Investigations of lake sediments and limno-monitoring

Lake sediment investigations are currently concentrating on lake Chatyr-Kul in estern Kyrgyzstan, and on the Sary-Chelek Lake in the Chatkal Mountain Range (W-Kyrgyzstan), which has over 200 meter water depth and formed by a huge landslide of unknown age.

From various sub-basins of the Sary-Chelek short gravity cores were obtained with varved sediments. A thick slump found at the base of the cores is most likely caused by a major historical earthquake (Chatkal 1946 AD). As part of student qualification work, the landslide damming the Sary-Chelek, and some associated smaller lakes are currently being examined in more detail. Since 2013, various limnological and meteorological parameters have been measured in and around the Sary-Chelek. These data sets are used to understand the current dynamics of the lake and the paleoclimate proxy data obtained from lake sediments. With its seasonally stratified sediments the Sary-Chelek is a unique climate archive in the region and is to be examined in an even more intensive limnological and sedimentological manner in the future.

Lakes Kyle-Köl (foreground) and Sary-Chelek (background) with Chatkal Range, W-Kyrgyzstan.

View into a plastic drill tube with freshly cut sediment water interface from Lake Sary-Chelek.

Installation of an active dust sampler at the northern shore of Lake Sary-Chelek.

GFZ Coring platform on Lake Sary-Chelek.

Freshly cut laminated sediment from anchor mud of Lake Sary-Chelek.

Thin section photo (with crossed nicols) of laminated sediments from Sary-Chelek northern basin.

Drift wood at the Sary-Chelek lake floor.

Partner:
Dr. Ryskul Usubaliev, Aiperi Zhumalieva (CAIAG Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
Prof. Oliver Korup, Katrin Langenwalter (University Potsdam)
Dr. Katja Lindhorst, Dr. Stefan Lauterbach (University Kiel)
Ecenali Ormonaliev, Toktonaly Zunusov (Sary-Chelek National Reserve Authority, Arkit, Kyrgyzstan)
Dr. Martina Stebich (Senckenberg Research Station of Quaternary Palaeontology Weimar, Germany)
Dr. Natalia Ershova (Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonian University Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
Gulbara Omorova (Hiking Society, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
Prof. Ermek Baibagyshev (National Agrarian University, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan)
Dr. Kanayim Teshebaeva (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Funding:
GFZ, Global Change Observatory Central Asia
Hans-Böckler-Stiftung

References

Kalanke, J., Mingram, J., Lauterbach, S., Usubaliev, R., Brauer, A. (2020). Seasonal deposition processes and chronology of a varved Holocene lake sediment record from Lake Chatyr Kol (Kyrgyz Republic). Geochronology | doi:10.5194/gchron-2019-18
Schröter, N., Lauterbach, S., Kalanke, J., Mingram, J., Yildiz, C., Schouten, St., Gleixner, G. (2020). Evidence of early human occupation of a high-altitude site in Western Central Asia during the Holocene. Frontiers in Earth Science | doi:10.3389/feart.2020.00020
Lauterbach, S., Mingram, J., Schettler, G., Orunbaev, S. (2019). The AD 1946 Chatkal earthquake (MW=7.4) recorded in annually laminated lake sediments from Sary Chelek, western Kyrgyz Tian Shan. Quaternary Research | doi:10.1017/qua.2019.21
Schwarz, A., F. Turner, S. Lauterbach, B. Plessen, K. J. Krahn, S. Glodniok, S. Mischke, M. Stebich, R. Witt, J. Mingram, Schwalb, A.(2017). Mid- to late Holocene climate-driven regime shifts inferred from diatom, ostracod and stable isotope records from Lake Son Kol (Central Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan). Quaternary Science Reviews 177, 340-356.
Fohlmeister, J., Plessen, B., Dudashvili, A. S., Tjallingii, R., Wolff, C., Gafurov, A., Cheng, H. (2017): Winter precipitation changes during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age in arid Central Asia. - Quaternary Science Reviews, 178, pp. 24-36.
Wolff, Ch., Plessen, B., Dudashvilli, A.S., Breitenbach, S.F.M., Cheng, H., Edwards, L.R., Strecker, M.R. (2017). Precipitation evolution of Central Asia during the last 5000 years. The Holocene 27, 142-154.
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Heinecke, L., Epp, L. S., Reschke, M., Stoof-Leichsenring, K. R., Mischke, S., Plessen, B., Herzschuh, U. (2017): Aquatic macrophyte dynamics in Lake Karakul (Eastern Pamir) over the last 29 cal ka revealed by sedimentary ancient DNA and geochemical analyses of macrofossil remains. - Journal of Paleolimnology, 58, 3, pp. 403-417.
Seim, A., Omurova, G., Azisov, E., Musuraliev, K., Aliev, K., Tulyaganov, T., Lyutsian, N., Botman, E., Helle, G., Liñan, I.D., Jivcov, S., Linderholm, H.W. (2016). Climate Change Increases Drought Stress of Juniper Trees in the Mountains of Central Asia. PLoS ONE 11(4) | doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0153888
Pacton, M., Sorrel, P., Bevillard, B., ZacaÏ, A., Vincon-Laugier, A., Oberhänsli, H. (2015): Sedimentary facies analyses from nano- to millimetre scale exploring past microbial activity in a high-altitude lake (Lake Son Kul, Central Asia). Geological Magazine 1-21.
Lauterbach, S., Witt, R., Plessen, B., Dulski, P., Prasad, S., Mingram, J., Gleixner, G., Hettler-Riedel, S., Stebich, M., Schnetger, B., Schwalb, A., Schwarz, A. (2014): Climatic imprint of the mid-latitude Westerlies in the Central Tian Shan of Kyrgyzstan and teleconnections to North Atlantic climate variability during the last 6000 years. - Holocene, 24, 8, p. 970-984. | doi:10.1177/0959683614534741
Schettler, G., Shabunin, A., Kemnitz, H., Knoeller, K., Imashev, S., Rybin, A., Wetzel, H.-U. (2014). Seasonal and diurnal variations in dust characteristics on the northern slopes of the Tien Shan – Grain-size, mineralogy, chemical signatures and isotope composition of attached nitrate. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 88, 257-276.
Huang, X., Oberhänsli, H., von Suchodoletz, H., Prasad, S., Sorrel, P., Plessen, B., Mathis, M., Usubaliev, R. (2014): Hydrological changes in western Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan) during the Holocene as inferred from a palaeolimnological study in lake Son Kul. - Quaternary Science Reviews, 103, p. 134-152.
Oberhänsli, H., Novotná, K., Písková, A., Chabrillat, S., Nourgaliev, D.K., Kurbaniyazov, A.K., Matys Grygar, T. (2011). Variability in precipitation, temperature and river runoff in W Central Asia during the past ̴2000 yrs. Global and Planetary Change 76 (1-2), 95-104.
Huang, X., Oberhänsli, H., von Suchodoletz, H., Sorrel, P. (2011). Dust deposition in the Aral Sea: implications for changes in atmospheric circulation in central Asia during the past 2000 years. Quaternary Science Reviews 30 (25-26), 3661-3674.
Sorrel, P., Oberhänsli, H., Boroffka, N., Nourgaliev, D., Dulski, P., Röhl, U. (2007). Control of wind strength and frequency in the Aral Sea basin during the late Holocene. Quaternary Research 67 (3), 371-382.
Demory, F., Oberhansli, H., Nowaczyk, N.R., Gottschalk, M., Wirth, R., Naumann, R. (2005). Detrital input and early diagenesis in sediments from Lake Baikal revealed by rock magnetism. Global and Planetary Change 46 (1-4), 145-166.
Demory, F., Nowaczyk, N.R., Witt, A., Oberhänsli, H. (2005). High-resolution magnetostratigraphy of late quaternary sediments from Lake Baikal, Siberia: timing of intracontinental paleoclimatic responses. Global and Planetary Change 46 (1-4), 167-186.

Contact

Scientist

Dr. Jens Mingram

Climate Dynamics and Landscape Evolution

Telegrafenberg

Building C, Room 323

14473 Potsdam

+49 331 288-1334

Profile