Proxy reconstruction of ultraviolet-B irradiance at the Earth’s surface, and its relationship with solar activity and ozone thickness
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Authors
Colleges, School and Institutes
External organisations
- Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, University of Münster, Germany
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, UK
- Geography, Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, UK
- Department of Ecosystem and Landscape Dynamics, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, UK
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham
- Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of Nottingham, UK
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, UK
Abstract
Solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiance that reaches the Earth’s surface acts as a biotic stressor and has the potential to modify ecological and environmental functioning. The challenges of reconstructing UV irradiance prior to the satellite era mean that there is uncertainty over long-term surface UV-B patterns, especially in relation to variations in solar activity over centennial and millennial timescales. Here, we reconstruct surface UV-B irradiance over the last 650 years using a novel UV-B proxy based on the chemical signature of pollen grains. We demonstrate a statistically significant positive relationship between the abundance of UV-B absorbing compounds in Pinus pollen and modelled solar UV-B irradiance. These results show that trends in surface UV-B follow the overall solar activity pattern over centennial timescales, and that variations in solar output are the dominant control on surface level UV-B flux, rather than solar modulated changes in ozone thickness. The Pinus biochemical response demonstrated here confirms the potential for solar activity driven surface UV-B variations to impact upon terrestrial biotas and environments over long timescales.
Details
Original language | English |
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Journal | The Holocene |
Early online date | 12 Sep 2019 |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 12 Sep 2019 |
Keywords
- ozone, palaeoclimate, pollen, solar activity, ultraviolet-B irradiance, vegetation