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Karin A. Koinig

Bio: Karin A. Koinig is an academic researcher from University of Innsbruck. The author has contributed to research in topics: Climate change & Holocene. The author has an hindex of 20, co-authored 37 publications receiving 1799 citations. Previous affiliations of Karin A. Koinig include Heidelberg University & University of Bern.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a sediment core obtained from a Swiss alpine hard-water lake (1937 ma.s.BP-1996 AD) is analyzed in order to reconstruct the effects of changes in vegetation and of 3500 years of land-use in the catchment area on sediment geochemistry.
Abstract: A 9000cal. year record of geochemistry was analysed in a sediment core obtained from a Swiss alpine hard-water lake (1937 ma.s.l.) that is located at the present-day tree-line. Geochemical stratigraphies are compared to changes in mineralogy, grain-size, pollen, and macrofossil records. This allows the reconstruction of the effects of changes in vegetation and of 3500 years of land-use in the catchment area on sediment geochemistry. Using principal component analysis, two major geochemical groups are distinguished: (i) Changes in concentrations of Rb, Ti, Zr, Fe, As, and Pb are closely related to corresponding changes in the concentrations of quartz and clay. They are thus considered to represent the silicate fraction which shows an increase from the oldest to the youngest core section. (ii) In contrast, Ca and Sr concentrations are positively correlated with changes in silt, sand, and calcite. They are therefore considered to represent the carbonate fraction which gradually decreased. Based on constrained cluster analysis, the core is divided into two major zones. The oldest zone (A; 9000–6400 cal.BP) is characterised by high concentrations of detrital carbonates. The more open catchment vegetation at that time promoted the physical weathering of these carbonates. The second major zone (B, 6400 cal.BP–1996 AD) is divided into four subsections with boundaries at ca. 3500, 2400, and 160cal. BP. The lower part of this zone, B1, is characterized by a gradual decrease in the carbonate-silt fraction and a pronounced increase in the silicate-clay fraction. This is concurrent with the expansion of Picea in the catchment area, which probably stabilized the soil. The middle part, B2 and B3 (3500–160cal. BP), comprises pronounced fluctuations in all elements, especially Ca, Sr, Mn, and Rb, but also in clay and silt. These changes are related to varying intensities of alpine farming. In the same section, Mn/Fe ratios are highly variable, suggesting changes in the mixing regime of the lake with phases of anoxic bottom water. The uppermost section, B4 (since 160cal. BP), is characterized by a steep decline in the silicate fraction and an increase in Ca and Sr. Despite the decrease in the silicate fraction, Pb increases, due to elevated atmospheric input resulting from early metal pollution, are masked by the high natural variability. Generally, changes in vegetation, which correspond to climate changes in the early Holocene and to human activities since ca. 3700cal. BP, are the controlling factor for variations in the geochemical composition of the sediment of Sagistalsee.

288 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 May 1997-Nature
TL;DR: In this article, a study of 57 remote alpine lakes was carried out and it was shown that lake pH and the concentration of sulphate, base cations and silica have increased, whereas inorganic nitrogen concentrations have decreased.
Abstract: Climate variations and changes in sulphur and nitrogen deposition from the atmosphere influence the acid–base balance of sensitive lakes in a complex and site-specific way1–3. For example, although lakes in several regions have shown a decline in sulphate concentration following reductions in atmospheric sulphate deposition4–6, the expected recovery of pH and alkalinity has not always taken place, implicating an additional response to changes in the local climate. Here we report a study of 57 remote alpine lakes which shows that, between 1985 and 1995, lake pH and the concentration of sulphate, base cations and silica have increased, whereas inorganic nitrogen concentrations have decreased. This contrasts with atmospheric input trends, which have led to a decrease in sulphate and a slight increase in nitrogen deposition over the same period7,8. We propose that the changes in lake chemistry are therefore likely to be caused by enhanced weathering and increased biological activity resulting from an increase in air temperature of about 1 °C since 1985. Our analysis of an alpine lake core covering a 200-year period provides further evidence for a strong positive correlation between pH and mean air temperatures, and thus for the high sensitivity of lakes at high altitudes and high latitudes to climate warming. In these remote locations, temperature effects, rather than acid deposition, appear to dominate changes in lake acidity.

258 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of remote lake palaeolimnology can be found in this paper, where a selection of studies from North America and Europe are reviewed and discussed their broader implications.
Abstract: Over recent decades, palaeolimnological records from remote sites have provided convincing evidence for the onset and development of several facets of global environmental change. Remote lakes, defined here as those occurring in high latitude or high altitude regions, have the advantage of not being overprinted by local anthropogenic processes. As such, many of these sites record broad-scale environmental changes, frequently driven by regime shifts in the Earth system. Here, we review a selection of studies from North America and Europe and discuss their broader implications. The history of investigation has evolved synchronously with the scope and awareness of environmental problems. An initial focus on acid deposition switched to metal and other types of pollutants, then climate change and eventually to atmospheric deposition-fertilising effects. However, none of these topics is independent of the other, and all of them affect ecosystem function and biodiversity in profound ways. Currently, remote lake palaeolimnology is developing unique datasets for each region investigated that benchmark current trends with respect to past, purely natural variability in lake systems. Fostering conceptual and methodological bridges with other environmental disciplines will upturn contribution of remote lake palaeolimnology in solving existing and emerging questions in global change science and planetary stewardship.

176 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Darrell S. Kaufman1, Nicholas P. McKay1, Cody C. Routson1, M. P. Erb1, Basil A. S. Davis2, Oliver Heiri3, Samuel L Jaccard4, Jessica E. Tierney5, Christoph Dätwyler6, Yarrow Axford7, Thomas Brussel8, Olivier Cartapanis4, Brian M. Chase9, Andria Dawson10, Anne de Vernal11, Stefan Engels12, Lukas Jonkers13, Jeremiah Marsicek14, Paola Moffa-Sanchez15, Carrie Morrill16, Anais Orsi17, Kira Rehfeld18, Krystyna M. Saunders19, Philipp Sommer2, Elizabeth K. Thomas20, Marcela Sandra Tonello21, Mónika Tóth, Richard S. Vachula22, Andrei Andreev23, Sebastien Bertrand24, Boris K. Biskaborn23, Manuel Bringué25, Stephen J. Brooks26, Magaly Caniupán27, Manuel Chevalier2, Les C. Cwynar28, Julien Emile-Geay29, John M. Fegyveresi1, Angelica Feurdean30, Walter Finsinger9, Marie Claude Fortin31, Louise C. Foster32, Louise C. Foster33, Mathew Fox5, Konrad Gajewski31, Martin Grosjean6, Sonja Hausmann, Markus Heinrichs34, Naomi Holmes35, Boris P. Ilyashuk36, Elena A. Ilyashuk36, Steve Juggins33, Deborah Khider29, Karin A. Koinig36, Peter G. Langdon37, Isabelle Larocque-Tobler, Jianyong Li38, André F. Lotter4, Tomi P. Luoto39, Anson W. Mackay40, Enikö Magyari41, Steven B. Malevich5, Bryan G. Mark42, Julieta Massaferro43, Vincent Montade9, Larisa Nazarova44, Elena Novenko45, Petr Pařil46, Emma J. Pearson33, Matthew Peros47, Reinhard Pienitz48, Mateusz Płóciennik49, David F. Porinchu50, Aaron P. Potito51, Andrew P. Rees52, Scott A. Reinemann53, Stephen J. Roberts32, Nicolas Rolland54, Sakari Salonen39, Angela Self55, Heikki Seppä39, Shyhrete Shala56, Jeannine Marie St-Jacques57, Barbara Stenni58, Liudmila Syrykh59, Pol Tarrats60, Karen J. Taylor51, Karen J. Taylor61, Valerie van den Bos52, Gaute Velle, Eugene R. Wahl62, Ian R. Walker63, Janet M. Wilmshurst64, Enlou Zhang65, Snezhana Zhilich66 
Northern Arizona University1, University of Lausanne2, University of Basel3, University of Bern4, University of Arizona5, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research6, Northwestern University7, University of Utah8, Centre national de la recherche scientifique9, Mount Royal University10, Université du Québec à Montréal11, Birkbeck, University of London12, University of Bremen13, University of Wisconsin-Madison14, Durham University15, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences16, Université Paris-Saclay17, Heidelberg University18, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation19, University at Buffalo20, National University of Mar del Plata21, Brown University22, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research23, Ghent University24, Geological Survey of Canada25, American Museum of Natural History26, University of Concepción27, University of New Brunswick28, University of Southern California29, Goethe University Frankfurt30, University of Ottawa31, British Antarctic Survey32, Newcastle University33, Okanagan College34, Sheffield Hallam University35, University of Innsbruck36, University of Southampton37, Northwest University (China)38, University of Helsinki39, University College London40, Eötvös Loránd University41, Ohio State University42, National Scientific and Technical Research Council43, University of Potsdam44, Moscow State University45, Masaryk University46, Bishop's University47, Laval University48, University of Łódź49, University of Georgia50, National University of Ireland, Galway51, Victoria University of Wellington52, Sinclair Community College53, Fisheries and Oceans Canada54, Natural History Museum55, Stockholm University56, Concordia University Wisconsin57, Ca' Foscari University of Venice58, Pedagogical University59, University of Barcelona60, University College Cork61, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration62, University of British Columbia63, Landcare Research64, Chinese Academy of Sciences65, Russian Academy of Sciences66
TL;DR: A global compilation of quality-controlled, published, temperature-sensitive proxy records extending back 12,000 years through the Holocene, which can be used to reconstruct the spatiotemporal evolution of Holocene temperature at global to regional scales, is presented.
Abstract: A comprehensive database of paleoclimate records is needed to place recent warming into the longer-term context of natural climate variability. We present a global compilation of quality-controlled, published, temperature-sensitive proxy records extending back 12,000 years through the Holocene. Data were compiled from 679 sites where time series cover at least 4000 years, are resolved at sub-millennial scale (median spacing of 400 years or finer) and have at least one age control point every 3000 years, with cut-off values slackened in data-sparse regions. The data derive from lake sediment (51%), marine sediment (31%), peat (11%), glacier ice (3%), and other natural archives. The database contains 1319 records, including 157 from the Southern Hemisphere. The multi-proxy database comprises paleotemperature time series based on ecological assemblages, as well as biophysical and geochemical indicators that reflect mean annual or seasonal temperatures, as encoded in the database. This database can be used to reconstruct the spatiotemporal evolution of Holocene temperature at global to regional scales, and is publicly available in Linked Paleo Data (LiPD) format.

141 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article reviewed quantitative and semi-quantitative approaches for reconstructing climatic variables in the Austrian and Swiss sector of the Alpine region within this time interval and identified a number of developments that would provide major advances for palaeoclimate reconstruction for the period 60-8 ka in the Alps and their forelands.

134 citations


Cited by
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Book
01 Jun 2008
TL;DR: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Technical Paper Climate Change and Water draws together and evaluates the information in IPCC Assessment and Special Reports concerning the impacts of climate change on hydrological processes and regimes, and on freshwater resources.
Abstract: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Technical Paper Climate Change and Water draws together and evaluates the information in IPCC Assessment and Special Reports concerning the impacts of climate change on hydrological processes and regimes, and on freshwater resources – their availability, quality, use and management. It takes into account current and projected regional key vulnerabilities, prospects for adaptation, and the relationships between climate change mitigation and water. Its objectives are:

3,108 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work has identified the key response variables within a lake that act as indicators of the effects of climate change on both the lake and the catchment, which reflect a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological responses to climate.
Abstract: While there is a general sense that lakes can act as sentinels of climate change, their efficacy has not been thoroughly analyzed. We identified the key response variables within a lake that act as indicators of the effects of climate change on both the lake and the catchment. These variables reflect a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological responses to climate. However, the efficacy of the different indicators is affected by regional response to climate change, characteristics of the catchment, and lake mixing regimes. Thus, particular indicators or combinations of indicators are more effective for different lake types and geographic regions. The extraction of climate signals can be further complicated by the influence of other environmental changes, such as eutrophication or acidification, and the equivalent reverse phenomena, in addition to other land-use influences. In many cases, however, confounding factors can be addressed through analytical tools such as detrending or filtering. Lakes are effective sentinels for climate change because they are sensitive to climate, respond rapidly to change, and integrate information about changes in the catchment.

1,353 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is proposed that an understanding of the connections between these different levels of organization can help to develop a more coherent theoretical framework based on metabolic scaling, foraging theory and ecological stoichiometry, to predict the ecological consequences of climate change.
Abstract: Fresh waters are particularly vulnerable to climate change because (i) many species within these fragmented habitats have limited abilities to disperse as the environment changes; (ii) water temperature and availability are climate-dependent; and (iii) many systems are already exposed to numerous anthropogenic stressors. Most climate change studies to date have focused on individuals or species populations, rather than the higher levels of organization (i.e. communities, food webs, ecosystems). We propose that an understanding of the connections between these different levels, which are all ultimately based on individuals, can help to develop a more coherent theoretical framework based on metabolic scaling, foraging theory and ecological stoichiometry, to predict the ecological consequences of climate change. For instance, individual basal metabolic rate scales with body size (which also constrains food web structure and dynamics) and temperature (which determines many ecosystem processes and key aspects of foraging behaviour). In addition, increasing atmospheric CO2 is predicted to alter molar CNP ratios of detrital inputs, which could lead to profound shifts in the stoichiometry of elemental fluxes between consumers and resources at the base of the food web. The different components of climate change (e.g. temperature, hydrology and atmospheric composition) not only affect multiple levels of biological organization, but they may also interact with the many other stressors to which fresh waters are exposed, and future research needs to address these potentially important synergies.

966 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results of this study provide an important structural characterization of self-assembled phospholipid bilayers and establish a framework for the design of soluble amphiphilic nanoparticles of controlled size.
Abstract: Using a recently described self-assembly process (Bayburt, T. H.; Grinkova, Y. V.; Sligar, S. G. Nano Letters 2002, 2, 853−856), we prepared soluble monodisperse discoidal lipid/protein particles with controlled size and composition, termed Nanodiscs, in which the fragment of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) bilayer is surrounded by a helical protein belt. We have customized the size of these particles by changing the length of the amphipathic helical part of this belt, termed membrane scaffold protein (MSP). Herein we describe the design of extended and truncated MSPs, the optimization of self-assembly for each of these proteins, and the structure and composition of the resulting Nanodiscs. We show that the length of the protein helix surrounding the lipid part of a Nanodisc determines the particle diameter, as measured by HPLC and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Using different scaffold proteins, we obtained Nanodiscs with the average size from 9.5 to 12.8 nm with a very narrow size distributi...

949 citations