Detection of rapid climate change in Last Glacial fluvial successions in The Netherlands

Climate change during the Last Glacial is considered as a major forcing factor of fluvial system changes. A continuous succession of fluvial sediments, reflecting adaptations to climate change from the Weichselian Middle Pleniglacial (oxygen isotope stage 3) onwards, occurs in lowland river basins in the Netherlands. A comparison of the Pleniglacial and Late Glacial fluvial record in the Netherlands shows that climatic oscillations of similar magnitude did not produce changes in the fluvial sedimentary system of equal magnitude. The Late Glacial fluvial system proves to be highly sensitive to climate change. By contrast, many of the rapid climate changes that have occurred during oxygen isotope stage 3, according to the Greenland ice core record, are not detectable in the fluvial sediments. This can be explained by differences in the impact of the climate variations on drainage basin vegetation. During the Late Glacial, the tree line repeatedly shifted through the Netherlands, whereas the area remained within the tundra zone during the Middle Pleniglacial. Precipitation variations and permafrost aggradation and degradation have played a secondary role. The Weichselian fluvial succession in the Netherlands demonstrates that detection of a change in the fluvial sedimentary system and relating this change to climate change is subject to methodological limitations. The climatic significance of changes in the fluvial record should be carefully evaluated, as well as their chronology. The possibility that climate did not influence the fluvial system should always be considered as a null hypothesis in studies on fluvial successions.