Palaeoecological reconstruction of the Late Glacial and Early Holocene based on pollen data from lake Novozhilovo (Perm region, Russia)

Abstract

This paper provides the first paleolimnological studies performed in the upper Kama basin (Perm region). These yielded a detailed pollen record characterizing the changes in the natural conditions of the transition from the periglacial environment of the Late Glacial period to the interglacial conditions of the Holocene between 14.15 and 10.0 cal ka BP. It was found that open birch woodland with larch existed in the Allerød period (14.15–12.7 сal ka BP) and was replaced by larch forest-steppe during the Younger Dryas (12.7–11.5 cal ka BP). The spread of spruce began in the early Holocene between 11.5 and 10.7 cal ka BP, whereas open larch and spruce woodlands became dominant between 10.7 and 10.0 cal ka BP. Quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction reveals that the average temperature of the warmest month (July) and the annual precipitation were considerably lower than modern values. The average July temperature increased from 10 to 16ºС between 14.15 and 12.7 cal ka BP. Then, small fluctuations within 1ºС occurred between 12.7 and 10.0 cal ka BP. The average annual precipitation was 200-300 mm below modern values between 14.15 and 10.7 cal ka BP and reached them only after 10.7 cal ka BP.