Holocene climatic changes in the Western Mediterranean, from south-east France to south-east Spain
Holocene climatic changes along coastal regions from south-east France to south-east Spain were studied using pollen ratios. Comparing modern pollen rain, vegetation and climate along selected transects from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, we obtained threshold values of two different ratio...
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Published in: | Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology Vol. 160; no. 3; pp. 255 - 290 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Journal Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Elsevier B.V
15-07-2000
Elsevier |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Holocene climatic changes along coastal regions from south-east France to south-east Spain were studied using pollen ratios. Comparing modern pollen rain, vegetation and climate along selected transects from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, we obtained threshold values of two different ratios corresponding to the different climatic conditions along the transects. These pollen ratios and threshold values were employed to characterize the Holocene climatic changes from nine Mediterranean coastal sites. The results were compared with data from marine and continental pollen sequences distributed in the western Mediterranean basin, and with additional regional data independent of human activity: lake-level fluctuations, alpine glacier advance and retreat chronology,
14C anomaly and cooling phases in Eastern France and Central Europe. The role of anthropogenic activities and climate on the changes in vegetation is discussed. Six major changes in vegetation cover were identified. They correspond to aridification phases that occurred around 9500–9000
yr
BP (10
900–9700
cal
BP), 7500–7000
yr
BP (8400–7600
cal
BP), 4500–4000
yr
BP (5300–4200
cal
BP), 3700–3300
yr
BP (4300–3400
cal
BP), 2600–1900
yr
BP (2850–1730
cal
BP) and 1300–1000
yr
BP (1300–750
cal
BP). These arid episodes were regional responses to more global climatic changes and determined the changes in the vegetation cover. Humans undoubtedly enhanced the vegetation changes, but none the less had to adapt to these new climatic conditions. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0031-0182 1872-616X |
DOI: | 10.1016/S0031-0182(00)00075-4 |