Autumn snowfall and hydroclimatic variability during the past millennium inferred from the varved sediments of meromictic Lake A, northern Ellesmere Island, Canada

We examined the hydroclimatic signal in a record of annual lamina (varve) thickness from High Arctic Lake A, Ellesmere Island (83°00.00′N, 75°30.00′W). In this unglacierized catchment, nival melt is the dominant source for meltwater and transport of sediment to the lake, and autumn snowfall is highly influential on varve thickness through the amount of snow available for melt in the following year. For the period during which climatic data are available, varve thickness in Lake A was significantly correlated (r = 0.50, p < 0.01) with the cumulative snowfall from August to October (ASO) during the previous year and, to a lesser extent, ASO mean daily temperature (r = 0.39, p < 0.01) at Alert, Nunavut (175 km east). The varve thickness record, interpreted as a proxy record of ASO snowfall and, by extension, ASO temperature, indicated above-mean conditions during five periods of the past millennium, including most of the 20th century. These results corresponded well to other available high-resolution proxy climate records from the region, with some discrepancies prior to AD 1500 and during the period AD 1700-1900.     

内蒙古达里湖沉积记录的中晚全新世干旱事件

最近20年位于东亚夏季风北部边缘的我国北方半干旱区遭遇更为频繁、更为严重的干旱事件。然而,有关该区域过去不同时间尺度气候干旱事件的特征及机制仍知之甚少。文章详细分析了内蒙古中东部达里湖DL04岩芯上部6.5 m沉积物中 < 38 μm碳酸盐的Ca和Mg含量、δ¹⁸O和δ¹³C值以及全样有机质TOC和TN含量、TOC/TN（C/N）比值,基于高精度的AMS¹⁴C年代标尺,恢复了最近6000年（日历年）湖区的水文、气候变化详细过程。结果表明：达里湖 < 38 μm碳酸盐主要为湖泊水体沉淀的内生方解石,其Ca和Mg含量、δ¹⁸O和δ¹³C值增大反映湖水蒸发量超过补给水量,进而指示湖区干旱事件。TOC和TN含量减少以及C/N比值减小总体反映地表径流减弱引起的陆生有机质入湖减少以及湖泊初始生产率下降。达里湖沉积内生碳酸盐和有机质地球化学数据表明,在6000~5300 cal.a B.P.、3200~2800 cal.a B.P.、1650~1150 cal.a B.P.和650~300 cal.a B.P.,流域地表径流显著减弱、湖面显著降低、湖泊生产率显著下降、湖区气候显著变干、东亚夏季风显著减弱。最近6000年东亚夏季风显著减弱事件在定年误差范围内与北大西洋冰漂碎屑事件一致,而与热带西太平洋海表温度变化和太阳活动变化相关性较差,表明千、百年尺度东亚夏季风突变主要受控于北半球高纬气候变冷。

     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation and climate records from Lake Kotokel, central Baikal region

Climatically driven Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation changes were reconstructed based on pollen records from the sediments of Lake Kotokel and Cheremushka Bog, located on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal. The described paleoenvironmental record has higher resolution than records collected from Lake Baikal and unites individual events identified in prior studies of bottom and onshore cores. Remarkable shifts in landscapes and expansions of index plants are as follows. Forest tundra and/or forest steppe landscape with birch, spruce, Artemisia, and Poaceae prevailed at ca. 50–25 ¹⁴C kyr BP. Tundra and/or steppe vegetation dominated by Artemisia and Poaceae was typical for the Last Glacial Maximum. The expansion of shrub birch and willow occurred at ca. 15.5 ¹⁴C kyr BP. Two peaks of spruce expansion at ca. 47.5–42.4 ¹⁴C kyr BP (Karginian time) and at ca. 14.5–13 ka (Bølling-Allerød warm intervals) suggest that the condition were more humid than today. A slight increase in Artemisia at ca. 11–10.5 ¹⁴C kyr BP (13–12 ka) was indicative of the Younger Dryas event. An expansion of birch forests with fir at ca. 12–6.4 ka suggests higher humidity. The currently dominant Scots and Siberian pine forests with birch expanded since 6.4 ka.     

Late Pleistocene hydroclimatic variabilities in arid north-west China: geochemical evidence from Balikun Lake,eastern Tienshan,China

Reconstructing the environmental and hydrological response to millennial-scale fluctuations of climate-sensitive areas of mid-latitudes is crucial to understanding the Late Pleistocene climate in terrestrial inland regions. We use sedimentological and geochemical proxies (e.g. lithology, gain size, loss-on-ignition, soluble salts, X-ray fluorescence elements) from Balikun Lake in the eastern Tienshan Mountains, to elucidate variations in sedimentation, water chemistry and watershed weathering intensity of the Late Pleistocene interval (~20−60 ka). The record documents high-frequency oscillations and alternating hydrological patterns on (multi-) millennial timescales. Balikun Lake changes from nearly fresh to brackish and finally to hypersaline conditions during MIS3. The warm and wet climate during the early MIS3 facilitated regional vegetation and bioproductivity. Halite sedimentation took place from the middle to late MIS3, indicating a gradual drying trend. This reduced the lake area and vegetation cover, as well as weakened the chemical weathering rates of the watershed. These new interpretations challenge the idea of climate amelioration with the highest lake level and wettest conditions prevailing in the arid areas of north-west China during the late MIS3, indicating a possible westerlies-dominated Late Pleistocene climate in these areas. The evolution of the palaeohydrological regime and climate change in the Balikun Basin correlated well with the millennial-scale high-latitude Atlantic climate superimposed on the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation.     

洱海近代沉积物中碳-氮-硫-磷的地球化学记录

在＾２１０Ｐｂｅｘ和＾１３７Ｃs计年基础上,对采自洱海深水湖区沉积物柱芯进行了Ｃ ｉｎｏｒｇ（无机碳）、Ｃｏｒｇ（有机碳）、Ｎ、Ｓ含量和Ｐ开矿分析。Ｃｏｒｇ生趣剖面具“沉降－降解－堆积”三阶段分布特征,沉降和堆积通量分别为１２．７ｇ／（ｍ＾２．ａ）和７．２０ｇ／（ｍ＾２．ａ）;降解速率常数为０．０１７ａ＾－１,寄宿时间为４０a。Ｎ的生趣分布与Ｃｏｒｇ相似,沉降和堆积通量分别为２．６２ｇ／（ｍ＾２．ａ     

Geochemistry of ice-covered, meromictic Lake A in the Canadian High Arctic

The geochemical processes occurring within meromictic Lake A (maxdepth 120 m) on northern Ellesmere Island, Canada, were investigated to determinethe history of the lake and to provide a baseline for future studies. The lake contained seawaterdiluted by freshwater input that had been mixed prior to the lake's isolation from tidalaction. Input of freshwater after isolation of the lake created vertical stratification resultingin the creation of distinct oxic, suboxic and anoxic zones. Dissolved oxygen was present to 13 m,and sulphide beneath 32 m. Manganese and iron cycling dominated the redox chemistrybetween these depths. Total manganese concentrations reached 176 M, higher thanin most other natural stratified lake or marine environments.     

A Lateglacial and Holocene organic carbon isotope record of lacustrine palaeoproductivity and climatic change derived from varved lake sediments of Lake Holzmaar,Germany

A composite varve-dated 11.4 m long sediment sequence from Lake Holzmaar, situated in the Eifel region of western Germany, was investigated for total organic matter content, total nitrogen content and stable organic carbon isotopes. Mean time resolution is 75 years for TN and 14 years for δ¹³C_org. On millennial time scales primary production of lacustrine algae strongly depends on the delivery of nutrients from the catchment. The respective carbon isotope record is characterized by marked variations of δ¹³C_org ranging from −36.0‰ to −27.0‰ and includes a number of pronounced shifts. Reactions of the lacustrine system and the catchment to changes of environmental parameters, e.g. runoff, solar radiation and temperature, induce changes of algal associations and of lacustrine primary production which are reflected in the sediments as carbon isotope variations. Clear evidence of ecosystem reorganizations is detected by the carbon isotope record around 14,200, 10,400, 9600, 5500, 2700, 1700 and 900 varve years BP. In particular, the Holocene events of 9600, around 5500 and 2700 are interpreted as the expression of massive changes of the climate system. The steady rise of δ¹³C_org values during the mid-Holocene is interpreted as a continuous climatic amelioration reaching an optimum around 6500 varve years BP. Rapid and large changes of δ¹³C_org values from 2700 varve years BP to the present indicate major disturbances in the catchment area. These are most probably related to deforestation or reforestation and runoff changes, presumably in conjunction with human impact. Carbon isotopes, thus, characterize the Holzmaar ecosystem in time revealing lacustrine palaeoproductivity as well as providing palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic information.     

Lake sediments from Store Koldewey, Northeast Greenland, as archive of Late Pleistocene and Holocene climatic and environmental changes

A 2.9 m long sedimentary record was studied from a small lake, here referred to as Duck Lake, located at 76°25'N, 18°45'W on Store Koldewey, an elongated island off the coast of Northeast Greenland. The sediments were investigated for their geophysical and biogeochemical characteristics, and for their fossil chironomid assemblages. Organic matter began to accumulate in the lake at 9.1 cal. kyr BP, which provides a minimum age for the deglaciation of the basin. Although the early to mid-Holocene is known as a thermal maximum in East Greenland, organic matter accumulation in the lake remained low during the early Holocene, likely due to late plant immigration and lack of nutrient availability. Organic matter accumulation increased during the middle and late Holocene, when temperatures in East Greenland gradually decreased. Enhanced soil formation probably led to higher nutrient availability and increased production in the lake. Chironomids are abundant throughout the record after 9.1 cal. kyr BP and seem to react sensitively to changes in temperature and nutrient availability. It is concluded that relative temperature reconstructions based on biogeochemical data have to be regarded critically, particularly in the period shortly after deglaciation when nutrient availability was low. Chironomids may be a suitable tool for climatic reconstructions even in those high arctic environments. However, a better understanding of the ecology of chironomids under these extreme conditions is needed.     

Taxonomic composition,paleoecology and biostratigraphy of Late Cretaceous diatoms from Devon Island,Nunavut, Canadian High Arctic

Upper Cretaceous sediments of the Kanguk Formation exposed in Eidsbotn and Viks Fiord grabens on Devon Island, Nunavut, Canadian High Arctic, yielded 91 fossil marine diatom species and varieties (including indeterminate taxa), representing 41 genera. Excellent preservation of the assemblages was aided by shallow burial, protection in downfaulted linear grabens, and the presence of abundant volcanic material. Planktonic species and resting spores comprise nearly 70% of the diatom assemblage, and provided abundant food resources for the Late Cretaceous Arctic ecosystem. Deposition of the approximately 225 m-thick stratigraphic sequence was predominantly in a shallow marine neritic setting, with an upward progression to interbedded terrestrial deposits of the Expedition Fiord Formation, reflecting a regression and eventual persistence of terrestrial facies into the Early Cenozoic. The Kanguk Formation is widespread across the Canadian Arctic, and diatom biostratigraphy indicates a Santonian–Campanian age for the sequences reported herein, based on the presence of Gladius antiquus in the lowermost strata and occurrence of Costopyxis antiqua throughout the succession. However, Amblypyrgus sp. A and Archepyrgus sp. aff. A. melosiroides, encountered in the lower part of the succession, are known exclusively from the Lower Cretaceous. This may suggest a slightly older age. New information on shallow shelf diatom assemblages from this study is compared to reports on two other Late Cretacous Arctic diatom assemblages. These three sites represent an environmental transect from shallow to distal shelf settings and into the oceanic realm.     

Radiocarbon age inversions and progression: source and causes in Late Holocene sediments from Lake Chapala,western Mexico

The results of eight radiocarbon datings of Lake Chapala sediments (site T46) are presented, the age inversions (AI) observed and their age progression discussed. As deduced from some AIs and the ²¹⁰Pb activity (site CHP4), the bioturbation zone in the lake varies over a depth of 5–25 cm. The linear sedimentation rates (LSRs) calculated from ¹⁴C ages do not match the LSR calculated from unsupported ²¹⁰Pb activity for the upper sediments. This demonstrates the usefulness of dating sediments with complementary radiometric techniques such as short-lived isotope counting (SLIC), i.e., ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs. This approach leads to the following conclusions: (1) The incorporation of detrital particles with ancient carbon into the sedimentary column of the lake occurred by a combination of: (a) the presence of outcrops of hydrothermal petroleum with ages >40 ka (ka = thousands of years) in the lake, and (b) mass transport due to the presence of two elongated gyre circulation patterns integrated by cyclonic circulation (counterclockwise) in the north portion of the lake and anticyclonic circulation in the southern part. (2) Consequently, the ¹⁴C ages of shallow lake sediments have geologic ages one order of magnitude greater compared to their ages determined by the ²¹⁰Pb method. (3) A bioturbation mechanism is not necessary to explain the ¹⁴C AI in the top 70 cm and from 110 to 150 cm depth of the sediments. (4) According to the biological proxies data for the last 600 years B.P., the paleoclimate at Lake Chapala has changed from sub-humid to dry environmental conditions, and eutrophication has increased over the past 100 years due to local input from ongoing agricultural activities.     

Reconstruction of the Late Holocene climate and environmental history from North Bolgoda Lake,Sri Lanka,using lipid biomarkers and pollen records

The catastrophic impact and unpredictability of the Indian Ocean Monsoon (IOM) over South Asia are evident from devastating floods, mudslides and droughts in one of the most densely populated regions of the globe. However, our understanding as to how the IOM has varied in the past, as well as its impact on local environments, remains limited. This is particularly the case for Sri Lanka, where erosional landscapes have limited the availability of well-stratified, high-resolution terrestrial archives. Here, we present novel data from an undisturbed sediment core retrieved from the coastal Bolgoda Lake. This includes the presentation of a revised Late Holocene age model as well as an innovative combination of pollen, source-specific biomarkers, and compound-specific stable carbon isotopes of n-alkanes to reconstruct the shifts in precipitation, salinity and vegetation cover. Our record documents variable climate between 3000 years and the present, with arid conditions c. 2334 and 2067 cal a bp. This extreme dry period was preceded and followed by more wet conditions. The high-resolution palaeoenvironmental reconstruction fills a major gap in our knowledge on the ramifications of IOM shifts across South Asia and provides insights during a time of major redistribution of dense human settlements across Sri Lanka.     

Response of geochemical records in lacustrine sediments to climate change and human impact during middle Holocene in Mengjin, Henan Province, China

In this paper, we examined the response of geochemical records in lacustrine sediments to climate and human activity in Mengjin, Henan Province of China during the middle Holocene. Indices used in this study include K, Na, Mn, Ba, Sr, Al, Ti, cation ratios, and Gramineae pollen in lacustrine sediments. Results indicate a drought event in this area around 5660 cal a BP, which weakened soil leaching and changed the element composition of surface soil runoff entering the paelo-lake and lacustrine sediments. Human activity appearing from 4695 cal a BP to 4000 cal a BP also affected the chemical composition of lake sediments. Human activities led to enhanced soil erosion and destroyed soil leaching horizons. Therefore, the substance of soil illuvial layer exposed to the surface and entering the paleo-lake were substantially altered by human activities.     

Differential North Atlantic control of winter hydroclimate in late Holocene varved sediments of Lake Kortejärvi,eastern Finland

Sediment microfacies, geochemical μ‐XRF and X‐ray density analyses were conducted on varved sediments from Lake Kortejärvi (eastern Finland) covering the last 2700 years. The varves comprise couplets of detrital and organic sub‐layers throughout the complete time‐span. Based on their microfacies and stratigraphical position within a varve as well as comparisons with local discharge and meteorological data, thicker detrital layers are interpreted to reflect intensified snow‐melt floods following more humid winters. Detailed comparisons with monthly to annually resolved North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) indices back to AD 1049 (901 a BP) suggest that multidecadal increases in snow‐melt layer thickness tend to be connected with a more positive phase of the NAO and, consequently, warmer winters. In contrast, distinct centennial intervals of thicker snow‐melt layers from −40 to 170, 280 to 460 and 1900 to 2300 a BP as well as around 2600 a BP do not consistently correspond to a particular NAO phase, but coincide with extended sea‐ice margins and a colder North Atlantic climate, causing intensified and southward shifted westerly cyclones. Our results point to a differential modification of North Atlantic winter hydroclimate working on varying time scales.     

Climate implications of major geochemical elements in the Holocene sediments of the North and East China monsoonal regions

Two Holocene sediment cores were retrieved respectively from the enclosed Lake Daihai in the monsoon/arid transition zone of North China and the Taihu Lake coast in the monsoonal area of the Yangtze delta, Eastern China. Distribution of major geochemical elements and their ratios were employed to reveal the characteristics of Holocene climate and associated environmental implications in the two regions. It is suggested that the temporal distribution of major elements serve as a useful indicator to denote the variations of monsoon effective precipitation for the enclosed lake area. High values of resistant elements such as Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, (FeO + Fe₂O₃), MnO in the lake sediments correspond to the depressed chemical weathering and weakened mon-soon effective precipitation, while the highs of mobile and easy soluble elements such as MgO, CaO, Na₂O reflect the enhanced chemical weathering and increased monsoon effective precipitation in the lake basin. In comparison, the behaviors of the major elements in sediments of the Taihu Lake coast were largely controlled by the changes both in sea transgression in the different Holocene time periods and the monsoon precipitation. The relatively highs of Al₂O₃, TiO₂, (FeO + Fe₂O₃), in marine-influenced sediments suggest relatively strong coastal hydrodynamics and chemical weathering, and vice versa. Meanwhile, the lows of SiO₂, Na₂O and CaO in the non-marine-influenced sediments also denote relatively strong hydrodynamics and chemical weathering due to enhanced monsoon precipitation, and vice versa. Sedimentary environment should be taken into account when achieving a full understanding of their climate implications.     

Additional coralline algae from the Lower Miocene to Late Holocene sediments of the Porbandar Group,Gujarat

The Neogene-Quaternary sediments well exposed in the Porbandar Basin are characterized by coralline algae. The limestone, calc-arenites and marls are the dominant lithology of this sequence. The present paper documents ten species of coralline algae. Among these, the nongeniculate coralline algae are represented by four species and geniculate coralline algae include six species. The sediments yielding this algal flora range in age from the Lower Miocene to Late Holocene.     

Monsoonal changes inferred from the Middle to Late Holocene sediments off Landfall Island,North Andaman

In this paper, sediment texture, clay mineral composition, and δ ¹⁸O data on Globigerinoides ruber of a sediment core collected from a water depth of 250 m near Landfall Island, Bay of Bengal, is presented to understand paleoenvironmental shifts during the Mid–Late Holocene period. From the sediment core, five organic carbon-rich samples were radiocarbon dated and the reservoir-corrected ages range from 6,078 to 1,658 years BP. The marine sediment core is represented dominantly by clayey silt with incursions of coarser components that occur around 6,000, 5,400, and 3,400 years BP. The sedimentation of the coarser detritus is due to strengthened southwest monsoon (SWM) since 6,500 to 5,400 years BP. Clay minerals are represented by smectite, illite, kaolinite, and chlorite in varying amounts. High kaolinite content and K/C ratio indicate intense SWM and strong bedrock weathering from the hinterland (~6,500–5,400 years BP). Incidence of smectite (48.82 to 25.09 %) and chlorite/illite (C/I) ratio (0.56 to 0.28) indicate an overall weakened southwest monsoon since 6,000 to 2,000 years BP with a brief incursion of extremely reduced SWM around 4,400 to 4,200 years BP. This is corroborated with the oxygen isotope on G. ruber that reveals a significant shift in the isotopic values ~4,300 years BP (?3.39?‰), indicating weakening in SWM. Subsequently, fluctuations in the intensity of SWM are observed since 2,000 years to present.     

Sedimentologic and palynologic records of the last deglaciation and Holocene from Ballston Lake, New York

Continuous pollen and sediment records from two ∼8.5-m-long cores document late Pleistocene and Holocene sedimentation and vegetation change in the Ballston Lake basin, eastern New York State. Pebbles at the base of both cores and the geomorphology of the watershed reflect the presence of the Mohawk River in the basin prior to ∼12,900 ± 70 cal yr B.P. Ballston Lake formed at the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) by an avulsion of the Mohawk River. The transition from clay to gyttja with low magnetic susceptibility (MS), low bulk density, and high organic carbon indicates rapid warming and increased lake productivity beginning 11,020 cal yr B.P. MS measurements reveal that the influx of magnetic particles, associated with pre-Holocene clastic sedimentation, ceased after ∼10,780 cal yr B.P. The pollen record is subdivided into six zones: BL1 (12,920 to 11,020 cal yr B.P.) is dominated by boreal forest pollen; BL2 (11,020 to 10,780 cal yr B.P.) by pine (Pinus) forest pollen; BL3 (10,780 to 5290 cal yr B.P.) by hemlock (Tsuga) and mixed hardwood pollen; BL4 (5290 to 2680 cal yr B.P.) by mixed hardwood pollen; BL5a (2680 cal yr B.P. to 1030 cal yr B.P.) by conifer and mixed hardwood pollen; and BL5b (1030 cal B.P. to present) by increasing ragweed (Ambrosia) pollen. A 62% decrease in spruce (Picea) pollen in <320 cal years during BL1 reflects rapid warming at the end of the YD. Holocene pollen zones record more subtle climatic shifts than occurred at the end of the YD. One of the largest changes in the Holocene pollen spectra began ∼5300 cal yr B.P., and is characterized by a marked decline in hemlock pollen. This has been noted in other pollen records from the region and may record preferential selection of hemlock by a pathogen or parasites.     

A preliminary record of the historical seabird population in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, from geochemical analyses of Mochou Lake sediments

An 85-cm long sediment sequence from Mochou Lake on Mirror Peninsula in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, was investigated for elemental geochemistry, biogeochemistry and strontium (Sr) isotopic composition in the acid-insoluble and acid-soluble fractions. The biogeochemical data showed that the freshwater lacustrine sediment originated after 2750 BP. The element Zn, Cu, F, P and Se fluxes displayed almost the same vertical distribution patterns, and their ratios over loss on ignition had strong positive correlations with each other, indicating a common source, probably from seabird droppings. The Sr isotopic compositions provided further evidence of the influence of seabirds on the freshwater lacustrine sediments. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios determined in the acid-soluble fraction were remarkably lower than those of the acid-insoluble fraction; with a bedrock ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr signature, they were close to those of the marine-derived Sr and were negatively correlated with total amino acids. Using the ratio vs. depth profiles of P, Zn, Cu, Se, F, As, Cd and Ni fluxes over Al, we reconstructed the historical seabird population in the catchment area of Mochou Lake. During the past c. 2800 years, the seabird population has experienced substantial changes in the absence of human activity, and four troughs were identified. After comparison with the palaeoclimatic records and glacial advance and retreat history, the pronounced seabird population declines seem to be related to climatic deterioration.