Skip to main content
Log in

Development of large shallow Lake Peipsi (North-Eastern Europe) over the Holocene based on the stratigraphy of phosphorus fractions

Journal of Paleolimnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We studied high-resolution stratigraphy of phosphorus (P) forms in the Holocene sediments of large shallow Lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia) in order to evaluate the lake ecosystem response to environmental changes and track the lake’s eutrophication history. We distinguished four main periods in the history of Lake Peipsi, each having likely different factors responsible for the distribution pattern of P fractions in the sediment record. We suggest that in the oldest period, from ca. 10.4 up to 7.3 cal ka BP, the sediment composition was mainly determined by rising water level, the second period dated 7.3–2.3 cal ka BP was governed mainly by stable hydrology and P loading, while the third period between 2.3 and 0 cal ka BP was primarily influenced by emerging anthropogenic impact. The sediments from the last period since 1950 are subject of ongoing diagenetic processes but still reflect rapid eutrophication of the lake. Comparison of the results with periods derived from other sediment proxies proved the usability of P fractions stratigraphy in reconstruction of the development of lakes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

References

  • Davis MB, Ford MS (1982) Sediment focusing in Mirror Lake, New Hampshire. Limnol Oceanogr 27:137–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elser JJ, Bracken MES, Cleland EE, Gruner DS, Harpole WS, Hillebrand H, Ngai JT, Seabloom EW, Shurin JB, Smith JE (2007) Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Ecol Lett 10:1135–1142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Engstrom DR, Fritz SC, Almendinger JE, Juggins S (2000) Chemical and biological trends during lake evolution in recently deglaciated terrain. Nature 408:161–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filipelli GM, Souch C (1999) Effects of climate and landscape development on the terrestrial phosphorus cycle. Geology 27:171–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filippelli GM, Souch C, Menounos B, Slater-Atwater S, Jull AJT, Slaymaker O (2006) Alpine lake sediment records of the impact of glaciation and climate change on the biogeochemical cycling of soil nutrients. Quat Res 66:158–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filippelli GM, Souch C, Horn SP, Newkirk D (2010) The pre-Colombian footprint on terrestrial nutrient cycling in Costa Rica: insights from phosphorus in a lake sediment record. J Paleolimnol 43:843–856

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritz SC, Engstrom DR, Juggins S (2004) Patterns of early lake evolution in boreal landscapes: a comparison of stratigraphic inferences with a modern chronosequence in Glacier Bay, Alaska. Holocene 14:828–840

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao L, Zhou JM, Yang H, Chen J (2005) Phosphorus fractions in sediment profiles and their potential contributions to eutrophication in Dianchi Lake. Environ Geol 48:835–844

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-Montiel DC, Neill C, Melillo J, Thomas S, Steudler PA, Cerri CC (2000) Soil phosphorus transformations following forest clearing for pasture in the Brazilian Amazon. Soil Sci Soc Am J 64:1792–1804

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giguet-Covex C, Poulenard J, Chalmin E, Arnaud F, Rivard C, Jenny J-P, Dorioz J-M (2013) XANES spectroscopy as a tool to trace phosphorus transformation during soil genesis and mountain ecosystem development from lake sediments. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 118:129–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ginn BK, Rühland KM, Young JD, Hawryshyn J, Quinlan R, Dillon PJ, Smol JP (2012) The perils of using sedimentary phosphorus concentrations for inferring long-term changes in lake nutrient levels: comments on Hiriart-Baer et al., 2011. J Gt Lakes Res 38:825–829

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gudasz C, Bastviken D, Steger K, Premke K, Sobek S, Tranvik L (2010) Temperature-controlled organic carbon mineralization in lake sediments. Nature 466:478–482

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Håkanson L, Jansson M (1983) Principles of Lake Sedimentology. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hang T (2001) Proglacial sedimentary environment, varve chronology and Late Weichselian development of the Lake Peipsi, eastern Estonia. Quaternaria Ser A 11:1–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Hang T, Kalm V, Kihno K, Milkevičius M (2008) Pollen, diatom and plant macrofossil assemblages indicate a low water level phase of Lake Peipsi at the beginning of the Holocene. Hydrobiologia 599:13–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heinsalu A, Alliksaar T, Leeben A, Nõges T (2007) Sediment diatom assemblages and composition of pore-water dissolved organic matter as indicators of recent eutrophication history of Lake Peipsi. Hydrobiologia 584:133–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heiri O, Lotter AF, Lemcke G (2001) Loss on ignition as a method for estimating organic and carbonate content in sediments: reproducibility and comparability of results. J Paleolimnol 25:101–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hieltjes AHM, Lijklema L (1980) Fractionation of inorganic phosphates in calcareous sediments. J Environ Qual 9:405–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hiriart-Baer VP, Milne JE, Marvin CH (2011) Temporal trends in phosphorus and lacustrine productivity in Lake Simcoe inferred from lake sediment. J Gt Lakes Res 37:764–771

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holm-Hansen O, Booth CR (1966) The measurement of adenosine triphosphate in the ocean and its ecological significance. Limnol Oceanogr 11:510–519

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ilvonen L, Holmström L, Seppä H, Veski S (2016) A Bayesian multinomial regression model for palaeoclimate reconstruction with time uncertainty. Environmetrics 27:409–422. doi:10.1002/env.2393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen HS, Kristensen P, Jeppesen E, Skytthe A (1992) Iron:phosphorus ratio in surface sediments as an indicator of phosphate release from aerobic sediments in shallow lakes. Hydrobiologia 235:731–743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaiserli A, Voutas D, Samara C (2002) Phosphorus fractionation in lake sediments—Lakes Volvi and Koronia, N Greece. Chemosphere 46:1147–1155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kangur M, Puusepp L, Buhvetsova O, Haldna M, Kangur K (2013) Spatio-temporal variability of surface sediment phosphorus fractions and water phosphorus concentration in Lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia). Est J Earth Sci 62:171–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapanen G (2012) Pool of mobile and immobile phosphorus in sediments of the large, shallow Lake Peipsi over the last 100 years. Environ Monit Assess 184:6749–6763

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kenney WF, Brenner M, Curtis JH, Arnold TE, Schelske TL (2016) A holocene sediment record of phosphorus accumulation in shallow Lake Harris, Florida (USA) offers new perspectives on recent cultural eutrophication. PLoS ONE. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147331

    Google Scholar 

  • Laugaste R, Jastremskij VV, Ott I (1996) Phytoplankton of Lake Peipsi-Pihkva: species composition, biomass and seasonal dynamics. Hydrobiologia 338:49–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leeben A, Heinsalu A, Alliksaar T, Vassiljev J (2010) High-resolution spectroscopic study of pore-water dissolved organic matter in Holocene sediments of Lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia). Hydrobiologia 646:21–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Makarõtševa N, Lepane V, Alliksaar T, Heinsalu A (2010) A 10,000 year record of sediment pore water dissolved organic matter characteristics from Lake Peipsi as revealed by HPSEC. Chem Ecol 26:13–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer T, Simpson SL, Thorleifson LH, Lockhart WL, Wilkinson P (2006) Phosphorus geochemistry of recent sediments in the South Basin of Lake Winnipeg. Aquat Ecosyst Health Manag 9:307–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy J, Riley JP (1962) A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Anal Chim Acta 27:31–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nalewajko C, Lean DRS (1986) Phosphorous. In: Morris I (ed) The Physiological Ecology of Phytoplankton. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp 235–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Nõges P, Kisand A (1999) Horizontal distribution of sediment phosphorus in shallow eutrophic Lake Võrtsjärv (Estonia). Hydrobiologia 408(409):167–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nõges T, Tõnno I, Laugaste R, Loigu E, Skakalski B (2004) The impact of changes in nutrient loading on cyanobacterial dominance in Lake Peipsi (Estonia/Russia). Arch Hydrobiol 160:261–279

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poska A, Saarse L, Veski S (2004) Reflections of pre- and early-agrarian human impact in the pollen diagrams of Estonia. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 209:37–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Psenner R, Boström B, Dinka M, Pettersson K, Pucsko R, Sager M (1988) Fractionation of phosphorus in suspended matter and sediment. Arch Hydrobiol Beih Ergebn Limnol 30:98–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Punning JM, Kapanen G (2009) Phosphorus flux in Lake Peipsi sensu stricto, Eastern Europe. Est J Ecol 58:3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punning JM, Kapanen G, Hang T, Davydova N, Kangur M (2008) Changes in the water level of Lake Peipsi and their reflection in a sediment core. Hydrobiologia 599:97–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punning JM, Raukas A, Terasmaa J, Vaasmaa T (2009) Surface sediments of transboundary Lake Peipsi: composition, dynamics and role of matter cycling. Environ Geol 57:943–951

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rippey B, Anderson NJ (1996) Reconstruction of Lake Phosphorus Loading and Dynamics Using the Sedimentary Record. Environ Sci Technol 30:1786–1788

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosentau A, Vassiljev J, Hang T, Saarse L, Kalm V (2009) Development of the Baltic Ice Lake in eastern Baltic. Quatern Int 206:16–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rydin E (2000) Potentially mobile phosphorus in lake Erken sediment. Water Res 34:2037–2042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seppä H, Poska A (2004) Holocene annual mean temperature changes in Estonia and their relationship to solar insolation and atmospheric circulation patterns. Quat Res 61:22–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seppä H, Bjune AE, Telford RJ, Birks HJB, Veski S (2009) Last nine-thousand years of temperature variability in Northern Europe. Clim Past 5:523–535

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Søndergaard M, Jensen JP, Jeppesen E (2003) Role of sediment and internal loading of phosphorus in shallow lakes. Hydrobiologia 506:135–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sterner RW (2008) On the phosphorus limitation paradigm for lakes. Int Rev Hydrobiol 93:433–445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torres IC, Turner BL, Reddy KR (2014) The chemical nature of phosphorus in subtropical lake sediments. Aquat Geochem 20:437–457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veski S, Seppa H, Ojala AEK (2004) Cold event at 8200 yr BP recorded in annually laminated lake sediments in eastern Europe. Geology 32:681–684

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams JDH, Murphy TP, Mayer T (1976) Rates of accumulation of phosphorus forms in Lake Erie sediments. J Fish Res Board Can 33:430–439

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the Estonian Science Foundation (Grants Nos. 6741 and 7888), by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research through institutional research funding (IUT21-2 and IUT1-8), by European Social Fund through “Mobilitas” postdoctoral grant MJD51, by the Doctoral School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences funded by EU, and by Swiss Grant for Programme “Enhancing public environmental monitoring capacities”.

We acknowledge the contribution from Siim Veski and Jüri Vassiljev at coring, sediment dating and advising during manuscript preparation. We also greatly appreciate the valuable suggestions, comments and corrections made by the editor and the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kristiina Ehapalu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kisand, A., Kirsi, AL., Ehapalu, K. et al. Development of large shallow Lake Peipsi (North-Eastern Europe) over the Holocene based on the stratigraphy of phosphorus fractions. J Paleolimnol 58, 43–56 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-017-9954-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-017-9954-2

Keywords

Navigation