The vertical variation of nutrients in a sediment core of Delong Lake reveals the anthropogenic effect

Abstract

Phosphorus content and its species were studied for the core sediments of Delong Lake, using the SMT sequential extraction method, and then were correlated to the contents of total nitrogen and organic matter. According to (210)Pb and (137)Cs dating, the historical profiles of 33 cm core sediments were generated. The objective of this study was to understand how nutrients of lake sediments evolved in order to get insights into the effect of human activities on their sedimentary history. The nutrients contents in the core sediments slowly increased after 1957, showing the human activity influence the natural deposition of the lake sediment. From 1978 to 1985, various nutrients in the lake sediment rapid increased, showing that the human activities strengthened. From 2003 to now, most of nutrients in the sediment rapidly increased and significantly modified the natural deposition of the lake sediment.