Lake Levels since about 40,000 Years Ago at Lake Chalco, near Mexico City

1998 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margarita Caballero ◽  
Beatriz Ortega Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
Mexico City ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Shallow Lake ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Organic Content ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Saline Marsh ◽  
Basin Of Mexico ◽  
Major Eruption

Diatoms, magnetic susceptibility, organic content, and14C ages of sediments from a 26-m core suggest that Lake Chalco, in the southern part of the basin of Mexico, went through a series of major fluctuations during the late Pleistocene and the Holocene. Before ca. 39,00014C yr B.P. the lake was very deep (about 8–10 m), alkaline, and saline. It then became shallow (<2 m) for most of the time between ca. 39,000 and 22,500 yr B.P. Chalco deepened to about 4–5 m about the time of a major eruption of nearby Popocatepetl volcano ca. 22,000 yr B.P. The lake remained relatively deep and fresh until ca. 18,500 yr B.P., when lower levels and alternating acidic to freshwater conditions were established. After 14,500 yr B.P. lake level rose slightly, but by ca. 10,000 yr B.P. Chalco became very shallow (<2 m), remaining as a low, alkaline saline marsh until ca. 6000 yr B.P. This period corresponds with the Playa cultural phase, during which the earliest human settlements in the basin were established. After ca. 6000 yr B.P. Chalco became a fresh to slightly alkaline shallow lake a few meters deep.

scholarly journals Late Pleistocene lake level, glaciation and climate change in the Mongolian Altai deduced from sedimentological and palynological archives

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Michael Klinge ◽  
Frank Schlütz ◽  
Anja Zander ◽  
Daniela Hülle ◽  
Ochirbat Batkhishig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Glacial Period ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Apparent Contradiction ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
Mongolian Altai ◽  
High Lake Levels ◽  
The Last Glacial

Abstract Glacial and lacustrine sediments from the Mongolian Altai provide paleoclimatic information for the late Pleistocene in Mongolia, for which only a few sufficiently studied archives exist. Glacial stages referred to global cooling events are reported for the last glacial maximum (27–21 ka) and the late glacial period (18–16 ka). Sedimentary archives from the first part of the last glacial period are infrequent. We present proxy data for this period from two different archives (88–63 and 57–30 ka). Due to the limitation of effective moisture, an increase of precipitation is discussed as one trigger for glacier development in the cold-arid regions of central Asia. Our pollen analysis from periods of high paleolake levels in small catchments indicate that the vegetation was sparse and of dry desert type between 42–29 and 17–11 ka. This apparent contradiction between high lake levels and dry landscape conditions, the latter supported by intensified eolian processes, points to lower temperatures and cooler conditions causing reduced evaporation to be the main trigger for the high lake levels during glacier advances. Rising temperatures that cause melting of glacier and permafrost ice and geomorphological processes play a role in paleolake conditions. Interpreting lake-level changes as regional or global paleoclimate signals requires detailed investigation of geomorphological settings and mountain–basin relationships.

Late Pleistocene highstand and recession of a small, high-altitude pluvial lake, Jakes Valley, central Great Basin, USA

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Francisco García ◽  
Martin Stokes
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Great Basin ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Storm Track ◽  
Jet Stream ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Lake Level Fluctuations

AbstractModels of factors controlling late Pleistocene pluvial lake-level fluctuations in the Great Basin are evaluated by dating lake levels in Jakes Valley. “Jakes Lake” rose to a highstand at 13,870 ± 50 14C Yr B.P., receded to a stillstand at 12,440 ± 50 14C yr B.P., and receded steadily to desiccation thereafter. The Jakes Lake highstand is roughly coincident with highstands of lakes Bonneville, Lahontan and Russell. The rise to highstand and recession of Jakes Lake were most likely controlled by a storm track steered by the polar jet stream. The final stillstand of Jakes Lake helps constrain timing of northward retreat of the polar jet stream during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene Paleoenvironments of Chalco Lake, Central Mexico

1993 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 332-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Socorro Lozano-Garcı́a ◽  
Beatriz Ortega-Guerrero ◽  
Margarita Caballero-Miranda ◽  
Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Loss On Ignition ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Saline Marsh

AbstractIn order to establish paleoenvironmental conditions during the late Quaternary, four cores from the Basin of Mexico (central Mexico) were drilled in Chalco Lake, located in the southeastern part of the basin. The upper 8 m of two parallel cores were studied, using paleomagnetic, loss-on-ignition, pollen, and diatom analyses. Based on 11 14C ages, the analyzed record spans the last 19,000 14C yr B.P. Volcanic activity has affected microfossil abundances, both directly and indirectly, resulting in absence or reduction of pollen and diatom assemblages. Important volcanic activity took place between 19,000 and 15,000 yr B.P. when the lake was a shallow alkaline marsh and an increase of grassland pollen suggests a dry, cold climate. During this interval, abrupt environmental changes with increasing moisture occurred. From 15,000 until 12,500 yr B.P. the lake level increased and the pollen indicates wetter conditions. The highest lake level is registered from 12,500 to ca. 9000 yr B.P. The end of the Pleistocene is characterized by an increase in humidity. From 9000 until ca. 3000 yr B.P. Chalco Lake was a saline marsh and the pollen record indicates warmer conditions. After 3000 yr B.P. the lake level increased and human disturbance dominates the lacustrine record.

scholarly journals Variations in Lake Levels during the Holocene in North America: An Indicator of Changes in Atmospheric Circulation Patterns

2007 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. Harrison ◽  
S. E. Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Relative Depth ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Air Mass ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Lake Status

ABSTRACT Fluctuations in the extent of closed lakes provide a detailed record of regional and continental variations in mean annual water budget. The temporal sequence of hydrological fluctuations during the Holocene in North America has been reconstructed using information from the Oxford Lake-Level Data Bank. This data base includes 67 basins from the Americas north of the equator. Maps of lake status, an index of relative depth, are presented for the period 10,000 to 0 yr BP. The early Holocene was characterised by increasingly arid conditions, which led to widespread low lake levels in the mid-latitudes by 9,000 yr BP. By 6,000 yr BP this zone of low lakes extended from 32o to 51oN. Many of the features of the present day lake-level pattern, particularly high lake levels north of 46oN and along the eastern seaboard, were established by 3.000 yr BP. Four distinctive regional patterns of lake behaviour through time are apparent. Histograms of lake status from 20,000 to 0 yr BP are presented for each of these regions. They illustrate the temporal patterns of lake-level fluctuations on a time scale of 103 — 104 yr. Changes in lake status over North America are interpreted as indicating displacements in major features of the general circulation, specifically the zonal Westerlies and the Equatorial Trough, as reflected by changes in air mass trajectories and hence the position of air mass boundaries over the continent.

Cosmogenic10Be dating of raised shorelines constrains the timing of lake levels in the eastern Lake Agassiz-Ojibway basin

2017 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Marc Godbout ◽  
Martin Roy ◽  
Jean J. Veillette ◽  
Joerg M. Schaefer
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Lake Agassiz ◽  
Cosmogenic Isotopes ◽  
Exposure Dating ◽  
Group 3 ◽  
Lake Stage ◽  
Lake Ojibway

AbstractSurface exposure dating was applied to erosional shorelines associated with the Angliers lake level that marks an important stage of Lake Ojibway. The distribution of 1510Be ages from five sites shows a main group (10 samples) of coherent10Be ages yielding a mean age of 9.9±0.7 ka that assigns the development of this lake level to the early part of the Lake Ojibway history. A smaller group (3 samples) is part of a more scattered distribution of older10Be ages (with 2 outliers) that points to an inheritance of cosmogenic isotopes from a previous exposure, revealing an apparent mean age of 15.8±0.9 ka that is incompatible with the Ojibway inundation and the regional deglaciation. Our results provide the first direct10Be chronology on the sequence of lake levels in the Ojibway basin, which includes the lake stage presumably associated with the confluence and subsequent drainage of Lakes Agassiz and Ojibway. This study demonstrates the potential of this approach to date glacial lake shorelines and underlies the importance of obtaining additional chronological constraints on the Agassiz-Ojibway shoreline sequence to confidently assign a particular lake stage and/or lake-level drawdown to a specific time interval of the deglaciation.

Quantifying recent lake level changes in Patagonia (Argentina and Chile): Back to the future?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ariztegui ◽  
Clément Pollier ◽  
Andrés Bilmes
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Satellite Images ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Tierra Del Fuego ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
The Past ◽  
Rainfall Variations ◽  
The Impact

&lt;p&gt;Lake levels in hydrologically closed-basins are very sensitive to climatically and/or anthropogenically triggered environmental changes. Their record through time can provide valuable information to forecast changes that can have substantial economical and societal impact.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Increasing precipitation in eastern Patagonia (Argentina) have been documented following years with strong El Ni&amp;#241;o (cold) events using historical and meteorological data. Quantifying changes in modern lake levels allow determining the impact of rainfall variations while contributing to anticipate the evolution of lacustrine systems over the next decades with expected fluctuations in ENSO frequencies. Laguna Carrilaufquen Grande is located in the intermontane Maquinchao Basin, Argentina. Its dimension fluctuates greatly, from 20 to 55 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; water surface area and an average water depth of 3 m. Several well-preserved gravelly beach ridges witness rainfall variations that can be compared to meteorological data and satellite images covering the last ~50 years. Our results show that in 2016 lake level was the lowest of the past 44 years whereas the maximum lake level was recorded in 1985 (+11.8 m above the current lake level) in a position 1.6 km to the east of the present shoreline. A five-years moving average rainfall record of the area was calculated smoothing the extreme annual events and correlated to the determined lake level fluctuations. The annual variation of lake levels was up to 1.2 m (e.g. 2014) whereas decadal variations related to humid-arid periods for the interval 2002 to 2016 were up to 9.4 m. These data are consistent with those from other monitored lakes and, thus, our approach opens up new perspectives to understand the historical water level fluctuations of lakes with non-available monitoring data.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Laguna de los Cisnes in the Chilean section of the island of Tierra del Fuego, is a closed-lake presently divided into two sections of 2.2 and 11.9 km&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively. These two water bodies were united in the past forming a single larger lake. The lake level was&amp;#160; ca. 4 m higher than today as shown by clear shorelines and the outcropping of large Ca-rich microbialites. Historical data, aerial photographs and satellite images indicate that the most recent changes in lake level are the result of a massive decrease of water input during the last half of the 20&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; century triggered by an indiscriminate use of the incoming water for agricultural purposes. The spectacular outcropping of living and fossil microbialites is not only interesting from a scientific point of view but has also initiated the development of the site as a local touristic attraction. However, if the use of the incoming water for agriculture in the catchment remains unregulated the lake water level might drop dangerously and eventually the lake might fully desiccate.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These two examples illustrate how recent changes in lake level can be used to anticipate the near future of lakes. They show that ongoing climate changes along with the growing demand of natural resources have already started to impact lacustrine systems and this is likely to increase in the decades to come.&lt;/p&gt;

Lake Levels and Sedimentary Environments During Deposition of the Trego Hot Springs and Wono Tephras in the Lake Lahontan Basin, Nevada, USA

2010 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Adams
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Silty Clay ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Sediment Sources ◽  
Sedimentary Environments ◽  
Depositional Settings ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Predictable Pattern ◽  
Lake Size

The Wono and Trego Hot Springs (THS) tephras are widespread in the Lahontan basin and have been identified in a variety of sedimentary environments at different elevations. Davis (1983) reported lake level to be at about 1256 m when the THS tephra was deposited, an interpretation questioned by Benson et al. (1997) who interpreted lake level to be ≤1177 m at that time. This is a significant difference in lake size with important implications for interpreting the climate that prevailed at that time. Based on new interpretations of depositional settings of the THS bed at multiple sites, the larger lake size is correct. Additional sites containing the Wono tephra indicate that it was deposited when lake level was at about 1217 m in the western subbasins and at about 1205 m in the Carson Sink. Sedimentary features associated with progressively deeper paleowater depths follow a predictable pattern that is modulated by proximity to sediment sources and local slope. Fine to coarse sands with wave-formed features are commonly associated with relatively shallow water. Silty clay or clay dominates in paleowater depths >25 m, with thin laminae of sand and ostracods at sites located adjacent to or downslope from steep mountain fronts.

scholarly journals Multivariate framework for the assessment of key forcing to Lake Malawi level variations in non-stationary frequency analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 192 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cosmo Ngongondo ◽  
Yanlai Zhou ◽  
Chong-Yu Xu
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Lake Malawi ◽  
Extreme Value ◽  
Information Criteria ◽  
Eastern Africa ◽  
Water Evaporation ◽  
Lake Levels ◽  
Indian Ocean Dipole Mode

Abstract Lake Malawi in south eastern Africa is a very important freshwater system for the socio-economic development of the riparian countries and communities. The lake has however experienced considerable recession in the levels in recent years. Consequently, frequency analyses of the lake levels premised on time-invariance (or stationarity) in the parameters of the underlying probability distribution functions (pdfs) can no longer be assumed. In this study, the role of hydroclimate forcing factors (rainfall, lake evaporation, and inflowing discharge) and low frequency climate variability indicators (e.g., El Nino Southern Oscillation-ENSO and the Indian Ocean Dipole Mode-IODM) on lake level variations is investigated using a monthly mean lake level dataset from 1899 to 2017. Non-stationarity in the lake levels was tested and confirmed using the Mann-Kendall trend test (α = 0.05 level) for the first moment and the F test for the second moment (α = 0.05 level). Change points in the series were identified using the Mann-Whitney-Pettit test. The study also compared stationary and non-stationary lake level frequency during 1961 to 2004, the common period where data were available for all the forcing factors considered. Annual maximum series (AMS) and peak over threshold (POT) analysis were conducted by fitting various candidate extreme value distributions (EVD) and parameter fitting methods. The Akaike information criteria (AIC), Bayesian information criteria (BIC), deviance information criteria (DIC), and likelihood ratios (RL) served as model evaluation criteria. Under stationary conditions, the AMS when fitted to the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution with maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) was found to be superior to POT analysis. For the non-stationary models, open water evaporation as a covariate of the lake levels with the GEV and MLE was found to have the most influence on the lake level variations as compared with rainfall, discharge, and the low frequency climatic forcing. The results are very critical in flood zoning especially with various planned infrastructural developments around the lakeshore.

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