Jingan Chen

Sediment particle size distribution and its environmental significance in Lake Erhai, Yunnan Province

A closed or semi-closed plateau lake, whose sediment records can provide us with plenty of fine and high resolution information, is a sensitive indicator of climatic and environmental changes. During the reconstruction of various short-time-scale climatic and environmental changes, the geochemical records in plateau-lake sediments are superior to other natural files. Based on fine dissection of the vertical profile of sediment particle sizes, this paper reveals the quasi-periodical changes of sediment particle sizes, which indicates the quasi-periodical fluctuations of the regional climate. A synthetic analysis of multiple indexes shows that sediment particle size is a more sensitive and more effective index of climatic and environmental changes than other geochemical indexes. High content of >20µm sediment particles and low content of 2–10µm sediment particles indicate a warm-dry climate and conversely a cold-humid climate, and their ratio can be used as an effective index of climatic changes. The basic climate succession in the region of Lake Erhai is characterized as being alternatively warm-dry and cold-humid and it has been developing into a warm-dry climate as a whole. There exist at least 2 time-scale quasi-periodical fluctuations of the regional climate in Lake Erhai. At present, the region of Lake Erhai is at the end of the warm-dry period and at the beginning of a cold-humid period, so the temperature will go down and the water level will rise.

A Particular River-Whiting Phenomenon Caused by Discharge of Hypolimnetic Water from a Stratified Reservoir.

A particular river-whiting phenomenon occurred in the early 2000s in the Xiaoche River and since then it has been reoccurring from June to November each year. Residents were surprised by this phenomenon and worried about it. This study was designed to reveal the forming mechanism of the river-whiting phenomenon. A comparison of T, EC, ORP, DO, TDS and δ34S in the culvert water and discharge pipe water with that in the water column of Aha Reservoir strongly indicated that the culvert water and discharge pipe water derived primarily from the hypolimnetic reservoir water. When the hypolimnetic water enriched in SO4 2- and H2S, through seepage from the penstock, flows into the Xiaoche River, the waters supersaturation degree with respect to CaSO4 is increased as a result of increased temperature and DO, thus colloid CaSO4 can be formed. This is the essential cause of the river-whiting phenomenon. The sources of high concentrations of SO4 2- and H2S in hypolimnetic water include not only direct SO4 2- and H2S input of acid mine drainage as a result of irrational coal mining in the watershed, but also the sulfur-enriched surface sediments which may release H2S through the sulfate reduction processes. The contaminated sediment has acted as an important contamination source for sulfur to the overlying water in Aha Reservoir. There are more than 50,000 large dams in the world until now. With the increase of reservoir age and the persistent accumulation of pollutants within the reservoir system, discharged hypolimnetic water may contain high levels of pollutants and lead to unpredicted disasters. More investigations are needed to illuminate the water quality condition of discharge water from reservoirs and estimate its impacts on the downstream eco-environment.

Bound PAHs in Sediment and Related Environmental Significance

Extractable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (EPAHs) and bound PAHs (BPAHs) were measured in a sediment core using conventional Soxhlet extraction and a more astringent extraction method, with the objectives of determining the influence of BPAHs on the historical reconstruction of PAHs and exploring the formation of BPAHs and long-term behaviors of PAHs in sediment. The results indicated that the formation of BPAHs was clearly sediment-depth and molecular-size dependent. BPAHs represents an important portion of PAHs in sediment and cannot be extracted by conventional Soxhlet extraction. This suggests that the previously developed vertical profile of PAHs is not the real chronology of PAHs and the plausible interpretation derived from the sedimentary records of PAHs needs reexamination. Based on the previous findings, a biphase model was proposed and the formation of BPAHs was predicted. Due to the different nature of geosorbents in sediment, redistribution of PAHs among these geosorbents logically leads to the formation of BPAHs and is kinetically favorable for smaller molecular PAHs. This is consistent with the obtained results. Many factors may influence the formation of BPAHs, such as the physicochemical structure of sediment and environmental conditions. There is still a long way to reveal the thermodynamical characteristics in action during the formation of BPAHs.

Paleotemperature variations at Lake Caohai, southwestern China, during the past 500 years: Evidence from combined δ 18 O analysis of cellulose and carbonates

The oxygen isotopic values of aquatic plant cellulose and carbonates in Lake Caohai sediments were measured using a continuous flow isotopic ratio mass spectrometer (CF-IRMS). Because of predictable oxygen isotopic fractionation between cellulose and its source water, the oxygen isotopic composition of paleo-lake water has been established quantitatively. Combined oxygen isotopic values of cellulose and carbonates were used in the ‘Craig’ equation to determine paleotemperatures and their variation in the lake during the past 500 years. Results show that the paleotemperature trend correlates well with meteorological records from Weining. There are four notable cold intervals at Lake Caohai over the past 500 years, namely 1540-1570AD, 1670-1715AD, 1780-1870AD and 1900-1930AD, and the former three cold intervals have been observed in the conventional Little Ice Age (LIA). These cold periods at Lake Caohai correspond well with those recorded from tree ring, peat, and ice core data from adjacent regions, particularly temperature those inferred from δ18O of peat cellulose from Hongyuan Southwestern China. The trend in paleotemperature variations at Lake Caohai are also consistent with both the change of Indian summer monsoon, derived from δ18O values of a stalagmite in Dongge, and a recorded shift in solar activity. The findings of this study illustrate that coupled analysis of δ18O values of cellulose and carbonates from lake sediments may be used as a paleotemperature proxy. These results also provide further evidence of the existence of LIA in southwestern China.

Combined use of radiocarbon and stable carbon isotope to constrain the sources and cycling of particulate organic carbon in a large freshwater lake, China

The concentrations and isotopic compositions of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and particulate organic carbon (POC) were measured in order to better constrain the sources and cycling of POC in Lake Fuxian, the largest deep freshwater lake in China. Model results based on the combined δ13C and Δ14C, showed that the average lake-wide contributions of autochthonous POC, terrestrial POC, and resuspended sediment POC to the bulk POC in Lake Fuxian were 61%, 22%, and 17%, respectively. This indicated autochthonous POC might play a dominant role in sustaining large oligotrophic lake ecosystem. A mean 17% contribution of resuspended sediment POC to the bulk POC implied that sediment might have more significant influence on aquatic environment and ecosystem than previously recognized in large deep lakes. The contributions of different sources POC to the water-column POC were a function of the initial composition of the source materials, photosynthesis, physical regime of the lake, sediment resuspension, respiration and degradation of organic matter, and were affected indirectly by environmental factors such as light, temperature, DO, wind speed, turbidity, and nutrient concentration. This study is not only the first systematic investigation on the radiocarbon and stable isotope compositions of POC in large deep freshwater lake in China, but also one of the most extensive radiocarbon studies on the ecosystem of any great lakes in the world. The unique data constrain relative influences of autochthonous POC, terrestrial POC, and resuspended sediment POC, and deepen the understanding of the POC cycling in large freshwater lakes. This study is far from comprehensive, but it serves to highlight the potential of combined radiocarbon and stable carbon isotope for constraining the sources and cycling of POC in large lake system. More radiocarbon investigations on the water-column POC and the aquatic food webs are necessary to illuminate further the fate of autochthonous POC, terrestrial POC, and resuspended sediment POC, and their eco-environmental effects.

Eco-environment of reservoirs in China: Characteristics and research prospects

China is home to 97,246 reservoirs, most of which are sub-deep water reservoirs characterized by seasonal stratification and multiple interfaces in the water body. The prominent eco-environmental problems, such as eutrophication and accidental deterioration in water quality, restrict reservoir construction. Compared to natural lakes, reservoirs have specific geologic backgrounds and eco-environmental characteristics, which manifest in the following aspects: (a) the origin of the water environment and ecological system of the reservoir is different from natural lakes; (b) sediment is rich in organic matter and nutrients; (c) water eutrophication and heavy metal pollution are tightly interlocked; (d) multi-interface and seasonal stratification control the key physicochemical and biological processes; (e) the cumulative effect of the material cycle has an important influence on the water environment and ecological security; (f) artificial regulation of water level leads to the ecological degradation of the hydro-fluctuation belt; and (g) the slow response of the aquatic ecosystem to the reduction of external load. Research on the eco-environment of sub-deep water reservoirs trails that of natural lakes in China. After describing the eco-environmental characteristics of reservoirs in China, we address potential challenges and propose future research directions to develop a full understanding of the complex biogeochemical processes prevalent in reservoirs.

Application of Circular Bubble Plume Diffusers to Restore Water Quality in a Sub-Deep Reservoir

Circular bubble plume diffusers have been confirmed as an effective technology for the restoration of the deep water system, but have never been applied in sub-deep water system. In this study, circular bubble plume diffusers were used, for the first time, to restore water quality in the Aha Reservoir, a typical sub-deep reservoir in Southwest China. Axisymmetric intrusive gravity currents were formed with a horizontal radius of 250 m at the equilibrium depth and the intrusion of oxygen-enriched water occurred within the depth of 10–14 m, while thermal stratification remained intact. A total of 95% of the imported oxygen was dissolved, but most was consumed by organic matter and other reduced substances within the hypolimnion. The oxygen consumption of organic matter, NH4+ and remaining reduced materials, accounted for 41.4–52.5%, 25% and 13.3–24.4% of the total imported oxygen, respectively. Compared with the control sites, dissolved oxygen level in the hypolimnion increased 3–4 times, and concentrations of NH4+, total Fe and total Mn were reduced by 15.5%, 45.5% and 48.9%, respectively. A significant decrease in total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations was observed in the experimental zone (0.04–0.02 mg/L and 1.9–1.7 mg/L, respectively). This indicates that circular bubble plumes have great potential for oxygenation of the hypolimnion and improving water quality in the sub-deep water system. Nevertheless, further efforts are needed to improve the discrete bubble model to elaborate the oxygen transmission dynamics and the plume formation processes in sub-deep water systems, incorporating oxygen consumption processes.

Microscale chemical features of sediment-water interface in Hongfeng Lake

In situ microscale distributions of O2, H2S, pH and redox potential in sediments of Hongfeng Lake, SW China, were investigated using the powerful microsensor technique. Our results show that O2 was depleted within the top 3.9 mm in surface sediments, and H2S was subsequently detected at ∼6.0 mm depth, and reached its maximum concentrations at ∼25 mm. The degradation of organic matter and reduction of sulfate might be the major pathways of producing H2S in sediments. pH rapidly reduced in surface layers mainly due to H+ release in the oxidation of organic matter. Eh also decreased sharply in surface sediments, probabl indicating the coexistence of Fe and Mn oxides with O2 in aerobic region. Furthermore, the programme of PROFILE was applied to model the O2 gradient, and good fit was obtained between the simulative values and the factual values both in sediments and in the diffusive boundary layer (DBL). The results indicate that the depth-integrated O2 consumption rates within sediments were 0.083 and 0.134 nmol·m−3·s−1 in site S1 and site S2, respectively. In addition, there were distinct DBL in two sediment profiles, with 1.2 mm thickness in S1 and 0.9 mm thickness in S2. The diffusive fluxes of O2 within the DBL were 67.13 nmol·m−2·s−1 in S1 and 88.54 nmol·m−2·s−1 in S2.

Environmental evolution recorded by multi-proxy evidence in Lake Chenghai sediments, Yunnan Province during recent 100 years

Lacustrine sediments can provide potential information about environmental changes in the past. On the basis of high-resolution multi-proxy analysis including carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter, C/N ratios, inorganic carbon contents, and carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of carbonate, together with precise 137Cs dating, the environmental evolution of Lake Chenghai, Yunnan Province, during the past 100 years has been investigated. It is shown that the carbonate in Lake Chenghai is authigenic, and the organic matter is mainly derived from aquatic plants and algae, instead of terrestrial-source materials. The environmental evolution of Lake Chenghai can be diverged into three periods with the contrasting characteristics during the past 100 years. Before 1940, the stable carbon and oxygen isotope values, the poor correlation between them and the lower carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter suggested that Lake Chenghai was open, and the lake water was oligotrophic during that period. During 1940–1993, the negative δ13C values and the gradual increase of carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter and C/N ratios indicated that the eutrophication was aggravated. The closeness of Lake Chenghai and human activities may be responsible for this eutrophication. After 1993, notable increases in carbon and oxygen isotopic values of carbonate, carbon and nitrogen contents of organic matter, C/N ratios and inorganic carbon contents demonstrated that the increase of lacustrine productivity and the serious eutrophication were resulted from strong human activities. Therefore, the multi-proxy in Lake Chenghai sediments has reliably recorded the natural environmental evolution and the impacts from human activities.