Climate and vegetation variations since the LGM recorded by biomarkers from a sediment core in the northern South China Sea - Bin Zhou; Hongbo Zheng; Wenguang Yang; David Taylor; Yuehan Lu; Ganjian Wei; Li Li; Hui Wang (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Variations in stable carbon isotopic compositions of n ‐alkanes (δ 13 C alk ) and n ‐alkane proxies (CPI, C 31 /C 27 and ACL) from core MD05‐2905 (20° 08.17′ N, 117° 21.6′ E) in the northern South China Sea (SCS), provided evidence of biological responses on adjacent land areas in the form of changes in terrestrial vegetation and provenance of the remains of land plants during and since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Decreased values of n ‐alkane proxies and δ 13 C alk over the last 28 ka marked the transition from glacial to interglacial conditions and indicated a greater extent of herbaceous vegetation at the LGM than present and an increased abundance in woody vegetation during the Holocene. Relatively larger δ 13 C alk values at the LGM indicated that n ‐alkanes of terrestrial herbs in the sediment core were not only from the leaf waxes of C 3 plants, such as herbs of Artemisia , growing on proximate parts of the exposed continental shelf, but also from C 4 grasses likely from subtropical parts of southeastern China and Taiwan Island. Reconstructed sea‐surface temperatures (SSTs), based on $U_{37}^{K'} $ data from the same core, revealed that temperatures were ∼3°C lower than present during the LGM, with abrupt variations during both glacial and interglacial periods. During the LGM, lower temperature and sea level and greater aridity relative to present resulted in an expansion of herbaceous vegetation over an enlarged extent of exposed continental shelf. Following deglaciation, warming and enhanced summer monsoonal activity led to increased humidity and to an expansion of woody vegetation (mostly C 3 plants) during the Holocene. Results also revealed rapid oscillations in C 31 /C 27 ratios over millennial scales, with lower values associated with cold stages. These low C 31 /C 27 ratios indicated increased input of woody plant material possibly from more extensive gallery forest and greater transport of their plant debris to the coring site, perhaps facilitated by enhanced runoff under a strengthened Northern Hemisphere winter monsoon during short‐duration cold events. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Strengthening of paleo‐typhoon and autumn rainfall in Taiwan corresponding to the Southern Oscillation at late Holocene - Huei‐Fen Chen; Shie‐Ying Wen; Shen‐Rong Song; Tien‐Nan Yang; Teh‐Quei Lee; Sue‐Fen Lin; Shih‐Chieh Hsu; Kuo‐Yen Wei; Ping‐Yu Chang; Pai‐Sen Yu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The purpose of this study is to improve prehistoric knowledge of paleo‐typhoon and winter monsoon activity in the western North Pacific after 8 cal. ka BP. We examine two sediment cores derived from lakes located to the south and north of the Ilan Plain in northeastern Taiwan. Seasonal and typhoon rainfall data over the past several decades are collected for this study region. We also use mineral indicators, K/Rb ratios and grain size to estimate sediment sources, intensity of chemical weathering and rainfall intensity. The results show that the chemical weathering index (K/Rb ratio) of Meihua Lake indicates the continuing effects of autumn rainfall, while coarse grain sizes of Dahu Lake sediments suggest increased intensity in typhoon rainfall. Grain size results reveal that increasing El Niño–Southern Oscillation intensity in the tropical Pacific has intensified the activity of super typhoons in the western North Pacific. Finally, we find that frequent activity of super paleo‐typhoons occurred in Taiwan during the La Niña‐like state, and the strengthening winter monsoon activity and higher sea surface temperature enhanced plentiful autumn rainfall in El Niño‐like state. After comparing our results with the paleo‐typhoon data in Japan and south China, we suggest that the tracks of super typhoon are mainly affected by variations in the warm pool and subtropical Northwestern Pacific High in the western Pacific. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Western Pacific paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology: Land–Sea linkage and variability of centennial to orbital scales (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)

Influences of extratropical water masses on equatorial Pacific cold tongue variability during the past 160 ka as revealed by faunal evidence of planktic foraminifers - Pai‐Sen Yu; Markus Kienast; Min‐Te Chen; Isabel Cacho; Jos Abel Flores; Mahyar Mohtadi; Alan C. Mix (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Glacial cooling (∼1–5°C) in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) cold tongue is often attributed to increased equatorial upwelling, stronger advection from the Peru–Chile Current (PCC), and to the more remote subpolar southeastern Pacific water mass. However, evidence is scarce for identifying unambiguously which process plays a more important role in driving the large glacial cooling in the EEP. To address this question, here we adopt a faunal calibration approach using planktic foraminifers with a new compilation of coretop data from the eastern Pacific, and present new downcore variation data of fauna assemblage and estimated sea surface temperatures (SSTs) for the past 160 ka (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6) from ODP Site 1240 in the EEP. With significant improvement achieved by adding more coretop data from the eastern boundary current, our downcore calibration results indicate that most of the glacial cooling episodes over the past 160 ka in the EEP are attributable to increased influence from the subpolar water mass from high latitudes of the southern Pacific. By applying this new calibration of the fauna SST transfer function to a latitudinal transect of eastern Pacific (EP) cores, we find that the subpolar water mass has been a major dynamic contributor to EEP cold tongue cooling since MIS 6. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Centennial‐scale winter monsoon variability in the northern East China Sea during the Holocene - Takahiro Nakanishi; Masanobu Yamamoto; Ryuji Tada; Hirokuni Oda (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The East China Sea (ECS) responds to changes in the strength of the Kuroshio and East Asian monsoon activity. Multidecadal resolution records of the palaeotemperature indices ${\rm TEX}_{{\rm 86}}^{{\rm H}} $ and $U_{37}^{K'} $ from core KY07‐04 PC‐1 show that the hydrology of the ECS responded to variability in the East Asian winter monsoon. Unlike Mg/Ca‐derived sea surface temperatures, which show neither warming nor cooling trends during the Holocene, the ${\rm TEX}_{{\rm 86}}^{{\rm H}} $ record showed a general warming trend at a rate of 0.2°C ka −1 . This warming was attributable to shrinkage of the Yellow Sea Central Cold Water and/or weaker winter cooling of the surface water. The ${\rm TEX}_{{\rm 86}}^{{\rm H}} $ record indicated a centennial‐scale variability with an ∼1°C amplitude superimposed on the warming trend that reflected changes in the East Asian winter monsoon and/or the Kuroshio. Temperature minima appeared at ca. 3.0, 4.7, 6.2, 7.9 and 9.0 ka, and spectral analysis of the last 7 ka revealed significant peaks with periodicities of approximately 210, 250, and 440 years that were close to those observed in solar radiation. The reconstructed winter monsoon variability is consistent with Chinese documentary records for the last two millennia. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sea level at the last glacial maximum, constrained by oxygen isotopic curves of planktonic foraminifera in the Japan Sea - Tadamichi Oba; Tomohisa Irino (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The Japan Sea is connected with the Okhotsk Sea and Northwest Pacific through three straits, viz. Mamiya (Tartarskiy), Soya and Tsugaru, and with the East China Sea through Tsushima Strait, all having sill depths of 18 O PF ) of the planktonic foraminifera. The δ 18 O PF exhibits extremely low values (∼0.5‰ vs. Belemnite from Pedee formation, South Carolina: PDB) during the last two glacial maxima, ca. 20 ka (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2.2) and ca. 140 ka (MIS 6.2). These decreases are in contrast to the expected generally high glacial values of >3‰ recorded in the MIS 3–4 sections of the studied cores. This observation indicates nearly similar surface water conditions in the Japan Sea during both the previous glacial maxima, and hence suggests negligible effect of strait tectonics on the sea level since the last 140 ka. Low δ 18 O PF values with small amplitude are also observed at the cold stage MIS 6.4, but not observed at another cold stage MIS 4.2. This observation suggests that the low‐salinity surface water in the Japan Sea started to develop at the sea level between MIS 4.2 and 6.4. Judging from the cross‐section of the Tsushima Strait and the sea floor topography of the East China Sea, the sea level between MIS 4.2 and 6.4 must have been between 90 m and 100 m below the present. From a proportional relationship between the standard δ 18 O curve (LR04) in deep‐sea cores and globally averaged sea‐level change, the eustatic sea level obtained for the LGM is 120 ± 7 m below the present. Thus the Japan Sea, in a far‐field location from the continental ice sheets, provides an important clue for estimation of the eustatic sea level at the LGM. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reconstruction of environmental changes using a multi‐proxy approach in the Ulleung Basin (Sea of Japan) over the last 48 ka - Jianjun Zou; Xuefa Shi; Yanguang Liu; Jihua Liu; Kandasamy Selvaraj; Shuh‐Ji Kao (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Based on elemental geochemical data, we reconstructed the sediment provenance, surface productivity and bottom water redox conditions for the last 48 ka in the Ulleung Basin (Sea of Japan) and inferred the factors controlling them. Al 2 O 3 /TiO 2 ratio and chemical index of alteration (CIA) suggest that sediment provenance changed during the glacial period (48–18 ka) compared to the deglacial (ca. 18–11 ka) and Holocene. Mass accumulation rates of total organic carbon (TOC), CaCO 3 , phosphorus, cadmium and excess barium reveal low paleoproductivity during low sea stand. During 18–11 ka, productivity increased due to increasing inflow of nutrient‐rich water masses – the Oyashio and the East China Sea coastal water – in tandem with the rising sea level. Maximum productivity occurred during Younger Dryas and Pre‐boreal periods when sea level was at ∼ −60 m and then gradually decreased as the Tsushima Warm Current inflow kicked off at ca. 9.3 ka, consistent with other paleoredox proxies, which reveal the presence of anoxic bottom water during ca. 12–9 ka. With the changes in paleoredox proxies and their ratios (TOC, Mo, U, Mn, C/S ratio and U authigenic and Mo contents), we hypothesized that the redox changes were mainly ventilation driven and were superimposed on the influence of circulation‐induced productivity changes. The global climate and sea‐level changes on a millennial timescale play a major role in enhancing paleoproductivity and restrict bottom water advection, subsequently driving the oxygenation of bottom water in the Ulleung Basin. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Speleothem evidence for temporal–spatial variation in the East Asian Summer Monsoon since the Medieval Warm Period - Peter C. Chu; Hong‐Chun Li; Chenwu Fan; Yong‐Heng Chen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Published annual‐to‐decadal‐resolution stalagmite δ 18 O records since AD 900 from six caves (Dongge, Furong, Heshang, Buddha, Shihua and Wanxiang) in China were analyzed to detect temporal and spatial variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon strength, which strongly affects wet/dry conditions in eastern China. The empirical mode decomposition method was used to obtain trends of the six cave records. After the base trend was determined, δ 18 O anomalies of each record were computed by subtracting the base trend. Mean δ 18 O anomaly values of the detrended time series for each cave record were calculated for four periods: (i) Medieval Warm Period (MWP; AD 900–1250): (ii) Little Ice Age phase 1 (LIA‐1; AD 1250–1550); (iii) Little Ice Age phase 2 (LIA‐2; AD 1550–1850); and (iv) modern period (MD; AD 1850–2000). From these anomalies, the temporal and spatial variability of wet/dry conditions has been identified. Positive values of the mean δ 18 O anomalies indicating drier conditions appeared in the lower Yangtze River Drainage Area and Southeast Coast Area during MD‐1, LIA‐1 and MWP, whereas negative values existed in north, south and Yangtze areas of eastern China during LIA‐2. The results agree with the dryness/wetness index reconstructed by Chinese historic records in general. These results illustrate that wet and dry conditions in different regions of eastern China could be opposite under monsoon influence, so that no single speleothem δ 18 O record could represent the monsoonal climate in this vast region. Climatic patterns in the monsoonal region can be either a combination of warm/wet and cold/dry or a combination of cold/wet and warm/dry on annual‐to‐centennial scales. A 128‐year periodic cycle exists in all six cave records, whereas 64‐year (possibly a harmonic of 128‐year periodicity) and 42‐year periodicities appear in Shihua, Heshang and Dongge records. These cycles may reflect the influence of solar activity on the East Asian Summer Monsoon. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fluctuations in the late Quaternary East Asian winter monsoon recorded in sediment records of surface water cooling in the northern Japan Sea - Ken Ikehara; Kazuho Fujine (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The East Asian monsoon climate system involves interactions between land and ocean and is composed of summer and winter monsoons. Cooling of surface water by the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) promotes the formation of sea ice and deep water in the northern Japan Sea. Modern observations suggest close relationships between intensification of the EAWM and both sea ice formation and sea‐surface temperature (SST) decrease in the northeastern Japan Sea. Records of ice‐rafted debris (IRD) and alkenone‐based SST in the northeastern Japan Sea are examined to clarify the temporal variability of the EAWM and its controlling factors. Close relationships with oxygen isotope records of Chinese stalagmites and Northern Hemisphere summer insolation are observed in the records of IRD occurrence and SST during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 3–5. The co‐occurrence of maxima in the abundance of IRD and minima in SST in the northeastern Japan Sea indicates that the intensity of the EAWM was enhanced during periods of low summer insolation and high oxygen isotope ratios in Chinese stalagmites. Decoupling between the IRD and SST records during MIS 2 and MIS 6 might be the result of differences in surface water conditions caused by low sea levels and the resultant closure of the Tsushima Strait. During MIS 3 and 4, some small but clear maxima in IRD and minima in SST occurred at relatively low summer insolation periods. Some of these peaks co‐occur with North Atlantic Heinrich events, suggesting a possible climate linkage between the North Atlantic and the Asian monsoon. The presence of finer fluctuations in the occurrence of IRD than in summer insolation suggests finer millennial–centurial timescale fluctuations in the intensity of the EAWM. Furthermore, some IRD peaks occurred during periods of high insolation, such as 39, 86, 103, 128, 145, and 153 ka. Some of these IRD peaks correlate with minima in reconstructed SST and maxima in oxygen isotope ratios of Chinese stalagmites. This result suggests that extremely cold winters occur even during periods of enhanced East Asian summer monsoon intensity, and indicates that solar insolation is not the only factor that controls variations in the intensity of the EAWM at millennial–centurial timescales. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Construction of an evolutionary deglaciation model for the Irish midlands based on the integration of morphostratigraphic and geophysical data analyses - Xavier M. Pellicer; William P. Warren; Paul Gibson; Rogelio Linares (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Alternative, established models for the deglaciation of the midlands of Ireland are tested against an interpretation of a suite of deglacial sediments covering an area of 600 km 2 in the east central midland area. Interpretation of the sediments is based on geomorphological mapping, lithostratigraphic characterization of exposures and geotechnical data supported by electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground penetrating radar (GPR). GPR depicted small‐scale sedimentological and deformational structures within low‐conductivity soft sediments, such as cross‐bedding, planar bedding, channel‐like features and faulting planes, and revealed the internal architecture of eskers, glaciodeltas, subaqueous fans and raised bogs. ERT data permitted the detection of depth to bedrock and the lithological characterization of unconsolidated sediments. The ten sites presented were surveyed by traditional mapping methods and/or geophysical techniques. This allowed the construction of a local model of the deglaciation of the area which recognized five main stages. An ice sheet covering most of Ireland withdrew as a single body as far as the midlands. At this stage, two main directions of ice retreat are identified from the spatial distribution of meltwater/overflow channels, esker and morainic ridges, and ice‐marginal glaciolacustrine deposits. A pattern of deglacial sedimentation into an expanding ice‐marginal glacial lake is depicted. The glacial lake was dammed to the west by two ice dome fronts, one decaying to the north‐west and another to the south‐west, and by the Shannon Basin watershed to the east. Glacial lake outlets identified along the watershed and the altitude of the topset/foreset interface zone depicted in glaciodeltaic deposits allowed the identification of three lake water levels. The highest level is at 87–89 m Ordnance Datum (OD), the second lake level at 84 m OD and the third at 78 m OD. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Can rapidly accumulating Holocene peat profiles provide sub‐decadal resolution proxy climate data? - Matthew J. Amesbury; Keith E. Barber; Paul D. M. Hughes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
To test the potential for developing sub‐decadal resolution records of ombrotrophic bog surface wetness (BSW), selected abrupt climate events were identified in cores from four sites in north‐west Europe and time‐slices over each event were investigated at 2–5‐mm resolution using peat humification, testate amoeba and plant macrofossil analyses. Age–depth models based on radiocarbon, spheroidal carbonaceous particle and tephra dates were applied and the error in these models was used to determine the effective temporal sampling resolution, which in most cases was sub‐decadal. Fine‐resolution results revealed some inconsistencies in the co‐variability of individual proxies and there was a lack of correspondence between some results from adjacent cores. However, we found evidence of abrupt shifts in BSW occurring over ca. 5–20 years, indicating a more rapid proxy response than identified in previous research. To maximize potential temporal resolution and produce reliable sub‐decadal BSW data in future research, we recommended that peat‐based studies should obtain the best possible chronological control, focus on sites with high species diversity and rapid accumulation rates and perform replicate coring, or use open peat sections where the stratigraphy can be clearly seen, to assess intra‐site differences in microtopography. Site‐specific factors should be a primary consideration in the selection of sites for future fine‐resolution research. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An east–west‐trending Quaternary tunnel valley in the south‐eastern North Sea and its seismic–sedimentological interpretation - Daniel A. Hepp; Dierk Hebbeln; Stefan Kreiter; Hanno Keil; Christian Bathmann; Jürgen Ehlers; Tobias Mörz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A combination of a dense reflection seismic grid and up to 50‐m‐long records from sediment cores and cone penetration tests was used to study the geometry and infill lithology of an E–W‐trending buried tunnel valley in the south‐eastern North Sea. In relation to previously known primarily N–S‐trending tunnel valleys in this area, the geometry and infill of this 38‐km‐long and up to 3‐km‐wide valley is comparable, but its E–W orientation is exceptional. The vertical cross‐section geometry may result from subglacial sediment erosion of advancing ice streams and secondary incision by large episodic meltwater discharges with high flow rates. The infill is composed of meltwater sands and reworked till remnants on the valley flanks that are overlain by late Elsterian rhythmic, laminated, lacustrine fine‐grained sediments towards the centre of the valley. A depression in the valley centre is filled with sediments most likely from the Holsteinian transgression and a subsequent post‐Holsteinian lacustrine quiet‐water setting. The exceptional axis orientation of this tunnel valley points to a regional N–S‐oriented ice front during the late Elsterian. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multiproxy record for the last 4500 years from Lake Shkodra (Albania/Montenegro) - Giovanni Zanchetta; Aurelien Van Welden; Ilaria Baneschi; Russell Drysdale; Laura Sadori; Neil Roberts; Marco Giardini; Christian Beck; Vincenzo Pascucci; Roberto Sulpizio (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A multi‐proxy record is presented for approximately the last 4500 cal a BP from Lake Shkodra, Albania/Montenegro. Lithological analyses, C/N ratio and δ 13 C of the organic and inorganic carbon component suggest that organic matter and bulk carbonate are predominantly authigenic. The δ 18 O record of bulk carbonate indicates the presence of two prominent wet periods: one at ca. 4300 cal a BP and one at ca. 2500–2000 cal a BP. The latter phase is also found in southern Spain and Central Italy, and represents a prominent event in the western and central Mediterranean. In the last 2000 years, four relatively wet intervals occurred between ca. 1800 and 1500 cal a BP (150–450 AD), 1350–1250 (600–700 AD), 1100–800 (850–1150 AD), and at ca. 90 cal a BP (1860 AD). Between ca. 4100 and 2500 cal a BP δ 18 O values are relatively high, with three prominent peaks indicating drier conditions at ca. 4100–4000 cal a BP, ca. 3500 and at ca. 3300 cal a BP. Four additional drier events are identified at 1850 (ca. 100 AD), 1400 (ca. 550 AD), 1150 (800 AD) and ca.750 cal a BP (1200 AD). The pollen record does not show changes in accordance with these episodes owing to the poor sensitivity of vegetation in this area, which is dominated by an orographic rainfall effect and where changes in altitudinal vegetation belts do not affect the pollen rain in the lake catchment. However, since ca. 900 cal a BP a significant decrease in the percentage arboreal pollen and in pollen concentrations suggest major deforestation produced by human activities. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A diatom‐based reconstruction of summer sea‐surface salinity in the Southern Okinawa Trough, East China Sea, over the last millennium - Dongling Li; Mads Faurschou Knudsen; Hui Jiang; Jesper Olsen; Meixun Zhao; Tiegang Li; Karen Luise Knudsen; Marit‐Solveig Seidenkrantz; Longbin Sha (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A high‐resolution diatom record from site MD05‐2908 in the Southern Okinawa Trough, East China Sea, reveals pronounced multidecadal‐ to centennial‐scale palaeoceanographic changes throughout the last millennium. Summer sea‐surface salinity (SSS) was reconstructed using a weighted averaging partial least squares diatom‐based training set. The reconstructed SSS shows slightly decreasing values during the period AD 905–1930 with considerable fluctuations superimposed on this general trend. Relatively high‐salinity conditions during the interval AD 905–1450 probably suggest a low flood frequency in north‐eastern Taiwan. Furthermore, the high SSS values are associated with a strong and stable influence of the Kuroshio Current on the Southern Okinawa Trough during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. The period AD 1450–1930 is characterized by three low‐salinity intervals (AD 1450–1500, AD 1625–1725 and AD 1770–1880) separated by periods of relatively high salinity. The low SSS intervals indicate increased freshwater discharge into the Southern Okinawa Trough during the Little Ice Age, probably as a result of higher flood frequencies in north‐eastern Taiwan. Spectral and wavelet analyses suggest that this pattern was linked to multidecadal variations in summer SSS, presumably associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Influence of landscape evolution on the distribution of floristic patterns in northern Amazonia revealed by δ 13 C data - H. Zani; D. F. Rossetti; M. L. C. Cohen; L. C. R. Pessenda; E. H. Cremon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The Amazonian lowlands include large patches of open vegetation which contrast sharply with the rainforest, and the origin of these patches has been debated. This study focuses on a large area of open vegetation in northern Brazil, where δ 13 C and, in some instances, C/N analyses of the organic matter preserved in late Quaternary sediments were used to achieve floristic reconstructions over time. The main goal was to determine when the modern open vegetation started to develop in this area. The variability in δ 13 C data derived from nine cores ranges from −32.2 to −19.6‰, but with nearly 60% of data above −26.5‰. The most enriched values were detected only in ecotone and open vegetated areas. The development of open vegetation communities was asynchronous, varying between estimated ages of 6400 and 3000 cal a BP. This suggests that the origin of the studied patches of open vegetation might be linked to sedimentary dynamics of a late Quaternary megafan system. As sedimentation ended, this vegetation type became established over the megafan surface. In addition, the data presented here show that the presence of C 4 plants must be used carefully as a proxy to interpret dry paleoclimatic episodes in Amazonian areas. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Geomorphic and chronometric evidence for high lake level history in Gahai Lake and Toson Lake of north‐eastern Qaidam Basin, north‐eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau - Qishun Fan; Haizhou Ma; Guangchao Cao; Zongyan Chen; Shengkui Cao (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Palaeoshorelines, highstand lacustrine sediments and lakeshore terraces are preserved around saline lakes in the arid Qaidam Basin. Previous research indicates that the chronology of a mega‐paleolake in the Qaidam Basin during the late Pleisotocene is controversial. Here we report quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age estimates of highstand lacustrine sediments, shoreline features and geomorphic exposures that contribute to a revision of the lake level history of Gahai and Toson lakes in the north‐eastern Qaidam Basin, on the northeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) margin. The results imply that: (i) high lake levels at Gahai and Toson lakes based on quartz OSL dating occurred at 85–72, 63–55, 31, 5.4 and 0.9–0.7 ka, probably corresponding to periods of warm and wet climate; (ii) periods of high lake levels are almost synchronous with other lakes on the QTP (e.g. Qinghai and Namco lakes), with the highest late Pleistocene levels occurring during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 5; and (iii) highstand phases on the QTP are out of phase with those of low‐latitude lakes in the southern hemisphere, possibly driven by solar insolation variability in the low‐latitude region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climatic variations in MIS 11 recorded by stable isotopes and trace elements in a French tufa (La Celle, Seine Valley) - Julie Dabkowski; Nicole Limondin‐Lozouet; Pierre Antoine; Julian Andrews; Alina Marca‐Bell; Vincent Robert (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 palaeoclimate has so far been documented in marine and ice sheet isotopic records. However, excepting some lacustrine pollen records, very little is known about palaeoclimatic conditions in continental areas. This study uses geochemical records in calcareous tufa deposits from rivers as a basis for reconstructing temperate palaeoclimatic conditions. Tufa deposits are now proven to record high‐quality palaeoclimatic information in recent to Holocene deposits. Work on older interglacial tufas is just starting and in this paper we present the first comprehensive results from a MIS 11 tufa. The tufa comes from the Seine Valley (La Celle, northern France). Geochemical data in the tufa calcite are interpreted to record primarily air temperature (δ 18 O) and humidity (δ 13 C and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca). The combined data identify a warm and wet climatic optimum followed by two temperature decreases associated with oscillations in humidity. These marked climatic variations recorded through the La Celle profile are strongly coherent with the palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from malacological data. The abrupt climatic and environmental events recorded could be related to short‐term degradation of vegetation cover in Europe, which is itself controlled by global palaeoclimatic events. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Common temperature signal in four well‐replicated tree growth series from northern Fennoscandia - M. Lindholm; T. Aalto; H. Grudd; D. Mccarroll; M. Ogurtsov; R. Jalkanen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Four Nordic temperature proxies based on tree growth at the northern timberline – ring‐width from Sweden and Finland, maximum latewood density from Sweden, and height increment from Finland – were compared. Three indexing methods were used to enhance the low (centennial and above), medium (decadal‐to‐multidecadal) and high (decadal‐to‐interannual) frequencies. The proxies are shown to have a strong temperature signal (common variance) at the interannual‐to‐multidecadal scale, while the multidecadal‐to‐centennial trends are less coherent, perhaps reflecting intra‐regional differences in growing conditions but more likely due to the more noisy regional curve standardization method used to retain the longest trends. Various methods of combining the four proxy series were explored and tested by comparison with four long temperature records from northern Fennoscandia. Only relatively high‐frequency, spline‐indexed series produced consistently positive verification statistics as a reconstruction model for summer temperature using all four proxies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Flooding of the continental shelves as a contributor to deglacial CH 4 rise - Andy Ridgwell; Mark Maslin; Jed O. Kaplan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The transition from the last glacial and beginning of Bølling–Allerød and Pre‐Boreal periods in particular is marked by rapid increases in atmospheric methane (CH 4 ) concentrations. The CH 4 concentrations reached during these intervals, ∼650–750 ppb, is twice that at the last glacial maximum and is not exceeded until the onset of industrialization at the end of the Holocene. Periods of rapid sea‐level rise as the Last Glacial Maximum ice sheets retreated and associated with ‘melt‐water pulses’ appear to coincide with the onset of elevated concentrations of CH 4 , suggestive of a potential causative link. Here we identify and outline a mechanism involving the flooding of the continental shelves that were exposed and vegetated during the glacial sea‐level low stand and that can help account for some of these observations. Specifically, we hypothesize that waterlogging (and later, flooding) of large tracts of forest and savanna in the Tropics and Subtropics during the deglacial transition and early Holocene would have resulted in rapid anaerobic decomposition of standing biomass and emission of methane to the atmosphere. This novel mechanism, akin to the consequences of filling new hydroelectric reservoirs, provides a mechanistic explanation for the apparent synchronicity between rate of sea‐level rise and occurrence of elevated concentrations of ice core CH 4 . However, shelf flooding and the creation of transient wetlands are unlikely to explain more than ∼60 ppb of the increase in atmospheric CH 4 during the deglacial transition, requiring additional mechanisms to explain the bulk of the glacial to interglacial increase. Similarly, this mechanism has the potential also to play some role in the rapid changes in atmospheric methane associated with the Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Constraining Holocene sea‐surface conditions in the south‐western Black Sea using dinoflagellate cysts - L. R. Bradley; F. Marret; P. J. Mudie; A. E. Aksu; R. N. Hiscott (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This paper presents two dinoflagellate cyst records from the south‐western shelf of the Black Sea. A new site, MAR05‐13, from the Sakarya shelf is described and placed into context with site MAR02‐45, ∼250 km distant on the Thracian shelf. The records provide a centennial resolution of surface water conditions in the Holocene. Analysis of the data suggests that the surface salinity of the south‐western shelf increased in a gradual and progressive manner. In the period ∼11 000–9000 cal a BP the assemblages suggest surface‐water salinities between 7–13 psu. The initial arrival of euryhaline species, ∼8100 cal a BP, is linked to the reconnection of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea. The suggested surface water changes related to the reconnection took approximately 1000 years. Following this initial change in assemblages, a further increase in the number of euryhaline species is noted between 5000 and 4000 cal a BP. This is linked to the establishment of more saline surface‐water conditions, close to present‐day values. The record for MAR05‐13 highlights the complexity of the changes in cyst assemblages during the mid‐Holocene. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Coarse clast ridge sequences as suitable archives for past storm events? Case study on the Houtman Abrolhos, Western Australia - Anja M. Scheffers; Sander R. Scheffers; Dieter H. Kelletat; Peter Squire; Lindsay Collins; Yuexing Feng; Jian‐Xin Zhao; Renaud Joannes‐Boyau; Simon Matthias May; Gerhard Schellmann; Heather Freeman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Prehistoric storm records are relatively scarce in most parts of the world. This article presents storm records derived from coral rubble‐based geological archives of the Houtman Abrolhos Archipelago located off the west coast of Australia, where the southernmost coral reefs of the Indian Ocean are found. Winter storm swell from the circum‐Antarctic ‘Brave Westerlies’, as well as tropical cyclone waves, have left numerous ridge systems on dozens of islands of the archipelago, all composed of coral rubble from adjacent reefs. At three islands, seven ridge systems were dated by three different methods: U‐series (68 dates), radiocarbon (64 dates), electron spin resonance (7 dates); 139 radiometric dates span the last 5500 years of the Holocene. In contrast to the geomorphological interpretation, the age sequences show ‘inversions’, hiatuses and different ages for the same ridge, all pointing to complicated ridge formation processes. Time gaps, some exceeding 1000 years, are interpreted as phases of erosion and not as phases without storm activity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sedimentology of a debris‐rich, perhumid valley glacier margin in the Rakaia Valley, South Island, New Zealand - Olivia M. Hyatt; James Shulmeister; David J. A. Evans; Glenn D. Thackray; Uwe Rieser (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The sedimentology and stratigraphy of a multi‐phase glaciation sequence dating to Marine Isotope Stage 6 in the Rakaia Valley, South Island, New Zealand, is presented. This outcrop presents an example of the depositional signature of an end member of temperate valley glaciation, where voluminous sediment supply in a tectonically active setting combines with high annual temperatures and low seasonality to generate significant year‐round glacifluvial activity. Such glacial systems produce geological–climatic units that are dominated by thick sequences of aggradational gravels and proglacial lake sediments trapped behind outwash heads during deglaciation. At Bayfields Cliff, outwash sequences record an oscillating glacier margin marked by a sequence of glacier‐fed, Gilbert‐type deltas. The deltas are cut by numerous small‐scale, syndepositional, normal faults indicating both loss of glacier support and melt‐out of buried ice. A larger‐scale thrust fault system reflects late‐stage ice overrun. Braid plain gravels and chaotic disturbed glacial lake sediments are also recorded. A notable feature of these systems is the virtual absence of till in an environment with much other evidence for proximal ice. Cumulatively we regard these sediment–landform associations as diagnostic of debris‐laden, perhumid, temperate valley glacier systems. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene vegetation and fire dynamics in the supra‐mediterranean belt of the Nebrodi Mountains (Sicily, Italy) - Martina Bisculm; Daniele Colombaroli; Elisa Vescovi; Jacqueline F. N. van Leeuwen; Paul D. Henne; Julian Rothen; Giovanni Procacci; Salvatore Pasta; Tommaso La Mantia; Willy Tinner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
High‐resolution pollen, macrofossil and charcoal data, combined with accelerator mass spectrometry 14 C dating and multivariate analysis, were used to reconstruct Holocene vegetation and fire dynamics at Urio Quattrocchi, a small lake in the supra‐mediterranean belt in the Nebrodi Mountains of Sicily (Italy). The data suggest that after 10 000 cal a BP increasing moisture availability supported closed forests with deciduous ( Quercus cerris , Fagus sylvatica and Fraxinus spp.) and evergreen ( Quercus ilex ) species. Species‐rich closed forest persisted until 6850 cal a BP, when Neolithic activities caused a forest decline and affected plant diversity. Secondary forest with abundant Ilex aquifolium recovered between 6650 and 6000 cal a BP, indicating moist conditions. From 5000 cal a BP, agriculture and pastoralism led to the currently fragmented landscape with sparse deciduous forests ( Quercus cerris ). The study suggests that evergreen broadleaved species were more important at elevations above 1000 m a.s.l. before ca. 5000 cal a BP than subsequently, which might reflect less human impact or warmer‐than‐today climatic conditions between 10 000 and 5000 cal a BP. Despite land use since Neolithic times, deciduous supra‐mediterranean forests were never completely displaced from the Nebrodi Mountains, because of favourable moist conditions that persisted throughout the Holocene. Reconstructed vegetation dynamics document the absence of any pronounced mid‐ or late‐Holocene ‘aridification’ trend at the site, an issue which is controversially debated in Italy and the Mediterranean region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Process length variation of the cyst of the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum in the North Pacific and Baltic‐Skagerrak region: calibration as an annual density proxy and first evidence of pseudo‐cryptic speciation - Kenneth Neil Mertens; Manuel Bringué; Nicolas Van Nieuwenhove; Yoshihito Takano; Vera Pospelova; Andre Rochon; Anne De Vernal; Taoufik Radi; Barrie Dale; R. Timothy Patterson; Kaarina Weckström; Elinor Andrén; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Process length variation of cysts of the dinoflagellate Protoceratium reticulatum (Claparède et Lachmann) Bütschli in surface sediments from the North Pacific was investigated. The average process length showed a significant inverse relation to annual seawater density: σ t annual = −0.8674 × average process length + 1029.3 ( R 2 = 0.84), with a standard error of 0.78 kg m −3 . A sediment trap study from Effingham Inlet in British Columbia revealed the same relationship between average process length and local seawater density variations. In the Baltic–Skagerrak region, the average process length variation was related significantly to annual seawater density: σ t annual = 3.5457 × average process length − 993.28 ( R 2 = 0.86), with a standard error of 3.09 kg m −3 . These calibrations cannot be reconciled, which accentuates the regional character of the calibrations. This can be related to variations in molecular data (small subunit, long subunit and internal transcribed spacer sequences), which show the presence of several genotypes and the occurrence of pseudo‐cryptic speciation within this species. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The chronostratigraphy of a quaternary sequence at the distal part of the nile littoral cell, Haifa Bay, Israel - Simona Avnaim‐Katav; Ahuva Almogi‐Labin; Amir Sandler; Dorit Sivan; Naomi Porat; Ari Matmon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The current detailed chronostratigraphic framework of the last 1 Ma of an eastern Mediterranean sequence (Haifa Bay, Israel) aims to examine the relative roles of sea‐level changes, climate and tectonics. Seven continuous marine cores, up to ∼120 m long, were recovered from shallow water depths. The cores were dated by optically stimulated luminescence, 14 C, magnetostratigraphy, 230 Th/ 234 U, 26 Al/ 10 Be, occurrence of index fossils and correlated to the global sea‐level curve and Marine Isotope Stages (MIS). The sedimentary sequence accumulated during the last ca. 1.0 Ma consists of 21 transgression–regression units with hiatuses between them. Five marine/terrestrial cycles, which occur in the lower part of the sequence, are attributed to the Jaramillo subchron and the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary, and correspond to MIS 29–21. The top ∼50 m includes three sedimentary cycles deposited in the last ca. 400 ka. The regressive phases during this interval correspond to Glacial MIS 8, 6 and 2, while the transgressions correspond to Interglacial MIS 11, 7, 5 and 1. Thus, for the first time, this study documents the longest Quaternary succession dated so far in a key area of the Levant, sensitive to global history of sea‐level changes and glacial/interglacial fluctuations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Eltanin asteroid impact: possible South Pacific palaeomegatsunami footprint and potential implications for the Pliocene–Pleistocene transition - James Goff; Catherine Chagué‐Goff; Michael Archer; Dale Dominey‐Howes; Chris Turney (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Large asteroid impacts are rare, and those into the deep ocean are rarer still. The Eltanin asteroid impact around 2.51 ± 0.07 Ma occurred at a time of great climatic and geological change associated with the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary. Numerical models of the event indicate that a megatsunami was generated, although there is debate concerning its magnitude and the region‐wide extent of its influence. We summarise the existing evidence for possible Eltanin megatsunami deposits in Antarctica, Chile and New Zealand, while also examining other potential sites from several locations, mainly around the South Pacific region. In reviewing these data we note that these events were unfolding at the same time as those associated with the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary and, as such, most of the geological evidence from that time has a climatic interpretation. The potential climatic and geological ramifications of the Eltanin asteroid impact, however, have failed to be considered by most researchers studying this time period. Although we are not advocating that all geological activity at that time is connected with the Eltanin asteroid impact, it raises interesting questions about the role potentially played by such catastrophic events in contributing to or even triggering epochal transitions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Calibration of the in situ cosmogenic 14 C production rate in New Zealand's Southern Alps - Irene Schimmelpfennig; Joerg M. Schaefer; Brent M. Goehring; Nathaniel Lifton; Aaron E. Putnam; David J. A. Barrell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
In situ cosmogenic 14 C ( in situ 14 C) analysis from quartz‐bearing rocks is a novel isotopic tool useful for quantifying recent surface exposure histories (up to ∼25 ka). It is particularly powerful when combined with longer‐lived cosmogenic isotopes such as 10 Be. Recent advances in the extraction of in situ 14 C from quartz now permit the routine application of this method. However, only a few experiments to calibrate the production rate of in situ 14 C in quartz have been published to date. Here, we present a new in situ 14 C production rate estimate derived from a well‐dated debris flow deposit in the Southern Alps, New Zealand, previously used to calibrate 10 Be production rates. For example, based on a geomagnetic implementation of the Lal/Stone scaling scheme we derive a spallogenic production rate of 11.4 ± 0.9 atoms 14 C (g quartz) −1 a −1 and a 14 C/ 10 Be spallogenic production rate ratio of 3.0 ± 0.2. The results are comparable with production rates from previous calibrations in the northern hemisphere. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Local versus regional processes: can soil characteristics overcome climate and fire regimes by modifying vegetation trajectories? - Aurélie Genries; Walter Finsinger; Hans Asnong; Yves Bergeron; Christopher Carcaillet; Michelle Garneau; Christelle Hély; Adam A. Ali (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We analysed charcoal and pollen from sediments obtained from two lakes in the northwestern mixed‐wood Canadian boreal forest in order to reconstruct fire‐return intervals and vegetation dynamics over the last 8000 years. Sites were selected with contrasting soil properties (mesic versus dry‐sandy soils), allowing an estimation of the potential influence of soils on long‐term vegetation and fire dynamics. The sites likely experienced fewer fires during the period extending from 8000 to 4000 cal. a BP than over the last 4000 years. At both sites, eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus ) populations were most extensive shortly after deglaciation, with vegetation later shifting towards mixed woodlands with less P. strobus and more extensive Picea and Pinus banksiana populations. This gradual vegetation shift was probably induced by the establishment of colder and moister conditions along with a fire‐regime change. In spite of the parallel long‐term vegetation trajectories, vegetation composition differed between the two sites in both the past and present. Whereas Picea was more abundant at the mesic site, the fire‐adapted P. banksiana populations were more extensive at the sandy‐soil site. These differences in vegetation composition indicate that, in addition to climate changes and fire occurrence, soil properties also influenced vegetation dynamics. A likely increase in fire frequency in the Canadian boreal forest during the 21st century might therefore favour the expansion of these two disturbance‐adapted trees with spatial heterogeneity in the populations due to varying soil types. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glacially derived material in an Inner Mongolian desert lake during Marine Isotope Stage 2 - Kandasamy Selvaraj; Chen‐Tung Arthur Chen; C. Prakash Babu; Jiann‐Yuh Lou; Ching‐Ling Liu; Kenneth J. Hsu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Establishing the precise timing of continental glacial dynamics and abrupt high‐latitude climate events is crucial to understanding the causes of global climate change. Here we present multi‐proxy records in a lake sediment core from arid Inner Mongolia (Wuliangsuhai Lake) that show two distinct glacially derived sedimentation events at ∼26.2–21.8 and ∼17.3–11.5k cal a BP. Fine sediments from the Last Glacial Maximum separate these glacially derived coarse sediments. Within these intervals, the occurrence of granite clasts at ∼24–23.5, 17.3–17 and 15.6–14.1k cal a BP implies either sediment discharge by meltwater as well as strong current flow in the Yellow River and/or sediment influx through hill‐slope mass wasting and landsliding from the nearby Yin Mountains. Surface microfeatures of quartz grains and spot elemental analysis of black specks in these intervals, however, indicate that physical weathering is dominant and that the provenance of the rocks is probably from a glacial source. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time glacier‐derived materials have been detected in any desert lake in the Yellow River basin. The occurrence of granite clasts roughly correlates with Heinrich events in the North Atlantic, suggesting synchronous ice sheet dynamics in high‐ and mid‐latitude regions during the Last Glacial period. Although our data provide unprecedented evidence for the influence of glacier‐related processes in arid Inner Mongolia, further well‐dated records are clearly needed to re‐evaluate the correlative inference drawn between granite clast layers in Wuliangsuhai Lake and Heinrich events in the North Atlantic. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch: a Discussion Paper by a Working Group of INTIMATE (Integration of ice‐core, marine and terrestrial records) and the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (International Commission on Stratigraphy) - M. J. C. Walker; M. Berkelhammer; S. Björck; L. C. Cwynar; D. A. Fisher; A. J. Long; J. J. Lowe; R. M. Newnham; S. O. Rasmussen; H. Weiss (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This discussion paper, by a Working Group of INTIMATE (Integration of ice‐core, marine and terrestrial records) and the Subcommision on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), considers the prospects for a formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch. Although previous attempts to subdivide the Holocene have proved inconclusive, recent developments in Quaternary stratigraphy, notably the definition of the Pleistocene–Holocene boundary and the emergence of formal subdivisions of the Pleistocene Series/Epoch, mean that it may be timely to revisit this matter. The Quaternary literature reveals a widespread but variable informal usage of a tripartite division of the Holocene (‘early’, ‘middle’ or ‘mid’, and ‘late’), and we argue that this de facto subdivision should now be formalized to ensure consistency in stratigraphic terminology. We propose an Early–Middle Holocene Boundary at 8200 a BP and a Middle–Late Holocene Boundary at 4200 a BP, each of which is linked to a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). Should the proposal find a broad measure of support from the Quaternary community, a submission will be made to the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), via the SQS and the ICS, for formal ratification of this subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Central England temperature since AD 1850: the potential of stable carbon isotopes in British oak trees to reconstruct past summer temperatures - G. H. F. Young; R. J. Bale; N. J. Loader; D. Mccarroll; N. Nayling; N. Vousden (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
In regions with seasonal temperate climatic regimes, tree growth is rarely controlled by any single environmental factor. As a consequence, the development of robust palaeoclimate reconstructions has proved challenging. Tree‐ring stable carbon isotope ratios (δ 13 C), however, are controlled primarily by photosynthetic rate, not by net growth. Therefore, at sites where climatic controls on tree‐ring growth are not strongly expressed, a robust (isotopic) palaeoclimate signal may still potentially be preserved. This hypothesis was tested using a 160‐year record of δ 13 C measured from the pooled latewood cellulose of six Quercus petraea L. (sessile oak) trees from Allt Lan‐las in West Wales, UK. Raw δ 13 C values were corrected for changes in the isotopic ratio of atmospheric carbon dioxide and for changes in the behaviour of trees due to the increasing availability of atmospheric CO 2 since AD 1850. Strong correlations with local summer temperature and sunshine are reported, and also with the Central England Temperature record over the full length of the isotopic chronology (AD 1850–2010) ( r = 0.69, P

A late Holocene climate record in stalagmites from Modrič Cave (Croatia) - D. Rudzka; F. Mcdermott; M. Surić (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Few terrestrial Holocene climate records exist from south‐eastern Europe despite its important geographical position as a transitional climatic zone between the Mediterranean and mainland continental Europe. Here we present new petrographic and stable isotope data for two Holocene speleothems from Modrič Cave, Croatia (44°15′N, 15°32′E), a coastal Adriatic site (120 m inland). Modern meteorological and cave conditions have been monitored for 2 years to understand the links between climate variability and stable isotope time‐series records in speleothems. Typical of a Mediterranean‐type climate, a negative water balance exists between April and September, so that recharge of the aquifer is restricted to the winter months. The weighted mean δ 18 O of the rainfall is −5.96‰ (2σ = 2.83), and the weighted mean D/H rainfall value is −36.83‰ (2σ = 19.95), slightly above the Global Meteoric Water Line, but well below the Mediterranean Meteoric Water Line. Modern calcite from the tops of each stalagmite exhibits δ 18 O values that are close to isotopic equilibrium with their respective drip water values. Unfortunately, the relatively young ages and low uranium contents (ca. 50 p.p.b.) of both stalagmites hamper the use of U‐series dating. Radiocarbon dates have been used instead to constrain their chronology using a dead carbon correction. Apart from some Isotope Stage 3 material (ca. 55 ka), both stalagmites were deposited during the late Holocene. Climatic conditions during the late Holocene are inferred to have been sufficiently wet to maintain stalagmite growth and any hiatuses appear to be relatively short lived. Inferred changes in the stalagmite diameters during deposition are linked to δ 13 C and δ 18 O variations, indicating alternating periods of drier and wetter conditions. Drier conditions are inferred for the late Roman Ages warm period and the mid‐Medieval Warm Period. Wetter conditions are associated with the Little Ice Age. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Signals of tree volume and temperature in a high‐resolution record of pollen accumulation rates in northern Finland - F. Mazier; A. B. Nielsen; A. Broström; S. Sugita; S. Hicks (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Pollen accumulation rates (PARs) provide a potential proxy for quantitative tree volume (m 3 ha −1 ) reconstruction with reliable absolute pollen productivity estimates (APPEs). We obtained APPEs for pine, spruce and birch at their range limits in northern Finland under two temperature periods (‘warm’ and ‘cold’) based on long‐term pollen trap and tree volume records within a 14‐km radius of each trap. APPEs (mean ± SE; × 10 8 grains m −3 a −1 ) tend to be higher for the ‘warm’ periods (pine 123.8 ± 24.4, birch 528.0 ± 398.4, spruce 434.3 ± 113.7) compared with the ‘cold’ periods (pine 95.5 ± 37.3, birch 317.3 ± 282.6, spruce 119.6 ± 37.6), although the difference is only significant for spruce. Using an independent temperature record and the APPEs obtained, we reconstruct a low‐frequency record of pine volume changes over the last 1000 years at Palomaa mire, where a high‐resolution record of Pinus PARs is available. Five phases are distinguished in the reconstruction: moderate pine volume, AD 1080–1170; high volume, AD 1170–1340; low volume, AD 1340–1630; very low volume, AD 1630–1810; and rising pine volume, AD 1810–1950. These phases do not coincide with periods of high or low June–July–August temperatures, and thus appear to reflect regional variations in tree volume, while high‐frequency changes within each time‐period block show variations in PARs in response to temperature. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Elemental and isotopic carbon and nitrogen records of organic matter accumulation in a Holocene permafrost peat sequence in the East European Russian Arctic - Rina Argelia Andersson; Philip Meyers; Edward Hornibrook; Peter Kuhry; Carl‐Magnus Mörth (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A peat deposit from the East European Russian Arctic, spanning nearly 10 000 years, was investigated to study soil organic matter degradation using analyses of bulk elemental and stable isotopic compositions and plant macrofossil remains. The peat accumulated initially in a wet fen that was transformed into a peat plateau bog following aggradation of permafrost in the late Holocene (∼2500 cal a BP). Total organic carbon and total nitrogen (N) concentrations are higher in the fen peat than in the moss‐dominated bog peat layers. Layers in the sequence that have lower concentrations of total hydrogen (H) are associated with degraded vascular plant residues. C/N and H/C atomic ratios indicate better preservation of organic matter in peat material dominated by bryophytes as opposed to vascular plants. The presence of permafrost in the peat plateau stage and water‐saturated conditions at the bottom of the fen stage appear to lead to better preservation of organic plant material. δ 15 N values suggest N isotopic fractionation was driven primarily by microbial decomposition whereas differences in δ 13 C values appear to reflect mainly changes in plant assemblages. Positive shifts in both δ 15 N and δ 13 C values coincide with a local change to drier conditions as a result of the onset of permafrost and frost heave of the peat surface. This pattern suggests that permafrost aggradation not only resulted in changes in vegetation but also aerated the underlying fen peat, which enhanced microbial denitrification, causing the observed 15 N‐enrichment. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Oxygen isotopes from Chinese caves: records not of monsoon rainfall but of circulation regime - Barbara A. Maher; Roy Thompson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Oxygen isotope variations in Chinese stalagmites have been widely interpreted as a record of the amount of East Asian summer monsoonal rainfall. This interpretation infers decreasing monsoonal rainfall from the mid‐Holocene and large, dipolar rainfall oscillations within glaciations. However, the speleothem δ 18 O variations conflict with independent palaeoclimate proxies (cave δ 13 C, loess/palaeosol magnetic properties, δ 13 C alkanes), which indicate no systematic decline in rainfall from the mid‐Holocene, and no glacial rainfall maxima. Using mass balance calculations (which incorporate seasonality effects in both δ 18 O concentration and amount of precipitation), we demonstrate that the cave δ 18 O variations cannot be accounted for by summer rainfall changes, or rainfall seasonality or winter cooling, but instead reflect changes in moisture source. A possible driver of the δ 18 O variations in Chinese stalagmites is precessional forcing of inter‐hemispheric temperature gradients, and resultant shifts in the position and intensity of the subtropical pressure cells. Through such forcing, Indian monsoon‐sourced δ 18 O may have dominated at times of high boreal summer insolation, and local Pacific‐sourced moisture at low insolation. Suppression of summer monsoonal rainfall during glacial stages may reflect diminished sea and land surface temperatures and the radiative impacts of increased regional dust fluxes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evaluation of a numerical model of the British–Irish ice sheet using relative sea‐level data: implications for the interpretation of trimline observations - Joseph Kuchar; Glenn Milne; Alun Hubbard; Henry Patton; Sarah Bradley; Ian Shennan; Robin Edwards (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) of the British Isles is complex due to the interplay between local and non‐local signals. A number of recent studies have modelled the GIA response of the British Isles using relative sea‐level data. This study extends these previous analyses by using output from a numerical glaciological model as input to a GIA model. This is a necessary step towards more realistic GIA models, and although there have been similar studies for the major late Pleistocene ice sheets, this is the first study to do so for the British Isles. We test three reconstructions, classed as ‘minimal’, ‘median’ and ‘maximal’ in terms of their volume at maximum extent, and find it is possible to obtain good data–model fits. The minimal reconstruction is clearly preferred by the sea‐level data. The ice reconstructions tested were not constrained by geomorphological information of past ice extent (lateral and vertical). As a consequence, the reconstructions extend further than much of this information suggests, particularly in terms of ice thickness. It is notable, however, that the reconstructions produce good fits to many sea‐level data from central, mountainous regions (e.g. Scottish highlands), which lends support to the suggestion that trimlines, often used as an constraint on the palaeo ice surface location, are in fact features formed at the transition from warm‐ to cold‐based ice and so mark a minimum constraint on the ice surface altitude. Based on data–model misfits, suggestions are made for improving the ice model reconstructions. However, in many locations, the cause of the misfit could be due to non‐local, predominantly Fennoscandian ice and so interpretation is not straightforward. As a result, we suggest that future analyses of this type consider models and observations for both Fennoscandia and the British Isles. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evidence for rapid ice flow and proglacial lake evolution around the central Strait of Magellan region, southernmost Patagonia - Harold Lovell; Chris R. Stokes; Michael J. Bentley; Douglas I. Benn (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This paper presents a detailed palaeoglaciological reconstruction of ice sheet dynamics in the Seno Skyring, Seno Otway and Strait of Magellan region of the former Patagonian Ice Sheet, with a particular focus on previously hypothesised zones of rapid ice flow and the evolution of proglacial lakes. Geomorphological mapping from a combination of satellite imagery and oblique and vertical aerial photographs reveals a variety of glacial landforms that are grouped into several discrete flow‐sets and associated ice margin positions. The most distinct features are represented by flow‐sets of highly elongate streamlined glacial lineations on both sides of the Strait of Magellan. Based on the shape and dimensions of the flow‐sets and their abrupt lateral margins, a transverse and longitudinal variation in glacial lineation length and elongation ratio, and the reported presence of a potentially deformable bed and thrust moraines, the flow‐sets are interpreted as zones of rapid ice flow within the Otway and Magellan lobes. We hypothesise that this provides evidence for contemporaneous surge‐like advances within the lobes, which may explain the asymmetry in the lobate margin positions on either side of the strait. The mechanisms that initiated rapid flow are unclear, but are likely to have been influenced by internal factors such as a change in thermal/hydrological conditions at the bed. The topography of the region suggests ice‐dammed lakes would have formed as the ice lobes retreated. The westernmost of the former lakes, Lake Skyring, is delimited by a series of palaeo‐shorelines surrounding the present‐day lake Laguna Blanca and we reconstruct lake evolution based on manipulation of a digital elevation model. The size and orientation of meltwater channels and a large outwash plain indicate that Lake Skyring drained eastwards towards the Strait of Magellan, probably quite rapidly. We conclude that the potential for quasi‐independent surge‐like behaviour within adjacent lobes raises the possibility that, during climate‐driven ice expansion, some advances in this region may have been partly controlled by secondary internal feedback mechanisms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene peatland development and hydrological variability inferred from bog‐pine dendrochronology and peat stratigraphy – a case study from southern Sweden - Johannes Edvardsson; Hans Linderson; Mats Rundgren; Dan Hammarlund (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Dendrochronological analysis was applied to subfossil remains of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) buried in a South Swedish peat deposit. In combination with peat stratigraphy, this approach was explored for its potential to provide information on the local hydrological and depositional history at the site, forming the basis for a regional palaeohydrological analysis. A 726‐year ring‐width chronology was developed and assigned an absolute age of 7233–6508 cal a BP (5284–4559 BC) through cross‐dating with German bog‐pine chronologies, whereas two short additional records of older ages were radiocarbon dated. Registration of growth positions of individual trees allowed assessment of the spatial dynamics of the pine population in response to hydrological changes and peatland ontogeny. Annually resolved growth variability patterns in the pine population reveal several establishment and degeneration phases, probably reflecting fluctuations in bog‐surface wetness. A major establishment phase at 7200–6900 cal a BP reflects the onset of a period of lowered groundwater level, also indicated by increased peat humification, and a development consistent with regional temperature and lake level reconstructions revealed from other proxies. This study demonstrates that subfossil bog‐pine populations may provide annually to decadally resolved reconstructions of local groundwater variability, which are highly relevant in a long‐term palaeoclimatic context. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Deglaciation and catchment ontogeny in coastal south‐west Greenland: implications for terrestrial and aquatic carbon cycling - Melanie J. Leng; Bernd Wagner; N. John Anderson; Ole Bennike; Ewan Woodley; Simon J. Kemp (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Here we present Holocene organic carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, carbon isotope ratio and macrofossil data from a small freshwater lake near Sisimiut in south‐west Greenland. The lake was formed c. 11 cal ka BP following retreat of the ice sheet margin and is located above the marine limit in this area. The elemental and isotope data suggest a complex deglaciation history of interactions between the lake and its catchment, reflecting glacial retreat and post‐glacial hydrological flushing probably due to periodic melting of local remnant glacial ice and firn areas between 11 and 8.5 cal ka BP. After 8.5 cal ka BP, soil development and associated vegetation processes began to exert a greater control on terrestrial–aquatic carbon cycling. By 5.5 cal ka BP, in the early Neoglacial cooling, the sediment record indicates a change in catchment–lake interactions with consistent δ 13 C while C/N exhibits greater variability. The period after 5.5 cal ka BP is also characterized by higher organic C accumulation in the lake. These changes (total organic carbon, C/N, δ 13 C) are most likely the result of increasing contribution (and burial) of terrestrial organic matter as a result of enhanced soil instability, as indicated by an increase in Cenococcum remains, but also Sphagnum and Empetrum . The impact of glacial retreat and relatively subdued mid‐ to late Holocene climate variation at the coast is in marked contrast to the greater environmental variability seen in inland lakes closer to the present‐day ice sheet margin. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lacustrine records of post‐glacial environmental change from the Nulhegan Basin, Vermont, USA - Jeffrey S. Munroe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The sedimentary records of Nulhegan Pond and Beecher Pond in the Nulhegan Basin of north‐eastern Vermont were analyzed to yield a history of environmental change since the latest Pleistocene. Shoreline landforms indicate that part of the Nulhegan Basin was inundated by Glacial Lake Nulhegan (GLN), which was impounded behind a dam of glacial sediment. Outwash derived from stagnant ice forms the bottom 176 cm of the Nulhegan Pond core. Fine‐grained inorganic sediment deposited between 13.4 and 12.2k cal a BP is interpreted as a deep‐water facies representing GLN, while coarser sediment from 12.2 to 11.8k cal a BP records draining of the glacial lake. Rapid, simultaneous increases in organic matter and biogenic silica signal the onset of productivity following the Younger Dryas. Beecher Pond formed c . 11.3k cal a BP through surface collapse over a buried ice block; buried stagnant ice may have persisted in the vicinity of the pond into the early Holocene. From 8.9 to 5.5k cal a BP, sediment in both lakes became coarser and richer in aquatic organic matter, suggesting a low‐water phase in which previously deposited lacustrine sediments were reworked and the littoral zone shifted basinward. Low water levels at this time are consistent with other records from Maine and southern Quebec, but contrary to records from ∼325 km to the south. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Erratum: Late glacial and holocene 10 Be production rates for western Norway - Brent M. Goehring; Øystein Strand Lohne; Jan Mangerud; John Inge Svendsen; Richard Gyllencreutz; Joerg Schaefer; Robert Finkel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)

Holocene palaeoflood events recorded by slackwater deposits along the lower Jinghe River valley, middle Yellow River basin, China - Chun Chang Huang; Jiangli Pang; Xiaochun Zha; Yali Zhou; Hongxia Su; Yuzhu Zhang; Hengsong Wang; Hongliang Gu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Palaeoflood slackwater deposits (SWDs), are the natural record of overbank flooding and are often found within aeolian loess‐soil profiles along the river valleys of the middle Yellow River basin. These pedo‐stratigraphic sequences are studied using a multi‐disciplinarily approach to reconstruct Holocene hydro‐climatic variations. Our field investigations along the lower Jinghe River valley have identified palaeoflood SWDs at several sites along the riverbanks based on sedimentological criteria. Analytical results, including magnetic susceptibility, particle‐size distribution and concentrations of chemical elements, indicate that these well‐sorted palaeoflood SWD beds were deposited from the suspended sediment load in floodwaters. We identify two episodes of extraordinary palaeoflood events along the Jinghe River valley. These hydro‐climatic events were dated to 4200–4000 and 3200–2800 a BP, by using the optically stimulated luminescence method in combination with archaeological dating of retrieved anthropogenic remains, and with pedo‐stratigraphic correlations with the previously studied Holocene pedo‐stratigraphy in the Jinghe River drainage basin. The flooding events are therefore considered to be a regional expression of known climatic events in the northern hemisphere and demonstrate Holocene climate was far from stable. This study provides important data in understanding the interactions between regional hydro‐climatic systems and global change in semi‐arid and sub‐humid regions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene pollen assemblages from coastal wetlands: differentiating natural and anthropogenic causes of change in the Thames estuary, UK - Martyn Waller; Michael J. Grant (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Simultaneous changes in the representation of wetland and dry land taxa are a common feature of mid and late Holocene pollen diagrams from the coastal wetlands of North‐West Europe. Distinguishing both the areas affected and between natural and anthropogenic causes can be problematic. High temporal resolution, improved taxonomic procedures and multivariate statistics have been applied to two Thames estuary sites, along with simulation models, to resolve these issues. Large Poaceae pollen grains appear to be derived from wild grasses rather than cereals, while modelling indicates that even extensive clearance in dry land areas produces relatively minor changes in pollen assemblages where fen carr is the in situ vegetation. It is concluded that rapid/abrupt simultaneous pollen stratigraphic events in coastal wetlands are likely to have been caused by wetland vegetation changes alone. Simultaneous events, dating from c . 2150–1300 cal a BC, can be distinguished at 12 Thames estuary pollen sites. During this interval inter‐tidal environments expanded creating areas attractive to human populations for pasturage. This exploitation is likely to have led to further changes in wetland vegetation and increased clearance activity on adjacent dry land areas. In such circumstances disentangling the processes causing vegetation change is challenging, although considerably aided by the techniques adopted in this paper. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Development of a Neolithic pine tree‐ring chronology for northern Scotland - Andy Moir (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The peatlands of northern Scotland (one of the largest and most intact areas of blanket bog in the world) contain a rare widespread horizon of subfossil pine in stratigraphic context. Eighteen bog pine from three new sites are incorporated into a mean Neolithic pine chronology now composed of subfossil pine from 12 sites, which is tree‐ring‐dated against Irish bog pine chronologies to span 3198–2757 BC. Germination and peaks of radial growth infer drier conditions between 3199 and 3130 BC. Dying‐off phases and depression of growth reflect a change to wetter conditions between 3023 and 3002 BC and a terminal decline of pine between 2809 and 2782 BC. The close synchronization of germination/die‐off phases and major ring‐width variations between sites across this region indicates that the environmental changes are probably triggered by climate change. Twenty‐four bog pine samples remain unmatched. Future multi‐discipline research into this important example of climatic change at the Neolithic/Bronze Age transition is recommended. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Varying sediment sources (Hudson Strait, Cumberland Sound, Baffin Bay) to the NW Labrador Sea slope between and during Heinrich events 0 to 4 - J. T. Andrews; D. C. Barber; A. E. Jennings; D. D. Eberl; B. Maclean; M. E. Kirby; J. S. Stoner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Core HU97048‐007PC was recovered from the continental Labrador Sea slope at a water depth of 945 m, 250 km seaward from the mouth of Cumberland Sound, and 400 km north of Hudson Strait. Cumberland Sound is a structural trough partly floored by Cretaceous mudstones and Paleozoic carbonates. The record extends from ∼10 to 58 ka. On‐board logging revealed a complex series of lithofacies, including buff‐colored detrital carbonate‐rich sediments [Heinrich (H)‐events] frequently bracketed by black facies. We investigate the provenance of these facies using quantitative X‐ray diffraction on drill‐core samples from Paleozoic and Cretaceous bedrock from the SE Baffin Island Shelf, and on the

Vegetation in western Central Mexico during the last 50 000 years: modern analogs and climate in the Zacapu Basin - A. Correa‐Metrio; S. Lozano‐García; S. Xelhuantzi‐López; S. Sosa‐Nájera; S. E. Metcalfe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The late glacial and the transition towards the Holocene marked a period of significant environmental change at a global scale. In western Central Mexico, few records span beyond the Holocene, and little is known about Pleistocene climatic and environmental variability. Here we report on the pollen record of a composite sequence made of three cores that cover the last 50 ka (thousands of calibrated radiocarbon years before present) in the Zacapu Basin, western Central Mexico (∼1970 m asl). The conjunction of modern pollen rain from the area with the composite fossil pollen sequence from cores Cantabria, Cantabria 1 and CEMCA Point‐1 provided a detailed history of the vegetation of the area. Recognition of modern environmental patterns through individual modern pollen taxa proved difficult, but multivariate analysis separated different vegetation types. No‐modern‐analog communities relative to the modern vegetation cover of the area were evident, especially during periods of drought. Apparently, summer precipitation was significant before 40 ka and after the deglaciation. However, this moisture source declined from ∼40 to 10 ka because tradewinds from the Gulf of Mexico were blocked by the eastern mountains of Central Mexico as a result of lower temperatures. By contrast, westerly and northerly winds were enhanced by maximum ice cover from ∼19 to 17 ka, providing abundant winter precipitation and therefore preventing extreme drought in the area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pleistocene biogeochemical record in the south‐west Pacific Ocean (images site MD97‐2114, Chatham Rise) - M. Cobianchi; V. Luciani; C. Lupi; N. Mancin; F. Lirer; N. Pelosi; I. Trattenero; M. Bordiga; I. R. Hall; M. Sprovieri (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Through a multidisciplinary approach based on novel micropaleontological and geochemical analyses, the main paleoceanographic and paleoclimate changes that have influenced the surface‐ and deep‐water circulation in the SW Pacific Ocean (Chatham Rise, eastern New Zealand) during the last million years are reconstructed. This region represents a key area for investigating the climate evolution during the Pleistocene because here the largely wind‐driven Antarctic Circumpolar Current interacts with the west Pacific Ocean circulation via the Deep Western Boundary Current, the major source of deep water for the whole Pacific Ocean. To understand coupling or decoupling events between sea surface and bottom waters, a continuous marine sedimentary succession since 1.1 Ma, recovered by the IMAGES (International Marine Past Global Change Study) cruise in the SW Pacific Ocean (Core MD97‐2114), has been investigated based on calcareous planktonic and benthic microfossil content and C and O isotope record performed on planktonic and benthic foraminiferal tests. Results show the occurrence of long‐ and short‐term patterns of climate and ocean circulation in the last million years as the result of the interplay of ice‐sheet dynamics, surface tropical versus polar water inflow, and trophic status of the surface water. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The impact of summer temperature changes on vegetation development in Ireland during the Weichselian Lateglacial Interstadial - Nelleke van Asch; Wim Z. Hoek (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We analysed pollen from a sediment core from Fiddaun, a small Lateglacial lake basin in western Ireland. Results reflect the general Lateglacial vegetation development in Ireland, as reconstructed from other pollen records. The Fiddaun diagram shows a number of short‐lived regressive vegetation phases during the Interstadial. The close similarity between two pollen records from the same region (Fiddaun and Lurga) indicates that these fluctuations probably reflect regional rather than local changes. Comparison with a previously published climate reconstruction, based on a chironomid‐inferred mean July air temperature reconstruction, lithology, and oxygen and carbon isotopes of lake marl from the Fiddaun record, allowed us to establish the relationship between summer temperature and vegetation changes. Results reveal that two temporary regressive shifts in the pollen record correspond to cold oscillations, which have been correlated to Greenland Interstadial 1b and 1d. It seems that the first cold oscillation (GI‐1d) had the most distinct effect on vegetation in Ireland. In contrast, it appears that the transition from Juniperus shrubland and Empetrum heath to grassland, which is estimated at ∼13.7 ka BP, was not caused by decreasing summer temperatures, as no substantial change is observed in the climate proxies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Amazon Fan biomarker evidence against the Pleistocene rainforest refuge hypothesis? - Mark A. Maslin; Virginia J. Ettwein; Christopher S. Boot; James Bendle; Richard D. Pancost (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Ocean Drilling Program Leg 155 Site 942 on the Amazon Fan is an ideal location for monitoring palaeoclimatic changes within a significant proportion of the Amazon Basin. We present n‐ alkane δ 13 C and taraxerol and laevoglucosan concentration records from this site covering the last 38 ka. The entire n ‐alkane δ 13 C record is constrained between −31‰ and −34‰, which is well within the isotopic range occupied by C 3 vegetation. The concentration and relative abundance of taraxerol, a mangrove indicator, varies by over an order of magnitude, but seems to have had no effect on the n ‐alkane δ 13 C record. The laevoglucosan concentrations are extremely low during the last glacial period, suggesting a relatively low occurrence of forest fires. Laevoglucosan concentrations are highest between 13.5 and 12.5 ka, suggesting an increased incidence of Amazon forest fires at the very end of the Younger Dryas. These records, combined with previously published pollen records from Site 932, reveal no evidence for massive incursions of grasslands into Amazonia during the last glacial period, despite evidence of reduced outflow of the Amazon River indicating more arid conditions. We therefore suggest that savannah encroachment, as proposed by the Pleistocene refuge hypothesis, can be refuted as an explanation for high species endemism within the Amazon Basin, and alternative explanations are required. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lake‐level fluctuations at Lake Bourget (eastern France) around 4500–3500 cal. a BP and their palaeoclimatic and archaeological implications - Michel Magny; Fabien Arnaud; Yves Billaud; André Marguet (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
On the basis of sedimentological analysis of two cores taken at Chatillon, Lake Le Bourget (northern French Pre‐Alps), and well dated by radiocarbon dates in addition to tree ring dates obtained from an archaeological layer, this paper presents a high‐resolution lake‐level record for the period 4500–3500 cal. a BP. The collected data provide evidence of a complex palaeohydrological (climatic) oscillation spanning the ca. 4300–3850 cal. BP time interval, with major lake‐level maxima at ca. 4200 and 4050–3850 cal. a BP separated by a lowering episode around 4100 cal. a BP. The lake‐level highstands observed at Chatillon between 4300 and 3850 cal. BP appear to be synchronous with (i) a major flooding period recorded in deep cores from the large lakes Le Bourget and Bodensee, and (ii) glacier advance and tree line decline in the Alps. Such wetter and cooler climatic conditions in west‐central Europe around 4000 cal. a BP may have been a nonlinear response to decrease and seasonal changes in insolation. They may also provide a possible explanation for the general abandonment of prehistoric lake dwellings north of the Alps between 4360 and 3750 cal. a BP. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The younger dryas cooling in northeast Germany: summer temperature and environmental changes in the Friedländer Groβe Wiese region - Nelleke van Asch; Marjan E. Kloos; Oliver Heiri; Pim de Klerk; Wim Z. Hoek (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A lake sediment record from the Friedländer Groβe Wiese in northeast Germany was studied to reconstruct summer temperature changes associated with changes in vegetation development during the Weichselian Lateglacial. The record was analysed for pollen, chironomids, and oxygen and carbon isotopes of lake marl. The combination of radiocarbon dates, the presence of the Laacher See Tephra and correlation of lithological and palynological changes with other records from the region indicated that the record encompassed the Allerød to the early Holocene. Pollen assemblages reflect development of birch and later pine‐dominated forests during the Allerød, comparable to other sites in the region. Chironomid‐inferred mean July air temperatures (C‐IT) for this period range between ∼14.0 and 14.8°C. A temporary decrease in C‐IT of ∼1°C, a negative shift in the isotope records, and a minor decline of birch may correspond to Greenland Interstadial 1b. Even though the transition to the Younger Dryas appears to be affected by reworking and redeposition processes, a drop in C‐IT to ∼11.1°C is reconstructed for the later part of the Younger Dryas, while it appears that pine locally persisted in the region. Comparison with a nearby pollen record further indicates a local expansion of wetland grasses during this period. At the transition to the Holocene, C‐IT increased to ∼15.7°C, while birch and pine forests re‐expanded. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Campo Felice late Pleistocene Glaciation (Apennines, central Italy) - Carlo Giraudi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Study of the glacial deposits and lacustrine sediments of Campo Felice (Apennines, central Italy) has enabled the glacial phases of the last 40 ka to be dated more precisely, and has demonstrated that the maximum glacial advance did not occur in correspondence with the last global glacial maximum and with the coldest and most arid phase suggested by the pollen, but in a period dated between about 33 and 27 ka, characterized by a less extreme climate. Furthermore, a glacial expansion took place also in the period prior to 35 ka. Correlation with the Alpine glacial variations has shown that the Apennine last glacial maximum occurred before that of the southern slope of the Alps. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sensitivity of the Eastern Mediterranean geomorphic system towards environmental change during the Late Holocene: a chronological perspective - Bert Dusar; Gert Verstraeten; Koen D'haen; Johan Bakker; Eva Kaptijn; Marc Waelkens (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Alluvial and colluvial sediment deposition provide a vital record of environmental change during the Holocene. Firm chronological control on these archives is necessary to enable us to relate sediment dynamics to human activity and climate variability. In the Eastern Mediterranean, such relationships are hard to establish due to the lack of spatially well‐distributed sediment archives with good chronological control. This scarcity is problematic with respect to regional‐scale reconstructions of the temporal variation of sediment dynamics. Here, we present a radiocarbon database ( n = 178) of geomorphological activity collected from multiple distinct sediment archives within the territory of Sagalassos in south‐western Turkey. The data were grouped according to their sedimentary facies for analysis using cumulative probability distributions (CPDs) and sedimentation rate (SR) modelling. Two small‐scale colluvial valleys, where chronological information was abundant, were investigated in more detail. Results show that sedimentation chronology differs between individual, nearby cores, as it depends strongly on the local geomorphic situation. A generalizing approach combining multiple core results yields more widely valid conclusions. High sedimentation rates coincided with the initial major anthropogenic disturbance of the landscape and decreased afterwards, probably due to hillslope soil depletion. CPD and SR analysis indicates that in general colluvial sedimentation rates did not change much from 2000 BC onwards. River floodplain sedimentation, in contrast, increased markedly during the first millennium BC and during recent times, and a significant time lag in enhanced sediment deposition between the upper and lower reaches of the river valleys was observed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The AD 1717 rock avalanche deposits in the upper Ferret Valley (Italy): a dating approach with cosmogenic 10 Be - Naki Akçar; Philip Deline; Susan Ivy‐Ochs; Vasily Alfimov; Irka Hajdas; Peter W. Kubik; Marcus Christl; Christian Schlüchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
On 12 September AD 1717, a rock volume larger than 10 million m 3 collapsed onto the Triolet Glacier, mobilized a mass composed of ice and sediment and travelled more than 7 km downvalley in the upper Ferret Valley, Mont Blanc Massif (Italy). This rock avalanche destroyed two small settlements, causing seven casualties and loss of livestock. No detailed maps were made at the time. Later investigators attributed accumulations of granitic boulders and irregular ridges on the upper valley floor to either glacial deposition, or the AD 1717 rock avalanche, or a complex mixture of glacial deposition, earlier rock avalanche and AD 1717 rock avalanche origin. In this study, we present cosmogenic 10 Be exposure ages from nine boulders in the extensive chaotic boulder deposit with irregular ridges, two from Holocene glacier‐free areas, and one from a Little Ice Age moraine. Exposure ages between 330 ± 23 and 483 ± 123 a from eight of nine boulders from the chaotic deposit indicate that at least seven were deposited by the AD 1717 rock avalanche. The other three boulders yielded 10 Be exposure ages of 10 900 ± 400, 9700 ± 400 and 244 ± 97 a, respectively. Our results are in good agreement with the existing chronology from dendrochronology and lichenometry, and radiocarbon analysis of wood samples, but not with older 14 C ages from a peat bog in the upper part of the valley. Based on the new age control, the rock avalanche deposits cover the whole bottom of the upper Ferret valley. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Variation and pattern in the responses of mammal faunas to Late Pleistocene climatic change in southeastern South Australia - Amy C. Macken; Gavin J. Prideaux; Elizabeth H. Reed (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We examined mammal occurrence and variability through the Late Pleistocene vertebrate fossil deposit of Grant Hall in Victoria Fossil Cave, Naracoorte, South Australia. To determine long‐term patterns of change, we compared the composition and relative abundance trends of the assemblage with a nearby Middle Pleistocene deposit in Cathedral Cave. Total species richness did not change through the Grant Hall sequence, dated from 93 ± 8 to 70 ± 5 ka. However, species relative abundances varied between ecologically divergent species, and in some cases between species that demonstrate similar environmental preferences. For some species this variation is comparable to that recorded in Cathedral Cave. Of those showing similar trends between the two deposits, the forest inhabitant, Pseudomys fumeus , recorded an 8.6% decline through Grant Hall, coincident with a 9.7% increase in the dry heath/mallee dweller Pseudomys apodemoides . These patterns indicate that climatic transition from relatively warm, moist to cooler, drier conditions impacted some species in similar ways through climatic cycles of the past. However, the majority of the fauna demonstrated complex responses that are individual and variable through time. Statistical tests of species trends from the Grant Hall assemblage caution that large fossil samples are required to validate patterns observed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary tephrostratigraphy, Ahklun Mountains, SW Alaska - Darrell S. Kaufman; Britta J. L. Jensen; Alberto V. Reyes; Caleb J. Schiff; Duane G. Froese; Nicholas J. G. Pearce (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Radiocarbon‐dated sediment cores from six lakes in the Ahklun Mountains, south‐western Alaska, were used to interpolate the ages of late Quaternary tephra beds ranging in age from 25.4 to 0.4 ka. The lakes are located downwind of the Aleutian Arc and Alaska Peninsula volcanoes in the northern Bristol Bay area between 159° and 161°W at around 60°N. Sedimentation‐rate age models for each lake were based on a published spline‐fit procedure that uses Monte Carlo simulation to determine age model uncertainty. In all, 62 14 C ages were used to construct the six age models, including 23 ages presented here for the first time. The age model from Lone Spruce Pond is based on 18 ages, and is currently the best‐resolved Holocene age model available from the region, with an average 2σ age uncertainty of about ± 109 years over the past 14.5 ka. The sedimentary sequence from Lone Spruce Pond contains seven tephra beds, more than previously found in any other lake in the area. Of the 26 radiocarbon‐dated tephra beds at the six lakes and from a soil pit, seven are correlated between two or more sites based on their ages. The major‐element geochemistry of glass shards from most of these tephra beds supports the age‐based correlations. The remaining tephra beds appear to be present at only one site based on their unique geochemistry or age. The 5.8 ka tephra is similar to the widespread Aniakchak tephra [3.7 ± 0.2 (1σ) ka], but can be distinguished conclusively based on its trace‐element geochemistry. The 3.1 and 0.4 ka tephras have glass major‐ and trace‐element geochemical compositions indistinguishable from prominent Aniakchak tephra, and might represent redeposited beds. Only two tephra beds are found in all lakes: the Aniakchak tephra (3.7 ± 0.2 ka) and Tephra B (6.1 ± 0.3 ka). The tephra beds can be used as chronostratigraphic markers for other sedimentary sequences in the region, including cores from Cascade and Sunday lakes, which were previously undated and were analyzed in this study to correlate with the new regional tephrostratigraphy. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Hekla 1947 tephra in the north of Ireland: regional distribution, concentration and geochemistry - Heidi A. Rea; Graeme T. Swindles; Helen M. Roe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A cryptotephra layer from the eruption of Hekla in 1947 has recently been discovered in Irish peatlands. This tephra layer represents the most recent deposition of volcanic ash in the UK prior to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. Here we examine the concentration and geochemistry of the Hekla 1947 tephra in 14 peat profiles from across Northern Ireland. Electron probe microanalysis of individual tephra shards ( n = 91) reveals that the tephra is of dacitic–andesitic geochemistry and is highly similar to the Hekla 1510 tephra, although spheroidal carbonaceous particle profiles can be used for successful discrimination of the two layers. The highest concentrations of Hekla 1947 are found in western sites, probably reflecting the pathway of the ash fall event due to the prevailing wind direction. Comparable tephra concentrations from two cores (1 km apart) from a single bog and from nearby sites may suggest that tephra shard concentrations in peat profiles reflect ash fallout densities across a specific region, rather than site‐specific factors associated with peatlands. This paper firmly establishes Hekla 1947 as a useful chronostratigraphic marker for the twentieth century, although within a restricted zone. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Evidence for climatic variability and its impact on human development during the Neolithic from Loughmeenaghan, County Sligo, Ireland - Susann Stolze; Walter Dörfler; Thomas Monecke; Oliver Nelle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
High‐resolution pollen and geochemical analyses conducted on a sediment profile from a small lake in County Sligo, Ireland, revealed that human development during the Neolithic was influenced by pronounced climatic oscillations. The primeval woodland around the lake experienced a considerable transformation coinciding with the elm decline at 3810 BC. The subsequent increase in summer temperatures and decrease in precipitation favoured wheat cultivation in the lake's catchment area, which was practised for approximately 140 years. A shift towards pastoral farming took place with the establishment of exceptionally dry conditions between 3650 and 3560 BC, when lake level and influx of allochthonous material were notably low. The onset of cool and wet conditions at the transition from the Early to Middle Neolithic possibly caused the initial decline of human activity in the area. Periods of particularly high precipitation during the Middle and early Late Neolithic contributed to the abandonment of the area by the first farmers. Comparison of the proxy record from the study site with other palynological and archaeological records from Ireland suggests that climatic variability on the decadal to centennial scale represented a primary control on the nature and duration of farming practices during the Neolithic. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tropical cyclone activity and western North Atlantic stratification over the last millennium: a comparative review with viable connections - Jonathan D. Woodruff; Ryan L. Sriver; David C. Lund (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Tropical cyclones (TC) are recognized to modify the thermal structure of the upper ocean through the process of vertical mixing. Assessing the role this mixing plays in the overall stratification of the upper ocean is difficult, due to the relatively short and incomplete instrumental record. Proxy records for both TC landfalls and oceanographic stratification are preserved within the geological record and provide insight for how past changes in TC‐induced mixing have potentially affected water column structure prior to the instrumental record. Here we provide the first comparison between previously published paleo‐reconstructions of vertical ocean density and tropical cyclone activity from the western North Atlantic. A prominent lull in TC activity has been observed prior to approximately 1700 CE that extends back several centuries. This interval of low TC activity is shown to be concurrent with the timing of increased ocean stratification near Great Bahama Bank, potentially due in part to reduced TC‐induced mixing. To test whether this relationship is feasible, we present numerical results from a coarse‐resolution ocean general circulation model experiment isolating the effect of TC surface wind forcing on the upper ocean. An anomaly of roughly 0.12 kg m −3 in vertical stratification occurs above and below the mixed layer for model runs with and without TC mixing. This anomaly is roughly 25% of the entire paleo‐density signal observed just prior to 1700 CE. These results suggest that TC mixing alone cannot completely explain the density anomaly observed prior to 1700 CE, but support TC variability as an important contributor to enhancing oceanic stratification during this interval. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An assessment of the utility of regional diatom‐based tidal‐level transfer functions - Graham P. Wilson; Angela L. Lamb (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
In order to understand natural sea‐level variability, and to enhance future predictions, accurate and precise estimates of Holocene tidal levels are required. Although the application of diatom‐based transfer functions can yield such data, these work best when underpinned by local training sets. Urbanized estuaries offer little prospect of obtaining local training sets and, instead, the reliability of regional transfer functions has to be assessed. The performance of a published regional (UK) diatom‐based tidal‐level transfer function applied to fossil assemblages from two contrasting core sites in the Mersey Estuary, UK, is assessed using modern analogue techniques and sediment isotope data. We find that, although estimated tidal levels coincide with changes in organic matter source, the frequent lack of modern analogues mean that palaeotide estimates are without basis. This is likely a consequence of the site‐specific nature of diatom assemblages in higher intertidal and supratidal areas in particular, where local factors are expected to exert a greater control on their ecology. This situation may be partly resolved by constructing and applying much larger regional training sets from multiple higher intertidal and supratidal sites (where intact). Otherwise the application of alternative techniques, such as regional foraminiferal tidal‐level transfer functions, may be more appropriate. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Application of stable carbon isotopes for reconstructing salt‐marsh floral zones and relative sea level, New Jersey, USA - Andrew C. Kemp; Christopher H. Vane; Benjamin P. Horton; Simon E. Engelhart; Daria Nikitina (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We investigated use of δ 13 C in bulk organic sediment to define the botanical origin of samples preserved in coastal sediment as a means to reconstruct relative sea level in New Jersey, USA. Modern transects at three sites demonstrated that low and high salt‐marsh floral zones dominated by C 4 species ( Spartina alterniflora and Spartina patens ) were associated with sediment δ 13 C values between −18.9‰ and −15.8‰ and occurred from mean tide level (MTL) to mean higher high water (MHHW). Brackish transitional settings vegetated by Phragmites australis with Iva fructescens and Typha sp. (C 3 species) and freshwater upland samples (C 3 species) were characterized by bulk sediment δ 13 C values of −27.0‰ to −22.0‰ and existed above MHHW. Parallel transects at one site suggested that intra‐site variability was not discernible. The utility of δ 13 C values for reconstructing relative sea level in New Jersey is limited by an inability to differentiate between brackish sediments related to sea level and freshwater upland samples. To facilitate this distinction in a 4.4 m core, we used a multi‐proxy approach (δ 13 C values with presence or absence of agglutinated foraminifera) to recognize indicative meanings for four sample types. Sediment with δ 13 C values greater than −18.9‰ was derived from a vegetated salt‐marsh and formed between MTL and MHHW. Sediment with δ 13 C values less than −22.0‰ and containing agglutinated foraminifera formed in a brackish transitional zone between MHHW and highest astronomical tide (HAT). This is the narrowest elevational range of the four sample types and most precise sea‐level indicator. Sediment with δ 13 C values less than −22.0‰ and lacking foraminifera can only constrain the upper bound of former sea level. Samples with intermediate values (−22.0‰ to −18.9‰) formed between MTL and HAT. Using these indicative meanings and radiocarbon dates, we suggest that a transition from brackish to salt‐marsh δ 13 C values recorded in the core took approximately 350 years (from 1800 to 1450 cal. a BP). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Corrigendum: Pleistocene Rhine–Thames landscapes: geological background for hominin occupation of the southern North Sea region - Marc P. Hijma; Kim M. Cohen; Wil Roebroeks; Wim E. Westerhoff; Freek S. Busschers (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)

Fire and vegetation change during the Early Pleistocene in southeastern Australia - J. M. Kale Sniderman; Simon G. Haberle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Early Pleistocene vegetation in upland southeastern Australia included diverse rainforests and sclerophyll forests, which alternated on precessional timescales. The nature and timing of transitions between these biomes, and the role of fire in maintaining or driving transitions between them, are uncertain. Here we present a high‐resolution pollen record from Stony Creek Basin, a small Early Pleistocene palaeolake in southeastern Australia. The pollen record documents a pattern of vegetation change, over ca. 10 ka at ca. 1590–1600 ka, between sclerophyll forests, dominated by Eucalyptus , Callitris (Cupressaceae) or Casuarinaceae, and rainforests dominated by either angiosperms or conifers of the family Podocarpaceae. Transitions between these biomes typically occurred within ca. 1–2 ka. The associated charcoal record suggests that greatest biomass combustion occurred when local vegetation was dominated by Eucalyptus , and the least biomass combustion occurred when local vegetation was dominated by Podocarpaceae. However, local fires burnt in both sclerophyll and angiosperm‐dominated rainforest vegetation, at least once every several centuries. Fire was very rare (less than about one fire per millennium) only when the local vegetation was rainforest dominated by Podocarpaceae. This suggests that fire was an irregular presence in both sclerophyll‐ and angiosperm‐dominated rainforest biomes during the late Neogene, though was largely absent in Podocarpaceae‐dominated rainforests. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pacific coral oxygen isotope and the tropospheric temperature gradient over the Asian monsoon region: a tool to reconstruct past Indian summer monsoon rainfall - Supriyo Chakraborty; Bhupendra N. Goswami; Koushik Dutta (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Having recognized that it is the tropospheric temperature (TT) gradient rather than the land–ocean surface temperature gradient that drives the Indian monsoon, a new mechanism of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) monsoon teleconnection has been unveiled in which the ENSO influences the Indian monsoon by modifying the TT gradient over the region. Here we show that equatorial Pacific coralline oxygen isotopes reflect TT gradient variability over the Indian monsoon region and are strongly correlated to monsoon precipitation as well as to the length of the rainy season. Using these relationships we have been able to reconstruct past Indian monsoon rainfall variability of the first half of the 20th century in agreement with the instrumental record. Additionally, an older coral oxygen isotope record has been used to reconstruct seasonally resolved summer monsoon rainfall variability of the latter half of the 17th century, indicating that the average annual rainfall during this period was similar to that during the 20th century. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Did large ice caps persist on low ground in north‐west Scotland during the Lateglacial Interstade? - Colin K. Ballantyne; John O. Stone (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Recent research based primarily on exposure ages of boulders on moraines has suggested that extensive ice masses persisted in fjords and across low ground in north‐west Scotland throughout the Lateglacial Interstade (≈ Greenland Interstade 1, ca. 14.7–12.9 ka), and that glacier ice was much more extensive in this area during the Older Dryas chronozone (ca. 14.0 ka) than during the Younger Dryas Stade (ca. 12.9–11.7 ka). We have recalibrated the same exposure age data using locally derived 10 Be production rates. This increases the original mean ages by 6.5–12%, implying moraine deposition between ca. 14.3 and ca. 15.1 ka, and we infer a most probable age of ca. 14.7 ka based on palaeoclimatic considerations. The internal consistency of the ages implies that the dated moraines represent a single readvance of the ice margin (the Wester Ross Readvance). Pollen–stratigraphic evidence from a Lateglacial site at Loch Droma on the present drainage divide demonstrates deglaciation before ca. 14.0 ka, and therefore implies extensive deglaciation of all low ground and fjords in this area during the first half of the interstade (ca. 14.7–14.0 ka). This inference appears consistent with Lateglacial radiocarbon dates for shells recovered from glacimarine sediments and a dated tephra layer. Our revised chronology conflicts with earlier proposals that substantial dynamic ice caps persisted in Scotland between 14 and 13 ka, that large active glaciers probably survived throughout the Lateglacial Interstade and that ice extent was greater during the Older Dryas period than during the Younger Dryas Stade. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

How a Sphagnum fuscum ‐dominated bog changed into a calcareous fen: the unique Holocene history of a Slovak spring‐fed mire - Petra Hájková; Ab Grootjans; Mariusz Lamentowicz; Eliška Rybníčková; Mikuláš Madaras; Věra Opravilová; Dierk Michaelis; Michal Hájek; Hans Joosten; Lesław Wołejko (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
In general, mires develop by autogenic succession from more groundwater‐fed to more rainwater‐fed. This study from a calcareous mire in the West Carpathians (Slovakia) describes a similar development in the Early Holocene, followed by a reverse development in the Middle and Late Holocene. Pollen, macrofossil and testate amoeba analyses show that the site started as a minerotrophic open fen woodland. After 10 700 cal a BP autogenic succession led to the accumulation of at least 1 m of Sphagnum fuscum peat. Around 9000 cal a BP, as climate could no longer sustain a stable water regime, the bog desiccated and a fire broke out. The fire removed part of the peat layer and as a consequence relative water levels rose, leading to the establishment of a wet minerotrophic swamp carr with Thelypteris palustris , Equisetum sp. and Alnus sp. with extremely slow peat accumulation. After 600 cal a BP, rapid peat accumulation with calcareous tufa formation resumed as a result of anthropogenic deforestation and hydrological changes in the catchment and resulting increased groundwater discharge. At present the mire still hosts a wealth of relict and endangered plant and animal species typical of calcareous fens and fen meadows. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Geochemistry of Quaternary sediments of the Jeongokri archaeological site, Korea: implications for provenance and palaeoenvironments during the Late Pleistocene - Jin Cheul Kim; Yong Il Lee; Hyoun Soo Lim; Seonbok Yi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The geochemical characteristics of an approximately 6‐m‐long sediment core collected from the Jeongokri archaeological site (Hantan River, Korea) were examined to determine the provenance of the sediments and to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment of the study area during the Late Pleistocene (200–127 ka). The core sediments were subdivided into two parts based on grain size: an upper (0–380 cm depth) and lower part (>380 cm depth). The lower part was deposited primarily by fluvial processes during an interglacial period [marine isotope stage (MIS) 7] with warm and humid conditions. Conversely, the upper part was mainly deposited by aeolian processes during a cold and dry glacial period (MIS 6). Geochemical characteristics, represented by major, trace and rare earth element (REE) compositions, and textures of the Jeongokri core sediments show distinct differences between the upper and lower parts. The mineralogy and major, trace and REE compositions indicate that the influence of felsic source rocks (e.g. granite) was dominant in the lower sediments, which were derived from the Hantan River. In contrast, increased quartz content and the very fine and homogeneous grain size in the upper sediments indicate an aeolian origin. REE ratios and distribution patterns, and geochemical signatures indicate that these sediments were derived predominantly from Chinese loess deposits and partially from local sediments from the Korean Peninsula; the possible source area of the upper sediments is the northern part of the Yellow Sea basin. The Yellow Sea basin, having mixed geochemical signatures between Chinese loess and Korean‐derived sediments, was exposed because of low sea levels during MIS 6. The exposed Yellow Sea basin was located in the path of winter‐monsoon winds, which may have carried a great deal of airborne sediments from the basin to the Jeongokri area. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contrasting patterns of precipitation seasonality during the Holocene in the south‐ and north‐central Mediterranean - Michel Magny; Odile Peyron; Laura Sadori; Elena Ortu; Giovanni Zanchetta; Boris Vannière; Willy Tinner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Pollen‐based quantitative estimates of seasonal precipitation from Lake Pergusa and lake‐level data from Lake Preola in Sicily (southern Italy) allow three successive periods to be distinguished within the Holocene: an early Holocene period before ca. 9800 cal a BP with rather dry climate conditions in winter and summer, a mid‐Holocene period between ca. 9800 and 4500 cal a BP with maximum winter and summer wetness, and a late Holocene period after 4500 cal a BP with declining winter and summer wetness. This evolution observed in the south‐central Mediterranean shows strong similarities to that recognized in the eastern Mediterranean. But, it contrasts with that reconstructed in north‐central Italy, where the mid‐Holocene appears to be characterized by a winter (summer) precipitation maximum (minimum), while the late Holocene coincided with a decrease (increase) in winter (summer) precipitation. Maximum precipitation at ca. 10 000–4500 cal a BP may have resulted from (i) increased local convection in response to a Holocene insolation maximum at 10 000 cal a BP and then (ii) the gradual weakening of the Hadley cell activity, which allowed the winter rainy westerlies to reach the Mediterranean area more frequently. After 4500 cal a BP, changes in precipitation seasonality may reflect non‐linear responses to orbitally driven insolation decrease in addition to seasonal and inter‐hemispheric changes of insolation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High‐Arctic climate conditions for the last 7000 years inferred from multi‐proxy analysis of the Bliss Lake record, North Greenland - Jesper Olsen; Kurt H. Kjær; Svend Funder; Nicolaj K. Larsen; Anna Ludikova (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The Arctic is more vulnerable to climate change than are mid latitudes. Therefore, palaeolimnological studies from the High Arctic are important in providing insights into the dynamics of the climate system. Here we present a multi‐proxy study from one of the world's northernmost lakes: Bliss Lake, Peary Land, Greenland. The early Holocene (10 850–10 480 cal. a BP) is characterized by increased erosion and gradually more marine conditions. Full marine conditions developed from 10 480 cal. a BP until the lake was isolated at 7220 cal. a BP. From its marine isolation at 7220 cal. a BP Bliss Lake becomes a lacustrine environment. Evidence from geochemical proxies (δ 13 C and total organic carbon) suggests that warmer conditions prevailed between 7220 and 6500 cal. a BP, corresponding to the Holocene thermal maximum, and from 3300 until 910 cal. a BP. From 850 to 500 cal. a BP colder climate conditions persisted. The transition from warmer to colder climate conditions taking place around 850 cal. a BP may be associated with the transition from the Medieval Warm Period to the Little Ice Age. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lateglacial and early Holocene summer temperatures in the southern Swiss Alps reconstructed using fossil chironomids - Stéphanie Samartin; Oliver Heiri; Elisa Vescovi; Stephen J. Brooks; Willy Tinner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We present a Lateglacial and early Holocene chironomid‐based July air temperature reconstruction from Foppe (1470 m a.s.l.) in the Swiss Southern Alps. Our analysis suggests that chironomid assemblages have responded to major and minor climatic fluctuations during the past 17 000 years, such as the Oldest Dryas, the Younger Dryas and the Bølling/Allerød events in the Lateglacial and the Preboreal Oscillation at the beginning of the Holocene. Quantitative July air temperature estimates were produced by applying a combined Norwegian and Swiss temperature inference model consisting of 274 lakes to the fossil chironomid assemblages. The Foppe record infers average July air temperatures of ca. 9.9 °C during the Oldest Dryas, 12.2 °C during most of the Bølling/Allerød and 11.1 °C for the Younger Dryas. Mean July air temperatures during the Preboreal were 14 °C. Major temperature changes were observed at the Oldest Dryas/Bølling (+2.7 °C), the Allerød/Younger Dryas (−2 °C) and the Younger Dryas/Holocene transitions (+3.9 °C). The temperature reconstruction also shows centennial‐scale coolings of ca. 0.8–1.4 °C, which may be synchronous with the Aegelsee (Greenland Interstadial 1d) and the Preboreal Oscillations. A comparison of our results with other palaeoclimate records suggests noticeable temperature gradients across the Alps during the Lateglacial and early Holocene. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Orbital‐ and millennial‐scale paleoceanographic changes in the north‐eastern Japan Basin, East Sea/Japan Sea during the late Quaternary - Boo‐Keun Khim; Ken Ikehara; Tomohisa Irino (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Two gravity sediment cores (GH99‐1239 and GH99‐1246) obtained from the north‐eastern Japan Basin in the East Sea/Japan Sea were analyzed for the orbital‐ and millennial‐scale paleoceanographic changes. Chronostratigraphically, core GH99‐1239 represents a continuous sedimentary record since 32 ka, based on correlation of distinct lithological markers (i.e. dark layer or TL layer) with those in core GH98‐1232 collected nearby. For core GH99‐1246, the age model is constructed through correlation of lightness ( L *) values and tephra (Aso‐4 and Toya) layers with those in the well‐dated Oki Ridge core (MD01‐2407), indicating about 134 ka of sedimentation since the latest Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6. New geochemical data from both cores corroborate orbital‐scale paleoceanographic variation, such that surface‐water productivity, represented by biogenic opal and total organic carbon (TOC) contents, increased during MIS 1 and MIS 5; CaCO 3 contents do not show such distinct glacial–interglacial cycles, but were influenced by dissolution and preservation rather than foraminiferal production. During the glacial periods when sea ice was prevalent, surface‐water productivity was low, and bottom‐water conditions became anoxic, as indicated by high total sulfur (TS) contents and high Mo concentrations. The geochemical data further document millennial‐scale paleoceanographic variability, corresponding to a series of thin TL layers in response to Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles but irrespective of the glacial or interglacial periods. In particular, thin TL layers formed during MIS 3 are characterized by less TOC (about 1%) and TS (about 0.4%) contents and lower Mo (about 5 p.p.m.) concentration, whereas those during MIS 4 and MIS 5 exhibit more TOC (up to 4%) and TS (up to 5%) contents and higher Mo (up to 120 p.p.m.) concentration. Such a discrepancy is attributed to different degree of surface‐water productivity and of bottom‐water oxygenation, which is closely related to the sea level position and extent of ventilation. Flux of the East China Sea Coastal Water controlled by millennial‐scale paleoclimatic events is the most critical factor in deciding the properties of TL layers in the north‐eastern Japan Basin. Our results strongly confirm that TL layers in the Japan Basin also validate the unique feature of basin‐wide paleoceanographic signals in the East Sea/Japan Sea. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Wetland soil moisture complicates the use of Sporormiella to trace past herbivore populations - Jamie R. Wood; Janet M. Wilmshurst (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Spores of the dung‐fungi Sporormiella provide a proxy for assessing past changes in herbivore abundance, and for temporally linking these with shifts in vegetation communities (pollen) and fire frequency (charcoal). Although the proxy is now widely used, potential influences of local environmental conditions are poorly understood. Here we assess the reliability of Sporormiella as a proxy of herbivores by presenting five new spore records from the South Island of New Zealand; a land where the herbivore extinction/introduction chronology is well established, and where extinctions occurred independently of major climate change. We show that Sporormiella spores from relatively dry soils provide a good proxy for herbivore extinctions and introductions. However, spore abundances from saturated soil sites appear to fluctuate in close correlation with changes in local hydrology (represented by wetland herb pollen, testate amoebae and moisture sensitive mosses). Our results suggest Sporormiella records derived from wetlands require cautious interpretation, and that proxies for hydrological conditions should also be considered when interpreting such records. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Morphological, demographic and genetic traces of Upper Palaeolithic human impact on limpet assemblages in North Iberia - P. Turrero; M. Muñoz‐Colmenero; I. G. Pola; M. Arbizu; E. García‐Vázquez (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Human activities have an impact on extant biotic communities, and may have had just as important an impact in the past. We assess human impact on limpet assemblages during the Upper Palaeolithic in Asturias (north‐west Spain). The intensely exploited genus Patella exhibited a marked size decrease and a change in species assemblage composition, substituting the larger species P. vulgata for the smaller P. depressa . The present Patella assemblages in the upper tidal level exhibit the same pattern as those of the Epipalaeolithic (approx. 12 000 to 6000 years before the present). Although climate change may have contributed to such species replacement, spatial differences between close areas with different densities of Palaeolithic human settlements indicate unequivocal human impact. Present Patella species sampled from the region exhibit genetic signatures of past bottlenecks in mitochondrial DNA, which also indicate recent demographic expansion, suggesting that old impacts have been sufficiently important to leave genetic traces in current populations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Holocene Asian monsoon variations recorded in Lake Rara sediment, western Nepal - Atsunori Nakamura; Yusuke Yokoyama; Hideaki Maemoku; Hiroshi Yagi; Makoto Okamura; Hiromi Matsuoka; Nao Miyake; Toshiki Osada; Hirofumi Teramura; Danda Pani Adhikari; Vishnu Dangol; Yosuke Miyairi; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The Himalayas are a key location for understanding centennial‐ to millennial‐scale variations in the Asian monsoon, yet few studies of the late Holocene have been conducted in this sensitive area. Direct evidence for shifts in monsoonal wind strength is often limited to marine proxy records, while terrestrial reconstructions (e.g. lake levels and spleothems) focus on precipitation. Here, we present the first evidence of terrestrial summer monsoon wind strength changes from Lake Rara, western Nepal, based on Mn/Ti ratios, a proxy for lake stratification. These data indicate a link between the Arabian Sea and the Himalayas, suggesting that centennial‐ to millennial‐scale changes in wind strength occurred synchronously. Distinct similarity is also observed between Lake Rara and the southern part of China, which may support previous suggestions that the southern part of China is influenced by Indian summer monsoon. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Major and trace element characterization of tephra layers offshore Pantelleria Island: insights into the last 200 ka of volcanic activity and contribution to the Mediterranean tephrochronology - Stella Tamburrino; Donatella D. Insinga; Mario Sprovieri; Paola Petrosino; Massimo Tiepolo (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A detailed tephrochronological study was carried out on the deep‐sea core collected from Site 963A in the Sicily Channel during ODP Leg 160. The chronology of the succession is provided by an age–depth model based on isotope stratigraphy and quantitative eco‐biostratigraphy. Major, trace and rare earth element content was obtained on single glass grains through electron probe micro‐analysis and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry techniques from six well‐preserved tephra layers, characterized by a discrete thickness found along the succession. These deposits were correlated with the volcanic activity of Pantelleria and dated at 42.5, 127.5, 128.1, 129.1, 188.7 and 197.7 ka. This detailed chemical characterization of the studied deposits aims to provide a valuable reference database for scientists working on both proximal and distal products erupted at Pantelleria island during the Late Pleistocene. This study, moreover, offers the opportunity to better identify Pantelleria‐related marker tephras within the tephrochronological framework of the central and eastern Mediterranean area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mauritius since the last glacial: environmental and climatic reconstruction of the last 38 000 years from Kanaka Crater - Geert W. Van Der Plas; Erik J. De Boer; Henry Hooghiemstra; F. B. Vincent Florens; Claudia Baider; Johannes Van Der Plicht (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
A 10 m long peat core from the Kanaka Crater (20° 25′ S, 57° 31′ E), located at 560 m elevation in Mauritius, was analyzed for microfossils. Eight radiocarbon ages show the pollen record reflects environmental and climatic change of the last ca. 38 cal ka BP. The record shows that the island was continuously covered by forest with Erica heath ( Philippia ) in the uplands. Cyperaceous reedswamp with Pandanus trees was abundant in the coastal lowlands as well as locally in the waterlogged crater. The record shows changes in climatic humidity (wet from 38.0 to 22.7 cal ka BP, drier from 22.7 to 10.6 cal ka BP, and wetter again from 10.6 cal ka BP to recent) as the main response to climate change. A high turnover in montane forest species is evidenced at 22.7 cal ka BP and at the start of the Holocene. The limited altitudinal ranges in the mountains of Mauritius (maximum altitude 828 m), and changing humidity being more important than changing temperature, suggests that in response to climate change a reassortment in taxonomic composition of montane forests might be equally important as displacement of forest types to new altitudinal intervals. We found weak impact of the latitudinal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and data suggest that the Indian Ocean Dipole is a more important driver for climatic change in the southwest Indian Ocean. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A tephrochronology for the Lateglacial palynological record of the Endinger Bruch (Vorpommern, north‐east Germany) - C. S. Lane; P. De Klerk; V. L. Cullen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The tephrostratigraphy of lake sediments in the Endinger Bruch provides the first robust age model for the Lateglacial palynological records of Vorpommern (north‐east Germany). Cryptotephra investigations revealed six tephra layers within sediments spanning from Open vegetation phase I (∼Bølling, ∼15 ka) to the Early Holocene Betula / Pinus forest phase (∼Pre‐boreal, ∼10.5 ka). Four of these layers have been correlated with previously described tephra layers found in sites across Europe. The Laacher See Tephra (Eifel Volcanic Field) is present in very high concentrations within sediments of the Lateglacial Betula (/ Pinus ) forest phase (∼Allerød). The Vedde Ash (Iceland) lies midway through Open vegetation phase III (∼Younger Dryas). The Hässeldalen and the Askja tephras (Iceland) lie in the Early Holocene Betula / Pinus forest phase (∼Preboreal). These tephra layers have independently derived age estimates, which have been imported into the Endinger Bruch record. Furthermore, the layers facilitate direct correlation of the regional vegetation record with other palaeoenvironmental archives, which contain one or more of the same tephra layers, from Greenland to Southern Europe. In doing this, localized variations are confirmed in some aspects of the pollen stratigraphy; however, transitions between the main vegetation phases appear to occur synchronously (within centennial errors) with the equivalent environmental transitions observed in sites across the European continent. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In situ cosmogenic exposure ages from the Isle of Skye, northwest Scotland: implications for the timing of deglaciation and readvance from 15 to 11 ka - David Small; Vincent Rinterknecht; William Austin; Derek Fabel; Maria Miguens‐Rodriguez; Sheng xu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We present 10 in situ cosmogenic exposure ages from two moraines on the Isle of Skye. The Strollamus medial moraine was deposited during deglaciation of the Devensian ice sheet and yields a mean exposure age from five samples of 14.3 ± 0.9 ka. The moraine age indicates that a significant ice mass existed on Skye at the time of a regional readvance recorded in Wester Ross, northwest Scotland. Taken at face value the ages suggest that deglaciation did not occur until well into Greenland Interstade 1. The Slapin moraine represents the local limit of the Loch Lomond Readvance (LLR) and yields a mean exposure age from five samples of 11.5 ± 0.7 ka, which is consistent with deposition relating to the LLR. These ages suggest that the maximum extent may have been reached late in the stadial and that some glaciers may have remained active until after the climatic amelioration that marks its end. This scenario is considered unlikely given the nature of the climate during this period, which leads us to call for a locally calibrated production rate. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in southern Brazil (Jaguaruna region, Santa Catarina state) based on multi‐proxy analysis - Paula Garcia Carvalho do Amaral; Paulo César Fonseca Giannini; Florence Sylvestre; Luiz Carlos Ruiz Pessenda (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This paper provides a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in the Jaguaruna region of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. Integrated results of bulk sedimentary organic matter characterization (δ 13 C, δ 15 N and C/N), microfossil (pollen and diatom) and grain‐size analysis from three shallow cores (∼2.5 m depth) allowed us to propose an evolving paleogeographic scenario in this coastal region for the last ca. 5500 cal a BP. The lagoonal system in this area was more extensive during the mid‐Holocene than today, with a gradual and continuous lagoon–sea disconnection until the present. We add to the debate regarding relative sea‐level (RSL) variations for the Brazilian coast during the Holocene and discuss the importance of sedimentary dynamics for interpreting changes in coastal ecosystems. The multi‐proxy analysis suggests that changes in coastal ecosystems could be directly related to local sedimentary processes, which are not necessarily linked to RSL fluctuations and/or to climatic variations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene changes in precipitation seasonality in the western Mediterranean Basin: a multi‐species approach using δ 13 C of archaeobotanical remains - M. Aguilera; J. P. Ferrio; G. Pérez; J. L. Araus; J. Voltas (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Precipitation has been of utmost importance in shaping the evolution of landscapes and human settlements in the Mediterranean. However, information on seasonal precipitation patterns through the Holocene is scarce. This study attempts to quantify the evolution of seasonal precipitation in the East Iberian Peninsula (5000 BC to AD 600) based on the carbon isotope composition (δ 13 C) of archaeobotanical remains. Data on Holm oak, Aleppo pine and small‐grain cereals were combined, and precipitation was inferred from models relating present‐day records to the δ 13 C of modern samples. Subsequently, charred grains were used as a proxy for ancient moisture during April–May, whereas oak and pine charcoals provided complementary rainfall estimates for September–December and January–August, respectively. The results reveal aridity changes throughout the Holocene in the western Mediterranean. Past spring–summer precipitation was consistently higher than at present. In contrast, autumn and early winter precipitation showed stronger fluctuations, particularly during the first millennium BC, and often exhibited values below those of the present. The high contribution of autumn precipitation to the annual water budget, typical of the present Mediterranean climate, was definitively established at the beginning of the current era. This study shows how a combination of species holding complementary environmental signals can contribute to a wider knowledge of local precipitation dynamics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Timing of Lateglacial vegetation dynamics and respective palaeoenvironmental conditions in southern Estonia: evidence from the sediment record of Lake Nakri - Leeli Amon; Siim Veski; Atko Heinsalu; Leili Saarse (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This paper investigates a detailed well‐dated Lateglacial floristic colonisation in the eastern Baltic area, ca. 14 000–9000 cal. a BP, using palynological, macrofossil, loss‐on‐ignition, and 14 C data. During 14 000–13 400 cal. a BP, primarily treeless pioneer tundra vegetation existed. Tree birch ( Betula sect. Albae ) macro‐remains and a high tree pollen accumulation rate indicate the presence of forest‐tundra with birch and possibly pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) trees during 13 400–12 850 cal. a BP. Palaeobotanical data indicate that the colonisation and development of forested areas were very rapid, arising within a period of less than 50 years. Thus far, there are no indications of conifer macrofossils in Estonia to support the presence of coniferous forests in the Lateglacial period. Signs of Greenland Interstadial 1b cooling during 13 100 cal. a BP are distinguishable. Biostratigraphic evidence indicates that the vegetation was again mostly treeless tundra during the final colder episode of the Lateglacial period associated with Greenland Stadial 1, approximately 12 850–11 650 cal. a BP. This was followed by onset of the Holocene vegetation, with the expansion of boreal forests, in response to rapid climatic warming. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Geophysical surveys of the sediments of Loch Ness, Scotland: implications for the deglaciation of the Moray Firth Ice Stream, British–Irish Ice Sheet - Andrew J. Turner; John Woodward; Stuart A. Dunning; Adrian J. Shine; Chris R. Stokes; Colm Ó Cofaigh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We present results from three geophysical campaigns using high‐resolution sub‐bottom profiling to image sediments deposited in Loch Ness, Scotland. Sonar profiles show distinct packages of sediment, providing insight into the loch's deglacial history. A recessional moraine complex in the north of the loch indicates initial punctuated retreat. Subsequent retreat was rapid before stabilisation at Foyers Rise formed a large stillstand moraine. Here, the calving margin produced significant volumes of laminated sediments in a proglacial fjord‐like environment. Subsequent to this, ice retreated rapidly to the southern end of the loch, where it again deposited a sequence of proglacial laminated sediments. Sediment sequences were then disturbed by the deposition of a thick gravel layer and a large turbidite deposit as a result of a jökulhlaup from the Spean/Roy ice‐dammed lake. These sediments are overlain by a Holocene sheet drape. Data indicate: (i) a former tributary of the Moray Firth Ice Stream migrated back into Loch Ness as a major outlet glacier with a calving margin in a fjord‐like setting; (ii) there was significant sediment supply to the terminus of this outlet glacier in Loch Ness; and (iii) that jökulhlaups are important for sediment supply into proglacial fjord/lake environments and may compose >20% of proglacial sedimentary sequences. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Investigating the last deglaciation of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet in southwest Sweden with 10 Be exposure dating - Nicolaj Krog Larsen; Henriette Linge; Lena Håkansson; Derek Fabel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
In this study we have obtained 17 cosmogenic exposure ages from three well‐developed moraine systems – Halland Coastal Moraines (HCM), Göteborg Moraine (GM) and Levene Moraine (LM) – which were formed during the last deglaciation in southwest Sweden by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS). The inferred ages of the inner HCM, GM and LM are 16.7 ± 1.6, 16.1 ± 1.4 and 13.6 ± 1.4 ka, respectively, which is slightly older than previous estimates of the deglaciation based on the minimum limiting radiocarbon ages and pollen stratigraphy. During this short interval from 16.7 ± 1.6 to 13.6 ± 1.4 ka a large part (100–125 km) of the marine‐based sector of the SIS in southwest Sweden was deglaciated, giving an average ice margin retreat between 20 to 50 m a −1 . The inception of the deglaciation pre‐dated the Bølling/Allerød warming, the rapid sea level rise at 14.6 cal. ka BP and the first inflow of warm Atlantic waters into Skagerrak. We suggest that ice retreat in southwest Sweden is mainly a dynamical response governed by the disintegration of the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream and not primarily driven by climatic changes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene migration of oceanic front systems over the Conrad Rise in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean - Kota Katsuki; Minoru Ikehara; Yusuke Yokoyama; Masako Yamane; Boo‐Keun Khim (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
There has been limited previous research about Holocene climate variability in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean. Here we examine centennial‐scale changes in diatom assemblages and stable isotopic ratios since 10 000 cal a BP in a high‐accumulation‐rate sediment core from the Conrad Rise. Although abundances of dominant diatom taxa ( Fragilariopsis kerguelensis and Thalassiothrix antarctica ) are comparatively constant, relative abundances of secondary taxa fluctuate. Before c. 9900 cal a BP, winter sea‐ice and cold water covered the Conrad Rise. Following deglaciation the sea‐ice retreated from the Conrad Rise, lagging that of the Atlantic and eastern Indian Sectors by about 1500 a. The Polar Front moved southward during the early Holocene optimum and north Antarctic Zone waters covered the Conrad Rise for about 650 a. After 9300 cal a BP, solar insolation strongly influenced sea surface temperature and primary productivity in the Southern Ocean. In the high‐latitude Indian Sector, productivity increased 1500 a after the onset of late Holocene neoglaciation. Periodic δ 18 O and cold‐water diatom taxa spikes (at intervals of 200 and 300–500 a, respectively) occurred after 9300 cal a BP, probably associated with solar activity. Fluctuations in short‐term sea surface temperature and cold‐water taxa are synchronous with changes in δD observed in an east Antarctic ice core. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - Antony Long (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)

Late Holocene vertical land motion and relative sea‐level changes: lessons from the British Isles - Ian Shennan; Glenn Milne; Sarah Bradley (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Vertical land motion caused by continuing glacial isostatic adjustment is one of several important components of sea‐level change and is not limited just to previously glaciated regions. A national‐scale analysis for the British Isles shows an ellipse of present‐day relative uplift (relative sea‐level fall), ∼1.2 mm a −1 , broadly centred on the deglaciated mountains of Scotland. The pattern of three foci of relative subsidence, ∼1 mm a −1 , results from the additional interactions of the deglacial meltwater load on the Atlantic basin and the continental shelf, and the signal due to far‐field ice sheets. At a local scale, sediment compaction can more than double the rate of relative land subsidence. Relative land‐level change (the negative of relative sea‐level change) is not the same as vertical land motion. There is a spatial pattern in the difference between relative land‐level change and vertical land motion, with differences at present of approximately −0.1 to −0.3 mm a −1 around the British Isles and +2.5 to −1.5 mm a −1 globally. For the wider scientific and user community, whether or not the differences are considered significant will depend upon the location, time frame and spatial scale of the study that uses such information. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Lateglacial and early Holocene dynamics of adjacent valley glaciers in the Western Swiss Alps - Inga Schindelwig; Naki Akçar; Peter W. Kubik; Christian Schlüchter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The Alps play a pivotal role for glacier and climate reconstructions within Europe. Detailed glacial chronologies provide important insights into mechanisms of glaciation and climate change. We present 26 10 Be exposure dates of glacially transported boulders situated on moraines and ice‐moulded bedrock samples at the Belalp cirque and the Great Aletsch valley, Switzerland. Weighted mean ages of ∼10.9, 11.1, 11.0 and 9.6 ka for the Belalp, on up to six individual moraine ridges, constrain these moraines to the Egesen, Kartell and Schams stadials during Lateglacial to early Holocene times. The weighted mean age of ∼12.5 ka for the right‐lateral moraine of the Great Aletsch correlates with the Egesen stadial related to the Younger Dryas cooling. These data indicate that during the early Holocene between ∼11.7 and ∼9.2 ka, glaciers in the Swiss Alps seem to have been significantly affected by cold climatic conditions initiated during the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal Oscillation. These conditions resulted in glacier margin oscillations relating to climatic fluctuations during the second phase of the Younger Dryas – and continuing into Boreal times – as supported by correlation of the innermost moraine of the Belalp Cirque to the Schams (early) Holocene stage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Linking past flood frequencies in Norway to regional atmospheric circulation anomalies - Eivind N. Støren; Erik W. Kolstad; Øyvind Paasche (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Analysis of two continuous, high‐resolution palaeo‐flood records from southern Norway reveals that the frequency of extreme flood events has changed significantly during the Holocene. During the early and middle Holocene, flood frequency was low; by contrast, it was high over the last 2300 years when the mean flood frequency was about 2.5–3.0 per century. The present regional discharge regime is dominated by spring/summer snowmelt, and our results indicate that the changing flood frequency cannot be explained by local conditions associated with the respective catchments of the two lakes, but rather long‐term variations of solid winter precipitation and related snowmelt. Applying available instrumental winter precipitation data and associated sea‐level pressure re‐analysis data as a modern analogue, we document that atmospheric circulation anomalies, significantly different from the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), have some potential in explaining the variability of the two different palaeo‐flood records. Centennial‐scale patterns in shifting flood frequency might be indicative of shifts in atmospheric circulation and shed light on palaeo‐pressure variations in the North Atlantic region, in areas not influenced by the NAO. Major shifts are found at about 2300, 1200 and 200 years ago (cal. a BP). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pleistocene Rhine–Thames landscapes: geological background for hominin occupation of the southern North Sea region - Marc P. Hijma; Kim M. Cohen; Wil Roebroeks; Wim E. Westerhoff; Freek S. Busschers (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This paper links research questions in Quaternary geology with those in Palaeolithic archaeology. A detailed geological reconstruction of The Netherlands' south‐west offshore area provides a stratigraphical context for archaeological and palaeontological finds. Progressive environmental developments have left a strong imprint on the area's Palaeolithic record. We highlight aspects of landscape evolution and related taphonomical changes, visualized in maps for critical periods of the Pleistocene in the wider southern North Sea region. The Middle Pleistocene record is divided into two palaeogeographical stages: the pre‐Anglian/Elsterian stage, during which a wide land bridge existed between England and Belgium even during marine highstands; and the Anglian/Elsterian to Saalian interglacial, with a narrower land bridge, lowered by proglacial erosion but not yet fully eroded. The Late Pleistocene landscape was very different, with the land bridge fully dissected by an axial Rhine–Thames valley, eroded deep enough to fully connect the English Channel and the North Sea during periods of highstand. This tripartite staging implies great differences in (i) possible migration routes of herds of herbivores as well as hominins preying upon them, (ii) the erosion base of axial and tributary rivers causing an increase in the availability of flint raw materials and (iii) conditions for loess accumulation in northern France and Belgium and the resulting preservation of Middle Palaeolithic sites. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late glacial and holocene 10 Be production rates for western Norway - Brent M. Goehring; Øystein Strand Lohne; Jan Mangerud; John Inge Svendsen; Richard Gyllencreutz; Joerg Schaefer; Robert Finkel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
We present a new regional calibration of the 10 Be production rate from two well‐dated surfaces in southern Norway: a rock avalanche with 14 C‐dated wood and a precisely dated Younger Dryas moraine. Calculated 10 Be production rates are 4.26 ± 0.13 and 4.65 ± 0.14 at g −1 a −1 for the Lal/Stone and Lifton scaling models, respectively. Our regional production rate for southern Norway is 5% lower than the canonical global 10 Be production rate with lower uncertainties. Our 10 Be production rate agrees with regional 10 Be production rates from north‐eastern North America and New Zealand. The 10 Be production rate estimate presented here can be used to improve the precision and accuracy of exposure‐dated ice‐marginal features, as well as other surfaces, in northern Europe. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Constraining Holocene 10 Be production rates in Greenland - Jason P. Briner; Nicolás E. Young; Brent M. Goehring; Joerg M. Schaefer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
The absence of a production rate calibration experiment on Greenland has limited the ability to link 10 Be exposure dating chronologies of ice‐margin change to independent records of rapid climate change. We use radiocarbon age control on Holocene glacial features near Jakobshavn Isbræ, western Greenland, to investigate 10 Be production rates. The radiocarbon chronology is inconsistent with the 10 Be age calculations based on the current globally averaged 10 Be production rate calibration data set, but is consistent with the 10 Be production rate calibration data set from north‐eastern North America, which includes a calibration site nearby on north‐eastern Baffin Island. Based on the best‐dated feature available from the Jakobshavn Isbræ forefield, we derive a 10 Be production rate value of 3.98 ± 0.24 atoms g a −1 , using the ‘St’ scaling scheme, which overlaps with recently published reference 10 Be production rates. We suggest that these 10 Be production rate data, or the very similar data from north‐eastern North America, are used on Greenland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

10 Be and 26 Al exposure‐age dating of bedrock surfaces on the Aran ridge, Wales: evidence for a thick Welsh Ice Cap at the Last Glacial Maximum - Neil F. Glasser; Philip D. Hughes; Cassandra Fenton; Christoph Schnabel; Henrik Rother (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This paper presents results of the analysis of paired cosmogenic isotopes ( 10 Be and 26 Al) from eight quartz‐rich samples collected from ice‐moulded bedrock on the Aran ridge, the highest land in the British Isles south of Snowdon. On the Aran ridge, comprising the summits of Aran Fawddwy (905 m a.s.l.) and Aran Benllyn (885 m a.s.l.), 26 Al and 10 Be ages indicate complete ice coverage and glacial erosion at the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Six samples from the summit ridge above 750–800 m a.s.l. yielded paired 10 Be and 26 Al ages ranging from 17.2 to 34.4 ka, respectively. Four of these samples are very close in age ( 10 Be ages of 17.5 ± 0.6, 17.5 ± 0.7, 19.7 ± 0.8 and 20.0 ± 0.7 ka) and are interpreted as representing the exposure age of the summit ridge. Two other summit samples are much older ( 10 Be ages of 27.5 ± 1.0 and 33.9 ± 1.2 ka) and these results may indicate nuclide inheritance. The 26 Al/ 10 Be ratios for all samples are indistinguishable within one‐sigma uncertainty from the production rate ratio line, indicating that there is no evidence for a complex exposure history. These results indicate that the last Welsh Ice Cap was thick enough to completely cover the Aran ridge and achieve glacial erosion at the LGM. However, between c. 20 and 17 ka ridge summits were exposed as nunataks at a time when glacial erosion at lower elevations (below 750–800 m a.s.l.) was achieved by large outlet glaciers in the valleys surrounding the mountains. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A coastal reservoir of terrestrial resources for neanderthal populations in north‐eastern Iberia: palaeoenvironmental data inferred from the small‐vertebrate assemblage of Cova del Gegant, Sitges, Barcelona - Juan Manuel López‐García; Hugues‐Alexandre Blain; Montserrat Sanz; Joan Daura (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Coastal areas as reservoirs of resources for hominid groups have been widely studied in recent years. These areas combine marine with terrestrial and wetland resources and would have been optimum sites for hominids, including Neanderthals. This is the case with the Cova del Gegant, a cave that today opens directly onto the Mediterranean Sea and is located in the north‐eastern Iberian Peninsula. The geomorphological evolution of the Massis del Garraf has provided evidence that during the late Pleistocene there was a littoral platform between 8 and 13 km wide in front of the Cova del Gegant. Within this framework, the data derived from analysis of the small vertebrates and large mammals recovered from Cova del Gegant, including taxa currently absent from the Massis del Garraf, suggest that the landscape surrounding the cave provided a richer terrestrial ecosystem for Neanderthals than is available in this zone today. Analysis of the small‐vertebrate association from the cave reveals that the landscape surrounding the cave was dominated by woodland‐edge and open environments and that the climate was Mediterranean. The results have been compared with the only Iberian site with similar characteristics to the Cova del Gegant, Gorham's cave (southern Iberia, Gibraltar), revealing differences and similarities in the landscape and climate on the basis of the small‐mammal assemblages as well as the differences in the accessibility to terrestrial mammalian resources for the Neanderthal groups. The landscape and the climate were reasonably similar at the two sites, but the differences in the accessibility of resources for the Neanderthals are directly related to the location of the sites and the coastal position. Whereas the Cova del Gegant was on a route of mammal migration (between the Ebro Valley and France) suited for securing terrestrial resources, Gorham's cave is located on a small peninsula with a lower abundance of terrestrial mammal resources. This is probably why the Neanderthal groups at Gorham's cave exploited marine resources, whereas there is no evidence of marine resources having been exploited at Cova del Gegant, even though the seashore was nearby. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Timing of the younger dryas glacial maximum in western Norway - Øystein S. Lohne; Jan Mangerud; John Inge Svendsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
This study precisely constrains the timing of the Younger Dryas (YD) glacial maximum in south‐western Norway by utilizing sediment records from lake basins. Two of the basins, located on the distal side of the mapped Herdla–Halsnøy Moraine, received meltwater directly from the ice sheet only when the ice margin reached its maximum extent during the YD. In the cores, the ice maximum is represented by well‐defined units with meltwater deposits, dominantly laminated silt. Plant macrofossils in the sediment sequences are common and we obtained 18 radiocarbon ages from one of the cores. By applying Bayesian age–depth modelling we obtained a precise date for this meltwater event and thereby also for the timing of the YD glacial maximum. We conclude that the ice‐sheet advance culminated at the Halsnøy Moraine at 11 760 ± 120 cal a BP, and that the ice margin stayed in this position for 170 ± 120 years. The subsequent retreat started at 11 590 ± 100 cal a BP, i.e. close to the YD/Holocene boundary. Withdrawal was probably triggered by abrupt climatic warming at this time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

North Atlantic climate impact on early late‐glacial climate oscillations in the south‐eastern Alps inferred from a multi‐proxy lake sediment record - Roland Schmidt; Kaarina Weckström; Stefan Lauterbach; Richard Tessadri; Kerstin Huber (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
High‐resolution multi‐proxy analyses of a sediment core section from Lake Jeserzersee (Saissersee) in the piedmont lobe of the Würmian Drau glacier (Carinthia, Austria) reveal pronounced climatic oscillations during the early late glacial (ca. 18.5–16.0k cal a BP). Diatom‐inferred epilimnetic summer water temperatures show a close correspondence with temperature reconstructions from the adjacent Lake Längsee record and, on a hemispheric scale, with fluctuations of ice‐rafted debris in the North Atlantic. This suggests that North Atlantic climate triggered summer climate variability in the Alps during the early late glacial. The expansion of pine (mainly dwarf pine) between ca. 18.5 and 18.1k cal a BP indicates warming during the so‐called ‘Längsee oscillation’. The subsequent stepwise climate deterioration between ca. 18.1 and 17.6k cal a BP culminated in a tripartite cold period between ca. 17.6 and 16.9k cal a BP with diatom‐inferred summer water temperatures 8.5–10 °C below modern values and a shift from wet to dry conditions. This period probably coincides with a major Alpine glacier advance termed the Gschnitz stadial. A warmer interval between ca. 16.9 and 16.4k cal a BP separates this cold phase from a second, shorter and less pronounced cold phase between ca. 16.4 and 16.0k cal a BP, which is thought to correlate with the Clavadel/Senders glacier advance in the Alps. The following temperature increase, coupled with wet (probably snow‐rich) conditions, caused the expansion of birch during the transition period to the late glacial interstadial. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Extreme events as drivers of early human behaviour in Africa? The case for variability, not catastrophic drought - David S. G. Thomas; Sallie L. Burrough; Adrian G. Parker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Extreme Late Quaternary climatic events, sometimes of considerable continental extent, are being proposed as major contributors to ancestral human behaviour, particularly migration, in Africa. Most recently, a catastrophic drought in the Afro‐Asian monsoon region has been proposed for 16 000–17 000 years ago, driven by global impacts of the Heinrich event 1 (H1), with potentially significant consequences for Palaeolithic cultures. We provide a new analysis of the assertion and find, on examination of a wide set of palaeoenvironmental records, that the scale and extent of the proposed drought is not supported. While some parts of the African tropics, close to the equator, do appear dry at this time, data for the tropics as a whole suggest markedly variable terrestrial conditions, with some environmental systems experiencing very positive hydrological excursions during H1. We contend that in the quest for evidence of climate drivers of ancestral human behaviour, the variability associated with spatially and temporally complex climatic conditions is a significant factor in itself. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Pleistocene palaeolake in the interior of Oman: a potential key area for the dispersal of anatomically modern humans out‐of‐Africa? - Thomas M. Rosenberg; Frank Preusser; Ingo Blechschmidt; Dominik Fleitmann; Reto Jagher; Albert Matter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Relict fluvial and lacustrine deposits in the interior of Oman near Saiwan consist of waterlain breccias with pebble imbrications and current ripples, covered by algal laminites containing calcified reeds and charcoal pieces. Geomorphological evidence suggests that the palaeolake covered a maximum surface of 1400 km 2 and had a maximum depth of about 25 m. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally transferred OSL dating indicate that this palaeolake existed sometime between 132 and 104 ka. The rich archaeological evidence in the area suggests substantial human occupation, possibly at the time when Palaeolake Saiwan existed. Interestingly, the lithic traditions of the archaeological material show no clear relation to coeval findings from neighbouring areas, putting a question mark on the origin of the culture found at Saiwan. This finding raises questions concerning the origin of the population inhabiting Saiwan, as the site lies along one possible route for the dispersal of anatomically modern humans out‐of‐Africa. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Stratigraphic architecture and sedimentology of a Late Pleistocene subaqueous moraine complex, southwest Ireland - David J. A. Evans; John F. Hiemstra; Colm Ó Cofaigh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2012)
Glacigenic sediments exposed in coastal cliffs cut through undulatory terrain fronting the Last Glacial Maximum laterofrontal moraine at Waterville on the Iveragh Peninsula, southwest Ireland, comprise three lithofacies. Lithofacies 1 and 2 consist of interdigitated, offlapping and superimposed ice‐proximal subaqueous outwash and stacked sequences of cohesionless and cohesive subaqueous debris flows, winnowed lag gravels and coarse‐grained suspension deposits. These are indicative of sedimentation in and around small grounding line fans that prograded from an oscillating glacier margin into a proglacial, interlobate lake. Lithofacies 3 comprises braided river deposits that have undergone significant syn‐sedimentary soft‐sediment deformation. Deposition was likely related to proglacial outwash activity and records the reduction of accommodation space for subaqueous sedimentation, either through the lowering of proglacial water levels or due to basin infilling. The stratigraphic architecture and sedimentology of the moraine at Waterville highlight the role of ice‐marginal depositional processes in the construction of morphostratigraphically significant ‘end moraine’ complexes in Great Britain and Ireland. Traditional ‘tills’ in these moraines are often crudely stratified diamictons and gravelly clinoforms deposited in ice‐proximal subaqueous and subaerial fans. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Speleothem‐derived Asian summer monsoon variations in Central China, 54–46 ka - Houyun Zhou; Jianxin Zhao; Wang Qing; Yuexing Feng; Jing Tang (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The oxygen isotope signature (δ 18 O) of stalagmite SI3 collected from Shizi Cave in north‐east Sichuan Province provides an Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) record in Central China for the period 54–46 ka. The SI3 δ 18 O record clearly shows a negative δ 18 O excursion centred around 49.4 ka, which was reported in Hulu Cave in East China but not identified in the speleothem records from South‐west China. As a whole, this record displays a higher coherence with the two Hulu records from East China than with the speleothem δ 18 O records from South‐west China, suggesting that at 54–46 ka, Central China was influenced more by the East Asian Summer Monsoon than by the Indian Summer Monsoon. It also displays a significant negative δ 18 O excursion at 47.5–46.6 ka, which is not clearly documented in two other speleothem δ 18 O records previously reported from South‐west China. This suggests that details of the Greenland interstadial 12 warrant further investigations in future in monsoonal China. The SI3 δ 18 O record displays more significant centennial‐scale variations than the other four speleothem δ 18 O records from East and South‐west China, which may be due to the fact that the study site is closer to the north‐west boundary of the ASM and more sensitive to variations of the ASM than East and South‐west China. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Correlating Alpine glaciation with Adriatic sea‐level changes through lake and alluvial stratigraphy - Giovanni Monegato; Roberta Pini; Cesare Ravazzi; Paula J. Reimer; Lucia Wick (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
We compare lake and alluvial stratigraphy along a frame connecting the southern Alpine foothills and the Adriatic Sea, with the aim of matching the effects of Alpine glaciation and sea‐level changes on sedimentation during the last glacial cycle. The palynostratigraphy of Lake Fimon provided proxies for regional vegetation and climate change and was coupled with sediment petrography, loss on ignition and magnetic susceptibility, disentangling alluvial phases from fluvioglacial activity related to culminations of the southeastern Alpine glaciers. The Fimon area was not reached by alluvial fans during the penultimate glacial maximum, nor by the sea transgression during the last interglacial, but a closed lake soon developed at the Eemian onset due to enhanced rainfall. Sea‐level fall at glacial inception triggered the entrenchment of the drainage network in the plain reaching the outer Fimon Basin. Slow aggradation, but no sign of fluvioglacial activity, lasted to 38.2 ± 1.45 cal. ka BP, when a major forest withdrawal took place, coeval to the spread of alluvial fans. By 27.5 ± 0.5 cal. ka BP the Fimon Basin was dammed by the Brenta outwash system. The main step of of forest recovery commenced at around (15.8) cal. ka BP, when apex trenching of the outwash fans was triggered by the glacier's decay. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Response to Comments on ‘Does the Agulhas Current amplify global temperatures during super‐interglacials?’ - Chris Turney; Richard Jones (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

OSL chronology of sand deposits and climate change of last 18 ka in Gurbantunggut Desert, northwest China - Sheng‐Hua Li; Anchuan Fan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The development of the Gurbantunggut Desert is mainly controlled by the Westerly wind, and at present has little influence from Indian and Southeast Asian monsoons. A combined study using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) surveys and climatic proxies analysis was carried out in the southern part of the desert. The chronology extends back to 18 ka and is constructed based on 16 OSL ages from boreholes in the linear dune body and the inter‐dune area. The chronology suggests that sand deposition in the last 18 ka experienced two rapid accumulation phases at 11 and 2.5 ka ago which were also evident from the GPR surveys. These periods relate to increased aridity in the region. Five climate phases are identified from the last 18 ka, based on the OSL chronology and climatic proxy analysis with grain size and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The deglacial period (18.3–10.4 ka) is characterized by climate instability and possible glacial melting events. The Holocene Optimum peaked 8.5 ka and terminated 3.6 ka ago, when the regional climate became arid. OSL samples from the dune body cluster around 2.5 ka, which indicates rapid advance/extension of dune bodies at this time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mammal remains at Rantis Cave, Israel, and Middle–Late Pleistocene human subsistence and ecology in the Southern Levant - Ofer Marder; Reuven Yeshurun; Ronit Lupu; Guy Bar‐Oz; Miriam Belmaker; Naomi Porat; Hagai RON; Amos Frumkin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Rantis Cave is a recently discovered filled cave in central Israel, displaying a rich faunal accumulation of micromammals, ungulates and carnivores. U–Th dating assigns the beginning of accumulation to ca. 140 ka. The accumulation is culturally assigned to the late half of the Middle Paleolithic (MP) period. Single‐grain optically stimulated luminescence measurements attest to a complex sedimentological history. We present the cross‐disciplinary results of taphonomic and geomorphological analyses, which point to the cave serving as a natural pitfall trap for the large fauna, with little human or carnivore activity. The fauna is dominated by Dama among the ungulates and by Microtus among the micromammals. These data in conjunction with ungulate tooth mesowear analysis suggest a xeric Mediterranean environment on the eastern margin of the southern Levantine foothills. The relative taxonomic abundance of ungulate taxa shows some differences from anthropogenic MP sites, possibly reflecting the prey choice patterns of MP hunters. Overall, the natural accumulation scenario for Rantis Cave provides a rare paleoenvironmental and paleoeconomic reference to the rich anthropogenic MP faunas of the Southern Levant, enabling the reconstruction of a rich and diverse environmental setting for this important human dispersal route. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Holocene environmental conditions in Coronation Gulf, southwestern Canadian Arctic Archipelago: evidence from dinoflagellate cysts, other non‐pollen palynomorphs, and pollen - Anna J. Pieńkowski; Peta J. Mudie; John H. England; John N. Smith; Mark F. A. Furze (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Boxcore 99LSSL‐001 (68.095° N, 114.186° W; 211 m water depth) from Coronation Gulf represents the first decadal‐scale marine palynology and late Holocene sediment record for the southwestern part of the Northwest Passage. The record was studied for organic‐walled microfossils (dinoflagellate cysts, non‐pollen palynomorphs), pollen, terrestrial spores, and sediment characteristics. 210 Pb, 137 Cs, and three accelerator mass spectrometry 14 C dates constrain the chronology. Three prominent palaeoenvironmental zones were identified. During the interval AD 1470–1680 (Zone I), the climate was warmer and wetter than at present, and environmental conditions were more favourable to biological activity and northward boreal forest migration, with reduced sea‐ice and a longer open‐water (growing) season. The interval AD 1680–1940 (Zone II) records sea‐ice increase, and generally cool, polar conditions during the Little Ice Age. During AD 1940–2000 (Zone III), organic microfossils indicate an extended open‐water season and decreased sea‐ice, with suggested amelioration surpassing that of Zone I. Although more marine studies are needed to place this record into an appropriate context, the succession from ameliorated (Zone I) to cooler, sea‐ice influenced conditions (Zone II) and finally to 20th‐century warming (Zone III) corresponds well with several terrestrial climatic records from the neighbouring mainland and Victoria Island, and with lower‐resolution marine records to the west. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comments on ‘Does the Agulhas Current amplify global temperatures during super‐interglacials?’ - H. Rashid; F. O. Otieno; M. K. Konfirst (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

Testate amoebae as estuarine water‐level indicators: modern distribution and the development of a transfer function from a freshwater tidal marsh (Scheldt estuary, Belgium) - Marijke Ooms; Louis Beyens; Stijn Temmerman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Little is known about the century‐scale response of water levels in inland estuaries to sea‐level change and human modifications to estuarine morphology. This study explored the ability of using testate amoebae (Protozoa, Rhizopoda) from sediments of a freshwater tidal marsh as indicators of water level in an inland estuary. The hypothesis was that modern testate amoeba assemblages change with surface elevation (approximately the duration of tidal flooding) within a freshwater tidal marsh. Variation in testate amoeba assemblages in relation to multiple environmental variables and sediment characteristics was studied through redundancy analysis. This demonstrated that a significant part of the variation in modern testate amoeba assemblages could be explained by flooding frequency, surface elevation, organic content and particle size of the soil. Transfer functions, partial least squares and weighted average regressions were made to show that testate amoebae can be used for reconstruction of water level (with an accuracy of 0.05 Normalized Elevation). A preliminary test of application of the transfer function to palaeo testate amoeba assemblages showed promising results. Testate amoebae from a freshwater tidal marsh provide a potentially powerful new tool for estuarine water‐level reconstructions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Problematic but promising ponds? Palaeoenvironmental evidence from the Norse Eastern Settlement of Greenland - Kevin J. Edwards; J. Edward Schofield; Jason R. Kirby; Gordon T. Cook (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Pollen‐ and related proxy‐based studies of human–environment interactions during the Norse and later periods within Greenland have primarily involved the investigation of peat, lake and soil deposits, all of which have taphonomic and sampling problems. Many small ponds exist, but they seem to have been relatively ignored in investigations of palaeoecologically based environmental history. To evaluate their usefulness for studies of ecologically related cultural history, especially where sites are in intimate association with the archaeology, a pond in the Norse Eastern Settlement has been examined to investigate three principal questions: (i) Does such a site contain a useful record of environmental history? (ii) Does it offer a record of sufficient resolution and sensitivity for the study of anthropogenic landscape impacts? (iii) Are there any apparent drawbacks to these sequences? Using data obtained from palynological, diatom, sedimentological and radiocarbon analyses, it is concluded that environmental data for each proxy – aside from 14 C dating – are clearly capable of being explained in a reasonably straightforward and compatible manner and fulfil the hopes for the sampling medium. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene survival of the wild horse in Europe: a matter of open landscape? - Robert S. Sommer; Norbert Benecke; Lembi Lõugas; Oliver Nelle; Ulrich Schmölcke (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The wild horse Equus ferus was one of the most frequent species of the Late Pleistocene large ungulate fauna in Eurasia and played an important role in the subsistence of human groups, especially at the end the Late Glacial. It is frequently assumed that E. ferus became extinct in Europe at the beginning of the Holocene because of the development of woodlands and loss of open habitats. Because of its preference for open habitats and in spite of its adaptability, the appearance or disappearance of the wild horse could therefore be a suitable palaeoecological indicator for the opening of the Holocene primeval woodlands. We revised the dating and reliability of the subfossil record and dated several bones by atomic mass spectrometry 14 C dating. From the beginning of the Holocene (9600 cal a BC) to the end of the Atlantic Period (3750 cal a BC) there are 207 archaeological sites with wild horse records available in Europe. E. ferus survived the Pleistocene Holocene transition in Europe, but the spatiotemporal dynamics of populations fluctuated remarkably in the early and middle Holocene. Small and sparse populations increasingly became extinct during the early Holocene, until between 7100 and 5500 cal a BC the wild horse was almost absent in central parts of the European Lowlands. Particular conditions in natural open patches in the canopy forests, chalklands and floodplains may have maintained the local survival of the horse in some regions of the Lowlands, however. In the Late Atlantic, between 5500 and 3750 cal a BC the range of the wild horse was again extended. It re‐immigrated into central and western Europe, probably as a consequence of increasing landscape opening by Neolithic peoples. The data presented here may be a valuable part of the debate on the degree of openness of the early and middle Holocene landscape. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Caribbean hydrological variability during the Holocene as reconstructed from crater lakes on the island of Grenada - Sherilyn C. Fritz; Svante Björck; Catherine A. Rigsby; Paul A. Baker; Amy Calder‐Church; Daniel J. Conley (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Contemporary precipitation patterns in the Caribbean region are spatially variable, and the small number of Holocene paleoclimatic records may not adequately capture patterns of variation in the past. The hydrological history of Grenada was inferred from paleolimnological analyses of sediment cores from two crater lakes on the island. The basins were formed by volcanic activity some time during the Last Termination, but were dry between ca. 13 000 and ca. 7200 cal. a BP. After filling, the lakes were initially very shallow, and sedimentation was interrupted by a hiatus ca. 6300–5500 cal. a BP, followed by deposition of a thick tephra in both sites. After 5500 cal. a BP, lake level shows considerable multi‐centennial variability, superimposed upon a long‐term trend of generally higher lake level after 3200 cal. a BP. The pattern of lake‐level variation in Grenada shows some similarity with other Caribbean paleoclimatic records in terms of the timing of transitions, but differs from several classic studies in the sign of inferred precipitation change. The differences among records may reflect spatially variable precipitation patterns in the past in response to the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and to sea surface temperature influences on the trade winds and Caribbean low‐level jet. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Seismic stratigraphy records the deglacial history of Jakobshavn Isbræ, West Greenland - Kelly A. Hogan; Justin K. Dix; Jerry M. Lloyd; Antony J. Long; Carol J. Cotterill (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Jakobshavn Isbræ is one of the largest ice streams in the Greenland Ice Sheet, presently draining c. 6.5% of the Inland Ice. Here we present high‐resolution Chirp and Sparker sub‐bottom profiles from a seismic survey conducted just outside of the Jakobshavn Isfjord, which provides detailed insight into the glacimarine sedimentary history of the Jakobshavn ice stream during the Holocene. We observe acoustically stratified and homogeneous sediments that drape an irregular substratum and were deposited between ∼10 and c. 7.6k cal a BP. The stratified lower units are interpreted as the product of ice‐proximal glacimarine sedimentation deposited rapidly when the grounded ice margin was located close to depositional basins on topographic highs. The upper acoustically homogenous units reflect suspension settling of fine‐grained material and gravitational flows that were extruded from an increasingly unstable ice margin as the ice retreated into the fjord. Proximity to the ice margin and bedrock topography were the dominant controls on sediment accumulation during deglaciation although the 8.2‐ka cooling event probably influenced the position of the ice margin at the fjord mouth. The post‐glacial sedimentary record is characterized by glacimarine and hemipelagic rainout with an increased ice‐rafted detritus fraction that records sedimentation following ice stream retreat into Jakobshavn Isfjord sometime after c. 7.8k cal a BP. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Atlantic surface water inflow to the Nordic seas during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition (mid–late Younger Dryas and Pre‐Boreal periods, 12 450–10 000 a BP) - Tine L. Rasmussen; Erik Thomsen; Tove Nielsen; Stefan Wastegård (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The inflow of Atlantic Water to the Nordic seas from mid–late Younger Dryas to earliest Holocene (12 450–10 000 a BP) is reconstructed on the basis of a high‐resolution core (LINK14) from 346 m water depth on the east Faroe shelf. We have analysed the distribution of planktic and benthic foraminifera, stable isotopes and ice‐rafted debris (IRD), and calculated absolute temperatures and salinities by transfer functions. During the investigated time period there was almost continuous inflow of Atlantic Water to the Nordic seas. Deposition of IRD during the mid–late Younger Dryas and Pre‐Boreal coolings indicates the presence of melting icebergs and that summer sea surface temperatures were low. The east–west temperature gradient across the Faroe–Shetland Channel was much steeper than today. The cold conditions around the Faroe Islands are attributed to stronger East Greenland and East Icelandic currents than at present. The near‐continuous inflow of Atlantic Water is consistent with published evidence suggesting that deep convection took place in the Nordic seas, although the convection sites probably had shifted to a more easterly position than at present. Around the time of deposition of the Saksunarvatn Tephra c. 10 350 a BP, sea surface temperatures increased to the present level. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A pollen record of the last 450 years from a lowland peat bog on Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic, implying early anthropogenic influence - Karl Ljung; Svante Björck (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A pollen diagram from a small peat bog on the island of Tristan da Cunha in the central South Atlantic (37°05'S,12°17'W) is presented. The pollen diagram contains data from both introduced and native plant taxa. The earliest pollen grains from introduced Plantago lanceolata are dated to around AD 1570, and probably represent unintentional introductions of weeds by the earliest Portuguese explorers visiting the islands. After AD 1600, a greater abundance of pollen from introduced plants and declining tree pollen values indicate opening of the lowland vegetation and more intense land use, probably attributable to the effect of seasonal seal and whale hunters. After AD 1800, evidence of increased erosion and more intense land use are inferred from the pollen diagram, reflecting permanent settlement. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Alpine climate during the Holocene: a comparison between records of glaciers, lake sediments and solar activity - Samuel U. Nussbaumer; Friedhelm Steinhilber; Mathias Trachsel; Petra Breitenmoser; Jürg Beer; Alex Blass; Martin Grosjean; Albert Hafner; Hanspeter Holzhauser; Heinz Wanner; Heinz J. Zumbühl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The European Alps are very sensitive and vulnerable to climate change. Recent improvements in Alpine glacier length records and climate reconstructions from annually laminated sediments of Alpine Lake Silvaplana give the opportunity to investigate the relationship between these two data sets of Alpine climate. Two different time frames are considered: the last 500–1000 years as well as the last 7400 years. First, we found good agreement between the two different climate archives during the past millennium: mass accumulation rates and biogenic silica concentration are largely in phase with the glacier length changes of Mer de Glace and Unterer Grindelwaldgletscher, and with the records of glacier length of Grosser Aletschgletscher and Gornergletscher. Secondly, the records are compared with temporally highly resolved data of solar activity. The Sun has had a major impact on the Alpine climate variations in the long term, i.e. several centuries to millennia. Solar activity varies with the Hallstatt periodicity of about 2000 years. Hallstatt minima are identified around 500, 2500 and 5000 a. Around these times grand solar minima (such as the Maunder Minimum) occurred in clusters coinciding with colder Alpine climate expressed by glacier advances. During the Hallstatt maxima around 0, 2000 and 4500 a, the Alpine glaciers generally retreated, indicating a warmer climate. This is supported by archaeological findings at Schnidejoch, a transalpine pass in Switzerland that was only accessible when glaciers had retreated. On shorter timescales, however, the influence of the Sun cannot be as easily detected in Alpine climate change, indicating that in addition to solar forcing, volcanic influence and internal climate variations have played an important role. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Corrigendum: A well‐established Early–Middle Pleistocene marine sequence on south‐east Zakynthos island, western Greece: magneto‐biostratigraphic constraints and palaeoclimatic implications - Maria D. Papanikolaou; Maria V. Triantaphyllou; Ellen S. Platzman; Philip L. Gibbard; Conall Mac Niocaill; Martin J. Head (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

The lateglacial Quercus expansion in the southern European Alps: rapid vegetation response to a late Allerød climate warming? - W. Finsinger; C. S. Lane; G. J. van Den Brand; F. Wagner‐Cremer; S. P. E. Blockley; A. F. Lotter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A pollen‐inferred vegetation shift, from pioneer birch–pine woodland to mixed pine–summergreen oak forests, in the southern Alpine forelands, is commonly attributed to a centennial‐scale warming that occurred between the Gerzensee Oscillation (GO) and the Younger Dryas. Two microtephra layers bracketing the Younger Dryas onset (the Laacher See Tephra and the Vedde Ash) improve the chronology at Lago Piccolo di Avigliana (northern Italy) and allowed accurate correlation with Central European records where the GO is clearly detected. We used pollen percentages, pollen accumulation rates (PARs) and plant macrofossils to assess the population dynamics of Quercus , and leaf‐cuticle analysis for a better taxonomic identification of Quercus . Our results indicate that the species that was locally present was probably Quercus robur . PARs suggest that the population expansion started as early as the Bølling and followed an exponential increase through time. We attribute this gradual shift to increasing summer temperatures and longer growing seasons which contrast with a gradually decreasing temperature trend as recorded in Greenland ice cores and in Central Europe. Breaks or set‐backs in the PAR record may indicate the biotic response to minor Lateglacial cooling events of different life‐history stages in the Quercus population. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reconstructing palaeoprecipitation from an active cave flowstone - Ronny Boch; Christoph Spötl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Several drill cores were obtained from a laminated, actively forming flowstone from a shallow cave in Austria. Highly resolved petrographic and geochemical analyses combined with multi‐annual cave monitoring reveal a distinct sensitivity of flowstone growth and composition to late Holocene meteoric precipitation. The regular sub‐millimetre‐scale lamination consists of thicker, translucent laminae and thinner (organic) inclusion‐rich laminae. There is also a macroscopic millimetre‐scale banding of darker and lighter bands comprising several laminae. Stable isotope analyses of drill cores and modern calcite precipitates show a pronounced positive covariation of δ 13 C and δ 18 O values indicative of kinetic isotope effects. Comparing the isotope values with petrography shows gradual changes across several of the annual laminae, i.e. changes of several per mille on a multi‐annual to decadal timescale. The stable isotope and trace‐element composition, as well as the flowstone petrography, are mainly controlled by the variable drip‐water discharge controlling the water‐film thickness and water residence time on the flowstone surface and consequently the intensity of CO 2 ‐degassing, kinetic isotope enrichment and concomitant calcite precipitation. Drill core PFU6 provides an isotope record of the last ca. 3000 years at near‐annual resolution. A distinct phase of low C and O isotope values – interpreted as increased discharge and hence higher meteoric precipitation – occurred from ca. 300 to 140 a b2k (second half of the Little Ice Age) and another wet interval occurred around 700 a, corresponding to reported Medieval glacier advances. The Roman Warm Period was also dominated by relatively wet conditions, although significant decadal variability prevailed. Increased precipitation further characterized the intervals from ca. 2480 to 2430 and 2950 to 2770 a. Dry conditions persisted during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, although this trend towards reduced precipitation started earlier. The highest C isotope values of the last 2 ka are recorded around 750 a and another dry phase is centred at 1480 a. This new record shows that inter‐annual to decadal oscillations are a dominant mode of variation during the last 3 ka in the Alps. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Non‐synchronous deposition of North Atlantic Ash Zone II in Greenland ice cores, and North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea sediments: an example of complex glacial‐stage tephra transport - Jo Brendryen; Haflidi Haflidason; Hans Petter Sejrup (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Tephra provides regional chronostratigraphical marker horizons that can link different climate archives with highly needed accuracy and precision. The results presented in this work exemplify, however, that the intermittent storage of tephra in ice sheets and during its subsequent iceberg transport, especially during glacial stages, constitutes a potential source of serious error for the application of tephrochronology to Nordic Seas and North Atlantic sediment archives. The peak shard concentration of the rhyolitic component of the North Atlantic Ash Zone II (NAAZ‐II) tephra complex, often used to correlate marine and ice core records in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, is shown to lag the eruption event by ca. 100–400 years in some North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea cores. While still allowing for a correlation of archives on millennial timescales, this time delay in deposition is a major obstacle when addressing the lead–lag relationship on short timescales (years to centuries). A precise and accurate determination of lead–lag relationships between archives recording different parts of the climate system is crucial in order to test hypotheses about the processes leading to abrupt climate change and to evaluate results from climate models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Corrigendum: Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea‐level change in North Wales, UK - M. J. Roberts; J. D. Scourse; J. D. Bennell; D. G. Huws; C. F. Jago; B. T. Long (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

The detailed palaeoecology of a mid‐Wisconsinan interstadial (ca. 32 000 14 C a BP) vegetation surface from interior Alaska - Matthew J. Wooller; Grant D. Zazula; Misha. Blinnikov; Benjamin. V. Gaglioti; Nancy. H. Bigelow; Paul. Sanborn; Svetlana. Kuzmina; Catherine. La Farge (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
We present a multi‐proxy reconstruction from a well‐preserved vegetation surface (ca. 32 000 14 C a BP) from the Fox Permafrost tunnel near Fairbanks, Alaska. A thick litter layer of plant material on the vegetation surface is consistent with the vegetation lacking evidence of disturbance. Plant macrofossils and graminoid cuticle analysis show the presence of a graminoid assemblage consistent with phytolith data. The pollen data indicate that trees were not local to the site and that Artemisia sp. was present in the region. The insect and bryophyte reconstructions are consistent with the vascular plant reconstruction, indicating the site was at least periodically wet. δ 13 C values from the graminoids present show a large range encompassing both the wet and dry range displayed by modern graminoids in Alaska. Sequential δ 13 C analyses conducted along the length of leaves attached to the vegetation surface indicate a seasonal shift towards relatively higher water use efficiency. The lower water use efficiency earlier in the growing season may have stemmed from the use of winter season meltwater by plants at the site – a scenario consistent with the site's cryostratigraphy. Our multi‐proxy reconstruction contributes to the limited palaeoecological data available for graminoid‐dominated vegetation present in Eastern Beringia and particularly the interior of Alaska during the mid‐Wisconsinan interstadial. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Detailed seismic stratigraphy of Lago Puyehue: implications for the mode and timing of glacier retreat in the Chilean Lake District - Katrien Heirman; Marc De Batist; Francois Charlet; Jasper Moernaut; Emmanuel Chapron; Robert Brümmer; Mario Pino; Roberto Urrutia (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Lago Puyehue is a glacigenic lake in the Chilean Lake District (40°S) with a complex deglaciation history. A detailed seismic–stratigraphic study of its sedimentary infill indicates a much earlier retreat of the glacier from the Lago Puyehue basin than the neighbouring glacier from the Lago Rupanco basin. Because of their close proximity, Rupanco meltwater streams played an important part in the depositional processes of Lago Puyehue. A timing discrepancy between the in‐lake ages of a sediment core and the outer‐lake ages of moraine deposits (re)opens the discussion on the timing of deglaciation in the Southern Hemisphere. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A 1900‐year paleohurricane record from Wassaw Island, Georgia, USA - Lawrence M Kiage; Daniel Deocampo; Terrence A. Mccloskey; Thomas A. Bianchette; Melissa Hursey (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
We present here the first paleotempestology record from Wassaw Island on the Georgia Bight, located in the south Atlantic coast of the United States. In the historical period, the Georgia Bight has experienced less frequent hits by hurricanes than other locations along the US Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The 1900‐year record inferred from the overwash sand layers from a back‐barrier marsh on Wassaw Island suggests that the island was directly struck by major storms on nine occasions during this interval. The Wassaw Island record shows alternating regimes, with periods of increased activity from >2000 a BP until ∼1100 a BP, and ∼100 a BP until the present, sandwiching a quiet period from ∼1100 to 250 a BP. Storm deposits from the most recent active period are perhaps amalgamated, indicating that site‐specific conditions may result in event undercounting and suggests that the relative thickness of sand layers in the sedimentary record is not always indicative of hurricane strength. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Long‐term spruce budworm outbreak dynamics reconstructed from subfossil trees - Simard Sonia; Hubert Morin; Cornelia Krause (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
We reconstructed the long‐term spruce budworm (SBW) ( Choristoneura fumiferana Clem.) outbreak dynamics in the boreal forest of Quebec (Canada) using a dendrochronological approach with subfossil trees. Although the majority of the excavated wood belonging to the genus Picea could potentially reveal the past activity of spruce budworms in the tree rings, very few were cross‐dated due to a lack of marker rings. All cross‐dated trees were found within a particular zone of the peat bogs and the floating chronology was radiocarbon dated to ca. 5.1 cal ka BP. The results presented in this study suggest that the dynamics of SBW outbreaks in the studied area fluctuated during the last millennia and that severe outbreaks as observed during the 20th century seldom occurred in that part of the boreal forest since the end of the last glaciation. These results are in agreement with observations from other parts of eastern North America. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Climatic control of the surge periodicity of an Icelandic outlet glacier - Johan Striberger; Svante Björck; Ívar Örn Benediktsson; Ian Snowball; Cintia B. Uvo; Ólafur Ingólfsson; Kurt H. Kjær (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Surging outlet glaciers are important in draining large ice caps, but the mechanisms controlling surge periodicities are poorly known. We investigated a sediment sequence from the glacier‐fed Lake Lögurinn in eastern Iceland, and our unique annually resolved data, based on sedimentary varves, imply that Eyjabakkajökull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajökull, began surging about 2200 cal a BP (before 1950 AD). Approximately 1700 cal a BP, the glacier started to surge at a uniform 34‐ to 38‐year periodicity that prevailed until the coldest part of the Little Ice Age when the periodicity almost halved to 21–23 years. Since the late 1800 s the surge periodicity of Eyjabakkajökull has returned to a longer period of 35–40 years. We suggest that surge periodicities of Eyjabakkajökull are forced by climatically driven mass balance changes, which may be a common forcing factor for similar surge‐type outlet glaciers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Simultaneous thin section and phytolith observations of finely stratified deposits from Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey: implications for paleoeconomy and Early Holocene paleoenvironment - Lisa‐Marie Shillito (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Simultaneous thin section and phytolith observations of finely stratified anthropogenic deposits from the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük, Turkey, dated between 7400 and 6000 BC provide evidence for both the depositional context and phytolith assemblage of these deposits. Although extracted phytoliths provide a general picture of vegetation that supports existing evidence of a local wet marshland environment, comparisons with observations of phytoliths in situ indicate a diverse range of microcontexts, as well as depositional and post‐depositional processes that influence phytolith size. This has implications for studies that use conjoined phytolith size as a proxy for water availability and early agricultural practices. Observations indicate a significant background noise of phytoliths and micro‐charcoal in the deposits, linked to the frequent use of fire, which has implications for interpreting assemblages where phytolith counts are low, such as from floors of buildings. This study confirms the usefulness of phytoliths in providing information on human plant use and environment where the taphonomy of the deposits is clear, and provides new evidence for wet farming of at least some of the wheat found at the site. It also suggests there needs to be greater consideration of phytolith taphonomy, which can be provided to an extent by combining phytolith analysis with thin section micromorphology. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Alkenones and coccoliths in ice‐rafted debris during the Last Glacial Maximum in the North Atlantic: implications for the use of U K 37 ′ as a sea surface temperature proxy - A. Rosell‐Melé; B. Balestra; O. Kornilova; E. L. Mcclymont; M. Russell; S. Monechi; S. Troelstra; P. Ziveri (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The U K 37 ′ index has proven to be a robust proxy to estimate past sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over a range of time scales, but like any other proxy, it has uncertainties. For instance, in reconstructions of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the northern North Atlantic, U K 37 ′ indicates higher temperatures than those derived from foraminiferal proxies. Here we evaluate whether such warm glacial estimates are caused by the advection of reworked alkenones in ice‐rafted debris (IRD) to deep‐sea sediments. We have quantified both coccolith assemblages and alkenones in sediments from glaciogenic debris flows in the continental margins of the northern North Atlantic, and from a deep‐sea core from the Reykjanes Ridge. Certain debris flow deposits in the North Atlantic were generated by the presence of massive ice‐sheets in the past, and their associated ice streams. Such deposits are composed of the same materials that were present in the IRD at the time they were generated. We conclude that ice rafting from some locations was a transport pathway to the deep sea floor of reworked alkenones and pre‐Quaternary coccolith species during glacial stages, but that not all of the IRD contained alkenones, even when reworked coccoliths were present. We speculate that the ratio of reworked coccoliths to alkenone concentration might be useful to infer whether significant reworked alkenone inputs from IRD did occur at a particular site in the glacial North Atlantic. We also observe that alkenones in some of the debris flows contain a colder signal than estimated for LGM sediments in the northern North Atlantic. This is also clear in the deep‐sea core studied where the warmest intervals do not correspond to the intervals with large inputs of reworked coccoliths or IRD. We conclude that any possible bias to U K 37 ′ estimates associated with reworked alkenones is not necessarily towards higher values, and that the high SST anomalies for the LGM are unlikely to be the result of a bias caused by IRD inputs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The challenge of dating early pleistocene fossil teeth by the combined uranium series–electron spin resonance method: the Venta Micena palaeontological site (Orce, Spain) - Mathieu Duval; Christophe Falguères; Jean‐Jacques Bahain; Rainer Grün; Qingfeng Shao; Maxime Aubert; John Hellstrom; Jean‐Michel Dolo; Jordi Agusti; Bienvenido Martínez‐Navarro; Paul Palmqvist; Isidro Toro‐Moyano (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The palaeontological site of Venta Micena (Orce, Andalusia, Spain) lies in the eastern sector of the Guadix–Baza basin, one of the best documented areas in Europe for Plio‐Pleistocene biostratigraphy. The combination of biochronological and palaeomagnetic results, combined with the radiometric data obtained for Atapuerca Sima del Elefante, indicated that the Venta Micena stratum was formed between the Jaramillo and Olduvai palaeomagnetic events, most likely between 1.22 and 1.77 Ma. Five fossil teeth from two outcrops (sites A and B) were selected to assess the potential of combined uranium series–electron spin resonance (US‐ESR) dating of Early Pleistocene sites. Although the US‐ESR results of the first outcrop showed a large scatter between the three teeth, the mean age of 1.37 ± 0.24 Ma can be considered a reasonable age estimate for Venta Micena. The mean ESR age of 0.62 ± 0.03 Ma obtained for site B seems to be a severe underestimation when compared with the independent age control. This underestimation is attributed to a relative recent U‐mobilization event that led to some U‐leaching. The results show that any ESR age calculations of old samples are extremely sensitive to variations in the measured 230 Th/ 234 U ratios in dental tissues. Although the results demonstrate that ESR can in principle be applied to Early Pleistocene sites, they also reveal the complexity of dating such old teeth. It is necessary to continue research in several directions, such as study of the behaviour of ESR signals in old teeth and understanding recent U‐mobilization processes, to improve the reliability of the combined US‐ESR dating method applied to Early Pleistocene times, a period for which the number of available numerical dating techniques is very limited. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chrono‐stratigraphy of the Upper Pleistocene and Holocene archaeological sequence in Cova Gran (south‐eastern Pre‐Pyrenees, Iberian Peninsula) - R. Mora; A. Benito‐Calvo; J. Martínez‐Moreno; P. González Marcen; I. De La Torre (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The Cova Gran de Santa Linya (Lleida, Spain) is a recently discovered site, with a broad chrono‐cultural sequence that contains archaeological levels dating to the Middle Palaeolithic, Early Upper Palaeolithic, Late Upper Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. We present the chronometric and stratigraphic context of these occupations, which were dated using 14 C accelerator mass spectrometry and thermoluminescence. The sequence provides important indicators that aid in the reconstruction of the history of human occupation on the southern slopes of the Spanish Pyrenees over the past 50,000 years. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Permineralization process promotes preservation of Holocene macrofossil charcoal in soils - Guillaume De Lafontaine; Pierre‐Luc Couillard; Serge Payette (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The use of macrofossil soil charcoal as a palaeoecological tool to reconstruct past vegetation, climate or fire history has gained much interest in recent years. Yet little is known about taphonomy of charcoal in soils. Here we assessed the putative loss of palaeoecological information due to charcoal fragmentation after burial. We found no significant loss of charcoal mass with time. Instead, we found a significant positive relationship between the mass of charcoal particles and their age. Permineralization of charcoal particles older than ca. 5200 a explained the increased charcoal mass with time in mineral soils. The permineralization process increased the density of charcoal particles (resulting in a twofold particles mass increase) and thus offers a protection against subsequent degradation. Our results suggest high stability of palaeoecological information from charcoal macrofossils buried in mineral soils at least over the Holocene timescale. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Do paleoclimate proxies agree? A test comparing 19 late Holocene climate and sea‐ice reconstructions from Icelandic marine and lake sediments - Yarrow Axford; Camilla S. Andresen; John T. Andrews; Simon T. Belt; Áslaug Geirsdóttir; Guillaume Massé; Gifford H. Miller; Sædís Ólafsdóttir; Lindsay L. Vare (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Geochemical, mineralogical and biological indicators preserved in sediments are widely used to reconstruct past climate change, but proxies differ in the degree to which their utility as climate indicators has been validated via laboratory experiments, modern spatial calibrations, or down‐core comparisons with instrumental climate data. Multi‐proxy studies provide another means of evaluating interpretations of proxies. This paper presents a multi‐proxy assessment comparing 19 sub‐centennially resolved late Holocene proxy records, covering the period 300–1900 AD, from seven Icelandic marine and lacustrine core sites. We employ simple statistical comparisons between proxy reconstructions to evaluate their correlations over time and, ultimately, their utility as proxies for regional climate. Proxies examined include oxygen isotopic composition of benthic and planktonic foraminifera, abundance of the sea‐ice biomarker IP 25 , allochthonous quartz in marine sediments (a proxy for drift ice around Iceland), marine carbonate abundance, total organic carbon concentration, chironomid assemblages, lacustrine biogenic silica and carbon/nitrogen ratios in lake sediments. Most of the examined proxy records, including temperature and sea‐ice proxies, correlate strongly with each other over multi‐centennial timescales, and thus do appear to record changes in regional climate. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spring temperature variability in northern Fennoscandia AD 1693–2011 - Neil J. Loader; Risto Jalkanen; Danny Mccarroll; Anders Moberg (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A reconstruction of spring (April–May) temperature for northern Fennoscandia developed from the Tornionjoki (Tornio river) long cryophenological record of ice break‐up dates, back to AD 1693, is presented. The record is strongly climatically sensitive and explains 67% of the variance in the instrumental data over the last 150 years. The record exhibits a stepped decrease in the duration of the river's ice cover by 14 days, equivalent to an increase in April–May mean temperature of approximately 2.5°C over the last three centuries. The relationship between the date of ice break‐up, and accumulated daily mean temperatures (>0°C) is investigated. Uncertainty in the observation of ice break‐up is also considered in addition to the potential of this time series for regional climate model validation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Identification and definition of primary and reworked tephra in Late Glacial and Holocene marine shelf sediments off North Iceland - Esther Ruth Gudmundsdóttir; Jón Eiríksson; Gudrún Larsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Nine tephra layers in marine sediment cores (MD99‐2271 and MD99‐2275) from the North Icelandic shelf, spanning the Late Glacial and the Holocene, have been investigated to evaluate the effectiveness of methods to detect tephra layers in marine environments, to pinpoint the stratigraphic level of the time signal the tephra layers provide, and to discriminate between primary and reworked tephra layers in a marine environment. These nine tephra layers are the Borrobol‐like tephra, Vedde Ash, Askja S tephra, Saksunarvatn ash, and Hekla 5, Hekla 4, Hekla 3, Hekla 1104 and V1477 tephras. The methods used were visual inspection, magnetic susceptibility, X‐ray photography, mineralogical counts, grain size and morphological measurements, and microprobe analysis. The results demonstrate that grain size measurements and mineralogical counts are the most effective methods to detect tephra layers in this environment, revealing all nine tephra layers in question. Definition of the tephra layers revealed a 2–3 cm diffuse upper boundary in eight of the nine tephra layers and 2–3 cm diffuse lower boundary in two tephra layers. Using a multi‐parameter approach the stratigraphic position of a tephra layer was determined where the rate of change of the parameters tested was the greatest compared with background values below the tephra. The first attempt to use grain morphology to distinguish between primary and reworked tephra in a marine environment suggests that this method can be effective in verifying whether a tephra layer is primary or reworked. Morphological measurements and microprobe analyses in combination with other methods can be used to identify primary tephra layers securely. The study shows that there is a need to apply a combination of methods to detect, define (the time signal) and discriminate between primary and reworked tephra in marine environments. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vegetation history of the penultimate glacial period (Marine isotope stage 6) at Ioannina, north‐west Greece - K. H. Roucoux; P. C. Tzedakis; I. T. Lawson; V. Margari (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The vegetational history of the penultimate glacial period, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 ( c . 185–135 ka), has remained relatively unexplored. Here we present a new record from the Ioannina basin, north‐west Greece, which constitutes the highest‐resolution terrestrial pollen record for this interval produced to date. It shows that the vegetation history of MIS 6 in this region can be divided into two parts: an early period (185–155 ka) with pronounced oscillations in tree population extent, and a later period (155–135 ka) with much smaller tree populations and subdued oscillations. This pattern is analogous to the MIS 3/MIS 2 division during the last glacial in the same sequence, although the early part of MIS 6 had larger Pinus populations and fewer temperate trees relative to the equivalent interval in MIS 3. This implies cooler and wetter conditions, which is somewhat counterintuitive given the high summer insolation during MIS 6e, but is in line with other palaeoclimatic evidence from the Mediterranean. Comparison with North Atlantic records suggests that despite the absence of pronounced iceberg discharges during MIS 6, North Atlantic millennial‐scale variability had a significant downstream impact on tree populations in north‐west Greece. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A reassessment of late glacial – Holocene diatom oxygen isotope record from Lake Baikal using a geochemical mass‐balance approach - Anson W. Mackay; George E. A. Swann; Tim S. Brewer; Melanie J. Leng; David W. Morley; Natalia Piotrowska; Patrick Rioual; Dustin White (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
We present a new palaeoenvironmental record of hydrological variability in Lake Baikal, based on re‐modelled δ 18 O diatom values of diatom silica (δ 18 O modelled ), where the residual contaminants are identified and compensated for using electron optical imaging and whole‐sample geochemistry. δ 18 O modelled interpretations are based on the balance between rivers with high δ 18 O values and rivers with low δ 18 O values. Isotopic variability is related to latitudinal differences in precipitation which feed these rivers. The δ 18 O modelled record suggests that rather moist conditions prevailed in the Lake Baikal region during the latter stages of the Younger Dryas. Throughout the Holocene, episodes of low δ 18 O modelled values are, in general, in good agreement with increases in percentage haematite‐stained grains in North Atlantic sediments (indicative of ice‐rafted debris events). Rivers with southerly catchments dominate fluvial input especially between c . 3.3 and 2 cal ka BP, concurrent with high precipitation in the Lake Baikal region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Propagation of the Storegga tsunami into ice‐free lakes along the southern shores of the Barents Sea - Anders Romundset; Stein Bondevik (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Deposits in coastal lakes in northernmost Norway reveal that the Storegga tsunami propagated well into the Barents Sea ca. 8100–8200 years ago. A tsunami deposit – found in cores from five coastal lakes located near the North Cape in Finnmark – rests on an erosional unconformity and consists of graded sand layers and re‐deposited organic remains. Rip‐up clasts of lake mud, peat and soil suggest strong erosion of the lake floor and neighbouring land. Inundation reached at least 500 m inland and minimum vertical run‐up has been reconstructed to 3–4 m. In this part of the Arctic coastal lakes are usually covered by >1 m of solid lake ice in winter. The significant erosion and deposition of rip‐up clasts indicate that the lakes were ice free and that the ground was probably not frozen. We suggest that the Storegga slide and ensuing tsunami happened sometime in the summer season, between April and October. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quantitative inter‐annual and decadal June–July–August temperature variability ca. 570 BC to AD 120 (Iron Age–Roman Period) reconstructed from the varved sediments of Lake Silvaplana, Switzerland - Monique M. Stewart; Isabelle Larocque‐Tobler; Martin Grosjean (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Annually resolved June–July–August (JJA) temperatures from ca. 570 BC to AD 120 (±100 a; approximately 690 varve years) were quantified from biogenic silica and chironomids (Type II regression; Standard Major Axis calibration‐in‐time) preserved in the varved sediments of Lake Silvaplana, Switzerland. Using 30 a (climatology) moving averages and detrended standard deviations (mean–variability change, MVC), moving linear trends, change points and wavelets, reconstructed temperatures were partitioned into a warmer (+0.3°C; ca. 570–351 BC), cooler (−0.2°C; ca. 350–16 BC) and moderate period (+0.1°C; ca. 15 BC to AD 120) relative to the reconstruction average (10.9°C; reference AD 1950–2000 = 9.8°C). Warm and variable JJA temperatures at the Late Iron Age–Roman Period transition (approximately 50 BC to AD 100 in this region) and a cold anomaly around 470 BC (Early–Late Iron Age) were inferred. Inter‐annual and decadal temperature variability was greater from ca. 570 BC to AD 120 than the last millennium, whereas multi‐decadal and lower‐frequency temperature variability were comparable, as evident in wavelet plots. Using MVC plots of reconstructed JJA temperatures from ca. 570 BC to AD 120, we verified current trends and European climate model outputs for the 21st century, which suggest increased inter‐annual summer temperature variability and extremes in a generally warmer climate (heteroscedasticity; hotspot of variability). We compared these results to MVC plots of instrumental and reconstructed temperatures (from the same sediment core and proxies but a different study) from AD 1177 to AD 2000. Our reconstructed JJA temperatures from ca. 570 BC to AD 120 showed that inter‐annual JJA temperature variability increased rapidly above a threshold of ∼10°C mean JJA temperature. This increase accelerated with continued warming up to >11.5°C. We suggest that the Roman Period serves with respect to inter‐annual variability as an analogue for warmer 21st‐century JJA temperatures in the Alps. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chronology of the Last Glacial Maximum in the Salzach palaeoglacier area (Eastern Alps) - Reinhard Starnberger; Helena Rodnight; Christoph Spötl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A chronostratigraphy based on luminescence data was established at a key loess profile (Duttendorf) in the northern alpine foreland of Austria. The data help to constrain the timing and duration of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the area of one of the largest east Alpine piedmont glaciers, the Salzach palaeoglacier. Climate deterioration and maximum advance of this glacier were coeval with the beginning of the main loess accumulation phase in the glacier forefield at ∼29–30 ka. A late LGM‐outwash gravel layer deposited on top of the loess profile marks the end of the LGM glacier activity at ∼20 ka. The geomorphological setting around the loess profile provides evidence of a major glacier oscillation during the course of the LGM, a phenomenon qualitatively known from other alpine palaeoglaciers but never interpreted in terms of palaeoclimate. A LGM glacier oscillation similar to that of the Salzach palaeoglacier was reported recently from the south Alpine Tagliamento palaeoglacier, suggesting a common forcing. The onset of loess deposition at Duttendorf and the tentatively contemporal advance of the Salzach palaeoglacier reflect, as do other data, the drastic cooling in Europe as a result of Heinrich event 3. The first glacier maximum is not well constrained in the study area but a correlation with the better dated Tagliamento amphitheatre suggests a possible response to Heinrich 2. The second re‐advance occurred synchronously (within dating uncertainties) in both palaeoglaciers forefields (at ∼21 ka) but the forcing mechanism remains unknown. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Mid‐Brunhes Event and West Antarctic ice sheet stability - P. B. Holden; N. R. Edwards; E. W. Wolff; P. J. Valdes; J. S. Singarayer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The complex cyclical nature of Pleistocene climate, driven by the evolving orbital configuration of the Earth, is well known but not well understood. A major climatic transition took place at the Mid‐Brunhes Event (MBE), ca. 430 ka ago after which the amplitude of the ca.100 ka climate oscillations increased, with substantially warmer interglacials, including periods warmer than present. Recent modelling has indicated that while the timing of these warmer‐than‐present transient (WPT) events is consistent with southern warming due to a deglaciation‐forced slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the magnitude of warming requires a local amplification, for which a candidate is the feedback of significant West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) retreat. We here extend this argument, based on the absence of WPTs in the early ice core record (450–800 ka ago), to hypothesize that the MBE could be a manifestation of decreased WAIS stability, triggered by ongoing subglacial erosion. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dating Palaeolithic sites in southwestern Crete, Greece - Thomas F. Strasser; Curtis Runnels; Karl Wegmann; Eleni Panagopoulou; Floyd Mccoy; Chad Digregorio; Panagiotis Karkanas; Nick Thompson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Discussions of dispersals of early hominins from Africa assume that Southwest Asia and the Arabian Peninsula were the primary passageways for migrations to Eurasia. The Mediterranean is usually viewed as a barrier to early hominin movements because pre‐ sapiens hominins were thought to lack the technical means or the cognitive skills to construct boats. The discovery of early Palaeolithic artefacts in an archaeological survey on the Greek island of Crete challenges this view. Here we show that Palaeolithic artefacts in the Plakias region in southwestern Crete are associated with geological contexts that can be dated to the late Middle or early Late Pleistocene. Because Crete has been separated from the mainland throughout the Pleistocene, the presence of Pleistocene age artefacts there suggests that early hominins were able to cross open water. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Precessional forcing of tropical vegetation carbon storage - William D. Gosling; Philip B. Holden (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Since the Mid Pleistocene Revolution, which occurred about one million years ago, global temperatures have fluctuated with a quasi‐periodicity of ca. 100 ka. The pattern of past change in the extent of woodlands, and therefore by inference vegetation carbon storage, has been demonstrated to have a strong positive link with this global temperature change at high and mid latitudes. However, understanding of climate systems and ecosystem function indicates that the pattern of woodland change at low latitudes may follow a fundamentally different pattern. We present output from the intermediate complexity model GENIE‐1, comprising a single transient simulation over the last 800 ka and a 174‐member ensemble of 130 ka transient simulations over the last glacial cycle. These simulations suggest that while vegetation carbon storage in mid–high northern latitudes robustly follows the characteristic ca. 100 ka cycle, this signal is not a robust feature of tropical vegetation, which is subject to stronger direct forcing by the precessional (21 ka) orbital cycle (albeit with a highly uncertain response). We conclude that the correlation of palaeoenvironmental records from low latitudes with global temperature change must be done with caution. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pleistocene forest on Tenerife's southern coast: a case study of Montaña Negra - Claire L. Pannell; Alan Gray; Jan A. Zalasiewicz; Michael J. Branney; Gordon B. Curry (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Montaña Negra is a 121 m cinder cone in the Bandas del Sur region of southern Tenerife. Formed in the Middle Pleistocene, it comprises alternating phonolitic pumice deposits and scoria layers; the latter are extremely fossiliferous with good taphonomical fidelity. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age determination provides new dates of 302 ± 7.6 ka and 299.9 ± 11.4 ka for the Lower and Upper Aldea Blanca pumice fall deposits, respectively. This chronological constraint allows comparison of the palaeo‐habitat with the global climate at the time of pyroclastic activity. Abundant terrestrial gastropod species and rare disarticulated Coleoptera fragments are to be found. The occurrence of the endemic semi‐slug genus Plutonia (Family Vitrinidae) is significant in indicating a woodland habitat in the region during the Middle Pleistocene. We suggest that this may have been forest, possibly dominated by laurel, which is in stark contrast to the present‐day semi‐desert. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Quaternary Lancaster Sound trough‐mouth fan, NW Baffin Bay - Gang Li; David J.W. Piper; D. Calvin Campbell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The development of the Lancaster Sound Trough Mouth Fan (TMF) and glacial history in Arctic Canada were studied using a high‐resolution seismic profile across the entire fan and two piston cores. Stacked tills separated by erosion surfaces on the shelf pass seaward through till deltas into thick transparent glacigenic debris flow (GDF) deposits on the slope, separated by thin, well‐stratified glaciomarine layers. An age model was built by ties to the Ocean Drilling Program Site 645. The deepest GDF on the seismic profile was indicative of the onset of shelf‐crossing glaciation in the Early Pleistocene. The transition of the growth of Lancaster Sound TMF from an aggradational sequence (unit M) to an aggradational–progradational sequence (unit F) occurred at the Middle Pleistocene transition in glacial cyclicity. In the most recent glacial cycle, GDF sheets were deposited during Heinrich events 4 and 2 according to the correlation of the main detrital carbonate beds in two piston cores. The outmost till wedge reflects the maximum advance of the grounding glacier, far seaward of previously proposed Last Glacial Maximum ice extent. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A well‐established Early–Middle Pleistocene marine sequence on south‐east Zakynthos island, western Greece: Magneto‐biostratigraphic constraints and palaeoclimatic implications - Maria D. Papanikolaou; Maria V. Triantaphyllou; Ellen S. Platzman; Philip L. Gibbard; Conall Mac Niocaill; Martin J. Head (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The chronostratigraphy of a long, onshore Early–Middle Pleistocene marine sedimentary sequence on the south‐east part of Zakynthos island, Greece, is presented. Correlation of the succession with the isotope record of Ocean Drilling Program Site 963 reveals the combined influence of tectonics and eustacy in this area. The sequence is divided into three formations by two main unconformities that apparently relate to sea‐level lowstands associated with two major northern hemisphere glaciations, those of marine isotope stages (MIS) 22 and 12. The Zakynthos sequence in many ways is comparable with the Italian Valle di Manche section. Magnetostratigraphic and rock magnetic analyses, supported by biostratigraphy, document the position of the Matuyama/Brunhes Chron boundary (0.77 Ma), the top and base of the Jaramillo Subchron (0.99–1.07 Ma), the Cobb Mountain Subchron (1.173–1.185 Ma) and the top of the Olduvai Subchron (1.78 Ma). The underlying strata are constrained exclusively by detailed nannofossil biostratigraphy extending at least to the lowermost Pleistocene at around 2.54 Ma and therefore certainly incorporating the base of the Olduvai Subchron (1.95 Ma) and possibly the Gauss/Matuyama Chron boundary (2.58 Ma). In addition, a remarkable increase in sedimentation rate (from 3.2 and 28 cm ka −1 to 167 cm ka −1 ) and hence resolution above the Matuyama/Brunhes boundary (Middle Pleistocene) reveals one short‐lived magnetic excursion, possibly 17a (0.66 Ma), within the normal polarity Brunhes Chron. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An improved glacial isostatic adjustment model for the British Isles - Sarah L. Bradley; Glenn A. Milne; Ian Shennan; Robin Edwards (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) of the British Isles is of interest due to the constraints that can be provided on key model parameters such as the global meltwater signal, local ice sheet history and viscoelastic earth structure. A number of recent studies have modelled relative sea‐level (RSL) data from this region to constrain model parameters. As indicated in these studies, the sensitivity of these data to both local and global parameters results in a highly non‐unique problem. This study aims to address this inherent non‐uniqueness by combining a previously published British–Irish ice model that is based on the most recent geomorphological data with a new global ice sheet model that provides an accurate prediction of eustatic sea‐level change. In addition, constraints from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements of present‐day vertical land motion are considered alongside the entirety of RSL data from both Great Britain and Ireland. A model solution is found that provides a high‐quality fit to both the RSL data and the GPS data. Within the range of earth viscosity values considered, the optimal data model fits were achieved with a relatively thin lithosphere (71 km), upper mantle viscosities in the range 4–6 × 10 20 Pa s and lower mantle viscosities ≥ 3 × 10 22 Pa s. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tropical cyclones, global climate change and the role of Quaternary studies - Jonathan Nott (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The number and types of late Quaternary records of tropical cyclones (TCs) and temperate storms have been increasing globally over the past 10 years. There are now numerous such records for the Atlantic Ocean (USA) and Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, South Pacific Ocean, and a fewer number from the northwest Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. The most obvious characteristic of these records is that many reveal extended alternating periods of greater and lesser TC activity over the past 6000 years. The length of these phases of relative inactivity and greater activity depends on the chronological resolution of the record, with the coarser‐resolution ones displaying multi‐century to millennial‐scale episodes and the high‐resolution records displaying decadal to centennial‐scale oscillations. In several instances the likely causes of these alternating periods of TC behaviour have been attributed to different phases of climate when El Niños and La Niñas dominated or to longer‐term variations in sea surface temperatures and possibly solar forcing. The picture emerging from these records is that TC behaviour is not entirely stochastic over the long term and that any simulations of long‐term TC behaviour need to account for these climatic influences. Incorporation of these observations, and the many more needed, is important for understanding the future behaviour of TCs. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Palaeoproductivity evolution in the centre of the western Pacific warm pool during the last 250 ka - Tiegang Li; Jingtao Zhao; Qingyun Nan; Rongtao Sun; Xinke Yu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
To reconstruct the palaeoproductivity evolution history of the centre of the western Pacific warm pool (WPWP) over the last 250 ka, multi‐proxies were analysed in sediment core WP7 recovered from the Ontong–Java Plateau. Palaeoproductivity evolution at the centre of the WPWP during the last 250 ka is closely related to glacial–interglacial cycles and the insolation controlled by precession. The glacial higher primary productivity relative to the interglacial conditions could have resulted from both thermocline shoaling associated with persistent El Niňo‐like conditions and the increased influx of dust resulting from intensified winter monsoon together with important changes in the thermocline. The minimum primary productivity values during the last three terminations could be resulted from deglacial thermocline deepening and intensified stratification associated with persistent La Niña‐like conditions, and the concurrent Neogloboquadrina dutertrei δ 13 C minimum events probably reflect the chemical signatures of Subantarctic Mode Water and Antarctic Intermediate Water. In addition, primary productivity values are also controlled by the thermocline variations resulting from El Niño/La Niña‐Southern Oscillation processes responding to precession forcing, and lead the δ 18 O by about 4 ka. The 33.1 ka, 19 ka and “half‐precession” periods are prominent in the palaeoproductivity records. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Quaternary tephra layers around Raoul and Macauley Islands, Kermadec Arc: implications for volcanic sources, explosive volcanism and tephrochronology - Phil Shane; Ian C. Wright (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A suite of deep‐sea cores were collected along transects up to 100 km across the fore‐arc and back‐arc regions of the predominantly submarine Kermadec arc near Raoul and Macauley islands, southwest Pacific. The cores reveal a macroscopic tephra record extending back >50 ka. This is a significant addition to the dated record of volcanism, previously restricted to fragmented late Holocene records exposed on the two islands. The 27 macroscopic tephra layers display a wide compositional diversity in glass (∼50–78 wt% SiO 2 ). Many tephra layers comprise silicic shards with a subordinate mafic shard population. This could arise from magma mingling and may reflect mafic triggering of the silicic eruptions. Broadly, the glass compositions can be distinguished on diverging high‐K and low‐K trends, most likely arising from different source volcanoes. This distinction is also reflected in the tephra records exposed on Raoul (low‐K) and Macauley (high‐K) islands, the likely source areas. Heterogeneous tephra comprising shards of both high‐ and low‐K affinity, silicic and mafic compositions, and more homogeneous tephra with subordinate outlier shard compositions, are best explained by post‐depositional mixing of separate eruption deposits or contemporaneous eruptions. Evidently, the slow sedimentation rates of the calcareous oozes (∼10 1 –10 2 mm ka −1 ) were insufficient to adequately separate and preserve closely spaced eruption deposits. This exemplifies the difficulty in assessing eruption frequencies and magmatic trends, and erecting a tephrostratigraphy, using geochemical fingerprinting in such environments. Despite these difficulties, the ca. 5.7 ka Sandy Bay Tephra erupted from Macauley Island can be correlated over a distance of >100 km, extending east and west of the island, showing that the mostly submerged volcanoes are capable of wide tephra dispersal. Hence there is potential for developing chronostratigraphies for the southwest Pacific beyond the region covered by the extensive rhyolite marker beds from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A multi‐proxy record of changing environments from ca. 30 000 to 9000 cal. a BP: Onepoto maar palaeolake, Auckland, New Zealand - Paul Augustinus; Donna D'costa; Yanbin Deng; Joseph Hagg; Phil Shane (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
We present a high‐resolution record of lacustrine sedimentation spanning ca. 30 000 to 9000 cal. a BP from Onepoto maar, northern North Island, New Zealand. The multi‐proxy record of environmental change is constrained by tephrochronology and accelerator mass spectrometric 14 C ages and provides evidence for episodes of rapid environmental change during the Last Glacial Coldest Period (LGCP) and Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (LGIT) from northern New Zealand. The multi‐proxy palaeoenvironmental record from Onepoto indicates that the LGCP was cold, dry and windy in the Auckland region, with vegetation dominated by herb and grass in a beech forest mosaic between ca. 28 500 and 18 000 cal. a BP. The LGCP was accompanied by more frequent fires and influx of clastic sediment indicating increased erosion during the LGCP, with a mid‐LGCP interstadial identified between ca. 25 000 and 23 000 cal. a BP. Rapid climate amelioration at ca. 18 000 cal. a BP was accompanied by increased terrestrial biomass exemplified by the expansion of lowland podocarp forest, especially Dacrydium cupressinum . Increasing biomass production is reversed briefly by LGIT perturbations which are apparent in many of the proxies that span ca. 14 000–10 500 cal. a BP, suggesting generally increased wetness and higher in situ aquatic plant productivity with reduced terrestrial organic matter and terrigenous detrital influx. Furthermore, conditions at that time were probably warmer and frosts rare based on the increasing importance of Ascarina . The subsequent early Holocene is characterised by podocarp conifer forest and moist mild conditions. Postglacial sea‐level rise breached the crater rim and deposited 36 m of estuarine mud after ca. 9000 cal. a BP. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Modern and early Holocene mollusc fauna of the Ounianga lakes (northern Chad): implications for the palaeohydrology of the central Sahara - Bert Van Bocxlaer; Dirk Verschuren; Georg Schettler; Stefan Kröpelin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The fresh and saline lakes of Ounianga Kebir and Serir in northeastern Chad are among the very few permanent aquatic ecosystems currently existing in the hyper‐arid core of the Sahara desert. The confirmed modern fauna of aquatic molluscs at Ounianga comprises three widespread species ( Melanoides tuberculata , Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Lymnaea natalensis ), of which only the first appears to maintain a thriving population. We recovered seven more species of gastropods, among which one is new to science ( Gabbiella ouniangaensis ), and one bivalve species from early Holocene outcrops of diatomaceous limestone at Ounianga Serir. All species except one are known to be commonly spread between lake and river systems by birds, and in its entirety this species‐rich fossil mollusc fauna of Ounianga Serir resembles that of other Saharan lake sites known to have been hydrologically isolated during the early Holocene. The impoverished modern mollusc fauna, which lacks even the widespread and opportunistic species Bulinus truncatus , may have become established relatively recently through new colonisation events, following eradication of the early Holocene mollusc fauna during a later episode of high salinity or desiccation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Deciphering signals of late Holocene fluvial and aeolian supply from a shelf sediment depocentre off Senegal (north‐west Africa) - Jean Nizou; Till J.J. Hanebuth; Christoph Vogt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
High‐resolution climatic records of the late Holocene along the north‐west African continental margin are scarce. Here we combine sediment grain size, elemental distribution and mineral assemblage data to trace dust and riverine sources at a shallow‐marine sediment depocentre in the vicinity of the Senegal River mouth. The aim is to understand how these terrigenous components reflect climate variability during the late Holocene. Major element contents were measured and mineral identification was performed on three sub‐fractions of our sediment core: (i) fluvial material

Inland aeolian deposits of south‐west France: facies, stratigraphy and chronology - Pascal Bertran; Mark D. Bateman; Marion Hernandez; Norbert Mercier; Dominique Millet; Luca Sitzia; Jean‐Pierre Tastet (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Archaeological investigations undertaken along a proposed highway together with the compilation of available geological and pedological data made it possible to give a first overview of the distribution of Pleistocene aeolian deposits in south‐west France. A chronological framework for deposition has been obtained using both radiocarbon ( n = 24) and luminescence ( n = 26) dating. It shows that aeolian transport was very active during the Late Pleniglacial, between 15 and ∼23 ka, leading to sand emplacement over a 13 000‐m 2 area at the centre of the basin. The Pleniglacial coversands are typified by extensive fields of small transverse to barchanoid ridges giving way to sandsheets to the east. Subsequent aeolian phases, at ca. 12 ka (Younger Dryas) and 0.8–0.2 ka (Little Ice Age), correspond to the formation of more localized and higher, mainly parabolic dunes. At the southern and eastern margins of the coversand area, aeolian dust accumulated to form loess deposits, the thickness of which reaches ∼3 m on the plateaus. Luminescence dates together with interglacial‐ranking palaeoluvisols between the loess units clearly indicate that these accumulations built up during the last two glacial–interglacial cycles. The chronology of sand and loess deposition thus appears to be consistent with that already documented for northern Europe. This suggests that it was driven by global climate changes in the northern hemisphere. The relatively thin aeolian deposits (and particularly loess) in south‐west France is thought to reflect both a supply‐limited system and a moister climate than in more northern and continental regions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The formation and evolution of an isolated submarine valley in the North Channel, Irish Sea: an investigation of Beaufort's Dyke - Alexander Callaway; Rory Quinn; Craig J. Brown; Matthew Service; David Long; Sara Benetti (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Beaufort's Dyke is a submarine depression located in the North Channel of the Irish Sea. With a maximum depth of 312 m, the dyke is one of the deepest areas within the European continental shelf. Integration and interpretation of 450 km of sparker seismic data and full‐coverage bathymetric data derived from multi‐beam echo sounder surveys allow for the investigation of the formation processes of Beaufort's Dyke and the evolution of geomorphological features within it. The dyke, formed by composite subglacial processes dominated by subglacial meltwater discharge, is interpreted as a tunnel valley. The regional isolation of Beaufort's Dyke may be explained by the bounding of the North Channel by the bedrock masses of Ireland and Scotland, coupled with the exploitation of structural weakness along a fault plane and presence of halite in the eroded substrate enhancing the erosive potential of the overlying glacier. Beaufort's Dyke has probably been maintained as an open feature by strong rectilinear tidal currents. The morphology of lunate sediment waves and a large parabolic bedform towards the south of the dyke contradict the observed dominant S–N mean hydrodynamic flow recorded within the North Channel, suggesting an alternative hydrodynamic regime either within the dyke or during bedform creation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chronological framework for the deglaciation of the Lake Michigan lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet from ice‐walled lake deposits - Brandon Curry; Justine Petras (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A revised chronological framework for the deglaciation of the Lake Michigan lobe of the south‐central Laurentide Ice Sheet is presented based on radiocarbon ages of plant macrofossils archived in the sediments of low‐relief ice‐walled lakes. We analyze the precision and accuracy of 15 AMS 14 C ages of plant macrofossils obtained from a single ice‐walled lake deposit. The semi‐circular basin is about 0.72 km wide and formed of a 4‐ to 16‐m‐thick succession of loess and lacustrine sediment inset into till. The assayed material was leaves, buds and stems of Salix herbacea (snowbed willow). The pooled mean of three ages from the basal lag facies was 18 270 ± 50 14 C a BP (21 810 cal. a BP), an age that approximates the switch from active ice to stagnating conditions. The pooled mean of four ages for the youngest fossil‐bearing horizon was 17 770 ± 40 14 C a BP (21 180 cal. a BP). Material yielding the oldest and youngest ages may be obtained from sediment cores located at any place within the landform. Based on the estimated settling times of overlying barren, rhythmically bedded sand and silt, the lacustrine environment persisted for about 50 more years. At a 67% confidence level, the dated part of the ice‐walled lake succession persisted for between 210 and 860 cal. a (modal value: 610 cal. a). The deglacial age of five moraines or morainal complexes formed by the fluctuating margin of the Lake Michigan lobe have been assessed using this method. There is no overlap of time intervals documenting when ice‐walled lakes persisted on these landforms. The rapid readvances of the lobe during deglaciation after the last glacial maximum probably occurred at some point between the periods of ice‐walled lake sedimentation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relationships between primary productivity and bottom‐water oxygenation off northwest Africa during the last deglaciation - Helena L. Filipsson; Oscar E. Romero; Jan‐Berend W. Stuut; Barbara Donner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The upwelling region off northwest Africa is one of the most productive regions in the world ocean. This study details the response of surface‐ and deep‐water environments off Mauritania, northwest Africa, to the rapid climate events of the last deglaciation, especially the Bølling–Allerød (15.5–13.5 ka BP) and Younger Dryas (13.5–11.5 ka BP). A high accumulation rate gravity core GeoB7926‐2, recovered at ∼20° N, 18° W, was analysed for the grain size distribution of the terrigenous sediment fraction, the organic carbon content, diatom and benthic foraminifera communities. Humid conditions were observed during the Bølling–Allerød with a high contribution of fluvial sediment input. During the Younger Dryas intensified trade winds caused a larger sediment input of aeolian dust from the Sahara and more intense upwelling with higher primary productivity, as indicated by high diatom concentrations. The abrupt and large increase of organic matter caused low oxygen conditions at the sea floor, reflected by the poor benthic foraminiferal fauna and the dominance of the low‐oxygen‐tolerant foraminiferal species Bulimina exilis . This is surprising since low‐oxygen conditions have not been recorded during modern times at the sea floor in this region, despite present‐day intensive upwelling and high primary productivity. After the Younger Dryas, more humid conditions returned, diatom abundance decreased and B. exilis was replaced by typical deep‐sea species as found in the region today, indicating the return of more oxygenated conditions at the sea floor. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Relative sea level changes during the Holocene in the Sisimiut area, south‐western Greenland - Ole Bennike; Bernd Wagner; Andreas Richter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Holocene relative sea level (RSL) changes have been investigated by analysing and dating isolation sequences from five lakes near Sisimiut in south‐western Greenland. The transitions between marine and lacustrine sediments were determined from elemental analyses and analyses of macroscopic plant and animal remains. Radiocarbon dating was used to provide minimum ages for the transitions and to construct a RSL curve. Dating of a shell of the marine bivalve Macoma balthica indicates that deglaciation of the lowlands occurred in the early Holocene, at around 10 900 cal a BP. The RSL curve shows initial rapid regression from the marine limit at around 140 m, implying strong glacio‐isostatic rebound. We suggest that the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet was located at the shelf break during the Last Glacial Maximum. Frequent remains of the ostracode Sarcypridopsis aculeata , which is a thermophilous brackish water species that is unknown from the extant fauna of Greenland, in one of the basins around 8500 cal a BP may mark the beginning of the Holocene thermal maximum in the region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exotic pollen as an indicator of variable atmospheric circulation over the Labrador Sea region during the mid to late Holocene - Catherine A. Jessen; Sandrine Solignac; Niels Nørgaard‐Pedersen; Naja Mikkelsen; Antoon Kuijpers; Marit‐Solveig Seidenkrantz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Variability in the abundance of exotic (non‐native) pollen in sediment cores has long been considered as a potential proxy for changing atmospheric circulation, but the difficulty of gaining sufficient total exotic pollen and the incomplete understanding of atmospheric pollen transport patterns has hindered its application. In light of recent advances in the study of pollen transport, we present an exotic pollen record from two fjord sediment cores taken from the west (Placentia Bay, Newfoundland) and east (Narsaq Sund, Greenland) Labrador Sea as a basis for studying variations in regional atmospheric circulation. The two cores cover the last ca. 5500 years and indicate a shift in dominant spring/summer air masses at ca. 2000 (southern Greenland) and 3000 cal a BP (Newfoundland) transporting reduced concentrations of pollen from southerly and south‐westerly vegetation zones. This may suggest a shift away from more dominantly zonal atmospheric circulation (a feature of positive North Atlantic Oscillation years) to more frequent meridional circulation. These results support sea ice/sea‐surface temperature proxy reconstructions from Newfoundland, investigated as part of the same project, which also suggest increased winter atmospheric circulation during the early part of the time period studied. In this region, more positive North Atlantic Oscillation years, and therefore more zonal atmospheric circulation, are associated with increased atmospheric circulation in both the winter and the summer seasons. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A late Early Pleistocene pollen record from Fontana Ranuccio (central Italy) - Paolo Corrado; Donatella Magri (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A pollen record from a sediment core drilled underneath the Acheulian site of Fontana Ranuccio provides new data on the vegetation characters in central Italy during the late Early Pleistocene, in a forest phase possibly corresponding to a substage of Marine Isotope Stage 21. A number of tree taxa nowadays extinct in Europe ( Cathaya , Tsuga , Taxodium type, Carya and Pterocarya ) are present at Fontana Ranuccio in a temperate phase characterised by dense forest conditions, dominated by Alnus and Pterocarya . The comparison of the Fontana Ranuccio record with other dated sites distributed along the Italian peninsula indicates that the floristic and vegetational characters of the Mid Pleistocene revolution present a rather distinct succession of biostratigraphic events. Compared to other Early Pleistocene pollen records from southern Europe, the Italian Peninsula shows greater floristic similarities with the Eastern Mediterranean regions than with the Iberian Peninsula. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

New age estimates and climatostratigraphic correlations for the Borrobol and Penifiler Tephras: evidence from Abernethy Forest, Scotland - I. P. Matthews; Hilary H. Birks; A. J. Bourne; S. J. Brooks; J. J. Lowe; A. MacLeod; S. D. F. Pyne‐O'Donnell (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The emerging tephrostratigraphy of NW Europe spanning the last termination (ca. 15–9 ka) provides the potential for synchronizing marine, ice‐core and terrestrial records, but is currently compromised by stratigraphic complications, geochemical ambiguity and imprecise age estimates for some layers. Here we present new tephrostratigraphic, radiocarbon and chironomid‐based palaeotemperature data from Abernethy Forest, Scotland, that refine the ages and stratigraphic positions of the Borrobol and Penifiler tephras. The Borrobol Tephra (14.14–13.95 cal ka BP) was deposited in a relatively warm period equated with Greenland Interstadial sub‐stage GI‐1e. The younger Penifiler Tephra (14.09–13.65 cal ka BP) is closely associated with a cold oscillation equated with GI‐1d. We also present evidence for a previously undescribed tephra layer that has a major‐element chemical signature identical to the Vedde Ash. It is associated with the warming trend at the end of the Younger Dryas, and dates between 11.79 and 11.20 cal ka BP. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A 2000‐year lipid biomarker record preserved in a stalagmite from north‐west Scotland - Alison J. Blyth; Andy Baker; Louise E. Thomas; Peter Van Calsteren (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Previous studies on lipid biomarkers preserved in Chinese stalagmites have indicated that ratios of low‐molecular‐weight (LMW) to high‐molecular‐weight (HMW) n ‐alkanes, n ‐alkan‐2‐ones, n ‐alkanols and n ‐alkanoic acids can be used as an index of vegetation versus microbial organic matter input to the system and, by extension, a marker of climatic changes, with increases in the proportion of LMW compounds coinciding with colder periods. Here we test whether this hypothesis is equally applicable to a different geographical region (north‐west Scotland), by examining a stalagmite record of the past 200 years, and a wider range of lipid markers. We also test the applicability of other lipid proxies in this context, including the use of n ‐alkane ratios, to interpret vegetation changes, and unsaturated alkanoic acid ratios as climatic indicators. The results show that lipid proxies preserved in stalagmites, and especially those related to vegetation, are potentially extremely useful in palaeoenvironmental research. Of particular value is the use of C 27 /C 31 n ‐alkane ratios as a proxy for vegetation change, clearly indicating variations between herbaceous and arboreal cover. This proxy has now been successfully applied to samples from diverse environments, and can be considered sufficiently robust to be of use in analysing future stalagmite records. It will be of particular value in areas where reliable pollen records are not available, as is often the case with deeper cave deposits. However, the division between LMW and HMW aliphatic compounds is not a clear‐cut case of microbial versus plant activity, with the changes in LMW compounds relating more closely to those in their HMW analogues than in specific bacterial biomarkers. The use of unsaturated alkanoic acid ratios here gives conflicting results, with the observed variation through time depending on the isomer measured. The discrepancies between the findings of this study and previous work are likely to be due to the varying controls on the lipids (original organic matter input, and compound degradation), which in turn will be affected by whether the main climatic limiting factor on the soil is temperature or precipitation. This suggests that lipid proxies preserved in stalagmites must be interpreted with care, particularly in the case of bacterial compounds which may be derived from within the cave or from the soil. However, many of these issues can be resolved by the use of multi‐proxy studies. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental responses to Lateglacial climatic fluctuations recorded in the sediments of pre‐Alpine Lake Mondsee (northeastern Alps) - Stefan Lauterbach; Achim Brauer; Nils Andersen; Dan L. Danielopol; Peter Dulski; Matthias Hüls; Krystyna Milecka; Tadeusz Namiotko; Milena Obremska; Ulrich Von Grafenstein (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Investigation of the sedimentary record of pre‐Alpine Lake Mondsee (Upper Austria) focused on the environmental reaction to rapid Lateglacial climatic changes. Results of this study reveal complex proxy responses that are variable in time and influenced by the long‐term evolution of the lake and its catchment. A new field sampling approach facilitated continuous and precisely controlled parallel sampling at decadal to sub‐annual resolution for µ‐XRF element scanning, carbon geochemistry, stable isotope measurements on ostracods, pollen analyses and large‐scale thin sections for microfacies analysis. The Holocene chronology is established through microscopic varve counting and supported by accelerator mass spectrometry 14 C dating of terrestrial plant macrofossils, whereas the Lateglacial age model is based on δ 18 O wiggle matching with the Greenland NGRIP record, using the GICC05 chronology. Microfacies analysis enables the detection of subtle sedimentological changes, proving that depositional processes even in rather large lake systems are highly sensitive to climate forcing. Comparing periods of major warming at the onset of the Lateglacial and Holocene and of major cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas reveals differences in proxy responses, reflecting threshold effects and ecosystem inertia. Temperature increase, vegetation recovery, decrease of detrital flux and intensification of biochemical calcite precipitation at the onset of the Holocene took place with only decadal leads and lags over a ca. 100 a period, whereas the spread of woodlands and the reduction of detrital flux lagged the warming at the onset of the Lateglacial Interstadial by ca. 500–750 a. Cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas is reflected by the simultaneous reaction of δ 18 O and vegetation, but sedimentological changes (reduction of endogenic calcite content, increase in detrital flux) were delayed by about 150–300 a. Three short‐term Lateglacial cold intervals, corresponding to Greenland isotope substages GI‐1d, GI‐1c2 and GI‐1b, also show complex proxy responses that vary in time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cosmogenic nuclide constraints on glacial chronology in the source area of the Urumqi River, Tian Shan, China - Yingkui Li; Gengnian Liu; Ping Kong; Jon Harbor; Yixin Chen; Marc Caffee (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating of boulders and erratics provides new constraints for a glacial chronology in the source area of the Urumqi River, Tian Shan, China. 10 Be exposure ages of 15.0 ± 1.3–17.1 ± 1.5 ka from the Upper Wangfeng (UWF) moraines agree well with their previous relative age assignments to marine isotope stage (MIS) 2, but are younger than published AMS 14 C and electron spin resonance (ESR) ages (from 22.8 ± 0.6 to 37.4 ka). This difference may result from variations in techniques, or could reflect the impact of surface erosion and sediment/snow cover on surface exposure dating. 10 Be ages from the Lower Wangfeng (LWF) moraines (18.7 ± 1.8 and 16.2 ± 1.5 ka) are indistinguishable from the UWF exposure ages, but are significantly younger than previously reported thermoluminescence (TL) and ESR ages (37.7 ± 2.6–184.7 ± 18 ka). Either these two groups were formed during the same period (MIS 2) and there are problems with TL and ESR ages, or the moraines were of very different ages and the similar exposure ages result from different degrees of degradation. Erratics on rock steps and a drumlin along >8 km of the main glacial valley above the UWF have internally consistent and slightly decreasing 10 Be exposure ages indicating glacier retreat >2.5 m a −1 after MIS 2 and before middle or late Holocene glacier re‐advances. This retreat rate is similar to rates observed from modern glaciers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Millennial‐scale fire and vegetation history from a mesic hardwood forest of southeastern Wisconsin, USA - Colin J. Long; Mitchell J. Power; Breanne Mcdonald (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
High‐resolution charcoal analysis of lake sediment cores was used to reconstruct the fire history from two sites in a mesic hardwood forest of south‐eastern Wisconsin located in the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Pollen data from the region indicate that the sites, which lie within 5 km of each other, have had a consistent presence of mesic hardwood forest for the last 6500 years. A pollen record from one of the sites confirmed the regional vegetation history and the charcoal analysis indicated that fire frequency at each site was temporally linked to regional drought. Periods of high fire occurrence occurred in connection with a region‐wide drought 4200 years ago and, over the last 2000 years, shorter‐scale regional droughts were centred at 1800, 1650, 1100, 1000, 800, 700 and 600 cal a BP. The fire histories indicate that the last 1000 years have had lower fire frequencies than the previous 6500 years and suggest that the mesic hardwood forests may be resilient to increases in fire that may result from future climate change. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Late Pleistocene snowline fluctuations at Nevado Coropuna (15°S), southern Peruvian Andes - Gordon R.M. Bromley; Brenda L. Hall; Kurt M. Rademaker; Claire E. Todd; Adina E. Racovteanu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Deposits preserved on peaks in the southern Peruvian Andes are evidence for past glacial fluctuations and, therefore, serve as a record of both the timing and magnitude of past climate change. Moraines corresponding to the last major expansion of ice on Nevado Coropuna date to 20‐25 ka, during the last glacial maximum. We reconstructed the snowline at Coropuna for this period using a combined geomorphic‐numeric approach to provide a first‐order estimate of the magnitude of late‐Pleistocene climate change. Our reconstructions show that snowline was approximately 550‐770 m lower during the last glacial maximum than during the late Holocene maximum, which ended in the 19 th century, and ∼750 m lower than today. While these values are similar to data from nearby Nevado Solimana, reconstructions from the neighbouring peak of Nevado Firura reveal a smaller snowline depression, suggesting the glacial response to climate forcing in the tropics is strongly influenced by non‐climatic factors. These data constitute some of the first directly dated palaeo‐snowline data from the arid tropics and suggest that the magnitude of the last glaciation in at least parts of the tropical Andes was similar to late‐Pleistocene events at higher latitudes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Validation of a chrysophyte stomatocyst‐based cold‐season climate reconstruction from high‐Alpine Lake Silvaplana, Switzerland - Rixt De Jong; Christian Kamenik (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
For the reliable assessment of past climate variability, quantitative reconstructions of seasonal temperatures are required. Currently, reconstructions of cold‐season temperatures are scarce, because most biological proxies are biased towards the growing season. Here we test the potential of chrysophyte stomatocysts (or simply ‘cysts’; siliceous resting stages of the golden‐brown algae) as a proxy for cold‐season temperature. Climate reconstructions based on biological proxies are commonly constructed using transfer functions derived from calibration in space. However, the performance of these reconstructions is rarely tested by direct comparison with meteorological data due to limitations of sample resolution or chronological control. We compare a cyst‐based near‐annual reconstruction of ‘date of spring mixing’ from the varved sediments of Lake Silvaplana (Swiss Alps) spanning AD 1870–2004 with climate variables from the same period measured at the lake shore. The high correlation between cyst‐based ‘date of spring mixing’ and cold‐season temperature demonstrates the ability of chrysophyte cysts to archive cold‐season temperature variability. Lake eutrophication, which was extensive during the last 50 years, had no obvious effect on the cyst‐based reconstruction. This study underlines the high potential of chrysophyte cysts as a quantitative proxy for cold‐season climate reconstructions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A 16 000‐year record of vegetational change in south‐western Alaska as inferred from plant macrofossils and pollen - Petra Kaltenrieder; Willy Tinner; Byoungyoon Lee; Feng Sheng Hu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Pollen and macrofossil analyses of a sediment core from Beaver Pond (60° 37′ 14″ N, 154° 19′ W, 579 m a.s.l.) reveal a record of regional and local postglacial vegetation change in south‐western Alaska. The chronology is based on five AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) 14 C ages obtained from terrestrial plant macrofossils. Pollen and macrofossil records suggest that open herb and shrub tundra with e.g. Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Artemisia , Vaccinium and Salix prevailed on the landscape before ca. 14 000 cal a BP. The shift from herb‐ to shrub‐dominated tundra ( Salix , subsequent Betula expansion) possibly reflects climatic warming at the beginning of the Bølling period at ca. 14 700–14 500 and around 13 500 cal a BP. Vegetation ( Betula shrub tundra) remained relatively stable until the early Holocene. Macrofossil influx estimates provide evidence for greater biomass in Betula shrub tundra during the early postglacial period than today. Charcoal accumulation rates suggest tundra fire activity was probably greater from ca. 12 500 to 10 500 cal a BP, similar to results from elsewhere in Alaska. The pollen and macrofossil records of Beaver Pond suggest the prevalence of low shrub tundra (shrub Betula , Betula nana , Vaccinium , Ledum palustre , Ericaceae) and tall shrub tundra ( Alnus viridis ssp. crispa , Salix ) between 10 000 and 4000 cal a BP. This Holocene vegetation type is comparable with that of the modern treeless wet and moist tundra in south‐western Alaska. The expansion of Picea glauca occurred ∼4000 cal a BP, much later than that of A. viridis (ssp. crispa ), whereas in central and eastern Alaska Picea glauca expanded prior to or coincident with Alnus ( viridis ). At sites located only 200–400 km north‐east of Beaver Pond (Farewell and Wien lakes), Picea glauca and Betula forests expanded 8000–6000 cal a BP. Unfavourable climatic conditions and soil properties may have inhibited the expansion and establishment of Picea across south‐west Alaska during the mid and late Holocene. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - Chris Turney (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

Identification of last interglacial deposits in eastern Beringia: a cautionary note from the Palisades, interior Alaska - ALBERTO V. REYES; GRANT D. ZAZULA; SVETLANA KUZMINA; THOMAS A. AGER; DUANE G. FROESE (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Last interglacial sediments in unglaciated Alaska and Yukon (eastern Beringia) are commonly identified by palaeoecological indicators and stratigraphic position ∼2–5 m above the regionally prominent Old Crow tephra (124 ± 10 ka). We demonstrate that this approach can yield erroneous age assignments using data from a new exposure at the Palisades, a site in interior Alaska with numerous exposures of last interglacial sediments. Tephrochronology, stratigraphy, plant macrofossils, pollen and fossil insects from a prominent wood‐rich organic silt unit are all consistent with a last interglacial age assignment. However, six 14 C dates on plant and insect macrofossils from the organic silt range from non‐finite to 4.0 14 C ka BP, indicating that the organic silt instead represents a Holocene deposit with a mixed‐age assemblage of organic material. In contrast, wood samples from presumed last interglacial organic‐rich sediments elsewhere at the Palisades, in a similar stratigraphic position with respect to Old Crow tephra, yield non‐finite 14 C ages. Given that local permafrost thaw since the last interglaciation may facilitate reworking of older sediments into new stratigraphic positions, minimum constraining ages based on 14 C dating or other methods should supplement age assignments for last interglacial sediments in eastern Beringia that are based on palaeoecology and stratigraphic association with Old Crow tephra. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Tephra in deglacial ocean sediments south of Iceland: Stratigraphy, geochemistry and oceanic reservoir ages - David J. R. Thornalley; I. Nick McCave; Harry Elderfield (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Icelandic tephra layers within deglacial ocean sediment cores from south of Iceland have been detected and their timing with respect to the climate shifts of the last deglaciation constrained. Geochemical analysis of the tephra allowed the likely source volcanic systems to be identified. The previously known Saksunarvatn ash and Vedde ash are recognised and described. Several other major tephra layers are examined: basaltic eruption(s) of Katla at ∼8.4 ka; a basaltic eruption of Katla at ∼12.6 ka; a rhyolitic eruption of Katla at ∼13.6 ka producing tephra similar in appearance and composition to the Vedde ash; a basaltic eruption of Katla at ∼14.0 ka; and two basaltic eruptions of Grímsvötn at ∼14.6 ka and ∼15.0 ka. Abundant rhyolitic ash with a similar appearance and chemistry to the Vedde ash is found throughout the deglacial interval, predating the Vedde ash by up to 3000 years, supporting previous suggestions that there were pre‐Vedde ash eruptions of rhyolite that may have contributed to North Atlantic Ash Zone 1. This study expands the tephro‐stratigraphic framework of the North Atlantic and provides a marine archive in which the timing of tephra layers (useful as isochrons) can be directly compared to major ocean and climate events of the last deglaciation. Furthermore, by correlating tephra layers and abundance changes in the polar foraminifera, Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral), to equivalent tephra events and inferred abrupt cooling/warming in Greenland ice‐cores, contemporaneous 14 C‐dated planktonic foraminifera have been used to estimate changes in the surface radiocarbon reservoir age south of Iceland. Consistent with previous studies, larger surface reservoir ages are calculated during late Heinrich Stadial 1 and the Younger Dryas (∼2000 years and ∼800–1900 years respectively). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reply to comment: Cumulative probability functions and their role in evaluating the chronology of geomorphological events during the Holocene. Richard C. Chiverrell, Varyl, R. Thorndycraft And Thomas, O. Hoffmann, Journal of Quaternary Science 26: 76–85 - Richard C. Chiverrell; Varyl R. Thorndycraft; Thomas O. Hoffmann (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

Orbital imprint on Holocene palaeohydrological variations in west‐central Europe as reflected by lake‐level changes at Cerin (Jura Mountains, eastern France) - Michel Magny; Gilles Bossuet; Pascale Ruffaldi; Aurélie Leroux; Jacques Mouthon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
This paper presents a lake‐level record for the Holocene at Lake Cerin (Jura Mountains, eastern France). It is based on a range of sedimentological techniques validated in previous studies, with a combination of systematic lithostratigraphic investigations of the infillings accumulated in the lacustrine basin, and sediment analyses of two selected cores. The chronology is based on 10 radiocarbon dates and pollen stratigraphy. On a millennial scale, the Cerin lake‐level record shows three distinct successive phases characterised by higher lake‐level conditions until ca. 9000 cal. a BP, followed by a maximal lowering at ca. 9000–8500 cal. a BP, and a progressive rise until the present. This rise was punctuated by centennial‐scale fluctuations, with major events around 4000, 2800 and after 1500 cal. a BP. Considered on a multimillennial scale, the general pattern of palaeohydrological changes reconstructed at Cerin reflects the impact of orbitally driven summer insolation. This is in agreement with other regional and extra‐regional palaeoclimatic records, although every record shows peculiarities in timing and shape depending on the proxy used for reconstruction. In this general context, centennial to multicentennial oscillations appear to have been second‐order events in comparison with the major influence of the orbital factor. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Morphological evolution of the Guadiana estuary and intertidal zone in response to projected sea‐level rise and sediment supply scenarios - Dissanayake M.R. Sampath; Tomasz Boski; Patricia L. Silva; Flavio A. Martins (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Analysis of Holocene sediment accumulation in the Guadiana estuary (southern Portugal) during sea‐level rise since ca. 13 cal. ka BP was used to simulate the long‐term morphological evolution of the lower Guadiana estuary and the associated intertidal zone for 21st‐century predicted sea‐level rises. Three sea‐level rise scenarios given by the IPCC ( 2007 ) were used in the simulations of morphology using a large‐scale behaviour‐oriented modelling approach. Sedimentation rate scenarios were derived both from the Holocene evolution of the estuary and from a semi‐empirical estimation of present‐day sediment aggradation. Our results show that the net lateral expansion of the intertidal zone area would be about 3–5% of the present intertidal zone area for each 10 cm rise in sea level. Under constraints imposed by the lack of fluvial sediment supply, the lateral expansion of the landward boundary of the intertidal zone will occur mainly in the Portuguese margin of the Guadiana estuary, while submergence of the salt marshes will occur in the Spanish margin. Therefore the Spanish margin is highly vulnerable to both sea‐level rise and lack of sediment supply. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pleistocene geochemical stratigraphy of the borehole 1317E (IODP Expedition 307) in Porcupine Seabight, SW of Ireland: applications to palaeoceanography and palaeoclimate of the coral mound development - Xianghui Li; Chiduru Takashima; Akihiro Kano; Saburo Sakai; Yunhua Chen; Baoliang Xu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Stable isotopes and element compositions of the fine‐grained matrix were measured for IODP Expedition 307 Hole U1317E drilled from the summit of Challenger Mound in Porcupine Seabight, northeast Atlantic, to explore the palaeoceanographic and palaeoclimatic background to development of the deep‐water coral mound. The 155 m long mound section was divided into two units by an unconformity at 23.6 mbsf: Unit M1 (2.6–1.7 Ma) and Unit M2 (1.0–0.5 Ma). Results from 519 specimens show a difference in δ 13 C value between Unit M1 (−0.6‰ to −5.0‰) and Unit M2 (−1.0‰ to 1.0‰), but such a distinct difference was not seen in δ 18 O values (1.0‰–2.5‰), CaCO 3 content (40–60 wt%), Sr/Ca ratio (2.0–8.0 mmol mol −1 ), and Mg/Ca ratio (10.0–20.0 mmol mol −1 ) through the mound. Positive δ 18 O and negative δ 13 C shifts at the mound base are consistent with the oceanographic changes in the northeast Atlantic at the beginning of the Quaternary. The positive δ 13 C regression in Unit M2 suggests a linkage to the mid Pleistocene intensified glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere. Warm Mediterranean Upper Core Water of Mediterranean Outflow Water, Eastern North Atlantic Water and cold Labrador Sea Water of North Atlantic Deep Water are key oceanographic features that cause spikes and shifts in stable isotope and element composition. However, the stable isotope values of the sediment matrix could not primarily record the glacial–interglacial eustatic/temperature change, but indirectly indicate current regimes of the intermediate oceanic layer where the coral mound grew. Similarly, elemental ratios and CaCO 3 content may not represent the productivity and temperature of surface sea water, respectively, but superpose the fractions from both surface and bottom water. It is concluded that palaeoceanographic change coupled to the Pleistocene glacial/interglacial cycles is a key control on the geochemical stratigraphy of the matrix sediments of the carbonate mound developed in Porcupine Seabight. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glaciers and climate in Pacific Far NE Russia during the Last Glacial Maximum - Iestyn D. Barr; Chris D. Clark (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A combined geomorphological–physical model approach is used to generate three‐dimensional reconstructions of glaciers in Pacific Far NE Russia during the global Last glacial Maximum (gLGM). The horizontal dimensions of these ice masses are delineated by moraines, their surface elevations are estimated using an iterative flowline model and temporal constraints upon their margins are derived from published age estimates. The equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) of these ice masses are estimated, and gLGM climate is reconstructed using a simple degree–day melt model. The results indicate that, during the gLGM, ice masses occupying the Pekulney, Kankaren and Sredinny mountains of Pacific Far NE Russia were of valley glacier and ice field type. These glaciers were between 7 and 80 km in length, and were considerably less extensive than during pre‐LGM phases of advance. gLGM ice masses in these regions had ELAs of between 575 ± 22 m and 1035 ± 41 m (above sea level) – corresponding to an ELA depression of 350–740 m, relative to present. Data indicate that, in the Pekulney Mountains, this ELA depression occurred because of a 6.4°C reduction in mean July temperature, and 200 mm a −1 reduction in precipitation, relative to present. Thus reconstructions support a restricted view of gLGM glaciation in Pacific Far NE Russia and indicate that the region's aridity precluded the development of large continental ice sheets. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Holocene sea‐level reconstruction in the Young Sound region, Northeast Greenland - Jørn Bjarke Torp Pedersen; Aart Kroon; Bjarne Holm Jakobsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
A relative sea‐level curve over the Holocene is constructed for the Young Sound region in northeastern Greenland. The reconstruction is derived by dating the heights of raised beach ridges in coastal plains using optically stimulated luminiscence (OSL), and by dating palaeoterrestrial surface levels now buried beneath the intertidal frame using the 14 C technique. The relative sea‐level curve reveals a rapid fall of at least 10 mm a −1 from ca. 9500 to 7500 a ago, which slowed to 2 mm a −1 until it reached the present sea level ca. 3000 a ago. This part of the curve is based on the raised beach ridge data. Thereafter, relative sea level continued to fall, to reach a minimum level at about 0.5 m below the present sea level ca. 2300 a ago. Since then, relative sea level has experienced a slow rise of about 0.2 mm a −1 . This part of the curve uses the data from the palaeoterrestrial surfaces. The study supplements other estimates of Holocene relative sea‐level changes and supports the observations of a decreasing trend in the timing of the cross point and in minimum relative sea level from South to North Greenland. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Shell bed tempestites in the Chenier Plain of Louisiana: late Holocene example and modern analogue - Harry F.L. Williams (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Hurricane Ike's storm surge deposited a concentrated shell bed in the form of a series of coalescing washover fans over backshore sand and adjoining marshland in part of southwest Louisiana's Chenier Plain. The shell bed is a tempestite and has distinctive morphological, sedimentological and biogenic characteristics that provide a modern analogue to aid interpretation of older shell bed tempestites in the geological record. The shell bed has a wedge‐shaped profile that thickens landward, is about 40 m wide, up to 27 cm thick and extends several hundred metres parallel to the shore. Shells are predominantly disarticulated valves of the common bivalve Mulinia lateralis , probably reworked and transported landward from skeletal remains offshore. The shell bed has an erosional base, is bioclast supported, normally graded and has common mud rip‐up clasts. Similarities between the modern shell bed and another concentrated shell deposit, forming part of a sandy beach ridge some 1.5 km inland, suggest that the palaeo shell deposit is also a tempestite recording hurricane washover of a former shoreline 600 a ago. These findings demonstrate that the shell bed deposited by Hurricane Ike is a valuable analogue for palaeotempestological investigations and that hurricanes have likely contributed to the construction of both modern berm ridges and palaeo beach ridges on this coastal plain. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comment: Cumulative probability functions and their role in evaluating the chronology of geomorphological events during the Holocene. Richard C. Chiverrell, Varyl, R. Thorndycraft And Thomas, O. Hoffmann, Journal of Quaternary Science 26: 76–85 - Mark G. Macklin; Anna F. Jones; John Lewin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea‐level change in North Wales, UK - M. J. Roberts; J. D. Scourse; J. D. Bennell; D. G. Huws; C. F. Jago; B. T. Long (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Deglacial sea‐level index points defining relative sea‐level (RSL) change are critical for testing glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) model output. Only a few observations are available from North Wales and until recently these provided a poor fit to GIA model output for the British‐Irish Ice Sheet. We present results of an integrated offshore geophysical (seismic reflection), coring (drilling rig), sedimentological, micropalaeontological (foraminifera), biostratigraphical (palynology) and geochronological (AMS 14 C) investigation into a sequence of multiple peat/organic sediment horizons interbedded within a thick estuarine–marine sequence of minerogenic clay‐silts to silty sands from the NE Menai Strait, North Wales. Ten new sea‐level index points and nine new limiting dates from the Devensian Late‐glacial and early Holocene are integrated with twelve pre‐existing Holocene sea‐level index points and one limiting point from North Wales to generate a regional RSL record. This record is similar to the most recent GIA predictions for North Wales RSL change, supporting either greater ice load and later deglaciation than in the GIA predictions generated before 2004, or a modified eustatic function. There is no evidence for a mid‐Holocene highstand. Tidally corrected RSL data indicate initial breaching of the Menai Strait between 8.8 and 8.4 ka BP to form a tidal causeway, with final submergence between 5.8 and 4.6 ka BP. Final breaching converted the NE Menai Strait from a flood‐dominated estuary into a high energy ebb tidal delta with extensive tidal scouring of pre‐existing Late‐glacial and Holocene sequences. The study confirms the value of utilising offshore drilling/coring technology to recover sea‐level records which relate to intervals when rates of both eustatic and isostatic change were at their greatest, and therefore of most value for constraining GIA models. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vegetation changes in the Neotropical Gran Sabana (Venezuela) around the Younger Dryas chron - Encarni Montoya; Valenti Rull; Nathan D. Stansell; Broxton W. Bird; Sandra Nogué; Teresa Vegas‐vilarrúbia; Mark B. Abbott; Wilmer A. Díaz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The occurrence of the Younger Dryas cold reversal in northern South America midlands and lowlands remains controversial. We present a palaeoecological analysis of a Late Glacial lacustrine section from a midland lake (Lake Chonita, 4.6501 °N, 61.0157 °W, 884 m elevation) located in the Venezuelan Gran Sabana, based on physical and biological proxies. The sediments were mostly barren from ∼15.3 to 12.7 k cal a BP, probably due to poor preservation. A ligneous community with no clear modern analogues was dominant from 12.7 to 11.7 k cal a BP (Younger Dryas chronozone). At present, similar shrublands are situated around 200 m elevation above the lake, suggesting a cooling‐driven downward shift in vegetation during that period. The interval from 11.7 to 10.6 k cal a BP is marked by a dramatic replacement of the shrubland by savannas and a conspicuous increase in fire incidence. The intensification of local and regional fires at this interval could have played a role in the vegetation shift. A change to wetter, and probably warmer, conditions is deduced after 11.7 k cal a BP, coinciding with the early Holocene warming. These results support the hypothesis of a mixed origin (climate and fire) of the Gran Sabana savannas, and highlight the climatic instability of the Neotropics during the Late Glacial. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

High‐resolution X‐ray fluorescence core scanning analysis of Les Echets (France) sedimentary sequence: new insights from chemical proxies - Malin E. Kylander; Linda Ampel; Barbara Wohlfarth; Daniel Veres (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The Les Echets sediment sequence has recently been the subject of a high‐resolution, multi‐proxy study which revealed shifts in lake productivity linked to Greenland stadials and interstadials over the last 40 ka (Wohlfarth et al. , 2008 . Rapid ecosystem response to abrupt climate changes during the last glacial period in western Europe, 40–16 ka. Geology 36 : 407–410). Here we present new elemental data for this sequence as acquired using an X‐ray fluorescence core scanning system which provides in situ high‐resolution, continuous, multi‐element analyses. It was found that the strength of associations between the studied elements (Ti, Rb, K, Zr, Si, Ca, Sr, Mn and Fe) varied over time with changes in lake status which are ultimately driven by changes in climate. Increases in fine‐grained, detrital input (as indicated by Ti, Rb, K and Zr/Rb) overlap with independently established periods of lower lake productivity and are interpreted to represent more arid conditions. Several of these arid periods are coincident with low diatom concentrations and the timing of Heinrich events H4, H3 and H2. The duration of the environmental impacts linked to the H events varied by proxy with elemental data (Ti and Zr/Rb) estimating shorter events than the diatom data. Periods of lower detrital input and coarser grain sizes agreed in time with periods of higher lake productivity. The elemental data provide new insights into hydrological changes and related sediment processes within the catchment, and highlight the need for multi‐element and multi‐proxy approaches when reconstructing climate change using lacustrine sediment sequences. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cumulative probability functions and their role in evaluating the chronology of geomorphological events during the Holocene - Richard C. Chiverrell; Varyl R. Thorndycraft; Thomas O. Hoffmann (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Cumulative probability functions (CPFs) for large numbers of radiocarbon age determinations are increasingly being used by scientists as a methodology to discern environmental histories. While the recent compilation of regional databases of the radiocarbon dating control for fluvial sediment sequences has been beneficial for identifying gaps in knowledge and stimulating new research, there are a number of problems that critically undermine the use of these CPFs as sensitive hydroclimatic proxies. (i) The CPF method is underpinned by the assumption that each radiocarbon measurement is a true age estimate for a point in time, whereas each measured age in fact forms a scatter around the true age of the sample; (ii) calibration of radiocarbon ages is responsible for much of the structure in CPFs and compounds the problem of scatter and smears the chronological control; (iii) the databases incorporate multiple types of environmental changes differing chronological relationships between the 14 C measurements and the dated events, with pre‐dating, dating or post‐dating chronological control each displaying variable length temporal lags all mixed together in the same analysis; and (iv) the radiocarbon ages from individual case studies need to be more robustly tested before being incorporated into regional databases. All these factors negate the value of CPFs as sensitive proxies of environmental change, because peaks in probability for individual radiocarbon measurements are likely to be an incorrect estimate for the age of a geomorphological event and this problem is compounded by combining probabilities for multiple unrelated events. In this paper we present a critical analysis of CPFs and their interpretation before suggesting alternative approaches to analysing radiocarbon geochronologies of geomorphic events, which include: (i) Bayesian age modelling of river terrace development; (ii) developing regional databases that test specific geomorphic hypotheses; (iii) Bayesian age modelling of palaeoflood records; and (iv) analysis of sedimentation rates. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fire and drought as drivers of early Holocene tree line changes in the Peruvian Andes - Dunia H. Urrego; Brittany A. Niccum; Christopher F. La Drew; Miles R. Silman; Mark B. Bush (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Three pollen and charcoal records from three lakes lying at 3400 m elevation in southern Peru provided a record of landscape change spanning the last ca.18 000 cal. a BP. The tree line lay close to the site between ca. 16 000 and 12 000 cal. a BP, with Polylepis woodlands growing near the lakes. Progressively drying conditions led to increased fire after 12 000 cal. a BP, coinciding with a decline in Polylepis cover and Andean forest relicts as puna grasslands expanded. A strong decrease in the rate of sediment deposition between ca. 12 000 and ca. 4400 cal. a BP was interpreted to indicate the presence of sedimentary hiatuses. With the return of wet conditions after 4400 cal. a BP, forests did not reassemble around the lakes. Instead, fire‐maintained grasslands dominated the landscape. Humans probably induced the intensified fire activity during the late Holocene and thereby deflected local successions. The modern fragmented landscape, with Polylepsis woodlands existing in fire‐resistant pockets above the general limit of the Andean tree line, resulted from the intensification of human land use practices during the last 4400 cal. a BP. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact of Lateglacial cold events on the northern Aegean region reconstructed from marine and terrestrial proxy data - Ulrich Kotthoff; Andreas Koutsodendris; Jörg Pross; Gerhard Schmiedl; André Bornemann; Christian Kaul; Gianluca Marino; Odile Peyron; Ralf Schiebel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Marine palynomorph data paired with other indicators of sea‐surface hydrography (planktic foraminiferal assemblages and oxygen isotopes) were used to decipher the impact of cold events on the northern Aegean region during the last glacial to interglacial transition. The data, which were derived from marine sediment cores GeoTü SL152 and GeoTü SL148, point to a strong impact of the Heinrich 1 and Younger Dryas cold events on surface‐water conditions in the northern Aegean Sea. Shifts in marine palynomorph assemblages correlate with changes in terrestrial vegetation and climate (i.e. precipitation and temperature reconstructions based on pollen assemblages) in the northern borderlands of the Aegean Sea. The climate responses of the Aegean region to Heinrich event 1 (H1, ca. 17.5 to ca. 15.7 cal ka BP) and Younger Dryas (ca. 12.6 to ca. 11.7 cal ka BP) events appear similar in magnitude (with mean annual temperatures between ∼6 and 10°C and mean annual precipitation between ∼300 and ∼450 mm). However, the annual temperature decline during the H1 relative to the preceding already cold conditions was minor (

Changing hillslope and fluvial Holocene sediment dynamics in a Belgian loess catchment - Bastiaan Notebaert; Gert Verstraeten; Dimitri Vandenberghe; Elena Marinova; Jean Poesen; Gerard Govers (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Floodplain deposition is an essential part of the Holocene sediment dynamics of many catchments and a thorough dating control of these floodplain deposits is therefore essential to understand the driving forces of these sediment dynamics. In this paper we date floodplain and colluvial deposition in the Belgian Dijle catchment using accelerator mass spectrometric radiocarbon and optical stimulated luminescence dating. Relative mass accumulation curves for the Holocene were constructed for three colluvial sites and 12 alluvial sites. A database was constructed of all available radiocarbon ages of the catchment and this database was analysed using relative sediment mass accumulation rates and cumulative probability functions of ages and site‐specific sedimentation curves. Cumulative probability functions of ages were split into different depositional environments representing stable phases and phases of accelerated clastic deposition. The results indicate that there is an important variation between the different dated sites. After an initial stable early and middle Holocene phase with mainly peat growth in the floodplains, clastic sedimentation rates increased from 4000 BC on. This first phase was more pronounced and started somewhat earlier for colluvial deposits then for alluvial deposits. The main part of the Holocene deposits, both in colluvial and alluvial valleys, was deposited during the last 1 ka. The sedimentation pattern of the individual dated sites and the catchment‐wide pattern indicate that land use changes are responsible for the main variations in the Holocene sediment dynamics of this catchment, while the field data do not provide indications for a climatological influence on the sediment dynamics. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cosmogenic 10 Be insights into the extent and chronology of the last deglaciation in Wester Ross, northwest Scotland - Deborah C. McCormack; Simon H. Brocklehurst; Duncan H.B. Irving; Derek Fabel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Cosmogenic 10 Be surface exposure ages for bedrock sites around Torridon and the Applecross Peninsula in Wester Ross, northwest Scotland, provide new insights into the Lateglacial transition. Accounting for postglacial weathering, six statistically comparable exposure ages give a late Younger Dryas (G‐1) exposure age of 11.8 ± 1.1 ka. Two further outliers are tentative pre‐Younger Dryas exposure ages of 13.4 ± 0.5 ka in Torridon, and 17.5 ± 1.2 ka in Applecross. The Younger Dryas exposure ages have compelling implications for the deglaciation of marginal Loch Lomond Stadial ice fields in Torridon and Applecross. Firstly, they conflict with predictions of restricted ice cover and rapid retreat based on modelling experiments and climate proxies, instead fitting a model of vertically extensive and prolonged ice coverage in Wester Ross. Secondly, they indicate that >2 m of erosion took place in the upper valleys of Torridon and Applecross during the Younger Dryas, implying a dominantly warm‐based glacial regime. Finally, the exposure ages have clarified that corrie (cirque) glaciers did not readvance in Wester Ross, following final deglaciation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Provenance and depositional environments of Quaternary sediments from the western North Sea Basin - Bethan J. Davies; David H. Roberts; David R. Bridgland; Colm Ó Cofaigh; James B. Riding (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
As the majority of the data on Quaternary sediments from the North Sea Basin are seismostratigraphical, we analysed the Elsterian Swarte Bank Formation, the Late Saalian Fisher Formation and the Late Weichselian (Dimlington Stadial) Bolders Bank Formation in order to determine genesis and provenance. The Swarte Bank Formation is a subglacial till containing palynomorphs from the Moray Forth and the northeastern North Sea, and metamorphic heavy minerals from the Scottish Highlands. The Fisher Formation was sampled from the northern and central North Sea. In the north, it is interpreted as a subglacial till, with glaciomarine sediments cropping out further south. These sediments exhibit a provenance signature consistent with the Midland Valley of Scotland, the Eocene of the North Sea Basin, the Grampian Highlands and northeast Scotland. The Bolders Bank Formation is a subglacial till containing palynomorphs from the Midland Valley of Scotland, northern Britain, and a metamorphic heavy‐mineral suite indicative of the Grampian Highlands, Southern Uplands and northeast Scotland. These data demonstrate that there was repeated glaciation of the North Sea Basin during the Middle and Late Pleistocene, with ice sheets originating in northern Scotland. There was no evidence for a Scandinavian ice sheet in the western North Sea basin. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Middle pleistocene variations in palaeoclimate, palaeoenvironment and vegetation of the las tablas de daimiel national park (Spain) - Ana Valdeolmillos‐Rodríguez; Miriam Dorado‐Valiño; Maria Blanca Ruiz‐Zapata; Ana María Alonso‐Zarza (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The Middle Pleistocene palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment evolution of the Las Tablas de Daimiel wetlands is described using a combination of sedimentology, pollen and δ 13 C and δ 18 O isotopic records of Unit B of core LT‐199906. This unit mostly contains fluvial and palustrine sediments. U/Th and amino acid racemization (AAR) dating and a comparison of the δ 18 O curve of Unit B with oceanic records suggests that Unit B spans the period from the end of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 10 (340 ka) to the first stages of MIS 7 (ca. 210 ka). MIS 9 was characterised by a regional vegetation dominated by Cupressaceae, with Pinus as a tree element. The water level was high and temperatures were very probably higher than during the Holocene. MIS 8 and the first substages of MIS 7 (7e, 7d and 7c) were dominated by xerophilous steppe vegetation in lowlands (elevations around 610 m above sea level) near to the wetland. At higher altitudes, far away from the wetland, there were fewer Pinus than in MIS 9, and a greater presence of warm, temperate and cool climate tree elements. The aquatic system in MIS 9 became shallower, with eutrophication and the accumulation of organic matter occurring; temperatures were similar to or lower than those of the Holocene. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Glacier fluctuations in the southern Peruvian Andes during the late‐glacial period, constrained with cosmogenic 3 He - Gordon R.M. Bromley; Brenda L. Hall; Joerg M. Schaefer; Gisela Winckler; Claire E. Todd; Kurt M. Rademaker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
The occurrence of pronounced climate reversals during the last glacial termination has long been recognised in palaeoclimate records from both hemispheres and from high to low latitudes. Accurate constraint of both the timing and magnitude of events, such as the Younger Dryas and Antarctic Cold Reversal, is vital in order to test different hypotheses for the causes and propagation of abrupt climate change. However, in contrast to higher‐latitude regions, well‐dated records from the Tropics are rare and the structure of late‐glacial tropical climate remains uncertain. As a step toward addressing this problem, we present an in situ cosmogenic 3 He surface exposure chronology from Nevado Coropuna, southern Peru, documenting a significant fluctuation of the ice margin during the late‐glacial period. Ten tightly clustered ages from a pair of moraines located halfway between the modern glacier and the Last Glacial Maximum terminus range from 11.9 to 13.9 ka and give an arithmetic mean age of 12.8 ± 0.7 ka (1 σ ). These data constitute direct evidence for a readvance, or prolonged stillstand, of glaciers in the arid Andes of southwestern Peru. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The last deglacial history of Lützow‐Holm Bay, East Antarctica - Masako Yamane; Yusuke Yokoyama; Hideki Miura; Hideaki Maemoku; Shogo Iwasaki; Hiroyuki Matsuzaki (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Past fluctuations of the Antarctic ice sheet are poorly understood because of a lack of datable materials, radiocarbon reservoir ages and severe environments. Direct evidence of the timing of ice retreat is important in order to understand the Antarctic contribution to global sea‐level rise since the Last Glacial Maximum. Here we report the first exposure ages constraining the timing of the last deglaciation from Lützow‐Holm Bay, East Antarctica. Our data suggest that the final retreat of the ice sheet in the region occurred rapidly in the early Holocene and the reduction of the ice thickness in the region was at least 350 m. This occurred after the major Northern Hemisphere deglaciation. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fingerprinting the 8.2 ka event climate response in a coupled climate model - Ane P. Wiersma; Didier M. Roche; Hans Renssen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Using results from coupled climate model simulations of the 8.2 ka climate event that produced a cold period over Greenland in agreement with the reconstructed cooling from ice cores, we investigate the typical pattern of climate anomalies (fingerprint) to provide a framework for the interpretation of global proxy data for the 8.2 ka climate event. For this purpose we developed an analysis method that isolates the forced temperature response and provides information on spatial variations in magnitude, timing and duration that characterise the detectable climate event in proxy archives. Our analysis shows that delays in the temperature response to the freshwater forcing are present, mostly in the order of decades (30 a over central Greenland). The North Atlantic Ocean initially cools in response to the freshwater perturbation, followed in certain parts by a warm response. This delay, occurring more than 200 a after the freshwater pulse, hints at an overshoot in the recovery from the freshwater perturbation. The South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean show a warm response reflecting the bipolar seesaw effect. The duration of the simulated event varies for different areas, and the highest probability of recording the event in proxy archives is in the North Atlantic Ocean area north of 40° N. Our results may facilitate the interpretation of proxy archives recording the 8.2 ka event, as they show that timing and duration cannot be assumed to correspond with the timing and duration of the event as recorded in Greenland ice cores. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Editorial - Antony J. Long (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)

A critical evaluation of multi‐proxy dendroclimatology in northern Finland - Danny McCarroll; Mervi Tuovinen; Rochelle Campbell; Mary Gagen; Håkan Grudd; Risto Jalkanen; Neil J. Loader; Iain Robertson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Twentieth‐century summer (July–August) temperatures in northern Finland are reconstructed using ring widths, maximum density and stable carbon isotope ratios (δ 13 C) of Scots pine tree rings, and using combinations of these proxies. Verification is based on the coefficient of determination ( r 2 ), reduction of error (RE) and coefficient of efficiency (CE) statistics. Of the individual proxies, δ 13 C performs best, followed by maximum density. Combining δ 13 C and maximum density strengthens the climate signal but adding ring widths leads to little improvement. Blue intensity, an inexpensive alternative to X‐ray densitometry, is shown to perform similarly. Multi‐proxy reconstruction of summer temperatures from a single site produces strong correlations with gridded climate data over most of northern Fennoscandia. Since relatively few trees are required (

Can testate amoeba‐based palaeohydrology be extended to fens? - Richard J. Payne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2011)
Numerous palaeoecological studies have used testate amoeba analysis to reconstruct Holocene hydrological change in peatlands, and thereby past climatic change. Current studies have been almost exclusively restricted to ombrotrophic bogs and the period since the fen–bog transition. Although the critical link between peatland surface wetness and climate is less direct in minerotrophic peatlands, such records may still be of value where there are few others, particularly if multiple records can be derived and inter‐compared. Expanding the temporal and spatial scope of testate amoeba‐based palaeohydrology to minerotrophic peatlands requires studies to establish the primacy of hydrology and the efficacy of transfer functions across a range of sites. This study analyses testate amoeba data from wetlands spanning the trophic gradient in the eastern Mediterranean region. Results demonstrate that different types of wetlands have distinctly different amoeba communities, but hydrology remains the most important environmental control (despite water table depth being measured at different times for different sites). Interestingly, Zn and Fe emerge as significant environmental variables in a subset of sites with geochemical data. Testate amoeba–hydrology transfer functions perform well in cross‐validation but frequently perform poorly when applied to other sites, particularly with sites of a different nutrient status. It may be valid to use testate amoebae to reconstruct hydrological change from minerotrophic peatlands with an applicable transfer function; however, it may not be appropriate to use testate amoebae to reconstruct hydrological change through periods of ecosystem evolution, particularly the fen–bog transition. In practice, the preservation of amoeba shells is likely to be a key problem for palaeoecological reconstruction from fens. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Deglacial reservoir age and implications, Foxe Peninsula, Baffin Island - Kayla J. Vickers; Brent C. Ward; Daniel J. Utting; Alice M. Telka (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
Marine reservoir age is reported for Foxe Basin, Canada, during deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Radiocarbon ( 14 C) measurements were made on pairs of contemporaneous molluscs and Salix (willow) macrofossils, yielding a mean marine reservoir age of 985 ± 10 14 C a. Mean regional Δ R is calculated to be 615 ± 20 14 C a relative to a mean global reservoir age of ca. 400 14 C a. Previous studies in the Canadian Arctic that have been conducted on modern pre‐bomb molluscs give Δ R values of ca. 100–300 14 C a. The difference between modern and deglacial reservoir ages indicates that Δ R in Foxe Basin has changed over time, which has implications for the reconstruction of past events based on marine 14 C dates. We recalculate the timing of deglaciation of Hudson Strait with this new reservoir age and relate this to the 8.2 cal. ka event. We recommend that local Δ R be determined for the time period being examined whenever possible, and that in cases where this is impossible a Δ R value of 615 14 C a be applied when calibrating marine samples from Foxe Basin and vicinity during deglaciation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sub‐fossil Chironomidae as indicators of palaeoflow regimes: integration into the PalaeoLIFE flow index - Lynda C. Howard; Paul J. Wood; Malcolm T. Greenwood; Helen M. Rendell; Stephen J. Brooks; Patrick D. Armitage; Chris A. Extence (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
The sub‐fossil head capsules of larval Chironomidae have been widely exploited as palaeoecological indicators of lentic ecosystems but their value in the interpretation of the evolution of lotic systems has been underutilised by comparison. Recent research has demonstrated that the remains of Chironomidae are abundant within fluvial sequences and that they offer a valuable record of channel change and floodplain evolution that may complement that derived from existing biological and sedimentological techniques. This paper demonstrates the use of Chironomidae in characterising the palaeoflow regime of a large mid–late Holocene floodplain palaeochannel (5470–4960 to 1530–1350 cal. a BP) of the River Trent (Derbyshire, UK). Using expert knowledge and published information regarding flow preferences, larval Chironomidae were incorporated into the PalaeoLIFE (Lotic‐invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation) methodology. The results clearly demonstrate that the sub‐fossil record provided by Chironomidae can be used to characterise changes in the flow regime within palaeochannel sections. At the scale of the channel section, species‐ and generic‐level ecological associations can provide useful information regarding habitat characteristics, including the presence of instream vegetation, mineral substrates and woody debris. The ability to undertake environmental reconstruction and channel evolution history was significantly enhanced through the application of a multi‐proxy approach, by incorporating other aquatic insect groups (Trichoptera and Coleoptera) into the PalaeoLIFE metric, together with sedimentological data. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Early Devensian (MIS 5d–5b) occupation at Dartford, southeast England - Francis F. Wenban‐Smith; Martin R. Bates; Jean‐Luc Schwenninger (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
A deeply buried horizon containing mint‐condition flint artefacts was discovered in 2006 during archaeological investigations in advance of major roadworks near Dartford, Kent, in southeast England. The context of the artefacts and the freshness of their condition suggest this horizon represents a buried occupation surface. Optically stimulated luminescence dating places this horizon in the period Marine Isotope Stage 5d–5b, early in the British Devensian glaciation. This paper describes details of the artefacts, their context and dates, and outlines how this apparent occupation fits in with the wider pattern of Neanderthal settlement in Britain and northwest Europe in the later Pleistocene. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Early to mid‐Holocene climate change at Lago dell'Accesa (central Italy): climate signal or anthropogenic bias? - Walter Finsinger; Daniele Colombaroli; Jacques‐Louis De Beaulieu; Verushka Valsecchi; Boris Vannière; Elisa Vescovi; Emmanuel Chapron; André F. Lotter; Michel Magny; Willy Tinner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
Despite the high potential of pollen records for climate reconstruction, pollen–climate relationships may be biased due to past and present human activities on the landscape. We use (i) transfer functions based on modern pollen–climate relationships to infer seasonal temperature and summer precipitation for the period 11 500–4500 cal. a BP and (ii) lake‐level change records based on different sedimentary proxies in multiple cores that are mainly indicative for summer hydrology at Lago dell'Accesa (central Italy). Quantitative reconstructions indicate lowest summer precipitation during two phases (8500–7700 cal. a BP and after 6000 cal. a BP) and a gradual winter temperature increase from 11 500 to ca. 8000 cal. a BP. Lowest summer precipitation was reconstructed during these phases characterised by vegetation shifts from open forests dominated by summergreen oaks ( Quercus ) to forests dominated by evergreen oaks ( Quercus ilex ), which are at present most abundant where summer drought is stronger. Similarly, the lake‐level record indicates two long‐lasting low summer precipitation phases (8800–7700 and 6400–4400 cal. a BP) that were interrupted by short‐term high summer precipitation events. Based on the broad agreement between the pollen‐inferred summer precipitation and the low‐frequency lake‐level changes, we suggest that the duration of the high summer precipitation events may have been too short to maintain drought‐sensitive trees, which may have been affected by high mortality rates when summer dry conditions returned. Although past and modern pollen–climate relationships may very likely have been affected by human activities since the Neolithic (i.e. when exploitation of the landscape started), we reject the hypothesis of a significant anthropogenic bias in the pollen‐based climate reconstruction. In addition, we suggest that pollen‐based and lake‐level reconstructions may have different inherent abilities of capturing high‐ and low‐frequency precipitation signals. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aeolian dust in the Talos Dome ice core (East Antarctica, Pacific/Ross Sea sector): Victoria Land versus remote sources over the last two climate cycles - Barbara Delmonte; Carlo Baroni; Per S. Andersson; Hans Schoberg; Margareta Hansson; Sarah Aciego; Jean‐Robert Petit; Samuel Albani; Claudia Mazzola; Valter Maggi; Massimo Frezzotti (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
A new ice core (TALDICE) drilled at Talos Dome (East Antarctica, Ross Sea sector) preserves a ca. 250 ka long record of palaeoclimate and atmospheric history. We investigate dust variability and provenance at the site during glacial periods and the Holocene through the Sr–Nd isotopic composition of ice core dust and potential source areas (PSA). We provide new isotopic data on dust sources from Victoria Land such as regoliths, glacial drifts, aeolian sands and beach deposits. Some of these sources are located at high altitude and are known to have been ice free throughout the Pleistocene. The major features of the TALDICE dust record are very similar to those from central East Antarctica. During glacial times, South America was the dominant dust supplier for Talos Dome as well as for the entire East Antarctic plateau. Conversely, during the Holocene the principal input of mineral dust at Talos Dome probably derives from proximal sources which are the ice‐free areas of northern Victoria Land, located at similar altitude with respect to the drilling site. Atmospheric mobilisation of dust from these neighbouring areas and transport inland to Talos Dome can be ultimately associated with advection of maritime air masses from the Pacific/Ross Sea region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Timing and duration of growth hiatuses in mid Holocene massive Porites corals from the northern South China Sea - Ke‐Fu Yu; Jian‐Xin Zhao; Michael G. Lawrence; Yuexing Feng (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
Growth hiatuses in massive corals are usually indicative of past ecological or environmental stresses. Among 37 fossil Porites colonies surveyed from the reef flat of Dadonghai fringing reef at Sanya, Hainan Island, northern South China Sea, seven of them were found to show clear evidence of past mortality, representing a population of ∼19%. Among these samples, two of them (SYO‐13 and SYO‐28) display clear growth hiatuses reflecting mortality followed by subsequent recruitment, and five others exhibit a well‐preserved mortality surface and no subsequent recruitment. The growth hiatuses were dated using high‐precision thermal ionisation mass spectrometry U‐series techniques. The age results suggest all the dated corals formed and died in the mid Holocene. Multiple dates below the growth hiatuses suggest that SYO‐13 and SYO‐28 died at 6298 ± 11 and 6929 ± 19 a BP (i.e. years before AD 1950), respectively. Multiple dates above the growth hiatuses indicate that growth in SYO‐13 and SYO‐28 resumed at 6257 ± 14 and 6898 ± 20 a BP, respectively. The calculated durations of growth hiatuses are therefore 41 ± 18 a for SYO‐13 and 31 ± 28 a for SYO‐28, respectively, implying growth resumed within decades after the mortality events. U‐series dating of four other samples with dead heads suggests that they died at 6035 ± 53, 6059 ± 23, 6127 ± 22 and 6474 ± 24 a BP, respectively. In addition, using solution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS), monthly resolution Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios were determined for the annual growth bands below and above the growth hiatuses for three of the dated samples. The Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca profiles indicate that the three corals probably died in different seasons (from spring to autumn), and the mortality appears to be unrelated to anomalous sea surface temperature‐induced bleaching. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A forest history for the last 10 900 years at the site Storasjö, southern Sweden: implications from beetle assemblages - Fredrik Olsson; Geoffrey Lemdahl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
A continuous Holocene beetle record from southern Sweden is presented and compared with results from a previous study, at Stavsåkra. The comparison reveals both regional trends and local differences. The early Holocene, ca. 8900–7500 BC, was characterised by open, pine‐dominated woodlands at both sites. Fire and grazing seem to have maintained the open structure and favoured the established vegetation and fauna. During the middle Holocene, ca. 7500– 900 BC, the woodlands grew denser. There are no indications of grazing at the sites during this time period, whereas fires were frequent. The late Holocene, ca. 900 BC to the present, was characterised by a progressive opening up of the woodlands, mainly by land use such as grazing and clearance by fire. This process started ca. 2400 BC at Stavsåkra, where there were already settlements during the late Neolithic. At Storasjö, which probably was mainly used as outland until medieval times, the woodlands gradually opened up. Heather‐dominated heathland formed between ca. 900 and 800 BC at both sites. The two studies confirm that insect data contribute unique information concerning changes in structures and disturbances in forest ecosystems on long timescales. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Chironomid‐inferred late‐glacial summer air temperatures from Lough Nadourcan, Co. Donegal, Ireland - Jenny E. Watson; Stephen J. Brooks; Nicki J. Whitehouse; Paula J. Reimer; H. John B. Birks; Chris Turney (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
Western Ireland, located adjacent to the North Atlantic, and with a strongly oceanic climate, is potentially sensitive to rapid and extreme climate change. We present the first high‐resolution chironomid‐inferred mean July temperature reconstruction for Ireland, spanning the late‐glacial and early Holocene (LGIT, 15–10 ka BP). The reconstruction suggests an initial rapid warming followed by a short cool phase early in the interstadial. During the interstadial there are oscillations in the inferred temperatures which may relate to Greenland Interstadial events GI‐1a–e. The temperature decrease into the stadial occurs in two stages. This two‐stage drop can also be seen in other late‐glacial chironomid‐inferred temperature records from the British Isles. A stepped rise in temperatures into the Holocene, consistent with present‐day temperatures in Donegal, is inferred. The results show strong similarities with previously published LGIT chironomid‐inferred temperature reconstructions, and with the NGRIP oxygen‐isotope curve, which indicates that the oscillations observed in the NGRIP record are of hemispherical significance. The results also highlight the influence of the North Atlantic on the Irish climate throughout the LGIT. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Early‐middle Holocene land snail shell stable isotope record from Grotta di Latronico 3 (southern Italy) - André C. Colonese; Giovanni Zanchetta; Elisabeth Dotsika; Russell N. Drysdale; Anthony E. Fallick; Renata Grifoni Cremonesi; Giuseppe Manganelli (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2010)
This paper compares stable isotope (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) records of early–middle Holocene land snail shells from the archaeological deposits of Grotta di Latronico 3 (LTR3; southern Italy) with modern shell isotopic data. No substantial interspecific variability was observed in shell δ 18 O (δ 18 Os) of modern specimens ( Pomatias elegans , Cornu aspersum , Eobania vermiculata , Helix ligata and Marmorana fuscolabiata ). In contrast, interspecific shell δ 13 C (δ 13 Cs) variability was significant, probably due to different feeding behaviour among species. The δ 18 Os values of living land snails suggest that species hibernate for a long period during colder months, so that the signal of 18 O‐depleted winter rainfall in their δ 18 Os is lost. This suggests that δ 18 Os and δ 13 Cs values of Pomatias elegans from this archaeological succession provide valuable clues for seasonal (spring–autumn) climatic conditions during the early–middle Holocene. The δ 18 Os values of fossil specimens are significantly lower than in modern shells and in agreement with other palaeoclimatic records, suggesting a substantial increase of precipitation and/or persistent changes in air mass source trajectories over this region between ca. 8.8 cal ka BP and 6.2–6.7 ka ago. The δ 13 Cs trend suggests a transition from a slightly 13 C‐enriched to a 13 C‐depleted diet between early and middle Holocene compared to present conditions. We postulate that this δ 13 Cs trend might reflect changes in the C3 vegetation community, potentially combined with other environmental factors such as regional moisture increase and the progressive decrease of atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.