Abstract
We analyzed seasonally aggregated observations of temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and dissolved inorganic carbon from Soppensee (District of Lucerne, Switzerland) for the yrs 1980 to 1993. Holomictic Soppensee is characterized by a strong summer stratification with a thin epilimnion separated from an anoxic hypolimnion by a strong pycnocline formed by thermal and chemical gradients. A vertical one-dimensional model was developed to simulate the observed seasonal cycles of carbon and oxygen. The processes of net community production, mineralization of organic matter, precipitation and dissolution of calcite, gas exchange, in- and outflow, sedimentation and vertical eddy diffusion are included. According to the model, the annual net community production is estimated to about 110 g C m-2 yr-1 and the annual net primary production to about 330 to 440 g C m-2 yr-1, which is a typical value for eutrophic lakes. A mass balance of the carbon cycle indicates that most of the inflow comes from groundwater which is super-saturated with respect to atmospheric CO2. Therefore the surface waters exhibit a large capacity for calcite precipitation. The results of the model are used to constrain the conditions that favor the formation of varved sediments in Soppensee during thousands of yrs. Model calculations show that the deep waters would still turn anoxic even if the sedimentation rate of organic matter were decreased to 25%. Several physical factors such as biogenic stabilization of the deep waters due to calcite dissolution and low input of wind energy are responsible for the long term anoxia in Soppensee.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Beer, J., U. Beutler, S. Bollhalder, K. Farrenkothen, A. Lück, E. Wieland & W. Woelfli, 1989. Bestimmung von mittleren Partikel-Sinkgeschwindigkeiten in Seen mit Hilfe des 10Be/7Be-Verhältnisses. EAWAG Jahresbericht 1989.
Bloesch, J., P. Stadelmann & H. Bührer, 1977. Primary production, mineralization, and sedimentation in the euphotic zone of two Swiss lakes. Limnol. Oceanogr. 22: 511–526.
Bloesch, J. & M. Sturm, 1986. Settling flux and sinking velocities of particulate phosphorus (PP) and particulate organic carbon (POC) in Lake Zug, Switzerland. In: Sly P. G. (ed.), Sediments and water interactions. Springer, New York: 481–490.
Bloesch, J. & U. Uehlinger, 1990. Epilimnetic carbon flux of different particle size classes in oligo-mesotrophic Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. Arch. Hydrobiol. 118: 403–419.
Dickson, A. G. & F. J. Millero, 1987. A comparison of the equilibrium constants for the dissociation of carbonic acid in seawater media. Deep-Sea Res. 34: 1733–1743.
Eppley, R. W., 1989. New production: history, methods, problems; In: Berger W. H., V. S. Smetacek & G. Wefer (ed.), Productivity of the Ocean: Present and Past. John Wiley & Sons, New York: 85–97.
Fricker, H. J., 1980. OECD eutrophication programme: Regional project alpine lakes. Swiss federal board for Environmental protection & OECD.
Gloor, M., A. Wüest & M. Münnich, 1994. Benthic boundary mixing and resuspension induced by internal seiches. Hydrobiologia 284: 59–68.
Gruber, N., 1993. Kohlenstoff-und Sauerstoffkreislauf im Soppensee: Beobachtung des Tages und Saisonzyklus und Modellierung mit Hilfe von Ein-und Mehrboxmodellen. Diploma Thesis, EAWAG / ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
Heeb, J., 1991. Haushaltsbeziehungen in Landschaftsökosystemen topischer Dimensionen in einer Elementarlandschaft des Schweizerischen Mittellandes: Modellvorstellungen eines Landschaftsökosystemes. Ph.D. Thesis, Universität Basel, Switzerland.
Hollander, D. J., 1989. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic cycling and organic geochemistry of eutrophic Lake Greifen: implications for preservation and accumulation of ancient Organic carbon-rich sediments. Ph.D. Thesis, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
Imboden, D., 1984. Gutachten über die Sanierung des Zugersees mit besonderer Berücksichtigung des Projektes zur Seeregulierung, EAWAG Report # 4663, Switzerland.
Karagounis, I., 1992. Ein physikalisch-biochemisches Seemodell: Anwendung auf das Nordbecken des Luganersees, Mitteilungen der Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau, Hydrologie und Glaziologie (VAW), Vol. 116, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
Keeling, C. D., R. B. Bacastow, A. F. Carter, S. C. Piper, T. P. Whorf, M. Heimann, W. G. Mook & H. Roeloffzen, 1989. A three dimensional model of atmospheric CO2 transport based on observed winds: 1. Analysis of observational data. In:Peterson D. H. (ed.), Aspects of Climate Variability in the Pacific and the Western Americas, Geophysical Monograph Series, Vol. 55, Am. Geophys. Union, 165–237.
Kelts, K. & K. J. Hsü, 1978. Freshwater carbonate sedimentation. In: Lerman A. (ed.), Geochemical processes, water and sediment environments. Springer, New York: 295–312.
Lotter, A. F., 1989. Evidence of annual layering in Holocene sediments of Soppensee, Switzerland. Aquatic Sciences 51: 19–30.
Münnich, M., A. Wüest & D. M. Imboden, 1992. Observation of the second vertical mode of the internal seiche in an alpine lake. Limnol. Oceanogr. 37: 1705–1719.
O'sullivan, P. E., 1983. Annually-laminated lake sediments and the study of quaternary environmental changes-a review. Quat. Sci. Rev. 1: 245–313.
Quay, P. D., S. R. Emerson, B. M. Quay & A. H. Devol, 1986. The carbon cycle for lake Washington-A stable isotope study. Limnol. Oceanogr. 31: 596–611.
Sathyendranath, S., T. Platt, E. P. W. Horne, W. Harrison, O. Ulloa, R. Outerbridge & N. Hoepffner, 1991. Estimation of new production in the ocean by compound remote sensing. Nature 353: 129–133.
Scheidegger, A., A. Stöckli & A. Wüest, 1994. Der Einfluss der internen Sanierungsmassnahmen auf den Sauerstoffhaushalt im Hallwilersee. Wasser, Energie, Luft. 86: 126–131.
SMA 1979–1987. Annalen der Schweizerischen Meteorologischen Anstalt.
Stabel, H. H., 1985. Mechanisms controlling the sedimentation sequence of various elements in prealpine lakes. In: Stumm W. (ed.), Chemical processes in lakes. John Wiley & Sons, New York: 143–167.
Stabel, H. H., 1986. Calcite precipitation in Lake Constance: Chemical equilibrium, sedimentation, and nucleation by algae. Limnol. Oceanogr. 31: 1081–1093.
Stumm, W. & J. J. Morgan, 1981. Aquatic chemistry. Wiley Interscience, New York, 780.
Ulrich, M., 1991. Modeling of chemicals in Lakes-Development and application of user-friendly simulation software (MASAS & CHEMSEE). Ph.D. Thesis, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
Urban, N., C. Dinkel & B. Wehrli 1997. Solute transfer across the sediment surface of a eutrophic lake: I, Porewater profiles from dialysis samplers. Aquatic Sciences 59: 1–25.
Wanninkhof, R., 1992. Relationship between wind speed and gas exchange over the ocean. J. Geophys. Res. 97: 7373–7382.
Weber, H., 1981. Sedimentologische und geochemische Untersuchungen im Greifensee (Kanton Zürich, Schweiz). Ph.D. Thesis, ETH Zürich, Switzerland.
Weiss, R., 1974. Carbon dioxide in water and seawater: the solubility of a non-ideal gas. Mar. Chem. 2: 203–215.
Wüest, A., 1994. Interaktionen in Seen: Die Biologie als Quelle dominanter physikalischer Kräfte. Limnologica 24: 93–104.
Züllig, H., 1988. Waren unsere Seen früher wirklich ‘rein’? Anzeichen von Früheutrophierung gewisser Seen im Spiegel jahrtausendealter Seeablagerungen. Gas-Wasser-Abwasser 68: 17–32.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gruber, N., Wehrli, B. & Wüest, A. The role of biogeochemical cycling for the formation and preservation of varved sediments in Soppensee (Switzerland). Journal of Paleolimnology 24, 277–291 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008195604287
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008195604287