High-latitude environmental change during MIS 9 and 11: biogeochemical evidence from Lake El'gygytgyn, Far East Russia

Abstract. Marine isotope stages (MIS) 11 has been proposed as an analog for the present interglacial; however, terrestrial records of this time period are rare. Sediments from Lake El'gygytgyn (67°30' N, 172°5' E) in Far East Russia contain a 3.56 Ma record of climate variability from the Arctic. Here, we present the first terrestrial Arctic reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes from MIS 8 through 12 (289 to 464 ka) using organic geochemical proxies. Terrestrial vegetation changes, as revealed by plant leaf wax (n-alkane) indices and concentrations of arborinol (a biomarker for trees), show increased tree cover around the lake during interglacial periods, with higher concentrations observed during MIS 11 as compared to MIS 9. A similar pattern is also observed in records of aquatic productivity revealed by molecular indicators from dinoflagellates (dinosterol), eustigmatophyte algae (long-chain (C28–C32) 1, 15 n-alkyl diols) in addition to short-chain n-alkanes, where aquatic productivity is highest during MIS 11. Changes recorded in these molecular proxies show a similar structure to relative temperature variability as recorded by the MBT/CBT (Methylation of Branched Tetraether/Cyclization of Branched Tetraether) paleothermometer, based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs). Additionally, relative MBT/CBT temperature changes generally track pollen and diatom δ18O temperature estimates, compiled by other studies, which suggest glacial-interglacial temperature changes of ~ 9 to 12 °C. These records of environmental and climatic change indicate Arctic sensitivity to external forcings such as orbital variability and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Overall, this study indicates that organic geochemical analyses of the Lake El'gygytgyn sediment archive can provide critical insight into the response of lake ecosystems and their sensitivity in high latitude regions.

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High-latitude environmental change during MIS 8–12: biogeochemical evidence from Lake El'gygytgyn, Far East Russia

Climate of the Past Discussions ◽

10.5194/cpd-8-4745-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 4745-4777 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

R. M. D'Anjou ◽

J. H. Wei ◽

I. S. Castañeda ◽

J. Brigham-Grette ◽

S. T. Petsch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Latitude ◽

Far East ◽

Tree Cover ◽

The Arctic ◽

Terrestrial Vegetation ◽

Relative Temperature ◽

Temperature Changes ◽

Lake El’Gygytgyn ◽

East Russia ◽

Aquatic Productivity

Abstract. Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 11 has been proposed as an analog for the present interglacial; however, terrestrial records of this time period are rare. Sediments from Lake El'gygytgyn (67°30´ N, 172°5´ E) in Far East Russia contain a 3.56 Ma record of climate variability from the Arctic. Here, we present an organic geochemical reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes from MIS 8 through 12 (289 to 460 ka). Terrestrial vegetation changes, as revealed by plant leaf wax (n-alkane) indices and concentrations of arborinol (a biomarker for trees), show increased tree cover around the lake during interglacial periods, with higher concentrations observed during MIS 11 as compared to MIS 9. A similar pattern is also observed in records of aquatic productivity revealed by molecular indicators from dinoflagellates (dinosterol), eustigmatophyte algae (long-chain (C28–C32) 1,15 n-alkyl diols) in addition to short-chain nalkanes, where aquatic productivity is highest during MIS 11. Changes recorded in these molecular proxies track relative temperature variability as recorded by the MBT/CBT paleothermometer, based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs). Additionally, relative MBT/CBT temperature changes generally track pollen and diatom δ18O temperature estimates, compiled by other studies, which suggest glacial–interglacial temperature changes of ~ 9–12 °C. These records of environmental and climatic change indicate Arctic sensitivity to external forcings such as orbital variability and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Overall, this study indicates that organic geochemical analyses of the Lake El'gygytgyn sediment archive can provide critical insight into the response of lake ecosystems and their sensitivity in high latitude regions.

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Biomarker Proxy Records of Arctic Climate Change During the Mid-Pleistocene Transition from Lake El’gygytgyn (Far East Russia)

10.5194/cp-2021-66 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kurt R. Lindberg ◽

William C. Daniels ◽

Isla S. Castañeda ◽

Julie Brigham-Grette

Keyword(s):

Global Climate ◽

Far East ◽

Warm Season ◽

The Arctic ◽

Geochemical Data ◽

Temperature Record ◽

Higher Plant ◽

Temperature Variations ◽

Lake El’Gygytgyn ◽

East Russia

Abstract. The Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT) is a widely recognized global climate shift occurring between approximately 1,250 to 700 ka. At this time, Earth's climate underwent a major transition from dominant 40 kyr glacial-interglacial cycles to quasi-100 kyr cycles. The cause of the MPT remains a puzzling aspect of Pleistocene climate. Presently, there are few, if any, continuous MPT records from the Arctic yet understanding the role and response of the high latitudes to the MPT is required to better evaluate the causes of this climatic shift. Here, we present new continental biomarker records of temperature and vegetation spanning 1,142 to 752 ka from Lake El'gygytgyn (Far East Russia). We reconstruct warm-season temperature variations across the MPT based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) using the MBTʹ5ME proxy. The new Arctic temperature record does not display an overall cooling trend during the MPT but does exhibit strong glacial-interglacial cyclicity. Spectral analysis demonstrates persistent obliquity and precession pacing over the study interval and reveals substantial sub-orbital temperature variations at ~900 kyr during the first “skipped” interglacial. Interestingly, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 31, which is widely recognized as a particularly warm interglacial, does not exhibit exceptional warmth at Lake El'gygytgyn. Instead, we find that MIS 29, 27 and 21 were as warm or warmer than MIS 31. In particular, MIS 21 (~870 to 820 ka) stands out as an especially warm and long interglacial in the continental Arctic while MIS 25 is a notably cold interglacial. Throughout the MPT, Lake El'gygytgyn pollen data exhibits a long-term drying trend, with a shift to an increasingly open landscape noted after around 900 ka (Zhao et al., 2018), which is also reflected in our higher plant leaf wax (n-alkane) distributions. Although the mechanisms driving the MPT remain a matter of debate, our new climate records from the continental Arctic exhibit some similarities to changes noted around the North Pacific region. Overall, the new organic geochemical data from Lake El'gygytgyn contribute to expanding our knowledge of the high-latitude response to the MPT.

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Vegetation responses to interglacial warming in the Arctic: examples from Lake El'gygytgyn, Far East Russian Arctic

Climate of the Past ◽

10.5194/cp-9-1211-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 1211-1219 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

A. V. Lozhkin ◽

P. M. Anderson

Keyword(s):

Deciduous Forest ◽

Russian Far East ◽

Coniferous Forest ◽

Far East ◽

The Arctic ◽

Dark Coniferous Forest ◽

Vegetation Responses ◽

Wide Range ◽

Lake El’Gygytgyn ◽

Shrub Tundra

Abstract. Preliminary analyses of Lake El'gygytgyn sediment indicate a wide range of ecosystem responses to warmer than present climates. While palynological work describing all interglacial vegetation is ongoing, sufficient data exist to compare recent warm events (the postglacial thermal maximum, PGTM, and marine isotope stage, MIS5) with "super" interglaciations (MIS11, MIS31). Palynological assemblages associated with these climatic optima suggest two types of vegetation responses: one dominated by deciduous taxa (PGTM, MIS5) and the second by evergreen conifers (MIS11, MIS31). MIS11 forests show a similarity to modern Picea–Larix–Betula–Alnus forests of Siberia. While dark coniferous forest also characterizes MIS31, the pollen taxa show an affinity to the boreal forest of the lower Amur valley (southern Russian Far East). Despite vegetation differences during these thermal maxima, all glacial–interglacial transitions are alike, being dominated by deciduous woody taxa. Initially Betula shrub tundra established and was replaced by tundra with tree-sized shrubs (PGTM), Betula woodland (MIS5), or Betula–Larix (MIS11, MIS31) forest. The consistent occurrence of deciduous forest and/or high shrub tundra before the incidence of maximum warmth underscores the importance of this biome for modeling efforts. The El'gygytgyn data also suggest a possible elimination or massive reduction of Arctic plant communities under extreme warm-earth scenarios.

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Sediment colour reflectance spectroscopy as a proxy for wet/dry cycles at Lake El'gygytgyn, Far East Russia, during Marine Isotope Stages 8 to 12

Sedimentology ◽

10.1111/sed.12116 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 61 (6) ◽

pp. 1793-1811 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jeremy H. Wei ◽

David B. Finkelstein ◽

Julie Brigham‐Grette ◽

Isla S. Castañeda ◽

Norbert Nowaczyk

Keyword(s):

Far East ◽

Reflectance Spectroscopy ◽

Lake El’Gygytgyn ◽

East Russia

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Plant sedimentary ancient DNA from Far East Russia covering the last 28 ka reveals different assembly rules in cold and warm climates

10.1101/2020.12.11.406108 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sichao Huang ◽

Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring ◽

Sisi Liu ◽

Jeremy Courtin ◽

Andrej A. Andreev ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Diversity ◽

Ancient Dna ◽

Far East ◽

Environmental Filtering ◽

Niche Differentiation ◽

Cold Climate ◽

The Arctic ◽

Assembly Rules ◽

East Russia ◽

Shrub Tundra

AbstractWoody plants are expanding into the Arctic under a warming climate. The related impact on plant diversity is not well understood because we have only limited knowledge about plant assembly rules and because of a lack of time-series of plant diversity. Here, we applied sedimentary ancient DNA metabarcoding using the plant-specific g and h primers of the trnL gene to a sediment record from Lake Ilirney (central Chukotka Far Eastern Russia) covering the last 28 thousand years. Our results show that forb-dominated steppe-tundra and Saliceae-rich dwarf-shrub tundra communities dominated during the cold climate before 14 ka, while deciduous erect-shrub tundra was abundant during the warm period between 14 and 0 ka. Larix invasion during the late Holocene substantially lagged behind the period of densest vegetation and likely warmest period between 10 and 6 ka. Overall, we discovered the highest richness during 28–23 ka and a second richness peak during 13–10 ka: both periods are characterised by low shrub abundance. The richest communities during the cold pre-14 ka period were phylogenetically clustered, which probably originates from environmental filtering along with niche differentiation under limited resources. In contrast, the richest post-14 ka community was phylogenetically overdispersed, likely originating from an erratic recruitment process in the course of warming. Despite differences in timescale, some of our evidence can be relevant to arctic plant diversity changes. By analogy to the past, we expect a lagged response of tree invasion. In the long-term, ongoing expansion of deciduous shrubs will eventually result in a phylogenetically more diverse community but will also cause reduced plant taxonomic richness; however, richness may overshoot in the short-term.

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Supplementary material to "Biomarker Proxy Records of Arctic Climate Change During the Mid-Pleistocene Transition from Lake El’gygytgyn (Far East Russia)"

10.5194/cp-2021-66-supplement ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kurt R. Lindberg ◽

William C. Daniels ◽

Isla S. Castañeda ◽

Julie Brigham-Grette

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Far East ◽

Arctic Climate ◽

Proxy Records ◽

Lake El’Gygytgyn ◽

East Russia ◽

Supplementary Material ◽

Arctic Climate Change

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A 250 ka oxygen isotope record from diatoms at Lake El'gygytgyn, far east Russian Arctic

Climate of the Past ◽

10.5194/cp-8-1621-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 1621-1636 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

B. Chapligin ◽

H. Meyer ◽

G. E. A. Swann ◽

C. Meyer-Jacob ◽

H.-W. Hubberten

Keyword(s):

Oxygen Isotope ◽

Sediment Core ◽

Isotope Composition ◽

Ice Core ◽

Far East ◽

The Arctic ◽

Russian Arctic ◽

Holocene Thermal Maximum ◽

Lake El’Gygytgyn ◽

Mis 5.5

Abstract. In 2003 sediment core Lz1024 was drilled at Lake El'gygytgyn, far east Russian Arctic, in an area of the Northern Hemisphere which has not been glaciated for the last 3.6 Ma. Biogenic silica was used for analysing the oxygen isotope composition (δ18Odiatom) in the upper 13 m long section dating back about 250 ka with samples dominated by one taxa in the <10 μm fraction (Cyclotella ocellata). Downcore variations in δ18O values show that glacial-interglacial cycles are present throughout the core and δ18Odiatom-values are mainly controlled by δ18Oprecipitation. Changes reflect the Holocene Thermal Maximum, the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the interglacial periods corresponding to MIS 5.5 and MIS 7 with a peak-to-peak amplitude between LGM and MIS 5.5 of Δ18O = 5.3‰. This corresponds to a mean annual air temperature difference of about 9 °C. Our record is the first continuous δ18Odiatom record from an Arctic lake sediment core directly responding to precipitation and dating back more than 250 ka and correlates well with the stacked marine δ18O LR04 (r = 0.58) and δD EPICA Dome-C record (r = 0.69). With δ18O results indicating strong links to both marine and ice-core records, records from Lake El'gygytgyn can be used to further investigate the sensitivity of the Arctic climate to both past and future global climatic changes.

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