Vegetation and climate changes in the forest of Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil, during the last 25,000 cal yr BP

Abstract

A paleoenvironmental reconstruction was performed in a Riparian Forest near Campinas to improve knowledge of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. A sediment core of 182 cm depth was collected in a swamp located within a Cerrado/Seasonal Semi-deciduous ecotone forest. The chronological frame is given by eight radiocarbon dating methods. Pollen and stable isotope analyses (δ ¹³C and δ ¹⁵N) were performed all along the core. Modern pollen rain is based on five surface samples collected along the Riparian Forest. Results show a sequence of changes in vegetation and climate between 25 and 13 cal kyr before present (BP), and from 4 cal kyr BP to the present time, with a hiatus between 11 and 4 kyr cal BP. Drier climatic conditions characterized the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, although they had moisture peaks able to maintain an open forest. The Riparian Forest became fully installed from 4 cal kyr BP onward. Our results are in agreement with other regional studies and contribute to build a regional frame for past climatic conditions at the latitude of São Paulo.

KEYWORDS:
Quaternary; palynology; riparian forest; late glacial; Holocene