TY - JOUR
T1 - Treeline history in Northwestern Chukotka during the Last Interglacial and Holocene
AU - Vartanyan, Sergey
AU - Danilov, Gleb
AU - Gromyko, Dmtiry
AU - Maksimov, Fedor
AU - Oskolski, Alexei
AU - Solovyeva, Diana
AU - Tsigankova, Valeriya
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier Ltd and International Union for Quaternary Research
PY - 2025/2/1
Y1 - 2025/2/1
N2 - The fluctuations of the forest/tundra boundary are among the most significant indicators of climate change in the Arctic. The most reliable information regarding the historical position of this boundary is obtained through spatial-temporal analysis of wood remains collected from permafrost deposits. We conducted extensive research in the tundra zone of northwestern Chukotka, aiming to establish a comprehensive collection of fossil wood samples; to identify these samples to the genus/species levels; and to date samples through radiocarbon dating (over 60 dates) and uranium-thorium methods. Our findings demonstrate that trees extended into the present tundra zone in the Rauchua-Chaun Lowland at least twice during the Last Interglacial and the Holocene. During the Last Interglacial (MIS-5), larch forests (taiga) interspersed with birch were prevalent in what is now tundra. In the early Holocene (11,000–8700 cal BP), riparian forests featuring willow, сhosenia, and poplar, along with tree birch, thrived in river valleys.
AB - The fluctuations of the forest/tundra boundary are among the most significant indicators of climate change in the Arctic. The most reliable information regarding the historical position of this boundary is obtained through spatial-temporal analysis of wood remains collected from permafrost deposits. We conducted extensive research in the tundra zone of northwestern Chukotka, aiming to establish a comprehensive collection of fossil wood samples; to identify these samples to the genus/species levels; and to date samples through radiocarbon dating (over 60 dates) and uranium-thorium methods. Our findings demonstrate that trees extended into the present tundra zone in the Rauchua-Chaun Lowland at least twice during the Last Interglacial and the Holocene. During the Last Interglacial (MIS-5), larch forests (taiga) interspersed with birch were prevalent in what is now tundra. In the early Holocene (11,000–8700 cal BP), riparian forests featuring willow, сhosenia, and poplar, along with tree birch, thrived in river valleys.
KW - Th/U-dating
KW - Holocene
KW - Last interglacial
KW - Northwestern chukotka
KW - Radiocarbon dating
KW - Wood remains
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214518192&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109666
DO - 10.1016/j.quaint.2025.109666
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85214518192
SN - 1040-6182
VL - 718
JO - Quaternary International
JF - Quaternary International
M1 - 109666
ER -