ABRUPT CLIMATIC CHANGES DURING THE LAST GLACIATION BASED ON POLLEN ANALYSIS OF THE ABRIC-ROMANI, CATALONIA, SPAIN

The Abric Romani continental pollen record provides evidence of abrupt climate variations during the last glaciation. The pollen record reveals a pattern of high-frequency variations similar to that in ice cores as shown by oxygen isotopes or dust content. Analyses of 14 travertine samples yield coherent U-series ages in correct stratigraphic order, ranging from 40,000 to 70,000 yr. According to changes in the composition and structure of the vegetation, five paleoclimatic phases have been differentiated; the oldest, ranging from 70,200 to 65,500 yr ago, records thermophilous taxa which correspond to the last warm events of isotopic stage 5. The next phase, from 65,500 to 56,800 yr, records a cold, humid climate that correlates with isotope stage 4. During the third phase, from 56,800 to 49,500 yr, relatively warm and cold events alternate. The fourth phase, from 49,500 to 46,200 yr, records a cold, dry climate. The fifth phase, ranging from 46,200 to 40,800 yr, records a milder phase that is similar in appearance to the beginning of the Holocene. (C) 1994 University of Washington.