@article{WangBekeschusHandorfetal.2017,
  author    = {Wang, Yongbo and Bekeschus, Benjamin and Handorf, Doerthe and Liu, Xingqi and Dallmeyer, Anne and Herzschuh, Ulrike},
  title     = {Coherent tropical-subtropical Holocene see-saw moisture patterns in the Eastern Hemisphere monsoon systems},
  series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  volume    = {169},
  journal   = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0277-3791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.06.006},
  pages     = {231 -- 242},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {The concept of a Global Monsoon (GM) has been proposed based on modern precipitation observations, but its application over a wide range of temporal scales is still under debate. Here, we present a synthesis of 268 continental paleo-moisture records collected from monsoonal systems in the Eastern Hemisphere, including the East Asian Monsoon (EAsM), the Indian Monsoon (IM), the East African Monsoon (EAfM), and the Australian Monsoon (AuM) covering the last 18,000 years. The overall pattern of late Glacial to Holocene moisture change is consistent with those inferred from ice cores and marine records. With respect to the last 10,000 years (10 ka), i.e. a period that has high spatial coverage, a Fuzzy c-Means clustering analysis of the moisture index records together with "Xie-Beni" index reveals four clusters of our data set. The paleoclimatic meaning of each cluster is interpreted considering the temporal evolution and spatial distribution patterns. The major trend in the tropical AuM, EAfM, and IM regions is a gradual decrease in moisture conditions since the early Holocene. Moisture changes in the EAsM regions show maximum index values between 8 and 6 ka. However, records located in nearby subtropical areas, i.e. in regions not influenced by the intertropical convergence zone, show an opposite trend compared to the tropical monsoon regions (AuM, EAfM and IM), i.e. a gradual increase. Analyses of modern meteorological data reveal the same spatial patterns as in the paleoclimate records such that, in times of overall monsoon strengthening, lower precipitation rates are observed in the nearby subtropical areas. We explain this pattern as the effect of a strong monsoon circulation suppressing air uplift in nearby subtropical areas, and hence hindering precipitation. By analogy to the modern system, this would mean that during the early Holocene strong monsoon period, the intensified ascending airflows within the monsoon domains led to relatively weaker ascending or even descending airflows in the adjacent subtropical regions, resulting in a precipitation deficit compared to the late Holocene. Our conceptual model therefore integrates regionally contrasting moisture changes into the Global Monsoon hypothesis. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MischkeLaiAichneretal.2017,
  author    = {Mischke, Steffen and Lai, Zhongping and Aichner, Bernhard and Heinecke, Liv and Mahmoudov, Zafar and Kuessner, Marie and Herzschuh, Ulrike},
  title     = {Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of sediments from Lake Karakul, Tajikistan},
  series = {Quaternary geochronology : the international research and review journal on advances in quaternary dating techniques},
  volume    = {41},
  journal   = {Quaternary geochronology : the international research and review journal on advances in quaternary dating techniques},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {1871-1014},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quageo.2017.05.008},
  pages     = {51 -- 61},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Lake Karakul in the eastern Pamirs is a large and closed-basin lake in a partly glaciated catchment. Two parallel sediment cores were collected from 12 m water depth. The cores were correlated using XRF analysis and dated using radiocarbon and OSL techniques. The age results of the two dating methods are generally in agreement. The correlated composite core of 12.26 m length represents continuous accumulation of sediments in the lake basin since 31 ka. The lake reservoir effect (LRE) remained relatively constant over this period. High sediment accumulation rates (SedARs) were recorded before 23 ka and after 6.5 ka. The relatively close position of the coring location near the eastern shore of the lake implies that high SedARs resulted from low lake levels. Thus, high SedARs and lower lake levels before 23 ka probably reflect cold and dry climate conditions that inhibited the arrival of moist air at high elevation in the eastern Pamirs. Low lake levels after 6.5 ka were probably caused by declining temperatures after the warmer early Holocene, which had caused a reduction in water resources stored as snow, ice and frozen ground in the catchment. Low SedARs during 23-6.5 ka suggest increased lake levels in Lake Karakul. A short-lived increase of SedARs at 15 ka probably corresponds to the rapid melting of glaciers in the Karakul catchment during the Greenland Interstadial le, shortly after glaciers in the catchment had reached their maximum extents. The sediment cores from Lake Karakul represent an important climate archive with robust chronology for the last glacial interglacial cycle from Central Asia. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MarquerGaillardSugitaetal.2017,
  author    = {Marquer, Laurent and Gaillard, Marie-Jose and Sugita, Shinya and Poska, Anneli and Trondman, Anna-Kari and Mazier, Florence and Nielsen, Anne Birgitte and Fyfe, Ralph M. and Jonsson, Anna Maria and Smith, Benjamin and Kaplan, Jed O. and Alenius, Teija and Birks, H. John B. and Bjune, Anne E. and Christiansen, Jorg and Dodson, John and Edwards, Kevin J. and Giesecke, Thomas and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Kangur, Mihkel and Koff, Tiiu and Latalowa, Maligorzata and Lechterbeck, Jutta and Olofsson, Jorgen and Seppa, Heikki},
  title     = {Quantifying the effects of land use and climate on Holocene vegetation in Europe},
  series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  volume    = {171},
  journal   = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0277-3791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.07.001},
  pages     = {20 -- 37},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Early agriculture can be detected in palaeovegetation records, but quantification of the relative importance of climate and land use in influencing regional vegetation composition since the onset of agriculture is a topic that is rarely addressed. We present a novel approach that combines pollen-based REVEALS estimates of plant cover with climate, anthropogenic land-cover and dynamic vegetation modelling results. This is used to quantify the relative impacts of land use and climate on Holocene vegetation at a sub-continental scale, i.e. northern and western Europe north of the Alps. We use redundancy analysis and variation partitioning to quantify the percentage of variation in vegetation composition explained by the climate and land-use variables, and Monte Carlo permutation tests to assess the statistical significance of each variable. We further use a similarity index to combine pollen based REVEALS estimates with climate-driven dynamic vegetation modelling results. The overall results indicate that climate is the major driver of vegetation when the Holocene is considered as a whole and at the sub-continental scale, although land use is important regionally. Four critical phases of land-use effects on vegetation are identified. The first phase (from 7000 to 6500 BP) corresponds to the early impacts on vegetation of farming and Neolithic forest clearance and to the dominance of climate as a driver of vegetation change. During the second phase (from 4500 to 4000 BP), land use becomes a major control of vegetation. Climate is still the principal driver, although its influence decreases gradually. The third phase (from 2000 to 1500 BP) is characterised by the continued role of climate on vegetation as a consequence of late-Holocene climate shifts and specific climate events that influence vegetation as well as land use. The last phase (from 500 to 350 BP) shows an acceleration of vegetation changes, in particular during the last century, caused by new farming practices and forestry in response to population growth and industrialization. This is a unique signature of anthropogenic impact within the Holocene but European vegetation remains climatically sensitive and thus may continue to respond to ongoing climate change. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RachEngelsKahmenetal.2017,
  author    = {Rach, Oliver and Engels, S. and Kahmen, A. and Brauer, Achim and Martin-Puertas, C. and van Geel, B. and Sachse, Dirk},
  title     = {Hydrological and ecological changes in western Europe between 3200 and 2000 years BP derived from lipid biomarker delta D values in lake Meerfelder Maar sediments},
  series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  volume    = {172},
  journal   = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0277-3791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.07.019},
  pages     = {44 -- 54},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {One of the most significant Late Holocene climate shifts occurred around 2800 years ago, when cooler and wetter climate conditions established in western Europe. This shift coincided with an abrupt change in regional atmospheric circulation between 2760 and 2560 cal years BP, which has been linked to a grand solar minimum with the same duration (the Homeric Minimum). We investigated the temporal sequence of hydroclimatic and vegetation changes across this interval of climatic change (Homeric climate oscillation) by using lipid biomarker stable hydrogen isotope ratios (ED values) and pollen assemblages from the annually-laminated sediment record from lake Meerfelder Maar (Germany). Over the investigated interval (3200-2000 varve years BP), terrestrial lipid biomarker ED showed a gradual trend to more negative values, consistent with the western Europe long-term climate trend of the Late Holocene. At ca. 2640 varve years BP we identified a strong increase in aquatic plants and algal remains, indicating a rapid change in the aquatic ecosystem superimposed on this long-term trend. Interestingly, this aquatic ecosystem change was accompanied by large changes in ED values of aquatic lipid biomarkers, such as nC(21) and nC(23) (by between 22 and 30\%(0)). As these variations cannot solely be explained by hydroclimate changes, we suggest that these changes in the Wag value were influenced by changes in n-alkane source organisms. Our results illustrate that if ubiquitous aquatic lipid biomarkers are derived from a limited pool of organisms, changes in lake ecology can be a driving factor for variations on sedimentary lipid MN values, which then could be easily misinterpreted in terms of hydro climatic changes. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{CaoTianTelfordetal.2017,
  author    = {Cao, Xianyong and Tian, Fang and Telford, Richard J. and Ni, Jian and Xu, Qinghai and Chen, Fahu and Liu, Xingqi and Stebich, Martina and Zhao, Yan and Herzschuh, Ulrike},
  title     = {Impacts of the spatial extent of pollen-climate calibration-set on the absolute values, range and trends of reconstructed Holocene precipitation},
  series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  volume    = {178},
  journal   = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0277-3791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.10.030},
  pages     = {37 -- 53},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Pollen-based quantitative reconstructions of past climate variables is a standard palaeoclimatic approach. Despite knowing that the spatial extent of the calibration-set affects the reconstruction result, guidance is lacking as to how to determine a suitable spatial extent of the pollen-climate calibration-set. In this study, past mean annual precipitation (P-ann) during the Holocene (since 11.5 cal ka BP) is reconstructed repeatedly for pollen records from Qinghai Lake (36.7 degrees N, 100.5 degrees E; north-east Tibetan Plateau), Gonghai Lake (38.9 degrees N, 112.2 degrees E; north China) and Sihailongwan Lake (42.3 degrees N, 126.6 degrees E; north-east China) using calibration-sets of varying spatial extents extracted from the modern pollen dataset of China and Mongolia (2559 sampling sites and 168 pollen taxa in total). Results indicate that the spatial extent of the calibration-set has a strong impact on model performance, analogue quality and reconstruction diagnostics (absolute value, range, trend, optimum). Generally, these effects are stronger with the modern analogue technique (MAT) than with weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS). With respect to fossil spectra from northern China, the spatial extent of calibration-sets should be restricted to radii between ca. 1000 and 1500 km because small-scale calibration-sets (<800 km radius) will likely fail to include enough spatial variation in the modern pollen assemblages to reflect the temporal range shifts during the Holocene, while too broad a scale calibration-set (>1500 km radius) will include taxa with very different pollen-climate relationships. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{JambrinaEnriquezSachseValeroGarces2016,
  author    = {Jambrina-Enriquez, Margarita and Sachse, Dirk and Valero-Garces, Blas L.},
  title     = {A deglaciation and Holocene biomarker-based reconstruction of climate and environmental variability in NW Iberian Peninsula: the Sanabria Lake sequence},
  series = {Journal of paleolimnolog},
  volume    = {56},
  journal   = {Journal of paleolimnolog},
  publisher = {Springer},
  address   = {Dordrecht},
  issn      = {0921-2728},
  doi       = {10.1007/s10933-016-9890-6},
  pages     = {49 -- 66},
  year      = {2016},
  abstract  = {The molecular biomarker composition of two sediment cores from Sanabria Lake (NW Iberian Peninsula) and a survey of modern plants in the watershed provide a reconstruction of past vegetation and landscape dynamics since deglaciation. During a proglacial stage in Lake Sanabria (prior to 14.7 cal ka BP), very low biomarker concentration and carbon preference index (CPI) values similar to 1 suggest that the n-alkanes could have derived from eroded ancient sediment sources or older organic matter with high degree of maturity. During the Late glacial (14.7-11.7 cal ka BP) and the Holocene (last 11.7 cal ka BP) intervals with higher biomarker and triterpenoid concentrations (high \%nC(29) , nC(31) alkanes), higher CPI and average carbon length (ACL), and lower P-aq (proportion of aquatic plants) are indicative of major contribution of vascular land plants from a more forested watershed (e.g. Mid Holocene period 7.0-4.0 cal ka BP). Lower biomarker concentrations (high \%nC(27) alkanes), CPI and ACL values responded to short phases with decreased allochthonous contribution into the lake that correspond to centennial-scale periods of regional forest decline (e.g. 4-3 ka BP, Roman deforestation after 2.0 ka, and some phases of the LIA, seventeenth-nineteenth centuries). Human activities in the watershed were significant during early medieval times (1.3-1.0 cal ka BP) and since 1960 CE, in both cases associated with relatively higher productivity stages in the lake (lower biomarker and triterpenoid concentrations, high \%nC(23) and \%nC(31) respectively, lower ACL and CPI values and higher P-aq). The lipid composition of Sanabria Lake sediments indicates a major allochthonous (watershed-derived) contribution to the organic matter budget since deglaciation, and a dominant oligotrophic status during the lake history. The study constrains the climate and anthropogenic forcings and watershed versus lake sources in organic matter accumulation processes and helps to design conservation and management policies in mountain, oligotrophic lakes.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Ott2018,
  author    = {Ott, Florian},
  title     = {Late Glacial and Holocene climate and environmental evolution in the southern Baltic lowlands derived from varved lake sediments},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-414805},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xix, 241},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Holocene climate variability is generally characterized by low frequency changes than compared to the last glaciations including the Lateglacial. However, there is vast evidence for decadal to centennial scale oscillations and millennial scale climate trends, which are within and beyond a human lifetime perception, respectively. Within the Baltic realm, a transitional zone between oceanic and continental climate influence, the impact of Holocene and Lateglacial climate and environmental change is currently partly understood. This is mainly attributed to the scarcity of well-dated and high-resolution sediment records and to the lacking continuity of already investigated archives. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to reconstruct Holocene and Late Glacial climate variability on local to (over)regional scales based on varved (annually laminated) sediments from Lake Czechowskie down to annual resolution. This project was carried out within the Virtual Institute for Integrated Climate and Landscape Evolution Analyses (ICLEA) and funded by the Helmholtz Association and the Helmholtz Climate Initiative REKLIM (Regional Climate Change). ICLEA intended to gain a better understanding of climate variability and landscape evolution processes in the Northern Central European lowlands since the last deglaciation. REKLIM Topic 8 "Abrupt climate change derived from proxy data" aims at identifying spatiotemporal patterns of climate variability between e.g. higher and lower latitudes. The main aim of this thesis was (i) to establish a robust chronology based on a multiple dating approach for Lake Czechowskie covering the Late Glacial and Holocene and for the Trzechowskie palaeolake for the Lateglacial, respectively, (ii) to reconstruct past climatic and environmental conditions on centennial to multi-millennial time scales and (iii) to distinguish between local to regional different sediments responses to climate change. Addressing the first aim, the Lake Czechowskie chronology has been established by a multiple dating approach comprising information from varve counting, tephrochronology, AMS 14C dating of terrestrial plant remains, biostratigraphy and 137Cs activity concentration measurements. Those independent age constraints covering the Lateglacial and the entire Holocene and have been further implemented in a Bayesian age model by using OxCal v.4.2. Thus, even within non-varved sediment intervals, robust chronological information has been used for absolute age determination. The identification of five cryptotephras, of which three are used as unambiguous isochrones, is furthermore a significant improvement of the Czechowskie chronology and currently unique for the Holocene within Poland. The first findings of coexisting early Holocene H{\"a}sseldalen and Askja-S cryptotephras within a varved sequence even allowed differential dating between both volcanic ashes and stimulated the discussion of revising the absolute ages of the Askja-S tephra. The Trzechowskie palaeolake chronology has been established by a multiple dating approach comprising varve counting, tephrochronology, AMS 14C dating of terrestrial plant remains and biostratigraphy, covers the Lateglacial period (Aller{\o}d and Younger Dryas) and has been implemented in OxCal v.4.2. Those age constraints allowed regional correlation to other high-resolution climate archives and identifying leads and lags of proxy responses at the onset of the Younger Dryas. The second aim has been accomplished by detailed micro-facies and geochemical analyses of the Czechowskie sediments for the entire Holocene. Thus, especially micro-facies changes had been linked to enhanced productivity at Lake Czechowskie. Most prominent changes have been recorded at 7.3, 6.5, 4.3 and 2.8 varve kyrs BP and are linked to a stepwise increasing influence of Atlantic air masses. Especially, the mid-Holocene change, which had been widely reported from palaeohydrological records in low latitudes, has been identified and linked to large scale reorganization of atmospheric circulation patterns. Thus, especially long-term changes of climatic and environmental boundary conditions are widely recorded by the Czechowskie sediments. The pronounced response to (multi)millennial scale changes is further corroborated by the lack of clear sediment responses to early Holocene centennial scale climate oscillations (e.g. the Preboreal Oscillation). However, decadal scale changes at Lake Czechowskie during the most recent period (last 140 years) have been investigated in a lake comparison study. To fulfill the third aim of the doctoral thesis, three lakes in close vicinity to each other have been investigated in order to better distinguish how local, site-specific parameters, may superimpose regional climate driven changes. All lakes haven been unambiguously linked by the Askja AD1875 cryptotephra and independent varve chronologies. As a result, climate warming has only been recorded by sedimentation changes at the smallest and best sheltered lake (Głęboczek), whereas the largest lake (Czechowskie) and the shallowest lake (Jelonek) showed attenuated and less clear sediment responses, respectively. The different responses have been linked to morphological lake characteristics (lake size and depth, catchment area). This study highlights the potential of high-resolution lake comparison for robust proxy based climate reconstructions. In summary, the doctoral thesis presents a high-resolution sediment record with an underlying age model, which is prerequisite for unprecedented age control down to annual resolution. Sediment proxy based climate reconstructions demonstrate the importance of the Czechowskie sediments for better understanding climate variability in the southern Baltic realm. Case studies showed the clear response on millennial time scale, while decadal scale fluctuations are either less well expressed or superimposed by local, site-specific parameters. The identification of volcanic ash layers is not only used for unambiguous isochrones, those are key tie lines for local to supra regional archive synchronization and establish the Lake Czechowskie as a key climate archive.},
  language  = {en}
}
@misc{LauterbachWittPlessenetal.2017,
  author    = {Lauterbach, Stefan and Witt, Roman and Plessen, Birgit and Dulski, Peter and Prasad, Sushma and Mingram, Jens and Gleixner, Gerd and Hettler-Riedel, Sabine and Stebich, Martina and Schnetger, Bernhard and Schwalb, Antje and Schwarz, Anja},
  title     = {Climatic imprint of the mid-latitude Westerlies in the Central Tian Shan of Kyrgyzstan and teleconnections to North Atlantic climate variability during the last 6000 years},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-404085},
  pages     = {15},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {In general, a moderate drying trend is observed in mid-latitude arid Central Asia since the Mid-Holocene, attributed to the progressively weakening influence of the mid-latitude Westerlies on regional climate. However, as the spatio-temporal pattern of this development and the underlying climatic mechanisms are yet not fully understood, new high-resolution paleoclimate records from this region are needed. Within this study, a sediment core from Lake Son Kol (Central Kyrgyzstan) was investigated using sedimentological, (bio) geochemical, isotopic, and palynological analyses, aiming at reconstructing regional climate development during the last 6000 years. Biogeochemical data, mainly reflecting summer moisture conditions, indicate predominantly wet conditions until 4950 cal. yr BP, succeeded by a pronounced dry interval between 4950 and 3900 cal. yr BP. In the following, a return to wet conditions and a subsequent moderate drying trend until present times are observed. This is consistent with other regional paleoclimate records and likely reflects the gradual Late Holocene diminishment of the amount of summer moisture provided by the mid-latitude Westerlies. However, climate impact of the Westerlies was apparently not only restricted to the summer season but also significant during winter as indicated by recurrent episodes of enhanced allochthonous input through snowmelt, occurring before 6000 cal. yr BP and at 5100-4350, 3450-2850, and 1900-1500 cal. yr BP. The distinct similar to 1500year periodicity of these episodes of increased winter precipitation in Central Kyrgyzstan resembles similar cyclicities observed in paleoclimate records around the North Atlantic, likely indicating a hemispheric-scale climatic teleconnection and an impact of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) variability in Central Asia.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{CaoHerzschuhNietal.2015,
  author    = {Cao, Xianyong and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Ni, Jian and Zhao, Yan and B{\"o}hmer, Thomas},
  title     = {Spatial and temporal distributions of major tree taxa in eastern continental Asia during the last 22,000 years},
  series = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change},
  volume    = {25},
  journal   = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Sage Publ.},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {0959-6836},
  doi       = {10.1177/0959683614556385},
  pages     = {79 -- 91},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {This study investigates the spatial and temporal distributions of 14 key arboreal taxa and their driving forces during the last 22,000 calendar years before ad 1950 (kyr BP) using a taxonomically harmonized and temporally standardized fossil pollen dataset with a 500-year resolution from the eastern part of continental Asia. Logistic regression was used to estimate pollen abundance thresholds for vegetation occurrence (presence or dominance), based on modern pollen data and present ranges of 14 taxa in China. Our investigation reveals marked changes in spatial and temporal distributions of the major arboreal taxa. The thermophilous (Castanea, Castanopsis, Cyclobalanopsis, Fagus, Pterocarya) and eurythermal (Juglans, Quercus, Tilia, Ulmus) broadleaved tree taxa were restricted to the current tropical or subtropical areas of China during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and spread northward since c. 14.5kyr BP. Betula and conifer taxa (Abies, Picea, Pinus), in contrast, retained a wider distribution during the LGM and showed no distinct expansion direction during the Late Glacial. Since the late mid-Holocene, the abundance but not the spatial extent of most trees decreased. The changes in spatial and temporal distributions for the 14 taxa are a reflection of climate changes, in particular monsoonal moisture, and, in the late Holocene, human impact. The post-LGM expansion patterns in eastern continental China seem to be different from those reported for Europe and North America, for example, the westward spread for eurythermal broadleaved taxa.},
  language  = {en}
}
@misc{MischkeZhangFan2015,
  author    = {Mischke, Steffen and Zhang, Chengjun and Fan, Rong},
  title     = {Early to mid-Holocene lake high-stand sediments at Lake Donggi Cona, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China -},
  series = {Quaternary research : an interdisciplinary journal},
  volume    = {83},
  journal   = {Quaternary research : an interdisciplinary journal},
  number    = {1},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {San Diego},
  issn      = {0033-5894},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.yqres.2014.06.005},
  pages     = {256 -- 258},
  year      = {2015},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SaviDelunelSchlunegger2015,
  author    = {Savi, Sara and Delunel, Romain and Schlunegger, Fritz},
  title     = {Efficiency of frost-cracking processes through space and time: An example from the eastern Italian Alps},
  series = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology},
  volume    = {232},
  journal   = {Geomorphology : an international journal on pure and applied geomorphology},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0169-555X},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.01.009},
  pages     = {248 -- 260},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {It is widely accepted that climate has a strong impact and exerts important feedbacks on erosional processes and sediment transport mechanisms. However, the extent at which climate influences erosion is still a matter of debate. In this paper we test whether frost-cracking processes and related temperature variations can influence the sediment production and surface erosion in a small catchment situated in the eastern Italian Alps. To this extent, we first present a geomorphic map of the region that we complement with published Be-10-based denudation rates. We then apply a preexisting heat-flow model in order to analyze the variations of the frost-cracking intensity (FCI) in the study area, which could have controlled the sediment production in the basin. Finally, we compare the model results with the pattern of denudation rates and Quaternary deposits in the geomorphic map. The model results, combined with field observations, mapping, and quantitative geomorphic analyses, reveal that frost-cracking processes have had a primary role in the production of sediment where the intensity of sediment supply has been dictated and limited by the combined effect of temperature variations and conditions of bedrock preservation. These results highlight the importance of a yet poorly understood process for the production of sediment in mountain areas. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MishraPrasadAnoopetal.2015,
  author    = {Mishra, Praveen Kumar and Prasad, Sushma and Anoop, A. and Plessen, Birgit and Jehangir, Arshid and Gaye, Birgit and Menzel, Philip and Weise, Stephan M. and Yousuf, Abdul R.},
  title     = {Carbonate isotopes from high altitude Tso Moriri Lake (NW Himalayas) provide clues to late glacial and Holocene moisture source and atmospheric circulation changes},
  series = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences},
  volume    = {425},
  journal   = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0031-0182},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.02.031},
  pages     = {76 -- 83},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {High resolution isotopic (delta O-18 and delta C-13) investigations on endogenic carbonates (calcite/aragonite) from Tso Moriri Lake, NW Himalaya show dramatic fluctuations during the late glacial and the early Holocene, and a persistent enrichment trend during the late Holocene. Changes in this lake are largely governed by the [input (meltwater + monsoon precipitation)/evaporationj (WE) ratio, also reflected in changes in the carbonate mineralogy with aragonite being formed during periods of lowest I/E. Using new isotopic data on endogenic carbonates in combination with the available data on geochemistry, mineralogy, and reconstructed mean annual precipitation, we demonstrate that the late glacial and early Holocene carbonate delta O-18 variability resulted from fluctuating Indian summer monsoon (ISM) precipitation in NW Himalaya. This region experienced increasing ISM precipitation between ca. 13.1 and 11.7 cal ka and highest ISM precipitation during the early Holocene (11.2-8.5 cal ka). However, during the late Holocene, evaporation was the dominant control on the carbonate delta O-18. Regional comparison of reconstructed hydrological changes from Tso Moriri Lake with other archives from the Asian summer monsoon and westerlies domain shows that the intensified westerly influence that resulted in higher lake levels (after 8 cal ka) in central Asia was not strongly felt in NW Himalaya. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MishraAnoopSchettleretal.2015,
  author    = {Mishra, Praveen Kumar and Anoop, Ambili and Schettler, Georg and Prasad, Sushma and Jehangir, Arshid and Menzel, Peter and Naumann, Rudolf and Yousuf, A. R. and Basavaiah, Nathani and Deenadayalan, Kannan and Wiesner, Martin G. and Gaye, Birgit},
  title     = {Reconstructed late Quaternary hydrological changes from Lake Tso Moriri, NW Himalaya},
  series = {Quaternary international : the journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research},
  volume    = {371},
  journal   = {Quaternary international : the journal of the International Union for Quaternary Research},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {1040-6182},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quaint.2014.11.040},
  pages     = {76 -- 86},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {We present the results of our investigations on the radiocarbon dated core sediments from the Lake Tso Moriri, NW Himalaya aimed at reconstructing palaeohydrological changes in this climatically sensitive region. Based on the detailed geochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological analysis, we recognise several short-term fluctuations superimposed upon seven major palaeohydrological stages identified in this lake since similar to 26 cal ka. Stage I (>20.2 cal ka): shallow lake characterised by input of coarse-grained detrital sediments; Stage II (20.2-16.4 cal ka): lake deepening and intensification of this trend ca. 18 cal ka; Stage III (16.4-11.2 cal ka): rising lake levels with a short term wet phase (13.1-11.7 cal ka); Stage IV (11.2-8.5 cal ka): early Holocene hydrological maxima and highest lake levels inferred to have resulted from early Holocene Indian monsoon intensification, as records from central Asia indicate weaker westerlies during this interval; Stage V (8.5-5.5 cal ka): mid-Holocene climate deterioration; Stage VI (5.5-2.7 cal ka): progressive lowering of lake level; Stage VII (2.7-0 cal ka): onset of modern conditions. The reconstructed hydrological variability in Lake Tso Moriri is governed by temperature changes (meltwater inflow) and monsoon precipitation (increased runoff). A regional comparison shows considerable differences with other palaeorecords from peninsular India during late Holocene. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SarkarPrasadWilkesetal.2015,
  author    = {Sarkar, Saswati and Prasad, Sushma and Wilkes, Heinz and Riedel, Nils and Stebich, Martina and Basavaiah, Nathani and Sachse, Dirk},
  title     = {Monsoon source shifts during the drying mid-Holocene: Biomarker isotope based evidence from the core 'monsoon zone' (CMZ) of India},
  series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  volume    = {123},
  journal   = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0277-3791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.06.020},
  pages     = {144 -- 157},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {A better understanding of past variations of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM), that plays a vital role for the still largely agro-based economy in India, can lead to a better assessment of its potential impact under global climate change scenarios. However, our knowledge of spatiotemporal patterns of ISM strength is limited due to the lack of high-resolution, continental paleohydrological records. Here, we reconstruct centennial-scale hydrological variability during the Holocene associated to changes in the intensity of the ISM based on a record of lipid biomarker abundances and compound-specific stable isotopic composition of a 10 m long sediment core from saline alkaline Lonar Lake, situated in the core 'monsoon zone' of central India. We identified three main periods of distinct hydrology during the Holocene in central India. The period between 10.1 and 6 cal ka BP was likely the wettest during the Holocene. Lower average chain length (ACL) index values (29.4-28.6) and negative delta C-13(wax) values (-34.8 parts per thousand to -27.8 parts per thousand) of leaf wax n-alkanes indicate the dominance of woody C-3 vegetation in the catchment, and negative delta D-wax values (concentration weighted average) (-171 parts per thousand to -147 parts per thousand) suggest a wet period due to an intensified monsoon. After 6 cal ka BP, a gradual shift to less negative delta C-13(wax) values (particularly for the grass derived n-C-31) and appearance of the triterpene lipid tetrahymanol, generally considered as a marker for salinity and water column stratification, mark the onset of drier conditions. At 5.1 cal ka BP an increasing flux of leaf wax n-alkanes along with the highest flux of tetrahymanol indicate a major lowering of the lake level. Between 4.8 and 4 cal ka BP, we find evidence for a transition to arid conditions, indicated by high and strongly variable tetrahymanol flux. In addition, a pronounced shift to less negative delta C-13(wax) values, in particular for n-C-31 (-25.2 parts per thousand to -22.8 parts per thousand), during this period indicates a change of dominant vegetation to C-4 grasses. In agreement with other proxy data, such as deposition of evaporite minerals, we interpret this period to reflect the driest conditions in the region during the last 10.1 ka. This transition led to protracted late Holocene arid conditions after 4 ka with the presence of a permanent saline lake, supported by the sustained presence of tetrahymanol and more positive average delta D-wax values (-122 parts per thousand to -141 parts per thousand). A late Holocene peak of cyanobacterial biomarker input at 1.3 cal ka BP might represent an event of lake eutrophication, possibly due to human impact and the onset of cattle/livestock farming in the catchment. A unique feature of our record is the presence of a distinct transitional period between 4.8 and 4 cal ka BP, which was characterized by some of the most negative delta D-wax values during the Holocene (up to -180 parts per thousand), when all other proxy data indicate the driest conditions during the Holocene. These negative delta D-wax values can as such most reasonably be explained by a shift in moisture source area and/or pathways or rainfall seasonality during this transitional period. We hypothesize that orbital induced weakening of the summer solar insolation and associated reorganization of the general atmospheric circulation, as a possible southward displacement of the tropical rainbelt, led to an unstable hydroclimate in central India between 4.8 and 4 ka.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PrasadAnoopRiedeletal.2014,
  author    = {Prasad, Sushma and Anoop, A. and Riedel, N. and Sarkar, Saswati and Menzel, P. and Basavaiah, Nathani and Krishnan, R. and Fuller, D. and Plessen, Birgit and Gaye, B. and Roehl, U. and Wilkes, H. and Sachse, Dirk and Sawant, R. and Wiesner, M. G. and Stebich, M.},
  title     = {Prolonged monsoon droughts and links to Indo-Pacific warm pool: A Holocene record from Lonar Lake, central India},
  series = {Earth \& planetary science letters},
  volume    = {391},
  journal   = {Earth \& planetary science letters},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0012-821X},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.epsl.2014.01.043},
  pages     = {171 -- 182},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Concerns about the regional impact of global climate change in a warming scenario have highlighted the gaps in our understanding of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM, also referred to as the Indian Ocean summer monsoon) and the absence of long term palaeoclimate data from the central Indian core monsoon zone (CMZ). Here we present the first high resolution, well-dated, multiproxy reconstruction of Holocene palaeoclimate from a 10 m long sediment core raised from the Lonar Lake in central India. We show that while the early Holocene onset of-intensified monsoon in the CMZ is similar to that reported from other ISM records, the Lonar data shows two prolonged droughts (PD, multidecadal to centennial periods of weaker monsoon) between 4.6-3.9 and 2-0.6 cal ka. A comparison of our record with available data from other ISM influenced sites shows that the impact of these PD was observed in varying degrees throughout the ISM realm and coincides with intervals of higher solar irradiance. We demonstrate that (i) the regional warming in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) plays an important role in causing ISM PD through changes in meridional overturning circulation and position of the anomalous Walker cell; (ii) the long term influence of conditions like El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on the ISM began only ca. 2 cal ka BP and is coincident with the warming of the southern IPWP; (iii) the first settlements in central India coincided with the onset of the first PD and agricultural populations flourished between the two PD, highlighting the significance of natural climate variability and PD as major environmental factors affecting human settlements.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MarquerGaillardSugitaetal.2014,
  author    = {Marquer, Laurent and Gaillard, Marie-Jose and Sugita, Shinya and Trondman, Anna-Kari and Mazier, Florence and Nielsen, Anne Birgitte and Fyfe, Ralph M. and Odgaard, Bent Vad and Alenius, Teija and Birks, H. John B. and Bjune, Anne E. and Christiansen, J{\"o}rg and Dodson, John and Edwards, Kevin J. and Giesecke, Thomas and Herzschuh, Ulrike and Kangur, Mihkel and Lorenz, Sebastian and Poska, Anneli and Schult, Manuela and Seppa, Heikki},
  title     = {Holocene changes in vegetation composition in northern Europe: why quantitative pollen-based vegetation reconstructions matter},
  series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  volume    = {90},
  journal   = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0277-3791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.02.013},
  pages     = {199 -- 216},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {We present pollen-based reconstructions of the spatio-temporal dynamics of northern European regional vegetation abundance through the Holocene. We apply the Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites (REVEALS) model using fossil pollen records from eighteen sites within five modern biomes in the region. The eighteen sites are classified into four time-trajectory types on the basis of principal components analysis of both the REVEALS-based vegetation estimates (RVs) and the pollen percentage (PPs). The four trajectory types are more clearly separated for RVs than PPs. Further, the timing of major Holocene shifts, rates of compositional change, and diversity indices (turnover and evenness) differ between RVs and PPs. The differences are due to the reduction by REVEALS of biases in fossil pollen assemblages caused by different basin size, and inter-taxonomic differences in pollen productivity and dispersal properties. For example, in comparison to the PPs, the RVs show an earlier increase in Corylus and Ulmus in the early-Holocene and a more pronounced increase in grassland and deforested areas since the mid-Holocene. The results suggest that the influence of deforestation and agricultural activities on plant composition and abundance from Neolithic times was stronger than previously inferred from PPs. Relative to PPs, RVs show a more rapid compositional change, a largest decrease in turnover, and less variable evenness in most of northern Europe since 5200 cal yr BP. All these changes are primarily related to the strong impact of human activities on the vegetation. This study demonstrates that RV-based estimates of diversity indices, timing of shifts, and rates of change in reconstructed vegetation provide new insights into the timing and magnitude of major human distribution on Holocene regional, vegetation, feature that are critical in the assessment of human impact on vegetation, land-cover, biodiversity, and climate in the past.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HerzschuhBorkowskiScheweetal.2014,
  author    = {Herzschuh, Ulrike and Borkowski, Janett and Schewe, Jacob and Mischke, Steffen and Tian, Fang},
  title     = {Moisture-advection feedback supports strong early-to-mid Holocene monsoon climate on the eastern Tibetan Plateau as inferred from a pollen-based reconstruction},
  series = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences},
  volume    = {402},
  journal   = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0031-0182},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.02.022},
  pages     = {44 -- 54},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {(Paleo-)climatologists are challenged to identify mechanisms that cause the observed abrupt Holocene monsoon events despite the fact that monsoonal circulation is assumed to be driven by gradual insolation changes. Here we provide proxy and model evidence to show that moisture-advection feedback can lead to a non-linear relationship between sea-surface and continental temperatures and monsoonal precipitation. A pollen record from Lake Ximencuo (Nianbaoyeze Mountains) indicates that vegetation from the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau was characterized by alpine deserts and glacial flora after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (21-15.5 cal kyr BP), by alpine meadows during the Late Glacial (15.5-10.4 cal kyr BP) and second half of the Holocene (5.0 cal kyr BP to present) and by mixed forests during the first half of the Holocene (10.4-5.0 cal kyr BP). The application of pollen-based transfer functions yields an abrupt temperature increase at 10.4 cal kyr BP and a decrease at 5.0 cal kyr BP of about 3 degrees C. By applying endmember modeling to grain-size data from the same sediment core we infer that frequent fluvial events (probably originating from high-magnitude precipitation events) were more common in the early and mid Holocene. We assign the inferred exceptional strong monsoonal circulation to the initiation of moisture-advection feedback, a result supported by a simple model that reproduces this feedback pattern over the same time period. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LauterbachWittPlessenetal.2014,
  author    = {Lauterbach, Stefan and Witt, Roman and Plessen, Birgit and Dulski, Peter and Prasad, Sushma and Mingram, Jens and Gleixner, Gerd and Hettler-Riedel, Sabine and Stebich, Martina and Schnetger, Bernhard and Schwalb, Antje and Schwarz, Anja},
  title     = {Climatic imprint of the mid-latitude Westerlies in the Central Tian Shan of Kyrgyzstan and teleconnections to North Atlantic climate variability during the last 6000 years},
  series = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change},
  volume    = {24},
  journal   = {The Holocene : an interdisciplinary journal focusing on recent environmental change},
  number    = {8},
  publisher = {Sage Publ.},
  address   = {London},
  issn      = {0959-6836},
  doi       = {10.1177/0959683614534741},
  pages     = {970 -- 984},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {In general, a moderate drying trend is observed in mid-latitude arid Central Asia since the Mid-Holocene, attributed to the progressively weakening influence of the mid-latitude Westerlies on regional climate. However, as the spatio-temporal pattern of this development and the underlying climatic mechanisms are yet not fully understood, new high-resolution paleoclimate records from this region are needed. Within this study, a sediment core from Lake Son Kol (Central Kyrgyzstan) was investigated using sedimentological, (bio) geochemical, isotopic, and palynological analyses, aiming at reconstructing regional climate development during the last 6000 years. Biogeochemical data, mainly reflecting summer moisture conditions, indicate predominantly wet conditions until 4950 cal. yr BP, succeeded by a pronounced dry interval between 4950 and 3900 cal. yr BP. In the following, a return to wet conditions and a subsequent moderate drying trend until present times are observed. This is consistent with other regional paleoclimate records and likely reflects the gradual Late Holocene diminishment of the amount of summer moisture provided by the mid-latitude Westerlies. However, climate impact of the Westerlies was apparently not only restricted to the summer season but also significant during winter as indicated by recurrent episodes of enhanced allochthonous input through snowmelt, occurring before 6000 cal. yr BP and at 5100-4350, 3450-2850, and 1900-1500 cal. yr BP. The distinct similar to 1500year periodicity of these episodes of increased winter precipitation in Central Kyrgyzstan resembles similar cyclicities observed in paleoclimate records around the North Atlantic, likely indicating a hemispheric-scale climatic teleconnection and an impact of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) variability in Central Asia.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{MenzelGayeMishraetal.2014,
  author    = {Menzel, Philip and Gaye, Birgit and Mishra, Praveen Kumar and Anoop, Ambili and Basavaiah, Nathani and Marwan, Norbert and Plessen, Birgit and Prasad, Sushma and Riedel, Nils and Stebich, Martina and Wiesner, Martin G.},
  title     = {Linking Holocene drying trends from Lonar Lake in monsoonal central India to North Atlantic cooling events},
  series = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences},
  volume    = {410},
  journal   = {Palaeogeography, palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology : an international journal for the geo-sciences},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Amsterdam},
  issn      = {0031-0182},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.05.044},
  pages     = {164 -- 178},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {We present the results of biogeochemical and mineralogical analyses on a sediment core that covers the Holocene sedimentation history of the climatically sensitive, closed, saline, and alkaline Lonar Lake in the core monsoon zone in central India. We compare our results of C/N ratios, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, grain-size, as well as amino acid derived degradation proxies with climatically sensitive proxies of other records from South Asia and the North Atlantic region. The comparison reveals some more or less contemporaneous climate shifts. At Lonar Lake, a general long term climate transition from wet conditions during the early Holocene to drier conditions during the late Holocene, delineating the insolation curve, can be reconstructed. In addition to the previously identified periods of prolonged drought during 4.6-3.9 and 2.0-0.6 cal ka that have been attributed to temperature changes in the Indo Pacific Warm Pool, several additional phases of shorter term climate alteration superimposed upon the general climate trend can be identified. These correlate with cold phases in the North Atlantic region. The most pronounced climate deteriorations indicated by our data occurred during 62-5.2,4.6-3.9, and 2.0-0.6 cal ka BP. The strong dry phase between 4.6 and 3.9 cal ka BP at Lonar Lake corroborates the hypothesis that severe climate deterioration contributed to the decline of the Indus Civilisation about 3.9 ka BP. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HuangOberhaenslivonSuchodoletzetal.2014,
  author    = {Huang, Xiangtong and Oberhaensli, Hedi and von Suchodoletz, Hans and Prasad, Sushma and Sorrel, Philippe and Plessen, Birgit and Mathis, Marie and Usubaliev, Raskul},
  title     = {Hydrological changes in western Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan) during the Holocene as inferred from a palaeolimnological study in lake Son Kul},
  series = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  volume    = {103},
  journal   = {Quaternary science reviews : the international multidisciplinary research and review journal},
  publisher = {Elsevier},
  address   = {Oxford},
  issn      = {0277-3791},
  doi       = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.09.012},
  pages     = {134 -- 152},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The hydrology of western Central Asia is highly sensitive to climatic perturbations. In order to understand its long-term variability and to infer linkages between precipitation and atmospheric and oceanic systems, we conducted a thorough sedimentary and geochemical study on a composite core retrieved in lake Son Kul (central Kyrgyzstan). A multi-proxy approach was conducted on lake sediments based on grain size analyses, magnetic susceptibility, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and carbon and oxygen isotope analyses on bulk and biogenic materials (ostracoda and molluscs shells) at a resolution equivalent to ca 40 years, aiming to characterise the sequence of palaeolimnological changes in Son Kul. As indicated by delta O-18 record of bulk carbonates, mainly consisting of aragonite, the Holocene hydrological balance was negative during most of time, suggesting an excess of evaporation (E) over precipitation (P). Limnological conditions fluctuated rapidly before 5000 cal yr BP indicating significant changes in regional hydrology and climate. In particular, the long-term negative hydrological balance was impeded by several short stages with marked increase of precipitation, lasting several decades to a few centuries (e.g., 8300-8200, 6900-6700, 6300-6100, 5500-5400, 5300-5200 and 3100 -3000 cal yr BP). Precipitation changes as inferred from 8180 data are also documented by increased minerogenic detritus and higher TOC. We propose that the seasonal pattern of precipitation varied transiently in western Central Asia during the Holocene, although evaporation changes may also account for the rapid changes observed in delta O-18 data. When the annual water balance was less critical (P <= E), the excess of water might be ascribed to increased precipitation during cold seasons mainly because winter precipitation has more negative delta O-18 than its summer equivalent. Conversely, when the annual water balance is negative (P E), the moisture was mainly delivered during the warm season, as between 5000 and 2000 cal yr BP. Our results thus imply that moisture sources could have changed as well during the Holocene. Moisture was delivered as today mainly during summer from the extended Caspian-Aral Basin and eastern Mediterranean, although Arctic and even North Atlantic seas might be important moisture sources when seasonal precipitation was dominated by winter precipitation. We hypothesise that warming Arctic and North Atlantic seas were important for the North Hemisphere circulation during the cold season. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
  language  = {en}
}