Vegetation and climate since the last interglacial in the Vienne area (France)

Abstract

Biomes and climate reconstructions are based on variations of the pollen content of the sediments. Pollen analysis was conducted on sediment deposits sampled at Chantemerle site (Vienne department, France). The pollen diagram covered only the last 7200 years BP. Consequently, additional pollen sequences, derived from the European Pollen Database, have been used to provide a first climate and biome reconstruction on a longer period, from the Riss (ca 140 ka BP) to the present-day. These pollen sequences show that the succession of the biomes and of the climate has been similar throughout a large part of France since about 140 000 years BP. However it is noteworthy that near the Atlantic coast, a warmer biome is recorded during the temperate periods: the warm mixed biome. This homogeneity allows us to extrapolate the results obtained from all these sequences to the Vienne region. The climate was warmer and more humid than today, or equivalent, during the Eemian, Saint-Germain I and Saint-Germain II. These periods were characterised by temperate deciduous or mixed forests with warmer episodes of warm mixed forests. On the other hand, climate was colder and dryer than today during the glacial phases (Melisey I, Melisey II, Würm, Late Glacial) which were characterised by cold steppes and/or tundra.