Articles producció científica> Història i Història de l'Art

Late Pliocene vegetation and orbital-scale climate changes from the western Mediterranean area

  • Identification data

    Identifier: PC:352
    Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/PC352
    Authors:
    Jiménez-Moreno, G.Burjachs, F.Expósito, I.Oms, O.Carrancho, T.Villalaín, J.J.Agustí, J.Campeny, G.Gómez de Soler, B.van der Made, J.
    Abstract:
    10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.05.012

  • Others:

    Author, as appears in the article.: Jiménez-Moreno, G. Burjachs, F. Expósito, I. Oms, O. Carrancho, T. Villalaín, J.J. Agustí, J. Campeny, G. Gómez de Soler, B. van der Made, J.
    Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
    Department: Història i Història de l'Art
    Licence document URL: https://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
    Abstract: The Late Pliocene is a very interesting period as climate deteriorated from a warm optimum at ca. 3.3¿3.0 Ma to a progressive climate cooling. Simultaneously, the Mediterranean area witnessed the establishment of the Mediterranean-type seasonal precipitation rhythm (summer drought). These important climate changes produced significant vegetation changes, such as the extinction of several thermophilous and hygrophilous plant taxa from the European latitudes. Besides these long-term trends, climate was also characterized by cyclical variability (i.e., orbital changes) that forced vegetation changes (forested vs. open vegetation). In the Mediterranean area, cyclical changes in the vegetation were mostly forced by precession. In this study we analyzed pollen from a Late Pliocene maar lake core from NE Spain. An increase in aridity is observed as well as cyclic variations throughout the studied sequence. Cyclicity was mostly forced by precession but also by obliquity and eccentricity. Precipitation seems to be the main factor controlling these cycles. These data allowed estimating a sedimentary rate of ca. 0.19 mm/yr and the time duration covered by the studied core, close to 200 ka. The combination of biostratigraphy, palaeomagnetism and cyclostratigraphy allowed for a very precise dating of the sediments between ca. 3.3 and 3.1 Ma. Climate and paleobiogeographical implications are discussed within the context of the Late Pliocene Northern Hemisphere glacial intensification.
    Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili.
    Journal publication year: 2013
    licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
    ISSN: 0921-8181
    First page: 15
    Last page: 28
    Journal volume: 108