Lake sediments represent an important source of valuable information about the past climate in continental environment. They consists of a mixture of autochthonous and allochthonous organic and inorganic components both responding to paleoenvironmental changes in the water bodies and watershed. Both the composition and relative content of individual sedimentary components mirrors the climate changes. The main inorganic components in lake sediments are quartz, carbonates, and clay minerals; organic matter embodies various plants and animal remains. Reconstruction of past climate is possible only when an efficient combination of analytical methods allowing characterization of all these components is used.  We have provided such multi proxy and high resolution analysis on two cores from two lakes, Aral Sea and Baikal Lake. These two large Asian water reservoirs have got a large watershed, originated tectonically, and have grabbed scientific attention during the last decades.

Aral Sea represents a closed lake system in semi-arid area and therefore Aral Sea sediments mirrors even minor environmental changes. Research performed on Aral Sea sedimentary cores aims to unravel past lake level variations and to determine their leading forces. Ten radiocarbon dates have been used to construct the age model according to which yet unstudied core C2/2004 covers ~2000 years of continuous sedimentation. Lake level changes have been reconstructed based on the actualistic interpretation of diatom species analysis combined with mineralogical and chemical data. We identified four regression phases in periods of phases1900-2000, 1330-1450, 910-1060, and 0-250 AD that contributes significantly to the knowledge of past environmental changes in Aral Sea. However, further work would be needed to unambiguously decide what where the leading forces of past lake level changes.

Baikal Lake is a highly valuable archive of the continental climate of Central Siberia back to the Mesozoic period ideal for the comparison with glacial and marine archives. This open lake system surrounded by a mountainous area is especially sensitive to solar forcings. We have studied one core from Academician Ridge. The age model was based on a correlation of diatom concentration maxima to insolation maxima (high latitude, northern hemisphere); the age model was successfully checked by palaeomagnetic dating. This core represents continuous sedimentation from 300 to 60 thousand years before presence. A combination of diatom analysis, spectral, X-ray, magnetic, and chemical methods enabled us to define periods of enhanced weathering and to distinguish cold/dry and warm/humid phases. Exceptionally stable and most marked climatic optimum in the studied period was the MIS5e, known as Kazantsevo (the analogue of the European Eemian). Our high-resolution paleoclimatic reconstruction complements numerous previous studies focused on the characterization of climate in the Baikal Lake area in the last 150 kilo years (ky).