115 years of sediment deposition in a reservoir in Central Europe

Author(s): Georg Stauch, Philipp Schulte, Christina Schwanen, Eberhard Andreas Kümmerle, Lukas Dörwald, Alexander Esch, Frank Lehmkuhl, Janek Walk
Abstract: Humans have considerably influenced accumulation rates and sediment composition in lake deposits. Due to near-continuous accumulation, lakes and reservoirs are an excellent archive of these anthropogenic influences. The Urft Reservoir in the Eifel Mountains, western Germany, provides a unique record of the human influence on the landscape for the past 115 years. In 2020 and 2021, 24 cores and 23 surface samples were obtained from the bottom of the, by that time drained, reservoir. Grain size, heavy metals, weathering signatures and microplastic were analysed. For the chronology, caesium-137 and microplastic were used. Using the first occurrence of microplastic as well as different plastic types for dating was not successful. However, a distinct layer with a high number of microplastic particles could be traced back to a fire in 1991 and was used as an additional stratigraphic marker in the age-depth model. A period of relatively high accumulation rates in the reservoir occurred in the mid-1950s and was related to enhanced construction works in the local valleys. Analysis of heavy metal content in the reservoir sediments shows a strong connection to historical changes in ore industry in the valley of the Urft. Stricter environmental protection laws and the decline of the metal processing industry resulted in a reduced input of lead, copper and zinc in the reservoir until the mid-1980s. Since then, heavy metal content has remained relatively constant. A major flooding event in July 2021 did not lead to the remobilisation of older contaminated deposits as indicated by low heavy metal content in flood deposits. Accordingly, also the microplastic content is not increasing following the extreme event. Due to the degree of weathering of the flood deposits, it is argued that mainly hillslope material was transported into the Urft and subsequently into the Urft Reservoir during this event.
Organisation(s): Department of Geography and Regional Research
External organisation(s): Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Eifel-Rur Water Board (WVER)
Journal: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
ISSN: 0197-9337
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5914
Publication date: 2024
Peer reviewed: Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012: 105105 Geochemistry, 105405 Geoecology, 105404 Geomorphology
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Geography, Planning and Development, Earth-Surface Processes, Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Portal url: https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/115-years-of-sediment-deposition-in-a-reservoir-in-central-europe(7cd8acb9-d81e-4b26-81b6-a02f97cf4376).html

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