Bündelantrag PASADO-Support 2: Qualitative environmental and climatic reconstruction for the last glacial interglacial cycles in southern Patagonia - the stable isotope record of the ICDP site Laguna Potrok Aike, Argentina (PASADO-Isotope)

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As the overall aim, this project focuses on studying the last glacial-interglacial cycle of the Southern Hemispheric mid-latitudes (52°S). Drilling of the sediment record of Laguna Potrok Aike, a 770 ka old maar lake in the dry steppe of southern Patagonia (Argentina), provides a unique record of environmental and climate variations. Results will be compared with marine Southern Ocean and Antarctic ice core data as well as with modelling results and help to understand how climate interacts globally. Stable isotope investigations of sedimentary organic matter and lacustrine carbonates will focus on core catcher samples and the complete composite profile from the central basin. Organic carbon and nitrogen isotopes will give insights into lacustrine primary production and organic matter sources. Oxygen and carbon isotope composition of lacustrine carbonates, plant macroremains and sedimentary cellulose will allow evaluating changes in the hydrological cycle of southern Patagonia. In collaboration with national and international science teams these investigations will make available qualitative climate and environmental reconstructions at multi-millennial to multi-decadal resolution. The results will give insights into temporal changes of intensity and latitudinal position of the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies interacting with the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the hemispheric and global distribution of moisture and energy. Altogether, these results provide information on lacustrine productivity, origin of organic matter, allochthonous sediment supply and hydrological variations that are directly and indirectly related to ecological processes and climatic forcing.