Two-step vegetation response to enhanced precipitation in Northeast Brazil during Heinrich event 1

  1. LYDIE M. DUPONT1,
  2. FRANK SCHLÜTZ2,
  3. CAROL TEBOH EWAH3,
  4. TIM C. JENNERJAHN3,
  5. ANDRÉ PAUL1,
  6. HERMANN BEHLING2

Article first published online: 6 JUL 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02023.x

Issue

Global Change Biology

Global Change Biology

Volume 16, Issue 6, pages 1647–1660, June 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

DUPONT, L. M., SCHLÜTZ, F., EWAH, C. T., JENNERJAHN, T. C., PAUL, A. and BEHLING, H. (2010), Two-step vegetation response to enhanced precipitation in Northeast Brazil during Heinrich event 1. Global Change Biology, 16: 1647–1660. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.02023.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Marum – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Leobenerstr, D-28359 Bremen, Germany

  2. 2

    Department of Palynology and Climate Dynamics, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Wilhelm-Weber-Str. 2, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany

  3. 3

    Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology, Fahrenheitstr. 6, D-28359 Bremen, Germany

* Lydie M. Dupont, tel. +49 421 218 65532, fax +49 421 218 65505, e-mail: dupont@uni-bremen.de

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 4 MAY 2010
  2. Article first published online: 6 JUL 2009
  3. Received 6 March 2009; revised version received 23 June 2009 and accepted 24 June 2009

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Keywords:

  • deglaciation;
  • Heinrich Stadial 1;
  • marine sediments;
  • Northeast Brazil;
  • vegetation

Abstract

High resolution palynological and geochemical data of sediment core GeoB 3910-2 (located offshore Northeast Brazil) spanning the period between 19 600 and 14 500 calibrated year bp (19.6–14.5 ka) show a land-cover change in the catchment area of local rivers in two steps related to changes in precipitation associated with Heinrich Event 1 (H1 stadial). At the end of the last glacial maximum, the landscape in semi-arid Northeast Brazil was dominated by a very dry type of caatinga vegetation, mainly composed of grasslands with some herbs and shrubs. After 18 ka, considerably more humid conditions are suggested by changes in the vegetation and by Corg and C/N data indicative of fluvial erosion. The caatinga became wetter and along lakes and rivers, sedges and gallery forest expanded. The most humid period was recorded between 16.5 and 15 ka, when humid gallery (and floodplain) forest and even small patches of mountainous Atlantic rain forest occurred together with dry forest, the latter being considered as a rather lush type of caatinga vegetation. During this humid phase erosion decreased as less lithogenic material and more organic terrestrial material were deposited on the continental slope of northern Brazil. After 15 ka arid conditions returned. During the humid second phase of the H1 stadial, a rich variety of landscapes existed in Northeast Brazil and during the drier periods small pockets of forest could probably survive in favorable spots, which would have increased the resilience of the forest to climate change.

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