Variability of the terrestrial ecosystems and climate along a glacial-interglacial cycle.

• Published in: Comptes Rendus Geoscience
• Main Authors: Guiot, Joel, Cheddadi, R
• Other Authors: Centre européen de recherche et d'enseignement des géosciences de l'environnement (CEREGE), Aix Marseille Université (AMU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Collège de France (CdF (institution))-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2004
• Subjects: [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01457705; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crte.2003.12.020

International audience During the last 130 millennia, several climatic changes of various amplitudes and lengths have influenced the continental biosphere. The records available for several continents agree to show that the Interglacial climate (Eemian and Holocene) was less variable and contrasted than the Glacial climate. These changes are mainly related to changes of insolation suffered by Earth during its orbital revolution. Vegetation and hydrological changes of the North Atlantic Ocean can have strong feedbacks on the atmosphere, generating more abrupt and shorter climatic changes, also recorded by bio-indicators. The climatic changes observed on most of the continents using pollen data and other fossil remains are reviewed and analysed in function of possible forcing. In conclusion, we show how joined use of past data and vegetation models can enlighten on current global changes. (C) 2004 Academie des sciences. Publie par Elsevier SAS. Tous droits reserves.