Glacial-interglacial productivity and environmental changes in Lake Biwa, Japan: A sediment core study of organic carbon, chlorins and biomarkers

Temporal changes in paleoproductivity of Lake Biwa (Japan) over the past 32 kyr have been studied by analyzing bulk organic carbon and photosynthetic pigments (chlorins) in the BIW95-5 core. Primary productivity was estimated on the assumption of C/N-org values of 8 for autochthonous organic matter (CM) and 25 for allochthonous OM and using an equation developed for the marine environment. The estimate indicates that primary productivity ranges from 50 to go g C m(-2) yr(-1) in the Holocene, while it is similar to 60 g cm(-2) yr(-1) on average in the last glacial. Pheophytin a and pheophorbide a are the major chlorins. A downcore profile of chlorin concentration normalized to autochthonous organic carbon (OC) shows a decreasing trend. Chlorin productivity was corrected by removal of the effect of post-burial chlorin degradation. The temporal profile of chlorin productivity thereby obtained resembles that from autochthonous CC. The difference in primary productivity between the Holocene and the glacial for the lake is markedly smaller than that for Lake Baikal situated in the boreal zone. This difference between the two lakes is probably caused by the difference in their climatic conditions, such as temperature and precipitation. Precipitation at Lake Biwa is relatively large during the glacial and the Holocene because of the continuous influence of the East Asian monsoon. Lake Baikal precipitation is generally small as a result of control by the continental (Siberia) climate regime. In addition, a significant difference in productivity between the glacial and the Holocene for Lake Baikal may be essentially controlled by the hydrodynamic systems in the lake. Lake Biwa terrigenous OM input events occurred at least five times over the period 11-32 kyr BP, suggesting enhanced monsoon activity. Molecular examination of the layer with a large input of terrigenous OM during the Younger Dryas indicates that concentrations of terrigenous biomarkers such as n-C-27-C-31 alkanes, lignin phenols, cutin acids, omega-hydroxy acids and C-29 sterols are high, suggesting that soil OM with peat-like material entered the lake as a result of flooding. An enhanced sedimentation rate in the last 3000 years might have been partially caused by agricultural activity around the lake. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.