Elena Novenko

The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) project

Modern pollen samples provide an invaluable research tool for helping to interpret the quaternary fossil pollen record, allowing investigation of the relationship between pollen as the proxy and the environmental parameters such as vegetation, land-use, and climate that the pollen proxy represents. The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) is a new initiative within the European Pollen Database (EPD) to establish a publicly accessible repository of modern (surface sample) pollen data. This new database will complement the EPD, which at present holds only fossil sedimentary pollen data. The EMPD is freely available online to the scientific community and currently has information on almost 5,000 pollen samples from throughout the Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean regions, contributed by over 40 individuals and research groups. Here we describe how the EMPD was constructed, the various tables and their fields, problems and errors, quality controls, and continuing efforts to improve the available data.

A multi-proxy record of Holocene environmental change, peatland development and carbon accumulation from Staroselsky Moch peatland, Russia:

Despite their huge extent, the peatlands of Russia are an under-exploited source of data on palaeoenvironmental change. We investigated the Holocene history of Staroselsky Moch, an ombrotrophic peatland in the Tver Region of European Russia by analysis of testate amoebae, peat physical properties, plant macrofossils and pollen. The peatland developed through a classic hydroseral succession in the early Holocene with a sharp decline in mineral input to 6200 cal. BC followed by an abrupt transition from fen to bog vegetation around 5500 cal. BC. Through the Holocene, the peatland has accumulated carbon at a mean apparent rate of 21.5 g C m−2 yr−1 suggesting that carbon accumulation rates in peatlands of European Russia lie close to the global average, and contrasting with a short sequence of eddy-covariance data which implies a net loss of carbon. The testate amoeba record shows considerable variability which may be driven by climate, but changes are not well replicated in the macrofossil or pollen data. We tentatively infer (1) a phase of early Holocene warming commencing around 7200 cal. BC, (2) dry peatland surface conditions c. 3700–3900 cal. BC, (3) a shift to wetter conditions from c. 3900 cal. BC, and (4) drier conditions from c. 400 cal. BC onwards. More robust and precise hydroclimatic reconstructions for this region will require the development of a regional transfer function and the replication of results between cores and sites.

18. Indications of short-term climate warming at the very end of the Eemian in terrestrial records of Central and Eastern Europe

Geochemical and palynological studies of lacustrine sediments from the standard Eemian-Early Weichselian profiles Grobern, Neumark-Nord and Klinge (Germany, Central Europe) document at least two warming events during the transition from the Eemian to the Early Weichselian. The first pronounced warming phase takes place towards the very end of the Eemian Interglacial during pollen assemblage zone E7, just before the actual transition into the Weichselian Glacial period. Its amplitude is not on the scale of the Eemian climatic optimum, but is comparable with the conditions found in the first Early Weichselian Interstadial (Brorup). An additional event of climatic amelioration was detected within the period of the first Weichselian Stadial (Herning). In the high-resolution Eemian-Early Weichselian limnic sequence from Ples in the Upper Volga region (Russia, Eastern Europe), we also found indications of climate warming events at the very end of the Eemian during pollen assemblage zone E7 and within the Herning Stadial recorded both in palynological and in geochemical records. Furthermore, the δ18O results of the new Greenland ice core presented by the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) members record ‘a hitherto unrecognised warm period initiated by an abrupt climate warming about 115 000 years ago (towards the end of the Last Interglacial), before glacial conditions were fully developed’. In this paper, we discuss possible correlations between our terrestrial results in Central and Eastern Europe and their possible connection to the NGRIP record. It appears that both in Central and Eastern Europe and in Greenland, warming phases towards the end of the Last Interglacial preceded the final transition to glacial conditions. Thus, natural warming episodes during the end of the Last Interglacial appear to be a global phenomenon for the Northern Hemisphere.

Growing season variability of net ecosystem CO2 exchange and evapotranspiration of a sphagnum mire?in?the?broad-leaved forest zone of European?Russia

The spatial and temporal variability of net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 and evapotranspiration (ET) of a karst-hole sphagnum peat mire situated at the boundary between broad-leaved and forest‐steppe zones in the central part of European Russia in the Tula region was described using results from field measurements. NEE and ET were measured using a portable measuring system consisting of a transparent ventilated chamber combined with an infrared CO2/H2O analyzer, LI-840A (Li-Cor, USA) along a transect from the southern peripheral part of the mire to its center under sunny clear-sky weather conditions in the period from May to September of 2012 and in May 2013. The results of the field measurements showed significant spatial and temporal variability of NEE and ET that was mainly influenced by incoming solar radiation and ground water level. The seasonal patterns of NEE and ET within the mire were quite different. During the entire growing season the central part of the mire was a sink of CO2 for the atmosphere. NEE reached maximal values in June‐July. 6:8 4:2 mol m 2 s 1 /. The southern peripheral part of the mire, due to strong shading by the surrounding forest, was a sink of CO2 for the atmosphere in June‐July only. ET reached maximal values in the well-lighted central parts of the mire in May (0:34 0:20 mm h 1 ) mainly because of high air and surface temperatures and the very wet upper peat horizon and sphagnum moss. Herbaceous species made the maximum contribution to the total gross primary production (GPP) in both the central and the peripheral parts of the mire. The contribution of sphagnum to the total GPP of these plant communities was relatively small and ranged on sunny days of July‐August from 1:1 1:1 mgC g 1 of dry weight (DW) per hour in the peripheral zone of the mire to 0:6 0:2 mgC g 1 DW h 1 at the mire center. The sphagnum layer made the maximum contribution to total ET at the mire center.0:25 0:10 mm h 1 / and the herbaceous species on the peripheral part of the mire (0:03 0:03 mm h 1 ).

CO2 and H2O exchange in the forest ecosystems of Southern Taiga under climate changes

173 The structure, species composition, and productivv ity of forest ecosystems are determined by a number of factors, with climatic conditions as the major one. Incoming solar radiation, air temperature and humidd ity, and soil moisture conditions regulate plant photoo synthesis, respiration and transpiration, determining the growth and developmental patterns of plant comm munities. The modern climate changes appeared mainly in increase of the air temperature, alterations in the gas composition of the air and land surface moistenning conditions may evidently influence the dynamics and rate of biophysical and biochemical processes in plants and soil and, as a consequence, lead to changes in the intensity of CO 2 and H 2 O exchange between plants and ambient air. In a longg term perspective, this may influence sustainable development of forests and lead to changes in their species composition and spatial distribution of varii ous species [1]. Possessing by a high sensitivity to changes in envii ronmental conditions, forests also have a significant feedback effect on the climate system. Actively absorb CO 2 from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, accumulating carbon in the aboveground and underr ground biomass, and retaining it in a fixed state during a considerable time period, they enhance the maintee nance of natural CO 2 balance in the atmosphere, mitt igating the possible negative ecological consequences of the increasing greenhouse effect. Directly influencc ing the radiation, heat, and water regimes of the ground surface and atmospheric surface layer, forests protect the ground surface from overheating in summ mer as well as regulate evaporation processes. Preservv ing moisture incoming to the ground surface with pree cipitations, they enhance the formation of a stable river discharge. The study of climate and forest vegetation interacc tions requires integrated experimental and modelling studies, first and foremost, aimed at analysis of the natural variation and sensitivity of different forest types to environmental changes, stability of the forest systems, and assessment of the effects of the changes in the structure and species composition of forest plant communities on climate. In this study, the sensitivity of the CO 2 and H 2 O exchange components in forest ecosystems to pro jected climate changes by the end of the 21st century has been estimated in a case study of southern taiga spruce forests of European Russia using results of modelling experiments. A modellbased approach allows not only to estimate the spatial and temporal variability of the …

Vegetation dynamics and fire history at the southern boundary of the forest vegetation zone in European Russia during the middle and late Holocene

Climate and human activity affected significantly the Eurasian on the forest vegetation zone through the Holocene. This paper presents new multi-proxy records of environmental changes at the southern boundary of the mixed coniferous broadleaved forest zone in the east-central part of the East European Plain during the middle and late Holocene. Palaeoecological analyses of a peat core for pollen, charcoal, peat humification, plant macrofossils and testate amoebae with dating using radiocarbon have shown that climate appears to have been a dominant control on vegetation. There is strong evidence for a reduced precipitation–evapotranspiration ratio and high fire frequency during the Holocene thermal maximum (6.9–5.3 ka BP), leading to dominance of Betula–Pinus forests. By contrast subsequent climatic cooling led to the expansion of broadleaved forests and establishment of Picea. Human activities influenced vegetation from the Neolithic onwards but played a role which was secondary to climate until the recent past. Over the last century, human impacts considerably increased because of harvesting of broadleaved trees and contributed to the formation of the current mixed coniferous broadleaved forests.

Evidence of temperature and precipitation change over the past 100 years in a high-resolution pollen record from the boreal forest of Central European Russia

Near-annual pollen records for the last 100 years were obtained from a 65-cm peat monolith from a raised peat bog in the Central Forest State Natural Biosphere Reserve (southern part of the Valdai Hills, European Russia) and compared with the available long-term meteorological observations. An age–depth model for the peat monolith was constructed by 210Pb and 137Cs dating. Cross-correlation and the Granger causality analysis indicated a broad range of statistically significant correlations between the pollen accumulation rate (PAR) of the main forest-forming trees and shrubs (Picea, Pinus, Betula, Tilia, Quercus, Ulmus, Alnus, and Corylus) and the air temperature and precipitation during the previous 3 years. Results showed that high air temperatures during the growing season (May–September) in the year prior to the flowering led to an increase in pollen productivity of the main tree species. The statistically significant correlation between the PAR of trees and shrubs and winter precipitation of the current and previous years could reflect the influence of winter precipitation on soil water availability and as a result on tree growth and functioning in the spring.

Erratum to: The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) project

Unfortunately, the list of authors contains a number of duplications, omissions and other errors in the original publication of the article. The correct list appears in this erratum.

Autogenic and allogenic factors affecting development of a floating Sphagnum-dominated peat mat in a karst pond basin

Lateral expansion of floating vegetation mats over the surface of aquatic ecosystems (terrestrialization) is one of the ways of peatland development. This process was commonly studied in kettle-hole lakes, whereas karst ponds have received less attention. We used a suite of palaeoecological analyses at Karstovoe mire (Mordovia, Russia) to reconstruct the formation of a floating Sphagnum-dominated peat mat over the karst pond. The results show that the floating peat mat had covered the central part of the pond by ca. AD 1600. Remains of Scirpus sp. and Calamagrostis sp. in the basal layers indicate that these plants might form a framework on which Sphagnum mosses and sedges were established. The terrestrialization could be triggered by the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ (AD 950–1250) as droughts reduce water levels and allow the pioneering plants to colonize exposed bottom sediments on the margins of lakes. Later, the development of the mire was mainly driven by autogenic factors that could be explained by the relatively stable hydrological regime in freely floating or poorly attached vegetation mats. In the mid 19th century, the surface wetness of the mire started to decline that can be related to both increased human activity associated with fires and to a greater thickness of the mat so that autogenic and allogenic effects were difficult to disentangle. In less than a century after that, the fen transformed to a pioneer raised mire. Our results show complex and context-dependent effect of autogenic and allogenic factors on the development of floating peat mats.

The Last Hundred Years of Land Use History in the Southern Part of Valdai Hills (European Russia): Reconstruction by Pollen and Historical Data

Abstract The last one hundred years of land use history in the southern part of Valdai Hills (European Russia) were reconstructed on the base of high resolution pollen data from the peat monolith taken from the Central Forest State Reserve supplementing with historical records derived from maps of the General Land Survey of the 18th and 19th centuries and satellite images. According to the created age model provided by dating using radio-nuclides 210Pb and 137Cs, pollen data of the peat monolith allow us to reconstruct vegetation dynamics during the last one hundred years with high time resolution. The obtained data showed that, despite the location of the studied peatland in the center of the forest area and rather far away from possible croplands and hayfields, the pollen values of plants – anthropogenic indicators (Secale sereale, Centaurea cyanus, Plantago, Rumex, etc.) and micro-charcoal concentration are relatively high in the period since the beginning of the 20th century to the 1970s, especially in the peat horizon formed in the 1950s. In the late 1970s – the early 1980s when the pollen values of cereals gradually diminished in assemblages, the quantity of pollen of other anthropogenic indicators were also significantly reduced, which reflects the overall processes of the agriculture decline in the forest zone of the former USSR.