Early maximum extent of paleoglaciers from Mediterranean mountains during the last glaciation

Abstract

Mountain glaciers respond directly to changes in precipitation and temperature, thus their margin extent is a high-sensitivity climate proxy. Here, we present a robust 10Be chronology for the glacier maximum areal extent of central Spain paleoglaciers dated at 26.1 ± 1.3 ka BP. These glaciers reached their maximum extent several thousand years earlier than those from central Europe due to the increased precipitation within a cold period between 25 to 29 ka BP, as confirmed by a local speleothem record. These paleoclimate conditions impacted the maximum extent of mountain glaciers along the western and central Mediterranean region. The cause and timing of the enhanced precipitation implies a southward shift of the North Atlantic Polar Front followed by storm tracks in response to changes in insolation via orbital parameters modulation. Thus, these mountain paleoglaciers from the Mediterranean region record an ocean-continent climate interaction triggered by external forcing.

Sedimentary evolution and persistence of open forests between the south-eastern Alpine fringe and the Northern Dinarides during the Last Glacial Maximum

“…The Soča outwash fan dammed the tributary Vipava River, in turn aggradating since 26 ka BP. Fan activity at that time can be related to a maximum advance of the Soča glacier, whose timing is in agreement with the nearby Tagliamento system (Monegato et al, 2007) and other circumMediterranean glaciers (Dominguez-Villar et al, 2013). The apex of the Soča outwash fan and the junction with the Vipava were confined into the reliefs of the Northern Dinarides (the Karst and the Trnovo Plateaus).…”

Quaternary glaciation in the Mediterranean mountains: a new synthesis

“…the Sierra Nevada), although it was still within MIS 2. Domínguez-Villar et al (2013) have argued that the MIS 2 advance in central Spain predated the global LGM by several thousand years. Messerli (1967, Karte 1) although it is updated and revised based on the most recent data available.…”

Depositional environments and diagenesis of a carbonate till from a Quaternary paleoglacier sequence in the Southern Velebit Mountain (Croatia)

“…Although lower ELAs could be found in glaciations previous to the LGM, geomorphological evidence of Middle Pleistocene glaciations in other Mediterranean mountains suggest that differences were limited (e.g., Gianotti et al, 2008;Delmas et al, 2011). However, paleo-ELAs in some regions of Dinarides are controversial due to possible misinterpretation of glacier extensions and their chronology (Milivojević et al, 2008;Hughes et al, 2010Hughes et al, , 2011Djurović, 2012;Domínguez-Villar et al, 2013). The sequence of moraines observed in Malo Rujno represent the terminal deposits of a series of glacier stages where the left lateral moraines, and in some cases their proglacial outwash deposits have been recorded.…”