Vegetation and climate patterns of western Türkiye since the late Last Glacial Period based on a new pollen record in the Aegean sea

Abstract

A new palynological record from the uppermost 2.8 m of the 8.1 m-long core MAR03-02C (composite core) from the Aegean Sea, covering the last 20.8 ka, allows the reconstruction of palaeovegetation patterns and palaeoclimate dynamics in the surrounding landmass since the late Last Glacial Period. Variations in Mediterranean/temperate forests and herb/steppe plants indicate major climatic shifts associated with the Bølling-Allerød, Younger Dryas, and the Holocene Climatic Optimum. In the cold and dry periods, low amounts of arboreal pollen and high amounts of herbaceous and steppe pollen, including Artemisia, Cyperaceae, and Asteraceae Cichorioideae, were recorded. During the warmer periods, high AP, which was mainly characterized by deciduous Quercus, and low herbaceous/steppe plants, dominated the region surrounding the core site. However, the impacts of the Bølling-Allerød warm interval and the Younger Dryas cold episode were not strongly represented in the vegetation patterns. Warm-temperate and Mediterranean trees, mainly consisting of deciduous Quercus and Quercus ilex-type trees, reached their maximum from the onset of the Holocene at ∼11.7 to 6 ka, corresponding to the Holocene Climate Optimum and Sapropel 1 formations. Subsequently, general aridity trends and nearly modern climate patterns prevailed. The pollen record shows similarities between the previously published core MAR03-02C and regional proxy records. Anthropogenic impacts clearly occurred during the last 3.5 ka when cultivated plants became prominent in the pollen records (e.g., Olea europaea and Pistacia), with a significant decline in warm-temperate trees until 1.2 ka, suggesting that the Beyşehir Occupation Phase is also recorded in the eastern Aegean Sea.