Yedoma. Part 3. Annals of geocryological research, study of radiocarbon age, the stable-isotope composition studies in the 21st century

Abstract

The second decade and the beginning of the third decade of the XXI century in yedoma research were characterized by a variety of high-precision measurements of gas inclusions, molecular biomarkers, and DNA. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the most notable publications of 2010–2023 devoted to radiocarbon dating and stable isotope studies of yedoma in the Russian and North American Arctic. AMS dating and stable isotope analysis continued at Lomonosov Moscow State University (Yu.K. Vasil’chuk, A.C. Vasil’chuk, N.A. Budantseva, I.D. Streletskaya, Ju.N. Chizhova, J.Yu. Vasil’chuk), especially detailed on the yedoma of Batagay, Seyakha, Kotelny, and Faddeevsky islands. Active research was continued by the participants of the Russian-German expedition (A. Yu. Derevyagin, A. I. Kizyakov, S. Wetterich, T. Opel, J. Strauss, G. Grosse and L. Schirrmeister) on the yedoma sections of the New Siberian Islands. They studied the Batagay yedoma together with J. Murton and K. Ashastina. Researchers from the University of Fairbanks (M. Kanevskiy, Y. Shur, M. Jorgenson, and E. Stephani) studied in detail the yedoma of the Itkillik River valley, as well as new yedoma sections in the Fox Tunnel, where radiocarbon and isotope studies were also carried out by M.S. Lachniet and A. Sloat from the University of Las Vegas. Research has begun on molecular biomarkers and DNA (E. Willerslev, T. Jørgensen) in yedoma. The study of PAHs in yedoma ice wedges has also begun (Yu.K. Vasil’chuk). It is emphasized that isotopic data is not an end in itself for research; the next step, paleotemperature reconstruction based on these data, is necessary and logically justified. The accuracy and reliability of the proposed paleotemperature-isotope equations are considered.