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Reconstruction of the pleistocene paleoclimate from deep groundwater in southern Germany from noble gas temperatures linked with organic radiocarbon dating

This study presents a 25 ka reconstruction of the Pleistocene paleoclimate in the South German Molasse Basin. Deep groundwater was sampled at 19 wells in the Upper Jurassic aquifer (UJA). Calculating gas temperatures (NGT) using the UA model with the noble gases Ar, Kr, and Xe led to groundwater rec...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Winter, Theis (Author) , Aeschbach, Werner (Author) , Einsiedl, Florian (Author)
Format: Article (Journal)
Language:English
Published: January 2024
In: Water resources research
Year: 2024, Volume: 60, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-13
ISSN:1944-7973
DOI:10.1029/2023WR035644
Online Access:Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR035644
Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2023WR035644
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Author Notes:Theis Winter, Werner Aeschbach, and Florian Einsiedl
Description
Summary:This study presents a 25 ka reconstruction of the Pleistocene paleoclimate in the South German Molasse Basin. Deep groundwater was sampled at 19 wells in the Upper Jurassic aquifer (UJA). Calculating gas temperatures (NGT) using the UA model with the noble gases Ar, Kr, and Xe led to groundwater recharge temperatures between 0.4 and 4.7°C. Combined with innovative 14CDOC groundwater dating, calculated NGTs revealed up to 8°C cooler soil temperatures during the Pleistocene compared with modern soil temperature. This interpretation agrees well with the observed depleted stable water isotope signature ranging from −83.3 to −86.1 for δ2H and from −10.66 to −11.77 for δ18O, which is characteristic of groundwater of Pleistocene origin in Southern Germany. The temperature differences (∆T) agree remarkably well with calculated NGTs within other European basins (∆T 6-9.5°C) and suggest widespread pronounced terrestrial cooling during the Last Glacial Maximum through the interior of the European continent.
Item Description:Online veröffentlicht: 17 January 2024
Gesehen am 21.02.2024
Physical Description:Online Resource
ISSN:1944-7973
DOI:10.1029/2023WR035644

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