Soil record of the Holocene paleofires at the north of European Russia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikita Mergelov ◽  
Dmitry Petrov ◽  
Andrey Dolgikh ◽  
Elya Zazovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Kola Peninsula ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
14C Dating ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Arkhangelsk Region ◽  
The North

<p>Soils and sediments serve as complementary sources of detailed information on paleofires in various ecosystems. Despite the abundance of charcoal material entrapped in soils they remain relatively less studied pyrogenic archives in comparison to the sedimentary paleofire records (e.g. lacustrine and peat deposits), and that is especially the case for the most territory of Russia. We report here on the numerous soil archives of the Holocene forest fires at the Kola Peninsula (66.347°N, 37.948°E) and the north of Arkhangelsk region (64.747°N, 43.387°E) in Russia. Series of buried Podzols (up to ten successive profiles) separated by the distinct charcoal layers were revealed in specific geomorphological traps like the thermokarst depressions inherited from the early stages of moraine sediments formation (Kola Peninsula), as well as in active and paleokarst sinkholes in carbonate and sulfate rocks (Arkhangelsk region). The maximum temporal depth of archives was estimated as 10261±40 cal yr BP for the key site in Arkhangelsk region, with up to 12 major pyrogenic events recorded at the local scale. Soil formation at the inter-pyrogenic stages maintained a uniform direction for at least 10 thousand years and profiles of Podzols were regularly replicated at all the key sites. We employ here a combination of soil morphological hierarchical analysis, study of geomorphological processes leading to the burial of pyrogenic carbon, 14C dating of charcoal and TOC derived from the soil organic matter, carbon and nitrogen isotope ratio mass spectrometry and anthracomass concentrations analysis to extract a set of paleoenvironmental information from these soil archives. The study of complementary pyrogenic archives in the three-component system of the karst landscape (including bottom and slopes of the funnels, as well as the flat elevated areas between them) helped to mitigate overestimation or underestimation of the anthracomass concentration and allowed to acquire a detailed dataset on paleopyrogenic events at the local scale. This study is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project No. 19-29-05238.</p>

scholarly journals Soils in Karst Sinkholes Record the Holocene History of Local Forest Fires at the North of European Russia

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1268
Author(s):  
Nikita Mergelov ◽  
Dmitry Petrov ◽  
Elya Zazovskaya ◽  
Andrey Dolgikh ◽  
Alexandra Golyeva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Soil Morphology ◽  
Deep Soil ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
The North ◽  
Peat Deposits

Despite the abundance of charcoal material entrapped in soils, they remain relatively less studied pyrogenic archives in comparison to the sedimentary paleofire records (e.g., lacustrine and peat deposits), and that is especially the case in most of Russia’s territory. We report here on the deep soil archives of the Holocene forest fires from the Pinega District of the Arkhangelsk region (64.747° N, 43.387° E). Series of buried soil profiles separated by charcoal layers and clusters were revealed in specific geomorphological traps represented by the active and paleokarst subsidence sinkholes on sulfate rocks overlaid by glacial and fluvial deposits. We combine the study of soil morphology and stratigraphy with a set of radiocarbon data on charcoal and soil organic matter, as well as the anthracomass analysis, to extract a set of paleoenvironmental data. A total of 45 radiocarbon dates were obtained for the macrocharcoal material and the soil organic matter. The maximum temporal “depth” of archives estimated from the radiocarbon dating of macrocharcoal reached 10,260 ± 35 cal yr BP. Soil formation with Podzols established at the inter-pyrogenic stages repeatedly reproduced within the period of ten thousand years, while the dominant tree species was Pinus sp. According to the macrocharcoal data, the intervals between fires have shortened in the last thousand years. Dendrochronological estimates suggest the occurrence of fires in almost every decade of the 20th and early 21st centuries. This is the first study of the millennia-scale soil record of forest fires in this particular region of Russia.

Luminescence age constraints on the Pleistocene-Holocene transition recorded in loess sequences

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Constantin ◽  
Stefana-Madalina Sacaciu ◽  
Viorica Tecsa ◽  
Anca Avram ◽  
Robert Begy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Susceptibility ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Ice Core ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
The Last Glacial

<p>Here we investigate the timing of the last glacial loess - Holocene soil transition recorded in loess-paleosol sequences across the Chinese Loess Plateau, the SE European loess belt and the Central Great Plains, Nebraska, USA by applying comparative luminescence dating techniques on quartz and feldspars. Equivalent dose measurements were carried out using the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol on silt (4–11 μm) and sand-sized (63–90 μm and coarser fraction when available) quartz. Feldspar infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) emitted by 4–11 μm polymineral grains was measured using the post IR-IRSL<sub>290</sub> technique.</p><p>The paleoenvironmental transition from the last glacial loess to the current interglacial soil was characterized using magnetic susceptibility and its frequency dependence. Based on the OSL ages and the threshold of the magnetic signal enhancement the onset of soil formation started around Termination 1 (~17 ka in the North Atlantic) as observed in radiocarbon-dated regional benthic δ<sup>18</sup>O stacks (Stern and Lisiecki, 2014) but before the stratigraphic Pleistocene/Holocene transition dated at 11.7 ka in ice core records (Svensson et al., 2008).</p><p>No major hiatuses in ages are identified in the investigated sites. A change in the sedimentation rate is generally observed at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition and no significant sedimentation change during the Holocene. Sedimentation rates of around 6 cm/ka are determined for the Holocene soil in most of the sites investigated.</p><p>The magnetic susceptibility indicates a gradual increase in pedogenesis after Termination 1 (∼17 ka in the North Atlantic). Based on this, we infer that the upbuilding soil formation prevailed over topdown soil formation during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the investigated sites (Roberts, 2008).</p><p> </p><p>References</p><p>Roberts, H.M., 2008. The development and application of luminescence dating to loess deposits: a perspective on the past, present and future. Boreas 37, 483-507.</p><p>Svensson, A., Andersen, K.K., Bigler, M., Clausen, H.B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Davies, S.M., Johnsen, S.J., Muscheler, R., Parrenin, F., Rasmussen, S.O., Röthlisberger, R., Seierstad, I., Steffensen, J.P., Vinther, B.M., 2008.A 60 000 year Greenland stratigraphic ice core chronology. Climate of the Past 4, 47-57.</p><p>Stern, J.V., Lisiecki, L.E., 2014. Termination 1 timing in radiocarbon-dated regional benthic δ18O stacks. Paleoceanography 29, 1127-1142.</p><p> </p><p>This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme ERC-2015-STG (grant agreement No [678106]).</p>

Radiocarbon dating of various pyrogenic carbon pools in series of buried Podzols (case study from the north of European Russia)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elya Zazovskaya ◽  
Dmitry Petrov ◽  
Andrey Dolgikh ◽  
Nikita Mergelov
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Pyrogenic Carbon ◽  
The North ◽  
14C Age ◽  
In Series ◽  
Karst Landscapes ◽  
Basic Research Project

<p>Pyrogenic carbon constitutes a significant portion of organic carbon in soils of the planet, and in some soils its share raises to 30%. The charcoal-rich archives of forest paleofires are often localized in the geomorphological traps that reveal numerous profiles of pyrogenic soils buried due to the repeated post-fire episodes of erosion and accumulation. The paleokarst and active karst landscapes provide a unique matrix that records pyrogenic and depositional events of the past at the local scale. Polypyrocyclical Podzols of the karst landscapes at the north of the Arkhangelsk region (Russia) are the objects of this study. The fields of closed karst funnels (n x 10 m in diameter, 1–5 m elevation difference) demonstrate accumulative and denudation models of soil formation that are realized at the close distance with the pyrogenic soil archives of the bottoms, slopes and high flat sides of the funnels complementary to each other. This regular grid of archives contains information on pyrogenic events and stages of soil formation throughout the Holocene. We report and discuss here 42 radiocarbon dates (AMS) obtained both for the charcoal material and the total organic carbon (TOC) of the soil organic matter. The 14C age (conventional) of charcoal from the lowest horizons was as old as 9115±30 BP - 8770±30 BP, and the charcoal material of the top pyrogenic horizons was as young as 325±20 BP - 45±20 BP. The 14C age of the soil TOC was in general younger than the age of charcoal enclosed in this soil material. We combine the study of soil horizons morphology and stratigraphy with the set of 14C data to experiment with the several age-depth models explaining post-pyrogenic sedimentation rates on various geomorphological elements of the karst landscape. This study is supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Project No. 19-29-05238.</p>

DYNAMICS OF THE COASTAL ZONE IN HOLOCEN ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE NORTH-WESTERN PART OF THE KOLA PENINSULA

2021 ◽  
pp. 44-51
Author(s):  
T.V. Sapelko ◽  
◽  
M.A. Anisimov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Kola Peninsula ◽  
Coastal Zone ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
The North ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
History Of ◽  
Arctic Ice ◽  
North Western ◽  
Holocene Period

A lot of work has been devoted to the study of the coastal zone of the southern coast of the Barents Sea. However, they are mainly devoted to the period of deglaciation of the territory and the subsequent marine transgressions. The Holocene period was less interesting for researchers, because it was believed that the coast was stabilizing by this time and almost no significant changes were taking place. In recent years, interest in the dynamics of the coastal zone of the last millennia is mainly associated with the problem of climate change and the melting of Arctic ice in the modern period. In this regard, the study of new sequences of the coastal zone of the Barents Sea is especially relevant. Recently, new studies of the Holocene history of the coastline of the northwestern coast of the Kola Peninsula have appeared, which change some prevailing ideas about the dynamics of the coastline in the Holocene period. The presented review is caused by the need to summarize new results and existing ideas.

scholarly journals Colophon, contents, abstract, introduction Danish sites with marine sediments

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaj Strand Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Glacial Cycle ◽  
14C Dating ◽  
Marine Fauna ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
The North ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Mollusc Assemblages

Late Quaternary, marine deposits in Denmark have yielded 247 subfossil species of molluscs. The sites are presented, and comparisons are made between the subfossil mollusc assemblages and the 278 shell-bearing mollusc species presently living in the Danish seas. 184 species are common to the two groups. The 63 species no longer occurring around Denmark are used as indicators of changing environmental conditions, including temperature, salinity and depth, throughout the last 130 000 years. Seven modern faunal regional units are defined and considered: the Bælt, the Baltic, the Kattegat, the Limfjord, the North Sea and the Vendsyssel regions, and the Skagen area based on the Skagen III Well DGU File No. 1.287. The Late Quaternary, marine, shell-bearing molluscs, comprising 341 subfossil and recent species, are characterised from the point of view of climatic (i.e. Arctic, Subarctic, Boreal and Lusitanian) affinities and animal–sediment relationships. On this background the faunal and environmental evolution recorded in the 217 m long Skagen Well core is analysed and described. The mollusc assemblages in the Skagen sequence indicate a deeper-water facies during the Eemian, the Weichselian and the older Holocene in contrast to what hitherto was known in other parts of the Danish area during the Late Quaternary. For the Skagen Well the chronozones Preboreal/Boreal, Atlantic, Subboreal and Subatlantic can be identified by 14C dating. The environmental changes within the seven regions through the Late Quaternary are evaluated by depicting the molluscan communities encountered in the seven Late Quaternary stages together with remarks on studies of the neighbouring areas. By following the marine communities through the Late Quaternary in the light of the classical bottom communities sensu C.G.J. Petersen, it is demonstrated how facies have changed both through time and space within the Danish marine realm. The well-established, more temperate Eemian marine fauna was closely associated with shallow-water environments. The inferred climatic changes reflect an interglacial–glacial cycle. However, the climatically induced changes during the Holocene in the marine environment were small and overshadowed by the facies changes. Out of the 341 species recorded in this study, 140 occur in the Eemian, 36 in the Early/Middle Weichselian and 41 in the Late Weichselian. The Holocene fauna is represented by 183 species of shell-bearing molluscs, of which the first recorded occurrence of 148 species has been radiocarbon-dated.

scholarly journals ​Late Quaternary environmental changes recorded in the Danish marine molluscan faunas

2004 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Strand Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Glacial Cycle ◽  
14C Dating ◽  
Marine Fauna ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
The North ◽  
Marine Realm ◽  
Mollusc Assemblages

Late Quaternary, marine deposits in Denmark have yielded 247 subfossil species of molluscs. The sites are presented, and comparisons are made between the subfossil mollusc assemblages and the 278 shell-bearing mollusc species presently living in the Danish seas. 184 species are common to the two groups. The 63 species no longer occurring around Denmark are used as indicators of changing environmental conditions, including temperature, salinity and depth, throughout the last 130 000 years. Seven modern faunal regional units are defined and considered: the Bælt, the Baltic, the Kattegat, the Limfjord, the North Sea and the Vendsyssel regions, and the Skagen area based on the Skagen III Well DGU File No. 1.287. The Late Quaternary, marine, shell-bearing molluscs, comprising 341 subfossil and recent species, are characterised from the point of view of climatic (i.e. Arctic, Subarctic, Boreal and Lusitanian) affinities and animal–sediment relationships. On this background the faunal and environmental evolution recorded in the 217 m long Skagen Well core is analysed and described. The mollusc assemblages in the Skagen sequence indicate a deeper-water facies during the Eemian, the Weichselian and the older Holocene in contrast to what hitherto was known in other parts of the Danish area during the Late Quaternary. For the Skagen Well the chronozones Preboreal/Boreal, Atlantic, Subboreal and Subatlantic can be identified by 14C dating. The environmental changes within the seven regions through the Late Quaternary are evaluated by depicting the molluscan communities encountered in the seven Late Quaternary stages together with remarks on studies of the neighbouring areas. By following the marine communities through the Late Quaternary in the light of the classical bottom communities sensu C.G.J. Petersen, it is demonstrated how facies have changed both through time and space within the Danish marine realm. The well-established, more temperate Eemian marine fauna was closely associated with shallow-water environments. The inferred climatic changes reflect an interglacial–glacial cycle. However, the climatically induced changes during the Holocene in the marine environment were small and overshadowed by the facies changes. Out of the 341 species recorded in this study, 140 occur in the Eemian, 36 in the Early/Middle Weichselian and 41 in the Late Weichselian. The Holocene fauna is represented by 183 species of shell-bearing molluscs, of which the first recorded occurrence of 148 species has been radiocarbon-dated.

Charcoals as archives of soils pyrogenic events

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Golyeva ◽  
Dmitry Petrov
Keyword(s):  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Soil Formation ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Primary Study ◽  
The North ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Sediment Formation ◽  
North Part ◽  
Karst Landscapes ◽  
Basic Research Project

<p>The fires themselves have become important factor, which controls ecosystems, pedological processes and climate.</p><p>Our work are aimed as the decoding of the soil archives, which contain unique information about the direction and rates of the soil formation; the interactions between fire and vegetation composition and studying the long-term dynamics of vegetation.</p><p>The primary study objects are charcoal layers in pyrogenic soils, preserved in particular geomorphological traps of various karst landscapes in the North part of European Russia. Such layers, as pyrogenic archives are represented by several (up to dozens)  interlayers, that are separated by buried soil profiles.</p><p>The main method is pedoanthracological. About 100 charcoal particles from all interlayers in different podzol soils were studied. The age interval was between early Holocene and modern time.</p><p>Results. The bulk of all coals was represented by pine, the rest by spruce. Coals belonging to other tree species (for example, birch) were absent. That is, only indigenous coniferous forest always burned.</p><p>Conclusions. Over the entire period of soil and sediment formation, the vegetation cover in the region has not changed. It is possible that the time period required to restore indigenous forests and the chronology of the cyclicality of fires are interconnected.</p><p>The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. Project No. 19-23-05238.</p>

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