Phosphorus in sediments of high-elevation lakes in the Sierra Nevada (California): implications for internal phosphorus loading

In high-elevation lakes of the Sierra Nevada (California), increases in phosphorus (P) supply have been inferred from changes in phytoplankton growth during summer. To quantify rates of sediment P release to high-elevation Sierran lakes, we performed incubations of sediment cores under ambient and reducing conditions at Emerald Lake and analyzed long-term records of lake chemistry for Emerald and Pear lakes. We also measured concentrations of individual P forms in sediments from 50 Sierra Nevada lakes using a sequential fractionation procedure to examine landscape controls on P forms in sediments. On average, the sediments contained 1,445 µg P g−1, of which 5 % was freely exchangeable, 13 % associated with reducible metal hydroxides, 68 % associated with Al hydroxides, and the remaining 14 % stabilized in recalcitrant pools. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that sediment P fractions were not well correlated with soluble P concentrations. In general, sediments behaved as net sinks for P even under reducing conditions. Our findings suggest that internal P loading does not explain the increase in P availability observed in high-elevation Sierran lakes. Rather, increased atmospheric P inputs and increased P supply via dissolved organic C leaching from soils may be driving the observed changes in P biogeochemistry

20th Century Atmospheric Deposition and Acidification Trends in Lakes of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA

We investigated multiple lines of evidence to determine if observed and paleo-reconstructed changes in acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) in Sierra Nevada lakes were the result of changes in 20th century atmospheric deposition. Spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) (indicator of anthropogenic atmospheric deposition) and biogenic silica and δ(13)C (productivity proxies) in lake sediments, nitrogen and sulfur emission inventories, climate variables, and long-term hydrochemistry records were compared to reconstructed ANC trends in Moat Lake. The initial decline in ANC at Moat Lake occurred between 1920 and 1930, when hydrogen ion deposition was approximately 74 eq ha(-1) yr(-1), and ANC recovered between 1970 and 2005. Reconstructed ANC in Moat Lake was negatively correlated with SCPs and sulfur dioxide emissions (p = 0.031 and p = 0.009). Reconstructed ANC patterns were not correlated with climate, productivity, or nitrogen oxide emissions. Late 20th century recovery of ANC at Moat Lake is supported by increasing ANC and decreasing sulfate in Emerald Lake between 1983 and 2011 (p < 0.0001). We conclude that ANC depletion at Moat and Emerald lakes was principally caused by acid deposition, and recovery in ANC after 1970 can be attributed to the United States Clean Air Act

Mineral dust transport to the Sierra Nevada, California: Loading rates and potential source areas

International audienceThe transport and deposition of aeolian dust represents an important material input pathway for many marine and terrestrial ecosystems and may be an ecologically significant source of exogenous phosphorus (P) to alpine lakes. In order to assess the abundance and elemental composition of atmospheric mineral dust over the Sierra Nevada of California, we collected size-fractionated atmospheric particulate matter (PM) samples during July 2008 to March 2009 at a mixed conifer site located in Sequoia National Park. PM concentrations were at their highest levels during the dry season, averaging 8.8 +/- 3.7 and 11.1 +/- 7.5 mu g m(-3) for the coarse (1 mu m < D-a < 15 mm) and fine (D-a < 1 mu m) fractions, respectively, while winter months were characterized by low (< 1 mu g m(-3)) PM concentrations in both size fractions. Using Al as a diagnostic tracer for mineral aerosol, we observed a significant and uniform contribution (50-80%) from aeolian dust to the total coarse PM load, whereas submicron particles contained comparatively little crustal material (7-33%). The mass concentrations of elements (Fe, Ca, Mg, P, and V) in the coarse PM fraction were significantly correlated with Al throughout the study, and coarse PM exhibited elemental signatures that were temporally consistent and distinguishable from those of other sites. Conversely, higher elemental enrichments were observed in the fine PM fraction for Fe, V, and P, indicating a greater contribution from anthropogenic emissions to the fine particle load. Fe/Al and Fe/Ca ratios suggest a mixture of mineral dust from regional agricultural activities and long-range transport of mineral dust from Asia. Asian sources comprised 40-90% of mineral dust in July 2008 and then declined to between 10 and 30% in August and early September

Atmospheric phosphorus deposition at a montane site: Size distribution, effects of wildfire, and ecological implications

International audienceThe dry deposition of atmospheric particulate matter can be a significant source of phosphorus (P) to oligotrophic aquatic ecosystems, including high-elevation lakes. In this study, measurements of the mass concentration and size distribution of aerosol particles and associated particulate P are reported for the southern Sierra Nevada, California, for the period July-October, 2008. Coarse and fine particle samples were collected with Stacked Filter Units and analyzed for Total P (TP) and inorganic P (IP) using a digestion-extraction procedure, with organic P (OP) calculated by difference. Particle size-resolved mass and TP distributions were determined concurrently using a MOUDI cascade impactor. Aerosol mass concentrations were significantly elevated at the study site, primarily due to transport from offsite and emissions from local and regional wildfires. Atmospheric TP concentrations ranged from 11 to 75 ng m−3 (mean = 37 ± 16 ng m−3), and were typically dominated by IP. Phosphorus was concentrated in the coarse (>1 μm diameter) particle fraction and was particularly enriched in the 1.0-3.2 μm size range, which accounted for 30-60% of the atmospheric TP load. Wildfire emissions varied widely in P content, and may be related to fire intensity. The estimated dry depositional flux of TP for each daily sampling period ranged between 7 and 118 μg m−2 d−1, with a mean value of 40 ± 27 μg m−2 d−1. Relative rates of dry deposition of N and P in the Sierra Nevada are consistent with increasing incidence of N limitation of phytoplankton growth and previously observed long-term eutrophication of lakes

Diatom-inference models for acid neutralizing capacity and nitrate based on 41 calibration lakes in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA.

We investigated relationships among modern diatom species composition and physical and chemical characteristics of high-elevation lakes of the Sierra Nevada (California), to develop transfer functions that can be used to infer historic lake conditions. Data were collected from 50 lakes in National Parks and Forests of the central and southern Sierra Nevada. Multivariate statistical methods revealed that acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) and nitrate accounted for significant variation in diatom taxa. A training set with 242 modern diatom taxa from a subset of 41 lakes was used to develop transfer functions for ANC and nitrate using weighted averaging techniques. ANC and nitrate calibration ranges were 23.0–137 μEq/L and 0.18–9.5 μM, respectively. Coefficients of determination for the models were: ANC: R2 = 0.76, and Rjackknife2 = 0.44; NO3: R2 = 0.67, and Rjackknife2 = 0.27. The ANC model was applied to the top 50 cm of sediments in Moat Lake to reconstruct ANC from ca. AD 350 to 2005. The reconstruction suggests that ANC declined by about 40 % (101–60 μEq/L) between the 1920s and the 1960s and then recovered to pre-1920s levels during 1980–2000. The magnitude of this ANC excursion was the largest observed during the past 1,600 years. We hypothesize that temporal variations in ANC were influenced by: (1) changes in rates of acid deposition, especially nitric acid and (2) variations in the timing and magnitude of snowmelt runoff