Reflection of climatic changes during interpleniglacial in the geoecosystems of South-Eastern Poland
Abstract About 70% of the last cold stage was taken by transitional phases of continuous fluctuations of climate and permafrost extension. All this is reflected especially well in slope types and the thickness of slope, fluvial and aeolian deposits. Very distinct and relatively fast changes took place around 33–30 ka BP: the aridification of climate with an ice sheet transgression, expansion of continuous permafrost and the onset of loess deposition. The greatest transformations of slopes and river valleys in the Carpathians and Subcarpathian Basins took place not in the coolest phases but during the Interpleniglacial. The authors exemplified a number of sites in Southern Poland documenting frequent fluctuations of climate and permafrost from that 25–30 ka long period. Calibrated dates of dated episodes correlate well with the δ18O curve from Greenland with frequent warmings. These rapid warmings are reflected in the higher rate of aggradation in valley floors and thick colluvial material deposited over slopes, both combined with a retreat of permafrost. The comparison with the Greenland 18O curve is valuable to establish a comparable chronology of events, even for such a distant area like Central-Eastern Europe.
