Regional climate changes in the south part of East Siberia for the last 4.5 ka (Lake Frolikha, Northern Baikal area, Russia)

Abstract

East Siberia is a large region extending from Mongolia to the Arctic seas. The main atmosphere circulations of the Northern Hemisphere (the Northern Atlantic, Arctic and East Asia Oscillations) appear in this region. In addition, Lake Frolikha is situated at 55N, and the high latitude area is probably sensitive to variation in insolation and solar activity. Therefore, even minor shifts of the global climate may cause drastic climate changes within the study area. We analysed diatoms and mineralogical records of sediment core from Lake Frolikha situated near Lake Baikal. We interpreted these records in terms of the changing regional temperature, precipitation, vegetation and lake bio-productivity.