Chronology of Sediment Deposition in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon

A combination of tephrochronology and ¹⁴C, ²¹⁰Pb, and ¹³⁷Cs measurements provides a robust chronology for sedimentation in Upper Klamath Lake during the last 45 000 years. Mixing of surficial sediments and possible mobility of the radio-isotopes limit the usefulness of the ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb data, but ²¹⁰Pb profiles provide reasonable average sediment accumulation rates for the last 100–150 years. Radiocarbon ages near the top of the core are somewhat erratic and are too old, probably as a result of detrital organic carbon, which may have become a more common component in recent times as surrounding marshes were drained. Below the tops of the cores, radiocarbon ages in the center of the basin appear to be about 400 years too old, while those on the margin appear to be accurate, based on comparisons with tephra layers of known age.Taken together, the data can be combined into reasonable age models for each site. Sediments have accumulated at site K1, near the center of the basin, about 2 times faster than at site CM2, on the margin of the lake. The rates are about 0.10 and 0.05 cm/yr, respectively. The chronological data also indicate that accumulation rates were slower during the early to middle Holocene than during the late Holocene, consistent with increasing wetness in the late Holocene.     

Paleolimnology of Lake Tanganyika, East Africa, over the past 100 kyr

New sediment core data from a unique slow-sedimentation rate site in Lake Tanganyika contain a much longer and continuous record of limnological response to climate change than have been previously observed in equatorial regions of central Africa. The new core site was first located through an extensive seismic reflection survey over the Kavala Island Ridge (KIR), a sedimented basement high that separates the Kigoma and Kalemie Basins in Lake Tanganyika.Proxy analyses of paleoclimate response carried out on core T97-52V include paleomagnetic and index properties, TOC and isotopic analyses of organic carbon, and diatom and biogenic silica analyses. A robust age model based on 11 radiocarbon (AMS) dates indicates a linear, continuous sedimentation rate nearly an order of magnitude slower here compared to other core sites around the lake. This age model indicates continuous sedimentation over the past 79 k yr, and a basal age in excess of 100 k yr.The results of the proxy analyses for the past 20 k yr are comparable to previous studies focused on that interval in Lake Tanganyika, and show that the lake was about 350 m lower than present at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Repetitive peaks in TOC and corresponding drops in ¹³C over the past 79 k yr indicate periods of high productivity and mixing above the T97-52V core site, probably due to cooler and perhaps windier conditions. From 80 through 58 k yr the ¹³C values are relatively negative (–26 to –28 l) suggesting predominance of algal contributions to bottom sediments at this site during this time. Following this interval there is a shift to higher values of ¹³C, indicating a possible shift to C-4 pathway-dominated grassland-type vegetation in the catchment, and indicating cooler, dryer conditions from 55 k yr through the LGM. Two seismic sequence boundaries are observed at shallow stratigraphic levels in the seismic reflection data, and the upper boundary correlates to a major discontinuity near the base of T97-52V. We interpret these discontinuities to reflect major, prolonged drops in lake level below the core site (393 m), with the lower boundary correlating to marine oxygen isotope Stage 6. This suggests that the previous glacial period was considerably cooler and more arid in the equatorial tropics than was the last glacial period.     

Abrupt changes in climatic conditions across the late-glacial/Holocene transition on the N. E. Tibet-Qinghai Plateau: evidence from Lake Qinghai, China

A multi-proxy investigation of two sediment cores from the large closed-basin Lake Qinghai provides evidence of abrupt changes in paleolimnological conditions across the late-glacial/Holocene transition. The chronology of the lacustrine sediment sequence is framed by four AMS ¹⁴C ages for aquatic-plant macrofossil seeds. Four distinct stratigraphic units are identified on the basis of abrupt shifts in lithology, carbonate composition, ¹⁸O of authigenic carbonates, magnetic susceptibility characteristics, and total nitrogen content. These units represent four environmental stages that were each initiated by three abrupt changes in hydro-climatic regime at 11,600, 10,700, and 10,000 ¹⁴C yrs B.P. Each of the four environmental stages thus represents a characteristic precipitation-to-evaporation balance for the lake catchment. The paleoenvironmental evidence indicates that the lake before 11,600 ¹⁴C yrs B.P. was very shallow with carbonate production and organic productivity much lower than in the Holocene, suggesting a much colder and drier climate than in the Holocene. From 11,600 to 10,700 ¹⁴C yrs B.P., the presence of clastic laminations and Ruppia fossil seeds suggests an increased inflow of sediment-laden waters into the lake. Between 10,700 and 10,000 ¹⁴C yrs B.P., the development of a carbonate playa lake indicates that a negative water balance persisted. From 10,000 ¹⁴C yrs B.P. an abrupt increase in rainfall is suggested by a sudden termination of the playa lake environment and the diluted lake waters, as evidenced by negative shift in both total carbonate content and ¹⁸O values of mineral carbonate. However, the lake level during the early Holocene was about 20 m shallower than today, indicating that the effective moisture then was much lower than it is today. The multi-proxy record suggests a step-wise pattern of climatic change across the late-glacial/Holocene transition along with abrupt shifts in P-E balance on the N. E. Tibet-Qinghai Plateau. This pattern is characterized by reorganization of Asian monsoon circulation, which probably was determined by increasing summer insolation and changes in surface boundary conditions accompanying regional deglaciation. The arid event at 10,700–10,000 ¹⁴C yrs B.P. is interpreted as a Younger Dryas equivalent, although climatic cooling is not indicated by the evidence at hand.     

A 17,900-year multi-proxy lacustrine record of Lago Puyehue (Chilean Lake District): introduction

This paper introduces the background and main results of a research project aimed at unravelling the paleolimnological and paleoclimatological history of Lago Puyehue (40° S, Lake District, Chile) since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), based on the study of several sediment cores from the lake and on extensive fieldwork in the lake catchment. The longest record was obtained in an 11-m-long piston core. An age-depth model was established by AMS ¹⁴C dating, ²¹⁰Pb and ²³⁷Cs measurements, identification of event-deposits, and varve-counting for the past 600 years. The core extends back to 17,915 cal. yr. BP, and the seismic data indicate that an open-lake sedimentary environment already existed several thousands of years before that. The core was submitted to a multi-proxy analysis, including sedimentology, mineralogy, grain-size, major geochemistry and organic geochemistry (C/N ratio, δ¹³C), loss-on-ignition, magnetic susceptibility, diatom analysis and palynology. Along-core variations in sediment composition reveal that the area of Lago Puyehue was characterized since the LGM by a series of rapid climate fluctuations superimposed on a long-term warming trend. Identified climate fluctuations confirm a.o. the existence of a Late-Glacial cold reversal predating the northern-hemisphere Younger Dryas cold period by 500–1,000 years, as well as the existence of an early southern-hemisphere Holocene climatic optimum. Varve-thickness analyses over the past 600 years reveal periodicities similar to those associated with the El Niño Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, as well as intervals with increased precipitation, related to an intensification of the El Niño impact during the southern-hemisphere equivalent of the Little Ice Age.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene history of Lake Terrasovoje,Amery Oasis,East Antarctica,and its climatic and environmental implications

A 5.52 m long sediment sequence was recovered from Lake Terrasovoje, Amery Oasis, East Antarctica, in order to reconstruct the regional environmental history. The basal sediments, which are dominated by glacial and glaciofluvial clastic sediments, attest to a Late Pleistocene deglaciation of the lake basin. These sediments are overlain by 2.70 m of laminated algal and microbial mats and a few interspersed moss layers. Radiocarbon dating, conducted on bulk organic carbon of 12 samples throughout the organic sequence, provides a reliable chronology since the onset of biogenic accumulation at c. 12,400 cal. year BP. Successful diatom colonization, however, was probably hampered by extensive ice and snow cover on the lake and restricted input of nutrients until 10,200 cal. year BP. A subsequent increase of nutrient supply culminated between 8600 and 8200 cal. year BP and is related to warm summer temperatures and reduced albedo in the catchment. Warm conditions lasted until 6700 cal. year BP, supporting the establishment of a diatom community. Colder temperatures from 6700 cal. year BP culminated in several periods between 6200 and 3700 cal. year BP, when high amounts of sulphur and low abundances of diatoms were deposited due to a perennial ice and snow cover on the lake. During the late Holocene, relatively warm conditions between 3200 and 2300 cal. year BP and between 1500 to 1000 cal. year BP, respectively, indicated by high accumulation of organic matter and reducing bottom water conditions, were interrupted and followed by colder periods.     

全新世湖泊沉积物TOC、C/N和δ^13Corg对千年尺度气候变化的响应

湖泊沉积物有机地化指标在古气候解释中具有复杂性和多解性。TOC、C/N和δ^13Corg作为3种常用的有机地化指标,现已广泛运用于东、中亚全新世气候变化研究中。以这3种指标为例综述了东、中亚全新世湖泊沉积有机地化指标的变化机制及影响因素。根据数据的综合分析与对比,大部分湖泊全新世沉积物TOC百分含量较高时,C／N比值也较高。这与沉积物有机质的来源有关,因两者TOC和C／N作用机制不同,也存在少数湖泊,其两者对应关系不明显;同一湖泊δ^13Corg与TOC及δ^13Corg与C／N对应关系相似;由于不同区域影响有机地化指标的因素不同,TOC、C／N和δ1^3Corg间的关系存在区域差异,据此可将研究区分为中纬度地区、青藏高原区和低纬度季风区。上述区域规律存在于研究中所选的大部分湖泊,由于有机地化指标作用机理的复杂性,也存在不符合这种规律的湖泊,因而上述结论有待于进一步讨论。     

Diatom paleoecology of Laguna Zoncho,Costa Rica

We analyzed diatoms in a sediment profile from Laguna Zoncho in southern Pacific Costa Rica (lake elevation 1190 m asl, depth 2.6 m, area 0.75 ha) spanning some 3240 cal yr. Diatoms are common in the profile, which we subdivide into three zones. Zone C (3240–1020 cal yr B.P.) is dominated by Staurosira construens var. venter and Aulacoseira spp.; during this time, the lake was dilute and circumneutral. Benthic and acidophilous taxa increase gradually in the upper section of this zone. Zone B (1020–460 cal yr B.P.) almost totally lacks Aulacoseira, and instead is dominated by combinations of Eunotia minor, Encyonema lunatum, Gomphonema gracile, and Pinnularia braunii. Previous pollen and charcoal analysis indicates that this zone falls within the peak of prehistoric agricultural activity at the lake, but diatoms may also reflect climate change. During this period, the lake was likely shallower and more acidic, but not eutrophic. Finally, Zone A (460 cal yr B.P. to AD 1997) begins near a 1.5-cm tephra layer from nearby Volcán Barú; diatom assemblages are dominated by Aulacoseira spp., and suggest deepening of the lake and return to conditions similar to Zone C. This was a time of indigenous population decline and forest recovery in the Zoncho region, probably reflecting the impact of European diseases on the native population, although climate change and impacts of the tephra deposition cannot be wholly discounted.     

Overview and significance of a 250 ka paleoclimate record from El’gygytgyn Crater Lake,NE Russia

Sediment piston cores from Lake El’gygytgyn (67°N, 172°E), a 3.6 million year old meteorite impact crater in northeastern Siberia, have been analyzed to extract a multi-proxy millennial-scale climate record extending to nearly 250 ka, with distinct fluctuations in sedimentological, physical, biochemical, and paleoecological parameters. Five major themes emerge from this research. First the pilot cores and seismic data show that El’gygytygn Crater Lake contains what is expected to be the longest, most continuous terrestrial record of past climate change in the entire Arctic back to the time of impact. Second, processes operating in the El’gygytygn basin lead to changes in the limnogeology and the biogeochemistry that reflect robust changes in the regional climate and paleoecology over a large part of the western Arctic. Third, the magnetic susceptibility and other proxies record numerous rapid change events. The recovered lake sediment contains both the best-resolved record of the last interglacial and the longest terrestrial record of millennial scale climate change in the Arctic, yielding a high fidelity multi-proxy record extending nearly 150,000 years beyond what has been obtained from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Fourth, the potential for evaluating teleconnections under different mean climate states is high. Despite the heterogeneous nature of recent Arctic climate change, millennial scale climate events in the North Atlantic/Greenland region are recorded in the most distal regions of the Arctic under variable boundary conditions. Finally, deep drilling of the complete depositional record in Lake El’gygytgyn will offer new insights and, perhaps, surprises into the late Cenozoic evolution of Arctic climate. This is the first in a series of eleven papers published in this special issue dedicated to initial studies of El'gygytgyn Crater Lake and its catchment in NE Russia. Julie Brigham-Grette, Martin Melles, Pavel Minyuk were guest editors of this special issue.     

Mineral magnetic signatures in a long core from Lake Qarun, Middle Egypt

The analysis and interpretation of changes in mineral magnetic signatures from a long (ca. 8.2 m) sedimentary sequence recovered from Lake Qarun, Middle Egypt in 2003 spanning a timescale of approximately the last 2,000 years is reported. A suite of mass specific susceptibility and magnetic remanence measurements were made at irregular intervals downcore on 39 samples. These samples were selected on the basis of trends and abrupt changes in whole-core magnetic susceptibility measured using a Bartington^® MS2E sensor and were analysed for low and high temperature loss on ignition and their particle size distribution. Trends in all mineral magnetic concentration parameters are remarkably similar and were initially used to divide the core into three magnetically distinct zones. The upper and lower sections of the core (0–119 cm and 445–822 cm depth) are characterised by low values for all magnetic concentration parameters. Between 153 and 380 cm depth, concentration parameters are considerably higher, although somewhat variable. The S ratio and percentage loss of remanence after 24 h (IRM_loss) follow a different trend and are inversely related to each other. A low S ratio (<0.7) is associated with a loss of remanence of >4%. On the basis of these parameters, the core can be divided into four zones, and differences in magnetic mineralogy between these four zones were confirmed by measurement of IRM acquisition curves. The major difference between concentration parameters and ratios or percentage loss of IRM lies in the identification of an additional zone below 619 cm depth where the S ratio is high and IRM_loss is low. There is little evidence to suggest that the magnetic signatures are controlled by particle size or by trends in organic matter and/or carbonate content. The signatures appear to be predominantly detrital and show little evidence of post-depositional alteration through dissolution or authigenic addition of bacterial magnetite or greigite. Analysis of Saharan dust deposition rates in Northern Egypt suggests that atmospheric fallout is likely to make only a very minor contribution (<1%) to sedimentation rates in Lake Qarun. The downcore trends therefore appear to reflect major changes in fluvial sediment sources over the ca. 2,000 year time period spanned by this ～8 m core. Preliminary mineral magnetic characterisations of potential local sources suggest that these cannot account for the range of signatures recorded in the Qarun sediments and it is hypothesised that these sediments are derived from Nile river floods.     

Seismic records of late Pleistocene aridity in Lake Tanganyika,tropical East Africa

New intermediate-resolution, normal-incidence seismic reflection profiles from Lake Tanganyika’s central basin capture dramatic evidence of base-level change during two intervals of the late Pleistocene. Four seismically-defined stratigraphic sequences (A–D) tied to radiocarbon-dated sediment cores provide a chronology for fluctuating environmental conditions along the Kalya Platform. Stacked, oblique clinoforms in Sequence C are interpreted as prograding siliciclastic deltas deposited during a major regression that shifted the paleo-lake shore ∼21 km towards the west prior to ∼106 ka. The topset-to-foreset transitions in these deltas suggest lake level was reduced by ∼435 m during the period of deposition. Mounded reflections in the overlying sequence are interpreted as the backstepping remnants of the delta system, deposited during the termination of the lowstand and the onset of transgressive conditions in the basin. The youngest depositional sequence reflects the onset of profundal sedimentation during the lake level highstand. High amplitude reflections and deeply incised channels suggest a short-lived desiccation event that reduced lake level by ∼260 m, interpreted as a product of Last Glacial Maximum (32–14 ka) aridity. Paleobathymetric maps constructed for the two interpreted regressions reveal that despite the positive lake-floor topography created by the Kavala Island Ridge Accommodation Zone, Lake Tanganyika remained a large, mostly connected water body throughout the late Pleistocene. The results of this analysis further imply that Lake Tanganyika is the most drought resistant water body in the East African tropics, and may have acted as a refuge for local and migrating fauna during periods of prolonged aridity.     

Recent Summer Climate Recorded in Complex Varved Sediments, Nicolay Lake, Cornwall Island, Nunavut, Canada

The recent (1950–1996) varve record from the proximal sediments in Nicolay Lake, Cornwall Island, Nunavut, Canada (77°46′ N, 94°40′ W) contains distinct subannual rhythmites. Deposition of these subannual rhythmites is due primarily to nival snow melt, with additional sedimentary units resulting from major summer precipitation and subaqueous mass wasting events. In order to evaluate the potential hydroclimatic signal contained in the varves from the unglacierized catchment, the nival deposition record was estimated by delineating the initial subannual rhythmite within each varve. When the record is split into temporal segments based on two phases that exhibit different sediment deposition patterns in the lake, the nival rhythmites are significantly correlated to annual cumulative melting degree days (MDD) from the nearest weather station Isachsen (78°47′ N, 103°32′ W) (1950–1962 AD and 1963–1977 AD with r = 0.55 and r = 0.82, respectively). A similar analysis with data from Resolute (74°43′ N, 94°59′ W) yields slightly weaker correlations (1950–1962 AD, r = 0.60; 1963–1994, r = 0.59). The strong positive correlation with both the Isachsen and Resolute thermal records suggests that the paleoclimatic signal in the sediments reflects regional climate conditions. Notably, the signal is strongest when the entire melt season is considered; weaker correlations with instrumental weather records are associated with comparisons limited to the peak melt or early season melt periods. We attribute this to the ongoing supply of snowmelt through the season in this polar region and the availability of sediment for transport throughout the melt season. These results indicate that a high resolution hydroclimatic signal is present in the sediments from Nicolay Lake and can be used for paleoclimate reconstruction provided sedimentary depositional controls are taken into account.     

Solar variability and the levels of Lake Victoria,East Africa,during the last millenium

A new diatom series with 1–6 year resolution from Lake Victoria, East Africa, shows that lake level minima occurred ca. 820–760, 680–660, 640–620, 370–340, and 220–150 calendar years BP. Inferred lake levels were exceptionally high during most of the Little Ice Age (ca. 600–200 calendar years BP). Synchrony between East African high lake levels and prolonged sunspot minima during much of the last millenium may reflect solar variabilitys effects on tropical rainfall, but those relationships reversed sign ca. 200 years ago. Historical records also show that Victoria lake levels rose during every peak of the ca. 11-year sunspot cycle since the late 19th century. These findings suggest that, if these apparent tropical sun–climate associations during the last millenium were real, then they were subject to abrupt sign reversals.Electronic Supplementary Material to this article is available at .     

Upper Pleistocene and Holocene paleosalinity and trophic state changes in relation to sea level variation in Rocha Lagoon, southern Uruguay

Paleolimnological data are presented on trophic development in relation to sea level variation in Rocha Lagoon, a 72 km² coastal lagoon in southern Uruguay. Using sediment cores that extended to ∼20,000 yr BP, analyses of grain size, organic matter, carbonate, total carbon, nutrients, and diatoms allowed us to infer changes in trophic state and paleosalinities, which were closely related to Holocene relative sea level variation. Higher trophic states were observed during regressive events, most probably due to increases in runoff and erosion as regressions progressed. Diatom Association Zones (DAZ) were identified in both cores. Those DAZ corresponding to transgressive events were dominated by marine/brackish taxa and relatively low organic matter and nutrient values, while those DAZ corresponding to regressive events showed increases in brackish/freshwater diatoms and both organic matter and nutrients. Although the lagoon formed after the first Holocene marine transgression, our data indicate the existence of a marine/brackish aquatic system during upper Pleistocene (i.e., before 15,000 yr BP), but by ∼20,000 yr BP, the system was still likely to be a semi-arid terrestrial system.     

Late Quaternary palaeohydrology of Lake Pergusa (Sicily,southern Italy) as inferred by stable isotopes of lacustrine carbonates

Ten meters of lacustrine deposits retrieved from Lake Pergusa (Sicily, southern Italy) were investigated through stable isotope composition (carbon and oxygen) of authigenic carbonate (calcareous muds) and freshwater shells. The core chronology was established through three AMS dates, and by correlation with a previously dated nearby core. Stable isotope data show that the lake water evolution was mainly dominated by evaporation. Between ca. 20 and 28 ka the recovered sediments have very high δ¹⁸O values, likely corresponding to very dry climatic conditions. The observed rapid oscillations in the δ¹⁸O of the recovered sediments during this period also suggest important climatic fluctuations. More humid conditions dominated during the Holocene period, with the wettest interval occurring between ca. 9000 and 3000 years BP. Late Holocene sediments represent a substantial return to drier conditions. The available pollen data from a nearby core substantially confirm this general climatic trend during the Holocene. The positive correlation between δ¹³C of the calcareous muds and carbonate content suggests that biological activity played a key role in the carbon isotope evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon. However, a clear climatic signal is not evident from the δ¹³C record.     

Sedimentary geochemistry of core PG1351 from Lake El’gygytgyn—a sensitive record of climate variability in the East Siberian Arctic during the past three glacial–interglacial cycles

The ca. 13 m long sediment core PG1351, recovered in 1998 from the central part of Lake El’gygytgyn, NE Siberia, was investigated for lithostratigraphy, water content, dry bulk density (DBD), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total sulphur (TS) and biogenic silica (opal) contents, and for TOC stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C_TOC). The event stratigraphy recorded in major differences in sediment composition match variations in regional summer insolation, thus confirming a new age model for this core, which suggests that it spans the last 250 ka BP. Four depositional units of contrasting lithological and biogeochemical composition have been distinguished, reflecting past environmental conditions associated with relatively warm, peak warm, cold and dry, and cold but more moist climate modes. A relatively warm climate, resulting in complete summer melt of the lake ice cover and seasonal mixing of the water column, prevailed during the Holocene and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 3, 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.3, 6.5, 7.1–7.3, 7.5, 8.1 and 8.3. MIS 5.5 (Eemian) was characterized by significantly enhanced aquatic primary production and organic matter supply from the catchment, indicating peak warm conditions. During MIS 2, 5.2, 5.4, 6.2 and 6.4 the climate was cold and dry, leading to perennial lake ice cover, little regional snowfall, and a stagnant water body. A cold but more moist climate during MIS 4, 6.6, 7.4, 8.2 and 8.4 is thought to have produced more snow cover on␣the perennial ice, strongly reducing light penetration and biogenic primary production in␣the lake. While the cold–warm pattern during␣the past three glacial–interglacial cycles is probably controlled by changes in regional summer insolation, differences in the intensity of the warm phases and in the degree of aridity (changing snowfall) during cold phases likely were due to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. This is the seventh in a series of eleven papers published in this special issue dedicated to initial studies of El'gygytgyn Crater Lake and its catchment in NE Russia. JulieBrigham-Grette, Martin Melles, Pavel Minyuk were guest editors of this special issue.     

Late Pleistocene Vegetation and Climate in the Southern Cascade Range and the Modoc Plateau Region

Pollen and sediment from Grass Lake, California provide a history of vegetation and climate in the southern Cascade Range from 36 to 19 cal ka, revealing climate changes that led to the glacial advances recorded at Upper Klamath Lake (Rosenbaum and Reynolds 2004a – this issue). Variations in the percentages of conifer and Artemisia (sagebrush) pollen at Grass Lake recorded shifts in vegetation that reflect changes in precipitation. Between 36 and 34 cal ka, a progression from steppe to open pine forest to dense pine forest indicates that precipitation increased. After 32 cal ka, the forest became more open and by 30 cal ka sagebrush steppe surrounded the lake, implying that precipitation decreased. The area was arid for most of the interval between 30 and 19 cal ka. Increases in conifer pollen recorded increases in precipitation from 21 through 19 cal ka, when open pine forest colonized the lake area. Throughout the period from 36 to 19 cal ka, centennial- to millennial-scale intervals with increased conifer pollen imply that the arid interval was interrupted by periods of increased precipitation. Pollen data also provide evidence that the major fluctuations in sand concentration in the Grass Lake core reflect temperature shifts. Changes in sediment particle size are closely related to variations in pollen concentration and accumulation rate, which in turn reflect changes in plant cover, implying that sand was deposited in the lake due to deflation of clay- and silt-sized particles from sparsely-vegetated alpine areas of the watershed. Sand deposition increased as climatic cooling led to reductions in the elevation of upper treeline and alpine conditions affected a larger part of the watershed. There is no evidence of glaciation in the basin, but pollen data show the area was above upper treeline during Cold Period III (34–32 cal ka), one of several very cold intervals. Vegetation decreased at about 28 cal ka and remained sparse for at least 9000 years, implying that the climate became cooler and remained cool until after 19 cal ka. Cold Period II developed at about 25 cal ka and terminated by 23 cal ka. The Grass Lake watershed was again above upper treeline with the onset of Cold Period I, soon after 19 cal ka. Comparison of the Grass Lake record with those from Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon and Tulelake, California suggests a persistent pattern of environmental changes in this time interval throughout the Modoc Plateau region.     

Sedimentology,clay mineralogy and grain-size as indicators of 65 ka of climate change from El’gygytgyn Crater Lake,Northeastern Siberia

El’gygytgyn Crater Lake, NE Siberia was investigated for sedimentological proxies for regional climate change with a focus on the past 65 ka. Sedimentological parameters assessed relative to magnetic susceptibility include stratigraphy, grain size, clay mineralogy and crystallinity. Earlier work suggests that intervals of high susceptibility in these sediments are coincident with warmer (interglacial-like) conditions and well-mixed oxygenated bottom waters. In contrast, low susceptibility intervals correlate with cold (glacial-like) conditions when perennial ice-cover resulted in anoxia and the dissolution of magnetic carrier minerals. The core stratigraphy contains both well-laminated to non-laminated sequences. Reduced oxygen and lack of water column mixing preserved laminated sequences in the core. A bioturbation index based upon these laminated and non- laminated sequences co-varies with total organic carbon (TOC) and magnetic susceptibility. Clay mineral assemblages include illite, highly inter-stratified illite/smectite, and chlorite. Under warm or hydrolyzing conditions on the landscape around the lake, chlorite weathers easily and illite/smectite abundance increase, which produces an inverse relationship in the relative abundance of these clays. Trends in relative abundance show distinct down-core changes that correlate with shifts in susceptibility. The mean grain-size (6.92 μm) is in the silt-size fraction, with few grains larger than 65 μm. Terrigenous input to the lake comes from over 50 streams that are filtered through storm berms, which limits clastic deposition into the lake system. The sedimentation rate and terrigenous input grain-size is reduced during glacial intervals. Measurements of particle-size distribution indicate that the magnetic susceptibility fluctuations are not related to grain size. Lake El’gygytgyn’s magnetic susceptibility and clay mineralogy preserves regional shifts in climate including many globally recognized␣events like the Younger Dryas and Bolling/Allerod. The sedimentary deposits reflect the climatic transitions starting with MIS4 through the Holocene transition. This work represents the first extensive sedimentological study of limnic sediment proxies of this age from Chukotka (Fig. 1). This is the tenth in a series of eleven papers published in this special issue dedicated to initial studies of El'gygytgyn Crater Lake and its catchment in NE Russia. Julie Brigham-Grette, Martin Melles, Pavel Minyuk were guest editors of this special issue.     

A multi-proxy holocene record of environmental change fromthe sediments of Skinny Lake, Iskut region, northern British Columbia,Canada

A stratigraphic record from a lake in the Central Plateau Regionof northern British Columbia reveals changes in environment and inferredclimate during the Holocene. Upon deglaciation (ca. 11500 BP), Skinny Lakebecame an embayment of an ice-dammed lake. High clastic sedimentationrates, an unstable landscape, and cool, possibly wet conditions likelypersisted until the early Holocene (ca. 9000 BP). From ca. 9000–8300 BPdeclining lake levels coupled with warm and dry conditions resulted in theformation of a prominent marl bed. A colonizing shrub and herb assemblagepersisted from 9000 BP until about 8300 BP when it was replaced by a spruce(Picea) and subalpine fir (Abieslasiocarpa) forest under slightly cooler and moister conditions. Themiddle Holocene was warmer-than-present, however, decreasingtemperature and increasing precipitation trends characterize the period fromca. 6000 BP–3000 BP. The transition to modern climate at 3000 BP isevident primarily in the lithostratigraphic record and corresponds with theinitiation of the Tiedemann glacial advance (ca. 3300 BP) in thesouth-coastal mountains of British Columbia. A significant change infossil pollen occurs at ca. 2400 BP and is characterised by an increase in pinepollen accompanied by decreases in alder (Alnus), spruceand fir. This also coincides with an increase in west-sourced exoticwestern hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and cedar type(Cupressaceae) pollen possibly transported by regional changes in air masscirculation patterns associated with Aleutian Low dynamics. This studydemonstrates that both lithostratigraphic and biotic proxies are helpful inreconstructing the timing and nature of climate change and that each may havevarying sensitivities to a particular type of change.