420
Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic: Dynamics and History
thinned out and the actual vegetation conditions were established, at the latest, by about 5.0 ka
BP (Atlantic/Subboreal boundary).
The modem vegetation at Kokora Lake is characterized by predominantly graminoid-herb
tundra, with boscages of alder and birch (with Betula nana), and with single larches of
dwarfish growth restricted to favourably exposed slopes and depressions. A preliminary, 5.2 m
long pollen record from Kokora Lake indicates an early Holocene to Atlantic spreading of dense
boscages combined with light forests, which were composed of larches and tree birches (forest
tundra; Figure 5). Starting in the Atlantic period, this vegetation transformed into a shrubgraminoid-herb tundra. In the lower part of the core, sediments reflecting a graminoid-herb
tundra with very high Cyperaceae contents represent the initial lake stage, which was probably
formed during the Younger Dryas event. They are underlain by terrestrial, sandy deposits with
plant remains and extremely high values of Larix (ca. 60 %). For these sediments, a formation
during Allerj3d time is assumed, supported by the overlaying sediment succession and the
occurrence of larch trunks in a nearby area which revealed a radiocarbon age of 10.5 ± 0.5 ka
BP (Ukraintseva, 1993).
Based on the temporal and spatial distribution of vegetation types in the four sediment cores
investigated, the following conclusions can be drawn concerning zonal vegetational shifts in
northern Central Siberia since latest Weichselian time (Figure 5).
At the end of the Late Weichselian, the slight warming during the Bj3lling period led to a
significant reduction of Artemisia pollen at Lama Lake, and to a shift from arctic desert to
..
c:
..
u
0
-
0
J:
c:
..
- - ..
'"
.<:
u
- . .
?:
EPOCH I
PERIOD
S<.O>aU.,UJC
Su_
AuantJc
8o
y-,Otya.
Al4lfod
Oidof Otyu
Boling
Oldest Dryas I
Stadia.,
101",_'
SI:aOa12
1n.,_12
Sladoal J
~
~
m - N
= ==LAMA== =_lAK-_-_E-_-=...J1 kin I KOKOAAlAKE I kin I LEVINSON·LESSING I Jon I CHANGEABLE lAKE I
s
: : Sh",O-gromnoid- : :
\ ::::.~.t~!I~! .:::
'. 'gr_mlnokl-herb :
1
tundra
,
\
\
Iotdl·~bI
lore..
\ ,
\
,
\ :: ". hr\lb'9am~.
\ .... hefb lund,. ..
Iotdl-SlJ ...... ~....,,)
forea.
1 - - - - - - 1 "
dense IarCl\
for •• t
b«dl
'01'0.1 tundra
· gf1lm[nold -hero
· . . lUnd, • . .
~",_b_iI'am~:
.••• I"Ie~ lund,.. •.. •
,
tOteS' tund,..
bVCft.Jarcn
fOr." tundra
- 1I" .... ,nOld ·noro .
. . lund,.. . .
,
\
,
,
,
latdl
'
" ..
tOfU' lundr. (7)
,I'
"-------'-'--"
• ur·mlf1oJd .... ~
......
· ArtemIS .. lundt.
: sir~l~oks~~
lund,.
• 1I' .... lnoId .... ,.,.
: ~~~t~~,~
LEGEND :
vegetatIon types:
~ lorest
~ lorest tundra
I:::::: :1 shrub tundra
c=J gramloold tundra
~ arctic desert
• W'amlnokl-hGrb '
,,1------1
: : . !U~-:-. : :
. ~ . . . - ...
......... , ..
.............
: shrub ·&)dar -tM::h :: "
::::: lundra :::::: \
:::: ahrub-bm:h :::: "
:::::_ ~~~~.:::::: I
· gramlnok:l -heJb·
· . . tundra · . .
· gram mold -hetb-- •
(stmJb-btrc:h) lundr. ,
.rctlc
U.mdrll
g .. mlnold_ .
.(~). ,~~ ... :
.,<1lc
de-.en
9t11mlnotd_ .
(SIUIA» lund",
arctic
daun
,
,
,
\
.
,
,
arc'Uc
• graminold ·herb
· . . tundra . .
• gramlnoJd -heJb
- 1undr. -
Figure 5: Scheme of Holocene and Weichselian zonal vegetational shifts (duration as far as recorded) in northern
Central Siberia, based on detailed palynological results from Lama Lake and Levinson-Lessing Lake,
supplemented by preliminary data from the lakes Kokora and Changeable. Latitudinal distances between the lakes
are presented in the triangles at the top (for lake locations see Figure I).
Land-Ocean Systems in the Siberian Arctic: Dynamics and History
thinned out and the actual vegetation conditions were established, at the latest, by about 5.0 ka
BP (Atlantic/Subboreal boundary).
The modem vegetation at Kokora Lake is characterized by predominantly graminoid-herb
tundra, with boscages of alder and birch (with Betula nana), and with single larches of
dwarfish growth restricted to favourably exposed slopes and depressions. A preliminary, 5.2 m
long pollen record from Kokora Lake indicates an early Holocene to Atlantic spreading of dense
boscages combined with light forests, which were composed of larches and tree birches (forest
tundra; Figure 5). Starting in the Atlantic period, this vegetation transformed into a shrubgraminoid-herb tundra. In the lower part of the core, sediments reflecting a graminoid-herb
tundra with very high Cyperaceae contents represent the initial lake stage, which was probably
formed during the Younger Dryas event. They are underlain by terrestrial, sandy deposits with
plant remains and extremely high values of Larix (ca. 60 %). For these sediments, a formation
during Allerj3d time is assumed, supported by the overlaying sediment succession and the
occurrence of larch trunks in a nearby area which revealed a radiocarbon age of 10.5 ± 0.5 ka
BP (Ukraintseva, 1993).
Based on the temporal and spatial distribution of vegetation types in the four sediment cores
investigated, the following conclusions can be drawn concerning zonal vegetational shifts in
northern Central Siberia since latest Weichselian time (Figure 5).
At the end of the Late Weichselian, the slight warming during the Bj3lling period led to a
significant reduction of Artemisia pollen at Lama Lake, and to a shift from arctic desert to
..
c:
..
u
0
-
0
J:
c:
..
- - ..
'"
.<:
u
- . .
?:
EPOCH I
PERIOD
S<.O>aU.,UJC
Su_
AuantJc
8o
y-,Otya.
Al4lfod
Oidof Otyu
Boling
Oldest Dryas I
Stadia.,
101",_'
SI:aOa12
1n.,_12
Sladoal J
~
~
m - N
= ==LAMA== =_lAK-_-_E-_-=...J1 kin I KOKOAAlAKE I kin I LEVINSON·LESSING I Jon I CHANGEABLE lAKE I
s
: : Sh",O-gromnoid- : :
\ ::::.~.t~!I~! .:::
'. 'gr_mlnokl-herb :
1
tundra
,
\
\
Iotdl·~bI
lore..
\ ,
\
,
\ :: ". hr\lb'9am~.
\ .... hefb lund,. ..
Iotdl-SlJ ...... ~....,,)
forea.
1 - - - - - - 1 "
dense IarCl\
for •• t
b«dl
'01'0.1 tundra
· gf1lm[nold -hero
· . . lUnd, • . .
~",_b_iI'am~:
.••• I"Ie~ lund,.. •.. •
,
tOteS' tund,..
bVCft.Jarcn
fOr." tundra
- 1I" .... ,nOld ·noro .
. . lund,.. . .
,
\
,
,
,
latdl
'
" ..
tOfU' lundr. (7)
,I'
"-------'-'--"
• ur·mlf1oJd .... ~
......
· ArtemIS .. lundt.
: sir~l~oks~~
lund,.
• 1I' .... lnoId .... ,.,.
: ~~~t~~,~
LEGEND :
vegetatIon types:
~ lorest
~ lorest tundra
I:::::: :1 shrub tundra
c=J gramloold tundra
~ arctic desert
• W'amlnokl-hGrb '
,,1------1
: : . !U~-:-. : :
. ~ . . . - ...
......... , ..
.............
: shrub ·&)dar -tM::h :: "
::::: lundra :::::: \
:::: ahrub-bm:h :::: "
:::::_ ~~~~.:::::: I
· gramlnok:l -heJb·
· . . tundra · . .
· gram mold -hetb-- •
(stmJb-btrc:h) lundr. ,
.rctlc
U.mdrll
g .. mlnold_ .
.(~). ,~~ ... :
.,<1lc
de-.en
9t11mlnotd_ .
(SIUIA» lund",
arctic
daun
,
,
,
\
.
,
,
arc'Uc
• graminold ·herb
· . . tundra . .
• gramlnoJd -heJb
- 1undr. -
Figure 5: Scheme of Holocene and Weichselian zonal vegetational shifts (duration as far as recorded) in northern
Central Siberia, based on detailed palynological results from Lama Lake and Levinson-Lessing Lake,
supplemented by preliminary data from the lakes Kokora and Changeable. Latitudinal distances between the lakes
are presented in the triangles at the top (for lake locations see Figure I).