Abstract
Wildfire is the dominant natural disturbance agent in forests of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and can have long-lasting impacts on local landscapes and limnologic processes. We applied a multi-proxy paleolimnological approach to infer the impact of forest fires on the catchment of Island Lake, Wyoming (USA), over the last ~ 350 years. Specifically, we examined whether fossil diatom assemblages recorded indirect, limnological impacts from fire, including changes in water clarity, nutrient input, and lake mixing. The objective of this study was to determine if post-fire lake changes could be reconstructed effectively using fossil diatom assemblages from Island Lake, Wyoming, by comparing the diatom record to dendrochronological and macroscopic charcoal records. Local and regional fire years AD 1747 and 1900 were determined from tree-ring records, which were corroborated with sediment accumulation rates and magnetic susceptibility in Island Lake sediments. Inferred lacustrine conditions that were associated with fire events, particularly regional, mixed-severity fire year 1900, included increased turbidity, greater water column mixing, and possible augmented influx of total phosphorus to the system. Thus, the fossil diatom assemblage in Island Lake appears to have recorded forest fire activity indirectly, particularly when fire activity was severe or widespread within the catchment. An increase in small colonial Fragilaria (sensu lato) species since 1975, in association with the rise in abundance of Asterionella formosa and Tetracyclus glans, suggests recent changes in thermal stratification patterns, epilimnion temperatures, and available nutrients.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 107-119 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of Paleolimnology |
Volume | 64 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 1 2020 |
Funding
We thank Matt Brindle, Ken Cleghorn, Natalie Erlenbaugh, Jared Foster, Heather Foxx, Bethany Kile, Courtney Natt, Cory Portwood, and Qichao Yao for field assistance, and Allie McCune for laboratory assistance. We thank the Paleolimnology Lab at University of Illinois-Champaign for 210Pb dating. The CSDCO/LacCore Visiting Graduate Student Grant provided funding for initial core description, SEM time, travel, and lodging. Indiana State University’s COMPETE grant funded radiocarbon dating. The Indiana State University’s Center for Student Research and Creativity Graduate Student Grant aided with field work costs and the purchase of laboratory supplies. We also thank the Indiana State University Department of Earth and Environmental Systems for partial funding of field work and laboratory supplies. We thank Matt Brindle, Ken Cleghorn, Natalie Erlenbaugh, Jared Foster, Heather Foxx, Bethany Kile, Courtney Natt, Cory Portwood, and Qichao Yao for field assistance, and Allie McCune for laboratory assistance. We thank the Paleolimnology Lab at University of Illinois-Champaign for Pb dating. The CSDCO/LacCore Visiting Graduate Student Grant provided funding for initial core description, SEM time, travel, and lodging. Indiana State University’s COMPETE grant funded radiocarbon dating. The Indiana State University’s Center for Student Research and Creativity Graduate Student Grant aided with field work costs and the purchase of laboratory supplies. We also thank the Indiana State University Department of Earth and Environmental Systems for partial funding of field work and laboratory supplies. 210
Funders | Funder number |
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CSDCO | |
Indiana State University Department of Earth and Environmental Systems | |
LacCore | |
Indiana State University |
Keywords
- Charcoal
- Climate
- Diatoms
- Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
- Paleoecology