Altitudinal shift in stable hydrogen isotopes and microbial tetraether distribution in soils from the Southern Alps, NZ: Implications for paleoclimatology and paleoaltimetry

The results indicate that sedimentary lipid δ2H and microbial tetraether temperature estimates captured altitudinal trends in the isotopic composition of precipitation and mean temperature and further support their application in the reconstruction of past climate and surface uplift histories. However, notable differences in isotopic composition and temperature estimates between in situ soils and those with downslope transport of material emphasize the importance of facies analysis when interpreting past systems.