CAHOL is part of the BMBF-funded joint project CAME II, which deals with the causes and consequences of "tipping points" on the Central Asian climate system. It is being investigated whether long-lasting phases of the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) or the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) caused a long-term shift of the west wind system, which then caused tipping points in the Asian monsoon system. CAHOL´s studies are based on the investigation of marine and terrestrial archives to better understand the interactions between these prevailing climate systems (Monsoon vs. Westerlies vs. Siberian high) during the Holocene.

For this purpose, sediment cores from Lake Chatyr-Kul (Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan) were retrieved in summer 2012, from which 2 composite profiles of approx. 625 cm in length were established. Initial microfacies (thin-section analysis) showed that these sediments are varved almost throughout the whole Holocene. Thus, the Chatyr-Kul profiles constitute significant and high-resolution (seasonal) archives, which allow to study the dynamics of environmental and climate change in detail. In order to compare the latter also beyond local scales, a precise age model is necessary, which will be achieved through C14 dating and the establishment of a varve chronology.