A. Kirika

Stable lead isotopic characterisation of the historical record of environmental lead contamination in dated freshwater lake sediment cores from northern and central Scotland.

Sediment cores from three Scottish freshwater lakes, Loch Ness in the remote north and Loch Lomond and the Lake of Menteith, much closer to the heavily populated and industrialised central belt were analysed for 210Pb, 137Cs, Pb and stable Pb isotopic composition (206Pb/207Pb). The radionuclide data were used to establish chronologies for the Loch Ness and Loch Lomond cores, but a chronology could not be developed for the Lake of Menteith core, in which the surface sediment had been subject to intense mixing. Although Pb concentrations generally started increasing during the mid-17th Century, a small peak occurred for Loch Ness in the early 16th Century, perhaps attributable to the influence of medieval mining and smelting in mainland Europe. Temporal trends in the pattern of Pb accumulation were similar for Loch Ness and both sites in Loch Lomond, with 40-50% of the anthropogenic Pb deposited prior to the 20th Century. Fluxes of anthropogenic Pb to the lake sediments peaked during the 1950s at all locations where chronologies could be established. The 5-fold increase in anthropogenic Pb inventory for the southern basin of Loch Lomond relative to Loch Ness reflected geographical proximity to the main polluting sources. The 206Pb/207Pb data for anthropogenic Pb in the sediments from Loch Ness and Loch Lomond exhibited largely similar trends related to five different time periods. Pre-1820, the 206Pb/207Pb ratio was close to that for coal (1.181). From 1820 to 1900, a fairly constant 206Pb/207Pb ratio of approximately 1.17 probably resulted from a combination of emissions from the smelting of indigenous Pb ore (1.170) and coal burning (1.181) in Scotland, and industrial activity to the south in England, where Australian Pb of characteristically low 206Pb/207Pb ratio (1.04) was already in use. From 1901 to 1930, the 206Pb/207Pb ratio declined by <0.01, due to the increasing influence of Australian Pb. From 1931 to 1975/1985, the 206Pb/207Pb ratio of anthropogenic Pb declined by a further 0.03 to 0.04, to minimum values from approximately 1975 to 1985, primarily a consequence of car-exhaust emissions of Pb arising from the introduction of alkyl Pb petrol additives (206Pb/207Pb approximately 1.06-1.09). From 1975/1985 to the mid-1990s, the 206Pb/207Pb ratio of anthropogenic Pb increased by up to 0.015, a consequence of a reduction in car-exhaust emissions of Pb, resulting from reductions in the maximum permitted concentration of Pb in petrol, and the introduction and increasing uptake of unleaded petrol. Source apportionment calculations, on the basis of 206Pb/207Pb values in surface sediment, suggested that the contribution of Pb emissions from the use of leaded petrol was 27-40% of the atmospheric burden by the mid-1990s, in line with estimates from rainwater 206Pb/207Pb data.

Poor water quality in Loch Leven (Scotland) in 1995 in spite of reduced phosphorus loadings since 1985 : the influences of catchment management and inter-annual weather variation

Eight tonnes of phosphorus in all forms (total phosphorus, TP) entered Loch Leven from its catchment in 1995, compared to 20 t in 1985. Diffuse run-off from the land, and waste from over-wintering geese contributed 59% of the total loading in 1995 cf. 42% in 1985. Point-sources of sewage, and waste-water from fish-rearing ponds, produced the rest. Inputs of phosphorus in soluble reactive form (SRP) totalled 5 t, i.e. 63% of the TP loading in 1995, as compared with 1985 values of 11.8 t and 59%. Point-sources of SRP contributed 54% of the total SRP input in 1995 cf. 69% in 1985. Loadings from three sewage treatment works (STW) totalled 3.1 t TP in 1995 as compared with 5.3 t in 1985; this included 2.6 t SRP (cf. 3.6 t). Daily per capita outputs of the upgraded Kinross North and Milnathort STWs were 0.68 g and 0.81 g TP, respectively, compared with pre-upgrade values of 1.77 g and 2.03 g. Nett reductions in TP and SRP loadings between 1985 and 1995, are 55% and 59% respectively. These values are attributable as much to the lower rainfall of 890 mm over the period of study in 1995, compared to 1250 mm in 1985, as to ‘managed’ elimination of P usage at a major industrial source, and upgrades of STWs. In spite of these cutbacks, a combination of the lower rainfall and an extraordinarily hot summer in 1995 negated the expected reduction in lake phosphorus and chlorophyll levels. The lowered specific areal loading of ca. 0.7 g P m−2 estimated for 1995 still considerably exceeds the ideal maximum for the loch. These statistics nevertheless ignore the significance of a reduction of ca. 7 t in P entering the system in bio-available form, a recently completed upgrade of a major STW and channelling of effluent from a small works out of the catchment.

Water quality of Loch Leven: responses to enrichment, restoration and climate change

It is usually assumed that climate change will have negative impacts on water quality and hinder restoration efforts. The long-term monitoring at Loch Leven shows, however, that seasonal changes in temperature and rainfall may have positive and negative impacts on water quality. In response to reductions in external nutrient loading, there have been significant reductions in in-lake phosphorus concentrations. Annual measures of chlorophyll a have, however, shown little response to these reductions. Warmer spring temperatures appear to be having a positive effect on Daphnia densities and this may be the cause of reduced chlorophyll a concentrations in spring and an associated improvement in water clarity in May and June. The clearest climate impact was the negative relationship between summer rainfall and chlorophyll a concentrations. This is highlighted in extreme weather years, with the three wettest summers having very low chlorophyll a concentrations and the driest summers having high concentrations. To predict water quality impacts of future climate change, there is a need for more seasonal predictions from climate models and a greater recognition that water quality is the outcome of seasonal responses in different functional groups of phytoplankton and zooplankton to a range of environmental drivers.

Processes controlling the retention and release of manganese in the organic-rich catchment of Loch Bradan, SW Scotland

Abstract Loch Bradan, a drinking water reservoir in SW Scotland, frequently exhibits unacceptably high dissolved Mn concentrations. Both the surrounding catchment and the loch sediments are potential sources of Mn to the loch water. This study focused on the catchment soils, which are peaty, and found that redox cycling was an important process with respect to retention of Mn in the top sections (0–15 cm). Under more reducing conditions, reduction to Mn(II) and subsequent complexation by humic substances was observed at greater depth in some soil profiles. Complexation by humic substances is important because lateral water flow can remove soluble complexes and indeed this study observed that about 50% of Mn was humic-complexed in the stream waters feeding into the loch. It was particularly evident that the soil profile with the lowest Mn inventory exhibited the greatest extent of humification and that the remaining Mn was predominantly in a non-easily reducible form.

Changes in the fish community of Loch Leven: untangling anthropogenic pressures

Loch Leven, U.K., contains brown trout (Salmo trutta), eel (Anguilla anguilla), minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus), perch (Perca fluviatilis), pike (Esox lucius) and three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), with brook lamprey (Lampetra planeri) and stone loach (Barbatula barbatula) also present in its tributaries. Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and flounder (Platichthys flesus) are now extinct. The brown trout population has supported a world-renowned recreational fishery for over a century, although a decline in fishery performance led to extensive stocking between 1983 and 2006, including with non-native rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). This review combines historical information with contemporary gill-net and hydroacoustic surveys. In 2008, brown trout, perch and three-spined sticklebacks were abundant, but pike and stone loach were rare. The obstruction of migratory routes was probably responsible for the loss of Atlantic salmon and flounder, while a lowering of water level likely caused the extinction of Arctic charr and contributed to a reduction in pike abundance. Perch abundance has fluctuated markedly, being influenced by disease and eutrophication, although a reduction in nutrients and associated recovery of macrophytes are likely to have benefitted this species. Although the brown trout population has undoubtedly shown a long-term decline, individuals are currently in excellent condition.

Processes controlling manganese distributions and associations in organic-rich freshwater aquatic systems: The example of Loch Bradan, Scotland

Recent increases in manganese (Mn) concentrations in surface waters, including drinking water supplies, have triggered renewed interest in its geochemical behaviour in freshwater systems. This study, involving analysis of bottom sediments and ultrafiltered water (stream, loch and sediment porewater) samples, identified changes in aqueous phase speciation of Mn upon entering the loch waters and during its transit from the inflow to the outflow of Loch Bradan, a drinking water reservoir in SW Scotland. Diffusion out of the bottom sediments during calm periods or mixing of porewaters with loch water during resuspension events also released Mn into the overlying waters. Although 65% Mn was in colloidal form (3 kDa-0.2 μm) in the main streamwater inflow at the western end, 57-66% was present in the <3 kDa fraction in the proximal loch waters, at least partly as a result of the release of Mn(2+) from the bottom sediments. Towards the outflow at the eastern end, however, the increase in the amount of Mn associated with large organic colloids (100 kDa-0.2 μm) correlated with the speciation of Mn in the bottom water and the bottom sediment porewaters. While the inflow waters do have some impact upon Mn speciation at the western end of the loch, it appears that within-loch processes have a greater impact on Mn speciation near the outflow. These findings emphasise the importance of understanding the geochemical controls on Mn behaviour in aquatic systems: it is clear that although Mn may be present as truly dissolved Mn(2+) in some parts of the loch, it can also be associated to a significant extent (35-47%) with large organic colloids. These findings are important not only with respect to water treatment but also in terms of understanding the likely consequences of climatic change which may exacerbate losses of Mn from the bottom sediments.

The relationship between Trichocerca pusilla (Jennings), Aulacoseira spp. and water temperature in Loch Leven, Scotland, U.K.

Loch Leven is a shallow, eutrophic lake in the Scottish lowlands that is famous for its brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) fishery. Studies of planktonic rotifer populations began here in January 1977. Since then, samples have been collected and analysed at more or less weekly intervals. Additional information on the composition and abundance of phytoplankton and crustacean zooplankton species, and on a variety of physical and chemical determinants, has been recorded on each sampling occasion.Long-term datasets, such as that described above, are invaluable for identifying interactions between components of the plankton that only appear for short periods each year, as these interactions would probably be overlooked in data spanning a shorter period of time. This study uses the long-term data from Loch Leven to examine the food and temperature requirements of the summer rotifer species Trichocerca pusilla (Lauterborn). The results suggest that T. pusilla prefers water temperatures above 12 °C and that it feeds, primarily, on the filamentous diatom Aulacoseira spp. During the summer months, its abundance was closely related to the availability of this diatom. When filaments of Aulacoseira spp. were abundant, rotifer densities reached 1000–3000 ind. l−1 and when they were scarce (e.g. 1980, 1997 and 1998) T. pusilla densities also remained low (i.e. less than 100 ind. l−1). The reason for the success or failure of Aulacoseira during the summer months each year is unclear but, in general, its abundance was related to the availability of dissolved silica in the water.

The effects of factorial nutrient enrichments on a planktonic unicellular centrales-dominated assemblage: clues to the factors controlling biomass in Loch Leven late winter-early spring in 1981.

A previous paper showed that in spite of short daylengths and low temperatures (2–4°C) during late winter-early spring 1981, Loch Leven produced a dense crop of unicellular centric diatoms (37,000 cells ml-1) and a considerable population of Asterionella (ca 9,400 cells ml-1). More recently acquired data suggest that these populations must also have suffered losses owing to occasional periods of rapid throughput of water, i.e. equivalent to 30% of the loch volume per month. The present study shows that samples taken from open water in February and subjected to ecologically representative, factorial additions of nitrate, phosphate and silica exhibited no major differences in total biomass after one week, to samples to which no nutrients were added. Moreover, the net change in biomass in the experimental bags was negligible. These results are in keeping with the field observations regarding low light and abundant nutrients at this time. The results of subsequent experiments also supported the conclusions dr...

The ecology of Synchaeta kitina Rousselet in Loch Leven, Scotland

Synchaeta kitina Rousselet reached population densities of up to 5000 ind.l−1 in Loch Leven, between January 1977 and December 1982. The species was found over the entire range of temperatures recorded (0.4–21.4 °C), but was most abundant at temperatures above 7 °C. Embryo development times, determined under laboratory conditions, ranged from 122 h at 2 °C to 12.5 h at 20 °C. There was a marked inverse relationship between populations of S. kitina and Daphnia hyalina var. lacustris in the loch. It seems unlikely that this was due to interference competition from Daphnia. S. kitina can be cultured on Rhodomonas minuta var. lacustris and there is some evidence that this rotifer also feeds on small flagellates in its natural environment.