Comment on egusphere-2023-118

Abstract

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> The study of freshwater carbonates, such as travertines and speleothems, provides valuable insights into the regional biases of mid-Holocene climate development in Central-Eastern (CE) and South-Eastern (SE) Europe. The formation of a lake in the travertine deposition system of the Santovka site, located at the transition of the Western Carpathians and the Pannonian Basin, has led to the preservation of a valuable record. We analyzed the litho- and microstratigraphy, chemical composition, including &delta;¹⁸O and &delta;¹³C stable isotopes, and geochronology of the Santovka-village section. We then compared these palaeoclimatic records with reference records from Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe in terms of significant climate shifts. The prevalent part of the section studied, which spans between 8200 and 6400 cal BP, is represented by fluvial/fluvio-lacustrine sediments and lake marl. The 8.2 ka BP event was only detected in the &delta;¹³C record from the nearby Santovka-PB section. However, we found an abrupt change in both isotopic records around 7400&ndash;7200 cal BP, which is likely connected to increased detrital input and some minor palaeoecological changes in the Santovka-village section. These changes are most likely associated with the drying of the lake. The 8.2 event in Central-Eastern (CE) and South-Eastern (SE) Europe is well reflected in the &delta;¹³C records, while the change in &delta;¹⁸O was insignificant. In contrast, the newly suggested climate shift around 7400&ndash;7000 ka BP was detected at most sites in both &delta;¹⁸O and &delta;¹³C records. This development could be connected to a change in air mass circulation, synchronous with declining solar irradiance and increased evidence of drift ice in the North Atlantic.