background_mobile_2

Lake Erken sediment mapping completed

30/09/2021 « Back
Evelina Hiltunen uses a gravity corer to collect sediment from Lake Erken. Photo: Nils Kreuter. Evelina Hiltunen uses a gravity corer to collect sediment from Lake Erken. Photo: Nils Kreuter.
SITES is mapping lake sediments for the lakes included in the thematic programmes SITES Water and SITES AquaNet, to enable a better understanding of biogeochemical processes within the lakes. The latest lake investigated was Lake Erken.

In most lakes, a sub-bottom profiler, using acoustic signals of different wavelengths to produce images showing bottom surface, sediment layers and underlying bedrock, has been employed. In addition, sediment cores have been collected across the lake as well as at targeted areas near the greenhouse gas (GHG) chamber locations (Layer 6 in SITES Water).

Only a few lakes remain to be investigated, with the most recent sediment sampling taking place at Lake Erken. Sediments along the four transects with GHG chambers were successfully collected in mid-September. At each GHG transect two sediment cores were collected, representing a shallow and deep depth within the transect. Most sediment was sampled with a gravity corer, however at shallow depths within the reed belts innovative sampling techniques were required.

Nils Kreuter and Evelina Hiltunen get creative in collecting sediment from the shallow reed belt sampling location. Photo: Christer Strandberg. Nils Kreuter and Evelina Hiltunen get creative in collecting sediment from the shallow reed belt sampling location. Photo: Christer Strandberg.

The next lake scheduled to be sampled as part of the SITES Water sediment campaign is Almbergasjön (Abisko Scientific Research Station), where a deep sediment core has already been collected, and short sediment cores will be collected next month.

News Archive

Latest News