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Impacts of long-term land use on terrestrial organic matter input to lakes based on lignin phenols in sediment records from a Swedish forest lake

Yang, Bingjie LU ; Ljung, Karl LU orcid ; Nielsen, Anne Birgitte LU orcid ; Fahlgren, Elise and Hammarlund, Dan LU (2021) In Science of the Total Environment 774.
Abstract

Organic carbon burial in lake sediments plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, and is heavily affected by the terrestrial organic matter input. However, few studies have focused on long-term changes in terrestrial organic matter input to lakes in response to land-use changes. The aim of this study was to assess variations in sedimentary terrestrial organic matter over the last 1000 years based on lignin biomarker records from two sediment cores from Lake Skottenesjön, southwestern Sweden. In combination with pollen-based quantitative land cover reconstruction, we investigated the impacts of centennial-scale land-use changes on terrestrial organic matter input to lake sediments. The results show that human activities in the... (More)

Organic carbon burial in lake sediments plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, and is heavily affected by the terrestrial organic matter input. However, few studies have focused on long-term changes in terrestrial organic matter input to lakes in response to land-use changes. The aim of this study was to assess variations in sedimentary terrestrial organic matter over the last 1000 years based on lignin biomarker records from two sediment cores from Lake Skottenesjön, southwestern Sweden. In combination with pollen-based quantitative land cover reconstruction, we investigated the impacts of centennial-scale land-use changes on terrestrial organic matter input to lake sediments. The results show that human activities in the catchment had significant impacts on terrestrial organic export by modifying the vegetation cover. Intensified use of the forest in the 18th and 19th centuries led to enhanced soil erosion, and increased terrestrial organic matter input to the lake. Although farmland expanded between the 12th and the middle of 14th century, no significant change in terrestrial organic matter input was observed at that time. Much higher export of terrestrial organic and minerogenic matter to the lake was observed during the period of modern forestry in the 20th century as compared to previous periods of minor forest disturbance, such as 11th century. The changes in the vegetation cover in the catchment considerably modified the composition of terrestrial organic matter deposited in the lake sediments, which is reflected by the composition of lignin phenols. This study demonstrates that the combination of lignin phenols analysis and pollen-based quantitative land cover reconstruction is a useful approach for investigating long-term changes in terrestrial organic matter delivery to lake ecosystems.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Lake sediments, Land use, Lignin phenols, Terrestrial organic matter
in
Science of the Total Environment
volume
774
article number
145517
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:33609828
  • scopus:85101424055
ISSN
0048-9697
DOI
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145517
project
Implications of land use on the carbon cycle - Impacts of long-term human activities on terrestrial organic matter input to aquatic ecosystems in southern Sweden
Late Holocene climate change and human impacts in southern Sweden based on lake sediments
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6ec1bd42-72df-4c24-9ac9-e24da4fd2425
date added to LUP
2021-03-08 11:09:40
date last changed
2024-06-13 08:05:02
@article{6ec1bd42-72df-4c24-9ac9-e24da4fd2425,
  abstract     = {{<p>Organic carbon burial in lake sediments plays an important role in the global carbon cycle, and is heavily affected by the terrestrial organic matter input. However, few studies have focused on long-term changes in terrestrial organic matter input to lakes in response to land-use changes. The aim of this study was to assess variations in sedimentary terrestrial organic matter over the last 1000 years based on lignin biomarker records from two sediment cores from Lake Skottenesjön, southwestern Sweden. In combination with pollen-based quantitative land cover reconstruction, we investigated the impacts of centennial-scale land-use changes on terrestrial organic matter input to lake sediments. The results show that human activities in the catchment had significant impacts on terrestrial organic export by modifying the vegetation cover. Intensified use of the forest in the 18th and 19th centuries led to enhanced soil erosion, and increased terrestrial organic matter input to the lake. Although farmland expanded between the 12th and the middle of 14th century, no significant change in terrestrial organic matter input was observed at that time. Much higher export of terrestrial organic and minerogenic matter to the lake was observed during the period of modern forestry in the 20th century as compared to previous periods of minor forest disturbance, such as 11th century. The changes in the vegetation cover in the catchment considerably modified the composition of terrestrial organic matter deposited in the lake sediments, which is reflected by the composition of lignin phenols. This study demonstrates that the combination of lignin phenols analysis and pollen-based quantitative land cover reconstruction is a useful approach for investigating long-term changes in terrestrial organic matter delivery to lake ecosystems.</p>}},
  author       = {{Yang, Bingjie and Ljung, Karl and Nielsen, Anne Birgitte and Fahlgren, Elise and Hammarlund, Dan}},
  issn         = {{0048-9697}},
  keywords     = {{Lake sediments; Land use; Lignin phenols; Terrestrial organic matter}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
  title        = {{Impacts of long-term land use on terrestrial organic matter input to lakes based on lignin phenols in sediment records from a Swedish forest lake}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145517}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145517}},
  volume       = {{774}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}