Sediment Geochemistry and Paleoenvironmental Dynamics in Lacustrine Systems
Summary
Lacustrine sediments provide unparalleled archives of past environmental change, recording interactions between climate, catchment processes and in-lake biogeochemistry. Organic matter derived from phytoplankton, macrophytes and terrestrial vegetation combines with mineral detritus to form stratified layers whose chemical and mineralogical composition is shaped by redox gradients, microbial activity and hydrodynamic regimes. Key processes include the formation of authigenic minerals at geochemical barriers, diagenetic transformation of organic-mineral complexes, and selective preservation or remobilisation of trace elements. Multi-proxy approaches—integrating elemental ratios, stable isotopes, sediment texture and microfossil assemblages—allow reconstruction of hydrological fluctuations, nutrient inputs and anthropogenic impacts over timescales from decades to millennia. Advances in high-resolution geochemical profiling and modelling have refined our understanding of how episodic events such as floods, droughts or fire-driven aerosol inputs are archived in sediment sequences. This knowledge underpins broader insights into Holocene climate variability, carbon cycling and the sustainable management of lake resources in the face of ongoing environmental change.
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Sediment Geochemistry and Paleoenvironmental Dynamics in Lacustrine Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in sediment geochemistry and paleoenvironmental dynamics in lacustrine systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Sapropel: Organic-rich sediment deposited under anoxic or dysoxic bottom-water conditions, often rich in preserved biogenic remains.
Diagenesis: Post-depositional physical and chemical alteration of sediments, including mineral transformation and organic matter degradation.
Authigenic mineral: Mineral precipitated in situ within sediments from pore-water chemistry rather than transported detritus.
Geochemical barrier: Interface within sediments where steep chemical or redox gradients induce precipitation or dissolution of specific mineral phases.
Multi-proxy analysis: Integration of several independent palaeoenvironmental indicators—such as elemental ratios, isotopes and microfossils—to reconstruct past conditions.
References
- Biogeochemistry and element speciation in sapropel from freshwater Lake Dukhovoe (East Baikal region, Russia). Applied Geochemistry (2022).
- Authigenic Carbonates in the Water–Biota–Bottom Sediments’ System of Small Lakes (South of Western Siberia). Minerals (2020).
- Sediment geochemistry of the section Tagay-1 at Olkhon Island (Lake Baikal, Eastern Siberia): a contribution to palaeoenvironmental interpretations. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments (2022).
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