Diatom-inferred dissolved organic carbon reconstructions provide assessments of past UV-B penetration in Canadian Shield lakes

Abstract

Paleolimnological approaches have provided strong inference models for lake-water acidity and metal concentrations in Sudbury-area lakes, but calibration data have not yet been explored for inferring lake-water dissolved organic carbon (DOC). A review of available limnological data provided DOC values for 80 of our 105 calibration lakes, allowing us to examine the relative importance of DOC in determining the distribution of diatom assemblages in Canadian Shield lakes, such as those in the Sudbury region. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that lake-water DOC explained a significant proportion of variation in the diatom data. Our weighted-averaging DOC model showed a strong relationship (r2 = 0.63) between measured and inferred DOC. Using this model, we reconstructed historical DOC concentrations in three Sudbury-area lakes, and then estimated temporal changes in UV-B penetration. These reconstructions showed that lake water DOC concentrations and underwater UV-B penetration have changed markedly in two of the three lakes modeled. The close correspondence between inferred and measured DOC for the 1980s in all three lakes provides further evidence that we have accurately inferred DOC concentrations. Quantitative DOC reconstructions in Sudbury-area lakes offer an excellent technique for assessing past changes in DOC concentrations and UV-B penetration in Canadian Shield lakes.