Holocene forest dynamics in central and western Mediterranean: periodicity, spatio-temporal patterns and climate influence

It is well-known that the Holocene exhibits a millennial-scale climate variability. However, its periodicity, spatio-temporal patterns and underlying processes are not fully deciphered yet. Here we focus on the central and western Mediterranean. We show that recurrent forest declines from the Gulf o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific Reports
Main Authors: Di Rita, Federico, Fletcher, William J., Aranbarri Erkiaga, Josu, Margaritelli, Giulia, Lirer, Fabrizio, Magri, Donatella
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing 2018
Subjects:
north-atlantic oscillation
iberian peninsula
human impact
vegetation
variability
precipitation
nao
temperature
millennia
record
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/29936
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-27056-2
Description
Summary:It is well-known that the Holocene exhibits a millennial-scale climate variability. However, its periodicity, spatio-temporal patterns and underlying processes are not fully deciphered yet. Here we focus on the central and western Mediterranean. We show that recurrent forest declines from the Gulf of Gaeta (central Tyrrhenian Sea) reveal a 1860-yr periodicity, consistent with a ca. 1800-yr climate fluctuation induced by large-scale changes in climate modes, linked to solar activity and/or AMOC intensity. We show that recurrent forest declines and dry events are also recorded in several pollen and palaeohydrological proxy-records in the south-central Mediterranean. We found coeval events also in several palaeohydrological records from the south-western Mediterranean, which however show generally wet climate conditions, indicating a spatio-temporal hydrological pattern opposite to the south-central Mediterranean and suggesting that different expressions of climate modes occurred in the two regions at the same time. We propose that these opposite hydroclimate regimes point to a complex interplay of the prevailing or predominant phases of NAO-like circulation, East Atlantic pattern, and extension and location of the North African anticyclone. At a larger geographical scale, displacements of the ITCZ, modulated by solar activity and/or AMOC intensity, may have also indirectly influenced the observed pattern. This research has been financially supported by the Project of Strategic Interest NextData PNR 2011-2013 (www.nextdataproject.it) and by Sapienza University of Rome (project No. RM11715C820D1E6F).

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