Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental reconstructions from sediments of Lake Emanda (Verkhoyansk Mountains, East Siberia)

Continuous pollen and chironomid records from Lake Emanda (65 degrees 17'N, 135 degrees 45'E) provide new insights into the Late Quaternary environmental history of the Yana Highlands (Yakutia). Larch forest with shrubs (alders, pines, birches) dominated during the deposition of the lowerm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Quaternary Science
Main Authors: Andreev, Andrei, Nazarova, Larisa B., Lenz, Marlene M., Böhmer, Thomas, Syrykh, Ludmila, Wagner, Bernd, Melles, Martin, Pestryakova, Luidmila A., Herzschuh, Ulrike (Prof. Dr.)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2022
Subjects:
ddc:550
Institut für Biochemie und Biologie
Institut für Umweltwissenschaften und Geographie
Verkhoyansk
Dwarf birch
Tundra
Yakutia
Siberia
Online Access:https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/64056
https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3419
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Summary:Continuous pollen and chironomid records from Lake Emanda (65 degrees 17'N, 135 degrees 45'E) provide new insights into the Late Quaternary environmental history of the Yana Highlands (Yakutia). Larch forest with shrubs (alders, pines, birches) dominated during the deposition of the lowermost sediments suggesting its Early Weichselian [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5] age. Pollen- and chironomid-based climate reconstructions suggest July temperatures (T-July) slightly lower than modern. Gradually increasing amounts of herb pollen and cold stenotherm chironomid head capsules reflect cooler and drier environments, probably during the termination of MIS 5. T-July dropped to 8 degrees C. Mostly treeless vegetation is reconstructed during MIS 3. Tundra and steppe communities dominated during MIS 2. Shrubs became common after similar to 14.5 ka BP but herb-dominated habitats remained until the onset of the Holocene. Larch forests with shrub alder and dwarf birch dominated after the Holocene onset, ca. 11.7 ka BP. Decreasing amounts of shrub pollen during the Lateglacial are assigned to the Older Dryas and Younger Dryas with T-July similar to 7.5 degrees C. T-July increased up to 13 degrees C. Shrub stone pine was present after similar to 7.5 ka BP. The vegetation has been similar to modern since ca. 5.8 ka BP. Chironomid diversity and concentration in the sediments increased towards the present day, indicating the development of richer hydrobiological communities in response to the Holocene thermal maximum.

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