Challenges in Interpreting Geochemical Data: An Appraisal of Analytical Techniques Applied to a Karstic Lake Sediment Record

Water

Michal Zak¹  Alicja Bonk²  Jack Longman³  Daniel Veres⁴  Aritina Haliuc⁴  Simon M. Hutchinson⁵ 

[1] Department of Atmospheric Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Prague, Czech Republic;Division of Geomorphology and Quaternary Geology, Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk, PL80-309 Gdańsk, Poland;Marine Isotope Geochemistry, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany;Romanian Academy, Institute of Speleology, Clinicilor 5, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK;

关键词: paleolimnology;    geochemistry;    clastic sediments;    data treatment;    SE Europe;   

DOI  :  10.3390/w14050806

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental changes inferred from shifts in lake sediment geochemistry require reliable, efficient and cost-effective methods of analysis. The available geochemical techniques, however, suggest that different analytical approaches can influence data interpretation. X-ray fluorescence core scanner analyses (XRF-CS), field portable X-ray fluorescence (FPXRF) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) were concurrently applied to provide a multi-method geochemical appraisal of a 6000-year-long karstic sediment record (Lake Ighiel, Romania). The comparison between techniques was based on a set of elements that are widely employed in environmental reconstructions (Ti, K, Fe, Ca). Descriptive and statistical approaches were used to assess the advantages and disadvantages of each method and assess their optimal use in karstic environments. Our data display similar downcore patterns, with strong to moderate correlations between the datasets. The discrepancies observed between method-specific downcore multi element behaviour are related to the preparation steps and sampling. To best capture the complexity of past environmental changes in karstic settings, a combination of quantitative and qualitative geochemical methods would be the most appropriate approach to reliable data acquisition and subsequent paleoenvironmental interpretation of lake sediment data.

【 授权许可】

Unknown