Pleistocene Lake Sediment Grain Size and Geochemistry Record from Czech Republic

13,200 to 12,200 calibrated years before present, this paleoclimatic dataset captures the Allerød to Younger Dryas transition from sediments of Plešné Lake in the Czech Republic. It provides a high-resolution proxy for precipitation intensity based on maximum grain size measurements, alongside geochemical and chronological analyses. The study integrates radiocarbon dating and Laacher See cryptotephra identification to reassess hydroclimatic patterns during this period.

Use Cases

• Analyze maximum grain size measurements as a proxy for precipitation intensity changes during the Allerød-Younger Dryas transition.
• Investigate the phosphorus anomaly and associated elemental patterns from geochemical analyses to infer volcanic input and environmental processes.
• Use the integrated chronological framework of radiocarbon dates and Laacher See cryptotephra to correlate local sediment records with regional volcanic events.
• Model the proposed two-phase hydroclimatic pattern of initial drying followed by intense precipitation episodes in the early Younger Dryas.

Strengths

• Provides a 1,000-year high-resolution temporal coverage from 13,200 to 12,200 cal yr BP for a key climate transition.
• Integrates multiple analytical methods: sedimentological (grain size), geochemical, and chronological (radiocarbon, cryptotephra).
• Offers a localized constraint from Plešné Lake (48°46.6’N, 13°51.9’E) for broader paleoclimate discussions.

Limitations

• Data is presented in a 4.7 MB PDF document, requiring manual extraction for computational analysis.
• Sample size and row count for underlying measurements are not provided in the available metadata.
• Geographic scope is limited to a single headwater lake in the Bohemian Forest, Czech Republic.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Gunther Kletetschka.

Collection Method

Sedimentological, geochemical, and chronological analyses of lake sediment cores.

Time Range

13,200 to 12,200 calibrated years before present.

Freshness

Last updated March 26, 2026.

Geography

Plešné Lake, Bohemian Forest, Czech Republic (48°46.6’N, 13°51.9’E).