Holocene vegetation dynamics and inferred climate changes at Svanåvatnet, Mo i Rana, northern Norway

Pollen and plant macrofossil analyses from Svanåvatnet in northern Norway provide records of past vegetation and climate in this region from c . 8700 cal. yr BP until the present. Pollen accumulation rates and the presence of plant macrofossils indicate that Betula pubescens (birch) was present from c . 8600 cal. yr BP and Pinus sylvestris (pine) from c . 8200 cal. yr BP. Quantitative climate is reconstructed using modern pollen-climate transfer functions based on weighted-averaging partial least squares regression. A rapid increase in mean July temperature (T_jul) and mean annual precipitation (P_ann) is inferred for the early Holocene. At times when tree abundance is at its highest and most diverse, inferred T_jul indicates maximum temperatures during the mid-Holocene of about 2°C warmer than at present. During the same time period, inferred P_ann is 200–300 mm above present-day conditions until c . 3000 cal. yr BP. Mean January temperatures (T_jan) are reconstructed to be about 2°C warmer than today from 8000 to 3500 cal. yr BP. After 3500 cal. yr BP until today, a gradual decrease is seen in all the reconstructed climate parameters, together with a reduction in tree abundance and the development of a mosaic of open vegetation with grasses, dwarf shrubs and wet areas, and of woodland containing B. pubescens , P. sylvestris and Picea abies (spruce).     

台湾头社盆地湖沼相沉积孢粉记录的6.2~1.3 cal ka BP以来气候研究

头社盆地位于中国台湾省中部,东亚季风区的最前沿,对东亚季风的响应十分敏感,研究其中晚全新世以来古植被、重建古气候序列,探讨其气候与东亚夏季风的关系具有重要的科学意义。文章对头社盆地泥炭—湖泊沉积的AMS14C测年、体积磁化率测试的基础上,基于孢粉记录,重建晚全新世来植被变化,恢复古气候。结果表明全新世中晚期以来分六个阶段：6.2~6.0 cal ka BP,气候凉干,植被类型是亚热带常绿阔叶林;6.0~4.0 cal ka BP,气候转暖湿,植被类型为含较多热带成分的亚热带常绿阔叶林;4.0~2.2 cal ka BP,气候相对凉干,植被类型转为亚热带常绿阔叶林;2.2~1.9 cal ka BP,气候又变暖湿;1.9~1.7 cal ka BP,气候快速冷干事件,森林退化;1.7~1.3 cal ka BP,气候重转温暖湿润,植被类型为接近现代的沼泽草原。整体上6.2~2.2 cal ka BP的气候变化是由温暖湿润向温凉干燥转变的趋势,这是全新世中晚期以来的太阳辐射量减少所导致的,太阳辐射量的减少导致热带辐合南移,进而导致东亚夏季风减弱,而2.2 cal ka BP之后气候波动较大,可能是在东亚夏季风减弱的背景下,ENSO活动加强与人类活动的干扰下耦合的结果。     

Holocene vegetation and climate dynamics of the boreal alpine ecotone of northwestern Fennoscandia

Climate change with respect to summer temperature throughout the Holocene is inferred from oscillations in the local Pinus sylvestris, Alnus incana and Betula pubescens forest‐lines, as recorded by fossil pollen and plant macrofossils in lake sediments at four altitudinal levels. Mt Skrubben (848 m a.s.l.), in Dividalen, was deglaciated down to below 280 m a.s.l. during 10 800–10 300 cal. yr BP. Betula pubescens established 10100 cal. yr BP at 280 m a.s.l. and expanded up to near the summit during the next 700 years. Birch woodland prevailed on the mountain plateau until 3300 cal. yr BP. Local Pinus sylvestris stands are recorded up to 400 m a.s.l. at 8450 cal. yr BP and >548 m a.s.l. about 8160 cal. yr BP. Alnus incana expanded from 400 to nearly 790 m a.s.l. during the period 7900–7600 cal. yr BP. The maximum forest distribution lasted until ca. 6000 cal. yr BP. Marked climatic deteriorations caused lowering of the forest‐lines around 4600 and 3000 cal. yr BP. Reconstruction of the summer temperature indicated mean July temperatures at 400 m a.s.l. of 1.5–3°C above the present during the period of maximum forest expansion, whereas >3°C above the present temperature at 548 m a.s.l. This is in accordance with other regional temperature reconstructions from northern Europe. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation and climate on the northern Taymyr Peninsula, Arctic Russia

Pollen data from a Levinson-Lessing Lake sediment core (74°28'N, 98°38'E) and Cape Sabler, Taymyr Lake permafrost sequences (74°33'N, 100°32'E) reveal substantial environmental changes on the northern Taymyr Peninsula during the last c. 32 000 [Formula: See Text]C years. The continuous records confirm that a scarce steppe-like vegetation with Poaceae, Artemisia and Cyperaceae dominated c. 32 000-10 300 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, while tundra-like vegetation with Oxyria, Ranunculaceae and Caryophyllaceae grew in wetter areas. The coldest interval occurred c. 18 000 yr BP. Lateglacial pollen data show several warming events followed by a climate deterioration c. 10 500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, which may correspond with the Younger Dryas. The Late Pleistocene/Holocene transition, c. 10 300-10 000 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, is characterized by a change from the herb-dominated vegetation to shrubby tundra with Betula sect. Nanae and Salix. Alnus fruticosa arrived locally c. 9000-8500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP and disappeared c. 4000-3500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP. Communities of Betula sect. Nanae, broadly distributed at c. 10 000-3500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP, almost disappeared when vegetation became similar to the modern herb tundra after 3500-3000 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP. Quantitative climate reconstructions show Last Glacial Maximum summer temperature about 4°C below the present and Preboreal (c. 10 000 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP) temperature 2-4°C above the present. Maximum summer temperature occurred between 10 000 and 5500 [Formula: See Text]C yr BP; later summers were similar to present or slightly warmer.     

东北三江平原几个钻孔剖面的孢粉组合分析及其意义

三江平原位于我国东北的边陲,系黑龙江、松花江、乌苏里江汇流而成的冲积平原。其位置在东经129°11′20″至135°5′10″,北纬43°49′55′至48°27′40″(图1)。     

A 16 000‐year record of vegetational change in south‐western Alaska as inferred from plant macrofossils and pollen

Pollen and macrofossil analyses of a sediment core from Beaver Pond (60° 37′ 14″ N, 154° 19′ W, 579 m a.s.l.) reveal a record of regional and local postglacial vegetation change in south‐western Alaska. The chronology is based on five AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) ¹⁴C ages obtained from terrestrial plant macrofossils. Pollen and macrofossil records suggest that open herb and shrub tundra with e.g. Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Artemisia, Vaccinium and Salix prevailed on the landscape before ca. 14 000 cal a BP. The shift from herb‐ to shrub‐dominated tundra (Salix, subsequent Betula expansion) possibly reflects climatic warming at the beginning of the Bølling period at ca. 14 700–14 500 and around 13 500 cal a BP. Vegetation (Betula shrub tundra) remained relatively stable until the early Holocene. Macrofossil influx estimates provide evidence for greater biomass in Betula shrub tundra during the early postglacial period than today. Charcoal accumulation rates suggest tundra fire activity was probably greater from ca. 12 500 to 10 500 cal a BP, similar to results from elsewhere in Alaska. The pollen and macrofossil records of Beaver Pond suggest the prevalence of low shrub tundra (shrub Betula, Betula nana, Vaccinium, Ledum palustre, Ericaceae) and tall shrub tundra (Alnus viridis ssp. crispa, Salix) between 10 000 and 4000 cal a BP. This Holocene vegetation type is comparable with that of the modern treeless wet and moist tundra in south‐western Alaska. The expansion of Picea glauca occurred ～4000 cal a BP, much later than that of A. viridis (ssp. crispa), whereas in central and eastern Alaska Picea glauca expanded prior to or coincident with Alnus (viridis). At sites located only 200–400 km north‐east of Beaver Pond (Farewell and Wien lakes), Picea glauca and Betula forests expanded 8000–6000 cal a BP. Unfavourable climatic conditions and soil properties may have inhibited the expansion and establishment of Picea across south‐west Alaska during the mid and late Holocene. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene vegetation and fire dynamics in the supra‐mediterranean belt of the Nebrodi Mountains (Sicily,Italy)

High‐resolution pollen, macrofossil and charcoal data, combined with accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating and multivariate analysis, were used to reconstruct Holocene vegetation and fire dynamics at Urio Quattrocchi, a small lake in the supra‐mediterranean belt in the Nebrodi Mountains of Sicily (Italy). The data suggest that after 10 000 cal a BP increasing moisture availability supported closed forests with deciduous (Quercus cerris, Fagus sylvatica and Fraxinus spp.) and evergreen (Quercus ilex) species. Species‐rich closed forest persisted until 6850 cal a BP, when Neolithic activities caused a forest decline and affected plant diversity. Secondary forest with abundant Ilex aquifolium recovered between 6650 and 6000 cal a BP, indicating moist conditions. From 5000 cal a BP, agriculture and pastoralism led to the currently fragmented landscape with sparse deciduous forests (Quercus cerris). The study suggests that evergreen broadleaved species were more important at elevations above 1000 m a.s.l. before ca. 5000 cal a BP than subsequently, which might reflect less human impact or warmer‐than‐today climatic conditions between 10 000 and 5000 cal a BP. Despite land use since Neolithic times, deciduous supra‐mediterranean forests were never completely displaced from the Nebrodi Mountains, because of favourable moist conditions that persisted throughout the Holocene. Reconstructed vegetation dynamics document the absence of any pronounced mid‐ or late‐Holocene ‘aridification’ trend at the site, an issue which is controversially debated in Italy and the Mediterranean region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

First post-glacial establishment of forest trees: early Holocene vegetation, mollusc settlement and climate dynamics in central Troms, North Norway

Sediments from two limnic basins in a sub-continental region of northern Norway are investigated for pollen, plant macrofossils and bivalves at a high stratigraphical resolution. The basins are located at 280 and 400 m a.s.l. on the S-SW slope of Mt. Skrubben (848 m a.s.l.). The bio- and lithostratigraphical records are interpreted in terms of immigration and establishment of forest tree species and climate. The mountain was deglaciated at both sites at c . 9200-9100 BP ( c . 10200-10100 cal. BP). Betula pubescens forest stands established at c . 8900 BP ( c . 9900 cal. BP). The first Pinus sylvestris individuals may have established at or near the lowermost investigation site at c . 8700-8600 BP ( c . 9700-9600 cal. BP), while P. sylvestris forest stands were present at 400 m a.s.l. c . 7700 BP ( c . 8500 cal. BP) and expanded in area and/or density from c . 7200 BP. Macrofossils of P. sylvestris occur in strata with a pine pollen influx as low as c . 200 grains cm -2 yr -1 . The immigration of P. sylvestris to the western part of northern Fennoscandia may thus have happened earlier than formerly interpreted from pollen analyses alone, where influx values as low as c . 200 grains cm -2 yr -1 would not be considered as indicative of local presence. Alnus incana established at approximately the same time as P. sylvestris . During the period from deglaciation to c . 6600 BP ( c . 7300 cal. BP), calcareous limnic sediments were deposited in the basins, with Chara species and a Sphaeriidae fauna consisting of Pisidium hibernicum , P. lilljeborgii , P. milium , P. nitidum , P. waldeni and P. casertanum . During the period c . 8800-8500 BP, P. nitidum prevailed, and almost pure CaCO 3 sediments were formed. We interpret the environment as dry with a low influx of both minerogenic particles and humic substances. The period 8800-8500 BP (9800-9500 cal. yr BP) is interpreted as a period with warm and dry summers and cold and dry winters.     

Post‐glacial vegetation reconstruction and a possible 8200 cal. yr BP event from the low arctic of continental Nunavut,Canada

Climate models suggest that the global warming during the early to mid‐Holocene may have partly resulted from the northward advance of the northern treeline and subsequent reduction of the planetary albedo. We investigated the Holocene vegetation history of low arctic continental Nunavut, Canada, from a radiocarbon‐dated sediment core from TK‐2 Lake, a small‐lake ca. 200 km north of the limit of the forest‐tundra. The pollen and loss‐on‐ignition data indicate the presence of dwarf shrub tundra in the region since the beginning of organic sedimentation at ca. 9000 cal. yr BP with dominance of Betula, especially since 8700 cal. yr BP. At 8100–7900 cal. yr BP the dominance of the shrub tundra was punctuated by a transient decline of Betula and coincident increases of Ericaceae undiff., Vaccinium‐type, and Gramineae. This suggests an abrupt disturbance of the Betula glandulosa population, approximately simultaneously with the sudden 8200 cal. yr BP event in the North Atlantic. However, in the absence of other sites studied in the area, linkage to the 8200 cal. yr BP event remains tentative. The lack of any evidence of forest‐tundra in the region constrains the northern limit of the mid‐Holocene advance of the forest‐tundra boundary in central northern Canada. Consequently, our results show that the climate models imposing a mid‐Holocene advance of the limit of the forest‐tundra to the arctic coast of Canada may have overestimated the positive climatic feedback effects that can result from the replacement of tundra by the boreal forest. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vegetation and climate changes over the last 30 000 years on the Leizhou Peninsula,southern China,inferred from the pollen record of Huguangyan Maar Lake

A pollen record from Huguangyan Maar Lake documents regional palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate changes in southern China over the last 30 000 years. Huguangyan Maar Lake is located close to the South China Sea (SCS) coastline and is influenced by the East Asian Monsoon (EAM). The pollen assemblages show a succession of vegetation and climate changes. During the Last Glaciation, 30–15.8 cal. ka BP, the Huguangyan area was dominated by subtropical evergreen‐deciduous forest with grassland surrounding the lake, indicating a colder and drier climate than today. During 15.8–11 cal. ka BP, the study area experienced several climatic fluctuations. From 11 to 2 cal. ka BP, the climate shifted to warmer and wetter conditions. After the Holocene Optimum in the early Holocene, the temperature and precipitation decreased. The sediment record of the last 2000 years cannot be used to interpret natural palaeoclimate changes due to the intense anthropogenic influences. Overall, however, the Huguangyan pollen archive highlights the rapid responses of subtropical vegetation to insolation changes in southern China.     

甘肃省临夏盆地更新世早期湖泊沉积孢粉记录的古气候演化

根据孢粉组合特征,将临夏盆地早更新统东山组(2.50-1.76Ma)的孢粉划分为3个孢粉带(含6个亚带),即3个植被、气候阶段,第一阶段(2.50-1.91Ma,带Ⅰ),植被类型是以柏科、榆属和禾本科为优势种的温带森林,气候表现为温凉稍干,并有逐渐干旱化的趋势.第二阶段(1.91-1.80Ma,带Ⅱ)是以云杉属、榆属和...     

Hydrogeological modeling as a tool supporting the interpretation of pollen proxies for palaeoclimate reconstitution: The Senegalese “niayes” case-study

The Niayes of Senegal are sahelian interdunal fens, that hosted an azonal subguinean vegetation during the Holocene thanks to the availability of fresh groundwater despite contrasted climatic conditions. Exploratory scenario-based modeling of the zonal hydrogeology has been conducted for different periods with the Cast3M code. The results show that the delay in the onset of humid vegetation ca. 10 ky cal. BP could be ecosystemic and denote a start of the African Humid Period (AHP) ca. 11.5 ky cal. BP. Alternatively, the AHP could have started earlier while its beneficial effects would have been canceled by low sea levels. Vegetation degradation around 7.5 ky cal. BP is shown to have resulted from a climate minoration, that possibly alleviated until 4 ky cal. BP. The rising watertable allowed the degraded forest to persist during that period however. The forest expansion that followed ca. 3.5 ky cal. BP had then clearly a climatic origin. The interpretation of pollens for climate research requires a careful filtering-out of local groundwater availability.     

Late Quaternary palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological reconstruction in the Gutaiului Mountains,northwest Romania

Macrofossil, pollen, lithostratigraphy, mineral magnetic measurements (SIRM and magnetic susceptibility), loss‐on‐ignition, and AMS radiocarbon dating on sediments from two former crater lakes, situated at moderate altitudes in the Gutaiului Mountains of northwest Romania, allow reconstruction of Late Quaternary climate and environment. Shrubs and herbs with steppe and montane affinities along with stands of Betula and Pinus, colonised the surroundings of the sites prior to 14 700 cal. yr BP and the inferred climatic conditions were cold and dry. The gradual transition to open Pinus–Betula forests, slightly higher lake water temperatures, and higher lake productivity, indicate more stable environmental conditions between 14 700 and 14 100 cal. yr BP. This development was interrupted by cooler and drier climatic conditions between 14 100 and 13 800 cal. yr BP, as inferred from a reduction of open forests to patches, or stands, of Pinus, Betula, Larix, Salix and Populus. The expansion of a denser boreal forest, dominated by Picea, but including Pinus, Larix, Betula, Salix, and Ulmus started at 13 800 cal. yr BP, although the forest density seems to have been reduced between 13 400 and 13 200 cal. yr BP. Air temperature and moisture availability gradually increased, but a change towards drier conditions is seen at 13 400 cal. yr BP. A distinct decrease in temperature and humidity between 12 900 and 11 500 cal. yr BP led to a return of open vegetation, with patches of Betula, Larix, Salix, Pinus and Alnus and individuals of Picea. Macrofossils and pollen of aquatic plants indicate rising lake water temperatures and increased aquatic productivity already by ca. 11 800 cal. yr BP, 300 years earlier than documented by the terrestrial plant communities. At the onset of the Holocene, 11 500 cal. yr BP, forests dominated by Betula, Pinus and Larix expanded and were followed by dense Ulmus forests with Picea, Betula and Pinus at 11 250 cal. yr BP. Larix pollen was not found, but macrofossil evidence indicates that Larix was an important forest constituent at the onset of the Holocene. Moister conditions were followed by a dry period starting about 10 600 cal. yr BP, which was more pronounced between 8600 and 8200 cal. yr BP, as inferred from aquatic macrofossils. The maximum expansion of Tilia, Quercus, Fraxinus and Acer between 10 700 and 8600 cal. yr BP may reflect a more continental climate. A drier and/or cooler climate could have been responsible for the late expansion (10 300 cal. yr BP) and late maximum (9300 cal. yr BP) of Corylus. Increased water stress, and possibly cooler conditions around 8600 cal. yr BP, may have caused a reduction of Ulmus, Tilia, Quercus and Fraxinus. After 8200 cal. yr BP moisture increased and the forests included Picea, Tilia, Quercus and Fraxinus. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non-analogous tree flora in the Scandes Mountains, Sweden, during the early Holocene - macrofossil evidence of rapid geographic spread and response to palaeoclimate

Early-Holocene occurrences of broad-leaved temperate tree species at a site now within the subalpine belt of the Swedish Scandes are reported and analysed. Macrofossil remains (fruits and leaves) of Alnus glutinosa, Corylus avellana, Quercus robur and Ulmu.s glahra were recovered in a peat deposit far beyond and above their modern distributional limits. A previous nearby finding of Tilia cantata adds to this group of Hemiboreal lowland species, the regional presence of which in high-elevation northern Scandinavia has gone entirely unrecognized by pollen stratigraphical studies. Radiocarbon dates (AMS) range between 8500 and 8000 BP, indicating early and rapid spread, closely following the ice recession. Maximum tree species richness and distributional limits (latitude and altitude) were attained during the earliest part of the Holocene. In a regional perspective, the temperate trees coexisted with a dominant boreal (cold-climate) element, viz. Pinus sylvestris, Bclulu pubescens ssp. tortuosa, Betula pendula, Alnus incana, Picea ahies and Larix sibirica, which are all identified and dated from macrofossils. This climatically seemingly incompatible assemblage is without modern analogues. Presumably, this diverse tree flora owed its existence to a unique (Holocene perspective) climatic regime, ultimately forced by the Milankovitch cycles of insolation. The results strengthen previous palaeoclimatic inferences based on past tree-limit positions (Pinus sylvestris) and imply that Holocene summer warmth peaked fairly soon after the regional deglaciation, practically concurrently with the solar radiation maximum. Important questions are raised concerning several palynologically derived postulates within general palaeobiogeography. For example, rates of geographic tree spread are not necessarily individualistic, despite fundamentally different dispersal modes. The emergent efficiency of dispersal suggests that distribution patterns relate to climate and soil factors rather than time. Dispersal steps may have been fairly large, and the resultant geographic spread was epidemic, resulting in a sparse pattern of outlying stands, rather than sequentially following certain routes in the landscape. Rapid geographic expansion is likely to have been relatively unrestrained by physical barriers, e.g. mountain ranges, seas and large lakes. Even in Central Europe, close to the ice margin, there may have been more trees during the latest glaciation than previously realized.     

Holocene vegetation, fire and climate history of the Sawtooth Range, central Idaho, USA

The paucity of low- and middle-elevation paleoecologic records in the Northern Rocky Mountains limits our ability to assess current environmental change in light of past conditions. A 10,500-yr-long vegetation, fire and climate history from Lower Decker Lake in the Sawtooth Range provides information from a new region. Initial forests dominated by pine and Douglas-fir were replaced by open Douglas-fir forest at 8420 cal yr BP, marking the onset of warmer conditions than present. Presence of closed Douglas-fir forest between 6000 and 2650 cal yr BP suggests heightened summer drought in the middle Holocene. Closed lodgepole pine forest developed at 2650 cal yr BP and fires became more frequent after 1450 cal yr BP. This shift from Douglas-fir to lodgepole pine forest was probably facilitated by a combination of cooler summers, cold winters, and more severe fires than before. Five drought episodes, including those at 8200 cal yr BP and during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, were registered by brief intervals of lodgepole pine decline, an increase in fire activity, and mistletoe infestation. The importance of a Holocene perspective when assessing the historical range of variability is illustrated by the striking difference between the modern forest and that which existed 3000 yr ago.     

Late Pleistocene–Holocene environments in Valle Carbajal, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

The authors discuss Late Pleistocene–Holocene depositional environments in one of the Fuegian Andes valleys on the basis of palynological, geomorphological, and sedimentological analyses from two sites located near the Beagle Channel. The results obtained at these localities reinforce and refine the Late Pleistocene–Holocene climatic pattern previously recorded there. A colder period, associated with the Younger Dryas stadial event, is suggested by low Nothofagus pollen frequency, and communities of grass, low scrub, and shrub heath expanded into the low/middle slopes (10,310 ¹⁴C yr BP). By ca. 9500 ¹⁴C yr BP, warmer and drier conditions occurred, as evidenced by the development of open-grown vegetation in the valley floors (pollen zone O-3), followed by the expansion of open Nothofagus woodland (pollen zone O-2) in the middle Holocene. The milder climate subsequently changed, as indicated by the spreading of the closed forest and mire (pollen zone O-1), to more humid and cooler conditions during the last ca. 5000 yr BP.     

Lateglacial and Holocene terrestrial and marine proxies reflecting climate changes in the Malangen fjord area, Norway, northeast North Atlantic

A high-resolution Younger Dryas–late Holocene record of climate and environment from the Malangen fjord has been established on the basis of two marine sediment cores. Five pollen-spore assemblage zones have been defined covering the period c . 11 500 cal. yr BP (10 200 ¹⁴C yr BP) to c . 1600 cal. yr BP (1600 ¹⁴C yr BP) with a hiatus of c . 2000 cal. years between c . 10 200 and 8100 cal. yr BP (9000 and 7300 ¹⁴C yr BP). The Holocene vegetation development from pioneer vegetation to forest development, identified in the marine pollen record, correlates well with pollen records from terrestrial sections of northern Norway. The marine pollen record was also correlated directly with marine proxy records of the bottom water temperature investigated in the same sediment cores. Correlation between the marine and terrestrial proxies suggests that changes in the influx of warm Atlantic Water to the fjord led to an instant change in the vegetation of the surrounding land area. The results thus support a strong link between marine and atmospheric mean climatic states in the North Atlantic region throughout the Holocene.     

Vegetation and climate history in the Laptev Sea region (Arctic Siberia) during Late Quaternary inferred from pollen records

Paleoenvironmental records from a number of permafrost sections and lacustrine cores from the Laptev Sea region dated by several methods (¹⁴C-AMS, TL, IRSL, OSL and ²³⁰Th/U) were analyzed for pollen and palynomorphs. The records reveal the environmental history for the last ca 200 kyr. For interglacial pollen spectra, quantitative temperature values were estimated using the best modern analogue method. Sparse grass-sedge vegetation indicating arctic desert environmental conditions existed prior to 200 kyr ago. Dense, wet grass-sedge tundra habitats dominated during an interstadial ca 200–190 kyr ago, reflecting warmer and wetter summers than before. Sparser vegetation communities point to much more severe stadial conditions ca 190–130 kyr ago. Open grass and Artemisia communities with shrub stands (Alnus fruticosa, Salix, Betula nana) in more protected and moister places characterized the beginning of the Last Interglacial indicate climate conditions similar to present. Shrub tundra (Alnus fruticosa and Betula nana) dominated during the middle Eemian climatic optimum, when summer temperatures were 4–5 °C higher than today. Early-Weichselian sparse grass-sedge dominated vegetation indicates climate conditions colder and dryer than in the previous interval. Middle Weichselian Interstadial records indicate moister and warmer climate conditions, for example, in the interval 40–32 kyr BP Salix was present within dense, grass-sedge dominated vegetation. Sedge-grass-Artemisia-communities indicate that climate became cooler and drier after 30 kyr BP, and cold, dry conditions characterized the Late Weichselian, ca 26–16 kyr BP, when grass-dominated communities with Caryophyllaceae, Asteraceae, Cichoriaceae, Selaginella rupestris were present. From 16 to 12 kyr BP, grass-sedge communities with Caryophyllaceae, Asteraceae, and Cichoriaceae indicate climate was significantly warmer and moister than during the previous interval. The presence of Salix and Betula reflect temperatures about 4 °C higher than present at about 12–11 kyr BP, during the Allerød interval, but shrubs were absent in the Younger Dryas interval, pointing to a deterioration of climate conditions. Alnus fruticosa, Betula nana, Poaceae, and Cyperaceae dominate early Holocene spectra. Reconstructed absolute temperature values were substantially warmer than present (up to 12 °C). Shrubs gradually disappeared from coastal areas after 7.6 kyr BP when vegetation cover became similar to modern. A comparison of proxy-based paleoenvironmental reconstructions with the simulations performed by an Earth system model of intermediate complexity (CLIMBER-2) show good accordance between the regional paleodata and model simulations, especially for the warmer intervals.     

Holocene vegetation and climate changes in Hoton-Nur basin, northwest Mongolia

Radiocarbon-dated pollen and diatom records from Hoton-Nur lake (48°40'N, 88°18'E), northwest Mongolia are used to reconstruct Holocene vegetation and climate changes. Steppe, which covered the area some time before 9000 BP (all ages are given in ¹⁴C BP), was replaced by boreal conifer forest-steppe by 9000-8500 BP. At the same time, planktonic diatoms increased in abundance from 5 to 45%. After 4000 BP there was a sharp reduction in forest and re-establishment of steppe. Changes in the pollen composition were accompanied by a decrease in the abundance of planktonic diatoms from 35-50% (between 9000 and 5500 BP) to less than 10% soon after 4000 BP. These and other published data from Mongolia suggest wetter conditions during the early and middle Holocene than those of today. This pattern probably reflects an expansion of the Pacific monsoon recorded in geological data from China and simulated in climate-model experiments, and suggests that the summer monsoon influenced a larger area than might appear if the Chinese records only are taken into consideration.     

Climatic influence upon early to mid‐Holocene fire regimes within temperate woodlands: a multi‐proxy reconstruction from the New Forest,southern England

A combined pollen, charcoal and climatic record is presented from Cranes Moor, southern England, covering the period c. 10 500–5850 cal a BP. It is shown that the occurrence of burning is closely related to natural processes, including prevailing climatic conditions and vegetation composition. These burning events are often linked to an increase in the summer moisture deficit, implying that the timing of burning events is linked to periods of warmer/drier climate during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (c. 11 000–5000 cal a BP). These events play an important role in the vegetation composition and succession around the site. The nature of the burning recorded at the site shows strong similarities with other records from northern Europe. This study throws caution on suggestions that fire in the Holocene record from areas such as the British Isles is linked only to human activity, and enhances the possibility that natural fire incidence played an important role in natural woodland structure dynamics.