High resolution sediment microfabric and geochemical analysis reveals seasonal scale redox mineralisation, anthropogenic environmental change and pollution in England's largest natural lake - Windermere

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Fielding ◽  
Alan Kemp ◽  
Ian Croudace ◽  
Peter Langdon ◽  
Richard Pearce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Slope Failure ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
The South ◽  
South Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
Natural Lake ◽  
Sediment Anoxia

<p>Many lakes in industrialised areas have undergone anthropogenically driven eutrophication and increases in pollution leading to decreased water and sediment quality. In some cases, these effects are enhanced by seasonally changing lake redox conditions that may act to concentrate potentially toxic elements sufficiently to exceed internationally recognised Sediment Quality Standards, impacting key species and jeopardizing water supply.  A combined, geochemical and sediment microfabric analysis is applied to reconstruct the history of cultural eutrophication and pollution in the North and South Basins of Windermere, England’s largest natural lake. We also document a record of seismicity and link increased sedimentation rates and sediment instability. The onset and development of eutrophication in Windermere occurred from the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries.  Raised lake productivity is indicated by an increase in sedimentary δ<sup>13</sup>C, and increased pollution by elevated sedimentary trace metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, Hg, and As), likely enhanced by incorporation and adsorption to settling diatom aggregates, preserved as sedimentary laminae. In the South Basin of the lake, contemporaneous increasing sediment δ<sup>15</sup>N values also occur in step with increasing Zn, Hg, Cu from this time, linking metal enrichment to the input of isotopically heavy nitrate (N) from anthropogenic sources including sewage. From around 1930, a decrease in Mn and Fe-rich laminae indicate reduced deep water ventilation, and increased incidence of sediment anoxia, being most intense in the deeper North Basin where benthic activity intermittently ceased. Strongly reducing conditions in the sediment promoted Fe and Mn reduction and the formation of unusual Pb-bearing barite, hitherto only described from toxic mine wastes and contaminated soils. In the North Basin cores a clay rich laminae dated 1979-1980 is shown to be a mass transport deposit linked to large scale slope failure likely caused by the 4.7 ML 1979 Carlisle earthquake. Slope failure was exacerbated by preconditioning principally by increased sedimentation as a result of anthropogenic activities. From 1980 there was a partial recovery in oxygenation with Mn and Fe rich laminae returning in some parts. But in the South Basin, the continued impacts of sewage discharge is indicated by elevated δ<sup>15</sup>N of organic matter. Imaging and X-ray microanalysis using scanning electron microscopy has enabled the identification of seasonal-scale redox mineralisation of Mn, Fe and Ba related to intermittent sediment anoxia. Elevated concentrations of Mn, Fe, Ba, and As also occur in the surficial sediment and provide evidence for dynamic redox mobilisation of potentially toxic elements that may be released to the lake waters. Concentrations of As, in particular, exceed international Sediment Quality Standards. These surface enrichments in As and other toxic elements may become more prevalent in the future with climate change driving lengthened summer stratification in the lake.</p>

scholarly journals Ecological risk by potentially toxic elements in surface sediments of the Lake Maracaibo (Venezuela)

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 210232-0
Author(s):  
Julio Marín ◽  
Marinela Colina ◽  
Hilda Ledo ◽  
P.H.E. Gardiner
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Risk ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Potential Ecological Risk ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Risk Assessment Code ◽  
Quality Guidelines ◽  
Lake Maracaibo ◽  
Superficial Sediments

The evaluation of potential ecological risk of aquatic sediments associated with the presence of potentially toxic elements (PTE) determines its degree of danger on native biota. In this work, the potential ecological risk of V, Ti, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, Sn, Hg and Pb in superficial sediments is explained in three different areas of Lake Maracaibo: El Tablazo Bay, Strait of Maracaibo and the lake itself, through a multi-guideline approach (elemental enrichment (enrichment factor, contamination degree, pollutant load index and geo-accumulation index), sediment quality guidelines and risk assessment code). The PTE levels ranged from < 0.025 to 176.722 mg·kg−1 DW, with an overall proportion of V > Ti > Pb > Zn > Cr > Cu > Ni > As > Cd > Se > Hg > Sn. The PTE concurrent effect on biota was El Tablazo Bay > lake > Strait of Maracaibo. The superficial sediments of Lake Maracaibo constitute a medium with a high potential ecological risk on estuarine biota. This is mainly due to the levels of As in El Tablazo Bay, Cd in the Strait of Maracaibo and Pb in the lake area. This represents a latent toxicity hazard for native biological communities and other associated organisms.

scholarly journals Impact of Long-Term Reclaimed Water Irrigation on the Distribution of Potentially Toxic Elements in Soil: An In-Situ Experiment Study in the North China Plain

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaomin Gu ◽  
Yong Xiao ◽  
Shiyang Yin ◽  
Honglu Liu ◽  
Baohui Men ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Reclaimed Water ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
In Situ Experiment ◽  
The North ◽  
Reclaimed Water Irrigation

The widespread use of reclaimed water has alleviated the water resource crisis worldwide, but long-term use of reclaimed water for irrigation, especially in agricultural countries, might threaten the soil environment and further affect groundwater quality. An in-situ experiment had been carried out in the North China Plain, which aimed to reveal the impact of long-term reclaimed water irrigation on soil properties and distribution of potentially toxic elements (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Zn and Pb) in the soil profile as well as shallow groundwater. Four land plots were irrigated with different quantity of reclaimed water to represent 0, 13, 22 and 35 years’ irrigation duration. Pollution Load Index (PLI) values of each soil layer were calculated to further assess the pollution status of irrigated soils by potentially toxic elements (PTEs). Results showed that long-term reclaimed water irrigation caused appreciable increase of organic matter content, and might improve the soil quality. High soil organic matter concentrations conduced to high adsorption and retention capacity of the soils toward PTEs, which could reduce the risk of PTEs leaching into deep layers or shallow groundwater. Highest levels of Cr, Pb and Zn were observed at 200–240 cm and 460–500 cm horizons in plots. Longer irrigation time (35 years and 22 years) resulted in a decreasing trend of As, Cd, Hg, Pb and Zn in lower part of soil profiles (>540 cm) compared with that with 13-years’ irrigation years. Long-term reclaimed water irrigation still brought about increases in concentrations of some elements in deep soil layer although their content in soils and shallow groundwater was below the national standard. Totally speaking, proper management for reclaimed water irrigation, such as reduction of irrigation volume and rate of reclaimed water, was still needed when a very long irrigation period was performed.

Phytoplankton Succession and Primary Production in Babine Lake, British Columbia

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 2413-2427 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Stockner ◽  
K. R. S. Shortreed
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Sockeye Salmon ◽  
Mixed Layer Depth ◽  
Carbon Assimilation ◽  
Annual Production ◽  
Phosphate Limitation ◽  
The South ◽  
South Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
Principal Factors

Ten stations located in six zones (subbasins) were sampled biweekly from May to October 1973 to detect possible regional differences in production in this large, 155 km long, dystrophic lake. The spring bloom occurred in all zones while a fall bloom occurred only in Zones 5 and 6. Carbon assimilation showed two peaks in south basin zones, but only one (spring) at zones north of Topley Landing. Seasonal variation in phytoplankton numbers and volume, seston, and chlorophyll a followed a pattern similar to that noted for primary production. Mean production was 100 mg C∙m−2∙day−1 in Zones 1–4, but was 145 in Zones 5 and 6. Annual production was estimated at 25 g C∙m−2 in the north basin and 40 in the south basin. Reasons for the regional disparities are discussed, with greatest significance given to regional variations in mixed layer depth, surface inflows (loading), and basin mean depth. The development and sustainment of the autumnal bloom of Tabellaria fenestrata is thought to be one of the principal factors responsible for greater production in the south basin.An estimated 0.05 g TP∙m−2 enters the lake yearly. This can vary depending on the return of adult sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka), whose carcasses contribute up to 20% of the total. An estimated 30% is lost via the Babine River, and it is speculated that of the remaining 70%, most is lost to the sediments. Phosphate limitation is implied as a chief factor limiting primary production in the north basin stations, but not in the south basin. On the basis of total phosphorus load the lake is classed as oligotrophic, but in terms of annual production and its humic stained waters it is more correctly considered mixotrophic.

Growth rate and condition of walleye (Sander vitreus), sauger (Sander canadensis), and dwarf walleye in a large Canadian lake

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (7) ◽  
pp. 739-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.T. Sheppard ◽  
B.J. Hann ◽  
G.K. Davoren
Keyword(s):  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Sander Vitreus ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
The South ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Lake Winnipeg ◽  
South Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
North And South

The second largest inland walleye (Sander vitreus (Mitchill, 1818)) and sauger (Sander canadensis (Griffith and Smith, 1834)) fishery in Canada is found in Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba. To manage the fishery for a sustainable future, the growth and condition of these fish must be understood. Objectives were to (1) examine baseline growth and condition of walleye and sauger in Lake Winnipeg, (2) evaluate variation between the North and South basins, and (3) contribute observational findings on the distribution of dwarf walleye. Gill nets were set to catch walleye, sauger, and dwarf walleye throughout both basins at various locations and in all seasons during 2010 and 2011. North Basin walleye and sauger had higher growth rates and condition relative to the South Basin. This may be due to differential exploitation rates or diets such as the consumption of invasive rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax (Mitchell, 1814)) in the North Basin and not in the South Basin. Dwarf walleye were observed more frequently in the South Basin than in the North Basin. Overall, this study provides important baseline data on the growth and condition of walleye and sauger populations prior to invasion of the spiny waterflea (Bythotrephes longimanus Leydig, 1860) and zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771)).

The ecological impact of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck) in Lough Ine, Ireland

1983 ◽  
Vol 300 (1101) ◽  
pp. 513-552 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Paracentrotus Lividus ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Diurnal Fluctuation ◽  
Tide Pool ◽  
Crustose Coralline Algae ◽  
The South ◽  
South Basin ◽  
The North

An ecological account is given of the rocky shallow sublittoral of Lough Ine, County Cork, Republic of Ireland, from low water level to about 1 m below this level. With increasing distance from the Rapids mouth a forest of laminarian algae gives way to low algal bush, and still further into the lough the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus destroys all soft upstanding algae. Much of the grazed area becomes overgrown by crustose coralline algae. Patches of the green algae Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides and Enteromorpha clathrata fringe the Paracentrotus graze patches. An account is given of the effects of Paracentrotus on the shallow sublittoral community. Algae in the ungrazed areas accommodate large numbers of individuals and many species of invertebrates, especially amphipods, small gastropods and small polychaetes. In grazing, Paracentrotus destroys this population and its habitat. However, the removal of these algae, and of the sediment that they trap, provides a new habitat, suitable for plant and animal species that can resist Paracentrotus . Crustose coralline algae cover much of the rock, and are burrowed into or enclose the tubes of a characteristic and entirely different polychaete fauna. On the surface of the rocks are found saddle oysters ( Anomia ephippium ), limpets ( Patella aspera ) and other hard- shelled animal species. The relations between Codium and Paracentrotus have been investigated by transfer experiments in the ‘field’ and by observations with an aquarium tank. Paracentrotus readily eats Codium , especially when the urchins are at a high population density; but Codium benefits from the clearance of other algae, and is a quick recolonist, so that on balance it benefits from the presence of the urchin. Paracentrotus feeds mainly by day, and on a steep shore some wander up into the littoral region as the tide rises and destroy Fucus serratus . This accounts for the almost complete absence of F. serratus from the North Basin. Paracentrotus does not move upwards by night. The hard-shelled animal species Anomia, Patella, Chlamys varia , adult Gibbula cineraria and Pomatoceros , found plentifully on graze patches in the North Basin, diminish in abundance southwards even within grazed areas, while the numbers of the starfish Marthasterias glacialis under the rocks increase. Experiments show that Marthasterias readily eats Anomia . These Marthasterias are quite small. As they grow bigger they move away onto muddy areas and extend their diet to include large buried lamellibranchs. Small Paracentrotus are usually found in larger numbers underneath boulders than above, while larger ones tend to come up by day onto the tops, where they form graze patches. From a study of growth lines in the interambulacral plates and from growth in cages we conclude that a horizontal diameter of 30-40 mm (with considerable variation) is reached in 3-4 years from settlement. The peak in numbers of Paracentrotus visible in the South Basin in 1979 might perhaps be ascribed to a good settlement in the warm summers of 1975 and 1976. Temperature of the shallow marginal water of the lough is subject to diurnal fluctuation, as in a tide pool, and can reach high levels in summer. This might favour Paracentrotus . However, numbers of Paracentrotus are probably severely reduced by predators in the South Basin. Crabs have already been implicated. It is possible that the small or half grown Marthasterias under shallow sublittoral rocks might destroy newly settled Paracentrotus , although this still has to be demonstrated.

scholarly journals Water column stability as an important factor controlling nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation in stratified lake basins

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangyi Su ◽  
Moritz Lehmann ◽  
Jana Tischer ◽  
Yuki Weber ◽  
Jean-Claude Walser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Electron Acceptor ◽  
Nitrite Reduction ◽  
Redox Conditions ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Anaerobic Oxidation Of Methane ◽  
The South ◽  
South Basin ◽  
Water Column Stability ◽  
The North

Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) with nitrate/nitrite as the terminal electron acceptor may play an important role in mitigating methane emissions from lacustrine environments to the atmosphere. We investigated AOM in the water column of two connected but hydrodynamically contrasting basins of a south-alpine lake in Switzerland (Lake Lugano). The North Basin is permanently stratified with year-round anoxic conditions below 120 m water depth, while the South Basin undergoes seasonal stratification with the development of bottom water anoxia during summer. We show that below the redoxcline of the North Basin a substantial fraction of methane was oxidized coupled to nitrite reduction by Candidatus Methylomirabilis. Incubation experiments with 14CH4 and concentrated biomass from showed at least 43-52%-enhanced AOM rates with added nitrate/nitrite as electron acceptor. Multiannual time series data on the population dynamics of Candidatus Methylomirabilis in the North Basin following an exceptional mixing event in 2005/2006 revealed their requirement for lasting stable low redox-conditions to establish. In the South Basin, on the other hand, we did not find molecular evidence for nitrite-dependent methane oxidizing bacteria. Our data suggest that here the dynamic mixing regime with fluctuating redox conditions is not conducive to the development of a stable population of relatively slow-growing Candidatus Methylomirabilis, despite a hydrochemical framework that seems more favorable for nitrite-dependent AOM than in the North Basin. We predict that the importance of N-dependent AOM in freshwater lakes will likely increase in future because of longer thermal stratification periods and reduced mixing caused by global warming.

phytoplankton Communities of Lakes Experimentally Acidified with Sulfuric and Nitric Acids

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 1378-1386 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Findlay ◽  
S. E. M. Kasian
Keyword(s):  
Sulfuric Acid ◽  
Nitric Acid ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Phytoplankton Species ◽  
The South ◽  
South Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
Late Fall ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities

Additions of sulfuric acid to the South Basin and nitric acid to the North Basin of Lake 302 caused major changes in the phytoplankton communities. The basins were separated by a nylon-reinforced vinyl sea curtain. In the South Basin, below pH 5.6, species composition shifted from chrysophycean dominance to one of Dinophyceae. Diatoms and cyanophytes were eliminated below pH 5.3. Phytoplankton species diversity decreased as pH decreased. Total epilimnetic biomass was unchanged, except in late fall, when entrainment of dense layers of hypolimnetic species caused increases. The assemblage in the North Basin changed immediately upon additions of HNO3 to resemble systems experimentally fertilized with nitrogen. Chrysophycean dominance gave way to chlorophytes and dinoflagellates. Once pH decreased below 6.0, diatoms and cyanophytes were eliminated from the assemblage, as in the South Basin. Phytoplankton species diversity decreased, but total epilimnetic biomass remained unaffected.

scholarly journals Survey of intertidal ecosystem reveals a legacy of potentially toxic elements from industrial activity in the Skeena Estuary, British Columbia, Canada

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Sizmur ◽  
Lily Campbell ◽  
Karina Dracott ◽  
Megan Jones ◽  
Nelson J. O’Driscoll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Potentially Toxic Elements ◽  
Estuarine Sediments ◽  
North Coast ◽  
The North ◽  
Intertidal Ecosystem ◽  
The Impact

AbstractRelationships between concentrations of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) in estuarine sediments and their impact benthic invertebrate communities are poorly understood. We sampled and analysed PTEs in sediments and benthic invertebrates from five sites surrounding the Skeena Estuary, including sites adjacent to an abandoned cannery and a decommissioned papermill. There was no indication that sediments of the salmon cannery are polluted, but acidic sediments adjacent to the papermill contained elevated concentrations of Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb. Benthic invertebrate community assemblages confirm that sediments have recovered from prior disturbances associated with discharge of papermill sludge. Oregon pill bugs (Gnorimosphaeroma oregonensis), observed at all five sites, feed on the fibers associated with the papermill discharge. Thus, G. oregonensis are useful biomonitors for quantifying the impact of the decommissioned papermill, and similar industrial development projects, on intertidal ecosystems along the north coast of British Columbia, Canada.

Limnology and macrophytic vegetation of Loch Obisary, a deep brackish lake in the Outer Hebrides

1979 ◽  
Vol 78 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 123-138
Author(s):  
D. H. N. Spence ◽  
A. M. Barclay ◽  
P. C. Bodkin
Keyword(s):  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Red Light ◽  
Potamogeton Pectinatus ◽  
The South ◽  
Brackish Lake ◽  
Attenuation Coefficients ◽  
South Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
Outer Hebrides

SynopsisLoch Obisary has a narrow sea inlet to a north basin which is 45 m deep, stratified in summer and winter and joined by shallow channels to an unstratifled south basin.Mean conductivity (25°C) and sodium measurements indicate that in summer and winter the north basin epilimnion and the south basin comprises about 50%, and the north basin hypolimnion about 80%, sea water. It is calculated that 56% of high tides enter the loch.Vertical diffuse attenuation coefficients for blue, green and red light are the same in epilimnion and south basin, the blue coefficient being slightly higher than the red in July and much higher in January. In July the blue coefficient in the hypolimnion is lower that the red, as in clear coastal water.Six out of 24 macrophytes, and eight epiphytes, are confined within 200 m of the sea inlet. Distribution and depth limits of those and other species are discussed in relation to substrate, water chemistry and light. The presence of a halocline in the north basin and its absence from the south basin allow a comparison to be drawn between depth limits set by water chemistry (north basin), and those predicted on the basis of light (south basin) for Potamogeton pectinatus and Nitella opaca.

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