Prograded coastal barriers provide paleoenvironmental records of storms and sea level during late Quaternary highstands - Amy J. Dougherty (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Records of past shoreline evolution, storm impacts, and variations in sea level are essential to accurately assess the vulnerability of beaches to future climate change. Prograded sandy barriers provide the opportunity to utilize our understanding of coastal dynamics documented over decades to determine storm impacts over centuries and sea‐level change over millennia. Composite coastal barriers that have prograded throughout the Pleistocene and Holocene maintain, within their stratigraphy, a record of shoreline evolution extending back to when sea level was known to be higher than today (Marine Isotope Stage or MIS 5e), including high‐energy events during these late Quaternary highstands. This study utilizes ground‐penetrating radar to image the facies architecture of a composite barrier system in Bream Bay, New Zealand. The resulting stratigraphic record mapped paleo‐beachfaces with decimeter resolution spanning ∼5 kilometers from the active shoreline, bridging timescales of coastal evolution over orders of magnitude. Charting the elevation of the beachfaces provides evidence of overall sea‐level falls from +5 to +2 m above present in the Pleistocene and from a ∼2‐m mid‐Holocene highstand. Sixty paleo‐beachfaces with distinct storm‐related signatures are identified within the Pleistocene morphostratigraphy. In the past ∼6,000 years 25 major storm events were recorded, giving an average period between events of ∼230 years. These unprecedented data provide insight, as well as input to forecasting models, needed to mitigate and manage future impacts of global warming.

Biomarker hydrogen isotope composition (δD) as proxy for Holocene hydroclimatic change and seismic activity in SW Peloponnese, Greece - Elin Norström; Christos Katrantsiotis; Martin Finné; Jan Risberg; Rienk H. Smittenberg; Stefan Bjursäter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
We present a 6000‐year‐long record tracing hydroclimate changes in SW Greece, based on hydrogen isotope composition of aquatic plant‐derived n ‐C 23 alkanes (δD C23 ) in a sediment core from the Messenian plain, Peloponnese. The δD C23 record co‐varies with other eastern Mediterranean records, suggesting relatively wetter conditions c . 6–4.5 ka, followed by progressively drier conditions leading up to maximum aridity c . 2.8 ka. This arid phase was interrupted by a shift in δD C23 between 3.3 and 3.1 ka inferring wetter conditions and/or tentative responses to anthropogenic water regulating activities during the Late Bronze Age. After 2.7 ka, a return to more humid conditions was followed by increased dryness and stronger seasonality contrasts from c . 2.0 ka. The δD C23 record shows three short‐lived excursions (5.7, 5.3, 2.8 ka), where isotope values dropped by >20‰ and immediately stabilized again. The events were paralleled by abrupt increases in sedimentation rates. We hypothesize that the isotopic shifts represent a response to mixing of ground water systems during tectonic events, followed by sealing of seismically derived cracks in the active fault. The outcome of the study is promising for future expansion of isotope‐based proxies on sediments in the region, to reconstruct both hydroclimate and past seismic activity.

Patagonian ash on sub‐Antarctic South Georgia: expanding the tephrostratigraphy of southern South America into the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean - Lea Toska Oppedal; Willem G. M. van der Bilt; Nicholas L. Balascio; Jostein Bakke (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Fingerprinting non‐visible volcanic ash (cryptotephra) enables precise dating and time synchronization of palaeoclimate archives. Recent analytical advances allow us to strengthen and expand existing tephrostratigraphical frameworks and harness the full potential of this powerful geochronological tool. Here, we present geochemical (electron microprobe) and chronological ( 14 C) evidence to show that ash found in a peat section on the sub‐Antarctic island of South Georgia correlates to the ∼2950 cal a BP Alpehué eruption of the Chilean Sollipulli volcano. This discovery marks the first tephra fingerprint on South Georgia and expands the recently refined tephrostratigraphy of Patagonia ∼3000 km into the Southern Ocean. As deposition of this tephra horizon coincides with a major shift in regional atmospheric conditions, future finds may yield information on the spatiotemporal pattern of Southern Ocean climate dynamics.

Cave clastic sediments as a tool for refining the study of human occupation of prehistoric sites: insights from the cave site of La Cala (Cilento, southern Italy) - Ivan Martini; Annamaria Ronchitelli; Simona Arrighi; Giulia Capecchi; Stefano Ricci; Sem Scaramucci; Vincenzo Spagnolo; Paolo Gambassini; Adriana Moroni (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
La Cala (southern Italy) is an important prehistoric cave site containing a clastic sedimentary infill recording evidence of an almost constant human occupation from the Mousterian to the Copper Age. However, a cultural gap (estimated to be approx. 10.5–6.2 ka) has been identified between the Evolved Gravettian and the Evolved Epigravettian. This study presents a sedimentological and allostratigraphic study of the cave clastic infill. The succession at La Cala can be subdivided into four allostratigraphic units (CC1–4 in stratigraphic order), each one bounded by major erosional surfaces. The most prominent erosional surface (UN1), which separates unit CC1 from CC2, has a channel‐like geometry and is directly overlaid by cross‐stratified sediments, suggesting deposition in an underground stream setting. This documents an important hydrological change in the cave drainage with the development of an important phase of sediment erosion. The erosional surface UN1 stratigraphically marks the cultural time‐gap revealed by the archaeological excavations, suggesting that this hiatus may be due to the erosion of sediments rather than to a lack in human occupation. This study confirms the importance of cave clastic sediments in archaeological cave sites as a helpful tool for refining the timeframe of human presence.

Constraining the geometry and volume of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet - Samuel B. Kachuck; Lawrence M. Cathles (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
The ice load configuration of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet (BSIS) over the last glacial cycle is in dispute. The traditional reconstruction, motivated by the observation that paleo‐shoreline emergence increases towards the center of the Barents Sea, places a single dome in the center of the Barents Sea at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) that collapses to island‐centered loads during deglaciation. Observations that suggest that ice flowed from the islands into the Barents even at the LGM motivate another reconstruction that places the ice loads over the islands with minimal marine ice. We analyze an ensemble of ice loads that are consistent with the geophysical observations and show that current relative sea level, GPS and gravity measurements do not and cannot distinguish a central dome from an island‐centered BSIS. What is needed are constraints in the central Barents. Improving the gravity data sufficiently will be difficult. However, obtaining even a single GPS uplift rate measurement in the central Barents would resolve the central dome versus island‐centered BSIS geometry question. Uncertainty in the Barents Sea ice load geometry provides a good illustration of statistical methods that we believe will be useful in other areas of glaciology.

Holocene temperature trends in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere based on inter‐model comparisons - Yurui Zhang; Hans Renssen; Heikki Seppä; Paul J. Valdes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Large uncertainties exist in Holocene climate estimates, especially for the early Holocene when large‐scale reorganization occurred in the climate system. To improve our understanding of these uncertainties, we compare four Holocene simulations performed with the LOVECLIM, CCSM3, HadCM3 and FAMOUS climate models. The simulations are generally consistent for the large‐scale Northern Hemisphere extratropics, while the multi‐simulation consistencies are heterogeneous on the sub‐continental scale. Consistently simulated temperature trends are found in Greenland, northern Canada, north‐eastern and north‐western Europe, and central‐west Siberia. These Holocene temperatures show a pattern of an early Holocene warming, mid‐Holocene warmth and gradual decrease towards the pre‐industrial in winter, and the extent of early Holocene warming varies spatially, with 9 °C warming in northern Canada compared with 3 °C warming in central‐west Siberia. In contrast, mismatched temperatures are detected: in Alaska, the warm early Holocene winter in LOVECLIM primarily results from strongly enhanced southerly winds induced by the ice sheets; in eastern Siberia, the intense early‐Holocene summer warmth anomaly in CCSM3 is caused by large negative albedo anomalies due to overestimated snow cover at 0 ka; in the Arctic, cool winter conditons in FAMOUS can be attributed to extensive sea ice coverage probably due to simplified sea ice representations. Thus, the Holocene temperature trends in these regions remain inconclusive.

Holocene relative sea level history and Storegga tsunami run‐up in Lyngen, northern Norway - Henrik Rasmussen; Stein Bondevik; Geoffrey D. Corner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
We re‐investigated three isolation basins in Lyngen in Troms, Norway, that contained a mixed facies of terrestrial and marine origin. Here we show that the mixed facies was deposited by the Storegga tsunami. We reconstruct the run‐up of the tsunami to 6–7 m above mean sea level of that time, in agreement with numerical modelling. In addition, our new cores revealed a layer of lake‐gyttja below marine deposits, and radiocarbon ages of plant fragments extracted from that gyttja date the sea level lowstand to 9400 cal a BP. These ages, and our new understanding of the mixed facies as Storegga tsunami deposits, improve the previously published sea‐level curve. The radiocarbon age of a sea urchin, assumed to have been killed in the Storegga tsunami event, shows that the reservoir age of the coastal waters in Troms was 400 years (Δ R = 45 ± 41) at that time − similar to the present‐day value.

Major postglacial summer temperature changes in the central coniferous boreal forest of Quebec (Canada) inferred using chironomid assemblages - Lisa Bajolle; Isabelle Larocque‐Tobler; Emmanuel Gandouin; Martin Lavoie; Yves Bergeron; Adam A. Ali (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Chironomid head capsules preserved in lake sediments were used to reconstruct 8200 years of summer temperatures in the boreal forest of north‐eastern Canada. Two training sets were used derived from Canadian and Eastern Canadian transfer functions. Both models reconstructed similar climate patterns, but the Canadian model provided temperatures generally 2–3 °C lower than the Eastern Canadian model. Three main thermal changes inferred by chironomids were: (i) the Holocene Thermal Maximum, which occurred between 8 and 5k cal a BP, with temperatures generally higher than today's, maximum temperatures between 8 and 6.5k cal a BP, and an average of + 0.9 °C; (ii) the Medieval Climate Anomaly around 1.1–1.2k cal a BP with an amplitude of + 0.7 °C; and (iii) a colder period reconstructed between the 14th and 19th centuries, corresponding to the Little Ice Age, with summer temperatures on average −0.5 °C lower than the climate normal. For each of these three climatic events, the timing and the amplitude of changes were similar with other published regional, North American and Northern Hemisphere records.

The Chan Hol cave near Tulum (Quintana Roo, Mexico): evidence for long‐lasting human presence during the early to middle Holocene - Fabio Hering; Wolfgang Stinnesbeck; Jens Folmeister; Eberhard Frey; Sarah Stinnesbeck; Jerónimo Avilés; Eugenio Aceves Núñez; Arturo González; Alejandro Terrazas Mata; Martha Elena Benavente; Carmen Rojas; Adriana Velázquez Morlet; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Numerous charcoal accumulations discovered in the submerged Chan Hol cave near Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico, have been 14 C‐dated revealing ages between 8110 ± 28 14 C a BP (9122–8999 cal a BP) and 7177 ± 27 14 C a BP (8027–7951 cal a BP). These charcoal concentrations, interpreted here as ancient illumination sites, provide strong evidence that the Chan Hol cave was dry and accessible during that time interval. Humans used the cave for at least 1200 years during the early and middle Holocene, before access was successively interrupted by global sea level rise and flooding of the cave system. Our data thus narrow the gap between an early settlement in the Tulum area reaching from the late Pleistocene (∼13 000 a) to middle Holocene (e.g. 7177 14 C a BP), and the Maya Formative period at approximately 3000 a bp. Yet, no evidence has been presented to date for human settlement during the ∼4000‐year interval between 7000 and 3000 a. This is remarkable as settlement in other areas of south‐eastern Mexico (e.g. Chiapas, Tabasco) and in Guatemala was apparently continuous.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)

Mammoth resources for hominins: from omega‐3 fatty acids to cultural objects - José L. Guil‐Guerrero; Alexei Tikhonov; Rebeca P. Ramos‐Bueno; Semyon Grigoriev; Albert Protopopov; Grigoryi Savvinov; María J. González‐Fernández (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
The mammoth is assessed here both for its cultural significance as well as a source of dietary n ‐3 (omega‐3) fatty acids in Palaeolithic societies. For this, we analysed fats from several frozen mammoths found in the permafrost of Siberia (Russian Federation) and conducted a comprehensive literature review on the relationships of hominins with mammoths throughout the Stone Age. Different mammoth samples were included in this study, all very close to the Upper Palaeolithic. All samples were analysed by gas liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry and gas liquid chromatography‐flame ionization detection. Hominins consumed mammoths throughout the Palaeolithic, while remains of this animal were used as building materials as well as to fabricate different tools and decorative objects, and thus it is possible to link cultural development and mammoth consumption. Based on the fatty acid profiles found, fat samples from two mammoths were in apparently good preservation, yielding α‐linolenic acid percentages very close to values found in extant elephants, thus allowing an assessment of their feasibility as a source of essential fatty acids for Palaeolithic hunters. As demonstrated in this work, mammoths constituted a cultural resource in addition to contributing to fulfilling the n ‐3 fatty acid needs of Palaeolithic hominins in Europe.

Moisture variations in arid central Asia and its out‐of‐phase relationship with the Asian Monsoon during MIS 5: evidence from loess records - Jia Jia; Gao Fuyuan; Xia Dunsheng; Huang Wei; Chen Fahu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
An out‐of‐phase relationship between moisture variations in arid central Asia (ACA) and Monsoon Asia is revealed in various Holocene sedimentary records. To determine whether this relationship also occurred during previous warm intervals, we reconstructed the history of moisture variations during Marine Isotope Stage 5 (MIS 5) recorded in a loess profile from the Yili valley in the Tienshan Mountains, in ACA, and compared it with the record from the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). Three humid episodes in the Yili valley are recorded, at 72–79.5, 93.5–101 and 113.5–125.5 ka; in addition, intervals of fine grain size, indicating a low incidence of dust storms, and thus low ice volume in the Northern Hemisphere, occurred during 76–83.5, 97–106 and 117.5–130 ka. Our findings indicate that during MIS 5, variations in humidity in ACA lagged (by ∼3–5 ka) variations in the Asian Monsoon recorded by magnetic and grain‐size proxies from the CLP. Furthermore, we propose that precipitation variations in ACA were negatively correlated with the intensity of the Asian Monsoon because of corresponding movements in pressure and rain belts, and were positively correlated with sea surface temperature variations in the North Atlantic.

Continuous human presence without extensive reductions in forest cover over the past 2500 years in an aseasonal Amazonian rainforest - Thomas J. Kelly; Ian T. Lawson; Katherine H. Roucoux; Timothy R. Baker; Euridice N. Honorio‐Coronado; Timothy D. Jones; Santiago Rivas Panduro (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
The impact of pre‐Columbian indigenous communities on forest cover in Amazonia is highly contentious, particularly for the wettest forests. To contribute to this debate, we studied the vegetation and fire history of a site, Quistococha, which lies within the aseasonal forests of the northern Peruvian Amazon and is associated with independently dated pre‐Columbian and recent human occupation. Paired cores from swamp and lake environments were used to distinguish landscape‐scale changes in vegetation from local‐scale succession. An increased abundance of disturbance‐adapted taxa in the pollen record from the lake, but not swamp, since c . AD 1860 probably reflects extensive deforestation related to the expansion of the nearby city of Iquitos. However, previous persistent occupation of the site by pre‐Columbian indigenous communities, indicated by the charcoal record from the lake site, is not associated with evidence for similarly extensive disturbance of the landscape. The unique features of this site therefore demonstrate that occupation by indigenous communities over thousands of years was not associated with large‐scale deforestation. These results support an emerging model of persistent but localized impacts by pre‐Columbian indigenous communities on aseasonal Amazonian forests.

What does the occurrence of Sporormiella ( Preussia ) spores mean in Australian fossil sequences? - John Dodson; Judith H. Field (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Understanding the loss of the final few species of Australian megafauna is beset by a paucity of data on human arrival, well‐provenanced megafauna, human/megafauna population range and distribution (coexistence and interaction), and the range, scale and impact of environmental changes spanning the human–megafauna period. To overcome these shortcomings, the occurrence and decline of coprophilous fungal spores of Sporormiella in sediments have been used as a proxy for extinct megaherbivores. The Sporormiella evidence is presented as the key indicator of extinction timing and these reports are often from locations where there is no known archaeological record or megafauna remains. However, interpreting fungal spore occurrence is not straightforward, as demonstrated by studies investigating taphonomy, taxonomy and the types of animal dung where Sporormiella occurs. No detailed studies on these problems exist for Australia and no evidence supporting the use of Sporormiella as a valid proxy has been reported. Here we examine the occurrence of Sporormiella spores from Cuddie Springs in south‐eastern Australia. Despite a well‐preserved suite of megafauna fossils, Sporormiella occurrence is sporadic and frequencies are low. We conclude that using Sporormiella alone as an indicator for the presence of megafauna is premature for the Australian context.

Spatial patterns and driving mechanisms of mid‐Holocene hydroclimate in western North America - Nicholas Wayne Hermann; Jessica Leigh Oster; Daniel Enrique Ibarra (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Mid‐Holocene paleoclimate proxy records from drought‐sensitive western North America suggest widespread aridity in areas dominated by winter precipitation. We present spatial comparisons of a diverse network of moisture‐sensitive proxies with 12 global circulation model simulations from the Paleoclimate Model Intercomparison Project to determine the most important atmospheric drivers behind observed mid‐Holocene aridity in this region. Although model‐proxy agreement is low for most models, in part reflecting small mid‐Holocene precipitation anomalies, three show relatively strong agreement by successfully simulating arid conditions across the Pacific Northwest. The model that shows the strongest spatial agreement with the proxy network reveals an anticyclonic wind anomaly that is similar to but weaker than anomalies noted during west‐wide drought episodes of the past 500 years. This model suggests increased transient upper level ridging that reduced winter water vapor transport from the south‐west during the mid‐Holocene. These mechanisms are similar to those suggested to have supported megadrought conditions in western North America during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and which are also simulated in anthropogenic warming scenarios. Future work on quantitative proxy records to enhance temporal and spatial coverage, and explicitly address issues of seasonality, will improve the quality of future climate model–data comparison studies.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)

Human adaptations to climatic change in Liguria across the Middle–Upper Paleolithic transition - Julien Riel‐Salvatore; Fabio Negrino (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
There has been much focus on the disruptive effects of dramatic climatic shifts on Paleolithic population dynamics, but the topic of cultural continuity across such events has been less intensely investigated, despite its importance to the way archeologists think about the ways humans have interacted with their environment in the past. This paper presents data from western Liguria (Italy) and especially the site of Riparo Bombrini, to investigate the nature of the apparent resilience of the Proto‐Aurignacian technocomplex in the face of the Phlegrean Fields super‐eruption ca . 40 000 cal a BP and the general climatic instability during Marine Isotope Stage 3. While the Proto‐Aurignacian shows some internal variability that could reflect an adaptation to changing environmental conditions, overall it remains very stable in terms of its techno‐typology and social geography across these events. Additionally, the radiocarbon chronology for the site clearly shows that the Proto‐Aurignacian outlasts both the super‐eruption and Heinrich Event 4 as a whole, by as much as 2000 years. Comparisons with the regional Mousterian record indicate that the Proto‐Aurignacian marks the advent of a new way for humans to respond to climatic change, which opens up new avenues to reflect on the disappearance of the Mousterian.

Testing the impact of environmental change on hunter‐gatherer settlement organization during the Upper Paleolithic in western Iberia - João Cascalheira; Nuno Bicho (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Recent cross‐disciplinary research in the Iberian Peninsula has revealed a synchronous pattern between rapid climate change and widespread cultural modifications during the Late Paleolithic. The beginning and development of each traditionally defined techno‐complex is thought to be associated with different environmental conditions. A main contrast is put on the impact of cold and arid conditions at the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and its coincidence with the development of blade/flake‐size projectiles and bifacial technologies, against the dominance of bladelet‐size backed points across more temperate and forested environments. Based on the long‐recognized assumption that lithic technology operates within the broader context of Pleistocene human ecodynamics, here we test the hypothesis that climate‐related lithic techno‐typological changes across the Upper Paleolithic are linked to modifications in land‐use patterns and settlement organization. We present statistical analysis comparing the Shannon–Weaver diversity index for retouched stone tool assemblages (used as proxy for site function) and locational parameters of a series of contexts from Central Portugal. The results show a trend of continuity and change between periods, with some of the most important deviations starting at the onset of the LGM, with the Heinrich Event 2 associated with patterns of technological diversification and biocultural expansion.

Human response to habitat suitability during the Last Glacial Maximum in Western Europe - Ariane Burke; Julien Riel‐Salvatore; C. Michael Barton (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
This research takes a multi‐dimensional approach to the study of the archaeological record of Western Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), combining two distinct components of the human adaptive system (technological organization and mobility) to test the impact of environmental variability on the mobility of Upper Palaeolithic groups. To this end we make use of two models. The first predicts landscape suitability as a function of a suite of environmental variables including topography, climate and inter‐annual climate variability. The second model explores the link between patterns of mobility and technological organization, using lithic retouch frequencies as a proxy for mobility strategies. Combining detailed environmental and lithic data allows us to derive a clearer picture of human adaptation to environmental conditions during a particularly rigorous climatic interval in Western Europe. Our results show that while foragers generally favoured more suitable habitats, logistical mobility strategies were deployed across a wide spectrum of habitat suitability. Residential mobility strategies, on the other hand, tend to occur in relatively less suitable and thus inherently more variable habitats. We conclude that foragers made use of a predominantly logistic strategy during the LGM while adopting more residential strategies in response to local and relatively short‐term fluctuations in the environment. The approach adopted here offers several promising avenues for future research on the ecology of human groups during the LGM.

Global perspectives on the impact of drastic environmental changes in hunter‐gatherer technologies - Nuno Bicho; João Cascalheira (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Researchers have long debated the impact of climate change on human culture and particularly in hunter‐gatherer societies. Climate drifts, particularly abrupt ones, have been continuingly seen as major prompts for rapid technological and cultural innovation. Recent advances in paleoclimatic reconstructions and ongoing developments in the quality and chronological resolution of archeological data have allowed a better understanding of the extent to which patterns of specific environmental changes triggered modifications in the technological systems of hunter‐gatherers. This volume brings together contributions addressing strategic changes in the organization of hunter‐gatherer technologies as a response to drastic environmental shifts. It includes topics such as lithic, organic tools and ceramic production, pyrotechnology, hunting strategies, pigment processing, use of plants and adornments, starting with Middle Stone Age and ending with Mesolithic and coming from a diversity of geographical contexts. This introduction to the volume provides a general view on the continuing debate over cause and effect in the interplay between humans and climate with the aim to provide a better understanding of the role and magnitude of environmental determinism in the archeology of hunter‐gatherers.

Technological adaptation and the emergence of Levallois in Central Europe: new insight from the Markkleeberg and Zwochau open‐air sites in Germany - Andrea Picin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
The introduction of the Levallois method in Europe is considered the technological innovation that marked the beginning of the Middle Palaeolithic. In North‐Central Europe, early evidence of this new concept of flake production is dated at the junction between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 9 and MIS 8, a period that showed a deterioration of climatic conditions, i.e . a change from forested to cold tundra–steppe vegetation and dispersal of the Mammuthus–Coelodonta faunal complex from artic territories. This study aims to contribute new data to the current debate by exploring the lithic assemblages of the Markkleeberg and Zwochau open‐air sites in Germany. Technological analysis reveals the introduction of the Levallois method in association with the development of the local unidirectional core technology. This pattern is common in other sites of North‐Central Europe. This modification in the technical behaviour of hunter‐gatherers is interpreted as a technological adaptation in response to the new faunal complex composed of seasonal migratory animals.

Ecological risk, demography and technological complexity in the Late Pleistocene of northern Malawi: implications for geographical patterning in the Middle Stone Age - Jessica C. Thompson; Alexander Mackay; Sheila Nightingale; David Wright; Jeong‐Heon Choi; Menno Welling; Hari Blackmore; Elizabeth Gomani‐Chindebvu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
The Late Pleistocene Middle Stone Age (MSA) record of Africa provides early examples of standardised stone tool production and complex manufacturing sequences, superficially implying a long‐term trend towards greater complexity in MSA technology at a continental scale. However, at this scale, spatial and temporal expressions of technological complexity are uneven. New lithic and chronometric data from the East–Central African record add further regional perspective to these patterns. Stone artefact assemblages from Karonga, northern, Malawi (92–22 ka), persistently lack the complexity demonstrated elsewhere in Africa at the same times, despite similar lithic raw materials. These new data provide an essential avenue for exploring hypotheses about the roles of environmental risk and demography in shaping the expression of MSA technology across the continent, not just at a local scale. When set within this framework, the simplicity of the Karonga MSA is best explained by its position in an environment that was persistently low in relative extrinsic subsistence risk. These results reinforce that motivations to invest in complex tools were variable through space and time, and that this variation, more than factors relating to behavioural capacity, may explain the patchy evidence for lithic complexity in the later MSA.

Abrupt cooling events during the Early Holocene and their potential impact on the environment and human behaviour along the southern North Sea basin (NW Europe) - Philippe Crombé (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
In this paper the potential impact of the 9.3k cal a BP cooling event on the environment and human occupation in the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt region of NW Europe is investigated. Although various environmental (decreased fluvial activity, increased wildfires and changing vegetation) and cultural changes (lithic technology, raw material circulation, decreasing site density) can be identified in the (late) Boreal, a serious problem of equifinality remains. Lacking a high‐resolution chronology for these events, it is still difficult to separate the impact of gradual from punctuated climatic changes. However, at present it seems that (some) environmental and cultural changes were already ongoing before the 9.3k cal a BP event but were accelerated by the latter. To gain a better understanding of these processes, it is necessary to take a holistic, multidisciplinary approach towards the Early Holocene in the southern North Sea basin.

The Pleistocene–Holocene Transition in Cantabrian Spain: current reflections on culture change - Lawrence Guy Straus (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
This contribution reviews the evidence for technological continuity and change (both gradual and abrupt) among the classic Magdalenian, Azilian, Asturian and non‐coastal Mesolithic culture‐adaptive traditions against the backdrop of environmental change across the Pleistocene–Holocene (i.e. Bølling–Boreal) transition in Cantabrian Spain. It explores the interacting, non‐exclusive roles of environment, demography, subsistence and ‘tradition’ or historical contingency in explaining both inertia and change in the cultural records (including settlement, mobility, artistic activity and even world‐view or ideology) observed by archeologists in this long‐occupied, southerly wing of the classic Franco‐Cantabrian culture area.

A transect of environmental variability across South Asia and its influence on Late Pleistocene human innovation and occupation - Patrick Roberts; James Blinkhorn; Michael D. Petraglia (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Climate change is frequently highlighted as a key driver of biological evolution and cultural innovation in our species. It is often seen as influencing behavioural plasticity and the development of buffering mechanisms, for example in the form of more efficient technology and subsistence strategies. However, such hypotheses are yet to be studied in detail in South Asia, despite improving Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental records in this region and its crucial position in human dispersals beyond Africa. Here, we review evidence for technological and behavioural innovation across three regions of South Asia: the Thar Desert (north‐west India), the Jurreru River Valley (south‐east India), and the lowland Wet Zone of Sri Lanka. Together these areas form an ecotone from hyper‐arid desert to humid rainforest that show different dynamics in the Late Pleistocene, and particularly during the Last Glacial Maximum. The archaeological records from each of these areas demonstrate a distinct nature and tempo of cultural change, probably reflecting, to some extent, the influence of climate change on forming heterogeneous local environments. Overall, however, the mosaic environments of South Asia made it an attractive region for the persistence of our species and their gradual uptake of cultural innovations during the Late Pleistocene.

Anthropogenic impact in the Maya Lowlands of Petén, Guatemala, during the last 5500 years - D. Battistel; M. Roman; A. Marchetti; N. M. Kehrwald; M. Radaelli; E. Balliana; G. Toscano; C. Barbante (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Trace and rare earth elements from a sediment core from Lake Petén Itzá (Guatemala) depict the geochemical dynamics affecting the lake from ∼5500 a BP to the present. This timing encompasses the Preclassic (4000–1700 a BP) and Classic Periods (1700−1000 a BP) when thriving Maya societies extensively cleared land for agriculture. We demonstrate that this land use occurred during times of increased precipitation, where both processes resulted in increased erosion. Rare earth element ratios depict high precipitation rates between 3000 and 1000 a BP, correlating with an increase in allochthonous silicate input and low organic carbon in the ‘Maya Clay’ stratigraphic section, where this layer is ascribed to intensive anthropogenic land use. Cesium anomalies provide additional evidence for runoff due to high rainfalls and amplified by anthropogenic impacts. The Petén Itzá core contains anomalous spikes of arsenic and mercury, and these peaks correspond to documented volcanic eruptions and therefore are probably natural. The geochemical composition of sediments and palynological records indicate re‐growth of the forest after ∼900 a BP. This increased forest vegetation coincides with the timing of the decline in Maya agriculture.

Multi‐proxy reassessment of the paleolimnology of Lake Bonneville (western USA) as observed in the restricted Pilot Valley sub‐basin - S. T. Nelson; K. A. Rey (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Late Pleistocene sediments of pluvial Lake Bonneville of the western USA represent an important archive of climate and paleolimnological processes. Geochemical, mineralogical and diatom records from the Pilot Valley sub‐basin represent a complete multi‐proxy record of the Bonneville cycle, including closed‐basin transgressive, the Bonneville flood, open‐lake and closed‐basin regressive cycles. Diatoms record pH and salinity, and vary from alkalibiontic/brackish (early transgression), alkaliphilous/fresh‐brackish (deep lake) and back to alkalibiontic/brackish (late regression) conditions. Pennate diatoms reveal passage through and back into the euphotic zone due to the penetration of light through the water column supporting an active benthos. As such, the base of the euphotic zone (∼35 m depth) can be established through time. Restriction and evaporation within the Pilot Valley arm of Lake Bonneville during times of shallow water produced very high endogenic carbonate production, an order of magnitude higher than during deep water. This is shown by age–depth relations in the core, major element and isotopic variations, and sediment mineralogy, requiring a major re‐evaluation of the position of the Bonneville flood horizon within the sediments of Pilot Valley. In summary, lacustrine sediments from restricted arms of large pluvial lakes may vary significantly from complementary records from an open basin.

Geophysical and geochemical constraints on the age and paleoclimate implications of Holocene lacustrine cores from the Andes of central Chile - Rachel J. Tiner; Robert M. Negrini; Jose L. Antinao; Eric McDonald; Antonio Maldonado (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
A Holocene paleoclimate record was constructed using two lacustrine cores from the high‐elevation Chilean Andes at ∼30°S latitude. Coarser and more poorly sorted grain‐size distributions and higher C/N ratios were interpreted as evidence for increased storm activity. Wet conditions prevailed from ∼10.8 to 9.5k cal a BP, then transitioned to dry conditions from ∼9.5 to 5.7k cal a BP interrupted by stormy conditions from ∼8.3 to 7.6k cal a BP. Wet conditions returned from ∼5.7k cal a BP to the present, interrupted by aridity from ∼4.1 to 2.2k cal a BP. This paleoclimate record is consistent with others from the region. The wet periods were probably caused by the influence of the Southern Westerlies, while dry conditions resulted from the influence of the Southeast Pacific Anticyclone. The increased storminess from ∼8.3 to 7.7k cal a BP may have been sourced from latitudinal shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone and subsequent weakening of the Westerlies, allowing the incursion of convective storms from east of the Andes. This sequence of events is consistent with synoptic conditions during modern easterly sourced storm activity. It is also consistent with modeling studies of the effect on the Southern Hemisphere of the rapid cooling of the North Atlantic Ocean during the 8.2‐ka event.

First identification and characterization of Borrobol‐type tephra in the Greenland ice cores: new deposits and improved age estimates - Eliza Cook; Siwan M. Davies; Esther R. Guðmundsdóttir; Peter M. Abbott; Nicholas J. G. Pearce (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Contiguous sampling of ice spanning key intervals of the deglaciation from the Greenland ice cores of NGRIP, GRIP and NEEM has revealed three new silicic cryptotephra deposits that are geochemically similar to the well‐known Borrobol Tephra (BT). The BT is complex and confounded by the younger closely timed and compositionally similar Penifiler Tephra (PT). Two of the deposits found in the ice are in Greenland Interstadial 1e (GI‐1e) and an older deposit is found in Greenland Stadial 2.1 (GS‐2.1). Until now, the BT was confined to GI‐1‐equivalent lacustrine sequences in the British Isles, Sweden and Germany, and our discovery in Greenland ice extends its distribution and geochemical composition. However, the two cryptotephras that fall within GI‐1e ice cannot be separated on the basis of geochemistry and are dated to 14358 ± 177 a b2k and 14252 ± 173 a b2k, just 106 ± 3 years apart. The older deposit is consistent with BT age estimates derived from Scottish sites, while the younger deposit overlaps with both BT and PT age estimates. We suggest that either the BT in Northern European terrestrial sequences represents an amalgamation of tephra from both of the GI‐1e events identified in the ice‐cores or that it relates to just one of the ice‐core events. A firm correlation cannot be established at present due to their strong geochemical similarities. The older tephra horizon, found within all three ice‐cores and dated to 17326 ± 319 a b2k, can be correlated to a known layer within marine sediment cores from the North Iceland Shelf (ca. 17179‐16754 cal a BP). Despite showing similarities to the BT, this deposit can be distinguished on the basis of lower CaO and TiO 2 and is a valuable new tie‐point that could eventually be used in high‐resolution marine records to compare the climate signals from the ocean and atmosphere.

A late Wisconsin (32–10k cal a BP) history of pluvials, droughts and vegetation in the Pacific south‐west United States (Lake Elsinore, CA) - M. E. Kirby; L. Heusser; C. Scholz; R. Ramezan; M. A. Anderson; B. Markle; E. Rhodes; K. C. Glover; J. Fantozzi; C. Hiner; B. Price; H. Rangel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Continuous, sub‐centennially resolved, paleo terrestrial records are rare from arid environments such as the Pacific south‐west United States. Here, we present a multi‐decadal to centennial resolution sediment core (Lake Elsinore, CA) to reconstruct late Wisconsin pluvials, droughts and vegetation. In general, the late Wisconsin is characterized by a wetter and colder climate than during the Holocene. Specifically, conditions between 32.3 and 24.9k cal a BP are characterized by large‐amplitude hydrologic and ecologic variability. Highlighting this period is a ∼2000‐year glacial mega‐drought (27.6–25.7k cal a BP) during which the lake shallowed (3.2–4.5 m depth). This period is approximately coeval with a Lake Manix regression and an increase in xeric vegetation in the San Bernardino Mountains (Baldwin Lake). The Local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM) is bracketed between 23.3 and 19.7k cal a BP − a ∼3000‐year interval characterized by reduced run‐off (relative to the glacial), colder conditions and vegetative stability. Maximum sustained wetness follows the LLGM, beginning at 19.7 and peaking by 14.4k cal a BP. A two‐step decrease in runoff characterizes the Lateglacial to Holocene transition; however, the vegetation change is more complex, particularly at the beginning of the Younger Dryas chronozone. By 12.6–12.4k cal a BP, the climate achieved near Holocene conditions.

The role of megatides and relative sea level in controlling the deglaciation of the British–Irish and Fennoscandian ice sheets - J. D. Scourse; S. L. Ward; A. Wainwright; S. L. Bradley; K. Uehara (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Key external forcing factors have been proposed to explain the collapse of ice sheets, including atmospheric and ocean temperatures, subglacial topography, relative sea level and tidal amplitudes. For past ice sheets it has not hitherto been possible to separate relative sea level and tidal amplitudes from the other controls to analyse their influence on deglaciation style and rate. Here we isolate the relative sea level and tidal amplitude controls on key ice stream sectors of the last British–Irish and Fennoscandian ice sheets using published glacial isostatic adjustment models, combined with a new and previously published palaeotidal models for the NE Atlantic since the Last Glacial Maximum (22 ka BP). Relative sea level and tidal amplitude data are combined into a sea surface elevation index for each ice stream sector demonstrating that these controls were potentially important drivers of deglaciation in the western British Irish Ice Sheet ice stream sectors. In contrast, the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream was characterized by falling relative sea level and small tidal amplitudes during most of the deglaciation. As these simulations provide a basis for observational field testing we propose a means of identifying the significance of sea level and tidal amplitudes in ice sheet collapse.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)

Character and origin of De Geer moraines in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, USA - Samantha N. Sinclair; Joseph M. Licciardi; Seth W. Campbell; Brian M. Madore (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Previously unrecognized clusters of regularly spaced, low‐relief ridges were recently revealed by LiDAR data acquired in the Seacoast region of New Hampshire, USA. Based on their morphometry and geologic context, these features are interpreted as De Geer moraines that formed during regional deglaciation. While De Geer moraines are widely recognized as products of ice recession in glaciomarine settings, their formative processes remain debated. Here, we integrate geospatial mapping, morphometric analyses, stratigraphic investigations and ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) subsurface profiling to characterize De Geer moraines in New Hampshire and assess their origin. On average, the moraines are 1.2 km long, 28 m wide, 1.7 m tall and spaced 104 m apart. Trenches expose stratigraphic units consistent with subaqueous deposition along a tidewater glacier margin, including subglacial traction till indicative of proglacial pushing, and gravity‐driven flow deposits on an ice‐distal moraine slope. GPR profiles reveal variable till thicknesses beneath the ridges and stratified sediment in adjacent swales. Our findings suggest De Geer moraine formation was driven by annual oscillations of the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet margin. In this interpretation, average moraine spacing would represent a retreat rate of ∼100 m a −1 , which is in line with previous estimates of recession rates across New England.

Frontiers and route‐ways from Europe: the Early Middle Palaeolithic of Britain - Nick Ashton; Claire R. E. Harris; Simon G. Lewis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Britain has a rich and well‐documented earlier Palaeolithic record, which provides a unique resource to investigate population dynamics and the cultural and geographical links with north‐west Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. This paper examines a newly enhanced dataset for the distribution of finds locations and their geological context. Using artefact types as proxies for different populations it contrasts the Lower Palaeolithic and Early Middle Palaeolithic records. New methods are devised to mitigate for the clear bias towards handaxes in collection history. Taking account of this bias, the results suggest differences in distribution between Lower Palaeolithic and Early Middle Palaeolithic populations, with the latter more heavily concentrated in the lower reaches of large southern and eastern rivers. Drawing on recent studies on the palaeogeography of the Channel and southern North Sea Basin, the paper suggests that this restricted distribution reflects short‐lived occupation by small groups of early Neanderthals in late MIS 8, who eventually became locally extinct because of isolation caused by rising sea levels in the first warm sub‐stage of MIS 7.

Variations of the Indian summer monsoon over the last 30 000 years inferred from a pyrogenic carbon record from south‐west China - Enlou Zhang; Weiwei Sun; Jie Chang; Dongliang Ning; James Shulmeister (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
The carbon isotope composition of pyrogenic carbon (δ 13 C PyC ) can be used to identify changes in terrestrial vegetation and consequently climate. We analyzed the δ 13 C PyC values in a continuous lacustrine sediment core from the south‐east edge of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau that spans the last 30k cal a BP, to improve our understanding of changes in regional vegetation and the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) on centennial and millennial timescales. Our data show that a mixed C 3 /C 4 plant community and a dry climate prevailed from 30 to 14.6k cal a BP. Monsoonal precipitation abruptly increased at the glacial–Holocene transition, and C 3 plants growing under a humid climate dominated during the Holocene. Our record also reveals that ISM intensity decreased significantly during Heinrich Events and the Younger Dryas Chron. These findings suggest that changes in regional vegetation in south‐west China are primarily controlled by ISM intensity, which in turn is related to solar insolation and high‐latitude climate. This is the first δ 13 C PyC record covering the last glacial maximum from the region, and provides insight into orbital‐scale climate change and abrupt climate events that occurred in south‐western China's geological past.

Late Holocene changes in vegetation and atmospheric circulation at Lake Uddelermeer (The Netherlands) reconstructed using lipid biomarkers and compound‐specific δD analysis - V. van den Bos; S. Engels; S. J. P. Bohncke; C. Cerli; B. Jansen; K. Kalbitz; F. Peterse; H. Renssen; D. Sachse (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
We reconstructed middle to late Holocene changes in atmospheric circulation patterns and vegetation in north‐west Europe by applying novel geochemical techniques to the sediment record of Lake Uddelermeer (The Netherlands). A comparison of higher plant‐derived leaf wax n ‐alkane distributions archived in the lake sediments with those in living plant material, combined with palynological analysis, indicates that the vegetation immediately surrounding the lake became more open at 3150 cal a BP , while the regional vegetation responded more gradually and ∼650 years later. Our record of the hydrogen isotopic composition of plant leaf waxes (δD wax ) shows a deuterium enrichment starting from 3500 cal a BP , which we interpret as a change in atmospheric circulation. A similar δD wax record from nearby Meerfelder Maar (Germany) shows an opposite trend around this time, which could be explained by a change in sea‐level pressure resembling a negative North Atlantic Oscillation phase. This could account for depleted δD values of precipitation at Meerfelder Maar, while confounding factors related to the more maritime position of Uddelermeer cause the opposite shift there.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)

The glacial geomorphology of the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial in Britain: a review - H. L. Bickerdike; D. J. A. Evans; C. R. Stokes; C. Ó Cofaigh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
This paper systematically reviews the glacial geomorphological evidence of the Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS; Younger Dryas) glaciation in Britain (12.9–11.7 ka). The geomorphology of sub‐regions within Scotland, England and Wales is assessed, providing the most comprehensive synthesis of this evidence to date. The contrasting nature of the evidence at the local scale is reviewed and conceptual themes common to multiple sub‐regions are examined. Advancements in glaciological theory, mapping technologies, numerical modelling and dating have been applied unevenly to localities across Britain, inhibiting a holistic understanding of the extent and dynamics of the LLS glaciation at a regional scale. The quantity and quality of evidence is highly uneven, leading to uncertainties regarding the extent of glaciation and inhibiting detailed analysis of ice dynamics and chronology. Robust dates are relatively scarce, making it difficult to confidently identify the limits of LLS glaciers and assess their synchroneity. Numerical models have allowed the glacier–climate relationships of the LLS to be assessed but have, thus far, been unable to incorporate local conditions which influenced glaciation. Recommendations for future research are made that will allow refined reconstructions of the LLS in Britain and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of glacier–climate interactions during the Younger Dryas.

Synchronized proxy‐based temperature reconstructions reveal mid‐ to late Holocene climate oscillations in High Arctic Svalbard - Tomi P. Luoto; Antti E. K. Ojala; Laura Arppe; Stephen J. Brooks; Eija Kurki; Mimmi Oksman; Matthew J. Wooller; Marek Zajączkowski (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Existing paleoclimate data are exceedingly sparse from southern Spitsbergen, a High Arctic region predicted to experience significant environmental changes because of amplified warming. We analyzed biotic and isotopic paleolimnological proxies to reconstruct past climate from a lacustrine sediment core, with a basal age of ∼5500 a BP , in southern Spitsbergen (77°N). We used fossil Chironomidae assemblages to quantitatively reconstruct past mean July air temperatures and stable oxygen isotope values (δ 18 O) of these fossils to estimate changes in mean annual air temperature. These proxy records are strikingly similar and show that the coldest anomaly since the mid‐Holocene occurred between 350 and 50 cal a BP , during the ‘Little Ice Age’, whereas the warmest period in the summer temperature record occurred between 5500–5000 and ∼2000 cal a BP . Our findings indicate that the natural long‐term air temperature dynamics in our study area are most likely connected to solar minima and positive feedback mechanisms from sea‐surface temperature maxima. The results also highlight that the recent temperature increase is unprecedented in its rate with a ∼2 °C increase in the summer temperatures during the past ∼50 years.

Mid‐Holocene Iberian hydroclimate variability and paleoenvironmental change: molecular and isotopic insights from Praia Rei Cortiço, Portugal - Audrey K. Taylor; Michael M. Benedetti; Jonathan A. Haws; Chad S. Lane (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
At Praia Rei Cortiço (PRC), coastal Portugal, we analyzed compound‐specific isotopes of plant wax‐derived n ‐alkanes in combination with molecular distribution proxies and C/N ratios to reconstruct hydrologic and environmental change in a mid‐Holocene wetland. During this relatively brief segment of the Holocene (6.6–5.4k cal a BP ), substantial shifts in the stable hydrogen isotope composition of terrestrially sourced C 29 n ‐alkanes (δD n ‐C29 ) record significant multi‐decadal changes in precipitation origin and storm trajectory. Wetland formation at PRC occurred during a humid interval (6.6–6.5k cal a BP ) with a dominantly tropical precipitation source, likely the result of a persistent negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, which permitted the establishment and dominance of Sphagnum moss. A subsequent decrease in precipitation significantly reduced Sphagnum abundance at PRC, which is evidenced by decreased sedimentary C/N ratios and reduced mid‐chain n ‐alkane abundances. From 5.9 to 5.4k cal a BP , relatively low δD n ‐C29 values coincide with sand invasion along the Iberian coast and cooling in the North Atlantic. Strong correspondence between δD n ‐C29 values and the occurrence of ice‐rafted debris recorded in deep sea sediment cores during this period illustrate a marked North Atlantic control on the trajectory of mid‐latitude storms and precipitation regimes in Iberia.

Effect of sample size and resolution on palaeomalacological interpretation: a case study from Holocene calcareous‐fen deposits - Jitka Frodlová; Petra Hájková; Michal Horsák (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
This study investigates the effects of sample volume, resolution and accumulation time on the interpretation of a mollusc record from terrestrial deposits. We tested (i) if, and to what extent, small sample sizes impoverish the reconstructed mollusc species richness, and (ii) whether fine‐resolution sampling is worth the effort. We analysed three mollusc sequences, covering continuously the entire Holocene, which were collected in a tufa‐forming spring fen and differed in sample size and resolution. More than 36 000 specimens of 76 species were processed. Using a rarefaction method, we observed that different sample volumes had a significant effect on the recorded species richness in this type of environment, and 100‐cm 3 samples seemed to be sufficient for a reliable reconstruction in tufa deposits. Although the thickness of the sampled layers had no influence on the palaeoecological interpretation, we observed a shift in the mollusc diversity peak once different resolutions were applied. Furthermore, the layers of finer resolution allowed detailed radiocarbon dating and better understanding of trends in species dynamics. We also observed significant confounding relationships among the number of species, number of specimens and accumulation time that can be disentangled if a precise depth–age model is available.

Re‐evaluation of MIS 3 glaciation using cosmogenic radionuclide and single grain luminescence ages, Kanas Valley, Chinese Altai - Natacha Gribenski; Krister N. Jansson; Frank Preusser; Jonathan M. Harbor; Arjen P. Stroeven; Mareike Trauerstein; Robin Blomdin; Jakob Heyman; Marc W. Caffee; Nathaniel A. Lifton; Wei Zhang (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
Previous investigations observed a period of major glacial advances in Central Asia during marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 3 (57–29 ka), out of phase with global ice volume records. We have re‐examined the Kanas moraine complex in the Altai Mountains of Central Asia, where an MIS 3 glaciation had been previously inferred. New and consistent cosmogenic exposure and single‐grain luminescence ages indicate that the Kanas complex was formed during MIS 2 (29–12 ka), which brings its timing in line with the global ice volume record. We also identified a lateral moraine from a more extensive ice extent that dates to late MIS 5/MIS 4. To place our results in a wider contextual framework, we review the chronologies of another 26 proposed major MIS 3 glacial advances in Central Asia. For most of these sites, we find that the chronological data do not provide an unequivocal case for MIS 3 glaciation.

Sea ice, ice‐rafting, and ocean climate across Denmark Strait during rapid deglaciation (∼16–12 cal ka BP) of the Iceland and East Greenland shelves - J. T. Andrews; P. Cabedo‐Sanz; A. E. Jennings; S. Ólafsdóttir; S. T. Belt; Á. Geirsdóttir (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2018)
A suite of cores from the North‐West Iceland and East Greenland shelves sampled fossiliferous or unfossiliferous basal glacial diamictons. Radiocarbon dates above the diamictons are similar on both shelves, but the value of the ocean reservoir correction, Δ R , is unknown. Deglaciation occurred either ∼16 or 14 cal ka BP depending on the choice of Δ R . The ice sheets were behind the present coastline by 12.2 cal ka BP. We examine seven cores that record the glacial/deglacial transition and present new data on the sea‐ice biomarkers IP 25 and C 25:2 from four of the cores plus data on ice‐rafted debris counts, grain‐size spectra, δ 18 O on the near‐surface planktonic foraminifera Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s), foraminifera assemblages, and quartz percentage. IP 25 concentrations are markedly higher for the East Greenland sites, while they are frequently below the limit of quantification off Iceland, observations that parallel the wt% quartz in the sediments. The δ 18 O N. pachyderma (s) data show a strong gradient across Denmark Strait with lighter δ 18 O values towards the East Greenland shelf indicative of a large freshwater flux. The presence of the chilled Atlantic Water benthic foraminifera, Cassidulina neoteretis indicates that rapid ice sheet retreat was associated with ocean forcing, combined with other factors.

Late Holocene hydroclimate of the western Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico) - Priyadarsi D. Roy; Nuria Torrescano‐Valle; Gerald A. Islebe; Luz Verónica Gutiérrez‐Ayala (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Chemical composition, magnetic susceptibility and texture of sediments in a swamp from the Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve provide information about late Holocene hydrological variations on the western margin of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Periods of lower than average amounts of K‐bearing clastics during 2580–2050, 1100–825 and 700–160 cal a BP represent drought intervals. Magnetic minerals were better preserved during these arid intervals, as the swamp was not perennially anoxic. Hydroclimate was unstable during 2580–2050 cal a BP, as several storm‐surge events occurred within an overall arid interval. The drought of 1100–825 cal a BP was contemporary with the Terminal Classic Period and the drought of 700–160 cal a BP was characterized by the lowest erosion as well as highest abundance of authigenic carbonate. Comparison with other climate proxy records from the region suggests that droughts had different geographic coverage. We attribute the different geographic coverage of droughts to variable strengths of polar continental air masses as well as dynamics of the Caribbean Low Level Jet and tropical cyclones that brought precipitation into different parts of the peninsula.

Flooding history of Lake Nakaumi, western Japan, inferred from sediment records spanning the past 700 years - Yuki Ota; Hodaka Kawahata; Takaharu Sato; Koji Seto (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Management of flood risk can benefit from a knowledge‐based approach to flooding history. However, the data on such events are often insufficient for an objective evaluation of flooding characteristics such as their intensity. Therefore, we analyzed a 14 C‐dated sediment core recovered from near the Iinashi River mouth in Lake Nakaumi, western Japan, and reconstructed flooding records over the past 700 years from rock magnetism, grain‐size distribution and sediment geochemistry. The sediment core contained three black layers, characterized by high magnetic susceptibility, low anhysteretic remanent magnetization to saturation isothermal remanent magnetization ratio, high total organic carbon (TOC) to total nitrogen ratio, and coarse mean grain size, which we identified as possible flooding event deposits. Moreover, the chemical index of alteration was low and the TOC to total sulfur ratio was high in these layers, indicating intensified erosion associated with more freshwater inflow due to the flood events. We tentatively correlated the three event deposits with historical floods along the Iinashi River in AD 1596, 1666 and 1826. The variations in rock magnetic and geochemical properties suggest that the flooding in AD 1666 may have been the least extreme of the events detected in the core.

Development, evolution and drainage of glacial Lake Naskaupi during the deglaciation of north‐central Quebec and Labrador - HUGO DUBÉ‐LOUBERT; MARTIN ROY (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Deglaciation of north‐central Quebec and Labrador led to the development of large ice‐dammed lakes in river valleys surrounding Ungava Bay. These lakes are poorly understood due to uncertainties in the regional pattern of ice retreat. Lake Naskaupi occupied the George River valley where systematic mapping of glacial landforms and extensive elevation measurements of shorelines reveal a complex history characterized by multiple lake levels. Our reconstruction documents three well‐defined lake levels marking extensive lake stages. Additional lake levels are poorly developed and relate to short‐lived, transient lake stages. During its main stage (N2′), Lake Naskaupi consisted of two separate basins that evolved independently for some time. This configuration resulted from the persistence of cold‐based ice conditions during the deglaciation that caused the retreating ice margin to remain in the middle section of the river valley. The presence of this ice dam is supported by large‐scale outburst flood deposits that record the abrupt drainage of the southern Naskaupi basin. The magnitude of the elevation changes between the remaining lower lake levels suggests the occurrence of at least one other major drawdown before the final lake drainage. Reconstruction of the N2′ lake stage provides a minimum meltwater volume estimate for the lake.

Climate evolution and forcing during the last 40 ka from the oscillations in Apennine glaciers and high mountain lakes, Italy - Carlo Giraudi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The results of studies carried out on the variations of glaciers and lakes in the higher Apennines during the last 40 ka are considered for correlation with some climate forcing agents, e.g . changes in insolation, variations in origin of the air masses carrying moisture and North Atlantic events, acting both at regional and hemispheric scales. The origin of air masses was assessed using the Apennine equilibrium line altitude pattern, the presence of a quartz‐rich loess in the former glacial environment and the sedimentation rate of Sahara quartz in maar lakes. Temperature and humidity variations have been deduced from glacier expansions and retreats and lake oscillations. The data discussed in the paper show that variations in insolation have driven climatic changes in the Apennines for most of the considered time span, producing gradual changes that took place during periods lasting several thousand years. However, during some periods, insolation seems to have been of minor importance compared to variations in frequency and intensity of southern air currents, and to the influence of North Atlantic events. The data, as a whole, allow us to highlight the climatic evolution of the high Apennine mountains during the last 40k cal a BP.

8000 years of North Atlantic storminess reconstructed from a Scottish peat record: implications for Holocene atmospheric circulation patterns in Western Europe - H. Stewart; T. Bradwell; J. Bullard; S. J. Davies; N. Golledge; R. D. McCulloch (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
North Atlantic storminess can affect human settlements, infrastructure and transport links, all of which strongly impact local, national and global economies. An increase in storm frequency and intensity is predicted over the North‐East Atlantic in the 21st century because of a northward shift in storm tracks and a persistently positive North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), driven by recent atmospheric warming. Although documentary records of North Atlantic storminess exist, these are generally limited to the last c . 1000 years. This paper presents a continuous high‐resolution proxy record of storminess spanning the last 8000 years from a 6 m‐long core taken from a peat bog in northern Scotland. Bromine concentrations in the peat, derived from sea spray, are used to reconstruct storm frequency and storm intensity, and mire surface wetness is used as an indicator of longer‐term climate shifts. The results suggest a relationship between positive phases of the NAO and increased North Atlantic storminess. However, subtle differences between bromine concentrations and mire surface wetness suggest that high‐intensity but perhaps less frequent periods of storminess are not necessarily associated with a wetter climate.

Interpreting exposure ages from ice‐cored moraines: a Neoglacial case study on Baffin Island, Arctic Canada - Sarah E. Crump; Leif S. Anderson; Gifford H. Miller; Robert S. Anderson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
10 Be dating of moraines has greatly improved our ability to constrain the timing of past glaciations and thus past cold events. However, the spread in ages from a single moraine is often greater than would be expected from measurement uncertainty, making paleoclimatic interpretations equivocal. Here we present 28 new 10 Be ages from ice‐cored Neoglacial moraines on Baffin Island, Arctic Canada, and explore the processes at play in moraine formation and evolution through field observations and a numerical debris‐covered glacier model. The insulating effect of debris cover modifies glacier lengths and results in the development of ice‐cored moraines over multiple advances and thousands of years. Although ice cores can persist for several millennia, spatially variable ice core melt‐out contributes to moraine degradation and boulder destabilization, making it likely that the 10 Be clock is reset on moraine boulders in these settings. Thus, exposure ages from ice‐cored moraines must be interpreted with caution. The oldest ages, after excluding samples with inheritance, provide the best estimates of initial moraine formation. Three Baffin Island moraines yield 10 Be ages suggesting formation at 5.2, 4.6 and 3.5 ka, respectively, adding to a growing body of evidence for significant summer cooling millennia before the Little Ice Age.

Paleoenvironmental change in tropical Africa during the Holocene based on a record from Lake Kifuruka, western Uganda - Lawrence M. Kiage; Meghan Howey; Joel Hartter; Michael Palace (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
A 10 000‐year palynological record of vegetation and environmental changes in tropical Africa is presented, based on sediment data from a 230‐cm‐long core recovered from Lake Kifuruka in western Uganda. The Lake Kifuruka record provides new sedimentary and paleoecological data for human–environment interactions and anthropogenic disturbance in the tropical African region during the Holocene. The record shows evidence for prolonged dry conditions in the region at the terminus of the last glaciation period and the onset of the Holocene period. The early Holocene and mid‐Holocene periods were characterized by largely warm and wet climatic conditions. The pollen record shows evidence of forest disturbance that is probably associated with agricultural activities near Lake Kifuruka shortly after ca. 4300 BP cal a BP coinciding with a time of increased desiccation in the region. The forest disturbance in the record appears to have intensified and continued into the modern period but with no significant change in the overall vegetation diversity, suggesting quick environmental recovery. The Lake Kifuruka record is largely devoid of the abrupt climatic changes that have been observed from a couple of sites in the East African region, which implies that the changes may be site specific rather than regional scale.

Carbon stable isotope (δ 13 C) and elemental (TOC, TN) geochemistry in saltmarsh surface sediments (Western Brittany, France): a useful tool for reconstructing Holocene relative sea‐level - Jérôme Goslin; Pierre Sansjofre; Brigitte Van Vliet‐Lanoë; Christophe Delacourt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Providing a dense network of Holocene relative sea‐level (RSL) records still faces some challenges, such as the paucity of microfossil assemblages within some Holocene sedimentary sequences. Recently, the isotopic (δ 13 C) and elemental geochemistry [total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and C/N ratios] of saltmarsh sediments has showed potential for RSL reconstruction. This study presents the results of new δ 13 C, TOC and TN measurements obtained on surface sediments of two marshes of the Brittany region (France). Overall, the distribution of δ 13 C, TOC, TN and C/N values shows clear dependencies with elevation. Sediments from above and below the high tide level show contrasting TN contents. Clustering analyses identified three elevation‐dependent groups, characterized by specific values of δ 13 C, TOC and TN. The use of this geochemical reference for RSL reconstruction is tested on a core retrieved from one of the marshes. The sea‐level index points obtained plot in good accordance with the microfauna‐based RSL positions previously obtained in the region. Some diagenetic losses in TN are observed between modern and Holocene sediments. This does not appear to be harmful to the accuracy of the RSL reconstructions but suggests that C/N ratios may be unreliable palaeoenvironmental proxies in this specific context.

Vegetation response to abrupt climate changes in Western Europe from 45 to 14.7k cal a BP: the Bergsee lacustrine record (Black Forest, Germany) - Fanny Duprat‐Oualid; Damien Rius; Carole Bégeot; Michel Magny; Laurent Millet; Sabine Wulf; Oona Appelt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Between 45 and 14.7k cal a BP, the North Atlantic climate was characterized by a succession of short‐lived Greenland Stadials (GS)/Interstadials (GI), which impacted terrestrial environments. We present a new pollen record from the Bergsee (47°34′20″N, 7°56′11″E), which was ice free during the Last Glacial. We constructed a robust chronology for the period 45–14.7k cal a BP based on 14 accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dates and a tephra attributed to the Laacher See Tephra. Vegetation history was reconstructed at the sub‐millennial scale using pollen analysis. At millennial timescale, a 45–30k cal a BP period shows relatively high tree percentages and marked forest developments, consistent with warmer and more humid conditions during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. This contrasts with a 30–14.7k cal a BP period of steppe conditions, favoured by a colder/more arid MIS 2. In detail, vegetation seems to respond to GIs and GSs with the successive development of steppes and boreal forests. The impact of Heinrich events is also recorded with a marked development of Artemisia . Comparison with European records shows the contribution of the Bergsee pollen record to understanding impacts of the North Atlantic climate variability on landscapes across longitudinal and latitudinal gradients.

Testate amoeba as palaeohydrological indicators in the permafrost peatlands of north‐east European Russia and Finnish Lapland - Hui Zhang; Matthew J. Amesbury; Tiina Ronkainen; Dan J. Charman; Angela V. Gallego‐Sala; Minna VÄliranta (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
To explore the use of testate amoeba for investigating the impacts of climate change on permafrost peatland hydrology, we established a new modern training set from Arctic permafrost peatlands in north‐east European Russia and Finnish Lapland. Ordination analyses showed that water‐table depth (WTD) was the most important control on testate amoeba distribution. We developed a new testate amoeba‐based WTD transfer function and thoroughly tested it. We found that our transfer function had strong predictive power. The best‐performing model was based on tolerance‐downweighted weighted averaging with inverse deshrinking ( R 2 = 0.77, RMSEP = 5.62 cm with leave‐one‐out cross validation). The new transfer function was applied to a short peat core from Arctic Russia and revealed two major hydrological shifts, which could be validated against plant macrofossil data. We also compared our model to another two models from more temperate peatlands. Comparison of the different testate amoeba datasets suggests that testate amoeba ecohydrological relationships are similar for permafrost peatlands to those in more temperate regions, but there are some differences that suggest a need for training datasets that are fully representative of permafrost peatlands.

The southern Norwegian Sea during the last 45 ka: hydrographical reorganizations under changing ice‐sheet dynamics - Melanie Wary; Frederique Eynaud; Linda Rossignol; Sebastien Zaragosi; Marjolaine Sabine; Marie‐Helene Castera; Isabelle Billy (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The last glacial millennial Heinrich and Dansgaard–Oeschger events have been the subject of many studies in recent decades. However, significant uncertainties remain, notably regarding associated oceanic mechanisms. Here we investigate the evolution of hydrographical conditions in the 3–41 ka cal BP interval of core MD99‐2285 located in the southern Norwegian Sea. Our results reveal an unusual scheme with: (i) warm Greenland interstadials marked by a relatively cold and homogeneous upper water column seasonally ice‐covered and active deep water formation, (ii) cold Greenland and Heinrich stadials marked by a warm, low‐salinity and nearly sea ice‐free surface layer with iceberg calving, separated by a strong halocline from a colder and saltier subsurface layer, as well as strongly reduced deep convection, and (iii) close to modern Holocene oceanic conditions, but showing significant differences from interstadial conditions. Hence, our work strongly suggests different deep‐water convection modes in the Nordic Seas, with, notably, interstadial deep water formation mainly forced by brine release. According to our results, the transition from the glacial mode of deep water formation to the modern open ocean convection mode might have occurred at the end of deglaciation/beginning of the Holocene, when both modes probably occurred.

Widespread, episodic decline of alder ( Alnus ) during the medieval period in the boreal forest of Europe - Normunds Stivrins; Michelle S. Buchan; Helena R. Disbrey; Niina Kuosmanen; Małgorzata Latałowa; Janne Lempinen; Petteri Muukkonen; Michał Słowiński; Siim Veski; Heikki Seppä (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We report pollen‐stratigraphical evidence for an abrupt, episodic and widespread population decline of alder ( Alnus ), one of the most common boreal tree genera, during the medieval period in northern Europe. Decline of alder pollen values was observed both in forest hollow pollen records reflecting local vegetation of pristine forests and in pollen percentage and pollen accumulation data from lake sediments. The event began roughly at AD 600 and the recovery took place at AD 1000. Human impact is an unlikely cause because the decline is specific to alder and there is no evidence for a concurrent episode of human impact. It is possible that the decline was caused or influenced by a severe drought. Another potential cause is a sudden, widespread pathogen outbreak, especially as alder is known to be sensitive to the impacts of fungal pathogens such as the oomycete Phytophthora .

Changes in intermediate water conditions in the northern South China Sea using Globorotalia inflata over the last 20 ka - Yiping Yang; Rong Xiang; Jianguo Liu; Shaoying Fu; Liping Zhou; Shuhuan Du; Honghong Lü (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Intermediate circulation is one of the crucial controls of thermohaline changes in seawater. Due to the lack of data for some of the more significant indicators, there has been little research into past intermediate waters in the South China Sea (SCS). In particular, little is known of the thermohaline properties of intermediate water. Here, we present paired Mg/Ca and δ 18 O data for the planktonic foraminifera Globorotalia inflata from core GHE27L in the northern SCS; these data provide records of temperature and residual δ 18 O seawater (δ 18 O residual , being used as a proxy for salinity) to tentatively investigate changes in the intermediate water of the SCS over the last 20 ka. Our results show that G. inflata in the SCS grew principally within the 200–450 m water depth interval. Thermohaline changes recorded by G. inflata indicate warm and relatively freshening water during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 20–17.7 ka BP ), changing to warm and saline waters between 17.7 and 13.6 ka BP . In general, waters during the 13.6–8.3 ka BP period were characterized by high temperatures and salinity, with obvious millennial‐scale fluctuations, after which, during the Holocene, they became cold and fresh. We suggest that the temperature and salinity of the intermediate water of the SCS recorded by G. inflata in core GHE27L were possibly associated with a switch in intermediate water masses. During the LGM, the intermediate water in the northern SCS was mainly impacted by North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), but that subsequently the influence of Antarctic Intermediate Water strengthened during the last deglaciation and Pre‐Boreal period (17.7–8.3 ka BP ). After this period, NPIW was the principal control of the intermediate water of the SCS again.

Climatic and non‐climatic controls shaping early postglacial conifer history in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA - Teresa R. Krause; Cathy Whitlock (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Mountain ecosystems are characterized by their complex vegetation responses to past climate variability because of the interplay between large‐scale climate changes and local‐scale biotic and abiotic conditions. This study reconstructs the early postglacial expansion of conifer populations in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The objective is to examine how climate change and non‐climatic factors, including species characteristics, edaphic conditions and disturbance, governed postglacial vegetation changes. Spruce populations expanded first at 13 300 cal a BP , concurrent with soil development and warming summers. Subalpine fir populations expanded after 12 300 cal a BP and probably lagged spruce expansion due to differences in climatic tolerances and/or its poorer seed dispersing capacity. Pine species expanded nearly synchronously after 11 300 cal a BP in response to elevated summer temperatures and increased fire activity. Douglas‐fir populations expanded last after 10 200 cal a BP during the early Holocene summer insolation maximum and cooler winters. The sequence and timing of conifer expansions in the northern GYE are consistent with the regional conifer history, indicating strong vegetation responses to millennial‐scale climate change associated with the seasonal cycle of insolation across spatial scales. Nonetheless, non‐climatic factors, including landscape stabilization and subsequent soil development, seed dispersing characteristics and fire, still shaped local‐scale patterns of conifer expansion.

Resolving discrepancies between field and modelled relative sea‐level data: lessons from western Ireland - Robin Edwards; W. Roland Gehrels; Anthony Brooks; Ralph Fyfe; Katie Pullen; Joseph Kuchar; Kieran Craven (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Accurate reconstruction of Lateglacial and Holocene relative sea‐level (RSL) histories is complicated where mismatches exist between geological data and RSL curves generated by models of glacio‐isostatic adjustment (GIA). In Ireland, such discrepancies have profound implications for interpreting the glacial history of the British Isles and for the use of glacial rebound models to predict future sea‐level changes. To address this issue we present new RSL data from four sites along the western coast of Ireland, including 17 data points from the critical period before 5000 14 C a BP for which very few data are available. We generate new RSL simulations from an existing GIA model, incorporating a thickened Irish Ice sheet component. Simulated curves from Co. Mayo and Co. Donegal accommodate the higher than present Lateglacial RSL inferred from glaciomarine muds while still meeting the requirement for below present RSL indicated by the new terrestrial limiting data points. Relaxation of trimline constraints on maximum ice sheet thickness provides considerable scope for improved GIA performance. These results demonstrate inferences about RSL drawn from GIA modelling and glacio‐sedimentary data are not mutually exclusive, and represent a significant step towards resolving a long‐standing debate between the field‐based and modelling communities.

Pleistocene (Calabrian) deep‐water corals and associated biodiversity in the eastern Mediterranean (Karpathos Island, Greece) - Pierre Moissette; Jean‐Jacques Cornée; Frédéric Quillévéré; Helmut Zibrowius; Efterpi Koskeridou; Gatsby‐emperatriz López‐otálvaro (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Diversified deep‐water corals and associated communities occur in early Pleistocene (early Calabrian; ∼1.7–1.6 Ma) calcareous crusts discovered on the south‐western coast of Karpathos Island (eastern Greece). Apart from abundant and conspicuous solitary and colonial corals (12 species), the accompanying fauna comprises mostly bivalves (10 species), serpulid worms (4 species), and bryozoans (40 species). The growth and deposition of the studied organisms occurred in an upper bathyal environment at water depths around 400–600 m. The calculated mean uplift rate after deposition of the crusts indicates that Karpathos was drowned during the earliest Calabrian and experienced severe uplifts by the late Calabrian. A comparison between these communities and those of the Pleistocene to Recent Mediterranean and north‐east Atlantic shows that a common stock of taxa exist(ed); among them two azooxanthellate colonial scleractinians ( Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata ) are predominant.

Human activity was a major driver of the mid‐Holocene vegetation change in southern Cumbria: implications for the elm decline in the British Isles - Mark J. Grosvenor; Richard T. Jones; Chris S. M. Turney; Dan J. Charman; Alan Hogg; Dave Coward; Ray Wilson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The dramatic decline in elm ( Ulmus ) across a large swathe of north‐west Europe in the mid‐Holocene has been ascribed to a number of possible factors, including climate change, human activity and/or pathogens. A major limitation for identifying the underlying cause(s) has been the limited number of high‐resolution records with robust geochronological frameworks. Here, we report a multiproxy study of an upland (Blea Tarn) and lowland (Urswick Tarn) landscape in southern Cumbria (British Isles) to reconstruct vegetation change across the elm decline in an area with a rich and well‐dated archaeological record to disentangle different possible controls. Here we find a two‐stage decline in Ulmus taking place between 6350–6150 and 6050–5850 cal a BP, with the second phase coinciding with an intensification of human activity. The scale of the decline and associated human impact is more abrupt in the upland landscape. We consider it likely that a combination of human impact and disease drove the Ulmus decline within southern Cumbria.

A penultimate glacial climate record from southern Hungary - G. Koltai; C. Spötl; C.‐C. Shen; C.‐C. Wu; Z. Rao; L. Palcsu; S. Kele; G. Surányi; I. Bárány‐Kevei (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
A flowstone from the central European Abaliget Cave (Mecsek Mts, Hungary) provides a record of uninterrupted calcite deposition between ∼160 and ∼124 ka, covering most of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 and part of 5e. δ 18 O values of three lateral drill cores show synchronous high‐frequency (millennial‐scale) variability during MIS 6, interpreted as stadials and interstadials, and a 3.4‰ rise at the MIS 6/5e boundary. The interstadials are mostly symmetrical in shape and show consistently lower δ 18 O values than calcite formed during MIS 5e. The rises (decreases) in δ 18 O are followed by drops (increases) in δ 13 C with a delay of 1–2 ka, implying enhanced (reduced) soil bioproductivity. This period of highly variable climate is bracketed by two broad δ 18 O minima. The first minimum between ∼160 and ∼148 ka coincided with a maximum in ice‐rafted detritus in the eastern North Atlantic. The second one from ∼134 to ∼129 ka occurred during Heinrich 11, before the rapid and large δ 18 O increase at ∼128 ka.

Late Quaternary environmental dynamics in the Atacama Desert reconstructed from rodent midden pollen records - M. E. de Porras; A. Maldonado; R. De Pol‐Holz; C. Latorre; J. L. Betancourt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
In the past two decades, much has been learned about the late Quaternary climate history of the Atacama Desert with some details still unclear about the seasonality, timing and extent of wet and dry phases. Modern climate studies reveal that, far from exhibiting a unique pattern, seasonal precipitation originates from many sources and mechanisms. For the last 16 ka, we attempt to sort out these complexities in pollen records from four fossil rodent midden series spanning 22°–25°S in northern Chile. Widespread wet conditions prevailed during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene, particularly between 13 and 9 ka, evidenced by

A 7000‐year high‐resolution lake sediment record from coastal central Chile (Lago Vichuquén, 34°S): implications for past sea level and environmental variability - Matías Frugone‐Álvarez; Claudio Latorre; Santiago Giralt; Josué Polanco‐Martínez; Patricia Bernárdez; Belén Oliva‐Urcia; Antonio Maldonado; María Laura Carrevedo; Ana Moreno; Antonio Delgado Huertas; Ricardo Prego; Fernando Barreiro‐Lostres; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We present a 7‐ka environmental reconstruction based on sedimentological and geochemical data from Lago Vichuquén, a coastal eutrophic lake in central Chile (34°48′S, 72°03′ W, 4 m a.s.l.). A relatively shallow and restricted marine environment with low productivity, high detrital input and dominant anoxic conditions in the Vichuquén Basin occurred from 7.0 to 6.5 cal ka BP. Rapid onset of a Holocene marine transgression at 6.5 cal ka BP favoured deeper and more biologically productive environments that existed until 2.8 cal ka BP. Bioproductivity changes during the mid‐Holocene (6.5–4.2 cal ka BP) were related to upwelling dynamics controlled by the intensity of the South‐east Pacific Anticyclone (SPA). Periods with lower organic productivity and dominant anoxic conditions reflect an increased intensity of SPA (increased upwelling) and decreased precipitation. A shift at ∼4.0 cal ka BP reflects the onset of modern Southern Westerly Winds and El Niño‐Southern Oscillation patterns. Tectonic uplifting and geormorphological activity (dune advancement) are possible reasons behind the Vichuquén Basin closure at ∼1.2 cal ka BP, leading to a low bioproductivity lacustrine environment which has developed until the present. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stratigraphy, age and correlation of Lepué Tephra: a widespread c . 11 000 cal a BP marker horizon sourced from the Chaitén Sector of southern Chile - Brent V. Alloway; Patricio I. Moreno; Nick J. G. Pearce; Ricardo De Pol‐Holz; William I. Henríquez; Oscar H. Pesce; Esteban Sagredo; Gustavo Villarosa; Valeria Outes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We describe the stratigraphy, age and correlation of a prominent tephra marker, named Lepué Tephra, extensively distributed in north‐western Patagonia. Lepué Tephra is well dated at c . 11 000 cal a BP from numerous lake and soil cover‐bed sequences and its recognition is useful for assessing the rate and timing of deglaciation as well as associated environmental changes in this region during the last glacial termination and early Holocene. Lepué Tephra has attributes typical of a complex and compositionally zoned phreatomagmatic eruptive. While the initial rhyolitic phase can be readily distinguished from multiple eruptive products sourced from the adjacent Volcán Chaitén, the main erupted end member is of basaltic–andesitic bulk composition − similar to younger tephras sourced from Holocene monogenetic cones adjacent to the Volcán Michimahuida massif (tMim). Lepué Tephra can be correlated to an equivalent‐aged pyroclastic flow deposit (Amarillo Ignimbrite) prominently distributed in the south‐eastern sector of tMim. The source vent for these co‐eruptive events is obscured by an extensive ice field and is currently unknown. The widespread radially symmetrical distribution of Lepué Tephra centred on tMim cannot be attributed solely to volcanological considerations. Reduced Southern Hemisphere westerly wind influence interpreted from climate proxies at the time of eruption are also implicated. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

How did rivers in the wet tropics (NE Queensland, Australia) respond to climate changes over the past 30 000 years? - Kate Hughes; Jacky Croke (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The nature and timing of fluvial response and coincident changes in climate as inferred from multiple, independent proxies are examined in the wet tropics of north‐eastern Australia. Chronostratigraphic data provide evidence for regionally synchronous fluvial aggradation at 30–13 ka, 8–5 ka and again from 1 ka. Terrace incision and removal occurred at 13–8 ka and 5–1 ka. A new synthesis of regional palaeoenvironmental proxy records spanning the last 30 ka highlights key periods of environmental change. Comparison of the records of fluvial and environmental change reveals the relationship is complex with no clear relationship between river aggradation/incision and wetter/drier conditions. The nature and timing of fluvial response in the wet tropics also shows broad similarities with coastal valleys in south‐eastern New South Wales, suggesting continental‐scale controls on fluvial response to changing climate during the Late Quaternary in Australia. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Holocene glacier reconstruction reveals retreat behind present limits and two‐stage Little Ice Age on subantarctic South Georgia - Willem G. M. van der Bilt; Jostein Bakke; Johannes P. Werner; Øyvind Paasche; Gunhild Rosqvist; Sunniva Solheim Vatle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Observational data show that climate in the Southern Ocean region is rapidly changing. However, past the instrumental period, our understanding of climate variability in the region is limited by a scarcity of high‐resolution palaeoclimate records. Alpine glaciers, present on many Southern Ocean islands, may provide such data because changes in their mass balance, extent and erosion rates often mark a response to climate shifts. Rock flour, the fine‐grained fraction of the glacial erosion process, is suspended in meltwater streams and transferred into the sediments of downstream lakes, continuously recording glacier variations. Here, we utilize this relationship to present a reconstruction of the Late Holocene glacier history of subantarctic South Georgia, using sediments from the glacier‐fed Middle Hamberg Lake. To fingerprint a glacial erosion/size signal, we used titanium counts, validated against changes in sediment density and grain size, allowing a continuous reconstruction of glacier variations over the past ∼1250 years. Together with local moraine evidence and supporting evidence from other Southern Hemisphere glaciers on New Zealand and in Patagonia, our findings reveal a series of consecutively diminishing Late Holocene advances. In addition to a glacier maximum before 1250 cal a BP, these include a two‐stage Litle Ice Age with advances around 300 and 120 cal a BP, in line with evidence from southern Patagonia. In addition, we present evidence for an unreported retreat behind present limits around 500 cal BP. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A 60 000‐year record of environmental change for the Wet Tropics of north‐eastern Australia based on the ODP 820 marine core - Patrick T. Moss; Gavin B. Dunbar; Zoe Thomas; Chris Turney; A. Peter Kershaw; Geraldine E. Jacobsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Palynomorphs from the ODP Site 820 marine core have provided a detailed record of terrestrial environmental responses to glacial–interglacial forcing over the last 250 000 years in the Australian Wet Tropics. The development of an accurate geochronological framework for this key sequence has proved challenging. Consequently, different dominant forcing mechanism(s) have been proposed to drive environmental change in the low latitudes. A new chronology for the last 60 000 years, based on accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon ( 14 C) dates of pollen concentrate material and the existing Marine Isotope Stage boundaries (MIS 4 to 1) has been produced. This new chronology provides a robust geochronological framework for interpreting environmental records across the region. In particular, our age model helps to resolve several debates concerning the timing of climatic changes and their impacts on both the marine and the terrestrial systems, as well as possible human arrival and associated impacts on the region's ecosystems. Our findings suggest 14 C dating of terrestrial pollen concentrate in marine sediments is a valuable tool for resolving major chronological uncertainties in potentially diagenetically altered marine CaCO 3 sediments and should play a role in future multi‐dating strategies. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stratigraphy, age and correlation of two widespread Late Holocene tephras preserved within Lake Kutubu, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea - Larissa Schneider; Brent V. Alloway; Russell J. Blong; Geoff S. Hope; Stewart J. Fallon; Colin F. Pain; William A. Maher; Simon G. Haberle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Sediment cores were retrieved from Lake Kutubu, the largest upland lake in Papua New Guinea, to assess palaeoenvironmental baselines. Two prominent tephra layers were encountered within the cores. Using a combination of core stratigraphy, sediment properties and geochemical characterization (electron microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled‐plasma mass spectrometry techniques) we were able to correlate these tephras with Tibito and Olgaboli tephras, both previously described at adjacent distal localities. Glass shard compositional data of Tibito tephra from Lake Kutubu, Kuk swamp and from proximal volcaniclastic successions from Long Island are indistinguishable and this similarity strongly supports Long Island as the eruptive source. For Olgaboli tephra, the location of its eruptive source is less certain but the glass shard compositional data indicate a Karkar Island source. The occurrence of Tibito and Olgaboli tephras in Lake Kubutu sediments extends their known distributions further south‐west into the southern Highlands region and affirms their importance as inter‐regional stratigraphic markers, of late Holocene age, that have considerable potential for use in future palaeoenvironmental, archaeological and volcanic hazard and/or impact studies. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Last Glacial pollen–climate reconstructions from Northland, New Zealand - R.M. Newnham; B. V. Alloway; K.A. Holt; K. Butler; A.B.H. Rees; J.M. Wilmshurst; G. Dunbar; I. Hajdas (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Despite wide‐ranging interest in the vegetation and climate of Northland, New Zealand, during the last glacial cycle, the region and timeframe lack quantitative climate reconstructions while land‐based pollen records have tended to be poorly dated and fragmentary. The region is also important for geochronology due to the co‐occurrence of the Rotoehu tephra, a widely dispersed isochron near the current limits of radiocarbon dating, and extensive subfossil wood remains of Agathis australis , with strong dendrochronological and dendroclimatological potential. We present new pollen records and temperature reconstructions from three sites set in coastal dune belts from western mid‐Northland (∼35°S), all containing Rotoehu tephra, that collectively span the last 70 ka. The phases and amplitude of temperature changes broadly align with those reported from elsewhere in New Zealand and with marine isotope climate–stratigraphic records, including maximum temperature depression of 6–8 °C during the last glacial maximum. We argue that these climatic patterns are intimately linked to shifts in the southern westerly wind belt, the northern margins of which extend to the region today. Correspondence between the Northland temperature shifts and atmospheric CO 2 supports the model of ocean–atmosphere CO 2 flux modulated by latitudinal migration of the southern westerlies. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Persistence of wetlands on North Stradbroke Island (south‐east Queensland, Australia) during the last glacial cycle: implications for Quaternary science and biogeography - J. Tibby; C. Barr; J. C. Marshall; G. B. M c Gregor; P. T. Moss; L. J. Arnold; T. J. Page; D. Questiaux; J. Olley; J. Kemp; N. Spooner; L. Petherick; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Few Australian wetlands have persisted since the Last Glacial Maximum, with fewer still in existence through the entire last glacial cycle. The absence of wetlands, which itself indicates periods of moisture deficit, means there are few continuous climate and environmental change records covering this critical period. The lack of wetland persistence also raises the question of how plant and animal species that require permanent wetlands survived the last glacial cycle. Sixteen wetlands have been cored and dated on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) – a large east Australian sand island – with basal dates reported from 10 sites for the first time. These wetlands range in age to over 200 000 years old, with six dating to the Last Glacial Maximum or earlier. There is no evidence of a stratigraphic discontinuity in the radiocarbon‐based age–depth profiles, suggesting continuous deposition of highly organic sediment through the period covered by these ages ( c . 40 ka). The persistence of these wetlands suggests that for much of the last 40 000 years, and for perhaps much longer, the regional moisture balance has been positive. Over the last glacial cycle, persistently wet conditions may have provided a refuge from regional drying, and thus contributed to the high genetic diversity of rainforest plants in the region. Vegetation and climate records from these sites will allow hypothesis testing about the drivers of both local and regional climate variability. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary channel and floodplain formation in a partly confined subtropical river, eastern Australia - James Daley; Jacky Croke; Chris Thompson; Tim Cohen; Mark Macklin; Ashneel Sharma (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Along the eastern margin of Australia, hydrological variability reaches a peak in the subtropics of south‐east Queensland and many rivers have entrenched characteristics. To address the nature of entrenchment and the relationship with adjacent alluvium, this paper presents the results of detailed chrono‐stratigraphic analysis of alluvial units in the partly confined mid‐reaches of Lockyer Creek, Australia. Four sites were investigated using topographic, sedimentological and chronological data. Radiocarbon and single grain optically stimulated luminescence dating indicate a large proportion of the valley fill reflects a major phase of aggradation of fine‐grained alluvium from ca . 35 ka throughout the Last Glacial Cold Period. Synchronous incision of Pleistocene alluvial fills between 11.5 and 9.3 ka suggests the current entrenched Lockyer Creek formed in response to changes in late Quaternary climate. Holocene floodplains set within the entrenched Pleistocene valley floor have basal ages of ca . 7.5 ka, but whose proximal margins are still actively accreting. This Holocene fill has accreted over the mid‐ to late Holocene but overlaps with the contemporary hydrological regime. The sedimentary nature of the Holocene fill appears to be related to persistent antecedent controls in the form of bedrock and terrace constriction.

Climate change and resilience of deciduous Nothofagus forests in central–east Chilean Patagonia over the last 3200 years - E. Simi; P. I. Moreno; R. Villa‐Martínez; I. Vilanova; R. de Pol‐Holz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We examine the response of Nothofagus forests to climate change and disturbance regimes over the last 3200 years near Coyhaique (45°S), central–east Chilean Patagonia, using fine‐resolution pollen and charcoal records from lake sediment cores. Closed‐canopy deciduous Nothofagus forests have dominated the region with little variation until the arrival of Chilean–European settlers, suggesting a predominance of cool‐temperate and wet conditions. Within this state we identify centennial‐scale episodes of forest fragmentation, increase in littoral macrophytes and volcanic/paleofire disturbance between 2700 and 3000 cal a BP, 2200 and 2500 cal a BP and over the last ∼250 years, which we interpret as intervals with negative hydrologic balance. Natural variability caused little impact on the physiognomy and composition of the vegetation in pre‐European time, in contrast to the accelerated shift that started during the late 19th century associated with deforestation, homogenization and synchronization of ecosystem changes at the landscape level, and spread of exotic plant species brought by Chilean and European settlers during a warm/dry interval. The resilience of deciduous Nothofagus forests to natural disturbance regimes and climate change was exceeded by large‐scale human disturbance since the late 19th century by fire, timber exploitation and livestock grazing. These disturbances caused an ecosystem shift towards artificial meadows and scrublands with frequent high‐magnitude fires. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary records and chronology of environmental change in the Southern Hemisphere – a contribution to SHAPE - Andrew M. Lorrey; Rewi M. Newnham (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)

Last Glacial Maximum and Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition pollen record from northern NSW, Australia: evidence for a humid late Last Glacial Maximum and dry deglaciation in parts of eastern Australia - D. Ellerton; J. Shulmeister; C. Woodward; P. Moss (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
This paper presents the results of a palynological investigation into the late Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and last deglaciation (ca. 20 000–9000 cal a BP) from Little Llangothlin Lagoon, in the sub‐tropics of eastern Australia. The Lagoon held permanent water during the late LGM and early deglaciation but was intermittently dry during the late deglaciation. During the late LGM, local vegetation was dominated by a sub‐alpine herbfield but the significant presence of rainforest taxa in the pollen record indicates the survival of rainforest, rainforest margin or wet sclerophyll communities close to the site. By ca. 17 000 cal a BP, open Eucalyptus forest replaced the alpine herbfield vegetation indicating that warming had commenced. Rainforest taxa disappeared at this time but re‐appeared at the end of the deglaciation. The LGM conditions are consistent with a dominant circulation system whereby persistent high pressure over eastern Australia brings onshore easterlies to this region and maintains humid conditions along the east coast and highlands of the Great Dividing Range. This is similar to modern winter circulation but the persistence of rainforest and wet sclerophyll taxa suggests an increase in easterly flow over modern conditions during the LGM. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dynamics of former ice lobes of the southernmost Patagonian Ice Sheet based on a glacial landsystems approach - Christopher M. Darvill; Chris R. Stokes; Michael J. Bentley; David J. A. Evans; Harold Lovell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Reconstructions of former ice masses from glacial geomorphology help to constrain the nature and timing of glaciation in relation to climatic forcing. This paper presents a new reconstruction of the glacial history of five ice lobes in southernmost South America: the Bahía Inútil − San Sebastián, Magellan, Otway, Skyring and Río Gallegos ice lobes. We use previous geomorphological mapping of glacial landforms to reconstruct former glacial limits and proglacial lakes, demarcate flow‐sets from the distribution of glacial lineations, and evaluate glacial landsystem signatures and their palaeoglaciological implications. Evidence suggests that the ice lobes predominantly reflect active temperate glacial landsystems, which may have switched to polythermal systems when periods of cold‐based ice developed ephemerally. This complex landsystem signature implies that the ice lobes were sensitive to regional climate variability, with active re‐advances during overall retreat of the ice margins. There is also evidence for periods of fast ice flow and possible surge‐like activity in the region, followed by the rapid retreat or even collapse of some of the ice lobes in association with proglacial lakes. Constraining our new reconstruction with published chronological information suggests that at least some of the ice lobes advanced before the global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM: ca. 26.5–19 ka) during the last glacial cycle. Our new reconstruction demonstrates a more complex picture of ice dynamics than has previously been portrayed, and one in which the advance and retreat of the ice lobes was likely to have been primarily driven by changes in climate. As such, ice advances before the gLGM in the southernmost part of the Patagonian Ice Sheet are likely to indicate a wider climatic forcing at this time.

Large mammal species richness and late Quaternary precipitation change in south‐western Australia - J. Tyler Faith; Joe Dortch; Chelsea Jones; James Shulmeister; Kenny J. Travouillon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The precipitation history of south‐west Australia since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) has important implications for understanding southern hemisphere climate dynamics. Previously reported environmental records indicating more open vegetation during the LGM have been interpreted in terms of aridity, but such changes can be explained by alternative mechanisms. To provide new evidence concerning the region's Quaternary precipitation history, we examine temporal changes in large mammal richness at four south‐west Australian fossil sites: Devil's Lair, Tunnel Cave, Witchcliffe Rock Shelter and Rainbow Cave. Large mammal richness is correlated strongly with mean annual precipitation across 53 modern Australian communities. Extending this relationship to the fossil record, a steady increase in richness from the LGM to the onset of the Holocene at both Devil's Lair and Tunnel Cave is consistent with increased precipitation through time. This supports previous interpretations of a more arid LGM and implies regional heterogeneity in the position of the southern hemisphere westerlies. A reduction in richness during the last ∼1000 years is unlikely to be the result of precipitation change and may be related to more frequent burning of the landscape by hunter‐gatherers in an effort to increase availability of large prey.

Glacier‐based climate reconstructions for the last glacial–interglacial transition: Arthur's Pass, New Zealand (43°S) - Shaun R. Eaves; Brian M. Anderson; Andrew N. Mackintosh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Geological records of mountain glacier fluctuations provide useful evidence for tracing the magnitude and rate of past temperature change. In this study, we present air temperature reconstructions for the last glacial termination in New Zealand derived using snowline reconstructions and numerical glacier modelling. We target the Arthur's Pass moraines in the Otira River catchment, which have previously been dated to the Lateglacial using cosmogenic 10 Be. Recalculation of these exposure ages using a locally calibrated 10 Be production rate indicates that these moraines formed ca . 16–14 ka. Our glacier modelling experiments and snowline reconstructions exhibit good agreement and show that the Arthur's Pass moraines formed in a climate that was 2.2–3.5 °C colder than present. Combining our results with other, proximal glacier records shows that ice in this catchment retreated ca . 50 km from the coastal plain to the main divide during the interval 17–15 ka, in response to a temperature increase of at least ca . 3 °C. Over half of this retreat occurred after the glacier had withdrawn from an overdeepened basin. Thus, we conclude that temperature increase was the primary driver of widespread and rapid glacier retreat in New Zealand at the onset of the last glacial termination.

Semi‐quantitative reconstruction of early to late Holocene spring and summer sea ice conditions in the northern Barents Sea - Sarah M. P. Berben; Katrine Husum; Alba Navarro‐Rodriguez; Simon T. Belt; Steffen Aagaard‐Sørensen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Semi‐quantitative estimates of early to late Holocene spring sea ice concentration (SpSIC) and occurrence of summer sea ice for the northern Barents Sea have been obtained by analysing the biomarkers IP 25 , brassicasterol and a tri‐unsaturated highly branched isoprenoid lipid in a Holocene marine sediment core. Sub‐surface water mass variations were derived from planktic foraminiferal assemblages and stable isotopes (δ 18 O, δ 13 C). The record indicates paleoceanographic changes over three intervals. During Period I (ca. 9500–5900 cal a BP), the study location experienced the lowest recorded SpSIC (ca. 25%) with short spring seasons and long productive summers, resulting partly from increased Atlantic Water inflow that caused a stronger ocean–atmosphere heat exchange. Throughout Period II (ca. 5900–2700 cal a BP), the winter sea ice margin migrated southwards and an overall cooling trend resulted in higher SpSIC (ca. 60%) and increased delivery of cold Arctic Water. During Period III (ca. 2700 cal a BP to present), SpSIC increased further (ca. 75%) and some sea ice remained during summer months. A sub‐surface warming probably indicates a decoupling of heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere. Longer springs and shorter summers were accompanied by the most southerly location of the winter sea ice margin.

Identifying remains of extinct kangaroos in Late Pleistocene deposits using collagen fingerprinting - Michael Buckley; Richard Cosgrove; Jillian Garvey; Gavin J. Prideaux (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Our knowledge of past animal populations, including the geographical ranges of extinct species, has largely been derived from morphological analyses of skeletal fossil remains. However, a major barrier to the identification of the remains of extinct megafaunal species in archaeological and palaeontological sites is the highly fragmented nature of the material, which often precludes confident taxonomic identifications based on morphology. Biomolecular techniques are able to go beyond these limitations and are increasingly being used to make such identifications. Protein analysis offers a promising alternative to DNA techniques because they can be much cheaper, more amenable to high‐throughput processing and work on much older specimens. Here we demonstrate the potential of collagen fingerprinting in an Australian context by extracting collagen from 50‐ka kangaroo fossils from two caves in Tasmania, and identify several species including the extinct short‐faced kangaroo Simosthenurus occidentalis . Importantly, of the five fossil bones sampled that had hitherto been ascribed morphology‐based identifications below the family level, three had been incorrectly identified during an initial assessment of photographs taken in the field. Our results highlight the utility of using protein‐based methods for making genus‐level identification of marsupial bone, especially those that may form a basis for broader arguments such as that of late‐surviving megafaunal species.

Cosmogenic 10 Be surface exposure dating and glacier reconstruction for the Last Glacial Maximum in the Quemuqu Valley, western Nyainqentanglha Mountains, south Tibet - Guocheng Dong; Xiangke Xu; Weijian Zhou; Yunchong Fu; Li Zhang; Ming Li (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The nature and timing of glaciations enable inferences to be made about glacial climates. However, the paucity of reliable glacial chronologies impedes a full understanding of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate in the western Nyainqentanglha Mountains, south Tibet. In this study, we investigated the LGM glacial history in the Quemuqu Valley, western Nyainqentanglha, using 10 Be surface exposure dating. We used a physically based glacier model to reconstruct the LGM glacial surfaces, and estimated the LGM equilibrium‐line‐altitude (ELA) using integrated methods. Combined with previously published 10 Be exposure ages from the western Nyainqentanglha, ten 10 Be exposure ages imply a relatively restricted glacial extent in the LGM but extensive growth in the early last glacial. The modeled LGM glaciers had ice areas of ∼36.3 km 2 , 3.21 km 3 in volume and 89 m m in average thickness in the Quemuqu Valley. The reconstructed LGM ELAs have values of 5463–5583 m asl, with a depression of ∼244–364 m. By combining the reconstructed ELAs with an equation deduced from glacier mass balance, we concluded that the temperature dropped by ∼2.6–4.6 °C in the LGM relative to the present, with 30–70% lower precipitation than the present. Global cooling induced the LGM glacial advance in the western Nyainqentanglha despite decreased precipitation.

Geochemical characterization (REE, Nd and Pb isotopes) of atmospheric mineral dust deposited in two maritime peat bogs from the St. Lawrence North Shore (eastern Canada) - Steve Pratte; François De Vleeschouwer; Michelle Garneau (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Dust deposited on two ombrotrophic peat bogs (Baie and IDH bogs) of the St. Lawrence Gulf and Estuary north shore (Quebec) was geochemically characterized using rare earth element (REE) concentrations, Nd and Pb isotopes along with particle grain size. Both cores display similar ɛNd values, which suggests either a common source or sources with similar signatures in both regions. Combining Nd isotope data with REE patterns and particle size allowed for better insights into the source of deposited dust and the inference of past environmental and climatic conditions in both regions. REEs, ɛNd and grain‐size distribution suggest that, over the last 2000 years, the Baie bog received more local dust due to increased local storminess in response to greater regional hydroclimatic variability. The same phenomenon occurred in the IDH bog since 620 cal a BP, i.e. during the Little Ice Age, where hydroclimatic and paleoecological changes have been previously documented. While the dust reconstructions and regional climatic records agree relatively well, the discrepancies between paleodust records highlight the complex and variable structure of late Holocene changes in paleoclimate and more particularly past dust deposition in eastern Canada.

Contrasting evidence of Holocene ice margin retreat, south‐western Greenland - L. B. Levy; N. K. Larsen; T. A. Davidson; A. Strunk; J. Olsen; E. Jeppesen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Constraining the Greenland Ice Sheet's (GrIS) response to Holocene climate change provides calibrations for ice sheet models that hindcast past ice margin fluctuations. Ice sheet models predict enhanced ice retreat in south‐western Greenland during the middle Holocene; however, few geological observations corroborating the extensive retreat are available. We present new data from lake sediment cores from the Isua region, south‐western Greenland, which provide constraints on Holocene fluctuations of the GrIS margins. Our data indicate that the main GrIS margin was 30 km west of its present‐day extent by ∼5.7k cal a BP and had retreated to within 3 km of its present‐day margin by ∼4.6k cal a BP; with subsequent re‐advances by ∼1.8 and at ∼1.7, ∼1.3 and ∼0.5k cal a BP. Times of ice retreat are coeval with increasing temperatures in western Greenland, suggesting that temperature was a dominant factor in ice retreat. The late retreat at Isua is in contrast to the early retreat observed in the Godthåbsfjord area and is probably related to the lack of fjords extending to the present Isua ice margin. Our data are not consistent with current ice sheet models that overestimate the middle Holocene ice retreat in the Isua region of south‐western Greenland.

New insights into the Quaternary evolution of the Bristol Channel, UK - Philip L. Gibbard; Philip D. Hughes; Christopher J. Rolfe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
A synthesis of new publically available borehole and bathymetric data, combined with a wealth of other existing disparate data sources, reveals new insights into the Quaternary history of the Bristol Channel area. Sediment boreholes throughout the Bristol Channel confirm the area was glaciated in the Pleistocene. Till is present below marine deposits and, in some areas, is visible morphologically as submerged moraines. In the central and eastern Bristol Channel the submerged valley course of the palaeo‐Severn is very clear in new high‐resolution bathymetric surveys. This former river course and associated tributaries cross‐cut through glacial sediments in the Bristol Channel. At least three phases of glaciation are recorded in the Bristol Channel, one related to the southern limits of a Late Devensian Substage (∼Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2) Welsh Ice Cap which reached into Swansea Bay, an earlier Devensian (MIS 4–3) glaciation associated with Irish Sea ice, and another older glaciation that is associated with ice that filled the entire outer and central Bristol Channel. The age of the older Bristol Channel glaciation is still open, although it pre‐dates the Devensian (Late Pleistocene) and must date to the Middle Pleistocene. It is therefore evident that Pleistocene glacial and fluvial activity, combined with subsequent post‐glacial sea transgression, directly account for current morphometries of the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary, and the current geography of the SW British Isles.

Luminescence dating of Late Pleistocene eruptions in the Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany - Christoph Schmidt; Maria Schaarschmidt; Thomas Kolb; Georg Büchel; Daniel Richter; Ludwig Zöller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Robust chronologies of Late Pleistocene and Holocene volcanic eruptions are vital for hazard analysis but accurate and precise dating of these events is often difficult. Here we apply various luminescence techniques to quartz and polymineral extracts from heated crustal xenoliths enclosed in scoria and volcanically heated bedrock in the Quaternary Eifel Volcanic Field (EVF), Germany. Consistent results from red thermoluminescence (RTL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of quartz and from post‐infrared infrared stimulated luminescence of polymineral material demonstrate complete luminescence signal resetting during lava emplacement and sufficient signal stability. RTL and OSL age underestimation of one sample with independently known age from the lava contact zone could be eliminated by annealing before laboratory regenerative irradiation. The average luminescence age of 33.6 ± 2.4 ka for the Wartgesberg eruption is in good agreement with independent age control, while the average age of 15.5 ± 1.1 ka for the Facher Höhe scoria cone is much younger than previously assumed. This result represents the third youngest known eruption in the EVF. Our new data are in line with the hypothesized climate‐controlled triggering of Eifel volcanism and confirm that active volcanism related to asthenosphere upwelling migrates from NW to SE in the EVF.

A probabilistic method of assessing carbon accumulation rate at Imnavait Creek Peatland, Arctic Long Term Ecological Research Station, Alaska - Jonathan E. Nichols; Dorothy M. Peteet; Steve Frolking; John Karavias (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Arctic peatlands are an important part of the global carbon cycle, accumulating atmospheric carbon as organic matter since the Late glacial. Current methods for understanding the changing efficiency of the peatland carbon sink rely on peatlands with an undisturbed stratigraphy. Here we present a method of estimating primary carbon accumulation rate from a site where permafrost processes have either vertically or horizontally translocated nearby carbon‐rich sediment out of stratigraphic order. Briefly, our new algorithm estimates the probability of the age of deposition of a random increment of sediment in the core. The method assumes that if sediment age is measured at even depth increments, dates are more likely to occur during intervals of higher accumulation rate and vice versa. Multiplying estimated sedimentation rate by measured carbon density yields carbon accumulation rate. We perform this analysis at the Imnavait Creek Peatland, near the Arctic Long Term Ecological Research network site at Toolik Lake, Alaska. Using classical radiocarbon age modeling, we find unreasonably high rates of carbon accumulation at various Holocene intervals. With our new method, we find accumulation rate changes that are in improved agreement within the context of other sites throughout Alaska and the rest of the Circum‐Arctic region.

Environmental change and raw material selection strategies at Taoshan: a terminal Late Pleistocene to Holocene site in north‐eastern China - Shi‐Xia Yang; Yu‐Xiu Zhang; You‐Qian Li; Chao Zhao; Xiao‐Qiang Li; Jian‐Ping Yue; Ya‐Mei Hou; Cheng‐Long Deng; Ri‐Xiang Zhu; Michael D. Petraglia (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The Lesser Khingan Mountains of north‐eastern China are heavily forested, making archaeological site identification difficult owing to poor ground surface visibility. Nevertheless, several prehistoric archaeological site discoveries have been made in recent years and a limited number of excavations have been initiated. One of the most important sites to emerge is Taoshan, which has yielded stratified stone tool assemblages dating from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the mid‐Holocene. Pollen profiles indicate significant changes in vegetation, fluctuating from steppe conditions during the LGM to forested conditions in the Bølling–Allerød interstadial (B–A) and the mid‐Holocene. The stone tool assemblages from Taoshan were primarily produced from varieties of volcanic tuff, rhyolite, hornfels and agate. Geological prospecting and petrological analyses were performed to document procurement sources and changes in raw material exploitation strategies. During the LGM, the predominant raw material was vitric tuff, available from a source ca. 5–10 km from Taoshan. In the B–A and mid‐Holocene layers, emphasis was on the exploitation of raw materials in gravel bars, although stone tool reduction techniques and raw material preferences changed considerably during this time interval. Diachronic changes in raw materials and exploitation strategies correspond to changes in vegetation and human adaptations.

Reconstructing late Holocene relative sea‐level changes at the Magdalen Islands (Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada) using multi‐proxy analyses - Robert L. Barnett; Pascal Bernatchez; Michelle Garneau; Marie‐Noëlle Juneau (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Proxy records of late Holocene relative sea‐level changes are important for our understanding of mechanisms that drive contemporary sea‐level trends. In the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (eastern Canada), the Magdalen Islands currently experience higher than global average rates of relative sea‐level rise. This article presents original reconstruction data of sea‐level changes from the Magdalen Islands over the past few millennia collected from a variety of coastal deposits and proxy records including salt‐marsh foraminifera, testate amoebae and plant macrofossils. Reconstructed late Holocene relative sea‐level trends are between 1.3 and 2.0 mm a −1 for the past 2000 years. When combined with contemporaneous trends in tide‐gauge data from Cap‐aux‐Meules (Magdalen Islands), multi‐proxy data show acceleration in the rate of relative sea‐level rise to over 4 mm a −1 during the 20th century. This signal corresponds to similar inflexions also registered in salt marshes and tide‐gauge data along the east coast of North America.

Glacial landforms and their implications for glacier dynamics in Rijpfjorden and Duvefjorden, northern Nordaustlandet, Svalbard - O. Fransner; R. Noormets; A. E. Flink; K. A. Hogan; M. O'Regan; M. Jakobsson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Observations of subglacial landforms yielding the configuration and dynamics of former ice‐flows have for the first time been made in Rijpfjorden and Duvefjorden, Nordaustlandet, Svalbard, using sub‐bottom acoustic, swath‐bathymetric data and sediment cores. Five acoustic‐stratigraphic units were distinguished suggesting the presence of a complete glacial–postglacial succession in the central fjord basins. 14 C ages from the sediments indicate that the inner Rijpfjorden and central Duvefjorden were deglaciated before ca. 10.6 cal ka BP and 11.0 cal ka BP, respectively. Maximum sediment thickness in Rijpfjorden and Duvefjorden is 26 m, resulting in sediment accumulation rates of ca. 66 cm ka −1 . The landform record suggests that the ice streaming in both fjords was topographically controlled. The considerably deeper basin and higher elongation ratios of the crag‐and‐tails in Duvefjorden are linked to the faulted bedrock and possibly to somewhat larger ice stream and/or more focused ice‐flow compared to that in Rijpfjorden. De Geer moraines suggest slower retreat of a grounded ice margin from shallow areas of Rijpfjorden. In deeper areas of the fjords, the glaciers were probably floating, resulting in the lack of ice‐marginal transverse landforms. The ice margin retreat from these areas was probably relatively rapid and dominated by calving.

Holocene variability in sea ice cover, primary production, and Pacific‐Water inflow and climate change in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas (Arctic Ocean) - Ruediger Stein; Kirsten Fahl; Inka Schade; Adelina Manerung; Saskia Wassmuth; Frank Niessen; Seung‐Il Nam (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
In this study, we present new detailed biomarker‐based sea ice records from two sediment cores recovered in the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea. These new biomarker data may provide new insights on processes controlling recent and past sea ice changes. The biomarker proxy records show (i) minimum sea ice extent during the Early Holocene, (ii) a prominent Mid‐Holocene short‐term high‐amplitude variability in sea ice, primary production and Pacific‐Water inflow, and (iii) significantly increased sea ice extent during the last ca. 4.5k cal a BP. This Late Holocene trend in sea ice change in the Chukchi and East Siberian Seas seems to be contemporaneous with similar changes in sea ice extent recorded from other Arctic marginal seas. The main factors controlling the millennial variability in sea ice (and surface‐water productivity) are probably changes in surface water and heat flow from the Pacific into the Arctic Ocean as well as the long‐term decrease in summer insolation. The short‐term centennial variability observed in the high‐resolution Middle Holocene record is probably related to solar forcing. Our new data on Holocene sea ice variability may contribute to synoptic reconstructions of regional to global Holocene climate change based on terrestrial and marine archives.

Quaternary evolution of the northern North Sea margin through glacigenic debris‐flow and contourite deposition - Christine L. Batchelor; Dag Ottesen; Julian A. Dowdeswell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The Norwegian Channel Ice Stream of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet extended across the northern North Sea margin during the mid‐ to late Quaternary, eroding older sediment from the continental shelf. Consequently, little is known about early Quaternary sedimentation on this margin. We use two‐ and three‐dimensional seismic‐reflection data to investigate changing sediment volumes and sources in the northern North Sea through the Quaternary. The northern North Sea Basin was infilled during the early Quaternary by intercalated glacigenic debris‐flows and contourites, which provide a record of the delivery of glacigenic sediment to the slope and the intensity of North Atlantic thermohaline circulation during early Quaternary glacial–interglacial cycles. The infilling of the basin reduced accommodation and led to the deflection of mid‐ to late Quaternary sediments into the Norwegian Sea, forming the North Sea Fan. Close to the onset of the mid‐Quaternary, the south‐western Scandinavian Ice Sheet margin was drained by an ice stream located beneath Måløy Plateau, 60 km east of the Last Glacial Maximum Norwegian Channel Ice Stream. The southward‐flowing Norwegian Sea Bottom Water current was directed into the partially filled northern North Sea Basin during the early Quaternary, and deflected progressively northwards as the basin became infilled.

Varved sediment responses to early Holocene climate and environmental changes in Lake Meerfelder Maar (Germany) obtained from multivariate analyses of micro X‐ray fluorescence core scanning data - Celia Martin‐Puertas; Rik Tjallingii; Menno Bloemsma; Achim Brauer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We present an early Holocene record from Lake Meerfelder Maar in Germany for in‐depth interpretation of depositional changes in annually laminated lake sediments as proxies for climatic and local environmental changes. We characterized the compositional changes in the sediment record using Ward's clustering analyses of the micro X‐ray fluorescence core scanning data and linked these to microfacies descriptions. The down‐core distribution of the clusters allowed us to define boundaries that represent variations of a comprehensive element assemblage occurring at 11 555, 11 230, 10 650, 10 515 and 9670 varve a BP. Our main results show that during the Early Holocene the long‐term vegetation reorganization and evolution of the lake's catchment played a predominant role for sediment deposition. Abrupt shifts occurred at the Younger Dryas/Holocene and the Preboreal/Boreal biostratigraphical boundaries. We do not observe clear signals corresponding to known short‐term climatic oscillations described in the North Atlantic region such as the Preboreal Oscillation. A unique and intriguing episode in the history of the lake of predominantly organic deposition and very low amounts of allochthonous sediments occurred between 10 515 and 9670 varve a BP and is related to hydrological thresholds.

Late Quaternary lake evolution in the Gaxun Nur basin, central Gobi Desert, China, based on quartz OSL and K‐feldspar pIRIR dating of paleoshorelines - Guoqiang Li; Fangliang Li; Ming Jin; Linlin She; Yanwu Duan; David Madsen; Leibin Wang; Fahu Chen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Paleoenvironmental changes in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia are of global significance because fluvial and lacustrine deposits in the region constitute one of the dominant sources of Northern Hemisphere dust. A series of well‐preserved geomorphic shoreline features at different elevations around the Gaxun Nur basin, central Gobi Desert, indicate past fluctuations of the basin's terminal lake. We measured the exact elevation of shorelines in the basin using a Differential Global Positioning System, and found six shorelines at ∼24, ∼20, ∼18, ∼16, ∼15 m and ∼8 m above the modern basin floor. Quartz optically stimulated luminescence and K‐feldspar post‐infrared infrared stimulated luminescence methods were used to date these shoreline features. The reliability of the dates was confirmed using internal checks of luminescence characteristics and by comparing the quartz and K‐feldspar ages. Our results suggest a lake developed in the Gaxun Nur basin by at least ∼121 ka. Lake levels increased from ∼8 to ∼24 m from ∼121 to ∼85 ka. A 20–13‐m‐deep lake again formed in the basin between ∼8.4 and 0.8 ka. Monsoonal precipitation and temperature variations during Marine Isotope Stage 5 and the mid–late Holocene were the likely causes of paleolake formation and lake level fluctuations.

A tree‐ring chronology and paleoclimate record for the Younger Dryas–Early Holocene transition from northeastern North America - Carol Griggs; Dorothy Peteet; Bernd Kromer; Todd Grote; John Southon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Spruce and tamarack logs dating from the Younger Dryas and Early Holocene (YD–EH; ∼12.9–11.3k cal a BP) were found at Bell Creek in the Lake Ontario lowlands of the Great Lakes region, North America. A 211‐year tree‐ring chronology dates to ∼11 755–11 545 cal a BP, across the YD–EH transition. A 23‐year period of higher year‐to‐year ring‐width variability dates to around 11 650 cal a BP, infers strong regional climatic perturbations and may represent the end of the YD. Tamarack and spruce were dominant species throughout the YD–EH interval at the site, indicating that boreal conditions persisted into the EH, in contrast to geographical regions immediately south and east of the lowlands, but consistent with the Great Lakes interior lowlands. This infers that Bell Creek was at the eastern boundary of a boreal ecotone, perhaps a result of its lower elevation and the non‐analog dynamics of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. This finding suggests that the ecotone boundary extended farther east during the YD–EH transition than previously thought.

Modern diatom assemblages from Chilean tidal marshes and their application for quantifying deformation during past great earthquakes - Emma P. Hocking; Ed Garrett; Marco Cisternas (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Tidal marsh sediments from south‐central Chile provide evidence for multiple great earthquakes. Diatom transfer functions, statistical models of the relationship between species preserved in the sediment and elevation, provide quantitative estimates of coseismic vertical land‐level change associated with individual earthquakes. However, in south‐central Chile, our ability to quantify land‐level change is currently limited by a lack of understanding of the environmental variables controlling the distribution of diatoms, an essential prerequisite for converting variations in fossil diatom assemblages into quantitative estimates of past elevation changes. We present a new modern diatom dataset for the region and explore the implications of the scale of the dataset used in transfer function models on the reconstructions of land‐level change. Modern training sets containing samples from a regional scale are superior to sub‐regional and local‐scale training sets, providing closer estimates for known deformation during the great 1960 Chilean earthquake, a higher proportion of good modern analogues and uncertainty terms up to 42% smaller than previously published reconstructions. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Quaternary geology of the North Sea basin - Emrys Phillips; David M. Hodgson; Andy R. Emery (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)

Rising waters and processes of diversification and unification in material culture: the flooding of Doggerland and its effect on north‐west European prehistoric populations between ca. 13 000 and 1500 cal BC - Torben Bjarke Ballin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The present paper discusses how post‐glacial sea level rises may have led to material cultural diversification and ‘atomization’ of geographically extensive cultures or social territories. The resulting smaller social territories, with their associated material cultures, subsequently began to merge, possibly due to the development of better means of transport. Where the North Sea, at the beginning of this process of material diversification, represented a growing barrier to contacts, it later became a means of communication. In this paper, dates for material cultures follow those of Vang Petersen ( ).

Mid‐Pleistocene thin‐skinned glaciotectonic thrusting of the Aberdeen Ground Formation, Central Graben region, central North Sea - David P. Vaughan‐Hirsch; Emrys R. Phillips (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
This paper presents the results of a high‐resolution 2D seismic survey of mid‐Pleistocene glaciogenic sediments in the Central Graben region of the central North Sea. Sediments have undergone major glaciotectonic thrusting and folding associated with the repeated southerly advance of a mid‐Pleistocene ice sheet. The total observed length of the thrust‐stacked section is approximately 5–6 km, comprising a series of discrete thrust slices, which range in length from 700 m. The basal detachment of the thrust complex occurs at a depth of ca. 220 m below the sea bed within the upper Aberdeen Ground Formation. A thin‐skinned glaciotectonic model involving proglacial to ice‐marginal glaciotectonic thrusting followed by post‐tectonic deposition is proposed. Initial ice advance led to the over‐pressurizing of groundwater within a laterally extensive sand sheet in the upper Aberdeen Ground Formation, promoting the formation of a major décollement surface at the base of the developing thrust‐stack. Over‐pressurization of the groundwater system is thought to have occurred in response to rapid ice advance, suggesting that the development of large‐scale thrust complexes may be associated with surge‐type behaviour. The proposed model evidences complex dynamics of mid‐Pleistocene ice sheets within the central North Sea.

Glaciotectonic deformations in the Jammerbugt and glaciodynamic development in the eastern North Sea - Stig A. Schack Pedersen; Lars Ole Boldreel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The Quaternary geology in the eastern part of the North Sea is characterized by large‐scale glaciotectonic complexes. The northernmost complex is the Jammerbugt Glaciotectonic Complex here addressed, which occupies an area of more than 300 km 2 . It was recently recognized during an investigation of conventional seismic profiles located about 10 km offshore the west coast of northern Denmark. The deformed bedrock includes the main part of the Cretaceous Chalk Group in the North Sea. In the northern part of the complex the detachment surface is situated in Lower Cretaceous greensand about 400 m below sea level. In the central part of the complex, the thrusting ramps the strong reflectors at the base of the Chalk Group and the detachment surface continues in the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous chalk. In the tectonic depression north of the complex, marine and glaciomarine deposits represent the Eemian–Early Weichselian Skærumhede Group, indicating a Saalian age of the glaciotectonic deformation. The balancing of the thrust fault structures shows that the thrust sheets in the tailing end of the complex had their source in the Skagerrak sea. The hole caused by displacement contributed to formation of the Skagerrak depression, i.e . early stage of the Norwegian Trench.

The Middle Pleistocene glacial evolution of northern East Anglia, UK: a dynamic tectonostratigraphic–parasequence approach - Jonathan R. Lee; Emrys Phillips; James Rose; David Vaughan‐Hirsch (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The Middle Pleistocene glacial history of northern East Anglia is a controversial topic with differing opinions surrounding chronology, provenance and the relative stratigraphic framework. Reconciling the stratigraphic framework of the region is an essential first step to developing onshore–offshore geological models and a robust event‐driven chronological framework. Within this study a dynamic tectonostratigraphic–parasequence methodology is applied to deposits traditionally attributed to the Anglian Glaciation (Marine Isotope Stage 12). This approach offers an insight into ice‐bed coupling during glaciation and how evolving boundary conditions influenced glacier dynamics. Six major tectonostratigraphic–parasequence assemblages (A1–A6) are recognized in northern East Anglia and correlate with successive advances into the region of North Sea or Pennine lobes of the British Ice Sheet. Individual tectonostratigraphic–parasequence assemblages are bound at their base by a sedimentary contact or, more commonly, a glacitectonic zone. The geometry and structural characteristics of these glacitectonic zones reflect temporal and spatial variations in ice‐bed coupling (traction), a function of substrate rheology and, in turn, variations in lithology, porewater availability and thermo‐mechanical properties. The role of permafrost may also be significant, promoting proglacial/ice‐marginal thrust stacking in front of advancing ice and enhanced ice‐bed decoupling during subsequent overriding and subglacial till accretion. © 2016 British Geological Survey, NERC Journal of Quaternary Science © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

3D microstructural architecture of deformed glacigenic sediments associated with large‐scale glacitectonism, Jasmund Peninsula (NE R ü gen), Germany - Anna Gehrmann; Heiko Hüneke; Martin Meschede; Emrys Phillips (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The Wissower Bach Syncline on the Jasmund Peninsula (NE Germany) has been examined to understand the complicated glacitectonic environment in the southern Baltic Sea region, comprising folds and thrust faults from the Weichselian–Pleniglacial. Soft‐sediment thin sections from a SW‐dipping thrust fault at the south‐western limb of the syncline between Cretaceous chalk (hangingwall) and Pleistocene deposits (footwall) were analysed using micromorphology and microstructural mapping. Within the diamicton bounding the fault, three different clast microfabrics were distinguished: an older, but dominant S1 fabric; a second S2 foliation orientated perpendicular to S1; and a younger subvertical S3 fabric. These fabrics developed during large‐scale folding and thrusting, subsequent fabric rotation adjacent to the thrust fault accompanied by dewatering of the diamicton and extension; the extension implies late‐stage reactivation and gravitational relaxation at the south‐western limb of the syncline as the ice retreated. The combination of a 3D microstructural model and the macroscale information has led to the development of a detailed model for the evolution of the Wissower Bach Syncline during glacitectonism and the localized reactivation of the associated thrusts in response to ice retreat. Moreover, this methodology provides a robust dataset on which to interpret the structural evolution of glacitectonic complexes.

A glaciogenic sequence from the Early Pleistocene of the Central North Sea - Francis Andrew Buckley (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
A depositional sequence bounded by upper and lower erosion surfaces covering a 35‐km × 20‐km area within the northern embayment of the Early Pleistocene Central North Sea is dated close to the Jaramillo Normal sub‐chron at approximately 1.0–1.1 Ma. The basal surface cuts shallow marine clays of the upper Nordland Group and is characterized by furrow incisions, mega‐scale glacial lineation textures and bedforms that are all orientated NNW–SSE. The sequence comprises a suite of distinctive bedforms, including a chaotic deposit up to 60 m thick, a series of moulded and lineated depositional bodies and some more complex bedforms, with lithologies shown by petrophysical data to be dominated by overconsolidated clays and thin sand layers. This sequence is considered to represent deposition from the advance and subsequent decay of a marine‐terminating ice‐sheet. The upper surface of the sequence coincides with the so‐called ‘Crenulate Reflection’ and is characterized by a fluvial channel system, representing final retreat of the ice‐sheet, which was followed by shallow marine conditions and deposition of the Aberdeen Ground Formation. It is considered that the Aberdeen Ground Formation comprises at least two main sequences spanning the Early to Middle Pleistocene.

Isostatic compensation of Quaternary vertical crustal motions: coupling between uplift of Britain and subsidence beneath the North Sea - Rob Westaway (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
New data from offshore and onshore regions confirm the view that the Quaternary uplift of Britain and subsidence beneath the North Sea are coupled, mediated by lower‐crustal flow induced by the lateral pressure gradient caused by climate‐driven surface processes. Most measured onshore uplift rates, in both upland and lowland localities, are only applicable since the Mid‐Pleistocene Revolution; beforehand, generally lower rates prevailed. Earlier (?Oligocene–Pliocene) phases of uplift and subsidence had typically even lower rates; furthermore, the western margin of the North Sea depocentre was ∼200 km farther from the modern coastline of north‐east England. In the earliest Cenozoic, complex isostatic adjustments occurred in response to the magmatism associated with the Iceland mantle plume; the contemporaneous land surface (relative to the present‐day rock column) in northern England was typically ∼1500 m OD. However, this activity died out during the Palaeogene; the main effect of these events on the modern isostatic configuration was via the emplacement of thick mafic underplating, which now constricts the mobile lower‐crustal layer, explaining the Late Cenozoic ultra‐stability of Ireland. The evidence enables interpretations of the present‐day topography of Britain as static, caused by the Iceland mantle plume, or actively developing in response to plate motions or plate boundary forces, to be excluded.

Early Quaternary sedimentary processes and palaeoenvironments in the central North Sea - Rachel M. Lamb; Mads Huuse; Margaret Stewart (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
A number of elongate trough‐like features are observed in the early Quaternary succession of the central North Sea basin. A definitive model of formation for the features remains unclear but the troughs may aid in our understanding of the depositional environment of the early Quaternary. In total, 380 troughs were mapped over 11 000 km 2 using continuous 3D seismic data and analysed in conjunction with well log data and understanding of the probable palaeogeographical context. The troughs were formed in a marine setting on the slope of a large clinoform set during a period of rapid progradation. The geometry and infill of the troughs, as well as the marine setting, strongly support a model of repeated density‐driven downslope flows which excavate and then infill the troughs perpendicular to the strike of the slope. A subset of the troughs are observed to form parallel to the strike in such a way that cannot be easily explained by downslope processes alone. A number of possible models are considered for the formation of these along‐slope troughs; here we conclude that the most likely scenario involves modification of the downslope flows by currents which divert the features along‐slope while maintaining the erosive nature of the flow.

Evidence for late Middle Pleistocene glaciation of the British margin of the southern North Sea - Tom S. White; David R. Bridgland; Rob Westaway; Allan Straw (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The timing and extent of late Middle Pleistocene glaciations in England and the southern North Sea are controversial topics. The recent Trent Valley Palaeolithic Project uncovered evidence for a post‐Anglian, pre‐Devensian glaciation that affected much of central and eastern England; the Wragby Till of Lincolnshire is associated with this glacial event, attributed here to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 8. Coeval glacigenic deposits in the Middle Trent suggest that both western and eastern lobes of MIS 8 ice reached the Derby area. These various deposits have been assigned previously to MIS 12, 10 or 6, although the last can be excluded for the Wragby Till, which is overlain by Trent terrace deposits assigned to MIS 7 (from biostratigraphy and amino acid dating). The disposition of these glacigenic deposits within the landscape, particularly in relation to terrace deposits of the ancestral River Trent, and the absence of MIS 11 and 9 deposits within the footprint of the glaciation also provide compelling evidence. At its maximum extent in eastern England the MIS 8 ice reached the Peterborough area; identifying its extension (or otherwise) into areas such as north‐west Norfolk and the West Midlands requires further work.

Middle to Late Devensian glaciation of north‐east Scotland: implications for the north‐eastern quadrant of the last British–Irish ice sheet - Jon W. Merritt; E. Rodger Connell; Adrian M. Hall (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We present a review of over 175 years of research into the Middle to Late Devensian (Weichselian) glaciation of NE Scotland based crucially on both its lithostratigraphic and geomorphic records. The location of the region, and surrounding seabed, makes this unusually detailed record significant for deciphering the former interactions and dynamics of Scottish and Scandinavian ice within the North Sea Basin (NSB), which continue to be controversial. A 12‐stage event stratigraphy is proposed based on a parsimonious interpretation of stratigraphic relationships, till lithology and regional clast fabrics, striae, subglacial bedforms, ice‐marginal features and published geochronometry at critical sites. The record of regional glaciation supports converging evidence that the north‐eastern quadrant of the last British and Irish Ice Sheet reached its maximum spatial extent in the late Middle to early Late Devensian and later re‐expanded following widespread internal glacial reorganizations, marine transgression and partial retreat from the central NSB. Retreat was interrupted by several glacial readvances of limited extent. Field‐captured data help to identify important events that are not clearly resolved from remote sensing alone, particularly regarding growth phases of the last glaciation.

Exploring Holocene palaeogeography in the ‘white ribbon’: a Mesolithic case study from the Northumberland coast - A. R. Bicket; C. L. Mellett; L. Tizzard; C. Waddington (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Mesolithic settlement sites preserved on the north‐east coast of England and in south‐east Scotland drive questions about the relationship between early human settlement and the Holocene palaeogeography of ‘Doggerland’. Palaeogeographical reconstructions before 8000 years ago have been restricted by a lack of sea‐level index points and particularly by sparse nearshore geophysical and geological datasets required for such reconstructions. This paper presents new high‐resolution geophysical survey data from Northumberland's nearshore ‘white ribbon’ which provide a foundation for more accurate palaeogeographical reconstructions within which early prehistoric settlement sites can be more readily understood. High‐resolution bathymetry data collected in the nearshore adjacent to the Mesolithic house site at Howick are integrated with coastal LiDAR, seismic, geological and archaeological datasets to underpin palaeogeographical reconstructions. The reconstructions illustrate changing coastal landscapes during Early Holocene sea‐level rise. The data and interpretations provide a ‘source‐to‐sea’ context for understanding the archaeology at important sites such as Howick and Low Hauxley. Furthermore, they provide a basis for enhancing management of at‐risk coastal prehistoric archaeology and a framework to prospect for and protect further vulnerable nearshore archaeological heritage.

Glacial Lake Pickering: stratigraphy and chronology of a proglacial lake dammed by the North Sea Lobe of the British–Irish Ice Sheet - David J. A. Evans; Mark D. Bateman; David H. Roberts; Alicia Medialdea; Laura Hayes; Geoff A. T. Duller; Derek Fabel; Chris D. Clark (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We report the first chronology, using four new optically stimulated luminescence dates, on the sedimentary record of Glacial Lake Pickering, dammed by the North Sea Lobe of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the Dimlington Stadial (24–11 ka cal BP). Dates range from 17.6 ± 1.0 to 15.8 ± 0.9 ka for the sedimentation of the Sherburn Sands at East Heslerton, which were formed by multiple coalescing alluvial fans prograding into the falling water levels of the lake and fed by progressively larger volumes of debris from the Wolds. Fan formation ceased ∼15.8 ka, at a time when permafrost was degrading and nival‐fed streams were no longer capable of supplying sediment to the fans. A further age of 10.1 ± 0.7 ka dates the reworking of coversand into the early part of the Holocene, immediately post‐dating Younger Dryas periglacial structures. A 45‐m lake level dates to ∼17.6 ka, when the North Sea Lobe was already in retreat, having moved eastward of the Wykeham Moraine; it stood further east at the Flamborough Moraine by ∼17.3 ka. The highest (70 m) lake level and the occupation of the Wykeham Moraine date to an earlier phase of the North Sea Lobe occupation of the Vale of Pickering.

Detrital input to spring‐fed fen deposits – a problem or an opportunity in palaeoenvironmental studies? A Holocene palaeoclimatic reconstruction from central Europe - Karina Apolinarska; Mariusz Gałka (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The sedimentary sequence of a spring‐fed fen located in north‐east Poland was investigated to verify the applicability of spring‐fed fen deposits in palaeoenvironmental studies. We hypothesize that spring‐fed fen deposits accumulated on the hill slope are a reliable proxy for regional hydrological changes, although they may be modified by local factors. Results of combined sedimentological, plant macrofossil, geochemical and isotopic analyses were compared with palaeoclimatic reconstructions at the nearby lakes Purwin, Kojle and Perty situated within the same sedimentary basin. The 700‐cm‐long sediment sequence from the fen was deposited between 10 900 cal a BP and recent times. The sequence starts with a lacustrine stage, but ca . 9200 cal a BP the lake changed into a spring‐fed fen functioning within a fen surrounding Lake Purwin. Highly variable SiO 2 content and stable isotope (δ 13 C and δ 18 O) values of carbonates, both controlled by inwash of detrital material from young glacial deposits, were found to reflect changes in hydrology with major regional shifts in climate humidity being recorded. Links were found with lake level changes and peatland record of humidity in northern and eastern Poland, the Baltic area and Central Europe, and with climatic records in Scandinavia.

Deglaciation of Boknafjorden, south‐western Norway - Dale J. Gump; Jason P. Briner; Jan Mangerud; John Inge Svendsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
We present 30 10 Be ages from glacial erratic boulders to constrain the deglaciation of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in the Boknafjorden region, south‐western Norway. The southern part of the island Karmøy, located at the mouth of this fjord system, became free of glacier ice before 16 ka, probably because of the sudden break up of the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream at 20–18 ka. The ice sheet margin then stabilized at the fjord mouth until a second retreat phase commenced at or slightly before 16 ka. A calving bay developed in Boknafjorden after 16 ka, and in the course of the next millennium the ice front retreated to the inner fjord branches. In contrast, a major outlet glacier that filled the Hardangerfjorden farther to the north did not start to retreat from the fjord mouth until after 15 ka, probably in response to the Bølling warming. Thus, not only did Boknafjorden experience major retreat before Bølling warmth, but there was a variable response of south‐western fjord glaciers in Norway consistent with prior observations of non‐climatic forcing of marine‐terminating outlet glaciers.

The sedimentary history of the inner‐alpine Inn Valley, Austria: extending the Baumkirchen type section further back in time with new drilling - Samuel Barrett; Reinhard Starnberger; Rik Tjallingii; Achim Brauer; Christoph Spötl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The Baumkirchen clay pit near Innsbruck, western Austria, is a well‐known site in Alpine Quaternary stratigraphy. Lacustrine sediments from the last glacial cycle from within the Alps provide a unique opportunity to investigate the regional palaeoclimate. Recent drilling has extended the known sequence to a total length of at least 250 m consisting of almost entirely well‐laminated clayey silt. Luminescence dating identified two lake sequences, separated by a hiatus of ca. 7000–15 000 years. Lake phase 1 spans the period ca. 77–55 ka, i.e. from about Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5/4 to the MIS 4/3 transition. Lake phase 2 extends from mid‐ to late MIS 3 between ca. 45 and 33 ka. Down‐core X‐ray fluorescence core scanning confirmed the presence of the lake phases in the sediment composition, suggesting different sediment sources and/or transport mechanisms during these two intervals. A unique section of exotic, angular, silt matrix‐supported gravel at the top of lake phase 1 is interpreted as ice‐rafted debris. Luminescence dating constrains this layer to ca. 55 ka, thus providing the first evidence of a late MIS 4 or early MIS 3 ice advance confined to the interior of the Eastern Alps. A conceptual model of the sedimentary history of the valley is presented.

Younger Dryas glaciers and climate in the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland - Iestyn D. Barr; Sam Roberson; Rory Flood; Jason Dortch (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Here, we present evidence to suggest that the Mourne Mountains, Northern Ireland, were last occupied by glaciers during the Younger Dryas Stadial. The margins of these glaciers are marked by moraines, chronologically constrained to the Younger Dryas by Schmidt hammer exposure dating. Reconstructions indicate that these glaciers had equilibrium‐line altitudes (ELAs) ranging from 356 ± 33 m (a.s.l.) to 570 ± 9 m (a.s.l.), with a mean of 475 ± 36 m (a.s.l.). ELAs rise from west to east, probably reflecting the contribution of windblown snow and ice to the accumulation of Younger Dryas glaciers in the western Mournes. Taking this into consideration, a mean ‘climatic’ ELA of 529 ± 4 m (a.s.l.) is calculated for the mountains as a whole. Assuming a mean annual sea level air temperature of −8 °C, and an annual temperature range of 34 °C, degree‐day modelling suggests that during the Younger Dryas, accumulation at the ‘climatic’ ELA of glaciers in the Mournes was 846–990 mm a −1 . This suggests increased aridity, relative to present, and is consistent with other parts of NW Europe, where reduced precipitation alongside notable cooling is thought to reflect increased North Atlantic sea ice extent during the Younger Dryas.

New age constraints for the limit of the British–Irish Ice Sheet on the Isles of Scilly - R. K. Smedley; J. D. Scourse; D. Small; J. F. Hiemstra; G. A. T. Duller; M. D. Bateman; M. J. Burke; R. C. Chiverrell; C. D. Clark; S. M. Davies; D. Fabel; D. M. Gheorghiu; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
The southernmost terrestrial extent of the Irish Sea Ice Stream (ISIS), which drained a large proportion of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet, impinged on to the Isles of Scilly during Marine Isotope Stage 2. However, the age of this ice limit has been contested and the interpretation that this occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) remains controversial. This study reports new ages using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of outwash sediments at Battery, Tresco (25.5 ± 1.5 ka), and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating of boulders overlying till on Scilly Rock (25.9 ± 1.6 ka), which confirm that the ISIS reached the Isles of Scilly during the LGM. The ages demonstrate this ice advance on to the northern Isles of Scilly occurred at ∼26 ka around the time of increased ice‐rafted debris in the adjacent marine record from the continental margin, which coincided with Heinrich Event 2 at ∼24 ka. OSL dating (19.6 ± 1.5 ka) of the post‐glacial Hell Bay Gravel at Battery suggests there was then an ∼5‐ka delay between primary deposition and aeolian reworking of the glacigenic sediment, during a time when the ISIS ice front was oscillating on and around the Llŷn Peninsula, ∼390 km to the north. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Short‐term fluctuations in regional radiocarbon reservoir age recorded in coral skeletons from the Ryukyu Islands in the north‐western Pacific - Shoko Hirabayashi; Yusuke Yokoyama; Atsushi Suzuki; Yosuke Miyairi; Takahiro Aze (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating is a widely used and powerful tool for determining the ages of samples in studies of palaeoclimatology, palaeoseismology and archaeology. 14 C ages of marine samples often require correction for local reservoir age (Δ R ). Although Δ R in the mid‐ to low latitudes has varied through time, few spatiotemporal reconstructions of Δ R have been published for those regions. Here we report on new and previously published Δ R data for the early 1900s to 1950 obtained from coral skeletons from the Kuroshio region off southern Japan. The data presented here show a marked positive‐to‐negative shift of Δ R from the early 1900s to the 1940s, which has important implications for calibration of radiocarbon ages in the region and for understanding the relationship of Δ R in the western Pacific with both the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

Comprehensive analysis of nanodiamond evidence relating to the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis - Tyrone L. Daulton; Sachiko Amari; Andrew C. Scott; Mark Hardiman; Nicholas Pinter; R. Scott Anderson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
During the end of the last glacial period in the Northern Hemisphere near 12.9k cal a BP, deglacial warming of the Bølling–Ållerod interstadial ceased abruptly and the climate returned to glacial conditions for an interval of about 1300 years known as the Younger Dryas stadial. The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis proposes that the onset of the Younger Dryas climate reversal, Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions and disappearance of the Clovis paleoindian lithic technology were coeval and caused by continent‐wide catastrophic effects of impact/bolide events in North America. While there are no known impact structures dated to the Younger Dryas onset, physical evidence of the impact/bolide events is argued to be present in sediments spanning several continents at stratigraphic levels inferred to date to the Bølling‐Ållerod/Younger Dryas boundary (YDB). Reports of nanometer to submicron‐sized diamonds in YDB sediments, in particular the rare 2H hexagonal polytype of diamond, lonsdaleite, have been presented as strong evidence for shock processing of crustal materials. We review the available data on diamonds in sediments and provide new data. We find no evidence for lonsdaleite in YDB sediments and find no evidence of a spike in nanodiamond concentration at the YDB layer to support the impact hypothesis.

Interpreting palaeofire evidence from fluvial sediments: a case study from Santa Rosa Island, California, with implications for the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis - Andrew C. Scott; Mark Hardiman; Nicholas Pinter; R. Scott Anderson; Tyrone L. Daulton; Ana Ejarque; Paul Finch; Alice Carter‐champion (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2017)
Fluvial sequences from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene are exposed in Arlington Canyon, Santa Rosa Island, Northern Channel Islands, California, USA, including one outcrop that features centrally in the controversial hypothesis of an extra‐terrestrial impact at the onset of the Younger Dryas. The fluvial sequence in Arlington Canyon contains a significant quantity and range of organic material, much of which has been charred. The purpose of this study was to systematically describe the key outcrop of the Arlington sequence, provide new radiocarbon age control and analyse organic material in the Arlington sediments within a rigorous palaeobotanical and palaeo‐charcoal context. These analyses provide a test of previous claims for catastrophic impact‐induced fire in Arlington Canyon. Carbonaceous spherular materials were identified as predominantly fungal sclerotia; ‘carbon elongates’ are predominantly arthropod coprolites, including termite frass. ‘Glassy carbon’ formed from the precipitation of tars during charcoalification. None of these materials indicate high‐temperature formation or combustion. Charcoal and other materials in Arlington Canyon document widespread and frequent fires both before and after the onset of the Younger Dryas, recording predominantly low‐temperature surface fires. In summary, we find no evidence in Arlington Canyon for an extra‐terrestrial impact or catastrophic impact‐induced fire.

Sedimentary response of lake El Tobar, Spain, to climate: lake level changes after the Maunder Minimum - Charo López‐Blanco; Julian Andrews; Paul Dennis; María Rosa Miracle; Eduardo Vicente (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Lake level reconstructions from a littoral core in lake El Tobar, Spain, are presented for the last 350 years. These are based on plant macrofossils and stable isotopes from lacustrine carbonates. Our data suggest five episodes of advance and regression of the shoreline coupled with changes in water retention in the lake. A low lake level and high water renewal episode at ca . AD 1650–1715 is indicated by oxidized facies with abundant remains from terrestrial/marsh plant macrofossils and low δ 18 O and δ 13 C values. A fluctuating lake level episode at ca . AD 1715–1772 during changing climatic conditions in the Little Ice Age (LIA) caused periods of erosion and sediment deposition that intermittently blocked the lake outlet, resulting in more positive δ 18 O and δ 13 C values. The lake became progressively more closed with increased level in the wet years at the end of the LIA (ca. AD 1772–1850). During the Dalton Minimum, δ 13 C values reached a minimum, indicating low productivity, but increased after this with development of submerged Chara . From ca . AD 1850 to 1960 lake levels were high but are marked by changes in marsh communities, mainly the shift from Juncus to Typha (ca. AD 1850–1960) predominance, which indicates low and high levels, respectively.

Cave sediments constrain the latest Pleistocene advance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in the Champlain Valley, Vermont, USA - Jeffrey S. Munroe; Zachary M. Perzan; William H. Amidon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating were applied to cave sediments that were protected from the Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS‐2) advance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) in the Champlain Valley of western Vermont. Evidence indicates that these sediments were derived from a subaerial landscape, requiring that the ice margin was north of the Champlain Valley when they were deposited. A basal sandy gravel was deposited during MIS‐4 (∼68 ka), sand near the middle of the composite stratigraphy was deposited during MIS‐3 (∼55 ka), and a layer of coarse sand in the stratigraphically highest position was deposited at the onset of MIS‐2 (∼35 ka). The youngest age constrains advance of the LIS south of the international border early in MIS‐2, and is combined with other available evidence to constrain ice advance rates over the 12 000 years leading up to the Last Glacial Maximum. Rates estimated from limiting ages were relatively slow (25 ma −1 ) as the ice ascended the adverse slope out of the St. Lawrence Lowland, increased as the margin advanced through the Champlain Valley, perhaps aided by subglacial bed deformation or ice streaming, and were fastest (∼100 ma −1 ) as the margin approached the terminal moraine position.

Optically stimulated luminescence ages for human occupation during the penultimate glaciation in the western Loess Plateau of China - Xiaomei Nian; Feng Li; Fuyou Chen; Weiguo Zhang; Yuchao Zhao; Jing Zhou; Xing Gao (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The chronology of few Palaeolithic sites in the Loess Plateau of China has been well investigated for the Middle Pleistocene. In this study, the Yangshang Palaeolithic site with significant archaeological remains, located in Gansu Province of the western Chinese Loess Plateau, was dated using blue‐stimulated optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) techniques on eight medium‐grained (45–63 µm) quartz and polymineral samples through the Palaeolithic sequence. Except for one sample from the upper cultural layer (55 ± 3 ka), age estimates obtained by quartz OSL dating exceed its upper datable limit, and so an elevated temperature post‐IR IRSL SAR protocol was used on 45–63 μm polymineral grains to derive a numerical chronology for the site. The luminescence ages of seven samples from six cultural layers lie between 104 ± 5 and 220 ± 11 ka; for the three main cultural layers the results varied from 149 ± 9 to 186 ± 10 ka, consistent with the presently observed stratigraphy. The dating results shown that early hominins may have occupied this region in the western Loess Plateau of China during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7, early glacial MIS 6 and early interglacial MIS 5, reflecting their ability to adapt to variable environments.

Reconstructing a millennial‐scale record of flooding in a single valley setting: the 2011 flood‐affected Lockyer Valley, south‐east Queensland, Australia - Jacky Croke; Christopher Thompson; Robert Denham; Heather Haines; Ashneel Sharma; Timothy Pietsch (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
This paper reconstructs past flooding from a range of settings in Lockyer Creek, a key tributary of the mid‐Brisbane River, which experienced extreme flood events in AD 2011 and AD 2013. Optically stimulated luminescence samples ( n = 110) were collected from alluvial material preserved in within‐channel benches and floodplains. Age distributions from material in the bedrock reaches confirm an event ∼ 300 years ago which stripped the valley alluvium to bedrock. In the unconfined reaches floodplain deposits indicate lateral stability over the past 6000 years. Marked differences in the inundation patterns of the AD 2011 event highlighted changes in downstream channel geometry. The age distribution of alluvium in reaches not inundated during AD 2011 was older, ∼12 000 years, with no preserved evidence of deposition during the past 1000 years. A relatively continuous record of floodplain deposition in reaches which were inundated in AD 2011 identifies a major peak in flood activity also around 300 years ago (∼AD 1730) with five additional peaks occurring at approximately AD 1962, AD 1897, AD 1300, AD 550 and 5400 BC. The main climatic driver of changes in flooding over this timescale is oscillations in El Niño Southern Oscillation and although proxy records are scarce for this region, some correlations with high‐resolution records of rainfall variability are apparent.

Rapid subglacial streamlined bedform formation at a calving bay margin - Thomas P. F. Dowling; Per Möller; Matteo Spagnolo (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Using the LiDAR‐derived Swedish national height model we have identified previously undescribed shallow streamlined glacial bedforms, small‐scale drumlins, on the Närke plain in south‐central Sweden. These drumlins could only be detected with high‐resolution LiDAR, due to both their subtle size and forest cover. In this area the ice margin receded in a subaqueous environment with a proglacial water depth in the order of 100 m during the last deglaciation. As indicated by the configuration of marginally formed De Geer moraine ridges draping the drumlinoids, the receding ice margin formed deeply indented calving bays. These were located around subaqueous outlets of the subglacial melt‐water drainage, with their apex position marked geomorphologically by beaded esker ridges. The mapped small‐scale drumlins are aligned perpendicular to the reconstructed ice sheet margin and suggest formation along flow lines adjusted to the configuration of these calving embayments as they propagated up‐flow with ice margin retreat. Based on these geometric relationships we argue that the emplacement of the drumlins was near‐marginal, ∼7.7–1 km from the margin, on a short timescale (∼5–35 years).

How warm was Britain during the Last Interglacial? A critical review of Ipswichian (MIS 5e) palaeotemperature reconstructions - Ian Candy; Tom S. White; Scott Elias (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Last Interglacial [LIG, equivalent to marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e] was a period of enhanced global warmth, with potential significance for understanding future climate warming. It has long been proposed that the LIG in Britain (the Ipswichian Interglacial) was significantly warmer than present, based on the occurrence of fossils of extant thermophilous plant and animal species intolerant of the current climate. Here, we review the evidence for palaeotemperatures that can be derived from such fossil taxa (beetles, ostracods, plant macrofossils and herpetiles) to assess the level of warmth that Britain experienced during the LIG. Quantified palaeotemperature reconstructions generated for eight British sequences indicate that the LIG was likely to have been warmer than the present but at only one site (Trafalgar Square) is there strong evidence for climates that were significantly warmer than those experienced during the Holocene. Consequently, while there is evidence to support the idea that the thermal regime of the LIG in Britain was different from that of the Holocene, this evidence is restricted to a single site. The paper concludes by discussing the thermal regime of the LIG in Britain in the context of its role as an analogue for future warming in the 21st century and beyond.

Response of chironomid assemblages to East Asian summer monsoon precipitation variability in northern China since the last deglaciation - Haipeng Wang; Stephen J. Brooks; Jianhui Chen; Yu Hu; Zongli Wang; Jianbao Liu; Qinghai Xu; Fahu Chen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We investigate chironomid assemblages in a sediment core from Gonghai Lake, which is located on the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) boundary in northern China, to quantify EASM variability during the past 13.5 ka BP. Six significantly different chironomid assemblage zones indicate that maximum precipitation and water depth occurred in the mid‐Holocene (8270–2700 cal a BP) and the minimum period was the past 1250 years. A modern dataset of 44 lakes near Gonghai Lake was sampled to calibrate the response of chironomid assemblages to precipitation. Our results demonstrate that mean annual precipitation is the most significant environmental variable influencing modern chironomid assemblages in this monsoonal region. Maximum EASM precipitation in the mid‐Holocene, indicated by chironomid assemblages in the monsoon fringe, contrasts with the early Holocene EASM maximum suggested by stalagmite δ 18 O data from southern China, but is consistent with other evidence. Our findings are compatible with the proposal that the stalagmite δ 18 O variations in southern China may not reliably reflect the evolution of EASM since the last deglaciation.

Human occupation of the northern Arabian interior during early Marine Isotope Stage 3 - Richard P. Jennings; Ash Parton; Laine Clark‐Balzan; Tom S. White; Huw S. Groucutt; Paul S. Breeze; Adrian G. Parker; Nick A. Drake; Michael D. Petraglia (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The early part of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 60–50 ka) is a crucial period for studying human demography and behaviour in south‐west Asia, and how these relate to climatic changes. However, the archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records for MIS 3 in critical areas such as the Arabian Peninsula remain poorly developed. Here, we present findings from the Al Marrat basin in the Nefud desert, which provides the first clear evidence for both increased humidity and human occupation of the interior of northern Arabia during early MIS 3. A Middle Palaeolithic assemblage, dated by optically stimulated luminescence to ca . 55 ka, was found stratified within a sequence of relict palustrine deposits indicative of shallow water body formation in the Al Marrat basin. Hominin presence in northern Arabia at this time coincides with the intensification and northward displacement of monsoon rainfall systems during a period of maximum insolation. These findings add to a growing corpus of palaeoenvironmental evidence, which indicates that the Arabian interior was neither arid nor unpopulated during early MIS 3, and that hydrodynamic responses to enhanced moisture availability facilitated demographic expansions into the Arabian interior.

Late Quaternary environmental change in the Southern Cape, South Africa, from stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in faunal tooth enamel from Boomplaas Cave - Judith Sealy; Julia Lee‐Thorp; Emma Loftus; J. Tyler Faith; Curtis W. Marean (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Pleistocene palaeoclimates and palaeoenvironments of southernmost Africa are important for understanding southern hemisphere climate dynamics and for reconstructing human evolution and early human settlement in this region. Measurements of δ 13 C in tooth enamel of 136 faunal specimens from the archaeological site of Boomplaas Cave, South Africa, show significant shifts in proportions of C 3 and C 4 vegetation from the earliest deposits, probably dating to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, to the late Holocene. Vegetation communities during the Last Glacial Maximum were strongly C 3 ‐dominated, indicating an eastward expansion of the winter rainfall zone at this time. This is consistent with climate models postulating northwards shift and/or intensification of the circumpolar westerly frontal systems during glacials. Winter rainfall and lower temperatures, both of which favour C 3 grasses, were clearly more important than lower p CO 2 (which favours C 4 grasses) in determining the nature of the vegetation. The intervals 40–36 and 17–14k cal a BP supported substantial quantities of C 4 grasses, indicating a greater proportion of summer rainfall at these times. These two intervals correspond with warmer climates as reflected in Antarctic ice cores. δ 13 C of an as yet unnamed caprine indicate that these animals were primarily C 3 grazers.

Late readvance and rapid final deglaciation of the last ice sheet in the Grampian Mountains, Scotland - Adrian M. Hall; Steven A. Binnie; David Sugden; Tibor J. Dunai; Christina Wood (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Towards the end of the last glaciation, ice sourced from the western Grampian Mountains of Scotland flowed down Strath Spey to encroach on the northern flanks of the Cairngorm Mountains. The maximum of this late advance and its subsequent retreat is recorded by moraines, ice‐marginal meltwater channels, and kame terraces that can be traced for 60 km along Strath Spey. New cosmogenic 10 Be exposure ages from moraines indicate deglaciation at 15.1 ± 1.1 ka. This timing matches closely the recalibrated mean ages of 14.7 ± 0.7 and 15.2 ± 0.7 ka for the Wester Ross Readvance in the North‐West Highlands. A synchronous readvance of the British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) towards the end of Greenland Stadial 2a (GS‐2a) (16.9–14.7 ka) is indicated. Thereafter active ice retreat from the flanks of Strath Spey was rapid, occurring within the ∼1 ka uncertainty of the cosmogenic exposure ages. We suggest the advance followed the collapse of the marine parts of the BIIS at ∼16 ka due to conditions of increased precipitation occurring at a time of low temperatures. The rapidity of deglaciation may reflect enhanced Föhn effects caused by the ice dome in the western Grampians.

A map of Pleistocene aeolian deposits in Western Europe, with special emphasis on France - Pascal Bertran; Morgane Liard; Luca Sitzia; Hélène Tissoux (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Land Use and Cover Area frame Statistical survey (LUCAS) database on topsoil properties in Europe was used to map aeolian deposits. The points which satisfy the grain‐size criteria of coversands, loess and transitional facies were extracted from the rasters of predicted soil texture established by kriging of the LUCAS data by Ballabio et al . ( ). A comparison with already available maps, derived from a conventional field approach, shows a good fit in most of the tested areas. The new map, however, suggests a greater extension of loess, which seems related to the inclusion of thin loess covers, usually omitted by conventional mapping, and the presence of previously unmapped areas due to lack of survey or misinterpretation. The main source of aeolian particles corresponds to glacio‐fluvial sediments at the margin of the Scandinavian and Alpine ice sheets. Coversands and loess form a broad band across northern Europe, and in the Rhône, Rhine and Danube valleys. Large areas on the outskirts of these deposits also received a significant loess contribution, which has been reworked in slope deposits. Conversely, southern Europe is characterized by much less loess accumulation. The Atlantic coast has transgressive dune fields that penetrate inland to varying degrees.

Handaxe and non‐handaxe assemblages during Marine Isotope Stage 11 in northern Europe: recent investigations at Barnham, Suffolk, UK - Nick Ashton; Simon G. Lewis; Simon A. Parfitt; Rob J. Davis; Chris Stringer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Britain has an important geological, environmental and archaeological record for Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11), which makes a major contribution to understanding of the human occupation of northern Europe. New fieldwork at Barnham, Suffolk, UK, has identified through improved geological resolution the change in assemblages from simple core and flake working to those with handaxe technology. The two assemblages are argued to reflect distinct human populations from different source areas in Europe. The paper examines the European record and puts forward a new model of how the complex mosaic of lithic assemblages reflects local, habitual practices during stable environments, but changes in climate and environment led to larger scale shifts in population, resulting in new human groups arriving in Britain.

Diatom blooms and associated vegetation shifts in a subarctic peatland: responses to distant volcanic eruptions? - U. Kokfelt; R. Muscheler; A. Mellström; E. Struyf; M. Rundgren; S. Wastegård; D. Hammarlund (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We test the hypothesis that rich occurrences of diatoms observed at transitions between major peat units representing different vegetation communities in a peat sequence from subarctic northern Sweden reflect responses to acid deposition from the Samalas AD 1257 and Laki AD 1783/1784 eruptions. We observe sudden changes in the mire ecosystem and thereby in the trophic status and biogeochemical cycling of the peatland. Both the eruptions are known to have been associated with significant acid deposition events and climatic anomalies, as recorded in polar ice cores. To test the hypothesis, new chronological analyses and age modelling were applied to existing biogeochemical and biological records from the peat sequence. This approach yielded modelled age ranges of AD 1239–1284 (1σ)/AD 1210–1303 (2σ) (median: AD 1260) and AD 1674–1795 (1σ)/AD 1665–1875 (2σ) (median AD 1743), respectively, for the stratigraphic transitions. Hence, the modelled age ranges bracket the ages of the eruptions in question and the hypothesis could therefore not be rejected. Impacts of acid deposition from the eruptions are assumed to have caused instant acidification, vegetation damage, increased nutrient cycling and blooms of opportunistic epiphytic diatoms. In addition, cooling may have contributed to vegetation changes through permafrost inception, frost heave and thereby altered hydrological conditions.

Optical dating of loessic hillslope sediments constrains timing of prehistoric rockfalls, Christchurch, New Zealand - Reza Sohbati; Josh Borella; Andrew Murray; Mark Quigley; Jan‐Pieter Buylaert (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Developing a robust chronology for mass‐movement events is of crucial importance to understanding triggering mechanisms and assessing hazards. We constrain the emplacement time of four palaeorockfall boulders near Christchurch, New Zealand, using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of quartz and infrared stimulated luminescence dating (IRSL) of K‐feldspar from loessic hillslope deposits underlying and upslope of individual boulders. The quartz OSL and K‐feldspar pIRIR 290 ages are all consistent with the stratigraphy and in excellent agreement with each other, indicating that all the boulders that overlie the in situ loess must have been emplaced 3 He surface‐exposure ages from the surfaces of each boulder shows that two out of four boulders contain pre‐deposition 3 He inheritance. Overall, the optical ages are consistent with both a prehistoric rockfall event at 6–8 ka and a possible preceding event at 12–14 ka. This study is the first to show a successful application of luminescence dating to New Zealand colluvium loess and demonstrates the great advantage of a multi‐technique approach in mass‐movement dating.

Elevated dust deposition in Tierra del Fuego (Chile) resulting from Neoglacial Darwin Cordillera glacier fluctuations - Heleen Vanneste; François De Vleeschouwer; Sébastien Bertrand; Antonio Martínez‐Cortizas; Aubry Vanderstraeten; Nadine Mattielli; Andrea Coronato; Natalia Piotrowska; Catherine Jeandel; Gaël Le Roux (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Atmospheric mineral dust is intrinsically linked with climate. Although dust flux variability on glacial–interglacial timescales is well documented, Holocene dust records remain scarce. To fill this gap, we conducted elemental, isotopic and sedimentological analyses on a peat core from the Karukinka Natural Park in Tierra del Fuego. An 8000‐year‐old mineral dust record was extracted indicating three periods of elevated dust deposition: (i) 8.1–7.4 cal ka BP, (ii) 4.2 cal ka BP and (iii) 2.4–1.4 cal ka BP. The two oldest peaks are related to volcanic eruptions of the Hudson and Monte Burney volcanoes, respectively. The most recent dust peak, however, has a rare earth element and neodymium isotopic composition that resembles the geochemical signature of outwash plain sediments from the Darwin Cordillera. Since the timing of this dust peak corresponds to a period of glacier retreat between Neoglacial advances III and IV, we infer that Holocene aeolian dust fluxes in southern Patagonia are mostly driven by glacial sediment availability. Our results underline the important role of glaciers in producing aeolian dust in high‐latitude regions, and they imply that the current retreat of glaciers worldwide may result in elevated atmospheric dust loads.

Mid‐elevation ecosystems of Panama: future uncertainties in light of past global climatic variability - Alexander Correa‐Metrio; Maria I. Vélez; Jaime Escobar; Jeannine‐Marie St‐Jacques; Minerva López‐Pérez; Jason Curtis; Jason Cosford (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Modern changes in regional climates will result in high ecosystem turnover and substantial biodiversity rearrangements. Understanding these changes requires palaeoecological studies at temporal resolutions comparable to the time window at which modern climate change is occurring. Here we present a multi‐proxy, high‐resolution record of forest and lake ecosystem change that occurred during the last 1100 years at middle elevations in Panama. From ∼900 to 1400 CE, regional forest and lake ecosystems were characterized by high seasonality, probably associated with both high El Niño activity and higher global temperatures. At ∼1400 CE, an abrupt transition marked the decoupling of forest and lake responses, with forest responding mostly to local patterns of human occupation, and lake trophic status being controlled mostly by the regional precipitation–evaporation balance, possibly associated with solar irradiance. Factors that played important roles in shaping regional ecosystems during the last 1100 years will probably again play critical roles within the coming decades, i.e. higher precipitation seasonality and higher temperatures. Past responses of the system, together with pervasive human activities, suggest that future conditions will simplify mid‐elevation forests. Given the importance of these geographical locations as hotspots of biological diversity, substantial losses of global biodiversity are foreseen.

A refined paleotemperature calibration for New Zealand limnic environments using differentiation of branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGT) sources - K.‐G. Zink; M. J. Vandergoes; T. Bauersachs; R. M. Newnham; A. B. H. Rees; L. Schwark (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) were abundant in surface sediments of freshwater lakes and in catchment soils at altitudes from 10 to 2020 m in New Zealand. Significant differences in brGDGT compositions between lake sediments and soils indicate sources from separate microbial habitats. An expanded modern calibration dataset comprising 33 lakes has enabled a revised calibration function for determining past m ean a nnual air t emperature (MAT) from brGDGTs in New Zealand lake sediments: MAT (°C) = −31.664 × MBT m + 16.252 ( n = 30). The function uses a modified methylation index of branched tetraethers (MBT m ) that incorporates brGDGT III in the numerator to overcome the lower correlation found between our larger dataset and the unmodified MBT which had been used for previous calibrations. Calibrations combining the cyclization index of branched tetraethers (CBT) and the MBT m or using only certain brGDGTs are possible but have limitations. The revised function shows slightly higher correlation with MAT ( R 2 = 0.75) than previous calibrations, which were based on nine sites. The refined calibration function is applied to a ∼16 000‐year lake sediment sequence from northern South Island, New Zealand, and yields temperature reconstructions that are consistent with independently derived climate trends from the same sequence.

Chronostratigraphic constraints on Middle Pleistocene faunal assemblages and Acheulian industries from the Cretone lacustrine basin, central Italy - Fabrizio Marra; Piero Ceruleo; Brian Jicha; Luca Pandolfi; Carmelo Petronio; Leonardo Salari; Biagio Giaccio; Gianluca Sottili (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Integrated 40 Ar/ 39 Ar, trace‐element, stratigraphic, palaeontological and palaethnological data provide geochronological and biochronological constraints for the sedimentary and tectonic history of a Middle Pleistocene fluvial–lacustrine basin near Rome (Cretone Basin, central Italy), which has yielded a significant record of mammal fossil remains and Palaeolithic industry. This work is a case study of the interplay between tectonics and glacio‐eustacy, which strongly influenced the evolution of the Tyrrhenian Sea margin of central Italy. Dating of tephra layers interbedded within the Cretone Basin lacustrine succession and reconstruction of relict terraced surfaces allow correlation with similar, geochronologically constrained, marine isotopic stages (MIS) 15–5 terraced deposits along the coast. Coupled extensional tectonics and regional uplift over the last 600 ka caused the progressive uplifting and westward migration of the main fluvial–lacustrine basin and the formation of a smaller satellite basin at its eastern margin. Here, stable environmental conditions during MIS 13–5 indicated continuous human and large mammal frequentation, as testified by lithic industry and fossil remains ascribable to the Acheulean and later early Middle Palaeolithic technocomplexes and Galerian–Aurelian mammal faunas, respectively. In addition to providing independent age constraints to glacial sea‐level oscillations of this region, the reconstructed chronostratigraphic setting for the Cretone Basin provides evidence for one of the oldest Acheulean lithic assemblage of central Italy, as well as new biochronological and palaeobiogeographical data for some Middle Pleistocene mammal species of Italy.

Late Quaternary glacial history of the Nalati Range, central Tian Shan, China, investigated using 10 Be surface exposure dating - Mei Zhang; Yixin Chen; Yingkui Li; Gengnian Liu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We constrained glacial chronologies in three valleys on the southern slopes of the Nalati Range in the central Tian Shan, China: the Takelakete, Aiken and Sairenwuxunsala valleys, using 10 Be surface exposure dating. Our 10 Be exposure ages constrain three glacial events during 72.8 ± 3.8–59.9 ± 3.5 ka, 55.4 ± 3.0–34.9 ± 2.1 and 0.29 ± 0.17–0.27 ± 0.20 ka, corresponding to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) 4 and 3, and Little Ice Age (LIA), respectively. Glaciers have been restricted from composite valley glaciers and piedmont glaciers during MIS 4–3 to confined valley glaciers during MIS 3, to small valley glaciers during the LIA, and to hanging and cirque glaciers at present. This pattern of glacial change is broadly consistent with other glaciated areas across the Tian Shan. Extensive glacial advances during MIS 4 and 3 were probably driven by enhanced precipitation brought by the westerlies. Compared to MIS 3 glacial advance, lower temperature may counteract the effect of relatively lower precipitation to drive a similar or even larger glacial advance during MIS 4. Glacial advances were limited during MIS 2, probably reflecting enhanced arid conditions in the Tian Shan caused by the weakened westerlies and strengthened Siberian High.

A multi‐proxy analysis of late Quaternary palaeoenvironments, Sekhokong Range, eastern Lesotho - Jennifer M. Fitchett; Stefan W. Grab; Marion K. Bamford; Anson W. Mackay (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The eastern Lesotho Highlands host an array of periglacial and glacial geomorphic features. Their analysis has provided past climate interpretations predominantly for cold periods, yet no multi‐proxy temporally continuous palaeoenvironmental records exist. This study presents a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction based on sedimentary characteristics, fossil pollen and diatoms from an alpine wetland located in the Sekhokong Mountain Range. The record commences in the late Pleistocene with a wet period from ∼16 450 to 14 440 cal a BP, interrupted by dry conditions from ∼16 350 to 15 870 cal a BP. From ∼14 150 to 8560 cal a BP, drier conditions are inferred, slowly transitioning to warmer, wetter conditions. Warmer, dry conditions are inferred for ∼8560–7430 cal a BP, followed by cold, wet conditions from ∼7280 to 6560 cal a BP. A dry, warmer period occurs from ∼6560 to 3640 cal a BP indicated by pollen, diatom and sedimentary records, followed by cool, wet conditions from ∼3400 to 1200 cal a BP. The period from ∼1110 cal a BP to the present is characterized by progressive drying. Pronounced cold events are detected from the diatom record. Moisture records appear relatively specific to the topographic setting of Sekhokong near the Great Escarpment edge, probably driven by orographically constrained synoptic controls.

Subdecadal‐scale vegetation responses to a previously unknown late‐Allerød climate fluctuation and Younger Dryas cooling at Lake Meerfelder Maar (Germany) - Stefan Engels; Achim Brauer; Nico Buddelmeijer; Celia Martín‐Puertas; Oliver Rach; Dirk Sachse; Bas van Geel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Lake Meerfelder Maar (MFM) is the northernmost Western European sediment record with annual laminations across the Younger Dryas (YD), and the onset of the YD in the record of MFM has previously been defined as an increase in non‐arboreal pollen abundance at ca. 12 680 varve a BP. Here we present a palynological record at unprecedented subdecadal resolution for MFM, covering the Allerød–YD transition. Our results show a fluctuation in pollen accumulation rates (PARs) before the onset of the YD, with lower rates between ca. 12 725 and 12 685 varve a BP. The fluctuation in PARs occurs simultaneous with a previously undescribed short fluctuation in sediment composition and varve thickness, as well as with changes in biogeochemical proxies. The combined evidence indicates signs of climatic instability ca. 45 years before the onset of the YD. The PAR records of Betula and Pinus furthermore show earlier and more abrupt changes at the onset of the YD than the percentage‐records do. Finally, heliophilous herbaceous taxa show a delayed increase following the onset of the YD of ca. 145 years. This paper illustrates the potential to identify previously unrecognized climate variability and vegetation change when using subdecadal‐resolution analyses.

Brief sea‐level fall event and centennial to millennial sea‐level variations during Marine Isotope Stage 19 in Osaka Bay, Japan - Kenta Maegakiuchi; Masayuki Hyodo; Ikuko Kitaba; Kotaro Hirose; Shigehiro Katoh; Hiroshi Sato (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Detailed sea‐level variation was investigated for Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19, based on diatom and grain size analyses of a marine sequence in a core of the Osaka Group. Diatom sea‐level proxies represent precession‐related signals correlated with highstands MIS 19.3 and 19.1, and lowstand MIS 19.2. Astronomical tuning shows the marine sequence has a uniform accumulation rate of about 60 cm ka −1 . A rapid sea‐level fall event was found in the earliest MIS 19, demonstrated by several independent sea‐level proxies of diatom and grain size. This event began with a rapid sea‐level drop, followed by a gradual recovery, at about 783–782 ka. A maximum abundance of pelagic diatom taxa at a core depth of 402.20 m evidently shows the highest sea‐level peak in MIS 19, supported by many other proxies. Based on the diatom data, sea‐level change across MIS 19.1 is characterized by centennial to millennial fluctuations. The sea‐level fall event began just after the onset of a cooling event previously reported from the same core. Observations of a comparable sea‐level fall signal in many deep‐sea core records suggest the event is global.

Reconstructing the confluence zone between Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets along the Rocky Mountain Foothills, south‐west Alberta - Daniel J. Utting; Nigel Atkinson; Steven Pawley; Stephen J. Livingstone (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Landform mapping near the Athabasca valley was fundamental to determining whether the Late Wisconsinan Laurentide and Cordilleran Ice Sheets (LIS, CIS) coalesced. In this paper we examine the detailed landform record using new LiDAR digital elevation and hillshade models of the area of confluence and eventual desuturing of these ice sheets. This work reveals an earlier more extensive Cordilleran advance before coalescence with the LIS. When the ice sheets coalesced, the flow pattern was dominated by ice flow along the mountain front, with Cordilleran ice flowing out of major trunk valleys but Laurentide ice flowing into the Foothills up smaller valleys. This flow pattern implies that when the ice sheets coalesced the CIS was already waning, or at least was not at its maximum. Deglaciation was interrupted by several re‐advances, probably related to the destabilizing effect of proglacial lakes along the ice margin.

Drivers of ecosystem and climate change in tropical West Africa over the past ∼540 000 years - Charlotte S. Miller; William D. Gosling; David B. Kemp; Angela L. Coe; Iain Gilmour (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
A paucity of empirical non‐marine data means that uncertainty surrounds the impact of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems in tropical regions beyond the last glacial period. The sedimentary fill of the Bosumtwi impact crater (Ghana) provides the longest continuous Quaternary terrestrial archive of environmental change in West Africa, spanning the last ∼1.08 million years. Here we explore the drivers of change in ecosystem and climate in tropical West Africa for the past ∼540 000 years using pollen analysis and the nitrogen isotope composition of bulk organic matter preserved in sediments from Lake Bosumtwi. Variations in grass pollen abundance (0−99%) indicate transitions between grassland and forest. Coeval variations in the nitrogen isotopic composition of organic matter indicate that intervals of grassland expansion coincided with minimum lake levels and low regional moisture availability. The observed changes responded to orbitally paced global climate variations on both glacial–interglacial and shorter timescales. Importantly, the magnitude of ecosystem change revealed by our data exceeds that previously determined from marine records, demonstrating for the first time the high sensitivity of tropical lowland ecosystems to Quaternary climate change.

Chronology and processes of late Quaternary hillslope sedimentation in the eastern South Island, New Zealand - Josh Borella; Mark Quigley; Reza Sohbati; Peter Almond; Darren M. Gravley; Andrew Murray (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Optical and radiocarbon dating of loessic hillslope sediments in New Zealand's South Island is used to constrain the timing of prehistoric rockfalls and associated seismic events, and quantify spatial and temporal patterns of hillslope sedimentation including responses to seismic and anthropogenic forcing. Trenches adjacent to prehistoric boulders enable stratigraphic analysis of loess and loess‐colluvium pre‐ and post‐dating boulder emplacement, respectively. Luminescence ages from loessic sediments constrain the timing of boulder emplacement to between ∼3.0 and ∼12.5 ka, well before the arrival of Polynesians (ca. AD 1280) and Europeans (ca. AD 1800) in New Zealand, and suggest loess accumulation was continuing at the study site until 12–13 ka. Large (>5 m 3 ) prehistoric rockfall boulders preserve an important record of Holocene hillslope sedimentation by creating local traps (i.e. accommodation space) for sediment aggradation (i.e. colluvial wedges) and upbuilding soil formation. Sediment accumulation rates increased considerably (>∼10 factor increase) following human arrival and associated anthropogenic burning of hillslope vegetation. Our study presents new numerical ages to place the evolution of loess‐mantled hillslopes in New Zealand's South Island into a longer temporal framework and highlights the roles of earthquakes and humans on hillslope surface process.

Flow‐pattern evolution of the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets across west‐central Alberta, Canada: implications for ice sheet growth, retreat and dynamics during the last glacial cycle - Nigel Atkinson; Steven Pawley; Daniel J. Utting (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
This paper presents a reconstruction of the geometry, dynamics and flow pattern of the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets along the Albertan portion of the eastern Canadian Rocky Mountains during the last glaciation. Sediment–landform associations relating to the evolution of these ice sheets document their initial convergence and mutual deflection across west‐central Alberta. The continued advance of Laurentide ice locally displaced Cordilleran ice westward into the Front Ranges, and deflected trunk ice emerging from the Athabasca River valley south‐eastwards along the Foothills. These convergent flow patterns remained major features in the regional geometry of both ice sheets throughout the Last Glacial Maximum. The onset of deglaciation was characterized by the northward retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which progressively unblocked valleys along the mountain front. The configuration of buttress removal initiated the Lateglacial expansion and sequential drawdown of the eastern Cordilleran Ice Sheet along fast‐flowing outlet glaciers. Subsequent regional retreat of Laurentide and Cordilleran ice was associated with the development of large proglacial lakes which amplified deglaciation by destabilizing the margins of both ice sheets, triggering extensive readvances due to periodic changes in water level associated with the opening and closing of outlets by ice margin fluctuations.

Dental mesowear reflects local vegetation and niche separation in Pleistocene proboscideans from Britain - Juha Saarinen; Adrian M. Lister (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Proboscideans, and elephants in particular, played a key role in Pleistocene mammal communities in Europe. The British Pleistocene fossil record provides a unique opportunity to study changes in proboscidean feeding ecology associated with environmental proxy data such as pollen records and the presence of competitors. Here we utilize a recently introduced dietary analysis method, mesowear angle analysis, for studying relationships between dietary variation in proboscideans, changes in available vegetation and the presence of sympatric proboscidean species. The method is based on recording the relief of worn molar surfaces as angle measurements, which reflect attrition‐ vs . abrasion‐dominated feeding and serve as a proxy for grazing vs . browsing diets. By comparison with pollen records, we show that blunt mesowear angles specifically reflect grass eating rather than open‐ground feeding in general. We further find that all British Pleistocene proboscidean species were relatively flexible feeders able to shift their dietary preference according to local vegetation composition. Nonetheless, when more than one proboscidean species occurred in the same environment, they always show significantly different mean mesowear signal, suggesting dietary niche separation.

Late Quaternary glacial advances in the eastern Qilianshan, north‐eastern Tibet, as inferred from luminescence dating of fluvioglacial sediments - Gang Hu; Chao‐Lu Yi; Jia‐Fu Zhang; Jin‐Hua Liu; Tao Jiang; Sheng‐Hua Li (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Qilianshan [ shan means ‘mountain(s)’ in Chinese] are important for understanding the Quaternary glaciations which occurred along the north‐eastern margins of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Two sets of moraines identified in the Gangshika Valley on the southern slopes of the Qilianshan, and in the Jindonggou Valley on the northern slopes of the Lenglongling Ridge in the eastern Qilianshan, were dated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The D e values of the sediments were determined using single aliquot regeneration (SAR) and ‘global standardized growth curve’ (gSGC) procedures. The gSGC method was first applied to glacial sediment and proved to be adaptable. Based on D e distribution analysis, and a comparison between the ages of coarse‐grained (90–125 μm) quartz, we concluded that the minimum age model (MAM) OSL age obtained may be closer to the burial age of the sediments. The first set of moraines in the Gangshika Valley was formed at 18.1 ± 1.8 ka. The second set of moraines in both the Gangshika and the Jindonggou valleys was mainly formed at ∼12.5–10.7 ka, consistent with the Younger Drays chronozone, most probably covering the moraines produced at 14.3 ± 1.4 ka. These results indicate that the glaciers along the Lenglongling Ridge were sensitive to abrupt decreases in temperature.

Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacial events in the Colonia valley, Northern Patagonia Icefield, southern Chile - David A. Nimick; Daniel McGrath; Shannon A. Mahan; Beverly A. Friesen; Jonathan Leidich (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) is the primary glaciated terrain worldwide at its latitude (46.5–47.5°S), and constraining its glacial history provides unique information for reconstructing Southern Hemisphere paleoclimate. The Colonia Glacier is the largest outlet glacier draining the eastern NPI. Ages were determined using dendrochronology, lichenometry, radiocarbon, cosmogenic 10 Be and optically stimulated luminescence. Dated moraines in the Colonia valley defined advances at 13.2 ± 0.95, 11.0 ± 0.47 and 4.96 ± 0.21 ka, with the last being the first constraint on the onset of Neoglaciation for the eastern NPI from a directly dated landform. Dating in the tributary Cachet valley, which contains an ice‐dammed lake during periods of Colonia Glacier expansion, defined an advance at ca. 2.95 ± 0.21 ka, periods of advancement at 810 ± 49 cal a BP and 245 ± 13 cal a BP, and retreat during the intervening periods. Recent Colonia Glacier thinning, which began in the late 1800s, opened a lower‐elevation outlet channel for Lago Cachet Dos in ca. 1960. Our data provide the most comprehensive set of Latest Pleistocene and Holocene ages for a single NPI outlet glacier and expand previously developed NPI glacial chronologies.

The ‘Roxolany Tephra’ (Ukraine) − new evidence for an origin from Ciomadul volcano, East Carpathians - Sabine Wulf; Stanisław Fedorowicz; Daniel Veres; Maria Łanczont; Dávid Karátson; Ralf Gertisser; Marc Bormann; Enikö Magyari; Oona Appelt; Ulrich Hambach; Petro F. Gozhyk (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We present major element glass data and correlations for the ‘Roxolany Tephra’ − a so far geochemically unconstrained volcanic ash layer previously described in last glacial (Marine Isotope Stage 2) loess deposits of the Roxolany loess–palaeosol complex in south‐west Ukraine. This exceptionally well‐preserved, 2–3‐cm‐thick tephra layer is characterized by a rhyolitic glass composition that is comparable to that of proximal tephra units from Ciomadul volcano in the East Carpathians, central Romania. The chemistry particularly matches that of the final Latest St. Ana Phreatomagmatic Activity pyroclastic fall unit of St. Ana crater that is radiocarbon dated in the proximal Mohoş coring site (MOH‐2) to 29.6 ± 0.62 cal ka BP. The age of the tephra correlative agrees with the newest radiocarbon and infrared optically stimulated luminescence age constraints from overlying palaeosols and tephra‐embedding loess of the Roxolany sequence, respectively, which place the tephra between ca. 33 and 24 cal ka BP, and thus confirm the long‐debated chronostratigraphy of this important environmental archive. The occurrence of a distal Ciomadul tephra ca. 350 km east of its source indicates great potential for further tephra and cryptotephra findings from this volcanic complex in the south‐eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea region.

High‐resolution records of climate change in arid eastern central Asia during MIS 3 (51 600–25 300 cal a BP) from Wulungu Lake, north‐western China - Xiaonan Zhang; Aifeng Zhou; Can Zhang; Shengtun Hao; Yongtao Zhao; Chengbang An (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Detailed records of climate change during the Last Glaciation in arid central Asia are scarce. Here we present a sedimentological and geochemical record from Wulungu Lake in north‐western China, providing the first high‐resolution, continuous sedimentary records in this region covering Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (51 600–25 300 cal a BP). High lake power (end‐member 2 values) and bioproductivity concurrent with low terrigenous clastic input unanimously indicate high lake water levels during 46 180–39 770, 31 680–30 080 and 27 780–26 540 cal a BP, and moderately wet conditions during 51 600–46 180 and 39 770–31 680 cal a BP. The lake attained its lowest water levels after 30 080 cal a BP. Few dry events characterized by high pool power (end‐member 3 values) and terrigenous input are documented for the studied interval and three of them are correlative with Heinrich events 5–3. Our study supports the hypothesis for a positive Northern Hemisphere July insolation anomaly which increased the temperature gradient between low and high latitudes, increasing the strength of Westerlies and increasing sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic, resulting in more moisture transported to arid central Asian by Westerlies.

Stable isotope composition of the Holsteinian (MIS 11) freshwater snail Valvata piscinalis (O. F. Müller, 1774) from eastern Poland and its palaeoenvironmental implications - Marcin Szymanek (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Stable oxygen and carbon isotope investigations were conducted on shells of the freshwater gastropod Valvata piscinalis from palaeolake deposits of Holsteinian age (Marine Isotope Stage 11) from eastern Poland. The isotope record of this species was used for the first time as an archive of environmental conditions for selected lakes between the protocratic stage and the post‐optimum period of the interglacial. The lowest δ 18 O and δ 13 C values of −8.1 and −12.1‰, respectively, were recorded in the Picea–Alnus zone at Ortel Królewski palaeolake. The sparse vegetation and low productivity of that time are reflected in the relatively low δ 13 C values. The first significant increase of temperature was recorded in the Taxus zone (i.e. an increase in δ 18 O). The higher temperature influenced the expansion of macrophytes, which stimulated enhanced photosynthesis. Similar mean δ 18 O values in the Taxus and Pinus–Larix zones imply no distinct temperature change. V. piscinalis populations from Ossówka–Hrud and Roskosz palaeolakes record variations in lake productivity during the climatic optimum of the interglacial ( Carpinus–Abies zone). The δ 18 O values of that time are relatively high (up to −4.5‰) and reveal no significant differences between the lakes. Decreases of the oxygen isotope values in the Szymanowo lake reflect post‐optimum cooling.

A comparison of pollen extraction methods confirms dense‐media separation as a reliable method of pollen preparation - J. F. E. Campbell; W. J. Fletcher; P. D. Hughes; E. L. Shuttleworth (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Palynology is a crucial proxy for understanding Quaternary environmental change. A range of laboratory preparation techniques has been developed to deal with the extraction of pollen in different sedimentary contexts. Here, we present a comparison of the conventional hydrofluoric acid method and the dense‐media separation method using sodium polytungstate. We examine pollen, non‐pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and microcharcoal by undertaking parallel preparation and counting of 30 paired samples from three sites in the Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco, with contrasting environmental and sedimentary conditions. Differences between microfossil counts are assessed visually and statistically, using ANOVA and linear regression. We observe that the typical offset between counts for the five most common pollen and NPPs produced by the two methods (µ = 1.6%, SD = 0.9%) is considerably smaller than the 95% uncertainty associated with the standard counting procedure (µ = 6.8%, SD = 2.7%). There is no statistically significant difference associated with the preparation methods, and no significant deviation from a linear relationship between the results obtained by the two methods. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods in terms of preparation time and visual characteristics. This study confirms that results for pollen, NPPs and microcharcoal obtained by either preparation method can be directly compared.

Oxygen isotopic evidence for high‐magnitude, abrupt climatic events during the Lateglacial Interstadial in north‐west Europe: analysis of a lacustrine sequence from the site of Tirinie, Scottish Highlands - I. Candy; A. Abrook; F. Elliot; P. Lincoln; I. P. Matthews; A. Palmer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Last Glacial to Interglacial Transition (LGIT) is a period of climatic instability. δ 18 O records are ideal for investigating the LGIT as this proxy responds rapidly to even minor climatic oscillations. Lacustrine carbonates offer the opportunity to investigate spatial diversity in patterns of climatic change during the LGIT but this requires the generation of δ 18 O records from a range of latitudinal and longitudinal settings. This study presents a coupled pollen and stable isotopic study of lacustrine carbonates spanning the Windermere Interstadial (the British equivalent of Greenland Interstadial 1, the Lateglacial Interstadial) from the site of Tirinie in the Scottish Highlands, a region where δ 18 O records are absent. The Interstadial is characterized by three δ 18 O peaks, warm intervals, and two δ 18 O declines, cold episodes, the timing of which is constrained by the presence of crypto‐tephra. The landscape at Tirinie was highly responsive to these climatic oscillations as the sedimentary and pollen record respond to each isotopic shift. The paper concludes by highlighting that, across the British Isles, lacustrine δ 18 O records of the Interstadial have a consistent stratigraphy/structure, although the magnitude of the isotopic shifts is regionally variable. Potential causes of this variability are discussed.

Evidence for herbivorous cave bears ( Ursus spelaeus ) in Goyet Cave, Belgium: implications for palaeodietary reconstruction of fossil bears using amino acid δ 15 N approaches - Yuichi I. Naito; Mietje Germonpré; Yoshito Chikaraishi; Naohiko Ohkouchi; Dorothée G. Drucker; Keith A. Hobson; Mark A. Edwards; Christoph Wißing; Hervé Bocherens (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Insights into causes of extinction in fossil animals can contribute to an understanding of how environmental or anthropogenic processes may affect extant animals. Cave bears that went extinct in the late Pleistocene in Europe have been considered largely herbivorous based on tooth, skull and jaw morphology. Nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition (δ 15 N, δ 13 C) of bone collagen of many cave bears having values similar to or lower than those of coeval herbivores support an exclusive plant diet and their occurrence in habitats with denser vegetation. A complicating aspect of this hypothesis is that isotopic compositions of bulk collagen, especially those of nitrogen, could reflect environmental fluctuation as well as behavioural and physiological traits, which are not related to trophic position and so may lead to uncertainty in palaeodietary reconstruction. Here we show that δ 15 N analysis of individual collagen amino acids of fossil bears from Goyet Cave (Belgium) indicates that cave bears had a constant trophic position of 1.9–2.1, indicating purely herbivorous diets, while brown bears had a trophic position of 2.0–2.4, indicating a slightly more omnivorous diet. Results might support the hypothesis of the extinction of cave bear due to the inflexibility in feeding habits.

Pre‐Columbian ring ditch construction and land use on a ‘chocolate forest island’ in the Bolivian Amazon - John F. Carson; Francis E. Mayle; Bronwen S. Whitney; José Iriarte; J. Daniel Soto (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We present a palaeoecological investigation of pre‐Columbian land use in the savanna ‘forest island’ landscape of the north‐east Bolivian Amazon. A 5700‐year sediment core from La Luna Lake, located adjacent to the La Luna forest island site, was analysed for fossil pollen and charcoal. We aimed to determine the palaeoenvironmental context of pre‐Columbian occupation on the site and assess the environmental impact of land use in the forest island region. Evidence for anthropogenic burning and Zea mays L. cultivation began ∼2000 cal a BP, at a time when the island was covered by savanna, under drier‐than‐present climatic conditions. After ∼1240 cal a BP burning declined and afforestation occurred. We show that construction of the ring ditch, which encircles the island, did not involve substantial deforestation. Previous estimates of pre‐Columbian population size in this region, based upon labour required for forest clearance, should therefore be reconsidered. Despite the high density of economically useful plants, such as Theobroma cacao , in the modern forest, no direct pollen evidence for agroforestry was found. However, human occupation is shown to pre‐date and span forest expansion on this site, suggesting that here, and in the wider forest island region, there is no truly pre‐anthropogenic ‘pristine’ forest.

Interaction between warm Atlantic‐sourced waters and the East Greenland Current in northern Denmark Strait (68°N) during the last 10 600 cal a BP - Kerstin Perner; Anne E. Jennings; Matthias Moros; John T. Andrews; Lukas Wacker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Changes in the Holocene interaction of the (i) cold/fresh East Greenland Current (EGC) and (ii) warm/saline Irminger Current (IC) in northern Denmark Strait have been reconstructed from benthic and planktic foraminifera assemblages, ice‐rafted debris, grain‐size analyses and quantitative X‐ray diffraction. During the time from c . 10 600 to 8000 cal a BP, palaeoceanographic reconstructions reveal waning deglacial influence from the receding Greenland Ice Sheet and presence of a strong EGC caused low surface water productivity. From c . 8000 cal a BP, a predominant influence of Atlantic‐sourced IC waters on subsurface water conditions became established in northern Denmark Strait, which accompanied low surface water productivity. Relatively warm surface and subsurface water conditions, i.e . reduced EGC and strong IC influence, are found from c . 6500 to 4500 cal a BP, representing Holocene optimum‐like conditions. A mid‐ to late Holocene EGC strengthening caused increased stratification and formation of a distinct halocline. However, we recognize millennial‐scale periods of reduced stratification by an enhanced influence of Atlantic‐sourced IC Water on surface water conditions: (i) at c . 2500–1400 cal a BP − the time of the Roman Warm Period and (ii) at c . 300 cal a BP − the later part of the Little Ice Age. These periods of oceanic warming probably relate to changes in the Subpolar Gyre dynamics that led to enhanced entrainment of Atlantic‐sourced IC Water into northern Denmark Strait.

Factors responsible for driving the glaciation in the Sarchu Plain, eastern Zanskar Himalaya, during the late Quaternary - Shubhra Sharma; Pritam Chand; Pinky Bisht; Anil D. Shukla; S. K. Bartarya; Y. P. Sundriyal; Navin Juyal (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Detailed geomorphological investigation supported by field stratigraphy and optical dating enabled us to identify three major events of glaciation in the eastern Zanskar Himalaya (Sarchu Plain). The oldest and most extensive glaciation is the Sarchu Glaciation Stage‐1 (SGS‐1) that pre‐dates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and is assigned to the cold and wet Marine Isotope Stage‐4 (MIS‐4). The second glacial advance (SGS‐2) is optically dated to ∼20 ka and the youngest SGS‐3 is assigned to the 8.2 ka cooling event. Evidence of deglaciation is preserved as outwash terrace gravels and is assigned to the pluvial MIS‐3 and the early Holocene (∼9 ka). Increased strength of westerlies (winter precipitation) and associated temperature decline were responsible for driving the glaciation in the study area, a conclusion that accords well with modern meteorological data showing a reasonable correlation between the modern equilibrium line altitude, enhanced mid‐latitude westerlies (winter precipitation) and winter temperatures. The phases of deglaciation occurred during periods of warmer climatic excursions. Overall a broad correspondence between the Sarchu Plain glaciation phases and northern latitude ice sheet dynamics is suggested, implying that the glaciers in the trajectory of the mid‐latitude westerlies are likely to respond in phase with northern latitude glaciation.

Early–Mid Pleistocene environments in the Valsequillo Basin, Central Mexico: a reassessment - Sarah E. Metcalfe; Melanie J. Leng; Jason R. Kirby; David Huddart; Christopher H. Vane; Silvia Gonzalez (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Valsequillo Basin in Central Mexico has been of interest due to the presence of megafaunal remains and evidence for early human occupation, but research has been controversial. It has been suggested that extensive and deep lakes characterized the Early Pleistocene environment but sediment exposure is highly fragmentary and reliable dating has been difficult. Here we report, for the first time, Early Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using stable isotopes, diatoms, tephra and pollen. We studied several stratigraphic sections of mainly non‐volcanic rocks, containing the 1.3‐Ma Xalnene Ash as a stratigraphic marker. The isotope and other proxy data show that topographically low points in the basin were occupied by spring‐fed, shallow water lakes during the Early–Mid Pleistocene, with a trend to drier conditions. The basin was a dynamic volcaniclastic environment during this period, with the production of the Toluquilla volcanic sequence and other rhyolitic–dacitic volcanic ashes interbedded with the lake sediments at the sections studied. There is no evidence from the sections for extensive and deep lakes before or after deposition of the Xalnene Ash. Wetter conditions in the basin during the Early Pleistocene would have made it attractive for megafauna. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Interpretation and application of carbon isotope ratios in freshwater diatom silica - Megan Webb; Philip A. Barker; Peter M. Wynn; Oliver Heiri; Maarten van Hardenbroek; Frances Pick; James M. Russell; Andy W. Stott; Melanie J. Leng (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Carbon incorporated into diatom frustule walls is protected from degradation enabling analysis for carbon isotope composition (δ 13 C diatom ). This presents potential for tracing carbon cycles via a single photosynthetic host with well‐constrained ecophysiology. Improved understanding of environmental processes controlling carbon delivery and assimilation is essential to interpret changes in freshwater δ 13 C diatom . Here relationships between water chemistry and δ 13 C diatom from contemporary regional data sets are investigated. Modern diatom and water samples were collected from river catchments within England and lake sediments from across Europe. The data suggest dissolved, biogenically produced carbon supplied proportionately to catchment productivity was critical in the rivers and soft water lakes. However, dissolved carbon from calcareous geology overwhelmed the carbon signature in hard water catchments. Both results demonstrate carbon source characteristics were the most important control on δ 13 C diatom , with a greater impact than productivity. Application of these principles was made to a sediment record from Lake Tanganyika. δ 13 C diatom co‐varied with δ 13 C bulk through the last glacial and Holocene. This suggests carbon supply was again dominant and exceeded authigenic demand. This first systematic evaluation of contemporary δ 13 C diatom controls demonstrates that diatoms have the potential to supply a record of carbon cycling through lake catchments from sediment records over millennial timescales.

Climatic variability over the last 30 000 years recorded in La Piscina de Yuriria, a Central Mexican crater lake - Jonathan A. Holmes; Sarah E. Metcalfe; Heather L. Jones; Jim D. Marshall (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) provides an excellent setting for reconstruction of late Quaternary climate from different natural archives. Moreover, human impact on the landscape since the mid‐Holocene provides a good opportunity to investigate the complex interplay of natural and anthropogenic forcing of landscape change. However, despite the wealth of records, understanding of the environmental history of the region and its wider significance for climate change across the northern neotropics remains incomplete. We present a radiocarbon‐dated, multiple‐proxy (sedimentology, sedimentary geochemistry, ostracods, diatoms, stable isotopes) record of climatic and environmental change based on the lacustrine sediments from La Piscina de Yuriria, a hydrologically closed volcanic crater in the northern TMVB. Much of the last glacial interval was characterized by low effective moisture associated with a weakened North American Monsoon (NAM) although the interval from 30 000 to 27 500 a BP experienced abrupt changes in rainfall. The period corresponding to the Lateglacial stadial was also dry and the lake may have dried out at this time. There was a change to wetter but variable conditions during the early Holocene as the NAM strengthened. Progressive drying during the later Holocene was accompanied by phases of catchment disturbance, which were partly the result of human impact.

Quaternary palaeoenvironmental proxies and processes − papers in honour of Professor Alayne Street‐Perrott - Jonathan A. Holmes; Philip A. Barker; Melanie J. Leng (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)

The 8.2‐ka BP event in north‐eastern North America: first combined oxygen and hydrogen isotopic data from peat in Newfoundland - T. J. Daley; K. E. Barber; P. D. M. Hughes; N. J. Loader; M. Leuenberger; F. A. Street‐Perrott (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Finding direct evidence for atmospheric circulation change in terrestrial records of Holocene climate variability remains a fundamental challenge. Here we present the first combined stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic palaeorecord from a peatland core in Newfoundland, Canada. Sphagnum cellulose samples were isolated from a core from Nordan's Pond Bog, Newfoundland, and analysed for δD values. Combined with existing δ 18 O data, the resulting δD/δ 18 O bi‐plot correlates directly with existing measurements of the modern (late 20th century) isotopic composition of precipitation from GNIP stations in Nova Scotia and Labrador, implying a close relationship between the estimated isotopic composition of source water used by the mosses and that of the source precipitation. We use the relative variations between the two isotope records to test the hypothesis that atmospheric circulation changed in the millennium following the 8.2‐ka BP climate event. The data reveal a secondary complex isotopic response ∼200 years (8250–8050 a BP) after a primary oxygen isotopic event that is widespread in the north Atlantic region. This secondary event is characterized by a divergence in oxygen and hydrogen isotope records that can most plausibly be explained by the augmentation of precipitation moisture from a more distant and more continental vapour source.

Anthropogenic forcing increases the water‐use efficiency of African trees - Tommy H. G. Wils; Iain Robertson; Stephan Woodborne; Grant Hall; Marcin Koprowski; Zewdu Eshetu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Rising atmospheric CO 2 concentrations affect climate directly through radiative effects and indirectly by changing plant water‐use efficiency. Under global warming scenarios these widely reported changes will have a substantial impact on future bush encroachment, crop yields, river flow and climate feedbacks. Tree‐ring intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE) records for Africa show a 24.6% increase over the 20th century. As high iWUE can partly counterbalance projected decreases in regional precipitation, this research has important implications for those involved in water resource management and highlights the need for climate models to take physiological forcing into account.

Extracting a primary Holocene crytoptephra record from Pupuke maar sediments, Auckland, New Zealand - Aleksandra Zawalna‐Geer; Jan M. Lindsay; Siwan Davies; Paul Augustinus; Sarah Davies (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Post‐depositional reworking of volcanic glass shards is a common problem in tephrochronological studies. Distinguishing between primary and reworked tephra is challenging, particularly in cryptotephra investigations that depend on identifying peaks of glass shard concentrations in sediment sequences rather than discrete macroscopic tephra layers. Here, we investigated macro‐ and cryptotephra in sediments of Lake Pupuke, New Zealand, to identify primary from reworked tephra and thus refine the record of tephra‐fall events in the region over the last ca. 9 cal ka. Geochemical fingerprinting, stratigraphic correlation, 14 C ages and X‐ray fluorescence and magnetic susceptibility core scanning were employed to filter out reworked tephra and thus establish a new Holocene tephrochronological framework for the region. Five primary macrotephra layers and 18 primary cryptotephra were identified. Confidence levels are attached to the newly identified cryptotephra, and geochemical characterization of well‐dated rhyolite tephra was used to establish an associated age model. Our results suggest that Holocene tephra fall from both local and distal volcanoes affected Auckland more frequently than previously documented, with a possible average frequency of at least once every 424 years. Furthermore, the study demonstrates the importance of identifying the extent of post‐depositional reworking to establish the veracity of the cryptotephra record.

Low‐latitude Holocene hydroclimate derived from lake sediment flux and geochemistry - Adrian G. Parker; Gareth W. Preston; Ash Parton; Helen Walkington; Phillip E. Jardine; Melanie J. Leng; Martin J. Hodson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
This study investigates hydrological responses to climatic shifts using sediment flux data derived from two dated palaeolake records in south‐east Arabia. Flux values are generally low during the early Holocene humid period (EHHP) (∼9.0–6.4k cal a BP) although several short‐lived pulses of increased detrital input are recorded, the most prominent of which is dated between ∼8.3 and 7.9k cal a BP. The EHHP is separated from the mid‐Holocene humid period (MHHP) (∼5.0–4.3k cal a BP) by a phase of increased sediment flux and aridity, which began between ∼6.4 and 5.9k cal a BP and peaked between ∼5.2 and 5.0k cal a BP. The termination of the MHHP is marked by a phase of high detrital sediment flux between ∼4.3 and 3.9k cal a BP. While long‐term shifts in climate are most likely linked to changes in the summer position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and associated Indian and African monsoon systems, it is noted that the abrupt, short‐term phases of aridity observed in both records are coeval with intervals of rapid climate change globally, which triggered non‐linear, widespread landscape reconfigurations throughout south‐east Arabia.

Holocene delta evolution and sediment flux of the Pearl River, southern China - Xing Wei; Chaoyu Wu; Peitong Ni; Wenyuan Mo (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Delta progradation and sediment flux of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), southern China, during the Holocene are presented based on analyses of borehole data on the delta plain. Results indicate that the delta prograded into the drowned valley because of early Holocene inundation from 9 to 6 cal ka BP, as sea‐level rise decelerated. The sea level reached its present level at about 6 cal ka BP and, as a consequence, a large portion of the drowned valley was covered by the estuary, with more than 160 rock islands and platforms. The scattered landmasses promoted active deposition and acted as deposition nuclei during deltaic evolution. Consequently, apart from exhibiting a general tendency towards progression, PRD development occurred less regularly over time and space because of deposition around island boundaries. During the last 2 ka, mainly because of significantly increased human activities, which have trapped sediments in the encircled tidal flats along the front of delta plains, the shoreline has advanced rapidly. Estimated sediment fluxes for the three periods (9–6, 6–2 and 2–0 cal ka BP), based on the sediment volume analysis, were 17–25, 22–30 and 44–58 million t a −1 , respectively.

What have we learnt from palaeoclimate simulations? - Sandy P. Harrison; Patrick J. Bartlein; I. Colin Prentice (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
There has been a gradual evolution in the way that palaeoclimate modelling and palaeoenvironmental data are used together to understand how the Earth System works, from an initial and largely descriptive phase through explicit hypothesis testing to diagnosis of underlying mechanisms. Analyses of past climate states are now regarded as integral to the evaluation of climate models, and have become part of the toolkit used to assess the likely realism of future projections. Palaeoclimate assessment has demonstrated that changes in large‐scale features of climate that are governed by the energy and water balance show consistent responses to changes in forcing in different climate states, and these consistent responses are reproduced by climate models. However, state‐of‐the‐art models are still largely unable to reproduce observed changes in climate at a regional scale reliably. While palaeoclimate analyses of state‐of‐the‐art climate models suggest an urgent need for model improvement, much work is also needed on extending and improving palaeoclimate reconstructions and quantifying and reducing both numerical and interpretative uncertainties.

A late Quaternary vertebrate deposit in Kudjal Yolgah Cave, south‐western Australia: refining regional late Pleistocene extinctions - Nathan R. Jankowski; Grant A. Gully; Zenobia Jacobs; Richard G. Roberts; Gavin J. Prideaux (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We describe the stratigraphy and chronology of Kudjal Yolgah Cave in south‐western Australia, a late Quaternary deposit pre‐ and post‐dating regional human arrival and preserving fossils of extinct and extant fauna. Single‐grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating shows that seven superposed units were deposited over the past 80 ka. Remains of 16 mammal species have been found at the site, all of them represented in Unit 7, for which seven OSL ages indicate accumulation between 80 and 41 ka. Single‐grain OSL equivalent dose distribution patterns show no evidence of reworking of older or younger sediments into Unit 7, but late Holocene charcoal has been washed into the top of it from adjacent Unit 2, deposited 1.2 ka ago. Six species that failed to survive the Pleistocene are recorded in Unit 7, but only the south‐western wombat Vombatus hacketti is recorded in younger units. Two species, the large extinct kangaroos Protemnodon sp. cf . P. roechus and Procoptodon browneorum , are represented by articulated specimens near the top of Unit 7, immediately adjacent to an OSL sediment sample dated to 41 ± 2 ka. These are the youngest reliably dated records of these genera from mainland Australia, and among the youngest megafaunal remains from the continent. All species currently known from the middle Pleistocene of the south‐west persisted into the late Pleistocene, which removes a key pillar supporting the argument against a driving role for human impacts in the extinctions.

Measurements of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon isotope variability in Sphagnum moss along a micro‐topographical gradient in a southern Patagonian peatland - N. J. Loader; F. A. Street‐Perrott; D. Mauquoy; T. P. Roland; S. van Bellen; T. J. Daley; D. Davies; P. D. M. Hughes; V. O. Pancotto; G. H. F. Young; M. J. Amesbury; D. J. Charman; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Peat archives offer a diverse range of physical and chemical proxies from which it is possible to study past environmental and ecological changes. Direct numerical calibration and verification is difficult so process‐based and mechanistic studies are therefore required to establish and quantify links between environmental changes and their associated proxy‐responses. Traditional ‘space‐for‐time’ calibrations provide a solution to this calibration problem, but are often unable to isolate a single environmental variable from other potentially confounding variables. In this study, we explored the potential of a site‐specific ‘space‐for‐time’ approach applied to a hummock‐hollow transect on an ombrotrophic raised bog in Patagonia, southern Chile. Coupled stable carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic measurements were made on individual samples of Sphagnum moss cellulose and compared with plant‐associated waters, local hydrology, temperature and relative humidity, sampled at the same points along the study transect. Results reveal a range of environmental responses, which were supported by plant‐physiological models in the case of carbon and oxygen isotopes. For hydrogen isotopes, the results obtained from cellulose indicated a need for further research into hydrogen isotope fractionation in Sphagnum . We recommend conducting site‐specific characterization of plant response to support the development of peat‐based isotope records for palaeoenvironmental research, and where logistically possible, that monitoring is conducted over timescales appropriate to the time‐integrative nature of the Sphagnum record.

Caution in cryptotephra correlation: resolving Lateglacial chemical controversies at Sluggan Bog, Northern Ireland - A. MacLeod; S. M. Davies (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Tephra layers are valuable stratigraphic and chronological markers in palaeoenviromental studies. Establishing robust linkages requires complete comparative databases of eruptive events to ensure that potential correlatives are not overlooked. This is achieved through the construction of tephrostratigraphical inventories from exposures proximal to the volcanic source. Proximally characterized ash layers are frequently detected thousands of kilometres from source alongside a limited number of tephras with no apparent proximal correlative. Despite the inability to correlate with a specific eruption, source volcanoes can be proposed and many of these far‐field occurrences have become well‐established stratigraphic markers. However, careful scrutiny is essential to verify the primary and instantaneous fallout origin of these distant occurrences. Here we present new data which provide an explanation for the long‐standing controversy surrounding the source of Lateglacial age cryptotephras within Sluggan Bog, Northern Ireland. Chemical analysis of glass shards detected within this sequence suggests they originate from an obsidian exposure located 11 km from the site, rather than from a contemporaneous eruptive event. This discovery highlights the importance of giving appropriate consideration to the enclosing geology of a particular palaeorecord. We suggest locations where geological sources might complicate air‐fall records of tephra deposition and propose a means by which to address this challenge.

A 9600‐year record of water table depth, vegetation and fire inferred from a raised peat bog, Prince Edward Island, Canadian Maritimes - Matthew Peros; Kathleen Chan; Gabriel Magnan; Leila Ponsford; James Carroll; Terry McCloskey (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
A 582‐cm‐long peat core was collected from Baltic Bog, an ombrotrophic peatland in north‐eastern Prince Edward Island, Canada. The core was studied for testate amoebae, plant macrofossils, macrocharcoal, peat humification and organic matter content. The results show that Baltic Bog first developed ∼9600 cal a BP as a minerotrophic peatland (fen) dominated by Cyperaceae. At 8200 cal a BP, the fen transitioned into a peat bog dominated by Sphagnum . Between 8200 and 4000 cal a BP, water table depth (WTD) was generally low and the bog surface supported trees such as Picea mariana . From 4000 to 1700 cal a BP, WTD rose and the bog became more open. The macrocharcoal results show that the period ∼2000–1000 cal a BP was characterized by several fire events that may have occurred on the bog surface at the core site. The results presented in this paper correspond closely with previous fossil pollen research done at Baltic Bog and suggest that regional climate change was a key factor in controlling long‐term WTD variability and vegetation change at the site.

The role of small prey in human subsistence strategies from Early Upper Palaeolithic sites in Iberia: the rabbits from the Evolved Aurignacian level of Arbreda Cave - Lluís Lloveras; Julià Maroto; Joaquim Soler; Richard Thomas; Marta Moreno‐García; Jordi Nadal; Narcís Soler (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
In the western Mediterranean, changes in hunter‐gatherer subsistence strategies have been identified from the Early Upper Palaeolithic. These changes are characterized by broadening of diet and intensification of small prey exploitation. In the Iberian Peninsula region, intensified small prey exploitation is evidenced by the hunting of large quantities of European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ), which are usually a ubiquitous feature of faunal assemblages from archaeological sites. Before interpretations of the significance of such assemblages can proceed, however, it is necessary to confirm their anthropic origin, as a wide range of predators are agents of accumulation. The taphonomic signatures observed for predators are here applied to the analysis of leporid (rabbits and hares) remains from the Evolved Aurignacian layer of Arbreda Cave (north‐east Iberia). The aims of this work are two‐fold: (i) to identify the agent/s of accumulation; and (ii) to assess possible changes in small prey use during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition. Our results suggest that rabbit assemblages were probably hunted and consumed by humans and that rabbits became a primary resource in hunter‐gatherer diet from the Early Upper Palaeolithic.

Detection of the Askja AD 1875 cryptotephra in Latvia, Eastern Europe - Normunds Stivrins; Sabine Wulf; Stefan Wastegård; Ewa M. Lind; Tiiu Alliksaar; Mariusz Gałka; Thorbjørn Joest Andersen; Atko Heinsalu; Heikki Seppä; Siim Veski (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We report the first geochemically confirmed findings of the Askja volcano (Iceland) AD 1875 eruption cryptotephra in Eastern Europe. The cryptotephra finding in Latvia is the easternmost finding of the Askja AD 1875 so far, providing an important time marker in the sediments. Although low concentrations of Askja AD 1875 rhyolitic glass shards were recorded, our findings suggest the possibility of also tracing other historical cryptotephras in lacustrine and peat sediments in Eastern Europe. We use the Askja AD 1875 tephra isochrone to synchronize pollen data of human activities, i.e . rye ( Secale cereale ) cultivation. Our comparison of Secale pollen from two sites reveals that there were minor dissimilarities in the timing of highest rye cultivation, and that a synchronous decrease of rye cultivation occurred at both sites few years after the Askja eruption at AD 1875.

A tale of two lakes: a multi‐proxy comparison of Lateglacial and Holocene environmental change in Cappadocia, Turkey - Neil Roberts; Samantha L. Allcock; Fabien Arnaud; Jonathan R. Dean; Warren J. Eastwood; Matthew D. Jones; Melanie J. Leng; Sarah E. Metcalfe; Emmanuel Malet; Jessie Woodbridge; Hakan Yiğitbaşıoğlu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Individual palaeoenvironmental records represent a combination of regional‐scale (e.g. climatic) and site‐specific local factors. Here we compare multiple climate proxies from two nearby maar lake records, assuming that common signals are due to regional‐scale forcing. A new core sequence from Nar Lake in Turkey is dated by varves and U–Th to the last 13.8 ka. Markedly dry periods during the Lateglacial stadial, at 4.3–3.7 and at 3.2–2.6 ka BP, are associated with peaks in Mg/dolomite, positive δ 18 O, elevated diatom‐inferred electrical conductivity, an absence of laminated sediments and low Quercus /chenopod ratios. Wet phases occurred during the early–mid Holocene and 1.5–0.6 ka BP, characterized by negative δ 18 O, calcite precipitation, high Ca/Sr ratios, a high percentage of planktonic diatoms, laminated sediments and high Quercus /chenopod ratios. Comparison with the record from nearby Eski Acıgöl shows good overall correspondence for many proxies, especially for δ 18 O. Differences are related to basin infilling and lake ontogeny at Eski Acıgöl, which consequently fails to register climatic changes during the last 2 ka, and to increased flux of lithogenic elements into Nar Lake during the last 2.6 ka, not primarily climatic in origin. In attempting to separate a regional signal from site‐specific ‘noise’, two lakes may therefore be better than one.

Mass accumulation rate and monsoon records from Xifeng, Chinese Loess Plateau, based on a luminescence age model - Thomas Stevens; Jan‐Pieter Buylaert; Huayu Lu; Christine Thiel; Andrew Murray; Manfred Frechen; Shuangwen Yi; Lin Zeng (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Luminescence dating of loess accumulation in China has raised questions over disturbance and gaps in the record, the magnitude of mass accumulation rates (MARs), and monsoon forcing mechanisms. Here we present a detailed quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronology from the Xifeng Chinese Loess Plateau site. We reconstruct MARs and construct an age model for monsoon proxies at the site. The luminescence ages show significant pedogenic and anthropogenic disturbance in material deposited after ca. 20–22 ka. Analysis of other published data suggests that this disturbance may be more common than previously realized. MARs from undisturbed portions of Xifeng vary dramatically, with peaks potentially matching the timing of Heinrich events. The last glacial maximum peak MAR (22–27 ka) matches the Pacific and Greenland dust flux records, although appears earlier than peak MARs seen in many other OSL‐dated Loess Plateau sites. East Asian monsoon grain‐size and magnetic susceptibility records also show several differences between independently dated loess sites. This complicates our understanding of any lag between insolation forcing and monsoon response. Nevertheless, the Xifeng climate proxy changes show apparent broad agreement with the timing of Heinrich events in the North Atlantic, supporting assertions of a climatic teleconnection between the two areas.

The Lake Natron Footprint Tuff (northern Tanzania): volcanic source, depositional processes and age constraints from field relations - Anna Balashova; Hannes B. Mattsson; Ann M. Hirt; Bjarne S. G. Almqvist (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Engare Sero Footprint Site, situated on the southern shore of Lake Natron in northern Tanzania, has been reported to host one of the best preserved sets of fossilized hominid footprints in the world. However, until now there has been no detailed characterization and age determination of the footprint‐bearing strata (the Footprint Tuff). Here, we combine field observations with geochemical and mineralogical analyses and measurements of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility to constrain depositional processes, the role of reworking and the volcanic source for the Footprint Tuff. We find that the footprint‐bearing horizon consists of volcanic ash‐fall that has been slightly reworked by water, and that this was produced during a voluminous eruption of the Oldoinyo Lengai volcano. The unit, which covered the footprints and helped to preserve them, consists of the wind‐blown material from the same eruption, mixed together with locally derived detrital material. We can constrain the ash horizon to be of Holocene age, based on: (i) the location of the Footprint Tuff within the regional stratigraphy, (ii) previous age determination of an ash layer that can be correlated with the Footprint Tuff and (iii) the regional climatological history of the area. The ash horizon was probably deposited around 11000‐10500 years ago, but could potentially be even younger than this.

Quaternary fossil fauna from the Luangwa Valley, Zambia - Laura C. Bishop; Lawrence Barham; Peter W. Ditchfield; Sarah Elton; William E. H. Harcourt‐Smith; Peter Dawkins (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
This paper describes a large collection of Quaternary fossil fauna from the Luangwa Rift Valley, Zambia. Stone Age artefacts have been recovered from stratified fluvial contexts, but no in situ fossil faunas have yet been recovered. We report on 500 fossil specimens collected from the surface of point bars exposed seasonally along the banks of the main Luangwa River channel. We used non‐destructive X‐ray fluorescence analysis of the fossils' chemical signatures to determine whether they derive from one or many primary contexts, and the relationship between chemical signature and state of preservation. Specimens are identified to taxon (genus) to reconstruct palaeoenvironments and biochronology. A relatively wide range of taxa is identified, including a fossil hominin talus, described here. None of the fossils is positively attributable to extinct species, except a femur of an extinct Theropithecus reported in 2003. Although no additional extinct taxa were identified, some of the remains were attributable to genera that are not currently found in this region. The results suggest that most of the assemblage derives from sediments which are Middle Pleistocene or later, and that past environments in the Luangwa Valley may have differed from the habitat availability found today.

Lake level reconstruction of Huangqihai Lake in northern China since MIS 3 based on pulsed optically stimulated luminescence dating - Jingran Zhang; Sumiko Tsukamoto; Yulian Jia; Manfred Frechen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Lake sediments provide rich information about past climatic variations in the drainage area. Five outcrops from Huangqihai Lake in northern China were investigated to reconstruct the lake level fluctuations during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. A chronological framework ranging from ∼34 to ∼8 ka was established by pulsed optically stimulated luminescence dating using sand‐sized quartz and by radiocarbon dating techniques. The chronological and geological evidence demonstrates that the lake level of Huangqihai reached a peak elevation of ∼1340 m [>77 m above the present lake level (a.p.l.l)] during the early Holocene. Such highstand was sustained from ∼10 to ∼8 ka and retreated towards the middle and late Holocene. Between ∼50 and ∼11 ka, aeolian and fluvial deposition prevailed around the lake basin and no lake sediment was found above 1277 m (∼14 m a.p.l.l.), demonstrating a low lake level during this interval compared with that of the early Holocene.

Chironomid‐inferred summer temperatures for the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition from a lake sediment sequence in Muir Park Reservoir, west‐central Scotland - Stephen J. Brooks; Kimberley L. Davies; Karen A. Mather; Ian P. Matthews; J. John Lowe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Lake sediments spanning the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (LGIT: ca. 14.7 to 8 ka BP) from Muir Park Reservoir (MPR) in west‐central Scotland were analysed for chironomids. The site lies just outside the southern limit of a former glacier that advanced into the Loch Lomond Basin during the Loch Lomond (Younger Dryas) Stadial. Chironomid‐inferred mean July temperatures were derived using a modern Norwegian calibration dataset. Three tephra layers constrain the sequence chronologically. Inferred temperatures decline from a high value early in the Interstadial, punctuated by two cold oscillations, probably equivalent to GI‐1d and GI‐1b in the Greenland ice‐core record, and a warm oscillation (equivalent to GI‐1a) immediately before the severe cooling at the start of the Loch Lomond Stadial (GS‐1), when summer temperatures fell by about 5 °C below the Interstadial average. Summer temperatures fell by about 3 °C below the Interstadial average during GI‐1d, which is less severe than inferred from other chironomid records from eastern Scotland, and may reflect the influence of an oceanic–continental gradient. Cooling during GI‐1b was particularly strong at MPR when minimum temperatures were about the same as those reached during GI‐1d, unlike other sites investigated where GI‐1d is usually between 1 and 2 °C cooler than GI‐1b.

Lateglacial and Holocene relative sea‐level changes and first evidence for the Storegga tsunami in Sutherland, Scotland - Antony J. Long; Natasha L. M. Barlow; Sue Dawson; Jon Hill; James B. Innes; Catherine Kelham; Fraser D. Milne; Alastair Dawson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We reconstruct one of the longest relative sea‐level (RSL) records in north‐west Europe from the north coast of mainland Scotland, using data collected from three sites in Loch Eriboll (Sutherland) that we combine with other studies from the region. Following deglaciation, RSL fell from a Lateglacial highstand of +6−8 m OD (Ordnance Datum = ca. mean sea level) at ca. 15 k cal a BP to below present, then rose to an early Holocene highstand and remained at ca. +1 m OD between ca. 7 and 3 k cal a BP, before falling to present. We find no evidence for significant differential Holocene glacio‐isostatic adjustment between sites on the north‐west (Lochinver, Loch Laxford), north (Loch Eriboll) and north‐east (Wick) coast of mainland Scotland. This suggests that the region was rapidly deglaciated and there was little difference in ice loads across the region. From one site at the head of Loch Eriboll we report the most westerly sedimentary evidence for the early Holocene Storegga tsunami on the Scottish mainland. The presence of the Storegga tsunami in Loch Eriboll is predicted by a tsunami wave model, which suggests that the tsunami impacted the entire north coast of Scotland and probably also the Atlantic coastline of north‐west Scotland.

Mid‐ to Late Holocene climate transition and moisture dynamics inferred from South Swedish tree‐ring data - Johannes Edvardsson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
A 1561‐year tree‐ring width (TRW) chronology covering the period 2668–1108 BC (4617–3057 BP) has been developed from 159 moisture‐sensitive peatland pines ( Pinus sylvestris L.) sampled at Åbuamossen, southern Sweden. Tree population dynamics and annual growth responses of the trees were shown to reflect and give absolute age to regional hydro‐climatological changes. The main wet‐shifts recorded in the TRW data were precisely dated to 2150–2100, 1550 and 1230–1150 BC (4100–4050, 3500 and 3180–3000 BP) and are likely to be related to the stepwise Mid‐ to Late Holocene climate transition, during which the condition changed from relatively warm and dry towards cold and moist in the northern hemisphere. The tree‐colonization phase was ended by several long‐lasting periods showing depressed annual tree growth and an abrupt dying‐off phase, possibly caused by increasing water level in the peatland as well as the adjacent river Helge Å. This study demonstrates that TRW data obtained from subfossil peatland trees can provide detailed information and exact age control on moisture variability in peatlands associated with regional hydroclimatic changes. Moreover, the combined information from the stratigraphical and the TRW analyses enabled a detailed temporal and spatial site development reconstruction.

Morphological and sedimentary responses to ice mass interaction during the last deglaciation - Richard C. Chiverrell; Matthew J. Burke; Geoffrey S.P. Thomas (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
During decline of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) down‐wasting of ice meant that local sources played a larger role in regulating ice flow dynamics and driving the sediment and landform record. At the Last Glacial Maximum, glaciers in north‐western England interacted with an Irish Sea Ice Stream (ISIS) occupying the eastern Irish Sea basin (ISB) and advanced as a unified ice‐mass. During a retreat constrained to 21–17.3 ka, the sediment landform assemblages lain down reflect the progressive unzipping of the ice masses, oscillations of the ice margin during retreat, and then rapid wastage and disintegration. Evacuation of ice from the Ribble valley and Lancashire occurred first while the ISIS occupied the ISB to the west, creating ice‐dammed lakes. Deglaciation, complete after 18.6–17.3 ka, was rapid (50–25 m a −1 ), but slower than rates identified for the western ISIS (550–100 m a −1 ). The slower pace is interpreted as reflecting the lack of a calving margin and the decline of a terrestrial, grounded glacier. Ice marginal oscillations during retreat were probably forced by ice‐sheet dynamics rather than climatic variation. These data demonstrate that large grounded glaciers can display complex uncoupling and realignment during deglaciation, with asynchronous behaviour between adjacent ice lobes generating complex landform records.

Mercury content in Atlantic sediments as a new indicator of the enlargement and reduction of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets - I. Kita; T. Yamashita; S. Chiyonobu; H. Hasegawa; T. Sato; Y. Kuwahara (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The total mercury content of Quaternary sediments over the last 1.1 Ma from IODP Site U1308 drilled in the North Atlantic Ocean has changed, varying with periodicities of 100 000 and 41 000 years. The Hg content of the sediment increased during glacial periods, associated with increases in ice‐rafted debris (IRD), and correlates positively with the total organic carbon (TOC) content and inversely with the absolute abundance of surface‐dwelling nannoplankton species. TOC/total nitrogen ratios and δ 13 C org values of TOC indicate that the TOC deposited during glacial periods was marine and associated with increased Hg deposition. These observations suggest that marine Hg is incorporated into the organic matter produced by deep‐dwelling phytoplankton in the lower photic zone. Mercury‐ and IRD‐bearing icebergs flowed out to this area during glacial periods melt, increasing the Hg content of photic water, and depositing IRD on the ocean floor, where increased marine Hg during glacial periods was consumed by deep‐dwelling phytoplankton. Therefore, the change in the sediment Hg content from the North Atlantic Ocean is controlled by climatic change and can be used as a chemical indicator of Northern Hemisphere ice sheet variability.

Palaeo‐geoecological significance of Pleistocene trees in the Lluta Valley, Atacama Desert - Heinz Veit; Jan‐Hendrik May; Andrea Madella; Romain Delunel; Fritz Schlunegger; Sönke Szidat; José M. Capriles (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
In the Lluta Valley, northern Chile, climate is hyperarid and vegetation is restricted to the valley floors and lowermost footslopes. Fossil tree trunks and leaves of predominantly Escallonia angustifolia , however, are abundant up to ∼15 m above the present valley floor, where they are intercalated with slope deposits, reflecting higher water levels in the past. A total of 17 samples have been radiocarbon dated, yielding ages between 38 and 15k cal a BP. The youngest ages of 15.4k cal a BP are interpreted as reflecting the beginning of river incision and lowering of the valley floor, impeding the further growth of trees at higher parts of the slopes. The most plausible scenario for this observation is intensified river incision after 15.4k cal a BP due to increased stream power and runoff from the Río Lluta headwaters in the Western Cordillera and Altiplano corresponding to the highstand of the Tauca and Central Andean Pluvial Event (CAPE) wet phase.

High‐resolution scanning XRF investigation of Chinese loess and its implications for millennial‐scale monsoon variability - Youbin Sun; Lianji Liang; Jan Bloemendal; Ying Li; Feng Wu; Zhengquan Yao; Yanguang Liu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Millennial‐scale monsoon variability has been investigated intensively using loess‐based proxies; however, the amplitude and rhythms of millennial‐scale signals have seldom been disentangled from the background glacial–interglacial changes. Here we present the results of high‐resolution scanning X‐ray fluorescence analysis of a 75‐m‐thick loess sequence from the north‐western Chinese Loess Plateau to address glacial–interglacial to millennial monsoon variability over the last two climatic cycles. Variations of the Si/K, Fe/K and Ca/K ratios are separated spectrally into low‐ and high‐frequency components corresponding to glacial–interglacial and millennial‐scale monsoon variability, respectively. The results indicate that the three elemental ratios exhibit similar glacial–interglacial variability but with varying spectral densities at the 100‐, 41‐ and 23‐kyr periodicities. Millennial‐scale variability is quite similar between the three elemental ratios, and comparable to those inferred from records of Chinese speleothem δ 18 O, Greenland palaeotemperature and North Atlantic cooling events. Comparison of various proxies indicates the broad similar magnitudes of abrupt climate changes, at least during the last two glacial–interglacial cycles, whereas the timing and amplitude of abrupt climatic events are not well correlated. We suggest that refinement of loess chronology and intensive data‐model integration in the future are critical to decipher the characteristics and dynamics of rapid monsoon changes.

Facies analysis of the Middle and Late Quaternary sediment infill of the northern Weihe Basin, Central China - Daniël S. Rits; Maarten A. Prins; Simon R. Troelstra; Ronald T. van Balen; Yan Zheng; Christiaan J. Beets; Bin Wang; Xiaoqiang Li; Jie Zhou; Hongbo Zheng (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
A detailed study of the uppermost 221 m of drill core LYH‐1 – located in the northern part of the Weihe Basin – reveals considerable environmental variety over the past 1 Myr. Studied parameters include lithofacies, sedimentological properties and micropalaeontological content of selected core‐samples. Present‐day environments in the research area have been used as analogues for past conditions. The palaeoenvironments documented in the sedimentary record are interpreted as shallow lakes, fluvial settings, soils and aeolian environments. The temporal variation of the environments indicates a rapid alternation between climate‐driven wet and dry phases, suggesting that these fluctuations are related to changes in monsoon intensity. However, on a larger temporal scale, the sedimentation and accumulation of water is also affected by local tectonics. End‐member modelling shows that the siliciclastic grain‐size distributions can be ascribed to the mixing of six distinct end‐members. Most of the sediments in core LYH‐1 have similar characteristics to the loess deposits from the Central Loess Plateau. However, the much higher sedimentation rates and sedimentary structures suggest that these sediments consist for a large part of fluvially reworked loess. A broad subdivision of the core into three main intervals can be made, tentatively dated by magnetostratigraphy. From 162 to 221 m (690–1000 ka), brackish wetland conditions with a regular influence from fluvial and/or distal alluvial fan systems prevailed. The interval 90–162 m (330–690 ka) shows more terrestrial settings with occasional hypersaline lakes. From 0 to 90 m (0–330 ka), the environment was a shallow wetland, albeit with a relatively low diversity of aquatic and terrestrial microfossils compared to the lower interval.

A diatom‐inferred record of lake variability during the last 900 years in Lützow–Holm Bay, East Antarctica - Rachel C. Rudd; Jonathan J. Tyler; John Tibby; Yusuke Yokoyama; Ines Tavernier; Elie Verleyen; Manabu Fukui; Yoshinori Takano (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Decadal–centennial‐scale climate variability in coastal Antarctica remains poorly understood due to the limited number of highly resolved, well‐dated records. We present a 900‐year, decadal‐scale reconstruction based on sedimentary diatoms from Lake Abi in Lützow–Holm Bay, East Antarctica. Hydrological change is inferred from diatom ecological preferences in conjunction with an existing regional training set and implies that lake water specific conductivity, depth and nitrogen availability are the key drivers of diatom assemblage change. Lake Abi underwent a series of subtle environmental changes related to these environmental variables, possibly driven by changes in catchment snow melt and the duration of seasonal ice cover. Ordination is used to trace the major patterns of change in the diatom community, with notable shifts identified between 470 and 400 and at ∼350 cal a BP (where present = CE 1950). The frequency of environmental variability at Lake Abi is broadly consistent with a record of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation during the last millennium, but contrasts with the apparent climate stability elsewhere in eastern Antarctica. Further research is required to constrain the limnological and ecological responses of lakes in coastal Antarctica to obtain more rigorous palaeoclimate reconstructions from these sites of immense potential.

Late Quaternary environmental and climate changes registered in lacustrine sediments of the Serra Sul de Carajás, south‐east Amazonia - José Tasso Felix Guimarães; Prafulla Kumar Sahoo; Pedro Walfir M. Souza‐Filho; Clóvis Wagner Maurity; Renato Oliveira Silva Júnior; Francisco Ribeiro Costa; Roberto Dall'Agnol (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Multi‐proxy analyses on sediment cores from two closed basin lakes in the Serra Sul de Carajás were used to reconstruct environmental changes in south‐eastern Amazonia during the late Quaternary. The sediment record between 65 000 and 40 000 cal a BP (older dates with high level of uncertainty) is dominated by organic sediments intercalated with detritus (e.g. Al and Ti), indicating fluctuating lake levels related to changes in precipitation. A period of lower precipitation occurred from 40 000 to 35 000 cal a BP. Between ∼35 000 and 20 000 cal a BP, the dominance of detrital sediments suggests wetter and warmer conditions. However, iron enrichment in a siderite‐rich layer associated with the end of this period coincides with the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting diagenetic changes in the profundal portion of the lakes and indicating a transition from oxidizing to reducing conditions. Subsequently, the period between ∼20 000 and 15 000 cal a BP was marked by a transition from drier to wetter climate, resulting in higher energy flows (e.g. Zr) and increased erosion of the basins. Another drier period was observed between ∼7000 and 3000 cal a BP (low detrital input and high Ca/Ti), when the lake levels were very low and eutrophication was high.

Constraining the time span between the Early Holocene Hässeldalen and Askja‐S Tephras through varve counting in the Lake Czechowskie sediment record, Poland - Florian Ott; Sabine Wulf; Johanna Serb; Michał Słowiński; Milena Obremska; Rik Tjallingii; Mirosław Błaszkiewicz; Achim Brauer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We report the first findings of coexisting early Holocene Hässeldalen and Askja‐S cryptotephras in a varved sediment record in Lake Czechowskie (Poland). A time span of 152 +11/−8 varve years between the two tephras has been revealed by differential dating through varve counting. This is in agreement within the uncertainties with calculations from radiocarbon‐based age models from the non‐varved Hässeldala port record in southern Sweden, but shorter than assumed from the non‐varved lake record on the Faroe Islands. We discuss possible reasons for the observed differences in duration between the two tephras and provide a revised absolute age for the Askja‐S tephra of 11 228 ± 226 cal a BP based on anchoring our floating varve chronology to the absolute timescale by using the Hässeldalen Tephra as dated in the Hässeldala port sediments (11 380 ± 216 cal a BP). This age agrees with radiocarbon age models with larger uncertainty ranges, but is slightly older than radiocarbon‐based age models with narrow uncertainty bands and is even 200–300 years older than the age reported from the Faroe Islands record. In addition to these chronological issues we discuss the possible response of the Czechowskie sediment record to the Preboreal climate oscillation.

Determining the drivers of long‐term aridity variability: a southern African case study - Manuel Chevalier; Brian M. Chase (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
This paper highlights the importance of differentiating between precipitation amount and moisture availability (‘humidity’/‘aridity’) when considering proxy records of climate change. While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, moisture availability is determined by both (i) precipitation amount and (ii) temperature, through its influence on potential evapotranspiration. As many palaeoenvironmental proxies reflect changes in this water balance rather than purely precipitation amount, it is important to distinguish between the potential relative influences of precipitation and temperature if those records are to be interpreted in terms of climate mechanisms and/or compared with model outputs. As a case study, we explore how precipitation and temperature have determined moisture availability in South Africa's summer rainfall zone over the last 45 000 years. Using quantitative reconstructions of mean annual temperature, summer rainfall amount and an aridity index, our analysis reveals strong spatiotemporal variability in the relative influences of precipitation and temperature on aridity. Temperature is shown to have exerted a considerable and even dominant influence on moisture availability, resulting in elevated humidity during the last glacial period, despite significant reductions in precipitation amount.

Taxonomy, location of origin and health status of proboscideans from Western Canada investigated using stable isotope analysis - Jessica Z. Metcalfe; Fred J. Longstaffe; Christopher N. Jass; Grant D. Zazula; Grant Keddie (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We investigated the application of stable isotope analysis of proboscidean remains (collagen in bone/dentin/cementum and structural carbonate in enamel bioapatite) for genus‐level identification of isolated specimens, assessment of geographical origins, and testing for nutritional stress. Mammoths ( Mammuthus sp.) tended to have higher δ 15 N col and lower δ 13 C col than mastodons ( Mammut americanum ), but differences were not significant in every location. Determining the genus of isolated specimens may be possible for locations and time periods with good isotopic baselines, but environmental changes can confound interpretations. For example, an Alberta proboscidean with a δ 15 N col of +1.4‰ (characteristic of mastodons) ultimately proved to be a mammoth. Its surprisingly low nitrogen isotope composition is attributable to the recently deglaciated environment it inhabited. We provided a baseline for isotopic assessment of geographical origins of isolated proboscideans in Western Canada. Bioapatite δ 13 C sc and δ 18 O sc can be used to distinguish specimens from Alberta, Klondike, Old Crow, Herschel Island and further south (e.g. Arizona, Great Lakes). Finally, we found that an Alberta mammoth with morphological evidence of nutritional stress experienced a change in diet, environment or physiology before death, but its isotopic compositions did not suggest a link to hypothesized starvation (catabolism of proteins or reliance on lipids).

The δ 18 O stratigraphy of the Hoxnian lacustrine sequence at Marks Tey, Essex, UK: implications for the climatic structure of MIS 11 in Britain - G. J. Tye; J. Sherriff; I. Candy; P. Coxon; A. Palmer; E. L. McClymont; D. C. Schreve (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11) is considered one of the best analogues for the Holocene. In the UK the long lacustrine sequence at Marks Tey, Essex, spans the entirety of the Hoxnian interglacial, the British correlative of MIS 11c. We present multiproxy evidence from a new 18.5‐m core from this sequence. Lithostratigraphy, pollen stratigraphy and biomarker evidence indicate that these sediments span the pre‐, early and late temperate intervals of this interglacial as well as cold climate sediments that post‐date the Hoxnian. The δ 18 O signal of endogenic carbonate from this sequence produces several clear patterns that are interpreted as reflecting the climatic structure of the interglacial. As well as providing evidence for long‐term climate stability during the interglacial and a major post‐Hoxnian stadial/interstadial oscillation the δ 18 O signal provides strong evidence for abrupt cooling events during the interglacial itself. One of these isotopic events occurs in association with a short‐lived increase in non‐arboreal pollen (the NAP phase). The results presented here are discussed in the context of other MIS 11 records from Europe and the North Atlantic, particularly with respect to our understanding of the occurrence of abrupt climatic events in pre‐Holocene interglacials. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Environmental changes over the past 25 000 years in the southern Middle Atlas, Morocco - Jalal Tabel; Carla Khater; Ali Rhoujjati; Laurent Dezileau; Ilham Bouimetarhan; Matthieu Carre; Laurence Vidal; Abdelfattah Benkaddour; Majda Nourelbait; Rachid Cheddadi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
A new fossil record from the southern Middle Atlas spans continuously the last 25 000 years and provides evidence of an increased amount of snow precipitation during the last glacial period and a warm early Holocene with rather dry climate conditions. This environmental reconstruction is based on a multi‐proxy approach that integrates pollen, micro‐charcoals, grain size and geochemical analysis. During the last glacial period we observe a strong presence of aquatic plants species that today flower during late spring and summer. These occurrences are related to an increased amount of snow precipitation on the surrounding mountains which fed the marsh during the summer season. Although the early Holocene reveals a slight and steady expansion of Mediterranean oaks, the semi‐arid Artemisia steppe remained dominant in the landscape until 6.8 ka cal BP. Thus, the early Holocene seems to have been less humid than elsewhere in North Africa. The Atlas cedars began to establish around 6 ka cal BP. This indicates that the amount of annual rainfall increased after the mid‐Holocene. The late Holocene is marked by an increase of fire events, which may be related to a strengthening of the dry season and/or a higher seasonality.

New magnetostratigraphic and pedostratigraphic investigations of loess deposits in north‐east China and their implications for regional environmental change during the Mid‐Pleistocene climatic transition - Lin Zeng; Huayu Lu; Shuangwen Yi; Yongxiang Li; Anqi Lv; Wenchao Zhang; Zhiwei Xu; Haifeng Wu; Han Feng; Mengchun Cui (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Little is known about the long‐term climatic evolution of north‐eastern (NE) China, because well‐preserved terrestrial paleoenvironmental archives are scarce in this vast region. The extensive loess deposits in the Chifeng region are the thickest and most complete loess–paleosol sequence in NE China, and have significant potential for reconstructing the paleoclimate of the region. Here, we present new high‐resolution magnetostratigraphic results from two loess–paleosol sections in the Chifeng region: the Sanbahuo (SBH) and Toudaojingzi (TDJZ) sections. The results demonstrate that both sections record the Brunhes normal polarity chron and the upper portion of the Matuyama reversed polarity chron. Based on these new results, the base of the TDJZ loess sequence is dated at ca. 1.22 Ma, representing the oldest known loess deposits in NE China. The initiation of loess accumulation in NE China was roughly synchronous with the large expansion of the Eurasian loess belt during the late Early Pleistocene (1.2–0.7 Ma), probably reflecting a widespread intensification of aridity in northern mid‐latitudes. We suggest that global cooling during the Mid‐Pleistocene climatic transition led to increased aridity and more favorable conditions for promoting the availability of silt for entrainment, transport and deposition.

An assessment of ancient DNA preservation in Holocene–Pleistocene fossil bone excavated from the world heritage Naracoorte Caves, South Australia - Alicia Grealy; Amy Macken; Morten E. Allentoft; Nicolas J. Rawlence; Elizabeth Reed; Michael Bunce (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
Although there is a long history of research into the fossil deposits of the Naracoorte Caves (South Australia), ancient DNA (aDNA) has not been integrated into any palaeontological study from this World Heritage site. Here, we provide the first evidence of aDNA preservation in Holocene‐ and Pleistocene‐aged fossil bone from a deposit inside Robertson Cave. Using a combination of metabarcoding and shotgun next‐generation sequencing approaches, we demonstrate that aDNA from diverse taxa can be retrieved from bulk bone as old as 18 600 cal a BP. However, the DNA is highly degraded and contains a lower relative proportion of endogenous sequences in bone older than 8400 cal a BP. Furthermore, modelling of DNA degradation suggests that the decay rate is rapid, and predicts a very low probability of obtaining informative aDNA sequences from extinct megafaunal bones from Naracoorte (ca. 50 000 cal a BP). We also provide new information regarding the past faunal biodiversity of Robertson Cave, including families that have not been formerly described in the fossil record from here before. Collectively, these data demonstrate the potential for future aDNA studies to be conducted on material from Naracoorte, which will aid in the understanding of faunal turnover in southern Australia.

Intensification of Southern Hemisphere westerly winds 2000–1000 years ago: evidence from the subantarctic Campbell and Auckland Islands (52–50°S) - Chris S. M. Turney; Matt M c Glone; Jonathan Palmer; Christopher Fogwill; Alan Hogg; Zoë A. Thomas; Mathew Lipson; Janet M. Wilmshurst; Pavla Fenwick; Richard T. Jones; Ben Hines; Graeme F. Clark (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
The Southern Ocean plays a significant role in driving global climate–ocean–carbon dynamics. Unfortunately, a relative dearth of datasets across the region limits our ability to understand past and future mechanisms of change. Here we report a new dataset from the south‐west Pacific: radiocarbon‐dated subfossil tree stumps ( Dracophyllum ) eroding out from peat exposures on Campbell and Auckland Islands (52–50°S). Dracophyllum are the southernmost growing trees in the south‐west Pacific and their growth on exposed sites and at altitude is strongly controlled by the prevailing westerly airflow, providing a unique measure of past changes in zonal wind strength. Here we demonstrate a significant collapse in the altitudinal limit of growth between approximately 2000 and 1000 years ago (hereafter 2–1 ka), consistent with other records across the Southern Hemisphere that indicate westerly airflow was significantly enhanced. Importantly, this period in the late Holocene was one of marked change across the broader region, suggesting westerly airflow played a key role in driving Southern Ocean variability at this time.

A deglaciation model of the Oberhasli, Switzerland - Christian Wirsig; Jerzy Zasadni; Susan Ivy‐Ochs; Marcus Christl; Florian Kober; Christian Schlüchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
We combine 10 Be surface exposure ages from boulders and bedrock, field observations and measurement of bedrock ice‐flow direction indicators with numerical ice surface models to develop a model of the evolution of the Oberhasli area in the central Swiss Alps from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the early Holocene. Surface exposure ages from bedrock and boulder samples imply that the highest ice surface at the glacial trimline in Haslital was attained at 23.0 ± 0.8 ka. Significant retreat followed no later than 17.7 ± 0.8 ka. Several boulders were let down on the Gelmerhörner ridge during lowering of the ice surface of the Aare LGM glacier. Their exposure ages of 16–14 ka suggest that patches of remnant ice persisted on the trough shoulder until the Bølling–Allerød interstadial. Lateglacial glacier systems in the High Alps were of a dendritic character, confined to the trunk valleys and cirques. Based on combined evidence from glacial erosional marks, surface exposure ages and numerical modelling we have been able to constrain the likely terminal position and ice surface of the Egesen stadial glacier (Younger Dryas equivalent) in Haslital. Exposure ages from the trough floor imply that deglaciation was completed at the end of the Younger Dryas at 12.2–10.8 ka.

Holocene freshwater wetland and mangrove dynamics in the eastern Kimberley, Australia - Ulrike Proske (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2016)
In 1990, the freshwater wetlands and mangroves near Wyndham, north‐west Australia, were Ramsar‐listed due to their ecological importance. To understand wetland formation and stability over time, two sediment cores from the King River and one from the Parry Lagoons wetlands were analysed using sedimentological and palynological techniques. During postglacial sea‐level rise, mangroves extended across all sites and were supported by enhanced freshwater input. Between 7.4 and 6.3k cal a BP the mangrove forest contracted, probably driven by sea‐level stabilization, and hypersaline mudflats, reflecting the onset of drier climatic conditions, developed along the King River. After 6.3k cal a BP mangrove diversity declined, probably linked to peak dryness around 4k cal a BP. The Parry Lagoons wetlands are at least approx. 600 years old and their development is probably related to an increase in effective precipitation since approx. 1k cal a BP. The region's mangroves could be considered relatively stable under changing climate as they are still present today, although reduced in biodiversity and areal extent. The early phases of development of the Parry Lagoons freshwater systems cannot be resolved but given the character of these wetlands, freshwater input appears to be the vital driver of ecosystem functioning.

Late Devensian deglaciation of the Tyne Gap Palaeo‐Ice Stream, northern England - Stephen J. Livingstone; David H. Roberts; Bethan J. Davies; David J. A. Evans; Colm Ó Cofaigh; Delia M. Gheorghiu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2015)
The deglacial history of the central sector of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet is poorly constrained, particularly along major ice‐stream flow paths. The Tyne Gap Palaeo‐Ice Stream (TGIS) was a major fast‐flow conduit of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation. We reconstruct the pattern and constrain the timing of retreat of this ice stream using cosmogenic radionuclide ( 10 Be) dating of exposed bedrock surfaces, radiocarbon dating of lake cores and geomorphological mapping of deglacial features. Four of the five 10 Be samples produced minimum ages between 17.8 and 16.5 ka. These were supplemented by a basal radiocarbon date of 15.7 ± 0.1 cal ka BP, in a core recovered from Talkin Tarn in the Brampton Kame Belt. Our new geochronology indicates progressive retreat of the TGIS from 18.7 to 17.1 ka, and becoming ice free before 16.4–15.7 ka. Initial retreat and decoupling of the TGIS from the North Sea Lobe is recorded by a prominent moraine 10–15 km inland of the present‐day coast. This constrains the damming of Glacial Lake Wear to a period before ∼18.7–17.1 ka in the area deglaciated by the contraction of the TGIS. We suggest that retreat of the TGIS was part of a regional collapse of ice‐dispersal centres between 18 and 16 ka.

Later Holocene vegetation history of the Isles of Scilly, UK: coastal influence and human land use in a small island context - Marta Perez; Ralph M. Fyfe; Dan J. Charman; W. Roland Gehrels (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2015)
Small islands tend to experience exacerbated environmental/social vulnerabilities, due to isolation, size and a small resource base. The response of social communities to environmental stress can be addressed by compiling palaeoecological proxies for land management alongside archaeological records. This paper presents pollen data from four new late Holocene sequences that lie around sea‐level on the Isles of Scilly (south‐west England), to understand the impact of coastal change on island communities. Interpretation of sequences near the coastal zone can be confounded by problems in disentangling human impact from maritime and wetland influence. Multivariate analysis is used to separate samples influenced by maritime conditions and wetland development from ‘inland’ human land management practices. During the Bronze Age clearance of woodland resulted in an intensively managed pastoral system and archaeological datasets indicate that maritime resources formed an important part of the subsistence economy. Despite coastal change that resulted in loss of land area and reduced the extent of the intertidal zone, the pollen data and evidence from existing archaeological data show continuity through later prehistory and into the medieval period. The archaeological data and pollen evidence point towards a highly resilient community that employed a mixed and varied subsistence base.

Late Holocene fluctuations of Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru, registered by nearby lake sediments - Justin S. Stroup; Meredith A. Kelly; Thomas V. Lowell; Colby A. Smith; Samuel A. Beal; Joshua D. Landis; Pedro M. Tapia (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2015)
Records of clastic sediment from lakes that receive glacial meltwater provide a means for inferring past glacial fluctuations. However, increased clastic sedimentation has been interpreted to indicate both glacial advance and recession. Here we examine the timing of clastic sediment deposition in Challpacocha, a glacially fed lake located downvalley from Quelccaya Ice Cap (QIC), Peru, in comparison with known ice cap margin fluctuations. Using a comparison with a nearby non‐glacial lake, Yanacocha, we document that a record of clastic sediment flux from Challpacocha reflects meltwater‐derived sediment. We then compare the clastic sediment record from Challpacocha with the Qori Kalis glacier moraine record. We find that organic‐rich sediment was deposited primarily during the late Holocene advance of QIC (before ∼CE 1490). In contrast, clastic sediment was deposited during QIC recession (∼CE 1490–1970). Peaks in clastic sediment flux are associated with the onset of ice retreat. We suggest that this pattern of clastic sediment deposition reflects changing meltwater production and/or glacial erosion during ice advance and retreat and supports models of increased clastic sedimentation during ice retreat.

Cosmogenic dating of Late Pleistocene glaciation, southern tropical Andes, Peru - Jeremy D. Shakun; Peter U. Clark; Shaun A. Marcott; Edward J. Brook; Nathaniel A. Lifton; Marc Caffee; William R. Shakun (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2015)
We present 30 10 Be dates on three moraines formed by small glaciers in the southern tropical Andes of Peru to determine the timing of the local Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and subsequent deglaciation. Two terminal moraines indicate that the local LGM ended at 23.5 ± 0.5 and 21.2 ± 0.8 ka, or well before the end of the global LGM (20–19 ka). A recessional moraine perched at the base of a steep valley wall has a 10 Be age of 19.8 ± 0.3 ka, suggesting that glaciers had largely retreated from the area during the earliest stages of the last termination and before the onset of the deglacial CO 2 rise and increase in tropical sea surface temperatures. These ages generally agree with other tropical glacial chronologies and reflect a broad synchroneity between low‐ and high‐latitude deglaciation at the LGM, but the trigger for early deglaciation of the tropics remains unclear.

The distribution and climatic implications of periglacial landforms in eastern Australia - Adrian Slee; James Shulmeister (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2015)
Mapping of over 4000 block deposits and scree slopes in eastern Australia is used to determine the extent of past strong freeze–thaw activity. Freeze–thaw landforms are common in the high country as far north as 30°S. There is a clear association between the locations of relict periglacial landforms and areas that receive more than 50 modern frost days. We infer about 10.5 °C cooling north of 35°S in the Diving Range, about 9 °C in the Australian Alps and about 5 °C in Tasmania during the phases when the lowest block deposits were active. An unexpected observation is the importance of precipitation in the distribution of block deposits north of 35°S. Here, the majority of block deposits have a southerly or westerly aspect, and lie in a narrow modern precipitation band of ca. 900–1050 mm. To the east, high‐elevation areas appear to have weaker diurnal oscillations limiting freeze–thaw activity. To the west, block deposits are absent, probably due to insufficient moisture to drive freeze–thaw processes. We cannot define specific last glaciation precipitation but the maintenance of a strong east–west precipitation gradient during glacial times is consistent with the maintenance of onshore easterlies during cold periods.

Quantitative palaeotemperature estimates based on fossil chydorid ephippia: calibration and validation of a novel method for northern lakes - Tomi P. Luoto; Liisa Nevalainen; Seija Kultti; Kaarina Sarmaja‐Korjonen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2015)
To fully utilize palaeolimnological archives for tracking past environmental changes, methodological advances are necessary. We present a novel method to quantitatively reconstruct past summer air temperatures based on fossil chydorid (Cladocera: Chydoridae) ephippia assemblages. We examined a 76‐lake training set from Finland for chydorid ephippia distribution to develop a transfer function for summer air temperatures. Subsequently, we tested its usability in downcore reconstructions by inferring Holocene temperatures from Lake Arapisto in southern Finland. Significant climate‐related variation was found in the distribution and abundance of chydorid ephippia in the training set. A transfer function for palaeotemperature reconstructions was developed using the partial least squares technique, which showed favourable performance statistics, enabling the test use of the model in a downcore reconstruction. The ephippia assemblages were responding to the Holocene climate development in the Lake Arapisto core. The ephippium‐inferred temperatures correlated closely with the previously available independent palaeoclimate data from Lake Arapisto and from an adjacent lake, although the early Holocene samples had poor modern analogues in the training set. The use of fossil chydorid ephippia in palaeoclimatological reconstructions is a promising tool and it can contribute as a valuable addition for multiproxy assessments of past climate changes.