Paleolirnnological records of carotenoids and carbonaceous particles in sediments of some lakes in Southern Alps

Stratigraphic analyses of organic carbon, organic nitrogen and algal and bacterial carotenoids in short cores of profundal sediments of four alpine lakes (Tovel, Leit, Paione superiore and Tom) were used to reconstruct their trophic history. In addition, depth distribution of carbonaceous particle concentrations provided information on lake contamination from atmospheric deposition. In three lakes (Tovel, Leit and Tom), sedimentary carotenoids unique to sulfur photosynthetic bacteria (okenone and isorenieratene) provide evidence of changes in the oxygen, light and sulfide conditions in the water column. All the lakes are oligotrophic or moderately productive, and the algal community is dominated by Chlorophyta, Pyrrhophyta and Cryptophyta. Cyanobacteria are rather poorly represented. The steep increase of carbonaceous particles in the uppermost sediment layers of all the lakes suggests that lake contamination by atmospheric transport of pollutants began in the 1940s to 1950s. These data, coupled with those from a parallel study on Chrysophycean scale-inferred pH, indicate recent acidification in those which are poorly buffered (Paione superiore and Leit).