Climate and environmental changes of the Lategacial transition and Holocene in northeastern Siberia: Evidence from diatom oxygen isotopes and assemblage composition at Lake Emanda

Indexación ScopusA new dataset from Lake Emanda provides insights into climate and environmental dynamics in an extreme continental setting in northeastern Siberia. The δ18Odiatom record is supported by diatom assemblage analysis, modern isotope hydrology and atmospheric circulation patterns. The data reveal a relatively cold oligotrophic freshwater lake system persisting for the last ∼13.2 cal ka BP. Most recent δ18Odiatom (+21.5‰) combined with present-day average δ18Olake (−16.5‰) allows calculating Tlake (∼21 °C), reflecting summer conditions. Nonetheless, the δ18Odiatom variability is associated with changes in δ18Olake rather than with Tlake. An obvious shift of ∼2‰ in the δ18Odiatom record at 11.7–11.5 cal ka BP accompanied by significant changes in diatom assemblages reflects the onset of the Holocene. Relatively high δ18Odiatom during the Early Holocene suggests relatively warm and/or dry climate with associated evaporation effects. The absolute maximum in δ18Odiatom of +27.7‰ consistent with high values of diatom indices at ∼7.9–7.0 cal ka BP suggests a Mid Holocene Thermal Maximum. A continuous depletion in δ18Odiatom since ∼5.0 cal ka BP is interpreted as Middle to Late Holocene cooling reaching the absolute minimum at 0.4 cal ka BP (i.e. the Little Ice Age). An overall cooling trend (∼0.3‰ 1000 yr−1) throughout the Holocene follows decreasing solar insolation. The pattern of the Lake Emanda δ18Odiatom record is similar to that obtained from Lake El'gygytgyn suggesting a common “eastern” regional signal in both records, despite their hydrological differences. Presently, atmospheric moisture reaches the study region from the west and east with ∼40% each, as well as ∼20% from the north. © 2021 The Author(s)https://www-sciencedirect-com.recursosbiblioteca.unab.cl/science/article/pii/S0277379121001128?via%3Dihu

Oxygen isotope composition of diatoms from sediments of Lake Kotokel (Buryatia).

This is a summary of new oxygen isotope data for diatoms from Lake Kotokel sediments, with implications for responses of the lake system and its environment to global change over the past 46 kyr. Fossil diatoms in all samples are free from visible contamination signatures and contain no more than 2.5% Al2O3, which ensures reliable reconstructions. The δ18O values in diatoms vary between +23.7 and +31.2‰ over the record. The results mainly represent diatom assemblages of summer blooming periods, except for the time span between 36 and 32 kyr, when the isotopic signal rather records a shift from summer to spring blooming conditions. Possible water temperature changes only partly explain the changes in the isotopic record. The observed isotopic patterns are produced mainly by isotope changes in lake water in response to variations in air temperature, hydrology, and atmospheric circulation in the region. During Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 (Last Glacial maximum), high δ18Odiatom resulted from rapid evaporation and low fluvial inputs. The high δ18O values of about +29 to +30‰ during the first half of MIS 1 (Holocene interglacial) suggest an increased share of summer rainfalls associated with southern/southeastern air transport. The δ18O decrease to +24‰ during the second half of MIS 1 is due to the overall hemispheric cooling and increased moisture supply to the area by the Atlantic transport. The record of Lake Kotokel sediments provides an example of complex interplay among several climatic controls of δ18Odiatom in the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene

Hydrological (in)stability in Southern Siberia during the Younger Dryas and early Holocene

Southern Siberia is currently undergoing rapid warming, inducing changes in vegetation, loss of permafrost, and impacts on the hydrodynamics of lakes and rivers. Lake sediments are key archives of environmental change and contain a record of ecosystem variability, as well as providing proxy indicators of wider environmental and climatic change. Investigating how hydrological systems have responded to past shifts in climate can provide essential context for better understanding future ecosystem changes in Siberia. Oxygen isotope ratios within lacustrine records provide fundamental information on past variability in hydrological systems. Here we present a new oxygen isotope record from diatom silica (ẟ18Odiatom) at Lake Baunt (55°11′15″N, 113°01,45″E), in the southern part of eastern Siberia, and consider how the site has responded to climate changes between the Younger Dryas and Early to Mid Holocene (ca. 12.4 to 6.2 ka cal BP). Excursions in ẟ18Odiatom are influenced by air temperature and the seasonality, quantity, and source of atmospheric precipitation. These variables are a function of the strength of the Siberian High, which controls temperature, the proportion and quantity of winter versus summer precipitation, and the relative dominance of Atlantic versus Pacific air masses. A regional comparison with other Siberian ẟ18Odiatom records, from lakes Baikal and Kotokel, suggests that ẟ18Odiatom variations in southern Siberia reflect increased continentality during the Younger Dryas, delayed Early Holocene warming in the region, and substantial climate instability between ~10.5 to ~8.2 ka cal BP. Unstable conditions during the Early Holocene thermal optimum most likely reflect localised changes from glacial melting. Taking the profiles from three very different lakes together, highlight the influence of site specific factors on the individual records, and how one site is not indicative of the region as a whole. Overall, the study documents how sensitive this important region is to both internal and external forcing

A global compilation of diatom silica oxygen isotope records from lake sediment - trends and implications for climate reconstruction

Oxygen isotopes in biogenic silica (δ18OBSi) from lake sediments allow for quantitative reconstruction of past hydroclimate and proxy-model comparison in terrestrial environments. The signals of individual records have been attributed to different factors, such as air temperature (Tair), atmospheric circulation patterns, hydrological changes, and lake evaporation. While every lake has its own local set of drivers of δ18O variability, here we explore the extent to which regional or even global signals emerge from a series of paleoenvironmental records. This study provides a comprehensive compilation and combined statistical evaluation of the existing lake sediment δ18OBSi records, largely missing in other summary publications (i.e. PAGES network). For this purpose, we have identified and compiled 71 down-core records published to date and complemented these datasets with additional lake basin parameters (e.g. lake water residence time and catchment size) to best characterize the signal properties. Records feature widely different temporal coverage and resolution, ranging from decadal-scale records covering the past 150 years to records with multi-millennial-scale resolution spanning glacial–interglacial cycles. The best coverage in number of records (N = 37) and data points (N = 2112) is available for Northern Hemispheric (NH) extratropical regions throughout the Holocene (roughly corresponding to Marine Isotope Stage 1; MIS 1). To address the different variabilities and temporal offsets, records were brought to a common temporal resolution by binning and subsequently filtered for hydrologically open lakes with lake water residence times  45° N) lakes, we find common δ18OBSi patterns among the lake records during both the Holocene and Common Era (CE). These include maxima and minima corresponding to known climate episodes, such as the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM), Neoglacial Cooling, Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age (LIA). These patterns are in line with long-term air temperature changes supported by previously published climate reconstructions from other archives, as well as Holocene summer insolation changes. In conclusion, oxygen isotope records from NH extratropical lake sediments feature a common climate signal at centennial (for CE) and millennial (for Holocene) timescales despite stemming from different lakes in different geographic locations and hence constitute a valuable proxy for past climate reconstructions