoms and sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) population dynamics: Reconstructions of salmon-derived nutrients over the past 2,200 years in two lakes from Kodiak Island, Alaska

The return of hundreds to millions of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), which have returned from the ocean to their natal nursery lake environment to spawn, can result in significant nutrient loading. By analyzing sedimentary diatom assemblages from nursery lakes, we demonstrated that a salmon-derived nutrient signal could be traced over time and be used to infer past sockeye salmon population dynamics. We conducted a 2,200 year paleolimnological study of two Alaskan sockeye salmon nursery lakes, Karluk and Frazer lakes. The two lakes are very similar, except that sockeye salmon were only introduced into Frazer Lake in 1951 (first spawners returned in 1956). In both lakes we found a strong correspondence between diatom assemblages and the number of adult salmon spawners recorded in the historical data (40 and 70 years for Frazer and Karluk lakes, respectively). Given this robust relationship, we then used our analyses of diatoms from Karluk Lake over the past 2,200 years to gain insight into salmon-derived nutrient loading changes (which are directly related to the number of sockeye salmon spawners). The diatom record from Karluk Lake recorded dramatic species changes on both decadal and century timescales, and was strongly correlated with an independent indicator of sockeye salmon abundances, ¹⁵N. Together, these data suggest pronounced variability in sockeye salmon abundances at Karluk Lake over the past 2,200 years. The direct impacts of regional environmental variability were not likely responsible for the patterns apparent in Karluk Lake, as the diatom and ¹⁵N profiles from Frazer Lake were relatively stable prior to the introduction of sockeye salmon. Application of total phosphorus transfer functions to the Karluk and Frazer lakes' diatom records revealed that sockeye salmon carcasses substantially increased the trophic status in these lakes, which has important implications for the health of juvenile salmon that rear in nursery lakes. Overall, this paper illustrates the potential use of diatoms in reconstructing past sockeye salmon population dynamics, which in turn can lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms influencing abundances of sockeye salmon.     

Regional assessment of long-term hypolimnetic oxygen changes in Ontario (Canada) shield lakes using subfossil chironomids

Subfossil chironomid assemblages were used to infer long-term water quality changes in south-central Ontario shield lakes, which are currently being impacted by anthropogenic eutrophication, acid rain, and recent climate change. Using a transfer function developed to infer average end-of-summer volume-weighted hypolimnetic oxygen (avg VWHO), a top-bottom paleolimnological approach was used to reconstruct pre-industrial (pre-1850) deepwater oxygen conditions. Comparison with present-day (top surface sediments) chironomid-based inferences of avgVWHO results suggest that hypolimnetic oxygen levels are presently similar to natural, pre-industrial (bottom sediments) levels in most lakes. Approximately half of the study lakes recorded an increase in hypolimnetic oxygen since the 19th century. Inferred changes in avgVWHO correlate well with our results from another chironomid-based oxygen model which reconstructs the Anoxic Factor (AF). When study lakes are separated according to their hydrological status (i.e., natural versus managed), lakes with a dam at their outlet and seasonally managed lake levels had significantly different changes in avgVWHO compared to lakes with natural hydrology. Lakes with a dam at their outlet generally recorded increases in avgVWHO, while natural hydrology lakes mostly recorded declines. There was no relationship between inferred changes in avgVWHO and the density of cottage and resort development along the shorelines of lakes. Changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) possibly related to recent climate changes may also be affecting deepwater oxygen, however patterns of change are very subtle.     

Anthropogenic and climatic influences on the diatom flora within the Fallen Leaf Lake watershed,Lake Tahoe Basin,California over the last millennium

This study addresses the effects of climate, land-use, and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on the Fallen Leaf Lake watershed, Lake Tahoe Basin, through diatom and geochemical analyses of sediment cores. Four diatom zones are recognized from a core taken at Fallen Leaf Lake (FLL), a site moderately impacted by human activities: (1) Pre-Little Ice Age Zone (840–1385), (2) Little Ice Age Zone (1385–1810) characterized by Stephanodiscus alpinus and Aulacoseira subarctica, (3) Transitional Zone (1810–1950) of warming and anthropogenic influence with increased Lindavia rossii-ocellata group and Discostella stelligera and decreased Pseudostaurosira brevistriata, and (4) Anthropogenic Zone (1950–2010) characterized by a rapid increase of mesotrophic diatoms of the Fragilaria tenera-nanana group, Tabellaria flocculosa strain IIIP, and Nitzschia gracilis. The Transitional Zone increases in elemental Co, Zn, and Sn that may be attributed to an increase in coal burning and smelting activities in California and Nevada. Beginning around 1910 and accelerating in the 1940s, increased building, land-use, and recreation around FLL caused an increase in terrestrial sedimentary input. Down core proxies for atmospheric N deposition in the FLL watershed are, at best, weakly expressed and appear to be overshadowed by stronger signals. Lack of support for N deposition includes the asynchrony in the appearance of the N-sensitive diatom Asterionella formosa in FLL and a lower impact site at Gilmore Lake, and an uninformative δ¹⁵N record. Asterionella formosa is a dominant component in the FLL water column today, but has been present in similar abundances for at least the last 1200 years. Asterionella formosa is present in the water column at Gilmore Lake and absent from the sediment, indicating a very recent appearance. The data collected show that the FLL record is sensitive to climatic cooling during the Little Ice Age and to anthropogenic activities commencing in the 1800s that increased throughout the latter half of the twentieth century; however the effects of anthropogenic N deposition in these lakes could not be substantiated.     

Lacustrine ostracodes as stable isotope recorders of late-glacial and Holocene environmental dynamics and climate

Oxygen- and carbon-isotopic signatures of benthic ostracodes from lake sediments from climate sensitive regions in the Alpine region, Central Europe, the north-central USA, the Chilean Altiplano and Patagonia, Argentina, are used to characterize lake system processes and to reconstruct climate patterns of the past 16,000 years. The case studies provide examples that highlight different aspects of the broad application of isotope stratigraphies, and provide keys for the interpretation of complex lacustrine records.The integration of stable-isotope stratigraphy, sedimentology, and ecological information from ostracode assemblages is a new tool that acquires climate information from the indirect views of climate series provided by lake sediments. This tool (1) identifies lake system characteristics, (2) confines which isotopic signatures are controlled by which processes in the lake system and/or in the catchment, and (3) defines which signatures are ultimately controlled by climate change. If sudden shifts in the isotopic composition occur concomitantly with changes between sedimentological units, then the isotopes reflect first of all changes in catchment hydrology that may be ultimately controlled by climate. Also, if ostracode ¹⁸O and ¹³C values show the same timing and direction of shifts, then this indicates a major change in the hydrological budget of the lake.The case studies presented here show that coupled isotopic signatures may be used to track hydrological changes related to meltwater and deglaciation, shifting rivers and ground water sources, and changes in precipitation mechanisms and patterns. Values of ¹⁸O from large lakes with short water residence time, low evaporation rates and homothermic bottom waters provide records of past temperatures of precipitation. The ¹³C values reflect changes in the ratio of C₃:C₄ plants in the catchment. They indicate shifts in modes of organic decay in the surface sediments that can be linked to a change in hydrodynamics within a lake. The ¹³C values also allow detection of the input of volcanically charged ground waters providing large quantities of ¹⁴C-free CO₂ that hinders accurate ¹⁴C chronology. General climate trends for the sites in the Americas indicate a dry mid-Holocene punctuated by moist spells, and show a general increase in moisture during the past approximately 4000 years, interrupted by recurring droughts. This hints at an interhemispheric connection and a common driving mechanism.Environmental isotopes from high-resolution lake sediments thus provide an ideal tool to identify and characterize the regional impact and magnitude of global climate change. This tool contributes to a better understanding of regional climate change and its driving mechanisms and thus provides the type of information needed to improve climate models. Environmental isotopes provide more information than just moisture balance and airmass history if they are integrated with the detailed sedimentological and ostracode ecological evidence, and understanding for the component system. Thus environmental isotopes serve to a better understanding of the climate signal archived in lake records and represent an essential contribution to Global Change research and Earth System Science.     

Lacustrine Sedimentary Organic Matter Records of Late Quaternary Paleoclimates

Identification of the sources of organic matter in sedimentary records provides important paleolimnologic information. As the types and abundances of plant life in and around lakes change, the composition and amount of organic matter delivered to lake sediments changes. Despite the extensive early diagenetic losses of organic matter in general and of some of its important biomarker compounds in particular, bulk identifiers of organic matter sources appear to undergo minimal alteration after sedimentation. Age-related changes in the elemental, isotopic, and petrographic compositions of bulk sedimentary organic matter therefore preserve evidence of past environmental changes.We review different bulk organic matter proxies of climate change in tropical and temperate sedimentary records ranging in age from 10-500 ka. Times of wetter climate result in enhanced algal productivity in lakes as a consequence of greater wash-in of soil nutrients, and these periods are recorded as elevated Rock-Eval hydrogen indices, lowered organic C/N ratios, less negative organic 13C values, and increased organic carbon mass accumulation rates. Lowering of lake water levels, which typically depresses algal productivity, can also cause an apparent increase in organic carbon mass accumulation rates through suspension of sediments from lake margins and redeposition in deeper basins. Alternations between C3 and C4 watershed plants accompany climate changes such as glacial/interglacial transitions and wet/dry cycles, and these changes in land-plant types are evident in 13C values of organic matter in lake sediments. Changes in climate-driven hydrologic balances of lakes are recorded in D values of sedimentary organic matter. Visual microscopic examination of organic matter detritus is particularly useful in identifying changes in bulk organic matter delivery to lake sediments and therefore is important as an indicator of climate changes.     

Diatom responses to late Quaternary vegetation and climate change,and to deposition of two tephras in an alpine and a sub-alpine lake in Yoho National Park,British Columbia

The late Quaternary diatom records from alpine Opabin Lake (altitude 2285 m a.s.l.) and sub-alpine Mary Lake (altitude 2054 m a.s.l.), located in Yoho National Park, British Columbia (lat. 51 ° 21N; long. 116 ° 20), have been analyzed, and changes in these records have been used to reconstruct lake histories. The results have also been related to independently inferred vegetation and climate changes. Following deglaciation, when both lakes were receiving high inputs of clastic materials, benthic diatom taxa dominate the records of these two shallow lakes with small species ofFragilaria being particularly prominent. During the early to mid-Holocene period, when treeline was at a higher elevation than today, the diatom flora of both lakes became more diverse with previously minor species becoming more prominent.Cyclotella radiosa occurs in cores from both Mary Lake, and much deeper, neighbouring Lake O'Hara during the warm early Holocene, and may reflect this warmer climate, a longer ice-free season than presently, and perhaps less turbid water, or its presence may reflect a subtly higher nutrient status of the lake water during this period. The Neoglacial is marked by increased amounts of sediments originating from glacial sources in Opabin Lake, which undoubtedly led to very turbid water, and by the presence ofEllerbeckia arenaria f.teres andCampylodiscus noricus v.hibernica in Opabin Lake; however, these species are absent from Mary Lake which has not been influenced by either glacial activity since the recession of the glaciers prior toc. 10 000 years BP or water originating from Opabin Lake. The impact of the two tephras during the Holocene was dramatic in terms of increased diatom production, as exemplified by the increases in diatom numbers, but there was little effect upon species composition. The diatom records and changes in the diatom:cyst ratio suggest that the chemical status of these two small, shallow lakes has changed little during the Holocene, other than after deposition of the two tephras. These results provide evidence that shallow alpine and high sub-alpine lakes are sensitive recorders of past environmental changes.     

Paleohydrology of Andean saline lakes from sedimentological and isotopic records, Northwestern Argentina

The paleohydrological evolution of several high altitude, saline lakes located in the southernmost Altiplano (El Peinado and San Francisco basins, Catamarca province, NW Argentina) was reconstructed applying sedimentological, geochemical and isotopic techniques. Several playa lakes from the San Francisco basin (26° 56 S; 68° 08 W, 3800-3900 m a.s.l.) show evidence of a recent raise in the watertable that led to modern deposition of carbonate and diatomaceous muds. A 2 m - long core from El Peinado Lake (26° 29 59 S, 68°05 32 W, 3820 m a.s.l.) consists of calcitic crusts (unit 3), overlaid by an alternation of macrophyte-rich and travertine clast- rich, laminated muds (unit 2), and topped by travertine facies (unit 1). This sedimentary sequence illustrates a paleohydrological evolution from a subaerial exposure (unit 3) to a high lake stand (unit 2), and a subsequent smaller decrease in lake level (unit 1). The ¹³C_{organic matter}record also reflects the lake transgression between units 3 and 2. Although there is a general positive correlation between ¹⁸O_carbonate and salinity proxies (Na, Li and B content), the large data dispersion indicates that other factors besides evaporation effects control chemical and isotopic composition of lakewater. Consequently, the oxygen isotopic composition cannot be interpreted exclusively as an indicator of salinity or evaporation ratio. The degassing of CO₂ during groundwater discharge can explain the enriched ¹³C values for primary carbonates precipitated. The carbon budget in these high altitude, saline lakes seems to be controlled by physical rather than biological processes.The Altiplano saline lakes contain records of environmental and climatic change, although accurate ¹⁴C dating of these lacustrine sediments is hindered by the scarcity of terrestrial organic material, and the large reservoir effects. Sedimentologic evidence, a ²¹⁰Pb-based chronology, and a preliminary U/Th chronology indicate a very large reservoir effect in El Peinado, likely as a result of old groundwaters and large contributions of volcanic and geothermal ¹⁴C-free CO₂ to the lake system. Alternative chronologies are needed to place these paleorecords in a reliable chronological framework. A period of increased water balance in the San Francisco basin ended at about 1660 ± 82 yr B.P. (calendar yr U/Th age), and would correlates with the humid phase between 3000 and 1800 yr B.P detected in other sites of the southern Altiplano. Both, ²¹⁰Pb and preliminary U/Th dating favor a younger age for the paleohydrological changes in El Peinado. The arid period reflected by subaerial exposure and low lake levels in unit 3 would have ended with a large increase in effective moisture during the late 17th century. The increased lake level during deposition of unit 2 would represent the period between AD1650 - 1900, synchronous to the Little Ice Age. This chronological framework is coherent with other regional records that show an abrupt transition from more arid to more humid conditions in the early 17th century, and a change to modern conditions in the late 19th century. Although there are local differences, the Little Ice Age stands as a significant climatic event in the Andean Altiplano.     

Evidence for Holocene environmental change from C/N ratios, and δ13C and δ15N values in Swan Lake sediments, western Sand Hills, Nebraska

Profiles of percent carbon and nitrogen, carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios and stable carbon (¹³C), and nitrogen (¹⁵N) isotopic ratios in organic matter from an 11.6 m core were used to reconstruct environments of deposition in the Swan Lake basin during the past 5300 YBP. The upper 6.5 m consisted of gyttja containing variable amounts of reddish brown-colored fine organic matter and calcium carbonate. It was followed by a 0.5 m sandy silt, which was followed by a 3.6 m reduced layer characterized by large quantities of black organic plant remains, sapropel, and then by another sapropel layer consisting mainly of well-sorted sapropelic sand with relatively low organic matter content. The C- and N-contents in the organic matter in the sediment profile ranged from 0.5 to 23% and from 0.02 to 2%, respectively. Carbon content were positively correlated to both N and clay content while carbon content was negatively correlated to sand content. Two major environmental phases in Swan Lake were apparent from large differences in the C and N data of the sediment organic matter. These include the sapropel (marsh) stage that stretched from approximately 5330 to 3930 YBP, and the following gyttja (open water stage). During the sapropel marsh plants identified in a previous pollen study as cattails and sedges proliferated and produced copious amounts of well-preserved organic matter. C/N ratios, ¹³C values, and ¹⁵N values in the sapropel were significantly different from those that characterized organic matter in the gyttja. During the gyttja ¹³C values indicated that deep primary producers have dominated lake biomass. By utilizing bicarbonate as their C-source, the accumulating biomass became relatively enriched ¹³C values. The presence of high sediment CaCO₃ contents indicated more alkaline and deeper water conditions prevailed during the gyttja. Further refinement of the data suggested that each major phase initially contained an identifiable transition stage. During the sapropelic (initial marsh stage) which occurred before 5330 YBP, sand content gradually decreased as organic matter increased. As reflected by high C/N ratios and slightly enriched ¹³C values, these sands appear to have contained sufficient permeability to promote partial mineralization of accumulated organic-N containing compounds. A short initial gyttja transition period from about 3930–3830 YBP occurred in which the sediment silt content was anomalously high relative that measured in the surrounding layers. The silt content suggests that this turbid transition layer can not be completely explained by sediment mixing via bioturbation. The silts appeared to have been associated with the sharp climate change that resulted in higher water-table conditions during the gyttja stage.     

How effective are plant macrofossils as a proxy for macrophyte presence? The case of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Najas flexilis</Emphasis> in Scotland

Preventing biodiversity loss is a key aim of modern conservation, and paleolimnology can inform conservation strategies for target species and habitats where other data are unavailable. Care must be taken to fully understand the possibilities and limits of such techniques, particularly where they concern single species. This study uses plant and seed distribution data to inform macrofossil reconstructions of the rare macrophyte Najas flexilis (Slender Naiad) in Scotland, UK. It answers three questions: (a) How does the location of N. flexilis seeds in the surface sediments relate to the distribution of N. flexilis plants? (b) How do the numbers of seeds in surface sediments correlate with % cover of N. flexilis plants across lakes with differing N. flexilis abundances? (c) What are the implications of these findings for paleolimnology? Percentage N. flexilis cover and number of N. flexilis seeds in surface sediments were recorded at ~100 sample points at each of three sites; one where the species was abundant, one where it was occasional and one where it was extinct. At all sites, N. flexilis seeds were present in surface sediments across the entire lake. No correlation between % cover N. flexilis and the number of seeds in surface sediments was found within individual sites. The distribution of seeds in these lakes appeared to be related to multiple environmental and ecological variables including latitude and longitude (proxies for water currents). This is attributed to the ability of seed-bearing N. flexilis plants to fragment and float large distances on water. Between sites, there was a significant difference in the mean seed counts, with higher mean seed counts corresponding to higher abundances of N. flexilis plants. It is concluded that N. flexilis is likely to be well represented in sediment cores taken from any location within a basin, but that care should be taken when inferring changes in N. flexilis abundance from changes in the numbers of seeds in sediment samples. This work demonstrates that the reproductive ecology (number of seeds produced and dispersal mechanisms) is an important factor to consider when attempting reconstructions of single aquatic plant populations from macrofossil records.     

Stable isotopic compositions of sulfur in PIRLA sediment cores

Stable isotopic compositions of total sedimentary sulfur were determined for cores from eight of the PIRLA study lakes. Preindustrial sulfur deposited prior to 1800 had roughly constant isotopic compositions within a 1–2 range in each core. In more recent sediments, large 5–10 decreases in ³⁴S content occurred and likely resulted from the addition of anthropogenic sulfur. These isotopic changes began at the same time that lead concentrations increased in sediments, suggesting a close linkage between lead and sulfur deposition in the mid and late 1800s.This is the ninth 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.     

Water isotopic and hydrochemical evolution of a lake chain in the northern Great Plains and its paleoclimatic implications

Oxygen isotopes and geochemistry from lake sediments are commonly used as proxies of past hydrologic and climatic conditions, but the importance of present-day hydrologic processes in controlling these proxies are sometimes not well established and understood. Here we use present-day hydrochemical data from 13 lakes in a hydrologically connected lake chain in the northern Great Plains (NGP) to investigate isotopic and solute evolution along a hydrologic gradient. The ¹⁸O and ²H of water from the chain of lakes, when plotted in ²H - ¹⁸O space, form a line with a slope of 5.9, indicating that these waters fall on an evaporation trend. However, 10 of the 13 lakes are isotopically similar (¹⁸O = –6 ± 1 VSMOW) and show no correlation with salinity (which ranges from 1 to 65). The lack of correlation implies that the isotopic composition of various source waters rather than in-lake evaporation is the main control of the ¹⁸O of the lakes. Groundwater, an important input in the water budget of this chain of lakes, has a lower ¹⁸O value (–16.7 in 1998) than that of mean annual precipitation (–11) owing to selective recharge from snow melt. For the lakes in this chain with salinity < 15, the water Mg/Ca ratios are strongly correlated with salinity, whereas Sr/Ca is not. The poor correlation between Sr/Ca and salinity results from uptake of Sr by endogenic aragonite. These new results indicate that ¹⁸O records may not be interpreted simply in term of climate in the NGP, and that local hydrology needs to be adequately investigated before a meaningful interpretation of sedimentary records can be reached.     

Oxygen isotope analysis of diatom silica and authigenic calcite from Lake Pinarbasi, Turkey

There is increasing interest in the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratio of diatom silica, particularly for lakes where carbonates are absent. Here we compare the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios preserved in diatom silica and authigenic calcite from an open, spring-fed, freshwater lake core from Turkey which spans marine oxygen isotope stage 3. The two sets of isotope data show contrasting trends in spite of their mutual dependence on the water ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratio and lake-water temperature. The most likely explanation for this divergence is difference in seasonality of biological productivity mediated by the strongly continental climate of the Anatolian plateau. Diatom silica and authigenic calcite are precipitated from solutes in the lake-water at different times of the year. Diatom productivity follows a well-defined seasonal cycle, peaking first and most importantly in the spring and then in the autumn. The precipitation of calcite follows productivity by all forms of photosynthetic organisms that deplete CO₂ but in most lakes this occurs during the summer months. The ¹⁸O_calcite curve shows mean summer temperature maxima at ca. 30–35 and ca. 58 ka BP while the intervening data represent a period of relatively cool summers. The ¹⁸O_diatom curve shows bipolar results (15–20 and 29–33), which suggests that at least two discrete sources or processes contributed to the oxygen composition of the diatoms but probably involved a dilution mechanism to shift the isotopic values. The most likely source of depleted water is from snow entering the lake during the spring thaw. We infer that many authigenic calcite curves from regions with markedly seasonal climates may be temporally limited to a few summer months and that diatom silica provides complementary data on seasonally-specific water isotopic composition rather than a substitute for analyses based on carbonate.     

The Late Pleistocene - Holocene palaeolimnology of Lake Victoria, East Africa, based upon elemental and isotopic analyses of sedimentary organic matter

Three piston cores from Lake Victoria (East Africa) have been analysed for organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) content, stable isotopes (¹³C and ¹⁵N), and Hydrogen Index (HI). These data are combined with published biogenic silica and water content analyses to produce a detailed palaeolimnological history of the lake over the past ca. 17.5 ka. Late Pleistocene desiccation produced a lake-wide discontinuity marked by a vertisol. Sediments below the discontinuity are characterised by relatively low TOC and HI values, and high C/N, ¹³C and ¹⁵N, reflecting the combined influence of abundant terrestrial plant material and generally unfavourable conditions for organic matter preservation. A thin muddy interval with lower ¹³C and higher HI and water content indicates that dry conditions were interrupted by a humid period of a few hundred years duration when the lake was at least 35 m deep. The climate changed to significantly more humid conditions around 15.2 ka when the dry lake floor was rapidly flooded. Abundant macrophytic plant debris and high TOC and ¹³C values at the upper vertisol surface probably reflect a marginal swamp. ¹³C values decrease abruptly and HI begins to increase around 15 ka BP, marking a shift to deeper-water conditions and algal-dominated lake production. C/N values are relatively low during this period, suggesting a generally adequate supply of nitrogen, but increasing ¹⁵N values reflect intense utilisation of the lake's DIN reservoir, probably due to a dramatic rise in productivity as nutrients were released to the lake from the flooded land surface.An abrupt drop in ¹³C and ¹⁵N values around 13.8-13.6 ka reflects a period of deep mixing. Productivity increased due to more efficient nutrient recycling, and ¹³C values fell as ¹²C-rich CO₂ released by bacterial decomposition of the organic material was brought into the epilimnion. A weak drop in HI values suggests greater oxygen supply to the hypolimnion at this time. Better mixing was probably due to increased wind intensity and may mark the onset of the Younger Dryas in the region.After the period of deep mixing, the water column became more stable. TOC, C/N, ¹³C and HI values were at a maximum during the period between 10 and 4 ka, when the lake probably had a stratified water column with anoxic bottom waters. A gradual decrease in values over the last 4000 yrs suggest a change to a more seasonal climate, with periodic mixing of the water column. Rising sediment accumulation rates and a trend to more uniform surface water conditions over the last 2000 yrs are probably a result of increased anthropogenic impact on the lake and its catchment.Following a maximum at the time of the rapid lake-level rise during the terminal Pleistocene, ¹⁵N has remained relatively low and displays a gradual but consistent trend to lower values from the end of the Pleistocene to the present. TN values have risen during the same period. The lack of correlation between ¹³C and ¹⁵N, and the absence of any evidence for isotopic reservoir effects despite the rise in TN, suggests that the atmosphere, rather than the lake's dissolved nitrogen pool has been the principal source of nitrogen throughout the Holocene. The importance of atmospheric N fixation to Lake Victoria's nitrogen cycle thus predates by a very considerable margin any possible anthropogenic eutrophication of the lake.