The Levantine Corridor has been demonstrated to exhibit a sensitive response to hydro-climate variability through time. The region has experienced in recent years recurring droughts and temperature extremes, which were aggravated by the increased anthropogenic activity. Terrestrial archives from the Levant can provide valuable insights into the region's unique patterns of natural climate variability and its forcing factors. These archives can also help to understand the impact of climate change on the region's ecology and environment. A multi-proxy approach was used to analyze a ~130 m long sedimentary record from Lake Hula. The proxies included sedimentology (grain size), geochemistry (elemental content, mineralogy, total organic matter content), and biological proxies (ostracods). These proxies were used to reconstruct the processes occurring within both the limnic environment and terrestrial surroundings. The investigation of lithology and elemental concentrations revealed intervals that appear to be associated with higher runoff from the lake during 50-60 kyr and 100-120 kyr, suggesting wet climate conditions during the Late Pleistocene. Furthermore, variations in the sediment lithology and geochemical proxies suggest fluctuations related to the dominating precipitation regime (winter rains from the Mediterranean). This suggests that millennial-scale orbital forcing variability could potentially be disentangled from the record, as it is well constrained by the chronology. In parallel, taxonomy analyses of ostracod shells can help estimate limnological conditions of Lake Hula, which can be associated with precipitation intensity changes over the region. Moreover, by reconstructing the response of the lake system to hydro-climate variability through time, we can better comprehend the current impact of anthropogenic stress and assess future trends. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive picture of the different mechanisms driving abrupt climate changes in the region and explores their potential relevance to future climatic studies.

Project funded by the Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy, and Water Resources.