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Arctic and Sub-Arctic shallow lakes in a multiple-stressor world: a paleoecological perspective

  • SHALLOW LAKES
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Abstract

Considerable progress has been made using experimental approaches and spatial surveys to better understand and manage shallow lake ecosystems. Meanwhile, research on the environmental histories of shallow lakes has lagged behind paleolimnological studies conducted on deeper systems, with most studies on shallow systems being completed over the last decade or so. Although shallow lakes may pose additional challenges to paleoenvironmental assessments, these potential shortcomings can often be identified and addressed. Due to their size, shallow lakes may act as amplifiers for a variety of environmental stressors, while dampening others. This overview summarizes a few recent studies assessing the long-term effects of multiple stressors on shallow lake ecosystems, with a particular focus on Arctic and Sub-Arctic ponds. Issues related to climatic change (e.g., the rapid transformation of shallow ponds in polar regions), as well as recent paleolimnological studies using shallow lake sediments to track past flooding frequencies, assessing the effects of seabirds and other biovectors on terrestrial ecosystems, blending archaeology and paleolimnology, and investigating the paths and trajectories of different pollutants (e.g., contaminants from the burgeoning petroleum industry) are highlighted. Some potential avenues for future research are also discussed.

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Acknowledgments

Most of my Arctic work is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada as well as the Polar Continental Shelf Program. Many helpful comments on the manuscript were provided by Drs. Kathleen Rühland, Neal Michelutti, Joshua Kurek, Dermot Antoniades, Michael Pisaric, Joshua Thienpont, Adam Jeziorski, Oliver Heiri, Jennifer Korosi, Irene Gregory-Eaves, Alexandre Poulain, Andrew Paterson, Bronwyn Keatley, Katherine Griffiths, and Jesse Vermaire. I also thank guest editor Dr. Tom Davidson and two anonymous reviewers for many helpful comments.

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  1. Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Lab (PEARL), Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    John P. Smol

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Guest editors: M. Beklioğlu, M. Meerhoff, T. A. Davidson, K. A. Ger, K. E. Havens & B. Moss / Shallow Lakes in a Fast Changing World

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Smol, J.P. Arctic and Sub-Arctic shallow lakes in a multiple-stressor world: a paleoecological perspective. Hydrobiologia 778, 253–272 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2543-3

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