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Ecosystem response to human- and climate-induced environmental stress on an anoxic coastal lagoon (Etoliko, Greece) since 1930 AD

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Abstract

To better constrain the effects of anthropogenic impact on coastal wetlands with respect to natural variability, we here analyze annually laminated sediments from Etoliko lagoon (western Greece, Mediterranean Sea) spanning the last ~80 years. Sub-decadal-scale palynomorph (pollen and dinoflagellate cyst) and seasonal-scale palynomorph (microfacies and μ-XRF) analyses were carried out to investigate the evolution of the aquatic environment and the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem. Based on a robust age model, which was developed using varve counting and 137Cs dating, our results indicate that land-use changes have altered the vegetation dynamics and led to eutrophication of the aquatic environment particularly from the early 1980s onwards. In agreement with instrumental data and reports of fish mass mortality events, our varve composition and high-resolution element scanning data suggest that the ecosystem has been under unprecedented pressure since 1990 AD. In particular, the enhancement of anoxic conditions due to human-induced eutrophication is linked to high accumulation rates of organic matter, an increased presence of bacteria in sediment microfacies, and a decrease in the Fe/Mn ratio in the sediment. In addition, a change in varve type from calcite- to aragonite-dominated in 1983 and a higher Sr concentration during the 1990s indicate an increasingly saline aquatic environment. Comparison with meteorological data suggests that lower precipitation during a persistent positive North Atlantic Oscillation mode along with a gradual increase in mean summer temperature since the 1980s may have enhanced the saline conditions. These findings demonstrate that climate change can intensify the human impact on aquatic ecosystems. In conclusion, our analytical approach provides a valuable tool for evaluating the degree of degradation of Etoliko lagoon and the effectiveness of implemented management plans on the aquatic ecosystem, indicating that the efforts to restore its water circulation have only weakly contributed towards an environmental recovery.

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Acknowledgments

Discussions with Pavlos Avramidis, Areti Gianni and Ingmar Unkel, and technical support by Brian Brademann and Bärbel Schminke are gratefully acknowledged. We also thank two anonymous reviewers, Associate Editor Sarah Metcalfe and Editor Thomas Whitmore for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paleoenvironmental Dynamics Group, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 234, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Andreas Koutsodendris & Jörg Pross

  2. Section 5.2 Climate Dynamics and Landscape Evolution, German Research Center for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Achim Brauer

  3. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Seferi 2, 30100, Agrinio, Greece

    Ierotheos Zacharias

  4. University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten, Doggenriedstr., 88250, Weingarten, Germany

    Victoria Putyrskaya & Eckehard Klemt

  5. Marine Palynology and Paleoceanography, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3548 CD, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Francesca Sangiorgi

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  1. Andreas Koutsodendris
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  2. Achim Brauer
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  3. Ierotheos Zacharias
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  4. Victoria Putyrskaya
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  5. Eckehard Klemt
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  6. Francesca Sangiorgi
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  7. Jörg Pross
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Correspondence to Andreas Koutsodendris.

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Koutsodendris, A., Brauer, A., Zacharias, I. et al. Ecosystem response to human- and climate-induced environmental stress on an anoxic coastal lagoon (Etoliko, Greece) since 1930 AD. J Paleolimnol 53, 255–270 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-014-9823-1

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