Miocene climate in Europe — Patterns and evolution: A first synthesis of NECLIME

To improve our understanding of long-term climate changes during the Neogene in Eurasia, the international research network NECLIME — Neogene Climate Evolution in Eurasia was established in the year 2000. In this first synthesis, results of NECLIME activities focussing on the Miocene of Europe as one key area are combined to present a summary of the climate evolution in time and space. More than 300 Miocene fossil floras have been compiled and quantitatively analysed in terms of several climatic parameters during the last few years. In this volume alone, about 75 new data sets are available. To synthesize the results of this volume, quantitative climate maps for Europe are generated on palaeogeographic maps for Langhian and early Tortonian for the first time. Characteristic climate patterns appear for each time interval and can be related to both global climate change and Alpine tectonics. Generally, the climate maps combine and support the individual results discussed in this volume for the individual regions.