New pollen records of Late Pleistocene and Holocene changes of environment and climate in the Lower Amur River basin, NE Eurasia

Abstract

The Late Pleistocene–Holocene paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental changes of the Lower Amur Basin are presented based on pollen records from radiocarbon dated peat sections. The Gur section represents the most complete terrestrial record of the Russian Far East, and probably for all of Northeast Asia. Landscape changes are reconstructed for warm events, corresponding to the Bølling and Allerød, and cold episodes as Middle Dryas and Younger Dryas in Europe. There were three warm periods in the Lower Amur basin: 8900–8300, 5000–5700 and 3200–4200 BP. A major expansion of diverse species in the forest formations in the entire Lower Amur River basin occurred at 5000–5700 BP. Changes and developments of paleoclimate events and paleoenvironmental changes of Late Pleistocene and Holocene in Lower Amur basin were correlative with European climate events.