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Multi-Proxy Reconstruction of South Asian Monsoon Variability in Sri Lanka

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Multi-Proxy Reconstruction of South Asian Monsoon Variability in Sri Lanka Multi-Proxy Reconstruction of South Asian Monsoon Variability in Sri Lanka Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.) vorgelegt dem Rat der Chemisch-Geowissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena von MPhil. Kasun Gayantha Henadheera Arachchige geboren am 23.05.1989 in Wathupitiwala, Sri Lanka Gutachter: 1. apl. Prof. Dr. Gerd Gleixner Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie; FSU Jena 2. Prof. Dr. Roland Mäusbacher Institut für Geographie, FSU Jena Tag der Verteidigung: 14.07.2021 Dissertation, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, [2021] Acknowledgements First and foremost, I wish to extend my gratitude to my supervisors apl. Prof. Dr. Gerd Gleixner at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC), Jena, Prof. Dr. Achim Brauer at the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), Potsdam, Dr. Patrick Roberts at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH), Jena, Prof. Joyanto Routh at Linköping University, Sweden, and Prof. Dr. Roland Mäusbacher at Friedrich- Schiller University, Jena. Without them, this thesis would not be possible, and I will always be immensely grateful for their guidance and advice throughout the process. I would also like to express my gratitude to Prof. Rohana Chandrajith, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, apl. Prof. Dr. Peter Frenzel, IGW, Friedrich-Schiller University, Jena, and Dr. Anupama Krishnamurthy, French Institute of Pondicherry, India for their collaborations and support that have enabled me to enrich my datasets and expertise through training in novel methods. I thank them for taking the time out to teach me and allow me to develop my toolkit further. I would like to offer my special thanks to Dr. Oshan Wedage, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka for his support on logistic matters and organizing the field campaign on which the cores were obtained. I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Florian Ott, GFZ, Potsdam and Dr. Jana Ilgner, MPI-SHH, Jena for their guidance and support during the field work. I am grateful to Dr. Markus Lange-MPI-BGC, Jena for his support and guidance for statistical analyses. I also greatly appreciate the technical support provided by Steffen Rühlow, Maria Foerster, Axel Steinhof (14C Lab), and the Iso Lab and ROMA staff at MPI-BGC, Jena. In addition, I also thank Dr. Oliver Rach and Dr. Rik Tjallingii at GFZ-Potsdam, and Susanne Karlsson at Linköping University, Sweden, for their guidance and hep during laboratory analyses. Away from the academic work more specifically, I would also like to thank Dr. Steffi Rothhardt, John Kula and Stefanie Burkert at the IMPRS-gBGC coordination office for their kind support through my PhD process. In addition, I also want to thank all fellow PhD students in Gleixner group, as well as all of my colleagues and friends within the MPI-BGC, for their support, motivation, and for making me feel welcome during my time in Germany. This research would not have been possible without the Government of Sri Lanka and the relevant authorities (Department of Wildlife Conservation, Irrigation Department, Department of Coastal Conservation, Geological Survey and Mines Bureau and Sri Lanka Customs) who granted permissions for the field work and Sri Lanka Navy for their great support during the field campaign. Finally, I owe my gratitude to Max Planck Society (MPG) for providing funding for this research project and for my doctoral work. I Table of Content Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... I Table of Content ........................................................................................................................ II List of Figures ......................................................................................................................... IV List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... VI List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. VII 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Reconstruction of the South Asian Monsoon in Sri Lanka ............................................. 3 1.3 Objectives ........................................................................................................................ 7 2. Mechanism, Reconstruction and Cultural Impacts of South Asian Monsoon – Literature Review ....................................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Driving Mechanism and Factors Influencing South Asian Monsoon System ................ 9 2.1.1 Forcing Factors ....................................................................................................... 12 2.1.2 Modes of Climate Variables ................................................................................... 14 2.1.3 Mean Latitudinal Migration of ITCZ ..................................................................... 22 2.2 Proxies Used in Palaeo-monsoonal Reconstructions .................................................... 24 2.2.1 Controls of !D and !18O in Monsoon Rainfall in Sri Lanka .................................. 25 2.2.2 Controls of Sediment Leaf Wax Hydrogen and Carbon Isotopes Composition .... 26 2.3 Indian Ocean Monsoon Variability and Cultural Impacts during Holocene ................. 29 3. Study Areas and Methods ................................................................................................... 32 3.1 Study Areas ................................................................................................................... 32 3.1.1 Climate, Geology, and Vegetation of Sri Lanka .................................................... 32 3.1.2 The Study Sites ....................................................................................................... 38 3.1.2.1 Bolgoda South Lake ........................................................................................ 38 3.1.2.2 Panama Lagoon ............................................................................................... 40 3.1.2.3 Horton Plains ................................................................................................... 41 3.2 Materials and Methods .................................................................................................. 44 3.2.1 Sampling/ Sediment Core Collection ..................................................................... 44 3.2.2 14C dating and Construction of Age-depth Models ................................................. 45 3.2.3 Grain Size Analysis ................................................................................................ 46 3.2.4 X-Ray Fluorescence Core Scanning ...................................................................... 46 3.2.5 Biomarker Extraction and Analysis ....................................................................... 47 3.2.6 Bulk Organic Stable Carbon Isotope Analysis and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 49 3.2.7 Compound Specific Isotope Analysis of n-alkanes ................................................ 50 3.2.8 Statistical Analysis ................................................................................................. 51 4. Results ................................................................................................................................. 52 4.1 Present Status of the Study Sites ................................................................................... 52 4.2 Stratigraphy ................................................................................................................... 52 4.3 Chronology .................................................................................................................... 54 II 4.4. Grain Size Distribution ................................................................................................. 57 4.5. Elemental Composition ................................................................................................ 58 4.6 Biomarker Variation ...................................................................................................... 62 4.6.1 n-Alkane ................................................................................................................. 62 4.6.2 Sterols ..................................................................................................................... 66 13 4.7 Bulk Organic Carbon and ! Corg Variation .................................................................. 67 4.8 Compound Specific Carbon and Hydrogen Isotope Variation in n-Alkanes ................ 70 5. Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 76 5.1 14C Chronology and Depositional Conditions/Events ................................................... 76 5.2 Implications about Catchment and in Lake Processes by Physical and Inorganic Geochemical Parameters ....................................................................................................
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