Understanding the control mechanisms that affect soil leaf wax hydrogen isotopes is crucial when interpreting these data in the context of paleoclimatic reconstructions. Within a pilot study we aimed to evaluate the regional controls on leaf wax δ²H in the Central Asian Pamir Mountains (Tajikistan), a region characterized by pronounced hydroclimatic gradients. Soil and tap water samples were collected along a ca. 1000 km west-east-gradient, spanning ca. 3100 m of altitude difference. The results give evidence of variable environmental control on soil leaf wax δ²H values in different sub-regions of the study area. In the western and central Pamirs, the plant lipids mirror the signal of a mostly riverine water source, with an isotopic signature mainly controlled by winter and spring precipitation. With ca. –1.3‰ change per 100 m altitude, soil leaf wax derived isotopic lapse rates in these samples are lower than in other Asian high-altitude settings and the global average, which confirms earlier findings from surface water analysis from the Pamirs. In contrast, soil samples from the shielded Karakul basin showed significantly higher δ²H values. Those most likely reflect the more positive isotope signal of a predominant summer precipitation in the arid eastern Pamirs, with potential additional enrichment due to local vapor recycling and soil- and leaf water evapotranspiration. While the predominant water source (precipitation vs river water) plays an important role on a local scale, the results further highlight the significance of regional climate effects on isotopic signals incorporated into leaf waxes.

在古气候重建的背景下解释这些数据时，了解影响土壤叶蜡氢同位素的控制机制至关重要。在一项试点研究中，我们旨在评估中亚帕米尔山脉（塔吉克斯坦）对叶蜡 δ ² H的区域控制，该地区以明显的水文气候梯度为特征。土壤和自来水样品沿约收集。1000 公里东西向梯度，跨越约。海拔差3100米。结果证明了对土壤叶蜡δ ²的可变环境控制研究区不同子区域的H值。在帕米尔高原西部和中部，植物脂质反映了主要是河流水源的信号，其同位素特征主要受冬季和春季降水的控制。与约。每 100 米海拔变化 –1.3‰，这些样品中土壤叶蜡衍生的同位素递减率低于其他亚洲高海拔环境和全球平均水平，这证实了早期帕米尔高原地表水分析的发现。相比之下，来自屏蔽卡拉库尔盆地的土壤样本显示出明显更高的 δ ²H 值。这些最有可能反映了干旱的帕米尔高原东部夏季主要降水的更积极的同位素信号，由于局部蒸汽再循环以及土壤和叶水蒸发蒸腾作用，潜在的额外富集。虽然主要的水源（降水与河水）在局部范围内发挥着重要作用，但结果进一步强调了区域气候对叶蜡中同位素信号的影响。