PALEOCLIMATIC IMPLICATIONS OF PLEISTOCENE STRATIGRAPHY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA *

Studies in climatic variation may consider both the causes of indicated climatic changes and the patterns of such changes. Often, however, the patterns are neglected, and far-reaching conclusions are drawn on the basis of disintegrated and sporadic evidence. This is of course inevitable in a field of research embracing several distinct disciplines. I t is nevertheless necessary to elaborate on the distribution of climatic anomalies both in time and space if a reliable perspective of general circulation mechanisms is to be obtained. Analyses of recent climatic fluctuations registered within the instrumental record have made considerable progress in this channel lately. In the Pleistocene, however, almost all interpretative study has made use of hopelessly inadequate schemata of glacial, interglacial, pluvial, interpluvial. The major circulation changes of the Quaternary were anything but a simple expansion or contraction of climatic belts. The differential variation of the various climatic elements a t any one locality has proved to be astoundingly complex whenever detailed evidence became available. Consequently the following materials will be devoted to a brief summary of the patterns of climatic evolution in the zone of overlap between the subtropical cells of high pressure and the circumpolar westerlies in the general area of the Mediterranean Basin. Outlining the earth science evidence involved, several climatic patterns, related to specific types of “glacial” and “interglacial” circulation of the atmosphere, will be discussed. The provisional results presented here were obtained during various field sessions in the Near East and Mediterranean area since 1956, and much of the material has not yet received publication. On account of limited space, discussion and documentation have necessarily been reduced to a minimum.