Periods Of High Lake Level Research Articles

The impact of climate change upon intestinal parasites in central Europe during the 4th millennium BCE

The Neolithic period in Europe was subject to marked climatic variations during the fourth millennium BCE in the Alpine arc, marking the transition between the recent Atlantic and the Subboreal. This phase is characterized by falling temperatures and rising humidity in the Northern Hemisphere. Within this phase, between 3700 and 3250 BCE, a more intense phase takes place, known as Rootmoos 2 or Piora 2. This phase is characterized by a significant drop in lake water levels. This climatic change had repercussions on lakeside dwellers, notably through the modification and adaptation of their diet and subsistence modes. Intestinal parasites (helminths), found by human and animals via parasitic markers, seem to respond over time to these climatic variations. At first sight, low lake level phases are characterized by significant proportions of Trichuris at the expense of Diphyllobothrium, as well as an increase in Fasciola. These phases therefore seem to favour parasites indicative of agropastoral activities. During periods of high lake levels, Diphyllobothrium increase in number, pointing to a higher frequency of fishing practices. In sum, during periods of cooler/wetter climate, Neolithic lakeside populations seem to focus more on fishing produce, which may be a response to a destabilization of previously established agropastoral systems, marking a return to more opportunistic behaviour with the exploitation of products from the direct environment. This pilot study tends to evaluate if the evolution of parasitic communities in the 4th millennium BCE could therefore be used to complete our understanding of the effects of climatic variations on societies, both as a direct consequence of environmental destabilization (effect on the hosts) and the result of the behavioural adaptation of the inhabitants, even if it is still difficult to determine the importance of the influence of each factor on these variations. Despite some remaining challenges in the current study, the integration of paleoparasitic data into broader paleoenvironmental models appears promising. Future research can continue to develop along this path.

Lessons from a lakebed: unpicking hydrological change and early human landscape use in the Makgadikgadi basin, Botswana

The intersection of archaeological material with the landscape is investigated using OSL dating of landforms associated with Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeology in the Makgadikgadi basin, Botswana. In this study, MSA archaeological sites on the Makgadikgadi pan floor date to two dry periods in the basin during the late Quaternary. Site formation at one site occurred during dry, or seasonally dry conditions that followed a period of high lake levels between 128 ± 18 ka and 81 ± 6 ka. The site was buried by sediments from a subsequent period of high lake levels dating to between 72 ± 5 ka and 57 ± 8 ka. At other investigated sites, the archaeological material was most likely deposited during a second dry period sometime after this. Overlying dunes are much younger (late Holocene) than the late Pleistocene lakebed sediments associated with the archaeological sites. Rapid burial of the archaeological sites by clayey sands has resulted in limited disturbance and weathering of archaeological material which appears to have only been exposed very recently, perhaps in the last 350 years when conditions have been particularly dry and susceptible to deflation. The spatial patterning of both sediment accumulation and deflation strongly influences archaeological visibility both within and around the Makgadikgadi basin.

Tectono-climatic controls of the early rift alluvial succession: Plio-Pleistocene Corinth Rift (Greece)

Proximal alluvial sediments represent a useful sedimentary archive to reconstruct the tectono-climatic history of continental rift basins. However, poor dating of coarse fluvial successions usually prevents high-resolution distinction of tectonic and climatic processes, and thus good determination of process rates. This paper presents a dating study of Plio-Pleistocene Kalavryta river system during the early history of the Corinth Rift (northern Peloponnese, Greece) based on magnetostratigraphy and palynology. This river system developed across several active normal fault blocks that are now uplifted along the southern rift margin. The detailed sedimentary record constrains alluvial architectures from the proximal basin to the river outlet where small deltas built into a shallow lake. In four magnetostratigraphy sections the correlation to the reference scale relies on the identification of the Gauss/Matuyama magnetic reversal and biostratigraphic elements. The river system developed between about 3.6 to 1.8 Ma, with sediment accumulation rates (SARs) ranging from 0.40 to 0.75 mm yr−1. SAR is lower in the alluvial fans than in the deltaic system, and higher at the centre of the normal fault depocentres than at the fault tip. By comparison with worldwide Cenozoic SARs, our values are higher but lie in the same range as those determined in coarse alluvial foreland basins. Moreover, in the context of overfilled intra-mountainous rift basins, these rates are minimum values and can be used as a proxy for accommodation rate. Therefore, early rift stratal wedges and growth synclines attest high sedimentation rates and also high rates of tectonic processes. Finally, in the distal river system, floral compositions and changes of vegetation deduced from palynological data are coherent with alternating fluvio-deltaic and shallow lacustrine deposits, which are linked to relative base level variations. Dry/cool climate is preferentially recorded during periods of low lake level, while the warm/moist climate is mainly recorded in prodelta deposits during periods of high lake level. This correlation suggests that, despite the dominant control of active faulting, climate is a key control of syn-rift stratigraphic architectures.

Mineralogy and carbonate geochemistry of the Dali Lake sediments: Implications for paleohydrological changes in the East Asian summer monsoon margin during the Holocene

Hydrological variations in individual plateau lakes respond from both local hydrological processes and regional climatic changes. This study presents high resolution, absolutely-dated records of minerals in bulk samples and elements and stable isotopes of endogenic calcites from a sediment core from Dali Lake in Inner Mongolian Plateau, aiming to investigate the patterns and mechanisms of Holocene hydrological and climatic changes in the modern northern margin of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). Increases in the percentages of allogenic minerals (quartz, microcline and albite) and decreases in the percentages of endogenic/authigenic minerals (calcite, Mg-calcite and gypsum), together with decreases in the values of Ca and Mg concentrations and δ18O and δ13C of endogenic calcites indicate an excess of water input to the lake over evaporative losses, and vice versa. These data suggest that the hydrological balance of Dali Lake was controlled by strong evaporation before 9800 cal yr BP, and then the lake was supplied by significantly increased inflowing water between 9800 and 5900 cal yr BP. From 5900 to 4850 cal yr BP, the water input to the lake significantly decreased. Since 4850 cal yr BP, the inflowing water maintained a low level. In addition, the distinct characteristics of mineralogy and carbonate geochemistry of the Dali Lake sediments during the periods of high lake level between 9800–7700 and 7700–5900 cal yr BP imply that the lake was mainly fed by snow/ice melt water in the former period and then by regional precipitation in the latter period, which was further supported by the pollen records from the same sediment core. These results suggest that Holocene hydrological variations in the EASM margin were closely related to changes in regional temperature and precipitation which were ultimately controlled by changes in the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, northern high latitude ice sheets, global sea level and physicochemical conditions of the North Atlantic and western tropical Pacific on orbital and millennial timescales. The datasets in this study support that the maximum EASM intensity occurred during the middle Holocene in the northern EASM regions.

Arctic moistening provides negative feedbacks to riparian plants.

Arctic moistening will affect the circumpolar forested riparian ecosystems. Upward trends observed for precipitation in high latitudes illustrate that the moistening may be underway to influence the woody biomass production near the inland waters, lakes and streams with effects on carbon pools and fluxes. Although the flooding and waterlogging tolerance of seedlings has been investigated, our understanding of responses in mature trees is still limited. Here we employ tree-ring δ13 C and width data from a subarctic riparian setting in Lapland, where artificially high lake level (HLL) has already altered the ecophysiological and growth responses of riparian Pinus sylvestris trees to external drivers under conditions simulating moister environment. Prior to the HLL event, the carbon assimilation rate was primarily limited by irradiance as reflected in the δ13 C data and the radial growth of south-facing riparian trees remained increased in comparison to shaded upland trees. By contrast, the riparian trees were not similarly benefited during the HLL period when reduced assimilation depleted the riparian in comparison to upland δ13 C despite of increased irradiance. As a result, the radial growth of riparian trees was markedly reduced over the HLL event while the upland trees benefited from increased irradiance and summer time warming. Although the production of biomass at high latitudes is commonly considered temperature-limited, our results highlight the increasing role of Arctic moistening to limit the growth when increased precipitation (cloudiness) reduces the incoming solar radiation in general and when the riparian habitat becomes increasingly waterlogged in particular. The effects of high-latitude warming to induce higher biomass productivity may be restricted by negative feedbacks.

Continuous CO2 escape from the hypersaline Dead Sea caused by aragonite precipitation

Chemical precipitation of CaCO3 occurs in diverse marine and lacustrine environments. In the hypersaline Ca-chloride lakes that have been occupying the Dead Sea basin since the late Pleistocene, CaCO3 precipitated, mostly as aragonite. The aragonite sediments precipitated mainly during periods of high lake level stands as a result of mixing of bicarbonate-rich freshwater runoff with Dead Sea brine, that is Ca-rich and have high Mg/Ca ratio. During periods of arid conditions with limited freshwater inflow, water level declined, salinity increased and gypsum and halite became the dominant evaporitic minerals to precipitate.The present study investigates the carbon cycle of the Dead Sea under the current limited water and bicarbonate supply to the brine, representing periods of extremely arid conditions. The decrease of inflows to the Dead Sea in recent years stems mainly from diversion of freshwater from the drainage basin and results in dramatic water level decline and massive halite precipitation. During 2013–2014, bi-monthly depth profiles of total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and its isotopic composition (δ13C) were conducted in the Dead Sea, from surface down to the bottom of the lake (290m). Mass balance calculations conducted for the period 1993–2013 show that while inventories of conservative ions such as Mg2+ remained constant, the net DIC inventory of the lake decreased by ∼10%. DIC supply to the lake during this period, however, amounted to ∼10% of lake’s inventory indicating that during 20years, the lake lost ∼20% of its 1993s inventory. Compilation of historical data with our data shows that during the past two decades the lake's low DIC (∼1mmolkg−1) and very high PCO2 (1800ppmV) remained relatively constant, suggesting that a quasi-steady-state situation prevails. In spite of the surprisingly stable DIC and CO2 concentrations, during this 20year period δ13CDIC increased significantly, from 1.4‰ to 2.7‰. An isotopic mass balance calculation together with the high PCO2 of the brine show that during that period the lake lost about 3.7·1010 moles of DIC, of which ∼60% by CO2 degassing and ∼40% by aragonite precipitation. The deviation from the common 1:1 CO2:CaCO3 ratio in most aqueous systems is facilitated by the dominance of the borate alkalinity of the Dead Sea. Nucleation and crystal growth experiments suggest that throughout this time the Dead Sea remained supersaturated with respect to aragonite, a situation facilitated by combination of slow nucleation rates and absence of growth surfaces. The very high PCO2 of the Dead Sea is maintained by the low CO2 piston velocity of the brine, calculated to be only ∼4.5myr−1, more than an order of magnitude slower than seawater value.

High-amplitude lake-level changes in tectonically active Lake Issyk-Kul (Kyrgyzstan) revealed by high-resolution seismic reflection data

Abstract. A total of 84 seismic profiles, mainly from the western and eastern deltas of Lake Issyk-Kul, were used to identify lake-level changes. Seven stratigraphic sequences were reconstructed, each containing a series of delta lobes that were formed during former lake-level stillstands or during slow lake-level increase or decrease. The lake level has experienced at least four cycles of stepwise rise and fall of 400 m or more. These fluctuations were mainly caused by past changes in the atmospheric circulation pattern. During periods of low lake levels, the Siberian High was likely to be strong, bringing dry air masses from the Mongolian steppe blocking the midlatitude Westerlies. During periods of high lake levels, the Siberian High must have been weaker or displaced, and the midlatitude Westerlies could bring moister air masses from the Mediterranean and North Atlantic regions.

Continuous 1.3-million-year record of East African hydroclimate, and implications for patterns of evolution and biodiversity

The transport of moisture in the tropics is a critical process for the global energy budget and on geologic timescales, has markedly influenced continental landscapes, migratory pathways, and biological evolution. Here we present a continuous, first-of-its-kind 1.3-My record of continental hydroclimate and lake-level variability derived from drill core data from Lake Malawi, East Africa (9-15° S). Over the Quaternary, we observe dramatic shifts in effective moisture, resulting in large-scale changes in one of the world's largest lakes and most diverse freshwater ecosystems. Results show evidence for 24 lake level drops of more than 200 m during the Late Quaternary, including 15 lowstands when water levels were more than 400 m lower than modern. A dramatic shift is observed at the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT), consistent with far-field climate forcing, which separates vastly different hydroclimate regimes before and after ∼800,000 years ago. Before 800 ka, lake levels were lower, indicating a climate drier than today, and water levels changed frequently. Following the MPT high-amplitude lake level variations dominate the record. From 800 to 100 ka, a deep, often overfilled lake occupied the basin, indicating a wetter climate, but these highstands were interrupted by prolonged intervals of extreme drought. Periods of high lake level are observed during times of high eccentricity. The extreme hydroclimate variability exerted a profound influence on the Lake Malawi endemic cichlid fish species flock; the geographically extensive habitat reconfiguration provided novel ecological opportunities, enabling new populations to differentiate rapidly to distinct species.

Late-Quaternary geomorphic scenario due to changing depositional regimes in the Tangtse Valley, Trans-Himalaya, NW India

Records from the Tangtse Valley in the Trans-Himalaya reveal depositional history since 48 ka, with fluvial aggradation followed by incision, lacustrine sediment fill, and later incision. Varied sedimentary architecture with fluvial episodes intervened by lacustrine pulses, flood events, colluvial and glacial activity are preserved. The valley is located west of the Pangong Tso/Bangong Co, one of the largest lakes in Tibet which has served as a spillway, flooding and damming the entire Tangtse Valley, resulting in the formation of a lake. Today Pangong Tso consists of five basins separated by shallow sills and is fed by snow melt. Documentation based on 14C and OSL chronologies of the sediment sections throughout the valley reveals evidence of a sixth basin of Pangong Tso toward west, occupying the present day Tangtse Valley between 9.6–5.1 ka. This event coincides with periods of high lake levels in Tibet, China as well as intensified monsoon periods over the Indian subcontinent. A fluvial regime around 48 ka and 30–21 ka with comparatively arid conditions and dry phases interspersed by flooding is documented. The valley has been incised to depths of 40–50 m in the upper part and to 130 m in the lower part. The incision rate ranges from 0.3 to 1.2 mm yr− 1 in the upper part and reaches as high as 10.8 mm yr− 1 in the lower valley. Much of the incision took place between 22 and 9.6 ka although repeated sediment fill-incision cycles in the valley from 30–22 ka, 22–9.6 ka, 9.6–5.1 ka, 5.1 ka, and even to present time were observed.

Geomorphic and chronometric evidence for high lake level history in Gahai Lake and Toson Lake of north‐eastern Qaidam Basin, north‐eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

AbstractPalaeoshorelines, highstand lacustrine sediments and lakeshore terraces are preserved around saline lakes in the arid Qaidam Basin. Previous research indicates that the chronology of a mega‐paleolake in the Qaidam Basin during the late Pleisotocene is controversial. Here we report quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age estimates of highstand lacustrine sediments, shoreline features and geomorphic exposures that contribute to a revision of the lake level history of Gahai and Toson lakes in the north‐eastern Qaidam Basin, on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) margin. The results imply that: (i) high lake levels at Gahai and Toson lakes based on quartz OSL dating occurred at 85–72, 63–55, 31, 5.4 and 0.9–0.7 ka, probably corresponding to periods of warm and wet climate; (ii) periods of high lake levels are almost synchronous with other lakes on the QTP (e.g. Qinghai and Namco lakes), with the highest late Pleistocene levels occurring during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 5; and (iii) highstand phases on the QTP are out of phase with those of low‐latitude lakes in the southern hemisphere, possibly driven by solar insolation variability in the low‐latitude region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Pleistocene lake and glaciation evolution on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau: a review

Late Pleistocene paleoclimatic history on northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has been reconstructed mainly from lake sediments; however, data regarding dry–wet climate changes reported in this region are still not clear and controversial. Based on shoreline features and highstand lacustrine sediments around lakes on the QTP, high lake level histories in this paper were summarized and compared with paleoclimatic records from lake sediments, ice core and glaciation evolution surrounding mountains on the NE QTP during late Pleistocene. The results indicate that periods of high lake level occurred at MIS 5, MIS 3 and early-middle Holocene and most likely corresponding to warm and wet climate periods, while periods of low lake level existed in intervening intervals, corresponding to cold and dry climate periods, which most likely coincide with glacial advances surrounding high mountains. With an exception, no wide glacial advance in study area was found during MIS 3, possibly suggesting that effective moisture is lower than that in the other region of NE QTP in this period.

High‐Resolution Records of the Holocene Paleoenvironmental Variation Reflected by Carbonate and Its Isotopic Compositions in Bosten Lake and Response to Glacial Activities

Abstract:The Early Holocene paleoclimate in Bosten Lake on the northern margin of the Tarim Basin, southern Xinjiang, is reconstructed through an analysis of a 953 cm long core (BSTC2000) taken from Bosten Lake. Multiple proxies of this core, including the mineral components of carbonate, carbonate content, stable isotopic compositions of carbonate, Ca/Sr, TOC and C/N and C/S of organic matter, are used to reconstruct the climatic change since 8500 a B.P. The chronology model is made by nine AMS 14C ages of leaves, seeds and organic matter contained in two parallel cores. The climate was cold and wet during 8500 to 8100 a B.P. Temperature increased from 8100 to 6400 a B.P., the climate was warm and humid, and the lake expanded. The lake level was highest during this stage. Then from 6400 to 5100 a B.P., the climate became cold and the lake level decreased slightly. During the late mid‐Holocene, the climate was hot and dry from 5100 to 3100 a B.P., but there was a short cold period during 4400 to 3800 a B.P. At this temporal interval, a mass of ice and snow melting water supplied the lake at the early time and made the lake level rise. The second highest lake level stage occurred during 5200 to 3800 a B.P. The climate was cool and wet during 3100 to 2200 a B.P., when the lake expanded with decreasing evaporation. The lake had the last short‐term high level during 3100 to 2800 a B.P. After this short high lake level period, the lake shrank because of the long‐term lower temperature and reduced water supply. From 2200 to 1200 a B.P., the climate was hot and dry, and the lake shrank greatly. Although the temperature decreased somewhat from 1200 a B.P. to the present, the climate was warm and dry. The lake level began to rise a little again, but it did not reach the river bed altitude of the Konqi River, an outflow river of the Bosten Lake.

Geochemical fractionation of rare earth elements in lacustrine deposits from Qaidam Basin

Based on the concentration and distribution pattern analysis of the rare earth elements (REEs) at the Shell Bar section from Qaidam Basin, we studied the geochemical fractionations of REE in paleolake deposits and their paleo-environmental significance. Our results show that the REE concentration in AS (acid soluble) and AR (acid residual) fractions are 20.9 μg/g and 95.4 μg/g (except element Y) individually, showing a strong REE differentiation between AS and AR fractions. However, the two types of fractions (AS & AR) have similar REE distribution patterns, which are slightly rich in light earth rare elements (LREEs), with slightly right-tilting and negative Eu anomaly. The LREE of AR is richer than that of AS. There were no significant correlations between the REE in AS, AR and other proxies. It indicated that the lacustrine deposition had different material sources and experienced varying geochemical procedures. Correlation analysis between the REE and the content of fine grain-size (<4 μm) of the sediments, Rb/Sr ratio and Mn concentration showed high correlation coefficients. Our results demonstrated that the REE in acid soluble and residual fractions bear different environmental significances, which are strongly dependent on local environment. The REE of acid soluble fraction is closely related to the paleoclimatic changes in the lake catchment and the evolutionary processes of lake itself. Our results suggest that δCe and (La/Yb)n could be used as proxies of the reduction-oxidation conditions and furthermore the temperature change and the lake level fluctuations. Using these proxies, we reconstructed the paleoclimate and water level fluctuation history during the high lake level period lasting between 43.5 and 22.4 cal. ka BP.

Wind control on the accumulation of heavy metals in sediment of Lake Ulubat, Anatolia, Turkey

Freshwater Lake Ulubat (z mean = 1.5–2.0 m and Area = ~138 km2), NW Anatolia, Turkey was filled in by fine-to-medium-grain silts during the late Holocene. Deposition in Lake Ulubat has been 1.6 cm year−1 for the last 50 years, but the sedimentation rate over the last ~1,600 years was lower (0.37 mm year−1). The organic matter and carbonate contents of the infill show cyclic changes that reflect environmental fluctuations. The silt-dominated lithology and the vertically uniform heavy metal distributions are probably due to wind-controlled sedimentation in the lake. Heterogeneous mud, derived from a large, mountainous drainage basin, is deposited in the lake mostly during summer, June to October, when conditions are hot and calm. Winter months are stormier and sediments are re-suspended due to the shallow water depth and the effect of waves on the lake bottom. It is likely that re-suspended sediments, particularly fine-grained particles, together with the heavy metals, are transported out of the lake via the outlet, especially during periods of high lake level. This resuspension and removal process probably caused the lake sediments to become silt-dominated and depleted in heavy metals. The role of broad shallow lakes in sequestering sediments and heavy metals can be described more accurately when wind data are considered. Such information may also be helpful for land-use planning in downstream areas.

Status, ecology and conservation of an endemic fish, Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis, in Lake Baringo, Kenya

Abstract The tilapia Oreochromis niloticus baringoensis is a genetically and morphologically distinct sub‐species of Oreochromis niloticus endemic to Lake Baringo, Kenya. In recent years, concern has been expressed as to its status. Recent declines in catch returns suggest the population may be threatened, with conservation action required to safeguard it. Catch returns from the Baringo fishery since 1964 have shown considerable fluctuations for all species, but especially O. n. baringoensis. From a peak of 712 t in 1970, their total catch was only 5 t in 2005, despite a 2 year period of closure in 2002 and 2003. Changes in fishery catch and relative abundance were independent of exploitation in the fishery but were significantly correlated with lake level. Few individuals were captured at lengths &gt;250 mm, with no fish sampled &gt;284 mm. During periods of high lake level, individuals matured at smaller sizes and were capable of growing to larger ultimate sizes. With maturity at lengths &lt;130 mm and fishery regulations preventing removal of fish &lt;180 mm, there was a relatively large proportion of mature fish that was below exploitation size each year (19 to 44%). In most years, the proportion of fish available for exploitation was &lt;10%. Stable isotope analyses revealed O. n. baringoensis was reliant upon planktonic basal resources and zooplankton carbon. There was only minimal trophic overlap with other fish species in the lake, indicating little potential for competition for food resources. These data suggest that the population status of O. n. baringoensis is not threatened per se, but subject to an unpredictable and unstable environment that strongly influences their life‐history traits and, ultimately, their population abundance, and should be managed accordingly. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Cattail Invasion of Sedge/Grass Meadows in Lake Ontario: Photointerpretation Analysis of Sixteen Wetlands over Five Decades

Photointerpretation studies were conducted to evaluate vegetation changes in wetlands of Lake Ontario and the upper St. Lawrence River associated with regulation of water levels since about 1960. The studies used photographs from 16 sites (four each from drowned river mouth, barrier beach, open embayment, and protected embayment wetlands) and spanned a period from the 1950s to 2001 at roughly decadal intervals. Meadow marsh was the most prominent vegetation type in most wetlands in the late 1950s when water levels had declined following high lake levels in the early 1950s. Meadow marsh increased at some sites in the mid-1960s in response to low lake levels and decreased at all sites in the late 1970s following a period of high lake levels. Typha increased at nearly all sites, except waveexposed open embayments, in the 1970s. Meadow marsh continued to decrease and Typha to increase at most sites during sustained higher lake levels through the 1980s, 1990s, and into 2001. Most vegetation changes could be correlated with lake-level changes and with life-history strategies and physiological tolerances to water depth of prominent taxa. Analyses of GIS coverages demonstrated that much of the Typha invasion was landward into meadow marsh, largely by Typha × glauca. Lesser expansion toward open water included both T. × glauca and T. angustifolia. Although many models focus on the seed bank as a key component of vegetative change in wetlands, our results suggest that canopy-dominating, moisture-requiring Typha was able to invade meadow marsh at higher elevations because sustained higher lake levels allowed it to survive and overtake sedges and grasses that can tolerate periods of drier soil conditions.

The paleo-precipitation history recorded by the characteristics of grain-size of Lake Jingpo during Holocene

在湖泊沉积与环境演变研究中,粒度参数通常用来反映湖泊水动力条件的变化,进而反映湖面波动状况以及湖区环境有效湿度的变化.镜泊湖JPH-1钻孔沉积物粒度分析表明:全新世以来镜泊湖沉积物粒度的变化呈现明显的粗细交替变化的规律性.结合14C测年,镜泊湖沉积物粒度特征有效地指示了历史时期镜泊湖水动力变化的情况.进而揭示了该地区古降水的变化历史.9300-8540cal aBP,是一个降水较少的偏干旱时期;8540-6350 cal aBP,降水颇丰的湿润时期; 6350-3120cal aBF,气候波动频繁,前期(6350-4800 cal aBP)由湿润向干旱过渡,后期(4800-3120cal aBP左右)又由于早转向湿润,31 20-1 580 cal aBP,降水较多,气候湿润;1 580 cal aBP至今,降水变化波动剧烈,这阶段粒度特征的变化除了与降水的自然变化有关外,还与人类活动的剧烈影响有关系.湖区周围人类活动破坏了原始植被,大量地表裸露,降水冲刷地表作用明显增大,陆源物质被携带人湖,粗颗粒含量显著增多.;Grain-size composition of lacuslrine sediment is a powerful indioalor to water impelus change and humi(i variation in ihe history. Based on the analyses on ihe grain-size composition characteristics of JPH-1 core,from Lake Jingpo, norlh eastern of China, combined with 14 C age sequence, ihe Holocene hist or) of paleo-preripilation changes in this region can be concluded as below:(1)9300-8540 cat aBP was a relatively dry period acromf)a-nied wilh less preripilation. (2) 8540-6350 cal aBP was a high lake level period, when the precipitation was relatively abundanlo. (3) 6350 -4800 cal aBP, the climate became drought graduaHy. (4) 4800 -3120 ral aBP, the climate changed wel again. (5) 3120-1580 cal aBP was a relatively slable period maintained a high lake level wilh abundant precipitation. (6) 1580 t.al aBP-present, il was an another climalioally oscillation f>eriod in which the precipitation has been changing frequently. In recent cenluries,the human activities, such as i leariiig the forest, destroying the original vegetation in lake watershed resulted in massive exposure of land surface, remarkable increase of erosion and more terrestrial maleriel carried into lake. Therefore, the portion of coarser particles increased markedly.

Late Holocene lake level dynamics inferred from magnetic susceptibility and stable oxygen isotope data: Lake Elsinore, southern California (USA)

Southern California faces an imminent freshwater shortage. To better assess the future impact of this water crisis, it is essential that we develop continental archives of past hydrological variability. Using four sediment cores from Lake Elsinore in Southern California, we reconstruct late Holocene (� 3800 calendar years B.P.) hydrological change using a twentieth-century calibrated, proxy methodology. We compared magnetic susceptibility from Lake Elsinore deep basin sediments, lake level from Lake Elsinore, and regional winter precipitation data over the twentieth century to calibrate the late Holocene lake sediment record. The comparison revealed a strong positive, first-order relationship between the three variables. As a working hypothesis, we suggest that periods of greater precipitation produce higher lake levels. Greater precipitation also increases the supply of detritus (i.e., magnetic-rich minerals) from the lake's surrounding drainage basin into the lake environment. As a result, magnetic susceptibility values increase during periods of high lake level. We apply this modern calibration to late Holocene sediments from the lake's littoral zone. As an independent verification of this hypothesis, we analyzed � 18 O(calcite), interpreted as a proxy for variations in the precipitation:evaporation ratio, which reflect first order hydrological variability. The results of this verification support our hypothesis that magnetic susceptibility records regional hydrological change as related to precipitation and lake level. Using both proxy data, we analyzed the past 3800 calendar years of hydrological variability. Our analyses indicate a long period of dry, less variable climate between 3800 and 2000 calendar years B.P. followed by a wet, more variable climate to the present. These results suggest that droughts of greater magnitude and duration than those observed in the modern record have occurred in the recent geological past. This conclusion presents insight to the potential impact of future droughts on the over-populated, water-poor region of Southern California.

Estimating the saline springs component in the solute and water balance of Lake Kinneret, Israel

The relatively high salinity of Lake Kinneret, Israel (190–350 ppm Cl −) is a result of the activity of saline springs located at the bottom of the lake. Their subsurface location inhibits direct monitoring of their fluxes. The objective of this work is to characterize the monthly ground water flow and salinity of the unmonitored saline springs over a long-term period, and to find a functional relationship between deriving variables and these monthly discharges. Results of the long-term evaluation of the unmonitored saline springs activity, are intended to help distinguish between two competing models (‘gravity driven flow’ (GFM) and ‘self potential’ models), which were proposed as the mechanism of the Lake Kinneret saline springs. The monthly solute and water balance of 32 consecutive years (1968–2001) was calculated, in which the contribution of the saline springs was considered as the residual. Error analyses were conducted for both the water and the solute residuals, and constraints were used to calculate a better, physically based time series representing the unmonitored saline springs activity. The calculated time-series of water and solute discharge from the springs were used to find the functional relationship with the lake level. It was found that there was an increase of water and solute fluxes to the lake at periods of high lake level. We concluded that the results are in agreement with the proposed GFM: high fluxes of ground water to the lake, and high leaching of solute are the result of rainy seasons, which usually cause high lake levels as well.

Stimulated influences of Lake Agassiz on the climate of central North America 11,000 years ago

Eleven thousand years ago, large lakes existed in central and eastern North America along the margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The large-scale North American climate at this time has been simulated with atmospheric general circulation models, but these relatively coarse global models do not resolve potentially important features of the mesoscale circulation that arise from interactions among the atmosphere, ice sheet, and proglacial lakes. Here we present simulations of the climate of central and eastern North America 11,000 years ago with a high-resolution, regional climate model nested within a general circulation model. The simulated climate is in general agreement with that inferred from palaeoecological evidence. Our experiments indicate that through mesoscale atmospheric feedbacks, the annual delivery of moisture to the Laurentide Ice Sheet was diminished at times of a large, cold Lake Agassiz relative to periods of lower lake stands. The resulting changes in the mass balance of the ice sheet may have contributed to fluctuations of the ice margin, thus affecting the routing of fresh water to the North Atlantic Ocean. A retreating ice margin during periods of high lake level may have opened an outlet for discharge of Lake Agassiz into the North Atlantic. A subsequent advance of the ice margin due to greater moisture delivery associated with a low lake level could have dammed the outlet, thereby reducing discharge to the North Atlantic. These variations may have been decisive in causing the Younger Dryas cold event.