Climate variability and associated vegetation response throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) between 60 and 8 ka

Abstract

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeo-records. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high-quality climatic and vegetation records for the past 60-8 kyrs. The compilation should also serve as a reference point for the use in the modelling community working towards the INTIMATE project goals, and in data-model inter-comparison studies. This paper is therefore a compilation of up to date, best available quantitative and semi-quantitative records of past climate and biotic response from CEE covering this period. It first presents the proxy and archive used. Speleothems and loess mainly provide the evidences available for the 60-20 ka interval, whereas pollen records provide the main source of information for the Lateglacial and Holocene. It then examines the temporal and spatial patterns of climate variability inferred from different proxies, the temporal and spatial magnitude of the vegetation responses inferred from pollen records and highlights differences and similarities between proxies and sub-regions and the possible mechanisms behind this variability. Finally, it identifies weakness in the proxies and archives and their geographical distribution. This exercise also provides an opportunity to reflect on the status of research in the area and to identify future critical areas and subjects of research.

A long hard road… Reviewing the evidence for environmental change and population history in the eastern Adriatic and western Balkans during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene

“…In and around the Great Adriatic Plain, multiple proxies including plant pollen and macrofossils, sedimentology, and molluscs from Lake Vrana and Valun Bay on the isle of Cres suggest open grassland vegetation in the late glacial (Schmidt et al, 2000). GI-1c-in both Slovenia and Bulgaria present a greater diversity in tree taxa, indicating the presence of fragmented temperate deciduous forests, also observed, but not expanding at this point, in Bulgaria (Feurdean et al, 2014). Likewise, Aufgebauer and colleagues (2012; see also Bordon et al, 2009) record relatively stable hydrological conditions at Lake Prespa through the entire GI-1 period, with a temperate deciduous forest still mainly dominated by Pinus, but with a growing proportion of Quercus as well as increase in diversity of trees, which are gradually moving out of their LGM refugia.…”

“…During this time, average temperatures declined significantly, especially for the winter, as did overall precipitation, leading to an expansion of the dry steppe and a concomitant fragmentation of the boreal forest (Willis, 1994, Feurdean et al, 2014. Pollen from pine, Artemesia and chenopods in a southern Adriatic core dated to the end of GS-1 in the region suggest very dry conditions characteristic of steppe environments (Favaretto et al, 2008; see also Combourieu-Nebout et al, 2013).…”

“…GI-1e presents a rapid rise in temperature, observed regionally in Slovenia and Romania, whilst GI-1d is seen as relatively stable with a warmer and drier environment at Lake Bled from 13.8ka cal BP onwards (Feurdean et al, 2014). At Lake Ljubljana in Slovenia, groundcover was composed of open mixed pine and birch (Betula) woodland (Andrič et al, 2008).…”

“…It must be pointed out that this research area overall presents a relatively low density of both paleoenvironmental and archaeological data, especially when compared to neighbouring regions (cf. maps in Feurdean et al, 2014, Mauri et al, 2015. For instance, terrestrial palynological archives covering either the Pleistocene / Holocene transition or the early Holocene are scarce, and include Lake Bled in Slovenia (Andrič et al, 2009), Lake Vrana on the island of Cres, Croatia (Schmidt et al, 2000) and Lakes Maliq, Prespa and Ohrid at the Albanian-Macedonian-Greek border (e.g.…”

Dating, synthesis, and interpretation of palaeoclimatic records of the Last Glacial cycle and model-data integration: advances by the INTIMATE (INTegration of Ice-core, MArine and TErrestrial records) COST Action ES0907

“…Limited to 10,100 cal BP (Becker and Kromer, 1986) Several GISP2 and GRIP age models (Grootes et al, 1993) Icelandic ash found in Greenland ice (Grönvold et al, 1995) Bayesian methods introduced for 14 C calibration (Bronk Ramsey, 1995 Cariaco Basin varved record for last cold stage developed (Hughen et al, 1996) Wiggle matching to the dendrocalibration curve introduced (Björck et al, 1996) 1997 Microtephr a (later cryptotephr a) found in Lateglacial sediments Turney, 1997) 1998 IntCal98 Marine98 (Stuiver et al, 1998) Extended to 10,340 cal BP (Friedrich et al, 1999) Dated Cariaco Basin record tied to dendro 14 C record (Stuiver et al, 1998) Age of the Younger DryasHolocene boundary determined by wiggle matching (Gulliksen et al, 1998) INTIMATE Event stratigraphy introduced (Björck et al, 1998) Comparison of simulated and proxybased Younger Dryas temperatur es in Europe Isarin, 1997) 1999 Adoption of the GRIP ss08c timescale (Walker et al, 1999) Calendar year chronology from Meerfelder Maar (Brauer et al, 1999(Brauer et al, ) 2001 Holzmaar and Meerfelder varves compared (Brauer et al, 2001) Expansion of cryptotephr a research proposed (Turney et al, 2004) Event stratigraphy based on ss08c timescale (Lowe et al, ) 2003 Extended to 12,410 cal BP Monticchio tephra archive developed for last 100 ka (Wulf et al, 2004) (Turney et al, 2004) European lateglacial sequences (Blockley et al, 2004) introduced in INTIMATE event stratigraphy (Turney et al, 2004) 2005 GICC05 timescale developed to 14.8 ka b2k and adopted Volcanic ash layers in NGRIP lateglacial (Mortensen et al, 2005) 2006 GICC05 exten...…”