Climate of the Past
Climate of the Past
CP
Articles | Volume 22, issue 6
Articles | Volume 22, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1125-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-22-1125-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 22, issue 6
Research article
 | 
05 Jun 2026
Research article |  | 05 Jun 2026

Unravelling the tree cover dynamics over the last 20 000 years on the Northern Hemisphere

Anne Dallmeyer, Nils Weitzel, Laura Schild, Ulrike Herzschuh, Thomas Kleinen, and Martin Claussen

Data sets

Processed Data and scripts for "Unravelling the tree cover dynamics over the last 20,000 years on the Northern Hemisphere" Anne Dallmeyer and Nils Weitzel https://doi.org/10.17617/3.HHMFGX

Northern Hemisphere REVEALS-based forest cover for the past 20 k years Laura Schild https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17950309

PalMod2 MPI-M MPI-ESM1-2-CR-CH4 transient-deglaciation- prescribed-glac1d-methane Thomas Kleinen et al. https://doi.org/10.26050/WDCC/PMMXMCHTD

Video supplement

From Ice Age to Present: Tree Cover Dynamics in REVEALS and MPI-ESM (Video) Anne Dallmeyer https://doi.org/10.17617/3.O2GGHG

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Short summary
We compare pollen-based reconstructions of Northern Hemisphere tree cover over the last 20 000 years with simulations from the Max-Planck-Institute Earth System Model (MPI-ESM). The model captures broad forest trends but misses key regional patterns and the mid-Holocene forest peak. Testing climate drivers reveals mismatches in how temperature, water, and CO2 control forests, pointing to structural limits and the need for improved vegetation processes in models.
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Special issue
Understanding past climate variability to enhance future climate-change...