Profundal Sediment Organic Content and Physical Character Do Not Reflect Lake Trophic Status, but Rather Reflect Inorganic Sedimentation and Exposure

Abstract

An analysis of profundal sediment data from 83 north-temperate lakes shows that increasing inorganic sedimentation and exposure (or lake surface area) results in lower organic content and water content, and greater bulk density. Because sedimentation rates are unavailable for most lakes, we estimate sedimentation rates from readily available catchment sediment loads using a mass-balance model. The mass-balance estimate of sediment retention (per square metre of depositional zone) is an excellent predictor of measured inorganic sedimentation rates for a data set covering 19 lakes (R2 = 0.92). Multiple regressions are used to predict organic content, water content, and bulk density of profundal sediment from inorganic sedimentation rates and either exposure or lake surface area, which are surrogates for the energy of the depositional environment. These analyses explain 76, 74, and 66% of the between-lake variation in the three sediment parameters, respectively. Sediment organic content is not related to lake trophic status (chlorophyll a) and is negatively correlated with net organic matter sedimentation rates. The common occurrence of organic-rich sediments in oligotrophic shield lakes is, therefore, not a reflection of high organic matter inputs, but rather the extremely low inputs of mineral sediments to these lakes.