Early-middle holocene climate reconstruction from the qadisha record (Lebanon)

Stalagmites from the Qadisha Cave that is located at 1720 m asl in north mount Lebanon grew discontinuously from 9.2 to 5.7 and at 3.5 ka, revealing an overall trend from more negative oxygen isotope values at ∼9.1 ka to more positive values at ∼5.8 ka. This is believed to reflect a change from a wetter to a drier climate at such high altitudes. Our data also show rapid shifts throughout the record and a decreasing trend toward more negative δ13C values in the mid-Holocene, suggesting enhanced soil activity. These results show good agreement between both geochemical proxies and stalagmite growth and might be affected by the seasonal variations in snow cover. The Qadisha record, while in good agreement with other Levantine record (more humid conditions from 9 to 7 ka., and drier climate after 7 ka), reflects unique mountainous climate characteristics, specifically the effect of snow cover and its duration regulating the effective infiltration in the cave.