Sediment record from the Kamyshovoe Lake: history of vegetation during late Pleistocene – early Holocene (Kaliningrad District, Russia)

Abstract

Newly obtained pollen and diatom data from the Kamyshovoe Lake (previous Dobauen, Germ.), Vishtynets Highland, Baltic Uplands, analyzed by radiocarbon dating allowed to reconstruct the history of local vegetation during late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Pollen records show the formation of birchpredominating forest at ca. 13.4 ka cal. BP and the flourishing of pine towards the second half of the Allerød since about 13.2 ka cal. BP. The transition to the Younger Dryas around 12.7 ka cal. BP led to the development of sparse shrub tundra with Juniperus and communities of steppe herbs. Amelioration of the environmental regime enabled birch and pine woods to spread during the second part of the GS-1 event and the Preboreal. The late Preboreal time is marked by the appearance of Populus and an increase in the role of grasses in the vegetation cover, which can be correlated with similar open vegetation phases deduced from other pollen records in Europe (11.3-11.1 ka cal. BP). During the Boreal (since ca. 10.0 ka cal. BP) Corylus had its maximum value, Alnus, Tilia and Quercus appeared and spread while the birch-pine forests retreated.

The Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene palaeoenvironmental evolution in the SE Baltic region: a new approach based on chironomid, geochemical and isotopic data from Kamyshovoye Lake, Russia

“…Analysis of the lithological composition of the 1199–700 cm interval has revealed seven lithological units (Druzhinina et al . 2015; Table 2). The sequence below 853 cm is dominated by mineral sediments with various organic impurities, while the uppermost portion of the interval (853–700 cm) contains organic gyttja.…”

“…During the previous study of the Kamyshovoye lake sequence, an age‐depth model (ADM), based mainly on radiocarbon dating, was constructed (Druzhinina et al . 2015). A very limited amount of 14 C data was obtained from the lowest part of the section due to a lack of suitable material.…”

“…Furthermore, at that time the area was covered by a Betula‐Pinus forest, although the occurrence of thermophilous taxa, such as Alnus , Ulmus , Corylus and Carpinus , proves the presence of redeposited pollen grains in the spectra (Druzhinina et al . 2015). The above changes can be correlated with the second part of the GI‐1a event (Lowe et al .…”

“…A drop in the δ 18 O isotopic curve suggests a negative reversal of the climatic regime that coincides with the formation of more open vegetation communities, as confirmed by the available pollen record (Druzhinina et al . 2015). The level recorded was followed by an interval of environmental and climatic deterioration, which can be correlated with the Younger Dryas climatic reversal, i.e.…”

“…During the previous study of the Kamyshovoye Lake sequence the evolution of vegetation changes and basin dynamics, as well as major climatic implications, were discussed, based on the analysis of biotic proxy data (Druzhinina et al . 2015). In the present paper, more recent results from isotopic, palaeomagnetic, chironomid and geochemical data analyses are compared with earlier information to provide a better understanding of the climatic changes and landscape dynamics that occurred during the Lateglacial and Early Holocene in this part of the Baltic Region.…”