School of Earth, Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The Lake El' gygytgyn sediment record contains an abundant diatom flora through most intervals of the lake's history, providing a means to create and test hypotheses concerning the lake's response to changing climates. The 0 1.2 Ma core interval is characterized by shifts in the dominant planktonic genera and events of exceptional concentration and diversity. Warm interglacial intervals have enhanced concentration and diversity of the plankton. This response is most extreme during exceptional events corresponding to marine isotope stages (MIS) 11 and 31. Diatom concentration and diversity also increase during some cold intervals (e.g., MIS 2), suggesting conditions of lake circulation and nutrient cycling promoting diatom production during these events. Short intervals of low plankton concentration accompanied by shifts in the dominant genus of the lake suggest conditions during certain cold events generate a severe impact on plankton production. The absence of these events during extended intervals of low summer insolation variability suggests a muted cold-event response of the lake system linked to regional climate.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Publication Date

2013

Publication Title

Climate of the Past

Publisher

Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-1309-2013

Start Page No.

1309

End Page No.

1319

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