Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability
Holocene climate was characterised by variability on multi-centennial to multi-decadal time scales. In central Europe, these fluctuations were most pronounced during winter. Here we present a record of past winter climate variability for the last 10.8 ka based on four speleothems from Bunker Cave, w...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:8ddc0d3fdf4b4607b0808e1f0c39e93f 2023-05-15T17:29:42+02:00 Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability J. Fohlmeister A. Schröder-Ritzrau D. Scholz C. Spötl D. F. C. Riechelmann M. Mudelsee A. Wackerbarth A. Gerdes S. Riechelmann A. Immenhauser D. K. Richter A. Mangini 2012-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1751-2012 https://doaj.org/article/8ddc0d3fdf4b4607b0808e1f0c39e93f EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.clim-past.net/8/1751/2012/cp-8-1751-2012.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9324 https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9332 doi:10.5194/cp-8-1751-2012 1814-9324 1814-9332 https://doaj.org/article/8ddc0d3fdf4b4607b0808e1f0c39e93f Climate of the Past, Vol 8, Iss 5, Pp 1751-1764 (2012) Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 article 2012 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1751-2012 2022-12-31T12:56:31Z Holocene climate was characterised by variability on multi-centennial to multi-decadal time scales. In central Europe, these fluctuations were most pronounced during winter. Here we present a record of past winter climate variability for the last 10.8 ka based on four speleothems from Bunker Cave, western Germany. Due to its central European location, the cave site is particularly well suited to record changes in precipitation and temperature in response to changes in the North Atlantic realm. We present high-resolution records of δ 18 O, δ 13 C values and Mg/Ca ratios. Changes in the Mg/Ca ratio are attributed to past meteoric precipitation variability. The stable C isotope composition of the speleothems most likely reflects changes in vegetation and precipitation, and variations in the δ 18 O signal are interpreted as variations in meteoric precipitation and temperature. We found cold and dry periods between 8 and 7 ka, 6.5 and 5.5 ka, 4 and 3 ka as well as between 0.7 and 0.2 ka. The proxy signals in the Bunker Cave stalagmites compare well with other isotope records and, thus, seem representative for central European Holocene climate variability. The prominent 8.2 ka event and the Little Ice Age cold events are both recorded in the Bunker Cave record. However, these events show a contrasting relationship between climate and δ 18 O, which is explained by different causes underlying the two climate anomalies. Whereas the Little Ice Age is attributed to a pronounced negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the 8.2 ka event was triggered by cooler conditions in the North Atlantic due to a slowdown of the thermohaline circulation. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Climate of the Past 8 5 1751 1764 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 J. Fohlmeister A. Schröder-Ritzrau D. Scholz C. Spötl D. F. C. Riechelmann M. Mudelsee A. Wackerbarth A. Gerdes S. Riechelmann A. Immenhauser D. K. Richter A. Mangini Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability |
topic_facet |
Environmental pollution TD172-193.5 Environmental protection TD169-171.8 Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
description |
Holocene climate was characterised by variability on multi-centennial to multi-decadal time scales. In central Europe, these fluctuations were most pronounced during winter. Here we present a record of past winter climate variability for the last 10.8 ka based on four speleothems from Bunker Cave, western Germany. Due to its central European location, the cave site is particularly well suited to record changes in precipitation and temperature in response to changes in the North Atlantic realm. We present high-resolution records of δ 18 O, δ 13 C values and Mg/Ca ratios. Changes in the Mg/Ca ratio are attributed to past meteoric precipitation variability. The stable C isotope composition of the speleothems most likely reflects changes in vegetation and precipitation, and variations in the δ 18 O signal are interpreted as variations in meteoric precipitation and temperature. We found cold and dry periods between 8 and 7 ka, 6.5 and 5.5 ka, 4 and 3 ka as well as between 0.7 and 0.2 ka. The proxy signals in the Bunker Cave stalagmites compare well with other isotope records and, thus, seem representative for central European Holocene climate variability. The prominent 8.2 ka event and the Little Ice Age cold events are both recorded in the Bunker Cave record. However, these events show a contrasting relationship between climate and δ 18 O, which is explained by different causes underlying the two climate anomalies. Whereas the Little Ice Age is attributed to a pronounced negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the 8.2 ka event was triggered by cooler conditions in the North Atlantic due to a slowdown of the thermohaline circulation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
J. Fohlmeister A. Schröder-Ritzrau D. Scholz C. Spötl D. F. C. Riechelmann M. Mudelsee A. Wackerbarth A. Gerdes S. Riechelmann A. Immenhauser D. K. Richter A. Mangini |
author_facet |
J. Fohlmeister A. Schröder-Ritzrau D. Scholz C. Spötl D. F. C. Riechelmann M. Mudelsee A. Wackerbarth A. Gerdes S. Riechelmann A. Immenhauser D. K. Richter A. Mangini |
author_sort |
J. Fohlmeister |
title |
Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability |
title_short |
Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability |
title_full |
Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability |
title_fullStr |
Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability |
title_full_unstemmed |
Bunker Cave stalagmites: an archive for central European Holocene climate variability |
title_sort |
bunker cave stalagmites: an archive for central european holocene climate variability |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1751-2012 https://doaj.org/article/8ddc0d3fdf4b4607b0808e1f0c39e93f |
genre |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic North Atlantic oscillation |
op_source |
Climate of the Past, Vol 8, Iss 5, Pp 1751-1764 (2012) |
op_relation |
http://www.clim-past.net/8/1751/2012/cp-8-1751-2012.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9324 https://doaj.org/toc/1814-9332 doi:10.5194/cp-8-1751-2012 1814-9324 1814-9332 https://doaj.org/article/8ddc0d3fdf4b4607b0808e1f0c39e93f |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-8-1751-2012 |
container_title |
Climate of the Past |
container_volume |
8 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1751 |
op_container_end_page |
1764 |
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1766124471543922688 |