Pollen‐ and diatom based environmental history since the Last Glacial Maximum from the Andean core Fúquene‐7, Colombia

The late Pleistocene–Holocene ecological and limnological history of Lake Fúquene (2580 m a.s.l.), in the Colombian Andes, is reconstructed on the basis of diatom, pollen and sediment analyses of the upper 7 m of the core Fúquene‐7. Time control is provided by 11 accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C dates ranging from 19 670 ± 240 to 6040 ± 60 yr BP. In this paper we present the evolution of the lake and its surroundings. Glacial times were cold and dry, lake‐levels were low and the area was surrounded by paramo and subparamo vegetation. Late‐glacial conditions were warm and humid. The El Abra Stadial, a Younger Dryas equivalent, is reflected by a gap in the sedimentary record, a consequence of the cessation of deposition owing to a drop in lake‐level. The early Holocene was warm and humid; at this time the lake reached its maximum extension and was surrounded by Andean forest. The onset of the drier climate prevailing today took place in the middle Holocene, a process that is reflected earlier in the diatom and sediment records than in the pollen records. In the late Holocene human activity reduced the forest and transformed the landscape. Climate patterns from the Late‐glacial and throughout the Holocene, as represented in our record, are similar to other records from Colombia and northern South America (the Caribbean, Venezuela and Panama) and suggest that the changes in lake‐level were the result of precipitation variations driven by latitudinal shifts of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

U-Series Chronology of Lacustrine Deposits in Death Valley, California

Uranium-series dating on a 186-m core (DV93-1) drilled from Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California, and on calcareous tufas from nearby strandlines shows that Lake Manly, the lake that periodically flooded Death Valley during the late Pleistocene, experienced large fluctuations in depth and chemistry over the last 200,000 yr. Death Valley has been occupied by a long-standing deep lake, perennial shallow saline lakes, and a desiccated salt pan similar to the modern valley floor. The average sedimentation rate of about 1 mm/yr for core DV93-1 was punctuated by episodes of more-rapid accumulation of halite. Arid conditions similar to the modern conditions prevailed during the entire Holocene and between 120,000 and 60,000 yr B.P. From 35,000 yr B.P. to the beginning of the Holocene, a perennial saline lake existed, over 70 m at its deepest. A much deeper and longer lasting perennial Lake Manly existed from about 185,000 to 128,000 yr B.P., with water depths reaching about 175 m, if not 330 m. This lake had two significant “dry” excursions of 10²–10³yr duration about 166,000 and 146,000 yr B.P., and it began to shrink to the point of halite precipitation between 128,000 and 120,000 yr B.P. The two perennial lake periods correspond to marine oxygen isotopic stages (OIS) 2 and 6. Based on the shoreline tufa ages, we do not rule out the possible existence 200,000 yr ago of yet a third perennial lake comparable in size to the OIS 6 lake. The²³⁴U/²³⁸U data suggest that U in tufa owes its origin mainly to Ca-rich springs fed by groundwater that emanated along lake shorelines in southern Death Valley, and that an increase of this spring-water input relative to the river-water input apparently occurred during OIS 6.     

Holocene alpine glaciation inferred from lacustrine sediments on northeastern Baffin Island,Arctic Canada

With accelerated melting of alpine glaciers, understanding the future state of the cryosphere is critical. Because the observational record of glacier response to climate change is short, palaeo‐records of glacier change are needed. Using proglacial lake sediments, which contain continuous and datable records of past glacier activity, we investigate Holocene glacier fluctuations on northeastern Baffin Island. Basal radiocarbon ages from three lakes constrain Laurentide Ice Sheet retreat by ca. 10.5 ka. High sedimentation rates (0.03 cm a^?1) and continuous minerogenic sedimentation throughout the Holocene in proglacial lakes, in contrast to organic‐rich sediments and low sedimentation rates (0.005 cm a^?1) in neighbouring non‐glacial lakes, suggest that glaciers may have persisted in proglacial lake catchments since regional deglaciation. The presence of varves and relatively high magnetic susceptibility from 10 to 6 ka and since 2 ka in one proglacial lake suggest minimum Holocene glacier extent ca. 6–2 ka. Moraine evidence and proglacial and threshold lake sediments indicate that the maximum Holocene glacier extent occurred during the Little Ice Age. The finding that glaciers likely persisted through the Holocene is surprising, given that regional proxy records reveal summer temperatures several degrees warmer than today, and may be due to shorter ablation seasons and greater accumulation‐season precipitation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleohydrological Changes in the Western Tibetan Plateau over the Past 16,000 years Based on Sedimentary Records of n‐Alkanes and Grain Size

Both monsoons and westerlies have exerted influence on climate dynamics over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) since the last deglaciation, producing complex patterns of paleohydroclimatic conditions. Diverse proxy records are essential to forge a robust understanding of the climate system on the TP. Currently, there is a general lack of understanding of the response of inland lakes over the TP to climate change, especially glacier‐fed lakes. Paleohydrological reconstructions of such lakes could deepen our understanding of the history of lake systems and their relationship to regional climate variability. Here we use records of n‐alkanes and grain size from the sediments of Bangong Co in the western TP to reconstruct paleohydrological changes over the past 16,000 years. The Paq record (the ratio of non‐emergent aquatic macrophytes versus emergent aquatic macrophytes and terrestrial plants) is generally consistent with the variations in summer temperature and precipitation isotopes. The changes in grain‐size distributions show a similar trend to Paq but with less pronounced fluctuations in the early‐middle Holocene. The new data combined with previous results from the site demonstrate that: 1) Bangong Co experienced relatively large water‐level fluctuations during the last deglaciation, with a steadily high lake‐level during the early‐middle Holocene and a decreasing lake‐level in the late Holocene; 2) The lake level fluctuations were driven by both high summer temperatures via the melting water and monsoon precipitation. However, the dominant factor controlling lake level changed over time. The lake‐level history at Bangong Co deduced from the n‐alkanes and grain‐size records reveals the past hydrological changes in the catchment area, and stimulates more discussion about the future of glacier‐fed lakes under the conditions of unprecedented warming in the region.     

Midge‐inferred Holocene effective moisture fluctuations in a subarctic lake,northern Lapland

Luoto, T. P. & Sarmaja‐Korjonen, K. 2011: Midge‐inferred Holocene effective moisture fluctuations in a subarctic lake, northern Lapland. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2011.00217.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. We examined fossil midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) assemblages from Lake Várddoaijávri, northern Finland to track Holocene effective moisture variability. Application of a midge‐based water‐depth calibration model showed that the early Holocene was characterized by a high water level compared with the Holocene average, but the inferred values decreased at c. 8000 cal. a BP and increased again towards c. 6000 cal. a BP. The inferred water level decreased at c. 5500 cal. a BP, but increased again towards c. 4000 cal. a BP. Between 4000 and 3000 cal. a BP the lake experienced two rapid events of lower water level. A relatively high water level detected at c. 3000 cal. a BP was followed by a lowering towards c. 2000 cal. a BP. The time period from c. 2000 cal. a BP onwards was characterized by a general rise in lake level towards the present. Overall, the present reconstruction shows a close correspondence in its trends to previous lake‐level records in the region. Two common core taxa, Paratanytarsus and Corynocera ambigua, did not correlate significantly with water depth in the calibration data, creating a potential error source for the present lake‐level reconstruction. However, statistical analysis showed a clear community response to long‐term lake‐level changes, and therefore the major trends in Holocene effective moisture patterns were revealed. The present palaeoclimatic information can also serve as valuable background data when assessing the effects of the present climate change.     

Sedimentary evolution and environmental history of Lake Van (Turkey) over the past 600 000 years

The lithostratigraphic framework of Lake Van, eastern Turkey, has been systematically analysed to document the sedimentary evolution and the environmental history of the lake during the past ca 600 000 years. The lithostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy of a 219 m long drill core from Lake Van serve to separate global climate oscillations from local factors caused by tectonic and volcanic activity. An age model was established based on the climatostratigraphic alignment of chemical and lithological signatures, validated by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. The drilled sequence consists of ca 76% lacustrine carbonaceous clayey silt, ca 2% fluvial deposits, ca 17% volcaniclastic deposits and 5% gaps. Six lacustrine lithotypes were separated from the fluvial and event deposits, such as volcaniclastics (ca 300 layers) and graded beds (ca 375 layers), and their depositional environments are documented. These lithotypes are: (i) graded beds frequently intercalated with varved clayey silts reflecting rising lake levels during the terminations; (ii) varved clayey silts reflecting strong seasonality and an intralake oxic–anoxic boundary, for example, lake‐level highstands during interglacials/interstadials; (iii) CaCO₃‐rich banded sediments which are representative of a lowering of the oxic–anoxic boundary, for example, lake level decreases during glacial inceptions; (iv) CaCO₃‐poor banded and mottled clayey silts reflecting an oxic–anoxic boundary close to the sediment–water interface, for example, lake‐level lowstands during glacials/stadials; (v) diatomaceous muds were deposited during the early beginning of the lake as a fresh water system; and (vi) fluvial sands and gravels indicating the initial flooding of the lake basin. The recurrence of lithologies (i) to (iv) follows the past five glacial/interglacial cycles. A 20 m thick disturbed unit reflects an interval of major tectonic activity in Lake Van at ca 414 ka bp . Although local environmental processes such as tectonic and volcanic activity influenced sedimentation, the lithostratigraphic pattern and organic matter content clearly reflect past global climate changes, making Lake Van an outstanding terrestrial archive of unprecedented sensitivity for the reconstruction of the regional climate over the last 600 000 years.     

Magnetic properties of lake sediments from Lake Chalco,central Mexico,and their palaeoenvironmental implications

Lake Chalco (99.0°W, 19.5°N) in the Basin of Mexico, was formed during the Pleistocene after the emplacement of the Chichinautzin volcanic field that closed the former drainage system. The lake sediment record has been influenced by a number of factors, including glacial–interglacial cycles, local volcanism, erosion of soils and anthropogenic disturbances. The magnetic properties of the lake sediments and the associated tephra layers of the last 16500 yr have been studied. It is found that the magnetic properties of the Lake Chalco sediments are very distinctive. Magnetic concentration varies by a factor of 1000 and magnetic stability also varies over an extremely wide range. The predominant magnetic mineral is titanomagnetite in addition to an imperfect antiferromagnetic phase, possibly goethite. An unusually large range of coercivities is found in certain of the tephras. Down‐core variations in magnetic properties closely follow climatic/environmental changes previously established by other proxy methods. The late Pleistocene and late Holocene lake sediments display a higher concentration of magnetic minerals than the early–middle Holocene sediments. In the non‐volcanic sediments, fluctuations in the magnetic concentration reflect changes in both the intensity of erosion, as represented by ferrimagnetic and paramagnetic minerals, and by the maturing of soils, as represented by geothite. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Lastglacial and Holocene seismostratigraphy and sediment distribution of Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye,Polar Ural Mountains,Arctic Russia

Seismostratigraphical studies of the 11.8‐km²‐large and ~140‐m‐deep Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye, Polar Ural Mountains, reveal up to 160‐m‐thick acoustically laminated sediments in the lake basin. Using a dense grid of seismic lines, the spatial and temporal distributions of the sedimentary history have been reconstructed. Three regional seismic horizons have been identified and correlated with the well‐dated 24‐m‐long sediment core retrieved from the lake. Isopach maps constructed from the seismic data show four phases of sedimentation. A contour map of the deepest regional seismic reflector represents the earliest hemipelagic sedimentation in the lake. Three contour maps represent time intervals covering the last 23 cal. ka based on the well‐dated core stratigraphy from the lake. The detailed time constraints on the upper stratigraphical units in the lake allow calculation of the lake's development in terms of sediment fluxes and the denudation rates from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the present. The sedimentation in Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye has been dominated by hemipelagic processes during at least the last 24 cal. ka BP only locally interrupted by delta progradation and slope processes. A major shift in the sediment accumulation at c. 18.7 cal. ka BP is interpreted to mark the end of the local glacial maximum, greatly reduced denudation and the onset of the deglaciation period; this also demonstrates how fast the glaciers melted and possibly disappeared at the end of the LGM. The denudation rate during the Holocene is only a fifth of the LGM rate. The age of the oldest stratified sediments in Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye is not well constrained, but estimated as c. 50–60 ka.     

Tectonic and climatic control on evolution of rift lakes in the Central Kenya Rift, East Africa

The long-term histories of the neighboring Nakuru–Elmenteita and Naivasha lake basins in the Central Kenya Rift illustrate the relative importance of tectonic versus climatic effects on rift-lake evolution and the formation of disparate sedimentary environments. Although modern climate conditions in the Central Kenya Rift are very similar for these basins, hydrology and hydrochemistry of present-day lakes Nakuru, Elmenteita and Naivasha contrast dramatically due to tectonically controlled differences in basin geometries, catchment size, and fluvial processes. In this study, we use eighteen ¹⁴C and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dated fluvio-lacustrine sedimentary sections to unravel the spatiotemporal evolution of the lake basins in response to tectonic and climatic influences. We reconstruct paleoclimatic and ecological trends recorded in these basins based on fossil diatom assemblages and geologic field mapping. Our study shows a tendency towards increasing alkalinity and shrinkage of water bodies in both lake basins during the last million years. Ongoing volcano-tectonic segmentation of the lake basins, as well as reorganization of upstream drainage networks have led to contrasting hydrologic regimes with adjacent alkaline and freshwater conditions. During extreme wet periods in the past, such as during the early Holocene climate optimum, lake levels were high and all basins evolved toward freshwater systems. During drier periods some of these lakes revert back to alkaline conditions, while others maintain freshwater characteristics. Our results have important implications for the use and interpretation of lake sediment as climate archives in tectonically active regions and emphasize the need to deconvolve lacustrine records with respect to tectonics versus climatic forcing mechanisms.     

Glacial and climate history of the last 24 000 years in the Polar Ural Mountains,Arctic Russia,inferred from partly varved lake sediments

We present a well‐dated, high‐resolution and continuous sediment record spanning the last c. 24 000 years from lake Bolshoye Shchuchye located in the Polar Ural Mountains, Arctic Russia. This is the first continuous sediment succession reaching back into the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ever retrieved from this region. We reconstruct the glacial and climate history in the area since the LGM based on sedimentological and geochemical analysis of a 24‐m‐long sediment core. A robust chronology was established using a combination of AMS ¹⁴C‐dating, the position of the Vedde Ash and varve counting. The varved part of the sediment core spans across the LGM from 24 to 18.7 cal. ka BP. We conclude that the lake basin remained ice‐free throughout the LGM, but that mountain glaciers were present in the lake catchment. A decrease in both glacial varve preservation and sedimentation rate suggests that these glaciers started to retreat c. 18.7 cal. ka BP and had disappeared from the catchment by 14.35 cal. ka BP. There are no indications of glacier regrowth during the Younger Dryas. We infer a distinct climatic amelioration following the onset of the Holocene and an Early to Middle Holocene thermal optimum between 10–5 cal. ka BP. Our results provide a long‐awaited continuous and high‐resolution record of past climate that supplements the existing, more fragmentary data from moraines and exposed strata along river banks and coastal cliffs around the Russian Arctic.     

Holocene climate vs. catchment forcing on a shallow,eutrophic lake in eastern Poland

This paper presents a sedimentary record from Lake ?ukie located in the southeastern part of the Central European Plain, beyond the reach of the maximum extent of the last glaciation. The lake has thermokarstic origin and developed during the last glacial termination due to subsidence of the sub‐Quaternary carbonate basement triggered by permafrost thawing. A sediment core was investigated to reconstruct water trophic state and lake depth changes during the Holocene. We aimed at showing the relationship between ecological and geochemical changes in the lake and regional/supraregional climatic and hydrological trends throughout the Holocene. Results of subfossil Cladocera analysis were combined with data on the geochemistry and stable C and O isotopes in sedimentary carbonates. Isotopic and geochemical proxies helped to detect sources of sedimentary particles in the lake and thus to reconstruct changes in the intensity of atmospheric and catchment processes (e.g. precipitation and surface runoff). The Cladocera analysis results indicated endogenic processes in the lake such as trophic changes. Our data revealed that Lake ?ukie has always been a rather eutrophic water body and the periods of particularly high productivity were in the lower Preboreal and upper Subatlantic. Periods of increased water depth were recorded in the lower Preboreal, lower Boreal and upper Subboreal, whereas low water stands were obtained during the late Preboreal, late Boreal, late Atlantic and Atlantic/Subboreal transition as well as during the lower Subboreal. The sediment succession from Lake ?ukie provides the first full Holocene record of carbon and oxygen stable isotopes in lacustrine carbonates from the eastern part of the Central European Lowland. The record is characterized by uncommonly high δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O values of the carbonates resulting from a combination of within‐lake processes and dissolution of the carbonate bedrock of Cretaceous age. The impact of the old carbonates on isotope values was helpful in the reconstruction of the catchment forcing on the lake.     

Evidence of multiple thermokarst lake generations from an 11 800‐year‐old permafrost core on the northern Seward Peninsula,Alaska

Permafrost degradation influences the morphology, biogeochemical cycling and hydrology of Arctic landscapes over a range of time scales. To reconstruct temporal patterns of early to late Holocene permafrost and thermokarst dynamics, site‐specific palaeo‐records are needed. Here we present a multi‐proxy study of a 350‐cm‐long permafrost core from a drained lake basin on the northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska, revealing Lateglacial to Holocene thermokarst lake dynamics in a central location of Beringia. Use of radiocarbon dating, micropalaeontology (ostracods and testaceans), sedimentology (grain‐size analyses, magnetic susceptibility, tephra analyses), geochemistry (total nitrogen and carbon, total organic carbon, δ¹³C_org) and stable water isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δD, d excess) of ground ice allowed the reconstruction of several distinct thermokarst lake phases. These include a pre‐lacustrine environment at the base of the core characterized by the Devil Mountain Maar tephra (22 800±280 cal. a BP, Unit A), which has vertically subsided in places due to subsequent development of a deep thermokarst lake that initiated around 11 800 cal. a BP (Unit B). At about 9000 cal. a BP this lake transitioned from a stable depositional environment to a very dynamic lake system (Unit C) characterized by fluctuating lake levels, potentially intermediate wetland development, and expansion and erosion of shore deposits. Complete drainage of this lake occurred at 1060 cal. a BP, including post‐drainage sediment freezing from the top down to 154 cm and gradual accumulation of terrestrial peat (Unit D), as well as uniform upward talik refreezing. This core‐based reconstruction of multiple thermokarst lake generations since 11 800 cal. a BP improves our understanding of the temporal scales of thermokarst lake development from initiation to drainage, demonstrates complex landscape evolution in the ice‐rich permafrost regions of Central Beringia during the Lateglacial and Holocene, and enhances our understanding of biogeochemical cycles in thermokarst‐affected regions of the Arctic.     

Holocene variations in the Asian monsoon inferred from the geochemistry of lake sediments in central Tibet

We present a record of monsoon variations for the early and middle Holocene that is inferred from the geochemistry of sediment cores from Ahung Co, a lake in central Tibet. The resolution of this record is better than 50 yr and the age model is derived from radiocarbon ages of terrestrial charcoal, which eliminates errors associated with the lake hard-water effect. We made down-core geochemical measurements of % carbonate, % organic carbon, C/N and δ¹³C of bulk organic matter, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O of carbonate, and % dolomite. Proxy calibration and modern water-balance reconstruction show that these are proxies for lake depth and the amount of monsoon precipitation. We find that lake level and monsoon precipitation have been decreasing at Ahung Co since the early Holocene (∼7500 cal yr B.P.). Superimposed on this trend are rapid declines in monsoon rainfall at 7000-7500 and 4700 cal yr B.P. and seven century-scale wet-dry oscillations. The cores do not contain sediment from the last ∼4000 yr. Surface sediments from the lake accumulated during the 20th century, however. From this, we argue that lake levels have risen again recently following a late Holocene dry period.     

Holocene environmental change in the West African Sahel: sedimentological and mineral‐magnetic analyses of lake sediments from Jikariya Lake,northeastern Nigeria

Previous studies have demonstrated long‐term changes in effective moisture in sub‐Saharan Africa. Here, we reconstruct Holocene environments using a ～7 m lake‐sediment sequence recovered from the northeastern Nigerian Sahel and attempt to distinguish basin‐specific changes from regional climatic variations. The sequence was analysed for sedimentological properties, mineral magnetism and pollen, and dated by ¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb excess and ¹⁴C. Extremely arid conditions of the terminal Pleistocene ended ca. 11 500 cal. BP (calendar years) when climate ameliorated and a lake developed until the occurrence of an arid event leading to lake desiccation at ～11 200 cal. BP. Following this, climate ameliorated and a water body re‐emerged. Very wet conditions predominated 11 200–5600 cal. BP, followed by drought between 5600 and 5500 cal. BP and a return to moderate humidity from 5500 to 4000 cal. BP. After 4000 cal. BP, a marked deterioration occurred, culminating in lake desiccation at ca. 800 cal. BP. After this time the climate remained generally dry and the re‐emerging lake was shallow. Comparison of these results with other well‐dated sequences in the region demonstrates the importance of basin‐specific influences on the palaeolimnological records in addition to regional climatic controls. Disentangling these different controls, as well as the reconstruction of Holocene climate, therefore requires a multiple‐basin approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateglacial and Holocene variation in aeolian sediment flux over the northeastern Tibetan Plateau recorded by laminated sediments of a saline meromictic lake

Predominantly laminated lake sediments from a saline closed‐basin lake on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau were investigated using a multi‐proxy approach (¹⁴C‐accelerator mass spectrometry dating, smear‐slide analysis, loss on ignition, grain size, X‐ray diffraction, elemental concentration, ostracod assemblages, stable isotopes of ostracod shells) to trace the regional environmental and climatic history in the Lateglacial and Holocene. Before about 15 cal. ka BP, small saline water bodies probably filled the basin under unstable cold and harsh environmental conditions. Soon after about 14.9 cal. ka BP, a relatively deep saline lake was established, probably as a result of runoff from melting snow, ice and frozen ground in the lake's catchment. Large changes in flux of aeolian material to the lake were recorded during this initial period of formation of Lake Kuhai. Highest lake levels, a low sediment accumulation rate and less saline conditions were maintained between about 12.8 and 7.1 cal. ka BP when the aeolian influx diminished significantly. After about 7.1 cal. ka BP, the aeolian influx remained at a moderate level apart from a strongly increased dust delivery to the lake between about 6.1 and 5.4 cal. ka BP and a minor short‐lived period of slightly enhanced aeolian influx at about 2.7 cal. ka BP. The strongly enhanced dust input to the lake between 6.1 and 5.4 cal. ka BP represented the largest influx of aeolian material to Lake Kuhai during the entire Holocene. However, evidence for climatic deterioration during this period is not seen at most other palaeoclimate sites on the Tibetan Plateau, but instead a significant increase in aridity has been recorded at numerous sites in the northern foreland of the Tibetan Plateau and on the Chinese Loess Plateau. The large dust input to Lake Kuhai between 6.1 and 5.4 cal. ka BP probably did not result from a severe climate deterioration on the Tibetan Plateau itself, but from the pronounced aridity in its northern and eastern foreland. In contrast, the increase in dust influx about 2.7 cal. ka BP seems to correspond to a brief warming spell recorded at other sites on the Tibetan Plateau too. A slight increase in lake level and decrease in salinity after about 0.6 cal. ka BP suggests a slightly higher effective moisture during the final lake stage, accompanied by a somewhat larger dust influx. This apparent contradiction possibly results from enhanced human activities on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during the last 600 years. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Helium Isotopic Chemistry of Lake Bonney, Taylor Valley, Antarctica: Timing of Late Holocene Climate Change in Antarctica

To better understand the long-term climate history of Antarctica, we studied Lake Bonney in Taylor Valley, Southern Victoria Land (78°S). Helium isotope ratios and He, Ne, Ar and N₂ concentration data, obtained from hydrocasts in the East (ELB) and West (WLB) Lobes of Lake Bonney, provided important constraints on the lakes Holocene evolution. Based on very low concentrations of Ar and N₂ in the ELB bottom waters, ELB was free of ice until 200 ± 50 years ago. After which, low salinity water flowing over the sill from WLB to ELB, covered ELB and formed a perennial ice cover, inhibiting the exchange of gases with the atmosphere. In contrast to the ELB, the WLB retained an ice cover through the Holocene. The brine in the WLB bottom waters has meteoric N₂ and Ar gas concentrations indicating that it has not been significantly modified by atmospheric exchange or ice formation. The helium concentrations in the deep water of WLB are the highest measured in non-thermal surface water. By fitting a diffusional loss to the ³He/⁴He, helium, and Cl profiles, we calculate a time of 3000 years for the initiation of flow over the sill separating the East and West Lobes. To supply this flux of helium to the lake, a helium-rich sediment beneath the lake must be providing the helium by diffusion. If at any time during the last million years the ice cover left WLB, there would be insufficient helium available to provide the current flux to WLB. The variations in water levels in Lake Bonney can be related to climatic events that have been documented within the Southern Victoria Land region and indicate that the lakes respond significantly to regional and, perhaps, global climate forcing.     

Palaeoenvironmental records in Holocene Spanish tufas: a stable isotope approach in search of reliable climatic archives

Tufa deposits are potential terrestrial archives of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic information. This study assesses the potential of stable isotopic archives from two closely juxtaposed Holocene tufa sites in SE Spain. The Ruidera site contains deep‐water lacustrine micrites and tufas, whereas the nearby Alcaraz site represents a shallow barrage tufa. Understanding site characteristics is critical to interpreting the stable isotopic variations. These Holocene lacustrine micrites have isotopic compositions consistent with modern European lake shore microbial carbonates, where the isotopic chemistry is strongly influenced by hydrological and residence time effects. All the lacustrine micrite δ¹³C values were influenced by microenvironmental microbial effects to some degree. Because of these effects, stable isotope data from lacustrine microbial micrites and tufas will not normally yield precise information on the isotopic composition of palaeoprecipitation, temperature or vegetation composition of an area. In contrast, Holocene tufas that formed in shallow, fast‐flowing riverine settings may contain valuable palaeoclimatic archives. The tufa deposits must be largely autochthonous, as at Alcaraz, where in situ reed stem encrustations are present. Records of relative change in air temperature and changes in the source of airmasses are potentially resolvable in the δ¹⁸O data. These interpretations can be verified by other independent climatic data where chronology is constrained. Variations in riverine tufa δ¹³C values probably record changes in local vegetation and/or soil respiration. Covariation between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values may be intrinsically linked to climatic factors such as aridity. Tentative palaeoclimatic interpretations for the middle Holocene at Alcaraz based on the isotope data suggest warming (or increasing influence of Mediterranean‐sourced precipitation) between approximately 5000–3000 radiocarbon years BP, accompanied by increased aridity. These interpretations are consistent with the sparse independent palaeoclimatic data and climate modelling results for the Holocene of SE Spain. This study supports the growing evidence that well‐chosen tufa sites could yield valuable palaeoclimatic information.     

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.     

Seismic stratigraphy, buried beach ridges and contourite drifts: the Late Quaternary history of the closed Lago Cardiel basin, Argentina (49°S)

The results of a seismic stratigraphic analysis of a closed lake basin, Lago Cardiel, in southernmost South America are reported. Very few high-resolution, continental records spanning the Late Quaternary have been obtained from this region. Seismic sequence stratigraphic analysis allows a reconstruction of lake level variations. Two major hiatuses of unknown age occurred during the early evolution of the basin with the deposition of an alluvial fan in a restricted area in the intervening time period. Following the development of a relatively shallow lake during the late Pleistocene and a short desiccation pulse around 11 220 ¹⁴C yr BP, a transgression of over 135 m occurred at the beginning of the Holocene. The transgression was associated with the formation of beach ridges preserved in the lake stratigraphy on the floor of the modern Lago Cardiel at four different elevations. The preservation of largely unreworked beach ridges indicates a stepwise rise in the lake level. There is no seismic evidence of a major lowering of the lake below modern level during the entire Holocene. Deposition since the mid-Holocene is marked by strong lateral differences in sediment accumulation with a depocentre slightly to the north of the basin midpoint and a pronounced mounded distribution. Seismic reflection geometries, as well as sedimentological characteristics indicate a lacustrine contourite drift covering an area of 80–100 km². As Lago Cardiel is under the influence of westerly winds, these most likely drove lake circulation. The identification of drowned beach ridges and of contourite drifts illustrates that high-resolution seismic stratigraphy is not only a powerful tool in reconstructing past lake level elevations for closed lake basins, but it can also provide information about the rate of lake level changes and the presence and strength of lake currents.     

Two paleoecological histories spanning the period of human settlement in southeastern Brazil

The absence of human occupation sites in southeastern Brazil during the mid Holocene has been referred to as the 'Archaic Gap' (8970–1940 cal. a BP) and is predicted to have resulted from increased aridity. A ca. 14 000 cal. a pollen history from two well‐dated lake sediment cores located within the archeological district of Lagoa Santa, in the State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, was used to test this hypothesis. Our analyses indicated that the present cerrado and tropical semi‐deciduous forest mosaic persisted throughout the mid Holocene, until ca. 5500 cal. a BP, and the Lagoa Santa region did not experience especially dry conditions during the Holocene period. The early Holocene pollen spectra contained an assemblage of cold‐adapted taxa such as Podocarpus, Myrsine and Araucaria, co‐occurring with taxa from cerrado, e.g. Caryocar. A replacement of cold taxa by the modern cerrado–semi‐deciduous forest vegetation took place progressively, but appears to have been completed by the mid Holocene. No evidence of sustained drought was found in sedimentation or forest composition, nor any prolonged dry event in the study region. Holocene dryness as an explanation for the abandonment of Lagoa Santa region is not supported by the palynological analyses conducted in this study. Rather it is suggested that unpredictable climate may have underlain that abandonment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.