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Palaeolimnology of Lake Hess (Patagonia, Argentina): multi-proxy analyses of short sediment cores

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Book cover Palaeolimnological Proxies as Tools of Environmental Reconstruction in Fresh Water

Part of the book series: Developments in Hydrobiology ((DIHY,volume 208))

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Abstract

In contrast with the extensive palaeolimnological studies carried out in North America and Europe, relatively few studies have described the anthropogenic and/or climate impacts in Patagonian lakes. We addressed these issues by analysing geochemistry, lithology, pigments and chironomid remains from sediment cores collected from Lake Hess (41°22′20″S, 71°44′0″W) located in the Nahuel Huapi National Park in northern Patagonia. The aim of this study is to provide a palaeoenvironmental and climate reconstruction of the past ca. three centuries for this cold oligotrophic, quasi-pristine lake which receives meltwaters from the Tronador ice cap. Chronology was based on 137Cs and 210Pb measurements of the upper sediments, and the inferred sedimentation rate of 23.2 mg cm−2 y−1 (0.15 cm y−1) was consistent with both sets of measurements. The sediment from Lake Hess was rich in tephra deposits particularly evident in the lower part of the cores. Tephras are valuable to use for core correlation and can be traced through peaks in the magnetic susceptibility (MS) profiles. Results from the multiproxy analyses in the longest core (83 cm) identify three main phases of change. From the bottom up to 42 cm (ca. ad 1800), the sediment is composed of light-grey organically rich clays. Both pigments and chironomids suggest variable trends in productivity and precipitation regime. At the end of the Little Ice Age chronozone (ad 1770–1850), pigment concentrations were very low. From 42 cm to ca. 25 cm (ad 1800–1940), the sedimentary record is composed of alternating black and dark organic-matter rich mud with variable amounts of macrophyte remains. Pigment concentrations and chironomid head capsule counts were also very low. These facies are composed of very fine plastic sediments with some faintly laminated intervals and an organic matter composition gradually decreasing towards the top of the zone. A sharp change occurs at 25 cm (ca. ad 1940) showing a strong increase in organic matter content, algal nutrients and plant pigments together with a change in the chironomid assemblages. This might document a change in the trophic condition of the lake associated with changes in erosion/deposition rates. Although there are records of human impact in the area studied, involving the use of fires, most of the observed chemical and biological changes in Lake Hess sediment sequence were interpreted in terms of climate changes, especially to changes in moisture balance brought about by variations in the strength of the westerlies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche — Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi, Largo Tonolli 50, 28922, Verbania Pallanza, Italy

    Piero Guilizzoni, Andrea Lami & Stefano Gerli

  2. Laboratorio de Biodiversidad Darwin, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente/Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Quintral 1250, 8400, Bariloche, Argentina

    Julieta Massaferro

  3. The Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Córdoba, Av Velez Sarsfield 1611, 5016, Córdoba, Argentina

    Eduardo Luis Piovano & Stella Maris Formica

  4. Laboratorio de Análisis por Activación Neutrónica, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av Bustillo km 9.5, 8400, Bariloche, Argentina

    Sergio Ribeiro Guevara, Romina Daga & Andrea Rizzo

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  1. Piero Guilizzoni
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  2. Julieta Massaferro
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  3. Andrea Lami
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  6. Stella Maris Formica
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  7. Romina Daga
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  8. Andrea Rizzo
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  9. Stefano Gerli
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Correspondence to Piero Guilizzoni .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum, 1476, Budapest, P.O. Box 222, Hungary

    Krisztina Buczkó

  2. West-Transdanubian District Water Authority, H-8360, Keszthely, Csik F. str. 1, Hungary

    János Korponai

  3. Department of Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, University of West Hungary, Szombathely, Hungary

    János Korponai

  4. Department of Limnology, University of Pannonia, Egyetem u. 10, 8200, Veszprém, Hungary

    Judit Padisák

  5. U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA

    Scott W. Starratt

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Guilizzoni, P. et al. (2009). Palaeolimnology of Lake Hess (Patagonia, Argentina): multi-proxy analyses of short sediment cores. In: Buczkó, K., Korponai, J., Padisák, J., Starratt, S.W. (eds) Palaeolimnological Proxies as Tools of Environmental Reconstruction in Fresh Water. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 208. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3387-1_18

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