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A 150-year record of recent changes in human activity and eutrophication of Lake Wushan from the middle reach of the Yangze River, China

A 150-year record of recent changes in human activity and eutrophication of Lake Wushan from the middle reach of the Yangze River, China
A 150-year record of recent changes in human activity and eutrophication of Lake Wushan from the middle reach of the Yangze River, China
In order to determine baseline conditions (pre-impact) and recent changes to lakes on the middle reach of the Yangtze River, China, a lake sediment core was extracted from Lake Wushan covering the last ca 150 years. Detailed chemical, biological (subfossil chironomids), and physical analyses of the lake sediments were undertaken. The data showed consistent trends of increased productivity since the early 1920s, notably significant changes in the chironomid fauna which were associated with changes in the sedimentological and stable isotope proxies. More typically eutrophic chironomid taxa first appeared around this time that had not been present in the lake since at least the 1860s. Further increases in productivity occurred around the 1950s which coincided with the local decline and extirpation of some chironomid taxa, particularly macrophyte associated taxa, which had been present in the lake since at least the late 19th Century.

A chironomid-inferred water total phosphorus (CI-TP) reconstruction produced accurate levels of water TP compared with contemporary measurements (207.4 ?g L-1 TP), and suggested that levels for the late 19th Century were relatively low (50-60 ?g L-1 TP). These reconstructions illustrate the baseline levels that existed pre-impact and provide potential targets for restoration, but they also show the magnitude
lake sediment, eutrophication, human activity, stable isotopes, subfossil chironomids
1129-5767
235-241
Zhang, Enlou
53b50c45-bb12-4d5f-86e4-e656d44bcfa1
Liu, Enfeng
db158fd1-d656-44a0-8b16-39ebefcf00a4
Jones, Richard
b23db33c-778b-4560-9c06-eb8af3bc3fb6
Langdon, Peter
95b97671-f9fe-4884-aca6-9aa3cd1a6d7f
Yang, Xiangdong
7ecb5c8e-22cb-4f65-829d-8b3442dc6529
Shen, Ji
e46a99fe-42de-4d1f-a225-af1d7cb2a3d1
Zhang, Enlou
53b50c45-bb12-4d5f-86e4-e656d44bcfa1
Liu, Enfeng
db158fd1-d656-44a0-8b16-39ebefcf00a4
Jones, Richard
b23db33c-778b-4560-9c06-eb8af3bc3fb6
Langdon, Peter
95b97671-f9fe-4884-aca6-9aa3cd1a6d7f
Yang, Xiangdong
7ecb5c8e-22cb-4f65-829d-8b3442dc6529
Shen, Ji
e46a99fe-42de-4d1f-a225-af1d7cb2a3d1

Zhang, Enlou, Liu, Enfeng, Jones, Richard, Langdon, Peter, Yang, Xiangdong and Shen, Ji (2010) A 150-year record of recent changes in human activity and eutrophication of Lake Wushan from the middle reach of the Yangze River, China. Journal of Limnology, 69 (2), 235-241. (doi:10.3274/JL10-69-2-06).

Record type: Article

Abstract

In order to determine baseline conditions (pre-impact) and recent changes to lakes on the middle reach of the Yangtze River, China, a lake sediment core was extracted from Lake Wushan covering the last ca 150 years. Detailed chemical, biological (subfossil chironomids), and physical analyses of the lake sediments were undertaken. The data showed consistent trends of increased productivity since the early 1920s, notably significant changes in the chironomid fauna which were associated with changes in the sedimentological and stable isotope proxies. More typically eutrophic chironomid taxa first appeared around this time that had not been present in the lake since at least the 1860s. Further increases in productivity occurred around the 1950s which coincided with the local decline and extirpation of some chironomid taxa, particularly macrophyte associated taxa, which had been present in the lake since at least the late 19th Century.

A chironomid-inferred water total phosphorus (CI-TP) reconstruction produced accurate levels of water TP compared with contemporary measurements (207.4 ?g L-1 TP), and suggested that levels for the late 19th Century were relatively low (50-60 ?g L-1 TP). These reconstructions illustrate the baseline levels that existed pre-impact and provide potential targets for restoration, but they also show the magnitude

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Published date: 2010
Keywords: lake sediment, eutrophication, human activity, stable isotopes, subfossil chironomids

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 162517
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/162517
ISSN: 1129-5767
PURE UUID: c953675f-ff5a-43fc-b714-627abb3ff6be
ORCID for Peter Langdon: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2724-2643

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Date deposited: 24 Aug 2010 08:46
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:41

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Contributors

Author: Enlou Zhang
Author: Enfeng Liu
Author: Richard Jones
Author: Peter Langdon ORCID iD
Author: Xiangdong Yang
Author: Ji Shen

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