Pollen-inferred past climate reconstruction in the Alps : how to estimate the effect of elevation and local parameters

International audienceThe modern analogue technique (MAT) was applied to six pollen sequences from the Belledonne Massif (northwestern French Alps) to estimate the effect of altitude and local parameters on pollen-based climate reconstruction during the Lateglacial and the early Holocene. The six sites (Le Vivier (345 m a.s.l.), Les Etelles (700 m a.s.l.), La Coche (980 m a.s.l.), Montendry (1330 m a.s.l.), Le Grand Leyat (1660 m a.s.l.), La Gouille (1800 m a.s.l.)) are located in different vegetation belts (mixed deciduous woods, conifer woods, alpine pastures with maple). The main vegetation changes in the past are recorded at each site. The evolution of four climate parameters (coldest month temperature, warmest month temperature, mean annual temperature, annual precipitation) was quantitatively inferred from pollen data using MAT. The curves obtained were compared to the Les Etelles site, which was the least affected by non-local pollen transport. The results show consistent trends for the climate parameters reconstructed at the different sites. However, the reconstruction does not indicate a decrease in temperature values related to the increasing elevation. Difficulties in reconstructing the altitudinal variations of climate parameters from pollen data during the periods studied are discussed and perspectives for improvement are considered. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd