Environmental controls on paleo-pH at mid-latitudes: A case study from Central and Eastern Europe

Our study stresses the importance of considering evapotranspiration in addition to precipitation shifts in order to better understand chemical changes of mid-latitude soil under major climate change. Furthermore, we suggest that mid-latitude soil chemistry during the last glacial-interglacial climate transition was more prone to and/or more sensitive to vegetation cover changes through (i) the role of vegetation cover in evapotranspiration and thus in soil leaching and (ii) the different quality of vegetation litters. Whatever the latitude, the CBT proxy appears useful as one of the only soil chemistry proxies, to provide insights into the past hydrology of soil.