Sea-level driven isolation of glacial plant refugia revealed by submerged lake sediment from the Bering Land Bridge and St. Matthew Island
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Abstract
Bering Land Bridge (BLB) climate and vegetation during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) remains largely understudied, given challenges associated with collecting records from the submerged BLB. Previous records, confined to the margins of the modern land area and adjacent shelf, reveal conflicting interpretations of Beringian vegetation during the LGM. Here, we reconstruct LGM vegetation, sedimentology, and stable isotopes from a central BLB paleo-lake (Lake Knebel, LK) and compare it with a Holocene peat record from nearby St. Matthew Island (SMI). Results show strong similarities between LGM and late Holocene pollen assemblages, although with differences in relative taxonomic abundance. LGM communities are consistent with a cold and dry steppe or herb tundra environment but suggest the possibility of localized Betula presence in low-lying areas. LK’s bedded lacustrine stratigraphy transitions into undisturbed marine sediments by ~19 ka, providing a maximum limiting age of the transgression. Shrub absence on SMI today and during the Holocene is consistent with island isolation before ~14 to 15 ka, when Betula expanded rapidly at most sites with Bølling-Allerød warming. The combined vegetation evidence indicates preservation of LGM tundra and steppe vegetation assemblages on SMI, suggesting that island vegetation communities may provide additional constraints on the timing of sea level transgression.
Suggested Citation
Jones, M.C., Anderson, L., Caissie, B.E., Harning, D.J., and Ager, T.A., 2025, Sea-level driven isolation of glacial plant refugia revealed by submerged lake sediment from the Bering Land Bridge and St. Matthew Island: Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research, v. 57, no. 1, 2557062, 21 p., https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2025.2557062.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Sea-level driven isolation of glacial plant refugia revealed by submerged lake sediment from the Bering Land Bridge and St. Matthew Island |
| Series title | Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research |
| DOI | 10.1080/15230430.2025.2557062 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication Date | October 08, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
| Contributing office(s) | Florence Bascom Geoscience Center |
| Description | 2557062, 21 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Bering Land Bridge, St. Matthew Island |