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BrGDGT lipids from the deepest oceans to the high Arctic share fundamental relationships with temperature, pH, and one another. 

Abstract. Distributions of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) are frequently employed for reconstructing terrestrial paleotemperaturesfrom lake sediment archives. Although brGDGTs are globally ubiquitous, the microbial producers of these membrane lipids remain unknown, precluding afull understanding of the ways in which environmental parameters control their production and distribution. Here, we advance this understanding inthree ways. First, we present 43 new high-latitude lake sites characterized by low mean annual air temperatures (MATs) and high seasonality, fillingan important gap in the global dataset. Second, we introduce a new approach for analyzing brGDGT data in which compound fractional abundances (FAs)are calculated within structural groups based on methylation number, methylation position, and cyclization number. Finally, we perform linear andnonlinear regressions of the resulting FAs against a suite of environmental parameters in a compiled global lake sediment dataset(n = 182). We find that our approach deconvolves temperature, conductivity, and pH trends in brGDGTs without increasing calibration errorsfrom the standard approach. We also find that it reveals novel patterns in brGDGT distributions and provides a methodology for investigating thebiological underpinnings of their structural diversity. Warm-season temperature indices outperformed MAT in our regressions, with the mean temperature of months abovefreezing yielding the highest-performing model (adjusted R2 = 0.91, RMSE = 1.97 ∘C, n = 182). The naturallogarithm of conductivity had the second-strongest relationship to brGDGT distributions (adjusted R2 = 0.83, RMSE = 0.66,n = 143), notably outperforming pH in our dataset (adjusted R2 = 0.73, RMSE = 0.57, n = 154) and providing a potential newproxy for paleohydrology applications. We recommend these calibrations for use in lake sediments globally, including at high latitudes, and detailthe advantages and disadvantages of each. 

Summer warming is driving a greening trend across the Arctic, with the potential for large-scale amplification of climate change due to vegetation-related feedbacks [Pearson et al.,Nat. Clim. Chang.(3), 673–677 (2013)]. Because observational records are sparse and temporally limited, past episodes of Arctic warming can help elucidate the magnitude of vegetation response to temperature change. The Last Interglacial ([LIG], 129,000 to 116,000 y ago) was the most recent episode of Arctic warming on par with predicted 21st century temperature change [Otto-Bliesner et al.,Philos. Trans. A Math. Phys. Eng. Sci.(371), 20130097 (2013) and Post et al.,Sci.Adv. (5), eaaw9883 (2019)]. However, high-latitude terrestrial records from this period are rare, so LIG vegetation distributions are incompletely known. Pollen-based vegetation reconstructions can be biased by long-distance pollen transport, further obscuring the paleoenvironmental record. Here, we present a LIG vegetation record based on ancient DNA in lake sediment and compare it with fossil pollen. Comprehensive plant community reconstructions through the last and current interglacial (the Holocene) on Baffin Island, Arctic Canada, reveal coherent climate-driven community shifts across both interglacials. Peak LIG warmth featured a ∼400-km northward range shift of dwarf birch, a key woody shrub that is again expanding northward. Greening of the High Arctic—documented here by multiple proxies—likely represented a strong positive feedback on high-latitude LIG warming. Authenticated ancient DNA from this lake sediment also extends the useful preservation window for the technique and highlights the utility of combining traditional and molecular approaches for gleaning paleoenvironmental insights to better anticipate a warmer future.

 

Sedimentary plant waxδ²H values are common proxies for hydrology, a poorly constrained variable in the Arctic. However, it can be difficult to distinguish plant waxes derived from aquatic versus terrestrial plants, causing uncertainty in climate interpretations. We test the hypothesis that Arctic lake sediment mid‐ and long‐chain plant waxes derive from aquatic and terrestrial plants, respectively. We comparen‐alkanoic acid andn‐alkane chain‐length distributions andn‐alkanoic acidδ²H andδ¹³C values of the 29 most abundant modern plant taxa to those for soils, water filtrates, and lake sediments in the Qaupat Lake (QPT) catchment, Nunavut, Canada. Chain length distributions are variable among terrestrial plants, but similar and dominated by mid‐chain waxes among submerged/floating aquatic plants. Sedimentary wax distributions are similar to those in submerged/floating aquatic plants and toSalixspp., which are among the most abundant terrestrial plants in the QPT catchment. Mid‐chainn‐alkanoic acidδ²H values are similar in sediments and submerged/floating aquatic plants, but 50‰ lower thanSalixspp. In contrast, sedimentary long‐chainn‐alkanoic acidδ²H values fall between those for submerged/floating aquatic plants andSalixspp. We therefore infer that mid‐chain waxes in QPT are primarily from aquatic plants, whereas long‐chain waxes are from a mix of terrestrial and aquatic plants. In Arctic lakes like QPT, terrestrial wax transport via leaf litter and surface flow is limited by low‐lying topography and sparse vegetation. If these lakes also have abundant aquatic plants growing near the sediment‐water interface, the aquatic plants can contribute large portions of sedimentary waxes.

 

The Arctic has warmed three times the rate of the global average, resulting in extensive thaw of perennially frozen ground known as permafrost. While it is well understood that permafrost thaw will continue and likely accelerate, thaw rates are nonuniform due, in part, to the expansion of Arctic trees and tall shrubs that may increase ground temperatures. However, in permafrost regions with short‐stature vegetation (height < 40 cm), our understanding of how ground temperature regimes vary by vegetation type is limited as these sites are generally found in remote high‐latitude regions that lack in situ ground temperature measurements. This study aims to overcome this limitation by leveraging in situ shallow ground temperatures, remote sensing observations, and topographic parameters across 22 sites with varying types of short‐stature vegetation on Baffin Island, Canada, a remote region underlain by rapidly warming continuous permafrost. Results suggest that the type of short‐stature vegetation does not necessarily correspond to a distinct shallow ground temperature regime. Instead, in permafrost regions with short‐stature vegetation, factors that control snow duration, such as microtopography, may have a larger effect on evolving ground temperature regimes and thus permafrost vulnerability. These findings suggest that anticipating permafrost thaw in regions of short‐stature vegetation may be more nuanced than previously suggested.

 

Paleotemperature histories derived from lake sediment archives provide valuable context for modern and future climate changes. Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGT) lipids are a valuable tool in such pursuits due to their empirical correlation with temperature and near ubiquity in nature. However, the relative contributions of terrestrial and lacustrine sources of brGDGTs to lake sediments is site‐dependent and difficult to constrain. Here, we explored the potential for intact brGDGTs—the complete lipids with polar head groups (HGs) still attached—to provide insight into the sources of brGDGTs on the landscape and their contributions to the sedimentary record in a set of Arctic lakes. We measured core and intact brGDGTs in soils, surface and downcore sediments, water filtrates, and sediment traps across five lake catchments in the Eastern Canadian Arctic, with an emphasis on Lake Qaupat (QPT), Baffin Island. Soils were dominated by brGDGTs with a monoglycosyl (1G) HG, while lacustrine samples contained more phosphohexose (PH) brGDGTs, providing evidence for in situ brGDGT production in both settings. Core‐ and PH‐brGDGT‐IIIa were more abundant in sediments than in the soils or water column, implying an additional post‐depositional source of brGDGTs. A hierarchical clustering analysis indicated that core brGDGTs in Lake QPT sediments were largely lacustrine in origin, while 1G‐brGDGTs were primarily soil‐derived. Additionally, we found evidence for preservation of intact brGDGTs—especially 1G‐brGDGTs—downcore on thousand‐year timespans, though in situ production deeper in the sediment column cannot be ruled out. Finally, we explored the possibility of reconstructing 1G‐brGDGT‐derived soil temperatures and core‐brGDGT‐derived lake temperatures in tandem from sedimentary archives.

 

Paleo water isotope records can elucidate how the Arctic water cycle responded to past climate changes. We analyze the hydrogen isotope composition (δ2H) of plant‐derived n‐alkanoic acids (waxes) from Lake Qaupat, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, to assess moisture sources and seasonality during the past 5.8 ka. We compare this record to a sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA)‐inferred vascular plant record from the same lake, aiming to overcome the uncertainty of plant community impacts on leaf waxes. As the sedaDNA record reveals a stable plant community after the colonization of Betula sp. at 6.1 ka, we interpret plant wax δ2H values to reflect climate, specifically mean annual precipitation δ2H. However, the distributions of n‐alkanoic acid homologs suggest that aquatic mosses, which are not represented in the sedaDNA record, may become more abundant towards the present. Therefore, we cannot exclude the possibility that changes in the plant community cause changes in the plant wax δ2H record, particularly long‐chain waxes, which become less abundant through this record. We find that Lake Qaupat mid‐chain plant wax δ2H is enriched coincident with high Labrador Sea summer surface temperature, which suggests that local moisture sources in summer and early autumn have the greatest impact on precipitation isotopes in this region.