Holocene vegetation and climate changes in Iran

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Homa Rostami, Sahar Maleki, Ghasem azizi and Reza Shahbazi

University of Tehran, Iran
Applied Geological research Center of Geological survey of Iran, Iran

: Expert Opin Environ Biol

Abstract

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According to most studies in Iran, always vegetation has been affected by various climate systems such as Siberian highpressure activities, Westerlies and southwesterly monsoons. divisionof Iran into major climatic regions should be based on the dominant factors. The frequency of precipitation and high relative humidity in the north of Iran has transformed the Caspian region into a completely separate climatic unit from other parts of this country. The warm winter and high relative humidity of the adjacent regions of the Oman Sea and the Persian Gulf in the south are a feature of the semi-arid climate. Between these two completely different regions, large part of central Iran that is located in region by very dry summers and cold winters andextreme temperatures. This climate has dry summers, albeit seemingly similar to the Mediterranean climate, but greatly differs from the climate with the Mediterranean climate. Vegetation zones of Iran are classified according to climatic characteristics. According to studies conducted in the north and west of Iran during glacial periods, there were dominated by dry and cold climate and in interglacial periods there were warm and humid climate. Steppe vegetation reflects cold and dry conditions and increase in trees and forests confirms the increase of moisture during interglacial phase in Iran. Generally climatic cycles in different parts of Iran are rarely identified and our knowledge about past weather and ecology conditions are very insignificant. Palynological data and tree rings information are a great potential for identifying the paleo ecological condition in Iran.

Biography

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E-mail: homa.rostami@ut.ac.ir