MORAINES IN THE MOUNTAINS OF ANATOLIA: EVIDENCES FOR QUATERNARY ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION PATTERNS

In a study of Quaternary climate change, Anatolia merits special attention for several reasons. As it lies between generally humid and generally arid areas, it has been extremely sensitive to minor changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. Anatolia is located in a tectonically and seismically active zone and it has experienced continuous settlement at least for 10–12 ky, and possesses a rich record of human occupation.

Anatolia is sensitively situated for paleoclimatic reconstructions and there the geological records of paleoglaciations are a key archive to quantify paleoclimate change in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR). Glacial deposits are located in the Black Sea, Taurus and Eastern Anatolian Mountains, Uludag and on isolated extinct volcanic cones in the interior parts such as Mount Erciyes, Süphan, and Ararat. Currently, there is not sufficient information about the past glaciations in Anatolia.

The climate of the EMR is influenced by three main atmospheric systems: the main middle to high latitude westerlies, the mid-latitude subtropical high-pressure systems, and the monsoon climate. To understand the recent Anatolian climate, meteorological data of the last 30 years are analyzed in seasonal windows. Parameters examined are total precipitation, mean atmospheric pressure, mean sunshine intensity, mean temperature, mean moisture, mean vapor pressure and mean evaporation. The positions of the Taurus and Black Sea Mountains form a “weather divide” as well as a corridor. Definite precipitation maxima occur there also due to the orographic effects of these mountains. The focal point of precipitation lies in the northern part of the Eastern Black Sea Mountains and diminishes at a large scale towards south–southeast through the inner parts of the country. A pronounced rain shadow is noticeable in central Turkey and continentality increases from West to East.

The establishment of the jetstreams and jet maxima positions is crucial for our understanding of the moisture transport during a global cold period to the EMR. To reclaim the relevant information, amplitude and frequency of paleoglacier advances in Anatolia need to be quantified by mapping and dating the geometry of the former ice bodies. In this context, the glacial deposits of the Western Taurus and Kaçkar Mountains are the selected key archives.