Abstract
The regional distribution of precipitation in a mountain range like the European Alps is a good indicator for continental-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. This is particularly true when precipitation is primarily caused by the advection of air masses to the Alps from the North Atlantic or the Mediterranean Sea, as is the case under cold conditions. Alpine precipitation patterns during the Lateglacial period can hence be interpreted in terms of past atmospheric circulation patterns in continental Europe. In this paper, glacier-climate models are used for the reconstruction of Younger Dryas precipitation patterns based on changes in equilibrium line altitudes of Alpine glaciers. This type of research provides important information concerning the range of past precipitation variability against which present climatic changes in the Alps can be assessed. Also, unravelling the spatial patterns of Alpine precipitation allows us to gain a better understanding of forcing mechanisms behind precipitation changes.
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Kerschner, H. (2005). Glacier-Climate Models as Palaeoclimatic Information Sources: Examples from the Alpine Younger Dryas Period. In: Huber, U.M., Bugmann, H.K.M., Reasoner, M.A. (eds) Global Change and Mountain Regions. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3508-X_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3508-X_8
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