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A shift towards wetter and windier conditions in southern Sweden around the prominent solar minimum 2750 cal a BP
Author(s) -
MELLSTRÖM ANETTE,
VAN DER PUTTEN NATHALIE,
MUSCHELER RAIMUND,
DE JONG RIXT,
BJÖRCK SVANTE
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.2776
Subject(s) - chronology , macrofossil , peat , sphagnum , climatology , period (music) , storm , bog , geology , climate change , paleoclimatology , atmospheric circulation , physical geography , forcing (mathematics) , aeolian processes , holocene , geography , oceanography , paleontology , archaeology , physics , acoustics
A variety of palaeoclimatic records show a shift towards cooler, wetter and windier conditions in Europe around 2800 cal a BP. The shift broadly coincides with an increase of the atmospheric 14 C concentration, suggesting a connection between solar activity variations and climate change. Here we investigate a peat record from Undarsmosse in southern Sweden. In a previous study, based on a low‐resolution chronology, this record showed increased aeolian sand influx and Sphagnum spore content around 2800 cal a BP, indicating high storm activity and wetter conditions. We applied the 14 C wiggle‐match dating technique on the same record to construct a robust chronology to evaluate the temporal relationship to solar forcing. In addition, we performed plant macrofossil analysis to determine local vegetation changes. Based on the new chronology, a shift to a Sphagnum ‐dominated bog, representing wetter conditions, and the onset of a period with increased storminess occurred around 2700 cal a BP. These changes are, within age model uncertainties, synchronous with climatic changes inferred from other sites in Europe, suggesting a shift in the larger scale atmospheric circulation, possibly triggered by decreased solar activity.