Oxygen isotope composition of diatoms as Late Holocene climate proxy at Two-Yurts Lake, Central Kamchatka, Russia

The diatom silica isotope record displays large variations in δ18Odiatom from + 27.3‰ to + 23.3‰ from about ~ 4.5 kyr BP until today. A continuous depletion in δ18Odiatom of 4.0‰ is observed in the past 4.5 kyr, which is in good accordance with other hemispheric environmental changes (i.e. a summer insolation-driven Mid- to Late Holocene cooling). The overall cooling trend is superimposed by regional hydrological and atmospheric-oceanic changes. These are related to the interplay between Siberian High and Aleutian Low as well as to the ice dynamics in the Sea of Okhotsk. Additionally, combined δ18Odiatom and chironomid interpretations provide new information on changes related to meltwater input to lakes. Hence, this diatom isotope study provides further insight into hydrology and climate dynamics of this remote, rarely investigated area.