Data on the impact of volcanism on Scandinavian climate and human societies during the Holocene: Insights into the Fimbulwinter eruptions (536/540 AD)
SND-ID: 2024-411. Version: 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.57804/69wh-ps35
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Creator/Principal investigator(s)
Kailin Hatlestad
- Uppsala University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Archaeology
Research principal
Description
Recent paleoclimatic research has revealed that volcanic events around 536–540 AD caused severe, short-term global cooling. For this same period, archeological research from various regions evidences significant cultural transformation.
This study focused on the effects of the 536/540 AD volcanic event in four Scandinavian regions by exploring the shift in demographic and land use intensity before, during, and after this abrupt climate cooling. To achieve this, we performed climate simulations with and without volcanic eruptions using a dynamically downscaled climate model (iLOVECLIM) at a high resolution (0.25° or ~25 km). We integrated the findings with a comprehensive collection of radiocarbon dates from excavated archeological sites across various Scandinavian regions. Our Earth System Model simulates pronounced cooling (maximum ensemble mean −1.1°C), an abrupt reduction in precipitation, and a particularly acute drop in growing degree days (GDD0) after the volcanic event, which can be used to infer likely impacts on agricultural productivity. When compared to the archeological record, w
This study focused on the effects of the 536/540 AD volcanic event in four Scandinavian regions by exploring the shift in demographic and land use intensity before, during, and after this abrupt climate cooling. To achieve this, we performed climate simulations with and without volcanic eruptions using a dynamically downscaled climate model (iLOVECLIM) at a high resolution (0.25° or ~25 km). We integrated the findings with a comprehensive collection of radiocarbon dates from excavated archeological sites across various Scandinavian regions. Our Earth System Model simulates pronounced cooling (maximum ensemble mean −1.1°C), an abrupt reduction in precipitation, and a particularly acute drop in growing degree days (GDD0) after the volcanic event, which can be used to infer likely impacts on agricultural productivity. When compared to the archeological record, we see considerable regional diversity in the societal response to this sudden environmental event. As a result, this study provides a more comprehensive insight into the demographic chronology of Scandinavia and a deeper understanding of the land-use practices its societies depended on during the 536/540 AD event.
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Geographic spread
Geographic description: Scandinavia
Contributor(s)
Kailin Hatlestad
- Uppsala University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Archaeology
Frank Arthur
- University of South-Eastern Norway, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health
Karl-Johan Lindholm
- Uppsala University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, African and Comparative Archaeology
Kjetil Loftsgarden
- University of Oslo, The Museum of Cultural History
Daniel Löwenborg
- Uppsala University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Archaeology
Kailin Hatlestad
- Uppsala University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Archaeology
Frank Arthur
- University of South-Eastern Norway, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health
Karl-Johan Lindholm
- Uppsala University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, African and Comparative Archaeology
Kjetil Loftsgarden
- University of Oslo, The Museum of Cultural History
Daniel Löwenborg
- Uppsala University, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Archaeology
Steinar Solheim
- University of Oslo, The Museum of Cultural History
Didier M Roche - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands / Université Paris-Saclay, France, Faculty of Science, Earth and Climate Cluster / Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, LSCE/IPSL, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ
Hans Renssen
- University of South-Eastern Norway, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health
Identifiers
Research area
Climate research (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)
Archaeology (Standard för svensk indelning av forskningsämnen 2011)
Arthur, F., Hatlestad, K., Lindholm, K.-J., Loftsgarden, K., Löwenborg, D., Solheim, S., Roche, D. M., & Renssen, H. (2024). The impact of volcanism on Scandinavian climate and human societies during the Holocene: Insights into the Fimbulwinter eruptions (536/540 AD). The Holocene, 34(5), 619-633. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836231225718
URN:
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-523945
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836231225718
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