LSM Webinar 20210827 Maine Lakes: from birth to death, and “everything” between

Presented by Steven Norton, PhD

This presentation is a look into the geologic cycle of Maine’s lake. Dr. Norton will explore the the chronology and formation of Maine’s lakes, the evolution of the soil chemistry and water chemistry during the last 16,000 years, a bit about the major responses of lake water chemistry to this evolution, the detailed history of anthropogenic air pollution as seen through the lens of sediment chemistry, and conclude with the life-after-death history of a Maine lake. Lake sediment cores are a continuous record of change, changes that may take thousands of years. They do not have the resolution of observations that LSM Volunteers collect, but provide a glimpse into the geologic timescale. The case study Dr. Norton will use is a 5.3 meter core taken from Sargent Mountain Pond in Acadia National Park, spanning 16,000 years of time.