Abstract
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify a series of n-alkanes in the sediments of a typical glacially eroded lake in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. By comparing the distribution patterns of n-alkanes in lake sediments, surface soils and cow manure, it was shown that n-C27-n-C33 alkanes in the soil ecosystem of Ximen Co are derived from vascular plant species and that the distribution pattern of n-C27-n-C33 alkanes remains unchanged during the feeding and digestion processes of herbivores. The relative percentage of C27, C29 and C31 n-alkanes decreased from the bottom to the top of the sediment core showing a trend of degradation of higher plants in the Ximen Co lake region during the formation of the 44 cm core. 210Pb dating, combined with pre-existing AMS 14C dating results showed that the depositional core reflects climatic and environmental variations since about 900 years before present. The n-alkane indexes (ACL27–33, P aq, P wax) are comparable with regional temperature variation, especially recording the Little Ice Age event (LIA). This study highlights that n-alkanes are valid proxies for paleo-climate and paleo-environment reconstruction, despite the same distribution patterns in n-alkane molecular fossils derived from a typical glacially eroded lake.
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Pu, Y., Zhang, H., Wang, Y. et al. Climatic and environmental implications from n-alkanes in glacially eroded lake sediments in Tibetan Plateau: An example from Ximen Co. Chin. Sci. Bull. 56, 1503–1510 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-011-4454-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-011-4454-7