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Palaeoclimate signals as inferred from stable‐isotope composition of ground ice in the Verkhoyansk foreland, Central Yakutia
Author(s) -
Popp Steffen,
Diekmann Bernhard,
Meyer Hanno,
Siegert Christine,
Syromyatnikov Igor,
Hubberten HansWolfgang
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
permafrost and periglacial processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-1530
pISSN - 1045-6740
DOI - 10.1002/ppp.556
Subject(s) - geology , permafrost , holocene , foreland basin , δ18o , geomorphology , physical geography , stable isotope ratio , paleontology , oceanography , structural basin , physics , quantum mechanics , geography
Ice‐rich permafrost deposits and their isotopic composition were studied at four sites in the western foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains, Central Yakutia. The isotopic composition of ice wedges formed in alluvial and loess‐like sediments generally reflects the palaeoclimate of winter conditions. The middle Weichselian Ice Complex developed around 41 ka 14 C BP during a period with colder winters than today. Similarly severe conditions are reflected in the late Weichselian Ice Complex from around 20 ka to 13 ka 14 C BP. The transition to the Holocene is characterised by increases of 5‰ and 35‰ in δ 18 O and δD, respectively. This warming is documented in wedge ice, which grew between 8.5 and 4.5 ka BP. Towards the late Holocene and sub‐recent times, a climatic deterioration is recorded, reflected by lighter isotopic composition of ice wedges, which developed between 1.2 ka and 0.7 ka 14 C BP. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.