Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The response of sedimentation in three varved lacustrine sequences to air temperature, precipitation and human impact

  • Published:
Journal of Paleolimnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Human activity and climatic forcing have influenced sedimentation in three of Finland's deepest lakes during the last centuries. High-resolution sediment sequences of Lake Päijänne, Lake Pääjärvi and Lake Pyhäjärvi represent records of the last 440 years, 839 years and 633 years, respectively. The accumulation rates of dry matter, organic carbon and biogenic silica refer to changes in human activity in the catchments. However, they also reveal the importance of climatic forcing on lake sediment deposition. A significant correlation was found between instrumentally measured records of temperature (163 years) and precipitation (148 years), and varve thickness. Warm winter months indicating a short ice-cover period have the strongest control on varve thickness. This shows that wind-driven resuspension of littoral material is the forcing mechanism of climate on lake sediments. The long-term human-induced erosion pulses observed may even have magnified the climatic signals in some cases. Nevertheless, increased anthropogenic field erosion in the catchment, and the associated leaching of bioavailable nutrients, hampers the observation of climate signals, especially during the last 50 years, in the lakes studied.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alhonen, P., 1987. Anthropogenic sedimentological changes during the Holocene: Northern Europe. Striae 26: 13–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, R. Y., 1993. The varve chronometer in Elk Lake. In J. P. Bradbury & W. E. Dean (eds), Elk Lake, Minnesota: evidence for rapid climate change in the north-central United States. U.S. Geological Survey, Special Paper 276: 45–67.

  • Anderson, R. Y., W. E. Dean & J. P. Bradbury, 1993. Elk Lake in perspective. In J. P. Bradbury & W. E. Deam (eds), Elk Lake, Minnesota: evidence for rapid climate change in the north-central United States. U.S. Geological Survey, Special Paper 276: 1–6.

  • Arvola, L., P. Kankaala, A. Ojala & T. Tulonen, 1992. Impact of climate change on carbon cycle in freshwater ecosystems. In M. Kanninen & P. Anttila (eds), The Finnish research programme on climate change. Publications of the Academy of Finland 3: 120–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bengtsson, L., T. Hellström & L. Rakoczi, 1990. Redistribution of sediments in three Swedish lakes. Hydrobiologia 192: 167–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Briffa, K. R., P. D. Jones, T. S. Bartholin, D. Eckstein, F. H. Schweingruber, W. Karlén, P. Zetterberg & M. Eronen, 1992. Fennoscandian summers from AD 500: temperature changes on short and long timescales. Clim. Dynam. 7: 111–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dearing, J. A., 1991. Lake sediment records of erosional processes. Hydrobiologia 214: 99–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Digerfeldt, G. & H. Håkansson, 1993. The Holocene paleolimnology of Lake Sämbosjön, Southwestern Sweden. J. Paleolim. 8: 189–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engstrom, D. R. & H. E. Wright Jr., 1984. Chemical stratigraphy of lake sediments as a record of environmental change. In E. Y. Haworth & J. W. G. Lund (eds), Lake sediments and environmental history. Univ. Minnesota Press, Minneapolis: 11–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engstrom, D. R., C. Whitlock, S. C. Fritz & H. E. Wright Jr., 1991. Recent environmental changes inferred from the sediments of small lakes in Yellowstone's northern range. J. Paleolim. 5: 139–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Granéli, W., 1978. Sediment oxygen uptake in South Swedish lakes. OIKOS 30: 7–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hakala, I., 1974. Sedimentaatio Pääjärvessä. Summary: Sedimentation. Luonnon Tutkija 78: 108–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heino, R., 1994. Climate in Finland during the period of meteorological observations. Finnish Meteorological Institute Contributions, 12. Helsinki, 212 pp.

  • Huttula, T., 1992. The benthic boundary layer approach and its application to Lake Päijänne, Finland. Hydrobiologia 243/244: 359–369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huttula, T., A. Peltonen, Ä. Bilaletdin & M. Saura, 1992. The effects of climatic change on lake ice and water temperature. Aqua Fenn. 22: 129–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huttunen, P., 1980. Early land use, especially the slash-and-burn cultivation in the commune of Lammi, southern Finland, interpreted mainly using pollen and charcoal analyses. Acta Bot. Fenn. 113: 1–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Håkansson, L. & M. Jansson, 1983. Principles of lake sedimentology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York-Tokyo, 316 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, P. D., S. C. B. Raper, R. S. Bradley, H. F. Diaz, P. M. Kelly & T. M. L. Wigley, 1986. Northern hemisphere surface air temperature variations: 1851–1984. J. Clim. Appl. Meteor. 25: 161–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kansanen, P. H., T. Jaakkola, S. Kulmala & R. Suutarinen, 1991. Sedimentation and distribution of gamma-emitting radionuclides in bottom sediments of southern Lake Päijänne, Finland, after the Chernobyl accident. Hydrobiologia 222: 121–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelts, K., 1991. Reading pages from limnogeological archives. XIII INQUA Special Proceedings, Review Reports: 10–19.

  • Knuuttila, S., K. Kallio & S. Salo, 1992. Ravinnetaseet ja rehevöityminen maatalouden kuorrnittamissa järvissä. In S. Rekolainen & L. Kauppi (eds), Maatalous- ja vesien kuormitus. Yhteisprojektin tutkimusraportit. Vesi-ja ympäristöhallitus, Helsinki: 51–66. (in Finnish)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kukkonen, E. & R. Tynni, 1970. Die Entwicklung des Sees Pyhäjärvi in Südfinnland in Lichte von Sediment- und Diatomeenuntersuchungen. Summary. Acta Bot. Fenn. 90, 30 pp.

  • Lotter, A. F., 1991. Absolute dating of the Late-glacial period in Switzerland using annually laminated sediments. Quat. Res. 35: 321–330.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meriläinen, J. J. & V. Hamina, 1993. Recent environmental history of a large, originally oligotrophic lake in Finland: A palaeolimnological study of chironomid remains. J. Paleolim. 9: 129–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merkt, J., 1971. Zuverlässige Auszählungen von Jahresschichten in Seesedimenten mit Hilfe von Gross-Dünnschliffen. Summary: Reliable counting of annually laminated layers of lake sediments by means of long-sized thin sections. Arch. Hydrobiol. 69: 145–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, U., B. Hörnström & A. Wasell, 1992. The origin and properties of biogenic and amorphous silica in laminated sediments. Geological Survey of Finland, Special Paper 14: 103–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nuhfer, E. B., R. Y. Anderson, J. P. Bradbury & W. E. Dean, 1993. Modern sedimentation in Elk Lake, Clearwater County, Minnesota. In J. P. Bradbury & W. E. Dean (eds), Elk Lake, Minnesota: evidence for rapid climate change in the north-central United States. U.S. Geological Survey, Special Paper 276: 75–96.

  • Renberg, I., U. Segerström & J.-E. Wallin, 1984. Climatic reflection in varved lake sediments. In N.-A. Mörner & W. Karlén (eds), Climatic changes on a yearly to millennial basis. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht- Boston - Lancaster: 249–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saarnisto, M., 1983. Päijänteen Kinisselän lustosedimentit 1900-luvulla. In H. Simola (ed.), Suomalaista sedimenttitutkimusta, symposio Kolilla 1983. Joensuun korkeakoulu, Karjalan tutkimuslaitoksen julkaisuja 55: 59–60. (in Finnish)

    Google Scholar 

  • Saarnisto, M., 1986. Annually laminated lake sediments. In B. E. Berglund (ed.), Handbook of Holocene palaeoecology and palaechydrology. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester- New York - Brisbane - Toronto - Singapore: 343–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salonen, V.-P., P. Alhonen, A. Itkonen & H. Olander, 1993. The trophic history of Enäjärvi, SW Finland, with special reference to its restoration problems. Hydrobiologia 286: 147–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Segerström, U., I. Renberg & J.-E. Wallin, 1984. Annual sediment accumulation and land use history; investigations of varved lake sediments. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 22: 1396–1403.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simola, H. & K. Tolonen, 1981. Diurnal laminations in the varved sediment of Lake Lovojärvi, south Finland. Boreas 10: 19–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simola, H. & P. Uimonen-Simola, 1983. Recent stratigraphy and accumulation of sediment in the deep, oligotrophic Lake Pääjärvi in South Finland. Hydrobiologia 103: 287–293.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simola, H., O. Sandman & J. Rönkkö, 1987. A clay horizon indicating the lowering of Lake Höytiäinen AD 1859: A pre-industrial marker level for northern Lake Saimaa. Aqua Fenn. 17: 51–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sippola, J., 1974. Mineral composition and its relation to texture and to some chemical properties in Finnish subsoils. Ann. Agric. Fenn. 13: 169–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirén, E. & P. Hari, 1971. Coinciding periodicity in recent tree rings and glacial clay sediments. Report of the Kevo Subarctic Research Station 8: 155–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sturm, M., 1993. Man-made and natural impact on the environment. Implications on sedimentation processes in lakes. Abstracts of the 6th International Symposium ‘The Interaction between sediments and water’ December 5–8, 1993, Santa Barbara, California, USA.

  • Tolonen, K., 1990. Ecological interpretation of variation in the C:N ratio of surface peat and lake sediments. Finnish Humus News 2: 54–59.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Quaternary Geology, University of Turku, FIN-20500, Turku, Finland

    Arto Itkonen & Veli-Pekka Salonen

Authors
  1. Arto Itkonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Veli-Pekka Salonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This is the second paper a series of papers published in this issue on high-resolution paleolimnology. These papers were presented at the Sixth International Palaeolimnology Symposium held 19-April, 1993 at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. Dr A. F. Lotter and Dr. M. Sturm served as guest editors for these papers.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Itkonen, A., Salonen, VP. The response of sedimentation in three varved lacustrine sequences to air temperature, precipitation and human impact. J Paleolimnol 11, 323–332 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00677992

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00677992

Key words

Search

Navigation