TY - JOUR
T1 - Late Pliocene vegetation and orbital-scale climate changes from the western Mediterranean area
AU - Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo
AU - Burjachs, Francesc
AU - Expósito, Isabel
AU - Oms, Oriol
AU - Carrancho, Ángel
AU - Villalaín, Juan José
AU - Agustí, Jordi
AU - Campeny, Gerard
AU - Gómez de Soler, Bruno
AU - van der Made, Jan
PY - 2013/9/1
Y1 - 2013/9/1
N2 - The Late Pliocene is a very interesting period as climate deteriorated from a warm optimum at ca. 3.3-3.0. Ma to a progressive climate cooling. Simultaneously, the Mediterranean area witnessed the establishment of the Mediterranean-type seasonal precipitation rhythm (summer drought). These important climate changes produced significant vegetation changes, such as the extinction of several thermophilous and hygrophilous plant taxa from the European latitudes. Besides these long-term trends, climate was also characterized by cyclical variability (i.e., orbital changes) that forced vegetation changes (forested vs. open vegetation). In the Mediterranean area, cyclical changes in the vegetation were mostly forced by precession. In this study we analyzed pollen from a Late Pliocene maar lake core from NE Spain. An increase in aridity is observed as well as cyclic variations throughout the studied sequence. Cyclicity was mostly forced by precession but also by obliquity and eccentricity. Precipitation seems to be the main factor controlling these cycles. These data allowed estimating a sedimentary rate of ca. 0.19. mm/yr and the time duration covered by the studied core, close to 200. ka. The combination of biostratigraphy, palaeomagnetism and cyclostratigraphy allowed for a very precise dating of the sediments between ca. 3.3 and 3.1. Ma. Climate and paleobiogeographical implications are discussed within the context of the Late Pliocene Northern Hemisphere glacial intensification. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
AB - The Late Pliocene is a very interesting period as climate deteriorated from a warm optimum at ca. 3.3-3.0. Ma to a progressive climate cooling. Simultaneously, the Mediterranean area witnessed the establishment of the Mediterranean-type seasonal precipitation rhythm (summer drought). These important climate changes produced significant vegetation changes, such as the extinction of several thermophilous and hygrophilous plant taxa from the European latitudes. Besides these long-term trends, climate was also characterized by cyclical variability (i.e., orbital changes) that forced vegetation changes (forested vs. open vegetation). In the Mediterranean area, cyclical changes in the vegetation were mostly forced by precession. In this study we analyzed pollen from a Late Pliocene maar lake core from NE Spain. An increase in aridity is observed as well as cyclic variations throughout the studied sequence. Cyclicity was mostly forced by precession but also by obliquity and eccentricity. Precipitation seems to be the main factor controlling these cycles. These data allowed estimating a sedimentary rate of ca. 0.19. mm/yr and the time duration covered by the studied core, close to 200. ka. The combination of biostratigraphy, palaeomagnetism and cyclostratigraphy allowed for a very precise dating of the sediments between ca. 3.3 and 3.1. Ma. Climate and paleobiogeographical implications are discussed within the context of the Late Pliocene Northern Hemisphere glacial intensification. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.
KW - Camp dels Ninots
KW - Late Pliocene
KW - Maar lake
KW - Mediterranean area
KW - Orbital-scale climate variability
KW - Pollen analysis
KW - Vegetation
U2 - 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.05.012
DO - 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.05.012
M3 - Article
VL - 108
SP - 15
EP - 28
JO - Global and Planetary Change
JF - Global and Planetary Change
SN - 0921-8181
ER -