Post-glacial history of Siberian spruce (Picea obovata) in the Lake Baikal area and the significance of this species as a paleo-environmental indicator

Hunter–gatherer foraging ranges, migrations, and travel in the middle Holocene Baikal region of Siberia: Insights from carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures

“…The change in middle Holocene climate and environment is rather well documented for the broader region, with proxy records indicating increasing aridity and temperature variability (Bezrukova et al, 2005(Bezrukova et al, , 2010Prokopenko et al, 2007;Tarasov et al, 2009;White and Bush, 2010). This change is believed to be the most significant within the entire Holocene and it seems to have occurred sometime between $7000 and 6500 cal BP, thus roughly coinciding with the main boundaries of our culture-history model (Table 1).…”

“…Despite steady progress, the timing, tempo and parameters of middle Holocene climate change in the Baikal region (Bezrukova et al, 2005(Bezrukova et al, , 2010Prokopenko et al, 2007;Tarasov et al, 2009;White and Bush, 2010) still remain difficult to pin down with the detail necessary to model its potentially multiple effects. Understanding of these impacts is essential because they would allow detailed mapping of shifts in the distribution of plant communities, changes in the distribution and abundance of the ungulates and their resilience to human exploitation, and stability of the riverine and lacustrine fisheries.…”

“…Only the Little Sea appears somewhat small but even there Ol'khon Island is about 50 km long (10-15 km wide) and the mainland gives today an additional 60-80 km of such more open landscape in places 20-30 km wide, with three of the largest of Baikal's west coast rivers (Sarma, Anga, and Bugul'deika) also located with- in the micro-region. While the modern vegetation cannot be viewed as a direct reflection of the past situation, it nevertheless shows where mosaic landscapes likely existed in the past and where they would expand or shrink in response to the middle Holocene climate change (Bezrukova et al, 2005(Bezrukova et al, , 2010Prokopenko et al, 2007;Tarasov et al, 2009;White and Bush, 2010). The matter is further complicated by the fact that nearly all the proxy records on which our understanding of the past vegetation in the region is based come from the Trans-Baikal (area to the southeast of Lake Baikal) rather than from the micro-regions examined in this study.…”

Siberian Permafrost Thawing Accelerated at the Bølling/Allerød and Preboreal Warm Periods During the Last Deglaciation

“…The cosmogenic 10 Be ages of erratic boulders, caused by release from melting glaciers in the southern coastlines of Lake Baikal area, ranged from 13.9 ± 0.9 to 13.1 ± 0.8 kyr ago on weight average (Horiuchi et al, 2004). A similar conclusion was drawn from the expansion of Siberian spruce distribution in the Lake Baikal region during the undivided BA interval (Figure 3e; Bezrukova et al, 2005;Shichi et al, 2013). The pollen spectra of Picea obovata in Siberia is an important indicator of soil moisture availability.…”

The Response of the Environment of the Angara-Lena Plateau to Global Climate Change in the Holocene

“…Резкое снижение роли ели позднее 6000 л.н. в лесной растительности Ангаро-Ленского плато совпадает со временем деградации еловой составляющей в лесах всего Байкальского региона [Bezrukova et al, 2005], свидетельствуя об общей причине этого явления.…”