Topic VII - Regional paleoreconstructions > VII-1-(Sub)Antarctic lakes as recorders of local to global environment and climate changes

Conveners

1. Fabien Arnaud (EDYTEM, CNRS, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Le Bourget du Lac, France)
2. Jostein Bakke (Department of Earth Science and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway)
3. Bianca Perren (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK)
4. Dominic Hodgson (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK)
5. Emeline Bellet (EDYTEM, CNRS, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, Le Bourget du Lac, France)
6. Tobias Schneider (Institute of Geography and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Switzerland)

The southern hemisphere high latitudes occupy a key place on Earth to maintain the subtle equilibria that make it an inhabitable planet. The Southern Annular Mode, which leads the dynamics of southern westerlies winds, is one of the major Earth climate modes, and circumpolar Antarctic waters are key for global carbon cycles. Moreover, Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic waters are among the richest on Earth and host an incredible biodiversity, whereas the Antarctic continent is a refuge for several species endangered by the current global warming. Despite its climatic and ecological importance, very little is known about the natural history of those remote places. Within this session, we will investigate the potential of southern high-latitude lake systems to reveal the environmental and climatic factors that have affected and continue to affect the region and their connections with the functioning of the Earth. Contributions are encouraged on any time scale, from very recent to multi-glacial cycles. We welcome contributions that utilise lake sediments as archives of past climatic and environmental changes, especially new and emerging methods such as sedimentary DNA, molecular and/or isotopic organic geochemistry, high-resolution scanning techniques (e.g., µXRF, hyperspectral imaging, µCT), or advanced quantitative transfer functions. The aim of this session is to foster a community of researchers involved in those remote environments to permit the emergence of integrated views and generate innovative ideas and future projects.