A multi-proxy palaeolimnological study to reconstruct the evolution of a coastal brackish lake (Lough Furnace, Ireland) during the late Holocene

Abstract

This study examines the evolution of Lough Furnace, a coastal brackish lake in the west of Ireland, using high-resolution sensors in the water column and palaeolimnological examination of the sediment archive. Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that meromixis formed as a result of sea level rise prior to ca. 4000 cal. yr BP. Increased seawater inflow has progressively led to permanent water stratification, which caused the onset of anoxia, making the monimolimnion a harsh environment for biological life. Diatom floristic interpretations suggest a progressive upcore increase in salinity, which is paralleled by a reduction in cladocera remains. Diagenetic processes have not altered the sediment organic matter signature. Organic matter mainly derives from freshwater DOC and appears to be linked to the presence of peat bogs in the catchment as confirmed by the C/N ratio. Upcore variations in the C/N ratio with a ca. 800-year periodicity have been interpreted as the result of alternating dry and wet climatic phases during the late Holocene, which appear synchronous with the NAO and long-term solar cycles. The current hydrology is largely controlled by freshwater inflow, which determines permanent meromictic conditions. Overturns are rare, requiring a specific combination of factors such as exceptionally dry and warm summers followed by cool autumns. According to the climate projections for the next century in Ireland, permanent meromictic conditions will probably continue.