Lake sediment microlaminae and annual mortalities of photosynthetic bacteria in an oligomictic lake

Abstract

SUMMARY 1. A novel mechanism of microlamina formation in oligomictic lakes is proposed. During spring and summer in Zaca Lake, an oligomictic lake in Santa Barbara, California, a light‐coloured microlamina is formed. During winter, a mass mortality of sulphur‐rich phototrophic bacteria occurs following the ventilation of the chemocline or the overturn of the lake. When this occurs, oxygen is introduced into the chemocline killing most of the anaerobic bacteria. When these sulphur‐laden bacteria die and settle to the bottom of the lake, they form a black microlamina which is rich in ferrous monosulphides.2. The varved stratigraphy of the Zaca Lake sediment core presents an opportunity to correlate stratigraphic events in the lake's varved sediments with events reported for its catchment over the last 200 years.3. Colonization by Europeans dates back to the 1760s, making this one of the best‐documented histories for a small lake in North America. A number of events have been correlated with stratigraphic information from the lake's varved cores.4. Eutrophic diatom indicator species disappear downcore, where they are replaced by meso‐ and oligotrophic indicators. In addition, pollen from exotic trees planted in the lake's catchment appears at specific core depths associated with their pollen production stage.