The Last Interglacial (Eemian, MIS 5e) can be considered a test-bed for climate dynamics under a warmer-than-present climate. In this study we present a chironomid record from the high latitude Sokli site (N Finland), where a long continuous sediment sequence from the last interglacial has been preserved from glacial erosion. The chironomid-analysis shows a diverse fauna, with dominance of warm-water indicators and shifts in assemblage composition that can be attributed to temperature, lake depth, productivity and habitat availability. Quantitative mean July paleotemperature estimates based on the chironomid data indicate overall mean July air temperatures up to 1 degrees C warmer than present. Two cooling events can be discerned, the Tunturi event, dated to about 127.5kaBP, in the lower part of the sequence, and the Varrio event, dated to about 119kaBP, associated with the beginning of a cooling trend in the upper part of the record. Warm conditions already at the onset of the interglacial contrast with a recent chironomid-based last interglacial temperature reconstruction from Denmark, which suggests a late onset of Eemian warming. The relatively small increase in inferred temperatures compared to present day temperatures at Sokli differs from other high latitude Eemian sites, and likely reflects the influence of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation in maintaining already elevated temperatures in Fennoscandia during interglacials.
1.Stockholm Univ, Dept Phys Geog, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden 2.Stockholm Univ, Bolin Ctr Climate Res, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden 3.Birkbeck Univ London, Dept Geog, 32 Tavistock Sq, London, England 4.Univ Helsinki, Fac Biol & Environm Sci, Ecosyst & Environm Res Programme, Niemenkatu 73, Lahti 15140, Finland 5.Univ Potsdam, Inst Earth & Environm Sci, Karl Liebknecht Str 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany 6.Helmholtz Ctr Polar & Marine Res, Alfred Wegener Inst, Telegrafenberg A43, D-14473 Potsdam, Germany 7.Kazan Fed Univ, Kremlyovskaya Str 18, Kazan 420008, Russia 8.Univ Helsinki, Dept Geosci & Geog, POB 64, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Recommended Citation:
Plikk, Anna,Engels, Stefan,Luoto, Tomi P.,et al. Chironomid-based temperature reconstruction for the Eemian Interglacial (MIS 5e) at Sokli, northeast Finland[J]. JOURNAL OF PALEOLIMNOLOGY,2019-01-01,61(3):355-371