Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Synchronicity in Climate and Vegetation Transitions Between Europe and North America During the Holocene

  • Published:
Climatic Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Interpreting the postglacial climate history of the European continent using pollen data has proven difficult due in part to human modification of the landscape. Separating climate from human-caused changes in the vegetation requires a strategy for determining times of change across the entire region. We quantified transitions in the vegetation across Europe during the past 12,000 years using a mixture model approach on two datasets: radiocarbon dates from pollen diagrams and zone boundaries from selected reference sites. Major transitions in the vegetation, as recorded in pollen diagrams, appear synchronous across the continent. These transitions were also synchronous with those identified in North America pollen diagrams and major environmental changes recorded in North Atlantic marine records and Greenland ice cores. This synchronicity suggests that the major vegetation transitions in Europe during the Holocene and late glacial were primarily caused by large-scale atmospheric circulation change. These climate changes may have caused some of the cultural, political and migration changes in European societies during the Holocene.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Aaby, B.: 1986, ‘Trees as anthropogenic indicators in regional pollen diagrams from eastern Denmark’, pp. 73–93 in Behr, K.-E. (ed), 1986, Anthropogenic Indicators in Pollen Diagram, Balkema, Rotterdam, 232 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Alley, R. B., Mayewski, P. A., Sowers, T., Stuiver, M., Taylor, K. C., and Clark, P. U.: 1997, ‘Holocene climatic instability: A prominent widespread event 8200 yr ago’, Geology 25, 483–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bailey, T. C. and Gatrell, A. C.: 1995, Interactive Spatial Data Analysis, Wiley, New York, 413 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bartlein, P., Edwards, M., Shafer, S., and Barker Jr, E.: 1995, ‘Calibration of Radiocarbon Ages and the interpretation of paleoenvironmental records’, Quat. Res. 44, 417–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Behr, K. E. (ed): 1986, Anthropogenic Indicators in Pollen Diagrams, Balkema, Rotterdam, 232 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Behr, K. E.: 1988, ‘The role of man in European vegetation history’, pp. 633–672 in: B. Huntley and T. Webb, III (eds), Vegetation History, Kluwer. Dordrecht, 816 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Bell, M. and Walker, M.: 1992, Late Quaternary Environmental Change, Longman, Essex.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Bennett, K.: 1988, ‘Holocene pollen stratigraphy of central East Anglia, England and comparison of pollen zones across the British Isles’, New Phytol. 109, 237–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Berglund, B. E.: 1986, ‘Palaeoecological reference areas and reference sites’, pp. 111–126 in: B. E. Berglund (ed), Handbook of Holocene Palaeoecology and Palaeohydrology, J Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 869 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Berglund, B.: 1988, ‘The cultural landscape during 6000 years in south Sweden – an interdisciplinary project’, pp. 241 – 254 in: H. H. Birks, H. J. B. Birks, P. E. Kaland and D. Moe (eds), The Cultural Landscape – Past, Present and Future, Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge, 521 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Berglund, B. E. (ed.): 1991, The Cultural Landscape During 6000 Years in Southern Sweden – the Ystad Project, Ecological Bulletins (Copenhagen) 41, 495 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Berglund, B. E.: 2003, ‘Human impact and climate changes – synchronous events and a causal link?’, Quat. Intl. 105, 7–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Berglund, B. E., Birks, H. J. B. Ralska-Jasiewiczowa, M., and Wright, H. E. (eds.): 1996, Palaeoecological Events During the Last 15 000 Years, J Wiley, Chichester, 764 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Birks, H. H., Birks, H. J. B., Kaland, P. E., and Moe, D. (eds): 1988, The Cultural Landscape – Past, Present and Future, Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Birks, H. J. B.: 1986, ‘Numerical zonation, comparison and correlation of Quaternary pollen-stratigraphical data’, pp. 743–774 in: B. E. Berglund (ed), Handbook of Holocene Palaeoecology and Palaeohydrology, J Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 869 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Birks, H. J. B.: 1988, ‘Introduction’, pp. 179 –187 in: H. H. Birks, H. J. B. Birks, P. E. Kaland and D. Moe (eds), The Cultural Landscape - Past, Present and Future, Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge, 521 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Birks, H. J. B. and Berglund, B. E.: 1979, ‘Holocene pollen stratigraphy of southern Sweden: a reappraisal using numerical methods’, Boreas 8, 257–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Björck, S., Walker, M., Cwynar, L., Johnson, S., Knudsen, K. L., Lowe, J., Wohlfarth, B., and INTIMATE members: 1998, ‘An event stratigraphy for the last termination in the North Atlantic region based on the Greenland ice-core record: A proposal by the INTIMATE group’, J. Quat. Sci. 13, 283–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Bond, G., Showers, W., Cheseby, M., Lotti, R., Almasi, P., de Menocal, P., Priore, P., Cullen, H., Hajdas, I., and Bonani, G.: 1997, ‘A pervasive millinnial-scale cycle in North Atlantic Holocene and glacial climates’, Science 278, 1257–1265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Bond, G., Kromer, B., Beer, J., Muscheler, R., Evans, N. E., Showers, W., Hoffman, S., Lotti-Bond, R., Hajdas, I., and Bonani, G.: 2001, ‘Persistent solar influence on North Atlantic climate during the Holocene’, Science 294, 2130–2136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Butlin, R. A. and Roberts, N. (eds): 1995, Ecological Relations in Historical Times. Human Impact and Adaptation, Blackwell, Oxford, 344 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Carrión, J., Andrade, A., Bennett, K., Navarro, C., and Munuera, M.: 2001, ‘Crossing forest thresholds: Inertia and collapse in a Holocene sequence from south-central Spain’, Holocene 11, 635–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Chambers, F.: 1982, ‘Two radiocarbon-dated pollen diagrams from high-altitude blanket peats in south Wales.’ J. Ecol. 70, 445–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Chambers, F., (ed.): 1993, Climate Change and Human Impact on the Landscape, Chapman and Hall, London, 303 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Contributors of the European Pollen Database: 2000, IGBP PAGES/World Data Center for Paleoclimatology, NOAA/NGDC Paleoclimatology Program, Boulder, Colorado, USA. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/paleo.html

  26. Davis, B. A. S., Brewer, S., Stevenson, A. C., Guiot, J., and Data Contributors: 2003, ‘The temperature of Europe during the Holocene reconstructed from pollen data’, Quat. Sci. Rev. 22, 1701–1716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. De Beaulieu, J. L.: 1996, ‘Forward’, pp. ixx-xx in: Berglund, B. E., H. J. B. Birks, M. Ralska-Jasiewiczowa and H. E. Wright. (eds.), Palaeoecological Events During the Last 15 000 Years, J Wiley, Chichester, 764 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  28. deMenocal, P. B.: 2001, ‘Cultural Responses to Climate Change During the Late Holocene’, Science 292, 667–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Gajewski, K.: 1987, ‘Climatic impacts on the vegetation of eastern North America for the past 2000 years’, Vegetatio 68,179–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Gajewski, K.: 1993, ‘The role of paleoecology in the study of global climatic change’, Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 79, 141–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Gajewski, K.: 1998, ‘Climate changes of the past millennium reconstructed from high-resolution pollen records’, pp. 69–84 in: D. MacIver, and R. Meyer, (eds.), Climate Variations and Biodiversity Change during the Last Millennium, Proceedings of the workshop on decoding Canada's environmental past, Environment Canada, Downsview, Ontario. (available from Atmospheric Environment Service. Environment Canada. 4905 Dufferin Street. Downsview, Ontario. M3H 5T4).

  32. Grimm, E. and Jacobson, G.: 1992, ‘Fossil-pollen evidence for abrupt climate changes during the past 18 000 years in eastern North America’, Clim. Dyn. 6, 179–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Guiot, J.: 1987, ‘Late Quaternary climatic change in France estimated from multivariate pollen time series’, Quat. Res. 28, 100–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Gulliver, R.: 1995, ‘Woodland History and plant indicator species in North-east Yorkshire, England’, pp. 169-189 in: R. A. Butlin and N. Roberts, (eds.): 1995, Ecological Relations in Historical Times. Human Impact and Adaptation, Blackwell, Oxford, 344 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Hughen, K., Southon, J., Lehman, S., and Overpeck, J.: 2000, ‘Synchronous radiocarbon and climate shifts during the last deglaciation’, Science, 290, 1951–1954.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Huntley, B.: 1988, ‘Europe’, pp. 341–383 in: B Huntley and T Webb, III (eds.), Vegetation history, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 816 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  37. Huntley, B.: 1990a, ‘European vegetation history: Paleovegetation maps from pollen data – 13 000 yr BP to present’, J. Quat. Sci. 5, 103–122.

    Google Scholar 

  38. Huntley, B.: 1990b, ‘European post-glacial forests: Compositional changes in response to climatic change’, J. Veg. Sci. 1, 507–518.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Huntley, B.: 1990c, ‘Dissimilarity mapping between fossil and contemporary pollen spectra in Europe for the past 13,000 years’, Quat. Res. 33, 360–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Huntley, B.: 1992, ‘Rates of change in the European palynological record of the last 13 000 years and their climatic interpretation’, Clim. Dyn. 6, 185–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Huntley, B.: 2002, ‘Holocene climatic history of northern Europe as recorded by vegetation changes: Possible influences upon human activity’, pp. 223–232 in: G. Wefer, W. Berger, K.-E. Behre, and E. Jansen, (eds.), Climate Development and History of the North Atlantic Realm. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 486 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  42. Huntley, B. and Prentice, I. C.: 1993, ‘Holocene vegetation and climates of Europe’, pp. 136–168 in: H. E. Wright, J. Kutzbach, T. Webb III, W. Ruddiman, F. Street-Perrott and P. Bartlein, (eds.), Global Climates Since the Last Glacial Maximum. Univ Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 569 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  43. Jacobson, G. L., Webb, T., and Grimm, E.: 1987, ‘Patterns and rates of vegetation change during the deglaciation of eastern North America’, pp. 277–288 in: W. F. Ruddiman and H. E. Wright, (eds.), North America and Adjacent Oceans During the Last Deglaciation. Geological Society of America, Boulder, 501 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  44. Jalut, G., Amat, A., Bonnet, L., Gauquelin, T., and Fontugne, M.: 2000, ‘Holocene climatic changes in the western Mediterranean from south-east France to southeast Spain’, Palaeogeog., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol. 160, 255–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Magny, M., Miramont, C., and Sivan, O.: 2002, ‘Assessment of the impact of climate and anthropogenic factors on Holocene Mediterranean vegetation in Europe on the basis of palaeohydrological records’, Palaeogeog., Palaeoclim., Palaeoecol. 186, 47–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Messerli, B., Grosjean, M., Hofer, T., Núnez, L., and Pfister, C.: 2000, ‘From nature-dominated to human-dominated environmental changes’, Quat. Sci. Rev. 19, 459–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Moore, P. D., Webb, J. A., and Collinson, M. E.: 1991, Pollen Analysis. 2nd Edition. Blackwell Scientific Publications, London, 216 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  48. Nesje, A., Dahl, S., and Bakke, J.: 2004, ‘Were abrupt Lateglacial and early-Holocene climatic changes in northwest Europe linked to freshwater outbursts to the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean’, Holocene 14, 299–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. O'Brien, S. R., Mayewski, A., Meeker, L. D., Meese, D. A., Twickler, M. S., and Whitlow, S. I.: 1995, ‘Complexity of Holocene climate as reconstructed from a Greenland ice core’, Science 270, 1962–1964.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Parker, A. G., Goudie, A. S., Anderson, D. E., Robinson, M. A., and Bonsall, C. A.: 2002, ‘Review of the mid-Holocene elm decline in the British Isles’, Prog. Phy. Geogr. 26,1–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Parmesan, C. and Yohe, G. A.: 2003, ‘Globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems’, Nature 421, 37–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Pfister, C. and Brázdil, R.: 1999, ‘Climatic variability in sixteenth-century Europe and its social dimension: A synthesis’, Clim. Change 43, 5–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Rackham, O. 1988., ‘Trees and woodland in a crowded landscape – the cultural landscape of the British Isles’, pp. 53–77 in: H. H. Birks, H. J. B. Birks, P. E. Kaland and D. Moe, (eds.), The Cultural Landscape – Past, Present and Future, Cambridge Univ Press, Cambridge, 521 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  54. Ramrath, A., Sadori, L., and Negendank, J. F. W.: 2000, ‘Sediments from Lago di Mezzano, central Italy: A record of Lateglacial/Holocene climate variations and anthropogenic impact’, Holocene 10, 87–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Ripley, B. D.: 1976, ‘The second-order analysis of stationary point processes’, J. Appl. Prob. 13, 255–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Roberts, N.: 1998, The Holocene. An Environmental History, Blackwell, Oxford, 316 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  57. Roberts, N., Meadows, M., and Dodson, J.: 2001, ‘The history of Mediterranean-type environments: climate, culture and landscape’, The Holocene 11, 631–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Robinson, D. E. and Dickson, J. H.: 1988, ‘Vegetational history and land use: a radiocarbon-dated pollen diagram from Machrie Moor, Arran, Scotland’, New Phytol 109, 223–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Rotberg, R. and Rabb, T.: 1981, Climate and History, Princeton U Press, Princeton, NJ, 280 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  60. Rowlingson, B. and Diggle, P.: 1993, ‘Splancs: Spatial point pattern analysis code in S-Plus’, Computers and Geosciences 19, 627–655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Smith, A. G. and Pilcher, J. R.: 1973, ‘Radiocarbon dates and vegetational history of the British Isles’, New Phytol. 72, 903–914.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Stuiver, M., Reimer, P. J., Bard, E., Beck, J. W., Burr, G. S., Hughen, K. A., Kromer, B., McCormac, F. G., v. d. Plicht, J., and Spurk, M.: 1998, ‘INTCAL98 Radiocarbon age calibration 24,000 – 0 cal BP’, Radiocarbon 40, 1041–1083.

    Google Scholar 

  63. Tinner, W. and Lotter, A.: 2001, ‘Central European vegetation response to abrupt climate change at 8.2 ka’, Geology 29, 551–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Titterington, D. M., Smith, A. F. M., and Makov, U. E.: 1985, Statistical Analysis of Finite Mixture Distributions, Wiley, New York, 243 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  65. Tolonen, M.: 1981, ‘An absolute and relative pollen analytic study on prehistoric agriculture in South Finland’, Ann Bot Fenn 18, 213–220.

    Google Scholar 

  66. Turner, J.: 1962, ‘The Tilia Decline: An Anthropogenic Interpretation’, New Phytol. 61, 328–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Vera, F. W. M.: 2000, Grazing Ecology and Forest History, CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxon, 506 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  68. Vernet, J. –L.: 1997, L'homme et la forêt méditerranéenne de la Préhistoire á nos jours, Editions Errance, Paris, 248 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  69. Viau, A. E., Gajewski, K., Fines, P., Atkinson, D. E., and Sawada, M. C.: 2002, ‘Widespread evidence of 1500 yr climate variability in North America during the past 14 000 yr’, Geology 30, 455–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  70. Wendland, W. and Bryson, R.: 1974, ‘Dating climatic episodes of the Holocene’, Quat. Res. 4, 9–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  71. Willis, K. J. and Bennett, K. D.: 1994, ‘The Neolithic transition – fact or fiction? Paleoecological evidence from the Balkans’, Holocene 4, 326–330.

    Google Scholar 

  72. Wright, H. E.: 1989, ‘The Amphi-Atlantic distribution of the Younger Dryas paleoclimatic oscillation’, Quat. Sci. Rev. 8, 295–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Paleoclimatology and Climatology, Department of Geography, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    K. Gajewski, André E. Viau, Michael Sawada, David E. Atkinson & Philippe Fines

  2. International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, 99775-7320, USA

    David E. Atkinson

  3. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Philippe Fines

Authors
  1. K. Gajewski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. André E. Viau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Sawada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David E. Atkinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Philippe Fines
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to K. Gajewski.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gajewski, K., Viau, A.E., Sawada, M. et al. Synchronicity in Climate and Vegetation Transitions Between Europe and North America During the Holocene. Climatic Change 78, 341–361 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-006-9048-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-006-9048-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation