TY - JOUR

T1 - Paleo-Ecology of the Yedoma Ice Complex on Sobo-Sise Island (Eastern Lena Delta, Siberian Arctic

AU - Wetterich, Sebastian

AU - Рудая, Наталия Алексеевна

AU - Назарова, Лариса

AU - Сырых, Людмила

AU - Павлова, М.

AU - Палагушкина, О.

AU - Кизяков, Александр

AU - Wolter, Juliane

AU - Кузнецова, Татьяна

AU - Аксенов, Алексей Олегович

AU - Stoof-Leichsenring, K.R.

AU - Schirrmeister, Lutz

AU - Fritz, Michael

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Wetterich, Rudaya, Nazarova, Syrykh, Pavlova, Palagushkina, Kizyakov, Wolter, Kuznetsova, Aksenov, Stoof-Leichsenring, Schirrmeister and Fritz.

PY - 2021/6/18

Y1 - 2021/6/18

N2 - Late Pleistocene permafrost of the Yedoma type constitutes a valuable paleo-environmental archive due to the presence of numerous and well-preserved floral and faunal fossils. The study of the fossil Yedoma inventory allows for qualitative and quantitative reconstructions of past ecosystem and climate conditions and variations over time. Here, we present the results of combined paleo-proxy studies including pollen, chironomid, diatom and mammal fossil analyses from a prominent Yedoma cliff on Sobo-Sise Island in the eastern Lena Delta, NE Siberia to complement previous and ongoing paleo-ecological research in western Beringia. The Yedoma Ice Complex (IC) cliff on Sobo-Sise Island (up to 28 m high, 1.7 km long) was continuously sampled at 0.5 m resolution. The entire sequence covers the last about 52 cal kyr BP, but is not continuous as it shows substantial hiatuses at 36–29 cal kyr BP, at 20–17 cal kyr BP and at 15–7 cal kyr BP. The Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 Yedoma IC (52–28 cal kyr BP) pollen spectra show typical features of tundra–steppe vegetation. Green algae remains indicate freshwater conditions. The chironomid assemblages vary considerably in abundance and diversity. Chironomid-based T July reconstructions during MIS 3 reveal warmer-than-today T July at about 51 cal kyr BP, 46-44 and 41 cal kyr BP. The MIS 2 Yedoma IC (28–15 cal kyr BP) pollen spectra represent tundra-steppe vegetation as during MIS 3, but higher abundance of Artemisia and lower abundances of algae remains indicate drier summer conditions. The chironomid records are poor. The MIS 1 (7–0 cal kyr BP) pollen spectra indicate shrub-tundra vegetation. The chironomid fauna is sparse and not diverse. The chironomid-based T July reconstruction supports similar-as-today temperatures at 6.4–4.4 cal kyr BP. Diatoms were recorded only after about 6.4 cal kyr BP. The Sobo-Sise Yedoma record preserves traces of the West Beringian tundra-steppe that maintained the Mammoth fauna including rare evidence for woolly rhinoceros’ presence. Chironomid-based T July reconstructions complement previous plant-macrofossil based T July of regional MIS 3 records. Our study from the eastern Lena Delta fits into and extends previous paleo-ecological Yedoma studies to characterize Beringian paleo-environments in the Laptev Sea coastal region.

AB - Late Pleistocene permafrost of the Yedoma type constitutes a valuable paleo-environmental archive due to the presence of numerous and well-preserved floral and faunal fossils. The study of the fossil Yedoma inventory allows for qualitative and quantitative reconstructions of past ecosystem and climate conditions and variations over time. Here, we present the results of combined paleo-proxy studies including pollen, chironomid, diatom and mammal fossil analyses from a prominent Yedoma cliff on Sobo-Sise Island in the eastern Lena Delta, NE Siberia to complement previous and ongoing paleo-ecological research in western Beringia. The Yedoma Ice Complex (IC) cliff on Sobo-Sise Island (up to 28 m high, 1.7 km long) was continuously sampled at 0.5 m resolution. The entire sequence covers the last about 52 cal kyr BP, but is not continuous as it shows substantial hiatuses at 36–29 cal kyr BP, at 20–17 cal kyr BP and at 15–7 cal kyr BP. The Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 Yedoma IC (52–28 cal kyr BP) pollen spectra show typical features of tundra–steppe vegetation. Green algae remains indicate freshwater conditions. The chironomid assemblages vary considerably in abundance and diversity. Chironomid-based T July reconstructions during MIS 3 reveal warmer-than-today T July at about 51 cal kyr BP, 46-44 and 41 cal kyr BP. The MIS 2 Yedoma IC (28–15 cal kyr BP) pollen spectra represent tundra-steppe vegetation as during MIS 3, but higher abundance of Artemisia and lower abundances of algae remains indicate drier summer conditions. The chironomid records are poor. The MIS 1 (7–0 cal kyr BP) pollen spectra indicate shrub-tundra vegetation. The chironomid fauna is sparse and not diverse. The chironomid-based T July reconstruction supports similar-as-today temperatures at 6.4–4.4 cal kyr BP. Diatoms were recorded only after about 6.4 cal kyr BP. The Sobo-Sise Yedoma record preserves traces of the West Beringian tundra-steppe that maintained the Mammoth fauna including rare evidence for woolly rhinoceros’ presence. Chironomid-based T July reconstructions complement previous plant-macrofossil based T July of regional MIS 3 records. Our study from the eastern Lena Delta fits into and extends previous paleo-ecological Yedoma studies to characterize Beringian paleo-environments in the Laptev Sea coastal region.

KW - Beringia

KW - Mammoth fauna

KW - Yedoma

KW - chironomids

KW - late Pleistocene

KW - paleo-ecology

KW - permafrost

KW - pollen

KW - LENA RIVER DELTA

KW - BYKOVSKY PENINSULA

KW - CENTRAL YAKUTIA

KW - HOLOCENE

KW - LAKE

KW - POLLEN SPECTRA

KW - CENTRAL KAMCHATKA

KW - LAPTEV SEA

KW - RICH PERMAFROST

KW - QUATERNARY PERMAFROST DEPOSITS

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85109112235&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/7bb775f3-5569-3eae-ad39-3e104a15f45c/

U2 - 10.3389/feart.2021.681511

DO - 10.3389/feart.2021.681511

M3 - Article

VL - 9

SP - 1

EP - 15

JO - Frontiers of Earth Science

JF - Frontiers of Earth Science

SN - 1673-7385

M1 - 681511

ER -