Tracing the influence of Mediterranean climate on Southeastern Europe during the past 350,000 years.
Loess-palaeosol sequences are valuable archives of past environmental changes. Although regional palaeoclimatic trends and conditions in Southeastern Europe have been inferred from loess sequences, large scale forcing mechanisms responsible for their formation have yet to be determined. Southeastern Europe 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 climatic areas is essential to understand the mechanisms of loess 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. Data show that the Central Balkans were under different atmospheric circulation regimes, especially during Marine Isotope Stages 9 and 7, while continental climate prevailed further north. We observe 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.
Department of Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
Igor
I
Obreht
Department of Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
Christian
C
Zeeden
BayCEER &Chair of Geomorphology, University of Bayreuth, 94450 Bayreuth, Germany.|Laboratory for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
Ulrich
U
Hambach
Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Clinicilor 5, 400006 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.|Interdisciplinary Research Institute on Bio-Nano-Science of Babes-Bolyai University, Treboniu Laurean 42, 400271 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Daniel
D
Veres
Laboratory for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
Slobodan B
SB
Marković
Department of Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
Janina
J
Bösken
Laboratory for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
Zorica
Z
Svirčev
Department of Geography, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Kosovska Mitrovica, Lole Ribara 29, 38220, Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia.
Nikola
N
Bačević
Laboratory for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovića 2, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia.
Milivoj B
MB
Gavrilov
Department of Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52056, Aachen, Germany.
Frank
F
Lehmkuhl