Reconstruction of palaeoglaciers and palaeoclimate in northeastern Türkiye during the presumed Last Glacial Maximum
Quaternary Science Reviews, cilt.388, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 388
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.110026
- Dergi Adı: Quaternary Science Reviews
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Artic & Antarctic Regions, Compendex, Geobase, INSPEC, Zoological Record, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Black sea, Equilibrium line altitude (ELA), LGM, Palaeoclimate, PalaeoIce, Türkiye
- İstanbul Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Mountain glaciers are highly sensitive to climatic variations. The reconstruction of past glaciers in mountainous regions provides critical insights into the temporal and spatial dynamics of climate change, particularly in areas where instrumental climate data are limited or absent. In this study, we mapped glacial landforms and reconstructed ice thicknesses and surface extents in the Eastern Black Sea Mountains of northeastern Türkiye during the presumed Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The mapped palaeoglacier outlines are primarily based on prominent moraines preserved in each valley, some of which have been dated by cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure ages to the LGM period. We then derived the palaeo-equilibrium line altitudes (pELAs) of the glaciers to estimate palaeoclimate conditions. Detailed field investigations and geomorphological analyses confirmed the presence of glacial landforms in 224 valleys, more spatially extensive and distributed than those previously documented. Glacier reconstruction and pELA calculations reflect the increasing glacial intensity from west to east with north-south variability. Generally, lower pELA values and thicker ice masses were observed on north-facing slopes, while south-facing slopes exhibited higher pELA values and thinner ice. The reconstructed palaeoclimatic conditions suggest a cold and relatively dry climate regime during the LGM, with a temperature depression of approximately 10–14.6 °C and a precipitation reduction of 28% to 45% relative to present across the study area. Although precipitation significantly decreased, our results indicate that the pronounced temperature drop played the dominant role in driving glacier advances in northeastern Türkiye during the LGM, consistent with other regional studies.