Neogene herpetofauna, climate, and continental runoff of western Siberia

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Western Siberia comprises the drainage basin of the major Siberian rivers Irtysh and Ob, both flowing into the Kara Sea of the Arctic Ocean. The annual discharge of both rivers represents more than 20 % of the total Eurasian runoff into the Arctic Ocean. Due to potential freshwater forcing of the Arctic Ocean it is suspected that runoff variations affect ocean circulation and global climate evolution and might have promoted the late Neogene Northern Hemisphere glaciation. However, proxy data are still missing to corroborate this hypothesis. To study the influence of West Siberian runoff on Arctic paleoceanography and to test existing hypothesis about its role for Northern hemisphere glaciation we propose to develop a high-resolution paleo-precipitation database of the last 20 Myrs for West Siberia based on bioclimatic analysis of fossil herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles). Using this database we are able to calculate Neogene West Siberian continental discharge into the Arctic Ocean. The proposed research will provide extremely valuable proxy-based results for paleoceanography and paleoclimatology. Moreover, by its taxonomicpaleobiologic research it will significantly contribute to the understanding of the evolution and biogeography of cool-temperate amphibians and reptiles of Eurasia