Skip to main content
Log in

Sedimentary evidence for changes in the pollution status of Taihu in the Jiangsu region of eastern China

  • Published:
Journal of Paleolimnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

As part of a study using lake sediments to determine the extent and causes of human impacts to lakes along an east–west transect following the Yangtse River, sediment cores were taken from Taihu in eastern China. Previous studies have focussed on the impacts of direct inputs of pollutants from municipal and industrial wastewater but little work has been undertaken on trends in atmospheric deposition from the many industrial sources surrounding the lake. Analysis of the Taihu sediment cores for atmospheric pollutant indicators such as trace metals, magnetic parameters and spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs) show the lake has become increasingly contaminated over the last 40–50 years. Sediment levels of atmospherically deposited pollutants are currently similar to some of the more contaminated lakes in Europe. Further, sediment nitrogen, phosphorus and geochemical analyses confirm the dramatic increase in eutrophication at the site and periods of recent soil erosion in the catchment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen S.E. (ed.) 1989. Chemical Analysis of Ecological Materials. 2nd edn. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 361 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Appleby P.G. 2001. Chronostratigraphic techniques in recent sediments. In: Last W.M. and Smol J.P. (eds), Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments, Vol. 1, Basin Analysis, Coring, and Chronological Techniques, Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 171–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Appleby P.G., Nolan P., Gifford D.W., Godfrey M.J., Oldfield F., Anderson N.J. and Battarbee R.W. 1986. 210Pb dating by low background gamma counting. Hydrobiologia 141: 21–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyle J.F. 2000. Rapid elemental analysis of sediment samples by isotope source XRF. J. Paleolim. 23: 213–221.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyle J.F. 2001. Inorganic geochemical methods in palaeolimnology. In: Last W.M. and Smol J.P. (eds), Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments, Vol. 2. Physical and Chemical Techniques, Kluwer, Dordrecht, pp. 83–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyle J.F., Rose N.L., Bennion H., Yang H. and Appleby P.G. 1999. Environmental impact in the Jianghan Plain: evidence from lake sediments. Water Air Soil Pollut. 112: 21–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean W.E. 1999. The carbon cycle and biogeochemical dynamics in lake sediments. J. Paleolim. 21: 375–393.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickman M.D., Pu P.M. and Zheng C.S. 2001. Some consequences of hypereutrophication and wind-induced mixing for the limnology of Lake Tai in eastern China. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 27: 3669–3673.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan C., Ji J., Zhou W., Chen H., Huang W. and Shi J. 1997. Studies on the aquatic environmental ecology and eutrophication in Lake Taihu (1994–1995). Report of Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology and Taihu Basin Water Resources Protection Bureau, 135 pp. (in Chinese).

  • Feng K., Yu B.Y., Ge D.M., Wong M.H., Wang X.C. and Cao Z.H. 2003. Organo-chlorine pesticide (DDT and HCH) residues in the Taihu Lake region and its movement in soil-water system. I. Field survey of DDT and HCH residues in ecosystem of the region. Chemosphere 50: 683–687.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilton J., Davison W. and Ochsenbein U. 1985. A mathematical model for analysis of sediment core data: implications for enrichment factor calculations and trace-metal transport mechanisms. Chem. Geol. 48: 281–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li K. 1999. Management and restoration of fish communities in Lake Taihu, China. Fish. Manage. Ecol. 6: 71–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton S.A. and Kahl J.S. 1987. A comparison of lake sediments and ombrotrophic peat deposits as long term monitors of atmospheric pollution. In: Boyle T.P. (ed.), New Approaches to Monitoring Aquatic Ecosystems, ASTM STP 940, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp. 40–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oldfield F. 1999. The rock magnetic identification of magnetic mineral and grain size assemblages. In: Walden J., Oldfield F. and Smith J.P. (eds), Environmental Magnetism: A Practical Guide, Technical guide, No. 6, Quaternary Research Association, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pu P., Hu W., Yan J., Wang G. and Hu C. 1998. A physicoecological engineering experiment for water treatment in a hypertrophic lake in China. Ecol. Eng. 10: 179–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qin B. 1999. Hydrodynamics of Lake Taihu, China. Ambio 28: 669–673.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qu W., Dickman M., Wang S., Wu R., Zhang P., Chen J. and He H. 1998. Lake typology based on the use of sediment alkanes in the east and west basins of Taihu Lake, China. Hydrobiology 364: 219–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qu W., Xue B., Dickman M.D., Wang S., Fan C., Wu R., Zhang P., Chen J. and Wu Y. 2000. A 14,000-year record of paleoenvironmental change in the western basin of China's third largest lake, Lake Taihu. Hydrobiology 432: 113–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qu W., Dickman M. and Wang S. 2001. Multivariate analysis of heavy metal and nutrient concentrations in sediments of Taihu Lake, China. Hydrobiology 450: 83–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qu W., Dickman M., Fan C., Wang S., Su C., Zhang L. and Zou H. 2002. Distribution, sources and potential toxicological significance of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Taihu Lake sediments, China. Hydrobiology 485: 163–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose N.L. 1994. A note on further refinements to a procedure for the extraction of carbonaceous fly-ash particles from sediments. J. Paleolim. 11: 201–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose N.L., Harlock S. and Appleby P.G. 1999. The spatial and temporal distributions of spheroidal carbonaceous fly-ash particles (SCP) in the sediment records of European mountain lakes. Water Air Soil Pollut. 113: 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose N.L., Appleby P.G., Bennion H., Boyle J.F., Cai S., Dai X.R., Du Y., Yi C. and Yu L. 2000. Environmental change and atmospheric contamination across China as indicated by lake sediments (Joint Project Q741). Data report for Year 1: Jiangsu, Research Report No. 73, Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London.

  • Shen L., Lin G.F., Tan J.W. and Shen J.H. 2000. Genotoxicity of surface water samples from Meiliang Bay, Taihu Lake, eastern China. Chemosphere 41: 129–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smol J. 2002. Pollution of Lakes and Rivers. A Paleoenvironmental Perspective. Arnold, London, 280 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson A.C., Patrick S.T., Kreiser A. and Battarbee R.W. 1987. Palaeoecological evaluation of the recent acidification of susceptible lakes: Methods utilised under DoE contract PECD 7/7/139 and the Royal Society SWAP Project. Palaeoecology Research Unit, University College London, Research Paper No. 26, 36 pp.

  • Sun S. and Huang Y. 1993. Lake Taihu. Chinese Ocean Press, Beijing, pp. 261 (in Chinese).

    Google Scholar 

  • Walden J. 1999. Remanence measurements. In: Walden J., Oldfield F. and Smith J.P. (eds), Environmental Magnetism: a Practical Guide. Technical guide, No. 6, Quaternary Research Association, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yi C., Appleby P.G., Boyle J.F., Rose N.L., Dai X.-R. and Xie P. The sedimentary record of a significant flooding event in Lake Taihu on the Yangtze delta, China. J. Coastal Res. (in press).

  • Yu J. and Yang J. 2001. National efforts to tackle pollution in Taihu Lake. China Environment News. http://www.comlink. apc.org/fic/newslett/eng/nl27/taihu.htm. Site accessed 24th May 2001.

  • Zou H., Sheng G., Sun C. and Xu O. 1996. Distribution of organic contaminants in Lake Taihu. Water Res. 30: 2003–2008.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N.L. Rose.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rose, N., Boyle, J., Du, Y. et al. Sedimentary evidence for changes in the pollution status of Taihu in the Jiangsu region of eastern China. Journal of Paleolimnology 32, 41–51 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPL.0000025282.06961.42

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOPL.0000025282.06961.42

Navigation