Integrated reconstruction of Holocene millennial-scale environmental changes in Tierra del Fuego, southernmost South America

Waldmann, Nicolás; Borromei, Ana Maria; Recasens, Cristina; Olivera, Daniela; Martínez, Marcelo A.; Maidana, Nora I.; Ariztegui, Daniel; Austin, James A.; Anselmetti, Flavio; Moy, Christopher M. (2014). Integrated reconstruction of Holocene millennial-scale environmental changes in Tierra del Fuego, southernmost South America. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 399, pp. 294-309. Elsevier 10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.01.023

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This study presents new paleoenvironmental data obtained from sedimentary cores from Lago Fagnano, an elon- gated lake located at 54°S in southernmost South America. Data from palynomorphs (pollen, spores and algae) and associated palynofacies as well as from diatom taxa retrieved from these cores compared with other regional proxies contribute to evaluate the similarities and differences in the climate patterns based on different proxies from southernmost Patagonia. The pollen analysis reveals that a grass steppe environment existed during the early Holocene (11,300–~8000 cal a BP) followed by a major vegetation change characterized by development of forest-steppe ecotone communities between ~8000 and ~6500 cal a BP, under more humid conditions. Between ~ 6500 and ~ 4000 cal a BP, expansion and colonization by Nothofagus forests reflect an increase in effec- tive moisture levels, while openness in the forest communities characterizes the region after ~ 1100 cal a BP. The palynological organic matter combined with the algal content reflects hydrological changes occurring in the lake and its nutrient status, probably in close relation with past climate oscillations. All these past ecological changes are closely related to oscillations in precipitation and temperature as a response to the variations in the latitudinal position and/or strength of the Southern Westerlies wind belt during the Holocene.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

10 Strategic Research Centers > Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR)
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences > Quaternary Geology

UniBE Contributor:

Anselmetti, Flavio

Subjects:

500 Science > 550 Earth sciences & geology

ISSN:

0031-0182

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Flavio Anselmetti

Date Deposited:

16 Sep 2014 08:42

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:31

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.01.023

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.47443

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/47443

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