河西走廊花海古湖泊早、中全新世湖水盐度变化及其环境意义

通过对花海古湖泊沉积剖面8.42~0.405 m沉积物样品的矿物和化学元素测定,分析了沉积物中盐类矿物含量及化学元素K/Na比值的变化情况,结合已有的年代地层结果,重建了花海古湖泊10.47~5.5 cal ka BP湖水盐度变化. 结果表明：花海湖泊全新世湖相沉积阶段中,除个别层位以硫酸盐类矿物沉积为主外,早全新世(10.47~8.87 cal ka BP)和中全新世(8.87~5.5 cal ka BP)均以碳酸盐盐类矿物沉积为主,并且早全新世时期K/Na高于中全新世时期,揭示了早全新世时期湖水盐度高于中全新世时期. 这一结果与该湖泊沉积过程所揭示的湖泊水位变化、粒度等揭示的有效湿度变化具有一致性,表明花海湖泊早、中全新世湖水盐度的高低可以指示其湖泊水位的变化,并间接反映了有效湿度的变化. 结合花海湖泊晚全新世湖泊萎缩、气候干旱的特点,该区域早、中、晚全新世气候干湿变化变化模式可以概况为早全新世降水增强、气候呈现由干向湿的转变,中全新世有效湿度最大,晚全新世气候干旱. 这种全新世气候干湿变化模式有别于西风区,亦与季风区不完全相同,呈现出了一种季风-西风过渡带全新世气候干湿变化的模式.     

内蒙古中东部达里湖湖岸堤记录的12.5 cal ka BP以来湖面波动过程

内蒙古中东部位于东亚夏季风过渡区,对气候变化响应敏感。广泛发育的湖泊沉积物提供了全新世以来的环境变化的理想材料。湖岸沉积物直接记录的古水位,与高分辨率的湖心钻孔记录相结合,有助于全面认识古气候的变化历史和湖面波动的定量重建。运用AMS14C测年和GPS、DEM及1︰5万地形图等相结合的方法确定了达里湖北侧湖岸堤的年代和高程,并结合湖岸堤剖面的沉积序列指示的湖面变化过程,重建了12.5cal ka BP以来达里湖的波动历史。12.5 cal ka BP,达里湖湖面海拔高度约为1253m,至12.3 cal ka BP湖面经历短暂上升,至海拔1266m左右;之后湖面下降,至全新世早期(11.2 cal ka BP),水位降至1254m左右;随后湖面开始逐步上升,10.7 cal ka BP湖面水位稳定在1274m左右;全新世中期湖面继续上升至某一高度(至少在1291m)后,于全新世晚期4.8 cal ka BP湖面高度降至1279m,并于4.6 cal ka BP湖面继续下降至1275m的高度。通过对比湖心钻孔记录的湖泊波动历史以及区域湖泊沉积记录,认为达里湖的水位波动受东亚季风活动的影响,具有区域的一致性。达里湖的水位变化较区域内的其他湖泊更为强烈,认为除了受区域气候变化的影响外,达里湖全新世晚期的湖面下降可能还与区域内强烈的构造活动和西拉木伦河溯源侵蚀导致区域水系的改变有关。     

内蒙古中东部达里湖湖岸堤记录的12.5 cal ka BP以来湖面波动过程*

内蒙古中东部位于东亚夏季风过渡区,对气候变化响应敏感。广泛发育的湖泊沉积物提供了全新世以来的环境变化的理想材料。湖岸沉积物直接记录的古水位,与高分辨率的湖心钻孔记录相结合,有助于全面认识古气候的变化历史和湖面波动的定量重建。运用AMS¹⁴C测年和GPS、DEM及1︰5万地形图等相结合的方法确定了达里湖北侧湖岸堤的年代和高程,并结合湖岸堤剖面的沉积序列指示的湖面变化过程,重建了12.5 cal ka BP以来达里湖的波动历史。12.5 cal ka BP,达里湖湖面海拔高度约为1253,m,至12.3 cal ka BP湖面经历短暂上升,至海拔1266,m左右;之后湖面下降,至全新世早期(11.2 cal ka BP),水位降至1254,m左右;随后湖面开始逐步上升,10.7 cal ka BP湖面水位稳定在1274,m左右;全新世中期湖面继续上升至某一高度(至少在1291,m)后,于全新世晚期4.8 calka BP 湖面高度降至1279,m,并于4.6 cal ka BP湖面继续下降至1275,m的高度。通过对比湖心钻孔记录的湖泊波动历史以及区域湖泊沉积记录,认为达里湖的水位波动受东亚季风活动的影响,具有区域的一致性。达里湖的水位变化较区域内的其他湖泊更为强烈,认为除了受区域气候变化的影响外,达里湖全新世晚期的湖面下降可能还与区域内强烈的构造活动和西拉木伦河溯源侵蚀导致区域水系的改变有关。     

内蒙古克什克腾旗浩来呼热古湖泊全新世以来的环境演变

利用位于中国北方季风尾闾区的浩来呼热古湖泊沉积物中的硅藻化石重建了全新世以来的环境演变历史。根据硅藻组合的变化,可将浩来呼热古湖泊全新世以来的环境演变过程划分为6个阶段:阶段Ⅰ(12.1～11.5cal ka BP),气候以寒冷为主;阶段Ⅱ(11.5～8.6cal ka BP),温度有所回升,但存在一定的冷暖波动;阶段Ⅲ(8.6～6.7cal ka BP),气候仍相对偏凉,且比较干燥;阶段Ⅳ(6.7～5.8cal ka BP),气候开始转温;阶段Ⅴ(5.8～2.9cal ka BP),气候温暖偏湿,为全新世气候最适宜期;阶段Ⅵ(2.9～0.2cal ka BP),气候趋于凉干,湖水也越来越浅,最终在0.2cal ka BP前后干涸消失。     

全新世中期相对稳定的长江水位造成约3000年的湖泊沉积缺失

长江中下游地区浅水湖泊密布,全新世该区湖泊沉积的模式还不清晰。本研究在长江中下游的南漪湖、升金湖和菜子湖这3个湖泊开展了多钻孔AMS^14C测年工作,测年结果显示这些湖泊沉积地层中广泛出现长时间尺度的沉积物缺失。南漪湖湖泊钻孔的沉积物14C年龄介于5668~7828cal.aB.P.,菜子湖湖泊钻孔的沉积物^14C年龄介于6221~7929cal.aB.P.,升金湖围垦区钻孔14C年龄介于6302~7049cal.aB.P.。结合该地区以往湖泊钻孔研究资料,发现全新世长江中下游两岸洼地湖泊存在较广泛的6~3ka的沉积间断。结合长江水位重建资料,笔者提出关于全新世湖泊沉积存有长期间断的新认识:即6~3ka,长江水位相对平稳,湖泊沉积物虽有堆积,但易于被侵蚀搬运造成沉积间断;与此对应的是,在约8~7ka,海面上升造成长江水位较快上升,由于顶托作用,湖泊沉积物持续堆积;在约3ka以来,由于人类活动的影响,以及长江水位的进一步上升,湖泊沉积物也易于堆积,但在一些湖区沉积物也会被侵蚀。在6~3ka之间湖泊沉积物易于被侵蚀的一个可能原因是该时段长江上游来沙来水减少,自然堤易被破坏,对两岸湖泊洼地的封堵作用减少,使得湖泊泥沙易被侵蚀入江。     

鲁北平原东部巨淀湖岩心沉积物记录的全新世环境演变

鲁北平原东部巨淀湖处于中国北方季风区,对全球气候变化响应敏感,为研究海岸带地区过去的气候环境演变提供了丰富的湖泊沉积资料。通过对巨淀湖钻孔岩心沉积物孢粉鉴定、粒度分析和AMS¹⁴C年代测定,探讨了鲁北平原地区8900 cal a BP以来的气候环境演变过程。结果表明: 8900—7625 cal a BP,气温较高,降水丰沛,气候较暖湿;7625—6810 cal a BP,气候整体呈变凉变干的趋势;6810—4435 cal a BP,温度回升,降水增加,显示了全新世中期整体温暖湿润的气候特征;4435—3150 cal a BP,气候整体寒冷湿润,其间也存在小幅的冷暖波动。中全新世期间5450—5280 cal a BP和4160—4090 cal a BP出现了明显冷干事件,这与中国乃至全球范围内的地质气候记录存在一致性,究其原因可能是受到太阳辐射变化导致的赤道辐合带南移、大洋海表温度变化以及地表植被的反馈作用的共同影响。     

青藏高原东北部泥炭沉积粒度与元素记录的全新世千年尺度的气候变化

通过对青藏高原东北部共和盆地泥炭沉积的粒度与地球化学元素分析, 重建了区域全新世千年尺度的气候变化过程. 结果显示: 10.0~8.6 cal ka BP区域暖湿程度逐渐增加, 但在8.6~7.1 cal ka BP气候相对寒冷干燥, 7.1~3.8 cal ka BP 暖湿程度总体上为全新世最佳, 但也出现明显的气候波动, 3.8~0.5 cal ka BP气候向冷干方向发展, 0.5 cal ka BP以来气候又逐渐转向暖湿. 这一特征与中国东部季风区的气候变化有很好的一致性. 此外, 区域全新世气候变化过程中存在10次千年尺度的寒冷事件, 并与高原冰芯、 湖泊、 泥炭和风成沉积记录的古气候变化, 甚至与北半球高低纬度的气候变化都具有良好的可比性. 因此, 认为区域全新世气候变化具有"季风模式"与"千年尺度震荡"的双重特点.     

青藏高原共和盆地14.5calkaBP以来粘土矿物响应的气候变化模式

对青藏高原北缘共和盆地沙珠玉河的尾闾湖达连海钻孔沉积柱(40.92 m)进行了~(14)C年代测定(10个控制点)和粘土矿物分析(按20cm/70 a间隔的分辨率)。沉积柱底部年龄为14.5 cal ka BP。根据沉积柱粘土矿物的类型、组合、比率指标综合分析,重建了共和盆地14.5 cal ka BP以来气候环境的演化历史。冰消期(14.5~10.0 cal ka BP)盆地气候总体特征表现为干冷,盆地物理风化强:早中全新世(10.0~5.0 cal ka BP)气候表现为温湿,盆地化学风化为主,气候最宜期发生在中全新世的6.0 cal ka BP前后;晚全新世(5.0~0.0 cal ka BP)气候表现为干冷,盆地物理风化盛行。末次冰消期以来,共和盆地粘土矿物记录的气候环境变化阶段与高原其它湖泊指标记录的阶段基本一致。共和盆地粘土矿物记录的气候环境兼有西风、季风模式的特征。     

安徽巢湖湖相地层记录的早全新世气候事件

通过对安徽巢湖西岸杭埠河入口三角洲地区CH孔岩芯湖泊相沉积物的色度、磁化率及地球化学等古环境代用指标的分析与研究,揭示了巢湖地区早全新世时期(11.7~7.5cal.kaBP)的极端气候事件。研究表明:研究区11.7~7.5cal.kaBP期间沉积环境极不稳定,气候波动明显,并分别约在7.8cal.kaBP,8.6cal.kaBP,9.4cal.kaBP,10.5cal.kaBP,11.4cal.kaBP出现5次显著的冷干气候事件,且以8.6cal.kaBP与11.4cal.kaBP表现最为强烈,与我国冰芯、石笋及湖泊沉积物所记录的早全新世冷事件具有可比性,反映了巢湖湖泊沉积物对我国早全新世北半球中纬度地区的季风气候有明显的响应,这将为我国北半球早全新世气候波动的机理研究提供佐证。     

抚仙湖全新世自生碳酸盐及其区域气候和湖泊水位指示意义

抚仙湖是我国面积、蓄水量最大的高原湖泊之一。通过对抚仙湖FXH-B2钻孔岩芯296 cm沉积物的矿物组成和碳酸盐含量分析,结合岩芯XRF扫描数据和AMS^14C年代的测定,探讨了抚仙湖湖泊沉积物中碳酸盐含量与方解石矿物及沉积物Ca元素相对含量之间的关系及其环境指示意义,在对比和参考水下地形测量、地球物理勘探、水质和地球化学监测和不同部位钻孔岩芯的分析结果的基础上,重建了抚仙湖全新世以来气候和湖泊水位的变化。结果指示,抚仙湖碳酸盐含量与方解石的XRD信号强度、沉积物Ca元素的XRF扫描数据之间存在很高的相关性,沉积物中碳酸盐类物质主要为方解石(其他碳酸盐类矿物相对含量极微甚至可以忽略不计),沉积物中Ca元素主要来自碳酸盐,因此其含量由碳酸盐、即方解石矿物含量决定。沉积物中碳酸盐含量的变化可以用沉积物中Ca元素XRF扫描结果进行表示。由于抚仙湖处于亚热带季风气候区,以10月至次年4月降水量极少而蒸发强烈为特点的干季和以5月至9月降水为主的湿季所形成的干湿变化控制了湖泊演化的主要过程,区域气候变化是湖泊演化和水位变化的主要动力。结合湖泊沉积碳酸盐稳定同位素δ^18O和δ^13C、有机质含量及其同位素δ^13C、抚仙湖北部边缘水下侵蚀地形测量、地球物理勘探和沉积地层年代的确定和讨论,明确了抚仙湖沉积碳酸盐含量指示湖泊水位的变化,并重建了抚仙湖过去约12 ka以来水位变化的历史。结果显示,在约12 cal.ka B.P.至2.2 cal.ka B.P.期间的湖泊水位变化主要经历了波动式降低的过程,其中4.37~2.2 cal.ka B.P.期间高CaCO3含量、偏正的碳酸盐δ^18O、δ^13C值指示抚仙湖一度出现低于现代湖面约30 m左右的低水位,可能记录了抚仙湖流域极端的干旱时期,在2.2~2.0 cal.ka B.P.期间抚仙湖水位经历了快速升高的变化事件,期间湖水位快速上升达到现代湖水水位,揭示了印度季风控制区区域降水的特殊性和气候变化的突发性。     

A multiproxy record of Holocene environmental changes in the central Kola Peninsula,northwest Russia

A sediment core from Chuna Lake (Kola Peninsula, northwest Russia) was studied for pollen, diatoms and sediment chemistry in order to infer post‐glacial environmental changes and to investigate responses of the lake ecosystem to these changes. The past pH and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of the lake were inferred using diatom‐based transfer functions. Between 9000 and 4200 cal. yr BP, slow natural acidification and major changes in the diatom flora occurred in Chuna Lake. These correlated with changes in regional pollen, the arrival of trees in the catchment, changes in erosion, sediment organic content and DOC. During the past 4200 yr diatom‐based proxies showed no clear response to changes in vegetation and erosion, as autochthonous ecological processes became more important than external climate influences during the late Holocene. The pollen stratigraphy reflects the major climate patterns of the central Kola Peninsula during the Holocene, i.e. a climate optimum between 9000 and 5400/5000 cal. yr BP when climate was warm and dry, and gradual climate cooling and an increase in moisture during the past 5400/5000 yr. This agrees with the occurrence of the north–south humidity gradient in Fennoscandia during the Holocene. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene freshwater diatoms: palaeoenvironmental implications from south Kamchatka,Russia

Holocene palaeolimnological conditions were reconstructed by analysing fossil diatom assemblages within a lacustrine sediment core from Lake Sokoch, southern Kamchatka (Russia). Sediments of this proglacial lake cover the past 9400 years and hence represent almost the whole Holocene history. The biosiliceous muddy sample material was analysed for several geochemical and biological parameters, such as the total organic carbon and biogenic silica content, and the diatom community (quantitative and qualitative changes). Based on changes in the relative abundances of the most frequent species Aulacoseira subarctica, Staurosira martyi and Stephanodiscus alpinus and a depth‐constrained cluster analyses (CONISS), five diatom assemblage zones could be identified. The oldest stage recovered lies between 9400 and 9000 cal. a BP and reflects the initial lake stage after the retreat of local glaciers, with a high detrital sediment supply, shallow‐water conditions and a high diatom diversity. The next zone (9000–6200 cal. a BP) shows a more mature lake system with accumulating biogenic remains and higher water levels during climate amelioration. This is followed by the most obvious change in the diatom assemblage, delineated by an occurrence of S. alpinus, between 6200 and 2700 cal. a BP. Wet conditions in spring probably led to an enhanced fluvial runoff and eutrophic to hypertrophic conditions. The end of this period might reflect climate deterioration related to the Neoglacial epoch of the Holocene. Between 2700 and 1600 cal. a BP the sediments of Lake Sokoch reveal oligotrophic water conditions in a windy high‐energy environment. The youngest interval, between 1600 cal. a BP and the Present, indicates shallow‐water conditions and a very short growing season, which might reflect the Little Ice Age. The results may offer a baseline for the interpretation of Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes in Kamchatka and their relation to regional climate change from a palaeoecological perspective.     

Holocene migration of oceanic front systems over the Conrad Rise in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean

There has been limited previous research about Holocene climate variability in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean. Here we examine centennial‐scale changes in diatom assemblages and stable isotopic ratios since 10 000 cal a BP in a high‐accumulation‐rate sediment core from the Conrad Rise. Although abundances of dominant diatom taxa (Fragilariopsis kerguelensis and Thalassiothrix antarctica) are comparatively constant, relative abundances of secondary taxa fluctuate. Before c. 9900 cal a BP, winter sea‐ice and cold water covered the Conrad Rise. Following deglaciation the sea‐ice retreated from the Conrad Rise, lagging that of the Atlantic and eastern Indian Sectors by about 1500 a. The Polar Front moved southward during the early Holocene optimum and north Antarctic Zone waters covered the Conrad Rise for about 650 a. After 9300 cal a BP, solar insolation strongly influenced sea surface temperature and primary productivity in the Southern Ocean. In the high‐latitude Indian Sector, productivity increased 1500 a after the onset of late Holocene neoglaciation. Periodic δ¹⁸O and cold‐water diatom taxa spikes (at intervals of 200 and 300–500 a, respectively) occurred after 9300 cal a BP, probably associated with solar activity. Fluctuations in short‐term sea surface temperature and cold‐water taxa are synchronous with changes in δD observed in an east Antarctic ice core. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mineralogy and geochemistry of the Holocene lacustrine sediments in Nam Co, Tibet

The carbonates, clays and major chemical compositions of lacustrine sediments in Nam Co (Lake) were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis. Carbonates include monohydrocalcite (MHC, first report from China and in a high-altitude lake), low-Mg calcite and traces of dolomite. MHC in Nam Co is developed in water (1.8 g/L) with high Mg/Ca molar ratios (10.03–15.03), high pH (8.04–9.72) and the presence of bacteria, algae, diatom and ostracoda. Illite and Mg-chlorite provide a strong evidence for physical weathering in the Holocene. Most Ca and Sr in sediments originate from carbonates as the molar ratios of Ca and CO₃²⁻ are all less than 1 and the curve of Sr is very similar to that of Ca. However, most of the Mg, Fe and Rb are from clays. The lake water shifted from a fresh water environment to an evaporative, alkaline environment by 2.06 cal. ka BP. There was a depositional event that the depositional rate changed from 0.134 to 1.639 mm/a at about 2 cal. ka BP.     

Climatic change recorded by stable isotopes and trace elements in a British Holocene tufa

Combined stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and trace element (Mg, Sr) geochemistry from bulk tufa calcite and ostracod shell calcite from an early Holocene British tufa reveal clear records of Holocene palaeoclimatic change. Variation in δ¹⁸O is caused principally by change in the isotopic composition of Holocene rainfall (recharge), itself caused mainly by change in air temperature. The δ¹³C variability through much of the deposit reflects increasing influence of soil‐zone CO₂, owing to progressive woodland soil development. Bulk tufa Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by their concentrations in the spring water. Importantly, Mg/Ca ratios are not related to δ¹⁸O values and thus show no temperature dependence. First‐order sympathetic relationships between δ¹³C values and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by aquifer processes (residence times, CO₂ degassing and calcite dissolution/reprecipitation) and probably record intensity of palaeorainfall (recharge) effects. Stable isotope records from ostracod shells show evidence of vital effects relative to bulk tufa data. The ostracod isotopic records are markedly ‘spiky’ because the ostracods record ‘snapshots’ of relatively short duration (years), whereas the bulk tufa samples record averages of longer time periods, probably decades. The δ¹⁸O record appears to show early Holocene warming, a thermal maximum at ca. 8900 cal. yr BP and the global 8200 yr BP cold event. Combined δ¹³C, Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca data suggest that early Holocene warming was accompanied by decreasing rainfall intensity. The Mg/Ca data suggest that the 8200 yr BP cold event was also dry. Warmer and wetter conditions were re‐established after the 8200 yr BP cold event until the top of the preserved tufa sequence at ca. 7100 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene lake sediments from the Faiyum Oasis in Egypt: a record of environmental and climate change

The Qarun Lake in the Faiyum Oasis (Egypt) provides a unique record of Holocene environmental and climate change in an arid area largely devoid of fossil proxy records. Multiple lithological, palaeontological and geochemical proxies and 32 radiocarbon dates from the 26‐m‐long core FA‐1 provide a time series of the lake's transformation. Our results confirm that a permanent lake appeared in the Holocene at c. 10 cal. ka BP. The finely laminated lake sediments consist of diatomite, in which diatoms and ostracods together with lower concentrations of ions indicate a freshwater environment at the end of the early and middle Holocene. This freshwater supply was closely associated with regular inflows of the Nile water during flood seasons, when the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) migrated northwards in Africa, although it has probably never reached the Faiyum Oasis. Local rainfall, possibly connected with a northern atmospheric circulation, may have been important during winter. Several phases in the lake's evolution are recognized, represented by oscillations between deep open freshwater conditions during more humid climate and shallow fresh to brackish water during drier episodes. After a long freshwater phase, the lake setting has become more brackish since c. 6.2 cal. ka BP as indicated by diatoms and increasing contents of evaporite ions in the sediment. This clearly shows that since that time the lake has occasionally become partly desiccated. This is a result of reduced discharge of the Nile. In the late Holocene the lake was mostly brackish and then gradually turned into a saline lake. This natural process was interrupted about 2.3 cal. ka BP when a man‐made canal facilitated water inflow from the Nile. The examined FA‐1 core can be used as a reference age model of climate change in the Holocene and its impact on the development and decline of ancient civilizations in northeastern Africa.     

Timing of atmospheric precipitation in the Zagros Mountains inferred from a multi-proxy record from Lake Mirabad, Iran

A sediment core 7.2 m long from Lake Mirabad, Iran, was examined for loss-on-ignition, mineralogy, oxygen-isotopic composition of authigenic calcite, and trace-element composition of ostracodes to complement earlier pollen and ostracode-assemblage studies. Pollen, ostracode-inferred lake level, and high Sr/Ca ratios indicate that the early Holocene (10000 to 6500 cal yr BP) was drier than the late Holocene. Low δ¹⁸O values during this interval are interpreted as resulting from winter-dominated precipitation, characteristic of a Mediterranean climate. Increasing δ¹⁸O values after 6500 cal yr BP signal a gradual increase in spring rains, which are present today. A severe 600-yr drought occurred at ca. 5500 cal yr BP, shortly after the transition from pistachio-almond to oak forest. During the late Holocene, two milder droughts occurred at about 1500 and 500 cal yr BP. Within the resolution of the record, no drought is evident during the collapse of the Akkadian empire (4200–3900 cal yr BP). Rather, a decrease in δ¹⁸O values to early-Holocene levels may indicate the return to a Mediterranean precipitation regime.     

Holocene vegetation and climate changes in Hoton-Nur basin, northwest Mongolia

Radiocarbon-dated pollen and diatom records from Hoton-Nur lake (48°40'N, 88°18'E), northwest Mongolia are used to reconstruct Holocene vegetation and climate changes. Steppe, which covered the area some time before 9000 BP (all ages are given in ¹⁴C BP), was replaced by boreal conifer forest-steppe by 9000-8500 BP. At the same time, planktonic diatoms increased in abundance from 5 to 45%. After 4000 BP there was a sharp reduction in forest and re-establishment of steppe. Changes in the pollen composition were accompanied by a decrease in the abundance of planktonic diatoms from 35-50% (between 9000 and 5500 BP) to less than 10% soon after 4000 BP. These and other published data from Mongolia suggest wetter conditions during the early and middle Holocene than those of today. This pattern probably reflects an expansion of the Pacific monsoon recorded in geological data from China and simulated in climate-model experiments, and suggests that the summer monsoon influenced a larger area than might appear if the Chinese records only are taken into consideration.     

A high-resolution diatom record of late-Quaternary sea-surface temperatures and oceanographic conditions from the eastern Norwegian Sea

Core MD95‐2011 was taken from the eastern Vøring Plateau, near the Norwegian coast. The section between 250 and 750 cm covers the time period from 13 000 to 2700 cal. yr BP (the Lateglacial and much of the Holocene). Samples at 5 cm intervals were analysed for fossil diatoms. A data‐set of 139 modern sea‐surface diatom samples was related to contemporary sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs) using two different numerical methods. The resulting transfer functions were used to reconstruct past sea‐surface temperatures from the fossil diatom assemblages. After the cold Younger Dryas with summer SSTs about 6°C, temperatures warmed rapidly to about 13°C. One of the fluctuations in the earliest Holocene can be related to the Pre‐Boreal Oscillation, but SSTs were generally unstable until about 9700 cal. yr BP. Evidence from diatom concentration and magnetic susceptibility suggests a change and stabilization of water currents associated with the final melting of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet at c. 8100 cal. yr BP. A period of maximum warmth between 9700 and 6700 cal. yr BP had SSTs 3–5°C warmer than at present. Temperatures cooled gradually until c. 3000 cal. yr BP, and then rose slightly around 2750 cal. yr BP. The varimax factors derived from the Imbrie & Kipp method for sea‐surface‐temperature reconstructions can be interpreted as water‐masses. They show a dominance of Arctic Waters and Sea Ice during the Younger Dryas. The North Atlantic current increased rapidly in strength during the early Holocene, resulting in warmer conditions than previously. Since about 7250 cal. yr BP, Norwegian Atlantic Water gradually replaced the North Atlantic Water, and this, in combination with decreasing summer insolation, led to a gradual cooling of the sea surface. Terrestrial systems in Norway and Iceland responded to this cooling and the increased supply of moisture by renewed glaciation. Periods of glacial advance can be correlated with cool oscillations in the SST reconstructions. By comparison with records of SSTs from other sites in the Norwegian Sea, spatial and temporal changes in patterns of ocean water‐masses are reconstructed, to reveal a complex system of feedbacks and influences on the climate of the North Atlantic and Norway.     

A high-resolution Holocene diatom record on the North Icelandic shelf

A high-resolution diatom record from core MD99-2275 reveals a series of palaeoceanographic changes on the North Icelandic shelf since about 9000 cal. yr BP. The influence of relatively warm high-salinity Atlantic water-masses of the IC was strong in the study area during the Holocene Climate Optimum (8760 (base of record) to c . 5300 cal. yr BP) and peaked between c . 8000 and 7000 cal. yr BP. There is a general cooling trend from c . 7000 cal. yr BP to the present, which is indicated by an increase in the influence of cold Polar water-masses from the EGC and the EIC and a decrease in the influence of the IC. A major change in diatom assemblages at around 5300 cal. yr BP indicates a palaeoceanographic shift on the North Icelandic shelf in the mid-Holocene. In addition, several abrupt palaeoceanographic changes are distinguished. Enhanced influence of Polar waters is reflected during the intervals 8120–8000, 6650–6100, 4300–4100, 3000–2700, 1300–1100 and 600–200 cal. yr BP. The palaeoceanographic indication of the diatom record of core MD99-2275 is consistent with the indication of other environmental parameters from the same core, such as benthic and planktonic foraminifera as well as magnetic properties, and the results are also consistent with palaeoclimatic records from adjacent areas around Iceland and in the North Atlantic region.