The first continuous Late Glacial – Holocene peat bog multi-proxy record from the Dolomites (NE Italian Alps)

Abstract

Paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental studies in the north-eastern Italian Alps have been hampered by the rarity of well-preserved high-altitude deposits and the lack of high-resolution multi-proxy records with adequate chronological control. This paper presents the first complete Late Glacial to Holocene peat succession from the Dolomites (Danta di Cadore, Belluno, Italian Alps). A 7 m core was used to evaluate the potential of the ombrotrophic Val di Ciampo peat deposit (1400 m a.s.l.) as an archive of environmental and climate change. The depth–age scale is based upon independent 14C and 210Pb dates and combined with peat stratigraphy demonstrates that the peat core covers more than 13,200 cal BP, extending to the end of the last part of the Late Glacial. Bulk density, inorganic matter content, pore water pH, conductivity, Ca/Mg ratios, and Ca, Sr and Ti trends were used to identify changes in trophic conditions through the bog. The boundary between ombrotrophic and minerotrophic conditions occurs at approximately 400 cm below the surface and demonstrates that this core is the longest Eastern Alpine ombrotrophic record yet obtained, corresponding to 7000 cal BP. The high-resolution chemical data of this peat archive improves our understanding of European Alpine Holocene climate variability and the relationship between natural climate fluctuations and anthropogenic climate change during the present interglacial in the Dolomites.