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A multi-proxy approach for revealing recent climatic changes in the Russian Altai

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Abstract

For the first time we present a multi-proxy data set for the Russian Altai, consisting of Siberian larch tree-ring width (TRW), latewood density (MXD), δ13C and δ18O in cellulose chronologies obtained for the period 1779–2007 and cell wall thickness (CWT) for 1900–2008. All of these parameters agree well between each other in the high-frequency variability, while the low-frequency climate information shows systematic differences. The correlation analysis with temperature and precipitation data from the closest weather station and gridded data revealed that annual TRW, MXD, CWT, and δ13C data contain a strong summer temperature signal, while δ18O in cellulose represents a mixed summer and winter temperature and precipitation signal. The temperature and precipitation reconstructions from the Belukha ice core and Teletskoe lake sediments were used to investigate the correspondence of different independent proxies. Low frequency patterns in TRW and δ13C chronologies are consistent with temperature reconstructions from nearby Belukha ice core and Teletskoe lake sediments showing a pronounced warming trend in the last century. Their combination could be used for the regional temperature reconstruction. The long-term δ18O trend agrees with the precipitation reconstruction from the Teletskoe lake sediment indicating more humid conditions during the twentieth century. Therefore, these two proxies could be combined for the precipitation reconstruction.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation SNF 200021_121838/1, Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship (EU-ISOTREC 235122) awarded to the lead author, SCOPES Iz73z0-128035/1, RFBR no. 08-06-00253-a, RFBR no. 09-05-98015_r_sibir, AVZP Project 2.1.1/6131, Integration project SB RAS No 92, Scientific school (65610.2010.4). We are grateful to Jan Esper and Anne Verstege from WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland for providing access to the equipment for tree-ring cross-dating.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232, Villigen, Switzerland

    Olga V. Sidorova, Matthias Saurer, Anja Eichler, Margit Schwikowski & Rolf T. W. Siegwolf

  2. V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest SB RAS, Akademgorodok, 660036, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

    Olga V. Sidorova, Aleksander V. Kirdyanov & Marina V. Bryukhanova

  3. Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    Anja Eichler & Margit Schwikowski

  4. Siberian Federal University, Svobodniy 79, 660041, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

    Vladimir S. Myglan & Oksana V. Gerasimova

  5. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, av. Koptuga 3, 630090, Novosibirsk, Russia

    Ivan A. Kalugin & Andrey V. Daryin

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  1. Olga V. Sidorova
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  2. Matthias Saurer
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  3. Vladimir S. Myglan
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  4. Anja Eichler
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  5. Margit Schwikowski
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  6. Aleksander V. Kirdyanov
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  7. Marina V. Bryukhanova
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  8. Oksana V. Gerasimova
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  9. Ivan A. Kalugin
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  10. Andrey V. Daryin
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  11. Rolf T. W. Siegwolf
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Correspondence to Olga V. Sidorova.

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Sidorova, O.V., Saurer, M., Myglan, V.S. et al. A multi-proxy approach for revealing recent climatic changes in the Russian Altai. Clim Dyn 38, 175–188 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0989-6

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