Muddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatoms

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dc.contributor.advisorGillson, Lindseyen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorKirsten-Sardinha, Kellyen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorFordyce, Nicholasen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2017-11-17T08:19:11Z
dc.date.available2017-11-17T08:19:11Z
dc.date.issued2010en_ZA
dc.date.updated2017-02-01T13:17:32Z
dc.description.abstractDiatoms are microscopic algae found in almost all aquatic environments. They are habitat specific and have silica frustules which preserve well in sediments. They have been used extensively to provide a multitude of palaeoecological data relating to pH, nutrient loads and water levels. Here, the diatoms in a lake sediment core from Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, South Africa, are analysed to show fluctuations in littoral to benthic taxa, and brackish to freshwater taxa as indicators of lake level changes over time. Changes in lake level act as a proxy for warm/dry or cold/wet periods over time. During the last 240 years lake levels have remained consistently low but nevertheless indicate four alternating periods of cold/wet and warm/dry climate. From c. A.D. 1770 (the last few decades of the Little Ice Age) to the c. A.D. 1840 the climate was cool and wet, but nonetheless gradually warmed up and became drier. From c. A.D. 1840 through to c. A.D. 1920 a there was a gradual increase in temperature and corresponding decrease in rainfall. Then, from c. A.D. 1920 till c. A.D. 1980 there was another colder, wetter period. Finally, very recently, from around c. A.D. 1980 till the present day, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi has experienced warmer, drier conditions once. Pollution-tolerant diatoms increase during the last 100 years and indicate eutrophication of the lake, a consequence of anthropogenic activity in the region. The diatom sequence from Phindiswene provides a high resolution climatic proxy for the critical period covering the latter stages of the Little Ice Age (LIA), post LIA warming, and recent increasing anthropogenic impacts.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationFordyce, N. (2010). <i>Muddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatoms</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26382en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationFordyce, Nicholas. <i>"Muddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatoms."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26382en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationFordyce, N. 2010. Muddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatoms. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Fordyce, Nicholas AB - Diatoms are microscopic algae found in almost all aquatic environments. They are habitat specific and have silica frustules which preserve well in sediments. They have been used extensively to provide a multitude of palaeoecological data relating to pH, nutrient loads and water levels. Here, the diatoms in a lake sediment core from Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, South Africa, are analysed to show fluctuations in littoral to benthic taxa, and brackish to freshwater taxa as indicators of lake level changes over time. Changes in lake level act as a proxy for warm/dry or cold/wet periods over time. During the last 240 years lake levels have remained consistently low but nevertheless indicate four alternating periods of cold/wet and warm/dry climate. From c. A.D. 1770 (the last few decades of the Little Ice Age) to the c. A.D. 1840 the climate was cool and wet, but nonetheless gradually warmed up and became drier. From c. A.D. 1840 through to c. A.D. 1920 a there was a gradual increase in temperature and corresponding decrease in rainfall. Then, from c. A.D. 1920 till c. A.D. 1980 there was another colder, wetter period. Finally, very recently, from around c. A.D. 1980 till the present day, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi has experienced warmer, drier conditions once. Pollution-tolerant diatoms increase during the last 100 years and indicate eutrophication of the lake, a consequence of anthropogenic activity in the region. The diatom sequence from Phindiswene provides a high resolution climatic proxy for the critical period covering the latter stages of the Little Ice Age (LIA), post LIA warming, and recent increasing anthropogenic impacts. DA - 2010 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2010 T1 - Muddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatoms TI - Muddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatoms UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26382 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/26382
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationFordyce N. Muddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatoms. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 2010 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26382en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherBotanyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherPalaeoecologyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherdiatomsen_ZA
dc.subject.otherLake sediment coreen_ZA
dc.subject.otherSouth Africaen_ZA
dc.subject.otherclimate variationen_ZA
dc.subject.otherClimate Changeen_ZA
dc.titleMuddy memories : environmental change at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - evidence from diatomsen_ZA
dc.typeBachelor Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelHonours
dc.type.qualificationnameBSc (Hons)en_ZA
uct.type.filetype
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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