Li/Ca ratios of ostracod shells at Lake Qinghai, NE Tibetan Plateau, China: a potential temperature indicator

Abstract

Acquiring continuous and high-resolution natural records in recent 2,000 years is the hot issue in the palaeoclimate research. Recent studies revealed that Li/Ca and Mg/Li ratio of carbonate is a potential tracer of past environmental changes in the oceans, and is seldom applied for palaeoclimate reconstruction in lakes. To make full understanding of the potential of Li/Ca ratios of carbonates in lakes, Li/Ca ratios of monospecific ostracod shell Eucypris inflate with similar size in the lacustrine sediment core from Lake Qinghai, NE Tibetan Plateau have been analysed for the first time. Single species can effectively avoid the interspecies effects. In combination with the sedimentation rate that existed, data derived from 210Pb and 137Cs, downcore variations of Li/Ca ratios of ostracod shells during the past 800 years in Lake Qinghai have been reconstructed successfully. By comparing Li/Ca ratios and temperature inferred from meteorological records and tree ring widths in Dulan and Qilianshan in adjacent regions, Li/Ca ratios of ostracod shells negatively correlate with temperature. Higher temperature corresponds with lower Li/Ca ratios, and vice versa, indicating that Li/Ca ratio of ostracod shells is an effective indicator for temperature variations. Therefore, ongoing in-depth investigation using Li/Ca ratios of carbonates in more lakes to further reveal its palaeotemperature implications would be deserved.