On the existence of a large proglacial lake in the Rostov‐Kostroma lowland, north‐central European Russia - Olga Borisova; Evgeny Konstantinov; Anna Utkina; Dmitrii Baranov; Andrei Panin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Rostov‐Kostroma lowland is a depression stretched between the end‐moraine ridges of the Moscovian (MIS 6) glaciation crossed by the Upper Volga River. According to the theory accepted since the 1970s, in the Last Glacial epoch (MIS 2) this lowland was occupied by a glacially dammed lake that drained about 15 000 years ago, allowing the modern river system of the Upper Volga to appear. In this study, we test this concept using a synthesis of previously published data and new data on geomorphology, structure and age of the Late Quaternary deposits. The results obtained show that the last large lakes existed in this area during deglaciation at the end of MIS 6. By the beginning of the Last Interglacial (MIS 5e), these lakes were drained, and the present‐day Volga valley already existed. Small lakes remained in the deepest glaciodepressions, with few of them surviving until today. These lakes show no signs of depth or area increase in MIS 2. Lacustrine deposits of MIS 2 have not been found elsewhere. Therefore, no evidence of a single large lake in the Rostov‐Kostroma lowland in MIS 2 was found. The total area of the lakes did not differ much from that of modern times.

How reliable is µXRF core scanning at detecting tephra layers in sedimentary records? A case study using the Lake Suigetsu archive (central Japan) - Danielle McLean; Paul G. Albert; Gordon Schlolaut; Henry F. Lamb; Michael H. Marshall; Achim Brauer; Jon Wade; Takeshi Nakagawa; Victoria C. Smith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Here, we evaluate the ability of micro X‐ray fluorescence (µXRF) core scanning to identify non‐visible volcanic ash (cryptotephra) layers in sedimentary records. Its suitability is assessed using the annually resolved lacustrine sediments of Lake Suigetsu (Japan) for which there is high‐resolution ITRAX µXRF core scanning data, and a detailed crypto‐tephrostratigraphy (formerly established via density separation techniques). The studied core sections contain 10 visible and 30 cryptotephra markers that span a range of glass concentrations (from 1000 to >20 000 shards per gram of dried sediment) and compositions (basalts, trachy‐andesites, phonolites, trachytes and rhyolites), thus providing an ideal case study. The ITRAX core scanner produced recognisable µXRF elemental responses for the visible ash layers, including those just 1 mm thick. However, just 10% of the cryptotephra layers could be unequivocally identified. Although this study demonstrates that µXRF core scanning should not be used as an independent method within a similar geological setting, we show it can provide a powerful tool alongside traditional techniques. Where detected, µXRF profiles can verify and refine cryptotephra positions (here to a sub‐millimetre resolution), and help establish reworking signatures. These insights create possibilities for ultra‐precise synchronisation of records, improved chronological modelling and help generate more complete eruption histories.

The Anthropocene serves science better as an event, rather than an epoch - Lucy E. Edwards; Andrew Bauer; Matthew Edgeworth; Erle Ellis; Stanley Finney; Philip Gibbard; Jacquelyn L. Gill; Mark Maslin; Dorothy Merritts; William Ruddiman; Michael Walker (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)

A new species of small Camelidae from the Late Pleistocene of Brazil - Marcelo C. Greco; Mário André Trindade Dantas; Mario Alberto Cozzuol (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Camelids have been known in South America since the late Pliocene, where they arrived from North America as part of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI). They became extinct in North America by the late Pleistocene, while surviving in the Southern Cone of South America and in high altitudes of the Andean region. Extinct South American camelids are generally included in the genera Palaeolama and Hemiauchenia , members of which are larger than modern species. We describe here a new, small species of the genus Hemiauchenia based on late Pleistocene specimens previously assigned to Lama guanicoe . This specimen lived in northeastern Brazil at 22 345–21 907 cal a bp , and had a diet composed mainly of C3 plants.

Insight into summer drought in southern Italy: palaeohydrological evolution of Lake Pergusa (Sicily) in the last 6700 years - Giovanni Zanchetta; Ilaria Baneschi; Michel Magny; Laura Sadori; Rosa Termine; Monica Bini; Boris Vannière; Marc Desmet; Stefano Natali; Marco Luppichini; Francesca Pasquetti (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Sicily region (central Mediterranean) is at high risk of drying and desertification caused by current warming and land management. The aim of this study is to place current climatic changes within the past trajectories and natural climatic variability of the Holocene. For this we re‐examine a sediment core retrieved at Lake Pergusa covering the last ca. 6700 years. A multiproxy investigation, and in particular the oxygen isotope composition of lacustrine carbonate (δ 18 O c ), allowed us to reconstruct decadal‐ to centennial‐scale hydrological changes. The wettest period occurred between ca. 6700 and 6000 cal a bp. The δ 18 O c record indicates a new period of wetter conditions between ca. 3700 and 2400 cal a bp. In particular, a δ 18 O c minimum between 2850 and 2450 cal a bp overlaps with the period of the ‘Great Solar Minimum’ and corresponds to a dramatic reduction of arboreal pollen (AP%) and to an increase in synanthropic pollen, marking the onset of Greek colonization in the region. The longest driest interval corresponds to the Medieval Climate Anomaly, whereas the highest δ 18 O c values are recorded in the last 150 years. The trend of the last 3000 years suggests that, considering future climate projections, the area will experience unprecedented drying exacerbated by human impact.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)

Late Pleistocene and Holocene palaeoecological reconstruction of Lake Texcoco (Basin of Mexico) based on its ostracod record - C.M. Chávez‐Lara; S. Lozano‐García; B. Ortega‐Guerrero; M. Caballero‐Miranda (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
We present a palaeohydrological reconstruction of Lake Texcoco over the last 32.7 cal ka based on ostracod records consisting of two species, Candona patzcuaro and Limnocytherina axalapasco . Overall, the presence of these species suggests that Lake Texcoco was highly saline and experienced occasional desiccation periods. Moreover, this work helps improve our knowledge of L. axalapasco , an endemic species of central Mexico; their eggs could remain dormant‐resting to survive long dry periods. Four ostracod zones reflect the main environmental changes that occurred during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. From 32.7 to 30 cal ka bp (Zone 4), Lake Texcoco's water levels were stable and alkaline with saline conditions. Zone 3, representing the period from 30 to 18 cal ka bp , includes a period of enhanced precipitation (greatest abundance of C. patzcuaro ) from 30 to 26 cal ka bp. From 26 to 18 cal ka bp , an abundance of L. axalapasco reflects shallower and more saline conditions. The Last Glacial Maximum was characterised by cold and humid conditions with enhanced runoff, especially at 25.3, 21.9, and 20.7 cal ka bp. Zone 2 (18–7 cal ka bp ) represents the driest period on record. Finally, shallow and saline lake conditions have prevailed over the last 7 cal ka (Zone 1).

The proposed Anthropocene Epoch/Series is underpinned by an extensive array of mid‐20 th century stratigraphic event signals - Martin J. Head; Jan A. Zalasiewicz; Colin N. Waters; Simon D. Turner; Mark Williams; Anthony D. Barnosky; Will Steffen; Michael Wagreich; Peter K. Haff; Jaia Syvitski; Reinhold Leinfelder; Francine M. G. Mccarthy; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The extensive array of mid‐20 th century stratigraphic event signals associated with the ‘Great Acceleration’ enables precise and unambiguous recognition of the Anthropocene as an epoch/series within the Geological Time Scale. A mid‐20 th century inception is consistent with Earth System science analysis in which the Anthropocene term and concept arose, and would reflect the reality that our planet has sharply exited the range of natural variability characterizing the Holocene Epoch/Series, which the Anthropocene would therefore terminate. An alternative, recently proposed ‘geological event’ approach to the Anthropocene is primarily an interdisciplinary concept, encompassing historical and socio‐cultural processes and their global environmental impacts over a diachronous timeframe that extends back at least many millennia. Resembling more closely a geological episode than an event , it would decouple the Anthropocene from its chronostratigraphic delineation and association with an abrupt planetary perturbation; but separately defined and differently named it might be usefully complementary. We recommend a clear separation of epochs , events and episodes . An epoch is a formal subdivision of the Geological Time Scale, and its correlation may be assisted by one or more events ; an event is usually, and particularly in the Quaternary, a brief incident or perturbation with a sedimentary expression; and an episode is a longer, internally complex time interval that may include several events and even extend across several epochs.

Spatial and temporal patterns of species replacement in the Middle Pleistocene: а case study of Мicrotus nivaloides Major, 1902 and morphologically related species of the Northern Black Sea and Azov areas - Lilia Popova; Yevheniia Nezdolii; Iryna Syniavska; Leonid Rekovets; Olexii Krokhmal'; Tetiana Mironchuk; Igor Dzeverin (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Middle Pleistocene replacement of the extinct Microtus nivaloides with its likely descendant field vole ( M. agrestis Linnaeus, 1761) shows regional differences suggesting the climatic control of the process. Our aim was to test this hypothesis. We studied samples of M. nivaloides and morphologically related species, both recent and extinct, from the Northern Black Sea and Azov areas by means of geometric morphometry. There were measured pairwise Euclidian distances between each fossil specimen and centroids of the extant groups, and between centroids of all studied groups. When the studied samples were arranged in stratigraphic order, the decrease in these distances indicated the nearest approach to (i.e. the appearance of) M. agrestis within the considered area. Our results show that it was an expansion rather than a continuation of previous evolutionary trends. M. agrestis , the species of wet habitats, came to the Northern Black Sea area from the west during the warm and humid Holsteinian interglacial (MIS 11). The species was not widespread within the area and allopatrically coexisted with M. nivaloides . Besides, Holsteinian warming enhanced migration of other mesophilic vole species from adjacent areas. Our approach may be expanded to other extinct species with overlapping ranges of variation.

LA‐ICP‐MS analysis of rare earth elements in tooth enamel of fossil small mammals (Ust‐Oda section, Fore‐Baikal area, Siberia): paleoenvironmental interpretation - Varvara Ivanova; Alexander Shchetnikov; Elena Semeney; Ivan Filinov; Klaus Simon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
This paper presents the results of a study of rare earth element (REE) fractionation trends in Quaternary mammal remains with the aim to test stratigraphic provenance. The primary aim was to find a solution to the problem of the formation of small mammal disharmonious associations, which is closely connected to the problem of diagnostics of redeposited paleontological material. REE were analyzed from the tooth enamel of small mammal fossils and sediments collected from five stratigraphic units (Ust‐Oda section of Upper Pleistocene terrestrial sediments, Fore‐Baikal area, Siberia). The Ust‐Oda is currently the only known section in the region where a fixed stratigraphic sequence of the Late Pleistocene to Holocene marine isotopic stages (MIS 5–1) occurs. The results for REE signatures of tooth enamel enable us to draw conclusions regarding changes in physical and chemical environmental conditions during diagenesis and afford the possibility of applying geochemical factors signifying REE fractionation to sample classification. This, in turn, allowed us to establish that some small mammal remains found in sediments belonging to the Ust‐Oda section have been redeposited.

Last Glacial Maximum active layer thickness in Western Europe, and the issue of ‘tundra gleys’ in loess sequences - Pascal Bertran; Kim H. Stadelmaier; Patrick Ludwig (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and MIS 2 loess–palaeosol sequences in Western Europe comprise alternating loess layer and 3‐ to 30‐cm‐thick bleached soil horizons with Fe–Mn oxide precipitations, which are usually interpreted as waterlogged active layers and referred to as ‘tundra gleys’. Active layer thickness data derived from a regional climate model simulation and the fossils (shells, earthworm granules) found in ‘tundra gleys’ argue against such an assumption. Most of these horizons better correspond to Fe‐depleted, slightly humic topsoil horizons or subsurface eluvial horizons and should be referred to as (incipient) Ag or Eg horizons. They formed during climate ameliorations associated with vegetation (cryptogams, herbs) development, possibly limited by long‐lasting snow cover. Strong mixing usually occurred in these horizons due to the activity of anecic earthworms and frost activity.

Intermediate ocean circulation and cryosphere dynamics in the northeast Atlantic during Heinrich Stadials: benthic foraminiferal assemblage response - Pauline Depuydt; Meryem Mojtahid; Christine Barras; Fatima Zohra Bouhdayad; Samuel Toucanne (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The interaction between ocean circulation and ice‐sheet dynamics plays a key role in the Quaternary climate. Compared with the surface and deep regions of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the study of intermediate depths during key time periods, such as Heinrich Stadials (HSs), remains poorly documented, especially for the northeast Atlantic. Here we use benthic foraminiferal assemblage data to trace palaeoenvironmental changes from ~32 to 14 ka cal bp at ~1000 m depth in the Bay of Biscay. Our results highlight the high sensitivity of foraminifera, with species‐specific responses, to continental (European Ice Sheet dynamics) and marine (AMOC) forcing factors during the last three HSs. In general, HSs were characterised by the concomitant presence of meso‐oligotrophic and anoxia indicator species and the low abundance of high‐energy indicator species. This confirms an overall sluggish intermediate circulation during the three HSs in the northeast Atlantic. HS1 is distinctive for its abundance of high‐organic flux indicator species during its early phase. This is consistent with the fact that HS1 was by far the most important period of ice‐sheet retreat and meltwater release into the ocean over the studied time interval. Finally, foraminifera depict the mid‐HS2 reventilation event due to regional glacier instabilities.

Reproducibility and variability of earthquake subsidence estimates from saltmarshes of a Cascadia estuary - Jason S. Padgett; Simon E. Engelhart; Harvey M. Kelsey; Robert C. Witter; Niamh Cahill (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
We examine fossil foraminiferal assemblages from 20 sediment cores to assess sudden relative sea‐level (RSL) changes across three mud‐over‐peat contacts at three salt marshes in northern Humboldt Bay, California (~44.8°N, −124.2°W). We use a validated foraminiferal‐based Bayesian transfer function to evaluate the variability of subsidence stratigraphy at a range of 30‐6000 m across an estuary. We use the consistency in RSL reconstructions to support estimates of coseismic subsidence from megathrust earthquakes. To assess the variability of subsidence estimates, we analyzed: nine examples of the 1700 CE earthquake (average of 0.64 ±0.14 m subsidence; range of 0.24 ± 0.27 to 1.00 ± 0.44 m), five examples of the ca. 875 cal a BP earthquake (average of 0.43 ±0.16 m; range of 0.41 ± 0.36 to 0.48 ± 0.39 m), and six examples of the ca. 1120 cal a BP earthquake (average of 0.70±0.18 m; range of 0.47 ± 0.36 to 0.80 ± 0.49 m). Our subsidence estimates suggest ~±0.3 m of within‐site (intrasite) variability, which is consistent with previous research. We also identify inconsistencies between sites (intersite) at northern Humboldt Bay greater than one‐sigma uncertainties, driven by variable foraminiferal assemblages in the mud overlying the 1700 CE subsidence contact. Therefore, we recommend at least two quantitative microfossil reconstructions across the same stratigraphic sequence from different marsh sites within an estuary to account for estimate variability and provide increased confidence in vertical coseismic deformation estimates. Our results have broad implications for quantitative, microfossil‐based reconstructions of coseismic subsidence at temperate coastlines globally.

Is it C4 or ‘C3 in disguise’? Disentangling the ambiguity in palaeovegetation estimation - ARPITA SREEMANY; MELINDA KUMAR BERA (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Increasing stable carbon isotopic ratio ( δ 13 C) of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) has traditionally been interpreted to reflect an increase in C4 vegetation abundance, though microbial degradation or increasing δ 13 C values of C3 plants in response to precipitation change can also cause a similar effect. Therefore, δ 13 C SOM values alone cannot reveal the true origin of the observed 13 C enrichment in SOM. Here, employing a wet‐oxidation method on modern sediment, we have demonstrated that this treatment removes partly degraded and degradation‐prone components of the C3 plant‐derived organic matter (OM). Therefore, it helps to understand the real contribution of C4‐derived organic carbon (OC) in the modern sediment and identify the C3 plant‐derived OC in disguise. As a test case, we extend our inference to Middle to Late Holocene lower Gangetic floodplain records, which were supposed to register a complete switchover from a C3‐dominated to a C4‐dominated system (~10‰ positive shifts in δ 13 C SOM values). However, the present study showed that ~60% (~6‰) of the observed positive shift in δ 13 C SOM values actually register a temporal change in the C3 plant end‐member δ 13 C value in response to reduction in Indian summer monsoon precipitation.

Ground truth validated 3D electrical resistivity imaging of the archaeological deposits at Arma Veirana cave (northern Italy) - P. Torrese; F. Zucca; S. Martini; S. Benazzi; D. Drohobytsky; C. Gravel‐Miguel; J. Hodgkins; D. Meyer; C. Miller; M. Peresani; C. Orr; J. Riel‐Salvatore; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
We present 3D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) imaging of the archaeological deposits at Arma Veirana cave (northern Italy), to date only partially explored. The archaeological importance of the cave is due to the presence of a rich Mousterian layer, traces of Late Upper Palaeolithic (Epigravettian) temporary occupations and an Early Mesolithic burial of a female newborn. ERT is rarely employed in Palaeolithic cave contexts because Palaeolithic remains are typically disseminated in loose deposits and either do not possess high electrical resistivity contrasts or are too small to be detected. Furthermore, some issues can derive from the confined environment in caves. In this view, our study represents an opportunity to assess the capability of this geophysical method to retrieve subsurface information of Palaeolithic cave deposits and create a framework for the improvement of ERT applications in such a peculiar cave context. The aim of this study was to define the features of the deposits (i.e. geometry, thickness and sediment distribution) and to map the morphology of the underlying bedrock. Results reveal that the thickness of the deposits varies both along the primary axis of the cave and transverse to it. This study allowed the recognition of shallow, meter‐sized, fine‐grained sediment‐filled structures with a longitudinal orientation with respect to the primary axis of the cave, as well as a possible erosional‐like structure. The cross‐validation of geophysical results with the archaeological evidence (the Early Mesolithic newborn burial and Epigravettian artefacts) confirms that the low‐resistivity unit could be the most promising from an archaeological point of view.

Los Aljezares archaeological site (Alicante, Spain) and the MIS 6/5 open‐air settlement in the Iberian Peninsula - ALEIX EIXEA; JAIME CUEVAS‐GONZÁLEZ; DAVINIA DÍEZ‐CANSECO; MIGUEL ÁNGEL BEL; ANA BONNET; YOLANDA CARRIÓN; ÁLVARO MARTÍNEZ‐ALFARO; VÍCTOR MARTÍNEZ‐RUBIO; CARMEN M. MARTÍNEZ‐VAREA; RAQUEL PARDO; JOSEBA RIOS‐GARAIZAR (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The record of open‐air Middle Palaeolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula—specifically in the Mediterranean basin—is scarce, hampering the interpretation of the landscape use strategies developed by Neanderthals in this area. In this work, we present Los Aljezares, a new Middle Palaeolithic site found in Pleistocene fluvio‐lacustrine deposits in the sedimentary basin of the Vinalopó River. A U/Th age (132 ± 10 ka) from associated carbonate deposits allows us to attribute the site to the uppermost part of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene (marine isotope stage 6/5). To date, a total of two levels of human occupation have been identified in which the density of lithic remains is low compared with cave and rock shelter sites in the region. The first results of technology and use‐wear, raw material procurement and geological data indicate a settlement in Los Aljezares along a territory characterised by ephemeral channels and their associated palustrine and lacustrine zones. This palaeoenvironmental setting provided biotic and abiotic resources in a transit area between inland and coastal locations.

Palaeoecological signals for Mesolithic land use in a Central European landscape? - Shaddai Heidgen; Elena Marinova; Oliver Nelle; Martin Ebner; Teresa Rotava; Yvonne Tafelmaier; Raiko Krauß; Jörg Bofinger; Annett Junginger (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
During the Early Holocene, climate was the major factor causing fires, but whether during the Mesolithic (~11.5–7.4 cal ka BP) people co‐shaped their environment by means of fire remains of debate. Few studies have tackled this question by linking high‐resolution multi‐proxy palaeoecological studies from near Mesolithic occupation sites. An Early Holocene sediment record from the Ammer Valley palaeo‐wetland in south‐west Germany was studied using pollen, micro‐ and macrocharcoal, and plant macroremains. Archaeological evidence from Early and Late Mesolithic sites of Rottenburg‐Siebenlinden allowed us to link this palaeoecological record with Mesolithic land use in the same catchment. Between 11.6 and 10.6 cal ka bp, intensive wildfires reinforced the persistence of open and pioneer vegetation. A transition from a river‐dominated landscape towards a wetland with open stagnant waters at 10.6–9.5 cal ka bp made the region attractive to hunter‐gatherers, providing various plant resources (incl. hazel). From 10.1 cal ka bp onwards, Mesolithic communities may have shaped their environment by using fire as a tool to expand open areas, which were important for the implementation of their subsistence strategies. After 9.5 cal ka bp , human control over fires cannot be excluded as Mesolithic occupation phases chronologically coincide with frequent low‐intensity fires and vegetation disturbance.

Using functional groups to predict the spatial distribution of large herbivores on the Palaeo‐Agulhas Plain, South Africa, during the Last Glacial Maximum - Christopher F. Brooke; Curtis W. Marean; Colin D. Wren; Hervé Fritz; Jan A. Venter (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Throughout much of the Quaternary, lower sea levels in the southern Cape of South Africa exposed a different landscape to what we see today, the Palaeo‐Agulhas Plain (PAP). The PAP was dominated by large‐bodied and gregarious grazing species contrasting with the small‐bodied predominantly solitary species we find in the region today. The distribution of these herbivores would likely have been driven by similar drivers we see in contemporary herbivore ecology. Importantly, the occurrence of early humans and their associated technology would have also influenced the probability of herbivores occurring in an area. Here we create a predictive model for large herbivores using probability of occurrence of functional grouping in relation to environmental drivers and humans. We show how early humans influenced the distribution of large herbivores on the PAP alongside other environmental drivers. In the fynbos biome, probability of occurrence was highest for the medium‐sized social mixed feeders’ functional group in the thicket for small non‐social browsers, large browsers, and non‐ruminants and in grasslands for water‐dependent grazers. In our models, human influence affected functional groups to varying degrees but had the strongest effect on medium‐sized social mixed feeders.

Paleohydrological history of Lake Allos (2200 m a.s.l) since 13 500 cal a bp in the Mediterranean Alps inferred from an ostracod δ 18 O record - Rosine Cartier; Laurence Vidal; Florence Sylvestre; Corinne Sonzogni; Frédéric Guiter; Elodie Brisset; Cécile Miramont (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
This paper presents the first Lateglacial/Holocene (the last 13 500 cal a bp ) ostracod δ 18 O record to infer hydroclimate variability in the Southern French Alps. Cytherissa lacustris (δ 18 O sp ) shells extracted from the sediments of Lake Allos allowed a reconstruction of δ 18 O lake water (δ 18 O lw ) except for the interval 5800–2800 cal a bp. The shape of the Younger Dryas (YD) clearly differed from records documented in the northern Alps. First, δ 18 O lw values remained close to modern values before a marked drop ca. 12 000 cal a bp. Then, after several oscillations, δ 18 O lw values increased, reaching the highest value of the record ca. 6100 cal a bp during a thermal optimum for this latitude. Finally, low δ 18 O lw values occurred from 450 to 100 cal a bp during the Little Ice Age (LIA) following the Medieval Climate anomaly. At the beginning of the YD, δ 18 O lw probably reflected changes in local glacier dynamics and precipitation sources. The following decrease in δ 18 O lw values was associated with higher freshwater inputs during the second half of the YD. During the LIA, the low δ 18 O values are consistent with a higher torrential activity and lower air temperatures.

Asynchronous variations of East Asian summer monsoon, vegetation and soil formation at Yulin (North China) in the Holocene - CHENGHONG LIANG; HUAYU LU; YAO GU; CHENG ZHAO; WEIGUO LIU; XIAOJIAN ZHANG; HONGYAN ZHANG (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
In the East Asian monsoon region, Chinese speleothem δ 18 O records exhibit a maximum monsoon strength during the early Holocene. However, other proxy data from lakes or loess, interpreted as monsoon rainfall, show a mid‐Holocene monsoon optimum. This discrepancy may come from specific climate interpretation of different proxies. Here we report multiproxy records from a single loess–palaeosol sequence at Yulin in the monsoon marginal northern China, based on an independent and high‐precision chronology. Our long‐chain n ‐alkane δD values, together with related biomarker proxies including the average chain length and concentration of long‐chain n‐ alkanes, reveal a weakening trend in monsoon strength and less woody vegetation since ~6 ka. However, other soil formation‐related proxies, such as magnetic susceptibility, grain‐size distribution and total organic carbon, show a decreasing trend since 4–3 ka. We find that monsoon and vegetation are controlled by insolation variation, while soil formation is more related to temperature and humidity changes. Our multiple proxy comparison reveals different controlling mechanisms leading to different interpretations in monsoon, vegetation and soil formation reconstructions. This finding suggests that previous debates on Holocene monsoon changes in East Asia probably stem from the specific proxy interpretation.

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Drivers of 20th century sea‐level change in southern New Zealand determined from proxy and instrumental records - Ed Garrett; W. Roland Gehrels; Bruce W. Hayward; Rewi Newnham; Maria J. Gehrels; Craig J. Morey; Sönke Dangendorf (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
In this paper we present new proxy‐based sea‐level reconstructions for southern New Zealand spanning the last millennium. These palaeo sea‐level records usefully complement sparse Southern Hemisphere proxy and tide‐gauge sea‐level datasets and, in combination with instrumental observations, can test hypotheses about the drivers of 20th century global sea‐level change, including land‐based ice melt and regional sterodynamics. We develop sea‐level transfer functions from regional datasets of salt‐marsh foraminifera to establish a new proxy‐based sea‐level record at Mokomoko Inlet, at the southern tip of the South Island, and to improve the previously published sea‐level reconstruction at Pounawea, located about 110 km to the east. Chronologies are based on radiocarbon, radiocaesium, stable lead isotope and pollen analyses. Both records are in good agreement and show a rapid sea‐level rise in the first half of the 20th century that peaked in the 1940s. Previously reported discrepancies between proxy‐based sea‐level records and tide‐gauge records are partially reconciled by accounting for barystatic and sterodynamic components of regional sea‐level rise. We conclude that the rapid sea‐level rise during the mid‐20th century along the coast of southern New Zealand was primarily driven by regional thermal expansion and ocean dynamics.

New insights into taphonomic analysis of the Upper Pleistocene Ursus spelaeus bone deposit from Bàsura cave (Toirano, NW Italy) - Marta Zunino; Elisabetta Starnini; Daniele Arobba; Marco Avanzini; Paolo Citton; Marco Firpo; Fabio Negrino; Marco Romano; Isabella Salvador; Ivano Rellini (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Bàsura Cave (Toirano, NW Italy) became famous worldwide in 1950 for the discovery of prehistoric human footprints and of an impressive Ursus spelaeus bone deposit baptized by the first explorers ‘Cimitero degli Orsi’ (Bear Cemetery). Bear remains belonging to the deeper layer of the deposit have been left in situ and are now one of the principal attractions for visitors. A new research project aimed at re‐evaluating the legacy and collections from this important cave involved the taphonomic study of the bones, along with sedimentological and micromorphological analyses and new radiocarbon dates to understand the nature and chronology of the deposit. In the present study, element quantification and state of preservation of bone surfaces displayed by distinct skeletal elements were analysed to assess the origin of bone accumulation, the composition of the assemblage in terms of age and species, and the representation of the different portions of the carcasses. Bone sorting, the orientation of skeletal elements along with oxidation pattern and micromorphological data indicate intense reworking of sediments and bones. The site can be considered among those known in Europe as representative of the last populations of U. spelaeus before the demise of this species during the Last Glacial Maximum.

Birds as indicators of early Holocene biodiversity and the seasonal nature of human activity at WF16, an early Neolithic site in Faynan, Southern Jordan - Steven Mithen; Judith White; Bill Finlayson; Ben Greet; Fares Khoury (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Birds are useful indicators of biodiversity. Their bones have been used for reconstructing the local environments and seasonality of human activity at Epipalaeolithic and early Neolithic sites in south‐west Asia. We consider the bird bones from WF16, an early Neolithic settlement in southern Jordan, currently located in an arid environment. The settlement has elaborate pisé‐built architecture and material culture. The species represented in the WF16 avian assemblage suggest the environment was considerably wetter and more wooded than today, supporting the idea that early Holocene communities targeted locations with abundant and diverse resources. However, while the range of species at WF16 is equivalent to that found at other Epipalaeolithic and early Neolithic sites in the region, the diversity of the assemblage is strikingly limited, with a heavy dominance of raptors, notably buzzards. We suggest an annual pattern of seasonally based activities, with a relatively small resident population drawing on supplies of water during the winter months for constructing and maintaining site architecture and spring/autumn gatherings of people from across the region to hunt migratory raptors and undertake performance and ceremony at the settlement.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)

Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental reconstructions from sediments of Lake Emanda (Verkhoyansk Mountains, East Siberia) - Andrei A. Andreev; Larisa B. Nazarova; Marlene M. Lenz; Thomas Böhmer; Ludmila Syrykh; Bernd Wagner; Martin Melles; Ludmila A. Pestryakova; Ulrike Herzschuh (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Continuous pollen and chironomid records from Lake Emanda (65°17′N, 135°45′E) provide new insights into the Late Quaternary environmental history of the Yana Highlands (Yakutia). Larch forest with shrubs (alders, pines, birches) dominated during the deposition of the lowermost sediments suggesting its Early Weichselian [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5] age. Pollen‐ and chironomid‐based climate reconstructions suggest July temperatures ( T July ) slightly lower than modern. Gradually increasing amounts of herb pollen and cold stenotherm chironomid head capsules reflect cooler and drier environments, probably during the termination of MIS 5. T July dropped to 8 °C. Mostly treeless vegetation is reconstructed during MIS 3. Tundra and steppe communities dominated during MIS 2. Shrubs became common after ~14.5 ka bp but herb‐dominated habitats remained until the onset of the Holocene. Larch forests with shrub alder and dwarf birch dominated after the Holocene onset, ca. 11.7 ka bp. Decreasing amounts of shrub pollen during the Lateglacial are assigned to the Older Dryas and Younger Dryas with T July ~ 7.5 °C. T July increased up to 13 °C. Shrub stone pine was present after ~7.5 ka bp. The vegetation has been similar to modern since ca. 5.8 ka bp. Chironomid diversity and concentration in the sediments increased towards the present day, indicating the development of richer hydrobiological communities in response to the Holocene thermal maximum.

Quaternary environmental and climatic history of the northern high latitudes – recent contributions and perspectives from lake sediment records - Martin Melles; John Inge Svendsen; Grigory Fedorov; Julie Brigham‐Grette; Bernd Wagner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Lake sediment records archive the Quaternary environmental and climatic history in northern high latitudes. Because of their spatial distribution, age range, time resolution, age control, and high sensitivity to paleoenvironmental conditions, lake records contribute to evaluating regional to hemispheric‐scale climate change. Here, we compare the characteristics of lake sediments and their qualities for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions with those of other archives in northern high latitudes, and we outline the current state of research by introducing a series of regional case studies on 31 lakes as part of this special issue. The compilation shows that the coring site selection and interpretation can strongly benefit from bathymetric and seismic or hydro‐acoustic surveys. New coring techniques have become available making it possible to expand the records in length and time. Analytical work on the cores has particularly benefited from improved non‐destructive logging and scanning techniques, from the development of new proxies, and from advancements in quantitative climate reconstructions. Progress was also made in further developments of dating techniques; however, the recognition of additional isochronal events, e.g., via tephrochronology or paleomagnetic event stratigraphy, is needed to derive a better understanding of leads and lags in climate signal propagation throughout the northern high latitudes.

Quaternary environmental changes in central Chukotka (NE Russia) inferred from the Lake El'gygytgyn pollen records - Wenwei Zhao; Andrei A. Andreev; Volker Wennrich; Quan Li; Martin Melles (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The 3.6‐Myr sedimentary record of Lake El'gygytgyn is crucial for understanding the response of the sensitive ecosystems in the Arctic to Quaternary climate variations at orbital timescales. In this study, we synthesize previously published pollen records and biome reconstructions and perform pollen diversity analysis of the deep‐drilling core ICDP 5011‐1 from Lake El'gygytgyn for periods during the Early Pleistocene (MIS 82 – MIS 79), Early–Middle Pleistocene (MIS 31 – MIS 18) and late Middle Pleistocene (MIS 7e – MIS 6f). The results indicate that the predominance of herb tundra in the regional vegetation was most characteristic during glacials/stadials. Interglacials, in contrast, can be distinguished by the expansion of shrub communities mainly composed of birch, alder and willow. The expansion of forest biomes in the region was influenced by peaks in obliquity values, which led to increases in daylight length, which was essential for plant growth in high latitudes. An apparent long‐term decreasing trend in the tree and shrub population, accompanied by a reduction in floristic richness, was induced by stepwise cooling and drying since the Mid‐Pleistocene Transition (MPT), which is linked to the modulation of extended global ice volume during the MPT via strong snow‐ and ice‐albedo feedback effects.

Last interglacial lake sediments preserved beneath Laurentide and Greenland Ice sheets provide insights into Arctic climate amplification and constrain 130 ka of ice‐sheet history - Gifford H. Miller; Alexander P. Wolfe; Yarrow Axford; Jason P. Briner; Helga Bueltmann; Sarah Crump; Donna Francis; Bianca Fréchette; Devon Gorbey; Meredith Kelly; Jamie McFarlin; Erich Osterberg; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Sediment cores from 13 lakes in a 1500 km transect along the eastern North American Arctic contain up to four superposed stratified interglacial units. All 13 lakes contain one unit with sediment similar in character and mass to Holocene gyttja, with 14 C ages >40 ka, luminescence ages 90 to 120 ka, and pollen assemblages that require nearly complete Laurentide deglaciation, supporting a Last Interglacial (LIG; MIS 5e) age. Two lakes preserve an older interglacial, with luminescence ages suggesting an MIS 7 age. Four adjacent lakes record a thin, stratified organic unit between the LIG and Holocene units with 14 C ages >50 ka, that is probably from late in MIS 5. Temperature estimates from biotic proxies suggest LIG summer temperatures 4–6°C above mid‐20th century values; pollen, chironomids and DNA document a poleward expansion of woody plants and invertebrate species during the LIG, supporting arguments that positive feedbacks native to the Arctic amplified insolation‐driven summer temperature increases. The stratigraphic succession implies the Laurentide Ice Sheet remained intact with sea level below ‐40 m from ~115 ka to ~11 ka, and places new constraints on the interpretation of cosmogenic radionuclide inventories in erratic boulders older than the Holocene throughout this region.

Not herbs and forbs alone: pollen‐based evidence for the presence of boreal trees and shrubs in Cis‐Baikal (Eastern Siberia) derived from the Last Glacial Maximum sediment of Lake Ochaul - Franziska Kobe; Christian Leipe; Alexander A. Shchetnikov; Philipp Hoelzmann; Jana Gliwa; Pascal Olschewski; Tomasz Goslar; Mayke Wagner; Elena V. Bezrukova; Pavel E. Tarasov (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
A new accerator mass spectrometry (AMS)‐dated sedimentary record from Lake Ochaul (54°14′N, 106°28′E; 641 m a.s.l.) in Eastern Siberia covers the interval from ca. 27 850 to 20 400 cal a bp at ca. 180‐year resolution and contributes to a better understanding of the complex spatial vegetation pattern during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Non‐arboreal pollen taxa are abundant in the pollen assemblages (mean value ca. 92.6%), but boreal trees are represented by all major taxa that grow in the lake catchment today, including Betula sect. Albae (0.6–4.8%), Picea (0.6–2.8%), Pinus sibirica ( Haploxylon type) (up to 1.5%), Pinus sylvestris ( Diploxylon type) (up to 2%), Larix (up to 0.6%) and Abies (up to 0.6%). Betula sect. Nanae/Fruticosae (2–5.2%) and Salix (up to 3.2%) are the most representative boreal shrub taxa. Together with existing modern and fossil pollen data from the wider study region, the current record provides further evidence for the long‐debated presence of boreal trees and shrubs in Eastern Siberia throughout the LGM. Our results show that the Upper Lena was a region in which refugia for arboreal taxa existed and that far‐distant pollen transport can be ruled out as the source of the detected arboreal pollen.

Sedimentation history of Lake Taymyr, Central Russian Arctic, since the Last Glacial Maximum - Raphael Gromig; Elodie Lebas; Larisa Savelieva; Zina Pushina; Grigory Fedorov; Dominik Brill; Marlene Margit Lenz; Sebastian Krastel; Bernd Wagner; Nataliya Kostromina; Mark Mustafin; Martin Melles (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Hydro‐acoustic and seismic data and 2‐ to 16‐m‐long sediment cores from the central area of Lake Taymyr (Taymyr Peninsula, central Russian Arctic) were investigated to reconstruct its sedimentation history. Granulometric, chronological, geochemical and biological data from the sediment cores reveal two lowstands and two highstands of the lake level, which is today located ca. 5 m above sea level during summer. Our study confirms the presence of an ice sheet blocking the drainage of Lake Taymyr during the latest Weichselian. Although chronological control of the sediment cores does not allow us to unambiguously constrain the time frame for each of the lake stages, the proposed timing of events is in good agreement with regional terrestrial archives as well as marine signals on the Kara Sea Shelf. Overall, the data show that the evolution of Lake Taymyr involved a complex interplay of regional climatic, glacial and sea‐level changes.

High‐resolution chronology of 24 000‐year long cores from two lakes in the Polar Urals, Russia, correlated with palaeomagnetic inclination records with a distinct event about 20 000 years ago - Haflidi Haflidason; Jo Brendryen; Reidun F. Eldegard; Jan Mangerud; Sædis Ólafsdóttir; Carl Regnéll; John Inge Svendsen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Based on radiocarbon dating, a tephra horizon, varve counts and palaeomagnetism, detailed age models covering the last ~24 k cal a bp , have been developed for the stratigraphy in the lakes Bolshoye Shchuchye and Maloye Shchuchye in the Polar Ural Mountains, Russia. The inclination curves from these lakes show nearly identical palaeomagnetic secular variations in the studied cores from both lakes, allowing for a precise correlation between the cores. A large and very distinct inclination deviation, named the Bolshoye Shchuchye Event, was identified in all cores retrieved from both lakes. It lasted over a period of 1245 years, from 20 470 to 19 225 cal a bp. The well‐dated palaeomagnetic inclination graph offers a new possibility to correlate archives in this part of the Arctic for the last ~24 k cal a bp , probably also over longer distances. The sedimentation rate shows the same trend in all cores from both lakes, including high input during the Last Glacial Maximum and gradually lowering after ~18 k cal a bp to lower and stable Holocene values.

Southern Baffin Island mean annual precipitation isotopes modulated by summer and autumn moisture source changes during the past 5800 years - Devon B. Gorbey; Elizabeth K. Thomas; Sarah E. Crump; Kayla V. Hollister; Martha K. Raynolds; Jonathan H. Raberg; Gregory de Wet; Julio Sepúlveda; Gifford H. Miller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Paleo water isotope records can elucidate how the Arctic water cycle responded to past climate changes. We analyze the hydrogen isotope composition (δ 2 H) of plant‐derived n ‐alkanoic acids (waxes) from Lake Qaupat, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, to assess moisture sources and seasonality during the past 5.8 ka. We compare this record to a sedimentary ancient DNA ( sed aDNA)‐inferred vascular plant record from the same lake, aiming to overcome the uncertainty of plant community impacts on leaf waxes. As the sed aDNA record reveals a stable plant community after the colonization of Betula sp. at 6.1 ka, we interpret plant wax δ 2 H values to reflect climate, specifically mean annual precipitation δ 2 H. However, the distributions of n ‐alkanoic acid homologs suggest that aquatic mosses, which are not represented in the sed aDNA record, may become more abundant towards the present. Therefore, we cannot exclude the possibility that changes in the plant community cause changes in the plant wax δ 2 H record, particularly long‐chain waxes, which become less abundant through this record. We find that Lake Qaupat mid‐chain plant wax δ 2 H is enriched coincident with high Labrador Sea summer surface temperature, which suggests that local moisture sources in summer and early autumn have the greatest impact on precipitation isotopes in this region.

A stable isotope record of late Quaternary hydrologic change in the northwestern Brooks Range, Alaska (eastern Beringia) - Amanda L. King; Lesleigh Anderson; Mark Abbott; Mary Edwards; Matthew S. Finkenbinder; Bruce Finney; Matthew J. Wooller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
A submillennial‐resolution record of lake water oxygen isotope composition (δ 18 O) from chironomid head capsules is presented from Burial Lake, northwest Alaska. The record spans the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~20–16k cal a bp ) to the present and shows a series of large lake δ 18 O shifts (~5‰). Relatively low δ 18 O values occurred during a period covering the LGM, when the lake was a shallow, closed‐basin pond. Higher values characterize deglaciation (~16–11.5k cal a bp ) when the lake was still closed but lake levels were higher. A rapid decline between ~11 and 10.5k cal a bp indicates that lake levels rose to overflowing. Lake δ 18 O values are interpreted to reflect the combined effects of changes in lake hydrology, growing season temperature and meteoric source water as well as large‐scale environmental changes impacting this site, including opening of the Bering Strait and shifts in atmospheric circulation patterns related to ice‐sheet dynamics. The results indicate significant shifts in precipitation minus evaporation across the late Pleistocene to early Holocene transition, which are consistent with temporal patterns of vegetation change and paludification. This study provides new perspectives on the paleohydrology of eastern Beringia concomitant with human migration and major turnover in megafaunal assemblages.

Postglacial palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the Fury and Hecla Strait region (Nunavut) inferred from microfossils and geochemical proxies - Marc‐Élie Adaïmé; Reinhard Pienitz; Pierre Legendre; Dermot Antoniades (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
An analysis of sediment records from two lakes located along the southeastern shore of the Fury and Hecla Strait (Nunavut, Canada) allowed us to reconstruct the regional environmental history since deglaciation. Multiproxy profiles, namely particle‐size distribution, elemental geochemistry (based on X‐ray fluorescence) and diatom assemblages, revealed a regional deglaciation and marine inundation around 8200 cal a bp. This suggests that glacial retreat in this region likely occurred several hundred years earlier than previously extrapolated. At that time, the connection between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean currents must have been established and glacial isostatic adjustment gradually isolated the lacustrine basins from marine influence. Diatom assemblages revealed an abrupt marine–brackish–freshwater transition ( ca . 6670–6130 cal a bp ) through a shift in dominance from initial polyhalobian (e.g. Tabularia fasciculata, Navicula directa ), intermediate mesohalobian (e.g. Cyclostephanos dubius, Thalassiosira baltica ) to oligohalobian (fragilarioid Staurosirella pinnata, Staurosira venter, Pseudostaurosira pseudoconstruens, P. brevistriata ) taxa. Multivariate analyses (redundancy analysis and multivariate regression tree) conducted on the biological and lithogeochemical data also suggest that climatic conditions may have remained relatively warm throughout the interval ~6000–3900 cal a bp , before significantly cooling over the past few millennia, as inferred from a decrease in organic matter accumulation and shifts in diatom communities.

Climate, glacial and vegetation history of the polar Ural Mountains since c . 27 cal ka bp , inferred from a 54 m long sediment core from Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye - Marlene M. Lenz; Andrei Andreev; Larisa Nazarova; Liudmila S. Syrykh; Stephanie Scheidt; Haflidi Haflidason; Hanno Meyer; Dominik Brill; Bernd Wagner; Raphael Gromig; Matthias Lenz; Christian Rolf; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Because continuous and high‐resolution records are scarce in the polar Urals, a multiproxy study was carried out on a 54 m long sediment succession (Co1321) from Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye. The sedimentological, geochemical, pollen and chironomid data suggest that glaciers occupied the lake's catchment during the cold and dry MIS 2 and document a change in ice extent around 23.5–18 cal ka bp. Subsequently, meltwater input, sediment supply and erosional activity decreased as local glaciers progressively melted. The vegetation around the lake comprised open, herb and grass‐dominated tundra‐steppe until the Bølling‐Allerød, but shows a distinct change to probably moister conditions around 17–16 cal ka bp. Local glaciers completely disappeared during the Bølling‐Allerød, when summer air temperatures were similar to today and low shrub tundra became established. The Younger Dryas is confined by distinct shifts in the pollen and chironomid records pointing to drier conditions. The Holocene is characterised by a denser vegetation cover, stabilised soil conditions and decreased minerogenic input, especially during the local thermal maximum between c . 10 and 5 cal ka bp. Subsequently, present‐day vegetation developed and summer air temperatures decreased to modern, except for two intervals, which may represent the Little Ice Age and Medieval Warm Period.

Holocene environments on the west‐central Kola Peninsula (north‐west Russia): lithology, chronology and biostratigraphy records from Lake Tikozero and a neighbouring bog - Olga Korsakova; Vasily Kolka; Dmitry Tolstobrov; Larisa Savelieva; Anna Kosova; Alexei Petrov; Lyudmila Semyonova (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The paper studies sediments from Lake Tikozero that have accumulated successively in the littoral of Lake pre‐Imandra, Imandra lagoon, and an open lake isolated from a parental freshwater body. The ‘Apatity’ bog was concurrently formed on the Lake Imandra coast. Lithological, 14 C, pollen and diatom data and findings of previous investigations provide the regional Holocene stratigraphy, which is subdivided into the early ( c . 11 550–8200 cal a bp ), middle ( c . 8200–4000 cal a bp ) and late (last 4000 cal a bp ) Holocene sub‐stages. In the early Holocene, environments became favourable for diatoms after c . 9700 cal a bp. Birch phytocoenoses and pine forests with birch flourished in the area. In the middle Holocene, the west‐central Kola Peninsula was covered by a pine‐birch forest with alders. Lake Tikozero became shallow and desiccated in a warm and dry climate between c . 6300 and 4000 cal a bp ; and a Sphagnum raised bog developed in the adjacent area, provoked by lowering of the water table. Spruce appeared in a pine‐birch forest and indicates a colder and wetter climate in the late Holocene. The flooding of Lake Imandra created a number of new small lakes; and fens occurred along the wet shores.

Recurrent outburst floods and explosive volcanism during the Younger Dryas–Early Holocene deglaciation in south Iceland: evidence from a lacustrine record - Áslaug Geirsdóttir; Gifford H. Miller; David J. Harning; Hrafnhildur Hannesdóttir; Thor Thordarson; Ingibjörg Jónsdóttir (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Lake sediment records give valuable insight into the dynamic events that characterized the last deglaciation in Iceland. Here, we focus on the well‐dated sediment record from Hestvatn, a low‐elevation lake in south Iceland, that features six graded bedding events deposited by outburst floods from glacial lakes dammed by the decaying Iceland Ice Sheet (IIS) in the time period of the Vedde Ash and the G10ka Series tephra. Using climate proxies preserved in the sediment cores, in conjunction with regional glacial geomorphology, we reconstruct the retreat of the IIS in south Iceland, from a marine‐based glacier during the Younger Dryas to a land‐based glacier during the Preboreal. As the ice sheet margin withdrew to the central highlands, ice‐dammed lakes formed along glacier margins. The ice‐dams were occasionally breached, generating large‐scale jökulhlaups (catastrophic outburst floods) that deposited thick turbidite sequences preserved in the sediment record of Hestvatn. The high concentration of volcanic material incorporated within deglacial sediments indicates that along with IIS retreat, subglacial volcanic activity may have helped initiate some of the jökulhlaups. Onset of more stable Holocene conditions was reached after the final turbidite at ~10 ka bp , when the IIS had withdrawn from most of the highlands of Iceland.

A 5000‐year paleoclimate record from Nettilling Lake (Baffin Island) based on diatom assemblages and oxygen isotope composition - Biljana Narancic; Émilie Saulnier‐Talbot; Hanno Meyer; Reinhard Pienitz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Sedimentary diatoms have been used to quantitatively reconstruct climate‐related variables, such as temperature at different timescales. Even though temperature is often less of a key driver of diatom ecology than other environmental parameters (water chemistry), diatom inference models have been shown to be reliable in deducing past temperature trends. In addition, the oxygen isotope composition (δ 18 O diatom ) preserved in buried diatom frustules has demonstrated its potential to reflect climatic and hydrological conditions at the time of frustule formation. This study combines results from both diatom‐based climate proxies to reconstruct summer water and mean annual air temperatures, and hydrological trends in Nettilling Lake, Baffin Island, from ca. 5000 to 500 cal a bp. Diatom‐inferred temperatures revealed an overall ca. 2 °C cooling throughout the Late‐Holocene. The δ 18 O diatom values showed an increasing trend up to ca. 1900 cal a bp , where they reached their highest values (+24.8‰ at 15 cm) and thereafter decreased to their lowest values (+21.4‰ at 4 cm). These trends were linked to meltwater inflows associated with Penny Ice Cap thaw rate that was in turn controlled by regional climatic conditions which went from intensified cooling during the Neoglacial period to slight warming thereafter. Our results suggest that diatom‐ and diatom‐isotope‐based temperature and hydrological reconstructions can identify trends related to the natural climate system variability. The diatom oxygen isotopes are useful for paleoenvironmental studies of terrestrial aquatic ecosystems, but not for all hydrological systems are the ideal temperature proxy. Hence, the combination of proxies helps to disentangle temperature and hydrological effects for paleoclimatic reconstructions and may support future studies of postglacial environmental change in northern lakes.

Rapid climate changes during the Lateglacial and the early Holocene as seen from plant community dynamics in the Polar Urals, Russia - Anne E. Bjune; Inger Greve Alsos; Jo Brendryen; Mary E. Edwards; Haflidi Haflidason; Maren S. Johansen; Jan Mangerud; Aage Paus; Carl Regnéll; John‐Inge Svendsen; Charlotte L. Clarke (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
A detailed, well‐dated record of pollen and sedimentary ancient DNA ( sed aDNA) for the period 15 000–9500 cal a bp describes changes at Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye in the Polar Ural Mountains, located far east of the classical Lateglacial sites in western Europe. Arctic tundra rapidly changed to lusher vegetation, possibly including both dwarf ( Betula nana ) and tree birch ( B. pubescens ), dated in our record to take place 14 565 cal a bp , coincident with the onset of the Bølling in western Europe; this was paralleled by increased summer temperatures. A striking feature is an early decline in Betula pollen and sed aDNA reads 300 years before the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) in western Europe. Given the solid site chronology, this could indicate that the YD cooling started in Siberia and propagated westwards, or that the vegetation reacted to the inter‐Allerød cooling at 13 100 cal a bp and did not recover during the late Allerød. During the YD, increases in steppe taxa such as Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae suggest drier conditions. At the onset of the Holocene, the vegetation around the lake reacted fast to the warmer conditions, as seen in the increase of arboreal taxa, especially Betula , and a decrease in herbs such as Artemisia and Cyperaceae.

Archaeal lipids reveal climate‐driven changes in microbial ecology at Lake El'gygytgyn (Far East Russia) during the Plio‐Pleistocene - William C. Daniels; Isla S. Castañeda; Jeffrey M. Salacup; M. Helen Habicht; Kurt R. Lindberg; Julie Brigham‐Grette (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (iGDGTs) are commonly preserved molecular biomarkers of archaea whose distributions can be used to reconstruct past temperature, and possibly, methane and nitrogen cycling. To date, iGDGT systematics have not been widely investigated in Arctic lacustrine environments. Here, we analyze iGDGTs in sediments of Lake El'gygytgyn, located in the Russian Arctic, to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental conditions from the Pliocene to today using TEX 86 and other indices. The TEX 86 ‐inferred temperature history shows a long‐term warming trend, in stark contrast to other Arctic records and other proxies from Lake El'gygytgyn, suggesting that non‐temperature factors obfuscate the use of TEX 86 at this site. Other GDGT‐based indices including the BIT Index, ΔRing Index, Methane Index and the GDGT‐0/crenarchaeol ratio suggest that TEX 86 is strongly influenced by archaeal community changes. The most significant community shifts are observed c . 2.4 Ma and record an increase in Euryarchaeota production and/or a decrease in Thaumarchaeota production, which was driven by the establishment of permafrost and perennial lake ice during the early Pleistocene. Overall, this study demonstrates an important interpretative framework for iGDGTs in lacustrine systems and describes variations in Arctic climate and lake biogeochemistry over timescales of thousands to millions of years.

Highly variable sediment deposition in Lake Imandra, NW Russia, since the Late Pleistocene - Matthias Lenz; Elodie Lebas; Marlene M. Lenz; Grigory Fedorov; Raphael Gromig; Vasili Kolka; Sebastian Krastel; Niklas Leicher; Martin Melles; Bernd Wagner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
To understand the dynamics of sediment deposition and the potential influences of complex current systems in large lakes, Lake Imandra (Kola Peninsula) has been investigated. Seismic and echo‐sounder data of the central part of Bolshaya Imandra reveal the sediment architecture in unprecedented detail. In addition, the sediment core data indicate highly variable depositional processes since the Late Pleistocene. The complex morphology of the lacustrine basin favoured accumulation of sediment in depressions, where they were preserved from erosion. Three main stratigraphic units (SU I–III) were identified above the acoustic basement. The oldest SU III is best preserved along a tectonic trench and interpreted as glacial deposits partly eroded by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2. The overlying SU II deposits are regarded as a till related to MIS 2 glaciation. The youngest SU I represents glaciofluvial, glaciolacustrine and lacustrine sediment deposited after ice retreat. As the north–south‐trending main axis of Bolshaya Imandra runs parallel to the predominant wind direction, the basin is subject to strong wind‐induced surficial currents and compensatory subsurface currents. These currents occur in water depth of 0–15 and deeper than 30 m, respectively, and their velocity prevents sediment accumulation.

Climate and environmental history at Lake Levinson‐Lessing, Taymyr Peninsula, during the last 62 kyr - Matthias Lenz; Marlene M. Lenz; Andrei Andreev; Stephanie Scheidt; Raphael Gromig; Elodie Lebas; Grigory Fedorov; Sebastian Krastel; Martin Melles; Bernd Wagner (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The 45.95 m‐long sediment succession shown in core Co1401 from Lake Levinson‐Lessing allows the reconstruction of the largely unexplored environmental and climatic history of the Taymyr Peninsula of the past 62 kyr. The core was analysed with a multidisciplinary approach including lithological, granulometric, geochemical and pollen analyses. The proxy data indicate a relatively stable, herb‐dominated environment with only subtle changes between a cold/wet late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 and early MIS 3, mild/dry middle and late MIS 3 and a cold/dry MIS 2. The absence of pronounced climate fluctuations demonstrates that the Lake Levinson‐Lessing catchment was not covered by an ice sheet during this period. Changes in precipitation were likely caused by waxing and waning of the large Eurasian ice sheets outside of the Taymyr Peninsula, which changed the eastward moisture transport and atmospheric circulation patterns. MIS 1 at Lake Levinson‐Lessing was associated with overall warmer and wetter conditions and short‐term climate fluctuations during the Bølling–Allerød warming, Younger Dryas cooling and Preboreal transition, which indicates the influence of North Atlantic air masses.

Eurasian Holocene climate trends in transient coupled climate simulations and stable oxygen isotope records - CHRISTOPHER DANEK; PAUL GIERZ; SVETLANA S. KOSTROVA; PHILIP MEISTER; HANNO MEYER; MARTIN WERNER (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Transient simulations of the global fully coupled climate model COSMOS under realistic varying orbital and greenhouse gas forcings are systematically compared to diatom oxygen isotope ( ) records from Russian lakes with focus on Eurasian Holocene climate trends. The measured decrease and other temperature proxies are interpreted as large‐scale cooling throughout the Holocene while the model simulations are biased too warm, likely through missing radiative forcings. This large‐scale warm bias also dictates the modeled . Hence, at locations where the signs of model and proxy temperature/precipitation trends agree, measured and modeled trends show notable accordance. An increased temporal variability of modeled is linked to persistent atmospheric circulation patterns. Applying the transient forcings in an accelerated way (every 10th year only) yields a similar, yet weaker or delayed model response, especially in the ocean.

Western Siberia experienced rapid shifts in moisture source and summer water balance during the last deglaciation and early Holocene - Owen C. Cowling; Elizabeth K. Thomas; John Inge Svendsen; Jan Mangerud; Haflidi Haflidason; Carl Regnéll; Jo Brendryen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Russian Arctic is an extensive region, with relatively few long‐duration paleoclimate reconstructions compared to other terrestrial Arctic regions. We present a 24 000‐year reconstruction of climate in the Polar Ural Mountains using n ‐alkanoic acid hydrogen isotopes from Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye. Major last deglaciation climate changes in the North Atlantic are present in this record, including transitions associated with the Bølling–Allerød, Younger Dryas and Holocene. However, the magnitude of the last deglaciation isotopic shifts at Bolshoye Shchuchye are small relative to the North Atlantic, and are dwarfed by a shift to 2 H‐enriched values starting at 10.5k cal a bp at this site that is not present in most other records. The last deglaciation changes may be due to variations in local temperature, sea ice cover in the Barents and Kara seas, and plant community shifts impacting transpiration. The enrichment starting at 10.5‐k cal a bp probably records a shift towards modern climate conditions, caused by the loss of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, increased locally sourced moisture from the Barents and Kara seas, and northward treeline migration causing enhanced transpiration. Future warming may increase summer precipitation in this region, with changes to local ecosystems and carbon cycling.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)

Challenging the hypothesis of an Arctic Ocean lake during recent glacial episodes - Claude Hillaire‐Marcel; Paul G. Myers; Shawn Marshall; Lev Tarasov; Karl Purcell; Christelle Not; Anne De Vernal (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Arctic Ocean is one of the last frontiers on Earth with many unknowns about its geological and climate history and considerable speculation on its role in the Earth's climate and ocean system. It has been proposed recently that it was occupied by a freshwater body of more than 9.5 × 10 6 km 3 underneath a thick ice mass during part of glacial isotopic stages 6 and 4. We argue that such a dramatic scenario, implying replacement of marine waters by freshwater throughout the entire Arctic Ocean and Nordic Seas, is physically implausible. The very low 230 Th excesses ( 230 Th xs ) observed in sediments from these intervals were used as evidence for the presence of a U‐depleted overlying freshwater column. We show here that they may simply result from short, sporadic sedimentary pulses, below multiyear sea ice or ice shelves, linked to deglacial ice streaming and surging events interrupting long‐duration sedimentary gaps. Due to this sporadic sedimentation regime, interpolating time from 230 Th xs data or between benchmark ages in sedimentary sequences would simply be erroneous.

Environmental heterogeneity of the Lower Palaeolithic land surface on the Goodwood‐Slindon Raised Beach: comparisons of the records from Boxgrove and Valdoe, Sussex, UK - Richard C. Preece; Simon A. Parfitt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The buried soil above the Goodwood‐Slindon Raised Beach running along the foot of the South Downs (Sussex) is one of the most extensive Lower Palaeolithic land surfaces known. It extends for 16 km but exposures are limited to Boxgrove, the focus of archaeological excavations since the 1980s, and Valdoe, 4.8 km to the west. The palaeosol yielded vertebrates suggesting attribution to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13 and land snails important in the reconstruction of local environments. Important differences exist between the molluscan assemblages from Valdoe and Boxgrove. An extinct land snail Retinella ( Lyrodiscus ) elephantium , previously known in Britain only from MIS 11, occurred at Valdoe at unusually high frequencies in assemblages poor in woodland species, prompting a reappraisal of its stratigraphical and ecological significance. Conversely, Spermodea lamellata , a woodland species present at Boxgrove, was absent at Valdoe. This lateral variability results both from the original heterogeneity of the environment, and from differential preservation resulting from decalcification and erosion. Calcitic slug plates are over‐represented (>50% of the molluscan fauna) in decalcified sediments where shells composed of aragonite are rare. These considerations, and comparisons with modern and fossil assemblages, have led to more nuanced reconstructions of the landscape occupied by early humans in southern England ~500 ka ago.

Late Pleistocene glaciation history of the southern Black Forest, Germany: 10 Be cosmic‐ray exposure dating and equilibrium line altitude reconstructions in Sankt Wilhelmer Tal - Felix Martin Hofmann; Frank Preusser; Irene Schimmelpfennig; Laëtitia Léanni; Aster team (Georges Aumaître, Karim Keddadouche & Fawzi Zaid (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
During the Late Pleistocene, an ice cap temporarily rested on the highest summit of the Black Forest, Feldberg, and on the surrounding region. Moraines inside the last glaciation maximum ice extent document subsequent glacial standstills and/or re‐advances, but the chronology of the deglaciation remains largely unknown. In Sankt Wilhelmer Tal, moraines were mapped, and suitable moraine boulders were sampled for 10 Be cosmic ray exposure (CRE) dating. Equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) during moraine formation were reconstructed to evaluate whether these can be used for local stratigraphical correlations. Geomorphological mapping revealed numerous ice‐marginal positions in the main valley and in two tributary valleys. CRE ages and ELAs indicate two discrete phases of glacial standstills and/or re‐advances by 17–16 ka at the latest and no later than 14 ka, respectively. Differing ELAs across the study area preclude the use of ELAs for local stratigraphical correlations. Recalculated 10 Be CRE ages from other localities in Central Europe indicate similar periods of moraine formation, thus raising the question of a common climatic forcing. Additional sets of CRE ages are needed to answer this question. In addition, future studies should concentrate on determining the age of the last glaciation maximum in the Black Forest.

The Late Middle Pleistocene mammalian fauna of Oumm Qatafa Cave, Judean Desert: taxonomy, taphonomy and palaeoenvironment - Nimrod Marom; Ignacio A. Lazagabaster; Roee Shafir; Filipe Natalio; Vera Eisenmann; Liora Kolska Horwitz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Middle Pleistocene archaeological record of the southern Levant has proven key to understanding human evolution and intercontinental faunal biogeography. Knowledge of archaeological sites of that period in the southern Levant is biased, with most Middle Pleistocene localities in the Mediterranean areas in the north, despite the mosaic of environments that mark the entire region. A key Middle Pleistocene location in the Judean Desert – on the eastern margin of the Mediterranean zone – is the site of Oumm Qatafa, excavated in the early 1900s, which yielded a faunal collection spanning an estimated time period of 600–200 kya. Here, we present a revised taxonomy of the macromammalian fauna from the site, discuss the palaeoenvironmental implications of this assemblage, and relate the finds to other Pleistocene sites from the Levant. These data enable a more precise palaeoenvironmental reconstruction which attests to an open landscape, but with the addition of a mesic Mediterranean component close by. In addition, detailed taphonomic observations on butchery marks and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of burnt bone link the fauna for the first time to anthropogenic activities in the cave.

Reply to ‘Challenging the hypothesis of an arctic ocean lake during recent glacial episodes’ by Hillaire‐Marcel, et al - W. GEIBERT; J. MATTHIESSEN; J. WOLLENBURG; R. STEIN (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Hillaire‐Marcel et al. bring forward several physical and geochemical arguments against our finding of an Arctic glaciolacustrine system in the past. In brief, we find that a physical approach to further test our hypothesis should additionally consider the actual bathymetry of the Greenland–Scotland Ridge (GSR), the density maximum of freshwater at 3–4°C, the sensible heat flux from rivers, and the actual volumes that are being mixed and advected. Their geochemical considerations acknowledge our original argument, but they also add a number of assumptions that are neither required to explain the observations, nor do they correspond to the lithology of the sediments. Rather than being additive in nature, their arguments of high particle flux, low particle flux, export of 230 Th and accumulation of 230 Th, are mutually exclusive. We first address the arguments above, before commenting on some misunderstandings of our original claim in their contribution, especially regarding our dating approach.

Cave paleozoology in the Judean Desert: assembling records of Holocene wild mammal communities - Ignacio A. Lazagabaster; Natalia Égüez; Micka Ullman; Roi Porat; Ido Wachtel; Uri Davidovich; Nimrod Marom (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Long temporal records of Holocene wild mammal communities are essential to examine the role of human impacts and climatic fluctuations in the configuration of modern ecosystems. We show that such records can be assembled through extensive radiocarbon dating of faunal remains obtained from biogenic cave deposits. We dated 110 mammalian remains from 19 different cave sites in the Judean Desert. We use the dates in combination with archaeological survey data and bone collagen/apatite δ 13 C values to study faunal succession in the context of Holocene climate change and human settlement history in the region. Our results suggest a change in the late Holocene, expressed in fewer observations of Arabian leopard ( Panthera pardus nimr ) and gazelle ( Gazella spp.), and an increase of Syrian striped hyena ( Hyaena hyaena syriaca ), fox ( Vulpes spp.), Nubian ibex ( Capra nubiana ) and rock hyrax ( Procavia capensis ); suids ( Sus scrofa ) appear for the first time. According to the data distribution, however, the probability of finding a bone diminishes exponentially with time, which implies that the Judean Desert cave paleozoological record is temporally biased. The weight of evidence ultimately favors an explanation of the observed patterns as the consequence of a combined anthropogenic and climatic impact on local food webs.

An African adder ( Bitis arietans complex) at Qafzeh Cave, Israel, during the early Late Pleistocene (MIS 5) - Rebecca Biton; Salvador Bailon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
We studied Viperidae remains from Qafzeh Cave, Israel, to understand past dispersal timing and range expansion of Afro‐Arabian taxa to the Southern Levant during the early Late Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 5). A total of 62 African adder ( Bitis ) snake remains were retrieved from multiple layers at Qafzeh Cave, alongside five non‐ Bitis ‘Oriental viper’ taxa vertebrae. These are the only available specimens of Bitis ever reported in the Southern Levant. The morphology of the maxilla and vertebrae corresponds well to that of the Bitis arietans complex. Qafzeh Cave thus becomes the northernmost boundary of the B. arietans complex expansion ever recorded outside Africa. The unprecedented occurrence of Bitis at Qafzeh Cave, in conjunction with other archaeozoological evidence at the site, attest to exceptional climatic and environmental conditions in the surroundings of the cave during the Mousterian Homo sapiens occupations. It reinforces previous evidence for taxa expanding from sub‐Saharan Africa to the Mediterranean biome of the Southern Levant through the now hyper‐arid Saharo‐Arabian desert belt. The environmental conditions following deposition of the early Late Pleistocene layers were probably not favourable for the establishment of the snake, and eventually the B. arietans complex became locally extirpated.

Early Last Interglacial environmental changes recorded by speleothems from Katerloch (south‐east Austria) - Charlotte Honiat; Daniela Festi; Paul S. Wilcox; R. Lawrence Edwards; Hai Cheng; Christoph Spötl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
In the European Alps, the Last Interglacial (LIG, ~129–116 ka) has been primarily studied using pollen preserved in mires and lake sediments. These records document the vegetation succession across the LIG, but are poorly constrained chronologically. Here, we present a precisely dated stable isotope record for the early LIG (129.6 ± 0.4 to 125.0 ± 0.8 ka) based on two stalagmites from Katerloch, a cave located on the south‐eastern side of the Alps. The onset of the interglacial is marked by a sharp rise in the oxygen isotope values at 129.4 ± 0.4 ka, consistent within dating uncertainty with the timing of Termination II as recorded by other Alpine speleothems. Carbon isotope values show an equally prominent drop at Termination II and the establishment of a forest ecosystem. Although concentrations are low, pollen from these stalagmites provide insights into how the local vegetation changed across the first five millennia of the LIG. The spectra indicate a vegetation optimum recorded by the occurrence of warm‐demanding taxa typical of the Eemian mesocratic phase. By combining stable isotopes and pollen data, we propose an absolutely dated chronological framework for peri‐Alpine pollen successions from lacustrine sediments covering the first half of the LIG.

New insights into cave hyena ethology and the implications for territorial competition with hominins in Late Pleistocene north‐west Europe: the case of Caverne Marie‐Jeanne (Belgium) - Elodie‐Laure Jimenez; MIETJE GERMONPRÉ; MATHIEU BOUDIN (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Megacarnivore behaviours shape ecological dynamics between their prey and competitors and therefore play a key role in structuring ecosystems. In Late Pleistocene Eurasia, hominins and hyenas were sympatric predators. Since the first discoveries of Crocuta c. spelaea in the 19th century, this ‘bone‐crushing’ species has been identified at most Palaeolithic sites and has inspired many taphonomic studies. Nonetheless, there is still very little known about its reproductive, social and spatial behaviours. We believe that exploring the complexity of the cave hyena's ethology is a way to better understand spatial relationships and niche sharing/partitioning between hominins and other top predators in Pleistocene ecosystems. This paper focuses on the study of Caverne Marie‐Jeanne Layer 4 (Hastière, Belgium), one of the best‐preserved palaeontological sites in the region. The exceptional number of hyena neonates in this assemblage (minimum number of individuals >300) has led us to describe, for the first time, a Late Pleistocene hyena birth den that was reused over a long period of time around 47.6–43k a bp. By bridging the gap between archaeology and palaeontology, we explore the potential of carnivore socio‐spatial organisation and denning habits as an ecological proxy and discuss how these new unique data could help us further understand hominins’ spatial strategy in southern Belgium.

Environmental change since the Last Glacial Maximum: palaeo‐evidence from the Nee Soon Freshwater Swamp Forest, Singapore - Canh Tien Trinh Nguyen; Patrick Moss; Robert J. Wasson; Philip Stewart; Alan D. Ziegler (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Our examination of pollen, microcharcoal, and sediment material in Nee Soon Freshwater Swamp Forest in Singapore revealed the following regarding its more than 20 000‐year history: (1) the pollen record supports the presence of a savanna corridor in this part of South‐East Asia during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); (2) a high abundance of charcoal at depths greater than 1.5 m supports the existence of a dryer climate and/or more frequent fires until about 18 000 cal bp ; (3) missing sedimentary material in the upper 30–40 cm, ranging in age from 64 to 7500 cal bp , was likely removed during recent construction work in the 1950s; (4) there is evidence of sea‐level influences on the site from the presence of mangroves from 9000 cal bp to present but it is difficult to determine whether this impacted the site because of the missing sediments; and (5) the low organic carbon content throughout the stratigraphy indicates that the swamp is not a peatland. The results indicate that the forest in this protected area of Singapore developed from a grassland‐dominated landscape after the LGM as the climate warmed and became wetter, and therefore, may not be as resilient to long‐term drought conditions as previously believed. Further, the stratigraphy contains evidence that the swamp and stream system have been highly dynamic, both naturally and in response to anthropogenic disturbance.

LGM ice extent and deglaciation history in the Gurktal and Lavantal Alps (eastern European Alps): first constraints from 10 Be surface exposure dating of glacially polished quartz veins - Andreas Wölfler; Andrea Hampel; Armin Dielforder; Ralf Hetzel; Christoph Glotzbach (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Compared with the western European Alps, the ice extent during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the subsequent deglaciation history of the eastern Alps east of the Tauern Window remain less well constrained. Also, considerable discrepancies exist between the mapped LGM ice margin and the ice extent predicted by ice‐sheet models. Here we present the first 10 Be surface exposures ages from two regions east of the Tauern Window (the Gurktal and Lavantal Alps), which provide constraints on the LGM ice extent and the deglaciation history. Our results show that the deglaciation of the Gurktal Alps occurred between 16 and 14 ka, which agrees with the predictions from ice‐sheet models. In contrast, the 10 Be ages from the Lavantal Alps located farther east are either LGM in age or predate the LGM, indicating that these regions were ice free or only partially covered by LGM ice. This finding suggests that ice‐sheet models may have overestimated the LGM ice extent in the easternmost Alps. In conclusion, our study highlights the need for more age data from the eastern Alps to refine the location of the LGM ice margin and the deglaciation history, which is also crucial for climate‐evolution and postglacial‐rebound models.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)

‘The most remarkable man’: James Croll, Quaternary scientist - Kevin J. Edwards (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The year 2021 marked the bicentenary of the birth of James Croll (1821–1890), the self‐educated son of a crofter‐stonemason, whose life was characterised by a dizzying range of occupations and homes, poor health and financial concerns, and yet he became a pioneer of orbital dynamics and ice age climate change with an impressive record of publication. Drawing upon archival information and recently published observations, this paper explores selected aspects of Croll's biography, his scientific connections and controversies, and that area of his life relevant to Quaternary science. He was a 19th century polymath whose multifaceted contributions have been a catalyst for subsequent systems‐based climate science on the grand scale, including the foundations for the seminal work of Milutin Milankovitch on the rhythms of Quaternary environmental change.

The Anthropocene as an Event, not an Epoch - Philip Gibbard; Michael Walker; Andrew Bauer; Matthew Edgeworth; Lucy Edwards; Erle Ellis; Stanley Finney; Jacquelyn L. Gill; Mark Maslin; Dorothy Merritts; William Ruddiman (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Over the course of the last decade the concept of the Anthropocene has become widely established within and beyond the geoscientific literature but its boundaries remain undefined. Formal definition of the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphical series and geochronological epoch following the Holocene, at a fixed horizon and with a precise global start date, has been proposed, but fails to account for the diachronic nature of human impacts on global environmental systems during the late Quaternary. By contrast, defining the Anthropocene as an ongoing geological event more closely reflects the reality of both historical and ongoing human–environment interactions, encapsulating spatial and temporal heterogeneity, as well as diverse social and environmental processes that characterize anthropogenic global changes. Thus, an Anthropocene Event incorporates a substantially wider range of anthropogenic environmental and cultural effects, while at the same time applying more readily in different academic contexts than would be the case with a rigidly defined Anthropocene Series/Epoch.

Holocene hydroclimate changes on the north‐eastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from geochemical records in Lake Gyaring - Dongliang Ning; Qingfeng Jiang; Ming Ji; Yuchen Xu; Xiang Kuai; Ying Ge; Wenwei Zhao (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The north‐eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an ideal region for understanding the interaction between the Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) and the Westerlies. Here we present a high‐resolution elemental record from Lake Gyaring in the source region of the Yellow River to investigate the paleo‐hydroclimate changes over the past ~10 ka. Our results show that lithogenic elements (Ti, Rb, Mn, Ti, Zn and Ni) increased while carbonate‐related elements (Ca, Sr and Mg) decreased up the core sediments, indicating that the effective moisture on the north‐eastern TP has steadily increased throughout the Holocene. This inference is also supported by the gradual augmentation and diminution of Rb/Sr and Ca/(Ti + Fe + Al) ratios, respectively. The persistent wetting trend on the north‐eastern TP inferred from our study disagrees with the Holocene pattern of the ASM but corresponds well with that of the Westerlies. This implies that the strengthening Westerlies since the Holocene might have played a more important role than monsoon circulation in controlling the hydroclimate changes on the north‐eastern TP. However, the significant increase in the mid‐Holocene might be related to the combined effects of the strengthened ASM and Westerlies. Ultimately, Northern Hemisphere solar insolation and the substantial remnant of ice sheets might have controlled Holocene moisture availability on the north‐eastern TP through their influence on the intensity of the Westerlies and ASM as well as Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperatures.

Refinement of the tephrostratigraphy straddling the northern Patagonian Andes (40–41°S): new tephra markers, reconciling different archives and ascertaining the timing of piedmont deglaciation - Brent V. Alloway; Nicholas J. G. Pearce; Patricio I. Moreno; Gustavo Villarosa; Ignacio A. Jara; Carla A. Henríquez; Esteban A. Sagredo; Matthew T. Ryan; Valeria Outes (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
We describe the stratigraphy, age, geochemistry and correlation of tephra from west to east across the northern Patagonian Andes ( c . 40–41°S) with a view to further refining the eruptive history of this region back to the onset of the Last Glacial Termination (~18 cal. ka). Eastwards across the Andes, rhyodacite to rhyolitic tephra markers of dominantly Puyehue‐Cordón Caulle source are persistently recognised and provide a stratigraphic context for more numerously erupted intervening tephra of basalt to basaltic–andesite composition. Tephra from distal eruptive centres are also recognised. West of the Andean Cordillera, organic‐rich cores from a small closed lake basin (Lago Pichilafquén) reveal an exceptional high‐resolution record of lowland vegetation–climate change and eruptive activity spanning the last 15 400 years. Three new rhyodacite tephra (BT6‐T1, ‐T2 and ‐T4) identified near the base of the Pichilafquén record, spanning 13.2 to 13.9 cal. ka bp , can be geochemically matched with correlatives in basal andic soil sequences closely overlying regolith and/or basement rock. The repetitiveness of this tephrostratigraphy across this Andean transect suggests near‐synchronous tephra accretion and onset of up‐building soil formation under more stable (revegetating) ground‐surface conditions following rapid piedmont deglaciation on both sides of the Cordillera by at least ~14 cal. ka bp.

Determining the diagenetic paths of archaeofaunal assemblages and their palaeoecology through artificial intelligence: an application to Oldowan sites from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) - Marcos Pizarro‐Monzo; Elia Organista; Lucía Cobo‐Sánchez; Enrique Baquedano; Manuel Domínguez‐Rodrigo (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The implementation of deep‐learning methods to the taphonomic analysis of the microscopic modification of bone‐surface modifications exposed to different chemical diagenetic pathways can effectively discriminate between acidic and alkaline soil properties, indirectly reflecting different ecological conditions. Here we use this novel method to assess the sedimentary conditions of two of the oldest Oldowan archaeofaunal records (DS and PTK, Bed I) from Olduvai Gorge Bed I in Tanzania. We show how the results support different diagenetic conditions for both penecontemporaneous sites, which are appropriate for their respective locations on the palaeolandscape to which they belonged. We also show how geochemical analyses of the clay deposit that embedded both sites indicate a similar soil pH divergence. PTK was formed on an alluvial sloping surface affected by rills but draining efficiently, which resulted in alkaline soil conditions, that optimised bone‐surface preservation. DS occurred in a more depressed area that underwent intermittent flooding, affecting soil chemistry by creating more acidic conditions. This impacted on bone surfaces by dynamically modifying mark morphology. This deep‐learning approach has relevance for the interpretation of the local palaeoecological conditions of both assemblages and their respective depositional loci. The results presented here open a new window to the incremental information gain through the use of artificial intelligence methods in taphonomic and palaeoecological research.

Modelling climate constraints on the formation of pluvial Lake Bonneville in the Great Basin, United States - Bryce K. Belanger; William H. Amidon; Benjamin J. C. Laabs; Jeffrey S. Munroe; Brendon J. Quirk (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
This study uses a hydrologic‐balance model to evaluate the range of precipitation and temperature (P‐T) conditions required to sustain Lake Bonneville at two lake levels during the late Pleistocene. Intersection with a second set of P‐T curves determined from glacial modelling in the nearby Wasatch Mountains places tighter climatic constraints that suggest gradually increasing wetness from ~21 to 15 ka. Specifically, during the latter part of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (~21–20 ka), Lake Bonneville approached its highest level under conditions roughly 9.5°C colder but only 7% wetter than modern. As the lake reached its pre‐flood Bonneville level (~18.2–17.5 ka), climate conditions were ~16% wetter and ~9°C colder than modern. By ca . 15–14.8 ka, Lake Bonneville abandoned the overflowing Provo level under conditions that were ~21% wetter and ~7°C cooler. These results suggest that regional LGM highstands were not caused by large increases in precipitation, but rather by a climatic optimum in which moderate wetness combined with depressed temperatures to create a positive hydrologic budget. Later highstands during Heinrich I from 17 to 15 ka were likely achieved under gradual increases in precipitation, prior to a transition to drier conditions after 15 ka.

Geochronological and paleoenvironmental reconstruction of colluvial deposits in a cuesta landscape in south‐eastern Brazil - Leandro de Godoi Pinton; Cenira Maria Lupinacci (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The classic models of cuesta evolution in south‐eastern Brazil have temporal gaps in their denudation chronology. Here, we analyzed the colluvial deposits located on the rim of the Serra Geral escarpments in the Paraná Basin to propose a model with an absolute age range of minor landform evolution within this cuesta morphology. Correlation of the optically stimulated luminescence ages with the regional paleoclimatic conditions demonstrates that the successive phases of colluviation reflect either short‐term intervals of variability in moisture availability or dry periods in the Holocene. The potential effects of other contributing factors (vegetation changes, local geomorphic settings and human activity) add complexity to the denudation responsible for the development of the investigated geomorphic chronosequences. The proposed model consists of five stages of hillslope sediment remobilization that were responsible for further remodeling of the minor vertical steps during the following chronological distribution: (i) 9.13 ± 1.2–7.09 ± 0.96 ka; (ii) 5.66 ± 0.86–4.5 ± 0.75 ka; (iii) 3.94 ± 0.605–3.45 ± 0.6 ka; (iv) 2.66 ± 0.315–2.3 ± 0.4 ka; and (v) after 1960 to the present day.

Tracing the Palaeolithic settlement patterns in the Western Tian Shan piedmont: an example of predictive GIS modelling use - Michał Leloch; Małgorzata Kot; Galina Pavlenok; Karol Szymczak; Mukhiddin Khudjanazarov; Konstantin Pavlenok (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Western Tian Shan piedmont, due to its high mountainous nature, is an exceptionally difficult area in which to conduct systematic surface research. In response to the specificities of the landscape, we decided to attempt to use predictive modelling to select sites with the greatest potential for the occurrence and preservation of Pleistocene layers and Palaeolithic sites. The aim of the project was to determine to what extent the high‐mountain areas of the Tian Shan piedmont were penetrated and inhabited by Palaeolithic humans. On the basis of the devised model, areas were selected for further prospecting in the field, which allowed the search area to be narrowed by a factor of five. In the course of surveying carried out on the selected areas, it was possible to locate nine new Palaeolithic sites and 18 settlement spots within one season, significantly increasing the number of known open‐air sites in the region. The results presented show the usefulness of this method, revealing the potential for its application in other similar areas, but also indicate the intensity of, in particular, Middle Palaeolithic or Middle/Upper Palaeolithic transitional settlement in the high‐mountain regions of Central Asia.

Late Pleistocene–Holocene climatic implications of high‐resolution stable isotope profiles of a speleothem from south‐central Anatolia, Turkey - Gİzem Erkan; C. Serdar Bayari; Dominik Fleitmann; Hai Cheng; Larry Edwards; Mertcan Özbakir (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
High‐resolution 230 Th ages and stable isotope (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) records from a stalagmite that grew between 39 and 2 ka in Incesu Cave located in south‐central Anatolia allow us to evaluate paleoclimate conditions for growth periods during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3) and the Holocene. High δ 18 O values and Heinrich events H3 and H4 are observed during the MIS3 interval. After a dry period in the Younger Dryas, low values between ca. 10 and 5.3 ka suggest a transition to wet mid‐ to early Holocene conditions. In the early Holocene, there are drier periods at 9.4 and 10.3 ka, coincident with cooling events recorded in the North Atlantic sediments and, after 5.3 ka a relatively dry late Holocene is seen. The IN‐01 isotope record is in phase with general trends of speleothem records in Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean but differs in detail at the millennial scale. The more depleted δ 18 O values of IN‐01 compared to those of Eastern Mediterranean speleothems during the Holocene indicate that central Anatolian winter rainfall was isotopically influenced by the same air mass trajectories derived from the North Atlantic and Mediterranean with an isotopic rain shadow effect.

Abrupt intrinsic and extrinsic responses of southwestern Iberian vegetation to millennial‐scale variability over the past 28 ka - Anna Cutmore; Blanca Ausín; Mark Maslin; Timothy Eglinton; David Hodell; Francesco Muschitiello; Laurie Menviel; Negar Haghipour; Belen Martrat; Vasiliki Margari; Polychronis C. Tzedakis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
We present new high‐resolution pollen records combined with palaeoceanographic proxies from the same samples in deep‐sea cores SHAK06‐5K and MD01‐2444 on the southwestern Iberian Margin, documenting regional vegetation responses to orbital and millennial‐scale climate changes over the last 28 ka. The chronology of these records is based on high‐resolution radiocarbon dates of monospecific samples of the planktonic foraminifera Globigerina bulloides , measured from SHAK06‐5K and MD01‐2444 and aligned using an automated stratigraphical alignment method. Changes in temperate and steppe vegetation during Marine Isotope Stage 2 are closely coupled with sea surface temperature (SST) and global ice‐volume changes. The peak expansion of thermophilous woodland between ~10.1 and 8.4 cal ka bp lags behind the boreal summer insolation maximum by ~2 ka, possibly arising from residual high‐latitude ice‐sheets into the Holocene. Rapid changes in pollen percentages are coeval with abrupt transitions in SSTs, precipitation and winter temperature at the onset and end of Heinrich Stadial 2, the ice‐rafted debris event and end of Heinrich Stadial 1, and the onset of the Younger Dryas, suggesting extrinsically forced southwestern Iberian ecosystem changes by abrupt North Atlantic climate events. In contrast, the abrupt decline in thermophilous elements at ~7.8 cal ka bp indicates an intrinsically mediated abrupt vegetation response to the gradually declining boreal insolation, potentially resulting from the crossing of a seasonality of precipitation threshold.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)

The ‘Semi‐Sterile Mousterian’ of Riparo Bombrini: evidence of a late‐lasting Neanderthal refugium in Liguria - Julien Riel‐Salvatore; Fabio Negrino; Geneviève Pothier Bouchard; Amélie Vallerand; Stefano Costa; Stefano Benazzi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Constrained by the Maritime Alps and a steep coastal shelf, Liguria served as a biogeographic corridor linking mainland Western Europe to peninsular Italy throughout the Late Pleistocene. It may also have served as a biogeographic refugium for Neanderthals, since sites in the region have yielded some of the latest Mousterian dates in Western Europe and, paradoxically, some of the earliest dates for Protoaurignacian occupations. This paper presents an overview of the Neanderthal presence in Liguria between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and MIS 3, with a particular focus on the record from the Balzi Rossi site complex. This permits a critical evaluation of diachronic shifts in the Neanderthal occupation of Liguria. This is followed by an analysis of new data from ‘semi‐sterile Mousterian’ Level MS at Riparo Bombrini that show it was occupied very ephemerally by the end of the Mousterian, highlighting major late Neanderthal behavioral shifts. We conclude by proposing that this behavioral pattern is best explained by the last Neanderthals of the Balzi Rossi having occupied the region as an ecologically stable, taxon‐specific in situ micro‐refugium. This has implications for our understanding of Paleolithic refugia more broadly and of the social and ecological conditions in place during the terminal Mousterian period in western Liguria.

Peninsular southern Europe refugia during the Middle Palaeolithic: an introduction - Nuno Bicho; Milena Carvalho (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Neanderthals faced great environmental and climatic instability during the Pleistocene, which may have influenced their lithic technology, subsistence patterns, mobility, behaviour and survival. Modern research assessing the effect of climate and environment on the Middle Palaeolithic and transition to the Upper Palaeolithic has often turned to southern Europe, specifically peninsular southern Europe (Iberia, Italy and the Balkans). These are regions typically regarded as refugia during periods of unfavourable climatic conditions, inspiring hundreds of palaeoenvironmental studies at Neanderthal sites and hypotheses on late Neanderthal survival in locations with relative ameliorated conditions. Here, we present the topic of the special issue focusing on peninsular southern Europe refugia during the Middle Palaeolithic covering the three main peninsulas. Its 16 contributions discuss relevant data on peninsular southern Europe as possible refugia during periods of unfavourable climate during the Middle Palaeolithic and transition to Upper Palaeolithic.

What Neanderthals and AMH ate: reassessment of the subsistence across the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition in the Vasco‐Cantabrian region of SW Europe - Ana B. MarÍN‐Arroyo; Alicia Sanz‐Royo (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Recent research in northern Spain has revealed the disappearance of Neanderthal populations in the Vasco‐Cantabrian region a few millennia earlier than in eastern and southern Iberia and discovered a short period of overlap with modern humans, at least, in terms of radiocarbon dates. However, the causes of Neanderthal decline understood as a regional and temporal process remain open. Despite the abundance of technological studies, modern‐quality chronological dating, and the availability of archaeofaunal and palaeoenvironmental data, there is a lack of consensus about how climatic and environmental conditions could have affected ungulate prey and, therefore, Neanderthal subsistence strategies. In this paper, an analytical summary of the archaeofaunal and taphonomic data available for the Vasco‐Cantabrian region, combined with the most recent chronological evidence, present general knowledge about animal biogeography and ecology during the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition, and provides an interpretation of the behaviour of both human species in the region. This work reviews the palaeomammal community of animals represented in the record as exploited by human groups in several caves and rock shelters and pointing to continuing lacunae in knowledge. Further research is needed to verify and potentially explain the apparent hominin population gap and the ultimate fate of the Neanderthals.

A palaeoecological view of the last Neanderthals at the crossroads of south‐central Europe and the central Mediterranean: long‐term stability or pronounced environmental change with human responses - Ivor Karavanić; Marko Banda; Siniša Radović; Slobodan Miko; Nikola Vukosavljević; Ivan Razum; Fred H. Smith (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
This paper presents palaeoecological reconstructions and late Neanderthal responses to environmental conditions in two different palaeoecological zones (continental south‐central Europe and the eastern Adriatic) during MIS 3. Our interpretations are based on the available records of climatic conditions, characteristics of Mousterian industries and site characteristics. A variety of data obtained by different methods of analyses (sediments and biological remains) were used for palaeoecological reconstructions, while hominin behaviour was examined from various perspectives based on lithic remains (technology, typology, raw material use), subsistence strategies, land use and site structures. In both regions, Neanderthals practised a broad exploitation of different faunal and lithic resources available to them and successfully adapted to local environments. Based on a variety of evidence, we offer a new synthesis and examine whether continental south‐central Europe and the Adriatic really acted as refugia during the time of late Neanderthal occupations. We also consider the possible causes and/or timing of Neanderthal disappearance in these regions.

Neanderthals of Porto Selvaggio in southern Italy: lithic industry of Grotta Torre dell'Alto (Nardò, Lecce) - Filomena Ranaldo; Dario Massafra; Keiko Kitagawa (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Porto Selvaggio in southern Italy is where the Uluzzian culture was first identified and documented, providing key insights into the transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic. The area has also yielded evidence for continuous occupations by Neanderthals spanning between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and 3. Situated in the Natural Regional Park of Porto Selvaggio, different sites were excavated by Borzatti von Löwenstern in the 1960 and 1970s. As one of the initiatives in the research program of the Museo della Preistoria di Nardò, we have revisited the artifact assemblages from these caves. Based on the lithic analysis of production sequences, we document the development of Levallois and laminar methods before MIS 3 when this form of reduction sequence presumably dominated in the region according to the previous research. The review of the lithic assemblages is combined with the contextualization of chronostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental study in the region to consider the possible role that this region had for Neanderthals during unfavorable climatic conditions.

Neanderthal palaeoecology in the late Middle Palaeolithic of western Iberia: a stable isotope analysis of ungulate teeth from Lapa do Picareiro (Portugal) - Milena Carvalho; Emily Lena Jones; M. Grace Ellis; João Cascalheira; Nuno Bicho; David Meiggs; Michael Benedetti; Lukas Friedl; Jonathan Haws (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Adaptation to Late Pleistocene climate change is an oft‐cited potential contributor to Neanderthal disappearance in Eurasia. Accordingly, research on Neanderthal behaviour – including subsistence strategies, mobility, lithic technology, raw material procurement and demography – often focuses on linking changes observable in the archaeological record to specific phases of climate and environmental change. However, these correspondences are often tenuous because palaeoclimatic and archaeological records are rarely available on the same scale. In Iberia, a critical location for understanding the demise of Neanderthals, some research indicates that Neanderthal populations were unable to recover from environmental degradations known as Heinrich Events, while other studies suggest that enclaves of Neanderthal populations survived for several millennia longer in refugial zones. Here, we present a palaeoenvironmental reconstruction study using analysis of δ 13 C and δ 18 O of herbivore tooth enamel recovered from two Mousterian deposits at Lapa do Picareiro, a site located in Portuguese Estremadura. We then use these data, combined with other site‐based palaeoenvironmental indicators, to assess whether central Portugal acted as a refugium during periods of unfavourable climate, and to test whether Neanderthals in Portuguese Estremadura reorganised their mobility strategies after severe climate episodes.

Iberian Neanderthals in forests and savannahs - Juan Ochando; Gabriela Amorós; José S. Carrión; Santiago Fernández; Manuel Munuera; Jon Camuera; Gonzalo Jiménez‐Moreno; Penélope González‐Sampériz; Francesc Burjachs; Ana B. Marín‐Arroyo; Mirjana Roksandic; Clive Finlayson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
This article aims to delve into the reality of glacial refuges of forests and tree species (including conifers, mesothermophilous angiosperms and xerothermic scrub) during the cold dry phases of the Iberian Pleistocene in which there is evidence of occupation of Middle Palaeolithic people. The research framework focuses on the eastern sector of the Iberian Peninsula due to the physiographic, palaeobotanical and archaeological peculiarities, substantiated by recent studies. We contend that some Neanderthal occupations developed in the context of high geobiological complexity, high biological diversity and highly structured forest ecosystems. We highlight the importance of glacial refuges as local anomalies that, however, would be contingent on vegetational development, and on the survival of Palaeolithic groups in areas with a broad diversity of natural resources.

What is a refugium? Questions for the Middle–Upper Palaeolithic transition in peninsular southern Europe - Emily Lena Jones (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The word ‘refugium’ is often used to describe patterns of human settlement during various parts of the Palaeolithic. While, classically, a refugium is a location which supports an isolated population of a once more widespread species, some have argued that discrepancies in how this term is used have led to methodological confusion and a weakening of its meaning. Differences in the spatial and temporal scales of how refugia are defined, as well as in the specifics of how they operate, mean that many so‐called refugia serve different biological functions and have different implications for long‐term species survival (Ashcroft, 2010). In this article, I review four questions that may shape individual refugia. I then use the late Middle Palaeolithic record of peninsular southern Europe to explore how attention to these questions may help to advance Middle–Upper Palaeolithic research.

Could the central‐eastern Iberian Mediterranean region be defined as a refugium? Fauna and flora in MIS 5–3 and their implications for Palaeolithic human behaviour - Cristina Real; Carmen María Martínez‐varea; Yolanda Carrión; Ernestina Badal; Alfred Sanchis; Pere Guillem; Rafael Martínez‐valle; Valentín Villaverde (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Neanderthals and modern humans from the Early Upper Palaeolithic had a highly developed knowledge of their environment, where they found the essential resources for their subsistence. Therefore, changes in the local landscape and available resources should have influenced their behaviour, as indicated by faunal and plant remains recovered from archaeological sites. In the central‐eastern Iberian Mediterranean region, the archaeological sites of Cova Negra, Abrigo de la Quebrada, Cova de les Malladetes and Cova de les Cendres have provided wood charcoal, seeds and fauna. The combination of these data allows an accurate reconstruction of the regional landscape from MIS 5 to the beginning of MIS 2. The available evidence suggests that this region could be defined as a refugium in which biodiversity persisted. This type of refugium, containing a high diversity of biotopes and some endemic species, which has lasted until the present day, can be seen at a regional scale, but also locally, especially near the coast. These special characteristics of the region – relatively stable climatic conditions with oscillations mainly in aridity and humidity, and a high diversity of flora and fauna – could explain the high density of Palaeolithic sites throughout Middle and Upper Palaeolithic here.

Human occupation continuity in southern Italy towards the end of the Middle Palaeolithic: a palaeoenvironmental perspective from Apulia - Francesco Boschin; Andrea Columbu; Vincenzo Spagnolo; Jacopo Crezzini; Jean‐Jacques Bahain; Christophe FalguèRes; Stefano Benazzi; Paolo Boscato; Annamaria Ronchitelli; Adriana Moroni; Ivan Martini (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
After the last interglacial [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e] Europe was affected by several harsh climatic oscillations. In this context southern Italy acted, like the rest of peninsular Mediterranean Europe, as a ‘glacial refugium’, allowing the survival of various species, and was involved in the spread of ‘cold taxa’ (e.g. woolly mammoth and woolly rhino) only during the coldest phases (MIS 4 and MIS 2). Both late Mousterian and early Upper Palaeolithic sites testify to a human occupation continuity in southern Italy and especially in Apulia in this time span. Here we present a focus on three key Apulian Palaeolithic sequences (Grotta di Santa Croce, Riparo L'Oscurusciuto and Grotta del Cavallo – layers F‐E) jointly spanning from the late MIS 4 to the demise of Neanderthals around 43 ka. Novel chronological, sedimentological and zooarchaeological data are discussed for the first time in the light of the palaeoenvironmental information provided by recent analyses carried out on a speleothem from Pozzo Cucù cave (Bari) and the results of the magnetic susceptibility analysis from Riparo L'Oscurusciuto. This integrated reading allows a better understanding of the role played by the Apulian region as both a refugium for late Neaderthals and a suitable habitat for the early settling of modern humans.

Integrated multidisciplinary ecological analysis from the Uluzzian settlement at the Uluzzo C Rock Shelter, south‐eastern Italy - Sara Silvestrini; Matteo Romandini; Giulia Marciani; Simona Arrighi; Lisa Carrera; Andrea Fiorini; Juan Manuel López‐García; Federico Lugli; Filomena Ranaldo; Viviane Slon; Laura Tassoni; Owen Alexander Higgins; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition, between 50 000 and 40 000 years ago, is a period of important ecological and cultural changes. In this framework, the Rock Shelter of Uluzzo C (Apulia, southern Italy) represents an important site due to Late Mousterian and Uluzzian evidence preserved in its stratigraphic sequence. Here, we present the results of a multidisciplinary analysis performed on the materials collected between 2016 and 2018 from the Uluzzian stratigraphic units (SUs) 3, 15 and 17. The analysis involved lithic technology, use‐wear, zooarchaeology, ancient DNA of sediments and palaeoproteomics, completed by quartz single‐grain optically stimulated luminescence dating of the cave sediments. The lithic assemblage is characterized by a volumetric production and a debitage with no or little management of the convexities (by using the bipolar technique), with the objective to produce bladelets and flakelets. The zooarchaeological study found evidence of butchery activity and of the possible exploitation of marine resources, while drawing a picture of a patchy landscape, composed of open forests and dry open environments surrounding the shelter. Ancient mitochondrial DNA from two mammalian taxa were recovered from the sediments. Preliminary zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry results are consistent with ancient DNA and zooarchaeological taxonomic information, while further palaeoproteomics investigations are ongoing. Our new data from the re‐discovery of the Uluzzo C Rock Shelter represent an important contribution to better understand the meaning of the Uluzzian in the context of the Middle/Upper Palaeolithic transition in south‐eastern Italy.

Complexity in the Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in Peninsular Southern Europe and application of refugium concepts - Milena Carvalho; Nuno Bicho (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
During the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in the Balkan, Italian and Iberian peninsulas of southern Europe, late Neanderthal and early Anatomically Modern Human (AMH) populations may have overlapped in some capacity. Many of the hypotheses and models for the transition interval suggest that Neanderthal populations remained in, or migrated to, refugial zones while AMHs colonized areas not suitable for, or abandoned by, Neanderthals. However, many hypotheses and models have not been conclusively tested due to general issues impeding a clear understanding of the relevant archeological record and because of a lack of specificity in defining and applying the term ‘refugium’. This paper briefly summarizes what is known about the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in southern European Peninsulas and discusses some new directions in the use of refugium concepts in the study of Neanderthal extinction and AMH dispersal. We highlight the complexity of the archeological record in each region and in the studies of refugia more generally. Finally, we make an appeal for generating local, multi‐proxy paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic records to address these complexities so that hypotheses and models integrating refugial concepts in explanations of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition can be properly formulated and tested.

Investigating Middle Palaeolithic subsistence: zooarchaeological perspectives on the potential character of hominin climate refugia in Greece - Effrosyni Roditi; Britt M. Starkovich (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
It has long been proposed that during Pleistocene climatic perturbations the Balkan peninsula sustained refugial areas for fauna, flora, and potentially, hominins. In this study, we explore Middle Palaeolithic subsistence at the peninsula's southern end, Greece, and discuss how the evidence contributes to our understanding of the region's character as a refugium. We present new data from the recent reanalysis of the fauna from Asprochaliko rockshelter and the ongoing zooarchaeological investigations at Lakonis Cave 1 and compare them with published analyses from Klissoura Cave 1. We employ taxonomic abundance and diversity indices, as well as mortality profiles, to investigate hominin prey choice. Additional taphonomic observations provide further information on carcass exploitation. We examine changes in the faunal composition of the three sites in an attempt to identify the extent to which climate might have influenced resource availability and diversity in the region, stimulating resource intensification or diversification processes. Our results suggest that Middle Palaeolithic hominins consistently acquired high‐ranked prey through time. However, interregional differences in resource exploitation indicate that local topography and microclimate mediated prey choice and availability.

The spatial patterning of Middle Palaeolithic human settlement in westernmost Iberia - João Cascalheira; Célia Gonçalves; Daniela Maio (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Currently available data on the Pleistocene human occupation of the westernmost territories of Iberia attest to the presence of Middle Palaeolithic industries from c . 240 ka cal bp until c . 37 ka cal bp. Previous studies focusing on this time frame have suggested that Middle Palaeolithic populations were highly mobile and predominately utilised locally available raw materials, with many cave and open‐air sites being located near fluvial settings. Other than these observations, no specific studies have focused on exploring the factors influencing human site location choice during that time range. Employing statistical and GIS approaches, this paper provides an initial assessment of spatial patterning in human settlement during the Middle Palaeolithic of westernmost Iberia. Results show that site locations are biased towards lower elevations and riverine settings and suggest that distance to rivers might have impacted the diversity and specific types of lithic raw materials used at each site. These results help to shed light on the particularities of Neanderthal adaptations in a region regarded as a refugium during periods of unfavourable climate during the Middle Palaeolithic.

Neanderthals on the Lower Danube: Middle Palaeolithic evidence in the Danube Gorges of the Balkans - Dušan Borić; Emanuela Cristiani; Rachel Hopkins; Jean‐Luc Schwenninger; Katarina Gerometta; Charly A. I. French; Giuseppina Mutri; Jelena Ćalić; Vesna Dimitrijević; Ana B. Marín‐Arroyo; Jennifer R. Jones; Rhiannon Stevens; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The article presents evidence about the Middle Palaeolithic and Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition interval in the karst area of the Danube Gorges in the Lower Danube Basin. We review the extant data and present new evidence from two recently investigated sites found on the Serbian side of the Danube River – Tabula Traiana and Dubočka‐Kozja caves. The two sites have yielded layers dating to both the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic and have been investigated by the application of modern standards of excavation and recovery along with a suite of state‐of‐the‐art analytical procedures. The presentation focuses on micromorphological analyses of the caves’ sediments, characterisation of cryptotephra, a suite of new radiometric dates (accelerator mass spectrometry and optically stimulated luminescence) as well as proteomics (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) and stable isotope data in discerning patterns of human occupation of these locales over the long term.

Back to Uluzzo – archaeological, palaeoenvironmental and chronological context of the Mid–Upper Palaeolithic sequence at Uluzzo C Rock Shelter (Apulia, southern Italy) - E. E. Spinapolice; A. Zerboni; M. C. Meyer; S. Talamo; G. S. Mariani; L. A. Gliganic; L. Buti; M. Fusco; M. P. Maiorano; S. Silvestrini; R. Sorrentino; A. Vazzana; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The tempo and mode of Homo sapiens dispersal in Eurasia and the demise of Neanderthals has sparked debate about the dynamics of Neanderthal extinction and its relationship to the arrival of H. sapiens . In Italy, the so‐called ‘Transition’ from Neanderthals to H. sapiens is related to the Uluzzian technocomplex, i.e. the first archaeological evidence for modern human dispersal on the European continent. This paper illustrates the new chronology and stratigraphy of Uluzzo C, a rock shelter and Uluzzian key site located in the Uluzzo Bay in southern Italy, where excavations are ongoing, refining the cultural sequence known from previous excavations. Microstratigraphic investigation suggests that most of the deposit formed after dismantling of the vault of the rock shelter and due to wind input of loess deflated by the continental shelf. The occasional reactivation of the hydrology of the local karst system under more humid conditions further contributed to the formation of specific layers accumulating former Terra Rossa‐type soil fragments. Superposed on sedimentary processes, strong bioturbation and the mobilization and recrystallization of calcite have been detected. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from Uluzzo C Rock Shelter are congruent with previously published radiocarbon ages obtained on shell beads and tephrachronology from adjacent sites preserving the Uluzzian technocomplex such as Grotta del Cavallo, confirming the onset for the Uluzzian in the area to ca. 39.2–42.0 ka. The OSL chronology from Uluzzo C also provides a terminus post quem for the end of the Mousterian in the region, constraining the disappearance of the Neanderthals in that part of Italy to ≥46 ± 4 ka.

Neanderthal last stand? Thoughts on Iberian refugia in late MIS 3 - Lawrence Guy Straus (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The history of the idea of Neanderthal/Mousterian refugia on the Iberian Peninsula over the past three decades is reviewed. Despite the recent re‐datings of several key sites that have cast doubt on late survivals, it continues to seem to be the case that Aurignacian ( sensu lato ) industries appeared relatively early in northern Spain, but not in southern Spain or Portugal. Although arguments for extremely late survival in Gibraltar are questioned, new information from sites in Murcia and a more conservative reading of the Gorham's Cave record seem to support the thesis of late Middle Paleolithic survival and late early Upper Paleolithic arrival in the south. Major problems continue to be the lack of either Neanderthal or Cro‐Magnon human remains of late Middle Paleolithic or early Upper Paleolithic age in Iberia and the ambiguity of the Châtelperronian record in northern Spain.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)

Lipid residue analysis of ceramic vessels from the Liujiawa site of the Rui State (early Iron Age, north China) - Bin Han; Zhanwei Sun; Jianrong Chong; Nanning Lyu; Huiyun Rao; Yimin Yang (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Liujiawa site is located in the Agricultural–Nomadic Transitional Zone in Northern China (ANTZNC), inhabited during the early Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 bc ). Little is known about the diets of its inhabitants or agricultural management practices due to scant historical descriptions. In this study, lipid analysis was conducted on pottery sherds collected from two residential areas within the Liujiawa site. The results offer direct evidence for the processing of millet and ruminant and non‐ruminant carcass products by the commoners of the Liujiawa community. The individual δ 13 C values of fatty acids with positive fluctuation indicate that some ruminant animals and pigs were fed C 4 plants as fodder. The routine consumption of ruminant meat by the common inhabitants also reflects a more diverse food source than that proposed in historical descriptions that have suggested dietary heterogeneity between the upper and lower classes: cattle or ovicaprid meat was not a singular privilege enjoyed by the noble classes. On the contrary, commoners also consumed the meat as a food source. Moreover, direct evidence of dairy processing has been found for the first time in pottery residues from an archaeological site within ANTZNC, strongly indicating that milk had been incorporated into the diet as an additional source of food.

Horashim East: a newly discovered Middle Palaeolithic site in central Israel - Ella Assaf; Viviane Slon; Francesca Romagnoli (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Horashim East is a newly discovered Middle Palaeolithic open‐air occurrence in central Israel, revealed during a thematic prehistoric survey. Hundreds of lithic items were found, including an early‐stage biface, Levallois cores and products. As only a few open‐air settlements are known from the Middle Palaeolithic Levant, the discovery of Horashim East sheds new light on human land‐use patterns during this period and reinforces the notion that central‐eastern Israel was favourable for human settlement throughout the Palaeolithic.

Middle Pleistocene environments, landscapes and tephrostratigraphy of the Armenian Highlands: evidence from Bird Farm 1, Hrazdan Valley - Jenni E. Sherriff; Keith N. Wilkinson; Poppy Harding; Hayley Hawkins; Rhys G. O. Timms; Daniel S. Adler; Emily J. Beverly; Simon P. E. Blockley; Boris Gasparyan; Christina J. Manning; Darren Mark; Samvel Nahapetyan; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The significance of the southern Caucasus in understanding Pleistocene hominin expansions is well established. However, the palaeoenvironments in which Palaeolithic occupation of the region took place are presently poorly defined. The Hrazdan river valley, Armenian Highlands, contains a rich Palaeolithic record alongside Middle Pleistocene volcanic, fluvial and lacustrine strata, and thus offer exciting potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. We present the first results of sedimentological, geochemical, tephrostratigraphical and biological (diatoms) study of the sequence of Bird Farm 1, located in the central part of the valley. These data show six phases of landscape development during the interval 440–200 ka. The sequence represents the first quantitative Pleistocene diatom record from the Armenian Highlands and the southern Caucasus, and indicates the persistence of a deep, stratified lacustrine system, with evidence for changing lake productivity that is tentatively linked to climate. Furthermore, major element chemical characterization of visible and crypto‐tephra horizons in the sequence enables the first stages of the development of a regional tephrostratigraphy. Together, the evidence from Bird Farm 1 demonstrates the importance of lacustrine archives in the region for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and highlights the potential for linkages between archives on both a local and regional scale.

An Early Pleistocene hippopotamus from Westbury Cave, Somerset, England: support for a previously unrecognized temperate interval in the British Quaternary record - Neil F. Adams; Ian Candy; Danielle C. Schreve (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Although fossil assemblages from the late Early Pleistocene are very rare in Britain, the site of Westbury Cave in Somerset, England, has the potential to address this gap. The mammal fossils recovered previously from the Siliceous Member in Westbury Cave, though few in number, have hinted at an age for the deposits that is as yet unparalleled in Britain. Here, we describe the first bona fide occurrence of Hippopotamus in the British Early Pleistocene, discovered during recent reinvestigation of the Siliceous Member. The hippo fossil indicates a refined biochronological age of ca. 1.5–1.07 Ma for the Siliceous Member and a palaeoclimate that was warm and humid, which accords well with previous palaeoenvironmental inferences. A synthesis of late Early Pleistocene hippo occurrences suggests that the Siliceous Member hippo may have been part of an early colonization of north‐west Europe by these megaherbivores, possibly during MIS (Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage) 31. Alternatively, it evidences a currently cryptic northward migration during an even earlier temperate phase. In either case, the Siliceous Member is likely to represent a warm period that has not been recognized previously in the British Quaternary record.

Glacial oscillations during the Bølling–Allerød Interstadial–Younger Dryas transition in the Ruda Valley, Central Pyrenees - M. Fernandes; M. Oliva; G. Vieira; D. Palacios; J. M. Fernández‐Fernández; J. Garcia‐oteyza; I. Schimmelpfennig; Aster Team; D. Antoniades (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The Upper Garonne Basin included the largest glacial system in the Pyrenees during the last glacial cycle. Within the long‐term glacial retreat during Termination‐1 (T‐1), glacier fluctuations left geomorphic evidence in the area. However, the chronology of T‐1 glacial oscillations on the northern slopes of the Central Pyrenees is still poorly constrained. Here, we introduce new geomorphological observations and a 12‐sample dataset of 10 Be cosmic‐ray exposure ages from the Ruda Valley. This U‐shaped valley, surrounded by peaks exceeding 2800 m a.s.l., includes a sequence of moraines and polished surfaces that enabled a reconstruction of the chronology of the last deglaciation. Following the maximum ice extent, warmer conditions prevailing at ~15–14 ka, during the Bølling–Allerød (B–A) Interstadial, favoured glacial retreat in the Ruda Valley. Within the B–A, glaciers experienced two phases of advance/stillstand with moraine formation at 13.5 and 13.0 ka. During the early Younger Dryas (YD), glacial retreat exposed the highest surfaces of the Saboredo Cirque (~2300–2350 m) at 12.7 ka. Small glaciers persisted only inside the highest cirques (~2470 m), such as in Sendrosa Cirque, with moraines stabilising at 12.6 ka. The results of this work present the most complete chronology for Pyrenean glacial oscillations from the B–A to the YD.

Local and regional constraints on relative sea‐level changes in southern Isle of Skye, Scotland, since the Last Glacial Maximum - Louise Best; Alexander R. Simms; Martin Brader; Jerry Lloyd; Juliet Sefton; Ian Shennan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
New relative sea‐level (RSL) data constrain the timing and magnitude of RSL changes in the southern Isle of Skye following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). We identify a marine limit at ~ 23 m OD, indicating RSL ~20 m above present c . 15.1 ka. Isolation basin data, supported by terrestrial and marine limiting dates, record an RSL fall to 11.59 m above present by c . 14.2 ka. This RSL fall occurs across the time of global Meltwater Pulse 1A, supporting recent research on the sources of ice melting. Our new data also help to resolve some of the chronological issues within the existing Isle of Skye RSL record and provide details of the sub‐Arctic marine environment associated with the transition into Devensian Lateglacial climate at c . 14.5 k cal a bp , and the timing of changes in response to the Loch Lomond Stadial climate. Glacio‐isostatic adjustment (GIA) model predictions of RSL deviate from the RSL constraints and reflect uncertainties in local and global ice models used within the GIA models. An empirical RSL curve provides a target for future research.

A preliminary study of natural environmental change and its impact on early Late Paleolithic people in the northeast central Korean Peninsula during Marine Istope Stage 3 (40–30k cal a bp ) - Sangheon Yi; Chang‐Gyun Han; Keun‐Chang Oh; In Sun Seo; Dongwook Kim; Jaeyoung Lee; Min Han; Hanwoo Choi; Jaesoo Lim; Sujeong Park; Chang‐Pyo Jun; Taesop Cho (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
We comprehensively analyzed sediments obtained from an archeological excavation. A trench sediment profile of Maedun Cave (MC), South Korea, was analyzed geoarchaeologically. Multi‐proxy analyses (palynomorphs, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, animal bones and artifacts) reflected the vegetation, hydroclimate and lives of prehistoric people at Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 40–30k cal a bp ) in the early Late Paleolithic. The palynoflora consisted of pollen and non‐pollen palynomorphs. Under the air‐circulation system in the cave, anemophilous pollen flowed in during the day, whereas waterborne pollen and spores, and freshwater algae, were transported by flooding during the summer monsoon rainy season. Mixed conifer and deciduous broad‐leaved forest with an understory of pteridophytes flourished around the north‐east central Korean Peninsula during MIS 3. Freshwater algae and grass pollen records may reflect precipitation intensity. It is assumed that they had flowed in during flooding caused by high precipitation during the enhanced East Asian summer monsoon, corresponding to Dansgaard–Oeschger (D/O) events 5 and 8 of δ 18 O GISP2 and Hulu Cave. The prehistoric people hunted herbivorous animals in the area around MC and sheltered inside it seasonally. They also used the grains of oats growing near the dwelling as a source of food.

Identification of Atlantic water inflow on the north Svalbard shelf during the Holocene - Marion Peral; William E. N. Austin; Riko Noormets (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
Nordaustlandet is located in the northeastern part of the Svalbard archipelago, within the northernmost reach of the West Spitsbergen Current. This current transports Atlantic water to the Arctic Ocean along the western and northern Svalbard margins. This region is well‐suited for reconstructing the history of changing Atlantic water inflow to the Arctic Ocean. We studied the marine sediment core HH12‐04‐GC from Rijpfjorden. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages and sedimentological data are combined to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment of the fjord from the end of the last local deglaciation to the late Holocene. The local deglaciation, between 11.3 and 10.6 cal ka bp , was dominated by active glacier calving processes, associated with a strong inflow of Atlantic water. This led to the establishment of glaciomarine conditions. The Holocene was initially characterised by a relatively stable and warm environment associated with a strong contribution of Atlantic water. Glaciomarine influence progressively decreases after 9.7 cal ka bp and the Atlantic water contribution increases. The late Holocene displayed a similar environment to today, with the influence of glaciomarine conditions and limited Atlantic water inflow. These results confirm that Atlantic water inflows made a continuous contribution to northern Nordaustlandet throughout the postglacial period.

Insights into Holocene relative sea‐level changes in the southern North Sea using an improved microfauna‐based transfer function - Juliane Scheder; Friederike Bungenstock; Kristin Haynert; Anna Pint; Frank Schlütz; Peter Frenzel; Achim Wehrmann; Helmut Brückner; Max Engel (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
In light of global warming and rising relative sea level (RSL), detailed reconstructions of RSL histories and their controlling processes are essential in order to manage coastal‐protection challenges. This study contributes to unravelling Holocene RSL change on the East Frisian North Sea coast in high resolution and with a new approach for the German Bight. For the first time, a transfer function (vertical error: 29.7 cm ≙ ~11% of the mean tidal range) for RSL change based on a combined training set of benthic foraminifers and ostracods from the back‐barrier tidal basin of Spiekeroog is applied to the Holocene record of the back‐barrier tidal basin of Norderney. The resulting RSL curve for the Norderney tidal basin is corrected for decompaction and shows a deceleration in RSL rise between 6000 and 5000 cal bp. The smallest possible error envelope (~1 m) results from the good suitability of salt‐marsh layers between 5000 and 4000 cal bp. The RSL curve provides an approach towards the closure of the common data gap of peat‐based curves for the southern North Sea related to a lack of basal peats in the youngest age range, and verifies regional differences in glacial isostatic adjustment.

Effects of social and climatic factors on building activity in the Czech lands between 1450 and 1950: a dendrochronological analysis - Tomáš Kolář; Petr Dobrovolný; Péter Szabó; Tomáš Mikita; Tomáš Kyncl; Josef Kyncl; Irena Sochová; Aleš Flídr; David Merta; Michal Rybníček (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2022)
The development of settlement and building activity is the result of socioeconomic, political and demographic changes in the past. However, accurate information on temporal variation in building activity is rather limited. Dendrochronological databases containing dated historical wooden constructions provide an important resource. We used 6514 tree‐felling dates to reconstruct building activity in the Czech lands for the period 1450–1950. Comparing felling dates with historical events demonstrated that building activity was negatively associated with intense wars, particularly during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). After the Peace of Westphalia (1648), socioeconomic renewal and demographic growth were reflected in an upsurge of building activity, especially ecclesiastical buildings. While the construction of ecclesiastical and noble buildings culminated around the 1720s, rural buildings peaked in the 1780s and the 1820s. Although no direct effect of climate was demonstrated, adverse climatic conditions leading to harvest failures and subsequent famines (e.g. the ‘Hunger Years’ 1770–1772) significantly contributed to declines in building activity. In contrast, a higher number of felling dates were detected when strong and/or frequent windstorms occurred. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of building activity in Central Europe and advocates the use of dendrochronological databases for the investigation of human activities in history.

The Požarevac loess–paleosol sequence: a record of increased aridity in the south‐eastern margin of the Carpathian Basin during the last 350 ka - Slobodan B. Marković; Eric A. Oches; Zoran M. Perić; Tivadar Gaudenyi; Mlađen Jovanović; Györgi Sipos; Christine Thiel; Jan‐Pieter Buylaert; Stevan Savić; William D. McCoy; Milica G. Radaković; Rastko S. Marković; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The loess sequence preserved in the Požarevac brickyard in north‐eastern Serbia comprises eight loess units separated by seven paleosols. Geochronological investigation using amino acid racemization and luminescence dating support stratigraphic correlations of loess units L3, S2LL1 and L1 at the Požarevac section with loess of glacial cycles E [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 10], D (MIS 9–8), C (MIS 7–6) and B (MIS 5–2) across central Europe. Correlation with the marine oxygen‐isotope stratigraphy and associated paleoclimatic inferences are further supported by magnetic susceptibility, particle size and carbonate content measured in Požarevac sediments. Malacological investigations at the Požarevac section reveal the continuous presence of the Chondrula tridens and Helicopsis striata faunal assemblages throughout the last 350 ka. The loess malacological fauna, which is characterized by the complete absence of cold‐resistant and cold‐preferring species, suggests a stable, dry and relatively warm glacial and interglacial climate, compared with other central European loess localities. Together these data suggest that the south‐eastern part of the Carpathian (Pannonian, Middle Danube) Basin was a refugium for warm‐preferring and xerophilous land‐snails during the generally unfavorable glacial climates of the late Middle and Late Pleistocene.

New chronology and extended palaeoenvironmental data to the 1975 loess profile of Madaras brickyard, South Hungary - Pál Sümegi; Sándor Gulyás; Dávid Molnár; Gábor Bozsó; István Fekete; László Makó; Péter Cseh; Mihály Molnár; Balázs P. Sümegi; Peter Almond; Christian Zeeden; Tünde Törőcsik; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The 10 m thick Madaras loess–palaeosol profile is one of the Hungarian outcrops that yielded Upper Palaeolithic artefacts in 1966. To clarify the nature of the deposits and establish a reliable litho‐ and chronostratigraphy, a profile was opened and sampled at 25 cm intervals on the northern side of the brickyard in 1975. Analyses focused on grain size, carbonate content and the mollusc fauna. The chronology was based on the mollusc composition and a single date from the archaeological layer at the depth of ca 7 m below the surface. The 1975 profile was destroyed by mining but the reposited samples allowed an extended analysis of this important Marine Isotope Stage 2 record to which archaeological features were directly assigned. A new absolute chronology was built based on 11 14 C dates. Environmental magnetic, geochemical and palaeoecological investigations allowed a refined view of site evolution with reliable chronology for the Last Glacial Maximum. Our results corroborated those of previous investigations done on other coeval loess–palaeosol sequences of the Southern Carpathian Basin. This also allowed for a temporal correlation to another local record with the published high‐resolution chronology of the same brickyard and enabled modelling of local‐scale heterogeneity of the environment in the long run.

Sedimentology of a Late Quaternary lacustrine record from the south‐eastern Carpathian Basin - Christian Zeeden; Ulrich Hambach; Nicole Klasen; Peter Fischer; Philipp Schulte; Janina J. Nett; Daniel Veres; Igor Obreht; Wei Chu; Maria Papadopoulou; Finn Viehberg; Frank SchÄBitz; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Upper Pleistocene geoarchives in the south‐eastern Carpathian Basin are represented predominantly by loess–palaeosol records. In 2015, a 10 m sediment core composed of clay‐rich lacustrine sediments was recovered by vibracoring a dry lake basin located between the Vršac Mountains (Serbia) and the Banat Sands in the south‐eastern Carpathian Basin; a location relevant for placing regional archaeological results in a palaeoenvironmental context. Here, we present results from geoelectrical prospection and a lithostratigraphic interpretation of this sequence supported by a detailed granulometric study supplemented by ostracod analysis. An age model based on luminescence dating is discussed against sedimentological proxy data and its implication for palaeoenvironmental change. The cores show a stratigraphy of lighter ochre‐coloured and darker greyish sediment, related to the deposition of clay and silt trapped in an aquatic environment. Geophysical measurements show ~20 m thick lacustrine sediments. The grain‐size distributions including the variability in fine clay are indicative of a lacustrine environment. Fine particles were brought into the depositional environments by aquatic input and settled from suspension; also, direct dust input is constrained by grain‐size results. Riverine input and aeolian dust input interplayed at the locality.

State‐of‐the‐art overview of the Loess Palaeolithic of Poland - Pawel Valde‐Nowak; Maria łAnczont (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
In Poland, loess mainly occurs in the southern part of the country, in the Polish Uplands, and on the northern foreland of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. Most of these sediments come from the time of the last glaciation–the Vistulian (Weichselian) glaciation. Thin covers of loess from the penultimate glaciation have been preserved in Upper Silesia. Only a few sites from the Middle Palaeolithic remain in the loess. In the eastern part of Poland loess creates profiles several metres high. Discoveries in this zone represent the cultural sequence from the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic. We know more traces of various cultures from the Upper Palaeolithic exist. The study attempts to synchronise profiles from selected archaeological open‐air sites, outlines of the history of research on loess sites, and attempts to explain terminological and conceptual issues. The issue of loess in the cave site profiles will not be discussed in the article.

Intra‐interstadial environmental changes in Last Glacial loess revealed by molluscan assemblages from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Amiens‐Renancourt 1 (Somme, France) - Olivier Moine; Pierre Antoine; Sylvie Coutard; Gilles Guérin; Christine Hatté; Clément Paris; Ségolène Saulnier‐Copard (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Amiens‐Renancourt 1 site recently yielded one of the most important Upper Palaeolithic human occupations of northern France by the number of flint artefacts and especially by the presence of Venus figurines. All the material comes from a single archaeological layer located in a tundra gley bracketed by loess units. A multi‐proxy study combining a detailed stratigraphy, luminescence and radiocarbon datings and high‐resolution (5 cm per sample) grain size and molluscan analyses was therefore carried out to reconstruct and date the associated environmental changes and to determine the exact context of the human occupation. The chronological frame thus established supports the correlations of the archaeology‐bearing tundra gley and of an underlying arctic brown soil with Greenland interstadials GI‐4 and GI‐3. Composition changes in the molluscan population enabled the identification of transitional and optimum phases and sub‐phases within these two pedogenetic horizons. A conceptual correlation model linking molluscan phases with millennial‐scale variations of Greenland ice‐core and Sieben Hengste speleothem climate records is proposed. The Human occupation appears contemporaneous to the end of the stadial–interstadial transition of GI‐3. Synchronous in Amiens‐Renancourt 1 and Nussloch, subsequent micro‐gleys may also result from a regional/global forcing. Such a level of detail is unprecedented in a loess sequence.

Impact of katabatic winds on the environment of Neanderthals during the Middle Palaeolithic in westernmost Europe - Jean‐Pierre Lefort; Jean‐Laurent Monnier; John Renouf; Guzel Danukalova (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Compilation of the offshore and onshore altitudinal limits of the loess deposits of western France and southern England shows that they were deposited by low‐level wind fields. These relate to (i) the deflation of silt‐rich sediment extracted from the outwash plains of the not far distant British–Irish Ice Sheet and from the palaeo‐rivers of the Channel, and (ii) the existence of north and north‐western palaeo‐winds deduced from particle size analysis and heavy mineral distribution, and suggest (iii) that loess particles were transported by strong katabatic winds blowing from the northern ice‐covered regions towards Brittany and Normandy. Comparison between the main orientation of Neanderthal shelters and the direction of the katabatic winds shows that they were perpendicular to each other. The dominant orientation of the shelters was apparently ruled by these winds. A small‐scale study concentrating on the penultimate glaciation shows that in contrast to Brittany and Normandy where loess deposits accumulated on north‐facing cliffs, in England the same particles were deposited on the leeside of the hills. The existence of deflation zones, violently swept by Marine Isotope Stage 6 katabatic winds south of the British–Irish ice sheet, was probably at the origin of the restricted number of Neanderthals at that time in England. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

New results concerning the pedo‐ and chronostratigraphy of the loess–palaeosol sequence Attenfeld (Bavaria, Germany) derived from a multi‐methodological approach - Lydia Krauss; Nicole Klasen; Philipp Schulte; Frank Lehmkuhl (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Loess–palaeosol sequences (LPS) represent important records of palaeoenvironmental dynamics throughout the Quaternary. During the Pleistocene's dry and cold phases, the Danube's riverbed was one of the major sources for loess sediments that built up LPS in southern Germany and southeastern Europe. Surprisingly, studies addressing Bavarian LPS along the Danube River often lack actuality. The Attenfeld site was one of them and is often cited as a typical LPS. Nevertheless, the site's previous interpretations are based on a few empirical data and field observations. Considering the site's closeness to the sediment's source area, the Alps, and the region's importance in Middle and Upper Palaeolithic migrational movements, those former renditions needed an evaluation. Therefore, we applied a multi‐proxy approach (including analyses of grain‐size distribution, element composition, and sediment colour attributes) combined with optically stimulated luminescence. Based on our findings, we conclude that the Attenfeld site's former interpretations might be too generalised. We identified units that were not mentioned by previous studies (e.g. Early Glacial dark greyish horizon). Field observations, sediment characteristics, and age estimates indicate sediment deposition of the dated units partly before MIS 4, which contrasts with previous interpretations. The results further demonstrate how sensitive LPS are to environmental settings and dynamics.

The last 750 ka in loess–palaeosol sequences from northern France: environmental background and dating of the western European Palaeolithic - Pierre Antoine; Sylvie Coutard; Jean‐Jacques Bahain; Jean‐Luc Locht; David Hérisson; Emilie Goval (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
This study presents an overview of Middle Pleistocene loess–palaeosol sequences (LPS) in northern France and discusses the palaeoclimatic significance of the pedosedimentary record in the context of western European LPS and of global climatic cycles for the last 750 ka. In this area, the oldest loess deposits (early Middle Pleistocene) are preserved in sedimentary traps (leeward scarps of fluvial terraces and dissolution sinkholes). They result from local deflation processes reworking Pleistocene sandy fluvial deposits or relicts of Tertiary sands. A large extension of typical calcareous loess over the landscape, the Loess Revolution , is then observed during MIS 6, with heavy mineral assemblages testifying to long‐distance transport from the polar desert area of the dried eastern Channel. A correlation scheme is proposed between the global records of northern France in continental environments and both global palaeoclimatic records and other main western European LPS. After 30 years of research, northern France LPS stand as a fundamental archive of the impact of interglacial–glacial climatic cycles as well as millennial events. Finally, these works provide a robust chronoclimatic framework for the study of the western European Late Acheulean and Middle Palaeolithic and for the relative dating of the various fluvial terraces that they fossilise.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

Malaco temperature reconstructions and numerical simulation of environmental conditions in the southeastern Carpathian Basin during the Last Glacial Maximum - Patrick Ludwig; Milivoj B. Gavrilov; Milica G. Radaković; Slobodan B. Marković (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We investigate the glacial climate conditions in the southeastern Carpathian Basin (Vojvodina, Serbia) based on the reconstruction of malacological palaeotemperatures and results from a high‐resolution regional climate simulation. Land snail assemblages from eight loess profiles are used to reconstruct July temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The malacological reconstructed temperatures are in good agreement with the simulated LGM July temperatures by the Weather Research and Forecast model. Both methods indicate increasing temperatures from the northwestern towards the southeastern parts of the study area. LGM aridity indices calculated based on the regional climate model data suggest more arid conditions in the southeastern parts compared with more humid conditions in the northwestern parts. However, for present‐day conditions, the moisture gradient is reversed, exhibiting more humid (arid) conditions in the southeast (northwest). An explanation for the reversed LGM aridity pattern is provided by an analysis of the prevailing wind directions over the South Banat district (Serbia). The prevailing moist northwesterly winds during summer are not able to compensate for the annual lack of moisture induced by the dry winds from the southeast that are more frequent during the LGM for the other seasons.

Using archaeological data and sediment parameters to review the formation of the Gravettian layers at Krems‐Wachtberg - Marc Händel; Roswitha Thomas; Tobias Sprafke; Philipp Schulte; Michael Brandl; Ulrich Simon; Thomas Einwögerer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Gravettian site Krems‐Wachtberg in northeast Austria produced a wealth of archaeological and sedimentary data. Precondition for a detailed study of the formation processes is co‐occurrence of find layers with in situ and redeposited material. We use archaeological data and sediment parameters to review and refine a formation model that was based solely on field observations. The archaeological perspective relies upon the rich chipped stone assemblage where each artefact is attributed with 3D position, orientation, stratigraphy, typo‐technological description, and raw material determination. This enabled systematic refitting and 3D analyses of the results. High‐resolution sampling of the sediment sequence which was conducted in six columns at different locations of the excavated area provided comparable results for grain size, colour and carbonate content. The study illustrates the complementary benefits of field observations, archaeological data and sediment parameters. While detailed loess stratigraphy creates the frame for understanding palaeoenvironmental processes, archaeological data enhances visibility of local post‐occupational sedimentary processes. This allows the archaeological sequence to be placed into a cycle of gradual de‐ and restabilisation of the palaeosurface. Burial of the ~31k cal a bp occupation layer occurred by solifluction, slope wash and aeolian deposition between two stable phases marked by tundra gley soils.

Palaeoecological background of the Upper Palaeolithic site of Ságvár, Hungary: radiocarbon‐dated malacological and sedimentological studies on the Late Pleistocene environment - Dávid Molnár; Pál Sümegi; László Makó; Péter Cseh; Christian Zeeden; Janina Nett; Frank Lehmkuhl; Tünde Törőcsik; Balázs P. Sümegi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
In this paper, the authors present new palaeoecological and sedimentological results from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Ságvár, Hungary. Simple (abundance and dominance) and advanced (cluster analysis, principal component analysis, correspondence) statistical analyses of malacological results were carried out, determining eight malacological zones (MZs) and the key species of the fauna evolution in the sequence. Furthermore, an age–depth model was calculated via Bayesian modelling using new radiocarbon age data. The accumulation rate (AR) was calculated by deriving data from the age–depth model. The palaeoecological reconstruction indicated a cool/cold climate and chiefly steppe environment, with low loess ARs. Not only the vegetation cover but also the geographical setting of the sequence could have led to the low AR values. However, in the uppermost part of the sequence, during the GS 3 and GS 2.1c stadials, the reconstructed palaeoclimate indicated a warming period. Nevertheless, this contradiction is not unique in the Carpathian Basin. The settled Upper Palaeolithic hunters around 22 300 cal a bp lived in a progressively warming wooded steppe environment, hunting mainly for reindeer. Climate change might have forced them to migrate away, following the reindeer.

The past in dust: current trends and future directions in Pleistocene geoarcheology of European loess - Wei Chu; Janina J. Nett (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Loess is a main archive of Pleistocene landscapes and environments and therefore has an important connection to the preservation and interpretation of Paleolithic sites. In Europe, anthropogenic sites have been found in loess because of past local occupation. At one extreme, sites are well preserved with minimal disturbance often accompanied by embedded proxies to estimate ecological parameters. On the other hand, loess deposits have undergone post‐depositional alterations such as weathering, pedogenesis or bioturbation due to changing environmental conditions or other disturbances that obscure anthropogenic sites. We outline the current state of research and connections between Paleolithic archeology and loess research while introducing a series of subsequent regional case studies as part of a special issue. We also make recommendations for future work to incorporate a wider variety of methods to create more robust inferences on hominin and environmental evolution and their connections.

Chronology of the Mediterranean sea‐level highstand during the Last Interglacial: a critical review of the U/Th‐dated deposits - Francesca Pasquetti; Monica Bini; Biagio Giaccio; Andrea Ratti; Matteo Vacchi; Giovanni Zanchetta (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Relative sea‐level (RSL) evolution during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5 in the Mediterranean basin is still not fully understood despite a plethora of morphological, stratigraphic and geochronological studies carried out on highstand deposits of this area. In this review we assembled a database of 323 U/Th‐dated samples (e.g. corals, molluscs, speleothems) which were used to chronologically constrain RSL evolution within MIS 5. The application of strict geochemical criteria to the U/Th samples indicates that only ~33% of data available for the Mediterranean Sea can be considered ‘reliable’. Most of these data (~65%) refer to the MIS 5e highstand, while only ~17% could be related to the MIS 5a. No attribution to MIS 5c can be unequivocally supported. Nevertheless, the resulting framework does not allow us to define a satisfactory RSL trend during the MIS 5e highstand and subsequent MIS 5 substages. Overall, the proposed selection of reliable/unreliable data would be useful for detecting areas where MIS 5 substage attributions are not supported by confident U/Th chronological data and thus the related reconstructions need to be revised. In this regard, the resulting framework calls for a reappraisal and re‐examination of the Mediterranean records with advanced geochronological methodologies.

Speleothem‐based chronology and environmental context of deposits from the Mishin Kamik Cave, NW Bulgaria – A contribution to the archaeological study of the Late Pleistocene human occupation in the Balkans - Sophie Verheyden; Elena Marinova; Stefanka Ivanova; Christian Burlet; Hai Cheng; Lawrence R. Edwards; Thomas Goovaerts; Maria Gurova (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Balkan Peninsula represents one of the most important human pathways into and out of Europe during the Pleistocene. Mishin Kamik cave, located in the karst region of Western Stara Planina, has a rich faunal content and shows promising features indicating a human occupation site with the discovery of potential bone artefacts and an intriguing accumulation of bear skulls and bones. Petrographic study and U‐series dating of a stalagmite and other calcite deposits in the cave provide an absolute chronological frame for the detrital infillings and their archaeological content and inform the environmental and climatic context of the cave evolution. Most detrital deposits in the cave were probably deposited before Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 and the cave morphology and sedimentary deposits display current morphologies since ~135 ka. Consequently, the palaeontological and archaeological findings are older than ~135 ka. Calcite dated on and under the accumulation of bear skulls and bones suggests deposition during MIS 7. A first depositional contextualization of the bone accumulation does not allow us to discriminate between a natural or anthropogenic origin. The study emphasizes the added value of speleothem studies in archaeological sites and particularly in bringing a well‐constrained chronological and environmental framework.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

~5.9 cal ka bp Towada‐Chuseri tephra from Towada volcano: a mid‐Holocene marker layer from Japan to northeast China - Chunqing Sun; Gill Plunkett; Zeyang Zhu; Lei Zhang; Bin Zhang; Di Zhang; Qian Mao; Haitao You; Luo Wang; Guoqiang Chu; Jiaqi Liu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Far‐travelled ash layers from explosive volcanic eruptions can provide invaluable marker horizons for dating and correlating regional to global sedimentary archives. Here, we present a new cryptotephra associated with the ~5.9 cal ka bp Towada‐Chuseri eruption (To‐Cu) in a peat sediment record from northeast China. This tephra exhibits a rhyolitic glass composition that can be distinguished from other widespread tephra layers around the region of Japan and northeast China. Our findings extend the known range of this ash significantly, making it now traceable about 1200 km from its source, Towada volcano, Japan. Notably, this tephra provides an important isochron for synchronising palaeoenvironmental studies during the mid‐Holocene period from the western Pacific, central Japan, Japan Sea and northeast China.

Climate, fire and vegetation history from subtropical North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), eastern Australia, during the last three interglacials - Christopher Kemp; John Tibby; Cameron Barr; Lee Arnold (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Records of Australian palaeoclimate beyond the last glacial cycle are rare, limiting detailed analysis of long‐term climate trends and associated ecosystem responses. This study analyses a discontinuous pollen and charcoal record from Fern Gully Lagoon, North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), subtropical Queensland, Australia, which covers much of the last ~210 ,000 years. Climate variation is inferred from changes in vegetation, while analysis of micro‐ and macrocharcoal is used to infer fire activity. Pollen assemblages consist of ~40% rainforest taxa during marine isotope stage (MIS) 7a–c and early MIS 5. These are inferred to result from high rainfall in the Australian subtropics, which was also evident in north‐east and central Australia. Human impact from 21 ,000 years ago likely supressed post‐MIS 2 rainforest expansion to some extent. However, the increased Holocene abundance of herbs and grasses and reduced representation of aquatic taxa suggest that the Holocene was relatively dry when compared with early MIS 5 and MIS 7a–c. Similar MIS 5 and early MIS 7a–c climates, in contrast to a notably drier Holocene, suggest that the progressive interglacial drying trend most strongly recorded in central Australia was not a major feature of subtropical eastern Australian climates.

Holes in the spinous processes of woolly mammoth vertebrae: spatial and temporal distribution, and the causes of pathology formation - Sergey V. Leshchinskiy; Yaroslav V. Kuzmin; Mathieu Boudin; Leeli Amon (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The latest data on holes in the spinous processes of the vertebrae of woolly mammoths, a rare pathology, are presented. This was identified at 19 sites of northern Eurasia. Such destructive changes are recorded ca. 34–12k 14 C a bp , and only two sites dated to >50k and >41k 14 C a bp. The main hypotheses about hole formation are: vertebral abnormalities; bone infections; genetic traits; and unfavourable geochemical environment. The pathology occurred in mammoths of all age groups, and could have arisen at the embryonic stage. There are two types: classic holes associated with osteolytic changes; and very rarely tumour‐like lesions. The most likely cause of the lesions is alimentary osteodystrophy caused by chronic mineral starvation. The aetiology of this disease is usually associated with a deficiency or excess of macro‐ and microelements in the geochemical landscape, and through forage and water this leads to a severe metabolic disorder. Analysis of palaeopathological data shows two waves of geochemical stress in animals, ca. 26–18k and ca. 16–12k 14 C a bp. Therefore, the woolly mammoth extinction can be viewed as a non‐linear function, with two peaks of high mortality corresponding to the Last Glacial Maximum and the Lateglacial.

Variation of summer precipitation δ 18 O on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the last interglacial - Zeke Zhang; Gaojun Li; Yanjun Cai; Zhengyu Liu; Zhisheng An (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Orbital‐scale East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) variations inferred from loess deposits in northern China and speleothems from southern China display different dominant periods, complicating our understanding of monsoon response to insolation and ice‐volume forcings. Here we integrate a new microcodium δ 18 O record from a high‐resolution last interglacial loess profile with previously published data and provide a composite microcodium δ 18 O record on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) since the last interglacial. The composite microcodium δ 18 O record displays distinct precessional cycles, consistent with speleothem δ 18 O records, but with different amplitude contrast (particularly during the peak interglacials). We propose that both loess and speleothem δ 18 O records exhibit covariations at precessional timescale oscillations. The discrepancy between loess and speleothem from southern China can be attributed to the influences of other processes besides summer precipitation on the proxies. A slight difference in amplitude between microcodium and speleothem δ 18 O records implies that the EASM is also influenced by inland surface boundary conditions, which has important impacts on the occurrence of EASM precipitation. Therefore, microcodium δ 18 O from the Chinese loess–paleosol sequences can be regarded as a representative proxy of EASM precipitation in northern China and then a reliable proxy reflecting the variation of EASM intensity.

Reconstruction of Middle to Late Quaternary sea level using submerged speleothems from the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula - Simon D. Steidle; Sophie F. Warken; Nils Schorndorf; Julius Förstel; Andrea Schröder‐Ritzrau; Gina E. Moseley; Christoph Spötl; Jeronimo Aviles; Wolfgang Stinnesbeck; Norbert Frank (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We examined 14 subaerially deposited speleothems retrieved from submerged caves in the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico). These speleothems grew during the Middle to Late Quaternary and were dated by 230 Th‐U techniques to provide upper depth limits for past sea levels. We report the first relative sea‐level limits for Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 11 and 6, and present new evidence for sea‐level oscillations during MIS 5 and early MIS 1. For the latter periods, the origin of growth interruptions is evaluated by combining petrographic methods with trace element analyses. The MIS 5c sea‐level highstand probably occurred between 103.94 ± 0.58 ka and 96.82 ± 0.42 ka and must have exceeded ‐10.8 m (relative to present‐day local sea level). The minimum average rate of sea‐level fall over a 9.4 ka‐long period during the MIS 5e/5d transition is calculated from stalagmite and published coral data at 1.74 ± 0.37 m/ka. For the early Holocene, previous discrepancies with respect to a potential multimetre oscillation of local sea level were found to be challenging to reconcile with the existing speleothem data from the area.

The changing malaria risk patterns in East‐Central Europe and the North Balkans in the last 27 000 years - Attila J. Trájer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Southeast Europe has historically been at the crossroads of migration routes between Western Asia and Europe. In the Holocene, this area might have been home to malaria. However, it is questionable when malaria arrived in this area and whether it could persist continuously or not in the Holocene. To begin to answer these questions, the July potential generation number of two malaria parasites were modelled, based on the reconstructed mean July temperatures of 52 times in the last 27 000 years. The results indicate that in the late Pleistocene era (27–12 kya bp ), vivax malaria might have been present in the south‐east Black Sea and Aegean Sea's coastal areas. Vivax malaria could also be present in the Pannonian Basin and the inner parts of the North Balkans at least from the mid‐Greenlandian period (~10 kya bp ). Although it is questionable whether falciparum malaria could be endemic in the Pannonian Basin during the mid‐Holocene climate optimum (~6 kya bp ), this malaria plausibly could be endemic from the Neolithic era (~12–6.5 kya bp ) in the major river valleys of the North Balkan region, millennia ahead of the Graeco‐Roman times (8th century bce to 6th century ce ).

Late Quaternary solifluction sheets in the British uplands - Stephan Harrison; Leanne Hughes; Neil Glasser; Oliver Kuras (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Solifluction sheets are large‐scale and extensive valley‐floor and valley‐side landforms developed widely in the British Isles from mass‐wasting of glacial and periglacial sediments during late‐glacial times. We describe their geographical distribution and review the processes that have led to their development. We use data from the Cheviot Hills, the one site in the British Isles where sedimentology and optically stimulated luminescence dating have been combined, to assess their age and nature of deposition. We also present data from central Wales where a new mapping and resistivity survey has reconstructed the nature of valley‐side solifluction sheets. We explore the relative lack of recent research on these landforms and argue that solifluction sheets represent a clear example of how upland geomorphological systems have responded to late‐glacial climate change. We end by identifying a number of areas where research on these enigmatic features could be focussed, including better understanding of their distribution, sedimentology and age.

Taxonomic analysis of the Quaternary archaeofauna found at The Lapa do Santo site, Lagoa Santa region, Brazil - Artur Chahud; Gisele Ferreira Figueiredo; Gabriela Sartori Mingatos; Mercedes Okumura (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Lapa do Santo archaeological site, located in the Lagoa Santa region, Brazil, represents an important hunter‐gatherer occupation dated from the Early and Middle Holocene. Prior studies of archaeofauna dating to this period are few and most of them only provide basic faunal identification with limited information on taphonomic processes. The main goal of this study is to identify the archaeofauna, record the taphonomic processes, and make inferences about its natural (interpreted as the death of the animal in the rockshelter area due to natural causes or due to predation) or anthropic origins. No extinct species (including megamastofauna) were identified. Taxonomic analysis indicated that most faunal remains consist of taxa that may be of mixed origin (natural or anthropic), such as microvertebrates and carnivorous mammals. The Cervidae are the main vertebrate family found in the studied material and these are likely the result of hunting. The Cervidae Ozotoceros support the presence of a fauna that is typical of savannah environments, although the assemblage contains mostly generalist fauna that can thrive in a variety of environments. Very few remains showed clear evidence for taphonomic processes related to human interaction, such as burnt bones.

A tephra‐based correlation of marine and terrestrial records of MIS 11c from Britain and the North Atlantic - Ian Candy; Gareth Tye; Peter Coxon; Mark Hardiman; Ian Matthews; Adrian Palmer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Resolving marine and terrestrial records of glacial and interglacial stages has long been a challenge for Quaternary studies. We present a tephra‐based correlation for MIS 11c of a North Atlantic marine core and a British terrestrial record (Marks Tey). A varved chronology is presented for the annually laminated lake sequence at Marks Tey and the proxy data from this site are plotted on an annual timescale for the first time. This record shows clear evidence for an abrupt cold event and corresponding ecological and landscape response. Varve counting shows that the abrupt event lasted for ca 185 a but the impact on the landscape persisted for ca 560 a. The co‐occurrence of a single tephra layer in Marks Tey and ODP 980 allows these two records to be correlated. Furthermore, this synchronisation shows that the abrupt cold event in Marks Tey was coincident with a centennial‐scale cold event in ODP 980, as evidenced by an increase in Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (s) percentage. In both ODP 980 and Marks Tey the age of this abrupt event was ca 414 500 a indicating that, at this point in MIS 11c, a widespread cold event occurred in the northeastern Atlantic and the British Isles.

Geoarchaeological evidence on a Late Bronze Age earthquake, Ohrid Basin (North Macedonia) - J. Hošek; M. Verčík; P. Pokorný; J. Beneš; V. Komárková; T. Radoměřský; N. Atanasoska; V. Todoroska; P. Ardjanliev (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Geoarchaeological investigations on the northeastern shore of Lake Ohrid revealed 3.5 m thick deepwater lacustrine sediments overlying terrestrial vegetation macrofossils, worked wood and abundant potsherds dated to the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Distinct contact of deepwater sediment with the sub‐aerial weathered limestone bedrock point to a sudden increase in lake level. According to radiocarbon data, catastrophic flooding occurred shortly after 1214 yr bc. Because the area is located in a highly active seismic zone, we propose that this event was caused by tectonically induced, metre‐scale coseismic subsidence related to faults bordering the Ohrid alluvial plain. Moreover, this event coincides well with a dramatic switch in the habitation and settlement strategy in the region. More important, however, is the finding that the age of the proposed massive tectonic event and change in habitation lies within the interval of the proposed ‘earthquake storm’ in the eastern Mediterranean dated to 1225–1175 bc. As the Ohrid‐Korça zone belongs to the same tectonic province, a relationship between the abovementioned earthquakes and the proposed event can be expected. This research therefore might provide the first direct evidence of a large‐scale earthquake event linkable to the LBA collapse of Europe's first urban civilisation in the Aegean.

Sensitivity of tidal marshes as recorders of major megathrust earthquakes: constraints from the 25 December 2016 M w 7.6 Chiloé earthquake, Chile - Martin Brader; Ed Garrett; Daniel Melnick; Ian Shennan (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We present evidence of land‐level change resulting from the 2016 M w 7.6 Chiloé earthquake from tidal wetlands along the southern coastline of Isla de Chiloé, Chile, to test criteria for the detection of low‐level, w 7–8) earthquakes, with important implications for recurrence intervals and assessment of future seismic hazards.

Revisiting the abandoned shorelines of Lake George, Australia: a refined optical dating framework - N. R. Jankowski; T. J. Cohen; J. Larsen; A. Larsen; J.‐H. May (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Abandoned shorelines are an important archive used to constrain past fluctuations in the hydrological balance of lakes around the globe. Within Australia, the shorelines preserved at Lake George, NSW, form one of the few shoreline archives in the south‐east of the continent that record palaeoenvironmental conditions throughout the late Quaternary. Here, we examined and tested the lake‐level record for Lake George constructed in the 1970s by dating a well‐preserved shoreline sequence at Luckdale, on the lake's eastern shore, using single‐grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. Ten stratigraphic units were identified, and these suggest a late Quaternary highstand for Lake George in MIS 3, with fluctuations superimposed upon an overall drying trend throughout MIS 2 and into the present. At Luckdale, the highest four shoreline‐associated units were deposited ~13 to 19 m above lake base and date to between 39 ± 2 and 29 ± 1 ka ago. Our study pushes back the timing of maximum lake depth at Lake George to at least MIS 3, rather than MIS 2. The overall drying trend is supported by similar reductions in both Riverine Plain fluvial activity and other associated lake‐level records from within the Murray basin.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

On the present habitats and ecology of Vertigo pseudosubstriata Ložek, 1954 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Vertiginidea) in Central Asia and its distribution history in Central and Eastern Europe - Stefan Meng; Pavlo Vasyliev; Ivan Khoptynets; Vitalii Tkach; Andreas Maier (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The small terrestrial gastropod Vertigo pseudosubstriata Ložek, 1954 is one of the rarest glacial indicator species in the Pleistocene of Central and Eastern Europe. In all, this species has been found at only about 15 sites in Europe. V. pseudosubstriata was initially described as a fossil in Central Europe and was discovered only later alive in Central Asia. With regard to its modern distribution, 25 habitats with V. pseudosubstriata have been examined in Tien Shan and in the central and southern Altai. These findings seem to capture the contemporary distribution of the species and provide information on the boundaries of its ecological requirements. These data are of great significance for the interpretation of the fossil assemblages. Since the few fossil specimens in Europe date from very different glacial periods in the Elsterian, Saalian Complex and Weichselian, it can be concluded that V. pseudosubstriata apparently immigrated in at least three distinct waves. Most of the Pleistocene specimens in eastern Central Europe and Eastern Europe are reported from archaeological sites of the Upper Middle Weichselian (Gravettian), roughly between 33 and 29 ka cal bp. In this paper, we review all reported modern and fossil occurrences and discuss the species' ecological range.

Effects of the middle Holocene high sea‐level stand and climate on Amazonian mangroves - Marcelo C. L. Cohen; Paloma Maria Pinto Camargo; Luiz C. R. Pessenda; Flávio Lima Lorente; Adriana V. De Souza; José Augusto Martins Corrêa; José Bendassolli; Marianne Dietz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The high sea‐level stand during the mid‐Holocene is a benchmark in mangrove dynamics along the north‐east/south‐east coast of Brazil and provides a reference point for landward and seaward mangrove migrations corresponding to changes in relative sea level (RSL). However, evidence of the impacts associated with RSL fall on the northern Brazilian coast is scarce. Multi‐proxy data from the highest tidal flats of the Bragança Peninsula in northern Brazil revealed modern herbaceous areas were occupied by mangroves Rhizophora and Avicennia from ~6250 to ~5850 cal a bp , and only Avicennia between ~5850 and ~5000 cal a bp . The same tidal flats were vegetation‐free between ~5000 and ~4300 cal a bp . A combination of a high sea‐level stand (0.6 ± 0.1 m) at ~5000 cal a bp and a dry early–middle Holocene in the Amazon probably caused an increase in porewater salinity of tidal flats, which resulted in a mangrove succession from Rhizophora to Avicennia dominance. RSL fall accentuated this process, contributing to mangrove degradation between ~5000 and ~4300 cal a bp . RSL fall, and a wetter period over the past ~4300 cal a bp caused a mangrove migration from highest to lowest flats, followed by expansion of herbaceous vegetation on the highest flats.

Preliminary investigation of Late Pleistocene fauna from Ryonggok Cave No. 1, Sangwon County, North Hwanghae Province, Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Rye Sun Choe; Kum Sik Han; Se Chan Kim; Myong Hyok Ri; Jae Nam Ri (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The investigation of a limestone cave on the Ryonggok‐ri of Sangwon County, North Hwanghae Province, DPRK, has yielded many faunal remains including Late Pleistocene deer, brown bears and horses. Uranium series dating of fossil teeth yielded dates of ~72ka at the base of Layer 2 – the bone‐bearing unit – and ~44ka at the top. The rich and diverse mammal remains of Ryonggok Cave No. 1 are indicative of warm and humid temperate conditions during the Late Pleistocene, and reflect the presence of both dense forests and open grassland. In addition, pollen and spores from the site include two families and 24 genera of trees, six families and a genus of grasses and herbs, and two families and six genera of ferns, corroborating the environments inferred from the faunal remains.

Late Holocene in central Brazil: vegetation changes and humidity variability in a tropical wetland - SHIRLEY MARIA LIMA SABINO; RAQUEL FRANCO CASSINO; MAKÊNIA OLIVEIRA SOARES GOMES; ENEIDA MARIA ESKINAZI SANT'ANNA; CRISTINA HELENA RIBEIRO ROCHA AUGUSTIN; DIEGO ALVES DE OLIVEIRA (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Pandeiros wetland is a high biodiversity ecosystem located within a semiarid region of the Cerrado biome, a neotropical savanna. This large wetland is of key importance for ecological and hydrological balance in central Brazil and for the conservation of the Cerrado fauna and flora. In this study, we present the first palaeoecological investigation of the Pandeiros wetland based on pollen analysis of a palm swamp sediment core encompassing the Late Holocene. Our results show that the wetland was subject to multicentennial‐scale oscillations in water availability during the Late Holocene; in particular, higher local humidity was documented between 4100 and 3100 cal a bp and from 2600 to 1000 cal a bp , and two events of drier local conditions occurred at approximately 2900 and 900 cal a bp. Our results also indicate a general decreasing trend in arboreal density in the Pandeiros River Basin from the beginning of the Late Holocene to the present, with the greatest expansion of dry forest occurring between 3600 and 3100 cal a bp.

Holocene environmental history of a freshwater wetland in southern Louisiana: a sedimentary record of delta development, coastal evolution and human activity - Junghyung Ryu; Kam‐Biu Liu; Thomas A. Bianchette (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The world's most extensive and active deltas, Louisiana's wetlands, are deteriorating rapidly due to multiple stressors. Their ecological and anthropogenic histories on a multimillennial timescale have not been thoroughly documented. This study investigates hydrological and anthropogenic impacts on southern Louisiana wetlands to guide future efforts toward environmental restoration. A 3.6 m sediment core (JOYWMA) extracted from a freshwater wetland adjacent to Lake Pontchartrain yielded a 5000‐year record. Multiproxy data indicate four distinct stages, with the earliest period representing an oyster reef (~4.5 cal yr bp ) marked by elevated Ca and Sr concentrations. Evolution to a freshwater marsh occurred 4.5–4.0 cal yr bp during the St. Bernard delta progradation, marked by increased Zr and Br concentrations. The site transitioned to a lake due to the isolation from the St. Bernard delta and local subsidence (4.0–2.0 cal yr bp ), marked by increased Ti, Fe, Mn and K concentrations. The site altered to a cypress swamp after 2.0 cal yr bp due to increased sediment supply during the St. Bernard subdelta progradation. Both natural (delta progradation and subsidence) and anthropogenic (fire, deforestation) stressors have impacted the site over the last 4500 years. Delta‐switching of the Mississippi River caused the significant geomorphological and ecological changes.

The first record of Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811) from Poland and the possible impact of other large canids on the evolution of the species - Adrian Marciszak; Aleksandra Kropczyk; Grzegorz Lipecki (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The presence of Cuon alpinus in Poland is documented here for the first time. Between 650 and 450 ka, Lycaon lycaonoides dominated the open lands, while Cuon alpinus priscus tended to prefer forests, mountains and highlands. Canis mosbachensis coexisted in all these environments. Between 480 and 430 ka, there was a drastic reduction in the number and range of L. lycaonoides . The balance between canids was disturbed and a critical point in the lycaon–wolf relationship was passed. Probably between 450 and 400 ka, the lycaon was too rare to be a real competitor and a limiting factor for the wolf. It was also at this time that the lycaon disappeared completely. With disappearance of the lycaon from Eurasia, there was a slow increase in the body size of the wolf. Between 400 and 300 ka, the dhole and the wolf were still close in body size, but the wolf was slowly increasing in size. Between 300 and 250 ka, the wolf became the dominant dog species and took a niche occupied until then by the lycaon. Because of competition, C . alpinus decreased in body size and adapted to hunting and living in forest, mountain and highland environments.

Plio‐Pleistocene mammals from Mille‐Logya, Ethiopia, and the post‐Hadar faunal change - Denis Geraads; Denne Reed; W. Andrew Barr; René Bobe; Peter Stamos; Zeresenay Alemseged (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We describe the non‐primate mammalian fauna from the late Pliocene to earliest Pleistocene deposits of Mille‐Logya in the Lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia, dated to c. 2.9–2.4 Ma, and divided into three successive units: Gafura, Seraitu, and Uraitele. We identify 41 mammalian taxa (including rodents), the most diverse group being the Bovidae, with 17 taxa. While the Gafura assemblage still resembles those from the earlier Hadar Formation, the younger Seraitu assemblage documents a major turnover. While there is little change in the species present across this interval, the relative abundances of various taxa change dramatically, with suids being largely replaced by open‐country bovids (Alcelaphini and Antilopini). We interpret this faunal change as reflective of an environmental shift, contemporaneous with the replacement of Australopithecus afarensis by Homo in the area.

Millennial‐scale shifts in microtidal ecosystems during the Holocene: dynamics and drivers of change from the Po Plain coastal record (NE Italy) - Veronica Rossi; Giulia Barbieri; Stefano Claudio Vaiani; Marco Cacciari; Luigi Bruno; Bruno Campo; Marco Marchesini; Silvia Marvelli; Alessandro Amorosi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Framed into a robust stratigraphic context, multivariate analyses on the Holocene palaeobiological record (pollen, benthic foraminifers, ostracods) of the Po coastal plain (NE Italy) allowed the investigation of microtidal ecosystems variability and driving parameters along a 35‐km‐long land–sea transect. Millennial‐scale ecosystem shifts are documented by coeval changes in the meiofauna, reflecting variations in organic matter–water depth (shallow‐marine environments) and degree of confinement‐salinity (back‐barrier settings). In‐phase shifts of vegetation communities track unsteady water‐table levels and river dynamics in freshwater palustrine areas. Five environmental–ecological stages followed one another crossing four tipping points that mark changes in relative sea level (RSL), climate and/or fluvial regime. At the culmination of Mediterranean RSL rise, after the 8200 event, remarkable growth of peatlands took place in the Po estuary, while low accumulation rates typified the shelf. At the transgressive–regressive turnaround (~7000 cal a bp ), the estuary turned into a delta plain with tidally influenced interdistributary embayments. River flow regime oscillations after the Climate Optimum (post‐5000 cal a bp ) favoured isolation of the bays and the development of brackish wetlands surrounded by wooded peatlands. The youngest threshold (~800 cal a bp ), which led to the establishment of the modern delta, reflects a major avulsion of the Po River.

Reassessment of the ‘Abbevillien’ in the perspective of new discoveries from the Lower Palaeolithic and Quaternary sites of Abbeville (Somme, northern France) - Marie‐hélène Moncel; Pierre Antoine; Arnaud Hurel; Jean‐Jacques Bahain (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
North‐West Europe yields few traces of early human occupation, in particular for the Acheulean. In this context, the Somme Valley in northern France offers a route to Britain during various Pleistocene low sea levels, and has provided numerous evidence of Lower Palaeolithic human occupation through fieldwork initiated during the 19th century. These localities are associated with the original definition in the 1930s by the French prehistorian Abbé Henri Breuil of the ‘Abbevillien’ (Abbevillian facies), based on lithic pieces including crudely made bifaces recovered in particular in some famous key localities of Abbeville, Carpentier, Léon and Moulin Quignon quarries. The history of the term and its definition subsequently gave rise to debates concerning the chronocultural framework of Palaeolithic assemblages among the scientific community of prehistorians over time, from Jacques Boucher de Perthes, Gabriel de Mortillet, Geoffroy d'Ault du Mesnil, Victor Commont, Henri Breuil and François Bordes. New investigations at these three localities, all associated with the High Terrace of the Somme system, pushed back the age of the expansion of the Acheulean both in northern France and in Western Europe to c . 670–650 000 years. They imply that early hominins were able to settle in North‐West Europe during both climatic temperate and cold phases. Our work, including new excavations and associated field observations of the three Abbeville localities involved at the onset of the controversy, allows a re‐examination of the Abbevillian and contributes to the discussion of the history of Prehistoric Science and the Earliest ‘Acheuleans’ in North‐West Europe.

Quaternary environmental changes in tropical Lake Towuti, Indonesia, inferred from end‐member modelling of X‐ray fluorescence core‐scanning data - Marina A. Morlock; Hendrik Vogel; James M. Russell; Flavio S. Anselmetti; Satria Bijaksana (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Continental and marine sediments are composed of a mixture from different sources and are influenced by a variety of environmental factors and transport processes prior to deposition. For analysis and interpretation, these sources and processes are often challenging to disentangle. We show that end‐member modelling of X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) core‐scanning data helps to overcome these challenges by unmixing different environmental signals from high‐resolution sediment geochemical records. We apply this approach to a 100 m long lacustrine succession from Lake Towuti, Indonesia, to separate the regional climate and tectonic history from local ecological and diagenetic processes. The resulting six end‐members (EMs) are interpreted to represent changes in ecological (EM1), climatic (EMs 2–4), tectonic (EM 5) and geomorphic (EM6) processes determining changes in sediment composition. Because end‐member analysis allows for the tracking of transient and overlapping processes, climatic changes can be followed throughout the 100 m‐long succession, suggesting alternating wet and dry periods in Central Sulawesi over long (several 100 000 years) time scales. We show that end‐member analysis on elemental data sets offers a detailed and objective means to disentangle depositional processes in sedimentary successions resulting from varying tectonic and environmental factors involved in sediment formation and deposition.

Timing, pace and controls on ice sheet retreat: an introduction to the BRITICE‐CHRONO transect reconstructions of the British–Irish Ice Sheet - Chris D. Clark; Richard C. Chiverrell; Derek Fabel; Richard C. A. Hindmarsh; Colm Ó Cofaigh; James D. Scourse (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Motivated to help improve the robustness of predictions of sea level rise, the BRITICE‐CHRONO project advanced knowledge of the former British–Irish Ice Sheet, from 31 to 15 ka, so that it can be used as a data‐rich environment to improve ice sheet modelling. The project comprised over 40 palaeoglaciologists, covering expertise in terrestrial and marine geology and geomorphology, geochronometric dating and the modelling of ice sheets and oceans. A systematic and directed campaign, organised across eight transects from the continental shelf edge to a short distance (10s of kilometres) onshore, was used to collect 914 samples which yielded 639 new ages, tripling the number of dated sites constraining the timing and rates of change of the collapsing ice sheet. This special issue synthesises these findings of ice advancing to the maximum extent and its subsequent retreat for each of the eight transects to produce definitive palaeogeographic reconstructions of ice margin positions across the marine to terrestrial transition. These results are used to understand the controls that drove or modulated ice sheet retreat. A further paper reports on how ice sheet modelling experiments and empirical data can be used in combination, and another probes the glaciological meaning of ice‐rafted debris.

Exploring controls of the early and stepped deglaciation on the western margin of the British Irish Ice Sheet - Sara Benetti; Richard C. Chiverrell; Colm Ó Cofaigh; Matt Burke; Alicia Medialdea; David Small; Colin Ballantyne; Mark D. Bateman; S. Louise Callard; Peter Wilson; Derek Fabel; Chris D. Clark; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
New optically stimulated luminescence dating and Bayesian models integrating all legacy and BRITICE‐CHRONO geochronology facilitated exploration of the controls on the deglaciation of two former sectors of the British–Irish Ice Sheet, the Donegal Bay (DBIS) and Malin Sea ice‐streams (MSIS). Shelf‐edge glaciation occurred ~27 ka, before the global Last Glacial Maximum, and shelf‐wide retreat began 26–26.5 ka at a rate of ~18.7–20.7 m a –1 . MSIS grounding zone wedges and DBIS recessional moraines show episodic retreat punctuated by prolonged still‐stands. By ~23–22 ka the outer shelf (~25 000 km 2 ) was free of grounded ice. After this time, MSIS retreat was faster (~20 m a –1 vs. ~2–6 m a –1 of DBIS). Separation of Irish and Scottish ice sources occurred ~20–19.5 ka, leaving an autonomous Donegal ice dome. Inner Malin shelf deglaciation followed the submarine troughs reaching the Hebridean coast ~19 ka. DBIS retreat formed the extensive complex of moraines in outer Donegal Bay at 20.5–19 ka. DBIS retreated on land by ~17–16 ka. Isolated ice caps in Scotland and Ireland persisted until ~14.5 ka. Early retreat of this marine‐terminating margin is best explained by local ice loading increasing water depths and promoting calving ice losses rather than by changes in global temperatures. Topographical controls governed the differences between the ice‐stream retreat from mid‐shelf to the coast.

Exploring the extent to which fluctuations in ice‐rafted debris reflect mass changes in the source ice sheet: a model–observation comparison using the last British–Irish Ice Sheet - David J. Wilton; Grant R. Bigg; James D. Scourse; Jeremy C. Ely; Chris D. Clark (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The British and Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) was highly dynamic during the Late Quaternary, with considerable regional differences in the timing and extent of its change. This was reflected in equally variable offshore ice‐rafted debris (IRD) records. Here we reconcile these two records using the FRUGAL intermediate complexity iceberg–climate model, with varying BIIS catchment‐level iceberg fluxes, to simulate change in IRD origin and magnitude along the western European margin at 1000‐year time steps during the height of the last BIIS glaciation (31–6 ka bp ). This modelled IRD variability is compared with existing IRD records from the deep ocean at five cores along this margin. There is general agreement of the temporal and spatial IRD variability between observations and model through this period. The Porcupine Bank off northwestern Ireland was confirmed by the modelling as a major dividing line between sites possessing exclusively northern or southern source regions for offshore IRD. During Heinrich events 1 and 2, the cores show evidence of a proportion of North American IRD, more particularly to the south of the British Isles. Modelling supports this southern bias for likely Heinrich impact, but also suggests North American IRD will only reach the British margin in unusual circumstances.

Pattern, style and timing of British–Irish Ice Sheet advance and retreat over the last 45 000 years: evidence from NW Scotland and the adjacent continental shelf - Tom Bradwell; Derek Fabel; Chris D. Clark; Richard C. Chiverrell; David Small; Rachel K. Smedley; Margot H. Saher; Steven G. Moreton; Dayton Dove; S. Louise Callard; Geoff A. T. Duller; Alicia Medialdea; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Predicting the future response of ice sheets to climate warming and rising global sea level is important but difficult. This is especially so when fast‐flowing glaciers or ice streams , buffered by ice shelves, are grounded on beds below sea level. What happens when these ice shelves are removed? And how do the ice stream and the surrounding ice sheet respond to the abruptly altered boundary conditions? To address these questions and others we present new geological, geomorphological, geophysical and geochronological data from the ice‐stream‐dominated NW sector of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). The study area covers around 45 000 km 2 of NW Scotland and the surrounding continental shelf. Alongside seabed geomorphological mapping and Quaternary sediment analysis, we use a suite of over 100 new absolute ages (including cosmogenic‐nuclide exposure ages, optically stimulated luminescence ages and radiocarbon dates) collected from onshore and offshore, to build a sector‐wide ice‐sheet reconstruction combining all available evidence with Bayesian chronosequence modelling. Using this information we present a detailed assessment of ice‐sheet advance/retreat history, and the glaciological connections between different areas of the NW BIIS sector, at different times during the last glacial cycle. The results show a highly dynamic, partly marine, partly terrestrial, ice‐sheet sector undergoing large size variations in response to sub‐millennial‐scale climatic (Dansgaard–Oeschger) cycles over the last 45 000 years. Superimposed on these trends we identify internally driven instabilities, operating at higher frequency, conditioned by local topographic factors, tidewater dynamics and glaciological feedbacks during deglaciation. Specifically, our new evidence indicates extensive marine‐terminating ice‐sheet glaciation of the NW BIIS sector during Greenland Stadials 12 to 9 – prior to the main ‘Late Weichselian’ ice‐sheet glaciation. After a period of restricted glaciation, in Greenland Interstadials 8 to 6, we find good evidence for rapid renewed ice‐sheet build‐up in NW Scotland, with the Minch ice‐stream terminus reaching the continental shelf edge in Greenland Stadial 5, perhaps only briefly. Deglaciation of the NW sector took place in numerous stages. Several grounding‐zone wedges and moraines on the mid‐ and inner continental shelf attest to significant stabilizations of the ice‐sheet grounding line, or ice margin, during overall retreat in Greenland Stadials 3 and 2, and to the development of ice shelves. NW Lewis was the first substantial present‐day land area to deglaciate, in the first half of Greenland Stadial 3 at a time of globally reduced sea‐level c. 26 ka bp , followed by Cape Wrath at c. 24 ka bp. The topographic confinement of the Minch straits probably promoted ice‐shelf development in early Greenland Stadial 2, providing the ice stream with additional support and buffering it somewhat from external drivers. However, c. 20–19 ka bp , as the grounding‐line migrated into shoreward deepening water, coinciding with a marked change in marine geology and bed strength, the ice stream became unstable. We find that, once underway, grounding‐line retreat proceeded in an uninterrupted fashion with the rapid loss of fronting ice shelves – first in the west, then the east troughs – before eventual glacier stabilization at fjord mouths in NW Scotland by ~17 ka bp. Around the same time, ~19–17 ka bp , ice‐sheet lobes readvanced into the East Minch – possibly a glaciological response to the marine‐instability‐triggered loss of adjacent ice stream (and/or ice shelf) support in the Minch trough. An independent ice cap on Lewis also experienced margin oscillations during mid‐Greenland Stadial 2, with an ice‐accumulation centre in West Lewis existing into the latter part of Heinrich Stadial 1. Final ice‐sheet deglaciation of NW mainland Scotland was punctuated by at least one other coherent readvance at c. 15.5 ka bp , before significant ice‐mass losses thereafter. At the glacial termination, c. 14.5 ka bp , glaciers fed outwash sediment to now‐abandoned coastal deltas in NW mainland Scotland around the time of global Meltwater Pulse 1A. Overall, this work on the BIIS NW sector reconstructs a highly dynamic ice‐sheet oscillating in extent and volume for much of the last 45 000 years. Periods of expansive ice‐sheet glaciation dominated by ice‐streaming were interspersed with periods of much more restricted ice‐cap or tidewater/fjordic glaciation. Finally, this work indicates that the role of ice streams in ice‐sheet evolution is complex but mechanistically important throughout the lifetime of an ice sheet – with ice streams contributing to the regulation of ice‐sheet health but also to the acceleration of ice‐sheet demise via marine ice‐sheet instabilities.

Maximum extent and readvance dynamics of the Irish Sea Ice Stream and Irish Sea Glacier since the Last Glacial Maximum - J. D. Scourse; R. C. Chiverrell; R. K. Smedley; D. Small; M. J. Burke; M. Saher; K. J. J. Van Landeghem; G. A. T. Duller; C. Ó Cofaigh; M. D. Bateman; S. Benetti; S. Bradley; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The BRITICE‐CHRONO Project has generated a suite of recently published radiocarbon ages from deglacial sequences offshore in the Celtic and Irish seas and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide and optically stimulated luminescence ages from adjacent onshore sites. All published data are integrated here with new geochronological data from Wales in a revised Bayesian analysis that enables reconstruction of ice retreat dynamics across the basin. Patterns and changes in the pace of deglaciation are conditioned more by topographic constraints and internal ice dynamics than by external controls. The data indicate a major but rapid and very short‐lived extensive thin ice advance of the Irish Sea Ice Stream (ISIS) more than 300 km south of St George's Channel to a marine calving margin at the shelf break at 25.5 ka; this may have been preceded by extensive ice accumulation plugging the constriction of St George's Channel. The release event between 25 and 26 ka is interpreted to have stimulated fast ice streaming and diverted ice to the west in the northern Irish Sea into the main axis of the marine ISIS away from terrestrial ice terminating in the English Midlands, a process initiating ice stagnation and the formation of an extensive dead ice landscape in the Midlands.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

Timing and pace of ice‐sheet withdrawal across the marine–terrestrial transition west of Ireland during the last glaciation - Colm Ó Cofaigh; S. Louise Callard; David H. Roberts; Richard C. Chiverrell; C. K. Ballantyne; David J. A. Evans; Margot Saher; Katrien J. J. Van Landeghem; Rachel Smedley; Sara Benetti; Matthew Burke; Chris D. Clark; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Understanding the pace and drivers of marine‐based ice‐sheet retreat relies upon the integration of numerical ice‐sheet models with observations from contemporary polar ice sheets and well‐constrained palaeo‐glaciological reconstructions. This paper provides a reconstruction of the retreat of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) from the Atlantic shelf west of Ireland during and following the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). It uses marine‐geophysical data and sediment cores dated by radiocarbon, combined with terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide and optically stimulated luminescence dating of onshore ice‐marginal landforms, to reconstruct the timing and rate of ice‐sheet retreat from the continental shelf and across the adjoining coastline of Ireland, thus including the switch from a marine‐ to a terrestrially‐based ice‐sheet margin. Seafloor bathymetric data in the form of moraines and grounding‐zone wedges on the continental shelf record an extensive ice sheet west of Ireland during the LGM which advanced to the outer shelf. This interpretation is supported by the presence of dated subglacial tills and overridden glacimarine sediments from across the Porcupine Bank, a westwards extension of the Irish continental shelf. The ice sheet was grounded on the outer shelf at ~26.8 ka cal bp with initial retreat underway by 25.9 ka cal bp. Retreat was not a continuous process but was punctuated by marginal oscillations until ~24.3 ka cal bp. The ice sheet thereafter retreated to the mid‐shelf where it formed a large grounding‐zone complex at ~23.7 ka cal bp. This retreat occurred in a glacimarine environment. The Aran Islands on the inner continental shelf were ice‐free by ~19.5 ka bp and the ice sheet had become largely terrestrially based by 17.3 ka bp. This suggests that the Aran Islands acted to stabilize and slow overall ice‐sheet retreat once the BIIS margin had reached the inner shelf. Our results constrain the timing of initial retreat of the BIIS from the outer shelf west of Ireland to the period of minimum global eustatic sea level. Initial retreat was driven, at least in part, by glacio‐isostatically induced, high relative sea level. Net rates of ice‐sheet retreat across the shelf were slow (62–19 m a −1 ) and reduced (8 m a −1 ) as the ice sheet vacated the inner shelf and moved onshore. A picture therefore emerges of an extensive BIIS on the Atlantic shelf west of Ireland, in which early, oscillatory retreat was followed by slow episodic retreat which decelerated further as the ice margin became terrestrially based. More broadly, this demonstrates the importance of localized controls, in particular bed topography, on modulating the retreat of marine‐based sectors of ice sheets.

Retreat dynamics of the eastern sector of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the last glaciation - David J. A. Evans; David H. Roberts; Mark D. Bateman; Chris D. Clark; Alicia Medialdea; Louise Callard; Elena Grimoldi; Richard C. Chiverrell; Jeremy Ely; Dayton Dove; Colm Ó Cofaigh; Margot Saher; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The findings of BRITICE‐CHRONO Transect 2 through the North Sea Basin and eastern England are reported. We define ice‐sheet marginal oscillation between ~31 and 16 ka, with seven distinctive former ice‐sheet limits (L1–7) constrained by Bayesian statistical analysis. The southernmost limit of the North Sea Lobe is recorded by the Bolders Bank Formation (L1; 25.8–24.6 ka). L2 represents ice‐sheet oscillation and early retreat to the northern edge of the Dogger Bank (23.5–22.2 ka), with the Garret Hill Moraine in north Norfolk recording a significant regional readvance to L3 at 21.5–20.8 ka. Ice‐marginal oscillations at ~26–21 ka resulted in L1, L2 and L3 being partially to totally overprinted. Ice‐dammed lakes related to L1–3, including Lake Humber, are dated at 24.1–22.3 ka. Ice‐sheet oscillation and retreat from L4 to L5 occurred between 19.7 and 17.3 ka, with grounding zone wedges marking an important transition from terrestrial to marine tidewater conditions, triggered by the opening of the Dogger Lake spillway between 19.9 and 17.5 ka. L6 relates to ice retreat under glacimarine conditions and final ice retreat into the Firth of Forth by 15.8 ka. L7 (~15 ka) represents an ice retreat from Bosies Bank into the Moray Firth.

The evolution of the terrestrial‐terminating Irish Sea glacier during the last glaciation - Richard Christopher Chiverrell; Geoff Stephen Powell Thomas; Matthew Burke; Alicia Medialdea; Rachel Smedley; Mark Bateman; Chris Clark; Geoffrey A. T. Duller; Derek Fabel; Geraint Jenkins; Xianjiao Ou; Helen Marie Roberts; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Here we reconstruct the last advance to maximum limits and retreat of the Irish Sea Glacier (ISG), the only land‐terminating ice lobe of the western British Irish Ice Sheet. A series of reverse bedrock slopes rendered proglacial lakes endemic, forming time‐transgressive moraine‐ and bedrock‐dammed basins that evolved with ice marginal retreat. Combining, for the first time on glacial sediments, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) bleaching profiles for cobbles with single grain and small aliquot OSL measurements on sands, has produced a coherent chronology from these heterogeneously bleached samples. This chronology constrains what is globally an early build‐up of ice during late Marine Isotope Stage 3 and Greenland Stadial (GS) 5, with ice margins reaching south Lancashire by 30 ± 1.2 ka, followed by a 120‐km advance at 28.3 ± 1.4 ka reaching its 26.5 ± 1.1 ka maximum extent during GS‐3. Early retreat during GS‐3 reflects piracy of ice sources shared with the Irish‐Sea Ice Stream (ISIS), starving the ISG. With ISG retreat, an opportunistic readvance of Welsh ice during GS‐2 rode over the ISG moraines occupying the space vacated, with ice margins oscillating within a substantial glacial over‐deepening. Our geomorphological chronosequence shows a glacial system forced by climate but mediated by piracy of ice sources shared with the ISIS, changing flow regimes and fronting environments.

Recent progress on combining geomorphological and geochronological data with ice sheet modelling, demonstrated using the last British–Irish Ice Sheet - Jeremy C. Ely; Chris D. Clark; Richard C. A. Hindmarsh; Anna L. C. Hughes; Sarah L. Greenwood; Sarah L. Bradley; Edward Gasson; Lauren Gregoire; Niall Gandy; Chris R. Stokes; David Small (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Palaeo‐ice sheets are important analogues for understanding contemporary ice sheets, offering a record of ice sheet behaviour that spans millennia. There are two main approaches to reconstructing palaeo‐ice sheets. Empirical reconstructions use the available glacial geological and chronological evidence to estimate ice sheet extent and dynamics but lack direct consideration of ice physics. In contrast, numerically modelled simulations implement ice physics, but often lack direct quantitative comparison with empirical evidence. Despite being long identified as a fruitful scientific endeavour, few ice sheet reconstructions attempt to reconcile the empirical and model‐based approaches. To achieve this goal, model‐data comparison procedures are required. Here, we compare three numerically modelled simulations of the former British–Irish Ice Sheet with the following lines of evidence: (a) position and shape of former margin positions, recorded by moraines; (b) former ice‐flow direction and flow‐switching, recorded by flowsets of subglacial bedforms; and (c) the timing of ice‐free conditions, recorded by geochronological data. These model–data comparisons provide a useful framework for quantifying the degree of fit between numerical model simulations and empirical constraints. Such tools are vital for reconciling numerical modelling and empirical evidence, the combination of which will lead to more robust palaeo‐ice sheet reconstructions with greater explicative and ultimately predictive power.

Pattern, style and timing of British–Irish Ice Sheet retreat: Shetland and northern North Sea sector - Tom Bradwell; David Small; Derek Fabel; Chris D. Clark; Richard C. Chiverrell; Margot H. Saher; Dayton Dove; S. Louise Callard; Matthew J. Burke; Steven G. Moreton; Alicia Medialdea; Mark D. Bateman; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The offshore sector around Shetland remains one of the least well‐studied parts of the former British–Irish Ice Sheet with several long‐standing scientific issues unresolved. These key issues include (i) the dominance of a locally sourced ‘Shetland ice cap’ vs an invasive Fennoscandian Ice Sheet; (ii) the flow configuration and style of glaciation at the Last Glacial Maximum (i.e. terrestrial vs marine glaciation); (iii) the nature of confluence between the British–Irish and Fennoscandian Ice Sheets; (iv) the cause, style and rate of ice sheet separation; and (v) the wider implications of ice sheet uncoupling on the tempo of subsequent deglaciation. As part of the Britice‐Chrono project, we present new geological (seabed cores), geomorphological, marine geophysical and geochronological data from the northernmost sector of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet (north of 59.5°N) to address these questions. The study area covers ca. 95 000 km 2 , an area approximately the size of Ireland, and includes the islands of Shetland and the surrounding continental shelf, some of the continental slope, and the western margin of the Norwegian Channel. We collect and analyse data from onshore in Shetland and along key transects offshore, to establish the most coherent picture, so far, of former ice‐sheet deglaciation in this important sector. Alongside new seabed mapping and Quaternary sediment analysis, we use a multi‐proxy suite of new isotopic age assessments, including 32 cosmogenic‐nuclide exposure ages from glacially transported boulders and 35 radiocarbon dates from deglacial marine sediments, to develop a synoptic sector‐wide reconstruction combining strong onshore and offshore geological evidence with Bayesian chronosequence modelling. The results show widespread and significant spatial fluctuations in size, shape and flow configuration of an ice sheet/ice cap centred on, or to the east of, the Orkney–Shetland Platform, between ~30 and ~15 ka BP. At its maximum extent ca. 26–25 ka BP , this ice sheet was coalescent with the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet to the east. Between ~25 and 23 ka BP the ice sheet in this sector underwent a significant size reduction from ca. 85 000 to 2 , accompanied by several ice‐margin oscillations. Soon after, connection was lost with the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet and a marine corridor opened to the east of Shetland. This triggered initial (and unstable) re‐growth of a glaciologically independent Shetland Ice Cap ca. 21–20 ka BP with a strong east–west asymmetry with respect to topography. Ice mass growth was followed by rapid collapse, from an area of ca. 45 000 km 2 to ca. 15 000 km 2 between 19 and 18 ka BP , stabilizing at ca. 2000 km 2 by ~17 ka BP. Final deglaciation of Shetland occurred ca. 17–15 ka BP , and may have involved one or more subsidiary ice centres on now‐submerged parts of the continental shelf. We suggest that the unusually dynamic behaviour of the northernmost sector of the British–Irish Ice Sheet between 21 and 18 ka BP – characterized by numerous extensive ice sheet/ice mass readvances, rapid loss and flow redistributions – was driven by significant changes in ice mass geometry, ice divide location and calving flux as the glaciologically independent ice cap adjusted to new boundary conditions. We propose that this dynamism was forced to a large degree by internal (glaciological) factors specific to the strongly marine‐influenced Shetland Ice Cap.

Organic and soil material between tills in east‐midland England – direct evidence for two episodes of lowland glaciation in Britain during the Middle Pleistocene - James Rose; Jenni Turner; Elaine Turton; James B. Riding; Adrian Palmer; John K. Wright; Jonathan R. Lee; Nicholas S. J. Q. Bullimore (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
This paper provides a record and analysis of a site in east‐midland England, at which organic and soil material are found between two Middle Pleistocene tills. This is the first discovery of its kind in the area, and demonstrates unequivocally that the region was glaciated on two separate occasions, something that has long been inferred and articulated, but not actually demonstrated. The landforms, sediments and soils are studied with respect to their geomorphological, lithological, pedological, palaeobotanical and structural properties. The organic and soil material along with soil structures indicate, sequentially, a periglacial climate, a long period of warm temperate weathering and a cool temperate climate. Evaluation of this evidence in terms of existing published work identifies a number of problems with existing models and suggests that the most likely model for the glacial history of this part of midland England is an early Middle Pleistocene glaciation which is represented only by trace erratics, a Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12 age glaciation which moved across the area from the NW and deposited a chalk‐free till, and an MIS 8 age glaciation that transported and deposited an upper chalky till from the NE. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Larger floods of Himalayan foothill rivers sustained flows in the Ghaggar–Hakra channel during Harappan age - Ajit Singh; Vikrant Jain; Michel Danino; Naveen Chauhan; Rahul Kumar Kaushal; Shantamoy Guha; V. N. Prabhakar (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The human–landform interaction in the region of the Ghaggar–Hakra palaeochannel in the northwest Indo‐Gangetic plains during the Bronze Age Indus/Harappan civilisation (~4.6–3.9 thousand years before the present, ka bp ) remains an enigmatic case due to a paucity of evidence regarding the hydrology of the then existing river. Here, we estimated the palaeohydrology of the foothill Markanda River in the sub‐Himalayan catchment of the Ghaggar–Hakra (G–H) palaeochannel. Our morphology and chronology results show aggradation of a fan (57.7 ka) during the Late Pleistocene and T–1 to T–5 fluvial terraces (13.1 to 6.0 ka) during the terminal Pleistocene to Holocene, and deposition of palaeoflood sediments (3.9–3.8 ka) over the T–3 terraces during the Late Holocene. Considering the known uplift rates along the Himalayan frontal thrust, and our estimated aggradation rates, we derived channel palaeogeometry and calculated peak discharge at the site of palaeoflood deposits. We conclude that the Markanda River's peak discharge was several orders of magnitude higher during the Late Holocene than the modern‐day peak discharge of 100‐year return period. The palaeoflood deposits represent larger flooding of the foothill rivers that sustained flows in the downstream reaches of the Ghaggar–Hakra palaeochannel during the Late Harappan civilisation.

The Holocene record of Alberca de Tacámbaro, a tropical lake in western Mexico: evidence of orbital and millennial‐scale climatic variability - Beatriz Ortega‐Guerrero; Margarita Caballero; Isabel Israde‐AlcáNtara (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Laminated sediments in a core from Alberca de Tacámbaro, western central Mexico, provide a high‐resolution record of palaeoclimatic variability for most of the Holocene. Using compositional and textural characteristics we identified 14 facies classified in biogenic, clastic and volcaniclastic groups, in which diatoms and other algal remains are the most common components. In addition to facies analysis, high‐resolution geochemical data from continuous core scanning XRF and the analysis of discrete samples for organic and inorganic carbon content, provide the basis for palaeoclimatic reconstruction. The age model indicates that the record spans from 9.4 cal ka bp to ad 1760. Three main phases in the sequence are identified, controlled by millennial‐scale variability. During the period between 9.4 and 5.7 cal ka bp , the lake is dominated by siliceous organisms. Drier conditions between 8.2 and 6.3 cal ka bp are linked to decreases in summer insolation and solar irradiance. By 5.7 cal ka bp , the change in sedimentation is related to the increase in El Niño Southern Oscillation frequency. Evidence of the occurrence of dry conditions during the archaeological Late Classic period ( ad 600–900) and historical droughts are also documented in the Alberca de Tacámbaro record. Unprecedented changes in the landscape are recorded after ad 1520.

Palaeolithic archaeology of the Bytham River: human occupation of Britain during the early Middle Pleistocene and its European context - Rob Davis; Nick Ashton; Marcus Hatch; Peter G. Hoare; Simon G. Lewis (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Early and early Middle Pleistocene archaeological record in Britain from c. 900 to 500 ka marks a critical shift in human occupation of northwest Europe, from occasional pioneer populations with simple core and flake technology to more widespread occupation associated with the appearance of Acheulean technology. Key to understanding this record are the fluvial deposits of the extinct Bytham River in central East Anglia, where a series of Lower Palaeolithic sites lie on a 15 km stretch of the former river. In this paper we present the results of new fieldwork and a reanalysis of historical artefact collections of handaxes and scrapers to: 1) establish the chronostratigraphic context of the Bytham archaeological record; 2) examine variability in lithic artefact typology and technology through time; and 3) explore the implications for understanding variation in lithic technology in the European record. Six phases of occupation of Britain are identified from at least marine isotope stage (MIS) 21 to MIS 13, with the last three phases characterised by distinctive lithic technology. We argue that this relates to the discontinuous occupation of Britain, where each phase represents the arrival of new groups derived from different European populations with distinctive material culture.

The influence of orbital parameters on the North American Monsoon system during the Last Interglacial Period - Nadja Insel; Max Berkelhammer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The response of summer precipitation in the western United States to climate variability remains a subject of uncertainty. For example, palaeoclimate records indicate the North American Monsoon (NAM) was stronger and spatially more extensive during the Holocene, whereas recent modelling suggests a weakened NAM response to increasing temperatures. These illustrate diverging pictures of the NAM response to warming. Here, we examine summer precipitation in the southwestern US related to Last Interglacial insolation forcing. Using a high‐resolution climate model, we find that Eemian insolation forcing results in overall wetter conditions throughout most of the southwestern US, but significantly drier than present conditions over Arizona. The overall wetter conditions are associated with a northward shift of the anticyclonic circulation aloft and increased moisture in the lower and mid‐troposphere during the Eemian. Increased advection of Gulf of Mexico moisture is responsible for increasing precipitation in New Mexico and the northern edges of the NAM region. Drier conditions over Arizona are likely related to reduced local convection associated with reduced vertical moisture transport. These results highlight the spatial complexity of the NAM response to increasing radiative forcing and allow a better understanding of monsoon dynamics and variability in response to a warming climate.

Lake Neor reveals how mountain vegetation responded to 7000 years of hydroclimate variability in northwestern Iran - Khadijeh Alinezhad; Elias Ramezani; Morteza Djamali; Arash Sharifi; Alireza Naqinezhad; Cyril Aubert; Emmanuel Gandouin; Ali Pourmand (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Palynological and geochemical analyses provide valuable information about modern and past climatic regimes and vegetation. The impact of climate and humans on past vegetation in the semi‐arid areas of northwestern Iran has received increased interest in the wake of warming temperatures in the Middle East. Palynological and down‐core XRF elemental abundances from a peat core from Lake Neor enabled a reconstruction of vegetational changes of the past 7000 years over the highlands of northwestern Iran. Periods of increased arboreal pollen (AP) types and high ( Artemisia + Poaceae)/Chenopodiaceae ratios along with low titanium abundances, high percentages of total organic carbon, more negative δD values, and higher carbon accumulation rates suggest a relatively wet climate. These conditions have persisted during the periods 6700–6200, 5200–4450 and 3200–2200 cal a bp. The overall low AP values, substantial rise of Chenopodiaceae, high Ti abundances and low values of palaeo‐redox proxies, are all evidences of a drier climate, as has been reconstructed for the periods 6200–5200 and 4030–3150 cal a bp and the last 2200 years. An important feature of the last centuries is the increase of anthropogenic and pastoral indicator pollen types. Our results may provide basic data to predict future trends in vegetation dynamics under future climate change in western Asia.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

Obsidian from the northern sector of the Main Ethiopian Rift: implications for archeology - Agazi Negash; Mulugeta Alene; Asfawossen Asrat; Barbara Nash (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Obsidian is abundant in the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER). Petrological and geochemical features of obsidian from four volcanic centers in the MER, namely Birenti, Dofen, Fentale and Kone, are presented. Compositional and petrological variability is noted among the Dofen and Fentale obsidian, but not in those from Kone and Birenti where each have separate but uniform elemental composition. The Fentale and Kone obsidian were source materials for the artifacts of a number of Middle Stone Age and Later Stone Age/Neolithic sites in the region. We have yet to determine whether Dofen and Birenti were sources for archeological artifacts. The study also shows that volcanic episodes from a single center do not necessarily result in compositional variability.

Volcanic ash and tsunami record of the Minoan Late Bronze Age Eruption (Santorini) in a distal setting, southwestern Turkey - Erkan Aydar; Attila ÇİNer; Orkun Ersoy; Emilie ÉCochard; Eric G. Fouache (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We present the volcanic ash and tsunami record of the Minoan Late Bronze Age Eruption of Santorini (LBAES) in a distal setting in southwestern Turkey. In one of the drilled cores at the Letoon Hellenic antique site on Eşençay Delta, we encountered a 4 cm thick tephra deposit underlain by 46 cm thick tsunami‐deposited sand (tsunamite), and an organic‐rich layer that we 14 C dated to 3295 ± 30 bp or 1633 bc. The relationship between Santorini distal volcanic ash and underlying tsunamite is described and interpreted. LBAES occurred in four main phases: (1) plinian; (2) phreatomagmatic; (3) phreatomagmatic with mudflows; and (4) ignimbritic flows and co‐ignimbrite tephra falls. In this study, we aim to understand which eruptive phases generate distal ash during the Minoan eruptive sequence by examining the 3D surface morphology of ash formed by different fragmentation processes. To that end, we used numerous statistical multivariates, 3D fractal dimension of roughness, and a new textural parameter of surface area‐3D/plotted area‐2D to characterise the eruption dynamics. Based on ash surface morphologies and the calculated statistical parameters, we propose that that distal ash is represented by a single layer composed of well‐mixed (coarse to fine) magmatic and phreatomagmatic ash.

Environments of the climatic optimum of MIS 11 in Britain: evidence from the tufa sequence at Hitchin, southeast England - J. E. Sherriff; D. C. Schreve; I. Candy; A. P. Palmer; T. S. White (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11, Hoxnian Interglacial) is an important interval for understanding both climate change in an interglacial partially analogous to the Holocene and the response of geomorphic processes, biotic systems, and hominin populations to these changes. In Britain, many sites correlated to MIS 11 have not been studied since the mid‐20th century and require reinvestigation, including the Hitchin tufa sequence, where a rich, non‐marine molluscan assemblage was originally recovered. Re‐excavation of the Hitchin tufa sequence for this study was focussed on combined sedimentological, micromorphological and geochemical analyses of the deposits. These indicate that tufa formation occurred within a perched springline system under temperate climatic conditions. Shifts between paludal and fluvial tufa facies within this system occur concomitantly with changes in carbonate geochemistry, representing increased humidity caused by a change in rainfall amount or seasonality. This research enables a correlation of the sequence to the climatic optimum of MIS 11c, the main warm phase of MIS 11, and permits further insights into temperature and hydrological changes in this interval by generating the first geochemical records of hydroclimatic evolution during the MIS 11 thermal maximum in Britain.

The Oyambre coastal terrace: a detailed sedimentary record of the Last Interglacial Stage in northern Iberia (Cantabrian coast, Spain) - Elisa Sainz de Murieta; Pedro P. Cunha; Alejandro Cearreta; Andrew S. Murray; Jan‐Pieter Buylaert (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
A detailed study is presented of a 15.3‐m‐thick Pleistocene coastal terrace located on the Cantabrian coast (northern Spain). Stratigraphic, sedimentological, topographic and micropalaeontological information is combined with a chronology based on luminescence dating to characterize the deposits. The sedimentary succession records: (i) a basal transgressive system, consisting of a wave‐cut surface covered by a lower layer of beach gravels and upper beach pebbly sands; and (ii) a thicker upper highstand system (aggrading), comprising medium to very fine aeolian sands interbedded with thin palustrine muds. Luminescence dating involved a detailed sampling strategy (36 samples and two modern analogues) and the use of both quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and feldspar post‐infrared infrared stimulated luminescence single aliquot regeneration protocols; feldspar results were used to confirm the completeness of bleaching of the quartz OSL signal. The quartz OSL luminescence age–depth relationship shows significant dispersion, but nevertheless two rapid phases of deposition can be clearly identified: one at ~130 ka [Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 5] and one at ~100 ka (MIS 5c). The top of the succession is dated to ~70 ka. The MIS 5e marine maximum flooding surface is identified at an elevation of 6.85 m above mean seal level. This elevation provides evidence of a regional sea‐level highstand for this sector of the Cantabrian coast.

Postglacial anthropogenic fires related to cultural changes in central Japan, inferred from sedimentary charcoal records spanning glacial–interglacial cycles - Jun Inoue; Chikako Okuyama; Ryoma Hayashi; Yoshio Inouchi (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We examined long‐term charcoal records spanning the glacial–interglacial cycles that are evident in two cores collected from Lake Biwa in central Japan. We found that the records of the two cores have a similar long‐term variation pattern of charcoal concentrations and abundant large charcoal fragments in postglacial sediments, which indicates that frequent fires occurred near the shores of Lake Biwa during the postglacial period. Analogous natural conditions in the early postglacial period and the early part of the last interglacial period strongly suggest that the frequent fires that occurred only during the postglacial period were anthropogenic. A comparison between the charcoal records of Lake Biwa sediments and the cultural changes and human populations in this district suggests that anthropogenic fires in this district were influenced by the lifestyle and culture of each era rather than by the populations. Humans tended to use more fire at the start of the settlement during the early Neolithic era in this region, in spite of the small population size.

A rapid rise in relative sea level ~9–7 cal ka bp along the SW Cumbria coast, NW England - John T. Andrews; Helen Beaumont; Stephe Cove; Immo Heinz; Hilke Schroeder (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Along the macro‐tidal (10.7 m tide range) SW Cumbria coast in situ rooted tree stumps are infrequently exposed below present‐day low Spring Tide elevations (≤−4.5 m OD). To date these remnants, we conducted a salvage operation at two sites on in situ rooted tree stumps exposed below the lowest tide levels; these sites are no longer exposed. We obtained four radiocarbon dates on these tree remnants and reference an earlier site recovered in 1972. One wood sample was identified as Quercus robur or Q. petraea , while samples from Haverigg and Kirby‐in‐Furness are tree Salix spp. The median group age for the rising relative sea level (RSL) that killed the trees was 8602 ± 243 bp cal a bp with an estimated Mean Tide Level (MTL) of ~≤−9 m. Evidence indicates that RSL rose ~10 m along this section of coast at a rate of between of between 18.5 and 8.7 mm a –1 until ~6800 cal a bp , or earlier, before the rate of global sea level rise fell below that of the local glacial isostatic recovery. The transgression is coeval with rapid collapse and deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in Hudson's Bay and slightly lags the global Meltwater Pulse‐1C.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

Quantifying the impact of chemicals on stable carbon and oxygen isotope values of raw pollen - Carolina Müller; Julian Hennig; Frank Riedel; Gerhard Helle (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Purification protocols to extract pollen from lake sediments contain chemicals that alter the carbon and oxygen pollen‐isotope values according to pollen characteristics and family affiliation. Modern (raw) pollen of broad‐leaved ( Alnus glutinosa, Betula pendula, Carpinus betulus, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica and Quercus robur ) and coniferous tree species ( Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris ) were treated with potassium hydroxide (KOH), hydrofluoric acid (HF), sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and sulphuric acid (H 2 SO 4 ) to test the impact on δ 13 C pollen and δ 18 O pollen and assess the applicability in purification protocols. Pollen of broad‐leaved and coniferous trees reacted differently to chemical exposure, but response patterns are generally alike. Alterations of δ 13 C pollen values vary between + 1.0‰ ( B. pendula , NaClO‐treatment) and −5.0‰ ( P. sylvestris , H 2 SO 4 ‐treatment). The δ 13 C pollen values of raw and chemically treated samples seem to be related after treatments with KOH, NaClO and HF, whereas the application of H 2 SO 4 led to inconsistent changes among species. The impact of chemicals on δ 18 O pollen are more diverse and offsets range between +1.1‰ ( C. avellana , NaClO‐treatment) and −17.9‰ ( P. sylvestris , H 2 SO 4 ‐treatment). In general, the use of isotope‐altering chemicals in purification protocols should be brought to a minimum, but the application of KOH and NaClO seems mostly unproblematic before δ 13 C pollen and δ 18 O pollen analysis.

Subsistence practices in western Mediterranean Europe during the Final Gravettian. Zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of faunal remains from level D of Arbreda Cave (Serinyà, NE Iberian Peninsula) - Isaac Rufí; Lluís Lloveras; Joaquim Soler; Narcís Soler (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
During the Final Gravettian, the Reclau Caves (northeast Iberia) were intensively occupied by hunter‐gatherer communities. The study of residential level D ( c . 25.4–19.7 kyr bp ) of Arbreda Cave offers a new view of subsistence strategies of communities which inhabited the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula, a transition region between the steppe‐tundra and the Iberian wooded steppe biomes, during Greenland Stadial 3. Presented here are the results of the zooarchaeological and taphonomic analysis of ungulate and carnivore remains recovered from level D. The study confirms that the faunal assemblage of this level was mainly brought there by humans. The zooarchaeological analysis indicates selective hunting based on the exploitation of familial groups of horses and deer, while other ungulate taxa appear to be infrequent. Hunter‐gatherers frequented the site throughout the year, but more intensive use in spring is indicated by subadult sensu lato horses. There was extensive exploitation of ungulate carcasses: various butchery activities, marrow extraction, the use of bone as fuel and ‘less elaborate tools’ are documented. Carnivore canines were exploited to produce ornaments. The great dominance of horses reveals cold conditions and the expansion of open environments related to the chronology span of Greenland Stadial 3.

Late Pleistocene hydroclimatic variabilities in arid north‐west China: geochemical evidence from Balikun Lake, eastern Tienshan, China - Yongtao Zhao; Cheng‐Bang An; Aifeng Zhou; Xiaonan Zhang; Jiaju Zhao; Weimiao Dong; Yunfa Miao (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Reconstructing the environmental and hydrological response to millennial‐scale fluctuations of climate‐sensitive areas of mid‐latitudes is crucial to understanding the Late Pleistocene climate in terrestrial inland regions. We use sedimentological and geochemical proxies (e.g. lithology, gain size, loss‐on‐ignition, soluble salts, X‐ray fluorescence elements) from Balikun Lake in the eastern Tienshan Mountains, to elucidate variations in sedimentation, water chemistry and watershed weathering intensity of the Late Pleistocene interval (~20−60 ka). The record documents high‐frequency oscillations and alternating hydrological patterns on (multi‐) millennial timescales. Balikun Lake changes from nearly fresh to brackish and finally to hypersaline conditions during MIS3. The warm and wet climate during the early MIS3 facilitated regional vegetation and bioproductivity. Halite sedimentation took place from the middle to late MIS3, indicating a gradual drying trend. This reduced the lake area and vegetation cover, as well as weakened the chemical weathering rates of the watershed. These new interpretations challenge the idea of climate amelioration with the highest lake level and wettest conditions prevailing in the arid areas of north‐west China during the late MIS3, indicating a possible westerlies‐dominated Late Pleistocene climate in these areas. The evolution of the palaeohydrological regime and climate change in the Balikun Basin correlated well with the millennial‐scale high‐latitude Atlantic climate superimposed on the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation.

A multi‐proxy record of abrupt cooling events during the Windermere Interstadial at Crudale Meadow, Orkney, UK - Christopher P. Francis; Stefan Engels; Ian P. Matthews; Adrian P. Palmer; Rhys G. O. Timms; Anne‐Lise Jourdan; Ian Candy (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Three clearly defined abrupt cooling events (ACEs) can be observed within Greenland Interstadial (GI)‐1 in the Greenland ice‐core records. However, the spatial variation in amplitude and timing of these ACEs is poorly understood due to the paucity of well‐dated records with quantified temperature reconstructions. This study presents high‐resolution chironomid‐inferred July air temperature (T Jul ) and oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) records from Crudale Meadow (Orkney Isles, UK). Three centennial‐scale ACEs punctuate the Windermere Interstadial at Crudale Meadow. The largest ACE shows an amplitude of 5.4 °C and a 1% isotopic decline and is centred on ~14.0 ka bp , consistent with the timing of the GI‐1d event in the Greenland stratigraphy. The two other observed ACEs are of smaller magnitude and are centred on ~13.6 ka bp and ~13.2 ka bp , with these smaller magnitude events tentatively correlated with the GI‐1cii and GI‐1b events, respectively, but lack sufficient chronological constraint to fully assess their timing. When comparing the Crudale Meadow record with other locations in the British Isles a strong relationship can be observed between the magnitude of T Jul cooling and latitude, with a reduced signal in more southerly locations, indicating that oceanic forcing may be a key driver of the ACEs.

Reconstruction of subglacial depositional conditions based on the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility: an example from Dębe (central Poland) - Artur Teodorski; Jan Dzierżek; Piotr Ziółkowski (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The analysis of low‐field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) was used to reconstruct the subglacial deposition conditions during the Main Stadial of the Odranian Glaciation (MIS 6) in till deposits from a site in Dębe (central Poland). Based on the AMS parameters, six till beds were identified (intervals 1–6). The declination of the maximum magnetic susceptibility axis ( k 1 ) indicates that the ice sheet was moving in from the northwest. The obtained results confirm the thesis about the preferred direction of ice‐sheet transgression during the Odranian Glaciation (MIS 6) in this part of Poland. This interpretation is also confirmed by data obtained from measurements of the long axis of clasts, which agree with the orientation of k 1 . Based on the AMS results, a significant part of the profile was deformed through simple shear and direct interaction of the ice sheet with the underlying sediment (beds 2–5). The lowest part of the till (bed 6) may have been deposited on a southeast‐trending slope or post‐depositional deformed by uneven loading of the ice cover. The upper part of the profile (especially in interval 1) could be deposited with an impact of pore water.

Late Pleistocene biota from Pubenza, Colombia; turtles, mammals, birds, invertebrates and plant remains - AndrÉs Alfonso‐Rojas; Laura M. Herrera‐Gutierrez; Catalina SuÁRez; MartÍN R. Ciancio; Jonathan S. Pelegrin; Edwin‐Alberto Cadena (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Pubenza is a remarkable palaeontological site of Colombia, and a place that could hold some of the potentially oldest evidence of humans in northern South America. Previous palaeontological research at this site has mainly focused on the megafauna. Here we describe and establish the systematic palaeontology for the small fauna that inhabited this ancient lacustrine ecosystem, including the first report of birds, tortoises and vipers for the Late Pleistocene in Colombia. Furthermore, exceptionally well preserved fossilised wasp nests are morphologically and elementally characterised, which is the first report of an ichnofossil of this kind in northern South America. In addition, new material of kinosternid turtles, armadillos and rodents is also described. Our results reveal that the Bogotá River Basin, where Pubenza is located, was a rich ecosystem during the Late Pleistocene and a region of great interest for future articulated palaeontological and archaeological studies.

Climate shifts vs. edaphic humidity and the difficulty of palaeoreconstructions – a malacological study on stable isotopes in Quaternary dune sequences of Fuerteventura - Christiane Richter; Christopher‐Bastian Roettig; Daniel Wolf; Andreas Gärtner; Thomas Kolb; Dominik Faust (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Dune palaeosurface sequences on the Eastern Canary Islands were investigated for stable isotope records in gastropod shells of the genus Theba . Due to the ecology of the taxon and the special oceanic insularity of the study site, we assume that δ 18 O shell signals in our case mainly reflect shifts in δ 18 O signals of sea surface water. We found that a rapid decrease in δ 18 O shell signals is associated with significant changes in gastropod associations. We suggest that these faunal changes were caused by strong (hot) winds at the end of glacial phases, that were described previously by Moreno et al . In addition, we assume that rapid declines in δ 18 O shell signals due to marine transgressions were followed by geomorphologically stable phases, dominated by dust enrichment. Such palaeosurfaces correlate with maxima of gastropod biodiversity and with more negative δ 13 C shell signals indicating a higher proportion of C3 plants. Based on our results, we also assume that these silty palaeosurfaces were associated with increased soil moisture conditions due to a higher water storage capacity of the finer substrate, independent of climatic moisture conditions.

Evidence for centennial‐scale Lateglacial and early Holocene climatic complexity from Quoyloo Meadow, Orkney, Scotland - Rhys G. O. Timms; Ashley M. Abrook; Ian P. Matthews; Christopher P. Francis; Agnieszka Mroczkowska; Ian Candy; Stephen J. Brooks; Alice M. Milner; Adrian P. Palmer (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The influence of the North Atlantic on the margins of Europe means the region is particularly sensitive to changes in the ocean–atmospheric system. During the Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (16–8 cal ka bp ) this system was repeatedly disrupted, leading to a series of abrupt and short‐lived shifts in climate. Despite much research, the number and magnitude of these ‘centennial‐scale’ events is not well understood. To address this, we expand upon investigations at Quoyloo Meadow, Orkney, Scotland, one of the best chronologically constrained palaeoclimate records in northern Britain. By coupling stable isotope and chironomid fossil analyses with existing data, this study identifies multiple phases of centennial‐scale disturbance at: c . 14.0, 11.1, 10.8, 10.5, 10.45 and 10.3 cal ka bp , with the events at 14.0 and 10.3 exhibiting a particularly pronounced cold‐climate signature. During the Holocene, the strongest response to climate forcing was at c . 10.3–10.0 cal ka bp , expressed as a two‐stage drop in mean July temperatures, a shift in pollen spectra indicative of ‘less‐stable’ climatic regimes, and a depletion in δ 18 O values. We interpret this as the first reliably dated incidence of the ‘10.3‐ka event’ in the British Isles and consider the wider impact of this climatic reversal in other Holocene records.

Abrupt change in Vietnam coastal upwelling as a response to global warming - Liqiang Xu; Chao Ji; Deming Kong; Min Guo (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Coastal upwelling is of great social and economic significance to the human community. The Vietnam coastal upwelling is a fundamental part of upwelling systems in the South China Sea, western Pacific Ocean. However, its sedimentary response to global warming has been largely unknown. Here we reconstruct a 3200‐year sedimentary record based on high‐resolution geochemical analyses of a marine core from off the Vietnamese coast. The results reveal an abrupt sedimentary change since approximately 1950 ce. The abrupt change is explained by concurrent rapid intensification of the coastal upwelling. This can be ascribed to significant global change since the beginning of the 20th century. Global warming could enhance wind speed during the summer and strengthen the coastal upwelling. The forced upwelling results in an increase in nutrient availability and marine primary production; however, ongoing global warming may also increase the risk of more frequent algal blooms in this area.

Unveiling buried aeolian landscapes: reconstructing a late Holocene dune environment using 3D ground‐penetrating radar - Luis Rees‐Hughes; Natasha L. M. Barlow; Adam D. Booth; Landis J. West; George Tuckwell; Tim Grossey (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Across the UK, sandy beaches and dunes protect coastal infrastructure from waves and extreme water levels during large‐scale storms, while providing important habitats and recreational opportunities. Understanding their long‐term evolution is vital in managing their condition in a changing climate. Recently, ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) methods have grown in popularity in geomorphological applications, yielding centimetre‐scale resolution images of near‐surface stratigraphy and structure, thus allowing landscape evolution to be reconstructed. Additionally, abrupt changes in palaeo‐environments can be visualized in three dimensions. Although often complemented by core data, GPR allows interpretations to be extended into areas with minimal ground‐truth control. Nonetheless, GPR data interpretation can be non‐intuitive and ambiguous, and radargrams may not initially resemble the expected subsurface geometry. Interpretation can be made yet more onerous when handling the large 3D data volumes that are facilitated with modern GPR technology. Here we describe the development of novel semi‐automated GPR feature‐extraction tools, based on ‘edge detection’ and ‘thresholding’ methods, which detect regions of increased GPR reflectivity which can be applied to aid in the reconstruction of a range Quaternary landscapes. Since reflectivity can be related to lithological and/or pore fluid changes, the 3D architecture of the palaeo‐landscape can be reconstructed from the features extracted from a geophysical dataset. We present 500 MHz GPR data collected over a buried Holocene coastal dune system in North Wales, UK, now reclaimed for use as an airfield. Core data from the site, reaching a maximum depth 2 m, suggest rapid vertical changes from sand to silty‐organic units, and GPR profiles suggest similar lateral complexity. By applying thresholding methods to GPR depth slices, these lateral complexities are effectively and automatically mapped. Furthermore, automatic extraction of the local reflection power yields a strong correlation with the depth variation of organic content, suggesting it is a cause of reflectivity contrast. GPR‐interpolated analyses away from core control thus offer a powerful proxy for parameters derived from invasive core logging. The GPR data collected at Llanbedr airfield highlight a complex dune system to a depth of 2.8 m, probably deposited in several phases over ~700 years, similar to elsewhere in North Wales.

Early development of strike‐slip faulting: palaeoseismic study along the Petersen Mountain fault, northern Walker Lane, Nevada - Conni De Masi; Rich Koehler; Seth Dee; Amanda Keen‐Zebert (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Characterising youthful strike‐slip fault systems within transtensional regimes is often complicated by the presence of tectonic geomorphic features produced by normal faulting associated with oblique extension. The Petersen Mountain fault in the northern Walker Lane tectonic province exhibits evidence of both normal and strike‐slip faulting. We present the results of geologic and geomorphic mapping, and palaeoseismic trenching that characterise the fault's style and sense of deformation. The fault consists of two major traces. The western trace displaces colluvial, landslide, and middle to late Pleistocene alluvial fans and is associated with aligned range front saddles, linear drainages, and oversteepened range front slopes. The eastern trace is associated with a low linear bedrock ridge, a narrow graben, right deflected stream channels, and scarps in late Pleistocene alluvial fan deposits. A trench on the eastern trace of the fault exposed a clear juxtaposition of disintegrated granodiorite bedrock against sand and boulder alluvial fan deposits across a steeply east‐dipping fault. The stratigraphic evidence supports the occurrence of at least one late Pleistocene earthquake with a component of lateral displacement. As such, the Petersen Mountain fault accommodates part of the ~7 mm/yr of dextral shear distributed across the northern Walker Lane.

Late Quaternary chironomid community structure shaped by rate and magnitude of climate change - Roseanna J. Mayfield; Peter G. Langdon; C. Patrick Doncaster; John A. Dearing; Rong Wang; Gaute Velle; Kimberley L. Davies; Stephen J. Brooks (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Much is known about how climate change impacts ecosystem richness and turnover, but we have less understanding of its influence on ecosystem structures. Here, we use ecological metrics (beta diversity, compositional disorder and network skewness) to quantify the community structural responses of temperature‐sensitive chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) during the Late Glacial (14 700–11 700 cal a bp ) and Holocene (11 700 cal a bp to present). Analyses demonstrate high turnover (beta diversity) of chironomid composition across both epochs; however, structural metrics stayed relatively intact. Compositional disorder and skewness show greatest structural change in the Younger Dryas, following the rapid, high‐magnitude climate change at the Bølling–Allerød to Younger Dryas transition. There were fewer climate‐related structural changes across the early to mid–late Holocene, where climate change was more gradual and lower in magnitude. The reduced impact on structural metrics could be due to greater functional resilience provided by the wider chironomid community, or to the replacement of same functional‐type taxa in the network structure. These results provide insight into how future rapid climate change may alter chironomid communities and could suggest that while turnover may remain high under a rapidly warming climate, community structural dynamics retain some resilience.

Late Quaternary record of Indian summer monsoon‐induced stratification and productivity collapse in the Andaman Sea - A. V. Sijinkumar; B. Nagender Nath; Steven Clemens; N. M. Gayathri; P. Miriyala (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
During each summer monsoon, the northeastern Indian Ocean receives a huge amount of rain and river discharge, resulting in strong stratification and prevalence of oligotrophic conditions. These water column changes impact upper ocean productivity which is reflected in the planktonic foraminifera distribution, providing an opportunity to study the effect of monsoon forcing and stratification history. Analogous to modern‐day stratification, very intense water column stratification and productivity collapse were observed associated with Indian summer monsoon (ISM) evolution. This paper reports significant stratification events during MIS 3 (37.0 to 33 and 27 to 24 cal ka), Bølling/Allerød (B/A), early Holocene (10.0 to 8.0 cal ka) and mid‐Holocene (7.0 to 5.0 cal ka) which slowly muted upwelling and productivity. The deglacial intensification of the ISM started in the early stages of the Bølling/Allerød (B/A) followed by slight weakening during the Younger Dryas and regained strength during the early Holocene, coinciding with the highest summer insolation at 30°N. A progressive decline in the abundances of productivity and salinity proxies from 4.2 to 2.0 cal ka suggests a gradual weakening of the ISM. The late Quaternary productivity variations in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea are primarily controlled by salinity‐related stratification.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene Afromontane vegetation and headwater wetland dynamics within the Eastern Mau Forest, Kenya - Esther N. Githumbi; Colin J. Courtney Mustaphi; Rob Marchant (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Mau Forest Complex is Kenya's largest fragment of Afromontane forest, providing critical ecosystem services, and has been subject to intense land use changes since colonial times. It forms the upper catchment of rivers that drain into major drainage networks, thus supporting the livelihoods of millions of Kenyans and providing important wildlife areas. We present the results of a sedimentological and palynological analysis of a Late Pleistocene–Holocene sediment record of Afromontane forest change from Nyabuiyabui wetland in the Eastern Mau Forest, a highland region that has received limited geological characterization and palaeoecological study. Sedimentology, pollen, charcoal, X‐ray fluorescence and radiocarbon data record environmental and ecosystem change over the last ~16 000 cal a bp. The pollen record suggests Afromontane forests characterized the end of the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene with dominant taxa changing from Apodytes , Celtis , Dracaena , Hagenia and Podocarpus to Cordia , Croton , Ficus , Juniperus and Olea . The Late Holocene is characterized by a more open Afromontane forest with increased grass and herbaceous cover. Continuous Poaceae, Cyperaceae and Juncaceae vegetation currently cover the wetland and the water level has been decreasing over the recent past. Intensive agroforestry since the 1920s has reduced Afromontane forest cover as introduced taxa have increased ( Pinus , Cupressus and Eucalyptus ).

The missing Myopus : plugging the gaps in Late Pleistocene small mammal identification in western Europe with geometric morphometrics - Louis Arbez; Aurelien Royer; Danielle Schreve; Remi Laffont; Serge David; Sophie Montuire (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Lemmus and Myopus are two lemming species with distinct habitat requirements but which show very similar dental morphologies. They are thus extremely difficult to distinguish from one another in the fossil record on the basis of their dental remains, leading to poor understanding of the palaeobiogeographical evolution of Myopus as well as inaccurate palaeoenvrionmental reconstructions. Currently, the presence of Myopus in the fossil register from the Pleistocene is still debated and no firm occurrence of this lemming in western Europe has yet been confirmed for the Late Pleistocene. In this paper, we used geometric morphometrics on modern material to establish morphological differences between Lemmus and Myopus teeth (first lower and third upper molars). Morphological data were then used to build a robust linear discriminant model able to confidently classify isolated teeth of these two genera, and finally, linear discriminant models were used on fossil remains of Lemmus/Myopus from two Late Pleistocene archaeological/palaeontological sites (Grotte des Gorges and Gully Cave). This study demonstrates, for the first time, the presence of Myopus schisticolor in west European Late Pleistocene sites between the end of Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the beginning of the Holocene, during climatic events that favoured the development of taiga forest of birch and pine in these regions.

Lake sedimentary processes and vegetation changes over the last 45k cal a bp in the uplands of south‐eastern Amazonia - José Tasso Felix Guimarães; Prafulla Kumar Sahoo; Mariana Maha Jana Costa De Figueiredo; Karen da Silva Lopes; Markus Gastauer; Silvio Junio Ramos; Cecilio Frois Caldeira; Pedro Walfir M. Souza‐Filho; Luiza Santos Reis; Marcio Sousa Da Silva; Paulo Rogenes Pontes; Renato Oliveira Da Silva; et al. (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
This study addresses paleoclimate influences in a southern Amazonia ecotone based on multiproxy records from lakes of the Carajás region during the last 45k cal a bp. Wet and cool environmental conditions marked the initial deposition in shallow depressions with detrital sediments and high weathering rates until 40k cal a bp. Concomitantly, forest and C3 canga plants, along with cool‐adapted taxa, developed; however, short drier episodes enabled expansion of C4 plants and diagenetic formation of siderite. A massive event of siderite formation occurred approximately 30k cal a bp under strong drier conditions. Afterwards, wet and cool environmental conditions returned and persisted until the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The LGM was marked by lake‐level lowstands and subaerial exposure. The transition from the LGM to the Holocene is marked by the onset of oscillations in temperature and humidity, with an expansion of forest and canga plants. Cool taxa were present for the last time in the Carajás region ~ 9.5–9k cal a bp. After 10k cal a bp , shallow lakes became upland swamps due to natural infilling processes, but the current vegetation types and structures of the plateaus were acquired only after 3k cal a bp under wetter climatic conditions.

The skeleton of a straight‐tusked elephant, Palaeoloxodon antiquus (Falconer and Cautley, 1847) from Selsey, England, and growth and variation in Palaeoloxodon of the European Pleistocene - Elizabeth E. Erkek; Adrian M. Lister (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
A partial skeleton of straight‐tusked elephant ( Palaeoloxodon antiquus ) excavated at Selsey beach (Sussex, UK) in 1961 is one of very few from Marine Isotope Stage 7 (MIS 7), ca. 240–200 ka, in Europe. Dental morphometrics, including X‐ray micro‐computed tomography, confirms the species identification. Age determination through dental wear and skeletal morphology, sex determination through pelvic anatomy, and body‐size measurements, together identify the individual as a female of approximately 30 years old with a live shoulder height of ca. 3 m and a body mass of ca. 5 t. Dental mesowear indicates mixed feeding with a significant proportion of grass, indicating selective feeding in a predominately forested environment. Although taphonomic conclusions are limited by the nature of the excavation, identification of 107 recovered skeletal elements indicates predominant preservation of the right side of the animal, suggesting death or burial on the right side in a shallow, slow‐moving freshwater environment, with possible removal of other elements by scavenging or decay. Combining the Selsey data with 29 comparative skeletons from across Europe, we demonstrate the validity of pelvic proportions for determining sex and provide a graphical representation of variation and growth rate in males and females of this species.

Interaction of multiple ice streams on the Malin Shelf during deglaciation of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet - Kieran F. Craven; Stephen McCarron; Xavier Monteys; Dayton Dove (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Malin Shelf, off north‐west Ireland, was an important zone of confluence for marine‐based ice streams of the former British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). Legacy geophysical datasets are used to construct models of the seismic character, relative age and distribution of shelf sediments and landforms. Buried and surface landform assemblages provide evidence that during deglaciation of the Late Devensian BIIS, the region was occupied not by a single Hebrides Ice Stream as previously proposed, but by four discrete ice streams, here referred to as the Sea of the Hebrides (SHIS), Inner Hebrides, North Channel and Tory Island ice streams. Our observations of stratigraphic relationships between the deposits of these ice streams indicate physical interactions between them during shelf deglaciation. We interpret an initial dominant cross‐shelf flow along the SHIS impeding cross‐shelf ice flow from other ice sheet sectors. Following withdrawal of the SHIS grounding line from the shelf edge to mid‐shelf bathymetric highs during deglaciation, a reconfiguration of ice sheet flow paths allowed the expansion of smaller cross‐shelf ice streams draining central Scotland and north‐western Ireland. This internal dynamic behaviour provides a possible physical analogue for time‐transgressive flow patterns reported for outlets draining the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

A history of violence: magma incubation, timing and tephra distribution of the Los Chocoyos supereruption (Atitlán Caldera, Guatemala) - Alejandro Cisneros de León; Julie C. Schindlbeck‐Belo; Steffen Kutterolf; Martin Danišík; Axel K. Schmitt; Armin Freundt; Wendy Pérez; Janet C. Harvey; Kuo‐Lung Wang; Hao‐Yang Lee (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The climactic Los Chocoyos (LCY) eruption from Atitlán caldera (Guatemala) is a key chronostratigraphic marker for the Quaternary period given the extensive distribution of its deposits that reached both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Despite LCY tephra being an important marker horizon, a radioisotopic age for this eruption has remained elusive. Using zircon (U–Th)/He geochronology, we present the first radioisotopically determined eruption age for the LCY of 75 ± 2 ka. Additionally, the youngest zircon crystallization 238 U– 230 Th rim ages in their respective samples constrain eruption age maxima for two other tephra units that erupted from Atitlán caldera, W‐Fall (130 +16 / −14 ka) and I‐Fall eruptions (56 +8.2 / −7.7 ka), which under‐ and overlie LCY tephra, respectively. Moreover, rim and interior zircon dating and glass chemistry suggest that before eruption silicic magma was stored for >80 kyr, with magma accumulation peaking within ca . 35 kyr before the LCY eruption during which the system may have developed into a vertically zoned magma chamber. Based on an updated distribution of LCY pyroclastic deposits, a new conservatively estimated volume of ~1220 ± 150 km 3 is obtained (volcanic explosivity index VEI > 8), which confirms the LCY eruption as the first‐ever recognized supereruption in Central America.

Assessing the use of mangrove pollen as a quantitative sea‐level indicator on Mahé, Seychelles - Juliet P. Sefton; Sarah A. Woodroffe (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We investigated the potential of mangrove pollen from Mahé, Seychelles, to improve existing metre‐scale Late Holocene sediment‐based sea‐level reconstructions. Mangrove species at two mangrove sites are broadly zoned according to elevation within the tidal frame. Modern pollen rain from traps deployed for 1 year generally have a poor relationship with modern vegetation, and relatively low pollen production rates. Pollen from mangrove species that live in narrow elevation zones (e.g. Avicennia marina ) are poorly represented in modern pollen rain, while pollen from mangrove species that live across a larger elevational range (e.g. Rhizophora mucronata ) are relatively well represented. Pollen was found in extremely low concentrations in mangrove surface and core sediments, which inhibited further study into pollen transport and preservation. The results from this modern study demonstrate that utilizing mangrove pollen would not decrease existing metre‐scale vertical uncertainties in Late Holocene sea‐level reconstructions in the Seychelles. We suggest that this approach may still be successful in other locations if mangrove vegetation is (i) zoned at a more extensive lateral scale and (ii) is closely associated with modern pollen rain and surface sediments, and (iii) sedimentological conditions promote the preservation of pollen in fossil sequences.

Distribution of n ‐alkan‐2‐ones in Qionghai Lake sediments, southwest China, and its potential for late Quaternary paleoclimate reconstruction - Gen Wang; Yongli Wang; Zhifu Wei; Wei He; Ting Zhang; Xueyun Ma; Xiaoli Yu (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Studies on long‐chain n ‐alkan‐2‐ones from lake sediments remain sparse. In this study, we present an n ‐alkan‐2‐one record from Qionghai Lake, southwest China, to assess the paleoclimate significance of variations in their compositions. A homologous series of n ‐alkan‐2‐ones ranging from C 21 to C 35 were identified, with maximum concentrations of the C 29 or C 31 chain lengths and a strong odd‐over‐even predominance. This type of n ‐alkan‐2‐one is considered to derive mainly from microbial oxidation of the corresponding n ‐alkanes, and partial inputs from plants. The n ‐alkan‐2‐one‐derived average chain length (ACL) and carbon preference index (CPI) values changed significantly over the past 28k cal a bp , consistent with the sediment grain size and n ‐alkane proxies from the same core. Generally, the high CPI 27‐33 ‐ket and low ACL 27‐33 ‐ket values indicated cold and dry climates such as for the Last Glacial Maximum (23.2–19.7k cal a bp ), Heinrich 1 event (17.6–15.6k cal a bp ) and Younger Dryas (12.8–11.6k cal a bp ), but low CPI 27‐33 ‐ket and high ACL 27‐33 ‐ket values denoted a warm and humid Holocene Climatic Optimum (7.0–4.3k cal a bp ). Therefore, n ‐alkan‐2‐ones have great paleoclimatic potential and can be applied together with other biomarkers to reconstruct a reliable paleoclimate record in lake sediments.

‘Palaeolago Fueguino’, a Late Pleistocene lacustrine basin located in the central sector of Tierra del Fuego: a seismostratigraphic study - Jorge G. Lozano; Donaldo M. Bran; Federica Donda; Emanuele Lodolo; Federico D. Esteban; Alejandro Tassone (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
At ~20 ka bp , lakes Yehuin, Chepelmut and Fagnano constituted a single, large water body in the central part of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (southernmost Patagonia). The evolutionary history of this lake, known as ‘Palaeolago Fueguino’, was probably controlled by the advances, stillstands and retreats of the ‘Fagnano Palaeoglacier’, an outlet glacier that flowed eastward from the Darwin Cordillera ice sheet. A detailed analysis of high‐resolution seismic reflection profiles acquired within the three lakes has allowed the identification and correlation of seven unconformities within the lacustrine sedimentary infill, three seismostratigraphic sequences in Lago Fagnano and four in Lago Yehuin. A seismic stratigraphic correlation between these sequences suggests that these basins formerly constituted a single, large lacustrine body. A lake‐level curve of the evolutionary stages of each lake, derived from the seismostratigraphic analysis of the sedimentary infill is proposed here, representing a 17.5 ka‐long record. It was further integrated with the glacial record of the advances and retreats of the Fagnano Palaeoglacier. This study has implications for interpreting the sedimentary history of lake basins in glaciated mountain ranges.

A dated volcano‐tectonic deformation event in Jan Mayen causing landlocking of Arctic charr - Eiliv Larsen; Astrid Lyså; Ármann Höskuldsson; Jan G. Davidsen; Marie J. Nadeau; Michael Power; Georgios Tassis; Stefan Wastegård (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
We provide the first documentation of tectonic deformation resulting from a volcanic eruption on the island of Jan Mayen. Vertical displacement of about 14 m southwest of the stratovolcano Beerenberg is associated with an eruption in ad 1732 on its southeastern flank. The age of the uplift event is bracketed by radiocarbon‐dated driftwood buried by material deposited due to uplift, and by tephra from this eruption. Constraints, inferred from radiocarbon ages alone, allow for the possibility that uplift was completed prior to the ad 1732 eruption. However, the occurrence of tephra in the sediment column indicates that some displacement was ongoing during the eruption but ceased before the eruption terminated. We attribute the tectonic deformation to intrusion of shallow magma associated with the volcanic eruption. Our results complement previous studies of volcanic activity on Jan Mayan by providing precise age constraints for past volcanic activity. Also, it raises new hypotheses regarding the nature, timing and prevalence of precursor tectonic events to Jan Mayan eruptions. The uplift caused the complete isolation of a coastal lake by closing its outlet to the sea, thus landlocking the facultative migratory fish species Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus).

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

Coastal curios? An analysis of ex situ beach finds for mapping new Palaeolithic sites at Happisburgh, UK - Rachel Bynoe; Nick M. Ashton; Tim Grimmer; Peter Hoare; Joanne Leonard; Simon G. Lewis; Darren Nicholas; Simon Parfitt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Recent archaeological discoveries from exposures of the Cromer Forest‐bed Formation at Happisburgh, UK, have radically changed interpretations of the nature and timing of early hominin occupation of northern latitudes, but this in situ archaeology is only one part of the picture. Surface finds of Pleistocene mammalian remains have been found along this coastline for centuries, with stone tools adding to this record over the past 7 years. The ex situ nature of these finds, however, means they are often seen as limited in the information they can provide. This work contributes to a growing body of research from a range of landscape and environmental contexts that seeks to demonstrate the value and importance of these ex situ assemblages. Here the focus is on Palaeolithic flint artefacts and Pleistocene mammalian remains recovered by a group of local collectors through systematic, GPS‐recorded beach collection from 2013 to 2017, and their use in developing a methodology for working with ex situ Palaeolithic finds in coastal locations. The results demonstrate significant patterning that identifies unexplored exposures both onshore and offshore, considerably expanding the known extent of deposits and facilitating new insights into the wider archaeological landscape associated with the earliest occupation of northern Europe.

Issue Information (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)

Manifestations of Quaternary syn‐eruptive fluid circulations on carbonate veins, Central Anatolian Volcanic Province - Volkan Karabacak; Halim Mutlu; Kiymet Deniz (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
In this study, we investigate the geochronological, geochemical and isotopic characteristics of two travertine sites surrounded by Quaternary eruption centres in central Anatolia with ample palaeo‐eruption records. High‐resolution carbonate precipitation records, revealed by U‐Th dating, are clustered around 5–35, 60–100 and 120–170 ka and are well correlated with the dataset on eruptions as well as the position of fractures related to the volcanic centres. Syn‐eruptive carbonate precipitation seems to occur due to the circulation of CO 2 ‐rich fluids along the extensional fracture systems aligned tangentially to the related volcanic conduit and, therefore, the study of this system could be an alternative technique for the reconstruction of palaeo‐eruptions. δ 18 O values of the studied travertines are within the range of meteogene fluids. Oxygen isotope compositions at around 130 ka match well with Glacial Termination II that is also recorded by climate proxies in various cave and benthic deposits throughout the world. It is likely that the studied carbonates were precipitated under similar fluid circulation conditions which are represented by a high rate of dilatation followed by a meteoric water influx into the extensional fractures.

Holocene records of eolian dust deposition from high‐elevation lakes in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA - Jeffrey S. Munroe; Ryan McElroy; Sam O'Keefe; Andrew Peters; Luna Wasson (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Radiocarbon‐dated sediment cores from subalpine lakes were used to investigate post‐glacial dust deposition in the Uinta Mountains (Utah, USA). Lake sediments were geochemically characterized with ICP‐OES, ICP‐MS and XRF core scanning. Collections from passive samplers constrain the properties of modern dust, and samples of regolith constrain properties of the local material within the watershed. Ca and Eu are more abundant in dust, whereas Ti and Zr are more abundant in local regolith. As a result, the Ca/Ti and Eu/Zr ratios are indices for the dust content of lake sediment. In all records, the dust index rises in the early Holocene as watersheds became stabilized with vegetation, reducing the influx of local material. After this point, values remained above average through the middle Holocene, consistent with an increased dust content in the sediment. Dust index values drop in the late Holocene in most lakes, suggesting a decrease in dust abundance. Generally synchronous shifts in dust index values in cores from lakes in different parts of this mountain range are evidence of enhanced dust deposition in this region during the middle Holocene, and are consistent with a variety of records for increased aridity in the south‐western USA at this time.

Evaluating Bayesian Radiocarbon‐dated Event Count (REC) models for the study of long‐term human and environmental processes - W. Christopher Carleton (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Chronological uncertainty complicates attempts to use radiocarbon dates as proxies for processes such as human population growth/decline, forest fires and marine ingression. Established approaches involve turning databases of radiocarbon‐date densities into single summary proxies that cannot fully account for chronological uncertainty. Here, I use simulated data to explore an alternative Bayesian approach that instead models the data as what they are, namely radiocarbon‐dated event counts. The approach involves assessing possible event‐count sequences by sampling radiocarbon date densities and then applying a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to estimate the parameters of an appropriate count‐based regression model. The regressions based on individual sampled sequences were placed in a multilevel framework, which allowed for the estimation of hyperparameters that account for chronological uncertainty in individual event times. Two processes were used to produce simulated data. One represented a simple monotonic change in event‐counts and the other was based on a real palaeoclimate proxy record. In both cases, the method produced estimates that had the correct sign and were consistently biased towards zero. These results indicate that the approach is widely applicable and could form the basis of a new class of quantitative models for use in exploring long‐term human and environmental processes.

Testing the consistency of Holocene and Last Glacial Maximum spatial correlations in temperature proxy records - Maria Reschke; Igor Kröner; Thomas Laepple (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Holocene temperature proxy records are commonly used in quantitative synthesis and model‐data comparisons. However, comparing correlations between time series from records collected in proximity to one another with the expected correlations based on climate model simulations indicates either regional or noisy climate signals in Holocene temperature proxy records. In this study, we evaluate the consistency of spatial correlations present in Holocene proxy records with those found in data from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Specifically, we predict correlations expected in LGM proxy records if the only difference to Holocene correlations would be due to more time uncertainty and more climate variability in the LGM. We compare this simple prediction to the actual correlation structure in the LGM proxy records. We found that time series data of ice‐core stable isotope records and planktonic foraminifera Mg/Ca ratios were consistent between the Holocene and LGM periods, while time series of Uk'37 proxy records were not as we found no correlation between nearby LGM records. Our results support the finding of highly regional or noisy marine proxy records in the compilation analysed here and suggest the need for further studies on the role of climate proxies and the processes of climate signal recording and preservation.

Macrofossil evidence of alder ( Alnus sp.) in Britain early in the Late Glacial Interstadial: implications for the northern cryptic refugia debate - D. S. Young; C. P. Green; C. R. Batchelor; P. Austin; S. A. Elias; J. Athersuch; P. Lincoln (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Wood macrofossil remains of alder and willow/poplar have been recovered from a sediment sequence in the valley of the Turker Beck in the Vale of Mowbray, North Yorkshire. These remains have yielded radiocarbon dates early in the Devensian Late Glacial (14.7–14k cal a bp ), equivalent to the early part of the Greenland Interstadial (GI‐1e) of the GRIP ice‐core record. These are the earliest dates recorded for the presence of alder in the Late Glacial in the British Isles. Associated biological remains have provided a palaeoenvironmental record for this early part of the Greenland Interstadial, generally indicative of open environments dominated by herbaceous taxa on both the wetland and dryland surfaces. However, stands of alder, birch and willow woodland were also present, and indicate the possibility that such tree species survived in cryptic refugia in Britain as elsewhere in northern Europe during the Last Glacial Maximum. The absence of alder pollen at Turker Beck, in a sequence in which its macrofossil remains are relatively abundant, lends support to the view that pollen can be a poor indicator of the presence of tree species in Late Glacial sequences in northern and western Europe.

Pliocene and late Pleistocene (MIS 5e) decapod crustaceans from Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago: Central Atlantic): systematics, palaeoecology and palaeobiogeography - Matúš Hyžný; Carlos S. Melo; Ricardo S. Ramalho; Ricardo Cordeiro; Patrícia Madeira; Lara Baptista; A. Cristina Rebelo; Cynthia Gómez; Alfred Uchman; Markes E. Johnson; Björn Berning; Sérgio P. Ávila (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The presence of decapod crustaceans in the Pliocene and Pleistocene (MIS 5e) fossil record of Santa Maria Island (Azores Archipelago) is herein reviewed. Our study raises the number of fossil decapods from this island from one species to 10 taxa (three for the Pliocene and seven for the Last Interglacial). Four of these 10 taxa are reported for the first time in the fossil record, worldwide. A new species of a mud shrimp is also described ( Upogebia azorensis n. sp.). Our study suggests that the Plio–Pleistocene decapod assemblages of the Azores did not differ significantly from modern ones, being dominated by species that are today widespread across the Webbnesia ecoregion, the Mediterranean Sea, and the eastern Atlantic shores, including the Azores. As far as can be judged from the limited fossil record, apparently no tropical crab species with a Cabo Verdean/Senegalese provenance reached the Azores during windows of opportunity associated with Glacial Termination 2 or with the initial setting of the Last Interglacial period. This contribution increases the total number of marine taxa reported for the Pliocene and Pleistocene outcrops of Santa Maria Island to 218 and 155, respectively, highlighting the scientific relevance of its palaeontological heritage.

Indian monsoon variability during the last 46 kyr: isotopic records of planktic foraminifera from southwestern Bay of Bengal - P. K. Gautam; A. C. Narayana; P. Kiran Kumar; P. G. Bhavani; M. G. Yadava; A. J. T. Jull (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
The Indian monsoon carries large amounts of freshwater to the northern Indian Ocean and modulates the upper ocean structure in terms of upwelling and productivity. Freshwater‐induced stratification in the upper ocean of the Bay of Bengal is linked to the changes in the Indian monsoon. In this study, we test the usefulness of δ 18 O and δ 13 C variability records for Globigerina bulloides and Orbulina universa to infer Indian monsoon variability from a sediment core retrieved from the southwestern Bay of Bengal encompassing the last 46 kyr record. Results show that the northeast monsoon was dominant during the Last Glacial Maximum. Remarkable signatures are observed in the δ 18 O and δ 13 C records during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 to MIS‐1. Our study suggests that Indian monsoon variability is controlled by a complex of factors such as solar insolation, North Atlantic climatic shifts, and coupled ocean–atmospheric variability during the last 46 kyr.

Detection of the historical Askja ad 1875 and modern Icelandic cryptotephras in varved lake sediments – results from a first systematic search in northern Poland - MaŁgorzata Kinder; Sabine Wulf; Oona Appelt (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Volcanic ash can disperse thousands of kilometres from the source volcano and provide valuable chronostratigraphic markers for palaeoclimate studies. We present new cryptotephra findings of historical and modern Icelandic eruptions in annually laminated lacustrine sediment records from several sites within a 570 km SW–NE transect across northern Poland. Sediments from the two lakes Wąsoskie and Szurpiły contain glass shards originating from the Plinian Askja ad 1875 eruption and showing bimodal, rhyolitic and dacitic affinities. A further cryptotephra finding in Lake Lubińskie suggests a potential origin from the Hekla ad 1845 eruption. These new findings extend the tephra dispersal map towards the south‐east and provide valuable isochrons for the synchronisation of palaeoclimate proxy data at the termination of the Little Ice Age in central eastern Europe. Very low glass concentrations of modern cryptotephra in Lake Wąsoskie were potentially correlated with the Eyjafjallajökull ad 2010 eruption. Further findings in the uppermost sediments of lakes Szurpiły and Żabińskie in north‐eastern Poland tentatively suggest other sources from either the Hekla and/or Kamchatkan volcanoes.

Small shards and long distances — three cryptotephra layers from the Nahe palaeolake including the first discovery of Laacher See Tephra in Schleswig‐Holstein (Germany) - Sascha Krüger; Christel van den Bogaard (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Investigations of Lateglacial to Early Holocene lake sediments from the Nahe palaeolake (northern Germany) provided a high‐resolution palynological record. To increase the temporal resolution of the record a targeted search for cryptotephra was carried out on the basis of pollen stratigraphy. Three cryptotephra horizons were detected and geochemically identified as G10ka series tephra (a Saksunarvatn Ash), Vedde Ash and Laacher See Tephra. Here we present the first geochemically confirmed finding of the ash from the Laacher See Eruption in Schleswig‐Holstein—extending the so far detected fallout fan of the eruption further to the north‐west. These finds enable direct stratigraphical correlations and underline the potential of the site for further investigations.

Age of Gimli beach of Lake Agassiz based on new OSL dating - James T. Teller; Lewis A. Owen (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Gimli beach in Manitoba is one of the lowest elevation beaches in the southern Lake Agassiz basin, and is a distinct ridge composed of bedded sand and gravel that rises above the lake plain and extends for more than 40 km. Ten new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from Gimli beach yield ages mostly ranging from 9.7 ± 0.7 to 10.5 ± 0.8 ka (average 10.3 ± 0.5 ka), which is older by 0.6 to >1.0 ka than age estimates of previous researchers. Two of our new OSL ages are notably older than the others, dating to ~11.3 ± 0.8 and 13.9 ± 1.0 ka, which we attribute to poorly bleached sands. We ascribe an age of about 10 ka to Gimli beach, which is several centuries before overflow from Lake Agassiz and its vast drainage basin shifted from the western Great Lakes to glacial Lake Ojibway and the St. Lawrence Valley.

A high‐resolution speleothem proxy record of the Late Glacial in the European Alps: extending the NALPS19 record until the beginning of the Holocene - Hanying Li; Christoph Spötl; Hai Cheng (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Previous research has shown that speleothems from the northern rim of the European Alps captured submillennial‐scale climate change during the last glacial period with exceptional sensitivity and resolution, mimicking Greenland ice‐core records. Here we extend this so‐called NALPS19 record across the Late Glacial using two stalagmites which grew continuously into the Holocene. Both specimens show the same high‐amplitude δ 18 O signal as Greenland ice cores down to decadal resolution. The start of the warming at the onset of the equivalent of Greenland Interstadial (GI) GI‐1e at 14.66 ± 0.18 ka agrees with the North Greenland Ice Core Project (NGRIP) (14.64 ± 0.28 ka) and comprised a temperature rise of about 5–6 °C. The transition from the equivalent of GI‐1a into the equivalent of Greenland Stadial (GS) GS‐1 (broadly equivalent to the Younger Dryas) commenced at 13.02 ± 0.13 ka which is consistent with NGRIP (12.80 ± 0.26 ka) within errors. The onset of the Holocene started at 11.78 ± 0.14 ka (11.65 ± 0.10 ka at NGRIP) and involved a warming of about 4–5 °C. In contrast to δ 18 O, δ 13 C values show no response to (sub)millennial climate shifts due to strong rock‐buffering and only record a long‐term trend of soil development starting with the rapid warming at 14.7 ka.

A bio‐available strontium isoscape for eastern Beringia: a tool for tracking landscape use of Pleistocene megafauna - Juliette Funck; Clement Bataille; Jeffrey Rasic; Matthew Wooller (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2021)
Numerous paleoecological questions concern the mobility of ancient fauna in eastern Beringia. Strontium (Sr) isotope ratio ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) analysis has emerged as a powerful tracer for determining the provenance of ancient biological materials. However, it is important to characterize 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variation across a landscape. We measured the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr composition of teeth from present‐day, herbivorous rodents ( n = 162) sampled from across eastern Beringia to estimate bio‐available 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values. We compiled these data with the very limited number of previously published 87 Sr/ 86 Sr values from the region. We then used this dataset and a machine learning, random‐forest regression to predict bio‐available 87 Sr/ 86 Sr variations across eastern Beringia. As a case study using our new 87 Sr/ 86 Sr map (isoscape), we measured the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr and oxygen stable isotope values (δ 18 O) of five radiocarbon‐dated steppe bison from eastern Beringia and compared these to our 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isoscape and a δ 18 O isoscape to estimate the probable landscape use of these ancient fauna. Our model and isoscape provide important foundations for a wide range of additional applications, including studies of the paleo‐mobility of other fauna, ancient people and present‐day fauna in eastern Beringia.

A Holocene high‐resolution record of aquatic productivity, seasonal anoxia and meromixis from varved sediments of Lake Łazduny, North‐Eastern Poland: insight from a novel multi‐proxy approach - Andrea Sanchini; Sönke Szidat; Wojciech Tylmann; Hendrik Vogel; Agnieszka Wacnik; Martin Grosjean (Journal of Quaternary Science, 2020)
Anthropogenic eutrophication and spreading anoxia in freshwater systems is a global concern. Little is known about anoxia in earlier historic times under weaker human impact, or under prehistoric natural conditions with different trophic, land cover and climatic regimes. We use a novel approach that combines high‐resolution hyperspectral imaging with µ‐XRF and HPLC‐pigment data, which allows us to assess chloropigments (productivity) and bacteriopigments (anoxia) at seasonal subvarve‐scale resolution. Our ~9700 cal a bp varved sediment record from NE Poland suggests that productivity increased stepwise from oligotrophic Early Holocene conditions (until ~9200 cal a bp ) to mesotrophic conditions in the Mid‐ and Late Holocene. Natural eutrophication was mainly a function of progressing landscape evolution with intense weathering under dense forest and warm‐moist climatic conditions. Generally, anoxia increased with increasing productivity. Seasonal anoxia and some multi‐decadal periods of meromixis were the common mixing patterns throughout the Holocene except for a period of persisting meromixis between ~5200 and 2000 cal a bp. Anthropogenic deforestation around 400 cal a bp resulted in substantially better lake oxygenation despite high productivity. In this small lake, aquatic productivity and lakeshore forest cover (wind shield) were more important factors controlling oxic/anoxic conditions than Holocene temperature variability.