HR: 11:50h
AN: PP41D-07    [PDF]
TI: Holocene Climate Variability
AU: * Maasch, K A
EM: kirk.maasch@maine.edu
AF: Climate Change Institute and Department of Earth Sciences, 5790 BGSC University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5790 United States
AU: Mayewski, P A
EM: paul.mayewski@maine.edu
AF: Climate Change Institute and Department of Earth Sciences, 5790 BGSC University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5790 United States
AU: Karl\'{e}n, W
AF: Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 106 91 Sweden
AU: Rohling, E J
AF: School of Ocean and Earth Science, Oceanography Centre Southampton University, Southampton, SO14 3ZH United Kingdom
AU: Stager, J C
AF: Natural Resources Division,, Paul Smith's College, Paul Smiths, NY 12970 United States
AU: Steig, E J
AF: Quaternary Research Center and Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 United States
AB: During the Holocene (the last 11,500 calendar years) Earth's climate has been highly variable, not stable. Although the dramatic climate disruptions of the last glacial period have received considerable attention, relatively little has been directed toward the climate variability of the Holocene. Examination of nearly fifty, globally distributed paleoclimate records reveals that as many as six periods of rapid climate change (RCC) ca. 9-8, 6-5, 4.2-3.8, 3.5-2.5, 1.2-1.0, and beginning at 0.6 ka BP have occurred. All but the ca. 9-8 ka RCC and the most recent RCC are characterized in general by bipolar cooling, intensification of atmospheric circulation in the high latitudes, and increased aridity at low latitudes. The RCC since 0.6 ka features bipolar cooling and both humidity and aridity in the low latitudes. This interval appears to be more complex than the classic cool poles, dry tropics pattern that typified the Pleistocene and most of the Holocene RCCs. Several RCCs coincide with major disruptions of civilizations, underscoring the significance of Holocene climate variability. Of all potential climate forcing mechanisms considered, solar variability superimposed on long term changes in insolation seems to be most important for all of the RCCs except perhaps the ones ca. 9-8 ka and 4.2-3.8 ka.
DE: 1610 Atmosphere (0315, 0325)
DE: 1650 Solar variability
DE: 1655 Water cycles (1836)
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting