Pollen-based continental climate reconstructions at 6 and 21 ka: A global synthesis

P. J. Bartlein; S. P. Harrison; S. Brewer; S. Connor; B. A S Davis; K. Gajewski; J. Guiot; T. I. Harrison-Prentice; A. Henderson; O. Peyron; I. C. Prentice; M. Scholze; H. Seppä; B. Shuman; S. Sugita; R. S. Thompson; A. E. Viau; J. Williams; H. Wu

doi:10.1007/s00382-010-0904-1

Pollen-based continental climate reconstructions at 6 and 21 ka: A global synthesis

P. J. Bartlein, S. P. Harrison, S. Brewer, S. Connor, B. A S Davis, K. Gajewski, J. Guiot, T. I. Harrison-Prentice, A. Henderson, O. Peyron, I. C. Prentice, M. Scholze, H. Seppä, B. Shuman, S. Sugita, R. S. Thompson, A. E. Viau, J. Williams, H. Wu

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Abstract

Subfossil pollen and plant macrofossil data derived from ¹⁴C-dated sediment profiles can provide quantitative information on glacial and interglacial climates. The data allow climate variables related to growing-season warmth, winter cold, and plant-available moisture to be reconstructed. Continental-scale reconstructions have been made for the mid-Holocene (MH, around 6 ka) and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, around 21 ka), allowing comparison with palaeoclimate simulations currently being carried out as part of the fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The synthesis of the available MH and LGM climate reconstructions and their uncertainties, obtained using modern-analogue, regression and model-inversion techniques, is presented for four temperature variables and two moisture variables. Reconstructions of the same variables based on surface-pollen assemblages are shown to be accurate and unbiased. Reconstructed LGM and MH climate anomaly patterns are coherent, consistent between variables, and robust with respect to the choice of technique. They support a conceptual model of the controls of Late Quaternary climate change whereby the first-order effects of orbital variations and greenhouse forcing on the seasonal cycle of temperature are predictably modified by responses of the atmospheric circulation and surface energy balance.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	775-802
Number of pages	28
Journal	Climate Dynamics
Volume	37
Issue number	3-4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0904-1
Publication status	Published - Aug 2011

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Copyright the Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

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Bartlein, P. J., Harrison, S. P., Brewer, S., Connor, S., Davis, B. A. S., Gajewski, K., Guiot, J., Harrison-Prentice, T. I., Henderson, A., Peyron, O., Prentice, I. C., Scholze, M., Seppä, H., Shuman, B., Sugita, S., Thompson, R. S., Viau, A. E., Williams, J., & Wu, H. (2011). Pollen-based continental climate reconstructions at 6 and 21 ka: A global synthesis. Climate Dynamics, 37(3-4), 775-802. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0904-1

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title = "Pollen-based continental climate reconstructions at 6 and 21 ka: A global synthesis",

abstract = "Subfossil pollen and plant macrofossil data derived from 14C-dated sediment profiles can provide quantitative information on glacial and interglacial climates. The data allow climate variables related to growing-season warmth, winter cold, and plant-available moisture to be reconstructed. Continental-scale reconstructions have been made for the mid-Holocene (MH, around 6 ka) and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, around 21 ka), allowing comparison with palaeoclimate simulations currently being carried out as part of the fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The synthesis of the available MH and LGM climate reconstructions and their uncertainties, obtained using modern-analogue, regression and model-inversion techniques, is presented for four temperature variables and two moisture variables. Reconstructions of the same variables based on surface-pollen assemblages are shown to be accurate and unbiased. Reconstructed LGM and MH climate anomaly patterns are coherent, consistent between variables, and robust with respect to the choice of technique. They support a conceptual model of the controls of Late Quaternary climate change whereby the first-order effects of orbital variations and greenhouse forcing on the seasonal cycle of temperature are predictably modified by responses of the atmospheric circulation and surface energy balance.",

author = "Bartlein, {P. J.} and Harrison, {S. P.} and S. Brewer and S. Connor and Davis, {B. A S} and K. Gajewski and J. Guiot and Harrison-Prentice, {T. I.} and A. Henderson and O. Peyron and Prentice, {I. C.} and M. Scholze and H. Sepp{\"a} and B. Shuman and S. Sugita and Thompson, {R. S.} and Viau, {A. E.} and J. Williams and H. Wu",

note = "Copyright the Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.",

year = "2011",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1007/s00382-010-0904-1",

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Bartlein, PJ, Harrison, SP, Brewer, S, Connor, S, Davis, BAS, Gajewski, K, Guiot, J, Harrison-Prentice, TI, Henderson, A, Peyron, O, Prentice, IC, Scholze, M, Seppä, H, Shuman, B, Sugita, S, Thompson, RS, Viau, AE, Williams, J & Wu, H 2011, 'Pollen-based continental climate reconstructions at 6 and 21 ka: A global synthesis', Climate Dynamics, vol. 37, no. 3-4, pp. 775-802. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-010-0904-1

TY - JOUR

T1 - Pollen-based continental climate reconstructions at 6 and 21 ka

T2 - A global synthesis

AU - Bartlein, P. J.

AU - Harrison, S. P.

AU - Brewer, S.

AU - Connor, S.

AU - Davis, B. A S

AU - Gajewski, K.

AU - Guiot, J.

AU - Harrison-Prentice, T. I.

AU - Henderson, A.

AU - Peyron, O.

AU - Prentice, I. C.

AU - Scholze, M.

AU - Seppä, H.

AU - Shuman, B.

AU - Sugita, S.

AU - Thompson, R. S.

AU - Viau, A. E.

AU - Williams, J.

AU - Wu, H.

N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2010. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2011/8

Y1 - 2011/8

N2 - Subfossil pollen and plant macrofossil data derived from 14C-dated sediment profiles can provide quantitative information on glacial and interglacial climates. The data allow climate variables related to growing-season warmth, winter cold, and plant-available moisture to be reconstructed. Continental-scale reconstructions have been made for the mid-Holocene (MH, around 6 ka) and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, around 21 ka), allowing comparison with palaeoclimate simulations currently being carried out as part of the fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The synthesis of the available MH and LGM climate reconstructions and their uncertainties, obtained using modern-analogue, regression and model-inversion techniques, is presented for four temperature variables and two moisture variables. Reconstructions of the same variables based on surface-pollen assemblages are shown to be accurate and unbiased. Reconstructed LGM and MH climate anomaly patterns are coherent, consistent between variables, and robust with respect to the choice of technique. They support a conceptual model of the controls of Late Quaternary climate change whereby the first-order effects of orbital variations and greenhouse forcing on the seasonal cycle of temperature are predictably modified by responses of the atmospheric circulation and surface energy balance.

AB - Subfossil pollen and plant macrofossil data derived from 14C-dated sediment profiles can provide quantitative information on glacial and interglacial climates. The data allow climate variables related to growing-season warmth, winter cold, and plant-available moisture to be reconstructed. Continental-scale reconstructions have been made for the mid-Holocene (MH, around 6 ka) and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, around 21 ka), allowing comparison with palaeoclimate simulations currently being carried out as part of the fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The synthesis of the available MH and LGM climate reconstructions and their uncertainties, obtained using modern-analogue, regression and model-inversion techniques, is presented for four temperature variables and two moisture variables. Reconstructions of the same variables based on surface-pollen assemblages are shown to be accurate and unbiased. Reconstructed LGM and MH climate anomaly patterns are coherent, consistent between variables, and robust with respect to the choice of technique. They support a conceptual model of the controls of Late Quaternary climate change whereby the first-order effects of orbital variations and greenhouse forcing on the seasonal cycle of temperature are predictably modified by responses of the atmospheric circulation and surface energy balance.

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U2 - 10.1007/s00382-010-0904-1

DO - 10.1007/s00382-010-0904-1

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SN - 0930-7575

VL - 37

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JO - Climate Dynamics

JF - Climate Dynamics

IS - 3-4

ER -

Pollen-based continental climate reconstructions at 6 and 21 ka: A global synthesis

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