| Title | CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF TWO SMALL LAKES IN THE KHUMBU VALLEY, HIMALAYAS (NEPAL) TO SHORT TERM VARIABILITY AND CLIMATIC CHANGE AS DETECTED BY LONG-TERM MONITORING AND PALEOLIMNOLOGICAL METH |
| Abstract | The most remote regions of the globe are
home of the least disturbed ecosystems, yet they are
threatened by air pollution and by climatic change. The
Himalayas are one of the most isolated and least
explored wilderness areas in the world outside the
Polar Regions and it is for this reason that the Tibetan
Plateau is often referred to as the 'Third Pole'. Since
1990, an annual limnological survey (including chemistry
and biology) has been carried out at two lakes
located in the Kumbhu Valley, Nepal, at 5200 and
5400 m a.s.l., respectively. Lake water chemistry
surveys reveal a persistent increase in the ionic content
of the lake water, a trend which appears to be closely
linked to increasing temperature. In this study, we also
analysed lake sediment cores for historical changes in
algal abundance and community composition to evaluate
how long-term variations in primary producer
communities corresponded to known regional variations
in climate systems during the past 3500 years.
Paleolimnological results support the evidence that
the strong variability observed in the chemical data
drives the variability in lake production and in the
composition of algal assemblages. These variabilities
can be related to known features of local climate and
the values recorded in the recent years compare well
with those recorded during warm periods, such as
around 2000 BP, and thus support the idea that this area
of the Himalayan Range, influenced by the South Asia
monsoon, is closely linked to Northern Hemisphere
climate dynamics. |
| Source | Hydrobiologia (The Hague. Print) 648, pp. 189–205 |
| Keywords | HimalayasLakesLimnologyPaleolimnologyClimatic change |
| Journal | Hydrobiologia (The Hague. Print) |
| Editor | Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Paesi Bassi |
| Year | 2010 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10750-010-0262-3 |
| Authors | LAMI A., MARCHETTO A., MUSAZZI S., SALERNO F., TARTARI G., GUILIZZONI P., ROGORA M., TARTARI G.A. |
| Text | 42379 2010 10.1007/s10750 010 0262 3 ISI Web of Science WOS 000277284000014 Scopus 2 s2.0 77952011182 Himalayas Lakes Limnology Paleolimnology Climatic change CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE OF TWO SMALL LAKES IN THE KHUMBU VALLEY, HIMALAYAS NEPAL TO SHORT TERM VARIABILITY AND CLIMATIC CHANGE AS DETECTED BY LONG TERM MONITORING AND PALEOLIMNOLOGICAL METH LAMI A., MARCHETTO A., MUSAZZI S., SALERNO F., TARTARI G., GUILIZZONI P., ROGORA M., TARTARI G.A. IRSA CNR, ISE CNR The most remote regions of the globe are home of the least disturbed ecosystems, yet they are threatened by air pollution and by climatic change. The Himalayas are one of the most isolated and least explored wilderness areas in the world outside the Polar Regions and it is for this reason that the Tibetan Plateau is often referred to as the Third Pole . Since 1990, an annual limnological survey including chemistry and biology has been carried out at two lakes located in the Kumbhu Valley, Nepal, at 5200 and 5400 m a.s.l., respectively. Lake water chemistry surveys reveal a persistent increase in the ionic content of the lake water, a trend which appears to be closely linked to increasing temperature. In this study, we also analysed lake sediment cores for historical changes in algal abundance and community composition to evaluate how long term variations in primary producer communities corresponded to known regional variations in climate systems during the past 3500 years. Paleolimnological results support the evidence that the strong variability observed in the chemical data drives the variability in lake production and in the composition of algal assemblages. These variabilities can be related to known features of local climate and the values recorded in the recent years compare well with those recorded during warm periods, such as around 2000 BP, and thus support the idea that this area of the Himalayan Range, influenced by the South Asia monsoon, is closely linked to Northern Hemisphere climate dynamics. 648 Published version articolo pubblicato Risultati Progetto SHARE 2010_Hydrobiologia.pdf Articolo in rivista Kluwer Academic Publishers 0018 8158 Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia. The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia Dordrecht The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia Boston The Hague. Print Hydrobiologia London The Hague. Print simona.musazzi MUSAZZI SIMONA piero.guilizzoni GUILIZZONI PIERO michela.rogora ROGORA MICHELA franco.salerno SALERNO FRANCO andrea.lami LAMI ANDREA gabriele.tartari TARTARI GABRIELE gianni.tartari TARTARI GIANNI TA.P02.026.004 Influenza delle pressioni globali sugli ecosistemi acquatici in aree remote di alta quota |
