Tracing the influence of Mediterranean climate on Southeast Europe during the past 350,000 years

Abstract

Loess-palaeosol sequences (LPS) are valuable archives of past environmental changes in the Eurasian loess belt. Although regional palaeoclimatic trends and conditions in Southeastern Europe (SEE) have been inferred from LPS, large scale forcing mechanisms responsible for their formation have yet to be determined. SEE is a climatically sensitive region, existing under the strong influence of both Mediterranean and continental climates. Establishment of the spatial and temporal evolution and interaction of these atmospheric systems is essential to understand the mechanisms of LPS formation. Here we present high-resolution grain-size, environmental magnetic, spectrophotometric and geochemical data from the Stalać section in the Central Balkans (Serbia) for the past ~350,000 years. The goal of this study is to determine the influence of the Mediterranean climate during this period. Our data show the Central Balkans being under different atmospheric circulation regimes during the late Middle and Upper Pleistocene. A strong Mediterranean climatic influence dominates in the South and the more continental climate prevails farther north. We observed a general weakening of the Mediterranean climate influence with time. Our data suggest that Marine Isotope Stage 5 was the first interglacial in the Central Balkans that had continental climate characteristics. This prominent shift in climatic conditions resulted in unexpectedly warm and humid conditions during the last glacial in SEE.

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Bibliography

Obreht, I., Zeeden, C., Hambach, U., Veres, D., Markociv, S., Bösken, J., Svircev, Z., Bacevic, N., Gavrilov, M., Lehmkuhl, F. (2016): Tracing the influence of Mediterranean climate on Southeast Europe during the past 350,000 years. Loess2M - Modelling & Mapping. 26-29.8. 2016, Novi Sad, Serbia.