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Organic carbon (OC) burial rates in northern lakes are estimated to have increased by 2–3 fold over the past 150 years. However, assessing OC burial efficiency is challenging because (a) long-term (decadal) process are difficult to study in situ, and (b) sediment organic matter (OM) consists of thousands of different compounds from both terrestrial and aquatic sources, which are subject to different degrees of degradation, transformation, or preservation. Here, we used pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to track changes in the organic molecular composition of individual varve years in a series of sediment freeze cores collected during 1979–2010, allowing us to assess diagenetic changes over ≤31 years (or 12.5 cm depth). As predicted from previous work, the greatest losses over time/depth (18–19 years; 8.5 cm) are for compounds indicative of fresh OM, both terrestrial (e.g., levosugars with 58%–77% lost) and particularly aquatic origin (e.g., phytadiene and phytene amongst chlorophylls with 40%–82% lost). This high variability in degradation of specific compounds has implications for interpreting past changes in C and N. Although OM composition changes only slightly beyond 20 years (8.5 cm), the chlorophyll:lignin ratio (fresh vs. degraded compounds) continues to decline to 31 years (12.5 cm) and is predicted to continue up to 100 years (37 cm depth). In most northern lakes, indications of OM degradation to these depths correspond to sediment ages of 50 to >150 years, suggesting that much of the recent increase in OC burial in northern lakes does not represent permanent sequestration of C.

Varved lake sediments offer valuable insight into past environmental conditions with high temporal resolution and precise chronological control. A combination of diatom and geochemical analyses of the recently deposited sediments of Odensjön, a small dimictic lake in southern Sweden, shows alternating light and dark laminae composed of greater amounts of biogenic silica and organic matter, respectively. As confirmed by independent radiometric dating and Pb pollution data, and supported by scanning electron microscopy of individual laminae, these features represent ongoing deposition of biogenic varves. Corresponding diatom and geochemical data obtained from a 92-cm long freeze core provide evidence of substantial lake-ecosystem dynamics during the last six centuries, related mainly to variations in light penetration and wind shear driven by human-induced changes in catchment vegetation. The diatom assemblage of Odensjön’s varved sediments is dominated by planktonic species, primarily Asterionella formosa, Fragilaria saxoplanktonica and Discostella lacuskarluki during periods of forest cover, while increased catchment openness from the mid-1500s to the late 1800s led to increased abundance of Lindavia comensis. Long-term variations in climate and land use, mediated through changing length of the ice-cover season and nutrient input, respectively, probably contributed to the observed trends, as well as to variations in the appearance and visibility of the varve record across the sampled sediment sequence. Odensjön represents the southernmost varved sediment record in Fennoscandia documented to date, offering potential to study the effects of various types of external forcing on its sensitive lacustrine ecosystem since the Late Weichselian deglaciation. In the present study, we investigated the possibility of assessing the local impacts of two major, historically documented volcanic events, Laki 1783–84 and Tambora 1815, which are known to have affected European societies. Although the mildly alkaline waters of the lake are well buffered and hence relatively resilient to volcanic acid deposition, a minor response to the Laki eruption may be recorded in the diatom stratigraphy.

The organic matter composition of lake sediments influences important in-lake biogeochemical processes and stores information on environmental changes. Extracting this information is notoriously difficult because of the complexity of the organic matter matrix, which routinely imposes trade-offs between high temporal and analytical detail in the selection of methods of analysis. Here, we demonstrate the potential of diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for achieving both of these objectives using untreated bulk samples from two Holocene lake-sediment cores from central Sweden. We develop quantitative models for sediment total organic carbon (TOC) with the same predictive abilities as models based on samples diluted with KBr and qualitatively characterize the organic matter using a spectra processing-pipeline combined with principal component analysis. In the qualitative analysis we identified four organic matter sub-fractions and the interpretation of these is supported and further advanced with molecular data from pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Within these organic fractions, compound groups such as aromatics, lignin, aliphatics, proteins and polysaccharides were identified by means of DRIFTS and the analyses and processes outlined here enables rapid and detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of sediment organic matter. The DRIFTS approach can be used as stand-alone method for OM characterization with high temporal resolution in Holocene sediment records. It may also function as a screening process for more specific analyses of sample subsets, such as when coupled with pyrolysis-GC/MS to further tease apart the OM composition, identify sources and determine degradation status.

Inorganic geochemistry is a powerful tool in paleolimnology. It has become one of the most commonly used techniques to analyze lake sediments, particularly due to the development and increasing availability of XRF core scanners during the last two decades. It allows for the reconstruction of the continuous processes that occur in lakes and their watersheds, and it is ideally suited to identify event deposits. How earth surface processes and limnological conditions are recorded in the inorganic geochemical composition of lake sediments is, however, relatively complex. Here, we review the main techniques used for the inorganic geochemical analysis of lake sediments and we offer guidance on sample preparation and instrument selection. We then summarize the best practices to process and interpret bulk inorganic geochemical data. In particular, we emphasize that log-ratio transformation is critical for the rigorous statistical analysis of geochemical datasets, whether they are obtained by XRF core scanning or more traditional techniques. In addition, we show that accurately interpreting inorganic geochemical data requires a sound understanding of the main components of the sediment (organic matter, biogenic silica, carbonates, lithogenic particles) and mineral assemblages. Finally, we provide a series of examples illustrating the potential and limits of inorganic geochemistry in paleolimnology. Although the examples presented in this paper focus on lake and fjord sediments, the principles presented here also apply to other sedimentary environments.

Major explosive volcanic eruptions were important triggers of abrupt climate changes during the Holocene and crucial sources of Hg to the atmosphere, yet there remains limited understanding regarding the long-range transportation of this volcanic Hg and its imprint in natural archives. Here, we present a reconstruction of Holocene global volcanism based on the anomalies in Hg concentrations, accumulation fluxes, and Hg/C ratios in three high-resolution peat profiles spanning Eurasia. Our reconstruction reveals that the two Tibetan peat profiles recorded 33 major explosive volcanic eruptions (with 11 eruptions being synchronously detected), which correspond with a French Pyrenees peat record and sulfate anomalies in polar ice cores. Additionally, the major explosive volcanic eruptions recorded in the TP peat profiles coincided with abrupt decreases in solar irradiance during the Holocene, suggesting these eruptions might have had a greater global climate impact. Our results suggest the atmospheric transport of volcanic Hg within the Northern Hemisphere and underscore the significant role played by major explosive volcanic eruptions in precipitating abrupt global climate and environmental changes during the Holocene. This study has implications for deciphering the configuration of volcanic eruption seasons, locations, and magnitudes during the Holocene and aligning the chronology of peat deposits with ice cores.

Severe extratropical winter storms are a recurrent feature of the European climate and cause widespread socioeconomic losses. Due to insufficient long-term data, it remains unclear whether storminess has shown a notable response to changes in external forcing over the past millennia, which impacts our ability to project future storminess in a changing climate. Reconstructing past storm variability is essential to improving our understanding of storms on these longer, missing timescales. Peat sequences from coastal ombrotrophic bogs are increasingly used for this purpose, where greater quantities of coarser grained beach sand are deposited by strong winds during storm events. Moving inland however, storm intensity decreases, as does sand availability, muting potential paleostorm signals in bogs. We circumvent these issues by taking the innovative approach of using mid-infrared (MIR) spectral data, supported by elemental information, from the inorganic fraction of Store Mosse Dune South (SMDS), a 5000-year-old sequence from a large peatland located in southern Sweden. We infer past changes in mineral composition and thereby, the grain size of the deposited material. The record is dominated by quartz, whose coarse nature was confirmed through analyses of potential local source sediments. This was supported by further mineralogical and elemental proxies of atmospheric input. Comparison of SMDS with within-bog and regionally relevant records showed that there is a difference in proxy and site response to what should be similar timing in shifts in storminess over the ∼100 km transect considered. We suggest the construction of regional storm stacks, built here by applying changepoint modelling to four transect sites jointly. This modelling approach has the effect of reinforcing signals in common while reducing the influence of random noise. The resulting Southern Sweden-Storm Stack dates stormier periods to 4495–4290, 3880–3790, 2885–2855, 2300–2005, 1175–1065 and 715-425 cal yr BP. By comparing with a newly constructed Western Scotland-Storm Stack and proximal dune records, we argue that regional storm stacks allow us to better compare past storminess over wider areas, gauge storm track movements and by extension, increase our understanding of the drivers of storminess on centennial to millennial timescales.

Atmospheric mineral dust not only interacts with the climate system by scattering incoming solar radiation and affecting atmospheric photochemistry, but also contributes critical nutrients to marine and terrestrial ecosystems. In a high-resolution analysis of paleodust deposition, peat development and soil dust sources, we assess the interplay between dust deposition and bog development of the Davidsmosse bog in south-western Sweden. Analyses of the 5400-year record (458 cm) included radiocarbon dating, bulk density, ash content, chemical and mineralogical composition and carbon stable isotopes, subsequently explored using principal component analysis. Fourteen dust events (DEs) were recorded (cal BP) in the peat sequence: 3580–3490; 3280; 3140; 3010–2840; 2740; 2610; 2480; 2340; 2240–2130; 1690; 1240; 960, 890–760, and 620–360. The majority of the DEs were coupled to increases in peat accumulation rates and increased nutrient content (N, P and K) suggesting that the DEs contributed with nutrients to the bog ecosystem, promoting increased accumulation. We also analyzed the chemical and mineral composition of potential mineral source deposits (separated into 6 grain-size fractions) from sites within a 4 km radius as well as aeolian dunes closer to the coast (25 km). The composition deposited on the present-day bog surface indicates that the bulk of the contemporary minerals have a local origin (<1.5 km), but the DEs may be of a more distant origin. The results also indicate that quartz and plagioclase feldspar content consistently increase with increasing grain-size, both in the source samples as well as in the peat sequence, and that the Si/Al ratio can be used to infer grain size changes in the peat. Two longer phases saw numerous DEs, between 2800 and 2130 cal BP and a stepwise increase from 960 towards 360 cal BP. The episodic character of the events, together with the inferred coarse grain size, suggest that the particles were deposited by (winter) storms. Future studies should include grain size analysis as well as a more in-depth comparison with regional paleo dust and storm records to increase knowledge on both transport processes (creep, saltation, suspension) and the climate processes driving late Holocene dust and storm events in Scandinavia.

Contrasting theories exist regarding how Norway spruce (Picea abies) recolonized Fennoscandia after the last glaciation and both early Holocene establishments from western microrefugia and late Holocene colonization from the east have been postulated. Here, we show that Norway spruce was present in southern Fennoscandia as early as 14.7 ± 0.1 cal. kyr BP and that the millennia-old clonal spruce trees present today in central Sweden likely arrived with an early Holocene migration from the east. Our findings are based on ancient sedimentary DNA from multiple European sites (N = 15) combined with nuclear and mitochondrial DNA analysis of ancient clonal (N = 135) and contemporary spruce forest trees (N = 129) from central Sweden. Our other findings imply that Norway spruce was present shortly after deglaciation at the margins of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, and support previously disputed finds of pollen in southern Sweden claiming spruce establishment during the Lateglacial.

Lakes are recognized as critical zones for carbon transformation and storage, and lacustrine sediments sequestrate considerable amounts of organic carbon (OC). Understanding sedimentation processes and OC burial patterns is crucial to clarifying lakes’ role in global carbon cycling. However, OC sedimentation may be quite spatially heterogeneous within an aquatic system, owing to the differences in OC production and sources, hydrodynamic conditions and underwater topography. The uncertainties in estimating OC sequestration in the world’s large lakes remain poorly constrained. This study takes the test case of two large lakes (50 and 249 km²) with different water depth and trophic status, using a multi-core paleolimnological technique, to identify the spatial variation in OC accumulation and its main influencing factors over the past century. Results of multi-core comparisons revealed similar temporal trends in major organic and nutrient parameters, suggesting coherent processes of whole-lake sedimentary environment changes for each lake. The OC preserved in sediments was primarily of autochthonous origin. However, OC standing stocks varied ∼3-fold spatially, and average OC accumulation rates ranged between 9.5–27.4 g m⁻² yr⁻¹ (post–1963 in oligo-mesotrophic deep-lake Lugu) and between 17.4–43.5 g m⁻² yr⁻¹ (post–1980 in eutrophic shallow-lake Erhai), respectively. These variations were primarily attributable to the spatial differences in aquatic primary production and terrestrial detritus supply relating to anthropogenic land-use change and phosphorus loading, rather than intra-lake sediment focusing-related transport and redistribution. The single central-core approach from Lugu Lake would overestimate whole-lake OC stock by 32% or underestimate the value by 48%, indicating spatial variability is an important source of uncertainty for OC stock quantification in similar large and/or morphometrically complex waterbodies. Therefore, spatial heterogeneity of OC accumulation in inland waters requires considerable research with well-placed multi-cores to provide a deeper understanding of carbon sequestration patterns and mechanisms.

Store Mosse (the ‘Great Bog’ in Swedish) is one of the most extensive bog complexes in southern Sweden (~77 km2), where pioneering palaeoenvironmental research has been carried out since the early 20th century. This includes, for example, vegetation changes, carbon and nitrogen dynamics, peat decomposition, atmospheric metal pollution, mineral dust deposition, dendrochronology, and tephrochronology. Even though organic matter (OM) represents the bulk of the peat mass and its compositional change has the potential to provide crucial ecological information on bog responses to environmental factors, peat OM molecular composition has not been addressed in detail. Here, a 568-cm-deep peat sequence was studied at high resolution, by attenuated reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR) in the mid-infrared region (4000–400 cm–1). Principal components analysis was performed on selected absorbances and change-point modelling was applied to the records to determine the timing of changes. Four components accounted for peat composition: (i) depletion/accumulation of labile (i.e. carbohydrates) and recalcitrant (i.e. lignin and other aromatics, aliphatics, organic acids and some N compounds) compounds, due to peat decomposition; (ii) variations in N compounds and carbohydrates; (iii) residual variation of lignin and organic acids; and (iv) residual variation of aliphatic structures. Peat decomposition showed two main patterns: a long-term trend highly correlated to peat age (r = 0.87), and a short-term trend, which showed five main phases of increased decomposition (at ~8.4–8.1, ~7.0–5.6, ~3.5–3.1, ~2.7–2.1 and ~1.6–1.3 ka) – mostly corresponding to drier climate and its effect on bog hydrology. The high peat accumulation event (~5.6–3.9 ka), described in earlier studies, is characterized by the lowest degree of peat decomposition of the whole record. Given that FTIR-ATR is a quick, non-destructive, cost-effective technique, our results indicate that it can be applied in a systematic way (including multicore studies) to peat research and provide relevant information on the evolution of peatlands.