Northern Australia is a region where limited information exists on environments at the last glacial maximum (LGM). Girraween Lagoon is located on the central northern coast of Australia and is a site representative of regional tropical savanna woodlands. Girraween Lagoon remained a perennial waterbody throughout the LGM, and as a result retains a complete proxy record of last-glacial climate, vegetation and fire. This study combines independent palynological and geochemical analyses to demonstrate a dramatic reduction in both tree cover and woody richness, and an expansion of grassland, relative to current vegetation at the site. The process of tree decline was primarily controlled by the cool-dry glacial climate and CO2 effects, though more localised site characteristics restricted wetland-associated vegetation. Fire processes played less of a role in determining vegetation than during the Holocene and modern day, with reduced fire activity consistent with significantly lower biomass available to burn. Girraween Lagoon's unique and detailed palaeoecological record provides the opportunity to explore and assess modelling studies of vegetation distribution during the LGM, particularly where a number of different global vegetation and/or climate simulations are inconsistent for northern Australia, and at a range of resolutions.

中文翻译：

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澳大利亚北部季风区 Girraween 泻湖最后一次盛冰期的植被

澳大利亚北部是一个关于末次盛冰期 (LGM) 环境信息有限的地区。Girraween 泻湖位于澳大利亚中北部海岸，是区域热带稀树草原林地的代表。Girraween 泻湖在整个 LGM 中仍然是一个常年水体，因此保留了末次冰期气候、植被和火灾的完整代理记录。这项研究结合了独立的孢粉学和地球化学分析，以证明相对于该地点当前的植被，树木覆盖率和木质丰富度显着减少，草原扩张。树木衰退的过程主要受冷干冰河气候和二氧化碳的控制2影响，尽管更局部的场地特征限制了与湿地相关的植被。与全新世和现代相比，火灾过程在确定植被方面的作用较小，火灾活动减少与可燃烧的生物量显着减少一致。Girraween 泻湖独特而详细的古生态记录为探索和评估 LGM 期间植被分布的建模研究提供了机会，特别是在澳大利亚北部的许多不同的全球植被和/或气候模拟不一致的情况下，并且在一系列分辨率下。