Drought, vegetation change, and human history on Rapa Nui (Isla de Pascua, Easter Island)

2008 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Mann ◽  
James Edwards ◽  
Julie Chase ◽  
Warren Beck ◽  
Richard Reanier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Rapa Nui ◽  
Agricultural Colonization ◽  
Sediment Types ◽  
Forest Clearance ◽  
And Shifts

Stratigraphic records from lake sediment cores and slope deposits on Rapa Nui document prehistoric human impacts and natural environmental changes. A hiatus in sedimentation in Rano Raraku suggests that this lake basin dried out sometime after 4090–4410 cal yr BP and refilled only decades to centuries before AD 1180–1290. Widespread ecosystem changes caused by forest clearance by Polynesian farmers began shortly after the end of this drought. Terrestrial sections show a chronology of burning and soil erosion similar to the lake cores. Although changing sediment types and shifts in the pollen rain suggest that droughts occurred earlier in the Holocene, as yet there is no evidence for droughts occurring after AD 1180–1290. The timing of the agricultural colonization of Rapa Nui now seems well established at ca. AD 1200 and it was accompanied by rapid deforestation that was probably exacerbated by the island's small size, its droughty climate, and the rarity of primeval fires. Detailed records of a large interval of Rapa Nui's ecological history remain elusive due to the drought hiatus in the Rano Raraku sediment record. We find no evidence for a "rat outbreak impact" on Rapa Nui's vegetation preceding anthropogenic forest clearance.

scholarly journals Quantitative relationships between benthic diatom assemblages and water chemistry in Macquarie Island lakes and their potential for reconstructing past environmental changes

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna M. Saunders ◽  
Dominic A. Hodgson ◽  
Andrew McMinn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Transfer Functions ◽  
Data Transfer ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Macquarie Island ◽  
Ph Tolerance ◽  
Recent Climate

AbstractThis study is the first published survey of diatom-environment relationships on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island. Fifty-eight sites in 50 coastal and inland lakes were sampled for benthic diatoms and water chemistry. 208 diatom species from 34 genera were identified. Multivariate analyses indicated that the lakes were distributed along nutrient and conductivity gradients. Conductivity, pH, phosphate (SRP), silicate and temperature all explained independent portions of the variance in the diatom data. Transfer functions provide a quantitative basis for palaeolimnological studies of past climate change and human impacts, and can be used to establish baseline conditions for assessing the impacts of recent climate change and the introduction of non-native plants and animals. Statistically robust diatom transfer functions for conductivity, phosphate and silicate were developed, while pH and temperature transfer functions performed less well. The lower predictive abilities of the pH and temperature transfer functions probably reflect the broad pH tolerance range of diatoms on Macquarie Island and uneven distribution of lakes along the temperature gradient. This study contributes to understanding the current ecological distribution of Macquarie Island diatoms and provides transfer functions that will be applied in studies of diatoms in lake sediment cores to quantitatively reconstruct past environmental changes.

scholarly journals Two millennia of anthropogenic landscape modification and nutrient loading at Dian Lake, Yunnan Province, China

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey L Hillman ◽  
Alice Yao ◽  
Mark B Abbott ◽  
Daniel J Bain
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Landscape Modification ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Definitive Evidence

Landscapes have been shaped by human activities for millennia and there is a pressing need to characterize pre-industrial impacts in order to mitigate present-day effects. We present the analysis of two sediment cores from Dian Lake in Yunnan, China, which span 4000 years. We compare cores from the northern and southern ends of the lake to investigate spatial variability in natural and anthropogenic environmental changes in this large (300 km2) lake. To document the initiation of human impacts on the landscape and characterize the attendant changes in the lake water and sediment quality, we rely on organic and inorganic geochemical measurements as well as sedimentology and stratigraphy. The character and magnitude of proxy changes are coherent between the two core sites with slight differences in the timing of events. At both core sites, we find definitive evidence for substantial anthropogenic change beginning AD 100 (1850 yr BP), coincident with the introduction of terraced agriculture. Sedimentological shifts are distinctive and characterized by an increase in magnetic susceptibility values and a visible change to red, fine-grained clay. The geochemistry of this sediment suggests that it was sourced from the eastern catchment of the lake and delivered into the basin following intensive agriculture and soil erosion. Anthropogenic impacts intensify after AD 900 through hydrologic modification and cultural eutrophication resulting from increased nutrient loading. This study presents evidence that human-affected landscapes have been present in this region of China for longer than previously believed and that ‘small-scale’ land use change can have measureable impacts on lakes.

scholarly journals Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Rano Raraku crater lake basin: Geochemical characterization and implications for the Ahu-Moai Period

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0254793
Author(s):  
E. Argiriadis ◽  
M. Bortolini ◽  
N. M. Kehrwald ◽  
M. Roman ◽  
C. Turetta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Water ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Crater Lake ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Easter Island ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Rapa Nui ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Freshwater Source

Rano Raraku, the crater lake constrained by basaltic tuff that served as the primary quarry used to construct the moai statues on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), has experienced fluctuations in lake level over the past centuries. As one of the only freshwater sources on the island, understanding the present and past geochemical characteristics of the lake water is critical to understand if the lake could have been a viable freshwater source for Rapa Nui. At the time of sampling in September 2017, the maximum lake depth was ~1 m. The lake level has substantially declined in the subsequent years, with the lake drying almost completely in January 2018. The lake is currently characterized by highly anoxic conditions, with a predominance of ammonium ions on nitrates, a high concentration of organic carbon in the water-sediment interface and reducing conditions of the lake, as evidenced by Mn/Fe and Cr/V ratios. Our estimates of past salinity inferred from the chloride mass balance indicates that it was unlikely that Rano Raraku provided a viable freshwater source for early Rapa Nui people. The installation of an outlet pipe around 1950 that was active until the late 1970s, as well as grazing of horses on the lake margins appear to have significantly impacted the geochemical conditions of Rano Raraku sediments and lake water in recent decades. Such impacts are distinct from natural environmental changes and highlight the need to consider the sensitivity of the lake geochemistry to human activities.

An Assessment of Environmental Changes in Three Lakes from King's County (Nova Scotia, Canada) Using Diatom-Based Paleolimnological Techniques

2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 85-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua R. Thienpont ◽  
Brian K. Ginn ◽  
Brian F. Cumming ◽  
John P. Smol
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Lake Management ◽  
River System ◽  
210Pb Dating ◽  
Hydroelectric Power ◽  
Diatom Assemblages ◽  
Shoreline Development ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Paleolimnological approaches using sedimentary diatom assemblages were used to assess water quality changes over the last approximately 200 years in three lakes from King's County, Nova Scotia. In particular, the role of recent shoreline development in accelerating eutrophication in these systems was assessed. Sediment cores collected from each lake were analyzed for their diatom assemblages at approximately 5-year intervals, as determined by 210Pb dating. Analyses showed that each system has changed, but tracked different ecosystem changes. Tupper and George lakes recorded shifts, which are likely primarily related to climatic warming, with diatom assemblages changing from a preindustrial dominance by Aulacoseira spp. to present-day dominance by Cyclotella stelligera. In addition to the recent climatic-related changes, further diatom changes in the Tupper Lake core between approximately 1820 and 1970 were coincident with watershed disturbances (farming, forestry, and construction of hydroelectric power infrastructure). Black River Lake has recorded an increase in diatom-inferred total phosphorus since about 1950, likely due to impoundment of the Black River system for hydroelectric generation and subsequent changes in land runoff. Before-and-after (i.e., top-bottom) sediment analyses of six other lakes from King's County provided further evidence that the region is being influenced by climatic change (decreases in Aulacoseira spp., increases in planktonic diatom taxa), as well as showing other environmental stressors (e.g., acidification). However, we recorded no marked increase in diatom-inferred nutrient levels coincident with shoreline cottage development in any of the nine study lakes. Paleolimnological studies such as these allow lake managers to place the current limnological conditions into a long-term context, and thereby provide important background data for effective lake management.

scholarly journals Effects of Macrofaunal Recolonization on Biogeochemical Processes and Microbiota—A Mesocosm Study

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1599
Author(s):  
Annika Fiskal ◽  
Aixala Gaillard ◽  
Sebastien Giroud ◽  
Dejan Malcic ◽  
Prachi Joshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Bottom Water ◽  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Sediment Properties ◽  
Chironomid Larvae ◽  
Sediment Reworking ◽  
Mesocosm Experiments ◽  
Tubificid Worms

Macroinvertebrates are widespread in lake sediments and alter sedimentary properties through their activity (bioturbation). Understanding the interactions between bioturbation and sediment properties is important given that lakes are important sinks and sources of carbon and nutrients. We studied the biogeochemical impact of macrofauna on surface sediments in 3-month-long mesocosm experiments conducted using sediment cores from a hypoxic, macrofauna-free lake basin. Experimental units consisted of hypoxic controls, oxic treatments, and oxic treatments that were experimentally colonized with chironomid larvae or tubificid worms. Overall, the presence of O2 in bottom water had the strongest geochemical effect and led to oxidation of sediments down to 2 cm depth. Relative to macrofauna-free oxic treatments, chironomid larvae increased sediment pore water concentrations of nitrate and sulfate and lowered porewater concentrations of reduced metals (Fe2+, Mn2+), presumably by burrow ventilation, whereas tubificid worms increased the redox potential, possibly through sediment reworking. Microbial communities were very similar across oxic treatments; however, the fractions of α-, β-, and γ-Proteobacteria and Sphingobacteriia increased, whereas those of Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Omnitrophica decreased compared to hypoxic controls. Sediment microbial communities were, moreover, distinct from those of macrofaunal tubes or feces. We suggest that, under the conditions studied, bottom water oxygenation has a stronger biogeochemical impact on lacustrine surface sediments than macrofaunal bioturbation.

scholarly journals Late Quaternary paleoenvironment of the Ross Sea continental shelf, Antarctica

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 275-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Nishimura ◽  
Toru Nakasone ◽  
Chikara Hiramatsu ◽  
Manabu Tanahashi
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Sedimentary Environment ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometer

Based on sedimenlological and micropaleontological work on three sediment cores collected at about 167° Ε in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica, and accelerator mass spectrometer l4C ages of organic carbon, we have reconstructed environmental changes in the area during the late Quaternary. Since 38 ka BP at latest, this area was a marine environment with low productivity. A grounded ice sheet advanced and loaded the sediments before about 30-25 ka BP. After 25 ka BP, the southernmost site (76°46'S) was covered by floating ice (shelf ice), preventing deposition of coarse terrigenous materials and maintaining a supply of diatom tests and organic carbon until 20 ka BP. The northernmost site (74°33'S) was in a marine environment with a moderate productivity influenced by shelf ice/ice sheet after about 20 ka BP. Since about 10 ka BP, a sedimentary environment similar to the present-day one has prevailed over this area.

Fungi and plant co-variation in Arctic Siberia inferred from sedimentary ancient DNA metabarcoding during the last 45.000 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara von Hippel ◽  
Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring ◽  
Luise Schulte ◽  
Peter Seeber ◽  
Laura S. Epp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Siberian Larch ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Arctic Siberia

<p>Climate change has a great impact on boreal ecosystems including Siberian larch forests. As a consequence of warming, larch grow is possible in areas where climate used to be too cold, leading to a shift of the tree line into more arctic regions. Most plants co-exist in symbiosis with heterotrophic organisms surrounding their root system. In arctic ecosystems, mycorrhizal fungi are a prerequisite for plant establishment and survival because they support nutrient uptake from nutrient-poor soils and maintain the water supply. Until now, however, knowledge about the co-variation of vegetation and fungi is poor. Certainly, the understanding of dynamic changes in biotic interactions is important to understand adaptation mechanisms of ecosystems to climate change.</p><p>We investigated sedimentary ancient DNA from Lake Levinson Lessing, Taymyr Peninsula (Arctic Siberia, tundra), Lake Lama, Lake Kyutyunda (both northern Siberia, tundra-taiga transition zone) and Lake Bolshoe Toko (southern Siberia, forest area) covering the last about 45.000 years using ITS primers for fungi along with the chloroplast P6 loop marker for vegetation metabarcoding. We found changes in the fungal communities that are in broad agreement with vegetation turnover. To our knowledge, this is the first broad ecological study on lake sediment cores to analyze fungal biodiversity in relation to vegetation change on millennial time scales.</p>

High-resolution radiocarbon dating to reconstruct last century environmental changes in the pacific island of Espiritu Santo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgia Camperio ◽  
Caroline Welte ◽  
S. Nemiah Ladd ◽  
Matthew Prebble ◽  
Nathalie Dubois
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Accumulation Rate ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
High Accumulation ◽  
Sedimentary Records ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Rapid Accumulation

<p>Espiritu Santo is one of the 82 islands of the archipelago of Vanuatu and is the largest, highest, and most biodiverse of the insular country. Climatic changes linked to El Niño and extreme events such as cyclones and volcanic eruptions are a daily challenge in this remote area. These events can be recorded in sedimentary archives. Here we present a multi-proxy investigation of sediment cores retrieved from two small lakes located on the West coast of Espiritu Santo. Although the records span the last millennium, high-resolution radiocarbon dating of macrofossils reveals a rapid accumulation of sediment in the past 100 years. The high accumulation rate coupled with the high-resolution dating of freshwater sediments allows us to compare the <sup>14</sup>C bomb curve with the biogeochemical proxies of the sedimentary records. The results can then be validated against written and oral historical records linked with the societal perception of recent environmental changes in this vulnerable ecosystem.</p><div> <div title="Translate selected text"></div> <div title="Play"></div> <div title="Copy text to Clipboard"></div> </div>

scholarly journals Streamflow input to Lake Athabasca, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1681-1691 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Rasouli ◽  
M. A. Hernández-Henríquez ◽  
S. J. Déry
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Multiple Stressors ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Ramsar Convention ◽  
Athabasca River ◽  
Oil Reserves ◽  
Mk Test ◽  
Streamflow Variability ◽  
Shift Detection

Abstract. The Lake Athabasca drainage area in northern Canada encompasses ecologically rich and sensitive ecosystems, vast forests, glacier-clad mountains, and abundant oil reserves in the form of oil sands. The basin includes the Peace–Athabasca Delta, recognized internationally by UNESCO and the Ramsar Convention as a biologically rich inland delta and wetland that are now under increasing pressure from multiple stressors. In this study, streamflow variability and trends for rivers feeding Lake Athabasca are investigated over the last half century. Hydrological regimes and trends are established using a robust regime shift detection method and the Mann–Kendall (MK) test, respectively. Results show that the Athabasca River, which is the main contributor to the total lake inflow, experienced marked declines in recent decades impacting lake levels and its ecosystem. From 1960 to 2010 there was a significant reduction in lake inflow and a significant recession in the Lake Athabasca level. Our trend analysis corroborates a previous study using proxy data obtained from nearby sediment cores suggesting that the lake level may drop 2 to 3 m by 2100. The lake recession may threaten the flora and fauna of the Athabasca Lake basin and negatively impact the ecological cycle of an inland freshwater delta and wetland of global importance.

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