East Siberian ice wedges recording dust transport variability during the Late Pleistocene
During the Late Pleistocene, a severely cold and dry climate strengthened dust production across the Northern Hemisphere. Despite many studies examining aridification and dust production, there is a lack of understanding about dust transportation during global climate variability. Long-range transported (LRT) dust can be traced by comparing global geochemical signatures and constraining provenance relationships. Here we report rare earth element abundances and strontium, neodymium, and oxygen isotope compositions of inorganic substances in ice wedges from Batagay and Central Yakutia (Cyuie and Churapcha), which comprise Yedoma deposits that formed in unglaciated Beringia. Distinct geochemical properties reflect differences between local and LRT dust contributions. Particles in the Batagay ice wedges show higher similarities to Chinese aeolian deposits, while those in Central Yakutia indicate stronger local input. These provenance constraints highlight variability in atmospheric circulation transporting dust to the Arctic during the Late Pleistocene, linking climate changes to aerosol distribution.
Authors
- Jinho Ahn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2280-2832)
- Hanno Meyer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4129-4706)
- Yuyoung Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3991-4718)
- Ui‐Jin Kwon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6846-2735)
- Thomas Opel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1315-8256)
- Go Iwahana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4628-1074)
- Jeong‐Heon Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2423-9959)
- Alexander N. Fedorov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4016-2149)
- Sebastian Wetterich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9234-1192)
- Hyunwoo Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7742-3357)
- Soyeon Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7604-988X)
- Jeongmin Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2700-5501)
- Mi Jung Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1194-5918)
Institutions
- Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE)
- Seoul National University (KR)
- University of Alaska Fairbanks (US)
- Korea Polar Research Institute (KR)
- Melnikov Permafrost Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science (RU)
- National University College (PR)
- Korea Basic Science Institute (KR)
- International Arctic Research Center
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-11-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65772-2
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.30