Abstract:
Priyadarshini Lake of Schirmacher Oasis, Antarctica was studied on the basis of pigment, mineral matter and microfossils. Pigment profiles of lake cores at three different levels viz. top, central, and bottom are near similar. Microscope analysis showed that Cosmarium spp. predominated (-72 percent) in all three-core samples. The organic contents of the cores are mainly of algal cysts. The overall palynological assemblage seems to be a local micro-biota grown in a lake environment of isolated nature. The dominance of algal cysts suggests a bloom of algal planktons and warm phase of climate.
