PAGES Poland

diatoms

Examination of fossil diatom flora, both freshwater and marine, provides invaluable knowledge of previous environmental conditions in basins and can answer many paleogeographical, paleoecological and sedimentological questions. Research of fossil diatom flora is the basis for reconstructions of past water level fluctuations, trophic levels, pH, salinity and oxidation. This analysis can be applied to both lake (e.g., Przybyłowska-Lange, 1976; Marciniak, 1981; Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1977, 1990; Bogaczewicz-Adamczak et al., 1981, 1985) and marine sediments (Witkowski, 1994; Westman and Sohlenius, 1999; Andreen et al., 2000).


Phot. 1. Terpsinoë americana (Bailey) © Ralfs in Prichard

Bioindicative properties of the diatom flora have been used to reconstruct changes in range, depth and salinity of the Baltic Sea after the deglaciation of Scandinavian Ice Sheet (Florin, 1946; Berglund, 1971; Alhonen, 1971; Risberg 1991). Several studies have also used diatom analysis to reconstruct paleohydrological changes in the Baltic Sea during its evolutionary stages (Jang, 1996; Solenius et al., 1996).


Phot. 2. Campylodiscus clypeus © Ehrenberg


Phot. 3. Cocconeis disculus (Schumann) © Cleve

Freshwater basins in Poland, where diatom analyses has been conducted include:

• Bory Tucholskie district (Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1990; Bubak, 2006)
• Lake Drużno (Przybyłowska-Lange, 1976)
• Lake Jamno (Przybyłowska-Lange, 1979)
• Lake Gardno (Zaborowska, 1977; Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1977; Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1981; Lutyńska, 2005)
• near Niechorze (Marciniak, 1981; Cieśla i Marciniak, 1982)
• Lake Żarnowieckie (Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1985)
• Lake Sarbsko (Przybyłowska-Lange, 1981; Miotk, 1986)
• Lake Gościąż (Marciniak, 1999)
• Lake Mikołajskie (Marciniak, 1973)
• Lakes Święte and Świętokrzyskie (Machowiak-Bennett, 2002)

Polish studies in marine sediments include:

• Sites in Gdańsk bay area:

- Hel (Bohr, 1972)
- Jastarnia (Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1982)
- Jurata (Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1990)

• Gdańsk Bay and Gdańsk Depth (Witkowski, 1994)
• Zatoka Gdańska (Stachura i Witkowski, 1997)
• Vistula Bay (Przybyłowska-Lange, 1974; Bogaczewicz-Adamczak, 1980; Zachowicz, 1985)