Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes
The upper treeline of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is renowned as a sensitive indicator of climate change and variability. By use of megafossil tree remains, preserved exposed on the ground surface, treeline shift over the past millennium was investigated at multiple sites along the Scandes in n...
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International Association for Landscape Ecology, Chapter Germany
2015
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:a5d54b26fe9241a785802f81c0a3b652 2023-05-15T16:12:02+02:00 Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes Leif Kullman 2015-05-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201542 https://doaj.org/article/a5d54b26fe9241a785802f81c0a3b652 EN eng International Association for Landscape Ecology, Chapter Germany https://www.landscape-online.org/index.php/lo/article/view/38 https://doaj.org/toc/1865-1542 1865-1542 doi:10.3097/LO.201542 https://doaj.org/article/a5d54b26fe9241a785802f81c0a3b652 Landscape Online, Vol 42, Pp 1-14 (2015) Climate change Little ice age Medieval warm period Megafossils Pinus sylvestris Swedish scandes Treeline Land use HD101-1395.5 article 2015 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201542 2022-12-30T21:00:41Z The upper treeline of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is renowned as a sensitive indicator of climate change and variability. By use of megafossil tree remains, preserved exposed on the ground surface, treeline shift over the past millennium was investigated at multiple sites along the Scandes in northern Sweden. Difference in thermal level between the present and the Medieval period, about AD 1000-1200, is a central, although controversial, aspect concerning the detection and attribution of anthropogenic climate warming. Radiocarbon-dated megafossil pines revealed that the treeline was consistently positioned as much as 115 m higher during the Medieval period than today (AD 2000-2010), after a century of warming and substantial treeline upshift. Drawing on the last-mentioned figure, and a lapse rate of 0.6oC/100 m, it may be inferred that Medieval summer temperatures were about 0.7 oC warmer than much of the past 100 years. Extensive pine mortality and treeline descent after the Medieval warming peak reflect substantially depressed temperatures during the Little Ice Age. Warmer-than-present conditions during the Medieval period concur with temperature reconstructions from different parts of northern Fennoscandia, northwestern Russia and Greenland. Modern warming has not been sufficient to restore Medieval treelines. Against this background, there is little reason to view further modest warming as unnatural. Article in Journal/Newspaper Fennoscandia Greenland Northern Sweden Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland Landscape Online 42 1 14 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Climate change Little ice age Medieval warm period Megafossils Pinus sylvestris Swedish scandes Treeline Land use HD101-1395.5 |
spellingShingle |
Climate change Little ice age Medieval warm period Megafossils Pinus sylvestris Swedish scandes Treeline Land use HD101-1395.5 Leif Kullman Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes |
topic_facet |
Climate change Little ice age Medieval warm period Megafossils Pinus sylvestris Swedish scandes Treeline Land use HD101-1395.5 |
description |
The upper treeline of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is renowned as a sensitive indicator of climate change and variability. By use of megafossil tree remains, preserved exposed on the ground surface, treeline shift over the past millennium was investigated at multiple sites along the Scandes in northern Sweden. Difference in thermal level between the present and the Medieval period, about AD 1000-1200, is a central, although controversial, aspect concerning the detection and attribution of anthropogenic climate warming. Radiocarbon-dated megafossil pines revealed that the treeline was consistently positioned as much as 115 m higher during the Medieval period than today (AD 2000-2010), after a century of warming and substantial treeline upshift. Drawing on the last-mentioned figure, and a lapse rate of 0.6oC/100 m, it may be inferred that Medieval summer temperatures were about 0.7 oC warmer than much of the past 100 years. Extensive pine mortality and treeline descent after the Medieval warming peak reflect substantially depressed temperatures during the Little Ice Age. Warmer-than-present conditions during the Medieval period concur with temperature reconstructions from different parts of northern Fennoscandia, northwestern Russia and Greenland. Modern warming has not been sufficient to restore Medieval treelines. Against this background, there is little reason to view further modest warming as unnatural. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Leif Kullman |
author_facet |
Leif Kullman |
author_sort |
Leif Kullman |
title |
Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes |
title_short |
Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes |
title_full |
Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes |
title_fullStr |
Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Higher-than-present Medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish Scandes |
title_sort |
higher-than-present medieval pine (pinus sylvestris) treeline along the swedish scandes |
publisher |
International Association for Landscape Ecology, Chapter Germany |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201542 https://doaj.org/article/a5d54b26fe9241a785802f81c0a3b652 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Fennoscandia Greenland Northern Sweden |
genre_facet |
Fennoscandia Greenland Northern Sweden |
op_source |
Landscape Online, Vol 42, Pp 1-14 (2015) |
op_relation |
https://www.landscape-online.org/index.php/lo/article/view/38 https://doaj.org/toc/1865-1542 1865-1542 doi:10.3097/LO.201542 https://doaj.org/article/a5d54b26fe9241a785802f81c0a3b652 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201542 |
container_title |
Landscape Online |
container_volume |
42 |
container_start_page |
1 |
op_container_end_page |
14 |
_version_ |
1765997257511927808 |