Paleolimnological assessment of human impacts on an urban South African lake |
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| Authors: | F García-Rodríguez C R Anderson J B Adams |
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| Institution: | (1) Botany Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6031, Republic of South Africa;(2) Department of Geosciences, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6031, Republic of South Africa |
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| Abstract: | North End Lake is a polluted and eutrophic freshwater system located in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Since the lake is expected
to be used for recreational/tourist purposes by 2010, a rehabilitation program will have to be designed. For this reason,
we retrieved a sediment core from the central region of the lake to decipher the effect of historical human impacts on the
water body. Pre-disturbance paleolimnological inferences indicate that the lake was likely mesotrophic. After ∼1831, when
sheep farming activities were undertaken in the catchment, increases in trophic state and changes in sediment composition
were observed. After ∼1937, increases in trace metal levels, organic matter, spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP) and changes
in sediment composition were recorded. The system became eutrophic as indicated by the dominance of the diatom Actinocyclus normanii, a cosmopolitan species often observed in systems where water quality has been dramatically degraded. The conditions worsened
after 1986 because of the construction of a storm-water retention system, which intentionally channeled storm-water runoff
into the lake. Because of this, extremely high values of fecal coliforms (i.e. 2 × 106 every 100 ml) have been measured in the water column. The paleolimnological information identified the sharp increase in
organic content in the uppermost section of the core, and this could be correlated to the operation of the storm-water retention
system. Therefore, as an immediate management measure, we suggest that the storm-water retention system should either no longer
be utilized, or the storm-water runoff should be treated before disposal into the lake. In addition, an effective sewage system
has to be constructed. |
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| Keywords: | Diatoms Eutrophication Trace metals Human impacts Paleolimnology Spheroidal carbonaceous particles South Africa |
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