According to the simulation results, most of our study area experiences a decrease in summer precipitation (Fig.  9 ), whereas the winter precipitation remains at approximately the same level (Table  1 ).

Scandinavia forms an exception, as the summer precipitation is not changing here (Fig.  10 a and Table  1 ), although locally a decrease is noted on the 0 –9 k-anomaly map (Norwegian coast, Fig.  9 ).

The model experiment has not captured this marked decrease in precipitation (Fig.  10 a), although a reduction is simulated in Northern Scandinavia (Fig.  9 ).

Moreover, in the early part of the experiment (9–7 kyr BP), precipitation in most places is significantly higher than in the preindustrial climate (Fig.  9 ), which is in agreement with evidence for enhanced peat growth in the early Holocene.