118 high-altitude lakes across Europe provide surface-sediment diatom assemblages for pH calibration. The dataset contains 530 distinct taxa, compiled from five existing calibration sets by the SCIOPS organization. Data collection and compilation were finalized around 1993.
Use Cases
- Calibrate lake pH levels using diatom assemblage counts from sediment samples.
- Analyze the distribution of 530 diatom taxa across an altitudinal range from 20m to 3050m.
- Compare diatom communities from geographically distinct regions like the Alps, Norway, Svalbard, and the Pyrenees.
- Model historical environmental conditions in undisturbed catchments using sediment core data.
Strengths
- 118 lake samples provide a substantial calibration set for alpine regions.
- 530 taxa offer a detailed taxonomic resolution for ecological analysis.
- Data integrates five existing calibration sets, broadening geographic coverage.
Limitations
- The dataset is derived from sources finalized in 1993, making it temporally stale for contemporary analysis.
- Specific sample counts per lake and raw column data are unknown, limiting reproducibility.
- Geographic coverage is biased towards European alpine and remote lakes, excluding other global regions.
Provenance
- Source
- Composite dataset derived from ALPI, ALPS, ALPU, Bergen, and SWAP calibration sets.
- Collection Method
- Surface-sediment samples collected via gravity or piston corers; at least 500 diatom valves counted per sample.
- Time Range
- null
- Freshness
- null
- Geography
- High-altitude or high-latitude lakes across Europe: Alps, Norway, Svalbard, Kola Peninsula, UK, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Portugal, Spain.