Insolation forcing of Holocene climate change in Southern California: a sediment study from Lake Elsinore

Lake Elsinore is the largest natural lake in Southern California. As such, the lake provides a unique opportunity to investigate terrestrial climate on timescales otherwise underrepresented in the region’s terrestrial environment. In November 2003, three ∼10 m drill cores were extracted from the depocenter region of Lake Elsinore. These drill cores, spanning the past 9,500–11,200 calendar years, represent the first complete Holocene record of terrestrial climate from Southern California. In this paper, we focus on two adjacent, depocenter cores (LEGC03-2 and LEGC03-3), which have been correlated to develop a single composite core. Twenty-two AMS ¹⁴C dates on bulk organic matter and one cross-correlated exotic pollen age constitute the composite core’s age control. Several methods of analysis, including mass magnetic susceptibility, % total organic matter, % total carbonate, % HCl-extractable Al, and total inorganic P are used to infer climate for the past 9,500 calendar years in Southern California. Together, these data indicate a wet early Holocene followed by a long-term drying trend. Recent lake-level reconstructions from Owens Lake and Tulare Lake support our contention for a wetter-than-today early Holocene. Lacustrine sediments from the Mojave Desert also support our conclusions. We suggest that over the duration of the Holocene changing summer/winter insolation alters the region’s long-term hydrologic balance through its modulation of atmospheric circulation and its associated storm tracks. Minimum early Holocene winter insolation and maximum summer insolation act together to increase the region’s total annual precipitation by increasing the frequency of winter storms as well as enhancing the magnitude and spatial extent of the North American monsoon, the frequency of land-falling tropical cyclones in Southern California, and regional convective storms, respectively. Gradual decreases in summer insolation and increases in winter insolation produce the opposite effect with maximum drying in the late Holocene.     

An Alpine Lacustrine Record of Early Holocene North American Monsoon Dynamics from Dry Lake, Southern California (USA)

Dry Lake (2763 m), located in the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California, USA, provides a high-resolution climate record from the coastal southwest depicting early Holocene terrestrial climate. 27 AMS ¹⁴C dates and multi-proxy analyses, including magnetic susceptibility, total organic mater, microfossil counts, and grain size, suggest the early Holocene was significantly wetter then present, due to an enhanced North American Monsoon (NAM). Elevated insolation at 9000 cal year B.P., raised summer sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of California and the eastern tropical Pacific, as well as land surface temperatures, extending the NAM into southern California. The data also provide evidence of the 8.2 ka event, which registers as a 300-year cool period characterized by reduced monsoonal precipitation, depressed basin productivity, and increased erosion. We suggest this event is the most likely period for the early to middle Holocene (9000–5000 cal year B.P.) glacial advance in the San Bernardino Mountains proposed by Owen et al. (2003, Geology 31: 729–732).     

Late Quaternary palaeohydrology of Lake Pergusa (Sicily,southern Italy) as inferred by stable isotopes of lacustrine carbonates

Ten meters of lacustrine deposits retrieved from Lake Pergusa (Sicily, southern Italy) were investigated through stable isotope composition (carbon and oxygen) of authigenic carbonate (calcareous muds) and freshwater shells. The core chronology was established through three AMS dates, and by correlation with a previously dated nearby core. Stable isotope data show that the lake water evolution was mainly dominated by evaporation. Between ca. 20 and 28 ka the recovered sediments have very high δ¹⁸O values, likely corresponding to very dry climatic conditions. The observed rapid oscillations in the δ¹⁸O of the recovered sediments during this period also suggest important climatic fluctuations. More humid conditions dominated during the Holocene period, with the wettest interval occurring between ca. 9000 and 3000 years BP. Late Holocene sediments represent a substantial return to drier conditions. The available pollen data from a nearby core substantially confirm this general climatic trend during the Holocene. The positive correlation between δ¹³C of the calcareous muds and carbonate content suggests that biological activity played a key role in the carbon isotope evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon. However, a clear climatic signal is not evident from the δ¹³C record.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene lake fluctuations in the Sevier Lake basin,Utah, USA

Sevier Lake is the modern lake in the topographically closed Sevier Lake basin, and is fed primarily by the Sevier River. During the last 12 000 years, the Beaver River also was a major tributary to the lake. Lake Bonneville occupied the Sevier Desert until late in its regressive phase when it dropped to the Old River Bed threshold, which is the low point on the drainage divide between the Sevier Lake basin and the Great Salt Lake basin. Lake Gunnison, a shallow freshwater lake at 1390 m in the Sevier Desert, overflowed continuously from about 12 000 to 10 000 yr B.P., into the saline lake in the Great Salt Lake basin, which continued to contract. This contrast in hydrologic histories between the two basins may have been caused by a northward shift of monsoon circulation into the Sevier Lake basin, but not as far north as the Great Salt Lake basin. Increased summer precipitation and cloudiness could have kept the Sevier Lake basin relatively wet.By shortly after 10 000 yr B.P. Lake Gunnison had stopped overflowing and the Sevier and Beaver Rivers had begun depositing fine-grained alluvium across the lake bed. Sevier Lake remained at an altitude below 1381 m during the early and middle Holocene. Between 3000 and 2000 yr B.P. the lake expanded slightly to an altitude of about 1382.3 m. A second expansion, probably in the last 500 years, culminated at about 1379.8 m. In the mid 1800s the lake had a surface altitude of 1379.5 m. Sevier Lake was essentially dry (1376 m) from 1880 until 1982. In 1984–1985 the lake expanded to a 20th-century high of 1378.9 m in response to abnormally high snow-melt runoff in the Sevier River. The late Holocene high stands of Sevier Lake were most likely related to increased precipitation derived from westerly air masses.This is the first of a series of papers to be published by this journal that was presented in the paleolimnology sessions organized by R. B. Davis and H. Löffler for the XIIth Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA), which took place in Ottawa, Canada in August 1987. Drs. Davis and Löffler are serving as guest editors of this series.     

Late Holocene storm-trajectory changes inferred from the oxygen isotope composition of lake diatoms,south Alaska

The oxygen isotope ratios of diatoms (δ¹⁸O_diatom), and the oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios of lake water (δW) of lakes in south Alaska provide insight into past changes in atmospheric circulation. Lake water was collected from 31 lakes along an elevation transect and diatoms were isolated from lake sediment from one lake (Mica Lake) in south Alaska. In general, δW values from coastal lakes overlap the global meteoric water line (GMWL). δW values from interior lakes do not lie on the GMWL; they fall on a local evaporation line trajectory suggesting source isotopes are depleted with respect to maritime lakes. Sediment cores were recovered from 58 m depth in Mica Lake (60.96° N, 148.15° W; 100 m asl), an evaporation-insensitive lake in the western Prince William Sound. Thirteen calibrated ¹⁴C ages on terrestrial macrofossil samples were used to construct an age-depth model for core MC-2, which spans 9910 cal years. Diatoms from 46, 0.5-cm-thick samples were isolated and analyzed for their oxygen isotope ratios. The analyses employed a newly designed, stepwise fluorination technique, which uses a CO₂ laser-ablation system, coupled to a mass spectrometer, and has an external reproducibility of ±0.2‰. δ¹⁸O_diatom values from Mica Lake sediment range between 25.2 and 29.8‰. δ¹⁸O_diatom values are relatively uniform between 9.6 and 2.6 ka, but exhibit a four-fold increase in variability since 2.6 ka. High-resolution sampling and analyses of the top 100 cm of our lake cores suggest large climate variability during the last 2000 years. The 20th century shows a +4.0‰ increase of δ¹⁸O_diatom values. Shifts of δ¹⁸O_diatom values are likely not related to changes in diatom taxa or dissolution effects. Late Holocene excursions to lower δ¹⁸O_diatom values suggest a reduction of south-to-north storm trajectories delivered by meridional flow, which likely corresponds to prolonged intervals when the Aleutian Low pressure system weakened. Comparisons with isotope records of precipitation (δP) from the region support the storm-track hypothesis, and add to evidence for variability in North Pacific atmospheric circulation during the Holocene.

Deglacial to middle Holocene (16,600 to 6000 calendar years BP) climate change in the northeastern United States inferred from multi-proxy stable isotope data, Seneca Lake, New York

Climate change in the northeastern United States has been inferred for the last deglaciation to middle Holocene (∼16,600 to 6000 calendar years ago) using multi-proxy data (total organic matter, total carbonate content, δ¹⁸ O calcite and δ¹³ C calcite) from a 5 m long sediment core from Seneca Lake, New York. Much of the regional postglacial warming occurred during the well-known Bolling and Allerod warm periods (∼14.5 to 13.0 ka), but climate amelioration in the northeastern United States preceded that in Greenland by ∼2000 years. An Oldest Dryas climate event (∼15.1 to 14.7 ka) is recognized in Seneca Lake as is a brief Older Dryas (∼14.1 ka) cold event. This latter cold event correlates with the regional expansion of glacial Lake Iroquois and global meltwater pulse IA. An increase in winter precipitation and a shorter growing season likely characterized the northeastern United States at this time. The Intra-Allerod Cold Period (∼13.2 ka) is also evident supporting an “Amphi-Atlantic Oscillation” at this time. The well-known Younger Dryas cold interval occurred in the northeastern United States between 12.9 and 11.6 ka, consistent with ice core data from Greenland. In the Seneca Lake record, however, the Younger Dryas appears as an asymmetric event characterized by an abrupt, high-amplitude beginning followed by a more gradual recovery. Compared to European records, the Younger Dryas in the northeastern United States was a relatively low-amplitude event. The largest amplitude and longest duration anomaly in the Seneca Lake record occurs after the Younger Dryas, between ∼11.6 and 10.3 ka. This “post-Younger Dryas climate interval” represents the last deglacial climate event prior to the start of the Holocene in the northeastern United States, but has not been recognized in Greenland or Europe. The early to middle Holocene in the northeastern United States was characterized by low-amplitude climate variability. A general warming trend during the Holocene Hypsithermal peaked at ∼9 ka coincident with maximum summer insolation controlled by orbital parameters. Millennial- to century-scale variability is also evident in the Holocene Seneca Lake record, including the well-known 8.2 ka cold event (as well as events at ∼7.1 and 6.6 ka). Hemispherical cooling during the Holocene Neoglacial in the northeastern United States began ∼5.5 ka in response to decreasing summer insolation.     

A record of vegetation dynamics and lake level changes from Lake Emakat,northern Tanzania,during the last c. 1200 years

Analyses of down-core variations in pollen and charcoal in two short cores of lake sediment and wood samples taken from the in situ remains of Nuxia congesta from Lake Emakat, a hydrologically-closed volcanic crater lake occupying the Empakaai Crater in northern Tanzania, have generated evidence of past vegetation change and lake level fluctuations. Eight AMS radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates on bulk samples of lake sediment provide a chronological framework for the two cores and indicate that the sediment record analysed incorporates the last c. 1200 years. The in situ remains of a Nuxia congesta tree, now standing in deep water, were dated with three additional AMS ¹⁴C dates, suggesting tree growth within the interval ∼1500–1670 AD. Down-core variations in pollen from terrestrial taxa, particularly the montane forest trees Hagenia abyssinica and Nuxia congesta, indicate a broad period of generally more arid conditions in the catchment to c. 1200 AD and at a prolonged period between c. 1420 and 1680 AD. Variations in pollen from plants in lake margin vegetation indicate low lake levels, presumably as a result of reduced effective precipitation, contemporary with indications of relatively dry conditions mentioned above, but also during the late 18th and the late 19th centuries. The presence of charcoal throughout both cores indicates the frequent occurrence of vegetation fires. An increase in burning, evident in the charcoal data and dated to the early to mid second millennium AD, could relate to an expansion of human population levels and agricultural activity in the region.     

Climatically induced lake level changes during the last two millennia as reflected in sediments of Laguna Potrok Aike,southern Patagonia (Santa Cruz,Argentina)

The volcanogenic lake Laguna Potrok Aike, Santa Cruz, Argentina, reveals an unprecedented continuous high resolution climatic record for the steppe regions of southern Patagonia. With the applied multi-proxy approach rapid climatic changes before the turn of the first millennium were detected followed by medieval droughts which are intersected by moist and/or cold periods of varying durations and intensities. The total inorganic carbon content was identified as a sensitive lake level indicator. This proxy suggests that during the late Middle Ages (ca. AD 1230–1410) the lake level was rather low representing a signal of the Medieval Climate Anomaly in southeastern Patagonia. At the beginning of the Little Ice Age the lake level rose considerably staying on a high level during the whole period. Subsequently, the lake level lowered again in the course of the 20th century.     

A revised age model for core PG1351 from Lake El’gygytgyn,Chukotka, based on magnetic susceptibility variations tuned to northern hemisphere insolation variations

A combined analysis of magnetic susceptibility, total organic carbon (TOC), biogenic silica (opal), and TiO₂ content of the 12.6 m long composite core PG1351 recovered from Lake El’gygytgyn, Chukotka Peninsula, indicate a clear response of the lacustrine sedimentary record to climate variations. The impact is not direct, but through variations in oxygenation of the bottom waters. Mixing of the water body is typical for warmer climates, whereas the development of a stratified water body associated with anoxic conditions at the lake floor appears during cold climates. Oxic conditions lead to a good magnetite preservation and thus to high magnetic susceptibilities, but also to a large-scale degradation of organic matter, as reflected by low TOC (total organic carbon) values. During anoxic conditions, magnetite is severely dissolved yielding very low susceptibility values, whereas organic matter is best preserved, reflected by high TOC values. Hence, in general, neither susceptibility reflects the lithogenic fraction, nor does TOC reflect bioproductivity in case of the studied El’gygytgyn sediments. Based on available infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating, the obtained susceptibility pattern of core PG1351 shows an obvious correlation to northern hemisphere insolation variations, with a dominating impact of the Earth’s 18 and 23 kyr precessional cycles for the upper half of PG1351, that is, during the past 150 ka. Therefore, the whole susceptibility record, together with biogenic silica (as a proxy for bioproductivity), TOC (as an indicator for redox conditions), and TiO₂ (as a proxy for lithogenic input), was systematically tuned to the northern hemisphere insolation yielding an age of about 250 ka for the base of the composite core. This is the fifth in a series of eleven papers published in this special issue dedicated to initial studies of El'gygytgyn Crater Lake and its catchment in NE Russia. Julie Brigham-Grette, Martin Melles, Pavel Minyuk were guest editors of this special issue.     

通过现代观测来检验湖面蒸发对中国干旱、半干旱区湖泊水位变化的影响(英文)

Qinghai Lake and Zhuye Lake, ~400 km apart, are located in the northwest margin of the Asian summer monsoon. Water of these two lakes mostly comes from the middle and eastern parts of the Qilian Mountains. Previous studies show that the Holocene climate changes of the two lakes implied from lake records are different. Whether lake evaporation plays a role in asynchronous Holocene climate changes is important to understand the lake records. In this paper, we used modern observations beside Qinghai Lake and Zhuye Lake to test the impact factors for lake evaporation. Pan evaporation near the two lakes is mainly related to relative humidity, temperature, vapor pressure and sunshine duration. But tem-perature has different impacts to lake evaporation of the two lakes, which can affect Holocene millennial-scale lake level changes. In addition, differences in relative humidity on the millen-nial-scale would be more significant, which also can contribute to asynchronous lake records.     

Strong Magnetic Levels in Lake Chapala Sediments (western Mexico): Their Mineralogy and Stratigraphic Significance

Lake Chapala, located 120 km northeast of Colima Volcano, lies at the north and northeast of the Citala rift in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. It belongs to the watershed of the Lerma River, which originates from the Mexico City area, 450 km to the east. Sediment cores, 0.5–2 m long, were collected from the lake. Magnetic susceptibility of the lake sediments generally ranges from 400 to 800 × 10⁻⁹ m³ kg⁻¹; but in some layers it exceeds 1000 or 1500 × 10⁻⁹ m³ kg⁻¹. The magnetic susceptibility vertical profiles display a thin peak (2–5 cm) or a double peak with magnetic susceptibility > 2000 × 10⁻⁹ m³ kg⁻¹. Scanning electron microscope analysis shows that the main mineral responsible for the magnetic susceptibility is titano-magnetite, which is relatively abundant in the magnetic layers. In most of the cores, the layer with magnetic susceptibility > 2000 × 10⁻⁹ m³ kg⁻¹ is coarser grained than the directly under and overlying sediments, which are composed of fine silt. But not all coarser levels are magnetic nor are all magnetic levels bound to coarser layers. The high titano-magnetic concentration probably originates from volcanic ash falls. Sedimentation rates, evaluated for several sites by means of the ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs methods, allow a date approximation (between 1535 and 1670) for the strong magnetic layer deposition. Since important eruptions of Colima Volcano, with ash fall, were reported from 1576 to 1623, the main peak of magnetic susceptibility in the sediment profiles is assumed to be related to these events. The main magnetic layer extends to greater depth in the profiles of the eastern part of the lake plain than at the west. It can, therefore, be suggested that a relative subsidence occurs in the eastern part of the lake; the axis of the eastern plain overlaps the area displaying the maximum subsidence rate and seems therefore to correspond to the prolongation of Citala rift.     

A paleoclimate record for the past 250,000 years from Summer Lake, Oregon, USA. 1. chronology and magnetic proxies for lake level

This study presents the age control and environmental magnetism components of a new, late Pleistocene paleoclimate record for the Great Basin of western North America. Two new cores from the Summer Lake sub-basin of pluvial Lake Chewaucan, Oregon, USA are correlated to basin margin outcrops on the basis of tephrochronology, lithostratigraphy, sediment magnetism and paleomagnetic secular variation. Eleven tephra layers were found in the cores that correlate to tephra identified previously in the outcrop. The Olema ash was also found in one of the cores; its stratigraphic position, relative to 3 dated tephra layers, indicates that its age is 50-55 ka, somewhat younger than has been previously reported. The Summer Lake sediments are divided into deep and shallow lake lithosomes based on sedimentary features. The stratigraphic position of these lithosomes support the tephra-based correlations between the outcrop and the cores. These sediments contain a well resolved record of the Mono Lake Excursion (MLE) and an earlier paleomagnetic excursion as well as a high quality replication of the paleosecular variation immediately above the MLE.Relative sedimentation rates increased dramatically toward the depocenter during intervals of low-lake level. In contrast, during intervals of high-lake level, relative sedimentation rates were comparable along the basin axis from the basin margin to the depocenter. The magnetic mineralogy of the Summer Lake sediments is dominated by pseudo-single domain (titano)magnetite and intervals of high/low magnetite concentration coincide with lithosomes that indicate high/low lake levels. Magnetic grain size also varies in accord with bulk sediment grain size as indicated by the silt/clay ratio. To a first order, variations in magnetic parameters, especially those attributable to the concentration of magnetic minerals, correlate well with global glacial/interglacial oscillations as indicated by marine oxygen isotope stages. This relationship can be explained by increased dissolution of (titano)magnetite minerals as lake level dropped and the lake became more productive biologically. This inference is supported by a correspondence between lower concentrations of magnetite with higher levels of total organic carbon and vice-versa.     

Integration of reflection seismic and sediment grain-size data from Lake Khubsugul (Northern Mongolia): a reply to Prokopenko and Kendall

Prokopenko and Kendall (J Paleolimnol doi:, 2008) criticise the work presented in Fedotov et al. (J Paleolimnol 39:335–348, 2008), and instead propose an alternative interpretation for the grain-size evolution recorded in the KDP-01 core, retrieved from the central part of Lake Khubsugul. Their interpretation is based (i) on a seismic-stratigraphic re-interpretation of sparker seismic profile khub012 (which they copied from Fedotov et al. (EOS Trans 87:246–250, 2006)), (ii) on the presupposition that changes in lake level are the dominant control on facies distribution in Lake Khubsugul, and (iii) on the invalidation of our age-depth model. In this reply to their comment, we demonstrate that they interpreted seismic artefacts and geometries caused by changes in profile orientation as true stratigraphic features and that the lake-level reconstruction they derive from this interpretation is therefore incorrect. We also demonstrate that their grain-size predictions, which they consider to be predominantly driven by changes in lake level, are inconsistent with the measured sulphate concentration, which is a demonstrated proxy of lake level in Lake Khubsugul, and with the measured grain-size record. Finally, we point out that even if there would be a problem with the age-depth model, this problem would not affect the part of the sedimentary sequence discussed in Fedotov et al. (J Paleolimnol 39:335–348, 2008).     

Palaeolimnology of Lake Piene-Kuuppalanlampi (Kurkijoki, Karelian Republic, Russia): isolation history, lake ecosystem development and long-term agricultural impact

The post-glacial history of Lake Pieni-Kuuppalanlampi, western Lake Ladoga region, was studied by means of stratigraphic pollen and diatom analyses. Diatoms were analysed to track the isolation history of the basin and the limnological effects of the early land-use phases indicated by pollen analysis. Chrysophycean stomatocysts and Isoëtes spores were also employed in the limnological reconstructions. Sediment dating was provided by six conventional radiocarbon dates.The lower part of the 370-cm long sediment sequence represents early Holocene, large lake conditions: the (freshwater) Yoldia and Ancylus stages of the Baltic basin, with a short-term lagoonal or isolation phase at the end of Yoldia. The basin was isolated due to Ancylus lake regression at 9785 cal B.P. For the small-lake sequence (0–250 cm) we used diatom inferences (WA-method) for hindcasting water chemistry. The post-isolation limnology of Pieni-Kuuppalanlampi reflects the development of vegetation on its small hill-top catchment. In its early development, the lake was mesotrophic, but became more acidic (pH about 6) and oligotrophic after the decline of temperate hardwood trees and the spread of spruce to the area after around 5000 B.P. The lake ecosystem appears to have reacted sensitively to agricultural land-use in the catchment from AD 400–800 onwards: inferred total phosphorus levels and pH both rise during these periods.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping using geological data, a DEM from ASTER images and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN)

An efficient and accurate method of generating landslide susceptibility maps is very important to mitigate the loss of properties and lives caused by this type of geological hazard. This study focuses on the development of an accurate and efficient method of data integration, processing and generation of a landslide susceptibility map using an ANN and data from ASTER images. The method contains two major phases. The first phase is the data integration and analysis, and the second is the Artificial Neural Network training and mapping. The data integration and analysis phase involve GIS based statistical analysis relating landslide occurrence to geological and DEM (digital elevation model) derived geomorphological parameters. The parameters include slope, aspect, elevation, geology, density of geological boundaries and distance to the boundaries. This phase determines the geological and geomorphological factors that are significantly correlated with landslide occurrence. The second phase further relates the landslide susceptibility index to the important geological and geomorphological parameters identified in the first phase through ANN training. The trained ANN is then used to generate a landslide susceptibility map. Landslide data from the 2004 Niigata earthquake and a DEM derived from ASTER images were used. The area provided enough landslide data to check the efficiency and accuracy of the developed method. Based on the initial results of the experiment, the developed method is more than 90% accurate in determining the probability of landslide occurrence in a particular area.     

Holocene Environmental Changes of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) from Stable Isotopes (δ13C, δ18O) and Trace Element Records of Ostracod and Gastropod Carbonates

Stable isotopes and trace-element contents of ostracod (Candona neglecta) valves mostly from the Holocene portion of two assembled cores from Petit Lac (Lake Geneva, Switzerland-France) were analysed in order to depict the geochemical record of post-glacial environmental changes of this lake. Additional stable isotope and trace element data from the gastropod Bithynia tentaculata (shells and opercula) from some intervals of these cores, as well as previous data from bulk carbonate from the lower part of the studied intervals were also considered. Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca molar ratios for the Holocene lake water have been estimated from evaluations of the partitioning coefficients for Mg and Sr for C. neglecta and B. tentaculata taking into account the modern-lake water composition. This study shows an overall gentle trend to higher δ¹⁸O values in C. neglecta valves from the Boreal interval (mean −8.44‰) to the upper part of the core (mean −8.11‰). This trend is superimposed to higher frequency oscillations of stable isotope values and trace element ratios, especially through the upper Older Atlantic and the Subboreal. The overall isotopic oxygen trend includes several shifts in δ¹⁸O of about 1‰. These shifts are interpreted as major regional-global climate changes that have also been observed in other coeval δ¹⁸O and pollen records which reflect the Holocene climate variability in other European basins. Especially well-defined peaks in some episodes like Older Atlantic (~8200 yr BP), Younger Atlantic – Subboreal transition (~5600 yr BP) and early Subatlantic (~ 2500 yr BP) correspond to well-recognized events in globally-distributed records. Some of these shifts are correlated with pulses in the lake-level curve of the Lake Geneva. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Late Glacial and Holocene chironomid assemblages in Lac Long Inférieur (southern France, 2090 m): palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic implications

Changes in lake water temperature and trophic states were inferred using chironomid fossil assemblages from Lac Long Inférieur (Southern Alps, France). In the Late Glacial, a colder period, possibly analogous to the Younger Dryas, is characterised by a peak in Micropsectra, a cold stenothermic taxon. The increase in temperatures during the Late Glacial interstadial is indicated by a decrease in the percentages of cold stenothermic taxa (Tanytarsus lugens/Corynocera oliveri grp.) and by an increase in taxa linked to the development of vegetation in the littoral zone. The beginning of the Holocene is marked by the presence of taxa adapted to warmer and more eutrophic waters. During the Holocene, the progressive warming of the climate and increase in lake trophic status were indicated by the increase of eutrophic and warmer water indicators. An increase in tributary inflow into Lac Long Inférieur was also inferred by the increase in rheophilous taxa, reflecting increased snowmelt. During the Subatlantic, the composition of the chironomid spectra suggests a re-cooling of the climate and/or a decrease in lake trophic status.     

The late Pleistocene ostracod record of the crater lake sediments from Lago di Albano (Central Italy): changes in trophic status, water level and climate

Four cores (ranging between ca. 9 and ca. 14 m in length) from Lago di Albano in Central Italy were studied for their ostracod content, as well as algal and bacterial pigments, CaCO3 and concentration of organic matter. Cores PALB 94 1E and PALB 94 1C from Site 1, located at the bottom of a steep slope at 70 m water depth, where oxygen concentration is below 6 mg l-1, spans the Holocene and the late Pleistocene until 28 kyr B.P. (calibrated age). The other cores, PALB 94 6A and PALB 94 6B taken at a depth of 30 m, where oxygen is 7--11 mg l-1, represent mainly Pleistocene deposits.Ostracod valves were found in the lowermost ca. 3 m of the sequence at Site 1, dated to ca. 28--24 kyr B.P., and throughout the sequence from Site 6 which represents the interval 23--17 kyr B.P.Candona neglecta is the dominant species in most of the levels at Site 1, whereas both C. neglecta and Cyclocypris sp. dominate during different biostratigraphic zones at Site 6. The influx of springs entering the lake at Site 1 was inferred on the basis of species of the genus Potamocypris and Ilyocypris bradyi present in the record. Wide fluctuations in species abundance and assemblages in both coring sites indicate lake-water level oscillations between 28 to 17 kyr B.P. In particular, a strong rise in water level of the order of 40 m occurred between 24 and 23 kyr B.P. Fluctuations in productivity, oxygen availability and water temperature at both sites were also reconstructed on the basis of the ostracod assemblages and the algal and bacterial pigment concentrations. The environmental reconstruction reached using ostracod remains and pigments was verified with other proxy records published elsewhere such as invertebrate remains, diatoms, magnetic properties, etc. A synthesis of climatic reconstructions for Central and Southern Italy for the late Full Glacial is attempted on the basis of previous studies on hydrology, lithostratigraphy and palynology. Sharp fluctuations in lake palaeoproductivity/palaeoclimate recorded by invertebrate and pigment remains at both sites from Lago di Albano might be related to similar events reported in North Atlantic Full-Glacial records from marine and ice cores.     

Thermal and exhumation histories of the northern subalpine chains (Bauges and Bornes—France): Evidence from forward thermal modeling coupling clay mineral diagenesis,organic maturity and carbonate clumped isotope (Δ47) data

Assessing the thermal evolution of sedimentary basins over time is a major aspect of modern integrated basin analysis. While the behavior of clay minerals and organic matter with increasing burial is well documented in different geological and thermal settings, these methods are often limited by the temperature ranges over which they can be precisely applied and by the available material. Here, we explore the emergent Δ₄₇ clumped isotope geospeedometry (based on the diffusional redistribution of carbon and oxygen isotopes in the carbonate lattice at elevated temperatures) to refine time‐temperature paths of carbonate rocks during their burial evolution. This study provides a reconstruction of the thermal and exhumation history of the Upper Cretaceous thrust belt series in the western subalpine massifs (Bauges and Bornes, French Alps) by a new approach combining for the first time available data from three independent geothermometers. The investigated area presents two zones affected by contrasting thermal histories. The most external zone has undergone a relatively mild thermal history (T < 70°C) and does not record any significant clay mineral diagenetic transformation. By contrast, the internal zone has experienced tectonic burial (prealpine nappes) in response to thrusting, resulting in overheating (T > 160–180°C) that induced widespread clay mineral diagenetic transformations (progressive illitization from R0 to R1 and R3 illite‐smectite mixed‐layers), organic matter maturation (oil window) and Δ₄₇ thermal resetting with apparent equilibrium temperatures above 160°C. The three employed geothermal indicators conjointly reveal that the investigated Upper Cretaceous rocks have suffered a wide range of burial temperatures since their deposition, with a thermal maximum locally up to 160–180°C. High temperatures are associated with the tectonic emplacement of up to 4 km of prealpine nappes in the northern part of the studied area. Finally, a forward thermal modeling using Δ₄₇, vitrinite reflectance and clay mineral data, is attempted to precisely refine the burial and exhumation histories of this area.