Climate and vegetation change during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene in Sakhalin and Hokkaido, northeast Asia

Abstract

Pollen data from marine isotope stage (MIS) 3 to the early Holocene in Kenbuchi, central Hokkaido, and Khoe, central-west Sakhalin, were reviewed and the climate and vegetation compared. Changes in climate and vegetation during the examined time period in the two regions resembled each other, except for latitudinal differences in forest composition. During MIS 3, cold evergreen needle-leaf forests expanded under a cool, moist climate. The climate then rapidly changed to cool and dry around the MIS 3/MIS 2 boundary. MIS 2 was characterized by millennial-scale variability in climate. Heinrich event 2 (H2, 24–21 ka), the last glacial maximum (LGM), and H1 (between 17 and 13 ka) were characterized by the dominance of Larix and Pinus in cold deciduous forests. In Kenbuchi, grassland composed of alpine elements developed. In both regions, climate was coldest and driest during H1. The Bölling-Allerød interstadial (14–12 ka) was characterized by a maritime climate with an abundance of Betula in the coastal region. The Younger Dryas (11.5 ka) was a minor event in East Asia. During the Pre-Boreal period (around 12 ka), cold evergreen needle-leaf ( Picea– Betula) forest and mixed ( Quercus– Abies) forest developed in two different regions under a warm, moist climate.