Centennial-scale climate change in Ireland during the Holocene

Swindles, Graeme T., Lawson, Ian T., Matthews, Ian P., Blaauw, Maarten, Daley, Timothy J., Charman, Dan J., Roland, Thomas P., Plunkett, Gill, Schettler, Georg, Gearey, Benjamin R., Turner, T. Edward, Rea, Heidi A., Roe, Helen M., Amesbury, Matthew J., Chambers, Frank M., Holmes, Jonathan, Mitchell, Fraser J.G., Blackford, Jeffrey, Blundell, Antony, Branch, Nicholas, Holmes, Jane, Langdon, Peter, McCarroll, Julia, McDermott, Frank, Oksanen, Pirita O., Pritchard, Oliver, Stastney, Phil, Stefanini, Bettina, Young, Dan, Wheeler, Jane, Becker, Katharina and Armit, Ian (2013) Centennial-scale climate change in Ireland during the Holocene. Earth-Science Reviews, 126, 300-320. (doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.08.012).

Abstract

We examine mid- to late Holocene centennial-scale climate variability in Ireland using proxy data from peatlands, lakes and a speleothem. A high degree of between-record variability is apparent in the proxy data and significant chronological uncertainties are present. However, tephra layers provide a robust tool for correlation and improve the chronological precision of the records. Although we can find no statistically significant coherence in the dataset as a whole, a selection of high-quality peatland water table reconstructions co-vary more than would be expected by chance alone. A locally weighted regression model with bootstrapping can be used to construct a ‘best-estimate’ palaeoclimatic reconstruction from these datasets. Visual comparison and cross-wavelet analysis of peatland water table compilations from Ireland and Northern Britain shows that there are some periods of coherence between these records. Some terrestrial palaeoclimatic changes in Ireland appear to coincide with changes in the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation and solar activity. However, these relationships are inconsistent and may be obscured by chronological uncertainties. We conclude by suggesting an agenda for future Holocene climate research in Ireland.

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Contributors

Author: Peter Langdon

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