Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred Wegener Institute
Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A45, 14473
Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstr. 94–96, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
Institute of Environmental Physics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Ulrike Herzschuh
Polar Terrestrial Environmental Systems, Alfred Wegener Institute
Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Telegrafenberg A45, 14473
Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam,
Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24–25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Alpine Paleoecology and Human Adaptation Group (ALPHA), State Key
Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Resources and Environment
(TPESRE), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 Beijing, China
Data–data and data–model vegetation comparisons are commonly based on comparing single vegetation estimates. While this approach generates good results on average, reducing pollen assemblages to single single plant functional type (PFT) or biome estimates can oversimplify the vegetation signal. We propose using a multivariate metric, the Earth mover's distance (EMD), to include more details about the vegetation structure when performing such comparisons.
Data–data and data–model vegetation comparisons are commonly based on comparing single...