Tracking centennial changes in algal community composition and biomass using subfossil pigments in a high mountain lake (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

Llodrà-Llabrés, Joana; Pérez-Martínez, Carmen; Vegas-Vilarrúbia, Teresa; Smol, John P.; Meyer-Jacob, Carsten; Sigro, Javier; Buchaca, Teresa

doi:10.5194/bg-23-5185-2026

Articles | Volume 23, issue 14

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5185-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5185-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 23, issue 14

Research article

|

30 Jul 2026

Research article |

| 30 Jul 2026

Tracking centennial changes in algal community composition and biomass using subfossil pigments in a high mountain lake (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

Joana Llodrà-Llabrés, Carmen Pérez-Martínez, Teresa Vegas-Vilarrúbia, John P. Smol, Carsten Meyer-Jacob, Javier Sigro, and Teresa Buchaca

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5185-2026-supplement

Data sets

Pigment-article-variables-Biogeosciences2026 C. Pérez Martínez et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20816770

RDA Pigments C. Pérez Martínez et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20817142

Dating-results-core-SSBG-21 C. Pérez Martínez et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20817377

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Short summary

This study examined changes in algae in a high mountain lake in Spain over the past 430 years by analyzing subfossil pigments. We found that algal biomass and composition shifted significantly, especially since the 1970s, mainly due to rising temperatures and phosphorus-rich dust from the Sahara. These findings reveal how climate change and atmospheric pollution impact even remote lakes, highlighting risks for similar ecosystems under future environmental changes.