Using lake sediments to assess the long-term impacts of anthropogenic activity in tropical river deltas

Walton, Richard E; Moorhouse, Heather L; Roberts, Lucy R; Salgado, Jorge; Ladd, Cai JT; Do, Nga Thu; Panizzo, Virginia N; Tri Van, Pham Dang; Downes, Nigel K; Trinh, Duc Anh; Mcgowan, Suzanne; Taylor, Sarah; Henderson, Andrew CG

doi:10.1177/20530196231204334

Using lake sediments to assess the long-term impacts of anthropogenic activity in tropical river deltas

Walton, Richard E; Moorhouse, Heather L; Roberts, Lucy R; Salgado, Jorge; Ladd, Cai JT; Do, Nga Thu; Panizzo, Virginia N; Tri Van, Pham Dang; Downes, Nigel K; Trinh, Duc Anh; Mcgowan, Suzanne; Taylor, Sarah; Henderson, Andrew CG

Authors

Richard E Walton

Heather L Moorhouse

Lucy R Roberts

Jorge Salgado

Cai JT Ladd

Nga Thu Do

VIRGINIA PANIZZO Virginia.Panizzo@nottingham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Pham Dang Tri Van

Nigel K Downes

Duc Anh Trinh

Suzanne Mcgowan

Sarah Taylor

Andrew CG Henderson

Abstract

Tropical river deltas, and the social-ecological systems they sustain, are changing rapidly due to anthropogenic activity and climatic change. Baseline data to inform sustainable management options for resilient deltas is urgently needed and palaeolimnology (reconstructing past conditions from lake or wetland deposits) can provide crucial long-term perspectives needed to identify drivers and rates of change. We review how palaeolimnology can be a valuable tool for resource managers using three current issues facing tropical delta regions: hydrology and sediment supply, salinisation and nutrient pollution. The unique ability of palaeolimnological methods to untangle multiple stressors is also discussed. We demonstrate how palaeolimnology has been used to understand each of these issues, in other aquatic environments, to be incorporated into policy. Palaeolimnology is a key tool to understanding how anthropogenic influences interact with other environmental stressors, providing policymakers and resource managers with a ‘big picture’ view and possible holistic solutions that can be implemented.

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Jul 17, 2023
Online Publication Date	Oct 9, 2023
Publication Date	Oct 9, 2023
Deposit Date	Aug 9, 2023
Publicly Available Date	Oct 9, 2023
Journal	The Anthropocene Review
Print ISSN	2053-0196
Electronic ISSN	2053-020X
Publisher	SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1177/20530196231204334
Keywords	Geology; Ecology; Global and Planetary Change
Public URL	https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/24141298
Publisher URL	https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20530196231204334