Late Quaternary deglaciation and climate history of the Larsemann Hills (East Antarctica)

The Late Quaternary climate history of the Larsemann Hills has been reconstructed using siliceous microfossils (diatoms, chrysophytes and silicoflagellates) in sediment cores extracted from three isolation lakes. Results show that the western peninsula, Stornes, and offshore islands were ice‐covered between 30 000 yr BP and 13 500 cal. yr BP. From 13 500 cal. yr BP (shortly after the Antarctic Cold Reversal) the coastal lakes of the Larsemann Hills were deglaciated and biogenic sedimentation commenced. Between 13 500 and 11 500 cal. yr BP conditions were warmer and wetter than during the preceding glacial period, but still colder than today. From 11 500 to 9500 cal. yr BP there is evidence for wet and warm conditions, which probably is related to the early Holocene climate optimum, recorded in Antarctic ice cores. Between 9500 and 7400 cal. yr BP dry and cold conditions are inferred from high lake‐water salinities, and low water levels and an extended duration of nearshore sea‐ice. A second climate optimum occurred between 7400 and 5230 cal. yr BP when stratified, open water conditions during spring and summer characterised the marine coast of Prydz Bay. From 5230 until 2750 cal. yr BP sea‐ice duration in Prydz Bay increased, with conditions similar to the present day. A short return to stratified, open water conditions and a reduction in nearshore winter sea‐ice extent is evident between 2750 and 2200 cal. yr BP. Simultaneously, reconstructions of lake water depth and salinity suggests relatively humid and warm conditions on land between 3000 and 2000 cal. yr BP, which corresponds to a Holocene Hypsithermal reported elsewhere in Antarctica. Finally, dry conditions are recorded around 2000, between 760 and 690, and between 280 and 140 cal. yr BP. These data are consistent with ice‐core records from Antarctica and support the hypothesis that lacustrine and marine sediments on land can be used to evaluate the effect of long‐term climate change on the terrestrial environment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

East Asian monsoon variation and climate changes in Jeju Island, Korea, during the latest Pleistocene to early Holocene

A 4.96-m-long sediment core from the Hanon paleo-maar in Jeju Island, Korea was studied to investigate the paleoclimatic change and East Asian monsoon variations during the latest Pleistocene to early Holocene (23,000-9000 cal yr BP). High-resolution TOC content, magnetic susceptibility, and major element composition data indicate that Jeju Island experienced the coldest climate around 18,000 cal yr BP, which corresponds to the last glacial maximum (LGM). Further, these multi-proxy data show an abrupt shift in climatic regime from cold and arid to warm and humid conditions at around 14,000 cal yr BP, which represents the commencement of the last major deglaciation. After the last major deglaciation, the TOC content decreased from 13,300 to 12,000 cal yr BP and from 11,500 to 9800 cal yr BP, thereby reflecting the weakening of the summer monsoon. The LGM in Jeju Island occurred later in comparison with the Chinese Loess Plateau. Such a disparity in climatic change events between central China and Jeju Island appears to be caused by the asynchrony between the coldest temperature event and the minimum precipitation event in central China and by the buffering effect of the Pacific Ocean.     

Holocene environmental change in the West African Sahel: sedimentological and mineral‐magnetic analyses of lake sediments from Jikariya Lake,northeastern Nigeria

Previous studies have demonstrated long‐term changes in effective moisture in sub‐Saharan Africa. Here, we reconstruct Holocene environments using a ～7 m lake‐sediment sequence recovered from the northeastern Nigerian Sahel and attempt to distinguish basin‐specific changes from regional climatic variations. The sequence was analysed for sedimentological properties, mineral magnetism and pollen, and dated by ¹³⁷Cs, ²¹⁰Pb excess and ¹⁴C. Extremely arid conditions of the terminal Pleistocene ended ca. 11 500 cal. BP (calendar years) when climate ameliorated and a lake developed until the occurrence of an arid event leading to lake desiccation at ～11 200 cal. BP. Following this, climate ameliorated and a water body re‐emerged. Very wet conditions predominated 11 200–5600 cal. BP, followed by drought between 5600 and 5500 cal. BP and a return to moderate humidity from 5500 to 4000 cal. BP. After 4000 cal. BP, a marked deterioration occurred, culminating in lake desiccation at ca. 800 cal. BP. After this time the climate remained generally dry and the re‐emerging lake was shallow. Comparison of these results with other well‐dated sequences in the region demonstrates the importance of basin‐specific influences on the palaeolimnological records in addition to regional climatic controls. Disentangling these different controls, as well as the reconstruction of Holocene climate, therefore requires a multiple‐basin approach. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene palaeoflood events recorded by slackwater deposits along the middle Beiluohe River valley,middle Yellow River basin,China

Palaeohydrological investigations were carried out in the middle Beiluohe River valley in the middle Yellow River basin. Palaeoflood slackwater deposits (SWDs) are natural records of overbank flooding and are often identified in the Holocene aeolian loess–soil profiles along the river valley. Three bedsets of palaeoflood SWDs were found within the mid‐Holocene Climatic Optimum palaeosol (S₀) on the right riverbank. Both the sedimentary and the analytical results, including magnetic susceptibility, grain‐size distribution and concentrations of chemical elements, indicate that these palaeoflood SWDs were deposited from the suspended sediment load of overbank flooding. We identified three episodes of extraordinary overbank flooding events. These hydro‐climatic events were dated to 7600–7400, 5800–5000 and 4200–4000 a BP, from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and pedostratigraphical correlation. The minimum flood peak discharges were estimated to have been between 12 600 and 14 100 m³ s^?1 using the slope–area method. These hydro‐climatic events are considered to be a regional expression of known climatic events and demonstrate that the mid‐Holocene climate was far from stable. These results show that the magnitudes of floods are highly sensitive to climate change in semi‐arid and sub‐humid regions with a monsoonal climate.     

Climate change and cultural response around 4000 cal yr B.P. in the western part of Chinese Loess Plateau

New data suggest that dramatic environmental change in the Western Loess Plateau of China corresponded with substantial changes in human demography ca. 4000 cal yr B.P. These data demonstrate that a rapid climatic transition from wet to dry led to an ecologically devastated period between 4090 and 3600 cal yr B.P. The sudden reduction in the number of archaeological sites during this period, namely a reduction in the total number of sites and a contraction of the areal distribution of sites, points to declining agricultural productivity associated with widespread aridification beginning at 4000 cal yr B.P.     

Holocene solifluction,climate variation and fire in a subarctic landscape at Pippokangas,Finnish Lapland,based on radiocarbon‐dated buried charcoal

A large number of radiocarbon dates from charcoal layers buried beneath stacked solifluction lobes at Pippokangas, in the northern boreal zone of Finnish Lapland, are used to reconstruct a Holocene history of solifluction. Although the site is surrounded by Scots pine forest, the solifluction lobes occur on the lower slopes of a kettle hole, the microclimate of which prevents the growth of trees. Samples from the upslope end of charcoal layers have enabled the recognition of four synchronous phases of solifluction lobe initiation: 7400–6700, 4200–3400, 2600–2100 and 1500–500 cal. yr BP. Rates of lobe advance are shown to be lobe‐dependent and age‐dependent: initially, average rates were commonly 0.14–0.19 cm yr^?1, later falling to 0.02–0.07 cm yr^?1 or less as the lobes approached the bottom of the slope. The absence of charcoal prior to 8000 cal. yr BP, together with single IRSL and TL dates, indicate a relatively stable early Holocene landscape. The onset of solifluction around 7400 cal. yr BP. appears to have followed the immigration of pine around the site, which increased the frequency of forest fires. Phases of solifluction activity seem to have been triggered by millennial‐scale variations in effective moisture (the climatic hypothesis), rather than episodic burning of the surface vegetation cover (the geoecological hypothesis), although climate may also have affected fire frequency and severity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative climate and vegetation trends since the late glacial on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau deduced from Koucha Lake pollen spectra

Quantitative information on vegetation and climate history from the late glacial-Holocene on the Tibetan Plateau is extremely rare. Here, we present palynological results of a 4.30-m-long sediment record collected from Koucha Lake in the Bayan Har Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Vegetation change has been traced by biomisation, ordination of pollen data, and calculation of pollen ratios. The application of a pollen-climate calibration set from the eastern Tibetan Plateau to Koucha Lake pollen spectra yielded quantitative climate information. The area was covered by alpine desert/steppe, characteristic of a cold and dry climate (with 50% less precipitation than today) between 16,700 and 14,600 cal yr BP. Steppe vegetation, warm (∼ 1°C higher than today) and wet conditions prevailed between 14,600 and 6600 cal yr BP. These findings contradict evidence from other monsoon-influenced areas of Asia, where the early Holocene is thought to have been moist. Low effective moisture on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau was likely due to high temperature and evaporation, even though precipitation levels may have been similar to present-day values. The vegetation changed to tundra around 6600 cal yr BP, indicating that wet and cool climate conditions occurred on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau during the second half of the Holocene.     

Impacts of climate change on aridity index and its spatiotemporal variation in the Loess Plateau of China,from 1961 to 2014

The Loess Plateau, the transitional zone between humid and arid regions of China, is an important region to examine the regional hydrological cycle and variation in humid and arid regions under global climate change. Aridity index (AI), the ratio of precipitation (P) to potential evapotranspiration (ET₀), is an important indicator of regional climate conditions and is also used to classify drylands. In this study, data from 51 national meteorological stations during the period of 1961–2014 were collected to estimate the AI in the Loess Plateau. Results show that a downward trend in annual AI was detected and the boundary of the drylands region based on the AI was expanded across the Loess Plateau over the period of 1961–2014. The spatiotemporal variability of P was the main cause in the AI variations. Furthermore, data analysis suggested the occurrences of the extreme minimum AI values were mostly affected by fluctuations of the two factors (ET₀ and P) rather than its corresponding trend during the period. Thus, this study indicated the major driving factor of AI and the relationship between extreme AI values and the global climate anomalies in the Loess Plateau region, and meanwhile, provided an understanding of the impacts of climate change on hydrological cycle in the Loess Plateau of China.     

Changes of treelines and alpine vegetation in relation to post‐glacial climate dynamics in northern Fennoscandia based on pollen and chironomid records

Palaeoclimatic records derived from a variety of independent proxies provide evidence of post‐glacial changes of temperature and soil moisture in northern Fennoscandia. We use pollen percentage, pollen influx, stomatal and chironomid records from Toskaljavri, a high‐altitude lake in northern Finland, to assess how treelines and alpine vegetation there have responded to these climate changes. The evidence suggests that the cool, moist climate of the early Holocene supported birch forest in the area 9600 cal. yr BP onwards and that a rise of temperature triggered the immigration of pine at 8300 cal. yr BP. At 6100–4000 cal. yr BP altitudinal treeline in the area was formed by pine, in contrast to the modern situation where mountain birch reaches a higher elevation. Alpine vegetation also demonstrates clear changes. Plant communities typical of dry, oligotrophic heaths of northern Fennoscandia expanded during the dry climatic period at 7000–4000 cal. yr BP and decreased in response to cooler and moister conditions after 4000 cal. yr BP. Alpine plant communities favouring moist sites show an inverse pattern, expanding after a change towards moister climate after 4000 cal. yr BP. In a redundancy analysis (RDA), a statistically significant proportion of the variability in the total chironomid assemblages was captured by changes in the pollen types reflecting alpine vegetation typical of moist sites. Although chironomid community changes appeared to follow the major patterns in the alpine vegetation succession, the present study does not support a direct link between the changing treeline position and chironomid stratigraphy. Rather, the data indicate that the terrestrial and aquatic environments have each responded directly to the same ultimate cause, namely changing Holocene climate. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Clay Minerals in Soils as Evidence of Holocene Climatic Change, Central Indo-Gangetic Plains, North-Central India

Clay mineral assemblages of a soil chrono-association comprising five fluvial surface members (QGH1 to QGH5) of the Indo-Gangetic Plains between the Ramganga and Rapti rivers, north-central India, demonstrate that pedogenic interstratified smectite–kaolin (Sm/K) can be considered as a potential indicator for paleoclimatic changes during the Holocene from arid to humid climates. On the basis of available radiocarbon dates, thermoluminescence dates, and historical evidence, tentative ages assigned to QGH1 to QGH5 are <500 yr B.P., >500 yr B.P., >2500 yr B.P., 8000 TL yr B.P., and 13,500 TL yr B.P., respectively. During pedogenesis two major regional climatic cycles are recorded: relatively arid climates between 10,000–6500 yr B.P. and 3800–? yr B.P. were punctuated by a warm and humid climate. Biotite weathered to trioctahedral vermiculite and smectite in the soils during arid conditions, and smectite was unstable and transformed to Sm/K during the warm and humid climatic phase (7400–4150 cal yr B.P.). When the humid climate terminated, vermiculite, smectite, and Sm/K were preserved to the present day. The study suggests that during the development of soils in the Holocene in alluvium of the Indo-Gangetic Plains, climatic fluctuations appear to be more important than realized hitherto. The soils older than 2500 yr B.P. are relict paleosols, but they are polygenetic because of their subsequent alterations.     

River sediments,great floods and centennial‐scale Holocene climate change

A new analysis of all 346 published ¹⁴C dated Holocene alluvial units in Britain offers a unique insight into the regional impacts of global change and shows how surprisingly sensitive British rivers have been to relatively modest but repeated changes in climate. Fourteen major but probably brief periods of flooding are identified bracketed within the periods 400–1070, 1940–3940, 7520–8100 and at ca. 10 420 cal. yr BP. There is a strong correspondence between climatic deteriorations inferred from mire wet shifts and major periods of flooding, especially at ca. 8000 cal. yr BP and since ca. 4000 cal. yr BP. The unusually long and complete British record also demonstrates that alterations in land cover have resulted in a step change in river basin sensitivity to variations in climate. This has very important implications for assessing and mitigating the impact of increasing severe flooding. In small and medium‐sized river basins land use is likely to play a key role in either moderating or amplifying the climatic signal. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A high-resolution diatom record of late-Quaternary sea-surface temperatures and oceanographic conditions from the eastern Norwegian Sea

Core MD95‐2011 was taken from the eastern Vøring Plateau, near the Norwegian coast. The section between 250 and 750 cm covers the time period from 13 000 to 2700 cal. yr BP (the Lateglacial and much of the Holocene). Samples at 5 cm intervals were analysed for fossil diatoms. A data‐set of 139 modern sea‐surface diatom samples was related to contemporary sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs) using two different numerical methods. The resulting transfer functions were used to reconstruct past sea‐surface temperatures from the fossil diatom assemblages. After the cold Younger Dryas with summer SSTs about 6°C, temperatures warmed rapidly to about 13°C. One of the fluctuations in the earliest Holocene can be related to the Pre‐Boreal Oscillation, but SSTs were generally unstable until about 9700 cal. yr BP. Evidence from diatom concentration and magnetic susceptibility suggests a change and stabilization of water currents associated with the final melting of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet at c. 8100 cal. yr BP. A period of maximum warmth between 9700 and 6700 cal. yr BP had SSTs 3–5°C warmer than at present. Temperatures cooled gradually until c. 3000 cal. yr BP, and then rose slightly around 2750 cal. yr BP. The varimax factors derived from the Imbrie & Kipp method for sea‐surface‐temperature reconstructions can be interpreted as water‐masses. They show a dominance of Arctic Waters and Sea Ice during the Younger Dryas. The North Atlantic current increased rapidly in strength during the early Holocene, resulting in warmer conditions than previously. Since about 7250 cal. yr BP, Norwegian Atlantic Water gradually replaced the North Atlantic Water, and this, in combination with decreasing summer insolation, led to a gradual cooling of the sea surface. Terrestrial systems in Norway and Iceland responded to this cooling and the increased supply of moisture by renewed glaciation. Periods of glacial advance can be correlated with cool oscillations in the SST reconstructions. By comparison with records of SSTs from other sites in the Norwegian Sea, spatial and temporal changes in patterns of ocean water‐masses are reconstructed, to reveal a complex system of feedbacks and influences on the climate of the North Atlantic and Norway.     

The Iberian-Roman Humid Period (2600-1600 cal yr BP) in the Zoñar Lake varve record (Andalucía, southern Spain)

The Iberian-Roman Humid Period (IRHP, 2600-1600 cal yr BP), is the most humid phase of the last 4000 yr in southern Spain as recorded in the sedimentary sequence of Zoñar Lake (37°29′00″N, 4°41′22″ W, 300 m a.s.l.). A varve chronology supported by several AMS ¹⁴C dates allows study of the lake evolution at annual scale in response to human impact and climate changes. There are four climate phases within this period: i) gradual transition (2600-2500 yr ago, 650-550 BC) from a previous arid period; ii) the most humid interval during the Iberian-Early Roman Epoch (2500-2140 yr ago, 550-190 BC); iii) an arid interval during the Roman Empire Epoch (2140-1800 yr ago, 190 BC AD 150); and iv) a humid period synchronous with the decline of the Roman Empire (1800-1600 yr ago, AD 150-350). Varve thickness and geochemical proxies show a multi-decadal cyclicity similar to modern North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) (60, 20 years) and solar variability cycles (11 yr). The timing and the structure of this humid period is similar to that described in Eastern Mediterranean and northern European sites and supports the same large-scale climate control for northern latitudes and the Mediterranean region.     

Climate change in lowland Central America during the late deglacial and early Holocene

The transition from arid glacial to moist early Holocene conditions represented a profound change in northern lowland Neotropical climate. Here we report a detailed record of changes in moisture availability during the latter part of this transition (～11 250 to 7500 cal. yr BP) inferred from sediment cores retrieved in Lake Petén Itzá, northern Guatemala. Pollen assemblages demonstrate that a mesic forest had been largely established by ～11 250 cal. yr BP, but sediment properties indicate that lake level was more than 35 m below modern stage. From 11 250 to 10 350 cal. yr BP, during the Preboreal period, lithologic changes in sediments from deep‐water cores (>50 m below modern water level) indicate several wet–dry cycles that suggest distinct changes in effective moisture. Four dry events (designated PBE1‐4) occurred centred at 11 200, 10 900, 10 700 and 10 400 cal. yr BP and correlate with similar variability observed in the Cariaco Basin titanium record and glacial meltwater pulses into the Gulf of Mexico. After 10 350 cal. yr BP, multiple sediment proxies suggest a shift to a more persistently moist early Holocene climate. Comparison of results from Lake Petén Itzá with other records from the circum‐Caribbean demonstrates a coherent climate response during the entire span of our record. Furthermore, lowland Neotropical climate during the late deglacial and early Holocene period appears to be tightly linked to climate change in the high‐latitude North Atlantic. We speculate that the observed changes in lowland Neotropical precipitation were related to the intensity of the annual cycle and associated displacements in the mean latitudinal position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and Azores–Bermuda high‐pressure system. This mechanism operated on millennial‐to‐submillennial timescales and may have responded to changes in solar radiation, glacial meltwater, North Atlantic sea ice, and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC). Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Millennial‐scale climate variability in northwest Patagonia over the last 15 000 yr

A pollen record from Lago Condorito (41°45'S, 73°07'W) shows prominent vegetation and climate changes at millennial time‐scales, superimposed on multimillennial trends in temperature and westerly activity in northwest Patagonia during the past 15 000 yr. The record shows that evergreen temperate rainforests have dominated the landscape over this interval, with floristic changes ranging from cold‐resistant North Patagonian forests with podocarp conifers to Valdivian forests with thermophilous, summer‐drought resistant species. The long‐term trend shows that cool‐temperate and humid conditions prevailed between 15 000 and 11 000 cal. yr BP, followed by an extreme warm and dry phase between 11 000 and 7600 cal. yr BP, and subsequent cooling events and increase in precipitation that peaked at ca. 5000 cal. yr BP, when Southern Hemisphere alpine glaciers achieved their first Neoglacial maximum. Modern conditions were established at ca. 1800 cal. yr BP, following a warm and dry phase between ca. 2900 and 1800 cal. yr BP. These results suggest that millennial‐scale climate variability during deglacial and post‐glacial times also affected the mid‐latitude region of the South Pacific, supporting the idea that changes in the tropical Pacific might be a key factor in the initiation and/or propagation of millennial‐scale climate variability at regional, hemispheric and global scales. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

末次盛冰期以来青藏高原东北部共和盆地气候与环境变化研究进展

青藏高原东北部共和盆地气候与环境变化文献分析认为:末次盛冰期(14 C年龄14ka BP或16cal ka BP之前)地层沉积主要为风成砂和黄土,冰缘地貌发育,气候寒冷干燥,植被可能为干旱荒漠或荒漠草原;末次冰消期(14 C年龄14ka BP或16 cal ka BP-Younger Dryas,缩写YD事件)地层发育古土壤,湖泊水位明显上升,并显著的捕捉到冷暖事件(Blling-Allerd,缩写B/A、YD)的信息,气候趋于温暖湿润,对应植被为荒漠草原;全新世8.5ka BP(14 C年龄)之前区域温度和湿度不同程度增加,湖泊水位较高,地层发育古土壤,植被为荒漠草原或干草原;8.5～7.0ka BP(14 C年龄)风成砂出现,古土壤发育中断,气候寒冷干燥,为全新世新冰期第一期;7.0～3.0ka BP(14 C年龄)古土壤显著发育,高水位湖面出现,水热组合达到全新世最佳,植被向干草原方向演化,但期间也存在千–百年尺度的冷事件(全新世新冰期第二期);3.0ka BP(14 C年龄)以来气候向温凉(寒冷)干燥方向发展.太阳辐射等外部因素变化并触发地球系统内部各个圈层之间相互作用是区域气候、环境变化的主要驱动力.同时,对研究现状进一步剖析,阐明其存在的问题,并提出气候、环境变化研究的发展方向.     

青藏高原东北部泥炭沉积粒度与元素记录的全新世千年尺度的气候变化

通过对青藏高原东北部共和盆地泥炭沉积的粒度与地球化学元素分析, 重建了区域全新世千年尺度的气候变化过程. 结果显示: 10.0~8.6 cal ka BP区域暖湿程度逐渐增加, 但在8.6~7.1 cal ka BP气候相对寒冷干燥, 7.1~3.8 cal ka BP 暖湿程度总体上为全新世最佳, 但也出现明显的气候波动, 3.8~0.5 cal ka BP气候向冷干方向发展, 0.5 cal ka BP以来气候又逐渐转向暖湿. 这一特征与中国东部季风区的气候变化有很好的一致性. 此外, 区域全新世气候变化过程中存在10次千年尺度的寒冷事件, 并与高原冰芯、 湖泊、 泥炭和风成沉积记录的古气候变化, 甚至与北半球高低纬度的气候变化都具有良好的可比性. 因此, 认为区域全新世气候变化具有"季风模式"与"千年尺度震荡"的双重特点.     

Holocene climate changes in southern Greenland: evidence from lake sediments

A Holocene lake sediment record is presented from Lake N14 situated on Angissoq Island 15 km off the main coast of southern Greenland. The palaeoclimatic development has been interpreted on the basis of flux and percentage content of biogenic silica, clastic material, organic material and sulphur as well as sedimentation rate, moss content and magnetic susceptibility. A total of 43 radiocarbon dates has ensured a reliable chronology. It is argued that varying sediment composition mainly reflects changing precipitation. By analogy with the present meteorological conditions in southern Greenland, Holocene climate development is inferred. Between 11 550 and 9300 cal. yr BP temperature and precipitation increase markedly, but this period is climatically unstable. From 9300 yr BP conditions become more stable and a Holocene climatic optimum, characterised by warm and humid conditions, is observed from 8000 to 5000 cal. yr BP. From 4700 cal. yr BP the first signs of a climatic deterioration are observed, and from 3700 cal. yr BP the climate has become more dry and cold. Superimposed on the climatic long‐term trend is climate variability on a centennial time‐scale that increases in amplitude after 3700 cal. yr BP. A climatic scenario related to the strength and position of the Greenland high‐pressure cell and the Iceland low‐pressure cell is proposed to explain the Holocene centennial climate variability. A comparison of the Lake N14 record with a terrestrial as well as a marine record from the eastern North Atlantic Ocean suggests that the centennial climate variability was uniform over large areas at certain times. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Preboreal climate reversal and a subsequent solar‐forced climate shift

Accurate chronologies are essential for linking palaeoclimate archives. Carbon‐14 wiggle‐match dating was used to produce an accurate chronology for part of an early Holocene peat sequence from the Borchert (The Netherlands). Following the Younger Dryas–Preboreal transition, two climatic shifts could be inferred. Around 11 400 cal. yr BP the expansion of birch (Betula) forest was interrupted by a dry continental phase with dominantly open grassland vegetation, coeval with the PBO (Preboreal Oscillation), as observed in the GRIP ice core. At 11 250 cal. yr BP a sudden shift to a humid climate occurred. This second change appears to be contemporaneous with: (i) a sharp increase of atmospheric ¹⁴C; (ii) a temporary decline of atmospheric CO₂; and (iii) an increase in the GRIP ¹⁰Be flux. The close correspondence with excursions of cosmogenic nuclides points to a decline in solar activity, which may have forced the changes in climate and vegetation at around 11 250 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.