A 40,000-yr record of environmental change from Burial Lake in Northwest Alaska
A 40,000-yr record of environmental change from Burial Lake in Northwest Alaska
Burial Lake in northwest Alaska records changes in water level and regional vegetation since ?39,000 cal yr
BP based on terrestrial macrofossil AMS radiocarbon dates. A sedimentary unconformity is dated between
34,800 and 23,200 cal yr BP. During all or some of this period there was a hiatus in deposition indicating a
major drop in lake level and deflation of lacustrine sediments. MIS 3 vegetation was herb-shrub tundra;
more xeric graminoid-herb tundra developed after 23,200 cal yr BP. The tundra gradually became more
mesic after 17,000 cal yr BP. Expansions of Salix then Betula, at 15,000 and 14,000 cal yr BP, respectively, are
coincident with a major rise in lake level marked by increasing fine-grained sediment and higher organic
matter content. Several sites in the region display disrupted sedimentation and probable hiatuses during the
last glacial maximum (LGM); together regional data indicate an arid interval prior to and during the LGM
and continued low moisture levels until ?15,000 cal yr BP. AMS 14C dates from Burial Lake are approximately
synchronous with AMS 14C dates reported for the Betula expansion at nearby sites and sites across northern
Alaska, but 1000–2000 yr younger than bulk-sediment dates.
alaska, late-quaternary, climate change, aridity, lake-level, pollen, moisture balance
Abbott, Mark B.
3cc55c60-688c-4438-86af-896856f75e07
Edwards, Mary E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Finney, Bruce P.
575e6270-af36-49fe-bdd7-0c52a7a40fca
2010
Abbott, Mark B.
3cc55c60-688c-4438-86af-896856f75e07
Edwards, Mary E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Finney, Bruce P.
575e6270-af36-49fe-bdd7-0c52a7a40fca
Abbott, Mark B., Edwards, Mary E. and Finney, Bruce P.
(2010)
A 40,000-yr record of environmental change from Burial Lake in Northwest Alaska.
Quaternary Research.
(doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2010.03.007).
Abstract
Burial Lake in northwest Alaska records changes in water level and regional vegetation since ?39,000 cal yr
BP based on terrestrial macrofossil AMS radiocarbon dates. A sedimentary unconformity is dated between
34,800 and 23,200 cal yr BP. During all or some of this period there was a hiatus in deposition indicating a
major drop in lake level and deflation of lacustrine sediments. MIS 3 vegetation was herb-shrub tundra;
more xeric graminoid-herb tundra developed after 23,200 cal yr BP. The tundra gradually became more
mesic after 17,000 cal yr BP. Expansions of Salix then Betula, at 15,000 and 14,000 cal yr BP, respectively, are
coincident with a major rise in lake level marked by increasing fine-grained sediment and higher organic
matter content. Several sites in the region display disrupted sedimentation and probable hiatuses during the
last glacial maximum (LGM); together regional data indicate an arid interval prior to and during the LGM
and continued low moisture levels until ?15,000 cal yr BP. AMS 14C dates from Burial Lake are approximately
synchronous with AMS 14C dates reported for the Betula expansion at nearby sites and sites across northern
Alaska, but 1000–2000 yr younger than bulk-sediment dates.
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Published date: 2010
Keywords:
alaska, late-quaternary, climate change, aridity, lake-level, pollen, moisture balance
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 158377
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/158377
ISSN: 0033-5894
PURE UUID: a326edd2-163a-48da-8f4f-09ecf7596899
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Date deposited: 21 Jun 2010 08:11
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:47
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Author:
Mark B. Abbott
Author:
Bruce P. Finney
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