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Medieval Warming, Little Ice Age, and European impact on the environment during the last millennium in the lower Hudson Valley, New York, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Dee Cabaniss Pederson ,
Dorothy M. Peteet ,
Dorothy Kurdyla  and
Tom Guilderson
Dee Cabaniss Pederson*
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, 61 Rte. 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
Dorothy M. Peteet
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, 61 Rte. 9W, Palisades, NY 10964, USA NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 2880 Broadway, New York, NY 10025, USA
Dorothy Kurdyla
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Center for Accelerated Mass Spectrometry, 7000 East Avenue, L-403, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
Tom Guilderson
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Center for Accelerated Mass Spectrometry, 7000 East Avenue, L-403, Livermore, CA 94550, USA
*
⁎Corresponding author. Fax: +1 845 365 8154.E-mail address:dcp@ldeo.columbia.edu (D.C. Pederson).
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Abstract

Establishing natural climate variability becomes particularly important in large urban areas in anticipation of droughts. We present a well-dated bi-decadal record of vegetation, climate, land use, and fire frequency from a tidal marsh in the Hudson River Estuary. The classic Medieval Warm Period is evident through striking increases in charcoal and Pinus dominance from ∼800–1300 A.D., paralleling paleorecords southward along the Atlantic seaboard. Higher inputs of inorganic sediment during this interval suggest increased watershed erosion during drought conditions. The presence of the Little Ice Age ensues with increases in Picea and Tsuga, coupled with increasing organic percentages due to cooler, moister conditions. European impact is manifested by a decline in arboreal pollen due to land clearance, increased weedy plant cover (i.e., Ambrosia, Plantago, and Rumex), and an increase in inorganic particles to the watershed.

Keywords

PollenCharcoalClimateMedieval WarmingLittle Ice AgeLand useHudson ValleyPhragmitesTypha
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 63 , Issue 3 , May 2005 , pp. 238 - 249
Copyright
University of Washington

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