Detailed Phosphorus Geochemistry of Sediment Cores from Lakes in Northeastern Glacier National Park, Montana, United States
Terrell NN, Latimer JC, Stone JR, Brindle M. 2014. Detailed Phosphorus Geochemistry of Sediment Cores from Lakes in Northeastern Glacier National Park, Montana, United States. Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University
In 1910, President William Howard Taft passed a bill making Glacier National Park the 10th established national park in the country. Glacier National Park (GNP) is located along a portion of the Rocky Mountains in Montana in the Western United States. The glacial activity in GNP has fluctuated considerably, primarily due to climate changes since the Little Ice Age. Using a combination of geochemical and biologic proxies (diatoms), we hope to reconstruct a history of glacial advance and retreat for the region using lake sediment core records that were collected during summer 2013. For this study, two sites within the GNP area were chosen. Cosley Lake and Glenns Lake are located in the upper Northeastern corner of the park close to the Montana-Canadian border (Fig 1). The research presented here will focus on the use of detailed phosphorus geochemistry within the lake sediment cores and soils surrounding the lakes to better understand P biogeochemical cycling on the landscape and within the lakes themselves. As glaciers retreat, fresh unweathered minerals (apatite) are exposed at the surface, and as the landscape matures and soil develops, a change from mineral P to organic P should be observable in the lake geochemical records. Sequential chemical extractions for phosphorus identifies that phosphorus which is associated with oxides, mineral phases, and organic matter. Evaluating these temporal variations in phosphorus geochemistry coupled with fossil diatom assemblages and other geochemical proxies will ultimately provide a history of landscape nutrient status, weathering fluxes, and glacial activity.
- Type
- Poster
- Authors
- Terrell, Natasha; Latimer, Jennifer; Stone, Jeffery; Brindle, Matthew
- Date of Issue
- 2014
- Publisher
- Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University
- Units
- CRCO , GLAC
- Keywords
- Geochemistry, lakes, sediment
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Geomorphology | Lake Features and Processes