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Abstract:
The North Atlantic region experienced abrupt high-amplitude cooling at the onset of the
Younger Dryas stadial. However, due to chronological uncertainties in the available terrestrial
records it is unclear whether terrestrial ecosystem response to this event was instantaneous
and spatially synchronous, or whether regional or time-transgressive lags existed. Here we
use new palynological results from a robustly dated lake sediment sequence retrieved from
lake Hämelsee (north Germany) to show that vegetation change started at 12,820 cal. yr BP,
concurrent with the onset of changes in local climate. A comparison of the Hämelsee results
to a compilation of precisely dated palynological records shows instant and, within decadal-
scale dating uncertainty, synchronous response of the terrestrial plant community to Late-
Glacial climate change across northwest Europe. The results indicate that the environmental
impact of climate cooling was more severe than previously thought and illustrates the sen-
sitivity of natural terrestrial ecosystems to external forcing.
