Dry and wet periods over the last millennium in central-eastern Spain a paleolimnological perspective

Abstract:

A compilation of sedimentological, chemical and mainly biological proxies from sedimentary records in three lacustrine systems (La Cruz, El Lagunillo del Tejo and El Tobar) in the Iberian Range provides a synthetic view of hydroclimatic variability in central-eastern Spain during the last millennium. A quantitative rainfall reconstruction from varved sediments in Lake La Cruz was used to calibrate the sedimentary inputs of five biological proxies (photosynthetic pigments, diatoms, cladoceran sub-fossils, plant macrofossils and stable isotopes in authigenic carbonates) in the longer sequence of the nearby Lagunillo del Tejo. In spite of the resolution and the distinct responses of the proxies analysed, the three reconstructions are internally coherent and consistent with available North Atlantic Oscillation reconstructions. The Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; AD 900-1300) was marked by changes in humidity but it was generally wet, which contrasts with some reconstructions for Iberia and offers interesting information about the spatial heterogeneity of this period in the region. A drier period (AD 1300-1400) occurred at the onset of the Little Ice Age (LIA; AD 1300-1850), which was generally marked by increasing precipitation. The 20th century generally records higher humidity except from the beginning of the century. The recovery of longer and higher resolution lake sediments in this key region offers exceptional scientific opportunities for climate research.

Año de publicación:

2019

Keywords:

• Climate proxies
• North atlantic oscillation
• Last millennium
• lake sediments
• Hydroclimate reconstruction

Fuente:

scopus