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A 7 m sediment core from the Bayan Tohomiin Nuur dry lake located in southern Mongolia was investigated by a multidisciplinary study to reconstruct the history of climate and paleoenvironmental conditions during the late Quaternary. The geochemical, granulometric, palynological and ostracod results show a graduation of at least nine climatic units during the last 15 ka cal. BP. The climate during the late Glacial changed from wet towards more dry conditions, representing the beginning of the Younger Dryas period. At 11 ka cal. BP a rise in temperature and precipitation could be reconstructed, marking the onset of the Holocene. The humid period of the Holocene lasted until about 4 ka cal. BP, interrupted by shorter dry/cold reversals at 8.5-7.5 ka cal. BP and 5-4.5 ka cal. BP. The aridity in southern Mongolia increased afterwards accompanied by the strengthening of aeolian processes, dune remobilization and lake desiccation. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.