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Late glacial and holocene landscapes of central Beringia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Anatoly V. Lozhkin ,
Patricia Anderson ,
Wendy R. Eisner  and
Tatiana B. Solomatkina
Anatoly V. Lozhkin*
Affiliation:
North East Interdisciplinary Science Research Center, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Magadan, 685000, Russia
Patricia Anderson
Affiliation:
Earth & Space Sciences, Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195-1310, USA
Wendy R. Eisner
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0131, USA
Tatiana B. Solomatkina
Affiliation:
North East Interdisciplinary Science Research Center, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Magadan, 685000, Russia
*
⁎Corresponding author at: Earth & Space Sciences, Box 35-1310, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Fax: + 1 206 543 3836. E-mail address:pata@u.washington.edu (A.V. Lozhkin).
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Abstract

New palynological and sedimentological data from St. Lawrence Island present a rare view into late-glacial and Holocene environments of the central Bering Land Bridge. The late glaciation was a time of dynamic landscape changes in south-central Beringia, with active thermokarst processes, including the formation and drainage of thaw lakes. The presence of such a wet, unstable substrate, if widespread, probably would have had an adverse impact on food sources and mobility for many of the large mammal populations. The establishment of Betula shrub tundra on the island suggests late-glacial summers that were warmer than present, consistent with regional paleoclimatic interpretations. However, the increasing proximity to the Bering Sea, as postglacial sea levels rose, modified the intensity of warming and prevented the establishment of deciduous forest as found in other areas of Beringia at this time. The mid- to late Holocene is marked by more stable land surfaces and development of Sphagnum and Cyperaceae peat deposits. The accumulation of organic deposits, decline of shrub Betula, and decrease in thermokarst disturbance suggest that conditions were cooler than the previous. A recent decline in peat accumulation at the study sites may relate to local geomorphology, but similar decreases have been noted for other arctic regions.

Keywords

Bering Land BridgeThermokarst processesPeatLate glaciationHolocene
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 76 , Issue 3 , November 2011 , pp. 383 - 392
Copyright
University of Washington

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