This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kotthoff, U. Articles by Schulz, H. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Lateglacial and Holocene vegetation dynamics in the Aegean region: an integrated view based on pollen data from marine and terrestrial archives

Institute of Geosciences, University of Frankfurt, Altenhöferallee 1, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany, fgiv005{at}uni-hamburg.de, Geological-Palaeontological Institute, University of Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany

Ulrich C. Müller

Institute of Geosciences, University of Frankfurt, Altenhöferallee 1, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany

Jörg Pross

Institute of Geosciences, University of Frankfurt, Altenhöferallee 1, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany

Gerhard Schmiedl

Geological-Palaeontological Institute, University of Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany

Ian T. Lawson

School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

Bas van de Schootbrugge

Institute of Geosciences, University of Frankfurt, Altenhöferallee 1, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany

Hartmut Schulz

Institute of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Sigwartstrasse 10, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany

To elucidate the vegetation dynamics in the Aegean region during the last 20 kyr, we have studied terrestrial palynomorphs in marine core GeoTü SL152 (Mount Athos Basin, northern Aegean Sea) at centennial-scale (125 to 300 yr) resolution. The robust chronology of the core allows us to reliably date signals of short-term vegetation change in the Aegean region. For the Pleniglacial interval until ~14.6 kyr BP, our data document steppe vegetation, suggesting dry climatic conditions in the borderlands of the Aegean Sea. Subaerially exposed parts of the shelf were probably colonized by Pinus-dominated vegetation until shelf areas were flooded during Lateglacial sea-level rise. The final, rapid decrease of Pinus pollen percentages between ~14 and ~13 kyr BP appears to be connected to meltwater pulse MWP-1A. The Lateglacial interstadial complex (ie, Meiendorf, Bølling and Allerød) is characterized by the spread of oak trees, but also by the continuous presence of steppe elements, indicating only slightly increased humidity. The Younger Dryas chronozone was the driest interval of the past 20 kyr. Insufficient humidity was most likely also responsible for the ~2.0 kyr delay in Holocene reforestation in the Aegean region relative to western Greece. During the Holocene, the vegetation was repeatedly affected by centennial-scale episodes of reduced moisture availability. Radiocarbon-based age models of previously published pollen records imply strong discrepancies in vegetation development in the Aegean region, but there are reasons to doubt the accuracy of these age models. Here we use the well-dated pollen record from marine core SL152 and biostratigraphic correlation to propose revised chronologies for several published terrestrial pollen records. This re-assessment yields a spatiotemporally consistent pattern of vegetation dynamics in the borderlands of the Aegean Sea.

Key Words: Marine pollen record • land—sea correlation • eastern Mediterranean • last glacial maximum • Lateglacial • Holocene • Aegean Sea.

The Holocene, Vol. 18, No. 7, 1019-1032 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0959683608095573


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Pross, U. Kotthoff, U.C. Muller, O. Peyron, I. Dormoy, G. Schmiedl, S. Kalaitzidis, and A.M. Smith Massive perturbation in terrestrial ecosystems of the Eastern Mediterranean region associated with the 8.2 kyr B.P. climatic event Geology, October 1, 2009; 37(10): 887 - 890. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]