Lake sediments reveal 16,000 years of Balkan temperature shifts
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Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary reconstructed 16,000 years of summer temperatures by analyzing sediments from Lake Prokoško in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The team, led by Enikő Magyari, examined remains of tiny insects, chironomids, to estimate past July temperatures, alongside pollen and other materials. They found temperatures around the lake dropped to below 8°C (46.4°F) at the end of the last glacial period, then rose and fell with climate events like the Younger Dryas cooling period.
The study showed that climate change impacted the Western Balkans differently than other parts of Europe. Cooling during the Younger Dryas reached 2.3°C at Lake Prokoško, falling between the 3-4°C cooling in the Alps and less than 1°C cooling in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. This difference suggests a west-to-east cooling trend linked to changes in the North Atlantic.
The researchers also observed that summers around 6,800 years ago may have been warmer than today, driven by changes in Earth’s orbit rather than greenhouse gases. More recently, human activity around the lake, including grazing and tourism, has altered the landscape and increased nutrient levels, affecting the lake’s ecosystem and contributing to eutrophication.
