environmental sciences research institute - University of Ulster

Figure 4. The variation of the accumulation rate of phosphorus on the left and organic carbon on the right over the lake basin of
Kassjon. The units are g m-2 yr-1.
As we knew the accumulation rate of organic carbon, major cations, phosphorus and heavy metals in the lake very
accurately, we could then estimate the accuracy when fewer sediment cores were used. We estimated the accuracy
when ten, five and one sediment core was used and were able to provide advice on the trade off between effort and
accuracy.
These findings allow more accurate and efficient estimates to be made of heavy metal deposition from the atmosphere,
phosphorus loss from land and storage of organic carbon in lakes at the regional and world scale and so help to describe
and model regional and global environmental change.
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