The oxygen and carbon stable isotope composition of Viviparus diluvianus shells was determined in the palaeolakes of the Holsteinian interglacial (MIS 11) in eastern Poland: the Ortel Królewski, Hrud, Ossówka, Roskosz and Szymanowo lakes. The occurrence of V. diluvianus covers the Taxus zone, the so‐called intra‐interglacial cooling period (Pinus‐Larix zone), the climatic optimum (Carpinus‐Abies zone) and the post‐optimal period with an undefined pollen zone. The isotope record of V. diluvianus shells allowed palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. δ18O and δ13C vary from −8.7‰ in the post‐optimal period to −4.8‰ in the optimal period, and from −10.6‰ at the beginning of the Taxus zone to −4.2‰ at the climatic optimum, respectively. A positive correlation of the isotope curves indicates closed‐water bodies, and only at Roskosz was some occasional overflow inferred. Higher oxygen isotopes correspond to an increase in temperature and/or enhanced evaporation, which is well marked in the Carpinus‐Abies zone, whereas samples enriched in 13C are correlated with periods demonstrating a lower water level and higher productivity in the lakes. Episodes of lake shallowing and dense aquatic vegetation occurred in the Pinus‐Larix zone and during the climatic optimum. The isotope ratios for the climatic optimum significantly exceed those of the other periods, thus pointing to warmer conditions. An estimation of relative changes of average summer temperatures using the δ18O/temperature gradient yielded variation of 1–2 °C within the lakes. Absolute temperature reconstructions indicate the effects of specific local conditions. Hence, V. diluvianus shells offer a reliable proxy in qualitative studies of interglacial lake records.
Abstract. Climate change increases the occurrence and severity of
droughts due to increasing temperatures, altered circulation patterns, and
reduced snow occurrence. While Europe has suffered from drought events in
the last decade unlike ever seen since the beginning of weather recordings,
harmonized long-term datasets across the continent are needed to monitor
change and support predictions. Here we present soil moisture data from 66
cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNSs) in Europe (COSMOS-Europe for short)
covering recent drought events. The CRNS sites are distributed across Europe
and cover all major land use types and climate zones in Europe. The raw
neutron count data from the CRNS stations were provided by 24 research
institutions and processed using state-of-the-art methods. The harmonized
processing included correction of the raw neutron counts and a harmonized
methodology for the conversion into soil moisture based on available in situ
information. In addition, the uncertainty estimate is provided with the
dataset, information that is particularly useful for remote sensing and
modeling applications. This paper presents the current spatiotemporal
coverage of CRNS stations in Europe and describes the protocols for data
processing from raw measurements to consistent soil moisture products. The
data of the presented COSMOS-Europe network open up a manifold of potential
applications for environmental research, such as remote sensing data
validation, trend analysis, or model assimilation. The dataset could be of
particular importance for the analysis of extreme climatic events at the
continental scale. Due its timely relevance in the scope of climate change
in the recent years, we demonstrate this potential application with a brief
analysis on the spatiotemporal soil moisture variability. The dataset,
entitled “Dataset of COSMOS-Europe: A European network of Cosmic-Ray
Neutron Soil Moisture Sensors”, is shared via Forschungszentrum Jülich:
https://doi.org/10.34731/x9s3-kr48 (Bogena and Ney, 2021).
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