THE ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS ON KING GEORGE ISLAND SINCE THE LAST GLACIATION

The extension of ice sheet on King George Island during the last glaciation was an environment event since the last glaciation. At that time South Shedlands Islands were a large unified island and the ice mass on King George Island might come from the Antarctic Peninsula. The model of ice retreat and ice advance events in the Holocene show that the ice sheet was separated into three small ice caps and then dispeared gradually. At present the retreating velocity of glacier is about 1.3m each year. After the retreat of ice sheet the isostatic compensation appeared in the crust there, and then 5-6 steps of the uplifted marine terraces have been developed along the coast. The uplift rate of the crust may be 6-10mm/a.     

Inferences concerning climatic change from a deeply frozen lake on Rundfjeld,Ellesmere Island,Arctic Canada

A small lake on top of Rundfjeld, central Ellesmere Island, at an elevation of approximately 830 m, is frozen to the bottom, and the thickness of lake ice present is at least 5.45 m. Under present climatic conditions the lake does not thaw to the bottom, even during the warmest summers; i.e., 3 to 4 m of ice still floored the deepest part of the lake in mid-August 1987. A radiocarbon age determination via accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) on a sample of the filamentous green alga Mougeotia sp., recovered from the lake ice at a depth below 4 m, gave 5730±70 BP (TO-530). The date indicates that the lake was probably completely open for an unspecified period of time during the warmest part of the Hypsithermal Interval. This situation is in agreement with data derived from a variety of other sources in Ellesmere Island and adjacent Greenland.     

Diatom-based Holocene paleoenvironmental records from continental sites on northeastern Ellesmere Island, high Arctic, Canada

Stratigraphic changes in diatom assemblages from four small lakes on northeastern Ellesmere Island, high Arctic, Canada, provide a proxy lake-ice cover and paleoenvironmental record. Low absolute diatom abundances and a benthic Fragilaria (sensu lata) dominated assemblage during the postglacial (< 7.6 ka B.P.) to mid-Holocene record the moderating effects of locally retreating glaciers. Around 5.5 ka B.P. diatom concentrations begin to rise, reaching their highest levels (10⁹ valves per g dry sediment) between 4.2 and 3 ka B.P., interpreted to be the warmest period in this region. Topoclimatic differences between lakes on Hazen Plateau and those lower in Lake Hazen Basin account for the initial decline in diatom abundances in the upper lakes after 3 ka B.P. This change is thought to reflect a lowering of the regional snowline, accordant with widely recognized Neoglacial advances on Ellesmere Island and Greenland. Lakes in lower Lake Hazen Basin maintained extensive summer ice free conditions until ~ 1.9 ka B.P., after which diatom abundances declined, suggesting prolonged summer lake-ice cover through the remainder of the recovered Holocene record. Differences between the records presented here and those from coastal areas of the Canadian high Arctic highlight the unique topoclimatic characteristics and continentality of the Lake Hazen region, and possible effects that local marine environments may have had on coastal records. Such differences serve to demonstrate the inherent geographic variability of paleoenvironmental records from the high Arctic.     

Cosmogenic Be and Al exposure ages of tors and erratics, Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland: Timescales for the development of a classic landscape of selective linear glacial erosion

The occurrence of tors within glaciated regions has been widely cited as evidence for the preservation of relic pre-Quaternary landscapes beneath protective covers of non-erosive dry-based ice. Here, we test for the preservation of pre-Quaternary landscapes with cosmogenic surface exposure dating of tors. Numerous granite tors are present on summit plateaus in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland where they were covered by local ice caps many times during the Pleistocene. Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al data together with geomorphic relationships reveal that these landforms are more dynamic and younger than previously suspected. Many Cairngorm tors have been bulldozed and toppled along horizontal joints by ice motion, leaving event surfaces on tor remnants and erratics that can be dated with cosmogenic nuclides. As the surfaces have been subject to episodic burial by ice, an exposure model based upon ice and marine sediment core proxies for local glacial cover is necessary to interpret the cosmogenic nuclide data. Exposure ages and weathering characteristics of tors are closely correlated. Glacially modified tors and boulder erratics with slightly weathered surfaces have ¹⁰Be exposure ages of about 15 to 43 ka. Nuclide inheritance is present in many of these surfaces. Correction for inheritance indicates that the eastern Cairngorms were deglaciated at 15.6 ± 0.9 ka. Glacially modified tors with moderate to advanced weathering features have ¹⁰Be exposure ages of 19 to 92 ka. These surfaces were only slightly modified during the last glacial cycle and gained much of their exposure during the interstadial of marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 5 or earlier. Tors lacking evidence of glacial modification and exhibiting advanced weathering have ¹⁰Be exposure ages between 52 and 297 ka. Nuclide concentrations in these surfaces are probably controlled by bedrock erosion rates instead of discrete glacial events. Maximum erosion rates estimated from ¹⁰Be range from 2.8 to 12.0 mm/ka, with an error weighted mean of 4.1 ± 0.2 mm/ka. Three of these surfaces yield model exposure-plus-burial ages of 295_− 71^+ 84, 520_− 141^+ 178, and 626_− 85^+ 102 ka. A vertical cosmogenic nuclide profile across the oldest sampled tor indicates a long-term emergence rate of 31 ± 2 mm/ka. These findings show that dry-based ice caps are capable of substantially eroding tors by entraining blocks previously detached by weathering processes. Bedrock surfaces and erratic boulders in such settings are likely to have nuclide inheritance and may yield erroneous (too old) exposure ages. While many Cairngorm tors have survived multiple glacial cycles, rates of regolith stripping and bedrock erosion are too high to permit the widespread preservation of pre-Quaternary rock surfaces.     

Vegetation re-establishment in polar "lichen-kill" landscapes: a case study of the Little Ice Age impact

It has been accepted that the extremely sparse vegetation currently observed in Canadian polar deserts is due to prevailing unfavourable climatic conditions, inhibiting plant establishment, growth and survival. Less considered in the literature is the additional antagonistic factor of episodic adverse climatic anomalies. Such was the most recent Little Ice Age (LIA) cooling which caused a setback to, or even largescale extinction of, high Arctic plant communities that had taken centuries to develop. The LIA brought about new glacial advances, expansion of permanent snow banks and formation of ice crusts over entire landscapes. The newly formed ice (and snow) killed the underlying vegetation, thus creating what is in the geological literature referred to as "lichen-kill zones." In these zones the current plant diversity and abundance are exceedingly low and the plants are all relatively young and even-aged, factors which all point to their recent origin. Here we maintain that this vegetation has not yet reached equilibrium with the present prevailing climate and that it is still in an initial stage of succession. We present results of eight upland sites sampled in the vicinity of Alexandra Fiord Lowland, Ellesmere Island, Canada, to demonstrate the slow recolonization process that has been occurring within the last 100–150 years after the LIA termination. The widespread presence of the "lichen-kill" zones throughout the Canadian polar regions reflects the extent and destructive nature of even minor climatic cooling on vulnerable polar ecosystems.     

Comparative analysis of measurements of stratospheric aerosol by lidar and aerosol sonde above Ny-Ålesund in the winter of 1995 [Comparative analysis of lidar and OPC observations]

Solid polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) layers observed by lidar and a balloon-borne optical particle counter (OPC) on 17 December 1995 are reexamined in a comparative analysis framework. The typical radius of solid particles in the observed PSC is determined through the comparative analysis to have been approximately 2.3 μm. A backward trajectory analysis for the air mass in which the solid particles were observed shows that the air mass had experienced temperatures 2–3 K below the frost point of nitric acid tri-hydrate (NAT) during the 4 days preceding the observations. The back-trajectory analysis traces the air mass back to northern Greenland and Ellesmere Island on 16 December, one day before the observations. A microphysical box model is used to investigate possible mechanisms of formation for the observed solid particles. The results of this model suggest that the solid particles formed under mesoscale temperature fluctuations associated with mountain lee wave activity induced by the relatively high terrestrial elevations of northern Greenland and Ellesmere Island.     

Changing characteristics of arctic pressure ridges

The advent of multibeam sonar permits us to obtain full three-dimensional maps of the underside of sea ice. In particular this enables us to distinguish the morphological characteristics of first-year (FY) and multi-year (MY) pressure ridges in a statistically valid way, whereas in the past only a small number of ridges could be mapped laboriously by drilling. In this study pressure ridge distributions from two parts of the Arctic Ocean are compared, in both the cases using mainly data collected by the submarine “Tireless” in March 2007 during two specific grid surveys, in the Beaufort Sea at about 75° N, 140° W (N of Prudhoe Bay), and north of Ellesmere Island at about 83° 20′ N, 64° W. In the Beaufort Sea the ice was mainly FY, and later melted or broke up as this area became ice-free during the subsequent summer. N of Ellesmere Island the ice was mainly MY. Ridge depth and spacing distributions were derived for each region using the boat's upward looking sonar, combined with distributions of shapes of the ridges encountered, using the Kongsberg EM3002 multibeam sonar. The differing shapes of FY and MY ridges are consistent with two later high-resolution multibeam studies of specific ridges by AUV. FY ridges are found to fit the normal triangular shape template in cross-section (with a range of slope angles averaging 27°) with a relatively constant along-crest depth, and often a structure of small ice blocks can be distinguished. MY ridges, however, are often split into a number of independent solid, smooth blocks of large size, giving an irregular ridge profile which may be seemingly without linearity.Our hypothesis for this difference is that during its long lifetime an MY ridge is subjected to several episodes of crack opening; new cracks in the Arctic pack often run in straight lines across the ridges and undeformed ice alike. Such a crack will open somewhat before refreezing, interpolating a stretch of thin ice into the structure, and breaking up the continuity and linearity of the ridge crest. Many such episodes over a number of years can cause the ridge to become simply a series of blocks. This has implications for ridge strength and for permeability to spilled oil. As the percentage of MY ice in the Arctic diminishes, Arctic ridging will be more and more dominated by FY ridges, and we discuss the implications of this change of character of the ice underside in the light of the statistics that we have generated for the two types of ridge.     

Mass balance and area changes of four High Arctic plateau ice caps, 1959–2002

Abstract Small, stagnating ice caps at high latitudes are particularly sensitive to climatic fluctuations, especially with regard to changes in ablation season temperature. We conducted mass balance measurements and GPS area surveys on four small High Arctic plateau ice caps from 1999–2002. We compared these measurements with topographic maps and aerial photography from 1959, and with previously published data. Net mass balance (b_n) of Murray Ice Cap was ?0.49 (1999), ?0.29 (2000), ?0.47 (2001), and ?0.29 (2002), all in meters of water equivalent (m w.eq.). The mass balance of nearby Simmons Ice Cap was also negative in 2000 (b_n=?0.40 m w.eq.) and in 2001 (b_n=?0.52 m w.eq.). All four ice caps experienced substantial marginal recession and area reductions of between 30 and 47% since 1959. Overall, these icecaps lost considerable mass since at least 1959, except for a period between the mid‐1960s and mid‐1970s characterized regionally by reduced summer melt, positive mass balance, and ice cap advance. The regional equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is located, on average, above the summits of the ice caps, indicating that they are remnants of past climatic conditions and out of equilibrium with present climate. The ice caps reached a Holocene maximum and were several times larger during the Little Ice Age (LIA) and their current recession reflects an adjustment to post‐LIA climatic conditions. At current downwasting rates the ice masses on the Hazen Plateau will completely disappear by, or soon after, the mid‐21st century.     

Mountain-derived versus shelf-based glaciations on the western Taymyr Peninsula, Siberia

The early Russian researchers working in central Siberia seem to have preferred scenarios in which glaciations, in accordance with the classical glaciological concept, originated in the mountains. However, during the last 30 years or so the interest in the glacial history of the region has concentrated on ice sheets spreading from the Kara Sea shelf. There, they could have originated from ice caps formed on areas that, for eustatic reasons, became dry land during global glacial maximum periods, or from grounded ice shelves. Such ice sheets have been shown to repeatedly inundate much of the Taymyr Peninsula from the north-west. However, work on westernmost Taymyr has now also documented glaciations coming from inland. On at least two occasions, with the latest one dated to the Saale glaciation (marine isotope stage 6 [MIS 6]), warm-based, bedrock-sculpturing glaciers originating in the Byrranga Mountains, and in the hills west of the range, expanded westwards, and at least once did such glaciers, after moving 50–60 km or more over the present land areas, cross today's Kara Sea coastline. The last major glaciation affecting south-western Taymyr did, however, come from the Kara Sea shelf. According to optically stimulated luminescence dates, this was during the Early or Middle Weichselian (MIS 5 or 4), and was most probably not later than 70 Kya. South-western Taymyr was not extensively glaciated during the last global glacial maximum ca. 20 Kya, although local cold-based ice caps may have existed.     

LATE QUATERNARY CHANGES IN PINYON AND JUNIPER DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAIN REGION OF CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA

Data from packrat middens are used to reconstruct the migration of single-leaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla) and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) in the White Mountain region of California and Nevada for the last 20,000 years. Today this region is characterized by arid conditions with dry summers. Pinyon woodlands, which are favored by dry summer conditions, are dominant at middle elevations of the White Mountains. The midden record indicates that during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, juniper was dominant at elevations now occupied by desert shrubs. A late Pleistocene-early Holocene record of desert shrubs was found only in the double rainshadow of the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains. Pinyon entered the area during the Holocene (ca. 9000 yr B.P.) and subsequently became more important than juniper. During the late Holocene, desert shrubs became established at the lower elevation sites that they now occupy. The late Pleistocene-early Holocene record indicates that there may have been a more zonal upper-level wind flow and associated penetration of Pacific moisture, as indicated by the occurrence of desert shrubs downwind of the north-south-trending mountain ranges. Zonal flow probably became less important during the early Holocene based on the increasing amount of pinyon. The increase in pinyon also may indicate a change from an even seasonal distribution of precipitation to the dry summer conditions presently found in the region. [Key words: biogeography, packrat middens, Great Basin paleoenvironments, Pinus monophylla, Juniperus osteosperma, White Mountains.]     

Evolution of the trophic state of Lake Annecy (eastern France) since the last glaciation as indicated by iron, manganese and phosphorus speciation

Lake Annecy sediments have been studied to provide an insight into the evolution of the lake trophic state in response to climate changes during the Holocene. Determination of the concentration of carbonate, Fe, Mn, and different forms of P in conjunction with total sediment fluxes derived from ¹⁴C ages allows an estimation of yearly fluxes of these sediment components. High fluxes of endogenic carbonate occur during the early to middle Holocene. Non apatitic inorganic phosphorus flux is variable but shows some higher-than-present values during this period. These observations are interpreted as being a result of enhanced productivity by favourable conditions for phytoplankton development. In addition, the low Mn/Fe ratio of the redox-sensitive forms of these elements recorded during this period suggests low oxygen concentrations in the bottom waters. Therefore it appears that the lake may have undergone oxygen depletion in the bottom water during the warmer-than-present periods, due to increased productivity and subsequent oxygen consumption from the decay of organic matter. With future climate changes, this suggests that lake water quality may likely degrade under global warming.     

Comparison of radiocarbon and OSL dating methods for a Late Quaternary sediment core from Lake Ulaan,Mongolia

Both radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating methods were applied to test their suitability for establishing a chronology of arid-zone lacustrine sediments using a 5.88-m-long core drilled from Lake Ulaan, southern Mongolia. Although the radiocarbon and OSL ages agree in some samples, the radiocarbon ages are older than the corresponding OSL ages at the 550-cm depth horizon (late Pleistocene) and in the 100–300-cm interval (early to late Holocene). In the early to late Holocene, radiocarbon ages are consistently older than OSL ages by 4,100–5,800 years, and in the late Pleistocene by 2,700–3,000 years. Grain-size analysis of early to late Holocene sediments and one late Pleistocene sediment sample (550-cm depth) indicates that eolian processes were the dominant sediment-transport mechanism. Also, two late Pleistocene sediments samples (from 400- to 500-cm depths) are interpreted to have been deposited by both eolian and glaciofluvial processes. Accordingly, the radiocarbon ages that were older than the corresponding OSL ages during the Holocene seem to have been a consequence of the influx of ¹⁴C-deficient carbon delivered from adjacent soils and Paleozoic carbonate rocks by the westerly winds, a process that is also active today. In addition to the input of old reworked carbon by eolian processes, the late Pleistocene sediments were also influenced by old carbon delivered by deglacial meltwater. The results of this study suggest that when eolian sediment transport is suspected, especially in lakes of arid environments, the OSL dating method is superior to the radiocarbon dating method, as it eliminates a common ‘old-carbon’ error problem.     

Enigmatic Efflorescence in Kärkevagge, Swedish Lapland: The Key to Chemical Weathering?

The second marvel to catch the eye of the visitor to Kärkevagge, after the impressive boulder deposit on the floor of the valley, is the series of prominent white stripes running down the valley's dark cliffs. Streams and springs descending the eastern flank of Kärkevagge are marked by the presence of whitish coatings on the black rock surfaces and on cobbles lining ephemeral waterways. These were referred to as 'lime crusts' by early investigators, but they are not reactive to HCl. We believe that they are a precipitate resulting from acid attack on the local rocks. Pyrite is common in many of the rocks in the valley and its oxidation produces sulfuric acid. As the dissolved mineral elements are carried in the drainage water, efflorescence forms on the surfaces where the water flows due to evaporation or to changes in temperature. The exact mineralogy of the white crusts is unknown, but the crusts are dominated by Al, S, and O, and in some cases by Ca, depending on the substrate and local conditions. Gypsum, illite, and chlorite have been identified by X–ray diffraction of some scrapings of white–coated rocks. However, we believe that some unidentified oxy–hydroxy aluminum sulfates make up the bulk of the precipitates.     

Enigmatic Efflorescence in Kärkevagge, Swedish Lapland: The Key to Chemical Weathering?

The second marvel to catch the eye of the visitor to Kärkevagge, after the impressive boulder deposit on the floor of the valley, is the series of prominent white stripes running down the valley's dark cliffs. Streams and springs descending the eastern flank of Kärkevagge are marked by the presence of whitish coatings on the black rock surfaces and on cobbles lining ephemeral waterways. These were referred to as 'lime crusts' by early investigators, but they are not reactive to HCl. We believe that they are a precipitate resulting from acid attack on the local rocks. Pyrite is common in many of the rocks in the valley and its oxidation produces sulfuric acid. As the dissolved mineral elements are carried in the drainage water, efflorescence forms on the surfaces where the water flows due to evaporation or to changes in temperature. The exact mineralogy of the white crusts is unknown, but the crusts are dominated by Al, S, and O, and in some cases by Ca, depending on the substrate and local conditions. Gypsum, illite, and chlorite have been identified by X–ray diffraction of some scrapings of white–coated rocks. However, we believe that some unidentified oxy–hydroxy aluminum sulfates make up the bulk of the precipitates.     

Ancient Eskimo dwelling sites and Holocene relative sea-level changes in southern Disko Bugt, central West Greenland

A coordinated geological-archaeological investigation has been carried out in southern Disko Bugt with the primary purpose of elucidating Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) changes. Two RSL curves representing the Early-Middle Holocene emergence of respectively southeastern and southwestern Disko Bugt have been constructed. Elevations of paleo-Eskimo sites of different ages have been surveyed and supplemented with similar elevations compiled from the literature. Detailed investigations have been carried out at two partly submerged Dorset I sites. At both sites, the stratigraphy of the foreshore has been recorded in terrain profiles.
It is concluded that the RSL history of southern Disko Bugt was one of steady emergence during Early-Middle Holocene followed by submergence in Late Holocene. The stratigraphy of the foreshore at the two Dorset I sites indicates that RSL has been at least 2-2.5 m below sea-level, and that the Transgression to present sea-level started after ca 1 ka B.P.     

Recent environmental changes on Banks Island (N.W.T., Canadian Arctic) quantified using fossil diatom assemblages

Banks Island (N.W.T.) has become a focal point for climate change studies in the Canadian Arctic. However, long-term climatic and environmental data are very sparse from this large island, as they are for the entire southwestern region of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. In this paleolimnological study, diatom species assemblage shifts documented in cores collected from a pond and a lake on Banks Island were interpreted to represent a response to climate warming commencing in the nineteenth century. We found that, although the timing and overall nature of the species changes in the two cores were consistent, the signal was muted in the deeper site likely as a result of differences in ice cover extent and duration between lakes and ponds. A high-resolution study was also conducted from a second pond, at sub-decadal resolution, that only spanned the last ∼60 years. In the deeper lake site, Fragilaria construens and F. pinnata dominated the assemblages, similar to those noted in other high Arctic regions where lakes are characterized by extended ice cover. In contrast, Denticula kuetzingii dominated the shallower ponds and, in the case of the pond core representing the longer time period, this taxon increased in the post-1850 sediments, likely coincident with climate warming. In all cores, diatom assemblages became more diverse and Achnanthes species (particularly A. minutissima) increased from ∼1850 to the present, similar to changes documented in other Arctic regions. Beta diversity values calculated for the diatom species changes indicated that assemblage shifts in the Banks Island cores were of similar magnitude to those recorded in other Arctic regions with high species turnover, such as Ellesmere Island. A diatom-based Total Nitrogen (TN) transfer function previously developed for Banks Island was applied to the three ²¹⁰Pb dated cores as an exploratory tool for inferring past changes in nitrogen concentrations. In both the lake and pond cores, diatom-inferred TN concentrations tended to increase in the more recent sediments, as may be expected with warming; however these trends were not very distinct.     

SCHMIDT‐HAMMER EXPOSURE AGES FROM PERIGLACIAL PATTERNED GROUND (SORTED CIRCLES) IN JOTUNHEIMEN,NORWAY, AND THEIR INTERPRETATIVE PROBLEMS

Periglacial patterned ground (sorted circles and polygons) along an altitudinal profile at Juvflya in central Jotunheimen, southern Norway, is investigated using Schmidt‐hammer exposure‐age dating (SHD). The patterned ground surfaces exhibit R‐value distributions with platycurtic modes, broad plateaus, narrow tails, and a negative skew. Sample sites located between 1500 and 1925 m a.s.l. indicate a distinct altitudinal gradient of increasing mean R‐values towards higher altitudes interpreted as a chronological function. An established regional SHD calibration curve for Jotunheimen yielded mean boulder exposure ages in the range 6910 ± 510 to 8240 ± 495 years ago. These SHD ages are indicative of the timing of patterned ground formation, representing minimum ages for active boulder upfreezing and maximum ages for the stabilization of boulders in the encircling gutters. Despite uncertainties associated with the calibration curve and the age distribution of the boulders, the early‐Holocene age of the patterned ground surfaces, the apparent cessation of major activity during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) and continuing lack of late‐Holocene activity clarify existing understanding of the process dynamics and palaeoclimatic significance of large‐scale sorted patterned ground as an indicator of a permafrost environment. The interpretation of SHD ages from patterned ground surfaces remains challenging, however, owing to their diachronous nature, the potential for a complex history of formation, and the influence of local, non‐climatic factors.     

Holocene climate and environmental history of East Greenland inferred from lake sediments

Prediction of future Arctic climate and environmental changes, as well as associated ice-sheet behavior, requires placing present-day warming and reduced ice extent into a long-term context. Here we present a record of Holocene climate and glacier fluctuations inferred from the paleolimnology of small lakes near Istorvet ice cap in East Greenland. Calibrated radiocarbon dates of organic remains indicate deglaciation of the region before ~10,500 years BP, after which time the ice cap receded rapidly to a position similar to or less extensive than present, and lake sediments shifted from glacio-lacustrine clay to relatively organic-rich gyttja. The lack of glacio-lacustrine sediments throughout most of the record suggests that the ice cap was similar to or smaller than present throughout most of the Holocene. This restricted ice extent suggests that climate was similar to or warmer than present, in keeping with other records from Greenland that indicate a warm early and middle Holocene. Middle Holocene magnetic susceptibility oscillations, with a ~200-year frequency in one of the lakes, may relate to solar influence on local catchment processes. Following thousands of years of restricted extent, Istorvet ice cap advanced to within 365 m of its late Holocene limit at ~AD 1150. Variability in the timing of glacial and climate fluctuations, as well as of sediment organic content changes among East Greenland lacustrine records, may be a consequence of local factors, such as elevation, continentality, water depth, turbidity, and seabirds, and highlights the need for a detailed spatial array of datasets to address questions about Holocene climate change.     

黄旗海沉积岩芯烧失量变化曲线:冰后期环境演变的有效代用指标

重建黄旗海水位、水化学和湖泊生物学变化历史可为研究我国夏季风边缘区冰后期气候变化提供重要环境记录。对该湖中央HQH4岩芯研究结果显示,末次冰期晚期沉积物中湖泊自生有机质烧失量和自生碳酸盐烧失量的平均值分别仅为全新世沉积物的1/13和1/5,造成这种结果的主导因素是夏季气温在全新世初显著升高和黄旗海从此进入稳定的湖泊环境。晚全新世自生碳酸盐烧失量平均值比早、中全新世低14%,其最大值也明显低于早、中全新世,这种情况很可能是因为晚全新世夏季温度略低于早、中全新世所致。自生有机质和碳酸盐烧失量是快速、经济地获取闭流型半咸水湖泊冰后期环境变化的有效代用指标。