Early to middle Holocene pollen record from the Laptev Sea (Arctic Siberia)

Abstract

On the basis of pollen and spore assemblages in sediment core from the eastern Laptev Sea shelf, climatic fluctuations and related changes in vegetation on the adjacent land can be recognized for the time from 11.3 cal. ka BP to 5.3 cal. ka BP. Around 11.3 cal. ka BP, climate was warmer than now and southern shrubby tundra was widely distributed on the coast. Until 10.3 cal. ka BP, shrub tundra dominated and climate was milder than today. The time interval 10.3–9.0 cal. ka BP was marked by increased abundance of arboreal plants; climate became more humid and warmer. In the interval of 9.3–8.0 cal. ka BP, climate was increasingly humid and warm, and forest-tundra vegetation occupied more favorable locations in the region. The increased abundance of arboreal pollen in the shelf zone can be interpreted as a response to the northward displacement of the treeline after 9.0 cal. ka BP. From approximately 7.6 to nearly 5.3 cal. ka BP, southern shrub tundra was renewed and climatic conditions were warmer than now.