2.4 Limnological and paleolimnological research in high altitude
Himalayan lakes
CNR - Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi
CNR – Istituto di Ricerca Sulle Acque
Principal investigators: Dr. Andrea Lami; Dr. Gianni Tartari; Dr. Licia Guzzella
Introduction
The most remote region of globe represents some of the least disturbed ecosystem in
the world, yet they are threatened by air pollution and by climatic change. Lakes
ecosystem in this region are especially important: on the one hand they are vulnerable
to air pollution, and on the other their vulnerability allows them to be used as excellent
sensors of environmental change. This project will focus on climate change, and on the
need to understand how biological communities respond to climate variability on a
range of different time-scale (inter-annual, decadal, and secular). The sediment record
can then be used to evaluate both short and long-term variability in climate patterns,
necessary both for the interpretation of past climate and as a baseline to asses the
impact of future warming. The proposed research will match the guidelines for the
research on "Global Climatic Change" given by the IGBP/PAGES organisation with the
Programme "PEP" (Pole-Equator-Pole transect).
Moreover in these area water will be one of most critical issue to assure a sustainable
development since water is a renewable but finite resource as stated in the UNESCO
declaration of the 2003 Year of Fresh Water. The values of water are not purely
economic ones, but include also support to human life, environmental values, social
values and cultural (including religious) values. The economic approaches to water value
are tools to be used in conjunction with the other values. Indeed, investments made on
the purely economic value of water can show low and slow returns. Some see water
investments as hard to justify, despite clear evidence of how they are a key ingredient of
poverty alleviation and the promotion of economic growth.
The geographical remoteness of Himalayan Region seems to be particularly suitable for
measurement of the background level of pollutants through chemical analyses of
atmospheric deposition, as in other Polar areas, with the advantage of providing easier
year-round access. The main contaminants observed, lindane, HCB and some lightly
chlorinated PCBs, were detected in high concentrations in snow and ice samples
collected in these areas. Results led to the conclusion that remote zones function as a
cool trap of organochlorine compounds. The study of organochlorine contamination in
the Nepal region represents a real possibility of verifying this phenomenon in another
remote cool area.
Main objectives for this research could be summed up as follows:

to contribute to the construction of a comprehensive limnological database in order
to assess the status of remote mountain lake ecosystems. Data will be collected as
required by the EU Water Framework Directive and so will make comparison and
exchange of information easier with other ongoing project in mountain area;

to provide decision makers with an overall understanding of remote mountain lakes
so that appropriate policy and management measures can be taken at both
International and national scales to ensure the sustainability of these ecosystems
into the future.

to define the atmospheric processes of the main organic compounds, like transport
and sink, and to reconstruct the sources of these chemicals along with the
correlated trace species
To achieve these goals we need:
1) To conclude the first complete morphological picture of high altitude lake
waterbodies ( 4000 m) located in the Sagarmatha National Park (Eastern Nepal),
extending the achieved database and GIS (57% of the surface) to entire territory
(1148 km²),
2) To replicate the sampling in some specific environment in order to have information
of the short time variability of this communities. The best period for comparing the
new results with those from the 1990-98 period is that between mid -September and
mid-October. The lake sampling will be conducted in collaboration with other IRSA
project regarding measurement of organic micropollutants in lacustrine sediments
and with the Institute of Ecosystem Study (ISE) in the framework of consortium
named Pyramid LimnoGroup (PLG). Joint expeditions will be planned and coordinated
to minimize costs and to reduce the number of researches and instruments involved.
Sample and material shipping will be done jointly and a precise repartition of
analytical activities will be also planned.;
3) Reconstruct the evolution on a longer time scale with a fine resolution
(decadal/secular) of these lakes through a paleolimnological approach. This
approach will lead to measure the changes induced by human impact as well as
those driven by climatic changes;
4) to conclude the first complete hydroc
4000 m) located in the Sagarmatha National Park (Eastern Nepal), initially developed
over the 1990-98 period, within the Ev-K²-CNR Project. We intend to collect a vast
quantity of information on high altitude Himalayan lakes never before through this
proposed study achieved. The results will be a reference database used also for
study of the climatic modification in this area of the Earth;
5) Apply regionalisation methodologies to extend our understanding of individual
systems to groups or populations of other systems arrayed spatially across the
landscape through a Geographic Information System (GIS) technology;
6) Mountain lake classification will allow comprehensive multivariate analyses to be
carried out and the generation for the first time of a very robust ecological
classification system for these lakes;
7) determination of background levels of persistent xenobiotics (organochlorine and
PAH compounds) at high altitudines, with analysis of lacustrine sediments;
8) evaluation of transport mechanisms in the distribution of organic micropollutants
due to metereological factors in remote areas and accumulation in aquatic
biotic/abiotic matrices (deposition in bottom sediments or bioconcentration in phyto
and zoo-plancton). In order to verify if the contamination is originated by local
pollution (i.e. chemical transport from India in monsonic period) or is due to a more
large scale phenomenon, as the global change, the sampling campaign will be
undertaken by taking in account the local meteoclimatic information and in different
exposure period to monsonic winds. For reaching this aim, the research team will
collaborate with the Pyramid Meteo Group that will develop an ad hoc chemical
transport.
Progress report of scientific activity
In 2002, thanks to the Comitato Ev-K2-CNR that partially supported this project, was
possible to organise a scientific expedition to the Pyramid laboratory-observatory.
During this field work activity several lakes located between 4500 and 5500 m a.s.l.
were sampled for chemical and biological analysis of lake water and their sediments. In
most of the lakes was also installed a mini-thermistor data logger to record the lake
water surface temperature year cycle; here we want to better described the period of ice
cover duration. A special studies was carried on lakes LCN 09 and LCN 10 (located near
he Pyramid laboratory). In these two lakes we have installed a mini-thermistor data
logger chain and collected sediment cores of ca. 60 cm in length. All the sampled
collected was transported back to Italy for their analysis.
Chemical analysis are already completed and results are interesting and consistent with
the observed trend in the previous field work expedition pointing to an increase in ionic
content of the lake water. The increase in solute content has been interpreted as
possible effect of ice cover retreat that expose more soil to erosion and weathering
process.
Sediment samples have been subsampled and sent to Dr. Licia Guzzella, IRSA, for POP
and pesticides determinations. The analysis of organic micropollutants was begun and is
still in progress.
Scientific activity for 2004
During the 2004 will be concluded the cartographic identification of lake bodies in the
Sagarmatha National Park and finished the GIS of Lake Cadastre.
In 2004 we will be complete the analysis of the samples collected in 2002. In particular
we will do phytoplankton and zooplankton as well as benthic fauna analysis. All the data
produced will be uploaded into the limnological database managed by Dr. G. Tartari,
IRSA. We will be complete the core analysis especially for pollen and diatom record, but
also other biological proxies will be studied (e.g. algal pigment and cladocera). Pollen
will give indication of the climatic change in the area as well as could be used as a
dating tool to confirm the 14C chronology in LCN 009 (Pyramid Inferior Lake). 14C dating
on the sediment core will be performed by external laboratory.
In 2004 we will be complete the analysis of the samples collected in 2002. In particular
we will do the analysis of organochlorine compounds (PCBs, DDTs. Lindane, HCB, ect…)
and of organic carbon content. All the data produced will be uploaded into the
limnological database managed by Dr. G. Tartari, IRSA. We will organise a scientific
expedition in September/October 2004 to recover the mini-Thermistor data logger and
to continue with the sampling activity of the Himalayan Lake Cadastre. During that
scientific expedition also the sediment work will be continued.
Scientific activity for 2005
In 2005 the analysis of water and sediment samples collected in the previuos fieldwork
expedition will be completed. The following variables will be analysed: chemistry,
phytoplankton composition, zooplankton, benthic fauna, fossil daitom, fossil cladocera,
fossil pigments, organochlorine compounds (PCBs, DDTs. Lindane, HCB, ect…) and
organic carbon content.
In 2005 the POP analysis will be completed with the determination of PAH compounds
(acenaphtene,
fluorine,
pyrene,
fluoranthene,
benzo(a)anthracene,
benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, indeno(1,2,3,cd)pyrene, coronene, anthantrene )
deriving from fuel combustion. The data will be uploaded into the database and will be
used for Publication and presentation of the results.