Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Climate change and Arctic ecosystems: 1. Vegetation changes north of 55 degrees N between the last glacial maximum, mid-Holocene, and present

Bigelow, NH ; Brubaker, LB ; Edwards, ME ; Harrison, SP ; Prentice, IC ; Anderson, PM ; Andreev, AA ; Bartlein, PJ ; Christensen, Torben LU and Cramer, W , et al. (2003) In Journal of Geophysical Research 108(D19).
Abstract
[1] A unified scheme to assign pollen samples to vegetation types was used to reconstruct vegetation patterns north of 55degreesN at the last glacial maximum (LGM) and mid-Holocene (6000 years B. P.). The pollen data set assembled for this purpose represents a comprehensive compilation based on the work of many projects and research groups. Five tundra types (cushion forb tundra, graminoid and forb tundra, prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra, erect dwarf-shrub tundra, and low- and high-shrub tundra) were distinguished and mapped on the basis of modern pollen surface samples. The tundra-forest boundary and the distributions of boreal and temperate forest types today were realistically reconstructed. During the mid-Holocene the tundra-forest... (More)
[1] A unified scheme to assign pollen samples to vegetation types was used to reconstruct vegetation patterns north of 55degreesN at the last glacial maximum (LGM) and mid-Holocene (6000 years B. P.). The pollen data set assembled for this purpose represents a comprehensive compilation based on the work of many projects and research groups. Five tundra types (cushion forb tundra, graminoid and forb tundra, prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra, erect dwarf-shrub tundra, and low- and high-shrub tundra) were distinguished and mapped on the basis of modern pollen surface samples. The tundra-forest boundary and the distributions of boreal and temperate forest types today were realistically reconstructed. During the mid-Holocene the tundra-forest boundary was north of its present position in some regions, but the pattern of this shift was strongly asymmetrical around the pole, with the largest northward shift in central Siberia (similar to200 km), little change in Beringia, and a southward shift in Keewatin and Labrador (similar to200 km). Low- and high-shrub tundra extended farther north than today. At the LGM, forests were absent from high latitudes. Graminoid and forb tundra abutted on temperate steppe in northwestern Eurasia while prostrate dwarf-shrub, erect dwarf-shrub, and graminoid and forb tundra formed a mosaic in Beringia. Graminoid and forb tundra is restricted today and does not form a large continuous biome, but the pollen data show that it was far more extensive at the LGM, while low- and high-shrub tundra were greatly reduced, illustrating the potential for climate change to dramatically alter the relative areas occupied by different vegetation types. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
biomization, mid-Holocene, vegetation maps, Arctic ecosystems, last glacial maximum, palaeoclimate
in
Journal of Geophysical Research
volume
108
issue
D19
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000185928300001
  • scopus:0347388417
ISSN
2156-2202
DOI
10.1029/2002JD002558
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
916fd66f-dcd4-409c-9eb8-44e7a21e7b5f (old id 298341)
alternative location
http://www.awi-bremerhaven.de/Publications/Big2003a.pdf
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:02:30
date last changed
2022-04-28 23:45:09
@article{916fd66f-dcd4-409c-9eb8-44e7a21e7b5f,
  abstract     = {{[1] A unified scheme to assign pollen samples to vegetation types was used to reconstruct vegetation patterns north of 55degreesN at the last glacial maximum (LGM) and mid-Holocene (6000 years B. P.). The pollen data set assembled for this purpose represents a comprehensive compilation based on the work of many projects and research groups. Five tundra types (cushion forb tundra, graminoid and forb tundra, prostrate dwarf-shrub tundra, erect dwarf-shrub tundra, and low- and high-shrub tundra) were distinguished and mapped on the basis of modern pollen surface samples. The tundra-forest boundary and the distributions of boreal and temperate forest types today were realistically reconstructed. During the mid-Holocene the tundra-forest boundary was north of its present position in some regions, but the pattern of this shift was strongly asymmetrical around the pole, with the largest northward shift in central Siberia (similar to200 km), little change in Beringia, and a southward shift in Keewatin and Labrador (similar to200 km). Low- and high-shrub tundra extended farther north than today. At the LGM, forests were absent from high latitudes. Graminoid and forb tundra abutted on temperate steppe in northwestern Eurasia while prostrate dwarf-shrub, erect dwarf-shrub, and graminoid and forb tundra formed a mosaic in Beringia. Graminoid and forb tundra is restricted today and does not form a large continuous biome, but the pollen data show that it was far more extensive at the LGM, while low- and high-shrub tundra were greatly reduced, illustrating the potential for climate change to dramatically alter the relative areas occupied by different vegetation types.}},
  author       = {{Bigelow, NH and Brubaker, LB and Edwards, ME and Harrison, SP and Prentice, IC and Anderson, PM and Andreev, AA and Bartlein, PJ and Christensen, Torben and Cramer, W and Kaplan, JO and Lozhkin, AV and Matveyeva, NV and Murray, DF and McGuire, AD and Razzhivin, VY and Ritchie, JC and Smith, Benjamin and Walker, DA and Gajewski, K and Wolf, V and Holmqvist, Björn and Igarashi, Y and Kremenetskii, K and Paus, A and Pisaric, MFJ and Volkova, VS}},
  issn         = {{2156-2202}},
  keywords     = {{biomization; mid-Holocene; vegetation maps; Arctic ecosystems; last glacial maximum; palaeoclimate}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{D19}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Geophysical Research}},
  title        = {{Climate change and Arctic ecosystems: 1. Vegetation changes north of 55 degrees N between the last glacial maximum, mid-Holocene, and present}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002558}},
  doi          = {{10.1029/2002JD002558}},
  volume       = {{108}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}