Physical, chemical and biological processes in Lake Vostok and other Antarctic subglacial lakes.

Over 70 lakes have now been identified beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Although water from none of the lakes has been sampled directly, analysis of lake ice frozen (accreted) to the underside of the ice sheet above Lake Vostok, the largest of these lakes, has allowed inferences to be made on lake water chemistry and has revealed small quantities of microbes. These findings suggest that Lake Vostok is an extreme, yet viable, environment for life. All subglacial lakes are subject to high pressure (approximately 350 atmospheres), low temperatures (about -3 degrees C) and permanent darkness. Any microbes present must therefore use chemical sources to power biological processes. Importantly, dissolved oxygen is available at least at the lake surface, from equilibration with air hydrates released from melting basal glacier ice. Microbes found in Lake Vostok's accreted ice are relatively modern, but the probability of ancient lake-floor sediments leads to a possibility of a very old biota at the base of subglacial lakes.     

Rapid discharge connects Antarctic subglacial lakes

The existence of many subglacial lakes provides clear evidence for the widespread presence of water beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet, but the hydrology beneath this ice mass is poorly understood. Such knowledge is critical to understanding ice flow, basal water transfer to the ice margin, glacial landform development and subglacial lake habitats. Here we present ice-sheet surface elevation changes in central East Antarctica that we interpret to represent rapid discharge from a subglacial lake. Our observations indicate that during a period of 16 months, 1.8 km3 of water was transferred over 290 km to at least two other subglacial lakes. While viscous deformation of the ice roof above may moderate discharge, the intrinsic instability of such a system suggests that discharge events are a common mode of basal drainage. If large lakes, such as Lake Vostok or Lake Concordia, are pressurizing, it is possible that substantial discharges could reach the coast. Our observations conflict with expectations that subglacial lakes have long residence times and slow circulations, and we suggest that entire subglacial drainage basins may be flushed periodically. The rapid transfer of water between lakes would result in large-scale solute and microbe relocation, and drainage system contamination from in situ exploration is, therefore, a distinct risk.     

Constraints on hydrothermal processes and water exchange in Lake Vostok from helium isotopes

Lake Vostok, the largest subglacial lake in Antarctica, is covered by the East Antarctic ice sheet, which varies in thickness between 3,750 and 4,100 m (ref. 1). At a depth of 3,539 m in the drill hole at Vostok station, sharp changes in stable isotopes and the gas content of the ice delineate the boundary between glacier ice and ice accreted through re-freezing of lake water. Unlike most gases, helium can be incorporated into the crystal structure of ice during freezing, making helium isotopes in the accreted ice a valuable source of information on lake environment. Here we present helium isotope measurements from the deep section of the Vostok ice core that encompasses the boundary between the glacier ice and accreted ice, showing that the accreted ice is enriched by a helium source with a radiogenic isotope signature typical of an old continental province. This result rules out any significant hydrothermal energy input into the lake from high-enthalpy mantle processes, which would be expected to produce a much higher 3He/4He ratio. Based on the average helium flux for continental areas, the helium budget of the lake leads to a renewal time of the lake of the order of 5,000 years.     

Large subglacial lakes in East Antarctica at the onset of fast-flowing ice streams

Water plays a crucial role in ice-sheet stability and the onset of ice streams. Subglacial lake water moves between lakes and rapidly drains, causing catastrophic floods. The exact mechanisms by which subglacial lakes influence ice-sheet dynamics are unknown, however, and large subglacial lakes have not been closely associated with rapidly flowing ice streams. Here we use satellite imagery and ice-surface elevations to identify a region of subglacial lakes, similar in total area to Lake Vostok, at the onset region of the Recovery Glacier ice stream in East Antarctica and predicted by ice-sheet models. We define four lakes through extensive, flat, featureless regions of ice surface bounded by upstream troughs and downstream ridges. Using ice velocities determined using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), we find the onset of rapid flow (moving at 20 to 30 m yr(-1)) of the tributaries to the Recovery Glacier ice stream in a 280-km-wide segment at the downslope margins of these four subglacial lakes. We conclude that the subglacial lakes initiate and maintain rapid ice flow through either active modification of the basal thermal regime of the ice sheet by lake accretion or through scouring bedrock channels in periodic drainage events. We suggest that the role of subglacial lakes needs to be considered in ice-sheet mass balance assessments.     

Thickness of ice on perennially frozen lakes

The dry valleys of southern Victoria Land, constituting the largest ice-free expanse in the Antarctic, contain numerous lakes whose perennial ice cover is the cause of some unique physical and biological properties. Although the depth, temperature and salinity of the liquid water varies considerably from lake to lake, the thickness of the ice cover is remarkably consistent, ranging from 3.5 to 6 m, which is determined primarily by the balance between conduction of energy out of the ice and the release of latent heat at the ice-water interface and is also affected by the transmission and absorption of sunlight. In the steady state, the release of latent heat at the ice bottom is controlled by ablation from the ice surface. Here we present a simple energy-balance model, using the measured ablation rate of 30 cm yr-1, which can explain the observed ice thickness.     

Water exchange between the subglacial Lake Vostok and the overlying ice sheet

It has now been known for several years that a 200-km-long lake, called Lake Vostok, lies beneath the ice sheet on which sits Vostok Station in Antarctica. The conditions at the base of the ice sheet above this subglacial lake can provide information about the environment within the lake, including the likelihood that it supports life. Here we present an analysis of the ice-sheet structure from airborne 60-MHz radar studies, which indicates that distinct zones of basal ice loss and accretion occur at the ice-water interface. Subglacial melting and net ice loss occur in the north of the lake and across its 200-km-long western margin, whereas about 150 m of ice is gained by subglacial freezing in the south. This indicates that significant quantities of water are exchanged between the base of the ice sheet and the lake waters, which will enrich the lake with gas hydrates, cause sediment deposition and encourage circulation of the lake water.     

An analysis on the evolvement processes of lake eutrophication and their characteristics of the typical lakes in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River

Many lakes of China are in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, especially freshwater lakes, and their formation and evolvement are closely related to the change of water system and anthropic activity. In the recent decades, with the intensi…     

Stimulated influences of Lake Agassiz on the climate of central North America 11,000 years ago

Eleven thousand years ago, large lakes existed in central and eastern North America along the margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The large-scale North American climate at this time has been simulated with atmospheric general circulation models, but these relatively coarse global models do not resolve potentially important features of the mesoscale circulation that arise from interactions among the atmosphere, ice sheet, and proglacial lakes. Here we present simulations of the climate of central and eastern North America 11,000 years ago with a high-resolution, regional climate model nested within a general circulation model. The simulated climate is in general agreement with that inferred from palaeoecological evidence. Our experiments indicate that through mesoscale atmospheric feedbacks, the annual delivery of moisture to the Laurentide Ice Sheet was diminished at times of a large, cold Lake Agassiz relative to periods of lower lake stands. The resulting changes in the mass balance of the ice sheet may have contributed to fluctuations of the ice margin, thus affecting the routing of fresh water to the North Atlantic Ocean. A retreating ice margin during periods of high lake level may have opened an outlet for discharge of Lake Agassiz into the North Atlantic. A subsequent advance of the ice margin due to greater moisture delivery associated with a low lake level could have dammed the outlet, thereby reducing discharge to the North Atlantic. These variations may have been decisive in causing the Younger Dryas cold event.     

Classification of Tibetan lakes based on variations in seasonal lake water temperature

Widespread lakes on the Tibetan Plateau （TP） are valuable archives for investigating climate and environment changes, which could provide essential information on the mechanisms of past climate changes on the TP and their interaction with the global climate systems. However, there is a lack of in-depth investigation of modern limnological processes in the Tibetan lakes, which hampers the understanding of paleolimnological records and lake ecosystem succession. In this study, we performed continuous temperature monitoring at two lakes, Bangong Co, a freshwater lake in the western TP, and Dagze Co, a brackish lake in the central TP, in order to characterize the patterns of seasonal temperature variability, stratification, and mixing. Temperature data for an entire hydrological year demonstrate that Bangong Co is a dimictic lake and that Dagze Co is a meromictic lake. The higher salinity in the deep water at Dagze Co prevents the lake from overturning completely, and this finding is supported by simulations using a physical limnological model Lake Analyzer. Continuous lake water temperature monitoring provides fundamental data for classifying Tibetan lakes, as well as the hydrological basis for understanding their pa- leolimnological records and ecosystem succession.     

Origin and fate of Lake Vostok water frozen to the base of the East Antarctic ice sheet

The subglacial Lake Vostok may be a unique reservoir of genetic material and it may contain organisms with distinct adaptations, but it has yet to be explored directly. The lake and the overlying ice sheet are closely linked, as the ice-sheet thickness drives the lake circulation, while melting and freezing at the ice-sheet base will control the flux of water, biota and sediment through the lake. Here we present a reconstruction of the ice flow trajectories for the Vostok core site, using ice-penetrating radar data and Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of surface ice velocity. We find that the ice sheet has a significant along-lake flow component, persistent since the Last Glacial Maximum. The rates at which ice is frozen (accreted) to the base of the ice sheet are greatest at the shorelines, and the accreted ice layer is subsequently transported out of the lake. Using these new flow field and velocity measurements, we estimate the time for ice to traverse Lake Vostok to be 16,000-20,000 years. We infer that most Vostok ice analysed to date was accreted to the ice sheet close to the western shoreline, and is therefore not representative of open lake conditions. From the amount of accreted lake water we estimate to be exported along the southern shoreline, the lake water residence time is about 13,300 years.     

Water balance estimates of ten greatest lakes in China using ICESat and Landsat data

Lake level and area variations are sensitive to regional climate changes and can be used to indirectly estimate water balances of lakes. In this study, 10 of the largest lakes in China, ～1000 km² or larger, are examined to determine changes in lake level and area derived respectively from ICESat and Landsat data recorded between 2003 and 2009. The time series of lake level and area of Selin Co, Nam Co, and Qinghai Lake in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and Xingkai Lake in northeastern China exhibit an increasing trend, with Selin Co showing the fastest rise in lake level (0.69 m/a), area (32.59 km²/a), and volume (1.25 km³/a) among the 10 examined lakes. Bosten and Hulun lakes in the arid and semiarid region of northern China show a decline in both lake level and area, with Bosten Lake showing the largest decrease in lake level (?0.43 m/a) and Hulun Lake showing the largest area shrinkage (?35.56 km²/a). However, Dongting, Poyang, Taihu, and Hongze lakes in the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River basin present seasonal variability without any apparent tendencies. The lake level and area show strong correlations for Selin Co, Nam Co, Qinghai, Poyang, Hulun, and Bosten lakes (R ² >0.80) and for Taihu, Hongze, and Xingkai lakes (～0.70) and weak correlation for East Dongting Lake (0.37). The lake level changes and water volume changes are in very good agreement for all lakes (R ² > 0.98). Water balances of the 10 lakes are derived on the basis of both lake level and area changes, with Selin Co, Nam Co, Qinghai, and Xingkai lakes showing positive water budgets of 9.08, 4.07, 2.88, and 1.09 km³, respectively. Bosten and Hulun lakes show negative budgets of ?3.01 and ?4.73 km³, respectively, and the four lakes along the Yangtze River show no obvious variations. Possible explanations for the lake level and area changes in these four lakes are also discussed. This study suggests that satellite remote sensing could serve as a fast and effective tool for estimating lake water balance.     

湖北省湖泊水资源生态经济学评价

湖北省湖泊水资源具有以下特点：水质呈弱碱性,具有较大的缓冲能力。１５％的湖泊属于贫营养型,５４％的湖泊属于中营养型,３０％的湖泊属于富营养型。湖泊水源较充足,水位变幅小,湖流不明显,风浪小,适用鱼类生长的水温期长。但目前利用水平较低,作者在分析和评价湖水质量和水情后,提出了利用对策。     

A mid－Holocene drought interval as evidenced by lake desiccation in the Alashan Plateau,Inner Mongolia,China

The mid-Holocene in China is traditionally thought to be a warm and humid period with a strong sum-mer monsoon, and is often termed the Holocene Climatic Optimum or Megathermal Period. Here we present lakegeomorphologic and lithologicai evidence from the Alashan Plateau, part of the Mongolian Plateau, that indicates stronglake desiccation during the mid-Holocene. High resolution pollen data from Zhuyeze Lake, at the present summermonsoon margin, is also presented. These data show that present lakes and wetlands in the Juyanze Lake basin west of the Badain Jaran desert, in the Zhuyeze Lake basin between the Badain Jaran and Tengger deserts, and in lakes in the eastern Tengger desert, dried or experienced low lake levelsin the mid-Holocene around 5000-7000 cal yr BP. Pollen data further indicate that the vegetation cover declined in both the local areas and in the Qilian Mountains, suggesting the climate was drier than that associated with the presentAsian summer monsoon. This mid-Holocene drought interval was present throughout a quite large region of the south In-ner Mongolian Plateau. The period was also probably colder,at least in the high Asian plateaus and mountains.     

武汉市城市湖泊演化及开发利用初探

城市湖泊主要指位于建成区及其邻近正在非农化地区中的湖泊,也包括位于中心城市周围点状展布的卫星城镇区域范围内的湖泊．在分析武汉市湖泊现状特征的基础上,探讨了三国时期以来武汉市城市湖泊演化的过程与规律,提出了武汉市湖泊开发利用的基本思路．指出武汉市城市湖泊众多,可分为东沙湖水系、汤逊湖水系、北湖水系、墨水湖-龙阳湖-南太子湖（北太子湖）水系、东西湖水系等湖泊群．认为它们的形成演化、开发利用和保护同城市化过程关系极为密切,明代以来武汉市湖泊变化最为显著．提出了合理永续利用湖泊资源、发展湖泊经济、建设“湖城武汉”、加大湖泊保护力度等建议和对策．     

佛山科学技术学院校园湖水COD的监测与评价

通过两年来采用重铬酸钾法测定佛山科学技术学院校园三个湖的湖水COD值．收集所有监测数据,并对三个湖的水质进行评价,结果表明：映日湖水质最好．其次是映红湖．最差是柳明湖。虽然三个湖都基本达到一般景观水域要求,但都有污染加重的趋势,据此,提出了保护湖水的对策和建议。     

洞庭湖新石器文化遗址与古环境

洞庭湖地区丰富的古文化遗址为研究历史时期环境演变提供了条件。洞庭湖在晚更新世末至早全新世呈现深切河谷与零星洼地湖泊共存的河湖切割平原景观。进入全新世暖期，人类活动开始在洞庭湖平原周边地区频繁出现；大溪文化时期人类已在平原湖区中部开始渔猫活动；屈家岭文化时期人类活动从洞庭湖平原中部退出；龙山文化时期人类文化活动遗址向湖中推进，湖泊三角洲有所发展。商周至秦汉时期，洞庭湖三角洲平原发育，河间洼地湖泊、沼泽形成。魏晋以来，特别是长江分流入洞庭，导致了洞庭湖的迅速扩张，19世纪以后，由于大量泥沙入洞庭湖及人类围垦，使洞庭湖迅速淤浅，湖泊面积锐减。     

三仙湖氮磷污染现状与问题诊断

 三仙湖湖区水质好坏及水量多寡关乎湖南南县及周边地区的战略饮用水安全。三仙湖流域水质与底质的调查结果表明：三仙湖湖体水中总磷平均质量浓度为0.18 mg/L,总氮平均质量浓度为1.26 mg/L,总体水质为V类,总磷超标严重,对比国内重要湖泊水质总氮均值依次表现为三仙湖 < 洞庭湖 < 鄱阳湖 < 太湖,总磷均值为鄱阳湖 < 洞庭湖 < 三仙湖 < 太湖。沉积物中总氮污染较重,总磷生态效应较总氮低,对比国内重要湖泊底质总氮均值表现为洞庭湖 < 三仙湖 < 鄱阳湖 < 太湖,总磷均值表现为三仙湖 < 鄱阳湖 < 洞庭湖 < 太湖。分析表明,目前存在农业面源污染严重、湖内底泥淤积、内源污染释放风险较大、散养牲畜进入湖区放养现象突出、受精养塘等渔业污染严重等问题。     

湖泊流域农村水环境现状的公众意识调查

湖泊是最重要的淡水资源之一,对社会和经济的发展起着不可估量的作用。保护和改善湖泊水环境问题已成为当前世界关注的一个焦点。公众意识是提高湖泊水资源环境管理效率和治理成功的关键因素,本文采用问卷调查对黄石市大冶湖、网湖、朱婆湖和海口湖周边的当地渔民、农民及其他居民进行了农村水环境现状公众意识调查及利益群体实地访谈。结果表明：60.6%的被访者认为湖泊水质变差了,并且不同职业身份对湖泊水质变化看法存在不一致性,这种不一致性主要表现在渔民认为湖泊水质变差的比例显著性高于其他职业身份的被访者。在湖泊水质变差原因的多选项应答中,选择工业污染的应答比例最高,为40.1%,其次是养殖业污染和生活污染,分别为24.9%和21.6%。另外,从职业身份对湖泊对应分析可以看出受访者对各自行业给湖泊造成的污染有很强的意识和认知感,这是未来改善湖泊水质、制定相关管理措施和治理污染对策的良好群众基础。     

太湖水环境综合治理的实践与思考

回顾并总结近年来太湖水环境综合治理的做法和效果.经过近5年的持续努力,太湖水环境治理已经取得初步成效,蓝藻暴发减弱,湖体水质得到改善,湖泛基本消失.实践证明,目前太湖水环境综合治理采取的控源治污、打捞蓝藻、生态清淤、调水引流措施是行之有效的.认为对于太湖这样的浅水型湖泊污染治理,控源是基本思路,转变发展方式是必由之路,生态清淤是有效措施,促进河湖良性互动是必要途径,正确把握湖泊的生命规律是重要课题;由于太湖污染的长期积累,太湖已形成的“藻型生境条件”很难在短期内得到根本改变,加之现有的入湖污染仍远超湖体允许的纳污能力,一旦温度、水流、光照等外部条件适宜,太湖蓝藻生态危害仍然可能大规模暴发,太湖水环境形势依然严峻.     

Oxygen isotope variation in the water cycle of the Yamzho lake Basin in southern Tibetan Plateau

Given the potential use of stable isotope in the paleoclimate reconstruction from lacustrine records as well as in the local hydrology cycle, it is crucial to understand the processes of stable isotope evolution in catchment in the Tibetan Plateau region. Here we present a detailed study on the water oxygen isotope based on 2 years observation including precipitation, river water and lake water in the Yamzho Lake, south of the Tibetan Plateau. Temporal variation of local precipitation 5180 shows an apparent ＂monsoon cycle＂. In monsoon season, 5180 in waters is lower. In non-monsoon season, δ^18O in precipitation and lake water is higher and higher river δ^18O exists in spring, probably reflecting the effect of land surface evaporation, together with the higher δ^18O values in spring precipitation. It is also found that the surface lake water δ^18O varies seasonally and annually. The lower lake water δ^18O in the late summer is apparently related to the summer monsoon precipitation. The mean δ^18O value of lake water in 2007 is 1.2‰ higher than that in 2004, probably due to the less monsoon precipitation in summer of 2007, as can be confirmed from the precipitation data at the Langkazi meteorological data. It is also found that an obvious shift of vertical lake water δ^18O reflects the fast mixture of lake water. δ^18O values of lake water are over 10‰ higher than those of precipitation and river water in this region due to the evaporation fractionation. The modeled results show that the evaporation process of the lake water is sensitive to relative humidity, and the present lake water δ^18O reflects a relative humidity of 51% in the Yamzho Lake. It shows that the lake will take 30.5 years to reach present lake water δ^18O given a large shift in the input water δ^18O. The modeled results also reveal that surface lake water temperature and inflow δ^18O have slight effect on the isotopic balance process of lake water in the Yamzho Lake.