Holocene palaeoclimates from peat stratigraphy: macrofossil proxy climate records from three oceanic raised bogs in England and Ireland

Abstract

Quantified analyses of plant macrofossil remains have been made from three profiles of peat from raised bogs spanning a distance of 425 km from western Ireland to northern England. The reconstructed vegetation of each profile is related to changing bog surface wetness (BSW), and since the bogs are ombrotrophic these BSW changes are interpreted in terms of changing climate. Using age/depth models based on a total of 49 radiocarbon dates a number of wetter and drier phases are identified, and phase-shifts to wetter and/or cooler climates are defined. Prominent coincident changes to wetter conditions are dated in at least two of the profiles to ca 4400–4000, 1750, 1400, and 1000 cal. BP and in all three profiles at 3200, 2750–2350, 2250, and around 700 cal. BP. These phases are related to proxy climate changes in other terrestrial data sets from northwest Europe and a broad degree of synchroneity is demonstrated.