Evidence of thermophilisation and elevation-dependent warming during the Last Interglacial in the Italian Alps

VE Johnston; A Borsato; S Frisia; C Spötl; Y Dublyansky; P Töchterle; JC Hellstrom; P Bajo; RL Edwards; H Cheng

Journal article

Evidence of thermophilisation and elevation-dependent warming during the Last Interglacial in the Italian Alps

VE Johnston, A Borsato, S Frisia, C Spötl, Y Dublyansky, P Töchterle, JC Hellstrom, P Bajo, RL Edwards, H Cheng

Scientific Reports | NATURE PORTFOLIO | Published : 2018

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21027-3

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Abstract

Thermophilisation is the response of plants communities in mountainous areas to increasing temperatures, causing an upward migration of warm-adapted (thermophilic) species and consequently, the timberline. This greening, associated with warming, causes enhanced evapotranspiration that leads to intensification of the hydrological cycle, which is recorded by hydroclimate-sensitive archives, such as stalagmites and flowstones formed in caves. Understanding how hydroclimate manifests at high altitudes is important for predicting future water resources of many regions of Europe that rely on glaciers and snow accumulation. Using proxy data from three coeval speleothems (stalagmites and flowstone) ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

John Hellstrom Author

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Grants

Awarded by European Commission

Funding Acknowledgements

VEJ received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. COFUND-GA-2008-226070 - project "Trentino". The Geological Survey of the Autonomous Province of Trento permitting sampling in CB Cave. We greatly appreciate laboratory help from Manuela Wimmer, Marc Luetscher and Gina Moseley (University of Innsbruck), Angela Min (University of Minnesota) and Steve Eggins (The Australian National University). We acknowledge the contribution of Michele Zandonati constructing Fig. 1.