Speleothem growth intervals reflect New Zealand montane vegetation response to temperature change over the last glacial cycle.

John Hellstrom; Kale Sniderman; Russell Drysdale; Isabelle Couchoud; Adam Hartland; Andrew Pearson; Petra Bajo

Journal article

Speleothem growth intervals reflect New Zealand montane vegetation response to temperature change over the last glacial cycle.

John Hellstrom, Kale Sniderman, Russell Drysdale, Isabelle Couchoud, Adam Hartland, Andrew Pearson, Petra Bajo

Scientific Reports | Springer Nature | Published : 2020

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58317-8

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Abstract

Flowstone speleothem growth beneath Mount Arthur, New Zealand shows a clear relationship to vegetation density and soil development on the surface above. Flowstone does not currently form beneath sub-alpine Nothofagus forest above ca. 1000-1100 m altitude but U-Th dating shows it has formed there during past intervals of warmer-than-present conditions including an early-mid Holocene optimum and the last interglacial from ca. 131-119 ka. Some flowstones growing beneath ca. 600 m surface altitude, currently mantled with dense broadleaf-podocarp forest, grew during full glacial conditions, indicating that local tree line was never below this altitude. This implies that Last Glacial Maximum annu..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

John Hellstrom Author

Kale Sniderman Author

Russell Drysdale Author

Isabelle Couchoud Author

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Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

Bella Ansell and Romina Belli planned and assisted with the dating of core samples NB11 and MD3. JH was funded by the Australian Research Council as a Future Fellow (FT130100801). We thank Matt Ryan for providing the TAN0513-14 pollen data, Tim Barrows for the MD97-2120 - MD88-770 SST stack and Jonathan Ravens for the cave outline maps. Joel Zwartz, Maree Hunt, Jonathan Ravens, Anna Pulford, Jane Pulford, Lyle Williams, Jenny O'Connell, Travis Cross and members of the Victoria Cavers and the National University Caving Club assisted with sample collection. Kieran MacKay provided information on flowstone locations. Speleothem sampling was under scientific permits from Te Papa Atawhai - New Zealand Department of Conservation to JH, RD and AH.