A reconstruction of the palaeohydrological conditions of a flood‐plain: a multi‐proxy study from the Grabia River valley mire,central Poland

This study investigated the Grabia River valley mire in central Poland to reconstruct its palaeoenvironmental conditions from the Younger Dryas to the present. We analysed sedimentological, biological and geochemical data from the palaeo‐oxbow lake and valley mire to identify the principal hydrological trends, especially episodes of high water level. During the Lateglacial and Holocene, the Grabia River had a meandering channel, and its hydraulic parameters and the channel dimensions changed in response to climatic oscillations and vegetation development. We identified phases of high flood intensity and high groundwater level that correlate with regional and supraregional climatic events. The frequency and timing of palaeohydroclimatic oscillations show strong similarities to records from other sites in Poland and the rest of Europe. We show that various analytical methods, namely, pollen, plant macrofossils, Cladocera, Chironomidae, sedimentological, geochemical and radiocarbon data, can be effective tools for reconstructing past hydroclimatic changes in palaeo‐oxbow lakes and investigating the effects of past climate changes on river environments. The high sensitivity of the biota, especially Cladocera, to changes in water level permits the reconstruction of palaeoecological changes, especially flood episodes that occurred in the river valley. In particular, the increase in the proportion of sediment‐associated Cladocera and pelagic taxa was closely correlated with floods. Through comparisons with the palaeobiological data, geochemical data allowed the identification of humid phases within the fen associated with a rising groundwater table, direct fluvial activity (floods) and alluvial deposition. We also discuss the limitations of palaeohydrological reconstructions based on these proxies, especially on fossil aquatic invertebrates.     

Environmental responses to Lateglacial climatic fluctuations recorded in the sediments of pre‐Alpine Lake Mondsee (northeastern Alps)

Investigation of the sedimentary record of pre‐Alpine Lake Mondsee (Upper Austria) focused on the environmental reaction to rapid Lateglacial climatic changes. Results of this study reveal complex proxy responses that are variable in time and influenced by the long‐term evolution of the lake and its catchment. A new field sampling approach facilitated continuous and precisely controlled parallel sampling at decadal to sub‐annual resolution for µ‐XRF element scanning, carbon geochemistry, stable isotope measurements on ostracods, pollen analyses and large‐scale thin sections for microfacies analysis. The Holocene chronology is established through microscopic varve counting and supported by accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating of terrestrial plant macrofossils, whereas the Lateglacial age model is based on δ¹⁸O wiggle matching with the Greenland NGRIP record, using the GICC05 chronology. Microfacies analysis enables the detection of subtle sedimentological changes, proving that depositional processes even in rather large lake systems are highly sensitive to climate forcing. Comparing periods of major warming at the onset of the Lateglacial and Holocene and of major cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas reveals differences in proxy responses, reflecting threshold effects and ecosystem inertia. Temperature increase, vegetation recovery, decrease of detrital flux and intensification of biochemical calcite precipitation at the onset of the Holocene took place with only decadal leads and lags over a ca. 100 a period, whereas the spread of woodlands and the reduction of detrital flux lagged the warming at the onset of the Lateglacial Interstadial by ca. 500–750 a. Cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas is reflected by the simultaneous reaction of δ¹⁸O and vegetation, but sedimentological changes (reduction of endogenic calcite content, increase in detrital flux) were delayed by about 150–300 a. Three short‐term Lateglacial cold intervals, corresponding to Greenland isotope substages GI‐1d, GI‐1c2 and GI‐1b, also show complex proxy responses that vary in time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climatic Character of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e in the Representative Regions of the World: A Review

The Last Interglacial or Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e, is of great interest because it serves as an analog for the Holocene. The climate change and duration during Marine isotope stage (MIS) 5e are considerably well understood for recent and future climate. Despite great interest in this subject over many years, a number of issues concerning the climate circumstances of MIS 5e are by no means resolved. We analyzed 35 published palaeoclimate records with reliable chronologies and robust proxies in typical region of the world to evaluate climate change during MIS 5e. These data indicate that: ① The duration of this warm phase is thought to range from (128±2) ka to (116±2) ka. The climate of MIS 5e was likely relatively stable with a number of abrupt, weak amplitude, cool and/or arid events. And the difference between regions is noticeable for the occurrence, amplitude, onset and duration of these events. For example, marine records from the North Atlantic indicate that the climate of MIS 5e was relatively stable, however the records from Norwegian sea show that the climate of MIS 5e had a significant changes at the beginning and cold event in the Mid-Eemian; The δ¹⁸O, δD and CH₄ in the ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica imply that climate was relatively stable during the last interglacial period, while in Europe from the north to the south the duration of this phase became shorter and the intensity of climatic events became stronger. In addition, the climatic conditions of MIS 5e reconstructed by climate proxy from China are various and have the subject of some controversy. ②The global climate response to the insolation forcing would have been uniform on suborbital timescale. Nevertheless, as a result of regional sundry climatic forcing factors, global millennial-scale/century-scale climate oscillations were marked by significant local features during stage 5e. ③ Based on the better chronological controls, the estimation of climate parameters, the high-resolution climate records, and precise knowledge of the phase relationship between climate changes in global, the earlier depiction for climate circumstances and environment change during Marine Isotope Stage 5e should be refined and our understanding of the climate dynamics and mechanism and climate modelling should be improved.     

Cenozoic Evolution of Sediments and Climate Change and Response to Tectonic Uplift of the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Through a comprehensive study of magnetostratigraphy and sedimentology of several basins in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, we reveal that the study area mainly experienced six tectonic uplift stages at approximately 52 Ma, 34–30 Ma, 24–20 Ma, 16–12 Ma, 8–6 Ma, and 3.6–2.6 Ma. Comprehensive analyses of pollen assemblages from the Qaidam, Linxia, Xining, and West Jiuquan Basins show that the northeastern Tibetan Plateau has undergone six major changes in vegetation types and climate: 50–40 Ma for the warm-humid forest vegetation, 40–23 Ma for the warm-arid and temperate-arid forest steppe vegetation, 23–18.6 Ma for the warm-humid and temperatehumid forest vegetation, 18.6–8.5 Ma for the warm-humid and cool-humid forest steppe vegetation, 8.6–5 Ma for the temperate sub-humid savanna steppe vegetation, and 5–1.8 Ma for the cold-arid steppe vegetation. Comprehensive comparisons of tectonic uplift events inferred from sedimentary records, climatic changes inferred from pollen, and global climate changes show that in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau the climate in the Paleogene at low altitude was mainly controlled by the global climate change, while that in the Neogene interval with high altitude landscapes of mountains and basins is more controlled by altitude and morphology.     

Evidence for a mid‐Pleistocene shift of ice‐drift pattern in the Nordic seas

Sediment proxy records from a continuous, 1.5 million year long deep‐sea sediment core from a site in the western Norwegian Sea were used to obtain new insights into the nature of palaeoceanographic change in the northern North Atlantic (Nordic seas) during the climatic shift of the Mid‐Pleistocene Revolution (MPR). Red‐green sediment colour and magnetic susceptibility records both reveal significant differences in their mean values when comparing the intervals older than 700 000 yr (700 ka) with those from the past 500 kyr. The timing and duration of these changes indicates that the MPR in the Nordic seas is characterised by a gradual transition lasting about 200 kyr. Together with further sedimentological evidence this suggests that the mid‐Pleistocene climate shift was accompanied by a general change in ice‐drift pattern. It is further proposed that prior to the onset of the major late Pleistocene glaciations in the Northern Hemisphere a significant proportion of the ice in the eastern Nordic seas originated from a southern provenance, whereas later it dominantly came from the surrounding landmasses. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Late Weichselian stable isotope stratigraphy compared with biostratigraphical data: A case study from southern Sweden

Late Weichselian lake sediments from a site in southern Sweden, were analysed for stable carbon and oxygen isotopes, as well as plant macrofossils and insect remains. By comparison of independent data sets, general climatic changes were demonstrated. Lithological, chemical and stable isotope data reveal two significant climatic oscillations at ca. 12 200–12 000 and ca. 11 000–10 200 yr BP respectively. Continental climatic conditions, indicated by evaporative enrichment of ¹⁸O in lake marl, characterise parts of the early lake history, including the Older Dryas Stadial. Distinct variations of δ¹³C in organic material is discussed in terms of climatically induced changes in lake-water chemistry. Different types of photosynthetic assimilation of dissolved inorganic carbon is proposed as a contributing factor influencing lake marl δ¹³C. The universal application of a positive correlation between lake marl δ¹⁸O and mean annual air temperature is questioned. Quantifications of mean summer and winter temperatures based on beetle analysis show a climatic optimum around 12 000 yr BP, a marked cooling around 11 000 yr BP and a strong amelioration at ca. 10 200 yr BP. These climatic events were accompanied by distinct changes in aquatic vegetation. Plant macrofossil and insect analyses indicate an open vegetation during the entire period studied. Biostratigraphical data reflecting local limnic and terrestrial vegetation and regional climate facilitate the interpretation of stable isotope data.     

The Falkland Islands’ palaeoecological response to millennial‐scale climate perturbations during the Pleistocene–Holocene transition: Implications for future vegetation stability in the southern ocean islands

Oceanic island flora is vulnerable to future climate warming, which is likely to promote changes in vegetation composition, and invasion of non‐native species. Sub‐Antarctic islands are predicted to experience rapid warming during the next century; therefore, establishing trajectories of change in vegetation communities is essential for developing conservation strategies to preserve biological diversity. We present a Late‐glacial‐early Holocene (16 500–6450 cal a bp ) palaeoecological record from Hooker's Point, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Atlantic. This period spans the Pleistocene‐Holocene transition, providing insight into biological responses to abrupt climate change. Pollen and plant macrofossil records appear insensitive to climatic cooling during the Late‐glacial, but undergo rapid turnover in response to regional warming. The absence of trees throughout the Late‐glacial‐early Holocene enables the recognition of far‐travelled pollen from southern South America. The first occurrence of Nothofagus (southern beech) may reflect changes in the strength and/or position of the Southern Westerly Wind Belt during the Late‐glacial period. Peat inception and accumulation at Hooker's Point is likely to be promoted by the recalcitrant litter of wind‐adapted flora. This recalcitrant litter helps to explain widespread peatland development in a comparatively dry environment, and suggests that wind‐adapted peatlands can remain carbon sinks even under low precipitation regimes. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Quaternary Science Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Holocene vegetation and land‐use changes in response to climatic changes in the forelands of the southwestern Alps,Italy

The Holocene sediment of Lago Piccolo di Avigliana (Piedmont, Italy, 356 m a.s.l.) was dated by ¹⁴C and analysed for pollen to reconstruct the vegetation history of the area. The early‐ and mid‐Holocene pollen record shows environmental responses to centennial‐scale climatic changes as evidenced by independent palaeoclimatic proxies. When human impact was low or negligible, continental mixed‐oak forests decreased at ca. 9300 BC in response to the early‐Holocene Preboreal climatic oscillation. Abies alba expanded in two phases, probably in response to higher moisture availability at ca. 6000 and ca. 4000 BC , while Fagus expanded later, possibly in response to a climatic change at 3300 BC . During and after the Bronze Age five distinct phases of intensified land use were detected. The near synchroneity with the land‐use phases detected in wetter regions in northern and southern Switzerland points to a common forcing factor in spite of cultural differences. Increasing minerogenic input to the lake since 1000 BC coincided with Late Bronze—Iron Age technical innovations and probably indicate soil erosion as a consequence of deforestation in the lake catchment. The highest values for cultural indicators occurred at 700–450 and at 300–50 BC , coinciding with periods of high solar activity (inferred from Δ¹⁴C). This suggests that Iron Age land use was enhanced by high solar activity, while re‐occupation of partly abandoned areas after crises in earlier periods match better with the GRIP stable isotope record. On the basis of our data and comparison with independent palaeoclimatic proxies we suggest that precipitation variation was much more important than temperature oscillations in driving vegetation and societal changes throughout the Holocene. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeoecological evidence of changes in vegetation and climate during the Holocene in the pre‐Polar Urals,northeast European Russia

This study investigated Holocene tree‐line history and climatic change in the pre‐Polar Urals, northeast European Russia. A sediment core from Mezhgornoe Lake situated at the present‐day alpine tree‐line was studied for pollen, plant macrofossils, Cladocera and diatoms. A peat section from Vangyr Mire in the nearby mixed mountain taiga zone was analysed for pollen. The results suggest that the study area experienced a climatic optimum in the early Holocene and that summer temperatures were at least 2°C warmer than today. Tree birch immigrated to the Mezhgornoe Lake area at the onset of the Holocene. Mixed spruce forests followed at ca. 9500–9000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Climate was moist and the water level of Mezhgornoe Lake rose rapidly. The hypsithermal phase lasted until ca. 5500–4500 ¹⁴C yr BP, after which the mixed forest withdrew from the Mezhgornoe catchment as a result of the climate cooling. The gradual altitudinal downward shift of vegetation zones resulted in the present situation, with larch forming the tree‐line. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distinct styles of fluvial deposition in a Cambrian rift basin

Process‐based and facies models to account for the origin of pre‐vegetation (i.e. pre‐Silurian) preserved fluvial sedimentary architectures remain poorly defined in terms of their ability to account for the nature of the fluvial conditions required to accumulate and preserve architectural elements in the absence of the stabilizing influence of vegetation. In pre‐vegetation fluvial successions, the repeated reworking of bars and minor channels that resulted in the generation and preservation of broad, tabular, stacked sandstone‐sheets has been previously regarded as the dominant sedimentary mechanism. This situation is closely analogous to modern‐day poorly vegetated systems developed in arid climatic settings. However, this study demonstrates the widespread presence of substantially more complex stratigraphic architectures. The Guarda Velha Formation of Southern Brazil is a >500 m‐thick synrift fluvial succession of Cambrian age that records the deposits and sedimentary architecture of three distinct fluvial successions: (i) an early rift‐stage system characterized by coarse‐grained channel elements indicative of a distributive pattern with flow transverse to the basin axis; and two coeval systems from the early‐ to climax‐rift stages that represent (ii) an axially directed, trunk fluvial system characterized by large‐scale amalgamated sandy braid‐bar elements, and (iii) a distributive fluvial system characterized by multi‐storey, sandy braided‐channel elements that flowed transverse to the basin axis. Integration of facies and architectural‐element analysis with regional stratigraphic basin analysis, palaeocurrent and pebble‐provenance analysis demonstrates the mechanisms responsible for preserving the varied range of fluvial architectures present in this pre‐vegetation, rift‐basin setting. Identified major controls that influenced pre‐vegetation fluvial sedimentary style include: (i) spatial and temporal variation in discharge regime; (ii) the varying sedimentological characteristics of distinct catchment areas; (iii) the role of tectonic basin configuration and its direct role in influencing palaeoflow direction and fluvial style, whereby both the axial and transverse fluvial systems undertook a distinctive response to syn‐depositional movement on basin‐bounding faults. Detailed architectural analyses of these deposits reveal significant variations in geometry, with characteristics considerably more complex than that of simple, laterally extensive, stacked sandstone‐sheets predicted by most existing depositional models for pre‐vegetation fluvial systems. These results suggest that the sheet‐braided style actually encompasses a varied number of different pre‐vegetation fluvial styles. Moreover, this study demonstrates that contemporaneous axial and transverse fluvial systems with distinctive architectural expressions can be preserved in the same overall tectonic and climatic setting.     

Millennial‐scale precipitation changes over Central Africa during the late Quaternary and Holocene: evidence in sediments from the Gulf of Guinea

We combine environmental magnetism, geochemical measurements and colour reflectance to study two late Quaternary sediment cores: GeoB 4905‐4 at 2° 30′ N off Cameroon and GeoB 4906‐3 at 0° 44′ N off Gabon. This area is suitable for investigating precipitation changes over Central and West Africa because of its potential to record input of aeolian and fluvial sediments. Three magnetozones representing low and high degree of alteration of the primary rock magnetic signals were identified. The magnetic signature is dominated by fine‐grained magnetite, while residual haematite prevails in the reduced intervals, showing increase in concentration and fine grain size at wet intervals. Our records also show millennial‐scale changes in climate during the last glacial and interglacial cycles. At the northern location, the past 5.5 ka are marked by high‐frequency oscillations of Ti and colour reflectance, which suggests aeolian input and hence aridity. The southern location remains under the influence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and thus did not register aeolian signals. The millennial‐scale climatic signals indicate that drier and/or colder conditions persisted during the late Holocene and are synchronous with the 900 a climatic cycles observed in Northern Hemisphere ice core records. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Palaeoenvironmental records in Holocene Spanish tufas: a stable isotope approach in search of reliable climatic archives

Tufa deposits are potential terrestrial archives of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic information. This study assesses the potential of stable isotopic archives from two closely juxtaposed Holocene tufa sites in SE Spain. The Ruidera site contains deep‐water lacustrine micrites and tufas, whereas the nearby Alcaraz site represents a shallow barrage tufa. Understanding site characteristics is critical to interpreting the stable isotopic variations. These Holocene lacustrine micrites have isotopic compositions consistent with modern European lake shore microbial carbonates, where the isotopic chemistry is strongly influenced by hydrological and residence time effects. All the lacustrine micrite δ¹³C values were influenced by microenvironmental microbial effects to some degree. Because of these effects, stable isotope data from lacustrine microbial micrites and tufas will not normally yield precise information on the isotopic composition of palaeoprecipitation, temperature or vegetation composition of an area. In contrast, Holocene tufas that formed in shallow, fast‐flowing riverine settings may contain valuable palaeoclimatic archives. The tufa deposits must be largely autochthonous, as at Alcaraz, where in situ reed stem encrustations are present. Records of relative change in air temperature and changes in the source of airmasses are potentially resolvable in the δ¹⁸O data. These interpretations can be verified by other independent climatic data where chronology is constrained. Variations in riverine tufa δ¹³C values probably record changes in local vegetation and/or soil respiration. Covariation between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values may be intrinsically linked to climatic factors such as aridity. Tentative palaeoclimatic interpretations for the middle Holocene at Alcaraz based on the isotope data suggest warming (or increasing influence of Mediterranean‐sourced precipitation) between approximately 5000–3000 radiocarbon years BP, accompanied by increased aridity. These interpretations are consistent with the sparse independent palaeoclimatic data and climate modelling results for the Holocene of SE Spain. This study supports the growing evidence that well‐chosen tufa sites could yield valuable palaeoclimatic information.     

Multi‐proxy evidence for early to mid‐Holocene environmental and climatic changes in northeastern Poland

Lauterbach, S., Brauer, A., Andersen, N., Danielopol, D. L., Dulski, P., Hüls, M., Milecka, K., Namiotko, T., Plessen, B., von Grafenstein, U. & DecLakes participants 2010: Multi‐proxy evidence for early to mid‐Holocene environmental and climatic changes in northeastern Poland. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2010.00159.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. We investigated the sedimentary record of Lake Hańcza (northeastern Poland) using a multi‐proxy approach, focusing on early to mid‐Holocene climatic and environmental changes. AMS ¹⁴C dating of terrestrial macrofossils and sedimentation rate estimates from occasional varve thickness measurements were used to establish a chronology. The onset of the Holocene at c. 11 600 cal. a BP is marked by the decline of Lateglacial shrub vegetation and a shift from clastic‐detrital deposition to an autochthonous sedimentation dominated by biochemical calcite precipitation. Between 10 000 and 9000 cal. a BP, a further environmental and climatic improvement is indicated by the spread of deciduous forests, an increase in lake organic matter and a 1.7‰ rise in the oxygen isotope ratios of both endogenic calcite and ostracod valves. Rising δ¹⁸O values were probably caused by a combination of hydrological and climatic factors. The persistence of relatively cold and dry climate conditions in northeastern Poland during the first one and a half millennia of the Holocene could be related to a regional eastern European atmospheric circulation pattern. Prevailing anticyclonic circulation linked to a high‐pressure cell above the retreating Scandinavian Ice Sheet might have blocked the influence of warm and moist Westerlies and attenuated the early Holocene climatic amelioration in the Lake Hańcza region until the final decay of the ice sheet.     

Paleoclimate Changes during the Early Oiigocene in the Hoh Xil Region, Northern Tibetan Plateau

Sedimentological, cyclic-stratigraphic, paleomagnetic, and clay-mineralogical studies on the early Oligocene Yaxicuo Group in the Hoh Xil Basin, the largest Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the hinterland of the Tibetan Plateau, provide abundant information of paleoclimate changes. A 350-m thick section in the middle-lower Yaxicuo Group was analyzed to reveal the climatic history that occurred in the Hoh Xil region during the early Oligocene interval 31.30-30.35 Ma, dated with the paleomagnetic chronostratigraphy. The results indicate that add and cold climate dominated the Hoh Xil region during the early Oligocene in general, being related to the global cooling and drying events that occurred in the earliest Oligocene. Within this period, relatively warm and wet climate accompanied by strong tectonic activity occurred in the 31.05-30.75 Ma interval; while add and cold climate and relatively inactive tectonics occurred in the 31.30-31.05 and 30.75-30.35 Ma intervals. Furthermore, spectral analyses of high-temporal resolution paleoclimatic records show orbital periods including eccentricity, obliquity, and precession. It is concluded that paleoclimate changes during the early Oligocene in the Hoh Xil region were forced by both tectonic activity and orbital periods.     

Reconstructing climate variability on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau since the last Lateglacial – a multi-proxy,dual-site approach comparing terrestrial and aquatic signals

A sediment core from a closed basin lake (Lake Kuhai) from the semi-arid northeastern Tibetan Plateau was analysed for its pollen record to infer Lateglacial and post glacial vegetation and climatic change. At Lake Kuhai five major vegetation and climate shifts could be identified: (1) a change from cold and dry to relatively warmer and more moist conditions at 14.8 cal ka BP; (2) a shift to conditions of higher effective moisture and a stepwise warmer climate at 13.6 cal ka BP; (3) a further shift with increased moisture but colder conditions at 7.0 cal ka BP; (4) a return to a significantly colder and drier phase at 6.3 cal ka BP; (5) and a change back to relatively moist conditions at 2.2 cal ka BP. To investigate the response of lake ecosystems to climatic changes, statistical comparisons were made between the Lake Kuhai pollen record and a formerly published ostracod and sedimentary record from the same sediment core. Furthermore, the pollen and lacustrine proxies from Lake Kuhai were compared to a previously published pollen and lacustrine record from the nearby Lake Koucha. Statistical comparisons were done using non-metric multidimensional scaling and Procrustes rotation. Differences between lacustrine and pollen responses within one site could be identified, suggesting that lacustrine proxies are partly influenced by in-lake or local catchment processes, whereas the terrestrial (pollen) proxy shows a regional climate signal. Furthermore, we found regional differences in proxy response between Lake Kuhai and Lake Koucha. Both pollen records reacted in similar ways to major environmental changes, with minor differences in the timing and magnitude of these changes. The lacustrine records were very similar in their timing and magnitude of response to environmental changes; however, the nature of change was at times very distinct. To place the current study in the context of Holocene moisture evolution across the Tibetan Plateau, we applied a five-scale moisture index and average link clustering to all available continuous palaeo-climate records from the Tibetan Plateau to possibly find general patterns of moisture evolution on the Plateau. However, no common regional pattern of moisture evolution during the Holocene could be detected. We assign this to complex responses of different proxies to environmental and atmospheric changes in an already very heterogeneous mountain landscape where minor differences in elevation can cause strong variation in microenvironments.     

The impact of summer temperature changes on vegetation development in Ireland during the Weichselian Lateglacial Interstadial

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

Pollen‐based biome reconstructions for Colombia at 3000, 6000, 9000, 12 000, 15 000 and 18 000 14C yr ago: Late Quaternary tropical vegetation dynamics

Colombian biomes are reconstructed at 45 sites from the modern period extending to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The basis for our reconstruction is pollen data assigned to plant functional types and biomes at six 3000‐yr intervals. A reconstruction of modern biomes is used to check the treatment of the modern pollen data set against a map of potential vegetation. This allows the biomes reconstructed at past periods to be assessed relative to the modern situation. This process also provides a check on the a priori assignment of pollen taxa to plant functional types and biomes. For the majority of the sites, the pollen data accurately reflect the potential vegetation, even though much of the original vegetation has been transformed by agricultural practices. At 18 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, a generally cool and dry environment is reflected in biome, assignments of cold mixed forests, cool evergreen forests and cool grassland–shrub; the latter extending to lower altitudes than presently recorded. This signal is strongly recorded at 15 000 and 12 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, the vegetation at these times also reflecting a relatively cool and dry environment. At 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP there is a shift to biomes thought to result from slightly cooler environmental conditions. This trend is reversed by 6000 ¹⁴C yr BP; most sites, within a range of different environmental settings, recording a shift to more xeric biome types. There is an expansion of steppe and cool mixed‐forest biomes, replacing tropical dry forest and cool grassland–shrub biomes, respectively. These changes in biome assignments from the modern situation can be interpreted as a biotic response to mid‐Holocene climatic aridity. At 3000 ¹⁴C yr BP the shift is mainly to biomes characteristic of slightly more mesic environmental conditions. There are a number of sites that do not change biome assignment relative to the modern reconstruction, although the affinities that these sites have to a specific biome do change. These ‘anomalies’ are interpreted on a site‐by‐site basis. Spatially constant, but differential response of the vegetation to climatic shifts are related to changes in moisture sources and the importance of edaphic controls on the vegetation. The Late Quaternary reconstruction of large‐scale vegetation dynamics in Colombia allows an understanding of the environmental controls on these to be developed. In particular, shifts in the character of the main climatic systems that influence Colombian vegetation are described. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lake sedimentological and ecological response to hyperthermals: Boltysh impact crater,Ukraine

The Boltysh meteorite impact crater, Ukraine, formed at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary at ca 65·2 Ma. A borehole drilled in the central part of the crater cored a >400 m thick high‐resolution lacustrine succession that covers the Dan‐C2 hyperthermal event associated with a negative carbon isotope excursion. Continuous terrestrial records of past hyperthermals are of limited availability, which makes this record a unique case study of the continental impact of rapid climate warming. This study uses high‐resolution sedimentological core log data together with thin‐section, X‐ray diffraction, microprobe and palynological analyses to: (i) reconstruct lake sedimentological and ecological development across the carbon isotope excursion; and (ii) assess the environmental effect of hyperthermals on terrestrial ecosystems. Based on detailed facies analysis, five gradual stages of lake formation are identified, which show a strong relationship to carbon isotope shifts and associated climatic trends. Initially, sediment supply into the Boltysh lake was controlled by crater morphology. During later lake stages, sediment supply was increasingly controlled by changes in inflow–evaporation ratios which affected seasonal stratification patterns and longer term lake levels. An inferred increase in atmospheric pCO₂ related to the carbon isotope excursion, together with increasing mean annual temperatures, was probably responsible for periodic increases in biological activity of photosynthesising organisms and biomass production. These fluctuations in facies and lake settings largely correspond to orbital‐paced moisture availability oscillations. The gradual reduction in sediment supply commencing during early lake formation prior to carbon isotope excursion inception suggest that the Dan‐C2 event did not initiate sedimentary changes, but intensified sedimentary response to orbital controlled climate change.     

Changes of treelines and alpine vegetation in relation to post‐glacial climate dynamics in northern Fennoscandia based on pollen and chironomid records

Palaeoclimatic records derived from a variety of independent proxies provide evidence of post‐glacial changes of temperature and soil moisture in northern Fennoscandia. We use pollen percentage, pollen influx, stomatal and chironomid records from Toskaljavri, a high‐altitude lake in northern Finland, to assess how treelines and alpine vegetation there have responded to these climate changes. The evidence suggests that the cool, moist climate of the early Holocene supported birch forest in the area 9600 cal. yr BP onwards and that a rise of temperature triggered the immigration of pine at 8300 cal. yr BP. At 6100–4000 cal. yr BP altitudinal treeline in the area was formed by pine, in contrast to the modern situation where mountain birch reaches a higher elevation. Alpine vegetation also demonstrates clear changes. Plant communities typical of dry, oligotrophic heaths of northern Fennoscandia expanded during the dry climatic period at 7000–4000 cal. yr BP and decreased in response to cooler and moister conditions after 4000 cal. yr BP. Alpine plant communities favouring moist sites show an inverse pattern, expanding after a change towards moister climate after 4000 cal. yr BP. In a redundancy analysis (RDA), a statistically significant proportion of the variability in the total chironomid assemblages was captured by changes in the pollen types reflecting alpine vegetation typical of moist sites. Although chironomid community changes appeared to follow the major patterns in the alpine vegetation succession, the present study does not support a direct link between the changing treeline position and chironomid stratigraphy. Rather, the data indicate that the terrestrial and aquatic environments have each responded directly to the same ultimate cause, namely changing Holocene climate. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Mid‐Brunhes Event and West Antarctic ice sheet stability

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