Recent Environmental Change and Atmospheric Contamination on Svalbard as Recorded in Lake Sediments – an Introduction

Birks, H. J. B.; Jones, Vivienne J.; Rose, Neil L.

doi:10.1023/b:jopl.0000022542.87722.a6

Cited by 46 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Svalbard is located very far from major sources of atmospheric pollution. However, some long-range transport of pollutants has been reported, and atmospheric deposition is a significant source of metals in Arctic ecosystems (Bashkin and Howarth 2002;Birks et al 2004;Samecka-Cymerman et al 2011). The supply of sea salts and trace metals via precipitation also appears to contribute to high metal concentrations observed in Spitsbergen biota (Bard 1999;Bashkin and Howarth 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Svalbard is a unique area in Europe where local atmospheric pollution sources are very restricted. It is far removed from major sources of atmospheric pollution but is recognized to be one of the areas most affected by anthropogenic pollution transported from industrialized areas (Drbal et al 1992;Birks et al 2004). These high pollutant concentrations result from specific atmospheric circulation patterns, which bring emissions from oil and coal combustion, non-ferrous metal production, and other sources of anthropogenic pollutants from Europe to Svalbard.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Metals in some dominant vascular plants, mosses, lichens, algae, and the biological soil crust in various types of terrestrial tundra, SW Spitsbergen, Norway

Wojtuń¹,

Samecka-Cymerman²,

Kolon³

et al. 2013

Polar Biol

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Arctic environments are commonly considered to be relatively pristine because of minimal local human activity. However, these areas receive air pollution from lower latitude regions. Our goal was to determine concentrations of metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in dominant species of vascular plants, mosses, lichens, algae, and in the biological soil crust (BSC), and topsoil (0-3 cm) from various types of tundra in the southwestern part of Spitsbergen, Norway. Results indicate that mosses are more efficient bioaccumulators of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn than lichens. The highest levels of Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb were found in the BSC, and the moss species Racomitrium lanuginosum, Sanionia uncinata, and Straminergon stramineum from the polygonal tundra, initial cyanobacteria-moss wet tundra, snow bed cyanobacteria-moss tundra, and flow water moss tundra alimented by melting ice or snow. The observed higher concentrations of Cu and lower concentrations of Hg in mosses, lichens, and vascular plants compared with values observed 20 years earlier were apparently associated with changes in the atmospheric deposition of contaminants over Spitsbergen due to changes in the long-distance transport of anthropogenic emissions from industrialized areas. Prasiola crispa and Salix polaris may be useful bioindicators of Cd and Zn, and the BSC, R. lanuginosum, S. uncinata, and S. stramineum as bioindicators of Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb. These results may be extrapolated across other areas of Spitsbergen with similar climates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metals in some dominant vascular plants, mosses, lichens, algae, and the biological soil crust in various types of terrestrial tundra, SW Spitsbergen, Norway

Wojtuń¹,

Samecka-Cymerman²,

Kolon³

et al. 2013

Polar Biol

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“…On Svalbard there have been dramatic post-'Little Ice Age' glacial retreats in a region of the high Arctic where 20 th century warming has been rapid (Birks et al 2004c). Svalbard lakes and their biota should be sensitive to such changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lake-Sediment Records of Recent Environmental Change on Svalbard: Results of Diatom Analysis

Jones

Birks

2004

Journal of Paleolimnology

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* This is the fourth in a series of nine papers published in this special issue dedicated to recent environmental change on Svalbard. H.J.B. Birks, Vivienne J. Jones, and Neil L. Rose were guest editors of this special issue. 31: 445-466, 2004 1 Journal of Paleolimnology AbstractSurface sediments from 23 lakes on Svalbard were analysed for diatoms. 182 taxa were found but samples generally have a low richness, with the majority of sites dominated by benthic genera such as Fragilaria, Navicula, and Achnanthes. Centric Cyclotella species occur at only three sites. Modern relationships between diatom abundance and water chemistry and other environmental variables were explored numerically and a preliminary transfer function for pH was developed. Lakes fell into three groups on the basis of their diatom assemblages: (1) high pH, high cation, high conductivity sites characterised by Amphora libyca, (2) shallow sites with relatively high nutrient values characterised by Fragilaria species, and (3) more acid and dilute sites with high amounts of snow cover in the catchments characterised by small Achnanthes species and Navicula digitulus. Five sediment cores representing the recent past were also analysed for diatoms. Three shallow sites were dominated by Fragilaria species throughout the period represented by the cores and no shifts in inferred pH were found. At two deeper sites (Arresjøen, Birgervatnet) major assemblage shifts are found which are unrelated to independent evidence for atmospheric contamination. Early (ca. 1200 AD) changes found at both sites are possibly related to the onset of the 'Little Ice Age'. Later changes are neither synchronous nor similar in nature and might be best explained as individual responses to the recovery from the 'Little Ice Age' and subsequent climatic warming.

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“…This is a complex dataset derived from the following original datasets: Italian mountain lake dataset, Spanish mountain lake dataset, UCL mountain lake dataset, Norwegian dataset, Finnish dataset, Kola Peninsula pH dataset, SWAP dataset, and Swedish dataset (e.g. Catalan et al 1993, Marchetto & Schmidt 1993, Larsen 2000, Birks et al 2004). Reconstruction of pH was done by weighted averaging (WA) regression and calibration (ter Braak & Barendregt 1986).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limnological record inferred from diatoms in sediments of Lake Skaliska (north-eastern Poland)

Sienkiewicz¹

2013

Acta Palaeobotanica

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ABSTRACT. Subfossil diatoms analysis was employed to reconstruct past environmental changes in Lake Skaliska. This lake, presently a palaeolake, is located on a wide plain called the Skaliska Basin (northern part of Mazury Lake District, north-eastern Poland). Changes in terrestrial vegetation suggest that the initial phase of the lake was in the early Holocene. In the sediments a total of 176 diatom species belonging to 35 genera were identifi ed. The majority of diatoms are alkaliphilous and alkalibiontic, occurring mainly in meso-eutrophic water. Diatom fl ora development suggests that the best conditions for diatom growth prevailed throughout the Boreal and in the early Atlantic, a suggestion supported by the increased frequency of planktonic diatoms living in nutrient-rich water. A water pH reconstruction (DIpH) based on diatoms points to alkalinity during the lake's existence. Since roughly the mid-Atlantic the lake was shallowing, and at the beginning of the Subboreal peat sedimentation led to complete overgrowth of the lake.

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Recent Environmental Change and Atmospheric Contamination on Svalbard as Recorded in Lake Sediments – an Introduction

Cited by 46 publications

References 22 publications

Metals in some dominant vascular plants, mosses, lichens, algae, and the biological soil crust in various types of terrestrial tundra, SW Spitsbergen, Norway

Metals in some dominant vascular plants, mosses, lichens, algae, and the biological soil crust in various types of terrestrial tundra, SW Spitsbergen, Norway

Lake-Sediment Records of Recent Environmental Change on Svalbard: Results of Diatom Analysis

Limnological record inferred from diatoms in sediments of Lake Skaliska (north-eastern Poland)

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