Sudbury Sediments Revisited: Evaluating Limnological Recovery in a Multiple-Stressor Environment

Paleolimnological techniques were utilized to determine whether diatom and scaled chrysophyte assemblages in Daisy, Swan, and Tilton lakes (Sudbury, Ontario) have recovered toward their preimpact conditions as a result of reduced inputs of anthropogenic pollutants (SO ₄ ^2? and metals) or whether other environmental stressors have affected recovery trajectories. In addition, geochemical analysis was used to track trends in sedimentary nickel and copper concentrations through time. Preindustrial algal assemblages were primarily dominated by circumneutral to alkaline and pH-indifferent taxa. However, with the onset of open-pit roasting and smelting operations, there was a stratigraphic shift toward acid-tolerant species. With wide-scale smelter emission reductions commencing in the 1970s, scaled chrysophyte assemblages in Swan and Daisy lakes have started to show signs of biological recovery in ～1984 and ～1991, respectively. Although the scaled chrysophyte assemblage in Tilton Lake has not recovered toward the predisturbance assemblage, the decline in acidophilic taxa and increase in circumneutral taxa in recently deposited lake sediments indicate that the community is responding to increased lake water pH. Conversely, diatom assemblages within each of the study lakes have not begun to recover, despite well-documented chemical recovery. It is suspected that biological recovery in Sudbury area lakes may be impeded by other environmental stressors such as climate warming. Copper and nickel concentrations in lake sediments increased with the onset of mining activities and subsequently declined with emission controls. However, metal concentrations in lake sediments remain elevated compared to preindustrial concentrations. Together, biological and geochemical evidence demonstrates the clear environmental benefits associated with smelter emission controls.     

Diatom Assessment of Past Environmental Changes in Lakes Located Near the Noril'sk (Siberia) Smelters

Noril'sk, a major center for mining and smelting of high-sulphur nickel-copper ores, is considered one of the most polluted regions on this planet. Yet, long-term data on limnological changes in nearby lakes are lacking. Paleolimnological approaches were used to compare pre-industrial diatom assemblages with recent assemblages in 17 Noril'sk-area lakes in order to assess the effects of the metallurgical operations. Relative to other regions of intense mining and smelting activities, the Noril'sk diatom assemblages have experienced relatively little change sincepre-industrial times. The lakes are well protected against the effects of acidification due to their strong buffering capacities as a result of the surrounding bedrock and overlying glacial deposits. The alkaline nature of the lakes appears to have suppressed the environmental availability of metals, as most likely formed insoluble metallic complexes andbecame incorporated into the lake sediments. Changes between recent and pre-industrial diatom assemblages were recorded for some lakes; however, the taxa contributing to the greatest amount of this change were small, benthic Fragilariaspecies, and not acid and metal-tolerant taxa, as observed in similarly impacted regions. Emissions from mining activities resulting in watershed disturbances, such as increased erosion, likely accounted for shifts in these species over time.     

Diatom-based pH reconstruction studies of acid lakes in Europe and North America: A synthesis

The analysis of diatom assemblages in lake sediments is being increasingly used to reconstruct past trends in the pH of acid lakes. This paper briefly reviews the data that are now available for Europe and North America and concludes that the evidence is consistent with the acid deposition hypothesis for recent lake acidification.     

Chrysophyte scales in lake sediments provide evidence of recent acidification in two Quebec (Canada) lakes

Several lake surveys have indicated that many lakes in Quebec are sensitive to acidification, but no historical data are available to provide conclusive evidence of lake acidification. Paleolimnological studies can provide such evidence. Chrysophycean algal microfossils were analyzed from the sediments of Lake Bonneville and Lake Truite Rouge in Quebec. The chrysophyte flora in the study lakes was stable until 40 yr ago, but since then the taxa characteristic of acidic or slightly acidic waters increased in abundance. The study provides evidence of recent lake acidification in Quebec.     

Contamination history of suspended river sediments accumulated in oxbow lakes over the last 25 years

Background, aims, and scope  Embankment of meandering river systems in many industrial areas results in the formation of artificial oxbow lakes that may act as perennial or intermittent traps for river sediments. Their deposits can be dated using a combination of historical and stratigraphic data, providing a good means to study historical records of contamination transported by rivers. Contamination history over the last few decades is of special significance for Central and Eastern Europe as it can reflect high pollutant levels in the second half of the twentieth century and the subsequent improvement after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The purpose of this study was to investigate recent sediments of an oxbow lake of the Morava River, Czech Republic, their stratigraphic records, sediment architecture, and history of contamination. Materials and methods  Seven ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles and three sediment cores up to 4 m deep were studied. The stratigraphy of the cores was inferred from visible-light spectrophotometry, X-ray radiography, grain size analysis, and semiquantitative modal analysis of sandy fractions. The sediments were dated using the ¹³⁷Cs mass activity and combinations of stratigraphic and historical data. The cores were sampled for concentrations of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Wet sampled, lyophilized, and sieved sediments were extracted and analyzed for heavy metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) of aqua regia leachate and for persistent organic pollutants by gas chromatography (GC-ECD and GC-MS). Results  Three distinct sedimentary sequences (S1, S2, and S3) were identified. The basal sequence S1 represents river channel sediments deposited before the formation of the oxbow lake, most likely before the 1930s. The boundary between the S1 and S2 sequence correlates with the level of sediment dredging from 1981 evidenced from historical data. The overlying sequences S2 and S3 represent a postdredging sediment wedge, which progrades into the lake. ¹³⁷Cs dating revealed a distinct Chernobyl 1986 peak at ∼150 cm depth inferring sedimentation rates up to 7.7 cm/year. Sediment contamination abruptly increased from the pre-1930s deposits to the post-1981 deposits. The concentration levels increased two to five times for Pb, As, Zn, and Cu, about 10 to 15 times for Cr, Sb, and Hg, up to 34 times for Cd, and 25 to 67 times for DDTs, PCBs, and PAHs. The concentrations of most contaminants remained approximately constant until the late 1980s when they started to decrease slowly. The decreasing trends were most prominent for heavy metals and anthracene, less prominent for DDTs, and almost absent for PCBs and most PAHs. Discussion  Different temporal and spatial patterns for various contaminants make it possible to distinguish between anthropogenic point sources from local industry (anthracene, Cr, Cd), possible diffuse sources (most PAHs), and geological background (V, Co, Ni, and Mo). The observed recent trends in heavy metal and persistent organic pollutant contamination are generally consistent with data from other Central European rivers. The roughly balanced contamination levels in sediments from the lake and the adjacent river channel suggest that the oxbow lake deposits reflect immediate levels of the contamination bound to suspended particulate matter passing through the river. Conclusions  The investigated oxbow lake accumulated suspended sediment from Morava River, developing a thick sedimentary body. The sediments offer a good time framework to study historical contamination of the river on a decade time scale. Continuous contamination trends can be traced back to the early 1980s. The results show that stratigraphic analysis of cores has a good potential for identification of uninterrupted historical trends and unconformities, e.g., due to dredging. Recommendations and perspectives  Oxbow lakes may provide an alternative to floodplains and reservoir deposits when studying river contamination history. High sedimentation rates of up to 7.7 cm/year offer a very good stratigraphic resolution, making it possible to study contamination patterns on annual or even seasonal time scales. On the other hand, oxbow lakes may represent long-term contamination stores, which are unlikely to be redistributed by river erosion and, hence, may possess significant environmental risks for the farther future.     

Anthropogenic mercury enrichment in remote lakes of northern Québec (Canada)

In a sub-Arctic region of the province of Québec, at sites situated 200 to 1400 km away from the closest industrial centers, we find the ubiquitous presence of anthropogenic Hg, reflected by steadily increasing concentrations of this metal in lake sediments, since about 1940, to rates averaging 2.3 times the preindustrial levels. Mercury concentrations in lake sediments were found to be proportional to the amounts of terrestrial organic carbon from the catchment area. It would, therefore, be misleading to derive continental-scale gradients of this pollutant based on Hg concentrations in oligotrophic lake sediments, unless they are normalized to their organic carbon content. Our normalized data for sediments of remote lakes along a 1200 km transect (45 to 55°N) clearly indicate that the distribution pattern of long-range Hg contamination is independent of the latitude over the boreal forest domain. This uniform contamination contrasts with that of Pb, which decreases towards the north over the same latitudinal span, away from the industrial centers of the St Lawrence Valley and the U.S. Mid-West.     

Acidification of Nova Scotia lakes I: Response of diatom assemblages in the Halifax area

A comparison is made of diatom remains in surficial lake sediments collected in 1971 and 1980. Changes of similar magnitude towards more acid tolerant assemblages are observed in four lakes studied in detail despite widely differing aquatic environments. No attempt is made to reconstruct past chemistry, the significant point being that at the most fundamental level, local lacustrine biological systems are being stressed to the point of alteration. The pattern of that alteration with emphasis on ‘simplification’ is discussed with the suggestion that rates of acidification may be as important as net changes.     

Diatoms as indicators of the rate of lake acidification

Autecological studies of diatoms as pH indicators have opened the way to estimating a lake's past pH on the basis of its diatom species composition and relative abundance. Estimating the rate of lake acidification from its sediment subfossil diatoms is possible when these subfossils can be identified and accurately enumerated in the surface sediments of 20 to 30 lakes. Once this is done the diatoms down the length of the sediment core of one or more of these lakes can be enumerated and the pH inferred at each depth. This technique holds considerable promise in assessing the temporal impact of acid precipitation for acid-sensitive lakes. When loga values were regressed against observed pH for 28 lakes located north of Lake Superior, a significant (P < 0.01) correlation (r = 0.89) resulted. Downcore diatom stratigraphy for one of these lakes indicated that its pH had dropped from 6.2 to 5.2 over the last 20 yr while a second lake had dropped from a pH of 7.1 to 5.2 over the last 30 yr.     

Environmental biogeochemistry of mercury in Antarctic ecosystems

Polar regions are recognized as important sinks for long-range transport and deposition of Hg derived from natural and anthropogenic sources at lower latitudes. In previous studies we found enhanced Hg accumulation in soils, mosses and lichens from ice-free areas of Victoria Land facing the Terra Nova Bay coastal polynya. This study extends research to the distribution of organic C, total N, S, Hg, Al and Fe in surface soils, cyanobacterial mats and short sediment cores from four lacustrine ecosystems, each with different environmental characteristics and varying distances from the polynya. Results show that planktonic and benthic mats from lakes, along with mosses in the watershed, are the main sinks for Hg in summer meltwater. The C-normalized Hg concentrations in short sediment cores were higher in samples from lakes more exposed to marine aerosols from the coastal polynya. Reactive halogens in the aerosol promote the oxidation and deposition of atmospheric Hg in coastal ecosystems. The analysis of sediment cores did not reveal increasing Hg concentrations in recent sediments, except in the Lake 14 at Edmonson Point. The latter ice-free area is unaffected by the polynya and the increase in Hg concentrations in surface sediments could be due to local changes in lake water level and S biogeochemistry. Although change in sea ice coverage may enhance the role of Antarctic coastal ecosystems as sink in the global Hg cycle, our results seem to exclude possible risks for Antarctic terrestrial and freshwater organisms.     

东平湖表层沉积物中多氯联苯的污染特征

[目的]查明东平湖表层沉积物多氯联苯(PCBs)的污染特征,为东平湖沉积物的污染控制及风险评价提供科学依据。[方法]于2015年7月对东平湖16个不同点位的表层沉积物进行采样,使用GC-ECD检测了PCBs(PCB28,PCB52,PCB101,PCB118,PCB153,PCB138,PCB180)的含量,对东平湖PCBs的空间分布进行分析。运用EPA法对东平湖表层沉积物中多氯联苯进行生态风险评价。[结果]东平湖表层沉积PCBs总的含量范围为nd～605.9ng/kg,均值为126ng/kg,标准差为153。在空间分布上,湖区中部(184.5ng/kg)入湖口(149.9ng/kg)湖区西南部(101.4ng/kg)湖区北部(46.7ng/kg)。研究区PCBs同系物组成以七氯联苯为主,占总量的66.72%。与其他地区的沉积物相比较,东平湖表层沉积物中PCBs处于较低水平,风险评价表明该研究区域生物毒性效应概率远远小于10%。[结论]由于水文因素的影响,东平湖表层沉积物中多氯联苯(PCBs)呈现出由大汶河入湖口向西北方向递减的空间分布趋势;东平湖表层沉积物中的多氯联苯属于轻微污染水平,未对水体环境安全造成严重影响,沉积物中PCBs的浓度水平对大多数底栖生物无毒性影响。     

乌梁素海湿地对营养盐的削减效率及其分区研究

基于乌梁素湖区20个监测点近2 a的监测数据,分析不同介质（水体、植物和底泥）对总氮和总磷的净化过程,构建削减效率指数,核算不同湖区对营养盐的削减效率,通过聚类分析划分削减区。结果显示:水体和植被中N和P营养盐浓度（含量）随着水体流动逐渐扩散降低,而底泥中营养盐分布没有明显规律,浓度最高点出现在距离入水口较远的东南部湖区。N和P营养盐在水体和植物间的分布呈正相关（N,R²=0.665,p < 0.05;P,R²=0.767,P < 0.01）,而营养盐在底泥—水体,底泥—植物间的分布未发现明显的相关性。湖区依照营养盐削减效率可划分为2～4个削减区,不同削减区应采用不同控制手段。本研究可为乌梁素海湖泊水体富营养化控制和管理提供科学依据。     

Origin of organic halogen in boreal lakes

Old (>100 years, situated below 15 cm depth) sediment layers, of two humic forest lakes contained 400 to 600 mg of solvent soluble organic halogen (EOX) (kg C)^-1. This was two to three fold more than in the most recent layers at the depth of 0 to 10 cm. Sediment accumulation of EOX in humic forest lakes correlated positively with the sediment accumulation of organic matter. Lake water concentration of adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) correlated positively with water concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) and with the water colour in the different strata, seasons and lakes. These facts suggest that organic halogen in boreal humic lakes originated from the drainage area. Paleolimnological study of diatom remains showed that sediment concentration of organic halogen correlated negatively with the historical pH of the lake water column. This fact supports a view that the presence of organic halogen was promoted by haloperoxidase type of enzyme, which is most active at low pH (3.5 to 4). The dates of forest management events (clear cutting, prescribed burning) matched with the observed changes in lake water column historical pH and decrease in sediment content organic halogen in dated sediment layers. Clear cutting and prescribed burning are known to increase soil pH. This may decrease the intrinsic formation of organic halogens in soil, thereby decreasing the flow of organic halogens from the runoff area to the forest lake. Our results support a conclusion that changes in natural organically bound halogen in the sediment were promoted by acidification, forest fires and forest management in the drainage area. The organic halogen content in the most polluted layer of the pulp mill recipient sediment was 10 to 100 fold as compared to forest lake sediments.     

Regional Contamination in Lakes from the Noril'sk Region in Siberia,Russia

Sediment and water chemistry data were collected from ten lakes within a 110 km radius of Noril'sk in Siberia, the largest smelting complex in the world. Metals showing the most pronounced increase in enrichment near the smelters were Cu, Ni, Co, Ba and Zn. Cu and Ni appear to be as or more enriched in lake sediments around Noril'sk compared with levels previously reported for other locations. Although SO4 concentrations were highly elevated in the areas closest to the smelting complex, lake water pH remained elevated due to high concentrations of base cations in the waters. Sediment mercury enrichment was high in sediments near the smelting complex, but not more so than in other parts of the Arctic, suggesting that Hg either is not a major smelting product at Noril'sk, or that Hg is transported greater distances than other metals due to its longer atmospheric residence time.     

Heavy metals in fish from a series of metal-contaminated lakes near Sudbury,Ontario

Elevated levels of Ni, Cu, and Zn are present in surficial sediments of lakes in the Sudbury region of northeastern Ontario. Metal concentrations in sediments were highest in lakes closest to local smelters, and decreased rapidly with distance: equations are presented describing these relationships. Several fish species were collected from a series of these metal-contaminated lakes, and analyzed for metal content of muscle, liver, and kidney tissues. Muscle tissue was a poor indicator of increased metal availability. Liver tissue was a good indicator for Cu, while kidney tissue was best for Ni. Zinc levels in tissues varried little among either fish species or lakes. The presence of elevated levels of Cu in liver, and elevated levels of Ni in liver and kidney tissues of fish from certain lakes supported the hypothesis that some fish populations were being stressed by metal additions to local aquatic habitats. Although the degree of lake contamination (as indicated by Cu concentrations in sediments) was one factor influencing Cu availability, water quality parameters such as alkalinity and DOC also appeared to be very important.     

Current and historical inputs of mercury to high-latitude lakes in Canada and to Hudson Bay

Sediment cores collected from several lakes in northern Canada have been analyzed for mercury and several other chemical contaminants. Sites ranged from the Experimental Lakes Area of northwestern Ontario, north to Cornwallis Island, and west to the southern Yukon. Cores were sliced at sites of collection and individual slices were freeze dried and analyzed for Pb-210 and Cs-137 to estimate average time intervals of deposition. The earliest date estimated by Pb-210 was about 1850, and mercury concentrations in some lakes were clearly increasing before then, assuming no vertical movements of mercury within the sediments. Extrapolation of dates downward to deeper slices, assuming a constant sedimentation rate, indicated that in some lakes mercury inputs increased slowly even in the 1500's, more rapidly after 1750, and more rapidly yet over the current century. These increases are interpreted as increased fluxes of mercury to the lakes as a result of long-range transport of atmospheric mercury, since there are no local industrial sources of mercury. Slices taken near the bottom of a core are taken to estimate the geological component while elevations in excess of that in surface slices are taken to represent contamination from fallout. This partitioning suggests that sediments in the eastern Northwest Territories are dominated by pollution, while those from the western Northwest Territories are influenced more by their geological settings. Two cores from Hudson Bay suggest that mercury is increasing there too, but has not yet exceeded geological sources. Mercury shows little or no tendency to decline in the most recent slices; indicating that inputs of mercury remain at or near their historical maxima. Given relatively high and continuing inputs of mercury to northern lakes it seems likely that some portion of that mercury may find its way into the food chain, hence the long-term prospect is for increasing levels of mercury in northern fish.     

PCBs and Organochlorine Pesticides in Lake Orta (Northern Italy) Sediments

PCB congeners and organochlorine pesticides (DDT, lindane and HCB) distribution were studied in Lake Orta sediments. The results indicated a contaminated area in the nor-them part of the sub-basin. The observed high levels of organochlorine compounds (OCs) may he explained by the focusing phenomenon, ie. the preferential transport of lighter and smaller particles from the emission sources to this area. The PCBs and DDT values were correlated with the organic carbon content and the heavy metal contamination. The toxicity of the sediment samples was related also to PCB content. PCBs and OCs pollution of Lake Orta was of the same order of magnitude as in Lake Como, which is the most contamined lake in Northern Italy.     

Anthropogenic Mercury Deposition to Arctic Lake Sediments

The history of atmosheric mercury inputs to remote arctic regions can be measured in lake sediment cores using lead-210 chronology. In this investigation, total mercury deposition is measured in sediments from Imitavik and Annak Lakes on the Belcher Islands in southeastern Hudson Bay, an area in the southern Canadian Arctic with no history of local industrial or agricultural sources of contamination. Both lakes received background and atmospheric inputs of mercury while Annak also received mercury from raw domestic sewage from the Hamlet of Sanikiluaq, a growing Inuit community of about 550 established in the late 1960's. Results from Imitavik show that anthropogenic mercury inputs, apparently transported through the atmosphere, began to appear in the mid-eighteenth century, and continued to the 1990's. Annak had a similar mercury history until the late 1960's when disposal of domestic sewage led to increased sediment and contaminant accumulation. The high input of mercury to Annak confirms that Sanikiluaq residents are exposed to mercury through native food sources.     

荣成天鹅湖沉积物中重金属的分布特征研究

通过对表层沉积物中重金属及粒度的分析,研究了荣成天鹅湖重金属的含量水平及分布特征,并对沉积物的环境质量进行了初步评价。结果表明,天鹅湖重金属的总体水平较低,Cd、Cr、Pb、Cu、Zn的平均含量均低于国家海洋沉积物I类质量标准,其中Cr和Pb存在轻度污染。Cd、Cr、Ni、Pb、Cu、Zn的含量范围分别为0～0.84、1.75～116.11、1.50～29.06、17.36～27.25、2.00～34.98mg.kg-1和11.48～92.61mg.kg-1,平均含量排序为Zn〉Cr〉Pb〉Cu、Ni〉Cd。天鹅湖重金属的富集状况与沉积物的粒度以及人类活动密切相关,大部分元素的高值区出现在颗粒较细的湖中央以及污染严重的西北部,东南部含量较低。相关分析表明,各重金属之间的相关性较好,其中Cd、Cu、Mn、Zn、Fe间呈高度的正相关,空间分布规律相似;重金属与有机质、粘粒含量呈极显著正相关,而与砂粒呈极显著负相关。根据加拿大制定的沉积物评价标准,天鹅湖沉积物中Cr具有较大的生态危害性。     

Environmental Impacts in the Jianghan Plain: Evidence from Lake Sediments

There is growing concern about the environmental impact of rapid economic growth in China. The problem is compounded by the scarcity of baseline data on the state of China's natural environment. As a step towards solving this problem, palaeolimnological methods have been applied to seven lakes in the Jianghan Plain, China, to evaluate recent changes in human impact. Lake sediment cores show enhanced concentrations of fossil fuel derived spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP) and Pb at all sites across the Jianghan Plain. The distribution of these industrial contaminants shows the overwhelming influence of the industrial cities. Wuhan dominates the fossil fuel derived pollution, while the copper smelter at Daye dominates the heavy metal pollution. Analysis of sediment diatom assemblages indicates mean total phosphorus concentrations of greater than 40 μg L-1 P in the lakes of the more intensely agricultural western part of the Jianghan Plain. The sediment concentration profiles for biogenic elements at these sites indicates a post-1960 eutrophication. Evidence for eutrophication in the eastern lakes is much weaker, though some evidence is present at all sites. The tracers of industrial pollution (Pb and SCP) correlate with Mn in the many of the lake sediments. This is compatible with both soil acidification, and soil gleyification due to intensified rice production.     

Predicting sediment metal concentrations in lakes without point sources 1

Surficial sediments (0 to 2 cm) from 189 sites in 52 Quebec and Ontario lakes were analyzed for Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn by atomic adsorption spectrometry after extraction in dilute aqua regia. Empirical models using sediment texture (water content), site morphometry (depth) and geology (categorical variables) as predictors explain 82 to 87% of the between-site and between lake variation in sediment concentrations of Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn, and 52 to 68% of the variation of Al, Co, Fe, and Mn. Over a broad geologic range, geologic variables are only significant in models predicting Co, Cr, and Ni. These three elements are low in concentration in lakes with catchments on the Grenville shield, while Cr and Ni are enriched in catchments containing ophiolite geology. These models explain both between-site and between-lake variation in sediment metal concentrations, and due to the lack of geologic influence on most metals, may be valid for other regions. The models appear promising as a means to identify point source contamination without assumptions about the relevant sediment fractions or inter-element relationships.