A simple, inexpensive piston corer for collecting undisturbed sediment/water interface profiles

Paleolimnological techniques are invaluable for assessing recent environmental changes, espe- cially in circumstances where long-term ecologi- cal data are unavailable. Paleoecological recon- structions rely on multiple lines of stratigraphic evidence that may require measurement of nu- merous sediment properties, including density, percent dry weight, organic matter and nutrient content, mineralogy, inorganic chemistry, pig- ments, pollen, animal and algal microfossils, and radionuclide activities (i.e. 2l~ and 137Cs). A large-volume sediment/water interface corer that is capable of retrieving substantial amounts of mud is required to provide sufficient material for multiple analyses. Several corers are commer- cially available (e.g. KB