The comparison of biogenic silica, Br and Nd distributions in the sediments of Lake Baikal as proxies of changing paleoclimates of the last 480 kyr

The paper presents a comparison of the profiles of biogenic silica (BiSi), Pr and Nd in the first 20 m of the BDP-96-2 core of sediments of Lake Baikal obtained on top of the underwater Akademichesky Ridge. The concentrations of the two elements mentioned were measured by X-ray fluorescent analysis with synchrotron radiation (SR-XFA) at 10 cm intervals. Br correlates positively, and Nd negatively with BiSi. Spectral analysis of the profiles revealed the 100, 41, 23 and 19 kyr major external forcing periods. We studied the elemental composition of extant diatom algae of Lake Baikal in order to find out whether any elements are bound by them specifically. SR-XFA revealed, among others that Br is accumulated by extant diatom algae of Lake Baikal, presumably due to incorporation into their organic matter. Br can be regarded as a new proxy of the paleo-productivity of Lake Baikal. The paper also considers arguments suggesting that the first 2 m of sediment are missing in the BDP-96-2 core. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.