Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-pftt2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-31T18:15:06.527Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Carbon Isotope Composition of Lake Sediments in Relation to Lake Productivity and Radiocarbon Dating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Ramon Aravena ,
Barry G. Warner ,
Glen M. MacDonald  and
Karen I. Hanf
Ramon Aravena
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences and Quaternary Sciences Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
Barry G. Warner
Affiliation:
Department of Geography and Quaternary Sciences Institute, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
Glen M. MacDonald
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
Karen I. Hanf
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences and Quaternary Sciences Institute, University of Waterloo, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Carbon-13 profiles and radiocarbon dates were obtained from two Canadian kettle basins having similar geological and hydrological characteristics to develop criteria for evaluating the validity of radiocarbon dates on lake sediment from basins in calcareous terrain. Radiocarbon dates from a site in Alberta show a variable hard-water effect related to local hydrological changes during postglacial history of the lake basin, whereas radiocarbon dates from the other site in Ontario show no noticeable influence of old carbon during its history. These differences are mainly related to lake water residence time, which has influenced carbon isotopic exchange between atmospheric CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon in lake water. δ13C values for bulk organic sediment and terrestrial and aquatic macrofossils reveal that the main component of lake sediment at both sites is autocthonous in origin. Furthermore, each site supported different submerged aquatic plant communities that used different sources of carbon for photosynthesis, thereby imprinting the organic sediments with a characteristic 13C composition. Both sites reflect a clear relationship between 13C values and paleoproductivity. This study shows the individualistic response of the developing lake system to the hydrology, lake biota, and local geology, and demonstrates the problem of using 13C in lake sediments as a single criterion to recognize the validity of radiocarbon dates of lake sediment without supporting paleoecological information.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , May 1992 , pp. 333 - 345
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aravena, R. Schiff, S.L. Dillon, P., (1990). Cycling of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon in a Softwater Lake Watershed, Northern Ontario, Canada: A Carbon Isotope Approach Abstracts, International Conference on Acidic Deposition Glasgow 354 Google Scholar
Blystad, P. Selsing, L., (1989). Some erroneous radiocarbon dates from lacustrine sediments Norsk Geologisk Tidsskrift 69, 201–208 Google Scholar
Boutton, T.W. Wong, W.W. Hachey, D.L. Lee, L.S. Cabrera, M.P. Klein, P.L., (1983). Comparison of quartz and pyrex tubes for combustion of organic samples for stable isotope analysis Analytical Chemistry 55, 1832–1833 Google Scholar
Cowan, W.R., (1975). Quaternary Geology of the Woodstock Area, Southern Ontario Ontario Division of Mines Geoscience Report 119 Google Scholar
Dean, M.E., (1974). Determination of carbonate and organic matter in calcareous sediment and sedimentary rocks by loss on ignition: Comparison with other methods Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 44, 241–248 Google Scholar
Deevey, E.S. Jr. Gross, M.S. Hutchinson, G.E. Kraybill, H.L., (1954). The natural 14C contents of materials from hard water lakes Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 40, 285–288 Google Scholar
Fritz, P., (1984). Radiocarbon dating of marl deposits—Can we assess the hardwater effect? Mahaney, W.C. Correlation of Quaternary Chronologies Geobooks Norwich, CT 15–21 Google Scholar
Glime, J.M. Vitt, D.H., (1984). The physiological adaptations of aquatic Musci Lindbergia 10, 41–52 Google Scholar
Hakansson, S., (1979). Radiocarbon activity in submerged plants from various south Swedish Lakes Berger, R. Suess, H.E. Radiocarbon Dating Univ. of California Press Berkeley, CA 433–443 Google Scholar
Hakansson, S., (1985). A review of various factors influencing the stable carbon isotope ratio of organic lake sediments by the change from glacial to post glacial environmental conditions Quaternary Science Reviews 4, 135–146 Google Scholar
Hanf, K.I., (1989). Postglacial Origin and Development of a Floating Bog near Woodstock, Ontario M.Sc. thesis University of Waterloo Google Scholar
Herczeg, A.L., (1987). A stable carbon isotope study of dissolved inorganic carbon cycling in a softwater lake Biogeochemistry 4, 231–263 Google Scholar
Karrow, P.F. Warner, B.G., (1990). The geological and biological environment for human occupation in southern Ontario Ellis, C.J. Prehistory of Southern Ontario Ontario Archaeological Society London 5–35 Google Scholar
Karrow, P.F. Warner, B.G. Fritz, P., (1984). Corry Bog, Pennsylvania: A case study of the radiocarbon dating of marl Quaternary Research 21, 326–336 Google Scholar
Keeley, J.E. Sternberg, L.O. DeNiro, M.J., (1986). The use of stable isotopes in the study of photosynthesis in freshwater plants Aquatic Botany 26, 213–223 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lister, G.S., (1988). A 15,000-year isotopic record from Lake Zurich of deglaciation and climatic change in Switzerland Quaternary Research 29, 129–141 Google Scholar
Lowe, J.J. Walker, M.J.C., (1976). Radiocarbon dates and deglaciation of Rannoch Moor, Scotland Nature 246, 632–633 Google Scholar
Lucas, W.J., (1975). Photosynthetic fixation of carbon-14 by internodal cells of Chara corallina Journal of Experimental Botany 26, 331–346 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacDonald, G.M. Beuken, R.P. Kieser, W.E. Vitt, D.H., (1987). Comparative radiocarbon dating of terrestrial plant macrofossils and aquatic moss from the “ice-free corridor” of western Canada Geology 15, 837–840 Google Scholar
Macdonald, G.M., (1989). Postglacial palaeoecology of the Subalpine forest-grassland ecotone of southwestern Alberta: New insights on vegetation and climate change in the Canadian Rocky Mountain and adjacent foothills Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeocology 73, 155–173 Google Scholar
MacDonald, G.M. Beuken, R.P. Kieser, W.E., (1991). Radiocarbon dating of limnic sediments: a comparative analysis and discussion Ecology 72, 1150–1155 Google Scholar
McAndrews, J.H., (1981). Late Quaternary climate of Ontario: Temperature trends from the fossil pollen record Mahaney, W.C. Quaternary paleoclimate Norwich England 319–333 Google Scholar
McKenzie, J.A., (1985). Carbon isotopes and productivity in the lacustrine and marine environments Stumm, W. Chemical Processes in Lakes Wiley New York 99–118 Google Scholar
Mook, W.G. Bommerson, J.C. Staverman, W.H., (1974). Carbon isotope fractionation between dissolved bicarbonate and gaseous carbon dioxide Earth and Planetary Science Letters 22, 169–176 Google Scholar
Mott, R.J. Farley-Gill, L.D., (1978). A late-Quaternary pollen profile from Woodstock, Ontario Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 15, 1101–1111 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oana, S. Deevey, E.S., (1960). Carbon-13 in lake waters and its possible bearing on palaeolimnology American Journal of Science 258A, 253–272 Google Scholar
Pennington, W., (1977). Late Devensian flora and vegetation of Britain Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B 280, 247–271 Google Scholar
Rowe, J.S., (1972). Forest Regions of Canada Canadian Forestry Service Publication 1300, Ottawa Google Scholar
Shotton, F.W., (1972). An example of hard-water error in radiocarbon dating of vegetable matter Nature 240, 460–461 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, F.A. Walker, N.A., (1980). Photosynthesis by aquatic plants: Effects of unstirred layers in relation to assimilation of CO2, and HCO3 − and to carbon isotopic discrimination New Phytologist 86, 245–259 Google Scholar
Turner, J.V. Fritz, P. Karrow, P.F. Warner, B.G., (1983). Isotopic and geochemical composition of marl lake waters and implications for radiocarbon dating of marl lake sediments Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 20, 599–615 Google Scholar
Warner, B.G. Kubiw, H.J. Hanf, K.I., (1989). An anthropogenic cause for quaking mire formation in southwestern Ontario Nature 340, 380–384 Google Scholar
Wright, H.E. Mann, D.H. Glaser, P.H., (1984). Piston corers for peat and lake sediments Ecology 65, 657–659 Google Scholar