ALBERT

Description: Lead content was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence core scanning (XRF-CS) in samples from the Late Glacial and Holocene (c. 14500 – 200 yrs cal. BP) obtained from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos (southern Germany). The age-depth-model is based on a total of 14 radiocarbon dates and constrained using BACON.

Description: High-resolution palynological data (taxa and groups) from the Füramoos peat bog. The data span from the latest Rissian glaciation (MIS 6) to the present (MIS 1) at an average temporal resolution of ~230 years and are given as percentages and a depth and age scale. The data highlight the presence of several forest expansions and contractions associated with Greenland Interstadials / Dansgaard-Oeschger Events during MIS 3 and 4. Interglacials (MIS 1 and 5e) are characterized by the establishment of a dense temperate forest and the Early Glacial (MIS 5d-5a) is marked by a persistent boreal forest. Pollen data from the Late Glacial and Holocene (14.5 - 0 ka BP) has been incorporated from Kern et al. (2021).

Description: High-resolution XRF core scanning data (K/Al and Si/Ti) spanning the late MIS 6 to MIS 1 from Füramoos in Southern Germany at an average temporal resolution of ~45 years. Si/Ti is used to identify phases of increased precipition of biogenic silica (primarily diatoms). K/Al is primarily interpreted as a proxy for precipitation and utilizes two characteristics: (a) K is far more easily water soluble than Al and thus easier transported into the basin during periods of high weathering intensity, and (b) high Al is associated with increased dust transport into the basin. Thus, high K and low Al are interpreted as wet conditions, whereas low K and high Al stand fro dry periods. Our XRF-CS data indicate millennial-scale climate oscillations associated with Greenland Interstadials / Dansgaard-Oeschger Events during MIS 3 and 4 and are used to support the palynological data of the same study.

Description: Loss on ignition data (LOI) from the lake/peat bog at Füramoos Germany. The data span from the latest Rissian glaciation (MIS 6) to the present (MIS 1) at an average temporal resolution of ~280 years and primarily reflect changes in lake productivity and peat formation.

Description: Palynological and X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) data from Tenaghi Philippon (Greece) were generated to reconstruct climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean region during the past 500 kyrs. The analyses were carried out on peat drillcores from two locations, i.e., TP-2005 – 40° 58' 24.0” N, 24° 13' 25.2” E; TP-2009 – 40° 57' 39.5” N, 24° 16' 03.1” E. A total of 2347 palynological samples, taken every 2-5 cm from the 4–91 m composite depth, were prepared using standard palynological techniques. Pollen percentages were calculated on the number of pollen grains from terrestrial plants excluding Cyperaceae and Poaceae because of their natural over-representation at Tenaghi Philippon. The palynological results present relative abundances of tree pollen, tree pollen without Pinus, temperate taxa, Mediterranean taxa, montane taxa, pioneer taxa, shrubs, steppic taxa, herbs, helophytes, sum of Poaceae and Cyperaceae, aquatic taxa, spores and algae. The XRF core scanning was performed with an AVAATECH (GEN-4) scanner at 5 mm resolution using a 10 kV energy level without filter, a current of 200 mA, and a counting time of 10 s. The geochemical results include the Si normalised counts and the log(Ca/Fe) ratio.

Description: Palynological and X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) data from Tenaghi Philippon (Greece) were generated to reconstruct climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean region during the past 500 kyrs. The analyses were carried out on peat drillcores from two locations, i.e., TP-2005 – 40° 58' 24.0” N, 24° 13' 25.2” E; TP-2009 – 40° 57' 39.5” N, 24° 16' 03.1” E. A total of 2347 palynological samples, taken every 2-5 cm from the 4–91 m composite depth, were prepared using standard palynological techniques. Pollen percentages were calculated on the number of pollen grains from terrestrial plants excluding Cyperaceae and Poaceae because of their natural over-representation at Tenaghi Philippon. The palynological results present relative abundances of tree pollen, tree pollen without Pinus, temperate taxa, Mediterranean taxa, montane taxa, pioneer taxa, shrubs, steppic taxa, herbs, helophytes, sum of Poaceae and Cyperaceae, aquatic taxa, spores and algae. The XRF core scanning was performed with an AVAATECH (GEN-4) scanner at 5 mm resolution using a 10 kV energy level without filter, a current of 200 mA, and a counting time of 10 s. The geochemical results include the Si normalised counts and the log(Ca/Fe) ratio.

Description: Macrofossil data from selected samples of the MIS 2-4 period from Füramoos, Southern Germany. The data are used to augment the palynological dataset of the same study.

Description: Lead concentration and stable isotopes were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in samples from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos (southern Germany).

Description: To reconstruct the timing and underlying forcing of major shifts in the composition of terrestrial ecosystems in arid Central Asia during the late Cenozoic (past ~7 Ma), we carry out palynological analysis of lake sediments from the Qaidam Basin (NE Tibetan Plateau, China). Our results show that the steppe/semi-desert biomes dominating the Qaidam Basin experienced marked turnovers at ~3.6 and 3.3 Ma. Most notably, the younger of these turnover events is characterized by a two- to three-fold expansion of Artemisia at the expense of other steppe/semi-desert taxa. This turnover event led to the replacement of the Ephedraceae/Chenopodiaceae dominated and Nitraria-rich steppe/semi-deserts that were dominant in the Qaidam Basin during the Paleogene and abundant during the Miocene by Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae-dominated steppe/semi-deserts as they exist until today. The vegetation turnover events are synchronous with shifts towards drier conditions in Central Asia as documented in climate records from the Chinese Loess Plateau and the Central North Pacific Ocean. On a global scale, they can be correlated to early glaciation events in the Northern Hemisphere during the Pliocene. Integration of our palynological data from the Qaidam Basin with Northern Hemisphere climate-proxy and regional-scale tectonic information suggests that the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau posed ecological pressure on Central Asian plant communities, which made them susceptible to the effects of early Northern Hemisphere glaciations during the late Pliocene. Although these glaciations were relatively small in comparison to their Pleistocene counterparts, the transition towards drier/colder conditions pushed previously existing plant communities beyond their tolerance limits, thereby causing a fundamental reorganization of arid ecosystems. The Artemisia dominance since ~3.3 Ma resulting from this reorganization marks a point in time after which the Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae pollen ratio can serve as a reliable indicator for moisture availability in Central Asia.

Description: Palynological data from the Late Glacial and Holocene (c. 14500 – 200 yrs cal. BP) obtained from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos (southern Germany).