Terrestrial Climate Records

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high-

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

We present a long-term record of terrestrial climate change for the Early Paleogene of the Southern Hemisphere that complements previously reported marine temperature records. Using the MBT 0-CBT proxy, based on the distribution of soil bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids, we reconstructed mean annual air temperature (MAT) from the Middle Paleocene to Middle Eocene (62-42 Ma) for southern New Zealand. This record is consistent with temperature estimates derived from leaf fossils and palynology, as well as previously published MBT 0-CBT records, which provides confidence in absolute temperature estimates. Our record indicates that through this interval, temperatures were typically 5 C warmer than those of today at such latitudes, with more pronounced warming during the Early Eocene Climate Optimum (EECO; 50 Ma) when MAT was 20 C. Moreover, the EECO MATs

A major debate concerns the questions of when and to what extent humans affected regional landscapes, especially land cover and associated geomorphological dynamics, significantly beyond natural variability. Fire is both, a natural component of many climate zones and ecosystems around the globe and also closely related to human land cover change. Humans clearly affected natural fire regimes and landscapes in the most recent centuries, acting as prime ignition triggers and later fire suppressors, while Holocene trends in sedimentary charcoal have been mainly associated with climatic factors and partly with Neolithic land cover change. However, little is known since when Paleolithic to Neolithic fire use affected natural landscapes beyond small spatial and temporal scales. Here, we discuss onset and extent of human-driven fires superimposed on natural Holocene landscape transformation for the central European lowlands (CEL), a landscape of low natural flammability and long human histo...

Forest steppes are dynamic ecosystems, highly susceptible to changes in climate and land use. Here we examine the Holocene history of the European forest steppe ecotone in the Lower Danube Plain to better understand its sensitivity to climate fluctuations and human impact, and the timing of its transition into a cultural forest steppe. We used multi-proxy analyses (pollen, n-alkane, coprophilous fungi, charcoal, and geochemistry) of a 6000-year sequence from Lake Oltina (SE Romania), combined with a REVEALS model of quantitative vegetation cover. We found the greatest tree cover, composed of

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

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This chapter starts with the physiogeographical structure of Europe, its borders, areas, and locations. Some parts of Macaronesia (Madeira, Canary Islands, Azorean islands) are added. The geology, orography, and soils are described in the summary. A detailed physiogeographical organization describes ten areas of Northern Europe, Western and Central Europe, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Macaronesia. They each are subdivided in different physiogeographical regions and provinces. Geographical location, landmass distribution, and topography determine the climatic patterns of Europe. Five main thermal zones can be distinguished from north to south: arctic, boreal, temperate, submeridional, and meridional. The climatic classification of Europe is the basis for the phytogeographical division of Europe. It includes floristic zones and regional subdivisions. At the end the Late-Glacial and Holocene vegetation history of Europe is summarized.

We present a Southwest Pacific Ocean paleothermometry transect using new and existing foraminiferal Mg/Ca data from six Eocene locations from eastern New Zealand to southwestern Campbell Plateau, spanning 10° of paleolatitude (43° to 53°S). Sea surface and seafloor temperatures (SST and SFT) have been calculated taking into account the partition coefficients of calcite and Paleogene Mg/Ca sw ratios, and used to determine values for the power component (H) of this relationship in foraminiferal calcite from paired proxy ( 18 O and Mg/Ca) records from Canterbury Basin. This study presents the first Eocene paleotemperature record for the East Coast Basin and, in so doing, shows the absence of a meridional temperature gradient over 10° of latitude during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) and provides evidence for a very weak to absent gradient from the equatorial Pacific to 53°S at this time of extreme global warmth. The application of a new subsurface TEX 86 calibration

High-resolution stable O isotope data from two U-Th dated speleothems from Romania, one from Tăusoare cave in N Romania spanning the last 68 ka, and one from Ascunsă cave in S Romania spanning the interval between  47 ka and  30 ka BP record a regional N-S climate contrast in SE Europe during marine isotope stage 3.  The Tăusoare data-set records "Heinrich-stadial" type cold events (low δ18O) throughout MIS 3. While the magnitude of speleothem δ18O variability in N Romania is much less pronounced in comparison to Sofular cave in NW Turkey, the pacing is generally similar. That suggests a common response to Atlantic millennial scale climate variability as observed in the Greenland record, but without the magnification of the δ18O signal observed in NW Turkey due to a local Black Sea source effect. The short time-interval recorded in Ascunsă cave (S Romania), however, shows virtually no similarity in δ18O with the corresponding section at Tăusoare in N Romania, but instead r...

Sediments of the Eocene Holzer Formation from the Pemberger quarry were analysed for palynomorphs, lipid biomarker distributions, and clay mineralogy. The palynoflora is rich in megathermal and mesothermal families and genera, but also contain abundant wind-derived pollen derived from temperate to mesothermal taxa. The coexistence of temperate to megathermal elements suggests a sub/tropical and seasonally controlled passat-like or monsoon-like climate, comparable with the extant forests of the zonoecotone I/II, an interpretation consistent with relatively high temperatures derived from soil bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipid distributions. The lithologies and palynomorph assemblages represent three different facies: (1) coal-bearing palm swamp characterized by Myricaceae, triporate pollen types, fern spores and several palm pollen types, (2) coastal near swamp with mangrove elements such as Nypa, Avicennia and Ceriops, and (3) shrubby back swamp dominated by Myricaceae, triporate pollen, fern spores and palm pollen types. All of these are consistent with a dominance of terrigenous lipids, including triterpenoids and leaf waxes, in all samples. Abundant kaolinite contents in all the sediment samples are consistent with the biomarker and pollen analyses, indicating long periods with deep weathering under a warm and humid climate._____________________________________________

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

Sediments of the Eocene Holzer Formation from the Pemberger quarry were analysed for palynomorphs, lipid biomarker distributions, and clay mineralogy. The palynoflora is rich in megathermal and mesothermal families and genera, but also contain abundant wind-derived pollen derived from temperate to mesothermal taxa. The coexistence of temperate to megathermal elements suggests a sub/tropical and seasonally controlled passat-like or monsoon-like climate, comparable with the extant forests of the zonoecotone I/II, an interpretation consistent with relatively high temperatures derived from soil bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipid distributions. The lithologies and palynomorph assemblages represent three different facies: (1) coal-bearing palm swamp characterized by Myricaceae, triporate pollen types, fern spores and several palm pollen types, (2) coastal near swamp with mangrove elements such as Nypa, Avicennia and Ceriops, and (3) shrubby back swamp dominated by Myricaceae, triporate pollen, fern spores and palm pollen types. All of these are consistent with a dominance of terrigenous lipids, including triterpenoids and leaf waxes, in all samples. Abundant kaolinite contents in all the sediment samples are consistent with the biomarker and pollen analyses, indicating long periods with deep weathering under a warm and humid climate._____________________________________________

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

Response of a spring-fed fen ecosystem in Central Eastern Europe (NW Romania) to climate changes during the last 4000 years: A high resolution multi-proxy reconstruction. The address for the corresponding author was captured as affiliation for all authors. Please check if appropriate. Palaeo(2018),

Multi-proxy, high-resolution analyses (lithological, geochemical, environmental magnetism) anchored by 22 14 C dates, of a 5.53 m long sediment core from Lake Ighiel (Romanian Carpathians, central-eastern Europe) allowed the reconstruction of key local, catchment-lacustrine dynamics and an appraisal of palaeohydrological and palaeoclimatic gradients acting regionally over the last 6000 years. The first sedimentological phase of the record from 6030 to 4200 cal yr BP, is

A major debate concerns the questions of when and to what extent humans affected regional landscapes, especially land cover and associated geomorphological dynamics, significantly beyond natural variability. Fire is both, a natural component of many climate zones and ecosystems around the globe and also closely related to human land cover change. Humans clearly affected natural fire regimes and landscapes in the most recent centuries, acting as prime ignition triggers and later fire suppressors, while Holocene trends in sedimentary charcoal have been mainly associated with climatic factors and partly with Neolithic land cover change. However, little is known since when Paleolithic to Neolithic fire use affected natural landscapes beyond small spatial and temporal scales. Here, we discuss onset and extent of human-driven fires superimposed on natural Holocene landscape transformation for the central European lowlands (CEL), a landscape of low natural flammability and long human histo...

A distinctive organic-rich marine mudstone of Late Paleocene age occurs in most of New Zealand's sedimentary basins and has been identified as a potential source rock for oil and gas. Identified as the Waipawa Formation in the East Coast Basin and the Tartan Formation in the Great South and Canterbury Basins, the unit is a relatively uniform massive mudstone that varies greatly in thickness (2-70 m) and grades laterally into distinctive facies equivalents, notably greensand and a thin-bedded siliceous mudstone. All these facies are characterised by relatively high TOC (0.5-10 wt.%) and 13 C enrichment (δ 13 C TOC N − 24‰), and we refer to them collectively as "Waipawa organofacies". Our detailed stratigraphic and geochemical studies refine the age (58.7 to 59.4 Ma), distribution and nature of the Waipawa organofacies. We have determined that deposition occurred in continental margin settings throughout much of the southwest Pacific under cool, dysoxic conditions associated with a significant influx of terrestrial organic matter, high marine productivity, a global fall in sea level, and a regional unconformity across shallow and deep marine settings. The combination of cool temperatures, lowered sea level and bathyal erosion suggests that deposition was linked to short-lived growth of an Antarctic ice sheet in the earliest Late Paleocene (~59 Ma).

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high-

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

A major debate concerns the questions of when and to what extent humans affected regional landscapes, especially land cover and associated geomorphological dynamics, significantly beyond natural variability. Fire is both, a natural component of many climate zones and ecosystems around the globe and also closely related to human land cover change. Humans clearly affected natural fire regimes and landscapes in the most recent centuries, acting as prime ignition triggers and later fire suppressors, while Holocene trends in sedimentary charcoal have been mainly associated with climatic factors and partly with Neolithic land cover change. However, little is known since when Paleolithic to Neolithic fire use affected natural landscapes beyond small spatial and temporal scales. Here, we discuss onset and extent of human-driven fires superimposed on natural Holocene landscape transformation for the central European lowlands (CEL), a landscape of low natural flammability and long human histo...

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

The lower part of a sediment core taken from the Ezero lake, next to Tell Ezero, in the Thracian Plain, Bulgaria, covers the period 15500-13500 calBP (Greenland Ice Core Stages G1-1c-1e). The recovery of plant macrofossils as well as pollen grains indicated that, far from a largely treeless grassy steppe vegetation, there were stands of trees and bushes as well as a rich wetland flora. Archaeological, ethnographic and ethnohistoric investigations of over 70 plant taxa showed that 20 taxa had documented use exclusively for food, 14 for exclusively medicinal use and 14 for both uses; moreover, several taxa were utilised or present in coeval sites such as the Franchthi Cave and in southwest Germany. The presumption is that Final Palaeolithic communities in the Thracian Plain would have made good use of such a rich supply of food and medicinal plants. However, there is a variety of reasons-whether taphonomic, research led or pedagogical-for the current absence of any Final Palaeolithic sites in the Thracian Plain. A hypothetical mating network centred on Ezero puts this problem in spatial context.

In this article, we aim to decipher the effect of fire on the changes in the forest composition during the past ca. 10,700 years in the lower montane zone of the Polish Western Carpathians (Beskid Makowski Mountains, Central Europe). The results revealed that during the Early Holocene, the Ulmus population (a fire-intolerant taxon) was well-established under high fire activity, induced by the prominent presence of Pinus sylvestris. Ulmus probably was only slightly affected by fire because it occurred in wetter habitats, whereas P. sylvestris occupied drier ones. The final disruption of Pinus sylvestriseBetula woodlands were linked to a declining trend in fire activity but stable fire frequency, combined with the rapid expansion of Corylus avellana at ca. 9680 cal. BP. A low magnitude of fire disturbance with an increasing fire frequency supported the expansion of Tilia cordata (a fire-sensitive species) and C. avellana (a fire-adapted species) against Picea abies during ca. 7650e7270 cal. BP. Cooler and wetter conditions during the 4.2 and 2.8 ka. BP climatic events probably forced humans to migrate to higher altitudes, which contributed to fireinduced deforestation of a small area, which in turn, together with climatic changes, stimulated the expansion of Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica (both are fire-intolerant taxa). The discontinuities in the deposits of mire might be related to the global climatic changes of the 8.2 and 4.2 ka. BP events and extended deforestations linked to the Wallachian colonisation during the Middle Ages. Such depositional gaps, when remaining undetected during palaeoecological studies, may distort the reconstruction process of fireevegetation relationships. In this study, we unequivocally show that small disturbances in fire may be an advantageous factor for the expansion of tree taxa devoid of morphologicalephysiological fire traits.

Reconstructions of dust flux have been used to produce valuable global records of changes in atmospheric circulation and aridity. These studies have highlighted the importance of atmospheric dust in marine and terrestrial biogeochemistry and nutrient cycling. By investigating a 10 800-year-long paleoclimate archive from the Eastern Carpathians (Romania) we present the first peat record of changing dust deposition over the Holocene for the Carpathian–Balkan region. Using qualitative (X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning) and quantitative inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer(ICP-OES) measurements of lithogenic (K, Si, Ti) elements, we identify 10 periods of major dust deposition between 9500–9200, 8400–8100, 7720–7250, 6350–5950, 5450–5050, 4130–3770, 3450–2850, 2000–1450, 800–620, and 60 cal yr BP to present. In addition, we used testate amoeba assemblages preserved within the peat to infer local palaeohydroc...

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

Results of a geomorphologic study as well as radiocarbon and pollen analyses of sediments in small basins of the Jasło-Sanok Depression (Western Carpathians) are summarised. Floors of these basins, carved in soft shale-sandstone Krosno Beds, are covered with channel fluvial deposits and oxbow-lake sediments with lake chalk and peat accumulated in the Late Vistulian and Holocene. Since the early Atlantic Phase (ca 8,400–7,900 BP) the apparent acceleration of overbank (flood) deposition intermitting the peat accumulation is observed. The plant succession includes the Late Glacial (pre-Allerød, Allerød and Younger Dryas) with coniferous park forests, through mixed deciduous forests of the Holocene with elm, hazel, oak and lime as well as spruce-elm forests with alder in wetlands, up to present-day hornbeam forests (Tilio-Carpinetum of various types) and extra-zonal Carpathian beech forests (Dentario-GlandulosaeFagetum). Abies alba (fir) is frequent in both these association types. Firs...

Records of past climate variability and associated vegetation response exist in various regions throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). To date, there has been no coherent synthesis of the existing palaeorecords. During an INTIMATE meeting (Cluj Napoca, Romania) focused on identifying CEE paleo-records, it was decided to address this gap by presenting the palaeo-community with a compilation of high

Investigation of natural processes and their dependence on climatic conditions enables us to understand relationships between them, and to use fossil records in palaeoclimatic studies. The climate-related (or climatecontrolled) processes may provide records of past climatic changes. The more detailed the record, and the more we know about its relationship to particular climatic factors, the better is our chance of arriving at a reliable palaeoclimatic reconstruction. In such work, it is of basic importance to realise which types of data we possess, and which methods are available for their analysis. It is necessary to consider specific problems relating to the physicochemical methods used in obtaining palaeoclimatic data, the assumptions adopted, and the statistical analysis of the data obtained. Only then may the reconstructions derived from different data sources be comparable with one another, providing the possibility for synthesis. Among the terrestrial sediments used for palae...

An examination of thermophilous species pollen deposits found in the Plenivistulian river alluvial terraces in the Polish Western Carpathians was conducted. Of the 16 palaeobotanical sites evaluated, most often noted were Alnus and Betula t. alba; Abies, Carpinus and Corylus occurred less frequently, and Quercus, Tilia and Ulmus were rare. Fagus and Fraxinus pollen were absent. Abies and Carpinus were relatively overrepresented, because their frequency of occurrence was similar to avellana, i.e. one of the most cold-resistant species. Based on a literature survey of phylogeographic studies and data regarding the forest species Aconitum moldavicum, A. variegatum, Bromus benekenii, Carpinus betulus, Lathyrus vernus, Lonicera nigra, and the moderately thermophilous Rosa pendulina, 47 cryptic refugial areas of temperate plant species are postulated. The combined analysis indicates that they could have survived the last glaciation in the W & E Carpathian microrefugia close to 650 m a.s.l...

Sediments of the Eocene Holzer Formation from the Pemberger quarry were analysed for palynomorphs, lipid biomarker distributions, and clay mineralogy. The palynoflora is rich in megathermal and mesothermal families and genera, but also contain abundant wind-derived pollen derived from temperate to mesothermal taxa. The coexistence of temperate to megathermal elements suggests a sub/tropical and seasonally controlled passat-like or monsoon-like climate, comparable with the extant forests of the zonoecotone I/II, an interpretation consistent with relatively high temperatures derived from soil bacterial glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipid distributions. The lithologies and palynomorph assemblages represent three different facies: (1) coal-bearing palm swamp characterized by Myricaceae, triporate pollen types, fern spores and several palm pollen types, (2) coastal near swamp with mangrove elements such as Nypa, Avicennia and Ceriops, and (3) shrubby back swamp dominated by Myricaceae, triporate pollen, fern spores and palm pollen types. All of these are consistent with a dominance of terrigenous lipids, including triterpenoids and leaf waxes, in all samples. Abundant kaolinite contents in all the sediment samples are consistent with the biomarker and pollen analyses, indicating long periods with deep weathering under a warm and humid climate._____________________________________________

In this article, we aim to decipher the effect of fire on the changes in the forest composition during the past ca. 10,700 years in the lower montane zone of the Polish Western Carpathians (Beskid Makowski Mountains, Central Europe). The results revealed that during the Early Holocene, the Ulmus population (a fire-intolerant taxon) was well-established under high fire activity, induced by the prominent presence of Pinus sylvestris. Ulmus probably was only slightly affected by fire because it occurred in wetter habitats, whereas P. sylvestris occupied drier ones. The final disruption of Pinus sylvestriseBetula woodlands were linked to a declining trend in fire activity but stable fire frequency, combined with the rapid expansion of Corylus avellana at ca. 9680 cal. BP. A low magnitude of fire disturbance with an increasing fire frequency supported the expansion of Tilia cordata (a fire-sensitive species) and C. avellana (a fire-adapted species) against Picea abies during ca. 7650e7270 cal. BP. Cooler and wetter conditions during the 4.2 and 2.8 ka. BP climatic events probably forced humans to migrate to higher altitudes, which contributed to fireinduced deforestation of a small area, which in turn, together with climatic changes, stimulated the expansion of Abies alba and Fagus sylvatica (both are fire-intolerant taxa). The discontinuities in the deposits of mire might be related to the global climatic changes of the 8.2 and 4.2 ka. BP events and extended deforestations linked to the Wallachian colonisation during the Middle Ages. Such depositional gaps, when remaining undetected during palaeoecological studies, may distort the reconstruction process of fireevegetation relationships. In this study, we unequivocally show that small disturbances in fire may be an advantageous factor for the expansion of tree taxa devoid of morphologicalephysiological fire traits.

Forest steppes are dynamic ecosystems, highly susceptible to changes in climate, disturbances and land use. Here we examine the Holocene history of the European forest steppe ecotone in the lower Danube Plain to better understand its sensitivity to climate fluctuations, fire and human impact, and the timing of its transition into a cultural forest steppe. We used multi-proxy analyses (pollen, n-alkanes, coprophilous fungi, charcoal and geochemistry) of a 6000year sequence from Lake Oltina (southeastern Romania) combined with a REVEALS (Regional Estimates of Vegetation Abundance from Large Sites) model of quantitative vegetation cover. We found a greater tree cover, composed of xerothermic (Carpinus orientalis and Quercus) and temperate (Carpinus betulus, Tilia, Ulmus and Fraxinus) tree taxa, between 6000 and 2500 cal yr BP. Maximum tree cover (∼ 50 %), dominated by C. orientalis occurred between 4200 and 2500 cal yr BP at a time of wetter climatic conditions and moderate fire activity. Compared to other European forest steppe areas, the dominance of C. orientalis represents the most distinct feature of the woodland's composition at this time. Tree loss was underway by 2500 yr BP (Iron Age), with the REVEALS model indicating a fall to ∼ 20 % tree cover from the Late Holocene forest maximum, linked to clearance for agriculture, while climate conditions remained wet. Biomass burning increased markedly at 2500 cal yr BP, suggesting that fire was regularly used as a management tool until 1000 cal yr BP when woody vegetation became scarce. A sparse tree cover, with only weak signs of forest recovery, then became a permanent characteristic of the lower Danube Plain, highlighting more or less continuous anthropogenic pressure. The timing of anthropogenic ecosystem transformation here (2500 cal yr BP) falls between that in centraleastern (between 3700 and 3000 cal yr BP) and eastern (after 2000 cal yr BP) Europe. Our study is the first quantitative land cover estimate at the forest steppe ecotone in southeastern Europe spanning 6000 years. It provides critical empir-Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 1082 A. Feurdean et al.: Deforestation of the lower Danube Plain ical evidence that, at a broad spatial scale, the present-day forest steppe and woodlands reflect the potential natural vegetation in this region under current climate conditions. However, the extent of tree cover and its composition have been neither stable in time nor shaped solely by the climate. Consequently, vegetation change must be seen as dynamic and reflecting wider changes in environmental conditions including natural disturbances and human impact.

Past warm periods provide an opportunity to evaluate climate models under extreme forcing scenarios, in particular high (> 800 ppmv) atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations. Although a post-hoc intercomparison of Eocene (~50 million years ago, Ma) climate model simulations and geological data has been carried out previously, models of past high-CO<sub>2</sub> periods have never been evaluated in a consistent framework. Here, we present an experimental design for climate model simulations of three warm periods within the latest Paleocene and the early Eocene. Together these form the first phase of DeepMIP – the deeptime model intercomparison project, itself a group within the wider Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). The experimental design consists of three core paleo simulations and a set of optional sensitivity studies. The experimental design specifies and provides guidance on boundary conditions associate...

Past warm periods provide an opportunity to evaluate climate models under extreme forcing scenarios, in particular high ( >  800 ppmv) atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations. Although a post hoc intercomparison of Eocene ( ∼  50  Ma) climate model simulations and geological data has been carried out previously, models of past high-CO<sub>2</sub> periods have never been evaluated in a consistent framework. Here, we present an experimental design for climate model simulations of three warm periods within the early Eocene and the latest Paleocene (the EECO, PETM, and pre-PETM). Together with the CMIP6 pre-industrial control and abrupt 4 ×  CO<sub>2</sub> simulations, and additional sensitivity studies, these form the first phase of DeepMIP – the Deep-time Model Intercomparison Project, itself a group within the wider Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). The experimental design specifies and provides guidance on boundary condit...

Past warm periods provide an opportunity to evaluate climate models under extreme forcing scenarios, in particular high (> 800 ppmv) atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations. Although a post-hoc intercomparison of Eocene (~50 million years ago, Ma) climate model simulations and geological data has been carried out previously, models of past high-CO<sub>2</sub> periods have never been evaluated in a consistent framework. Here, we present an experimental design for climate model simulations of three warm periods within the latest Paleocene and the early Eocene. Together these form the first phase of DeepMIP – the deeptime model intercomparison project, itself a group within the wider Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). The experimental design consists of three core paleo simulations and a set of optional sensitivity studies. The experimental design specifies and provides guidance on boundary conditions associate...

Past warm periods provide an opportunity to evaluate climate models under extreme forcing scenarios, in particular high (> 800 ppmv) atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations. Although a post-hoc intercomparison of Eocene (~50 million years ago, Ma) climate model simulations and geological data has been carried out previously, models of past high-CO<sub>2</sub> periods have never been evaluated in a consistent framework. Here, we present an experimental design for climate model simulations of three warm periods within the latest Paleocene and the early Eocene. Together these form the first phase of DeepMIP – the deeptime model intercomparison project, itself a group within the wider Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). The experimental design consists of three core paleo simulations and a set of optional sensitivity studies. The experimental design specifies and provides guidance on boundary conditions associate...

During the late Eocene, the Earth's climate experienced several transient temperature fluctuations including the Vonhof cooling event (C16n.1n; ~35.8 Ma) hitherto known mainly from the southern oceans. Here we reconstruct sea-surface temperatures (SST) and provide δ 18 o and δ 13 C foraminiferal records for the late eocene and earliest oligocene in the North sea Basin. our data reveal two main perturbations: (1), an abrupt brief cooling of ~4.5 °C dated to ~35.8 Ma and synchronous with the Vonhof cooling, which thus may be a global event, and (2) a gradual nearly 10 °C temperature fall starting at 36.1 Ma and culminating near the Eocene-Oligocene transition at ~33.9 Ma. The late Priabonian temperature trend in the North Sea shows some resemblance IODP Site U1404 from the North Atlantic, offshore Newfoundland; and is in contrast to the more abrupt change observed in the deep-sea δ 18 o records from the southern oceans. the cooling in the North sea is large compared to the pattern seen in the North Atlantic record. This difference may be influenced by a late Eocene closure of the warm gateways connecting the North Sea with the Atlantic and Tethys oceans.

Past warm periods provide an opportunity to evaluate climate models under extreme forcing scenarios, in particular high ( >  800 ppmv) atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> concentrations. Although a post hoc intercomparison of Eocene ( ∼  50  Ma) climate model simulations and geological data has been carried out previously, models of past high-CO<sub>2</sub> periods have never been evaluated in a consistent framework. Here, we present an experimental design for climate model simulations of three warm periods within the early Eocene and the latest Paleocene (the EECO, PETM, and pre-PETM). Together with the CMIP6 pre-industrial control and abrupt 4 ×  CO<sub>2</sub> simulations, and additional sensitivity studies, these form the first phase of DeepMIP – the Deep-time Model Intercomparison Project, itself a group within the wider Paleoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project (PMIP). The experimental design specifies and provides guidance on boundary condit...