Stable isotope and pollen stratigraphy in marl sediments from Lake Ilmjärv (central Estonia)

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to reconstruct trends in the environmental changes and estimate the importance of the rapid change of δ13C in the Boreal as a stratigraphic marker by comprehensive study of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes and pollen from the lake marl section of Lake Ilmjärv (c. 2.5 ha closed lake situated in the Vooremaa drumlin area). The δ13C and the δ18O values reached their maxima near the end of the Boreal, then dropped and were practically constant up to the top of the marl sequence c. 3000 BP. These changes were accompanied by a remarkable improvement of climatic conditions and shifts in the vegetation.