Environmental changes in the Tersky Coast of White Sea (Kola Peninsula) during the Holocene inferred from multy-proxy study of the Kuzomen Moch peatland

This paper presents the first reconstruction of the paludification process and vegetation history during the last 8000 cal years BP in the western part of the Tersky Coast (south Kola Peninsula); in the River Varzuga mouth; based on multi-proxy studies of the Kuzomen Mokh peatland including high resolution pollen and plant macroremains analyses; loss on ignition measurements; AMS radiocarbon dating of the peat; and quartz grain morphoscopy analysis for sandy deposits underlying the peat sequences. The obtained data revealed that the paludification stage was preceded by aeolian processes occurred in the study area during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. Analysis of quartz sand grain morphoscopy revealed that glacial and fluvioglacial sands underlying peat deposits in Kuzomen Mokh peatland were partly affected by aeolian processes that are indicated by specific textures on the surface of quartz sand grains typical for air transport. Peat accumulation started not later than 7865 ± 45 cal yr. BP assuming a decline of aeolian processes in the study area. Analysis of plant macroremains showed an evolution of mire from the poor fen to ombrotrophic rised bog. Local vegetation successions were obviously influenced by fire in the period between 7800 and 2700 cal yr. BP. According to pollen data vegetation history in the Tersky coast of the White Sea during the last 8000 cal yr. BP included a series of successive phases of birch; birch-pine and pine forests caused probably by climatic changes and fire activity. Picea appeared in the study area around 7000 cal yr. BP and reduced in abundance during the last 200 years due to human impact and fires.

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