Landscape Development and Climate Change in Southwest Bulgaria (Pirin Mountains)

Preface 1 Geoarchives why the view into the past?1.1 Introduction and objectives1.2 Reasons and scales for climate changes1.3 Archives and methods 2 The Pirin Mountains as a model region2.1 Location and Ecosystem Characteristics2.2 Geology and Morphodynamic2.3 Water in the Pirin Mountains2.4 Soil and Biosphere2.5 Pirin National Park potentials and anthropogenic interference 3 Holocene climate and landscape chronology3.1 Würm glaciation and Late-glacial development3.2 Climate and vegetation during the Holocene3.3 Outline of cultural-historical dynamics 4 Climate data and geo-archives of the younger past4.1 Characterisation of contemporary local climate change4.1.1 Introduction4.1.2. Analysis of meteorological observations4.1.3. Regional climate aspects4.1.4. Climate change and climate trend4.2 Pirin s glacier features as climate indicator4.2.1 Introduction4.2.2 The recent glaciation of high mountains in southeastern Europe4.2.3 Investigation methods and application to Snezhnika Glacieret4.2.3 The response to climate change4.3 The timberline ecotones as key4.3.1 Introduction4.3.2 Timberline characteristic of the northern Pirin study area4.4 Dendroecology of Pinus heldreichii4.4.1 Conifers as geoarchive4.4.2 Methodological approach4.4.3 Development of chronologies4.4.4 Climate growth relation 5 Specifics of the regional climate and landscape history5.1 Changes on millennial timescale5.2 Climate development of the region during the Younger Modern History5.3 The recent climate change 6 Conclusion and outlook Indexes AbbreviationsGeographical features (Pirin region)Latin plant and animal namesTime periodsSubjects