A comparison of climate and vegetation dynamics in central Ireland and NW Spain since the mid-Holocene

Abstract

This research investigates chmate and vegetation dynamics in two Atlantic regions; central Ireland and NW Spain. Atmospheric and oceanic processes influence climate and hence vegetation through forcing factors operating at millennial time scales. But the extent of their influence over shorter periods is less well understood. Climate, however, is only one factor affecting vegetation change and increasing anthropogenic pressure may mask its influence during the late Holocene. Here climate and vegetation history are inferred through proxy indicators and examined in the light of archaeological and historical data.