Universität zu Köln

Ludwig, Patrick ORCID: 0000-0003-3655-7890, Shao, Yaping ORCID: 0000-0002-2041-5479, Kehl, Martin ORCID: 0000-0003-4587-5858 and Weniger, Gerd-Christian (2018). The Last Glacial Maximum and Heinrich event I on the Iberian Peninsula: A regional climate modelling study for understanding human settlement patterns. Glob. Planet. Change, 170. S. 34 - 48. AMSTERDAM: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. ISSN 1872-6364

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Abstract

The spatial distribution and dating of archaeological sites suggest a poor occupation of southern Iberia by hunter-gatherers after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and during Heinrich event 1 (H1) compared to Northern Iberia. The H1 was a period of cold and arid climate conditions and is suspected to have played an important role in the population dynamics in Europe at the end of the Pleistocene. In this study, the potential influence of climate change on the human settlement patterns in Iberia is analysed based on regional palaeoclimate modelling. Here, the WRF model is used to simulate continuous time slices of 30 years of climate conditions representative for both the LGM and H1 at high spatial resolution. The model results indicate that, apart from a general decrease in temperature, a considerable decrease in precipitation over southern Iberia occurred during the H1, that agrees with the available climate proxy data. The analysis of ombrotypes unveils extremely arid conditions, particularly over southern Iberia and during the growing season (summer), which could have constrained the availability of food and water to the inhabitants. The total area in Iberia that can be characterized as ultrahyperarid in summer enlarged from 2% (13 K km(2)) during the LGM to 22% (148 K km(2)) during the H1. Likewise, the reconstruction of vegetation types shows an increase of non-arboreal (open shrubland, grassland) types at the expense of arboreal types in southern Iberia for H1. Thus, the different climate conditions and changes in palaeovegetation between the LGM and H1 probably played a major role in the decrease of the hunter-gatherer populations in southern Iberia.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Ludwig, Patrick UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-3655-7890 UNSPECIFIED Shao, Yaping UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-2041-5479 UNSPECIFIED Kehl, Martin UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-4587-5858 UNSPECIFIED Weniger, Gerd-Christian UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-168547
DOI:	10.1016/j.gloplacha.2018.08.006
Journal or Publication Title:	Glob. Planet. Change
Volume:	170
Page Range:	S. 34 - 48
Date:	2018
Publisher:	ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
Place of Publication:	AMSTERDAM
ISSN:	1872-6364
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences > Department of Geosciences > Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language HUMAN-POPULATION DYNAMICS; NORTH-ATLANTIC; WESTERN-EUROPE; PMIP MODELS; ALBORAN SEA; KA BP; VEGETATION; VARIABILITY; SIMULATIONS; IMPACT Multiple languages Geography, Physical; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/16854