Late Quaternary Vegetation History and Climate Change in the Gobi Desert, South Mongolia

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Late Quaternary Vegetation History and Climate Change in the Gobi Desert, South Mongolia GÖTTINGER ZENTRUM FÜR BIODIVERSITÄTSFORSCHUNG UND ÖKOLOGIE GÖTTINGEN CENTRE FOR BIODIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY LATE QUATERNARY VEGETATION HISTORY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE GOBI DESERT, SOUTH MONGOLIA Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultäten der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen vorgelegt von Waheed Murad (M.Phil.) aus Dargai, Pakistan Göttingen, June, 2011 LATE QUATERNARY VEGETATION HISTORY AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE GOBI DESERT, SOUTH MONGOLIA By Waheed Murad The Dissertation is submitted to Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND ECOLOGY Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Göttingen Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology (GCBE), University of Göttingen, Germany 2011 Supervisory Committee: Supervisor: Prof. Hermann Behling Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2 37073 Göttingen, Germany Co-supervisor 1: Prof. Markus Hauck Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Research University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2 37073 Göttingen, Germany Co-supervisor 2: Dr. Frank Schlütz Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2 37073 Göttingen, Germany Dedication I dedicate my research work to My parents I can’t repay the lessons that you taught when I was small Or give you gift for gift the daily treasures I recall I can’t return encouragement and loving words of praise In quite the way you did for me through all my childhood days But there is one gift that I can give., it’s all the love you’ve earned For love is what you always taught. And love is what I learned. My uncles and my cousins Abdul Rauf, Said Bacha, Nowsherawan, Muhammad zahir and Arshad iqbal who are no more alive to see me prosperous. I shall say for them; everything that has a beginning has an ending. ALLAH keeps their souls in peace and hope that all will be well at their eternal lives You never said we are leaving you never said good bye you were gone before I knew it and only ALLAH knew why Table of Contents: Title Page No Foreword…………………………………………………………………... i Acknowledegment ………………………………………………………... ii Abstract ………………………………………………………………........ iii Chapter 1 - General Introduction 1.1. Palaeo-climate research background ………………………………………… 1 1.2. Research goals and study outline……………………………………….......... 2 1.3. General features ……………………………………………………………… 4 1.3.1. Location……………………………………………………………… 4 1.3.2. Soil……………………………………………………........................ 4 1.3.3. Water resources………………………………………………………. 4 1.3.4. Climate……………………………………………………………….. 5 1.3.5. Vegetation……………………………………………………………. 6 1.4. Sediment coring sites…………………………………………………………. 8 1.5. Materials and methods ………………………………...................................... 9 1.5.1. Field work……………………………………………………………. 9 1.5.2. Laboratory work…………………………………………………….... 10 1.5.3. Radiocarbon dating…………………………………………………... 10 1.5.4. Identification of pollen and spores………………………………….... 10 1.5.5. Data presentation…………………………………………………...... 11 1.6. Pollen climate indices………………………………………………………… 11 1.6.1. Introduction…………………………………………………………... 11 1.6.2. Methodology…………………………………………………………. 13 1.6.3. General interpretation………………………………………………... 16 1.7. References…………………………………………………………………….. 16 Chapter 2 - First high resolution palynological record of climate history in the late Quaternary from the high continental Gobi desert of Mongolia (Manuscript 1) …………………………………….................................... 21 2.1. Abstract ………………………………………………………………............. 21 2.2. Introduction ……………………………………………………………........... 21 2.3. Modern climate and vegetation …………………………………………......... 23 2.4. Materials and methods ………………………………………………….......... 24 2.5. Stratigraphy and chronology…………………………………………….......... 25 2.6. Results and interpretation……………………………………………….......... 26 2.7. Discussion ………………………………………………………..................... 31 2.8. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………. 34 2.9. Acknowledgment ……………………………………………………….......... 35 2.10. References …………………………………………………………………... 35 Chapter 3 - Late Quaternary climate and landscape evolution in arid Central Asia: A multiproxy study of lake archive Bayan Tohomiin Nuur, Gobi desert, southern Mongolia (Manuscript 2) ………………. 41 3.1. Abstract ………………………………………………………………............. 41 3.2. Introduction ……………………………………………………………........... 41 3.3. Regional setting ……………………………………………………………… 42 3.4. Materials and methods ……………………………………………………….. 44 3.5. Results …………………………………………………………………........... 45 3.5.1. Chronology ………………………………………………………….. 45 3.5.2. Sediment analysis …………………………………………………… 47 3.5.3. Palynological and ostracod analysis ………………………………… 50 3.6. Discussion …………………………………………………………................. 51 3.6.1. Core interpretation …………………………………………………... 55 3.6.2. Paleoclimatic implications …………………………………………... 56 3.7. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………. 59 3.8. Acknowledgment ………………………………………………….................. 59 3.9. References ………………………………………………………..................... 59 Chapter 4 - High resolution pollen record from lake Orog Nuur, southwestern Mongolia: An evidence for climate change based on pollen proxies during the last 50 ka (Manuscript 3) ………………….. 67 4.1. Abstract……………………………………………………………………….. 67 4.2. Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 67 4.3. Regional setting………………………………………………………………. 68 4.4. Materials and methods………………………………………………………... 72 4.5. Chronology…………………………………………………………………… 73 4.6. Results and interpretation…………………………………………………….. 73 4.7. Discussion…………………………………………………………………….. 79 4.8. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………. 81 4.9. Acknowledgment………………………………………………………........... 82 4.10. References…………………………………………………………………… 82 Chapter 5 - Supplementary studies: Olgoy Nuur (unpublished) Vegetation and climate history of Olgoy Nuur, Central Mongolia during late Glacial to Holocene based on pollen records……………….……………….. 89 5.1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………… 89 5.2. Regional setting………………………………………………………………. 90 5.3. Materials and methods………………………………………………………... 90 5.4. Results and interpretation…………………………………………………….. 91 5.5. Acknowledgment………………………………………………………........... 94 5.6. References……………………………………………………………………. 94 Chapter 6 - Supplementary studies: Pollen Key (unpublished) Master key for pollen grain identified from Bayan Tohomiin Nuur, Orog Nuur and Olgoy Nuur, South Mongolia……………………………………... 97 Chapter 7 - Synthesis…………………………………………………………... 103 Appendix I: List of identified pollen, fungal spores, fern spores, algae and zoological remains………………………………………………………. 107 Appendix II: Complete list of pollen and spores diagrams……………………... 119 List of figures Page No Fig. 1.1A: Picture showing Chenopodiaceae desert in the surrounding of BTN 7 Fig. 1.1B: A common plant member of Chenopodiaceae in the study area 7 Fig. 1.2A: Collection of sediment samples from BTN 9 Fig. 1.2B: Collection of sediment samples from ONW 9 Fig.1.3: Grouped pollen percentages of the six pollen groups (S1-S6) from BTN core used in the calculation of pollen-climate indices 14 Fig.1.4: Grouped pollen percentages of the six pollen groups (S1-S6) from ONW sediment samples used in the calculation of pollen-climate indices 14 Fig.1.5: Temperature and moisture indices based on BTN sediment samples 15 Fig. 2.1: Map of Mongolia with investigation site and sites mentioned in the text 22 Fig. 2.2: Age-depth model of the Bayan Tohomiin Nuur site based on a polynomial graph 27 Fig. 2. 3: Pollen and non pollen palynomorphs percentage diagram of BTN 28 Fig. 3.1: Location of the Bayan Tohomiin Nuur 43 Fig. 3.2: Age-depth model of the core Bayan Tohomiin Nuur based on a polynomial graph 47 Fig. 3. 3: Results of the grain size analysis 48 Fig. 3.4: Sedimentological proxies of the Bayan Tohomiin Nuur core 49 Fig. 3.5: Palynological proxies in percentages, ratio, concentration and absolute ostracod abundances 50 Fig. 4. 1: Map of Mongolia with investigation sites mentioned in the text 69 Fig. 4. 2: Map of Mongolia showing the investigation site of our study 71 Fig. 4. 3: Age-depth model of lake Orog Nuur 74 Fig. 4. 4: Pollen and non pollen palynomorphs percentage diagram of Orog Nuur 76 Fig. 5.1: Pollen and non pollen palynomorphs percentage diagram from Olgoy Nuur 92 List of tables Page No Tab. 1.1: Results of the AMS 14C-datings of BTN and ONW and their calendric age-conversion (calibration) with 1 σ standard deviation (SD) 11 Table 1.2: Selected pollen taxa in the pollen groups (S1-S6) used in the calculation of the pollen ratios which were ultimately used for the calculation of temperature index (T) and moisture index (M) 13 Tab. 2.1: Results of the AMS 14C-datings 25 Tab. 2.2: Synopsis of vegetation, landscape and climate evolution at the BTN 32 Tab. 3.1: Results of the AMS 14C-datings 46 Tab. 3.2: Summary of the reconstructed climatic and environmental changes in BTN area 58 Tab. 4.1: Results of the AMS 14C-datings 73 Tab. 4. 2: Synopsis of vegetation and climate evolution at Orog Nuur 80 Plate 1-6: Showing pollen, fungal spores, fern spores, algae, zoological remains and unknown taxa 113-118 Foreword The compilation of this thesis represents my PhD studies at the Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Georg-August University
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