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The Holocene

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The Palgrave Handbook of Climate History

Abstract

This chapter provides a general overview of climatic patterns and trends during the Holocene. Global climate during the Holocene responded to orbital, solar, and volcanic forcings, as well as internal variability. Global climate shifts influenced atmospheric circulation patterns, such as the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which in turn influenced local weather patterns. From a climate perspective, the Holocene can be roughly divided into three periods: an early period of maximum Northern Hemisphere summer insolation; a middle period of weakening summer monsoons in the Northern Hemisphere; and a late period marked by periodic cooling, strengthening El Niños, and more restricted seasonal migration of the ITCZ.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Bradley, 2015, 36–46; Cronin, 2010, 113–47.

  2. 2.

    Roberts, 2014, 96–107; Cronin, 2010, 185–214.

  3. 3.

    Rohling et al., 2002; Nussbaumer et al., 2011; Brooke, 2014, 166–82, 276–78. For important reviews of Mid- to Late Holocene climates, see Wanner et al., 2015, and Mayewski et al., 2004.

  4. 4.

    Esper et al., 2012.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    John L. Brooke

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  1. John L. Brooke
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Sam White

  2. Institute of History, Oeschger Centre for Climate Change, Bern, Switzerland

    Christian Pfister

  3. Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany

    Franz Mauelshagen

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Brooke, J.L. (2018). The Holocene. In: White, S., Pfister, C., Mauelshagen, F. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Climate History. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43020-5_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-43020-5_15

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-43019-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-43020-5

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