Sulfur burial in and loss from the sediments of Little Rock Lake, Wisconsin

Abstract

Lake sediments often are regarded as accurate records of changes in climatic conditions, rates of atmospheric deposition of substances to the lake, or other processes occurring within lakes. In this study, the sedimentary record of sulfur was examined in Little Rock Lake, Wisconsin. This lake received experimental sulfate additions from 1985 through 1990, and a mass balance showed that 35% (425 kg) of experimental sulfur additions were buried in the sediments. Sediment cores collected before and after sulfur additions confirmed that burial of 180–360 kg of sulfur occurred during the 6 years of experimental sulfur additions. However, cores collected in 1992 and 1996 contained less sulfur than cores taken in 1990 and suggested that sulfur incorporation in sediments is not permanent. To examine seasonal sulfur loss from sediments, sulfur inventories in the top 4 cm of sediments were measured in multiple cores before and after fall overturn. At water depths greater than 5 m, surface sediments retrieved after fall overturn had significantly less sulfur than did those collected before overturn. The small seasonal release from the sediments (25 kg S in 1996) might be caused by organic matter decomposition or sulfide oxidation.