Ulrike Herzschuh

Biographic Data

ID	4129955
NAME	Ulrike Herzschuh
GIVEN NAMES	Ulrike
FAMILY NAME	Herzschuh
SIGNATURE	HERZSCHUH U
AFFILIATIONS	Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
ORCID	0000-0003-0999-1261
VERIFIED	Yes
TOTAL WORKS	31
TOTAL CITATIONS	39
AUTHOR COUNT	31
EDITOR COUNT	0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR	2006
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR	2025
H-INDEX	4

Effects of Lateglacial and Holocene climate change on southern Baltic environments
Open AccessLaura Gedminienė, Kathleen R Stoof‐leichsenring et al.ARTICLEQuaternary International2025References: 1
Unraveling boreal forest composition and drivers across scales in eastern Siberia
Open AccessLéa Enguehard, Stefan Kruse et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2024
The Siberian boreal forest is the largest continuous forest region on Earth and plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. However, the distribution and environmental processes behind this ecosystem are still not well understood. Here, we first develop Sentinel-2-based classified maps to show forest-type distribution in five regions along a southwest-northeast transect in eastern Siberia. Then, we constrain the environmental factors of th…
Lack of evidence for alternative stable states in Northern Hemisphere forests during the past 8 ka
Open AccessLaura Schild, Raphaël Hébert et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2024
With increased pressure from anthropogenic climate change, boreal forests are suspected to be approaching tipping points which could cause large-scale changes in tree cover and affect global climatic feedback. However, evidence for this proposed tipping is sparse and relies heavily on observations on short time scales from remote sensing data and space-for-time substitutions. Here we make use of an extensive pollen data set including 239 records …
Arctic amplification causes earlier onset of seasonal tree growth in northeastern Siberia
Open AccessAlexander V Kirdyanov, Alexey I Kolmogorov et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2024
Although recent warming affects the high-northern latitudes at an unprecedented rate, little is known about its impact on boreal forests because in situ observations from remote ecosystems in Siberia are sparse. Here, we analyse the radial growth and climate sensitivity of 54 Cajander larches ( Larix cajanderi Mayr.) from three sites across the northern treeline ecotone within the Omoloy river basin in northeastern Siberia. Three independent tree…
Spring snow cover duration and tundra greenness in the Lena Delta, Siberia
Open AccessBirgit Heim, Simeon Lisovski et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2022
The Lena Delta in Siberia is the largest delta in the Arctic and as a snow-dominated ecosystem particularly vulnerable to climate change. Using the two decades of MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite acquisitions, this study investigates interannual and spatial variability of snow-cover duration and summer vegetation vitality in the Lena Delta. We approximated snow by the application of the normalized difference snow index and …
Palynological evidence for the temporal stability of the plant community in the Yellow River Source Area over the last 7,400 years
Open AccessFang Tian, Wen Qin et al.ARTICLEVegetation History and…2022References: 9
Growth rings and stem diameter of Dichrostachys cinerea and Senegalia mellifera along a rainfall gradient in Namibia
Open AccessRosemary Shikangalah, Aansbert Musimba et al.ARTICLETrees Forests and People2021
Tree ring studies, have been an important tool for studying climate variations since the beginning of 1900s due to their ability to preserve of information about abiotic and biotic factors. This study is aimed at understanding the growth rings of two aggressive encroachers in Namibia, Dichrostachys cinerea and Senegalia mellifera. We used three sites across a rainfall gradient from 250 to 600 mm/yr, where the stem discs were collected and process…
Lake Sedimentary DNA Research on Past Terrestrial and Aquatic Biodiversity
Open AccessEric Capo, Charline Giguet-Covex et al.ARTICLEQuaternary2021
The use of lake sedimentary DNA to track the long-term changes in both terrestrial and aquatic biota is a rapidly advancing field in paleoecological research. Although largely applied nowadays, knowledge gaps remain in this field and there is therefore still research to be conducted to ensure the reliability of the sedimentary DNA signal. Building on the most recent literature and seven original case studies, we synthesize the state-of-the-art an…
Sensitivity of ecosystem-protected permafrost under changing boreal forest structures
Open AccessSimone Maria Stuenzi, Julia Boike et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2021
Boreal forests efficiently insulate underlying permafrost. The magnitude of this insulation effect is dependent on forest density and composition. A change therein modifies the energy and water fluxes within and below the canopy. The direct influence of climatic change on forests and the indirect effect through a change in permafrost dynamics lead to extensive ecosystem shifts such as a change in composition or density, which will, in turn, affec…
Relative pollen productivity estimates of savanna taxa from southern Africa and their application to reconstruct shrub encroachment during the last century
Open AccessXimena Tabares, Gregor Ratzmann et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2021References: 13
To understand the resilience of African savannas to global change, quantitative information on the long-term dynamics of vegetation is required. Past dynamics can be reconstructed with the REVEALS model, which requires pollen productivity estimates (PPE) that are calibrated using surface pollen and vegetation data. Here we calculated PPE values for five savanna taxa using the extended R-value (ERV) model and two pollen dispersal options: the Gaus…
Strong shrub expansion in tundra-taiga, tree infilling in taiga and stable tundra in central Chukotka (north-eastern Siberia) between 2000 and 2017
Open AccessIuliia Shevtsova, Birgit Heim et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2020
Vegetation is responding to climate change, which is especially prominent in the Arctic. Vegetation change is manifest in different ways and varies regionally, depending on the characteristics of the investigated area. Although vegetation in some Arctic areas has been thoroughly investigated, central Chukotka (NE Siberia) with its highly diverse vegetation, mountainous landscape and deciduous needle-leaf treeline remains poorly explored, despite …
Dating of a late Quaternary loess section from the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains (Xinjiang, China) and its paleoenvironmental significance
Open AccessFutao Duan, Chengbang An et al.ARTICLEQuaternary International2020
Tundra vegetation stability versus lake-basin variability on the Yukon Coastal Plain (NW Canada) during the past three centuries
Open AccessJuliane Wolter, Hugues Lantuit et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2017References: 7
Palaeoclimatic reconstructions of the northern Yukon show cooler conditions before AD 1850 followed by gradual warming, and 20th-century temperature measurements indicate decadal-scale temperature fluctuations. The impact of climate on regional vegetation and lake systems has seldom been observed on this scale, however. With this study, we provide a sub-decadal reconstruction of regional vegetation and lake-basin development for the past 300 year…
Biome changes and their inferred climatic drivers in northern and eastern continental Asia at selected times since 40 cal ka bp
Open AccessFang Tian, Xianyong Cao et al.ARTICLEVegetation History and…2017Cited by: 3References: 5
Vegetation and lake changes on the southern Taymyr peninsula, northern Siberia, during the last 300 years inferred from pollen and Pediastrum green algae records
Open AccessBastian Niemeyer, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2015Cited by: 1References: 7
Siberian arctic vegetation and lake water communities, known for their temperature dependence, are expected to be particularly impacted by recent climate change and high warming rates. However, decadal information on the nature and strength of recent vegetation change and its time lag to climate signals are rare. In this study, we present a 210 Pb/ 137 Cs dated pollen and Pediastrum species record from a unnamed lake in the south of the Taymyr pe…
What drives the recent intensified vegetation degradation in Mongolia – Climate change or human activity
Open AccessFang Tian, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2014Cited by: 1References: 6
This study examines the course and driving forces of recent vegetation change in the Mongolian steppe. A sediment core covering the last 55 years from a small closed-basin lake in central Mongolia was analyzed for its multi-proxy record at annual resolution. Pollen analysis shows that highest abundances of planted Poaceae and highest vegetation diversity occurred during 1977–1992, reflecting agricultural development in the lake area. A decrease i…
John Birks
Open AccessRichard W Battarbee, Henry Lamb et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2014References: 27
We describe the career of John Birks as a pioneering scientist who has, over a career spanning five decades, transformed palaeoecology from a largely descriptive to a rigorous quantitative science relevant to contemporary questions in ecology and environmental change. We review his influence on students and colleagues not only at Cambridge and Bergen Universities, his places of primary employment, but also on individuals and research groups in Eu…
Spatial and temporal distributions of major tree taxa in eastern continental Asia during the last 22,000 years
Open AccessXianyong Cao, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2014Cited by: 5References: 16
This study investigates the spatial and temporal distributions of 14 key arboreal taxa and their driving forces during the last 22,000 calendar years before ad 1950 (kyr BP) using a taxonomically harmonized and temporally standardized fossil pollen dataset with a 500-year resolution from the eastern part of continental Asia. Logistic regression was used to estimate pollen abundance thresholds for vegetation occurrence (presence or dominance), bas…
Late glacial and Holocene sedimentation, vegetation, and climate history from easternmost Beringia (northern Yukon Territory, Canada)
Open AccessMichael Fritz, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2012
Beringian climate and environmental history are poorly characterized at its easternmost edge. Lake sediments from the northern Yukon Territory have recorded sedimentation, vegetation, summer temperature and precipitation changes since ~ 16 cal ka BP. Herb-dominated tundra persisted until ~ 14.7 cal ka BP with mean July air temperatures ≤ 5°C colder and annual precipitation 50 to 120 mm lower than today. Temperatures rapidly increased during the B…
Application and limitations of the Artemisia /Chenopodiaceae pollen ratio in arid and semi-arid China
Open AccessYan Zhao, Hongyan Liu et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2012Cited by: 6References: 2
The Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratio is assumed to be a useful index for reconstructing moisture changes in arid and semi-arid regions. Thorough modern pollen studies are still lacking to understand the reliability and limitation of A/C ratio as a moisture indicator, however. Here we review how well this ratio can be applied in arid and semi-arid China on the basis of new surface pollen data, previous data synthesis and other publications. Re…
Late glacial vegetation and climate oscillations on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the Lake Naleng pollen profile
Open AccessAnnette Kramer, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2010
We present a late glacial pollen record (17,700 to 8500 cal yr BP) from a Lake Naleng sediment core. Lake Naleng is located on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (31.10°N 99.75°E, 4200 m) along the upper tree-line. Variations in the summer monsoon are evident from shifts in vegetation that correspond to late glacial climate trends from other monsoon-sensitive regions. Alpine steppe was recorded between 17,700 and 14,800 cal yr BP, indicating low ef…
An ostracod-inferred large Middle Pleistocene freshwater lake in the presently hyper-arid Qaidam Basin (NW China)
Open AccessSteffen Mischke, Zhencheng Sun et al.ARTICLEQuaternary International2010
Quantitative climate and vegetation trends since the late glacial on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau deduced from Koucha Lake pollen spectra
Open AccessUlrike Herzschuh, Annette Kramer et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2009
Quantitative information on vegetation and climate history from the late glacial–Holocene on the Tibetan Plateau is extremely rare. Here, we present palynological results of a 4.30-m-long sediment record collected from Koucha Lake in the Bayan Har Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Vegetation change has been traced by biomisation, ordination of pollen data, and calculation of pollen ratios. The application of a pollen–climate calibration se…
Holocene land-cover changes on the Tibetan Plateau
Open AccessUlrike Herzschuh, H J B Birks et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2009Cited by: 4References: 20
Information on changes in land-surface features on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during the Holocene may help our understanding of the forcing of monsoonal circulation. We analyse vegetation changes during the last 9000 years from pollen records of four lakes (Hurleg Lake in the Qaidam Basin; Qinghai Lake on the northeastern TP; Zigetang Lake on the central TP and Koucha Lake on the eastern TP) which represent different regions and vegetation types on…
Late Quaternary environmental history of the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the Lake Naleng non-pollen palynomorph record
Open AccessAnnette Kramer, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEVegetation History and…2009Cited by: 2References: 9

Temperature variability and vertical vegetation belt shifts during the last ∼50,000 yr in the Qilian Mountains (NE margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China)
Open AccessUlrike Herzschuh, Harald Kürschner et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2006
A 13.94-m-long sediment core, collected from a medium-sized lake in the Qilian Mountains (NE Tibetan Plateau, China), was analysed palynologically at 81 horizons. The interpretation of indicator taxa yielded various vertical shifts of the vegetation belts. These palaeovegetation results have been checked with lake surface pollen spectra from 8 lakes representing different altitudinal vegetation belts. Our main findings are the following: A short …
Palaeo-moisture evolution in monsoonal Central Asia during the last 50,000 years
Open AccessUlrike HerzschuhARTICLEQuaternary Science Reviews2006
Desert plant pollen production and a 160-year record of vegetation and climate change on the Alashan Plateau, NW China
Open AccessUlrike Herzschuh, Harald Kürschner et al.ARTICLEVegetation History and…2006Cited by: 4
A general cooling trend on the central Tibetan Plateau throughout the Holocene recorded by the Lake Zigetang pollen spectra
Open AccessUlrike Herzschuh, Katja Winter et al.ARTICLEQuaternary International2006Cited by: 6References: 41
Holocene environmental and climatic changes inferred from Wulungu Lake in northern Xinjiang, China
Open AccessXingqi Liu, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2008
Sedimentological, geochemical and palynological data from Wulungu Lake in northern Xinjiang, China, are used to reconstruct environmental and climate changes since 9550 cal yr BP. High abundance of Sparganium and Poaceae, low Md (median diameter) and δ 13 C organic values indicate aridity between 9550 and 6730 cal yr BP. High Md and δ 13 C organic values, and the prevalence of desert-steppe and steppe vegetation between 4200 and 560 cal yr BP, in…
Modern pollen representation of source vegetation in the Qaidam Basin and surrounding mountains, north-eastern Tibetan Plateau
Open AccessYan Zhao, Ulrike HerzschuhARTICLEVegetation History and…2008Cited by: 7References: 2
Quantitative climate and vegetation trends since the late glacial on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau deduced from Koucha Lake pollen spectra
Open AccessUlrike Herzschuh, Annette Kramer et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2009
Quantitative information on vegetation and climate history from the late glacial–Holocene on the Tibetan Plateau is extremely rare. Here, we present palynological results of a 4.30-m-long sediment record collected from Koucha Lake in the Bayan Har Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Vegetation change has been traced by biomisation, ordination of pollen data, and calculation of pollen ratios. The application of a pollen–climate calibration se…
Holocene land-cover changes on the Tibetan Plateau
Open AccessUlrike Herzschuh, H J B Birks et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2009Cited by: 4References: 20
Information on changes in land-surface features on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) during the Holocene may help our understanding of the forcing of monsoonal circulation. We analyse vegetation changes during the last 9000 years from pollen records of four lakes (Hurleg Lake in the Qaidam Basin; Qinghai Lake on the northeastern TP; Zigetang Lake on the central TP and Koucha Lake on the eastern TP) which represent different regions and vegetation types on…
Late Quaternary environmental history of the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the Lake Naleng non-pollen palynomorph record
Open AccessAnnette Kramer, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEVegetation History and…2009Cited by: 2References: 9
Late glacial vegetation and climate oscillations on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the Lake Naleng pollen profile
Open AccessAnnette Kramer, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2010
We present a late glacial pollen record (17,700 to 8500 cal yr BP) from a Lake Naleng sediment core. Lake Naleng is located on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (31.10°N 99.75°E, 4200 m) along the upper tree-line. Variations in the summer monsoon are evident from shifts in vegetation that correspond to late glacial climate trends from other monsoon-sensitive regions. Alpine steppe was recorded between 17,700 and 14,800 cal yr BP, indicating low ef…
An ostracod-inferred large Middle Pleistocene freshwater lake in the presently hyper-arid Qaidam Basin (NW China)
Open AccessSteffen Mischke, Zhencheng Sun et al.ARTICLEQuaternary International2010
Late glacial and Holocene sedimentation, vegetation, and climate history from easternmost Beringia (northern Yukon Territory, Canada)
Open AccessMichael Fritz, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEQuaternary Research2012
Beringian climate and environmental history are poorly characterized at its easternmost edge. Lake sediments from the northern Yukon Territory have recorded sedimentation, vegetation, summer temperature and precipitation changes since ~ 16 cal ka BP. Herb-dominated tundra persisted until ~ 14.7 cal ka BP with mean July air temperatures ≤ 5°C colder and annual precipitation 50 to 120 mm lower than today. Temperatures rapidly increased during the B…
Application and limitations of the Artemisia /Chenopodiaceae pollen ratio in arid and semi-arid China
Open AccessYan Zhao, Hongyan Liu et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2012Cited by: 6References: 2
The Artemisia/Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratio is assumed to be a useful index for reconstructing moisture changes in arid and semi-arid regions. Thorough modern pollen studies are still lacking to understand the reliability and limitation of A/C ratio as a moisture indicator, however. Here we review how well this ratio can be applied in arid and semi-arid China on the basis of new surface pollen data, previous data synthesis and other publications. Re…
What drives the recent intensified vegetation degradation in Mongolia – Climate change or human activity
Open AccessFang Tian, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2014Cited by: 1References: 6
This study examines the course and driving forces of recent vegetation change in the Mongolian steppe. A sediment core covering the last 55 years from a small closed-basin lake in central Mongolia was analyzed for its multi-proxy record at annual resolution. Pollen analysis shows that highest abundances of planted Poaceae and highest vegetation diversity occurred during 1977–1992, reflecting agricultural development in the lake area. A decrease i…
John Birks
Open AccessRichard W Battarbee, Henry Lamb et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2014References: 27
We describe the career of John Birks as a pioneering scientist who has, over a career spanning five decades, transformed palaeoecology from a largely descriptive to a rigorous quantitative science relevant to contemporary questions in ecology and environmental change. We review his influence on students and colleagues not only at Cambridge and Bergen Universities, his places of primary employment, but also on individuals and research groups in Eu…
Spatial and temporal distributions of major tree taxa in eastern continental Asia during the last 22,000 years
Open AccessXianyong Cao, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2014Cited by: 5References: 16
This study investigates the spatial and temporal distributions of 14 key arboreal taxa and their driving forces during the last 22,000 calendar years before ad 1950 (kyr BP) using a taxonomically harmonized and temporally standardized fossil pollen dataset with a 500-year resolution from the eastern part of continental Asia. Logistic regression was used to estimate pollen abundance thresholds for vegetation occurrence (presence or dominance), bas…
Vegetation and lake changes on the southern Taymyr peninsula, northern Siberia, during the last 300 years inferred from pollen and Pediastrum green algae records
Open AccessBastian Niemeyer, Ulrike Herzschuh et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2015Cited by: 1References: 7
Siberian arctic vegetation and lake water communities, known for their temperature dependence, are expected to be particularly impacted by recent climate change and high warming rates. However, decadal information on the nature and strength of recent vegetation change and its time lag to climate signals are rare. In this study, we present a 210 Pb/ 137 Cs dated pollen and Pediastrum species record from a unnamed lake in the south of the Taymyr pe…
Tundra vegetation stability versus lake-basin variability on the Yukon Coastal Plain (NW Canada) during the past three centuries
Open AccessJuliane Wolter, Hugues Lantuit et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2017References: 7
Palaeoclimatic reconstructions of the northern Yukon show cooler conditions before AD 1850 followed by gradual warming, and 20th-century temperature measurements indicate decadal-scale temperature fluctuations. The impact of climate on regional vegetation and lake systems has seldom been observed on this scale, however. With this study, we provide a sub-decadal reconstruction of regional vegetation and lake-basin development for the past 300 year…
Biome changes and their inferred climatic drivers in northern and eastern continental Asia at selected times since 40 cal ka bp
Open AccessFang Tian, Xianyong Cao et al.ARTICLEVegetation History and…2017Cited by: 3References: 5
Strong shrub expansion in tundra-taiga, tree infilling in taiga and stable tundra in central Chukotka (north-eastern Siberia) between 2000 and 2017
Open AccessIuliia Shevtsova, Birgit Heim et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2020
Vegetation is responding to climate change, which is especially prominent in the Arctic. Vegetation change is manifest in different ways and varies regionally, depending on the characteristics of the investigated area. Although vegetation in some Arctic areas has been thoroughly investigated, central Chukotka (NE Siberia) with its highly diverse vegetation, mountainous landscape and deciduous needle-leaf treeline remains poorly explored, despite …
Dating of a late Quaternary loess section from the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains (Xinjiang, China) and its paleoenvironmental significance
Open AccessFutao Duan, Chengbang An et al.ARTICLEQuaternary International2020
Growth rings and stem diameter of Dichrostachys cinerea and Senegalia mellifera along a rainfall gradient in Namibia
Open AccessRosemary Shikangalah, Aansbert Musimba et al.ARTICLETrees Forests and People2021
Tree ring studies, have been an important tool for studying climate variations since the beginning of 1900s due to their ability to preserve of information about abiotic and biotic factors. This study is aimed at understanding the growth rings of two aggressive encroachers in Namibia, Dichrostachys cinerea and Senegalia mellifera. We used three sites across a rainfall gradient from 250 to 600 mm/yr, where the stem discs were collected and process…
Lake Sedimentary DNA Research on Past Terrestrial and Aquatic Biodiversity
Open AccessEric Capo, Charline Giguet-Covex et al.ARTICLEQuaternary2021
The use of lake sedimentary DNA to track the long-term changes in both terrestrial and aquatic biota is a rapidly advancing field in paleoecological research. Although largely applied nowadays, knowledge gaps remain in this field and there is therefore still research to be conducted to ensure the reliability of the sedimentary DNA signal. Building on the most recent literature and seven original case studies, we synthesize the state-of-the-art an…
Sensitivity of ecosystem-protected permafrost under changing boreal forest structures
Open AccessSimone Maria Stuenzi, Julia Boike et al.ARTICLEEnvironmental Research Letters2021
Boreal forests efficiently insulate underlying permafrost. The magnitude of this insulation effect is dependent on forest density and composition. A change therein modifies the energy and water fluxes within and below the canopy. The direct influence of climatic change on forests and the indirect effect through a change in permafrost dynamics lead to extensive ecosystem shifts such as a change in composition or density, which will, in turn, affec…
Relative pollen productivity estimates of savanna taxa from southern Africa and their application to reconstruct shrub encroachment during the last century
Open AccessXimena Tabares, Gregor Ratzmann et al.ARTICLEThe Holocene2021References: 13
To understand the resilience of African savannas to global change, quantitative information on the long-term dynamics of vegetation is required. Past dynamics can be reconstructed with the REVEALS model, which requires pollen productivity estimates (PPE) that are calibrated using surface pollen and vegetation data. Here we calculated PPE values for five savanna taxa using the extended R-value (ERV) model and two pollen dispersal options: the Gaus…