Aage Paus

University of Bergen, Department of Biology, Emeritus

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University of East London

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UNL - New University of Lisbon

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University of Salento

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Swansea University

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Universidad de Buenos Aires

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Tel Aviv University

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Université du Québec à Rimouski

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Rice University

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University of Florida

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Papers by Aage Paus

From tundra to tree-birch; late-glacial and early Holocene environment and vegetation oscillations at the ecotonal positioned Bjerkreim, Dalane, SW Norway

Quaternary Science Reviews

The computerized Soma cube

Computers & mathematics with applications, 1986

The seven '+Soma pieces" are produced as irregular combinations of 27 identical cubes, and may be... more The seven '+Soma pieces" are produced as irregular combinations of 27 identical cubes, and may be joined to form a "Soma cube". The position of each Soma piece is expressed mathematically, and all possible positions are studied by computer programming along with geometrical considerations. It is found that the Soma cube may be constructed in 480 non-congruent ways; that excludes solutions which may be generated by rotations of the whole Soma cube. The solutions may be divided into 240 symmetrical pairs.

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The Late Weichselian and early Holocene history of tree birch in south Norway and the Bølling Betula time-lag in northwest Europe

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Apr 1, 1995

This study compares late-glacial pollen data from northwest Europe to elucidate the northward mig... more This study compares late-glacial pollen data from northwest Europe to elucidate the northward migration of tree birch during the Boiling warming about 13,000 BP and the subsequent birch-forest development. The late-glacial treebirch history in south Norway is emphasized. The Bolling warming initiated a rapid northward migration of tree birch, that extended across most of northwest Europe within c. 300 yr. Comparison of pollen influx studies shows that values of about 200 tree-birch pollen grains cm-2a-1 indicate local tree birch. The time that elapsed between the Boiling warming and the local birch-forest development, the so-called Boiling Betula time-lag, lasted up to 1000 yr, though in southern and/or protected sites this lag was about 500 yr or even less. In all areas of northwest Europe, strong winds are assumed to have been an important factor that delayed the birch-forest development in the first half of the late-glacial. Other important factors were drought effects in southern areas (e.g. south Britain) and sparse snow cover and frost in northern areas. The Arctic treeline lay in north Rogaland, southwest Norway, about 12,500 BP. During the Allerod Chronozone, tree birch migrated northward along the ice-free coastal strip of south Norway to More and Romsdal. However, the development of Allerod birch forest in Norway was restricted to Rogaland. The Younger Dryas cooling (11,000-10,000 BP) caused the near-extinction of tree birch in Norway, and only in sheltered sites in south Rogaland scattered individuals were able to survive. Hence, vegetational boundaries crossed Rogaland, thus representing an ecotonal area, through major parts of the late-glacial. A rapid development of closed birch forests all along the coast of south Norway occurred after the Holocene warming (10,000 BP).

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Human impact, soil erosion, and vegetation response lags to climate change: challenges for the mid-Scandinavian pollen-based transfer-function temperature reconstructions

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, May 4, 2012

Precise and accurate reconstructions of past environmental parameters from high-quality palaeoenv... more Precise and accurate reconstructions of past environmental parameters from high-quality palaeoenvironmental studies are critical for realistic testing of climate models. To ascertain the reliability of the reconstructions of the past, cross-validation from a variety of proxies and methods is essential. Mid-Scandinavia, showing a variety of palaeoecological studies, is a suitable region for comparing and validating environmental reconstructions. Here, pollenbased transfer-function reconstructions show inconsistent late-glacial temperature patterns. They also show that the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) occurs at ca. 7.5-4.5 cal. ka B.P. However, thermal indicators (pollen, megafossils, plant macrofossils) place the HTM at no later than ca. 10-7.5 cal. ka B.P. It is argued that after the onset of the early Holocene warming equilibrium between vegetation and climate was established over a prolonged period; i.e. ca. 1,500 and 4,000 years in the mountains and lowlands, respectively. In the mountains, soil drought, wind and winter stress were important factors causing the lag, whereas interspecific competition and soil development delayed the succession within the species-diverse lowland forests. These lags when vegetation was not filling its thermal potential result in a distortion of the temperature signal as derived by transfer functions which assume that vegetation is essentially in equilibrium with climate. Due to widespread human impact and erosion today, many modern training set samples are unsuitable as reference material for past environmental conditions. Various recommendations are suggested towards making improvements in the pollen-transfer function approach to climate reconstructions. To overcome the difficulties resulting from vegetation lags in the early Holocene, proxies that have a faster response time to climate, such as chironomids and aquatic plants including algae, may replace terrestrial pollen. Keywords Temperature transfer functions Á Mid-Scandinavia Á Pollen Á Megafossils Á Vegetational lags Á Human impact Á Soil erosion Communicated by F. Bittmann.

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Early- to mid-Holocene forest-line and climate dynamics in southern Scandes mountains inferred from contrasting megafossil and pollen data

The Holocene, Sep 28, 2016

The result of 344 radiocarbon-dated megafossils is here presented and discussed. This study aims ... more The result of 344 radiocarbon-dated megafossils is here presented and discussed. This study aims at elucidating early- to mid-Holocene forest-line and climate dynamics in the southern Scandes along a present gradient of decreasing forest-line elevations. Around 9.5 calibrated ka before present (BP), pine suddenly established vertical belts of at least 200 m. These represent the highest pine-forests during the Holocene, ca. 210–170 m higher than today when corrected for land uplift. By this, summer temperatures at least 1–1.3°C warmer than today are indicated for the early Holocene thermal maximum around 8.5–9.5 cal. ka BP. The most pronounced warming occurred in Jotunheimen, the highest mountain range in Scandinavia, because of an amplified ‘Massenerhebung’ effect. Megafossils show the establishment of birch-forests above pine-forests already from the early Holocene. Pine-forests started their decline in the early Holocene and became replaced by the less warmth-demanding birch-forests. Pine megafossil results and pollen studies from the same areas show that cooling around 8.5 cal. ka BP caused a significant decrease in pine pollen production whereas pine-forest-lines were more or less unaffected. In the following period of about 2000 years, the high-altitudinal pine-forests could hardly be detected in pollen diagrams. This shows how strongly past temperatures influenced on the pollen production of individuals and how this might obscure pollen-based reconstructions of past vegetation. To be able to correct for this error, there is a need for establishing exact present-day relationships between temperature and pollen production of prolific pollen producers.

The Lateglacial and early Holocene vegetation and environment in the Dovre mountains, central Norway, as signalled in two Lateglacial nunatak lakes

Quaternary Science Reviews, Jun 1, 2011

... The Holocene Thermal Maximum is indicated around ca 7.87.3 ka cal BP showing a chironomid-in... more

Did the Eurasian ice sheets melt completely in early Marine Isotope Stage 3? New evidence from Norway and a synthesis for Eurasia

Quaternary Science Reviews, Jul 1, 2023

Osmunda regalis in the early Holocene of Western Norway

Nordic Journal of Botany, Dec 1, 1991

Nord. J. Bot. - Section of geobotany Osmunda regalis in the early Holocene of Western NorwayHilar... more

Environmental responses to the 9.7 and 8.2 cold events at two ecotonal sites in the Dovre mountains, mid-Norway

Quaternary Science Reviews, Feb 1, 2019

We found strong signals of two cooling events around 9700 and 8200 cal yrs. BP in lakes Store Fin... more We found strong signals of two cooling events around 9700 and 8200 cal yrs. BP in lakes Store Finnsjøen and Flåfattjønna at Dovre, mid-Norway. Analyses included pollen in both lakes, and C/N-ratio, biomarkers (e.g. alkanes and br-GDGTs), and XRF scanning in Finnsjøen. The positions of these lakes close to ecotones (upper forest-lines of birch and pine, respectively) reduced their resilience to cold events causing vegetation regression at both sites. The global 8.2 event reflects the collapse of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The 9.7 event with impact restricted to Scandinavia and traced by pollen at Dovre only, reflects the drainage of the Baltic Ancylus Lake. More detailed analysis in Finnsjøen shows that the events also caused increased allochtonous input (K, Ca), increased sedimentation rate, and decreased sediment density and aquatic production. br-GDGT-based temperatures indicate gradual cooling through the early Holocene. In Finnsjøen, ca. 3100 maxima-minima couplets in sediment density along the analyzed sequence of ca. 3100 calibrated years show the presence of varves for the first time in Norway. Impact of the 9.7 and 8.2 events lasted ca. 60 and 370 years, respectively. Pine pollen percentages were halved and re-established in less than 60 years, indicating the reduction of pine pollen production and not vegetative growth during the 9.7 event. The local impact of the 8.2 event sensu lato (ca 8420-8050 cal yrs. BP) divides the event into a precursor, an erosional phase, and a recovery phase. At the onset of the erosional phase, summer temperatures increased.

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Intriguing climatic shifts in a 90 kyr old lake record from northern Russia

Boreas, Feb 1, 2008

A 22 m long sediment core from Lake Yamozero on the Timan Ridge in northern Russia has provided e... more A 22 m long sediment core from Lake Yamozero on the Timan Ridge in northern Russia has provided evidence of intriguing climatic shifts during the last glacial cycle. An overall shallowing of the lake is reflected in the lower part of the cores, where pollen indicates a transition from glacial steppe vegetation to interstadial shrub-tundra. These beds are capped by a well-defined layer of compact clay deposited in relatively deep water, where pollen shows surrounding spruce forests and warmer-than-present summer temperatures. The most conservative interpretation is that this unit represents the last interglacial period. However, a series of Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dates suggests that it corresponds with the Early Weichselian Odderade interstadial (MIS 5a). This would imply that the Odderade interstadial was just as warm as a normal interglacial in this continental part of northern Europe. If correct, then pollen analysis, as a correlation tool, is less straightforward and the definition of an interglacial is more complex than previously thought. We discuss the validity and possible systematic errors of the OSL dates on which this age model is based, but conclude they really indicate a MIS 5a age for the warm period. Above the clay is an unconformity, most likely reflecting a period of subaerial exposure implying dry conditions. Deposition of silt under fluctuating cold climates in the Middle Weichselian continued until a second gap in the record at c. 40 kyr BP. The lake basin started to fill up again around 18 kyr BP.

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Late Weichselian environmental change in Norway, including Svalbard

Journal of Quaternary Science, Jun 1, 1994

... of Tromsra, Lars Th~rings veg 10, N-9006 Troms~, Norway J. MANGERUD Department of Geology, Un... more

Lateglacial vegetation and environment in Ireland: First results from four western sites

Quaternary Science Reviews, 1993

Abstract First results of investigations that include pollen and chemical analyses of lateglacial... more Abstract First results of investigations that include pollen and chemical analyses of lateglacial lake sediments from four sites in western Ireland are presented, and the evidence for environmental change from these and previously published studies is reviewed. Fresh evidence is presented for a period with a cold, arid, continental-type climate immediately after deglaciation. This period is informally defined as the Pre-interstadial. It is represented by a Pinus-Artemisia-Gramineae pollen assemblage, with a high proportion of long- ...

Vegetation and environment of the Rødalen alpine area, Central Norway, with emphasis on the early Holocene

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, Sep 22, 2009

Late Weichselian vegetation, climate, and floral migration at Liastemmen, North Rogaland, south-western Norway

Journal of Quaternary Science, Aug 5, 2010

Page 1. JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE (1 989) 4 (3) 223-242 @ Longman Group UK Ltd 1989 0267-81 7... more

Late Weichselian vegetation, climate, and floral migration at Sandvikvatn, North Rogaland, southwestern Norway

Boreas, Jan 16, 2008

Pollen analysis from Sandvikvatn has elucidated the local Late Weichselian vegetational and clima... more Pollen analysis from Sandvikvatn has elucidated the local Late Weichselian vegetational and climatic history since deglaciation about 14,000 B.P. The pleniglacial period, the first of three climatic main periods and ending c. 13,600 B.P., is an Artemisia‐dominated pioneer vegetation on disturbed mineral soils. The Late Weichselian Interstadial (13,600‐11,000 B.P.) comprises a Salix‐shrub consolidation phase and, from 12,900 B.P., a birch‐forest optimum phase. In the Younger Dryas Stadial (11,000–10,100 B.P.) the Artemisia‐dominated pioneer vegetation returns. Three climatic oscillations are demonstrated at intervals of about 500 years within the Interstadial. The oldest two, about 12,500 and 12,000 B.P., could both have been connected with the ‘Older Dryas’. Cold winters and strong winds, causing soil erosion and drought, are suggested as important factors during the climatic periods unfavourable to woody vegetation. In the pleniglacial and Younger Dryas periods the winds are assumed to be katabatic. During the whole Late Weichselian southern species dominate locally. A northwards spread is demonstrated for the majority of the local late‐glacial taxa, including the endemic Primula scandinavica and also Papaver radicatum and Aconitum, both previously discussed as part of the hypothesis of Weichselian ice‐free refugia.

Rapid climate changes during the Lateglacial and the early Holocene as seen from plant community dynamics in the Polar Urals, Russia

Journal of Quaternary Science, Jul 30, 2021

A detailed, well-dated record of pollen and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) for the period 15 0... more A detailed, well-dated record of pollen and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) for the period 15 000-9500 cal a BP describes changes at Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye in the Polar Ural Mountains, located far east of the classical Lateglacial sites in western Europe. Arctic tundra rapidly changed to lusher vegetation, possibly including both dwarf (Betula nana) and tree birch (B. pubescens), dated in our record to take place 14 565 cal a BP, coincident with the onset of the Bølling in western Europe; this was paralleled by increased summer temperatures. A striking feature is an early decline in Betula pollen and sedaDNA reads 300 years before the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) in western Europe. Given the solid site chronology, this could indicate that the YD cooling started in Siberia and propagated westwards, or that the vegetation reacted to the inter-Allerød cooling at 13 100 cal a BP and did not recover during the late Allerød. During the YD, increases in steppe taxa such as Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae suggest drier conditions. At the onset of the Holocene, the vegetation around the lake reacted fast to the warmer conditions, as seen in the increase of arboreal taxa, especially Betula, and a decrease in herbs such as Artemisia and Cyperaceae.

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Lateglacial vegetation and palaeoenvironment in W Norway, with new pollen data from the Sunnmøre region

Boreas, May 13, 2011

It has been a long journey to perform the work needed to complete this thesis, and I would never ... more It has been a long journey to perform the work needed to complete this thesis, and I would never have managed to make it through without help from many people whom I will forever be grateful to. First, I want to thank my supervisor Aage Paus, for all his help, for his encouragement and for never giving up on me. My co-supervisor, John Inge Svendsen is thanked for seeing the value of pollen analysis and for wanting me as a member of the ICEHUS-project. Both are thanked for having time for discussions whenever I came knocking on their doors. Many thanks go to the other members of the ICEHUS-group; Jan Mangerud, Øystein S. Lohne, Herbjørn Presthus Heggen, Richard Gyllenkreutz, and Mona Henriksen, for their support, enthusiasm and valuable comments during our group meetings. Inger Karlsen is thanked for making me feel welcome as an employee at the Department of Earth Science. Thanks to Aage Paus, Øystein S. Lohne, Bjørn Kvisvik and Trond Vihovde for help during field work, enduring heavy rain and annoying midges. I also want to thank the people that provided me sediment cores, and especially Dmitry Nazarov who transported the Russian cores all the way from St. Petersburg to Bergen. Thanks to Jozef Kusior for technical support with the field equipment, and to Stig Monsen, Haflidi Haflidason and Jan Berge for help in various laboratories. Thanks to all the members of the "pollen family"; Lene, Anne, Ingvild, Jan, Kristine, Kari, Aage and Mons for making a good working environment in the pollen lab and for providing help with identification whenever needed. Thanks to John-Arvid Grytnes for always being smiling and positive if I showed up with one of my ordination questions. Beate Helle and Eva Bjørseth are acknowledged for help with many of the illustrations. I am very grateful to Arild Breistøl for help with computer programs in the final stage of completing this thesis.

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The Computerized Soma Cube

Elsevier eBooks, 1986

Did the Eurasian ice sheets melt completely in early Marine Isotope Stage 3? New evidence from Norway and a synthesis for Eurasia

Quaternary Science Reviews

Ice-free LGM AndÃ¸ya: did local conditions and long-distance dispersal lead to a micro-refugium?

From tundra to tree-birch; late-glacial and early Holocene environment and vegetation oscillations at the ecotonal positioned Bjerkreim, Dalane, SW Norway

Quaternary Science Reviews

The computerized Soma cube

Computers & mathematics with applications, 1986

Download

The Late Weichselian and early Holocene history of tree birch in south Norway and the Bølling Betula time-lag in northwest Europe

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Apr 1, 1995

Download

Human impact, soil erosion, and vegetation response lags to climate change: challenges for the mid-Scandinavian pollen-based transfer-function temperature reconstructions

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, May 4, 2012

Download

Early- to mid-Holocene forest-line and climate dynamics in southern Scandes mountains inferred from contrasting megafossil and pollen data

The Holocene, Sep 28, 2016

The Lateglacial and early Holocene vegetation and environment in the Dovre mountains, central Norway, as signalled in two Lateglacial nunatak lakes

Quaternary Science Reviews, Jun 1, 2011

... The Holocene Thermal Maximum is indicated around ca 7.87.3 ka cal BP showing a chironomid-in... more

Did the Eurasian ice sheets melt completely in early Marine Isotope Stage 3? New evidence from Norway and a synthesis for Eurasia

Quaternary Science Reviews, Jul 1, 2023

Osmunda regalis in the early Holocene of Western Norway

Nordic Journal of Botany, Dec 1, 1991

Nord. J. Bot. - Section of geobotany Osmunda regalis in the early Holocene of Western NorwayHilar... more

Environmental responses to the 9.7 and 8.2 cold events at two ecotonal sites in the Dovre mountains, mid-Norway

Quaternary Science Reviews, Feb 1, 2019

Download

Intriguing climatic shifts in a 90 kyr old lake record from northern Russia

Boreas, Feb 1, 2008

Download

Late Weichselian environmental change in Norway, including Svalbard

Journal of Quaternary Science, Jun 1, 1994

... of Tromsra, Lars Th~rings veg 10, N-9006 Troms~, Norway J. MANGERUD Department of Geology, Un... more

Lateglacial vegetation and environment in Ireland: First results from four western sites

Quaternary Science Reviews, 1993

Vegetation and environment of the Rødalen alpine area, Central Norway, with emphasis on the early Holocene

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, Sep 22, 2009

Late Weichselian vegetation, climate, and floral migration at Liastemmen, North Rogaland, south-western Norway

Journal of Quaternary Science, Aug 5, 2010

Page 1. JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE (1 989) 4 (3) 223-242 @ Longman Group UK Ltd 1989 0267-81 7... more

Late Weichselian vegetation, climate, and floral migration at Sandvikvatn, North Rogaland, southwestern Norway

Boreas, Jan 16, 2008

Rapid climate changes during the Lateglacial and the early Holocene as seen from plant community dynamics in the Polar Urals, Russia

Journal of Quaternary Science, Jul 30, 2021

Download

Lateglacial vegetation and palaeoenvironment in W Norway, with new pollen data from the Sunnmøre region

Boreas, May 13, 2011

Download

The Computerized Soma Cube

Elsevier eBooks, 1986

Did the Eurasian ice sheets melt completely in early Marine Isotope Stage 3? New evidence from Norway and a synthesis for Eurasia

Quaternary Science Reviews

Ice-free LGM AndÃ¸ya: did local conditions and long-distance dispersal lead to a micro-refugium?

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