New Zealand and UK Holocene flooding demonstrates interhemispheric climate asynchrony

Abstract

Research Article| September 01, 2012 New Zealand and UK Holocene flooding demonstrates interhemispheric climate asynchrony Mark G. Macklin; Mark G. Macklin * 1Institute of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, UK *E-mails: mvm@aber.ac.uk; I.C.Fuller@massey.ac.nz. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ian C. Fuller; Ian C. Fuller * 2Physical Geography Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand *E-mails: mvm@aber.ac.uk; I.C.Fuller@massey.ac.nz. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Anna F. Jones; Anna F. Jones 1Institute of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mark Bebbington Mark Bebbington 3Statistics and Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Mark G. Macklin * 1Institute of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, UK Ian C. Fuller * 2Physical Geography Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand Anna F. Jones 1Institute of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, UK Mark Bebbington 3Statistics and Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand *E-mails: mvm@aber.ac.uk; I.C.Fuller@massey.ac.nz. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 01 Mar 2012 Revision Received: 20 Mar 2012 Accepted: 22 Mar 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2012 Geological Society of America Geology (2012) 40 (9): 775–778. https://doi.org/10.1130/G33364.1 Article history Received: 01 Mar 2012 Revision Received: 20 Mar 2012 Accepted: 22 Mar 2012 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Mark G. Macklin, Ian C. Fuller, Anna F. Jones, Mark Bebbington; New Zealand and UK Holocene flooding demonstrates interhemispheric climate asynchrony. Geology 2012;; 40 (9): 775–778. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G33364.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The timing and controls of interhemispheric Holocene climate change have remained poorly understood, primarily because of the absence of well-dated and continuous climatic records in terrestrial environments. Here we report a new probability-based meta-analysis of 1185 14C dates from fluvial sedimentary sequences in New Zealand and the UK, which provides a robust means of identifying centennial- and multicentennial-length episodes of Holocene river flooding. Statistical analysis shows that prior to large-scale human impact, which began at ca. 1000 cal. yr B.P., the incidence of extreme floods in New Zealand and the UK has been largely asynchronous during the Holocene. Major periods of flooding are controlled by large-scale shifts in atmospheric circulation, which alter the frequency of extreme precipitation events. Our novel synthesis demonstrates that short-term climate change, of sufficient magnitude to modify flooding regimes, was out of phase in the temperate maritime regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres during much of the Holocene. This supports recent evidence from both glacial and marine records that Holocene climate changes may have been antiphased between the polar regions and that this could have been related to variation in the strength of deep water formation. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.