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Late Quaternary environmental history of the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the Lake Naleng non-pollen palynomorph record

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Abstract

A 17.81 m sediment core from Lake Naleng, a freshwater lake in the south-eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau was examined for its non-pollen palynomorph (NPP) composition. The frequencies of 15 NPPs and three aquatic pollen types were determined in 160 samples. Since the origin of several NPP types is still unknown, multivariate analysis, supported by findings from the corresponding fossil pollen flora, was carried out to extract information about their ecological environments. The analysis allowed a classification of all microfossils in four groups of environmental response, which provided an approach to tracing lake history and palaeoclimatic changes in the area since the Late Glacial (since 17,700 cal years b.p.). Unstable lake conditions and a low organic productivity were reconstructed for the Late Glacial before 14,600 cal years b.p. with high inputs of terrestrial material. Climate conditions became wetter during the Bølling/Allerød interval indicated by high productivity in the lake. After a short climate deterioration (12,500–11,500 cal years b.p.), stable lake conditions were inferred from the record. During the late Holocene (since 2,700 cal years b.p.) changes in the NPP composition might be related to human impact, the latter being inferred from the pollen data through the presence of grazing indicators.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Bas van Geel for his help with identification of non-pollen-palynomorphs, Hanno Meyer for determination of stable carbon isotopes, two anonymous reviewers and Jean Nicolas Haas for helpful comments. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG He 3622/3-1 and Mi 730/1-1). Annette Kramer is grateful to the federal state of Berlin for a graduate fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473, Potsdam, Germany

    Annette Kramer & Ulrike Herzschuh

  2. Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstrasse 74-100, 12249, Berlin, Germany

    Annette Kramer & Steffen Mischke

  3. Centre for Arid Environment and Paleoclimate Research, Lanzhou University, Tianshui Road 298, 730000, Lanzhou, China

    Chengjun Zhang

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  1. Annette Kramer
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  2. Ulrike Herzschuh
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  4. Chengjun Zhang
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Correspondence to Annette Kramer.

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Communicated by Jean Nicolas Haas.

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Kramer, A., Herzschuh, U., Mischke, S. et al. Late Quaternary environmental history of the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the Lake Naleng non-pollen palynomorph record. Veget Hist Archaeobot 19, 453–468 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-009-0219-5

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