1Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Bundesstraße 53, 20146 Hamburg,
Germany
2Meteorological Institute, Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und
Nachhaltigkeit (CEN), Universität Hamburg, Bundesstraße 55, 20146
Hamburg, Germany
3Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam,
Maulbeerallee 3, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
4Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
5State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of
Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lincheng West Road 99, 550081
Guiyang, China
6Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Potsdam,
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
7College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal
University, Beijing 100048, China
8Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany
9Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, College of
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
10Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts Universität zu
Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 10–14, 24118 Kiel, Germany
11A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics RAS, Pyzhevsky 3,
117019 Moscow, Russia
12Helmholtz Center Geesthacht, Institute for Coastal Research, 21502
Geesthacht, Germany
1Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, Bundesstraße 53, 20146 Hamburg,
Germany
2Meteorological Institute, Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und
Nachhaltigkeit (CEN), Universität Hamburg, Bundesstraße 55, 20146
Hamburg, Germany
3Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam,
Maulbeerallee 3, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
4Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Telegrafenberg A43, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
5State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of
Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lincheng West Road 99, 550081
Guiyang, China
6Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Potsdam,
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
7College of Resource Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal
University, Beijing 100048, China
8Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany
9Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, College of
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
10Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts Universität zu
Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn-Str. 10–14, 24118 Kiel, Germany
11A. M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics RAS, Pyzhevsky 3,
117019 Moscow, Russia
12Helmholtz Center Geesthacht, Institute for Coastal Research, 21502
Geesthacht, Germany
Correspondence: Anne Dallmeyer (anne.dallmeyer@mpimet.mpg.de)
Received: 22 Jun 2016 – Discussion started: 07 Jul 2016 – Revised: 13 Jan 2017 – Accepted: 18 Jan 2017 – Published: 09 Feb 2017
Abstract. The large variety of atmospheric circulation systems affecting the eastern Asian climate is reflected by the complex Asian vegetation distribution. Particularly in the transition zones of these circulation systems, vegetation is supposed to be very sensitive to climate change. Since proxy records are scarce, hitherto a mechanistic understanding of the past spatio-temporal climate–vegetation relationship is lacking. To assess the Holocene vegetation change and to obtain an ensemble of potential mid-Holocene biome distributions for eastern Asia, we forced the diagnostic biome model BIOME4 with climate anomalies of different transient Holocene climate simulations performed in coupled atmosphere–ocean(–vegetation) models. The simulated biome changes are compared with pollen-based biome records for different key regions.
In all simulations, substantial biome shifts during the last 6000 years are confined to the high northern latitudes and the monsoon–westerly wind transition zone, but the temporal evolution and amplitude of change strongly depend on the climate forcing. Large parts of the southern tundra are replaced by taiga during the mid-Holocene due to a warmer growing season and the boreal treeline in northern Asia is shifted northward by approx. 4° in the ensemble mean, ranging from 1.5 to 6° in the individual simulations, respectively. This simulated treeline shift is in agreement with pollen-based reconstructions from northern Siberia. The desert fraction in the transition zone is reduced by 21 % during the mid-Holocene compared to pre-industrial due to enhanced precipitation. The desert–steppe margin is shifted westward by 5° (1–9° in the individual simulations). The forest biomes are expanded north-westward by 2°, ranging from 0 to 4° in the single simulations. These results corroborate pollen-based reconstructions indicating an extended forest area in north-central China during the mid-Holocene. According to the model, the forest-to-non-forest and steppe-to-desert changes in the climate transition zones are spatially not uniform and not linear since the mid-Holocene.
The vegetation distribution in eastern Asia is supposed to be very sensitive to climate change. Since proxy records are scarce, hitherto a mechanistic understanding of the past spatio-temporal climate–vegetation relationship is lacking. To assess the Holocene vegetation change, we forced the diagnostic biome model BIOME4 with climate anomalies of different transient climate simulations.
The vegetation distribution in eastern Asia is supposed to be very sensitive to climate change....
