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Timing of the response of eight lakes in the Experimental Lakes Area (Northwestern Ontario) to recent climate change
The most notable change in many lakes has been an increase in planktonic taxa C. stelligera. Previous work has shown widespread increases of C. stelligera in over 20 ELA lakes, suggesting a regional forcing factor. In this study, we have looked at eight lakes at ELA in much greater detail than previous studies. All lakes showed a notable and apparently synchronous shift in the diatom community towards more planktonic forms; particularly C. stelligera. The timing of this shift occurred in the early 1900s for most lakes, suggesting that certain small temperate lakes may be more sensitive to recent climate change than previously believed.
Major shifts in diatom community structure suggest circa 1900 CE response to climate change in boreal lakes from NW Ontario, Canada
In this study we have looked at four lakes at ELA in much greater detail than previous studies. Sediment cores from these lakes were analyzed for changes in diatom community structure and dated using 210Pb radioisotopes. All four lakes showed a notable and apparently synchronous shift in the diatom community towards more planktonic forms; particularly C. stelligera. The timing of this shift occurred in the early 1900s for all four lakes, suggesting that small temperate lakes may be more sensitive to recent climate change than previously believed.
A paleolimnological record from Lake George, NY: implications of drought susceptibility and eutrophication
Knowing the history of an ecosystem is an important key to understanding its modern condition and vulnerability to future changes, and paleolimnology can often provide historical perspectives necessary for understanding and protecting aquatic ecosystems. In this study, a 30cm sediment core taken from the north basin of Lake George was analyzed for changes in diatom community structure. A low stand identified in the core likely predated settlement of the watershed and would have resulted in a several-meter drop in lake level. I
Major shifts in diatom community structure suggest the influence of recent climate change on lakes in the boreal region of Canada.
Various studies throughout North America have shown that ice-free periods of lakes are increasing. Previous studies at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) have shown large increases in planktonic diatoms over the past century. The most notable change has been in C. stelligera, which is a planktonic diatom that requires well-stratified water columns. Two sediment cores were analyzed for changes in diatom community structure and dated using Pb-210 radioisotopes. We found a notable shift in the diatom community towards more planktonic forms; particularly C. stelligera. This suggests a major shift in the ecology of these lakes.
A Paleolimnological Record from Lake George, New York
In this study, a 30 centimeter (cm) sediment core taken from the north basin of Lake George was analyzed for changes in diatom community structure. The nature of this sedimentary profile, along with supporting evidence from the diatom community, strongly suggests that a low stand occurred in the lake sometime between 200-350 before present (BP). The low stand likely predated heavy settlement of the watershed and would have resulted in a several-meter drop in lake level. It is possible the lake was rebounding from this low stand as the watershed was being settled. Evidence of the recent onset of cultural eutrophication was also observed in the diatom community structure and is probably related to development within the watershed.