Fossil pigments in surface sediments of some Estonian lakes

Abstract

We applied a complex of methods (spectrophotometry, HPLC, sediment oxygen demand) for the study of fossil pigments in lake sediment. The methods were tested on well-monitored lakes of different trophic status. It was found that the variations in pigment concentrations in the surface sediments of the studied lakes were mainly determined by their degradation before final burial. In the oligotrophic lakes of high Secchi transparency the concentration of fossil carotenoids and chlorophyll derivatives was the lowest and it increased when the photooxidation conditions deteriorated (decreasing transparency, higher trophicity). The individual pigments identified by HPLC analysis were in good correspondence with monitoring data.