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Alpine lake sediment records of the impact of glaciation and climate change on the biogeochemical cycling of soil nutrients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Gabriel M. Filippelli ,
Catherine Souch ,
Brian Menounos ,
Sara Slater-Atwater ,
A.J. Timothy Jull  and
Olav Slaymaker
Gabriel M. Filippelli
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI), IN 46202-5132, USA
Catherine Souch*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
Brian Menounos
Affiliation:
Geography Program, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC, Canada V2N 4Z9
Sara Slater-Atwater
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI), IN 46202-5132, USA
A.J. Timothy Jull
Affiliation:
NSF Arizona AMS Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Olav Slaymaker
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, The University of British Columbia, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z2
*
⁎Corresponding author. Fax: +1 317 278 2525. E-mail addresses:gfilippe@iupui.edu (G.M. Filippelli), csouch@iupui.edu (C. Souch).
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Abstract

Lake sediment cores from the Coast Mountains of British Columbia were analyzed using chemical sequential extractions to partition the dominant geochemical fractions of phosphorus (P). The P fractions include mineral P (the original source of bioavailable P), occluded P (bound to soil oxides), and organic P (remains of organic matter). By comparing P fractions of soil and recent lake sediment samples, these fractions are shown to be a valid proxy for landscape-scale nutrient status. Changes in soil development for an alpine watershed (Lower Joffre Lake) are inferred from the P fractions in the basin's outlet lake sediments. Glacially sourced mineral P dominates at the base of the core, but several rapid shifts in P geochemistry are evident in the first ∼3000 yr of the record. The latter indicates an interval of early and rapid soil nutrient maturation from ∼9600 to 8500 cal yr BP and a significant influx of slope-derived material into Lower Joffre Lake. A substantial increase in mineral P occurs at ca. 8200 cal yr BP, consistent with the cold event in the vicinity of the North Atlantic at that time. The more recent record reveals a continual increase in the proportion of mineral P from glacial sources to the lake, indicating a trend toward cooler conditions in the Coast Mountains.

Keywords

Lake sedimentP geochemistryWatershed nutrient statusBritish Columbia
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 66 , Issue 1 , July 2006 , pp. 158 - 166
Copyright
University of Washington

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