How warm? How wet? Hydroclimate reconstruction of the past 7500years in northern Carpathians, Romania
2017
Diaconu, Andrei-Cosmin | Tóth, Móniká | Lamentowicz, Mariusz | Heiri, Oliver | Kuske, Eliza | Tanţău, Ioan | Panait, Andrei-Marian | Braun, Mihály | Feurdean, Angelica
As natural and anthropogenic ecosystems are dependent on the local water availability, understanding past changes in hydroclimate represents a priority in research concerning past climate variability. Here, we used radiocarbon dating, testate amoebae (TA) and chironomid analysis on two sediment profiles from an ombrotrophic bog (Tăul Muced, northern Carpathians, Romania) to quantitatively determine major hydrological changes and July air temperature over the last 7500years.Wet mire surface conditions with a pH between 2.3 and 4.5 were inferred for the periods 4500–2700 and 1300–400cal. yr BP by the occurrence of Archerella flavum, Amphitrema wrightianum and Hyalosphenia papilio. Dry mire surface conditions and a pH between 2.5 and 5 were inferred for 7550–4500, 2750–1300 and 0cal. yr BP–present by the dominance of Nebela militaris, Difflugia pulex and Phryganella acropodia. The quantitative reconstruction of mean July temperature based on the chironomid communities suggests low summer temperatures for the periods 6500–5600, 4500–3150 and 1550–600cal yr. BP, while periods of slightly higher summer temperatures were observed for 5600–4500, 3150–1550 and 40cal. yr BP–present. There is a general good agreement between drier phases of the peat surface conditions with higher July temperature, suggesting that temperature may have been a controlling factor for water table fluctuation.Our quantitative reconstructions, among the first for CE Europe, show a relatively good agreement with other palaeohydrological studies from central eastern Europe, but contrast with others estimates from north-west Europe. Another important aspect of our study is that it provides valuable information on changes in local hydrology and the potential effect of the mean summer temperature over these changes.
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