The present paper aims at reviewing general knowledge of large European perialpine lakes as provided by sediment studies, and at outlining the contribution, from several lines of evidence, of modern paleolimnology in both interpreting past lake ecological evolution and forecasting lake responses to future human impacts. A literature survey mainly based on papers published in international journals indexed on ISI-Wos and Scopus from 1975 to April 2017 has been conducted on the 20 perialpine lakes with zmax ≥ 100 m and lake area ≥ 10 km2, and on 4 shallower perialpine lakes representing hotspots of extensive neo- and paleo-limnological research. By pinpointing temporal and spatial differences in paleolimnological studies conducted in the Alpine countries, the review identifies knowledge gaps in the perialpine area, and shows how sediment-based reconstructions represent a powerful tool, in mutual support with limnological surveys, to help predicting future scenarios through the “past-forward” principle, which consists in reconstructing past lake responses to conditions comparable to those to come. The most recent methodological developments of sediment studies show the potential to cope with the increasing ecosystem variability induced by climate change, and to produce innovative and crucial information for tuning future management and sustainable use of Alpine waters.

Tolotti, M.; Dubois, N.; Milan, M.; Perga, M.-.; Straile, D.; Lami, A. (2018). Large and deep perialpine lakes: a paleolimnological perspective for the advance of ecosystem science. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 824 (1): 291-321. doi: 10.1007/s10750-018-3677-x handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/49574

Large and deep perialpine lakes: a paleolimnological perspective for the advance of ecosystem science

Tolotti, M.
Primo
;
2018-01-01

Abstract

The present paper aims at reviewing general knowledge of large European perialpine lakes as provided by sediment studies, and at outlining the contribution, from several lines of evidence, of modern paleolimnology in both interpreting past lake ecological evolution and forecasting lake responses to future human impacts. A literature survey mainly based on papers published in international journals indexed on ISI-Wos and Scopus from 1975 to April 2017 has been conducted on the 20 perialpine lakes with zmax ≥ 100 m and lake area ≥ 10 km2, and on 4 shallower perialpine lakes representing hotspots of extensive neo- and paleo-limnological research. By pinpointing temporal and spatial differences in paleolimnological studies conducted in the Alpine countries, the review identifies knowledge gaps in the perialpine area, and shows how sediment-based reconstructions represent a powerful tool, in mutual support with limnological surveys, to help predicting future scenarios through the “past-forward” principle, which consists in reconstructing past lake responses to conditions comparable to those to come. The most recent methodological developments of sediment studies show the potential to cope with the increasing ecosystem variability induced by climate change, and to produce innovative and crucial information for tuning future management and sustainable use of Alpine waters.
Perialpine lakes
Lake sedimets
Human Impact
Eutrophication
Paleoclimate
Global change
Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA
2018
Tolotti, M.; Dubois, N.; Milan, M.; Perga, M.-.; Straile, D.; Lami, A. (2018). Large and deep perialpine lakes: a paleolimnological perspective for the advance of ecosystem science. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 824 (1): 291-321. doi: 10.1007/s10750-018-3677-x handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/49574
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
2018 H Tolotti.pdf

solo utenti autorizzati

Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 2.99 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2.99 MB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10449/49574
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 18
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 14
social impact