A reassessment of late glacial – Holocene diatom oxygen isotope record from Lake Baikal using a geochemical mass‐balance approach

A new palaeoenvironmental record from Lake Baikal reveals that moist conditions prevailed during the latter stages of the Younger Dryas, contradicting previous assumptions. The study used a geochemical mass-balance approach to re-model diatom oxygen isotope (δ18O) values, compensating for residual contaminants through electron optical imaging and whole-sample geochemistry. This method allowed researchers to balance riverine inputs with high and low δ18O values, linking isotopic variability to latitudinal precipitation patterns. Notably, episodes of low δ18O values during the Holocene align with North Atlantic ice-rafted debris events, suggesting a connection between Lake Baikal's hydrology and broader climate shifts. The record also highlights increased southerly river dominance and high precipitation around 3.3 to 2 cal ka BP.

Mackay, A. W., Swann, G. E. A., Brewer, T. S., Leng, M. J., Morley, D. W., Piotrowska, N., Rioual, P., & White, D. (2011). A reassessment of late glacial – Holocene diatom oxygen isotope record from Lake Baikal using a geochemical mass‐balance approach. Journal of Quaternary Science, 26(6), 627–634. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1484