Aquatic ecosystems of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), Belize, and Guatemala

This study presents limnological and morphological characteristics, physical and chemical properties of waters, and geochemistry of surface sediments for 63 aquatic ecosystems located on the karst Yucatán Peninsula and surrounding areas of Belize and the Guatemalan highlands and eastern lowlands. Our principal goal was to classify the aquatic systems based on their water variables. A principal component analysis (PCA) of the surface water chemistry data showed that a large fraction of the variance (29%) in water chemistry is explained by conductivity and major ion concentrations. The broad conductivity range, from 168 to 55,300 μS cm⁻¹ reflects saline water intrusion affecting coastal aquatic environments, and the steep NW–S precipitation gradient, from ~450 to >3,200 mm year⁻¹. Coastal waterbodies Celestún and Laguna Rosada displayed the highest conductivities. Minimum surface water temperatures of 21.6°C were measured in highland lakes, and warmest temperatures, up to 31.7°C, were recorded in the lowland waterbodies. Most lakes showed thermal stratification during the sampling period, with the exception of some shallow (<10 m) systems. Lakes Chichancanab, Milagros, and Bacalar displayed sulfate-rich waters. Waters of sinkholes had relatively high conductivities (<3,670 μS cm⁻¹) and a broad range of δ¹⁸O values (−4.1 to +3.8‰). Ca, HCO₃, and SO₄ dominated the waters of the lowland lakes, whereas Na was the dominant cation in highland lakes. Coastal aquatic ecosystems were dominated by Na and Cl. Cluster analysis based on surface water variables classified aquatic environments of the lowlands and highlands into three groups: (1) lowland lakes, ponds, wetlands, and coastal waterbodies (2) highland lakes, and (3) sinkholes and rivers. A broad trophic state gradient was recorded, ranging from the eutrophic Lake Amatitlán and the Timul sinkhole to oligotrophic Laguna Ayarza, with the highest water transparency (11.4 m). We used major and trace elements in surface sediments to assess pollution of waterbodies. Lakes Amatitlán, Atescatempa, El Rosario, Cayucón, Chacan-Lara, La Misteriosa, rivers Subín and Río Dulce, the wetland Jamolún, and the sinkhole Petén de Monos showed evidence of pollution and urban development. Their surface sediments displayed high concentrations of As, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Se, Zn, and Zr, which suggest moderate to strong pollution.     

A sediment-filter ecosystem for reservoir rehabilitation

In recent years, in response to the increased need of water resources for different uses, construction of artificial lakes has created many problems, causing an irreversible modification in the natural environment: the possibility of flooding over adjacent areas increases, new local climatic conditions are created, and there is a loss in water and sediment that should be given back to the river downstream. Moreover, the mean lifetime of artificial lakes is greatly shortened by the accumulation of sediments coming from the rivers feeding into them. Thus, maintenance of these particular habitats by means of periodical sediment removal is necessary in order to keep a satisfactory level of functionality. To resolve this problem, and in the meantime improve the quality of the surrounding environment, we propose a system, based on the integration of both classical and ecological engineering techniques, which is able to: (1) refurnish satisfactory reservoir volumes by removing sediments from the bottom; (2) provide the possibility of reusing these sediments; and (3) increase local biodiversity.The case study is located in Southern Italy, in the Basilicata Region, and involves the Camastra Reservoir.     

Intensity of the microbiological processes of the methane cycle in different types of Baltic lakes

The intensity of the microbiological processes of methane formation (MF) and methane oxidation (MO) was determined in the sediments and water of different types of Baltic lakes. The emission of methane from the lake sediments and methane distribution in the water column of the lakes were studied as functions of the lake productivity and hydrologic conditions. During summers, the intensity of MF in the lake sediments and waters varied from 0.001 to 106 ml CH4/(dm3 day) and from 0 to 3.2 ml CH4/(1 day), respectively, and the intensity of MO in the sediments and water varied from 0 to 11.2 ml CH4/(dm3 day) and from 0 to 1.1 ml CH4/(1 day), respectively. The total methane production (MP) in the lakes varied from 15 to 5000 ml CH4/(m2 day). In anoxic waters, the MP comprised 9-18% of the total PM in the lakes. The consumption of organic carbon for methanogenesis varied from 0.03 to 9.7 g/(m2 day). The role of the methane cycle in the degradation of organic matter in the lakes increased with their productivity.     

Facies analysis of the old Red Sandstone of Spitsbergen (Wood Bay Formation): Reconstruction of the depositional environments and implications of basin development

Summary The object of this paper is to provide a facies guide that helps subsequent workers recognizing different facies and palaeoenvironments of the terrestrial old Red Sandstone exposed in central N Spitsbergen. Sediments of the Early Devonian Wood Bay Formation represent continental molasse deposition under arid to semi-arid climatic conditions in three main depositional environments (rivers, alluvial plains, perennial lakes) represented by characteristic lithologies, sedimentary structures and microfacies. River channel deposits, consisting of conglomerates, very coarse-to very fine-grained sandstones and sandy siltstones are generally arranged in successive fining-upward sequences marked by specific sedimentary structures in a particular order. The sediments reflect the bed, mixed and suspended load of low sinuosity braided to high sinuosity meandering rivers. Adjacent overbank areas (levees, crevasse splays) and extensive alluvial plains are represented by reddish-brown, fine-grained sandstones to sandy siltstones and silty mudstones. The sediments are the accumulated, mixed and suspended load of floodwaters, which recurrently inundated the lowlands. Various lithofacies types, facies associations and sequences reflect the local formation of palaeosols, ephemeral flood lakes and boggy areas with persistent high water tables. Multicoloured, calcareous successions and single lime-stone beds intercalated in the red beds represent the depositional products of perennial, low relief, low-energy lakes, which developed in topographic depressions of the alluvial plains. The sediments reflect deposition in deep-water, littoral and palustrine sub-environments, forming regressive, shallowing-upward sequences in the central lake areas. The overall arrangement of the various facies reflects a terrestrial basin that developed from a steep-sloped, high-energy, river-dominated molasse trough into a level, lowenergy coastal plain, marked by broad mud flats and the formation of extensive perennial lakes.     

Chemical and Microbiological Processes as Regulators of the Exchange of Substances between Sediments and Water in Shallow Eutrophic Lakes

It is generally believed that excessive P release from lake sediments, i. e. internal P load, is only a problem in deep lakes with stagnant anaerobic bottom waters. However, substantial amounts of P can also be released from sediments in shallow, well-mixed lakes. The dynamics and magnitude of P release from sediments in these types of lakes are affected primarily by physical factors, such as seasonal variations in water temperature and year-to-year differences in water renewal. These factors, in turn, induce chemical and microbiological processes which regulate the exchange of substances between sediments and water. The fractional distribution of sedimentary P and the chelating capacity of the water are also important factors that can provide insights to the processes involved and their quantitative impact on the P status in shallow, eutrophic lakes.     

The significance of pollen signal in present-day marine terrigenous sediments: The example of the Gulf of Lions (western Mediterranean Sea)

Terrigenous marine and continental sediments constitute pollen reservoirs able to fulfil the lack of Pleistocene data extracted from autochtonous lacustrine sediments for palaeovegetation reconstructions. Nevertheless, it is essential to constrain the signification of the pollen signal in such still under-exploited sediments. This article introduces a study carried out on the shelf of the Gulf of Lions. It aims at (1) highlighting the transport of pollen grains and the signification of the record in that area as well as at (2) discussing the pollen transport in various sedimentary contexts. The present study was carried out on surface water of the Rhone River, sea water and surface sediments of the shelf of the Gulf of Lions. The pollen content of the Rhone River and of its plume is in agreement with the season of sampling. On the contrary, the other samples of sea water did not contain any pollen grain. The samples from the surface sediments of the shelf are very rich in pollen grains and evidence the absence of sorting by currents except for Pinus. Indeed, its relative abundance increases when the fluvial impact decreases. The pollen signal (except Pinus) records the phytogeographic changes linked to the different drainage basins. The riparian woodland is over-represented at the Rhone River mouth. In front of the Pyreneo-languedocian rivers, Mediterranean xerophytes pollen grains are more abundant. From these results and from others taken in the literature, a model of pollen transport is built: all thin terrigenous sediments contain pollen grains essentially transported by rivers while autochthonous sediments (i.e., found in closed lakes or marine pelagic sediments) contain pollen grains brought by wind. Small closed lakes (or peat bogs) pollen spectra document local floras while those from pelagic marine sediments document floras from several hundred square kilometres.     

Significant physiographic disturbances in the Ebro basin reservoirs (N.E. Spain) reflected by Oligochaeta size spectra

Benthic fauna size distribution, water and sediment composition, and physiographic features of catchments were used to classify ten reservoirs in the Ebro basin, Spain. Three reservoirs (Alloz, Urrunaga and Barasona) diverged from the rest. Environmental factors (water and sediment characteristics) that accounted for the separation of these three reservoirs were directly linked to minor features of the watersheds (high chloride water concentration in Alloz reservoir, iron loading in Barasona reservoir, and Na-rich silicates in sediments from Urrunaga reservoir).     

Chemical composition of modern and pre-acidification sediments in the Tatra Mountain lakes

Concentrations of major nutrients (C, N, P) and acid soluble metals (Ca, Mg, K, Al, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn) were determined in modern (0–1 cm) and pre-acidification (5–10 cm) sediment layers collected from 37 alpine and 3 forest lakes in the Tatra Mountains (Slovakia, Poland) in 1996–1998. Sediment composition reflected catchment characteristics and productivity of lakes. In the sediments of alpine lakes, C and N concentrations decreased and Mg increased with a decreasing proportion of vegetation and soil in the catchment. Decreasing Ca:Mg ratios in sediments along the vegetation gradient was inverse to that in water, and could be associated with different ratios of cations in water leachate from catchments and in solids which enter the lake due to soil erosion. Phosphorus concentrations increased with the proportion of moraine areas, with till soils rich in P. Concentrations of C, N, P, and Ca in sediments positively correlated to their concentrations in water. Sediment concentrations of Al and Al:Ca ratios increased with decreasing sediment and water pH. A negative correlation between water pH and concentrations of organic C in water and sediments indicated the important impact of organic acids on the acid status of the lakes exposed to higher terrestrial export of organic matter. Compared to the pre-acidification period, the modern sediments had significantly higher Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, and K, but lower Mg concentrations. The Zn and Pb enrichment was more evident in oligotrophic alpine lakes than in more productive forest lakes and was independent of lake water or sediment pH. Fe and Mn concentrations in the modern sediments were higher than in ambient soils and bedrock, while those in pre-acidification sediments were similar to contemporary soils and to the rock layer. The enrichment of the modern sediments with Fe and Mn thus probably resulted from both their redox recycling and ecosystem acidification.     

Upper Pleistocene and Holocene lakes in the An Nafud,Saudi Arabia

Summary Two major lake periods were discovered in the sand sea of An Nafud and the surrounding areas. In Upper Pleistocene large lakes occurred around the dune area and in the interior of the sand sea. Their deposits were formed between 34 000 and 24 000 BP. The lakes were not conformous to the present dune relief. They had an extension of several km² and a depth of ca. 10 m. Holocene lakes (8 400–5 400 BP) were of minor extension and restricted to the interdune depressions. Lake sediments consist of cemented sand, calcareous crusts and diatomites. Upper Pleistocene lakes were fresh water lakes, the Halocene lakes were mostly swamps depending on rising and falling aquifers in the dunes. Plant remains as pollen and macro rests show that the environmental changes didn't exceed the system of semidesert comparable to the modern plant cover. However, the Upper Pleistocene lake deposits contain some more soudanian elements as the Holocene sediments in the pollen spectra. Climatically the lake formations are interpreted as depending on a stronger influence of the mediterranean cyclones or an interaction of them with monsoonal air masses.     

Freshwater diatoms from Ile de la Possession (Crozet Archipelago, sub-Antarctica): an ecological assessment

An ecological study of freshwater waterbodies on Ile de la Possession (Crozet Archipelago, Antarctica) was undertaken during the austral summer of 1997/1998. Both diatom and chemistry data were collected. A highly diverse diatom flora of 210 taxa, belonging to 32 genera, was identified from 127 samples. The most abundant genera were Fragilaria, Achnanthes and Navicula. Principal Component Analysis was used to classify the samples on the basis of their chemical characteristics. The analysis revealed that pH and chloride were the main factors dividing the samples into three categories: rivers, more acid lakes, and lakes with higher chloride content. Species assemblages correspond well with this division. Forward selection with Monte Carlo permutations selected pH, chloride, habitat and hardness. Based on the analysis, four groups of samples can be made: rivers, acid lakes, circumneutral lakes with low chloride concentrations and coastal pools with relatively high chloride levels. The results also indicate that a specific diatom flora exists on the island, which is comparable to that of other islands in the same area (Kerguelen and Macquarie). Accepted: 29 March 1999     

Intensity of the Microbiological Processes of the Methane Cycle in Different Types of Baltic Lakes

The intensity of the microbiological processes of methane formation (MF) and methane oxidation (MO) was determined in the sediments and water of different types of Baltic lakes. The emission of methane from the lake sediments and methane distribution in the water column of the lakes were studied as functions of the lake productivity and hydrologic conditions. During summers, the intensity of MF in the lake sediments and waters varied from 0.001 to 106 ml CH₄/(dm³ day) and from 0 to 3.2 ml CH₄/(l day), respectively, and the intensity of MO in the sediments and water varied from 0 to 11.2 ml CH₄/(dm³ day) and from 0 to 1.1 ml CH₄/(l day), respectively. The total methane production (MP) in the lakes varied from 15 to 5000 ml CH₄/(m² day). In anoxic waters, the MP comprised 9–18% of the total PM in the lakes. The consumption of organic carbon for methanogenesis varied from 0.03 to 9.7 g/(m² day). The role of the methane cycle in the degradation of organic matter in the lakes increased with their productivity.     

水库鱼体汞积累的预测

回归分析表明,在所研究的长江流域的１２个水库中,水库与河流鲤鱼汞含量的比值Ｆ与水库集水面积Ａ和径流量Ｑ的比值呈显著的同相关：Ｆ＝２．５０９６－０．４８０４７Ａ／Ｑ（ｒ＝－０．７９５,ｎ＝１２）凤滩水库调查结果证实了此回归方程的可靠性。实测的Ｆ值与预测值比较,相对误差为２３．１％。用此模型预测三峡大坝建成蓄水后将加剧鱼体对汞的生物富集作用,局部水域存在鱼体汞含量超过我国食品汞含量标准的可能性。本文讨     

Egg banks in hypersaline lakes of the South-East Europe

The cyst banks of 6 coastal hypersaline lakes of South-East Europe have been investigated. The study concerned the bottom sediments of Khersonesskoe and Koyashskoe lakes in the Crimea (Ukraine), Nartë saltworks (Albania), Vecchia Salina at Torre Colimena (Apulia, Italy), Pantano Grande and Pantano Roveto at Vendicari (Sicily, Italy). A total of 19 cyst types were recognised. The cyst banks of lakes were found to be well separated in the representation derived from a statistical multivariate data analysis. For all the lakes examined a comparison was possible between the resting community in sediments (cyst bank) and the active one in the water. The cyst banks contained more species than those recorded over a multi-year sampling effort in the water column. The study of cyst hatching, performed on 5 cyst types under lab conditions, demonstrated that cysts do not hatch under the same conditions. Furthermore, each cyst type shows a wide range of preferential hatching conditions, which allow us to confirm the ecological generalism of salt lake species.     

黄河流域微塑料污染现状及防治策略

微塑料污染(microplastics pollution)在全球范围内受到广泛关注。相比于海洋环境以及其他主要河流、湖泊的微塑料污染情况,黄河流域的相关数据较为贫乏。通过综述文献分析了黄河流域河道沉积物和表层水的微塑料污染丰度、类型以及空间分布特征,探讨了黄河流域重要城市和重点保护区的微塑料污染现状,并提出了相应的防控措施。结果表明：黄河流域沉积物和表层水中微塑料污染在空间分布上整体呈现自上游向下游增多的趋势,尤其在黄河三角洲湿地该趋势更加明显;黄河流域沉积物和表层水中微塑料类型存在明显差异,主要与微塑料的材质有关;与全国同类区域相比,黄河流域国家重点城市市域和国家湿地公园的微塑料污染水平处于中高程度,应引起重视;塑料通过多种暴露途径会对黄河滩区养殖业和人类健康造成严重影响。控制黄河流域水体微塑料污染,需要完善相关生产标准和法律法规,提高可降解微塑料产能和塑料废弃物的工程化降解能力。     

城市河湖生态系统健康评价——以北京市“六海”为例

健康的城市河湖才能发挥生态环境功能,体现景观和人文价值。城市河湖健康评价是城市河湖科学管理和生态恢复的前提和基础。对城市河湖生态系统健康概念和内涵进行了探讨,建立了评价指标体系和评价模型。以北京“六海”为例,对各子湖的健康状况进行比较评价。结果表明,中海和南海处于不健康向临界转化的状态,其余4个湖均处于不健康状态;水环境质量、水生态系统结构和功能以及水滨空间结构是影响“六海”健康水平的制约因素;除南海外,各湖的健康程度都处于很差的级别。中海和南海的整体生态环境好于其余4湖,对健康和临界状态的隶属度之和接近0.6,可恢复程度处于中等水平;其余4湖对健康和临界状态的隶属度之和均小于0.3,恢复困难。对“六海”的生态恢复和科学管理提出建议:①控制点源、面源污染,改善入湖和湖水水质;②改善“六海”的水文条件;③恢复水生态系统结构和水滨空间。     

Characteristics of nutrient release from sediments under different flow conditions

Contaminated sediments, as a secondary pollution source in rivers and lakes, are of critical importance to water quality. More and more attention thus has been paid to understand the release mechanisms of nutrients from river sediments, especially in estuary and water transfer areas. In this work, flume experiments were conducted to measure the release characteristics of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) and nitrogen (TDN) from sediments collected from a river bed near Lake Tai under various flow conditions. The release of TDP and TDN was the most dramatic in the initial 30 min, then slowed down from 30 to 60 min, and finally achieved equilibria. Total amount of TDP and TDN released and their equilibrium concentrations were all significantly increased with the increase of flow rate, but slow down after a critical velocity was reached, which could be described as a Logarithmic relationship. A process-based mathematical model was established to describe the distribution of nutrients in the water columns and model simulations matched experimental data well. The re-suspension of sediments induced by flow rate higher than the threshold, is the dominant process affecting nutrient release from sediments.     

Artificial neural networks as an indicator search engine: The visualization of natural and man-caused taxa variability

One of the main challenges in selecting suitable biological indicators of environmental degradation is to recognize the stressor-specific response signal and to separate it from the natural background variability, which can be accomplished by setting an appropriate statistical design, with an output that enables understanding of the recorded indicator signal. In this study we used artificial neural networks (self organizing map (SOM) and geo-self-organizing map (Geo-SOM)) to model and visualize the variability in the chironomid community of the Danube basin, as a model for large non-wadeable rivers. Geo-SOM analysis visualized the longitudinal distribution of significant parameters defining different spatial-distributional types of anthropogenic disturbance. Chironomidae larvae, sampled in both shallow (river bank) and deep (middle) parts of the river, emphasized hydromorphological degradation and zinc as the most important stressing factors, with chlorophyll-a and suspended solids as accompanying variables influencing the community structure. Substrate specificity was shown to be a relevant factor influencing the variability within chironomid community structure bound to natural causes. Geo-SOM analysis also visualized the longitudinal distribution of chironomid taxa, following the distribution patterns of significant disturbance factors. The Kruskal–Wallis test validated 25 potential indicators for the shore area and 11 for the deep water area, which significantly changed their frequencies and abundances between classes with different extents of degradation. Due to its high taxonomical and ecological diversity, the Chironomidae family is a significant source of potential stress-specific indicators, which should be recognized and included in the future in relevant bioassessment methods. The artificial neural network could be a powerful tool for selecting reliable indicators to explain the variability found in the ecosystem and enable it to be specified and patterned together with environmental degradation.     

Saline systems of the Great Plains of western Canada: an overview of the limnogeology and paleolimnology

In much of the northern Great Plains, saline and hypersaline lacustrine brines are the only surface waters present. As a group, the lakes of this region are unique: there is no other area in the world that can match the concentration and diversity of saline lake environments exhibited in the prairie region of Canada and northern United States. The immense number of individual salt lakes and saline wetlands in this region of North America is staggering. Estimates vary from about one million to greater than 10 million, with densities in some areas being as high as 120 lakes/km². Despite over a century of scientific investigation of these salt lakes, we have only in the last twenty years advanced far enough to appreciate the wide spectrum of lake types, water chemistries, and limnological processes that are operating in the modern settings. Hydrochemical data are available for about 800 of the lake brines in the region. Composition, textural, and geochemical information on the modern bottom sediments has been collected for just over 150 of these lakes. Characterization of the biological and ecological features of these lakes is based on even fewer investigations, and the stratigraphic records of only twenty basins have been examined. The lake waters show a considerable range in ionic composition and concentration. Early investigators, concentrating on the most saline brines, emphasized a strong predominance of Na⁺ and SO₄ ^-2 in the lakes. It is now realized, however, that not only is there a complete spectrum of salinities from less than 1 ppt TDS to nearly 400 ppt, but also virtually every water chemistry type is represented in lakes of the region. With such a vast array of compositions, it is difficult to generalize. Nonetheless, the paucity of Cl-rich lakes makes the northern Great Plains basins somewhat unusual compared with salt lakes in many other areas of the world (e.g., Australia, western United States). Compilations of the lake water chemistries show distinct spatial trends and regional variations controlled by groundwater input, climate, and geomorphology. Short-term temporal variations in the brine composition, which can have significant effects on the composition of the modern sediments, have also been well documented in several individual basins. From a sedimentological and mineralogical perspective, the wide range of water chemistries exhibited by the lakes leads to an unusually large diversity of modern sediment composition. Over 40 species of endogenic precipitates and authigenic minerals have been identified in the lacustrine sediments. The most common non-detrital components of the modern sediments include: calcium and calcium-magnesium carbonates (magnesian calcite, aragonite, dolomite), and sodium, magnesium, and sodium-magnesium sulfates (mirabilite, thenardite, bloedite, epsomite). Many of the basins whose brines have very high Mg/Ca ratios also have hydromagnesite, magnesite, and nesquehonite. Unlike salt lakes in many other areas of the world, halite, gypsum, and calcite are relatively rare endogenic precipitates in the Great Plains lakes. The detrital fraction of the lacustrine sediments is normally dominated by clay minerals, carbonate minerals, quartz, and feldspars. Sediment accumulation in these salt lakes is controlled and modified by a wide variety of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Although the details of these modern sedimentary processes can be exceedingly complex and difficult to discuss in isolation, in broad terms, the processes operating in the salt lakes of the Great Plains are ultimately controlled by three basic factors or conditions of the basin: (a) basin morphology; (b) basin hydrology; and (c) water salinity and composition. Combinations of these parameters interact to control nearly all aspects of modern sedimentation in these salt lakes and give rise to four 'end member' types of modern saline lacustrine settings in the Great Plains: (a) clastics-dominated playas; (b) salt-dominated playas; (c) deep water, non-stratified lakes; and (d) deep water, "permanently" stratified lakes.