Paleolimnology: How to Decipher the History of Lakes and their Environment from the Study of their Sediments
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Abstract
Inland bodies of water are of utmost importance for life, particularly for human beings since it is the only source of water that can be used for drinking, irrigation, and in general, satisfying the need for water. Limnology is the science that is responsible for studying these aquatic ecosystems, among which lakes stand out, which are of great importance because they are systems that are very sensitive to changes in their environment, such as changes in the climate, in the drainage network, in the vegetation cover of its catchment basin, etc. In addition, they are also sensitive to internal changes that are registered as variations in the physicochemical properties of water.
The sediments that accumulate at the bottom of a lake are a reflection of the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors that affect both the lake and its catchment basin. Paleolimnology is precisely the study of any type of information preserved in lake sediments, which allows us to reconstruct the nature and/or environmental variability of a lake or its environment in the past. In order to obtain this information, it is necessary to apply different methodologies such as stratigraphic description, dating, and analysis of microfossils such as diatoms, pollen or ostracods. These indicators provide information about the changes that have occurred in the climate and the environment, which is evident with three examples, Chignahuapan, in the Lato Lerma basin, Edo. Mex. in the central part of Mexico; Salina de Kino, Son., on the coast of the Gulf of Califronia, northwestern Mexico, and Lago Verde in Los Tuxtlas, Ver., on the southern part of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Understanding climate variability on different time scales, the impact that climate and environmental variability can have on cultural development and in turn how human presence impacts the environment, are primary objectives within paleoenvironmental studies. Within this context, paleolimnology allows us to see our environment with a new approach, with a “historical” perspective that provides valuable information to understand the present and evaluate the future.
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