Little Ice Age glaciers and climate in the Mediterranean mountains: a new analysis

Hughes, Philip D.

doi:10.18172/cig.3362

Cited by 60 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Mavrovouni Leontaritis et al (unpublished data) 6. Olympus (Cvijić (1917); Wiche (1956) Messerli (1967); Faugeres (1969); Smith et al (1997); Manz (1998) Styllas et al (2016, 2018) 7. Lakmos Sestini (1933 8.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The glacial history of Greece: a comprehensive review

2020

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This paper reviews the glacial history of the mountains of Greece at the southernmost tip of the Balkans, providing a new synthesis of our current understanding of glaciations. The ice cover during the largest Middle Pleistocene glaciations (MIS 12/MIS 6) was more extensive than previously thought. Latest evidence from Mt Chelmos suggests that valley glaciers radiated from a central plateau ice field, whereas the findings of other glacial studies in western Balkans further indicate that extensive ice field/ice caps formed on mountains throughout this region during the Middle Pleistocene glaciations. Ice extent was considerably smaller during the Tymphian Stage (MIS 5d-MIS 2) and this has been confirmed by cosmogenic exposure ages in recent studies on Mt Olympus and Mt Chelmos. During the Holocene, only very small glaciers formed in some deep cirques where they survived because of strong local topoclimatic controls. A comparative analysis with the findings of other glacial and palaeoclimatic studies in the Balkans is also presented to highlight correlations between them. Moisture supply seems to have been the most critical factor for the formation of glaciers in the mountains of Greece. The comparison of Late Pleistocene Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELAs) across the Balkans indicates a wetter climate in southern Greece that can be attributed to different palaeoatmospheric circulation mechanisms and precipitation regime in central Mediterranean. Conclusively, whilst important information has been added in the last 2 decades, this paper highlights the need for further research in Greece and the wider Balkans to establish the timing and extent of glaciations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The glacial history of Greece: a comprehensive review

2020

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“…During the LIA, some of the glaciers reached their maximum extent for the entire Holocene (Hughes, ). In parts of Turkey some glaciers were several kilometers longer than they are today, while in the Pyrenees glaciers were up to several hundred meters longer (Hughes, ). Post‐LIA Pyrenean glacier recession occurred mostly during the positive AMO warm phases, while the glaciers stabilized or even advanced during the negative AMO colder phases (Cía et al, ; Marti et al, ; Sarıkaya et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All these glaciers are a legacy of the LIA in the 15th to 19th century when glaciers were much larger and more numerous. At the time, glaciers even existed as far south as the High Atlas of Morocco and the Sierra Nevada of southern Spain (González Trueba et al, 2008;Hughes, 2014;Hughes, 2018;Schulte, 2002;Serrano et al, 2018). During the LIA, some of the glaciers reached their maximum extent for the entire Holocene (Hughes, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Medieval Climate Anomaly in the Mediterranean Region

Lüning¹,

Schulte

Garcés‐Pastor

et al. 2019

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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The Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) is a preindustrial phase of pronounced natural climate variability with a core period from 1000 to 1200 CE. The paper presents a synthesis that integrates palaeotemperature records from the Greater Mediterranean Region encompassing the past 1,500 years based on multiproxy data from 79 published land and marine sites. MCA warming dominated the Western Mediterranean (Iberia, NW Africa) as well as the northern land areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean region. MCA cooling prevailed in the Canary Current Upwelling System, southern Levant, and some sea areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. Previous palaeoreconstructions suggest persistent positive Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO+) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO+) conditions during the MCA, while the Little Ice Age was dominated by an AMO− and NAO− regime. During the past 150 years, AMO+ conditions are typically associated with warming episodes in the Mediterranean area. A similar relationship appears to have also been established during the MCA as the majority of all Mediterranean land sites experienced warm climate conditions. In contrast, the NAO typically leads to a characteristic west‐east temperature dipole pattern in the basin, as documented for the last decades. During NAO+ conditions the Western Mediterranean is generally warm (and dry), while large parts of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean are cold. Similar trends seem to have been developed during the MCA when the NAO+ regime led to consistent warming in the Western Mediterranean, while a significant number of sites with MCA cooling existed in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean.

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“…Environmental processes in mid‐latitude high mountains are subject to post‐Little Ice Age (LIA) climatic evolution, which can be summarized as cold geomorphological processes that lose intensity and rise in altitude . This has conditioned the total deglaciation of many of these mountains, including those of the Mediterranean ranges, as well as a dramatic reduction in enclaves that remain glaciated . This is the case of two of the three Iberian mountain ranges that hosted glaciers during the LIA, namely the Picos de Europa (Cantabrian Mountains) and Sierra Nevada (Betic Range).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring permafrost and periglacial processes in Sierra Nevada (Spain) from 2001 to 2016

Gómez‐Ortiz

Oliva

Franch

et al. 2019

Permafrost & Periglacial

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Outside the Alps, the Sierra Nevada is probably the best studied European massif with respect to its past and current environmental dynamics. A multi‐approach research program started in the early 2000s focused on the monitoring of frozen ground conditions in this National Park. Here, we present data on the thermal state and distribution of permafrost and seasonal frozen ground in different sites across the highest areas of the massif. New results confirm the absence of widespread permafrost conditions, with seasonal frost prevailing above 2500 m. Small permafrost patches have been only detected in glaciated areas of the Veleta and Mulhacén cirques during the Little Ice Age at elevations of 3000–3100 m. The remnants of those glaciers are still preserved under the thick debris layer covering the cirque floors. Geomatic and geophysical surveying of a rock glacier existing in the Veleta cirque, together with the monitoring of soil temperature at different depths, have revealed permanently frozen conditions undergoing a process of degradation. In the rest of the massif, a seasonal frost regime prevails, even at the highest plateaus at 3300–3400 m, where annual soil temperatures average 2.5°C. The monitoring of soil temperatures in other different periglacial features has also revealed positive average values ranging between 2°C (inactive sorted‐circles) and 3–4°C (inactive and weakly active solifluction lobes). Consequently, we conclude that the present‐day climatic regime does not allow the existence of permafrost in the Sierra Nevada, and environmental dynamics is controlled by the intensity and duration of seasonal frost in the ground.

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Little Ice Age glaciers and climate in the Mediterranean mountains: a new analysis

Cited by 60 publications

References 75 publications

The glacial history of Greece: a comprehensive review

The glacial history of Greece: a comprehensive review

The Medieval Climate Anomaly in the Mediterranean Region

Monitoring permafrost and periglacial processes in Sierra Nevada (Spain) from 2001 to 2016

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