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Organic geochemical record of increased productivity in Lake Naukuchiyatal, Kumaun Himalayas, India

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Abstract

Organic geochemical proxies have been studied in a 45-cm-long core retrieved from Lake Naukuchiyatal in Kumaun Himalayas, India. Increase in TOC, N, hydrocarbons and pigments concentration from bottom to surface sediments of the core indicates increase in the lake productivity. Stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N), biomarkers (TAR, CPI and n-ΣC15,17,19) and C/N atomic (between 9 and 12) suggest dominance of algal derived organic matter in these sediments. Decrease in organic δ13C values (between −27 and −31‰) in surface sediments indicate influence of sewage and land runoff in shifting organic δ13C values, whereas low (between −0.23 and 2.2‰) δ15N values together with high pigment concentrations (zeaxanthin and echinenone) represent dominance of cyanobacteria in the lake.

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Acknowledgments

P. Parthasarathy and R. Saini are acknowledged for their help in sampling the lake. Supriyo Das helped with pigment analysis. Klara Hajnal and Heike Seigmund are acknowledged for their help in the laboratory. We thank the Swedish Research Link-Asia program for funding the study and P.C. was supported on Council of Scientific and Industrial Research fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, 247667, India

    Preetam Choudhary & Govind J. Chakrapani

  2. Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Stockholm University, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Joyanto Routh

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  1. Preetam Choudhary
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  3. Govind J. Chakrapani
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Correspondence to Preetam Choudhary.

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Choudhary, P., Routh, J. & Chakrapani, G.J. Organic geochemical record of increased productivity in Lake Naukuchiyatal, Kumaun Himalayas, India. Environ Earth Sci 60, 837–843 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-009-0221-3

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