Seasonal variability in temperature trends and atmospheric circulation systems during the Eemian (Last Interglacial) based on n-alkanes hydrogen isotopes from Northern Finland

• The Last Interglacial warm period, the Eemian (ca. 130-116 thousand years ago), serves as a reference for projected future climate in a warmer world. However, there is a limited understanding of the seasonal characteristics of interglacial climate dynamics, especially in high latitude regions. In this study, we aimto provide new insights into seasonal trends in temperature and moisture source location, linked to shifts in atmospheric circulation patterns, for northern Fennoscandia during the Eemian. Our study is based on the distribution and stable hydrogen isotope composition (dD) of n-alkanes in a lake sediment sequence from the Sokli paleolake in NE Finland, placed in a multi-proxy framework. The dD values of predominantly macrophyte-derived mid-chain n-alkanes are interpreted to reflect lake water dD variability influenced by winter precipitation dD (dDprec), ice cover duration and deuterium (D)-depleted meltwater. The dD values of terrestrial plant-derived long-chain n-alkanes primarily reflect soil water dD variability modulated by summer dDprec and by the evaporative enrichment of soil and leaf water. The dDprec variability in our study area is mostly attributed to the temperature effect and the moisture source location linked to the relative dominance between D-depleted continental and polar air masses and Denriched North Atlantic air masses. The biomarker signal further corroborates earlier diatom-based studies and pollen-inferred January and July temperature reconstructions from the same sediment sequence. Three phases of climatic changes can be identified that generally follow the secular variationsin seasonal insolation: (i) an early warming trend succeeded by a period of strong seasonality (ii) a midoptimum phase with gradually decreased seasonality and cooler summers, and (iii) a late climatic instability with a cooling trend. Superimposed on this trend, two abrupt cooling events occur in the early and late Eemian. The Sokli dD variability is generally in good agreement with other North Atlantic and Siberian records, reflecting major changes in the atmospheric circulation patterns during the Eemian as a response to orbital and oceanic forcings.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Annan geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Other Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Klimatforskning (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Climate Research (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Geokemi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geochemistry (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Eemian

MIS 5e

Last Interglacial

Biomarkers

Hydrogen isotopes

Climate variability

Seasonality changes

Finland

Ecosystems and species history

Ekosystem och arthistoria

The changing Earth

Den föränderliga jorden

Quarternary Geology

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)