Abstract
Abstract. Here we use lake sediment studies from Sweden to illustrate how Holocene-aged oxygen isotope records from lakes located in different hydrological settings, can provide information about climate change. In particular changes in precipitation, atmospheric circulation and water balance. We highlight the importance of understanding the present lake hydrology, and the relationship between climate variables and the oxygen isotopic composition of precipitation ( δ18Op) and lake waters (δ18Olakewater) for interpretation of the oxygen isotopic record from the sediments (δ18O). Both precipitation reconstructions from Northern Sweden and water balance reconstructions from South and Central Sweden show that the atmospheric circulation changed from zonal to a more meridional airflow over the Holocene. Superimposed on this Holocene trend are δ18Op minima resembling intervals of the negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), thus suggesting that the climate of Northern Europe is strongly influenced by atmospheric and oceanic circulation changes over the North Atlantic.
Highlights
For interpretation of anthropogenic climate changes, an understanding of natural climate variability is important (e.g. Mayewski et al, 2004; IPCC, 2007; Jones et al, 2009)
Δ18O records from lake sediments improve our understanding about Holocene climate change and variability
We illustrate how Holocene-aged δ18O sediment records, from lakes located in different hydrological settings in Sweden, can provide information about different aspects of climate change, such as changes in atmospheric circulation, precipitation pattern, and water balance
Summary
1996), it is expected that changes in δ18Op will be transferred to the isotopic composition of lake waters (δ18Olakewater) and recorded in lake sediments δ18O (Darling et al, 2004; Leng and Marshall., 2004; Jonsson et al, 2010). Fennoscandia have the potential of retaining many different aspects of water isotope composition in their sediments which can be used for palaeoclimate reconstruction. This may be annual δ18Op, seasonally specific δ18Op or changes in lake water budget determined by the evaporation to inflow ratio (E/I). We illustrate how Holocene-aged δ18O sediment records, from lakes located in different hydrological settings in Sweden, can provide information about different aspects of climate change, such as changes in atmospheric circulation, precipitation pattern, and water balance. We highlight the importance of understanding the modern and past lake hydrology and its relationship with climate parameters in order to interpret the δ18O sediment signal and provide a reliable reconstruction of climate change
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