A 15.4-ka paleoclimate record inferred from δ 13 C and δ 15 N of organic matter in sediments from the sub-alpine Daping Swamp, western Nanling Mountains, South China

We inferred past climate conditions from the δ 13 C and δ 15 N of organic matter (OM) in a sediment core (DP-2011-02) from the sub-alpine Daping Swamp, in the western Nanling Mountains, South China. In the study region, a 1000-m increase in altitude results in a ~0.75‰ decrease in δ 13 C and a ~2.2‰ increase in δ 15 N. Organic carbon stable isotope (δ 13 C) values of the dominant modern vegetation species, surface soils, and the core samples taken in the swamp exhibit a strong terrestrial C3 plant signature. Comprehensive analysis of the core indicates both terrestrial and aquatic sources contribute to the OM in sediment. Temperature and precipitation are most likely the critical factors that influence δ 13 C: warm and wet conditions favor lower δ 13 C, whereas a dry and cool climate leads to higher δ 13 C values. Higher δ 15 N values may result from greater water depth and increased primary productivity, promoted by large inputs of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, induced by high surface runoff. Lower δ 15 N values are associated with lower lake stage and reduced productivity, under drier conditions. Therefore, stratigraphic shifts in these stable isotopes were used to infer past regional climate. Measures of δ 13 C and δ 15 N in deglacial deposits, in combination with total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) concentrations, the TOC/TN ratio, coarse silt and sand fractions, dry bulk density and low-frequency mass magnetic susceptibility, reveal two dry and cold events at 15,400–14,500 and 13,000–11,000 cal a BP, which correspond to Heinrich event 1 and the Younger Dryas, respectively. A pronounced warm and wet period that occurred between those dry episodes, from 14,500 to 13,000 cal a BP, corresponds to the Bølling–Allerød. The δ 13 C and δ 15 N data, however, do not reflect a warm and wet early Holocene. The Holocene optimum occurred between ~8000 and 6000 cal a BP, which is different from inferences from the nearby Dongge cave stalagmite δ 18 O record, but consistent with our previous results. This study contributes to our understanding of climate-related influences on δ 13 C and δ 15 N in OM of lake sediments in South China.