Late Glacial and Holocene history of climate, vegetation landscapes and fires in South Taiga of Western Siberia based on radiocarbon dating and multi-proxy palaeoecological research of sediments from Shchuchye Lake

Abstract To investigate long-term relationships between climate, vegetation, landscape geochemistry and fires in the boreal forest zone of Western Siberia, a sediment core of 345 cm was collected from Shchuchye Lake (located in south taiga zone of southeast part of West Siberian plain) and investigated by spore-pollen, radiocarbon, LOI and charcoal analyses. Quantitative palaeoclimate was reconstructed based on pollen data. Investigation revealed 13.2 cal ka history of vegetation, climate, landscapes and fires. In the dry climate of Late Glacial, the landscape was treeless. Continuous permafrost existed in the soil. In the middle of the YD cooling 12.4–12.2 cal ka BP, our data showed warming that caused degradation of permafrost in soils and settlement of spruce in moist places. Later, thawing and accumulation of moisture in a local lowering in relief increased and a lake was formed. With the beginning of the Holocene, the climate sharply changed to warmer and wetter. Intensified surface flow caused accumulation of mineral and carbonate fraction in the lake. Dense birch forests spread on drylands. As a result, the leaching regime initiated the formation of podzols in the soil. At about 10.0 cal ka BP, Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) quickly spread in the area of investigation. Fires became more frequent and more intense during the dry Late Glacial time, sharply decreasing with increased precipitation in the Early Holocene, and again moderately increasing with spread of pine forests in the mid Holocene. With the transition to Late Holocene (after 6.0 cal ka BP), the intensity of regional background fires and number of local fires decreased.