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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

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Abstract

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 (δ13CTOC). 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.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Pier Paul Overduin and Artur Zielke (Alfred Wegener Institute, AWI) for conducting the coring in spring 1998, and Ute Bastian (AWI) for laboratory assistance. Bernd Wagner (University Leipzig) is acknowledged for valuable comments on an earlier draft of this paper. Special thanks are due to Tom Edwards and two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments and suggestions. Financial support was kindly provided to MM and HWH by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), grant no. 03G0586A, B and to JBG by the U.S. National Science Foundation (OPP Award #96-15768, Atmospheric Sciences Award 99-05813, and OPP Award #00-02643).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Geophysics and Geology, University Leipzig, Talstrasse 35, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Martin Melles

  2. Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Morrill Science Building, Box 35820, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA

    Julie Brigham-Grette

  3. North East Interdisciplinary Research Institute Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 16 Portovaya Street, Magadan, 685000, Russia

    Olga Yu. Glushkova & Pavel S. Minyuk

  4. GeoForschungsZentrum, Telegrafenberg C321, D-14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Norbert R. Nowaczyk

  5. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Research Unit Potsdam, Telegrafenberg A43, D-14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Hans-W. Hubberten

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  1. Martin Melles
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  3. Olga Yu. Glushkova
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  4. Pavel S. Minyuk
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Correspondence to Martin Melles.

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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.

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Melles, M., Brigham-Grette, J., Glushkova, O.Y. et al. 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. J Paleolimnol 37, 89–104 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-006-9025-6

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