Abstract
Abstract. The transboundary Lake Prespa (Albania/former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/Greece) has been recognized as a conservation priority wetland. The high biodiversity encountered in the catchment at present points to the refugial character of this mountainous region in the southwestern Balkans. A lake sediment core retrieved from a coring location in the northern part of the lake was investigated through sedimentological, geochemical, and palynological analyses. Based on tephrochronology, radiocarbon and electron spin resonance (ESR) dating, and cross correlation with other Northern Hemisphere records, the age model suggests that the basal part of core Co1215 reaches back to 92 ka cal BP. Here we present the responses of this mid-altitude site (849 m a.s.l.) to climate oscillations during this interval and assess its sensitivity to millennial-scale variability. Endogenic calcite precipitation occurred in marine isotope stages (MIS) 5 and 1 and is synchronous with periods of increased primary production (terrestrial and/or lacustrine). Periods of pronounced phytoplankton blooms (inferred from green algae and dinoflagellate concentrations) are recorded in MIS 5 and MIS 1 and suggest that the trophic state and lake levels underwent substantial fluctuations. Three major phases of vegetation development are distinguished: the forested phases of MIS 5 and MIS 1 dominated by deciduous trees with higher temperatures and moisture availability, the open landscapes of MIS 3 with significant presence of temperate trees, and the pine-dominated open landscapes of MIS 4 and MIS 2 with lower temperatures and moisture availability. Our findings suggest significant changes in forest cover and landscape openness, as well as in the properties of the vegetation belts (composition and distribution) over the period examined. The study area most likely formed the upper limit of several drought-sensitive trees (temperate tree refugium) at these latitudes in the Mediterranean mountains.
Highlights
The Balkan Peninsula has very heterogeneous habitats, landscapes, and climate (Grove and Rackham, 2003)
One core half was used for nondestructive analyses (e.g., XRF scanning) and archived at the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy at the University of Cologne, Germany; the other half was subsampled at 2 cm intervals and the samples were freeze-dried and homogenized using an agate ball mill
This study presents sedimentological, palynological, and geochemical parameters for the longest (1776 cm) composite core to date, after the addition of 2 m recovered during fieldwork in June 2011
Summary
The Balkan Peninsula has very heterogeneous habitats, landscapes, and climate (Grove and Rackham, 2003) This heterogeneity has shaped the fauna and flora through time and accounts for the impressive floral and faunal biodiversity found on the Iberian and Italian peninsulas (Blondel et al, 2010). These three Mediterranean peninsulas, in particular the Balkans, are thought to have provided shelter for species over recurring glacial–interglacial cycles (Griffiths et al, 2004). Long and continuous sequences registering millennial-scale variability during this period are located almost exclusively within the Mediterranean region. The second feature is the relative high density of long
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