[1] We construct a high-resolution relative sea-level record for the past 700 years by dating basal salt-marsh peat samples above a glacial erratic in an eastern Connecticut salt marsh, to test whether or not the apparent recent acceleration in the rate of sea-level rise (SLR) is coeval with climate warming. The data reveal an average SLR rate of 1.0 ± 0.2 mm/year from about 1300 to 1850 A.D. Coupling of the regional tide-gauge data (1856 to present) with this marsh-based record indicates that the nearly three-fold increase in the regional rate of SLR to modern levels likely occurred in the later half of the 19th century. Thus the timing of the observed SLR rate increase is coincident with the onset of climate warming, indicating a possible link between historic SLR increases and recent temperature increases. INDEX TERMS: 4556

Lakes are common features of alpine landscapes, and the attention given to alpine lakes has increased recently in response to increased recognition of the important role that these freshwaters play as sensible indicators of climate change. Despite this general research interest, there is nevertheless a general lack of information about zoobenthos especially of lakes in the Alps, and only few published data are available, which has made it nearly impossible to draw general conclusions in respect to benthic community structure, profundal and/or littoral food webs. This paper aims to explore the relationships between main environmental/catchment properties of 55 lakes and their littoral benthic fauna across three regions of the Alps. We provide updated information on relative abundance, species richness, distribution and ecology of macroinvertebrates which occur and are typical in the littoral of high-mountain lakes of the Alps. These lakes were located in the Lago-Maggiore Watershed (Italy and Switzerland), in South Tyrol (Italy) and in North/East Tyrol (Austria), between 1840 and 2796 m a.s.l., in catchments undisturbed by human activities. As the studied lakes are situated above the tree line, they were characterised by low nutrient levels indicating an oligotrophic status. Lake water chemistry corresponded closely to the geo-lithology of the catchment and some parameters (especially nutrient concentrations) differed between the regions. The macroinvertebrates were dominated by insects which to a high degree were chironomid larvae and pupae. Other insect orders were typical cold stenotherm species of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera. Non-insect macroinvertebrates contributed to the 144 taxa found. Other than lake size and catchment area, the faunal parameters exhibited a clearer pattern along altitude. Macroinvertebrates per sample increased with higher elevation, reached their maximum in lakes between 2400 and 2600 m a.s.l., but decreased strongly above 2600 m. The altitudinal pattern of species richness and Shannon diversity resembled each other being highest between 2001 and 2200 m a.s.l., but decreased when going lower and higher, respectively.Various patterns and trends along altitude were also evident when individual groups were analysed within the individual sampling regions. The somewhat conflicting trends of various biocoenotic indices let assume that factors other than altitude are also responsible for the structure of faunal assemblages in the littoral of alpine lakes. Six variables (were selected by the CCA analysis where these three groups of lakes were identified: (1) lakes with a higher alkalinity (higher pH, conductivity, ion concentration), a higher relative vegetation cover (compared to the ''bare rocks'' on the opposite side) and lower nitrate levels; (2) lakes with a higher portion of ''bare rocks'' in their catchments and higher nitrate levels; and (3) a smaller group of lakes with higher ammonia levels and a boggy environment. Geographical patterns seemed to have weak effects on the...

The results of a study of littoral chironomid communities from 89 lakes in the Alps are presented. The lakes are located on the northern and southern sides of the Alps from the western Bernese to the eastern Julian Alps. Due to the different origins of the data set here considered, different sampling years and sampling methodologies were adopted. All of the lakes were sampled during the ice-free season, but 79/89 lakes were sampled mainly in autumn 2000, while for a few of them the sample dated back to 1996 or the early 90s. Samples were taken by kicking the different substrata or a stretch of lakeshore (10-30 m) for at least 2-5 min with a standard net and were then preserved in alcohol. Larvae and pupal exuviae were sampled by skimming the lake surface with the same net, to extend identification to species level. Notwithstanding the large altitudinal gradient, almost all of the lakes are situated above the timberline, and show a wide range of morphological (depth, watershed and lake area) and chemical characteristics. Chironomids were the most abundant insects represented in these lakes, with highest abundances at pH between 6.0 and 7.5. In particular, Orthocladiinae and Chironominae were the two subfamilies with the widest distribution. Altitude and temperature played an important role in determining their distribution, the higher altitudes were dominated by the former, whereas the latter were more numerous in lower lakes. The prevalence of Orthocladiinae and Tanytarsini at high altitudes was regarded as a general pattern of taxonomic composition in harsh climatic areas. A reverse condition occurred only in the Julian Alps, where Tanytarsini dominate, followed by Tanypodinae and rare Orthocladiinae. Although our results demonstrated that the composition of chironomid assemblages was also determined by pH, the pattern was unbalanced. Due to the fact that no cases of strong water acidification were present, taxa restricted to very low pH were poorly represented (only three taxa-Limnophyes, Endochironomus and Orthocladius (O.) spp.) compared with circumneutral (8) and alkaline (14) taxa, which occurred in slightly acid and non-acidified soft water lakes. As regard conductivity and altitude, we found that almost all the taxa present at higher pH were contemporary present at conductivity higher than 100 leq l )1 and altitude lower than 2100 m a.s.l. At species level, Pseudodiamesa branickii, Corynoneura arctica, Heterotrissocladius marcidus and Paratanytarsus austriacus resulted to be the most ubiquitous and abundant species in the Alps. When the west to east distribution of taxa was taken into account, Chironomini (particularly the genera Chironomus and