The electronic properties of many materials can be controlled by introducing appropriate impurities into the bulk crystal lattice in a process known as doping. In this way, diamond (a well-known insulator) can be transformed into a semiconductor, and recent progress in thin-film diamond synthesis has sparked interest in the potential applications of semiconducting diamond. However, the high dopant activation energies (in excess of 0.36 eV) and the limitation of donor incorporation to (111) growth facets only have hampered the development of diamond-based devices. Here we report a doping mechanism for diamond, using a method that does not require the introduction of foreign atoms into the diamond lattice. Instead, C60 molecules are evaporated onto the hydrogen-terminated diamond surface, where they induce a subsurface hole accumulation and a significant rise in two-dimensional conductivity. Our observations bear a resemblance to the so-called surface conductivity of diamond seen when hydrogenated diamond surfaces are exposed to air, and support an electrochemical model in which the reduction of hydrated protons in an aqueous surface layer gives rise to a hole accumulation layer. We expect that transfer doping by C60 will open a broad vista of possible semiconductor applications for diamond.

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Lake sediments are valuable natural archives to reconstruct paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental changes which consist of inorganic and organic sediment compounds of allochthonous origin from the catchment and of autochthonous production in the lake. However, for robust paleo-reconstructions it is important to develop a better understanding about sedimentation processes, the origin of inorganic and organic sediment compounds and their distribution within the lake. In this context, modern process studies provide important insights, although environmental and anthropological changes can affect the spatial distribution of sediment compounds through time. Therefore, in this study the spatial distribution of grain size and geochemical proxies in 52 surface sediment samples from Lake Khar Nuur, a small high-altitude lake in the Mongolian Altai with a small and anthropogenically used hydrological catchment, is investigated. The results show a distinct sediment focussing in the two deep basins of the lake, which therefore act as accumulation zones. In those accumulation zones, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (N) and their isotopic composition (δ 13 C TOC , δ 15 N) as well as n-alkanes indicate that organic sediment compounds are a mixture of both allochthonous and autochthonous origin. While the recent catchment vegetation consists of grasses/herbs and the shrub Betula nana (L.) with distinct differences in their n-alkane homologue patterns, those differences are not reflected in the sediment surface samples which rather indicates that grass-derived n-alkanes become preferentially incorporated in the lake. Extensive anthropogenic activity such as grazing and housing in the southern part of the catchment causes soil erosion which is well reflected by high TOC, N and sulphur (S) contents and 15 N depleted δ 15 N values at the central southern shore, i.e. increased allochthonous sediment input by anthropogenically-induced soil erosion. Overall, the surface sediments of Lake Khar Nuur origin from allochthonous and autochthonous sources and are focussed in the accumulation zones of the lake, while their distribution is both environmentally and anthropogenically driven.

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Abstract. Leaf wax n-alkane patterns and their compound-specific δ13C signatures are valuable proxies for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. So far, their potential has not been investigated in semi-arid to arid Mongolia. We have therefore analysed the leaf wax n-alkanes and their compound-specific δ13C signature of five plant species (Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Artemisia spp., Caragana spp. and Larix sp.) and topsoils (0–5 cm) along two transects in central and southern Mongolia. Grasses show a distinct dominance of the n-C31 homologue, whereas the shrubs Caragana spp. and Artemisia spp. are dominated by n-C29. Larix sp. is characterised by the mid-chain n-alkanes n-C23 and n-C25. From plant to topsoil, n-alkane patterns show the potential to differentiate between grass-covered sites from those covered by Caragana spp. n-Alkane concentrations and odd-over-even predominance (OEP) of the topsoils are distinctly influenced by mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation and aridity, likely reflecting the degree of n-alkane degradation and biomass production. In contrast, the average chain length (ACL) and the n-alkane ratio (n-C31∕n-C29+n-C31) are not affected by climatic parameters and, thus, are not biased by climate. The compound-specific δ13C signatures are strongly correlated to climate, showing a significant enrichment with increasing aridity, indicating the effect of water use efficiency. Our calibration results suggest that long-chain n-alkanes and their compound-specific δ13C signatures have great potential to reconstruct paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic conditions when used in sediment archives from Mongolia.

Compound-specific hydrogen and oxygen isotope analyzes on leaf wax-derived n-alkanes (δ 2 H n-alkane) and the hemicellulose-derived sugar arabinose (δ 18 O ara) are valuable, innovative tools for paleohydrological reconstructions. Previous calibration studies have revealed that δ 2 H n-alkane and δ 18 O ara reflect the isotopic composition of precipitation, but-depending on the region-may be strongly modulated by evapotranspirative enrichment. Since no calibration studies exist for semi-arid and arid Mongolia so far, we have analyzed δ 2 H n-alkane and δ 18 O ara in topsoils collected along a transect through Mongolia, and we compared these values with the isotopic composition of precipitation (δ 2 H p-WM and δ 18 O p-WM , modeled data) and various climate parameters. δ 2 H n-alkane and δ 18 O ara are more positive in the arid southeastern part of our transect, which reflects the fact that also the precipitation is more enriched in 2 H and 18 O along this part of the transect. The apparent fractionation ε app , i.e., the isotopic difference between precipitation and the investigated compounds, shows no strong correlation with climate along the transect (ε 2H n-C29/p = −129 ± 14 , ε 2H n-C31/p = −146 ± 14 , and ε 18O ara/p = +41 ± 2). Our results suggest that δ 2 H n-alkane and δ 18 O ara in topsoils from Mongolia reflect the isotopic composition of precipitation and are not strongly modulated by climate. Correlation with the isotopic composition of precipitation has root-mean-square errors of 13.4 for δ 2 H n-C29 , 12.6 for δ 2 H n-C31 , and 1.2 for δ 18 O ara , so our findings corroborate the great potential of compound-specific δ 2 H n-alkane and δ 18 O ara analyzes for paleohydrological research in Mongolia.

The semi-arid regions of the eastern Eurasian Steppe and the Altai Region are highly sensitive towards climate change and are expected to increasingly experience drought conditions by rising temperatures during the next decades (Batima et al., 2005;Dai, 2011). This sensitivity is mostly due to its continentality and complex climate forcing by the interplay of several large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns affecting moisture advection and precipitation variability (Aizen et al., 2001;D'Arrigo et al., 2000). While the cold and dry winter climate is controlled by the Siberian High, moisture and precipitation is mainly brought by the mid-latitude Westerlies and in the past to some extent by the low-latitude East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM; Hoerling et al., 2001;Visbeck, 2002). However, the past evolution of those atmospheric circulation systems remains controversial, and little is known about their interactions and how they have affected climate variability in the region. Currently, paleoclimate information from the Altai Region is mainly derived from pollen-based vegetation reconstructions that mostly show more extensive forests and boreal woodlands before ∼4 ka, and the dominance of steppe vegetation thereafter. This is generally interpreted to indicate warmer conditions with increased precipitation before ∼4 ka, followed by colder conditions with decreased precipitation (Blyakharchuk et al., 2007;Brugger et al., 2018;Rudaya et al., 2009). However, the expansion of grasslands and steppes after ∼4 ka BP could also be driven by intensified anthropogenic land-use, which is assumed to start with the introduction of mobile pastoralism from the Western Eurasian

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