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Pine stumps in Irish peats: is their occurrence a valid proxy climate indicator?
Author(s) -
MCGEEVER ALWYNNE H.,
MITCHELL FRASER J.G.
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.2793
Subject(s) - bog , holocene , peat , physical geography , climate change , pinus <genus> , geology , paleoclimatology , radiocarbon dating , environmental science , proxy (statistics) , ecology , climatology , geography , archaeology , oceanography , paleontology , botany , machine learning , computer science , biology
We investigate the temporal and spatial distribution of pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) stumps preserved in peat deposits to test whether their occurrence can be used as an indicator of climatic shifts to drier conditions. Radiocarbon dates of sub‐fossil stumps were collected from the literature, along with environmental data throughout the island of Ireland. Data were analysed using non‐parametric statistical techniques. There was no distinct geographical pattern observed in the distribution of pine stumps on bog surfaces. Tree ages ranged from 66 to 500 years with 85.7 % of these <300 years. Pines occurred on bogs from ca. 8500 to 500 cal a BP. The temporal distribution during the Holocene was characterized as a mid‐Holocene peak in sites supporting pine, with two gaps either side of this peak. Our current understanding of past climate dynamics failed to explain this temporal distribution. The onset, mid‐Holocene peak and cessation of bog sites supporting the presence of bog pines appears to be driven by changes in pine seed and bog surface area availability during the Holocene rather than changes in climate. We conclude that variability in the occurrence of Irish bog pines is not a valid climate proxy as factors other than climate influence their presence and thereby disrupt the climate signals.