Geochemical analyses (x-ray fluorescence, δ13C and C/N ratios) were used to reconstruct early Holocene environments (between 10685 and 7260 cal. yr BP) at a small lake near Holebudalen, southern Norway. Results show a period of increasing stability, with reduced catchment inwash (shown by titanium and potassium minerals), vegetation stabilization and increasing aquatic productivity (C/N ratios). However, periods of instability (loss on ignition (LOI) decrease) are also seen (most notably at c. 9060 cal. yr BP). Chironomid-inferred July temperature (CI-T) reconstructions show a cooling of c. 2°C (RMSEP = 1.0°C) between c. 8400 and 8000 cal. yr BP and so high-resolution (5 mm; c. 20 yr) diatom analyses were conducted between 8675 and 7830 cal. yr BP in order to further investigate this change. Between c. 8270 and 8000 cal. yr BP there were large reductions (> 50%) in the abundance of tychoplanktonic diatoms (eg, Aulacoseira species) and absolute increases in periphytic diatom communities (eg, Navicula pupula, Pinnularia mesolepta). The multiproxy analyses suggest a period of increased lake ice cover with associated reductions in turbulence during this time. Diatom flora changes are concomitant with a fall in percent LOI and increased catchment erosion at the site and other evidence of regional climatic perturbations in the early Holocene. Therefore, superimposed upon an early Holocene warming trend at Holebudalen, there are climatic perturbations, for example reflected between c. 8200 and 8000 cal. yr BP by diatom communities.
Alley, R.B. , Mayewski, P.A. , Sowers, T. , Stuiver, M. , Taylor, K.C. and Clark, P.U.1997: Holocene climate instability: a prominent, widespread event 8200 yr ago . Geology25, 483-86.
2.
Antonsson, K. , Brooks, S. , Seppä, H. , Telford, R.J. and Birks, H.J.B.2006: Quantitative palaeotemperature records inferred from fossil pollen and chironomid assemblages from Lake Gilltjärnen, northern central Sweden . Journal of Quaternary Science21, 831-41.
3.
Barber, D.C. , Dyke, A. , Hillaire-Marcel, C. , Jennings, A.E. , Andrews, J.T. , Kerwin, M.W. , Bilodeau, G. , McNeely, R. , Southons, J. , Morehead, M.D. and Gagnon, J.-M.1999: Forcing of the cold event of 8,200 years ago by catastrophic drainage of Laurentide lakes . Nature400, 344-48.
4.
Barker, P.J.C. , Fontes, F. , Gasse, F. and Druart, J.C.1994: Experimental dissolution of diatom silica in concentrated salt solutions and implications for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction . Limnology and Oceanography39, 99-110.
5.
Battarbee, R.W.2000: Palaeolimnological approaches to climate change, with special regard to the biological record . Quaternary Science Reviews19, 107-24.
6.
Battarbee, R.W. and Kneen, M.1982: The use of electronically counted microspheres in absolute diatom analysis . Limnology and Oceanography27, 184-88.
7.
Battarbee, R.W. , Jones, V.J. , Flower, R.J. , Cameron, N.G. , Bennion, H. and Carvalho, L.2001: Diatoms. In Smol, J.P.,Birks, H.J.B. and Last, W.M., editors, Tracking environmental change using lake sediments. Volume 3: terrestrial, algal and siliceous indicators . Kluwer Academic Publishers , 1-48.
8.
Berglund, B.E. and Ralska-Jasiewiczowa, M.1986: Pollen analysis and pollen diagrams. In Berglund, B.E., editor, Handbook of Holocene palaeoecology and palaeohydrology. John Wiley & Sons , 455-84.
9.
Bigler, C. , Larocque, I. , Peglar, S.M. , Birks, H.J.B. and Hall, R.2002: Quantitative multiproxy assessment of long-term patterns of Holocene environmental change from a small lake near Abisko, northern Sweden . The Holocene12, 481-96.
10.
Birks, H.J.B. and Seppä, H.2004: Pollen-based reconstructions of late Quaternary climate in Europe - progress, problems and pitfalls . Acta Palaeobotanica44, 317-34.
11.
Bjork, S. , Rundgren, M. , Ingolfsson, O. and Funder, S.1997: The Preboreal oscillation around the Nordic Seas: terrestrial and lacustrine responses . Journal of Quaternary Science12, 455-65.
12.
Bjune, A.E. , Birks, H.J.B. and Seppä, H.2004: Holocene vegetation and climate history on a continental-oceanic transect in northern Fennoscandia based on pollen and plant macrofossils . Boreas33, 211-23.
13.
Boyle, J.F.2000: Rapid elemental analysis of sediment samples by isotope source XRF . Journal of Paleolimnology23, 213-21.
14.
--- 2001: Inorganic geochemical methods in palaeolimnology. In Last, W.M. and Smol, J.P., editors, Tracking environmental change using lake sediments. Volume 2: physical and geochemical methods. Kluwer Academic Publishers , 83-141.
15.
Bradbury, J.P. and Dieterich-Rurup, K.V.1993: Holocene diatom palaeolimnology of Elk Lake, Minnesota . In Bradbury, J.P. and Dean, W.E., editors, Elk Lake, Minnesota: evidence for rapid climate change in the north-central United States . Geological Society of America Special Paper , 276, 215-37.
16.
Bradley, R.2003: Climate forcing during the Holocene. In Mackay, A.W.,Battarbee, R.W.,Birks, H.J.B. and Oldfield, F., editors, Global change in the Holocene. Arnold , 10-11.
17.
Brooks, S.J.2003: Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera). In Mackay, A.W. , Battarbee, R.W. , Birks, H.J.B. and Oldfield, F. , editors, Global change in the Holocene. Arnold , 328-41.
18.
Brooks, S.J. and Birks, H.J.B.2000: Chironomid-inferred late-glacial - early-Holocene mean July air temperatures for Kråkenes Lake, western Norway . Journal of Palaeolimnology23, 77-89.
19.
--- 2001: Chironomid-inferred air temperatures from Lateglacial and Holocene sites in north-west Europe: progress and problems . Quaternary Science Reviews20, 1723-41.
20.
Camburn, K.E. and Charles, D.F.2000: Diatoms of low alkalinity lakes in the Northeastern United States . The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Special Publication18, 152 .
21.
Dahl, S.O. and Nesje, A.1994: Holocene glacier fluctuations at Hardengerjøkulen, central southern Norway: a high resolution composite chronology from lacustrine and terrestrial deposits . The Holocene4, 269-77.
22.
-- 1996: A new approach to calculating Holocene winter precipitation by combining glacier equilibrium-line altitudes and pine-trees limits: a case study from Hardangerjøkulen, central southern Norway . The Holocene6, 381-98.
23.
Dean, W.E. , Bradbury, J.P. , Andersen, R.Y. and Barnosky, C.W.1984: The variability of Holocene climate change: evidence from varved lake sediments . Science226, 1191-94.
24.
Digerfeldt, G.1986: Studies on past lake-level fluctuations. In Berglund, B.E., editor, Handbook of Holocene palaeoecology and palaeohydrology. John Wiley & Sons , 127-43.
25.
Eide, W. , Bigelow, N.H. , Peglar, S.M. , Birks, H.H. and Birks, H.J.B.2006: Holocene tree migrations in the Setesdal valley, southern Norway, reconstructed from macrofossil and pollen evidence . Vegetation History and Archaeobotany15, 65-85.
26.
Ellison, R.W. , Chapman, M.R. and Hall, I.R.2006: Surface and deep ocean interactions during the cold climate event 8200 years ago . Science321, 1292-93.
27.
Farmer, A.M. and Spence, D.H.N.1986: The growth strategies and distribution of isoetids in Scottish freshwater lochs . Aquatic Botany26, 247-58.
28.
Flower, R.J. and Jones, V.J.1989: Taxonomic descriptions and occurrences of new Achnanthes taxa in acid lakes in the U.K . Diatom Research4, 227-39.
29.
Garcia, E. and Ballesteros, E.1993: Population and individual variability of Isoetes lacustris with depth in a Pyrenean lake . Aquatic Botany46, 35-47.
30.
Hammarlund, D. , Aravena, R. , Barnekow, L. , Buchardt, B. and Possnert, G.1997: Multicomponent carbon isotope evidence of early Holocene environmental change and carbon-flow pathways from a hard-water lake in northern Sweden . Journal of Paleolimnology18, 219-33.
31.
Hammarlund, D. , Barnekow, L. , Birks, H.J.B. , Buchardt, B. and Edwards, T.W.D.2002: Holocene changes in atmospheric circulation recorded in the oxygen-isotope stratigraphy of lacustrine carbonates from northern Sweden . The Holocene12, 339-51.
32.
Heegaard, E. , Birks, H.J.B. and Telford, R.J.2005: Relationships between calibrated ages and depth in stratigraphical sequences: an estimation procedure by mixed-effect regression . The Holocene15, 612-18.
33.
Heiri, O. and Lotter, A.F.2001: Effect of low count sums on quantitative environmental reconstructions: an example using subfossil chironomids . Journal of Paleolimnology26, 343-50.
34.
Hofmann, W.1971: Zur taxonomie und Palökologie subfossiler Chironomiden (Dipt.) in Seesedimenten . Archiv fur Hydrobiologie6, 1-50.
35.
Horne, A.J. and Goldman, C.R.1994: Limnology . McGraw-Hill Inc. Hughen, K.A., Overpeck, J.T. , Peterson, L.C. and Trumbore, S. 1996: Rapid climate changes in the Tropical Atlantic region during the last deglaciation . Nature380, 51-54.
36.
Hughen, K.A. , Overpeck, J.T. and Anderson, R.F.2000: Recent warming in a 500 year palaeotemperature record from varved sediments, Upper Soper Lake, Baffin Island, Canada . The Holocene10, 9-19.
37.
Johannessen, R.W.1970: The climate of Scandinavia . In Wallén, C.C., editor, Climates of northern and western Europe . World Survey of Climatology, Elsevier , Vol. 5, 23-80.
38.
Juggins, S.1991: Zone v 1.2 unpublished computer program. Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London . --- 2003: C2 data analysis 1.4.2 unpublished computer program. Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London .
39.
Karlén, W.1976: Lacustrine sediments and tree-limit variations as indicators of Holocene climatic fluctuations in Lapland, northern Sweden . Geografiska Annaler3, 1-34.
40.
Kilham, P. , Kilham, S.S. and Hecky, R.E.1986: Hypothesised resource relationships among African planktonic diatoms . Limnology and Oceanography31, 1169-81.
41.
Korhola, A. , Weckström, J. , Holmström, L. and Erärsto, P.2000: A quantitative Holocene climatic record from diatoms in Northern Fennoscandia . Quaternary Research54, 284-94.
42.
Krammer, K. and Lange-Bertalot, H.1986: Bacillariophyceae. I. Teil. Naviclaceae. In Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa, Band 2/1 . Gustav Fischer Verlag , 876 pp.
43.
--- 1988: Bacillariophyceae 2. Teil. Bacillariaceae, Epithemiaceae, Surirellaceae. In Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa, Band 2/2 . Gustav Fischer Verlag .
44.
--- 1991a: Bacillariophyceae 3. Teil. Zentrische Diatomeen, Diatoma, Meridion, Asterionella, Tabellaria, Fragilaria, Eunotia und Verwandte, Peronia und Actinella. In Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa, Band 2/4. Gustav Fischer Verlag.
45.
--- 1991b: Bacillariophyceae 4. Teil, Achnanthes, Navicula, Gomphonema, Kritische Nachtraege, Literatur. In Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa.Gustav Fischer Verlag.
46.
Kullman, L.1995: Holocene tree-limit and climate history from the Scandes mountains, Sweden . Ecology76, 2490-50.
47.
Larocque, I.2001: How many head capsules are enough? A statistical approach to determine sample size for paleoclimatic reconstructions . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology172, 133-42.
48.
Leng, M.J. and Marshall, J.D.2004: Palaeoclimate interpretations of stable isotope data from lake sediments . Quaternary Science Reviews23, 811-31.
49.
Lotter, A.F.2003: Multi-proxy climatic reconstructions. In Mackay, A.W.,Battarbee, R.W.,Birks, H.J.B. and Oldfield, F., editors, Global change in the Holocene. Arnold , 373-83.
50.
Lotter, A.F. , Pienitz, R. and Schmidt, R.1999: Diatoms as indicators of environmental change near Arctic and alpine treeline. In Stroemer, E.F. and Smol, J.P., editors, The diatoms: application for the environmental earth sciences. Cambridge University Press , 205-26.
51.
Marshall, J.D. , Lang, B. , Crowley, S.F. , Weedon, G. , van Calsteren, P. , Fisher, E.H. , Holme, R. , Holmes, J.A. , Jones, R.T. , Bedford, A. , Brooks, S.J. , Bloemendal, J. , Kiriakoulakis, K. and Ball, J.D.2007: Terrestrial impact of abrupt changes in the North Atlantic thermohaline cirulation: early Holocene, UK . Geology35, 639-42.
52.
Mayewski, P.A. , Meeker, L.D. , Twickler, M.S. , Whitlow, S. , Yang, Q.Z. , Lyons, W.B. and Prentice, M.1997: Major features and forcing of high-latitude northern hemisphere atmospheric circulation using a 110,000-year-long glaciochemical series . Journal of Geophysical Research102, 26345-66.
53.
Meyers, P.A. and Lallier-Verges, E.1999: Lacustrine sedimentary organic matter records of late Quaternary paleoclimates . Journal of Paleolimnology21, 345-72.
54.
Nesje, A. and Dahl, S.O.2001: The Greenland 8200 cal. yr BP event detected in loss-on-ignition profiles in Norwegian lacustrine sediment sequences . Journal of Quaternary Science16, 155-66.
55.
Nesje, A. , Bjune, A.F. , Bakke, J. , Olaf Dahl, S. , Lie, Ø. and Birks, H.J.B.2006: Multi-proxy evidence and quantitative climate estimates for the 8200 cal yr. event in the mountains of western Norway . The Holocene16, 717-29.
56.
O'Brien, S.R. , Mayewski, P.A. , Meeker, L.D. , Meese, D.A. , Twicker, M.S. and Whitlow, S.I.1995: Complexity of Holocene climate as reconstructed from a Greenland ice-core . Science270, 1962-64.
57.
Oliver, D.R. and Rousel, M.E.1983: The genera of larval midges of Canada. Diptera: Chironomidae . Biosystematics Research Institute . Patrick, R.1977: Ecology of freshwater diatoms - diatom communities . In Werner, D. , editor, The biology of diatoms. Blackwell , 284-32.
58.
Peglar, S.M.2000: Holocene climatic history and ecological impacts in Setesdal, southern Norway: a quantitative pollen-analytical study. Botanisk Institutt , Universitetet i Bergen Report, unpublished.
59.
Quinlan, R. and Smol, J.P.2001: Setting minimum head capsule abundance and taxa criteria in chironomid-based inference models . Journal of Paleolimnology26, 327-42.
60.
Rasmussen, S.O. , Vinther, B.M. , Clausen, H.B. and Andersen, K.K.2007: Early Holocene climate oscillations recorded in three Greenland ice cores . Quaternary Science Reviews26, 1907-14.
61.
Renberg, I.1990: A procedure for preparing large sets of diatom slides from sediment cores . Journal of Paleolimnology4, 87-90.
62.
Renssen, H. , Goosse, H. , Fichefet, T. , Brovkin, V. , Driesschaert, E. and Wolk, F.2005: Simulating the Holocene climate evolution at northern high latitudes using a coupled atmosphere-sea ice-ocean-vegetation model . Climate Dynamics24, 23-43.
63.
Rieradevall, M. and Brooks, S.J.2000: An identification guide to subfossil Tanypodinae larvae (Insecta: Diptera: Chironomidae) based on cephalic setation . Journal of Paleolimnology23, 81-99.
64.
Rioual, P.2000: Diatom assemblages and water chemistry of lakes in the French Massif Central: a methodology for reconstruction of past limnological and climate fluctuations during the Eemian period. University of London , Ph.D. Thesis.
65.
Rohling, E.J. and Pälike, H.2005: Centennial-scale climate cooling with a sudden cold event around 8,200 years ago . Nature434, 975-79.
66.
Rørslett, B.1977: Elodea Canadensis in southern Norway until 1976 . Blyttia35, 61-66.
67.
Rosén, H. , Segerström, U. , Eriksson, L. , Renberg, I. and Birks, H.J.B.2001: Holocene climatic change reconstructed from diatoms, chironomids, pollen and near-infrared spectroscopy at an alpine lake (Sjuodjijaure) in northern Sweden . The Holocene11, 551-62.
68.
Rosén, P. , Segerström, U. , Eriksson, L. and Renberg, I.2003: Do diatom, chironomid, and pollen records consistently infer Holocene July air temperature? A comparison using sediment cores from four alpine lakes in northern Sweden . Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research35, 279-90.
69.
Schmid, P.E.1993: A key to the larval Chironomidae and their instars from Austrian Danube region streams and rivers. Part 1. Diamesinae, Prodiamesinae and Orthocladiinae. Federal Institute for Water Quality , 514 pp.
70.
Seppä, H. and Birks, H.J.B.2001: July mean temperature and annual precipitation trend during the Holocene in the Fennoscandian tree-line area: pollen based climate reconstructions . The Holocene11, 527-39.
71.
--- 2002: Holocene climate reconstructions from the Fennoscandian tree-line area based on pollen data from Toskaljavri . Quaternary Research57, 191-99.
72.
Seppä, H. and Poska, A.2004: Holocene annual mean temperature changes in Estonia and their relationship to solar insolation and atmospheric circulation patterns . Quaternary Research61, 22-31.
73.
Seppä, H. , Hammarlund, D. and Antonsson, K.2005: Low-frequency and high frequency changes of temperature and effective humidity during the Holocene in south central Sweden: implications for atmospheric and oceanic forcings of climate . Climate Dynamics25, 285-97.
74.
Seppä, H. , Birks, H.J.B. , Giesecke, T. , Hammarlund, D. , Alenius, T. , Antonsson, K. , Bjune, A.E. , Heikkilä, M. , MacDonald, G.M. , Ojala, A.E.K. , Telford, R.J. and Veski, S.2007: Spatial structure of the 8200 cal yr BP event in Northern Europe . Climates of the Past Discussions3, 165-95.
75.
Smol, J.P.1988: Paleoclimate proxy data from freshwater arctic diatoms . International Association of Theoretical and Applied Limnology23, 837-44.
76.
Snowball, I. , Sandgren, P. and Petterson, G.1999: The mineral magnetic properties of an annually laminated Holocene lake-sediment sequence in northern Sweden . The Holocene9, 353-62.
77.
Snowball, I. , Zillén, L. and Gaillard, M-J.2002: Rapid early-Holocene environmental changes in northern Sweden based on studies of two varved lake-sediment sequences . The Holocene12, 7-16.
78.
Stuiver, M. and Reimer, P.J.1993: Extended 14C data base and revised CALIB 3.2 14C age calibration program . Radiocarbon35, 215-30.
79.
Stuiver, M. , Reimer, P.J. , Bard, E. , Beck, J.W. , Burr, G.S. , Hughen, K.A. , Kromer, B. , McCormac, G. , van der Plicht, J. and Spurk, M.1998: INTCAL98 radiocarbon age calibration, 24, 000 - 0 cal yr BP . Radiocarbon40, 527-39.
80.
Teller, J.T. , Leverington, D.W. and Mann, J.D.2002: Freshwater outbursts to the oceans from Glacial Lake Agassiz and their role in climate change during the last deglaciation . Quaternary Science Reviews21, 879-87.
81.
Ter Braak, C.J.F. and Juggins, S.1993: Weighted averaging partial least squares regression (WA-PLS): an improved method for reconstructing environmental variables from species assemblages . Hydrobiologia269/270, 485-502.
82.
Ter Braak, C.J.F. and Šmilauer, P.2002: CANOCO reference manual and CanoDraw for Windows user's guide: software for canonical community ordination (version 4.5). Microcomputer Power , 500 pp.
83.
Velle, G. , Brooks, S.J. , Birks, H.J.B. and Willassen, E.2005: Chironomids as a tool for inferring Holocene climate: an assessment based on six sites in southern Scandinavia . Quaternary Science Reviews24, 1429-62.
84.
von Grafenstein, U. , Erlenkeuser, H. , Brauer, A. , Jouzel, J. and Johnsen, S.J.1999: A mid-European decadal isotope-climate record from 15,500 to 5000 years BP . Science284, 1654-57.
85.
Walker, I.R.2001: Midges: Chironomidae and related Diptera. In Smol, J.P. , Birks, H.J.B. and Last, W.M. , editors, Tracking environmental change using lake sediments. Vol. 4. Zoological indicators . Kluwer , 43-66.
86.
Wiederholm, T.1983: Chironomidae of the Holarctic region. Keys and diagnoses. Part 1. Larvae . Entomologica Scandinavia Supplement 19, 1-457.
87.
Wolin, J.A. and Duthie, H.C.1999: Diatoms as indicators of water level change in freshwater lakes. In Stoermer, F. and Smol, J.P., editors, The diatoms: applications for the environmental and earth sciences. Cambridge University Press , 183-205.
88.
Wright, H.E.1980: Cores of soft lake sediments . Boreas9, 107-14.
89.
Yuan, D. , Cheng, H. and Edwards, R.L.2004: Timing, duration and transitions of the last Interglacial Asian monsoon . Science304, 575-78.
