Annotation of the results obtained in 2021
Results for Section 1 A comparison of the results of model calculations for deviations from the modern mean values of surface air temperature for a period with average daily temperature below zero (t<0°C) according to the results of climatic modelling (the average for the ensemble of 12 climate models) and stable isotope composition of ice wedges for the period of 21 ka BP was carried out. The maximum cooling in model calculations compared with the modern climate is observed in the Scandinavia region and shelf zone of Barents and Kara Seas. It is shown that with the increasing of the distance from the ice sheet location established in the model calculations, the results of isotopic reconstruction and modelling are converged. The greatest differences are noted in the western part of the Russian Arctic, where an accurate assessment of the edge of the ice sheet is especially important. It is determined that the greatest differences in the temperature reconstructions for the Late Pleistocene glaciation, obtained from various studies, are obtained for the territories where ice sheets are supposed to have been located. Results for Section 2 The largest in the world archive of isotope data for the representative Batagai yedoma exposure has been created. Here, with a very high precision (usually with a step of 0.1-0.3 m) more than 25 ice wedges were sampled and their stable isotope composition was determined. The new high-resolution isotope-temperature records have practically no gaps and describe almost all temperature events in the Batagai region for the period from 20 to 50 cal ka BP. For the first time in world practice, the comparison of isotope curves obtained from two parallel and synchronous ice wedges exposed in the upper part of Batagai yedoma section was carried out, their precision was analyzed. Organic material from the enclosing sediments was dated using AMS technique, new radiocarbon dates were obtained: at a depth of about 21 m – 42.146 cal ka BP, at a depth of 1 m -10.5 cal ka BP. According to these dates the 20-meter thickness of yedoma strata had been accumulated during about 30 thousand years, i.e. the rate of accumulation was 0.7 m in 1 thousand years. A series of 14C AMS dates - from 27.1 to 33.8 cal ka BP - were also obtained from the adjacent ice wedge of upper tier (in the depth range from 5 to 10 m). Results for Section 3 In the end of 2021, an electronic database including 233 papers, was sent to the PANGAEA international repository. These papers include electronic dataset of the reconstructed mean January paleotemperature for the Northwestern Siberia and the north of Yakutia for key periods of the Late Pleistocene. All papers have their own doi assigned. In the PANGAEA search system (https://www.pangaea.de/?q=Vasil%27chuk%2C +Yurij+K) it is specified: In the 2020 report, 28 papers were included, here we include only a part (20) of new publications of 2021 due to the limited volume of the report: 1. Vasil'chuk, YK; Surkova, GV (2021): The relationship between the isotopic composition of ice wedges and the temperature of the cold period over the past 80 years in the north of the permafrost zone of Russia. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.934082 - Score: 114.3 2. Vasil'chuk, YK; Vasil'chuk, JY; Budantseva, NA et al. (2021): Major and trace elements, δ13C, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the Late Pleistocene ice wedges: A case-study of Batagay yedoma, Central Yakutia. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.927874 - Score: 112.34 3. Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, YK (2021): Hydrochemistry of Holocene ice wedge near Anadyrю https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.932437 - Score: 87.93 4. Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, YK (2021): Changes in the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of modern ice wedges in the Kolyma lowland with the distance from the coast. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933640 - Score: 82.41 5. Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, YK (2021): δ18O values in the modern veinlets of the syngenetic ice wedges in the lower Kolyma River. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933637 - Score: 76.52 6 Vasil'chuk, YK; Vasil'chuk, AC (2021): Compiled radiocarbon ages of different types of organic material collected from the Siberian ice-wedge complex. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933667 - Score: 75.83 7. Vasil'chuk, YK; Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, AC (2021): Radiocarbon ages for the stratified (allochthonous) peat from the Seyakha yedoma, Eastern Yamal Peninsula. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933092 - Score: 74.62 8. Vasil'chuk, YK; Vasil'chuk, AC (2021): Mean January air temperatures in Siberian permafrost at 20-18 ka BP and comparison with modern values. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933669 - Score: 74.54 9. Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, YK (2021): Oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of modern veinlets and snow and surface air temperatures of the winter period in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933638 - Score: 74.47 10. Vasil'chuk, YK; Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, AC (2021): Oxygen isotope composition of Late Pleistocene syngenetic ice wedges from the Seyakha yedoma, Eastern Yamal Peninsula. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933094 - Score: 74.23 11. Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, YK (2021): Isotopic composition of hydrogen (δD), oxygen (δ18О) and Deuterium excess in veinlets of the syngenetic ice wedges in the Russian permafrost zone. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933258 - Score: 74.09 12. Vasil'chuk, YK; Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, AC et al. (2021): δ2H, δ18O and Deuterium excess values in Holocene multistage massive ice near the Sabettayakha River mouth, Yamal Peninsula, northwest Siberia. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933096 - Score: 62.32 13. Vasil'chuk, YK; Budantseva, NA; Vasil'chuk, AC et al. (2021): Pollen and spores in massive ice, snow, sea ice and ice wedges. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.933099 - Score: 61.77 14. Vasil'chuk, YK; Surkova, GV (2021): Cold-season temperature parameters (average January and winter temperatures) in the northern permafrost zones of Russia for three different periods between 1930-2017. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.934081 - Score: 22.58 15. Vasil'chuk, YK; Surkova, GV (2021): Average cold-season temperature parameters and ratio to δ18O values in the northern permafrost zone of Russia for different periods between 1930-2017. https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.934079 - Score: 21.67 16. Vasil'chuk, YK; Vasil'chuk, JY; Budantseva, NA et al. (2021): Ionic composition of Batagay ice wedges, North Yakutia, Russia. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.927278 - Score: 18.29 17. Vasil'chuk, YK; Vasil'chuk, JY; Budantseva, NA et al. (2021): Trace elements content in soils and soil inclusions in Batagay ice wedges, North Yakutia, Russia. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.927867 - Score: 18.25 18. Vasil'chuk, YK; Vasil'chuk, JY; Budantseva, NA et al. (2021): Organic carbon content, δ13С values (‰) and PAHs content in pedogenic material of Batagay ice wedges, North Yakutia, Russia. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.927280 - Score: 18.24 19. Vasil'chuk, Yu.K; Shmelev, D.; Cherbunina, M.Yu; Budantseva, N.A; Broushkov, A.V; Vasil'chuk, A.C. (2021): Radiocarbon dating of Late Pleistocene and Holocene ice wedges in Mamontova Gora, Central Yakutia. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.937733. - Score: 62.05 20. Vasil'chuk, Yu.K; Shmelev, D.; Cherbunina, M.Yu; Budantseva, N.A; Broushkov, A.V; Vasil'chuk, A.C. (2021): Minimal, average, and maximum values of δ¹⁸O in ice wedge of the sections from Mamontova Gora and Syrdakh Lake, Central Yakutia. PANGAEA, https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.937734. - Score: 61.66. In order to validate the results of radiocarbon dating, the calibrated age was calculated for 5 reference yedoma sections of the north of Russia and for 5 Holocene sections in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River: 1. The Zeleny Mys yedoma strata was formed 48-15 cal ka BP; 2. The Bison yedoma strata was formed cal ka BP; 3. The fragment of Seyakha yedoma strata was formed 25-21 cal ka BP; 4. The upper fragment of the Batagai yedoma strata was formed 30.8-27.1 cal ka BP; 5. The lower fragment of the Batagai yedoma strata was formed 47.9-44.7 cal ka BP. 6. Alas in the upper part of the Duvanny Yar section, the lower reaches of the Kolyma, was formed 8.3-5.1 cal ka BP; 7. Alas in the upper part of the Alyoshkin terrace section, the lower reaches of the Kolyma, was formed from 7.6 cal ka BP; 8. Alas of Plakhinsky Yar section, lower reaches of the Kolyma, was formed 8.9-6.5 cal ka BP; 9. Alas near Pokhodsk town, lower reaches of the Kolyma, was formed 10.4-4.2 cal ka BP; 10. Alas in the valley of the Bolshaya Kuropatochya River, lower reaches of the Kolyma, formed 9.4-4.8 cal ka BP. Results for Section 4 Dataset of δ18O, δ2H and dexc values in Holocene and modern ice wedges of the Kolyma Lowland at 10 sites was obtained and analyzed, age-relation of stable isotope values was performed based on radiocarbon dating of the enclosing sediments and mean January air temperatures for three key periods of the Holocene were reconstructed. In order to verify the reconstructed mean January paleotemperatures for the Kolyma lowland, the equation of ratio of isotope-oxygen composition of modern ice veinlets and modern mean January air temperatures was verified. The ratio of δ18O values in modern ice veinlets mean January air temperature in the lower reaches of Kolyma River is described by the equation: TmeanJan = (1,4±0,1) x δ18Oice veinlets. Mean January air temperature in the study area varied slightly during the Holocene, the average values for warmer and colder winters were −33 and −41°C, respectively. Stable isotope data on Holocene ice wedges at 8 locations of Northwestern Siberia (Yamal and Gydan peninsulas) are summarized. The age relation of isotope values is based on radiocarbon dating of enclosing sediments and organic microinclusions, extracted from ice wedge, was performed, and mean January air temperatures for three key periods of the Holocene were reconstructed. The correlation of the isotope composition of modern ice veinlets of Northwestern Siberia and mean January air temperature has been clarified, considering various trends in surface air temperature in the Arctic over the period 1930-2017 [Vasil'chuk, Surkova, 2020]. For the isotope-oxygen composition of modern ice veinlets and mean January air temperature recorded at the weather stations of Yamal and Gydan peninsulas, the average values of the correlation coefficient Y in the equation Tmean.Jan.= Yδ18O were: for the period 1930-1966 – 1.43, for the period 1967-2000 - 1.47), a lower Y value (average 1.36) obtained for the period 2001-2017. It is established that the coefficients in the equation of the relationship T - δ18O for the selected periods are quantitatively close, and the corrections for colder and warmer periods are small and set within the statistical error. For paleotemperature reconstructions, a verified equation was used taking into account the corrected coefficient: Tmean.Jan. = 1.42 δ18Oice veinlets (± 3°C). Mean January air temperatures for three Holocene periods were reconstructed: from 11.7 to 8.2 cal ka BP TmeanJan varied from –21.3 to –27.7°C, between 11.4 and 6 cal ka BP TmeanJan varied from –22.3 to –27.8°C and for the period 5.3-0.9 cal ka BP TmeanJan varied from –24.1 to –27.8°C. Results for Section 5 Methods of identification of organic matter in ice wedges and permafrost sediments have been developed, using a comparative analysis of the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and carbon isotope composition in pedogenic xenoliths in ice wedges of Batagai yedoma and composition and content of PAHs in cryogenic soils around the Batagai thermoerosion circus. It was found that the PAH content in the O and Opir soil horizons is the maximum (on average 35 ng/g), the homologues of naphthalene and phenanthrene are predominant. The most diverse PAHs are represented in horizons C, 7 compounds from the series were found in them: diphenyl, fluorene, naphthalene homologues, phenanthrene, chrysene, pyrene, benz(ghi)perylene. It is established that PAHs tend to accumulate at the boundary of the mechanical barrier. The pyrogenic effect in soils is established on the increased content and fraction of naphthalene and its homologues in post-pyrogenic horizons. In pedogenic xenoliths from ice wedges, concentrations of 11 PAHs were determined, averaged in 170 ng/g, and the δ13C values of soil lipids, averaged in –29‰. The dominant polyarenes in the composition of PAHs associations are phenanthrene and naphthalene homologues, heavy PAHs including benz(a)pyrene - an indicator of pyrogenic processes – were found in trace amounts. The values of δ13C and the PAHs content indicate the pedogenic origin of organic inclusions in ice wedges. The features of formation of PAH associations in the palsa of Bolshezemelskaya tundra near the Yeletsky settlement [Vasilchuk et al., 2021] have also been studied. The maxima of the PAH content (360 and 260 ng/g), coinciding with the local increasing of the carbon isotope values, noted in the palsa vertical profiles, are associated with regional paleofires. The indicator ratios of anthracene/phenanthrene, fluoranthene/fluoranthene + pyrene also serve as confirmation: in most samples from the entire peat thickness, they are characterized by values less than 0.5-1, which indicates the petrogenic low-temperature origin of PAHs, and at depths of 0.60 and 0.85 m, the ratio of anthracene/phenanthrene is 43 and 3, respectively, which confirms the pyrogenic genesis of PAHs. A methodical study of the isotope composition of PAH’s carbon in anthropogenically disturbed landscapes has been performed, which makes it possible to distinguish and separate the anthropogenic component in the total PAH content. This is expressed in the decreasing of isotope values of PAHs in comparison with the natural signal. Results for Section 6 A new approach to the study of trace elements in ice wedges has been developed based on the study of the distribution of trace elements in modern and ancient soils of polygonal massifs in the area of Pleistocene and Holocene ice wedge exposures. The soils of polygonal landscapes near Batagai were diagnosed by a set of morphological, chemical and physico-chemical properties. The lateral distribution of such trace elements as Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, Sb, Pb, Cr, Ni, Mo, W, Li, V, Co, As, Sr, Pb, Th, U, P, Tl has been determined. The main reason for the differences in the patterns of lateral distribution of trace elements in soil-geochemical catenae is grain size differentiation. As a consequence, the accumulation of Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, Cd, etc. is observed in soils with a high content of physical clay. The coefficients of concentration (CC) and scattering of elements (CS) relative to the clarks of the upper part of the Earth's crust are calculated. A comparison of the composition of trace elements in soils and pedogenic inclusions in ice wedges was carried out. It has been established that soils are enriched with a much larger number of chemical elements than inclusions in ice wedges. The values of CC > 1 in soils are observed for all elements except Tl, Ga, Nb, Ta. Rare earth elements are scattered slightly, their CS are from 1.3 to 1.8. The values of CC >1 in inclusions in ice wedges have only three elements - Bi, Cd and Li (CC = 1.1, 2.4 and 1.1, respectively). Other elements in the inclusions in ice wedges are dispersed. Results for Section 7 Chapter I "New periodization of the Northern Holocene" was written in the DSc dissertation of N.A.Budantseva. Since 2018, a tripartite division of the Holocene into the Greenlandian (from 11.7 to 8.2 cal. kyr BP), Northgrippian (from 8.2 to 4.2 cal. kyr BP) and Meghalayan (from 4.2 cal. kyr to the present) stages/ages was accepted by the commission on Quaternary Stratigraphy [Walker et al., 2009, 2019]. The onset of each stage reflects abrupt climatic events that are global or nearly global in their expression. The transition to the Holocene in the Arctic is well traced. A wide variety of evidence from terrestrial and marine archives—including biological proxies such as pollen, diatoms, chironomids, and other microfossils, as well as elemental and isotopic geochemical proxies from lacustrine and marine sediments — indicates that peak arctic summertime warmth (generally referred to as the Holocene Thermal Maximum), when most regions of the Arctic experienced summer temperatures exceeding observed 20th century values [Kaufman et al., 2004]. For Arctic permafrost areas it was proposed to reconstruct changes of winter climate parameters using the stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition (δ18O and δ2H) of ice-wedge ice due to the strong relationship between isotope values and winter air temperature [Vasil'chuk, 1992]. For eastern and northeastern Siberia, ice-wedge stable isotope records demonstrate a shift from lower to higher values between the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, resulting from a general increase in mean winter air temperatures (according to established ratios,1‰ of δ18O value corresponds roughly to 1oC of Tmean winter). Significantly enriched mean δ18O values (6–10‰ higher) have been found in the Holocene ice wedges of Lena Delta region, Oyogos Yar (on the coast of the Dmitry Laptev Strait) and Bol'shoy Lyakhovsky Island, Cape Mamontov Klyk, Bykovsky Peninsula, Ayon Island [Boereboom et al., 2013; Meyer et al., 2002; Opel et al., 2017; Wetterich et al., 2008, 2009], Chukotka [Vasil’chuk, Vasil’chuk, 2017], lower Kolyma River region [Vasil’chuk, 1992; Vasil’chuk, Vasil’chuk, 2017]. The Proposal participants considered a new tripartite division of the Holocene for the Russian Arctic in papers prepared mainly within the framework of the Proposal and published in Q1 journals. Results for Section 8 In July 2021, field studies were carried out in the Vilyu River valley, a study of landscape features and a detailed sampling (with step of 15-20 cm) for stable isotope and hydrochemical analysis of Late Pleistocene yedoma strata were performed. Reconnaissance studies were carried out in the valley of the Tambey River in the north of Yamal Peninsula, where palsa were found; their morphology was described, the thickness of active layer was measured. Frozen and seasonally thawed sediments were sampled. In 2021, in Q1 journals 5 papers were published and 1 paper was accepted for publication: 1. Vasil’chuk Yu.K., Budantseva N.A. Holocene ice wedge of the Kolyma Lowland and January palaeotemperature reconstructions based on oxygen isotope records // Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. 2022. Vol. 33. Iss. 1. doi: 10.1002/ppp.2128. Impact Factor: 4.368. 2. Cherbunina MY, Karaevskaya ES, Vasil'chuk YK, Tananaev NI, Shmelev D, Budantseva NA, Merkel AY, Rakitin A, Mardanov A, Brouchkov AV and Bulat SA (2021) Microbial and geochemical evidence of permafrost formation at Mamontova Gora and Syrdakh, Central Yakutia // Front. Earth Sci. 9:739365. doi:10.3389/feart.2021.739365. Impact Factor: 3.23 3. Vasil’chuk Alla C., Vasil’chuk Yurij K. Pollen as a potential indicator for massive ice origin // Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. 2021. Vol. 32. Iss.3 . P. 349–367. doi: 10.1002/ppp.2095. Impact Factor: 4.368. 4. Alexeev S.V., Alexeeva L.P., Vasil’chuk Yu.K., Svetlakov A.A., Kulagina N.V. Permafrost of the Oka Plateau (Easter Sayan Ridge) // Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. 2021. Vol. 32. Iss. 3. P. 368–391. doi: 10.1002/ppp.2103. Impact Factor: 4.368. 5. Vasil'chuk Yu. K., Chizhova Ju. N., Budantseva N. A., Kurchatova A. N., Rogov V. V., Vasil'chuk A.C. Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of the Messoyakha and Pestsovoe pingos as markers of ice core formation // Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. 2021. N 4. P. 558–572. doi: 10.1002/ppp.2122. Impact Factor: 4.368. The paper accepted for publication: Vasil'chuk Yu., Vasil'chuk A., Budantseva N. 2022. AMS 14С dating of Seyakha yedoma and January air palaeotemperatures for 25-21 cal ka BP based on the stable isotope compositions of syngenetic ice wedges // Radiocarbon Impact Factor: 1,975.

 

Publications

---

Annotation of the results obtained in 2019
In the reporting year the Proposal team performed all the planned works and received new scientific results: Item 1 of the application: The creation of a database of δ18O values in ice-wedge veinlets for the North of Western Siberia and Yakutia in the Russian permafrost area was initiated. As a part of the creation of a database of δ18O values in ice-wedge veinlets, the information from a number of permafrost regions was analyzed and formatted. The area for detailed analysis of oxygen isotope composition of ice-wedge veinlets is the area of the lower reaches of the Kolyma river, as one of the most representative in terms of diversity of landscape conditions of ice-wedge formation and according to available data of isotope composition of precipitation included in the GNIP (Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation) database. The critical analysis of publications on Lower Kolyma region and adjacent territories for which comparison of isotope-oxygen data with winter air temperatures was carried out is carried out. It is shown that the variations of δ18O values in the veilets in the lower reaches of the Kolyma river are about 4℃ from -23 to -27.1℃, the average values for the veinlets vary in a narrow range from -23.7 to -25.8℃. A noticeable decrease of the isotopic composition of the modern veinlets of the Kolyma lowland as they move away from the coast is traced, which is consistent with a decrease in the average winter temperatures of the surface air (the difference in the average winter temperatures between the Ambarchik village at the mouth of the Kolyma and Kolymskoye village is 3.1°C) and is another proof that the elementary veins are formed mainly from melted winter snow. Similar works for Alaska and Northern Canada are analyzed. The main conclusions of the study are the confirmation of the dependences obtained about 30 years ago by Yu. K. Vasil’chuk for Siberia as a whole, connecting the values of δ18O in the veinlets with the average January air temperatures. It was found that the average isotopic composition of ice veinlets in Northern Eurasia from the mouth of the Ngarka-Tambyakha river in northeastern Europe to the Eastern coast of Chukotka are close to isotopic values in snow and are located near the Global line of Meteor Waters. In most cases, the isotopic composition of modern veins reflects their nutrition due to melted snow water and corresponds well to the winter temperature conditions of the region. Item 2 of the application: A database of average and average winter temperatures near the points of determination of isotopic composition of ice veinlets for 3 different climatic periods in the Russian Arctic was created: from 1930 to 1966, from 1967 to 2000, from 2001 to 2018, as well as a database of the average daily temperature for the cold season for the period 1930-2017. These indicators were calculated by us in the framework of the Project on the basis of urgent (every 3 hours) meteorological observations provided by the all-Russian research hydrometeorological center-World data center (VNIIGMI-IDC). The choice of these temperature parameters is justified by the fact that they correlate most well with δ18O in the ice veinlets. A software product was created and on its basis the calculation of statistical indicators of the temperature regime and the main characteristics required for the Project for each year separately, as a whole for the period 1930-2017, and for individual time periods 1930-1966, 1967-2000, 2001-2017 was made. The course of climate change in the Arctic and subarctic from 1930 to 2017 allows us to distinguish three periods such as: 1930-1966, 1967-2000, 2001-2017, separated by trends and values of temperature trends, which served as the basis for a separate analysis of the ratio of isotopic composition of ice wedge and air temperature. According to the results of comparison of veinlets isotopic composition and indicators of modern winter temperature, the 6 new ratios were obtained and 3 previously obtained ratios were confirmed for the sum of winter temperature, average winter and average January temperature. Comparison of the obtained equations allows us to conclude that they are quantitatively close, and the corrections for warmer and colder winters for the modern climate are small and within the statistical error, which confirms the correctness of the previously obtained relations and paleoreconstructions made on their basis. Item 3 of the application: The creation of a database on variations of isotope-hydrogen composition and deuterium excesses in the veinlets of modern growing ice wedges was initiated. Modern veinlets were tested in the study of the yedoma of the Oygos Yar, the coast of the Dmitry Laptev Strait (72.78 S., 143.58 W). The isotopic composition of hydrogen veins varied from -193.5 to -137.3 (average -168.1), dexc values - from 4.7 to 9.5 (average 7.6). The obtained values for ice wedges are located between the extremes for winter and summer precipitation, but are close enough to the values of summer precipitation. It is possible that the frost cracks were filled with melt water in the last stages of spring snowmelt, when melt water is characterized by a heavier isotopic composition compared to fresh snow [Opel et al., 2011] In the isotope diagram, the slope of the line δ18O - δ2H for veinlets is 7.98. This shows that the average isotopic composition of veins is weakly dependent on kinetic fractionation during snow melting, melt water seeping into cracks and freezing in them. Close values to the data obtained for the modern veinlets in Bolshoy Lyakhovsky Island suggest that the isotopic composition of veins mainly corresponds to the isotopic composition of winter precipitation. However, lower dexc values may indicate that in addition to moisture from the main North Atlantic source, moisture from other sources may be present in the formation of ice wedges, for example, from the surface of Polynyas in the Laptev and East Siberian seas [Opel et al., 2011]. Studies of the isotopic composition of sediments and ice of modern veins on the coast of the Laptev sea, 300 km West of The Lena river Delta (73°36 'S, 117°10'W) showed that the isotopic composition of hydrogen in modern veins varies from -146.5 to -165.6 (average -155.7), dexc values - from 5 to 10 At the same time, the integrated isotopic signal of the snow cover in the study area is -154 ‰ for δ2H values, and 9.9 ‰ for dexc values, which is very close to the average value for modern veins. The obtained values of deuterium excess show that the source of moisture for the formation of snow and ice veins, respectively, is the ocean. In the East of Chukotka, modern sprouts were tested during field studies of Holocene massifs conducted in 2015-2017 near the village of Lorino (65°30 ' 00 S., 171°43' 00 " W). According to 4 samples of the modern vein, the values of δ2H – from -99,7 to -99‰, the values of dexc – from 5,4 to 6,3 ‰ were obtained. In a peat bog on the coast of Onemen Bay in the region of Anadyr, the values δ2H -122 and dexc 4,4 were obtained in the modern vein [Vasil'chuk et al., 2018]. At the same time, lower values were obtained for snow sampled in the Onemen Bay area. In the diagram δ18O-δ2H, the values for snow and ice of modern veilets are located at a distance from the GLMV, with the slope of the δ18O-δ2H ratio lines for the veins (7.97) and snow (7.36) close to the slope for the GLMV (8). Item 4 of the application: The comparison of winter (mid-winter and mid-January) air temperature with the isotopic values of the ice of veinlets in each selected region of the Russian permafrost area was carried out in order to identify the most obvious and stable dependence of the isotopic composition and winter temperature. Based on the results of processing of meteorological observations for the period 1930-2017 and calculations of temperature characteristics of the cold season for this period, verification of the previously obtained [Vasil'chuk, 1991] ratios of isotopic composition of ice veilets (δ18O) and winter temperatures (mid-winter, mid-January, the sum of the cold period temperature) was performed. For each time period (1930-1966, 1967-2000, 2001-2017, as well as for the entire period), linear regression equations were obtained. The analysis of climatic changes in the Arctic and Subarctic from 1930 to 2017 allowed us to distinguish three periods: 1930-1966, 1967-2000, 2001-2017, which are separated by trends and values of temperature trends, which served as the basis for a separate analysis of the ratio of isotopic composition of ice wedge and air temperature. According to the results of comparison of isotopic composition of ice veinlets and indicators of modern winter temperature, 6 new ratios were obtained and 3 previously obtained ratios were confirmed for the sum of winter temperature, mid-winter and mid-January temperatures. Comparison of the obtained equations allows us to conclude that they are quantitatively close, and the corrections for warmer and colder winters for the modern climate are small and within the statistical error, which confirms the correctness of the previously obtained relations and paleoreconstructions made on their basis. Item 5 of the application: To obtain new paleoclimatic information, the project participants conducted detailed field studies of the most representative cryolithological object of the Batagai edoma, located close to the modern cold pole. More than 10 new edoma fragments have been described and tested. The isotopic composition of oxygen and hydrogen in 350 new samples of ice wedge ice from Batagai edoma was measured by mass spectrometer. A number of 14C AMS dates of organic matter from the ice wedges of the lower stage of the Batagai edoma were obtained. It is established that the thick Pleistocene syngenetic ice wedges examined by the participants of the Project, opening in the lower part of the outcrop of the Batagai edoma, formed 38-47 ka BP, or approximately 42-49 thousand cal. years ago. Studies of Batagai edoma allowed to significantly clarify the paleotemperature distribution from 42 to 49 thousand cal. years ago in the North-West of Yakutia. The participants of the Project calculated the average air temperature for the late Pleistocene for a number of reference sections located 300-500 km North of Batagai edoma: Mammoth’ Hayota, Kurungnakh island, Oygos Yar, Kular. The lowest average winter temperature of the air in this period was in the area of Batagaika (-51°C), while in areas located 300-500 km to the North it was higher by 5-7°C. This is due to the existence of the Yakut anticyclone in winter. From 42 to 49 ka cal. years ago, it was as pronounced as it is now. Item 6 of the application: In the North of Western Siberia, the oxygen isotope composition of late Pleistocene syngenetic ice wedges was studied and a high-resolution isotope diagram was obtained from a carefully selected section of the Seyakha edoma in the late Pleistocene third lagoon-marine terrace near the mouth of the Seyakha (Zelenaya) Rriver, on the Bank of the Ob Bay in Central Yamal. According to 3 new radiocarbon ages from 25.2 to 23.3 ka BP, (a.s.l. from +2 to +5 m), and dates: 17.ka BP,( a.s.l. +18.8m) and 11.6 ka BP, (a.s.l.. +21.2 m), the age of this ice wedge is approximately 23 to 15-18 ka BP. The values of δ18O in the upper fragment of the ice wedge vary from -25.75 to -23.15. The horizontal variation of δ18O at + 15.2 m was 1.49 - from -23.41 to -24.9 ‰. The ice of the lower fragment of the ice wedge, opened at a height of +6 m, is characterized by a wider range of δ18O values than in the upper fragment: the values of δ18O horizontally vary from -23.41 to -26.63‰. The resulting isotope-oxygen diagram has a step of 80-100 years. 23-15 (18) thousand. years ago, the average January temperatures were, from -35 to -39 °C. The isotopic composition and hydro chemical properties of the late Pleistocene ice wedges in the Kular outcrop of flat border of Kular Ridge located in the western part of the Yana-Indigirka Lowland are considered. It is established that variations of δ18О values in ice wedges are not exceeded 1.6‰ (from –32.6 ‰ to –31.0 ‰), in texture ice they are from -35.6 to -22.1‰, in segregation ice lenses they are from -24.4 to -21.5‰. Reconstruction of winter temperatures was performed for two periods of the late Pleistocene: 47-42 thousand cal. years ago and 37-32 thousand cal. years ago. Mean values of δ18O in ice wedge in Kular were -31 and -32.5, respectively. The high content of calcium ion in the ice wedges reflected the increased of dustiness of the atmosphere during the formation of ice wedges in the interval 40-30 thousand cal.years ago in the area of the Kular ridge. According to the obtained paleotemperature reconstructions, the average January temperature is 47-42 thousand cal. years ago was on 1-3. 8° higher than 37-32 thousand cal. years ago. Average January temperature in Kular at these periods was -46 and -49°C, in the North of the Bykovsky Peninsula the same was -45 and -46°C, and in the area of the Oygos Yar the same was -44 and -47.8°C, respectively. Item 7 of the application: The representatives received consent from the administration of the PANGAEA. international scientific repository to place this database on their official website: www.pangaea.de. Placing data on PANGAEA has a number of advantages, the main of which is accessibility for researchers, including for PMIP-DATA. Work is underway to format the data. Item 8 of the application: It was published, written and submitted to the editor: Published: 5 papers in journals from the list of RSCI 2 papers in journals from the Scopus and WoS databases Accepted for publication: 4 papers in journals from the Scopus and WoS databases Written (and submitted to the editors): 2 papers in journals from the list of top 25. 4 papers in journals from the Scopus and WoS databases Total published, written, accepted for publication and submitted to journals 17 articles

 

Publications

---

Annotation of the results obtained in 2020
Results for Block 1. Data of climate modeling and meteorological observations: Comparison of the results of modeling the current climate by PMIP models with the results of observations at meteorological stations allows to determine an ensemble of climate models for verifying the results of modeling the temperatures of the cold period (climatic winter) with stable isotope data of ice wedges. As a control experiment that characterizes the modern climate, the historical experiment was considered, where the change in external influences on the climate is set in accordance with observations. The LGM experiment was performed for the maximum of the last glaciation with the maximum volume of the ice cover during the last cold epoch (19-25 ka BP). The key features of this numerical experiment are the significantly greater area of the ice sheet and reduced concentration of greenhouse gases (for example, the concentration of the CO2 equivalent was 185 million-1). From the archive of global data of the PMIP3 and CMIP5 projects, values for the Arctic were selected using 12 climate system models. It is shown that the spatial distribution of anomalies of the average temperature of the cold season, the sum of the temperature for this period, and the number of days with a temperature below zero is quite heterogeneous over space. The most significant differences from modern conditions were observed in the Western section of the Arctic. This is explained by the fact that during conducting of numerical experiments for the maximum of glaciation, it was the location of the Scandinavian ice sheet in the initial conditions. The average January air temperatures in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River, Northern Yakutia, were calculated for 12-16, 18-20, 22-24, and 28-30 ka BP and compared with the modern ones. Maps of the principal distribution of January paleotemperature isotherms for the key periods of the Late Pleistocene: 15-20, 21-24, and 27-30 calibrated ka BP are constructed. 1 paper is published in the journal of the WoS. Results for Block 2. New data for δ18O and δ2H values and hydrochemical composition of Late Pleistocene ice wedges of Bison and Zelyony Mys sections in the lower reaches of the Kolyma River and Batagai section in Northern Yakutia were obtained. a. The section of the Bison ice wedge complex demonstrates the stage of development of permafrost syncryogenic strata on the Kolyma plain 30-42 ka BP. AMS 14C dating of organic matter from ice wedges allowed to obtain valid dates and confirmed the vertical stratification of ice wedge, i.e. its syngenetic growth when younger ice is located above older one. The obtained detailed isotope record, along with detailed dating, allowed to compare with the isotope record of the Greenland ice core NGRIP and established that the main global temperature fluctuations were also reflected in the isotopic composition of Bison yedoma ice wedges. So, oscillations obtained for the isotopic record of upper tier ice wedge, are responsive to the Dansgaard-Oeschger events (DO) from 5 to 9. Dansgaard-Oeschger fluctuations are characterized by very abrupt warming phase followed by a slow cooling phase. This makes it possible to determine the age interval for the upper tier ice wedge growth between 42 and 30 cal. ka BP. Comparison with the NGRIP curve makes it possible more reliable to date ice wedge formed during the cold phases of the Dansgaard-Oeschger events. It is shown that winter conditions 30-42 cal. ka BP in the area of lower reaches of the Kolyma River were quite stable. 1 paper is prepared for the journal of Q1. b. The cyclical structure of the Zelyony Mys edoma strata and the cyclical change in the ice wedge growth conditions were confirmed, and subaqual and subaerial stages of accumulation of edoma deposits and ice wedges were established. The age of the Zelyony Mys yedoma was verified: the beginning of the accumulation of the yedoma strata is dated to 48 cal. ka BP, the termination - 15 cal. ka BP. In the Zelyony Mys section, three cycles of ice wedge isotope composition were identified: 46-41 cal. ka BP, 37-32 cal. ka BP and about 22-24 cal. kа BP. Comparison of these data with the isotope composition of ice wedges of the reference yedoma sections - Plakhinskii Yar, Duvanny Yar, Stanchikovsky Yar, Chersky, etc. allows to conclude that winter climate conditions prevailed in the area of lower reaches of the Kolyma River at the end of the Late Pleistocene cryochron were significantly more severe than modern ones. The lowest average January air temperature (15 °C lower than modern one) was obtained for the period from 37 to 25 cal. ka BP, which corresponds to global cooling. 1 paper is prepared for the journal of Scopus - Earth Cryosphere, accepted in N2, 2021. c. Dating of microinclusions of organic material from Late Pleistocene syngenetic the ice wedges of Batagay edoma outcrop, Northern Yakutia, upper reaches of Yana River (67.58° N, 134.77° E) were carried out. Two ice wedges were sampled in detail in the upper tier (from 305 to 333 m a.s.l.), in the middle tier (260-290 m a.s.l.) and in the lower tier (225-260 m a.s.l.). Summarizing of the obtained new AMS radiocarbon dates allowed to conclude that the thick syngenetic ice wedges in the Batagay edoma outcrop formed between 27 and 49 cal. ka BP. 1 paper is published in the journal of WoS. d. Studies of the ion and element concentration in ice wedge ice (suspended and dissolved forms) and in sediment extracted from the ice of Batagay yedoma section were performed. The data obtained for the ice wedges was compared with data on soils and sediments in the study area. It is established that the mineralization of the Late Pleistocene ice wedges of the Batagay yedoma varies from 66.56 to 424.8 mg/L, the ionic composition of the ice is calcium-bicarbonate and is close to that of snow formed under the influence of continental salts. Elements are contained in ice mainly in the suspended form: the proportion of Mg, K, Na, Al, Fe, Mn, Sr, Ba in the suspended form is more than 90%. The maximum concentrations of Li, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Ba, Sr, Pb, and U were observed in the ice wedge N 5, one of the ice wedges in lower tier in the eastern part of the Batagay crater. The element composition of sediment extracted from ice wedges and soils of the study area is compared. A special feature of the soils near the Batagay outcrop is the increased content of Cu, Zn, Pb and Li. In general, the concentration of most elements in sediment inclusions in ice wedges and in soils are similar, which confirms the soil origin of the ice wedge inclusions. The carbon isotope signatures and the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the pedogenic material of inclusions in ice wedges of the Batagay yedoma are studied. The mean concentration of 11 PAHs is 170 ppb and the mean δ13С value in soil lipids is –29‰. The δ13С values and PAH content suggest a pedogenic origin of the inclusions in ice wedges. It is shown that sources of PAHs were plant remains and natural fires. The PAH contents and δ13С values in ice wedges show the trend of a decrease with depth. The observed trend may be associated with the changes in landscapes – transition from meadow-steppe to forest landscapes and increasing fire frequency in the Late Pleistocene. 1 paper is published in the journal of Q2. e. For dating the previously published isotope-oxygen diagram on Late Pleistocene ice wedges at Seyakha section on the eastern coast of Yamal Peninsula, and the newly obtained in 2020 deuterium diagram for these ice wedges, 2 new AMS dates of 17 and 22 ka BP were obtained, which confirmed the previously stated assumption about the formation of upper-tier ice wedges around 15-23 ka BP. 1 article is prepared for the journal of WoS. Results for Block 3. An electronic database containing 28 papers was created and submitted to the PANGAEA international repository. Every paper has its own doi. 1) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919525 - Score: 163.38; 2) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.915112 - Score: 156.64; 3) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.915033 - Score: 156.1; 4) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919617 - Score: 152.37; 5) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.914981 - Score: 151.92; 6) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919177 - Score: 151.61; 7) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.921522 - Score: 151.21; 8) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919810 - Score: 150.74 9) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919765 - Score: 150.63 10) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919189 - Score: 140.05 11) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.915943 - Score: 139.3 12) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.922066 - Score: 138.46 13) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919507 - Score: 135.27 14) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.921402 - Score: 135.21 15) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.917715 - Score: 135.07 16) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919481 - Score: 134.51 17) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919555 - Score: 134.12 18) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.915955 - Score: 133.42 19) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.918567 - Score: 131.77 20) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.918550 - Score: 131.77 21) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.921687 -Score: 116.96 22) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.918458 - Score: 114.04 23) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.921617 - Score: 114.02 24) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919702 - Score: 113.56 25) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.917735 - Score: 112.44 26) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919660 - Score: 111.98 27) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.921024 - Score: 83.93 28) https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.919119 - Score: 74.49 These papers include electronic data of the reconstructed mean January air paleotemperature for the North of Western Siberia and the North of Yakutia for key periods of the Late Pleistocene: 13-15 ka BP, 18-20 ka BP, 24-26 ka BP, 28-32 ka BP. Results for Block 4. Data on the δ18O and δ2H values in Holocene ice wedges of Eastern Chukotka are systematized. The winter and mean January air temperatures for the Holocene of the easternmost region of Chukotka were reconstructed. It is shown that on Daurkin Peninsula, the most east part of Chukotka, the onset of ice wedge growth in Holocene is dated to 10-6 cal. ka BP (during the Greenlandian and Northgrippian stages). Paleotemperature reconstructions carried out on the basis of isotope-oxygen data of ice wedges showed that from 11 to 6 cal ka BP on the Daurkin Peninsula the mean winter air temperature varied from −18 to −21 ÷ −22°С and mean January (mean February) air temperature – from −25 to −29 ÷ −30°С. It was concluded that winter conditions between 11 and 6 cal. ka BP were more severe than modern ones: mean winter temperature was lower by an average 2–5 °C and mean air temperature of the coldest winter month (January or February) was lower by an average 4–8 °C. 1 article is published in the journal of Scopus. Results for Block 5. Yedoma sediments with inclusions of rubble, pebble and gravel located in Central Yakutia, Upper Kolyma Upland, Eastern Sayan, Anabar Plateau, Alaska and Klondike are studied. It is shown that syncryogenic strata with ice wedges, including yedoma sediments, with layers of gravel and pebbles, or even completely saturated with rubble and gravel are not anomalous, but a common cryolithological phenomenon. They are also found in the southern regions of the Siberian permafrost zone (south of 56-54°N). The presence of coarse sand, gravel, and pebbles in the yedoma strata usually indicates the dominant role of alluvial riverbed processes in their formation; the presence of rubble and gravel indicates the dominant role of slope processes. The role of aeolian processes in the formation of yedoma is often overestimated, since, for example, in sections of late Pleistocene tuculans, thick ice wedges are usually not found. At the same time, the aeolian transfer of material on the surface of polygonal massifs of river and lake floodplains, sea laids, and lower parts of slopes is one of the significant factors of sediment accumulation. 1 paper is prepared and submitted to the journal of Scopus. Results for Block 6. Field studies and samples for isotopic and hydrochemical measurements from Late Pleistocene yedoma strata in the North of Western Siberia. Planned field work on Yamal Peninsula and in Central Yakutia did not take place due to the COVID-19 situation. Only In late September, in the north of the Bolshezemelskaya tundra, new equipment for drilling of ice and permafrost sediments was tested. For the first time in 20 years of field works, the authors were able to reach 2-meter-thick palsa ice core, with followed stable isotope measurements of ice that confirmed freezing in an open system without noticeable isotopic fractionation. Mass spectrometry studies of ice wedges from the own archive of Late Pleistocene yedoma strata in the North of Yakutia (Batagay) and Western Siberia (Seyakha) were continued, and more than 150 new values were obtained. New AMS radiocarbon dates from Late Pleistocene syngenetic ice wedges (17 determinations) were obtained (together with the IGRAN radiocarbon laboratory). Age determination of the ice wedge N 17 in the Batagay yedoma section, yielded the dates between 19-22 and ka BP, were especially important. Results for Block 7. A software product was created in the statically typed C# programming language. This program contains an express method for calculating the isotopic composition of ice formed in a closed and open Rayleigh system from water with varying isotopic composition in the range from −5 to −45 ‰ for oxygen and from −40 to −200 ‰ for deuterium. It made it possible to obtain tables and continuous graphs of the distribution of the isotope-oxygen and isotope-hydrogen composition during freezing and ice formation in open and, most importantly, closed systems over the entire natural range of the initial isotope composition of water.

 

Publications

---