Temperatures of the past 2000 years inferred from lake sediments, southwest Yukon Territory, Canada

Over the past 2000 years, lake sediments from four sites in southwest Yukon Territory, Canada—including alpine and forest regions near Kluane Lake and the Donjek River area—reveal distinct shifts in mean July air temperatures. Before AD 800, the region experienced relatively cool conditions, but post-AD 800, temperatures became more variable, with a notable warming period between ~AD 1100 and 1400, followed by cooler conditions during the Little Ice Age (~AD 1400 to 1850), and subsequent warming. These findings align with other paleoclimate evidence from the region, providing a robust reconstruction of past temperatures using chironomid records—a method that quantifies temperature changes through sediment analysis.

Bunbury, J., & Gajewski, K. (2012). Temperatures of the past 2000 years inferred from lake sediments, southwest Yukon Territory, Canada. Quaternary Research, 77(3), 355–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2012.01.002