Chronology of Vegetation and Paleoclimatic Stages of Northwestern Russia During the Late Glacial and Holocene

Abstract

ABSTRACT. We have studied 6 reference sections of bog and lake sediments in the Leningrad and Novgorod provinces to develop a geochronological scale for vegetational and paleoclimatic changes in northwestern Russia during the Late Glacial and Holocene. Every 10-cm layer along the peat and gyttja sections (4-8.5 m thick) was investigated palynologically and the great majority of them were radiocarbon dated. Using the data obtained, standard palynological diagrams were plotted and vegetation history reconstructed. The palynozones indicated on the diagrams were related to the climatic periods and subperiods (phases) of the Blytt-Sernander scheme. On the basis of 230'4C dates obtained, we derived the geochronology of climatic periods and phases, as well as the chronology for the appearance and areal distribution of forest-forming tree species. The uppermost peat layers were dated by using the "bomb effect". We compared the stages of Holocene vegetation and paleoclimatic changes discovered for the Leningrad and Novgorod provinces with the those obtained for Karelia, which we had studied earlier using the same methodology.

Unstable early-Holocene climatic and environmental conditions in northwestern Russia derived from a multidisciplinary study of a lake-sediment sequence from Pichozero, southeastern Russian Karelia

“…BP (Figure 7). The compilation by Arslanov et al (1999) gives evidence for a number of colder/warmer fluctuations between 1A1 500 and 9500 cal. BP, but these do not correlate with those seen at Pichozero (Figure 7).…”

“…For example, the notion of unstable Holocene climatic conditions and cyclic recurrences of cold events during the Holocene have been common knowledge in Russia for many decades (Khotinsky, 1984;Klimanov, 1984;1989;Arslanov et al, 1999). Distinct short colder phases seem to have been characteristic of the early Holocene, especially during the Preboreal and Boreal, i.e., between 10 000 and 8000 BP (Khotinsky, 1987;Arslanov et al, 1999). The oldest of these fluctuations, which is centred around 9600 BP, is separated from the Younger Dryas by a short warmer phase (Arslanov et al, 1999) and might correspond to the Preboreal Oscillation of the North Atlantic region (Bj6rck et al, 1997).…”

“…Distinct short colder phases seem to have been characteristic of the early Holocene, especially during the Preboreal and Boreal, i.e., between 10 000 and 8000 BP (Khotinsky, 1987;Arslanov et al, 1999). The oldest of these fluctuations, which is centred around 9600 BP, is separated from the Younger Dryas by a short warmer phase (Arslanov et al, 1999) and might correspond to the Preboreal Oscillation of the North Atlantic region (Bj6rck et al, 1997). Three younger, shorter cooling periods occurred during the Boreal time period (Arslanov et al, 1999) and, although highly speculative, might correspond with the 10300-10400 cal.…”

Vegetation dynamics during the Younger Dryas-Holocene transition in the extreme northern taiga zone, northeastern European Russia

“…yr BP (Davydova & Servant-Vildary 1996;Arslanov et al 1999;Kaakinen & Eronen 2000;Kultti et al 2003;Väliranta et al 2003Väliranta et al , 2004. The Llet-Ti pollen records also indicate changes in forest composition about 3000 cal.…”

Mesolithic–Neolithic settlements Minino 2 and Zamostye 5 in their geo-environmental setting (Upper Volga Lowland, Central Russia)

“…Kvasov, 1975;Khotinsky, 1977Khotinsky, , 1984Aleshinskaya et al, 1992;Velichko et al, , 2002Velichko et al, , 2011Arslanov et al, 1999Arslanov et al, , 2001Sidorchuk et al, 2012). Local environment is mostly described for lakeside and riverside settlements in Yaroslavl, Moscow and Tver districts (Sidorov and Sorokin, 2000;Nikolaev et al, 2002;Sorokin, 2004Sorokin, , 2008Sorokin, , 2013Zhilin, 2005;Alexandrovskiy et al, 2009;Mazurkevich, 2009;Vandenberghe et al, 2010;Ershova et al, 2014;Lozovski et al, 2014).…”