Late-Holocene vegetation and fire history in Western Putorana Plateau (subarctic Siberia, Russia)

A reconstruction of late-Holocene vegetation and fire history on the western Putorana Plateau, a remote UNESCO World Heritage Site in subarctic Siberia, reveals no major vegetation shifts over the last 3.9 thousand years but identifies subtle yet significant changes. Around 3.1 ka BP, forest coverage expanded, followed by gradual degradation around 2.7–2.5 ka BP, with shrubs and tundra becoming dominant. Fire activity surged between 3.0 and 2.0 ka BP, with the most recent sediments showing a sharp increase in macroscopic charcoal accumulation—indicating a rise in fire frequency since the late 19th century that has no precedent in the Late-Holocene record. The study combines pollen and charcoal analysis from three lakes along an altitudinal transect to provide insights into climate-environmental dynamics in this poorly studied region.

Novenko, E. Y., Rudenko, O. V., Mazei, N. G., Kupriyanov, D. A., Batalova, V. A., Volkova, E. M., Phelps, L. N., & Davis, B. A. (2022). Late-Holocene vegetation and fire history in Western Putorana Plateau (subarctic Siberia, Russia). The Holocene, 32(5), 433–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836221074034