Subfossil chironomid variability in surface sediment samples from Icelandic lakes: implications for the development and use of training sets

• Main Authors: Holmes, Naomi, Langdon, Peter G, Caseldine, Chris J
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Springer 2009
• Subjects: QE39.5.P3 Paleolimnology; Iceland
• Online Access: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/4009/; http://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/geology/journal/10933

A suite of surface sediment samples from three Icelandic lakes was analysed for subfossil chironomid head capsules, and a quantitative July air temperature inference model was applied to the data to investigate whether there was significant variability among samples taken from a lake. Ordination and simple regression methods were used to analyse the relationships between environmental and sedimentological variables and the chironomid assemblages and inferred temperature data. Substrate was the most important influence on the chironomid assemblages and inferred temperatures, while water depth at the sampling location had no relationship with the chironomid-inferred temperatures. Within-lake variability of the chironomid assemblages and their inferred temperatures, however, were not significant statistically, suggesting that in lakes of western and northwest Iceland within-lake sampling location has no effect on the data obtained, and therefore on training set sample