Comprehensive study of the mountainous lake sediments in relation to natural and anthropogenic processes and time (Mały Staw Lake, Poland)

Abstract

The Sudety Mts. form a chain of mountains in the South of Poland and during the last 200 years were subjected to strong industrial and agricultural pressure. The records of these human-induced changes are stored in natural archives like lake sediments. For the comprehensive study, three sediment cores taken from Mały Staw Lake (Sudety Mts.) were analyzed for the concentration of K, Na, Mn, Fe, Cu, Mg, Zn, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb and radioactivity of 137Cs and 210Pb. As a result of the studies, the bathymetry map was developed and the sources of solid material supplied to the lake were identified. The geochronology studies of the cores were performed using 210Pb method, to evaluate model of time changes in the sediment. Radioactivity of 210Pbuns (determined indirectly by 210Po) ranged from 1051 ± 64 to 12 ± 8 Bq kg−1. The 137Cs radioactivity was determined directly by gamma spectrometry and varied from 525 ± 37 Bq kg−1 for top layers to 9.80 ± 5.40 Bq kg−1 for the bottom of the core. Two characteristic peaks of 137Cs radioactivity related to the global fallouts after nuclear weapons testing and the Chernobyl accident were observed and used to confirm 210Pb dating method. Chemometrics analysis of the chosen metal’s concentrations combined with sample dating showed distinct imprint of human activity on the studied area.

Assessment of sapropel use for pharmaceutical products according to legislation, pollution parameters, and concentration of biologically active substances

“…The presence of the Pb and Cd in the upper layers of sediments indicates anthropogenic impacts growth on the lake ecosystem. In some samples, the slightly increased Ni concentrations are associated with its natural origin deposited in sediments 45 . Also in very high concentrations, Ni has low potential mobility and low ecological risk.…”

Rapid River Bed Recovery after the In-Channel Mining: The Case of Vistula River, Poland

“…The research technique consisted of carrying out measurements in such a way that a lattice arrangement of profiles was created. During measurements, for each signal (pulse) sent by the echo sounder, information about depth, longitude, and latitude was recorded, which is a widely used technique that allows for the precise imaging of the beds of rivers and lakes [29,30].…”

Origin and behavior of radionuclides in sediment core: a case study of the sediments collected from man-made reservoirs located in the past mining region in Central Slovakia

“…All natural or artificial radionuclides can be present in sediments. Sediments can be treated as a repository for different kinds of contaminants including radionuclides (Skwarzec 1995 ; Appleby 2001 ; Szarlowicz et al 2018 ). In this work, we would like to present the level of 137 Cs, 241 Am, 226 Ra, 210 Pb, and 228 Th in the sediment samples taken from the man-made reservoirs situated in the Stiavnicke vrchy Mountains in the inner belt of the West Carpathians.…”