Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes
Research in East Antarctica has shown several recent environmental changes that may be linked to human impacts on climate. In order to detect the influence and context of these changes on coastal aquatic ecosystems we examined lake sediment cores from three lakes in the Windmill Islands, East Antarc...
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:945 2024-06-09T07:40:24+00:00 Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes Hodgson, Dominic A. Roberts, Donna McMinn, Andrew Verleyen, Elie Terry, Bruce Corbett, Christine Vyverman, Wim 2006 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/945/ https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0 unknown Springer Hodgson, Dominic A. orcid:0000-0002-3841-3746 Roberts, Donna; McMinn, Andrew; Verleyen, Elie; Terry, Bruce; Corbett, Christine; Vyverman, Wim. 2006 Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes. Journal of Paleolimnology, 36 (4). 385-406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0> Ecology and Environment Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2006 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0 2024-05-15T08:39:04Z Research in East Antarctica has shown several recent environmental changes that may be linked to human impacts on climate. In order to detect the influence and context of these changes on coastal aquatic ecosystems we examined lake sediment cores from three lakes in the Windmill Islands, East Antarctica; Beall Lake, Holl Lake and ȁ8Lake Mȁ9. Cores were sectioned at␣2.5 mm intervals. Their diatom species composition was examined to detect changes in lake salinity using a diatom-salinity transfer function, and their algal pigment content was examined to detect photoautotrophic community responses to environmental change. Results showed that Holl Lake originated in a depression exposed by Holocene recession of the continental ice sheet and that Beall Lake and Lake M originated as isolated marine basins formed by changes in relative sea level. A general late Holocene trend of declining lake salinity was evident in all three lakes, interrupted by one short-term high salinity event in Beall Lake. This is consistent with a long-term positive moisture balance. This general decline in salinity has been followed by a remarkable recent rapid increase in salinity in all three lakes in the last few decades. We speculate that this rapid increase in salinity might be linked to changes taking place in the region including feedbacks resulting from decreasing sea ice extent as recorded in the nearby Law Dome ice core, and positive feedbacks in the catchments whereby reduced snow cover has led to decreased albedo, which in turn has caused increased evaporation and sublimation. Collectively these changes have shifted the lakes across a threshold from positive to negative moisture balance. A minor, but not rapid shift in the abundance of diatom pigments relative to pigments from green algae and cyanobacteria was also detected suggesting that some changes in photoautotrophic community composition have occurred. Measurements of modern nutrient levels are also higher than would be expected in Beall Lake and Holl Lake, given the ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet Sea ice Windmill Islands Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic East Antarctica Law Dome ENVELOPE(112.833,112.833,-66.733,-66.733) Windmill Islands ENVELOPE(110.417,110.417,-66.350,-66.350) Journal of Paleolimnology 36 4 385 406 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Ecology and Environment |
spellingShingle |
Ecology and Environment Hodgson, Dominic A. Roberts, Donna McMinn, Andrew Verleyen, Elie Terry, Bruce Corbett, Christine Vyverman, Wim Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes |
topic_facet |
Ecology and Environment |
description |
Research in East Antarctica has shown several recent environmental changes that may be linked to human impacts on climate. In order to detect the influence and context of these changes on coastal aquatic ecosystems we examined lake sediment cores from three lakes in the Windmill Islands, East Antarctica; Beall Lake, Holl Lake and ȁ8Lake Mȁ9. Cores were sectioned at␣2.5 mm intervals. Their diatom species composition was examined to detect changes in lake salinity using a diatom-salinity transfer function, and their algal pigment content was examined to detect photoautotrophic community responses to environmental change. Results showed that Holl Lake originated in a depression exposed by Holocene recession of the continental ice sheet and that Beall Lake and Lake M originated as isolated marine basins formed by changes in relative sea level. A general late Holocene trend of declining lake salinity was evident in all three lakes, interrupted by one short-term high salinity event in Beall Lake. This is consistent with a long-term positive moisture balance. This general decline in salinity has been followed by a remarkable recent rapid increase in salinity in all three lakes in the last few decades. We speculate that this rapid increase in salinity might be linked to changes taking place in the region including feedbacks resulting from decreasing sea ice extent as recorded in the nearby Law Dome ice core, and positive feedbacks in the catchments whereby reduced snow cover has led to decreased albedo, which in turn has caused increased evaporation and sublimation. Collectively these changes have shifted the lakes across a threshold from positive to negative moisture balance. A minor, but not rapid shift in the abundance of diatom pigments relative to pigments from green algae and cyanobacteria was also detected suggesting that some changes in photoautotrophic community composition have occurred. Measurements of modern nutrient levels are also higher than would be expected in Beall Lake and Holl Lake, given the ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hodgson, Dominic A. Roberts, Donna McMinn, Andrew Verleyen, Elie Terry, Bruce Corbett, Christine Vyverman, Wim |
author_facet |
Hodgson, Dominic A. Roberts, Donna McMinn, Andrew Verleyen, Elie Terry, Bruce Corbett, Christine Vyverman, Wim |
author_sort |
Hodgson, Dominic A. |
title |
Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes |
title_short |
Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes |
title_full |
Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes |
title_fullStr |
Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes |
title_sort |
recent rapid salinity rise in three east antarctic lakes |
publisher |
Springer |
publishDate |
2006 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/945/ https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(112.833,112.833,-66.733,-66.733) ENVELOPE(110.417,110.417,-66.350,-66.350) |
geographic |
Antarctic East Antarctica Law Dome Windmill Islands |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic East Antarctica Law Dome Windmill Islands |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet Sea ice Windmill Islands |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet Sea ice Windmill Islands |
op_relation |
Hodgson, Dominic A. orcid:0000-0002-3841-3746 Roberts, Donna; McMinn, Andrew; Verleyen, Elie; Terry, Bruce; Corbett, Christine; Vyverman, Wim. 2006 Recent rapid salinity rise in three East Antarctic lakes. Journal of Paleolimnology, 36 (4). 385-406. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0 <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9010-0 |
container_title |
Journal of Paleolimnology |
container_volume |
36 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
385 |
op_container_end_page |
406 |
_version_ |
1801383819008278528 |