The late Matuyama glaciation in the southern European Alps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Monegato ◽  
Giancarlo Scardia
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Polarity ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Pleistocene Glaciations ◽  
Piedmont Plain ◽  
Po Plain ◽  
Cold Stage ◽  
Matuyama Chron ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Comparable Size

<p>The onset of Pleistocene glaciations in the European Alps represented a significant change in the palaeoenvironmental settings of this mountain range. The stratigraphy of the event was described in the subsoil of the Po Plain (Muttoni et al., 2003; Scardia et al., 2012) and is marked by a regional unconformity (namely “Red unconformity”, Muttoni et al., 2003) at 870 ka, in the final part of the Matuyama chron. Elsewhere, in the Alpine end-moraine systems the record of early stages of glaciations is scarce and cryptic. Spots of glacigenic deposits with reverse magnetic polarity were recognized only in the Ivrea (Carraro et al., 1991) and Garda (Cremaschi, 1987; Scardia et al., 2015) end-moraine systems, while deposits related to (peri)glacial environment were recorded along the Lombardian foothills (Scardia et al., 2010). The updated record of the Garda system shows the geometry of a late Matuyama glacier overrunning the piedmont plain with comparable size in respect to the LGM (Monegato et al., 2017). This indicates a fully glaciated Adige-Sarca catchment, one of the largest of the Alps, suggesting that the Alpine Ice Sheet reached one of its waxing climax during a late Matuyama cold stage (MIS20 or MIS22).</p><p> </p><p>References</p><p>Carraro et al. 1991, Boll. Museo Reg. Sc. Nat. Torino 9, 99-117.</p><p>Cremaschi 1987, Edizioni Unicopli, 306 pp.</p><p>Monegato et al. 2017, Scientific Reports 7, 2078.</p><p>Muttoni et al. 2003, Geology 31, 989-992.</p><p>Scardia et al. 2010, Quaternary Science Reviews 29, 832-846.</p><p>Scardia et al. 2012, Tectonics 31, TC6004.</p><p>Scardia et al. 2015, GSA Bulletin 127, 113-130.</p>

Historical Land Uses and Their Changes in the European Alps

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrike Tappeiner ◽  
Erich Tasser
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Alpine Region ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Ligurian Sea ◽  
Arable Farming ◽  
The Alps

The Alps are the highest and largest mountain range in Europe. They extend from the Ligurian Sea to the Pannonian Basin in an arc 744 miles (1,200 km) long and between 93 and 155 miles (150–250 km) wide. The settlement history of this large European landscape is closely linked to the settlement of Europe as a whole, whereby the inner Alpine region was not permanently settled until around 4500 bce because of topographical and climatic disadvantages. Dense forest cover initially made it difficult to use large grazing areas, but transhumance gradually developed in the Alpine region when the animals spent their summers high up in the mountains and their winters in the valleys. At about the same time, the Alpine self-sufficiency economy of arable farming and livestock breeding was added, which made permanent settlement possible. However, the most intensive settlement and land reclamation advance took place in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, industrialization reached the Alpine region a little delayed, and globalization in the middle of the 20th century. This also led to a fundamental change in society. The previous agricultural society was replaced by the service society of the 20th century. Developments since the late 1950s have taken place against the background of developments in the European Union (EU) as a whole, above all the Common Agricultural Policy and the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP), but these developments were and still are influenced by additional agreements specific to the Alps, such as the Alpine Convention, the Alpine Protection Commission (CIPRA), and the Alpine Working Community (Arge Alp). All these factors mean that historical and current development of land use in the Alpine region has been and is always linked to developments in Europe. Many studies on land use in the Alpine region should therefore be seen in this context. Moreover, past land use often has long-lasting legacy effects on ecosystems and their development. Therefore, in this article we deal not only with historical land use but also with current and future developments and their impacts on ecosystem functions and services.

scholarly journals Genetische Struktur von Waldbäumen im Alpenraum als Folge (post)glazialer Populationsgeschichte | Genetic structures of forest tree species in the range of the European Alps as a result of (post-)glacial population history

2010 ◽  
Vol 161 (6) ◽  
pp. 207-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Gugerli ◽  
Christoph Sperisen
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Population History ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
Forest Tree Species ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Genetic Structures

Fossil records (pollen, macroremains) and genetic structures based on molecular markers provide complementary data sets for elucidating the (post-)glacial histories of extant plant populations. Based on comparative studies using both data sources, this article focuses on the effects of postglacial recolonization on the genetic structures in common, widespread forest tree species in the Alpine range. We recall that at least at the continental level, the three large southern European peninsulas, Iberia, Italy and the Balkans, but also the Carpathians represented important refugial areas for many European tree species during the last glacial maximum. However, these refugia had a minimal impact on the recolonization of the Alpine range. In contrast, recent studies demonstrate that refugial areas in the proximity of the Alps, e.g. at their eastern and western ends, harbored prominent source populations of current occurrences of the dominant forest trees in the Alpine range. Furthermore, there is strong evidence that several species were able to maintain populations north of the Alps, such as in the Bohemian Massif. We advocate that the Alps did not necessarily represent a barrier to northward migration, since terrain for advancement from various refugia was available along the margins of this mountain range. Such migration patterns allowed diverged genetic lineages to meet, leading to increased genetic diversity in respective contact zones. This overview underlines how paleoecological and molecular genetic studies may complement each other to develop a more comprehensive vision of the postglacial history of forest trees in the Alpine range.

Last interglacial speleothem records from the western and southeastern side of the Alps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Honiat ◽  
Christoph Spötl ◽  
Stéphane Jaillet ◽  
Paul Wilcox ◽  
Tanguy Racine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Vegetation Density ◽  
Test Bed ◽  
Last Interglacial ◽  
The West ◽  
The Alps

<p>The Last Interglacial (LIG, ~130–116 ka) was one of the warmest interglacials of the past 800,000 years. Although the orbital configuration was different, the LIG is a useful test bed for the future of the Holocene, because LIG archives have a higher preservation potential and can be dated at much higher precision than older interglacials, e.g. Marine Isotope Stage 11. Speleothems are among the most important terrestrial archives to study the climate of the LIG. Only few well-dated such studies, however, have been published for Europe and there are significant uncertainties regarding the timing of the onset and the magnitude of the peak warmth between some of these reconstructions.</p><p>The European Alps have shown to be a climatically highly sensitive region with a warming trend twice the average of the Northern Hemisphere. We therefore examined Alpine caves and studied stalagmite records of the LIG to gain insights into how this mountain range was affected by a warmer climate than today. We present a new, replicated and precisely dated speleothem stable isotope stack from two caves in the Western Alps and two caves in the southeastern Alps. Modern and paleodata show that the O isotopic composition of meteoric precipitation is a function of the mean air temperature in most parts of the Alps. Western stalagmites record an initial warming at 129.6 ± 0.4 ka and reach a first O isotope plateau at 129.0 ± 0.4 ka. An early optimum is identified after the first warming until 127.4 ± 0.5 ka, followed by a cooling until 126.6 ± 0.5 ka. The warming continued but the growth rate slowed down from 126.2 ±0.4 ka to 123.7 ±0.8 ka. Toward the end of the record (123.7 ±0.8 ka) the carbon isotopes slightly rise toward less negative values, possibly indicating climate cooling. The southeastern Alpine stalagmites started growing after Termination II (between 129.1±1.1 ka and 128.5±0.5 ka) and the oxygen isotope values slightly increase from 129 to 120 ka. At the onset of the LIG the carbon isotope values show a stepwise decrease as the oxygen isotope values become less negative, documenting the expansion of vegetation and the gradual soil development during the early part of the LIG. Vegetation and soil bioproductivity peaked around 126 ka in the west and at 125 ka in the southeast. Growth in the west was interrupted soon after 125 ka while in the southeast the carbon isotope signal stayed stable until 123 ka. The final decrease in vegetation density towards the end of the LIG was less synchronous among the southeastern speleothems and was characterized by abrupt shifts. Most stalagmites stopped growing after 119 ka when the carbon isotope values reached their highest values indicating a decrease in soil activity and/or vegetation density, possibly associated with deforestation. </p>

scholarly journals The Evolutionary History, Diversity, and Ecology of Willows (Salix L.) in the European Alps

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 146
Author(s):  
Natascha D. Wagner ◽  
Li He ◽  
Elvira Hörandl
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Introgressive Hybridization ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Secondary Contact ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
History Of ◽  
European Mountain ◽  
The Alps

The genus Salix (willows), with 33 species, represents the most diverse genus of woody plants in the European Alps. Many species dominate subalpine and alpine types of vegetation. Despite a long history of research on willows, the evolutionary and ecological factors for this species richness are poorly known. Here we will review recent progress in research on phylogenetic relationships, evolution, ecology, and speciation in alpine willows. Phylogenomic reconstructions suggest multiple colonization of the Alps, probably from the late Miocene onward, and reject hypotheses of a single radiation. Relatives occur in the Arctic and in temperate Eurasia. Most species are widespread in the European mountain systems or in the European lowlands. Within the Alps, species differ ecologically according to different elevational zones and habitat preferences. Homoploid hybridization is a frequent process in willows and happens mostly after climatic fluctuations and secondary contact. Breakdown of the ecological crossing barriers of species is followed by introgressive hybridization. Polyploidy is an important speciation mechanism, as 40% of species are polyploid, including the four endemic species of the Alps. Phylogenomic data suggest an allopolyploid origin for all taxa analyzed so far. Further studies are needed to specifically analyze biogeographical history, character evolution, and genome evolution of polyploids.

Microseismicity in the Eastern Alps: Preliminary Results From the Swath-D Network

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rens Hofman ◽  
Joern Kummerow ◽  
Simone Cesca ◽  
Joachim Wassermann ◽  
Thomas Plenefisch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Data ◽  
Eastern Alps ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Network Methods ◽  
Data Volume ◽  
Geophysical Processes ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Mountain Belts ◽  
Surrounding Areas

<p>The AlpArray seismological experiment is an international and interdisciplinary project to advance our understanding of geophysical processes in the greater Alpine region. The heart of the project consists of a large seismological array that covers the mountain range and its surrounding areas. To understand how the Alps and their neighbouring mountain belts evolved through time, we can only study its current structure and processes. The Eastern Alps are of prime interest since they currently demonstrate the highest crustal deformation rates. A key question is how these surface processes are linked to deeper structures. The Swath-D network is an array of temporary seismological stations complementary to the AlpArray network located in the Eastern Alps. This creates a unique opportunity to investigate high resolution seismicity on a local scale.</p><p>In this study, a combination of waveform-based detection methods was used to find small earthquakes in the large data volume of the Swath-D network. Methods were developed to locate the seismic events using semi-automatic picks, and estimate event magnitudes. We present an overview of the methods and workflow, as well as a preliminary overview of the seismicity in the Eastern Alps.</p>

Between the Czech Krkonoše and the German Riesengebirge: Nationalism and Tourism in the Giant Mountains, 1880s–1930s

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Stanislav Holubec
Keyword(s):  
Nazi Germany ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Ethnic Conflicts ◽  
Central European ◽  
European Mountain ◽  
The Alps

Abstract The article deals with Czech and German nationalist discourses and practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as they relate to tourism in the Krkonoše/Riesengebirge, the highest Central European mountain range between the Alps and Scandinavia. It will discuss the discourses developed in relation to mountain tourism and nationalism (metaphors of battlefields, wedges, walls, gates, and bastions), different symbolical cores of mountains, and practices of tourist and nationalist organizations (tourist trails and markings, excursions, the ownership of mountains huts, languages used, memorials, and the construction of roads). It will examine how these discourses and practices changed from the first Czech-German ethnic conflicts in the 1800s until the end of interwar Czechoslovakia. Finally, it will discuss the Czech culture of defeat in the shadow of the Munich Agreement, which meant the occupation of the Giant Mountains by Nazi Germany.

Alpine Climate Change Derived From Instrumental Measurements

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Brugnara
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Alpine Valley ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
The North ◽  
Run Off ◽  
The Alps ◽  
Meteorological Observations

The European Alps have experienced remarkable climate changes since the beginning of the Industrial Age. In particular, mean air temperature in the region increased at a greater rate than global temperature, leading to the loss of nearly half of the glaciated area and to important changes in the ecosystems. Spanning 1,200 km in length, with peaks reaching over 4,000 meters above sea level (m asl), the Alps have a critical influence over the weather in most of Europe and separate the colder oceanic/continental climate in the north from the milder Mediterranean climate in the south. The climatic differences between the main slopes are reflected into different climate changes—whereas the northern slope got wetter, the southern slope got drier. The consequences of these climate changes are not confined to the Alpine region. Being located in the center of Europe, the Alps provide water and electricity for over 100 million people. Alpine run-off is a major contributor to the total discharge of several major European rivers such as the Rhine, the Rhône, the Po, and the Danube. Therefore, climate change in the Alps can have significant economic impacts on a continental scale. Their convenient geographical position allowed scientists to study the Alpine climate since the very beginning of the instrumental era. The first instrumental meteorological observations in an Alpine valley were taken as early as the mid-17th century, soon followed by measurements at higher elevations. Continuous records are available since the late 18th century, providing invaluable information on climate variability to modern-day researchers. Although there is overwhelming evidence of a dominant anthropogenic influence on the observed temperature increase, the causes of the changes that affected other variables have, in many cases, not been sufficiently investigated by the scientific community.

scholarly journals Altitudinal upwards shifts in fungal fruiting in the Alps

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1919) ◽  
pp. 20192348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Diez ◽  
Håvard Kauserud ◽  
Carrie Andrew ◽  
Einar Heegaard ◽  
Irmgard Krisai-Greilhuber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Fruit Body ◽  
Wood Decay ◽  
Fungal Species ◽  
Ecosystem Functions ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Decay Fungi ◽  
Wood Decay Fungi ◽  
Physiological Limit ◽  
The Alps

Many plant and animal species are changing their latitudinal and/or altitudinal distributions in response to climate change, but whether fungi show similar changes is largely unknown. Here, we use historical fungal fruit body records from the European Alps to assess altitudinal changes in fungal fruiting between 1960 and 2010. We observe that many fungal species are fruiting at significantly higher elevations in 2010 compared to 1960, and especially so among soil-dwelling fungi. Wood-decay fungi, being dependent on the presence of one or a few host trees, show a slower response. Species growing at higher elevations changed their altitudinal fruiting patterns significantly more than lowland species. Environmental changes in high altitudes may lead to proportionally stronger responses, since high-altitude species live closer to their physiological limit. These aboveground changes in fruiting patterns probably mirror corresponding shifts in belowground fungal communities, suggesting parallel shifts in important ecosystem functions.

scholarly journals Relationship between Spatiotemporal Variations of Climate, Snow Cover and Plant Phenology over the Alps—An Earth Observation-Based Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Asam ◽  
Mattia Callegari ◽  
Michael Matiu ◽  
Giuseppe Fiore ◽  
Ludovica De Gregorio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
European Alps ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
The Alps ◽  
The Relationship

Alpine ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change, and therefore it is of significant interest to understand the relationships between phenology and its seasonal drivers in mountain areas. However, no alpine-wide assessment on the relationship between land surface phenology (LSP) patterns and its climatic drivers including snow exists. Here, an assessment of the influence of snow cover variations on vegetation phenology is presented, which is based on a 17-year time-series of MODIS data. From this data snow cover duration (SCD) and phenology metrics based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) have been extracted at 250 m resolution for the entire European Alps. The combined influence of additional climate drivers on phenology are shown on a regional scale for the Italian province of South Tyrol using reanalyzed climate data. The relationship between vegetation and snow metrics strongly depended on altitude. Temporal trends towards an earlier onset of vegetation growth, increasing monthly mean NDVI in spring and late summer, as well as shorter SCD were observed, but they were mostly non-significant and the magnitude of these tendencies differed by altitude. Significant negative correlations between monthly mean NDVI and SCD were observed for 15–55% of all vegetated pixels, especially from December to April and in altitudes from 1000–2000 m. On the regional scale of South Tyrol, the seasonality of NDVI and SCD achieved the highest share of correlating pixels above 1500 m, while at lower elevations mean temperature correlated best. Examining the combined effect of climate variables, for average altitude and exposition, SCD had the highest effect on NDVI, followed by mean temperature and radiation. The presented analysis allows to assess the spatiotemporal patterns of earth-observation based snow and vegetation metrics over the Alps, as well as to understand the relative importance of snow as phenological driver with respect to other climate variables.

Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of Late Pliocene and Pleistocene sediments in the Wellsch Valley and Swift Current Creek areas, southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada

1998 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 1347-1361 ◽  
Author(s):  
R W Barendregt ◽  
E Irving ◽  
E A Christiansen ◽  
E K Sauer ◽  
B T Schreiner
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Magnetic Polarity ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Marked Contrast ◽  
Glacial Deposits ◽  
Late Pliocene ◽  
Matuyama Chron ◽  
Reversed Polarity

The Late Pliocene and Pleistocene are represented in southern Saskatchewan by sequences of preglacial, glacial, and nonglacial deposits. These have been studied in surface exposures and bore cores and have been subdivided and correlated on the basis of their lithologies. In this study, new observations of magnetic polarity are presented. They reveal a lower preglacial sequence (Empress Group) with reversed polarity, and an upper normally magnetized sequence which contains glacial deposits of pre-Illinoian, Illinoian, and Wisconsinan age and which are correlative with the Saskatoon and Sutherland groups of central Saskatchewan. The reversed preglacial sequence is referred to the Matuyama Zone (Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene: 2.58-0.78 Ma) and the normal glacial sequence to the Brunhes Zone (Middle to Late Pleistocene and Holocene: 0.78 Ma to present). In southern Saskatchewan there is no evidence of glaciation during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene (Matuyama Chron) which is in marked contrast with parts of the Cordilleran region of western Canada where glaciations occur throughout this time.

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