Climate during the Eemian in north-central Europe ? a critical review of the palaeobotanical and stable isotope data from central Germany

Last interglacial atmospheric CO2 changes from stomatal index data and their relation to climate variations

“…Although soil processes and Carpinus establishment may have been closely linked at Hollerup, this is unlikely to have been the general rule as indicated by the different relative timing of Carpinus and Picea arrival shown by European pollen diagrams. In accordance with Eemian climate reconstructions discussed above (Litt et al, 1996;Zagwijn, 1996;Aalbersberg and Litt, 1998;Rioual et al, 2001;Klotz et al, 2003), this points to a dominant climatic control of the Carpinus expansion throughout northwestern and central Europe, possibly through the short dry and cool event identified by Bjö rck et al (2000). As indicated by its associated highly dynamic CO 2 regime (Fig.…”

“…This distinct change from an assemblage characterised by Corylus and Taxus to one characterised by Carpinus and Picea is typical for sites throughout northwestern Europe (Zagwijn, 1996;Turner, 2002). A corresponding transition to a Carpinus-dominated zone is evident in Eemian pollen diagrams from sites all over northern, central and western Europe and coincides with the end of the climatic optimum as defined by maximum Eemian summer temperatures in all these regions (Litt et al, 1996;Zagwijn, 1996;Aalbersberg and Litt, 1998;Rioual et al, 2001;Klotz et al, 2003). According to pollenbased transfer functions, this transition is also associated with a change to more continental conditions as indicated by generally lower reconstructed January temperature and annual precipitation values at sites in France, Germany and Poland (Field et al, 1994;Cheddadi et al, 1998;Rioual et al, 2001).…”

“…According to pollenbased transfer functions, this transition is also associated with a change to more continental conditions as indicated by generally lower reconstructed January temperature and annual precipitation values at sites in France, Germany and Poland (Field et al, 1994;Cheddadi et al, 1998;Rioual et al, 2001). These low winter temperature estimates are challenged, however, by reconstructions based on the climate indicator species approach (pollen, plant macrofossils and Coleoptera) suggesting relatively high winter temperatures and high annual precipitation in central and northwestern Europe during the Carpinus phase (Litt et al, 1996;Zagwijn, 1996;Aalbersberg and Litt, 1998;Klotz et al, 2003). This discrepancy may in part be explained by a lack of adequate present-day analogues for certain Eemian pollen assemblages.…”

A diatom record of centennial resolution for the Kazantsevo Interglacial stage in Lake Baikal (Siberia)

“…In our record, the maximum BVAR values, occurred between 123 and~122 ky BP about 4500 years after the onset of the Eemian. By contrast, in most European records, a temperature maximum occurred in the very early stages of this interglacial (Zagwijn, 1996;Litt et al, 1996;Björck et al, 2000;Rioual et al, 2001) during which insolation was at its maximum in the northern latitudes (Berger, 1978). Prokopenko et al (2001) advanced a hypothesis for the reason why the response to cold-to-warm climatic transition is apparently delayed in Lake Baikal's diatom record.…”

Instability of the environment at the end of the Eemian Interglacial as illustrated by isopollen maps of Poland

“…The ques tion of en vi ron men tal sta bil ity dur ing the Eemian Inter gla cial has long been dis cussed (Velichko et al, 1982(Velichko et al, , 2005Fronval and Jansen, 1996;Litt et al, 1996;Kukla et al, 1997Kukla et al, , 2002Seidenkrantz and Knudsen, 1997;Saarnisto et al, 1999;Guiter et al, 2003;Klotz et al, 2003Klotz et al, , 2004Kühl and Litt, 2003;Seppä et al, 2008, and oth ers). The dis cus sions widened when a re cord of strong tem per a ture fluc tu a tions dur ing the Eemian Inter gla cial was dis cov ered in ice cores in Greenland (Anklin et al, 1993;Dansgaard et al, 1993;Grootes et al, 1993;GRIP, 1993).…”