Late-Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes at Lake Esmeralda (Vega Island, Antarctic Peninsula) based on a multi-proxy analysis of laminated lake sediment:

We have studied laminated sediments from Lake Esmeralda, Vega Island, in order to reconstruct its history. We describe both inorganic and organic components of the sediment using a combination of the following analytical methods: x-ray fluorescence (XRF), x-ray diffraction (XRD), magnetic susceptibility measurement, chemical analysis for determination of cation exchange capacity, grain size determination, geochemical analyses ( total inorganic carbon(TIC), total organic carbon(TOC), total sulphur (TS)), spectrophotometry, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and diatom assemblage and faunal remains characterization. The geochronologyof the core was based on modelling optically stimulated luminescenceages and supported by laminae counting. The dating results imply a maximum age of ~400 years for the 177-cm long core and a period covered of ~200 years, suggesting (quasi-)annual laminae formation. Such a young age contradicts previous findings based on radiocarbon dating. Geomorphological evidence indicat...