Pollen–climate reconstruction from northern South Island, New Zealand (41°S), reveals varying high‐ and low‐latitude teleconnections over the last 16 000 years. (6th December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jara, Ignacio A.; Newnham, Rewi M.; Vandergoes, Marcus J.; Foster, Courtney R.; Lowe, David J.; Wilmshurst, Janet M.; Moreno, Patricio I.; Renwick, James A.; Homes, Aline M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of quaternary science. Volume 30:Number 8(2015)
• Page Start: 817
• Page End: 829
• Publication Date: 2015-12-06
• Subjects: El Niño Southern Oscillation -- New Zealand -- plant macrofossils -- pollen -- SAM -- treeline; Geology, Stratigraphic -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; Paleontology -- Quaternary -- Periodicals; 551.79
• DOI: 10.1002/jqs.2818
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0267-8179

Abstract

ABSTRACT: We present a 16 000‐year vegetation and climate reconstruction from pollen and plant macrofossil records obtained at a small alpine lake in South Island, New Zealand (41°S). The expansion of lowland forest taxa suggests a lifting of the altitudinal forest limits because of a warming pulse between 13 and 10k cal a BP and between 7 and 6k cal a BP, while their decline relative to upland forest taxa indicates cooling phases between 10 and 7k cal a BP and over the last 3000 years. The modern treeline was first established locally by 9.7k cal a BP. Forest persisted at the site until 3k cal a BP then disappeared from the record. Close correspondence between the temperature trends inferred from the pollen and macrofossil records and proxies from Antarctica and the Southern Ocean suggests a strong teleconnection between New Zealand and the Southern Hemisphere high‐latitudes between 15 and 6k cal a BP. We note that the breakdown of this coupling, a cooling trend in Adelaide Tarn and the local disappearance of beech forest after 3k cal a BP occur during a period of increased frequency of El Niño events, suggesting an enhanced teleconnection with the low‐latitudes during the late Holocene.