Sub-Milankovitch cyclicity in spore and pollen records from Eocene Lake Messel

Two palynological analyses of 6.3 and 70?kyr long records with a temporal resolution of 70 and 700?years respectively confirm vegetation and climate variability in the sub-Milankovitch range. This variability clearly corresponds to cyclic climate fluctuations indicating the influence of solar activity and a millennial-scale variability of the El Niño?Southern Oscillation also seen during the Quaternary icehouse system.

This provides strong evidence of cyclic fluctuations in the sub-Milankovitch frequency band that represent a pervasive and persistent system not only of the Quaternary icehouse, but also throughout the entire Neogene and the Palaeogene greenhouse. This is proof for the long-term stability of the driving forces of natural climate change on Earth. Fluctuations in the frequency of palynomorphs indicate cyclic short-term quantitative changes in the composition of the vegetation.