Authors: Aneta Formáčková, Ladislav Hamerlík, Laurențiu Țuțuianu, Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe, Luminița Preoteasa, Diana Hanganu, Gusztáv Jakab, János L. Korponai, Ákos Bede-Fazekas, Eszter Tombor, Bartosz Kotrys, Mateusz Płóciennik, Maria Ilie, Enikő Magyari
Summary:
This paper reconstructs mean summer temperatures in the Southern Carpathians alpine zone during the Late Glacial-Holocene interval, as inferred from chironomid fossils identified in an 8.44 m long sediment core retrieved from Bâlea Lake (Făgăraș Mountains). Past temperature variations are particularly relevant for understanding how climatic shifts may have driven key transformations in prehistoric human societies in Eastern and Central Europe. Our findings reveal Holocene summer temperatures ranging from 7.5 to 10.4 °C, with the coldest summers occurring during the Late Glacial, when temperatures were recorded at ~6 °C. The highest summer temperatures occurred between 7100 and 5330 cal yr BP, with T-July centred at 8.5–9.5 °C. This climatic optimum was followed by cooling episodes between 5500–4800 cal yr BP and around 4200 cal yr BP, when temperatures dropped to ~8.9 °C and ~9 °C, respectively. A peak of 10.4 °C was recorded around 3500 cal yr BP. These results offer valuable baseline data for assessing current climate warming and may support national strategies for climate change adaptation and management of vulnerable mountain ecosystems.