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Multiple ecological and hydrological changes recorded in varved sediments from Sanagak Lake, Nunavut, Canada

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Abstract

A combination of biotic, sedimentary and biogeochemical proxies was used to investigate the timing and causes of post-18th century changes in the stratigraphic record of a large, deep lake on the Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada (70°15′ N, 94°30′ W). A varve chronology verified with radioisotopic dating (210Pb and 137Cs) revealed a complex pattern of environmental dynamics since c. AD 1830. An increase in the diatoms Asterionella formosa, Stephanodiscus minutulus and Cyclotella atomus and a decrease in Aulacoseira taxa in the uppermost centimetre of sediment suggested that environmental conditions have favoured the growth of smaller and/or lighter planktonic species since the 1980s. Longer term changes in some benthic species, the chrysophyte cysts to diatom valve ratio, %C, and C/N ratios suggest declined river inflow and a relative reduction in allochthonous inputs during the last century. Higher than average δ15N values in the late 19th to early 20th centuries coincide with changes in bulk carbon and nitrogen profiles, and below average values since approximately 1950 may be associated with increased atmospheric N loading or reduced productivity. Biogenic silica and organic carbon accumulation in the sediments suggest a possible decline in lake production during the 20th century that may be associated with changes in the river discharge regime. The short and long-term ecological and biogeochemical trends were also reflected in the sedimentary structure through declining varve thickness for the duration of the record and an abrupt change in sedimentology in the uppermost 1 cm, coinciding with deposition since ca. AD 1987. Together, these biological and physical changes suggest changes in hydroclimatic conditions in the 20th century, and an increase in planktonic diatom taxa since the 1980s that coincides with a distinct period of climate warming.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Discovery Grant and PREA (Ontario Ministry of Energy) funding to S.F.L., and Northern Scientific Training Program funding and an Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology to K.A.S. Logistical support was provided by Polar Continental Shelf Project (PCSP contribution 02104), Natural Resources Canada. This work would not have been possible without the support of the Hamlet of Taloyoak and the Nunavut Research Institute, Iqaluit. Field assistance was ably provided by A. Forbes and L. Colgan. Laboratory facilities and technical assistance were generously provided by J. P. Smol and PEARL (Queen’s University). Chlorophyll analysis was kindly conducted by P. Hamilton, Canadian Museum of Nature. Comments on earlier drafts by J. P. Smol and D. Antoniades are gratefully acknowledged, and we thank A.P. Wolfe and an anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments on the current manuscript.

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  1. Department of Geography, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6

    Kailey A. Stewart & Scott F. Lamoureux

  2. Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7220, USA

    Bruce P. Finney

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  1. Kailey A. Stewart
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Correspondence to Kailey A. Stewart.

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Stewart, K.A., Lamoureux, S.F. & Finney, B.P. Multiple ecological and hydrological changes recorded in varved sediments from Sanagak Lake, Nunavut, Canada. J Paleolimnol 40, 217–233 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-007-9153-7

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