Articles | Volume 17, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-567-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-567-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
05 Feb 2020
Research article |
| 05 Feb 2020
| 05 Feb 2020
Leaf wax n-alkane patterns and compound-specific δ13C of plants and topsoils from semi-arid and arid Mongolia
Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
Marcel Bliedtner
Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern,
Hallerstrasse 12, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Paul Strobel
Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
Jens Schumacher
Institute of Mathematics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany
Enkhtuya Bazarradnaa
Institute of Plant and Agricultural Sciences, Mongolian University of Life Sciences, Darkhan, Mongolia
Roland Zech
Institute of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
Related authors
Paul Strobel, Marcel Bliedtner, Andrew S. Carr, Peter Frenzel, Björn Klaes, Gary Salazar, Julian Struck, Sönke Szidat, Roland Zech, and Torsten Haberzettl
Clim. Past, 17, 1567–1586, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1567-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1567-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a multi-proxy record from Lake Voёlvlei and provides new insights into the sea level and paleoclimate history of the past 8.5 ka at South Africa’s southern Cape coast. Our results show that sea level changes at the southern coast are in good agreement with the western coast of South Africa. In terms of climate our record provides valuable insights into changing sources of precipitation at the southern Cape coast, i.e. westerly- and easterly-derived precipitation contribution.
Julian Struck, Christopher B. Roettig, Dominik Faust, and Roland Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 66, 109–114, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-109-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-109-2018, 2018
Marie-Luise Adolph, Sambor Czerwiński, Mirko Dreßler, Paul Strobel, Marcel Bliedtner, Sebastian Lorenz, Maxime Debret, and Torsten Haberzettl
Clim. Past, 20, 2143–2165, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2143-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2143-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstruct environmental changes derived from sediments of Schweriner See, a large lake in NE Germany, for the past 3000 years. We infer variations in North Atlantic large-scale atmospheric circulation systems, namely the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), by combining sedimentological, geochemical, and biological parameters. Our results suggest distinct shifts between positive and negative NAO phases affecting winter temperatures, precipitation, and westerly wind strength at our study site.
Sudip Acharya, Maximilian Prochnow, Thomas Kasper, Linda Langhans, Peter Frenzel, Paul Strobel, Marcel Bliedtner, Gerhard Daut, Christopher Berndt, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Antje Schwalb, and Roland Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 219–234, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-219-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-219-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a palaeoenvironmental record from Lake Höglwörth, Bavaria, Germany. Before 870 CE peat deposits existed. Erosion increased from 1240 to 1380 CE, followed by aquatic productivity and anoxia from 1310 to 1470 CE. Increased allochthonous input and a substantial shift in the aquatic community in 1701 were caused by construction of a mill. Recent anoxia has been observed since the 1960s.
Johannes Hepp, Christoph Mayr, Kazimierz Rozanski, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Mario Tuthorn, Bruno Glaser, Dieter Juchelka, Willibald Stichler, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences, 18, 5363–5380, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Deriving more quantitative climate information like relative air humidity is one of the key challenges in paleostudies. Often only qualitative reconstructions can be done when single-biomarker-isotope data are derived from a climate archive. However, the coupling of hemicellulose-derived sugar with leaf-wax-derived n-alkane isotope results has the potential to overcome this limitation and allow a quantitative relative air humidity reconstruction.
Paul Strobel, Marcel Bliedtner, Andrew S. Carr, Peter Frenzel, Björn Klaes, Gary Salazar, Julian Struck, Sönke Szidat, Roland Zech, and Torsten Haberzettl
Clim. Past, 17, 1567–1586, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1567-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1567-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a multi-proxy record from Lake Voёlvlei and provides new insights into the sea level and paleoclimate history of the past 8.5 ka at South Africa’s southern Cape coast. Our results show that sea level changes at the southern coast are in good agreement with the western coast of South Africa. In terms of climate our record provides valuable insights into changing sources of precipitation at the southern Cape coast, i.e. westerly- and easterly-derived precipitation contribution.
Michael Zech, Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Tobias Bromm, Fabian Seemann, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Jean Nicolas Haas, Dieter Schäfer, and Clemens Geitner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 171–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, 2021
Hans von Suchodoletz, Christiane Richter, Frank Walther, Marcel Bliedtner, Mariam Eloshvili, Levan Losaberidze, and Bernhard Hausdorf
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 247–260, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-247-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-247-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We studied snails from Holocene river sediments of the upper Alazani River in the southeastern Caucasus. Since no natural floodplain forests existed in the river valley until ca. 4500 years ago, our snail data confirm a formerly suggested regional settlement center from the ca. 8000 years unknown thus far. Furthermore, increasing proportions of water-related snails for ca. 4000 years indicate a shift of the river course possibly linked with the formation of the Greater Caucasus.
Marcel Bliedtner, Hans von Suchodoletz, Imke Schäfer, Caroline Welte, Gary Salazar, Sönke Szidat, Mischa Haas, Nathalie Dubois, and Roland Zech
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 2105–2120, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2105-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-2105-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the age and origin of leaf wax n-alkanes from a fluvial sediment–paleosol sequence (FSPS) by compound-class 14C dating. Our results show varying age offsets between the formation and sedimentation of leaf wax n-alkanes from well-developed (paleo)soils and fluvial sediments that are mostly due to their complex origin in such sequences. Thus, dating the leaf wax n-alkanes is an important step for more robust leaf-wax-based paleoenvironmental reconstructions in FSPSs.
Johannes Hepp, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Verena Lanny, Jörg Franke, Marcel Bliedtner, Kazimierz Rozanski, Bruno Glaser, Michael Zech, Timothy Ian Eglinton, and Roland Zech
Biogeosciences, 17, 741–756, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, 2020
Johannes Hepp, Bruno Glaser, Dieter Juchelka, Christoph Mayr, Kazimierz Rozanski, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Willibald Stichler, Mario Tuthorn, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-427, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-427, 2019
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Johanna C. Metzger, Jens Schumacher, Markus Lange, and Anke Hildebrandt
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 23, 4433–4452, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4433-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4433-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Variation in stemflow (rain water running down the stem) enhances the formation of flow hot spots at the forest floor. Investigating drivers based on detailed measurements, we find that forest structure affects stemflow, both for individual trees and small communities. Densely packed forest patches received more stemflow, due to a higher proportion of woody structure and canopy morphology adjustments, which increase the potential for flow path generation connecting crowns and soil.
Johannes Hepp, Lorenz Wüthrich, Tobias Bromm, Marcel Bliedtner, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Bruno Glaser, Kazimierz Rozanski, Frank Sirocko, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Clim. Past, 15, 713–733, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-713-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-713-2019, 2019
Marcel Bliedtner, Imke K. Schäfer, Roland Zech, and Hans von Suchodoletz
Biogeosciences, 15, 3927–3936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3927-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3927-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we systematically analyze leaf wax derived n-alkane patterns in eastern Georgia to test their potential for paleoenvironmental reconstructions in the semi-humid to semi-arid central southern Caucasus region. We investigated the influence of vegetation types on the leaf wax signal in modern plants and topsoil material. Our results show distinct and systematic differences in the n-alkane patterns between vegetation types and prove their potential for vegetation reconstructions.
Julian Struck, Christopher B. Roettig, Dominik Faust, and Roland Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 66, 109–114, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-109-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-109-2018, 2018
Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Christopher-Bastian Roettig, Jan-Uwe Schmidt, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Arno Kleber, and Michael Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 66, 103–108, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-103-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-103-2018, 2018
Lorenz Wüthrich, Marcel Bliedtner, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Jana Zech, Fatemeh Shajari, Dorian Gaar, Frank Preusser, Gary Salazar, Sönke Szidat, and Roland Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 66, 91–100, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-91-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-91-2017, 2017
Lorenz Wüthrich, Claudio Brändli, Régis Braucher, Heinz Veit, Negar Haghipour, Carla Terrizzano, Marcus Christl, Christian Gnägi, and Roland Zech
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 66, 57–68, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-57-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-66-57-2017, 2017
Related subject area
Paleobiogeoscience: Proxy use, Development & Validation
Disentangling influences of climate variability and lake-system evolution on climate proxies derived from isoprenoid and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs): the 250 kyr Lake Chala record
Electron backscatter diffraction analysis unveils foraminiferal calcite microstructure and processes of diagenetic alteration
Quantifying the δ15N trophic offset in a cold-water scleractinian coral (CWC): implications for the CWC diet and coral δ15N as a marine N cycle proxy
Stable oxygen isotopes of crocodilian tooth enamel allow tracking Plio-Pleistocene evolution of freshwater environments and climate in the Shungura Formation (Turkana Depression, Ethiopia)
Charcoal morphologies and morphometrics of a Eurasian grass-dominated system for robust interpretation of past fuel and fire type
Single-species dinoflagellate cyst carbon isotope fractionation in core-top sediments: environmental controls, CO2 dependency and proxy potential
Past fire dynamics inferred from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and monosaccharide anhydrides in a stalagmite from the archaeological site of Mayapan, Mexico
Examination of the parameters controlling the triple oxygen isotope composition of grass leaf water and phytoliths at a Mediterranean site: a model–data approach
Biomarker characterization of the North Water Polynya, Baffin Bay: implications for local sea ice and temperature proxies
Technical note: No impact of alkenone extraction on foraminiferal stable isotope, trace element and boron isotope geochemistry
Deep-sea stylasterid δ18O and δ13C maps inform sampling scheme for paleotemperature reconstructions
Experimental burial diagenesis of aragonitic biocarbonates: from organic matter loss to abiogenic calcite formation
A modern snapshot of the isotopic composition of lacustrine biogenic carbonates – records of seasonal water temperature variability
Performance of temperature and productivity proxies based on long-chain alkane-1, mid-chain diols at test: a 5-year sediment trap record from the Mauritanian upwelling
Validation of a coupled δ2Hn-alkane–δ18Osugar paleohygrometer approach based on a climate chamber experiment
Experimental production of charcoal morphologies to discriminate fuel source and fire type: an example from Siberian taiga
Toward a global calibration for quantifying past oxygenation in oxygen minimum zones using benthic Foraminifera
Calibration of Mg ∕ Ca and Sr ∕ Ca in coastal marine ostracods as a proxy for temperature
Technical note: Accelerate coccolith size separation via repeated centrifugation
Mg∕Ca, Sr∕Ca and stable isotopes from the planktonic foraminifera T. sacculifer: testing a multi-proxy approach for inferring paleotemperature and paleosalinity
Chemical destaining and the delta correction for blue intensity measurements of stained lake subfossil trees
Modern calibration of Poa flabellata (tussac grass) as a new paleoclimate proxy in the South Atlantic
Seawater pH reconstruction using boron isotopes in multiple planktonic foraminifera species with different depth habitats and their potential to constrain pH and pCO2 gradients
Bottom-water deoxygenation at the Peruvian margin during the last deglaciation recorded by benthic foraminifera
The pH dependency of the boron isotopic composition of diatom opal (Thalassiosira weissflogii)
Benthic foraminifera as tracers of brine production in the Storfjorden “sea ice factory”
Evaluation of bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether and 2H–18O biomarker proxies along a central European topsoil transect
Organic-carbon-rich sediments: benthic foraminifera as bio-indicators of depositional environments
Strong correspondence between nitrogen isotope composition of foliage and chlorin across a rainfall gradient: implications for paleo-reconstruction of the nitrogen cycle
Environmental and biological controls on Na∕Ca ratios in scleractinian cold-water corals
Depth habitat of the planktonic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina pachyderma in the northern high latitudes explained by sea-ice and chlorophyll concentrations
Temporal variability in foraminiferal morphology and geochemistry at the West Antarctic Peninsula: a sediment trap study
Seasonality of archaeal lipid flux and GDGT-based thermometry in sinking particles of high-latitude oceans: Fram Strait (79° N) and Antarctic Polar Front (50° S)
Long-chain diols in settling particles in tropical oceans: insights into sources, seasonality and proxies
Multi-trace-element sea surface temperature coral reconstruction for the southern Mozambique Channel reveals teleconnections with the tropical Atlantic
Oxygen isotope composition of the final chamber of planktic foraminifera provides evidence of vertical migration and depth-integrated growth
Mg ∕ Ca and δ18O in living planktic foraminifers from the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits
Manganese incorporation in living (stained) benthic foraminiferal shells: a bathymetric and in-sediment study in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean)
Effects of light and temperature on Mg uptake, growth, and calcification in the proxy climate archive Clathromorphum compactum
A systematic look at chromium isotopes in modern shells – implications for paleo-environmental reconstructions
Reviews and syntheses: Revisiting the boron systematics of aragonite and their application to coral calcification
Physico-chemical and biological factors influencing dinoflagellate cyst production in the Cariaco Basin
Effects of alkalinity and salinity at low and high light intensity on hydrogen isotope fractionation of long-chain alkenones produced by Emiliania huxleyi
Interplay of community dynamics, temperature, and productivity on the hydrogen isotope signatures of lipid biomarkers
Benthic foraminiferal Mn / Ca ratios reflect microhabitat preferences
The effects of environment on Arctica islandica shell formation and architecture
Diatoms as a paleoproductivity proxy in the NW Iberian coastal upwelling system (NE Atlantic)
Factors controlling the depth habitat of planktonic foraminifera in the subtropical eastern North Atlantic
The effect of shell secretion rate on Mg / Ca and Sr / Ca ratios in biogenic calcite as observed in a belemnite rostrum
Carbonate “clumped” isotope signatures in aragonitic scleractinian and calcitic gorgonian deep-sea corals
Allix J. Baxter, Francien Peterse, Dirk Verschuren, Aihemaiti Maitituerdi, Nicolas Waldmann, and Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté
Biogeosciences, 21, 2877–2908, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2877-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2877-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the impact of long-term lake-system evolution on the climate signal recorded by glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs), a popular biomarker in paleoclimate research. It compares downcore changes in GDGTs in the 250 000 year sediment sequence of Lake Chala (Kenya/Tanzania) to independent data for lake mixing and water-column chemistry. These factors influence the GDGT proxies in the earliest depositional phases (before ~180 ka), confounding the climate signal.
Frances A. Procter, Sandra Piazolo, Eleanor H. John, Richard Walshaw, Paul N. Pearson, Caroline H. Lear, and Tracy Aze
Biogeosciences, 21, 1213–1233, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1213-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1213-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses novel techniques to look at the microstructure of planktonic foraminifera (single-celled marine organisms) fossils, to further our understanding of how they form their hard exterior shells and how the microstructure and chemistry of these shells can change as a result of processes that occur after deposition on the seafloor. Understanding these processes is of critical importance for using planktonic foraminifera for robust climate and environmental reconstructions of the past.
Josie L. Mottram, Anne M. Gothmann, Maria G. Prokopenko, Austin Cordova, Veronica Rollinson, Katie Dobkowski, and Julie Granger
Biogeosciences, 21, 1071–1091, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1071-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1071-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge of ancient ocean N cycling can help illuminate past climate change. Using field and lab studies, this work ground-truths a promising proxy for marine N cycling, the N isotope composition of cold-water coral (CWC) skeletons. Our results estimate N turnover in CWC tissue; quantify the isotope effects between CWC tissue, diet, and skeleton; and suggest that CWCs possibly feed mainly on metazoan zooplankton, suggesting that the marine N proxy may be sensitive to the food web structure.
Axelle Gardin, Emmanuelle Pucéat, Géraldine Garcia, Jean-Renaud Boisserie, Adélaïde Euriat, Michael M. Joachimski, Alexis Nutz, Mathieu Schuster, and Olga Otero
Biogeosciences, 21, 437–454, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-437-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-437-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a novel approach using stable oxygen isotopes from crocodilian fossil teeth to unravel palaeohydrological changes in past continental contexts. Applying it to the Plio-Pleistocene Ethiopian Shungura Formation, we found a significant increase in δ18O in the last 3 million years, likely due to monsoonal shifts and reduced rainfall, and that the local diversity of waterbodies (lakes, rivers, ponds) became restricted.
Angelica Feurdean, Richard S. Vachula, Diana Hanganu, Astrid Stobbe, and Maren Gumnior
Biogeosciences, 20, 5069–5085, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5069-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5069-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents novel results of laboratory-produced charcoal forms from various grass, forb and shrub taxa from the Eurasian steppe to facilitate more robust interpretations of fuel sources and fire types in grassland-dominated ecosystems. Advancements in identifying fuel sources and changes in fire types make charcoal analysis relevant to studies of plant evolution and fire management.
Joost Frieling, Linda van Roij, Iris Kleij, Gert-Jan Reichart, and Appy Sluijs
Biogeosciences, 20, 4651–4668, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4651-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4651-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present a first species-specific evaluation of marine core-top dinoflagellate cyst carbon isotope fractionation (εp) to assess natural pCO2 dependency on εp and explore its geological deep-time paleo-pCO2 proxy potential. We find that εp differs between genera and species and that in Operculodinium centrocarpum, εp is controlled by pCO2 and nutrients. Our results highlight the added value of δ13C analyses of individual micrometer-scale sedimentary organic carbon particles.
Julia Homann, Niklas Karbach, Stacy A. Carolin, Daniel H. James, David Hodell, Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach, Ola Kwiecien, Mark Brenner, Carlos Peraza Lope, and Thorsten Hoffmann
Biogeosciences, 20, 3249–3260, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3249-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3249-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cave stalagmites contain substances that can be used to reconstruct past changes in local and regional environmental conditions. We used two classes of biomarkers (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and monosaccharide anhydrides) to detect the presence of fire and to also explore changes in fire regime (e.g. fire frequency, intensity, and fuel source). We tested our new method on a stalagmite from Mayapan, a large Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula.
Claudia Voigt, Anne Alexandre, Ilja M. Reiter, Jean-Philippe Orts, Christine Vallet-Coulomb, Clément Piel, Jean-Charles Mazur, Julie C. Aleman, Corinne Sonzogni, Helene Miche, and Jérôme Ogée
Biogeosciences, 20, 2161–2187, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2161-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2161-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Data on past relative humidity (RH) ARE needed to improve its representation in Earth system models. A novel isotope parameter (17O-excess) of plant silica has been developed to quantify past RH. Using comprehensive monitoring and novel methods, we show how environmental and plant physiological parameters influence the 17O-excess of plant silica and leaf water, i.e. its source water. The insights gained from this study will help to improve estimates of RH from fossil plant silica deposits.
David J. Harning, Brooke Holman, Lineke Woelders, Anne E. Jennings, and Julio Sepúlveda
Biogeosciences, 20, 229–249, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-229-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-229-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In order to better reconstruct the geologic history of the North Water Polynya, we provide modern validations and calibrations of lipid biomarker proxies in Baffin Bay. We find that sterols, rather than HBIs, most accurately capture the current extent of the North Water Polynya and will be a valuable tool to reconstruct its past presence or absence. Our local temperature calibrations for GDGTs and OH-GDGTs reduce the uncertainty present in global temperature calibrations.
Jessica G. M. Crumpton-Banks, Thomas Tanner, Ivan Hernández Almeida, James W. B. Rae, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 19, 5633–5644, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5633-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Past ocean carbon is reconstructed using proxies, but it is unknown whether preparing ocean sediment for one proxy might damage the data given by another. We have tested whether the extraction of an organic proxy archive from sediment samples impacts the geochemistry of tiny shells also within the sediment. We find no difference in shell geochemistry between samples which come from treated and untreated sediment. This will help us to maximize scientific return from valuable sediment samples.
Theresa M. King and Brad E. Rosenheim
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-180, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-180, 2022
Revised manuscript accepted for BG
Short summary
Short summary
Corals can record ocean properties such as temperature in their skeletons. These records are useful for where and when we have no instrumental record like in the distant past. However, coral growth must be understood to interpret these records. Here, we analyze slices of a branching deep sea coral from Antarctica to determine how to best sample these corals for past climate work. We recommend sampling from the innermost portion of coral skeleton for accurate temperature reconstructions.
Pablo Forjanes, María Simonet Roda, Martina Greiner, Erika Griesshaber, Nelson A. Lagos, Sabino Veintemillas-Verdaguer, José Manuel Astilleros, Lurdes Fernández-Díaz, and Wolfgang W. Schmahl
Biogeosciences, 19, 3791–3823, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3791-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3791-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Aragonitic skeletons are employed to decipher past climate dynamics and environmental change. Unfortunately, the information that these skeletons keep can be destroyed during diagenesis. In this work, we study the first changes undergone by aragonitic skeletons upon hydrothermal alteration. We observe that major changes occur from the very beginning of the alteration, even without mineralogical changes. These results have major implications for the use of these archives to understand the past.
Inga Labuhn, Franziska Tell, Ulrich von Grafenstein, Dan Hammarlund, Henning Kuhnert, and Bénédicte Minster
Biogeosciences, 19, 2759–2777, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2759-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2759-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the isotopic composition of recent biogenic carbonates from several lacustrine species which calcify during different times of the year. The authors demonstrate that when biological offsets are corrected, the dominant cause of differences between species is the seasonal variation in temperature-dependent fractionation of oxygen isotopes. Consequently, such carbonates from lake sediments can provide proxy records of seasonal water temperature changes in the past.
Gerard J. M. Versteegh, Karin A. F. Zonneveld, Jens Hefter, Oscar E. Romero, Gerhard Fischer, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 19, 1587–1610, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1587-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-1587-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A 5-year record of long-chain mid-chain diol export flux and composition is presented with a 1- to 3-week resolution sediment trap CBeu (in the NW African upwelling). All environmental parameters as well as the diol composition are dominated by the seasonal cycle, albeit with different phase relations for temperature and upwelling. Most diol-based proxies are dominated by upwelling. The long-chain diol index reflects temperatures of the oligotrophic summer sea surface.
Johannes Hepp, Christoph Mayr, Kazimierz Rozanski, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Mario Tuthorn, Bruno Glaser, Dieter Juchelka, Willibald Stichler, Roland Zech, and Michael Zech
Biogeosciences, 18, 5363–5380, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5363-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Deriving more quantitative climate information like relative air humidity is one of the key challenges in paleostudies. Often only qualitative reconstructions can be done when single-biomarker-isotope data are derived from a climate archive. However, the coupling of hemicellulose-derived sugar with leaf-wax-derived n-alkane isotope results has the potential to overcome this limitation and allow a quantitative relative air humidity reconstruction.
Angelica Feurdean
Biogeosciences, 18, 3805–3821, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3805-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-3805-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study characterized the diversity of laboratory-produced charcoal morphological features of various fuel types from Siberia at different temperatures. The results obtained improve the attribution of charcoal particles to fuel types and fire characteristics. This work also provides recommendations for the application of this information to refine the past wildfire history.
Martin Tetard, Laetitia Licari, Ekaterina Ovsepyan, Kazuyo Tachikawa, and Luc Beaufort
Biogeosciences, 18, 2827–2841, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2827-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2827-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Oxygen minimum zones are oceanic regions almost devoid of dissolved oxygen and are currently expanding due to global warming. Investigation of their past behaviour will allow better understanding of these areas and better prediction of their future evolution. A new method to estimate past [O2] was developed based on morphometric measurements of benthic foraminifera. This method and two other approaches based on foraminifera assemblages and porosity were calibrated using 45 core tops worldwide.
Maximiliano Rodríguez and Christelle Not
Biogeosciences, 18, 1987–2001, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1987-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1987-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Mg/Ca in calcium carbonate shells of marine organisms such as foraminifera and ostracods has been used as a proxy to reconstruct water temperature. Here we provide new Mg/Ca–temperature calibrations for two shallow marine species of ostracods. We show that the water temperature in spring produces the best calibrations, which suggests the potential use of ostracod shells to reconstruct this parameter at a seasonal scale.
Hongrui Zhang, Chuanlian Liu, Luz María Mejía, and Heather Stoll
Biogeosciences, 18, 1909–1916, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1909-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-1909-2021, 2021
Delphine Dissard, Gert Jan Reichart, Christophe Menkes, Morgan Mangeas, Stephan Frickenhaus, and Jelle Bijma
Biogeosciences, 18, 423–439, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-423-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-423-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Results from a data set acquired from living foraminifera T. sacculifer collected from surface waters are presented, allowing us to establish a new Mg/Ca–Sr/Ca–temperature equation improving temperature reconstructions. When combining equations, δ18Ow can be reconstructed with a precision of ± 0.5 ‰, while successive reconstructions involving Mg/Ca and δ18Oc preclude salinity reconstruction with a precision better than ± 1.69. A new direct linear fit to reconstruct salinity could be established.
Feng Wang, Dominique Arseneault, Étienne Boucher, Shulong Yu, Steeven Ouellet, Gwenaëlle Chaillou, Ann Delwaide, and Lily Wang
Biogeosciences, 17, 4559–4570, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4559-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4559-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Wood stain is challenging the use of the blue intensity technique for dendroclimatic reconstructions. Using stained subfossil trees from eastern Canadian lakes, we compared chemical destaining approaches with the
delta bluemathematical correction of blue intensity data. Although no chemical treatment was completely efficient, the delta blue method is unaffected by the staining problem and thus is promising for climate reconstructions based on lake subfossil material.
Dulcinea V. Groff, David G. Williams, and Jacquelyn L. Gill
Biogeosciences, 17, 4545–4557, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4545-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-4545-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Tussock grasses that grow along coastlines of the Falkland Islands are slow to decay and build up thick peat layers over thousands of years. Grass fragments found in ancient peat can be used to reconstruct past climate because grasses can preserve a record of growing conditions in their leaves. We found that modern living tussock grasses in the Falkland Islands reliably record temperature and humidity in their leaves, and the peat they form can be used to understand past climate change.
Maxence Guillermic, Sambuddha Misra, Robert Eagle, Alexandra Villa, Fengming Chang, and Aradhna Tripati
Biogeosciences, 17, 3487–3510, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3487-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3487-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Boron isotope ratios (δ11B) of foraminifera are a promising proxy for seawater pH and can be used to constrain pCO2. In this study, we derived calibrations for new foraminiferal taxa which extend the application of the boron isotope proxy. We discuss the origin of different δ11B signatures in species and also discuss the potential of using multispecies δ11B analyses to constrain vertical pH and pCO2 gradients in ancient water columns to shed light on biogeochemical carbon cycling in the past.
Zeynep Erdem, Joachim Schönfeld, Anthony E. Rathburn, Maria-Elena Pérez, Jorge Cardich, and Nicolaas Glock
Biogeosciences, 17, 3165–3182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3165-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-3165-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Recent observations from today’s oceans revealed that oxygen concentrations are decreasing, and oxygen minimum zones are expanding together with current climate change. With the aim of understanding past climatic events and their relationship with oxygen content, we looked at the fossils, called benthic foraminifera, preserved in the sediment archives from the Peruvian margin and quantified the bottom-water oxygen content for the last 22 000 years.
Hannah K. Donald, Gavin L. Foster, Nico Fröhberg, George E. A. Swann, Alex J. Poulton, C. Mark Moore, and Matthew P. Humphreys
Biogeosciences, 17, 2825–2837, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2825-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-2825-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The boron isotope pH proxy is increasingly being used to reconstruct ocean pH in the past. Here we detail a novel analytical methodology for measuring the boron isotopic composition (δ11B) of diatom opal and apply this to the study of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii grown in culture over a range of pH. To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind and provides unique insights into the way in which diatoms incorporate boron and their potential as archives of palaeoclimate records.
Eleonora Fossile, Maria Pia Nardelli, Arbia Jouini, Bruno Lansard, Antonio Pusceddu, Davide Moccia, Elisabeth Michel, Olivier Péron, Hélène Howa, and Meryem Mojtahid
Biogeosciences, 17, 1933–1953, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1933-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1933-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study focuses on benthic foraminiferal distribution in an Arctic fjord characterised by continuous sea ice production during winter and the consequent cascading of salty and corrosive waters (brine) to the seabed. The inner fjord is dominated by calcareous species (C). In the central deep basins, where brines are persistent, calcareous foraminifera are dissolved and agglutinated (A) dominate. The high A/C ratio is suggested as a proxy for brine persistence and sea ice production.
Johannes Hepp, Imke Kathrin Schäfer, Verena Lanny, Jörg Franke, Marcel Bliedtner, Kazimierz Rozanski, Bruno Glaser, Michael Zech, Timothy Ian Eglinton, and Roland Zech
Biogeosciences, 17, 741–756, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-741-2020, 2020
Elena Lo Giudice Cappelli, Jessica Louise Clarke, Craig Smeaton, Keith Davidson, and William Edward Newns Austin
Biogeosciences, 16, 4183–4199, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-4183-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Fjords are known sinks of organic carbon (OC); however, little is known about the long-term fate of the OC stored in these sediments. The reason for this knowledge gap is the post-depositional degradation of OC. This study uses benthic foraminifera (microorganisms with calcite shells) to discriminate between post-depositional OC degradation and actual OC burial and accumulation in fjordic sediments, as foraminifera would only preserve the latter information in their assemblage composition.
Sara K. E. Goulden, Naohiko Ohkouchi, Katherine H. Freeman, Yoshito Chikaraishi, Nanako O. Ogawa, Hisami Suga, Oliver Chadwick, and Benjamin Z. Houlton
Biogeosciences, 16, 3869–3882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3869-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3869-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate whether soil organic compounds preserve information about nitrogen availability to plants. We isolate chlorophyll degradation products in leaves, litter, and soil and explore possible species and climate effects on preservation and interpretation. We find that compound-specific nitrogen isotope measurements in soil have potential as a new tool to reconstruct changes in nitrogen cycling on a landscape over time, avoiding issues that have limited other proxies.
Nicolai Schleinkofer, Jacek Raddatz, André Freiwald, David Evans, Lydia Beuck, Andres Rüggeberg, and Volker Liebetrau
Biogeosciences, 16, 3565–3582, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3565-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3565-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this study we tried to correlate Na / Ca ratios from cold-water corals with environmental parameters such as salinity, temperature and pH. We do not observe a correlation between Na / Ca ratios and seawater salinity, but we do observe a strong correlation with temperature. Na / Ca data from warm-water corals (Porites spp.) and bivalves (Mytilus edulis) support this correlation, indicating that similar controls on the incorporation of sodium exist in these aragonitic organisms.
Mattia Greco, Lukas Jonkers, Kerstin Kretschmer, Jelle Bijma, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 16, 3425–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3425-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3425-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
To be able to interpret the paleoecological signal contained in N. pachyderma's shells, its habitat depth must be known. Our investigation on 104 density profiles of this species from the Arctic and North Atlantic shows that specimens reside closer to the surface when sea-ice and/or surface chlorophyll concentrations are high. This is in contrast with previous investigations that pointed at the position of the deep chlorophyll maximum as the main driver of N. pachyderma vertical distribution.
Anna Mikis, Katharine R. Hendry, Jennifer Pike, Daniela N. Schmidt, Kirsty M. Edgar, Victoria Peck, Frank J. C. Peeters, Melanie J. Leng, Michael P. Meredith, Chloe L. C. Jones, Sharon Stammerjohn, and Hugh Ducklow
Biogeosciences, 16, 3267–3282, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3267-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3267-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic marine calcifying organisms are threatened by regional climate change and ocean acidification. Future projections of regional carbonate production are challenging due to the lack of historical data combined with complex climate variability. We present a 6-year record of flux, morphology and geochemistry of an Antarctic planktonic foraminifera, which shows that their growth is most sensitive to sea ice dynamics and is linked with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation.
Eunmi Park, Jens Hefter, Gerhard Fischer, Morten Hvitfeldt Iversen, Simon Ramondenc, Eva-Maria Nöthig, and Gesine Mollenhauer
Biogeosciences, 16, 2247–2268, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2247-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-2247-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed GDGT-based proxy temperatures in the polar oceans. In the eastern Fram Strait (79° N), the nutrient distribution may determine the depth habit of Thaumarchaeota and thus the proxy temperature. In the Antarctic Polar Front (50° S), the contribution of Euryarchaeota or the nonlinear correlation between the proxy values and temperatures may cause the warm biases of the proxy temperatures relative to SSTs.
Marijke W. de Bar, Jenny E. Ullgren, Robert C. Thunnell, Stuart G. Wakeham, Geert-Jan A. Brummer, Jan-Berend W. Stuut, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Stefan Schouten
Biogeosciences, 16, 1705–1727, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1705-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1705-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We analyzed sediment traps from the Cariaco Basin, the tropical Atlantic and the Mozambique Channel to evaluate seasonal imprints in the concentrations and fluxes of long-chain diols (LDIs), in addition to the long-chain diol index proxy (sea surface temperature proxy) and the diol index (upwelling indicator). Despite significant degradation, LDI-derived temperatures were very similar for the sediment traps and seafloor sediments, and corresponded to annual mean sea surface temperatures.
Jens Zinke, Juan P. D'Olivo, Christoph J. Gey, Malcolm T. McCulloch, J. Henrich Bruggemann, Janice M. Lough, and Mireille M. M. Guillaume
Biogeosciences, 16, 695–712, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-695-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-695-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Here we report seasonally resolved sea surface temperature (SST) reconstructions for the southern Mozambique Channel in the SW Indian Ocean, a region located along the thermohaline ocean surface circulation route, based on multi-trace-element temperature proxy records preserved in two Porites sp. coral cores for the past 42 years. Particularly, we show the suitability of both separate and combined Sr / Ca and Li / Mg proxies for improved multielement SST reconstructions.
Hilde Pracht, Brett Metcalfe, and Frank J. C. Peeters
Biogeosciences, 16, 643–661, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-643-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-643-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In palaeoceanography the shells of single-celled foraminifera are routinely used as proxies to reconstruct the temperature, salinity and circulation of the ocean in the past. Traditionally a number of specimens were pooled for a single stable isotope measurement; however, technical advances now mean that a single shell or chamber of a shell can be measured individually. Three different hypotheses regarding foraminiferal biology and ecology were tested using this approach.
Anna Jentzen, Dirk Nürnberg, Ed C. Hathorne, and Joachim Schönfeld
Biogeosciences, 15, 7077–7095, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7077-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-7077-2018, 2018
Shauna Ní Fhlaithearta, Christophe Fontanier, Frans Jorissen, Aurélia Mouret, Adriana Dueñas-Bohórquez, Pierre Anschutz, Mattias B. Fricker, Detlef Günther, Gert J. de Lange, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 15, 6315–6328, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6315-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6315-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
This study looks at how foraminifera interact with their geochemical environment in the seabed. We focus on the incorporation of the trace metal manganese (Mn), with the aim of developing a tool to reconstruct past pore water profiles. Manganese concentrations in foraminifera are investigated relative to their ecological preferences and geochemical environment. This study demonstrates that Mn in foraminiferal tests is a promising tool to reconstruct oxygen conditions in the seabed.
Siobhan Williams, Walter Adey, Jochen Halfar, Andreas Kronz, Patrick Gagnon, David Bélanger, and Merinda Nash
Biogeosciences, 15, 5745–5759, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5745-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-5745-2018, 2018
Robert Frei, Cora Paulukat, Sylvie Bruggmann, and Robert M. Klaebe
Biogeosciences, 15, 4905–4922, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4905-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-4905-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The reconstruction of paleo-redox conditions of seawater has the potential to link to climatic changes on land and therefore to contribute to our understanding of past climate change. The redox-sensitive chromium isotope system is applied to marine calcifiers in order to characterize isotope offsets that result from vital processes during calcification processes and which can be eventually used in fossil equivalents to reconstruct past seawater compositions.
Thomas M. DeCarlo, Michael Holcomb, and Malcolm T. McCulloch
Biogeosciences, 15, 2819–2834, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2819-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2819-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the mechanisms of coral calcification is limited by the isolation of the calcifying environment. The boron systematics (B / Ca and δ11B) of aragonite have recently been developed as a proxy for the carbonate chemistry of the calcifying fluid, but a variety of approaches have been utilized. We assess the available experimental B / Ca partitioning data and present a computer code for deriving calcifying fluid carbonate chemistry from the boron systematics of coral skeletons.
Manuel Bringué, Robert C. Thunell, Vera Pospelova, James L. Pinckney, Oscar E. Romero, and Eric J. Tappa
Biogeosciences, 15, 2325–2348, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2325-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2325-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We document 2.5 yr of dinoflagellate cyst production in the Cariaco Basin using a sediment trap record. Each species' production pattern is interpreted in the context of the physico-chemical (e.g., temperature, nutrients) and biological (other planktonic groups) environment. Most species respond positively to upwelling, but seem to be negatively impacted by an El Niño event with a 1-year lag. This work helps understanding dinoflagellate ecology and interpreting fossil assemblages in sediments.
Gabriella M. Weiss, Eva Y. Pfannerstill, Stefan Schouten, Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté, and Marcel T. J. van der Meer
Biogeosciences, 14, 5693–5704, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5693-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-5693-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Algal-derived compounds allow us to make assumptions about environmental conditions in the past. In order to better understand how organisms record environmental conditions, we grew microscopic marine algae at different light intensities, salinities, and alkalinities in a temperature-controlled environment. We determined how these environmental parameters affected specific algal-derived compounds, especially their relative deuterium content, which seems to be mainly affected by salinity.
S. Nemiah Ladd, Nathalie Dubois, and Carsten J. Schubert
Biogeosciences, 14, 3979–3994, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3979-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3979-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrogen isotopes of lipids provide valuable information about microbial activity, climate, and environmental stress. We show that heavy hydrogen in fatty acids declines from spring to summer in a nutrient-rich and a nutrient-poor lake and that the effect is nearly 3 times as big in the former. This effect is likely a combination of increased biomass from algae, warmer temperatures, and higher algal growth rates.
Karoliina A. Koho, Lennart J. de Nooijer, Christophe Fontanier, Takashi Toyofuku, Kazumasa Oguri, Hiroshi Kitazato, and Gert-Jan Reichart
Biogeosciences, 14, 3067–3082, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3067-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-3067-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Here we report Mn / Ca ratios in living benthic foraminifera from the NE Japan margin. The results show that the Mn incorporation directly reflects the environment where the foraminifera calcify. Foraminifera that live deeper in sediment, under greater redox stress, generally incorporate more Mn into their carbonate skeletons. As such, foraminifera living close to the Mn reduction zone in sediment appear promising tools for paleoceanographic reconstructions of sedimentary redox conditions.
Stefania Milano, Gernot Nehrke, Alan D. Wanamaker Jr., Irene Ballesta-Artero, Thomas Brey, and Bernd R. Schöne
Biogeosciences, 14, 1577–1591, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1577-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1577-2017, 2017
Diana Zúñiga, Celia Santos, María Froján, Emilia Salgueiro, Marta M. Rufino, Francisco De la Granda, Francisco G. Figueiras, Carmen G. Castro, and Fátima Abrantes
Biogeosciences, 14, 1165–1179, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1165-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-1165-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Diatoms are one of the most important primary producers in highly productive coastal regions. Their silicified valves are susceptible to escape from the upper water column and be preserved in the sediment record, and thus are frequently used to reconstruct environmental conditions in the past from sediment cores. Here, we assess how water column diatom’s community in the NW Iberian coastal upwelling system is seasonally transferred from the surface to the seafloor sediments.
Andreia Rebotim, Antje H. L. Voelker, Lukas Jonkers, Joanna J. Waniek, Helge Meggers, Ralf Schiebel, Igaratza Fraile, Michael Schulz, and Michal Kucera
Biogeosciences, 14, 827–859, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-827-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-827-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Planktonic foraminifera species depth habitat remains poorly constrained and the existing conceptual models are not sufficiently tested by observational data. Here we present a synthesis of living planktonic foraminifera abundance data in the subtropical eastern North Atlantic from vertical plankton tows. We also test potential environmental factors influencing the species depth habitat and investigate yearly or lunar migration cycles. These findings may impact paleoceanographic studies.
Clemens Vinzenz Ullmann and Philip A. E. Pogge von Strandmann
Biogeosciences, 14, 89–97, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-89-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-89-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This study documents how much control growth rate has on the chemical composition of fossil shell material. Using a series of chemical analyses of the fossil hard part of a belemnite, an extinct marine predator, a clear connection between the rate of calcite formation and its magnesium and strontium contents was found. These findings provide further insight into biomineralization processes and help better understand chemical signatures of fossils as proxies for palaeoenvironmental conditions.
Justine Kimball, Robert Eagle, and Robert Dunbar
Biogeosciences, 13, 6487–6505, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-6487-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-6487-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Deep-sea corals are a potentially valuable archive of temperature and ocean chemistry. We analyzed clumped isotope signatures (Δ47) in live-collected aragonitic scleractinian and high-Mg calcitic gorgonian deep-sea corals and compared results to published data and found offsets between taxa. The observed patterns in deep-sea corals may record distinct mineral equilibrium signatures due to very slow growth rates, kinetic isotope effects, and/or variable acid digestion fractionation factors.
Cited articles
Aichner, B., Herzschuh, U., and Wilkes, H.: Influence of aquatic macrophytes on
the stable carbon isotopic signatures of sedimentary organic matter in lakes
on the Tibetan Plateau, Org. Geochem., 41, 706–718,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2010.02.002, 2010a. a
Aichner, B., Wilkes, H., Herzschuh, U., Mischke, S., and Zhang, C.: Biomarker
and compound-specific δ13C evidence for changing environmental conditions and
carbon limitation at Lake Koucha, eastern Tibetan Plateau, J.
Paleolimnology, 43, 873–899, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9375-y,
2010b. a
Aichner, B., Feakins, S. J., Lee, J. E., Herzschuh, U., and Liu, X.:
High-resolution leaf wax carbon and hydrogen isotopic record of the late
Holocene paleoclimate in arid Central Asia, Clim. Past, 11,
619–633, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-11-619-2015, 2015. a
Aichner, B., Hilt, S., Périllon, C., Gillefalk, M., and Sachse, D.:
Biosynthetic hydrogen isotopic fractionation factors during lipid synthesis
in submerged aquatic macrophytes: Effect of groundwater discharge and
salinity, Org. Geochem., 113, 10–16,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2017.07.021, 2017. a
Aitchison, J.: The statistical analysis of compositional data, Blackburn
Press, Caldwell, 460 pp., 2003. a
Angst, G., John, S., Mueller, C. W., Kögel-Knabner, I., and Rethemeyer, J.:
Tracing the sources and spatial distribution of organic carbon in subsoils
using a multi-biomarker approach, Sci. Rep., 6, 29478,
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29478, 2016. a
Bliedtner, M., Schäfer, I. K., Zech, R., and von Suchodoletz, H.: Leaf wax n-alkanes in modern plants and topsoils from eastern Georgia (Caucasus) – implications for reconstructing regional paleovegetation, Biogeosciences, 15, 3927–3936, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-3927-2018, 2018a. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h
Bliedtner, M., Zech, R., Kühn, P., Schneider, B., Zielhofer, C., and von
Suchodoletz, H.: The potential of leaf wax biomarkers from fluvial
soil-sediment sequences for paleovegetation reconstructions – Upper Alazani
River, central southern Greater Caucasus (Georgia), Quaternary Sci.
Rev., 196, 62–79, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.07.029,
2018b. a, b
Boogaart, K. G. v. d.: Analyzing compositional data with R, Springer, Berlin,
Heidelberg, 258 pp., 2013. a
Boom, A., Carr, A. S., Chase, B. M., Grimes, H. L., and Meadows, M. E.: Leaf
wax n-alkanes and δ13C values of CAM plants from arid southwest Africa,
Org. Geochem., 67, 99–102, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2013.12.005,
2014. a
Brittingham, A., Hren, M. T., and Hartman, G.: Microbial alteration of the
hydrogen and carbon isotopic composition of n-alkanes in sediments, Org.
Geochem., 107, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2017.01.010, 2017. a
Buggle, B., Wiesenberg, G. L., and Glaser, B.: Is there a possibility to
correct fossil n-alkane data for postsedimentary alteration effects?, Appl.
Geochem., 25, 947–957, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2010.04.003, 2010. a, b, c
Bush, R. T. and McInerney, F. A.: Leaf wax n-alkane distributions in and across
modern plants: Implications for paleoecology and chemotaxonomy, Geochim.
Cosmochim. Ac., 117, 161–179, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2013.04.016, 2013. a, b
Carr, A. S., Boom, A., Grimes, H. L., Chase, B. M., Meadows, M. E., and Harris,
A.: Leaf wax n-alkane distributions in arid zone South African flora:
Environmental controls, chemotaxonomy and palaeoecological implications,
Org. Geochem., 67, 72–84, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2013.12.004,
2014. a
Castañeda, I. S., Mulitza, S., Schefuss, E., Lopes dos Santos, Raquel A.,
Sinninghe Damste, J. S., and Schouten, S.: Wet phases in the Sahara/Sahel
region and human migration patterns in North Africa, P.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 106,
20159–20163, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0905771106, 2009. a, b, c
Cheung, M.-C., Zong, Y., Wang, N., Aitchison, J. C., and Zheng, Z.: δ13C org
and n-alkane evidence for changing wetland conditions during a stable
mid-late Holocene climate in the central Tibetan Plateau, Palaeogeogr.
Palaeocl., 438, 203–212,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.08.007, 2015. a
Dashkhuu, D., Kim, J. P., Chun, J. A., and Lee, W.-S.: Long-term trends in
daily temperature extremes over Mongolia, Weather and Climate Extremes, 8,
26–33, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2014.11.003, 2015. a
Diefendorf, A. F. and Freimuth, E. J.: Extracting the most from terrestrial
plant-derived n-alkyl lipids and their carbon isotopes from the sedimentary
record: A review, Org. Geochem., 103, 1–21,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.10.016, 2017. a, b, c, d
Diefendorf, A. F., Mueller, K. E., Wing, S. L., Koch, P. L., and Freeman,
K. H.: Global patterns in leaf δ13C discrimination and implications for
studies of past and future climate, P. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA, 107, 5738–5743, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0910513107, 2010. a
Diefendorf, A. F., Freeman, K. H., Wing, S. L., and Graham, H. V.: Production
of n-alkyl lipids in living plants and implications for the geologic past,
Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 75, 7472–7485,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2011.09.028, 2011. a, b
Diefendorf, A. F., Leslie, A. B., and Wing, S. L.: Leaf wax composition and
carbon isotopes vary among major conifer groups, Geochim. Cosmochim.
Ac., 170, 145–156, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2015.08.018, 2015. a, b
Eglinton, G. and Hamilton, R. J.: Leaf epicuticular waxes, Science (New York,
NY), 156, 1322–1335, 1967. a
Eglinton, T. I. and Eglinton, G.: Molecular proxies for paleoclimatology, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 275, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2008.07.012,
2008. a
Farquhar, G. D., O'Leary, M. H., and Berry, J. A.: On the Relationship Between
Carbon Isotope Discrimination and the Intercellular Carbon Dioxide
Concentration in Leaves, Aust. J. Plant Physiol., 9, 121–137,
https://doi.org/10.1071/PP9820121, 1982. a, b
Feakins, S. J., Peters, T., Wu, M. S., Shenkin, A., Salinas, N., Girardin,
C. A., Bentley, L. P., Blonder, B., Enquist, B. J., Martin, R. E., Asner,
G. P., and Malhi, Y.: Production of leaf wax n-alkanes across a tropical
forest elevation transect, Org. Geochem., 100, 89–100,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.07.004, 2016. a, b
Feakins, S. J., Wu, M. S., Ponton, C., Galy, V., and West, A. J.: Dual isotope
evidence for sedimentary integration of plant wax biomarkers across an
Andes-Amazon elevation transect, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 242,
64–81, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gca.2018.09.007, 2018. a, b
Fick, S. E. and Hijmans, R. J.: WorldClim 2: New 1-km spatial resolution
climate surfaces for global land areas, Int. J. Climatol.,
37, 4302–4315, https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.5086, 2017. a, b, c, d
Gao, L., Guimond, J., Thomas, E., and Huang, Y.: Major trends in leaf wax
abundance, δ2H and δ13C values along leaf venation in five species of C3
plants: Physiological and geochemical implications, Org. Geochem., 78,
144–152, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2014.11.005, 2015. a
Häggi, C., Eglinton, T. I., Zech, W., Sosin, P., and Zech, R.: A 250 ka
leaf-wax δD record from a loess section in Darai Kalon, Southern
Tajikistan, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 208, 118–128,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.01.019, 2019. a
Harris, I., Jones, P. D., Osborn, T. J., and Lister, D. H.: Updated
high-resolution grids of monthly climatic observations – the CRU TS3.10
Dataset, Int. J. Climatol., 34, 623–642,
https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.3711, 2014. a
Hilbig, W.: The vegetation of Mongolia, SPB Acad. Publ, Amsterdam, 258 pp., 1995. a
Hoefs, M. J., Rijpstra, W. C., and Sinninghe Damsté, J. S.: The influence
of oxic degradation on the sedimentary biomarker record I: Evidence from
Madeira Abyssal Plain turbidites, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 66,
2719–2735, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0016-7037(02)00864-5, 2002. a, b
Hoffmann, B., Kahmen, A., Cernusak, L. A., Arndt, S. K., and Sachse, D.:
Abundance and distribution of leaf wax n-alkanes in leaves of Acacia and
Eucalyptus trees along a strong humidity gradient in northern Australia,
Org. Geochem., 62, 62–67, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2013.07.003,
2013. a
Howard, S., McInerney, F. A., Caddy-Retalic, S., Hall, P. A., and Andrae,
J. W.: Modelling leaf wax n-alkane inputs to soils along a latitudinal
transect across Australia, Org. Geochem., 121, 126–137,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.03.013, 2018. a
Hultine, K. R. and Marshall, J. D.: Altitude trends in conifer leaf morphology
and stable carbon isotope composition, Oecologia, 123, 32–40,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420050986, 2000. a, b
Klinge, M. and Sauer, D.: Spatial pattern of Late Glacial and Holocene climatic
and environmental development in Western Mongolia – A critical review and
synthesis, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 210, 26–50,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.02.020, 2019. a
Klinge, M., Lehmkuhl, F., Schulte, P., Hülle, D., and Nottebaum, V.:
Implications of (reworked) aeolian sediments and paleosols for Holocene
environmental change in Western Mongolia, Geomorphology, 292, 59–71,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.04.027, 2017. a
Kölbl, A., Steffens, M., Wiesmeier, M., Hoffmann, C., Funk, R.,
Krümmelbein, J., Reszkowska, A., Zhao, Y., Peth, S., Horn, R., Giese, M.,
and Kögel-Knabner, I.: Grazing changes topography-controlled topsoil
properties and their interaction on different spatial scales in a semi-arid
grassland of Inner Mongolia, P. R. China, Plant Soil, 340, 35–58,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0473-4, 2011. a
Lane, C. S.: Modern n-alkane abundances and isotopic composition of vegetation
in a gymnosperm-dominated ecosystem of the southeastern US coastal plain,
Org. Geochem., 105, 33–36, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2016.12.003,
2017. a, b
Li, G., Li, L., Tarozo, R., Longo, W. M., Wang, K. J., Dong, H., and Huang, Y.:
Microbial production of long-chain n-alkanes: Implication for interpreting
sedimentary leaf wax signals, Org. Geochem., 115, 24–31,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2017.10.005, 2018a. a
Li, X., Anderson, B. J., Vogeler, I., and Schwendenmann, L.: Long-chain
n-alkane and n-fatty acid characteristics in plants and soil – potential to
separate plant growth forms, primary and secondary grasslands?, Sci. Total Environ., 645, 1567–1578,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.105, 2018b. a
Liu, J., An, Z., and Liu, H.: Leaf wax n-alkane distributions across plant
types in the central Chinese Loess Plateau, Org. Geochem., 125,
260–269, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.09.006, 2018. a
Peck, J. A., Khosbayar, P., Fowell, S. J., Pearce, R. B., Ariunbileg, S.,
Hansen, B. C., and Soninkhishig, N.: Mid to Late Holocene climate change in
north central Mongolia as recorded in the sediments of Lake Telmen,
Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 183, 135–153,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-0182(01)00465-5, 2002. a, b
Poynter, J. G., Farrimond, P., Robinson, N., and Eglinton, G.: Aeolian-Derived
Higher Plant Lipids in the Marine Sedimentary Record: Links with
Palaeoclimate, in: Paleoclimatology and Paleometeorology: Modern and Past
Patterns of Global Atmospheric Transport, edited by: Leinen, M. and Sarnthein,
M., NATO ASI Series, Series C, Springer, Dordrecht, 282, 435–462,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0995-3, 1989. a
Prokopenko, A. A., Khursevich, G. K., Bezrukova, E. V., Kuzmin, M. I., Boes,
X., Williams, D. F., Fedenya, S. A., Kulagina, N. V., Letunova, P. P., and
Abzaeva, A. A.: Paleoenvironmental proxy records from Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia,
and a synthesis of Holocene climate change in the Lake Baikal watershed,
Quaternary Res., 68, 2–17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2007.03.008, 2007. a
Pyankov, V. I., Gunin, P. D., Tsoog, S., and Black, C. C.: C4 plants in the
vegetation of Mongolia: Their natural occurrence and geographical
distribution in relation to climate, Oecologia, 123, 15–31,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420050985, 2000. a, b
R Core Team: R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing,
https://www.R-project.org/ (last access: 30 January 2020), 2019. a
Rach, O., Engels, S., Kahmen, A., Brauer, A., Martín-Puertas, C., van
Geel, B., and Sachse, D.: Hydrological and ecological changes in western
Europe between 3200 and 2000 years BP derived from lipid biomarker δD values
in lake Meerfelder Maar sediments, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 172, 44–54,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.07.019, 2017. a
Rao, M. P., Davi, N. K., D'Arrigo, R. D., Skees, J., Nachin, B., Leland, C.,
Lyon, B., Wang, S.-Y., and Byambasuren, O.: Dzuds, droughts, and livestock
mortality in Mongolia, Environ. Res. Lett., 10, 074012,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/7/074012, 2015. a
Rao, Z., Jia, G., Li, Y., Chen, J., Xu, Q., and Chen, F.: Asynchronous
evolution of the isotopic composition and amount of precipitation in north
China during the Holocene revealed by a record of compound-specific carbon
and hydrogen isotopes of long-chain n-alkanes from an alpine lake, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 446, 68–76, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.04.027,
2016. a
Rao, Z., Guo, W., Cao, J., Shi, F., Jiang, H., and Li, C.: Relationship between
the stable carbon isotopic composition of modern plants and surface soils and
climate: A global review, Earth-Sci. Rev., 165, 110–119,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.12.007, 2017. a, b
Rommerskirchen, F., Eglinton, G., Dupont, L., and Rullkötter, J.:
Glacial/interglacial changes in southern Africa: Compound-specific δ13C land
plant biomarker and pollen records from southeast Atlantic continental margin
sediments, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 7, 1–21,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GC001223, 2006. a, b
Rudaya, N. and Li, H.-C.: A new approach for reconstruction of the Holocene
climate in the Mongolian Altai: The high-resolution δ13C records of TOC and
pollen complexes in Hoton-Nur Lake sediments, J. Asian Earth
Sci., 69, 185–195, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2012.12.002, 2013. a
Sachse, D., Radke, J., and Gleixner, G.: δD values of individual
n-alkanes from terrestrial plants along a climatic gradient – Implications
for the sedimentary biomarker record, Org. Geochem., 37, 469–483,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2005.12.003, 2006. a
Schäfer, I. K., Bliedtner, M., Wolf, D., Kolb, T., Zech, J., Faust, D., and
Zech, R.: A δ13C and δ2H leaf wax record from the Late Quaternary
loess-paleosoil sequence El Paraíso, Central Spain, Palaeogeogr.
Palaeocl., 507, 52–59,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.06.039, 2018. a, b
Schefuss, E., Schouten, S., and Schneider, R. R.: Climatic controls on central
African hydrology during the past 20,000 years, Nature, 437, 1003–1006,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03945, 2005. a
Schulz, S., Giebler, J., Chatzinotas, A., Wick, L. Y., Fetzer, I., Welzl, G.,
Harms, H., and Schloter, M.: Plant litter and soil type drive abundance,
activity and community structure of alkB harbouring microbes in different
soil compartments, ISME J., 6, 1763–1774,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2012.17, 2012. a
Schwark, L., Zink, K., and Lechterbeck, J.: Reconstruction of postglacial to
early Holocene vegetation history in terrestrial Central Europe via cuticular
lipid biomarkers and pollen records from lake sediments, Geology, 30, 463–466,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0463:ROPTEH>2.0.CO;2,
2002. a
Shepherd, T. and Wynne Griffiths, D.: The effects of stress on plant
cuticular waxes, New Phytol., 171, 469–499,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01826.x, 2006. a
Su, P., Xie, T., and Zhou, Z.: C4 plant species and geographical distribution
in relation to climate in the desert vegetation of China, Sciences in Cold
and Arid Regions, 3, 381–391, 2011. a
Sun, Q., Xie, M., Lin, Y., Shan, Y., Zhu, Q., Xu, D., Su, Y., Rioual, P., and
Chu, G.: An n-alkane and carbon isotope record during the last deglaciation
from annually laminated sediment in Lake Xiaolongwan, northeastern China,
J. Paleolimnol., 56, 189–203, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-016-9904-4,
2016. a
Tipple, B. J. and Pagani, M.: The Early Origins of Terrestrial C4
Photosynthesis, Annu. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc., 35, 435–461,
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.35.031306.140150, 2007. a, b
Tipple, B. J., Berke, M. A., Doman, C. E., Khachaturyan, S., and Ehleringer,
J. R.: Leaf-wax n-alkanes record the plant-water environment at leaf flush,
P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 110, 2659–2664, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1213875110, 2013. a, b
Trabucco, A. and Zomer, R.: Global Aridity Index and Potential
Evapotranspiration (ET0) Climate Database v2,
https://doi.org/10.6084/M9.FIGSHARE.7504448.V3, 2019. a, b, c
Vogts, A., Moossen, H., Rommerskirchen, F., and Rullkötter, J.:
Distribution patterns and stable carbon isotopic composition of alkanes and
alkan-1-ols from plant waxes of African rain forest and savanna C3 species,
Org. Geochem., 40, 1037–1054, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2009.07.011,
2009. a, b, c
Wang, J., Axia, E., Xu, Y., Wang, G., Zhou, L., Jia, Y., Chen, Z., and Li, J.:
Temperature effect on abundance and distribution of leaf wax n-alkanes across
a temperature gradient along the 400 mm isohyet in China, Org.
Geochem., 120, 31–41, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.03.009,
2018a.
a
Wang, J., Xu, Y., Zhou, L., Shi, M., Axia, E., Jia, Y., Chen, Z., Li, J., and
Wang, G.: Disentangling temperature effects on leaf wax n-alkane traits and
carbon isotopic composition from phylogeny and precipitation, Org.
Geochem., 126, 13–22, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.10.008,
2018b. a, b, c, d, e, f, g
Wang, W. and Feng, Z.: Holocene moisture evolution across the Mongolian Plateau
and its surrounding areas: A synthesis of climatic records, Earth-Sci.
Rev., 122, 38–57, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.03.005, 2013. a
Wang, W., Ma, Y., Feng, Z., Narantsetseg, T., Liu, K.-B., and Zhai, X.: A
prolonged dry mid-Holocene climate revealed by pollen and diatom records from
Lake Ugii Nuur in central Mongolia, Quaternary Int., 229, 74–83,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2010.06.005, 2011. a
Wang, Z., Liu, H., and Cao, Y.: Choosing a suitable εw−p spatial distribution in
China, Org. Geochem., 121, 161–168,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.01.002, 2018. a
Wu, M. S., West, A. J., and Feakins, S. J.: Tropical soil profiles reveal the
fate of plant wax biomarkers during soil storage, Org. Geochem., 128,
1–15, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2018.12.011, 2019. a
Zech, M., Buggle, B., Leiber, K., Marković, S., Glaser, B., Hambach, U.,
Huwe, B., Stevens, T., Sümegi, P., Wiesenberg, G., and Zöller, L.:
Reconstructing Quaternary vegetation history in the Carpathian Basin,
SE-Europe, using n-alkane biomarkers as molecular fossils, E&G –
Quaternary Sci. J., 58, 148–155, https://doi.org/10.3285/eg.58.2.03, 2009. a, b, c, d
Zech, M., Andreev, A., Zech, R., Mãller, S., Hambach, U., Frechen, M., and
Zech, W.: Quaternary vegetation changes derived from a loess-like permafrost
palaeosol sequence in northeast Siberia using alkane biomarker and pollen
analyses, Boreas, 540–550, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00132.x, 2010. a, b, c
Zech, R., Zech, M., Marković, S., Hambach, U., and Huang, Y.: Humid
glacials, arid interglacials? Critical thoughts on pedogenesis and
paleoclimate based on multi-proxy analyses of the loess–paleosol sequence
Crvenka, Northern Serbia, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl.,
387, 165–175, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.07.023, 2013. a
Short summary
We present leaf wax n-alkanes and their compound-specific (CS) δ13C isotopes from semi-arid and/or arid Mongolia to test their potential for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Plants and topsoils were analysed and checked for climatic control. Chain-length variations are distinct between grasses and Caragana, which are not biased by climate. However CS δ13C is strongly correlated to climate, so n-alkanes and their CS δ13C show great potential for paleoenvironmental reconstruction in Mongolia.
We present leaf wax n-alkanes and their compound-specific (CS) δ13C isotopes from semi-arid...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint