Climate reconstruction for the Holsteinian Interglacial in eastern Poland and its comparison with isotopic data from Marine Isotope Stage 11

Abstract

Sediments of palaeolakes located in eastern Poland represent the Holsteinian Interglacial and the initial part of the succeeding Saalian Glaciation. They consist of 55 m thick lake marl and calcareous gyttja deposits. Reconstruction of climate during this part of the Pleistocene was carried out by the analyses of oxygen and carbon isotope ratios of carbonates, palynological data, Al and Ca content of sediments. Isotope ratios and palynological results give in some cases contradictory results. delta(18)O ratios from Lake Ossowka (eastern Poland) indicate relatively cool conditions at the climatic optimum of the Holsteinian Interglacial. Low ratios may have been caused by increased precipitation that led to high stands of the lake level. During the initial stages of the following glaciation, the delta(18)O and delta(13)C ratios increased, probably resulting from low water level and strong evaporation in cool and dry climate phases. Additionally, high Al contents indicate high allochthonous siliciclastic input. High Ca concentrations indicate autochthonous carbonate precipitation from the lake epilimnion. The combined climate indicators for the Holsteinian Interglacial in eastern Poland suggest that this temperate episode corresponds to Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11) of the North Atlantic. Comparison of the continental record from eastern Poland with the marine record from the North Atlantic separated by about 2500 km indicates that even small climatic changes can be identified in genetically different deposits, documenting the global nature of Pleistocene climate trends. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.