Climatic reconstruction of the Weichselian Pleniglacial in northwestern and Central Europe

Abstract

A multiproxy approach is applied to reconstructing accurately the Weichselian Pleniglacial climate (72–13 ka) in northwestern and central Europe. Standardised translations are used to transform proxy data into climate parameter values for six characteristic time windows. Quantitative reconstructions of the temperature regime are derived from periglacial, Coleoptera and botanical evidence, while aeolian and fluvial evidence provide qualitative information on wind activity and precipitation respectively. The Early Pleniglacial (74–59 ka), the cold period between 41–38 ka and the Late Pleniglacial (27–13 ka) are characterised by a strong north to south climatic gradient over northwestern Europe. During the last-glacial maximum discontinuous permafrost was established in northern France, whereas the continuous permafrost zone extended from the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Poland to the nordic ice sheets. Prominent wind activity and a relatively low precipitation typify these periods. In contrast, an indistinct west to east climate gradient was present in the relatively more temperate intervals (e.g. 50–41 ka). Seasonally frozen ground conditions prevailed in northwestern Europe whereas discontinuous permafrost may be suggested for central Germany. It appears that the climate conditions in northwest and central Europe were controlled by three major factors: the Scandinavian ice sheet, the North Atlantic surface water (circulation) and the Russian continent. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.