Isotopic Composition Of Lake Water Research Articles

Paleoclimate, paleoenvironment, and human impact over the last 400 years based on lipid biomarkers from Lake Höglwörth, Germany

Lipid biomarkers are valuable proxies for reconstructing paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental changes as well as human impact. However, little attention has been paid on evaluating how the combination of biomarkers can be used to reconstruct various aspects of local paleoenvironmental conditions. This study presents a suite of lipid biomarker records from a sediment core from Lake Höglwörth, southern Germany, covering the past 400 years. Compound-specific hydrogen isotopic compositions (δD) of terrestrial n-alkanes (n-C29-alkane) and n-alkanoic acids (n-C30-acid) indicate minor changes in isotopic composition of precipitation. The δD of n-C22-acid is interpreted to record the isotopic composition of the lake water and evaporative enrichment, which drops after 1700 CE, coinciding with the construction of a mill and the related rerouting of a creek into Lake Höglwörth. The δD of n-C25-alkane is also enriched but decoupled from the reconstructed isotopic composition of precipitation and lake water. Therefore, we suggest that δD of n-C25-alkane reflects the leaf water isotopic composition of Sphagnum, which is present in the catchment and undergoes transpirative enrichment. Both short-chain compounds have become more enriched over the last century, maybe related to increasing temperature associated with anthropogenic climate warming. The faecal biomarkers record the changes in human population, partly related to the history of the local Monastery, the World Wars I and II as well as the intensive farming after the mid-20th century. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) reveal a significant change in combustion activities associated with human activities such as the industrial revolution, biomass burning, and environmental cleanup as well as the implementation of emission standards. Our study demonstrates that the combination of plant wax compounds, faecal biomarkers, and PAHs from lacustrine sediment serves as a valuable tool to reconstruct and distinguish various aspects of paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental changes including human impacts.

The effect of salinity on water 17O/16O ratios in brines

Closed-basin lakes respond strongly to climate related changes in their water balance. Lake water isotopic composition can thus serve as a sensitive indicator of paleo-hydrological conditions. Such lakes are often highly saline, so that the effect of salinity on the isotopic composition of lake water has to be accounted for in analyzing lake water evaporation and lake sediment isotopic records. Whereas the effect of salinity on δ18O has been well characterized, this has not been done for the emerging proxy 17Oexcess [Oexcess17=106[ln⁡(10−3δ17O+1)−0.528ln⁡(10−3δ18O+1)]. To this end, we measured for the first time δ17O and δ18O of water in NaCl, CaCl2, and MgCl2 solutions of a wide range of concentrations (1 to 4 molal), using CO2-H2O isotope exchange at 25°C. The results show that although both δ18O and δ17O are sensitive to salinity, 17Oexcess is independent of salinity. Therefore, when analyzing lake water composition, the effect of salinity on δ18O and δ17O has to be accounted for, whereas 17Oexcess remains unchanged. These findings have important implications when studying evaporation in hypersaline lakes and for reconstructions of past water balance in saline closed-basin lakes.

Hydrochemical and stable isotopic characteristics of waters in and around an eutrophic lake—Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India

Ooty Lake, one of the famous tourist destinations in south India, deteriorates due to tourism activities and urbanisation. The present study aims in characterising the quality of lake water (both surface and depth) and groundwater besides addressing its suitability for various purposes by collecting samples during premonsoon, monsoon and post monsoon seasons of the years 2015 to 2017. Collected samples are analysed for physicochemical parameters using potentiometric technique. Major ions, trace metals and stable isotopes are determined by titrimetric, spectroscopy techniques. Statistical analysis involves principal component and cluster analysis with correlation coefficient. Major chemistry of lake water and groundwater exhibits Ca2+Na+HCO3− type and mainly dominated by silicate weathering. Water chemistry and statistical study indicate that chromium, zinc and cobalt in groundwater and lake water are attributed to the dominance of rock weathering. Copper, chromium along with zinc and lead in stream and inlet locations can be attributed to the influence of domestic waste water entering the lake. Phosphorous in the lake is also derived mainly through the domestic waste entering the lake. Water quality and heavy metal pollution indices show unsuitability of lake water for drinking, whereas, ecological risk assessment indicates that water is safe for aquatic life. Sodium absorption ratio, permeability index, residual sodium carbonate and sodium percentage of water samples indicate suitability for agricultural activities. Stable isotopic composition of lake water and groundwater samples shows possible southwest monsoon precipitation as the major source. Ineffective water treatment at inlet and stream water chemistry affects the lake water quality, which could be focussed for enriching quality.

Hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of diatom-derived C20 highly branched isoprenoids from lake sediments tracks lake water δ2H

The hydrogen isotopic composition of lake water (δ2Hlw) reflects hydrological processes, which can yield information about evaporation and precipitation changes through time when preserved in lake sediment archives. Unfortunately, few proxies exist that record only δ2Hlw. Instead, most δ2Hlw records represent a mix of aquatic and terrestrial material. Highly branched isoprenoids (HBIs), known to be produced by diatoms in marine and lacustrine settings, may be used as a lake water proxy to directly reconstruct hydroclimate, if the hydrogen isotopic composition of HBIs (δ2HHBI) reflects the δ2Hlw. We test this hypothesis by analyzing 78 sediment samples from 12 lakes in the Adirondack Mountains in New York, for HBI concentrations and δ2H. δ2HHBI was compared to δ2Hlw, which showed an average fractionation (εHBI/lw) of −127.3 ± 15.0‰ (1σ) for all samples in all lakes. Consistency in εHBI/lw between samples implies that δ2HHBI may be used to reconstruct δ2Hlw through time, to help assess how lake systems have changed in the past. Sediment samples collected from deeper (>4 m) zones within the lake had smaller variability in εHBI/lw (±11.9‰, 1σ) than samples from shallower zones, suggesting that εHBI/lw may be sensitive to other factors, such as light availability, which may be related to differences in diatom growth habit (e.g., benthic, planktonic). Similarly, the carbon isotopes of HBIs (δ13CHBI) were higher for sediment samples collected in deeper zones in the lake, suggesting that δ13CHBI can be used to further understand differences in HBI synthesis in diatom communities living in different growth habitats.

Clumped isotope constraints on changes in latest Pleistocene hydroclimate in the northwestern Great Basin: Lake Surprise, California

AbstractDuring the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and subsequent deglaciation, the Great Basin in the southwestern United States was covered by numerous extensive closed-basin lakes, in stark contrast with the predominately arid climate observed today. This transition from lakes in the Late Pleistocene to modern aridity implies large changes in the regional water balance. Whether these changes were driven by increased precipitation rates due to changes in atmospheric dynamics, decreased evaporation rates resulting from temperature depression and summer insolation changes, or some combination of the two remains uncertain. The factors contributing to these large-scale changes in hydroclimate are critical to resolve, given that this region is poised to undergo future anthropogenic-forced climate changes with large uncertainties in model simulations for the 21st century. Furthermore, there are ambiguous constraints on the magnitude and even the sign of changes in key hydroclimate variables between the Last Glacial Maximum and the present day in both proxy reconstructions and climate model analyses of the region. Here we report thermodynamically derived estimates of changes in temperature, precipitation, and evaporation rates, as well as the isotopic composition of lake water, using clumped isotope data from an ancient lake in the northwestern Great Basin, Lake Surprise (California). Compared to modern climate, mean annual air temperature at Lake Surprise was 4.7 °C lower during the Last Glacial Maximum, with decreased evaporation rates and similar precipitation rates to modern. During the mid-deglacial period, the growth of Lake Surprise implied that the lake hydrologic budget briefly departed from steady state. Our reconstructions indicate that this growth took place rapidly, while the subsequent lake regression took place over several thousand years. Using models for precipitation and evaporation constrained from clumped isotope results, we determine that the disappearance of Lake Surprise coincided with a moderate increase in lake temperature, along with increasing evaporation rates outpacing increasing precipitation rates. Concomitant analysis of proxy data and climate model simulations for the Last Glacial Maximum are used to provide a robust means to understand past climate change, and by extension, predict how current hydroclimates may respond to expected future climate forcings. We suggest that an expansion of this analysis to more basins across a larger spatial scale could provide valuable insight into proposed climate forcings, and aid in climate model process depiction. Ultimately, our analysis highlights the importance of temperature-driven evaporation as a mechanism for lake growth and retreat in this region.

Tracking drainage basin evolution, continental tectonics, and climate change: Implications from osmium isotopes of lacustrine systems

Organic matter in the lacustrine Eocene Green River Formation in two cores separated by 16 km in the Uinta Basin record similar centimeter-scale initial 187Os/188Os (denoted as Osi) stratigraphic profiles. This demonstrates that the Os isotopic composition of lacustrine organic matter is spatially homogeneous and in this case documents variation on the time scale of thousands of years. The Osi stratigraphy developed here indicates temporal change in the Os isotopic composition of lake water which is regulated by the Os isotopic composition of inflowing chemical weathering products from the surrounding drainage basin. Although observed Osi variability is just above the level of analytical uncertainty, it can be modeled with less than a 6% change in water input from radiogenic to nonradiogenic sources. This highlights the sensitivity of this isotopic tracer. Changes in Os isotope composition may reflect changes in relative discharge of rivers with different Os isotope composition, changes in the footprint of the drainage area to include or exclude different rock types, or unroofing. Thus, this study suggests that Os isotope stratigraphy in lacustrine settings can be used to link basin stratigraphy to changes in the drainage basin which are driven by climatic, tectonic, and geomorphic processes.The similarity in Os isotope stratigraphy between the two cores documented here highlights its utility for detailed chronostratigraphic correlation within and between lacustrine basins. A conservative sedimentation rate suggests that Osi in these lacustrine deposits changed at a rate of ~0.01 per kiloyear, two orders of magnitude faster than has been reported in marine organic-rich sedimentary rocks (Ravizza, 2007). Furthermore, linear regression of 187Re/188Os and 187Os/188Os ratios of all samples yields a Model 3 depositional age determination of 48.3 ± 2.8 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 8.2) which statistically indistinguishable from a weighted mean laser fusion 40Ar/39Ar sanidine age of 49.58 ± 0.32 Ma (Smith and Carroll, 2015) of a temporally adjacent volcanic ash.

An Endorheic Lake in a Changing Climate: Geochemical Investigations at Lake Trasimeno (Italy)

Lake Trasimeno is a shallow, endorheic lake located in central Italy. It is the fourth Italian largest lake and is one of the largest endorheic basins in western Europe. Because of its shallow depth and the absence of natural outflows, the lake, in historical times, alternated from periods of floods to strong decreases of the water level during periods of prolonged drought. Lake water is characterised by a NaCl composition and relatively high salinity. The geochemical and isotopic monitoring of lake water from 2006 to 2018 shows the presence of well-defined seasonal trends, strictly correlated to precipitation regime and evaporation. These trends are clearly highlighted by the isotopic composition of lake water (δ18O and δD) and by the variations of dissolved mobile species. In the long term, a progressive warming of lake water and a strong increase of total dissolved inorganic solids have been observed, indicating Lake Trasimeno as a paradigmatic example of how climate change can cause large variations of water quality and quantity. Furthermore, the rate of variation of lake water temperature is very close to the rate of variation of land-surface air temperature, LSAT, suggesting that shallow endorheic lakes can be used as a proxy for global warming measurements.

Hydroclimate variability of High Arctic Svalbard during the Holocene inferred from hydrogen isotopes of leaf waxes

The response of the Arctic hydrologic cycle to global warming includes changes in precipitation patterns and moisture availability associated with variable sea ice extent and modes of atmospheric circulation. Reconstructions of past hydroclimate changes help constrain the natural range of these systems, identify the manners in which they respond to different forcing mechanisms, and reveal their connections to other components of the climate system, all of which lead to a better understanding of present and future changes. Here we examine hydroclimate changes during the Holocene in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard by reconstructing the isotopic composition of precipitation. We measured the hydrogen isotopic composition (δD values) of leaf wax compounds (n-alkanes; C25-C31) in a sediment core from Lake Hakluytvatnet on the island of Amsterdamøya, northwest Spitsbergen. We interpret δD values of mid-chain (C25) and long-chain (C29, C31) length n-alkanes to represent changes in the isotopic composition of lake water and precipitation over the last 12.9 ka. After deglaciation of the catchment, water supply became restricted and the lake experienced significant evaporative isotopic enrichment indicating warmer conditions from 12.8 to 7.5 ka. The isotope values suggest an increase in the delivery of moisture from warmer sub-polar air masses between 12.8 and 9.5 ka, followed by generally warm, but unstable conditions between 9.5 and 7.5 ka, possibly indicating a response to meltwater forcing. Sedimentary evidence indicates a hiatus in deposition c. 7.5–5.0 ka, likely as a result of desiccation of the lake. At c. 5.0 ka lacustrine sedimentation resumed and over the last 5 ka there was a progressive increase in the influence of polar air masses and colder conditions, which culminated in an abrupt shift to colder conditions at c. 1.8 ka. This late Holocene cooling ended c. 0.18 ka, when isotopic data indicate warmer conditions and greater influence of moisture derived from lower latitudes.

Bryozoan stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes: relationships between the isotopic composition of zooids, statoblasts and lake water

We explored the extent to which δ13C and δD values of freshwater bryozoan statoblasts can provide information about the isotopic composition of zooids, bryozoan food and surrounding water. Bryozoan samples were collected from 23 sites and encompassed ranges of nearly 30‰ for δ13C and 100‰ for δD values. δ13C offsets between zooids and statoblasts generally ranged from −3 to +4.5‰, with larger offsets observed in four samples. However, a laboratory study with Plumatella emarginata and Lophopus crystallinus demonstrated that, in controlled settings, zooids had only 0–1.2‰ higher δ13C values than statoblasts, and 1.7‰ higher values than their food. At our field sites, we observed a strong positive correlation between median δ13C values of zooids and median δ13C values of corresponding statoblasts. We also observed a positive correlation between median δD values of zooids and statoblasts for Plumatella, and a positive correlation between median δD values of statoblasts and δD values of lake water for Plumatella and when all bryozoan taxa were examined together. Our results suggest that isotope measurements on statoblasts collected from flotsam or sediment samples can provide information on the feeding ecology of bryozoans and the H isotopic composition of lake water.

Processes that control water chemistry and stable isotopic composition during the refilling of Lake Ngami in semiarid northwest Botswana

Summary Lake Ngami in semiarid Botswana was dry until 2009 when it began filling with water because of regional increases in precipitation and from redirection of water to the lake from distributaries of the Okavango River. We measured the physical, chemical and stable isotopic composition of lake water collected at 25 cm below the surface along a ∼18 km axial transect from the inflow river to the distal end of the lake. Our objective was to determine the processes that control water properties and to establish baseline values for future temporal and spatial comparisons. The major ionic concentrations (e.g., Cl−, Na+, Ca2+) and the stable oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) isotope ratios show three distinct regions of increasing concentrations and isotopic enrichment, respectively along the transect. The δ18O vs. δD data plot along the Okavango Delta evaporation line and suggest modification of lake water by evaporation. The proportions of the major ions in the inlet water and in the lake were similar and log Cl− vs. log Na+ suggests an evaporative enrichment of solutes. The segmentation of the major solutes and the δ18O and δD into three regions along the axial transect results from differential evaporation of lake recharge from 2010, 2011 and 2012, and are thus controlled by the residence time of recharge in the lake. Unlike the major ions, the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations and the stable carbon isotopic ratios (δ13C) of DIC increase along the axial transect to about midway in the lake, and then reach steady state. The δ13C of dissolved organic matter in the inlet river and lake averaged ∼−25.7 ± 0.3‰ while that for particulate organic carbon decreased from ∼−24‰ in the inlet river to ∼−28‰ in the lake from water column productivity. Carbon cycling in Lake Ngami is controlled by evaporation which increase DIC concentrations and equilibration between carbon in DIC and atmospheric CO2(g). The results show the importance of evaporation and residence time in controlling the solute chemistry and the dominance of atmospheric CO2(g) in controlling carbon cycling during the filling stages of lakes in arid environments.

Reconstructing lake evaporation history and the isotopic composition of precipitation by a coupled δ18O–δ2H biomarker approach

Summary Over the past decades, δ 18 O and δ 2 H analyses of lacustrine sediments became an invaluable tool in paleohydrology and paleolimnology for reconstructing the isotopic composition of past lake water and precipitation. However, based on δ 18 O or δ 2 H records alone, it can be challenging to distinguish between changes of the precipitation signal and changes caused by evaporation. Here we propose a coupled δ 18 O– δ 2 H biomarker approach that provides the possibility to disentangle between these two factors. The isotopic composition of long chain n -alkanes ( n -C 25 , n -C 27 , n -C 29 , n -C 31 ) were analyzed in order to establish a 16 ka Late Glacial and Holocene δ 2 H record for the sediment archive of Lake Panch Pokhari in High Himalaya, Nepal. The δ 2 H n -alkane record generally corroborates a previously established δ 18 O sugar record reporting on high values characterizing the deglaciation and the Older and the Younger Dryas, and low values characterizing the Bolling and the Allerod periods. Since the investigated n- alkane and sugar biomarkers are considered to be primarily of aquatic origin, they were used to reconstruct the isotopic composition of lake water. The reconstructed deuterium excess of lake water ranges from +57‰ to −85‰ and is shown to serve as proxy for the evaporation history of Lake Panch Pokhari. Lake desiccation during the deglaciation, the Older Dryas and the Younger Dryas is affirmed by a multi-proxy approach using the Hydrogen Index (HI) and the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) as additional proxies for lake sediment organic matter mineralization. Furthermore, the coupled δ 18 O and δ 2 H approach allows disentangling the lake water isotopic enrichment from variations of the isotopic composition of precipitation. The reconstructed 16 ka δ 18 O precipitation record of Lake Panch Pokhari is well in agreement with the δ 18 O records of Chinese speleothems and presumably reflects the Indian Summer Monsoon variability.

Late Pleistocene paleoclimatic history documented by an oxygen isotope record from carbonate sediments in Qarhan Salt Lake, NE Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Late Pleistocene paleoclimatic variability on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (NE QTP) was reconstructed using a chronology based on AMS 14C and 230Th dating results and a stable oxygen isotopic record. These are derived from lake carbonates in a 102-m-long Qarhan sediment core (ISL1A) collected from the eastern Qaidam Basin. Previous research indicates that the δ18O values of lacustrine carbonates are mainly controlled by the isotopic composition of lake water, which in turn is a function of regional P/E balance and the proportion of precipitation that is monsoon-derived on the NE QTP. Modern isotopic observations indicate that the δ18O values of lake carbonates in hyper-arid Qaidam Basin are more positive during the warm and wet period. Due to strong evaporation and continental effect in this basin, the positive δ18O values in the arid region indicate drier climatic conditions. Based on this interpretation and the δ18O record of fine-grained lake carbonates and dating results in ISL1A, the results imply that drier climatic conditions in the Qarhan region occurred in three intervals, around 90–80ka, 52–38ka and 10–9ka, which could correspond to late MIS 5, middle MIS 3 and early Holocene, respectively. These three phases were almost coincided with low lake level periods of Gahai, Toson and Qinghai Lakes (to the east of Qarhan Lake) influenced by ASM on the orbital timescales. Meanwhile, there was an episode of relatively high δ18O value during late MIS 3, suggesting that relatively dry climatic condition in this period, rather than “a uniform Qarhan mega-paleolake” spanning the ∼44 to 22ka period. These results insight into the understanding of “the Greatest Lake Period” on the QTP.

Stable isotopes of lakes and precipitation along an altitudinal gradient in the Eastern Alps

Altitude encompasses broad environmental gradients that influence the isotopic composition of lake water. We selected 55 lakes in the Eastern Alps along an altitudinal gradient [214–2,532 m above sea level (a.s.l.)] to model the isotopic signal of surface water dependent on intrinsic (lake geomorphometry) and extrinsic (air temperature, precipitation) factors. Ordinary and generalised least squared regression were used for statistical analysis. The isotope signal of lake water was lower in spring than in summer and decreased with altitude (−0.21 δ18O ‰/100 m; −1.5 δ2H ‰/100 m). This pattern largely depended on temperature and a pseudo-latitude effect. The isotopic signal in monthly precipitation (12 stations; altitudinal gradient 90–2,730 m a.s.l.) generally showed the expected pattern of less enriched values with altitude; however, unusual values were related to weather anomalies. The local meteoric water line was similar to the global meteoric water line as shown by overlapping confidence intervals. By discriminating different elevational bands, we could show that high elevation lakes (>1,500 m a.s.l.) experience different patterns of evaporation with respect to low elevation lakes (<1,500 m a.s.l.). Our study showed that lakes have a unique isotopic fingerprint along an altitudinal gradient, potentially useful for tracing ecological processes and for paleoclimatic studies.

Analysis on Possible Evolution of Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes in Lake Water in Qaidam Basin, China

The δD-δ18O line features of water bodies are very important properties of isotopic characteristics. The slope of the line is controlled by the environmental condition of the area. The hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopic transport of lake water in Qaidam Basin is mainly effect by temperature and relative humidity. Lake water samples show two groups due to heterogeneous distribution of lake water. Group 1 is depleted samples which indicate originated lake water that did not suffer the evaporation processes. Group 2 is highly enriched in isotopic compositions due to evaporation. The regression line of lake water in Qaidam Basin is δD = 3.13δ18O - 21.61. The slope of theoretical evaporation line has positive relationship with relative humidity and has negative relationship with temperature. The effects analyses of temperature and h on the slop of evaporation line show the residual ratio f of Group 2 lake water samples are between 0.5-0.7. If Group 1 samples represent the initial isotopic composition of lake waters, the above results indicates that the most evaporated lake water (the Group 2) having lost 30%-50% of their initial volume.

The influence of authigenic clay formation on the mineralogy and stable isotopic record of lacustrine carbonates

The mineralogical, compositional and stable isotopic variability of lacustrine carbonates are frequently used as proxies for ancient paleoenvironmental change in continental settings, under the assumption that precipitated carbonates reflect conditions and chemistry of ancient lake waters. In some saline and alkaline lake systems, however, authigenic clay minerals, forming at or near the sediment water interface, are a major sedimentary component. Often these clays are rich in Mg, influencing the geochemical budget of lake waters, and are therefore expected to influence the properties of contemporaneous authigenic carbonate precipitates (which may also contain Mg). This paper documents evidence for a systematic feedback between clay mineral and carbonate authigenesis through multiple precessionally driven, m-scale sedimentary cycles in lacustrine oil-shale deposits of the Eocene Green River Formation from the Uinta Basin (NE Utah). In the studied section, authigenic, Mg-rich, trioctahedral smectite content varies cyclically between 9 and 39wt.%. The highest concentrations occur in oil-shales and calcareous mudstones deposited during high lake level intervals that favored sedimentary condensation, lengthening the time available for clay diagenesis and reducing dilution by other siliciclastic phases. An inverse relation between dolomite percentage of carbonate and trioctahedral smectite abundance suggests the Mg uptake during clay authigenesis provides a first order control on carbonate mineralogy that better explains carbonate mineralogical trends than the possible alternative controls of (1) variable Mg/Ca ratios in lake water and (2) degree of microbial activity in sediments. We also observe that cyclical change in carbonate mineralogy, believed to be induced by clay authigenesis, also causes isotopic covariation between δ13CPDB and δ18OPDB of bulk sediments because of differences in the equilibrium fractionation factors of dolomite and calcite (∼2‰ and ∼2.6%, respectively). This provides an alternative mechanism for the common pattern of isotopic covariation, which is typically attributed to the effect of simultaneous changes in water balance and biological activity on the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of lake waters. These findings may help improve paleoenvironmental reconstructions based on lacustrine carbonate records by adding to the factors known to influence the mineralogical, compositional and stable isotopic signals recorded by lacustrine carbonates.

The stable oxygen isotopic composition of ostracoda &lt;i&gt;Limnocythere inopinata&lt;/i&gt; Bird and its possible response to water salinity in Lake Qinghai

介形类壳体的氧同位素组成已成为恢复湖区古气候/古环境的有效代用指标,而其氧同位素分馏及环境意义目前还缺乏研究.为评价青海湖介形类壳体氧同位素分馏及其环境意义,在青海湖进行系统的表层沉积物和水样的采集,测定表层沉积物中的意外湖花介(Limnocythere inopinata Bird)和相应水样的氧同位素组成.结果表明:意外湖花介壳体的氧同位素组成主要受控于水体的氧同位素组成,除温度的影响外,还可能受到盐度的影响,随着盐度变化,该种壳体与水体之间的同位素分馏呈减小趋势,而两者的氧同位素组成均呈偏正趋势.青海湖意外湖花介壳体的氧同位素组成在一定程度上可能间接反映水体盐度的变化,值得进行更深入的研究.;The oxygen isotopic composition of ostracod shells has been used as a useful indicator in plaeolimnological research. But studies on the oxygen isotopic fractionation of ostracod shells and its environmental significance were still not enough. In this study, surface sediments and co-existing water were systematically collected at different sites in Lake Qinghai. The oxygen isotopic composition of lake water and ostracod shells of Limnocythere inopinata Bird selected from the surface sediments were measured to test the oxygen isotopic fractionation of ostracod shells and evaluate its environmental significance in Lake Qinghai. Our results show that the oxygen isotopic composition of L. inopinata is mainly controlled by the water isotope and the oxygen isotopic fractionation between ostracod shells and water is not only affected by temperature but also maybe by water salinity. The oxygen isotopic fractionation factor of ostracod shells reduces with increasing water salinity, eliminating the effect of temperatures. However, the oxygen isotopic compositions of both ostracod shells and water become enriched with increasing salinity in Lake Qinghai. The oxygen isotopic composition of L. inopinata may be used to indicate the variability of salinity in Lake Qinghai, and further works need to be done in future.

Holocene monsoon climate documented by oxygen and carbon isotopes from lake sediments and peat bogs in China: a review and synthesis

There has been much recent debate about Holocene climate variation in the monsoon region of China, especially the temporal pattern of variations in precipitation, the time-transgressive nature of the Holocene precipitation maximum, and the extent to which variations in regions influenced by the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) and the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) have been synchronous. We summarize and compare carbonate oxygen-isotope records (δ 18O carb) from ten lakes within the present-day ISM region. We discuss their paleoclimate significance considering the present-day moisture source, isotopic composition of precipitation and the hydrological setting. The δ 18O carb records are controlled mainly by the isotopic composition of lake water, which in turn is a function of regional Precipitation/Evaporation (P/E) balance and the proportion of precipitation that is monsoon-derived. We normalized the δ 18O carb data and used these records to generate an integrated moisture index. This index, along with oxygen-isotope records from speleothems and carbon-isotope records (δ 13C org) from peats within the monsoon region, suggests that Holocene climate was broadly synchronous across the monsoon region and, within the limits of accuracy of the existing age models, provides no strong evidence for previously-proposed anti-phasing of the ISM and the EASM. Stable-isotope records from lake sediments and peat bogs have excellent potential for providing high-quality paleoclimate data for monsoon Asia, and complement high-resolution speleothem sequences, which are only found in certain localities.

Hydrochemical dynamics of the “lake–spring” system in the crater of El Chichón volcano (Chiapas, Mexico)

El Chichón volcano (Chiapas, Mexico) erupted violently in March–April 1982, breaching through the former volcano–hydrothermal system. Since then, the 1982 crater has hosted a shallow (1–3.3 m, acidic (pH ∼ 2.2) and warm (∼ 30 °C) crater lake with a strongly varying chemistry (Cl/SO 4 = 0–79 molar ratio). The changes in crater lake chemistry and volume are not systematically related to the seasonal variation of rainfall, but rather to the activity of near-neutral geyser-like springs in the crater (Soap Pool). These Soap Pool springs are the only sources of Cl for the lake. Their geyser-like behaviour with a long-term (months to years) periodicity is due to a specific geometry of the shallow boiling aquifer beneath the lake, which is the remnant of the 1983 Cl-rich (24,000 mg/l) crater lake water. The Soap Pool springs decreased in Cl content over time. The zero-time extrapolation (1982, year of the eruption) approaches the Cl content in the initial crater lake, meanwhile the extrapolation towards the future indicates a zero-Cl content by 2009 ± 1. This particular situation offers the opportunity to calculate mass balance and Cl budget to quantify the lake–spring system in the El Chichón crater. These calculations show that the water balance without the input of SP springs is negative, implying that the lake should disappear during the dry season. The isotopic composition of lake waters (δD and δ 18O) coincide with this crater lake-SP dynamics, reflecting evaporation processes and mixing with SP geyser and meteoric water. Future dome growth, not observed yet in the post-1982 El Chichón crater, may be anticipated by changes in lake chemistry and dynamics.

Stable isotope characterisation of co-existing carbonates from the Holocene Gallocanta lake (NE Spain): palaeolimnological implications

The sedimentary succession of Gallocanta lake, a closed saline lake located in the Iberian Range (NE Spain), documents two successive lacustrine stages: (1) brackish lake stage and (2) shallow saline lake stage. The saline stage corresponds to the present-day situation in which the lake water properties are mainly controlled by a strongly negative annual water balance. The carbonates of the brackish lake stage have relatively constant δ18O values, however, they are rather high (δ18ODo = 2.4‰ and δ18OCc = 4.5‰ mean values) suggesting a hydrologically closed lake with a long residence time of the waters. δ18O values of carbonates from the saline stage vary greatly, and are lighter than in the previous stage (δ18ODo = 0.5‰, δ18OCc = −0.7‰, δ18OMgs = −2.3‰ mean values). These carbonates also precipitated in a hydrologically closed lake, but in equilibrium with a lake water of more variable isotopic composition. The δ13C values for carbonates of both stages reflect a mixing of different pools of carbon, but during saline stage δ13C values have been more controlled by the equilibrium of the lake waters with atmospheric CO2. During the current stage, calcite and dolomite precipitate in Gallocanta lake mainly during spring and summer, although dolomite precipitation is more favoured towards the summer. Magnesite precipitates at the beginning of autumn, when the first rainfall re-dissolves the saline surface crust, producing saline waters with a high Mg2+ content. The isotopic composition of lake waters sampled in 2005 are far higher than those calculated from the carbonates. It is considered that this could be due to two factors: either because there have not been many extremely dry years (like the year 2005) during the development of the lake, or because the physical and chemical characteristics of the lake waters in such conditions are not appropriate for the development of these minerals.

Evaluating sedimentary geochemical lake-level tracers in Walker Lake, Nevada, over the last 200 years

Walker Lake, a hydrologically closed, saline, alkaline lake located along the western margin of the Great Basin of western United States, has experienced a 77% reduction in volume and commitment drop in lake level as a result of anthropogenic perturbations and climatic fluctuations over the last century. The history of lake-level change in Walker Lake has been recorded instrumentally since 1860. A high-resolution multi-proxy sediment core record from Walker Lake has been generated through analysis of total inorganic carbon (TIC), total organic carbon (TOC), and oxygen and carbon isotope ratios (δ18O and δ13 C) of both downcore bulk TIC and ostracods over the last 200 yr. This allows us to examine how these sediment indices respond to actual changes in this lake’s hydrologic balance at interannual to decadal timescales. In Walker Lake sediments, changes in %TIC, %TOC, and δ13C and δ18O of TIC and ostracods are all associated to varying degrees with changes in the lake’s hydrologic balance, with δ18O of the TIC fraction (δ18OTIC) being the most highly correlated and the most effective hydrologic indicator in this closed-basin lake. The δ18OTIC record from Walker Lake nearly parallels the instrumental lake-level record back to 1860. However, comparison with sporadic lake-water δ18O and dissolved inorganic carbon δ13C (δ13CDIC) results spanning the last several decades suggests that the isotopic values of downcore carbonate sediments may not be readily translated into absolute or even relative values of corresponding lake-water δ18O and δ13CDIC. Changes in the lake’s hydrologic balance usually lead to changes in isotopic composition of lake waters and downcore sediments, but not all the variations in downcore isotopic composition are necessarily caused by hydrologic changes.