In the sedimentary record of the permanently anoxic Drammensfjord, a suite of lipid biomarkers that are derived from the alga Botryococcus braunii (Kiutzing), botryococcenes, is present in varying amounts, but absent in sediments deposited after AD 1850. The disappearance is concurrent with the industrialization of sawmills and the introduction of paper and pulp mills along the river Drammen and upstream water bodies, and the related increase of anthropogenic eutrophication. Because of the sensitivity of this alga for environmental change, a direct correlation between these two events is inferred. This implies that the disappearance of the botryococcenes can serve as a palaeoenvironmental indicator for early eutrophication or environmental change in general. This may be a useful tool in the ongoing research to unravel the response of natural systems to climatic, geophysical or anthropogenic changes.
Aitkenhead, J.A. and McDowell, W.H.2000: Soil C:N ratio as predictor of annual riverine DOC flux at local and global scales . Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 14, 127-138 .
2.
Alve, E.1990: Variations in estuarine foraminiferal biofacies with diminishing oxygen conditions in Drammensfjord, SE Norway. In Hemleben, C. , Scott, D.B. , Kaminski, M. and Kuhnt, W. , editors, Palaeoecology, biostrasratigraphy, palaeoceanography, and taxonomy of agglutinatedforaminifera, Dordrecht: Kluwer , 661-694.
3.
Alve, E.1991: Foraminifera, climatic change, and pollution: a study of late Holocene sediments in Drammensfjord, southeast Norway . The Holocene1, 243-261 .
4.
Alve, E.1995: Benthic foraminiferal distribution and recolonization of formerly anoxic environments in Drammensfjord, southern Norway . Marine Micropaleontology25, 169-186 .
5.
Braarud, T. , Foyn, B. and Hasle, G.R.1958: The marine and freshwater phytoplankton of the Dramsfjord and the adjacent part of the Oslofjord March-December 1951. Hvalraidets Skrifter 43. Det Norske Videnskap-Akademi i Oslo, 102-102 pp.
6.
Dansgaard, W.1964: Stable isotopes in precipitation . Tellus16, 436-468 .
7.
David, M. , Metzger, P. and Casadevall, E.1988: Two cyclobotryococcenes from the B race of the green algaBotryococcus braunii. Phytochemistry27, 2863-2867 .
8.
Degens, E.T. and Stoffers, P.1976: Stratified waters as a key to the past . Nature263, 22-27 .
9.
Dowling, L.M. , Boreham, C.J. , Hope, J.M. , Murray, A.P. and Summons, R.E.1995: Carbon isotopic composition of hydrocarbons in ocean-transported bitumen from the coastline of Australia . Organic Geochemistry23, 729-737 .
10.
Edler, L. , Hillfors, G. and Niemi, A.1994: A preliminary check-list of the phytoplankton of the Baltic Sea . Acta Botanica Fennica128, 1-26 .
11.
Ficken, K.J. and Farrimond, P.1995: Sedimentary lipid geochemistry of Framvaren: impacts of a changing environment . Marine Chemistry51, 31-43 .
12.
Grice, K. , Schouten, S. , Nissenbaum, A. , Charrach, J. and Sinninghe Damste, J.S.1998: A remarkable paradox: sulfurised freshwater algal(Botryococcus braunii) lipids in an ancient hypersaline euxinic ecosystem. Organic Geochemistry28, 195-216 .
13.
Huang, Y. , Street-Perrott, F.A. , Perrott, R.A. , Metzger, P. and Eglinton, G.1999: Glacial-interglacial environmental changes inferred from molecular and compound-specific 613C analyses of sediments from Sacred Lake, Mt. Kenya . Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta63, 1383-1404 .
14.
Huitfeldt-Kaas, H.1906: Planktonundersokeler I Norske Vande. Christiana: Nationaltrykkeriet , 199-199 pp. (in Norwegian).
15.
Huitfeldt-Kaas, H.1917: Mjosens fisker og fiskerier. Det Kgl. Norske videnskabers selskabs skrifter 1916 2. Aktietrykkeriet i Trondheim. 257-257 pp. (in Norwegian).
16.
Hulme, M. , Barrow, E. , Arnell, N.W. , Harrison, P.A. , Johns, T.C. and Downing, T.E.1999: Relative impacts of human-induced climate change and natural climate variability . Nature397, 688-691 .
17.
Kalis, A.J. , Merkt, J. and Wunderlich, J.2003: Environmental changes during the Holocene climatic optimum in central Europe-human impact and natural causes . Quaternary Science Reviews22, 33-79 .
18.
Kemp, A.E.S.1996: Laminated sediments as palaeo-indicators . Geological Society Special Publications116, vii-xii .
19.
Kunz-Pirrung, M.1999: Land-ocean systems in the Siberian Arctic: dynamics and history. In Kassens, H. , Bauch, H.A. , Dmitrenko, I.A. , Eicken, H. , Hubberten, H.-W. , Melles, M. , Thiede, J. and Timokhov, L.A. , editors, Land-ocean systems in the Siberian arctic-dynamics and history, Heidelberg: Springer Verlag , 561-575.
20.
Matthiesen, J. , Kunz-Pirrung, M. and Mudie, P.J.2000: Freshwater chlorophycean algae in recent marine sediments of the Beaufort, Laptev and Kara Seas (Arctic Ocean) as indicators of river runoff . International Journal of Earth Sciences89, 470-485 .
21.
Maxwell, J.R. , Douglas, A.G. , Eglinton, G. and McCormick, A.1968: The Botryococcenes-hydrocarbons of a novel structure from the algaBotryococcus braunii, Kuitzing. Phytochemistry7, 2157-2171 .
22.
Metzger, P. , Casadevall, E. , Pouet, M.J. and Pouet, Y.1985: Structures of some Botryococcenes: branched hydrocarbons from the b-race of the green algaBotryococcus braunii. Phytochemistry24, 2995-3002 .
23.
Metzger, P. , Largeau, C. and Casadevall, E.1991: Lipids and macromolecular lipids of the hydrocarbon-rich microalga Botryococcus braunit. In Herz, W. , Kirby, G.W. , Steglich, W. and Tamm, C. , editors, Progress in the chemistry of organic natural products, Vienna and New York: Springer Verlag , 1-70.
24.
Mikalsen, G. and Sejrup, H.P.2000: Oxygen isotope composition of fjord and river water in the Sognefjorden drainage area, western Norway. Implications for paleoclimate studies . Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science50, 441-448 .
25.
Nordberg, K. , Filipsson, H.L. , Gustafsson, M. , Harland, R. and Roos, P.2001: Climate, hydrographic variations and marine benthic hypoxia in Koljo Fjord, Sweden . Journal of Sea Research46, 187-200 .
26.
Pitsch, J. and Radach, G.1997: Long-term simulation of the eutrophication of the North Sea: temporal development of nutrients, chlorophyll and primary production in comparison to observations . Journal of Sea Research38, 275-310 .
27.
Pirazolli, P.A.1991: World atlas of Holocene sea-level changes. Amsterdam: Elsevier .
28.
Prahl, F.G. , Dymond, J. and Sparrow, M.A.2000: Annual biomarker record for export production in the central Arabian Sea . Deep-Sea Research II47, 1581-1604 .
29.
Printz, H.1914: Kristianiatraktens Protococcoideer. Vidensskabselskapets skrifter. I . Den Matematisk-naturvitenskapelige Klasse 19136 (in Norwegian).
30.
Richards, F.A.1965: Anoxic basins and fjords. In Riley, J.P. and Skirrow, G. , editors, Chemical oceanography, volume I, London: Academic Press , 611-643.
31.
Richards, F.A. and Benson, B.B.1961: Nitrogen/argon and nitrogen isotope ratios in two anaerobic environments, the Cariaco Trench in the Caribbean Sea and Dramsfjord, Norway . Deep-Sea Research7, 254-264 .
32.
Rosen, G.1981: Tusen sjdar. Vdxtplanktons milpYkrav. Naturvdrdsverket v. Nils Ahlgren-informationsenheten. Stockholm: Liber Forlag , 119-119 pp. (in Swedish).
33.
Sinninghe Damste, J.S. , Rijpstra, W.I.C. and Reichart, G.-J.2002: The influence of oxic degradation on the sedimentary biomarker record II. Evidence from Arabian Sea sediments . Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta66, 2737-2754 .
34.
Skipski, V.P. , Smolowne, A.F. , Sullivan, R.C. and Barclay, M.1965: Separation of lipid classes by thin-layer chromatography . Biochimica et Biophysica Acta106, 386-396 .
35.
Smittenberg, R.H. , Baas, M. , Schouten, S. and Sinninghe Damste, J.S.2003: Preand post-industrial environmental changes as revealed by the biogeochemical sedimentary record of Drammensfjord, Norway. In Smittenberg, R.H. , Holocene environmental changes disclosed from anoxic fjord sediments by biomarkers and their radiocarbon content, Geologica Ultraiectina, Mededelingen van de Faculteit Aardwetenschappen 227, Utrecht University , 91-114 (http://www.library.uu.nl/digiarchief/dip/diss/2003-0813-090313/inhoud.htm).
36.
Struck, U. , Emeis, K.-C. , Voss, M. , Christiansen, C. and Kunzendorf, H.2000: Records of southern and central Baltic Sea eutrophication in 615N of sedimentary organic matter . Marine Geology164, 157-171 .
37.
Stuiver, M. , Reimer, P.J. , Bard, E. , Beck, J.W. , Burr, G.S. , Hughen, K.A. , Kromer, B. , McCormac, G. , van der Plicht, H. and Spurk, M.1998: Intcal98 radiocarbon age calibration, 24,000-0 BP . Radiocarbon40, 1041-1083 .
38.
Sullivan, B.E. , Prahl, F.G. , Small, L.F. and Covert, P.A.2001: Seasonality of phytoplankton production in the Columbia River: a natural or anthropogenic pattern?Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta65, 1125-1139 .
39.
Summons, R.E. , Metzger, P. , Largeau, C. , Murray, A.P. and Hope, J.M.2002: Polymethylsqualanes fromBotryococcus braunii in lacustrine sediments and crude oils. Organic Geochemistry33, 99-109 .
40.
Sun, M.-Y. and Wakeham, S.G.1994: Molecular evidence for degradation and preservation of organic matter in the anoxic Black Sea Basin . Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta58, 3395-3406 .
41.
Tyson, R.V.1995: Distribution of the palynomorph group: phytoplankton subgroup, chlorococcale algae. In Tyson, R.V. , editor, Sedimentary organic matter-organic facies and palynofacies, London: Chapman and Hall , 309-317.
42.
Wang, Y. , Huang, Y. and Metzger, P. 2002: Molecular hydrogen isotope fractionation by freshwater green alga Botryococcus braunii under laboratory-growth conditions . Abstracts of the 223th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Geochemistry Division, Orlando, Florida, 7-12 April. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society.
43.
Werne, J.P. , Hollander, D.J. , Lyons, T.W. and Peterson, L.C.2000: Climate-induced variation in productivity and planktonic ecosystem structure from the Younger Dryas to Holocene in the Cariaco Basin, Venezuela . Palaeoceanography15, 19-29 .
44.
Woloszynska, J. 1935: Uber eine Wasserbluite von Cyanophyceen in der Danziger Bucht und eine Wucherung der Diatomee Chaetoceros Eibenii Grun. Bulletin International de l'Academie Polonaise des Sciences et des Lettres, Classe des Sciences Math'emmatiques et Naturelles Serie B.Scie, 101-14.
45.
Zimmerman, A.R. and Canuel, E.A.2000: A geochemical record of eutrophication and anoxia in Chesapeake Bay sediments: anthropogenic influence on organic matter composition . Marine Chemistry69, 117-137 .
