Abstract
Statistical models calibrated from field measurement data are used to reconstruct the past terrestrial carbon (C) storage from pollen data for the last 13 000 yr BP in Europe. The pollen-based climatic and biome reconstructions provide the input data for these statistical models, i.e., annual mean temperature, total annual precipitation, annual actual evapotranspiration, annual potential evapotranspiration and biome type with a spatial resolution of 0.5°×0.5° longitude/latitude. Our reconstructions indicate that the last 13 000 yr BP were characterized in Europe by variations of terrestrial biome and net primary productivity (NPP) at various temporal and spatial scales. For the considered region, our results also suggest that changes in climate have significantly altered the distribution of terrestrial biomes and affected the uptake of CO2 for NPP. However, these changes did not translate into significant C storage change in potential terrestrial biosphere during the Holocene. The largest decrease of terrestrial C storage (compared to modern levels) is found during the late-Glacial period mainly due to the persistence of ice sheets and the small extension of forest.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Barnola, J. M., Raynaud, D., Korotkevitch, Y. S., and Lorius, C: 1987,Nature 329, 408–414.
Cannell, M. G. R. (ed.): 1982,World Forest Biomass and Primary Production Data. Academic Press, London, UK, pp. 52–82.
Cohen, J.: 1960,Educat. Psychol. Measur. 20, 37–46.
COHMAP Project Members: 1988, Science241, 1043–1052.
Denton, G. H. and Hughes, T. J.: 1981,The Last Great Ice Sheets. Wiley, New York, USA. pp. 484–488.
Esser, G.: 1984,Progress in Biometeorology 3, 253–294.
Esser, G.: 1991, In: Esser G. and Overdieck D. (eds.),Facets of Modern Ecology, Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, pp. 679–705.
Foley, J. A.: 1994,Global Biogeochemical Cycles 8, 505–525.
Gauquelin, T., Iglesias, M., Jalut, G., Formard, F. and Dedoubat J. J.: 1994,Journal of Arid Environment (Unpublished manuscript).
Grove, A. T.: 1984,Progress in Biometeorology,3, 5–10.
Guiot, J.: 1990,Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 80, 49–69.
Guiot, J.: 1991,In: Guiot, J. and Labeyrie, L. (eds.),Quantification des Changements Climatiques: Méthodes et Programmes-Monographie N∘ 1, Centre Universitaire d'Arles, Arles, France, pp. 217–218.
Guiot, J., Harrison, S. P. and Prentice, I. C.: 1993,Quaternary Research 40, 139–149.
Harrison, S. P., Saarse, L. and Dogerfeldt, G.: 1991,Paläoklimaforschung 6, 159–179.
Harrison, S. P., Prentice, I. C. and Guiot, J.: 1993,Climate Dynamics 8, 189–200.
Huntley, B.'and Birks, H. J. B.: 1983,An Atlas of Past and Present Pollen Maps for Europe 0–13 000 years ago. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 10–35.
Huntley, B. and Prentice, I. C.: 1988,Science 241, 687–690.
Huntley, B. and Prentice, I. C.: 1994,In: Wright, Jr, H. E., Kutzbach, J. E., Webb III, T., Ruddiman, W. F., Street-Perrott, F. A. and Bartlein, P. J. (eds.)Global Climates since the Last Glacial Maximum, University of Minnesota Press, USA, pp. 136–168.
Kutzbach, J. E. and Guetter, P. J.: 1986,J. Atmos. Sci. 43, 1726–1759.
Leemans, R. and Cramer, W. P.: 1991,The IIASA Database for Mean Monthly Values of Temperature, Precipitation, and Cloudiness on a Global Terrestrial Grid; IIASA Research Report RR-91-18, International Institute for Applied System Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, pp. 5–61.
Lieth, H. and Box E.: 1972,Climatology 25, 37–46.
Lieth, H.: 1975,In: Lieth, H. and Whittaker, R. H. (eds.),Primary Productivity of the Biosphere, Springer-Verlag, New York, USA, pp. 237–263.
Lossaint, P. and Rapp, M.: 1978,In: Lamotte, M. and Bouli`ers, F. (eds.),Problèmes d'Ecologie: Structure et Fonctionnement des Ecosystèmes Terrestres, Masson, Paris, France, pp. 129–185.
McGuire, A. D., Melillo, J. M., Joyce, L. A., Kicklighter, D. W., Grace, A. L., Moore III, B. and Vorosmarty, C. J.: 1992,Global Biogeochem. Cycles 6, 101–124.
Meentemeyer, V., Gardner, J. and Box, E.: 1985,Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 10, 557–567.
Melillo, J. M., McGuire, A. D., Kicklighter, D. W., Moore III, B., Vorosmarty, C. J. and Schloss, A. L.: 1993,Nature 363, 234–240.
Meyer, M. K.: 1988,Net Primary Productivity Estimates for the Last 18 000 Years Evaluated from Simulations by a Global Climate Model, M.S. Thesis, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, pp. 11–36.
Monserud, R. A.: 1990,Methods for Comparing Global Vegetation Maps, Working Paper WP-90-40, International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, pp. 5–21.
Monserud, R. A. and Leemans, R.: 1992,Ecological Modelling 62, 275–293.
Olson, J. S., Watts, J. A. and Allison, L. J.: 1985,Major World Ecosystem Complexes Ranked by Carbon in Live Vegetation: A Database. NDP-017, Carbon Dioxide Information Centre, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, USA, pp. 3–41.
Overpeck, J. T., Webb, R. S. and Webb III, T.: 1992,Geology 20, 1071–1074.
Peng, C. H., Guiot, J., Van Campo, E. and Cheddadi, R.: 1994a,Journal of Biogeography 21, 19–31.
Peng, C. H., Guiot, J., Van Campo, E. and Cheddadi, R.: 1994b,Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters (in press).
Potter, C. S., Randerson, J. T., Field, C. B., Matson, P. A., Vitousek, P. M., Mooney, H. A., and Klooster, S. A.: 1993,Global Biogeochemical Cycles 4, 811–841.
Prentice, I. C., Bartlein, P. J. and Webb III, T.: 1991,Ecology 72, 2038–2056.
Prentice, I., Cramer, W., Harrison, S. P., Leemans, R., Monserud, R. A. and Solomon, A. M.: 1992,Journal of Biogeography 19, 117–134.
Prentice, I. C., Guiot, J., Jolly, D., Huntley, B. and Cheddadi, R.:Quaternary Sciences Review, (Unpublished manuscript).
Raich, J. W., Rastetter, E. B., Melillo, J. M., Kicklighter, D. W., Steudler, P. A., Peterson, B. J., Grace, A. L., Moore III, B. and Vorosmarty, C. J.: 1991,Ecological Applications 1, 399–429.
Rodin, L. E., Bazilevich, N. I. and Drozdov, N. N.: 1975,In: Reichle, D. E. (ed.)Productivity of the World's Ecosystems, Proc. Seattle Symp. 1974, National Academy of Science, Washington D.C., USA, pp. 12–78.
Schlesinger, W. H.: 1990,Nature 348, 232–234.
Whittaker, R. H. and Woodwell, G. M.: 1971,In: Duvigneaud, P. (ed.)Productivity and Forest Ecosystems, Ecology and Conservation4, UNESCO, Paris, France, pp. 159–175.
Woodward, F. I.: 1987,Climate and Plant Distribution. Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 62–80.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Peng, C.H., Guiot, J., Van Campo, E. et al. Temporal and spatial variations of terrestrial biomes and carbon storage since 13 000 yr BP in Europe: Reconstruction from pollen data and statistical models. Water Air Soil Pollut 82, 375–390 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01182848
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01182848