HR: 10:35h
AN: PP42B-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Palynological Investigation of the Holocene Thermal Optimum in New Zealand
AU: * Newnham, R M
EM: rnewnham@plymouth.ac.uk
AF: University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL8 2NA United Kingdom
AU: McGlone, M S
EM: McGloneM@landcareresearch.co.nz
AF: Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, PO Box 69 Gerald St, Lincoln, PO Box 69 New Zealand
AU: Wilmshurst, J M
EM: WilmshurstJ@landcareresearch.co.nz
AF: Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, PO Box 69 Gerald St, Lincoln, PO Box 69 New Zealand
AB: It has long been assumed in New Zealand (NZ) that the Holocene Thermal Optimum (HTO) occurred at the beginning of the Holocene. Nearly 40 years ago, Hendy and Wilson pioneered the use of 18O/16O composition of calcite in NZ speleothems to reconstruct past climate and in so doing showed an HTO occurring earlier in NZ than in comparable Northern Hemisphere records (Hendy & Wilson,1968). More recent work on NZ speleothems (Williams et al., 2005) corroborates the concept of an early HTO dated between ca 11.7 and 10.6 ka, but there is no definitive description of the event as a NZ-wide phenomenon, no intensive dating of it, nor temperature quantification. Moreover, there is no firm conclusion as to whether it is registered consistently between different proxies and across NZ regions. Until recently, attempts to quantify past climate change from NZ pollen data have been hindered by failure to demonstrate robust relationships between modern pollen assemblages and climate due, it is thought, to strong anthropogenic modification of natural vegetation patterns and steep climatic gradients (Norton et al., 1986). However, as deforestation commenced only ca 700 years ago, and is unambiguously detected in pollen records from throughout NZ, an almost unique opportunity exists to develop pollen-climate transfer functions using pre-human pollen-vegetation sources. McGlone and Wilmshurst have assembled an extensive (138-site) `modern' pollen database, based on ca 700 yr BP pre-deforestation pollen assemblages from peat and lake cores. This now provides a basis for more secure pollen-climate reconstruction than hitherto has been possible. Statistical modelling of the environmental determinants of patterns in the pre-deforestation pollen database indicates the strongest relationship (r2 > 0.8) is with Mean Annual Temperature (MAT) and suggests that this parameter can be reliably reconstructed, with error estimates, from Late Quaternary NZ pollen profiles. We use this database to quantify MAT for a selected range of pollen profiles spanning the last glacial-Holocene interval from across the NZ region. We use the resulting MAT profiles to test the "early HTO hypothesis" (that is, a warming at the beginning of, or even just prior to, the Holocene). As well, we examine the amplitude and spatial uniformity of the HTO and its possible cause. References Hendy CH, Wilson AT. 1968. Nature 219, 48-51. Norton DA, McGlone MS, Wigley TML. 1986. NZJBot 24,331-342. Williams PW et al 2005. EPSL 230, 301-317.
DE: 0499 New fields (not classifiable under other headings)
DE: 1605 Abrupt/rapid climate change (4901, 8408)
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 1637 Regional climate change
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005