Recent and present sedimentary fluxes of heavy metals and radionuclides in oligotrophic Lake Annecy, France

J.-L. Loizeau; P. Arpagaus; D. Mathieu; J. Dominik

doi:doi:10.1051/jp4:20030419

Issue		J. Phys. IV France Volume 107, May 2003


Page(s)		789 - 792
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1051/jp4:20030419

J. Phys. IV France 107 (2003) 789
DOI: 10.1051/jp4:20030419

Recent and present sedimentary fluxes of heavy metals and radionuclides in oligotrophic Lake Annecy, France

J.-L. Loizeau^{1, 2}, P. Arpagaus¹, D. Mathieu¹ and J. Dominik^{1, 2}

¹ Institut F.-A. Forel, Université de Genève, 10 route de Suisse, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland
² Centre d'Études en Sciences Naturelles de l'Environnement, Université de Genève, 10 route de Suisse, 1290 Versoix, Switzerland

Abstract
The present study focuses on two aspects of heavy metals and radionuclide fluxes to lake Annecy: a long term, secular evolution by analysing dated sediment cores, and a short term, seasonal evolution through the analysis of settling particles collected by sediment traps. Compared to background values prior to 1900, sediment cores reveal a two-fold (Cd, Cu, Zn) to a four-fold (Pb) increase in heavy metal concentration after the 40s, and a smaller decrease after the 70s except for Cu, which does not decrease. Sediment traps moored from April 1998 to November 2000 record strong variations of particles (range: 0.5-6.1 g m ^-2 d ^-1), organic matter (range 0.03-0.27 g m ^-2 d ^-1) and carbonate fluxes (range: 0.2-4.9 g m ^-2 d ^-1). The maximum fluxes are observed at the end of spring and summer, related to increased phytoplankton production. Mean annual heavy metal fluxes (0.014 $\mu$ g $\cdot$ cm $^{-2}\cdot$ y ^-1 for Cd, 1 $\mu$ g $\cdot$ cm $^{-2}\cdot$ y ^-1 for Pb and Cu and 2.8 $\mu$ g $\cdot$ cm $^{-2}\cdot$ y ^-1 for Zn) are lower than those recorded in the surface layers of the sediment cores. No relation has been observed between fluxes of heavy metal and of particles. Comparison of heavy metal fluxes in Lake Annecy with two other peri-alpine lakes show that this lake receive more Cu and Pb of anthropogenic origin, in spite of the sewage collector built around the lake.