Middle-to-late Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from the A294 ice-cave record (Central Pyrenees, northern Spain)

Sancho, Carlos; Belmonte, Ánchel; Bartolomé, Miguel; Moreno, Ana; Leunda, María; López-Martı́nez, Jerónimo

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2017.12.027

Cited by 32 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…The periods lacking vegetal remains in the cave ice sequences of the Velebit match well with similar patterns from Hundsalm Ice Cave (Spötl et al 2014) before the 11 th century and for the 15 th century AD, and correspond to periods of higher cave firn accumulation rates Firn accumulation rates calculated from a set of radiocarbon dates of organic layers of the Pyrenean A492 cave ice deposit (Sancho et al 2018) overlap with the Velebit record only for the 1 st and 2 nd millennia BC. There is some agreement between the higher Pyrenean firn accumulation rates reconstructed for the 12 th century BC and between ~300 BC and 60 AD and periods lacking vegetal remains in the cave ice sequences of the Velebit.…”

Section: Comparison Of Mass Balance Periods In Ice Caves Of the Velebsupporting

confidence: 70%

“…However, this comparison is cannot be conclusive since the date of the current surface of the ice body in the A294 cave was estimated to ca. 170 cal AD (Sancho et al 2018) so there is practically no overlap with the better replicated last millennial period of the Velebit dataset. Radiocarbon dated vegetal remains from the cave ice deposits of Velebit Mt., Croatia.…”

Section: Comparison Of Mass Balance Periods In Ice Caves Of the Velebmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

2018

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Organic material and a few tree trunks have been recovered from the shrinking ice deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia. Ten radiocarbon (14C) dates, seven new measurements and three recalibrated ones, from three cave ice deposits were evaluated. The new data argue for the preservation of a ~1000-yr-old deposit in the Kugina Ice Cave and a <500-yr-old accumulation in the Ledena Pit. A 14C age suggests that the ice in the lower section of Vukušić cave ice deposit is very likely older than 3500 yr. The work is in progress to verify this suggestion. Evaluation of the temporal distribution of the calibrated ages of the 14C-dated vegetal remains allowed constraining the accumulation and ablation history of cave ice in the northern and central Velebit. Periods lacking vegetal remains in these cave ice deposits (before the 11th century and in the 15th century) tend to match with similar patterns from other cave ice deposits from the Eastern Alps and the Swiss Jura Mountains, suggesting large-scale coherence regulating European cave ice mass balance changes over the past ~1200 yr.

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Section: Comparison Of Mass Balance Periods In Ice Caves Of the Velebsupporting

confidence: 70%

Section: Comparison Of Mass Balance Periods In Ice Caves Of the Velebmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

2018

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“…Organic layers rich in plant macrofossils (e.g., leaves, needles, seeds, fruits) are also common. The volume of the ice deposit is being reduced substantially with time (Figure , for details see Sancho et al, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…6,000 to 4,300 cal year bp (Ejarque, Miras, Riera, Palet, & Orengo, ). Wetter winters have been inferred from ice accumulation rates in the Armeña‐A294 Ice Cave during 4,900–4,200 cal year bp (Sancho et al, ), which implies increased snowfall at the onset of the NGC, while the low chironomid content in BSM for the period c . 5,700–4,200 cal year bp prevented quantitative summer temperature reconstructions (Tarrats et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, we present novel palaeoecological data from the Armeña‐A294 Ice Cave, a unique site located in the Central Pyrenees, well above the current tree line ecotone (Sancho et al, ). We use exceptionally well‐preserved pollen and plant macrofossil assemblages as well as a robust chronology to address the following goals: (a) reconstructing mid‐to‐late Holocene altitudinal tree range shifts for the first time in the Pyrenees, (b) identifying if and how climate dynamics, including the NGC, affected Pyrenean forest and alpine vegetation, and (c) assessing if prehistoric human activities decisively contributed to the long‐term Pyrenean mountain vegetation changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long‐term Pyrenean tree line dynamics

et al. 2018

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Tree lines are supposed to react sensitively to the current global change. However, the lack of a long‐term (millennial) perspective on tree line shifts in the Pyrenees prevents understanding the underlying ecosystem dynamics and processes. We combine multiproxy palaeoecological analyses (fossil pollen, spores, conifer stomata, plant macrofossils, and ordination) from an outstanding ice cave deposit located in the alpine belt c. 200 m above current tree line (Armeña‐A294 Ice Cave, 2,238 m a.s.l.), to assess for the first time in the Pyrenees, tree line dynamics, and ecosystem resilience to climate changes 5,700–2,200 (cal.) years ago. The tree line ecotone was located at the cave altitude from 5,700 to 4,650 cal year bp, when vegetation consisted of open Pinus uncinata Ramond ex DC and Betula spp. Woodlands and timberline were very close to the site. Subsequently, tree line slightly raised and timberline reached the ice cave altitude, exceeding its today's uppermost limit by c. 300–400 m during more than four centuries (4,650 and 4,200 cal year bp) at the end of the Holocene Thermal Maximum. After 4,200 cal year bp, alpine tundra communities dominated by Dryas octopetala L. expanded while tree line descended, most likely as a consequence of the Neoglacial cooling. Prehistoric livestock raising likely reinforced climate cooling impacts at 3,450–3,250 cal year bp. Finally, a tree line ecotone developed around the cave that was on its turn replaced by alpine communities during the past 2,000 years. Synthesis. The long‐term Pyrenean tree line ecotone sensitivity suggests that rising temperatures will trigger future P. uncinata and Betula expansions to higher elevations, replacing arctic–alpine plant species. Climate change is causing the rapid melting of the cave ice; rescue investigations would be urgently needed to exploit its unique ecological information.

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Cave Deposits

2022

Karst Hydrogeology, Geomorphology and Caves

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Middle-to-late Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from the A294 ice-cave record (Central Pyrenees, northern Spain)

Cited by 32 publications

References 39 publications

Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

Radiocarbon-Dated Vegetal Remains from the Cave Ice Deposits of Velebit Mountain, Croatia

Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long‐term Pyrenean tree line dynamics

Cave Deposits

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