Holocene hydrological changes in Europe and the role of the North Atlantic ocean circulation from a speleothem perspective

• Published in: Quaternary international 2021-01, Vol.571, p.1-10
• Main Authors: Demény, Attila, Kern, Zoltán, Hatvani, István Gábor, Torma, Csaba, Topál, Dániel, Frisia, Silvia, Leél-Őssy, Szabolcs, Czuppon, György, Surányi, Gergely
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: European and mediterranean regions; Holocene hydroclimate; Ocean circulations; Principal component analysis; Speleothems; Stable isotope compositions
• ISSN: 1040-6182; 1873-4553
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2020.10.061

Societal concerns about future hydroclimate changes urge a thorough understanding of the governing processes. Here, an analysis of Middle and Late Holocene speleothem-based hydroclimate reconstructions and paleoclimate model simulations reveals sub-millennial fluctuations in the spatiotemporal variability of precipitation in the European and Mediterranean regions, that complements previous dendrochronological and pollen-based reconstructions with an improved temporal resolution. Although insolation forcing is the primary driver of Holocene hydroclimate changes in Europe on a multimillennial scale, the evaluation of the principal component analysis of speleothem records and correlations with sea surface temperature data indicates that North Atlantic ocean circulation played a significant role in the sub-millennial variation of continental moisture transport, with an increasing importance during the Late Holocene. The combined evaluation of speleothem-based data, climate simulations and sea surface temperature records therefore advances our understanding of the governing processes of Holocene hydroclimate changes in the European and Mediterranean regions.