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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Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap
2015
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ftumeauniv:oai:DiVA.org:umu-212352 2023-10-29T02:36:15+01:00 Higher-than-present medieval pine (Pinus sylvestris) treeline along the Swedish scandes Kullman, Leif 2015 application/pdf http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-212352 https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201542 eng eng Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap International Association for Landscape Ecology Landscape Online, 2015, 42:1, s. 1-14 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-212352 doi:10.3097/LO.201542 Scopus 2-s2.0-84940040383 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Climate change Little ice age Medieval warm period Megafossils Pinus sylvestris Swedish scandes Treeline Climate Research Klimatforskning Ecology Ekologi Article in journal info:eu-repo/semantics/article text 2015 ftumeauniv https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201542 2023-10-04T22:36:29Z 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 0.6 o C/100 m, it may be inferred that Medieval summer temperatures were about 0.7 o C 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 Umeå University: Publications (DiVA) Landscape Online 42 1 14 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Umeå University: Publications (DiVA) |
op_collection_id |
ftumeauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Climate change Little ice age Medieval warm period Megafossils Pinus sylvestris Swedish scandes Treeline Climate Research Klimatforskning Ecology Ekologi |
spellingShingle |
Climate change Little ice age Medieval warm period Megafossils Pinus sylvestris Swedish scandes Treeline Climate Research Klimatforskning Ecology Ekologi Kullman, Leif 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 Climate Research Klimatforskning Ecology Ekologi |
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 0.6 o C/100 m, it may be inferred that Medieval summer temperatures were about 0.7 o C 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 |
Kullman, Leif |
author_facet |
Kullman, Leif |
author_sort |
Kullman, Leif |
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 |
Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-212352 https://doi.org/10.3097/LO.201542 |
genre |
Fennoscandia Greenland Northern Sweden |
genre_facet |
Fennoscandia Greenland Northern Sweden |
op_relation |
Landscape Online, 2015, 42:1, s. 1-14 http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-212352 doi:10.3097/LO.201542 Scopus 2-s2.0-84940040383 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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_ |
1781059984488923136 |