Quantitative reconstructions of Holocene and Late Pleistocene palaeotemperatures in Yakutia, North-Eastern Russia using regional Chironnomid inference model

• Applicant: Dr. Larisa Nazarova
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2007 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 39952886

In spite of a high importance of Northern Russia for global climate development there are only few examples of quantitative palaeoclimate studies in this region. The main drawback of the reconstruction approach is the lack of a regional calibration datasets. Any application of non-regional models for To reconstruction causes difficulty in data interpretation and makes results controversial and incompatible. The aims of the project are: To complete a regional chironomid-inferred air temperature, water depth, water conductivity models and to make, a high resolution reconstructions of Holocene and Late Pleistocene palaeoclimate variability in Central Yakutia, using these regional models and advanced analysis of the fossil chironomid fauna from long sediment cores (more than 10 ka BP). The project will lead to: first regional Russian chironomid-based calibration data set; first pan-Eurasian database on subfossil chironomids; chironomid mean July air temperature, water depth, conductivity inference models; the first estimates of climate-related parameters for this area made with regional models; insights into how future climate change might affect freshwater ecosystems in extreme conditions; new ecological data about chironomid faunas from this poorly-studied region; the first taxonomic database and web-based identification guide to chironomids from Northern Russia. The proposed work is a part of multi-proxy studies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants