Paläowind-Indikatoren : Möglichkeiten, Grenzen und Probleme ihrer Anwendung am Beispiel des Weichsel-Hochglazials in Europa

In the first paragraphs of this paper a survey of the most ap- proved paleowind indicators is given. Methods, limitations and Problems of their Interpretation are discussed. The following indicators and their attributes are considered: loess, sandy loess (attributes: Sediment thickness, grain size, mineral compo- sition, sediment structure and morphology), paleosoils, vulcano- eolian Sediments, deep sea Sediments and paleo snowlines. In the second part of this paper the wind regimes predominating in Europe during the Weichselian glacial maximum are recon- structed based on information from more than 170 publications with interpretations of paleowind indicators. The results are presented in two survey maps. The most significant result is to indicate two competing wind regimes existing during the glacial maximum. In the immediate vicinity of the Fennoscandian glaciation and in eastern Europe paleowind indicators document easterly and north easterly anti- cyclonic winds; in central and Western Europe they show westerly winds originated in cyclones coming from the North Atlantic. Some modifications of the wind pattern are induced by local and regional morphological conditions (e.g. the Upper Rhine valley, the east rim of the Carpathian Mountains). In general and compared with previous investigations the study points to a more differentiated pattern of atmospheric circula- tion during the Weichselian Pleniglacial influenced by variing topographical, paleoecological and meteorological factors.