Orbital forcing of climate over South Africa: A 200,000-year rainfall record from the pretoria saltpan

Late Pleistocene variations in rainfall in subtropical southern African are estimated from sediments preserved in the Pretoria Saltpan, a 200000 year-old closed-basin crater lake on the interior plateau of South Africa. We show that South African summer rainfall covaried with changes in southern hemisphere summer insolation resulting from orbital precession. As predicted by orbital precession geometry (Berger, 1978), this South African record is out of phase with North African palaeomonsoon indices (Street and Grove, 1979; Rossignol-Strick, 1983; McIntyre et al., 1989); the amplitude of the rainfall response to insolation forcing agrees with climate model estimates (Prell and Kutzbach, 1987). These results document the importance of direct orbital insolation forcing on both subtropical North and South African climate as well as the predicted antiphase sensitivity to precessional insolation forcing.     

Orbital scale vegetation change in Africa

Palynological records of Middle and Late Pleistocene marine sediments off African shores is reviewed in order to reveal long-term patterns of vegetation change during climate cycles. Whether the transport of pollen and spores from the source areas on the continent to the ocean floor is mainly by wind or predominantly by rivers depends on the region. Despite the differences in transportation, accumulation rates in the marine sediments decline exponentially with distance to the shore. The marine sediments provide well-dated records presenting the vegetation history of the main biomes of western and southern Africa. The extent of different biomes varied with the climate changes of the glacial interglacial cycle. The Mediterranean forest area expanded during interglacials, the northern Saharan desert during glacials, and the semi-desert area in between during the transitions. In the sub-Saharan mountains ericaceous scrubland spread mainly during glacials and the mountainous forest area often increased during intermediate periods. Savannahs extended or shifted to lower latitudes during glacials. While the representation of the tropical rain forest fluctuated with summer insolation and precession, that of the subtropical biomes showed more obliquity variability or followed the pattern of glacial and interglacials.     

Orbital- and sub-orbital-scale climate impacts on vegetation of the western Mediterranean basin over the last 48,000 yr

High-resolution pollen analysis of Alborán Sea core MD95-2043 provides a 48-ka continuous vegetation record that can be directly correlated with sea surface and deep-water changes. The reliability of this record is supported by comparison with that of Padul (Sierra Nevada, Spain). Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 was characterised by fluctuations in Quercus forest cover in response to Dansgaard-Oeschger climate variability. MIS 2 was characterised by the dominance of semi-desert vegetation. Despite overall dry and cold conditions during MIS 2, Heinrich events (HEs) 2 and 1 were distinguished from the last glacial maximum by more intensely arid conditions. Taxon-specific vegetation responses to a tripartite climatic structure within the HEs are observed. In MIS 1, the Bölling-Allerød was marked by rapid afforestation, while a re-expansion of semi-desert environments occurred during the Younger Dryas. The maximum development of mixed Quercus forest occurred between 11.7 and 5.4 cal ka BP, with forest decline since 5.4 cal ka BP. On orbital timescales, a long-term expansion of semi-desert vegetation from MIS 3 into MIS 2 reflects global ice-volume trends, while Holocene arboreal decline reflects summer insolation decrease. The influence of precession on the amplitude of forest development and vegetation composition is also detected.     

Seven ambiguities in the Mediterranean palaeoenvironmental narrative

A review of seven outstanding issues on Mediterranean palaeoenvironments is presented. These are related to the dominant orbital pacing of climate variability, the length of the interglacial vegetation succession, the influence of the African summer monsoon, the seasonality of precipitation during boreal insolation maxima, the moisture balance during glacial maxima and the appearance of the mediterranean-type climate rhythm and evolution of mediterranean sclerophyllous plants. What emerges is that (1) marine δ¹⁸O_planktonic and SST records show that precession has been a fundamental tempo of Mediterranean climate change, representing both a low-latitude signal (runoff from North Africa) and the direct influence of insolation at Mediterranean latitudes, but high-latitude glacial effects (41-kyr and 100-kyr cycles) became superimposed after 2.8 Ma. Sapropel and dust deposition patterns in marine cores reveal that obliquity also has an effect on Mediterranean climate through dry–wet oscillations, which are independent of glacial–interglacial variability. (2) The temperate part of interglacial vegetation succession has a duration of approximately half a precession cycle. This persisted during the interval of obliquity-dominated glacial cycles (∼2.8–1 Ma), with distinct forest successions following the precessional cycles. However, these are not always separated by an open vegetation phase because of minimal ice growth, producing an impression of a prolonged interglacial forest interval. (3) The effect of an enhanced African monsoon during summer insolation maxima has been mainly indirect, in terms of Nile discharge and runoff along the North African coast, leading to increased freshwater input into the Mediterranean Sea, reduced deep-water ventilation and sapropel deposition. (4) The notion of an accentuated summer rain regime in the northern Mediterranean borderlands also contributing to a freshening of the Mediterranean Sea during boreal insolation maxima is not supported by the available evidence, which suggests increased summer aridity. (5) Recent improvements in chronological precision and data resolution point to an increase in aridity and decreased temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum (21±2 ka), but suggest an increase in effective moisture during the immediately preceding interval of 24–27 ka. (6) The mediterranean-type climate is not exclusively a post-3.6 Ma phenomenon, but may have appeared intermittently during the course of the Tertiary (or before). (7) If that is the case, then the paradigm that the sclerophyllous evergreen habit represents a pre-adaptation to summer drought may need re-evaluation.     

古气候数值模拟:进展评述

数值模拟是古气候研究的一个重要内容。过去30年来,古气候数值模拟研究在相当程度上深化了我们对古气候变化机制的理解。在轨道尺度上,数值模拟证明了冰后期气候系统变化主要是对地球轨道参数变化的响应,同时揭示了温室气体、植被、海洋、冰盖等反馈因子的重要性。针对短尺度气候变化,数值模拟揭示出大洋传送带对北大西洋淡水注入的敏感性。在构造尺度上,数值模拟揭示了气候系统对于高原抬升、海道开合、大陆漂移导致的古地理变化、大气CO2浓度变化和太阳常数变化等的响应,揭示了气候系统突变对驱动因子阈值的敏感性。目前,古气候模拟研究中还存在分辨率不高、模拟结果与记录不完全吻合、模拟的边界条件不清楚等诸多问题。今后古气候模拟研究的改进有赖于模式的改进和计算机运算速度的提高,也有赖于对变化机制的更深理解和对边界条件更精确的重建。     

千百年尺度气候快速变化及其数值模拟研究进展

千百年尺度全球气候快速变化是古气候研究中的一个重要内容。研究发现，末次冰期和全新世都存在着千年、百年尺度的快速气候变化，其变化幅度可以达到典型的地质变化或天文因子所造成的冰期/间冰期的气候振荡幅度，同时这些古气候事件具有全球性。对冰期和全新世气候变化的数值模拟揭示了气候系统对地球轨道参数变化的响应以及海洋、植被、冰盖、温室气体等反馈因子的重要性,其中大洋温盐环流对北大西洋淡水注入的敏感性与末次冰期和全新世气候快速变化密切相联。利用中等复杂程度的气候模式（EMIC）CLIMBER 2模拟了末次冰期典型时段（60~20 ka BP）D/O和Heinrich事件以及东亚气候的响应过程。模拟研究揭示了全新世青藏高原冰雪环境对亚洲—非洲季风气候的显著影响。今后的古气候模拟研究将在改进模式分辨率、结合古气候代用资料确定更加符合历史时期边界条件以进一步改善气候模式的基础上,更加注重气候突变机制的研究以及加强全球变化背景下的区域气候的长期变化研究。     

Orbital changes and climate

At the 41,000-period of orbital tilt, summer insolation forces a lagged response in northern ice sheets. This delayed ice signal is rapidly transferred to nearby northern oceans and landmasses by atmospheric dynamics. These ice-driven responses lead to late-phased changes in atmospheric CO₂ that provide positive feedback to the ice sheets and also project ‘late’ 41-K forcing across the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. Responses in austral regions are also influenced by a fast response to summer insolation forcing at high southern latitudes.At the 22,000-year precession period, northern summer insolation again forces a lagged ice-sheet response, but with muted transfers to proximal regions and no subsequent effect on atmospheric CO₂. Most 22,000-year greenhouse-gas responses have the ‘early’ phase of July insolation. July forcing of monsoonal and boreal wetlands explains the early CH₄ response. The slightly later 22-K CO₂ response originates in the southern hemisphere. The early 22-K CH₄ and CO₂ responses add to insolation forcing of the ice sheets.The dominant 100,000-year response of ice sheets is not externally forced, nor does it result from internal resonance. Internal forcing appears to play at most a minor role. The origin of this signal lies mainly in internal feedbacks (CO₂ and ice albedo) that drive the gradual build-up of large ice sheets and then their rapid destruction. Ice melting during terminations is initiated by uniquely coincident forcing from insolation and greenhouse gases at the periods of tilt and precession.     

Simulating the transient evolution and abrupt change of Northern Africa atmosphere–ocean–terrestrial ecosystem in the Holocene

We present the first synchronously coupled transient simulation of the evolution of the northern Africa climate-ecosystem for the last 6500 years in a global general circulation ocean–atmosphere–terrestrial ecosystem model. The model simulated the major abrupt vegetation collapse in the southern Sahara at about 5 ka, consistent with the proxy records. Local precipitation, however, shows a much more gradual decline with time, implying a lack of strong positive vegetation feedback on annual rainfall during the collapse. The vegetation change in northern Africa is driven by local precipitation decline and strong precipitation variability. In contrast, the change of precipitation is dominated by internal climate variability and a gradual monsoonal climate response to orbital forcing. In addition, some minor vegetation changes are also simulated in different regions across northern AfricaThe model also simulated a gradual annual mean surface cooling in the subtropical North Atlantic towards the latest Holocene, as well as a reduced seasonal cycle of SST. The SST response is caused largely by the insolation forcing, while the annual mean cooling is also reinforced by the increased coastal upwelling near the east boundary. The increased upwelling results from a southward retreat of the North Africa monsoon system, and, in turn, an increased northeasterly trade wind. The simulated changes of SST and upwelling are also largely consistent with marine proxy records, albeit with a weaker magnitude in the model.The mismatch between the collapse of vegetation and gradual transition of rainfall suggests that the vegetation collapse is not caused by a strong positive vegetation feedback. Instead, it is suggested that the Mid-Holocene collapse of North African vegetation is caused mainly by a nonlinear response of the vegetation to a precipitation threshold in the presence of strong climate variability. The implication to the modeling and observations is also discussed.     

大洋环流型式转换在冰期旋回中的作用及经典第四纪冰期理论质疑(续)

大洋环流型式转换在冰期旋回中的作用及经典第四纪冰期理论质疑(续)汉景泰Ｗ．Ｓ．Ｆｙｆｅ(加拿大西安大略大学地质系)４问题及讨论大洋环流－气候学说认为从冰期到间冰期海洋－大气系统全球性巨型再组合导致了末次冰期的终止。     

Orbital insolation,ice volume,and greenhouse gases

The SPECMAP models of orbital-scale climate change (Imbrie et al., Paleoceanography 7 (1992) 701, Paleoceanography 8 (1993) 699) are the most comprehensive to date: all major climatic observations were analyzed within the framework of the three orbital signals. Subsequently, tuning of signals in Vostok ice to insolation forcing has fixed the timing of greenhouse-gas changes closely enough to permit an assessment of their orbital-scale climatic role. In addition, evidence from several sources has suggested changes in the SPECMAP δ¹⁸O time scale. This new information indicates that the timing of CO₂ changes at the periods of precession and obliquity does not fit the 1992 SPECMAP model of a “train” of responses initiated in the north, propagated to the south, and later returning north to force the ice sheets. In addition, analysis of the effects of rectification on 100,000-year climatic signals reveals that all have a phase on or near that of eccentricity. This close clustering of phases rules out the long time constants for 100,000-year ice sheets required by the 1993 SPECMAP model.A new hypotheses presented here revives elements of an earlier CLIMAP view (Hays et al., Science 194 (1976a) 1121) but adds a new assessment of the role of greenhouse gases.As proposed by Milankovitch, summer (mid-July) insolation forces northern hemisphere ice sheets at the obliquity and precession periods, with an ice time constant derived here of 10,000 years. Changes in ice volume at 41,000 years drive ice-proximal signals (SST, NADW, dust) that produce a strong positive CO₂ feedback and further amplify ice-volume changes. At the precession period, July insolation forces ice sheets but it also drives fast and early responses in CH₄ through changes in tropical monsoons and boreal wetlands, and variations in CO₂ through southern hemisphere processes. These CH₄ and CO₂ responses enhance insolation forcing of ice volume.Climatic responses at 100,000 years result from eccentricity pacing of forced processes embedded in obliquity and precession cycles. Increased modulation of precession by eccentricity every 100,000 years produces 23,000-year CO₂ and CH₄ maxima that enhance ablation caused by summer insolation and drive climate deeper into an interglacial state. When eccentricity modulation decreases at the 100,000-year cycle, ice sheets grow larger in response to obliquity forcing and activate a 41,000-year CO₂ feedback that drives climate deeper into a glacial state. Alternation of these forced processes because of eccentricity pacing produces the 100,000-year cycle. The 100,000-year cycle began 0.9 Myr ago because gradual global cooling allowed ice sheets to survive during weak precession insolation maxima and grow large enough during 41,000-year ice-volume maxima to generate strong positive CO₂ feedback.The natural orbital-scale timing of these processes indicates that ice sheets should have appeared 6000–3500 years ago and that CO₂ and CH₄ concentrations should have fallen steadily from 11,000 years ago until now. But new ice did not appear, and CO₂ and CH₄ began anomalous increases at 8000 and 5000 years ago, respectively. Human generation of CO₂ and CH₄ is implicated in these anomalous trends and in the failure of ice sheets to appear in Canada.     

米兰科维奇冰期旋回理论:挑战与机遇

米兰科维奇理论认为,北半球高纬夏季太阳辐射变化是驱动第四纪冰期旋回的主因。这个理论的核心是单一敏感区的触发驱动机制,即北半球高纬气候变化信号被放大、传输进而影响全球。最近,由于大量高分辨率及精确定年的气候变化记录的获得,从以下4个方面构成了对米氏理论的挑战:1)一些低纬地区并没有明显的10万年冰量周期,而是以2万年岁差周期为主,表明北半球冰盖的扩张、收缩变化并没有完全控制低纬区的气候变化;2)在最近几次冰消期时,南半球和低纬区的温度增高,要早于北半球冰盖的融化,表明冰消期的触发机制并非是北半球高纬夏季太阳辐射;3)大气CO₂浓度在第2冰消期的增加同南极升温相一致,表明该时大气CO₂浓度增加亦有可能早于北半球冰盖消融;4)南半球的末次冰盛期有可能早于北半球。这就说明单一敏感区触发驱动机制已难以圆满解释所有观察事实,天文因素控制下轨道尺度气候变化机制研究正面临理论突破的新需求和新机遇。     

Lesson from the past: present insolation minimum holds potential for glacial inception

The community of climatologists predicts a progressive global warming [IPCC Fourth Assessment Report—Climate Change, 2007. The Scientific Basis. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge] that will not be interrupted by a glacial inception for the next 50 ka [Berger and Loutre, 2002. An exceptionally long Interglacial ahead? Science 297, 1287–1288]. These predictions are based on continuously increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and on the orbital forcing that will provide only muted insolation variations for the next 50 ka. To assess the potential climate development without human interference, we analyse climate proxy records from Europe and the North Atlantic of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 (423–362 ka BP), an interval when insolation variations show a strong linear correlation with those of the recent past and the future. This analysis suggests that the insolation minimum at 397 ka BP, which provides the best available analogue to the present insolation minimum, terminated interglacial conditions in Europe. At that time, tundra–steppe vegetation spread in Central Europe and pine forests dominated in the eastern Mediterranean region. Because the intensities of the 397 ka BP and present insolation minima are very similar, we conclude that under natural boundary conditions the present insolation minimum holds the potential to terminate the Holocene interglacial. Our findings support the Ruddiman hypothesis [Ruddiman, W., 2003. The Anthropogenic Greenhouse Era began thousands of years ago. Climate Change 61, 261–293], which proposes that early anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission prevented the inception of a glacial that would otherwise already have started.     

Did glacials start with global warming?

Correlation of paleoclimatic evidence with orbital changes shows that the build-up of polar ice accelerated when low obliquity coincided with perihelion in Northern Hemisphere winter. Under low obliquity the insolation was channeled to the tropics at the expense of both polar caps. As perihelion moved from winter solstice toward spring equinox, the solar beam in astronomic winter and spring became stronger than in summer and autumn. This orbital configuration under climate conditions like today would lead to warming of tropical oceans but cooling of the polar regions. The areally weighted global mean surface temperature, which is dominated by the low latitudes, would increase. Consequently, during the first millennia, the early glacial ice build-up was most likely accompanied by global warming. It was the associated increase of meridional insolation and temperature gradients, which were instrumental in the transition to a glacial.A significant part of the current global warming is due to the gradual temperature increase of the tropical oceans. As the changing orbital configuration today resembles that of the last interglacial/glacial transition, the warming is likely to have a natural component.     

The Preboreal oscillation around the Nordic Seas: terrestrial and lacustrine responses

The occurrence of an early Preboreal climatic cooling/oscillation (PBO) in lacustrine and glacial records from northwest Europe, Iceland and Greenland is reviewed and documented. The often subtle response of the proxy records to this oscillation, in combination with its short duration, make it difficult to detect. Owing to its chronostratigraphic position between the 10000–9900 and 9600–9500 ¹⁴C plateaux (c. 11300–11150 calendar yr BP) it is also difficult to ¹⁴C date with precision. We find that the vegetation response to the PBO varies between sites and regions. In contrast to the pioneer vegetation in Iceland and southern Sweden, the expanding birch–pine forest in Germany–Denmark was more susceptible to deteriorating growing conditions. The combined lacustrine, tree-ring and glacial records imply that the PBO was characterised by cool and humid conditions throughout northwestern and central Europe. This is documented by vegetation changes, decreased aquatic production, increased soil erosion, increased ²H and ¹³C content in tree-rings, readvances or stillstands of the ice sheet in Norway and Finland, and ingression of brackish water into the Baltic. Icelandic proxy records from lake sediments and glacial moraines imply cooler conditions than during the previous Preboreal period, but not as extreme as during the Younger Dryas. Greenland records suggest that the early Preboreal was characterised by ice readvances, as an effect of cool climate and increased precipitation (in relation to the Younger Dryas). It was not until the end of the PBO that climate was warm enough to melt the land-based ice sheet. This Preboreal oscillation, found on both sides of the Nordic Seas, is interpreted as an effect of increased freshwater forcing on the thermohaline circulation in the Nordic Seas, which is implied by a simultaneous and distinct rise in the atmospheric ¹⁴C/¹²C ratio. A slow-down of the thermohaline circulation may temporarily have pushed the Polar Front further south. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Last glacial fire regime variability in western France inferred from microcharcoal preserved in core MD04-2845, Bay of Biscay

High resolution multiproxy analysis (microcharcoal, pollen, organic carbon, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s), ice rafted debris) of the deep-sea record MD04-2845 (Bay of Biscay) provides new insights for understanding mechanisms of fire regime variability of the last glacial period in western France. Fire regime of western France closely follows Dansgaard–Oeschger climatic variability and presents the same pattern than that of southwestern Iberia, namely low fire regime associated with open vegetation during stadials including Heinrich events, and high fire regime associated with open forest during interstadials. This supports a regional climatic control on fire regime for western Europe through fuel availability for the last glacial period. Additionally, each of Heinrich events 6, 5 and 4 is characterised by three episodes of fire regime, with a high regime bracketed by lower fire regime episodes, related to vegetational succession and complex environmental condition changes.     

Last glacial pollen record from Lanzhou (Northwestern China) and possible forcing mechanisms for the MIS 3 climate change in Middle to East Asia

The vegetation on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is highly sensitive to climatic changes and thus represents a potentially interesting environmental archive. Pollen samples from the Fanjiaping Loess section in Lanzhou on the western Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) were analyzed in conjunction with OSL dating. The results indicate that pollen zone B (60.6–46.0 ka, correlative to the early MIS 3) had the greatest abundances of Cupressaceae, Tsuga, Gramineae and Cyperaceae of the entire section, suggesting a warm phase during the last glacial period. These pollen taxa decreased significantly in abundance in the zones C (46.0–39.0 ka) and D (39.0–27.0 ka), reflecting a substantial climate cooling from the middle MIS 3 to MIS 2. These results correlate with climate records from the South China Sea, the CLP, Baikal Lake, North America, North Atlantic Ocean and other regions, and probably correspond with the decline of northern high-latitude insolation and the increase of global ice volume from 50 to 20 ka. In particular, arboreal pollen, fern spore and algae abundances declined sharply since ～40 ka, while shrub and herb pollen reached the highest abundances. Conifer pollen Picea and Abies abundance also rose markedly and increased up the section. This implies significant climate deterioration and likely corresponded with substantial growth of the polar ice sheets since ～40 ka. The decreasing temperature caused by an insolation decline during the last glacial period probably reinforced the cooling effect in a ‘snow/ice/albedo’ feedback, which would result in less climate sensitivity to radiative forcing. Meanwhile, vegetation decline in the Northern Hemisphere during the last glacial period and tundra development at high latitudes possibly caused additional cooling, enhancing the growth of polar ice sheets since 40 ka. The development of polar ice sheets increased the polar-to-equator temperature and pressure gradients, strengthening the westerlies and supplying plenty of moisture to Northwest China during 40–30 ka. Lake sediments developed widely on the Tibetan Plateau during 40–30 ka, probably related to an increase in the seasonality of middle-to-low latitude insolation which caused an enhancement of glacier melting on the Plateau.     

Obliquity and precessional forcing of continental snow fall and melt: implications for orbital forcing of Pleistocene ice ages

Milankovitch theory posits that Earth's orbital cycles were the primary forcing of Pleistocene ice-age cycles through their strong influence on summer insolation at high latitudes. Accordingly, Milankovitch theory predicts ice volume should vary at both obliquity and precessional periods. However, early Pleistocene global ice volume varied mainly at the obliquity period with weak variability at the precessional period suggesting that Milankovitch theory is not sufficient to explain the ice-age cycles. Here we describe the results from a series of coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model experiments, using the Fast Ocean Atmosphere Model, that systematically investigate the influence of precession and obliquity on continental snowfall and potential ablation.Our model results identify three factors that magnify the influence of obliquity forcing on the global ice volume: First, high-latitude snowfall variability is dominated by changes in Earth's axial tilt. Second, hemispheric changes in net snowfall due to Earth's precession are out-of-phase, and largely cancel to produce a very small global snowfall change. Third, snowmelt variability over Antarctica responds greatly to changes in obliquity that intensify accumulation over obliquity cycle. We discuss the implications of these factors for existing hypotheses that account for the variability in the ice volume record.     

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2016.04.004

We present here a simple and novel proposal for the modulation and rhythm of ice-ages and interglacials during the late Pleistocene. While the standard Milankovitch-precession theory fails to explain the long intervals between interglacials, these can be accounted for by a novel forcing and feedback system involving CO_2, dust and albedo. During the glacial period, the high albedo of the northern ice sheets drives down global temperatures and CO_2 concentrations, despite subsequent precessional forcing maxima. Over the following millennia more CO_2 is sequestered in the oceans and atmospheric concentrations eventually reach a critical minima of about 200 ppm, which combined with arid conditions,causes a die-back of temperate and boreal forests and grasslands, especially at high altitude. The ensuing soil erosion generates dust storms, resulting in increased dust deposition and lower albedo on the northern ice sheets. As northern hemisphere insolation increases during the next Milankovitch cycle, the dust-laden ice-sheets absorb considerably more insolation and undergo rapid melting, which forces the climate into an interglacial period. The proposed mechanism is simple, robust, and comprehensive in its scope, and its key elements are well supported by empirical evidence.     

Vegetation and climate during the penultimate interglacial of the northeastern Russian Arctic: the Lake El'gygytgyn pollen record

We present a high‐resolution reconstruction of the vegetation and climate dynamics during the penultimate interglacial, corresponding with Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7, based on detailed palynological analyses of lacustrine sediments from Lake El'gygytgyn, northeastern Siberia. The analysed sediments were deposited between 246 and 181 ka ago (late MIS 8 to early MIS 6.6). The interglacial vegetation was characterized by herb and shrub (mainly alder and birch) dominated plant communities. Pollen‐based biome reconstruction shows a dominance of the tundra (TUND) biome, thus indicating rather open vegetation. Warmer intervals (MIS 7.5, 7.3 and 7.1) were marked by an increase in the cold deciduous forest (CLDE) biome scores and a synchronous decrease in the cold steppe (STEP) biome scores. The thermal maximum occurred during MIS 7.1, as indicated by the highest CLDE biome scores occurring in this period, and lasted ~10 ka, possibly favoured by the high precession‐related summer insolation and the legacy of the preceding mild and dry stadial (MIS 7.2). In contrast, MIS 7.3 and 7.5 were characterized by shorter durations (~4 ka) and lower summer temperatures. The preceding cold glacial and stadial (MIS 8 and 7.4, respectively) might have led to an extensive distribution of permafrost that hindered vegetation development during the subsequent warm intervals. MIS 7.4 and 6.6 were cold and wet, probably triggered by low obliquity values and coevally low precession‐related summer insolation. As a result, these periods were marked by significantly reduced summer temperatures and an enhanced snow‐ice albedo feedback. The obtained reconstructions provide potential scenarios for future climate changes and allow a better understanding of the relationship between vegetation, climate and external/internal forcings in the high latitudes.     

The impact of varying ice sheets and greenhouse gases on the intensity and timing of boreal summer monsoons

Climate models, forced only with insolation, indicate that boreal summer monsoons respond to orbital forcing with a zero phase both at the precession and obliquity bands. Discrepancies exist among data with respect to the timing of the response. Some late Pleistocene monsoon records show small lags of 2–3 kyr, close to model results, while many others show considerably longer lags of 5–8 kyr. It has been hypothesized that such lags arise from factors that were, up till now, not included in the modelling experiments, namely variations in glacial-age boundary conditions.Here we address this issue using long, time-dependent climate simulations that do include varying ice sheets and greenhouse gas concentrations. Inclusion of these additional forcings introduces a small peak in the monsoon spectra at the 100 kyr period, while monsoon variance remains dominated by precession with a smaller contribution from obliquity. At the precession band orbital forcing remains the dominant control, with lags close to zero. At the obliquity band varying ice sheet and greenhouse gases explain most of the simulated African and Indian monsoon variance, with orbital forcing playing a minor role. For the East Asian monsoon orbital forcing remains dominant. As a result the simulated obliquity phase of different monsoon systems lies between summer insolation maxima and ice minima/greenhouse gas maxima, with a lag that varies with distance to the Eurasian ice sheet.