Pampa Plain (Argentina) Wetland History through a Lake Case Study: Kakel Huincul Environmental History during the Last 600 Years

Abstract

Kakel Huincul lake is located in one of the main wetlands of Argentina. A multi-indicator analysis, including pollen, nonpollen palynomorphs and plant macrofossil remains and associated fauna was performed to reconstruct Kakel Huincul lake environmental history in order to understand Pampean wetlands responses to environmental changes and human impacts during the last 600 years. Results showed that climate triggered water-level fuctuations in the lake during the early perioduntil ~1670 AD; afterwards human activities (cattle, intensive agriculture and urbanization) started to overrule climate forcing in the lake until today. Pre-agricultural intensifcation conditions of the lake were identifed at ca. 1670 AD and it was concluded that southeastern Pampa plain has been subjected to human activities (cattle farming and incorporation of agriculture) since then. Intense eutrophication of the lake occurred during the last 25 years, but this study made it possible to establish that the Pampa wetland has been modifed for more than fve decades.