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Plant macrofossil evidence for an early onset of the Holocene summer thermal maximum in northernmost Europe

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  • M. Väliranta

    (ECRU, University of Helsinki)

  • J. S. Salonen

    (University of Helsinki)

  • M. Heikkilä

    (ECRU, University of Helsinki)

  • L. Amon

    (Institute of Geology, Tallinn University of Technology)

  • K. Helmens

    (Stockholm University)

  • A. Klimaschewski

    (School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University)

  • P. Kuhry

    (Stockholm University)

  • S. Kultti

    (University of Helsinki)

  • A. Poska

    (Institute of Geology, Tallinn University of Technology
    Lund University)

  • S. Shala

    (Stockholm University)

  • S. Veski

    (Institute of Geology, Tallinn University of Technology)

  • H. H. Birks

    (University of Bergen)

Abstract

Holocene summer temperature reconstructions from northern Europe based on sedimentary pollen records suggest an onset of peak summer warmth around 9,000 years ago. However, pollen-based temperature reconstructions are largely driven by changes in the proportions of tree taxa, and thus the early-Holocene warming signal may be delayed due to the geographical disequilibrium between climate and tree populations. Here we show that quantitative summer-temperature estimates in northern Europe based on macrofossils of aquatic plants are in many cases ca. 2 °C warmer in the early Holocene (11,700–7,500 years ago) than reconstructions based on pollen data. When the lag in potential tree establishment becomes imperceptible in the mid-Holocene (7,500 years ago), the reconstructed temperatures converge at all study sites. We demonstrate that aquatic plant macrofossil records can provide additional and informative insights into early-Holocene temperature evolution in northernmost Europe and suggest further validation of early post-glacial climate development based on multi-proxy data syntheses.

Suggested Citation

  • M. Väliranta & J. S. Salonen & M. Heikkilä & L. Amon & K. Helmens & A. Klimaschewski & P. Kuhry & S. Kultti & A. Poska & S. Shala & S. Veski & H. H. Birks, 2015. "Plant macrofossil evidence for an early onset of the Holocene summer thermal maximum in northernmost Europe," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-8, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms7809
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7809
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