The speleothem oxygen record as a proxy for thermal or moisture changes: a case study of multiproxy records from MIS 5–MIS 6 speleothems from the Demänová Cave system

Abstract

Speleothems are an important source of palaeoclimatic information about the terrestrial environment. The basic advantages of speleothems are their high preservation potential, the possibility of precise dating using the uranium-series (U-series) method, and many different proxies, such as stable isotopes, trace elements, and microfabrics, which can be interpreted in terms of palaeoclimatic conditions. Currently, central Europe is located in a transitional climate zone under the influence of both oceanic and continental climates. However, in the past, the region could have been under a stronger continental climate influence during cold glacial episodes or a stronger oceanic climate influence during wetter interglacial episodes. Long-term speleothem records can add new beneficial data about past climate changes in the region. The multiproxy record of the JS9 stalagmite, collected in the Demänová Cave system (Slovakia), represents a ca. 60 kyr period (143–83 ka). A multiproxy interpretation of the JS9 record shows that long-term δ18O trends can be interpreted as global/regional temperature changes, whereas short-term δ18O signals reflect changes in humidity. In contrast to the records from the Alps and the northern Tatra Mountains, the δ18O record of speleothem JS9 shows instantaneous decreasing episodes during Termination II. This indicates that the Carpathian Belt was an important climatic barrier at that time.