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Atmospheric methane, southern European vegetation and low-mid latitude links on orbital and millennial timescales

Atmospheric methane, southern European vegetation and low-mid latitude links on orbital and millennial timescales
Atmospheric methane, southern European vegetation and low-mid latitude links on orbital and millennial timescales
Pollen records from marine and terrestrial sequences in southern Europe reveal a strong coherence between changes in tree populations and atmospheric methane concentrations over the last 800 thousand years. Variations in the continental hydrological balance provide a link for the observed patterns, leading to concomitant changes in southern European vegetation, and low-latitude wetland extent and methane/ volatile organic compound emissions, although additional contributions to the methane budget from extratropical sources are not excluded. Here we propose that the close coupling between low- and mid- latitude hydrological changes reflects shifts in the mean latitudinal position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which determines the extent to which southern Europe is dominated by subtropical or mid/high- latitude influences. This provides a conceptual framework within which to view vegetation variability in southern Europe on orbital and millennial timescales.
methane, pollen, vegetation, mediterranean, itcz, orbital, millennial
0012-821X
307-317
Tzedakis, P.C.
b1b47056-4b93-4619-a09e-11b9fd565ee2
Pälike, H.
b9bf7798-ad8c-479b-8487-dd9a30a61fa5
Roucoux, K.H.
ba3b47ea-477c-449b-8cf6-745b55827d8d
de Abreau, L.
0b210e53-0177-43ce-8ca6-588837922e20
Tzedakis, P.C.
b1b47056-4b93-4619-a09e-11b9fd565ee2
Pälike, H.
b9bf7798-ad8c-479b-8487-dd9a30a61fa5
Roucoux, K.H.
ba3b47ea-477c-449b-8cf6-745b55827d8d
de Abreau, L.
0b210e53-0177-43ce-8ca6-588837922e20

Tzedakis, P.C., Pälike, H., Roucoux, K.H. and de Abreau, L. (2009) Atmospheric methane, southern European vegetation and low-mid latitude links on orbital and millennial timescales. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 277 (3-4), 307-317. (doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2008.10.027).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Pollen records from marine and terrestrial sequences in southern Europe reveal a strong coherence between changes in tree populations and atmospheric methane concentrations over the last 800 thousand years. Variations in the continental hydrological balance provide a link for the observed patterns, leading to concomitant changes in southern European vegetation, and low-latitude wetland extent and methane/ volatile organic compound emissions, although additional contributions to the methane budget from extratropical sources are not excluded. Here we propose that the close coupling between low- and mid- latitude hydrological changes reflects shifts in the mean latitudinal position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which determines the extent to which southern Europe is dominated by subtropical or mid/high- latitude influences. This provides a conceptual framework within which to view vegetation variability in southern Europe on orbital and millennial timescales.

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More information

Published date: 30 January 2009
Keywords: methane, pollen, vegetation, mediterranean, itcz, orbital, millennial
Organisations: Ocean and Earth Science

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 64845
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/64845
ISSN: 0012-821X
PURE UUID: c7de90df-297c-473f-a718-bdeae1ac677b

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 16 Jan 2009
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 12:02

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Contributors

Author: P.C. Tzedakis
Author: H. Pälike
Author: K.H. Roucoux
Author: L. de Abreau

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