Late Quaternary and Holocene paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental reconstruction - a multi-proxy approach on Swiss speleothems

The main objective of STALCLIM project Switzerland is to construct highly resolved and precisely dated paleoclimate records from stalagmites collected in Swiss caves, by using a broad array of different analytical techniques.

Several samples were collected, in caves from Jura Mts and Alps. Oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotopes variations are measured at the Institute for Geological Sciences Bern. Variations in the δ18O and δ13C are indicating variations of temperature and vegetation at the surface. More important, the inferred climatic changes are absolutely dated, with an error as little as 1% of the absolute age. This allows high resolution reconstruction of local and regional climatic changes. Further, it enhances our understanding of the regional climatic response to different external factors.