干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

We present a paleolimnological record from shallow Lake Wuliangsu in the Yellow River Basin, north China, using a short (56 cm) sediment core. Our objective was to investigate environmental changes in this semi-arid region over the past similar to 150 years. The sediment core was dated using Cs-137 and Pb-210. We examined stratigraphic trends in core lithology, nutrients, stable isotopes (delta C-13 and delta N-15) and trace element concentrations in the Lake Wuliangsu core to discern between natural sediments and those affected by human agency. A lithologic transition from yellow, coarse-grained sediment to grey, fined-grained sediment marked the lake’s formation about 1860. Until similar to 1950, sediments displayed relatively low and constant heavy metal concentrations, indicating little human influence. In the 1950s, enrichment factors (EFs) increased, reflecting greater impact of human activities. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in organic matter (OM), along with heavy metal concentrations, were used to infer past shifts in trophic state and identify pollutants that came from agriculture, industry and urbanization. In the late 1950s, the first evidence for environmental change is recorded by increases in total organic carbon (TOC), total organic nitrogen (TN), TOC/TN, EFs, delta C-13 and a decrease in delta N-15. After about year 2000, a more rapid increase in trophic status occurred, as indicated by greater total phosphorus (TP), EFs, delta N-15 and lower delta C-13 values. Changes in isotope and TOC/TN values in the lake sediments may reflect a shift in lake ecology during this period. The first increase in trophic status during the late 1950s was mainly a result of agricultural development in the catchment. In contrast, the change after ca. AD 2000 was driven largely by urban and industrial development. Agreement between paleolimnologic data from Lake Wuliangsu, and both instrumental and written records, indicates that the lake sediments provide a reliable archive for investigating the formation and environmental history of the lake.