Title: Holocene history of Lake Soldatskoje (Kola Peninsula, Russia) inferred from sedimentary diatom assemblages
Abstract:A sediment core from Lake Soldatskoje, a small tundra lake located in the northern coastal area of the Kola Peninsula and surrounded by numerous archaeological dwelling sites, was analysed for diatom ...A sediment core from Lake Soldatskoje, a small tundra lake located in the northern coastal area of the Kola Peninsula and surrounded by numerous archaeological dwelling sites, was analysed for diatom species. The core covers the entire Holocene, i.e. 10000 radiocarbon years. The diatom record has similarities with studies made earlier from tundra lakes of northern Russia and from Arctic lakes in general. The genus Fragilaria was dominant and many other small, benthic, nordic, cold‐water diatom species typical of Arctic lakes were common, including Achnanthes minutissima Kützing, A. pusilla (Grunow) De Toni, Cyclotella tripartita Håkansson and Navicula absoluta Hustedt. Multivariable ordinations were used to characterize the changes in the diatom flora. Diatom‐based pH and total phosphorus inferences indicate that the lake has become progressively more acidic and poorer in nutrients. Disturbances in the diatom stratigraphy of Lake Soldatskoje around 4000–5500 14 C yr BP may be related to human activity.Read More