The last interglacial as represented in the glaciochemical record from Mount Moulton Blue Ice Area,West Antarctica

Understanding climate during the last interglacial is critical for understanding how modern climate change differs from purely naturally forced climate change. Here we present the first high-resolution ice core record of the last interglacial and transition to the subsequent glacial period from Antarctica and the first glaciochemical record for this period from West Antarctica. Samples were collected from a horizontal ice trench in the Mt. Moulton Blue Ice Area (BIA) in West Antarctica and analyzed for their soluble major anions (Cl^?, NO₃^?, SO₄^2-), major and trace elements (Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, Cd, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Pb, Bi, U, As, Al, S, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn) and water hydrogen isotopes (δD). The last interglacial is characterized by warmer temperatures (δD), weakened atmospheric circulation (dust elements, seasalts aerosols), decreased sea ice extent (Na, nssSO₄^2-) and decreased oceanic productivity (nssSO₄^2-). A combined examination of Mt. Moulton seasalts, dust, nssSO₄^2- and δD records indicates that the last interglacial was extremely stable compared to glacial age climate events and it ended through a long period of gradual cooling unlike that projected for future Holocene climate.     

Sea-land oxygen isotopic relationships from planktonic foraminifera and speleothems in the Eastern Mediterranean region and their implication for paleorainfall during interglacial intervals

The oxygen and carbon stable isotope compositions of cave speleothems provide a powerful method for understanding continental climate change. Here, we examine the question of the regionality of this isotopic record and its linkage with the marine isotopic record in the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) region. The study presents a new, accurately dated 250-kyr δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C record determined from speleothems of the Peqiin Cave, Northern Israel. Its comparison with the continuous 185-kyr isotopic record of the Soreq Cave speleothems from Central Israel reveals striking similarities. Thus, a strong regional climatic signal, brought about by variations in temperature and rainfall amount, is reflected in both cave records. Low δ¹⁸O minima in the Peqiin profile for the last 250- to 185-kyr period (interglacial marine isotopic stage 7) match the timing of sapropels 9 to 7 and are indicative of high rainfall in the EM region at these times. The combined Soreq and Peqiin δ¹⁸O record for the last 250 kyr excellently matches the published Globigerinoides ruber (G. ruber) marine δ¹⁸O record for the EM Sea, with the isotopic compositional difference Δ_{G.ruber-speleothems} remaining relatively constant at −5.6 ± 0.7‰, thus establishing for the first time a robust, exploitable link between the land and the marine isotopic records. The correspondence of low δ¹⁸O speleothem values and high cave water stands with low G. ruber δ¹⁸O values during interglacial sapropel events indicates that these periods were characterized by enhanced rainfall in the EM land and sea regions. By use of sea surface temperatures derived from alkenone data as a proxy for land temperatures at the Soreq Cave, we calculate the paleorainfall δ¹⁸O values and its amounts. Maximum rainfall and lowest temperature conditions occurred at the beginning of the sapropel events and were followed by decrease in rainfall and increase in temperatures, leading to arid conditions. The record for the last 7000 yr shows a trend toward increasing aridity and agrees well with climatic and archeological data from North Africa and the Middle East.     

Cold climate during the closest Stage 11 analog to recent Millennia

The early part of marine isotopic Stage 11 near 400,000 years ago provides the closest analog to Holocene insolation levels of any interglaciation during the era of strong 100,000-year climatic cycles. The CH₄ concentration measured in Vostok ice fell to ∼450 ppb, and CO₂ values to ∼250 ppm. These natural decreases contrast with the increases in recent millennia and support the early anthropogenic hypothesis of major gas emissions from late-Holocene farming. During the same interval, δD values fell from typical interglacial to nearly glacial values, indicating a major cooling in Antarctica early in Stage 11. Other evidence suggests that new ice was accumulating during the closest insolation analog to the present day: a major increase in δ¹⁸O_atm at Vostok, a similar increase in marine δ¹⁸O values, and re-initiation of ice rafting in the Nordic Sea. The evidence permits extended (>20,000 year) intervals of Stage 11 interglacial warmth in the Antarctic and North Atlantic, yet it also requires that this warmth ended and a new glacial era began when insolation was most similar to recent millennia. The Holocene CO₂ anomaly was produced only in part by direct anthropogenic emissions; over half of the anomaly resulted from the failure of CO₂ values to fall as they had during previous interglaciations because of natural responses, including a sea-ice advance in the Antarctic and ice-sheet growth in the northern hemisphere.     

Surface studies of water isotopes in Antarctica for quantitative interpretation of deep ice core data

Polar ice cores are unique climate archives. Indeed, most of them have a continuous stratigraphy and present high temporal resolution of many climate variables in a single archive. While water isotopic records (δD or δ¹⁸O) in ice cores are often taken as references for past atmospheric temperature variations, their relationship to temperature is associated with a large uncertainty. Several reasons are invoked to explain the limitation of such an approach; in particular, post-deposition effects are important in East Antarctica because of the low accumulation rates. The strong influence of post-deposition processes highlights the need for surface polar research programs in addition to deep drilling programs. We present here new results on water isotopes from several recent surface programs, mostly over East Antarctica. Together with previously published data, the new data presented in this study have several implications for the climatic reconstructions based on ice core isotopic data: (1) The spatial relationship between surface mean temperature and mean snow isotopic composition over the first meters in depth can be explained quite straightforwardly using simple isotopic models tuned to d-excess vs. δ¹⁸O evolution in transects on the East Antarctic sector. The observed spatial slopes are significantly higher (～ 0.7–0.8‰·°C^?1 for δ¹⁸O vs. temperature) than seasonal slopes inferred from precipitation data at Vostok and Dome C (0.35 to 0.46‰·°C^?1). We explain these differences by changes in condensation versus surface temperature between summer and winter in the central East Antarctic plateau, where the inversion layer vanishes in summer. (2) Post-deposition effects linked to exchanges between the snow surface and the atmospheric water vapor lead to an evolution of δ¹⁸O in the surface snow, even in the absence of any precipitation event. This evolution preserves the positive correlation between the δ¹⁸O of snow and surface temperature, but is associated with a much slower δ¹⁸O-vs-temperature slope than the slope observed in the seasonal precipitation. (3) Post-deposition effects clearly limit the archiving of high-resolution (seasonal) climatic variability in the polar snow, but we suggest that sites with an accumulation rate of the order of 40 kg.m^?2.yr^?1 may record a seasonal cycle at shallow depths.     

格陵兰冰芯记录的大气环流变化及其与南极冰芯的比较(英)

The GISP2, central Greealand, glaciochemical series (sodium, potassium, ammonium,calcium, magnesium, sulfate, nitrate and chloride) provides a unique view of the chemistry of the atmosphere and the history of atmospheric circulation over much of the Northern Hemisphere. Interpretation of this record reveals the controls on both high and low frequency climate events of the last 110 000 years.Changes in insolation on the order of the major orbital cycles control the long-term behavior of atmospheric circulation patterns through changes in ice volume (sea level) and related positive feedbacks.Events such as the Heinrich events (massive discharges of icebergs first identified in the marine record)are found to operate on a 6 100 year cycle due largely to the lagged response of ice sheets to changes in insolation and consequent glacier dynamics Rapid climate change events (massive reorganizations of atmospheric circulation) are demonstrated to operate on 1 450 year cycle possibly in response to internal oscillations in the ocean-atmosphere system or due to changes in solar output. Changes in insolation and associated positive feedbacks related to ice sheets assist in explaining favorable time periods and controls on the amplitude of these massive rapid climate change events.Comparison of the GISP2 glaciochemical series with an ice record from Taylor Dome in Antarctica indicates considerable similarity suggesting that both polar regions experience marked changes in climate. While preliminary evidence points to similar phasing of several major climate events in the two polar regions exact phasing cannot as yet be determined, because dating of Antarctic ice core records is not as well-established as the dating for Greenland ice cores.     

Productivity cycles in Lake Hovsgol, NW Mongolia, during the last 1 Ma and the age model of the HDP-04 drill core record

Repetitive patterns in the records of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and δ¹³C_org observed in the Lake Hovsgol sediment section from HDP-04 drill core reflect past changes in productivity of Lake Hovsgol and in the isotopic composition of the lake's carbon pool. Lake Hovsgol productivity proxy signals are interpreted to represent the response of the Hovsgol lacustrine system to glacial–interglacial cycles of the Pleistocene. This interpretation is supported by the apparent orbitally-forced pattern in the TOC, TN and δ¹³C_org records of the past 250 ka in the BDP-96-2 drill core from neighboring Lake Baikal.The intervals with independent age control, such as the radiocarbon-dated last glacial–interglacial transition and the paleomagnetic reversals, make it evident that productivity proxy signals are reliable indicators of past cold-to-warm and warm-to-cold climate transitions, as seen from the agreement with the pattern of global climate change in marine δ¹⁸O records. The Brunhes/Matuyama reversal during the MIS 19 interglacial coincides with a distinct peak of TOC and TN in the Hovsgol record, similar to the signal during the Holocene interglacial. By contrast, the upper Jaramillo reversal in the Lake Hovsgol record occurs in a diatom-free calcareous interval characterized by minima in TOC, TN and by a ‘glacial’-type range of δ¹³C_org values. In both Lake Baikal and Lake Hovsgol records, peaks in TOC and TN contents help distinguishing past interglacials and interstadials, and isotopically-heaviest δ¹³C_org values help identify past glacial intervals.An age model for the HDP-04 drill core section is proposed based on recognizing the repetitive patterns in Lake Hovsgol productivity and lithologic records as regional paleoclimate cycles of middle to late Pleistocene. Absolute dates and diatom biostratigraphic correlation ties to the Lake Baikal record are used as key controls. In the proposed age model, the interval 81–24 m in the HDP-04 sediment section below the major unconformity is correlated to MIS 27 through late MIS 13, whereas the upper 24 m of the HDP-04 section is suggested to have recovered the sedimentary record of late MIS 7 to MIS 1.     

The precession phase of hydrological variability in the Western Pacific Warm Pool during the past 400 ka

The low-latitude hydrological cycle is a key climate parameter on different timescales, as it contributes to various feedback processes. Modelling studies suggest that the interhemispheric insolation contrast is the major factor controlling the cycle, although the influence of glacial conditions and the phase relationships relative to insolation forcing remain undetermined. In this work, we studied precipitation variability over Papua New Guinea (PNG, 3°S) for the past 400 ka using terrigenous fractions transported by the Sepik River to the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP). A multi-decadal to centennial resolution of the elemental content was obtained using X-ray fluorescence scanning of a marine sediment core using an age model based on ¹⁴C dates and benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O. Indicators of the coarse river particulate fraction (bulk and CaCO₃-free basis Ti concentrations, the log intensity ratios of Ti/K and Ti/Ca) displayed a dominant 23 ka periodicity without a clear glacial–interglacial trend. Our precipitation records showed a tight relationship with local summer insolation (3°S, January) with time-dependent lag of 0 to 4 ka. They were generally in anti-phase for U–Th dated Chinese speleothem δ¹⁸O records. Based on an analogy to modern climate, we propose that precipitation over PNG was primarily determined by interhemispheric insolation contrast, and the contribution of austral fall/winter precipitation added second-order variability that formed the lags. For the last four climate cycles, the WPWP hydrological cycle was closely associated with the eastern Asian monsoon, and the influence of glacial conditions on the low-latitude hydrological cycle was estimated to be limited.     

A continuous stable isotope record from the penultimate glacial maximum to the Last Interglacial (159–121 ka) from Tana Che Urla Cave (Apuan Alps,central Italy)

Relatively few radiometrically dated records are available for the central Mediterranean spanning the marine oxygen isotope stage 6–5 (MIS 6–5) transition and the first part of the Last Interglacial. Two flowstone cores from Tana che Urla Cave (TCU, central Italy), constrained by 19 U/Th ages, preserve an interval of continuous speleothem deposition between ca. 159 and 121 ka. A multiproxy record (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, growth rate and petrographic changes) obtained from this flowstone preserves significant regional-scale hydrological changes through the glacial/interglacial transition and multi-centennial variability (interpreted as alternations between wetter and drier periods) within both glacial and interglacial stages. The glacial stage shows a wetter period between ca. 154 and 152 ka, while the early to middle Last Interglacial period shows several drying events at ca. 129, 126 and 122 ka, which can be placed in the wider context of climatic instability emerging from North Atlantic marine and NW European terrestrial records. The TCU record also provides important insights into the evolution of local environmental conditions (i.e. soil development) in response to regional and global-scale climate events.     

Holocene Climate Variability in Antarctica Based on 11 Ice-Core Isotopic Records

A comparison is made of the Holocene records obtained from water isotope measurements along 11 ice cores from coastal and central sites in east Antarctica (Vostok, Dome B, Plateau Remote, Komsomolskaia, Dome C, Taylor Dome, Dominion Range, D47, KM105, and Law Dome) and west Antarctica (Byrd), with temporal resolution from 20 to 50 yr. The long-term trends possibly reflect local ice sheet elevation fluctuations superimposed on common climatic fluctuations. All the records confirm the widespread Antarctic early Holocene optimum between 11,500 and 9000 yr; in the Ross Sea sector, a secondary optimum is identified between 7000 and 5000 yr, whereas all eastern Antarctic sites show a late optimum between 6000 and 3000 yr. Superimposed on the long time trend, all the records exhibit 9 aperiodic millennial-scale oscillations. Climatic optima show a reduced pacing between warm events (typically 800 yr), whereas cooler periods are associated with less-frequent warm events (pacing >1200 yr).     

二十二万年以来东亚夏季风的千年尺度变化及其在不同时期的差异

本文采用游离铁和全铁的比值,建立了0．220MaB．P．以来长武黄土-古土壤序列的高分辨率古风化强度序列,揭示出0．220MaB．P．以来黄土高原古环境发生了一系列千年尺度的变化,且多数在同一剖面的磁化率记录上没有明显反映或反映较弱。由于该地区冬季土壤温度低于0℃,化学风化的强度主要受控于夏季的温度和降水。据此我们认为,这种千年尺度的波动是东亚古夏季风强度变化的信号。此指标与格陵兰GRIP冰芯δ¹⁸O记录对比发现,二者在末次冰期有较好的吻合性,而夏季风在末次间冰期(深海氧同位素阶段5e)及以前的变化要平缓得多。因此,本文的结果显示出：0．220MaB．P．以来,东亚夏季风在千年尺度上的大幅度变化在末次冰期最为显著,此前则表现为一种较为稳定的模式。     

Climatic variability during the last 90 ka of the southern and northern Levantine Basin as evident from marine records and speleothems

The influence of the northern Atlantic and tropical monsoonal systems, as recorded by the River Nile, on the climate variability of the southeastern Mediterranean was studied in two cores taken by the R/V Marion Dufresne: one core taken SE of Cyprus representing the northern Levantine Basin (core 9501, 980 m water depth) and the other located ˜380 km further south, represents the southeastern Levantine Basin in an area influenced by the River Nile plume (core 9509, 884 m water depth). The study was performed at relatively high resolution using several proxies: δ¹⁸O of Globigerinoides ruber, sediment characteristics and index colour parameters in core sections representing the last 86 ka. A low-resolution alkenone sea surface temperature record was also measured. The time frame in both cores was mostly constrained by ‘wiggle’ matching with the nearby well-dated δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C record of the Soreq Cave, which is mainly influenced by the eastern Mediterranean water vapor. The sedimentary record of the southern core is strongly influenced by the River Nile contribution throughout the last 86 ka, as evidenced by the higher sedimentation rates compared with the northern core (20 cm/ka vs. 5 cm/ka), continuously darker sediment colour, and higher TOC values (0.6–0.9 vs. 0.25 wt% not including sapropels). During sapropels S1 and S3, present in both cores, the influence of the River Nile became more widespread, reaching as far as Cyprus. Yet, the influence of the River Nile remained stronger in the south, as evident by the higher TOC values in the southern core throughout the entire 90 ka period and the longer duration of S1 in the southern core. An anomalous low δ¹⁸O interval that is not recorded in western Mediterranean occurred between 58 and 49 ka in the Levantine Basin and is more developed in the northern core. This period correlates with D-O interstadial 14 and maximum northern hemisphere insolation during the lastglacial cycle, suggesting that the warming mainly impacted the northern Levant.The Eastern Mediterranean Sea and land area was considerably warmer than the western Mediterranean throughout the LGM – Holocene transition, and the δ¹⁸O_{G. ruber} drop of 4.5‰ is significantly greater than the 3‰ shift found for the western Mediterranean δ¹⁸O_{G. bulloides}, both differences reflecting an increased continental effect from the western to eastern Mediterranean. Comparison between the marine and the land δ¹⁸O records suggests that the origin of rain over the land is composed of mixed signal from the southern and northern Levantine Basin. The study of Δδ¹⁸O_sea–land variations demonstrates that various factors have influenced the sea–land relationship during the last 90 ka. The ‘amount effect’ has an important influence on rainfall δ¹⁸O during interglacial periods (particularly sapropel periods), whereas during glacial periods, increased land distances and elevation differences arising from decrease in sea level may have brought about decrease in δ¹⁸O of rainfall due to Rayleigh distillation processes. These influences were superimposed on those of sea surface water δ¹⁸O changes brought about by continental ice melting, and the strong effects felt in the southern Levantine Basin of the high River Nile input during periods of enhanced monsoonal activity.     

Variation of summer precipitation δ18O on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the last interglacial

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 δ¹⁸O record from a high-resolution last interglacial loess profile with previously published data and provide a composite microcodium δ¹⁸O record on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) since the last interglacial. The composite microcodium δ¹⁸O record displays distinct precessional cycles, consistent with speleothem δ¹⁸O records, but with different amplitude contrast (particularly during the peak interglacials). We propose that both loess and speleothem δ¹⁸O 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 δ¹⁸O 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 δ¹⁸O 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.     

Centennial-scale oscillations in oxygen and carbon isotopes of endogenic calcite from a 15,500 varve year record of the Piànico interglacial

The palaeolake record from Piànico (Southern Alps) comprises a sequence of 15,500 continuous calcite varves formed during peak interglacial conditions around 400 ka ago. The varved nature of these deposits allows precise sub-sampling of five varve year intervals for stable isotope analyses. All samples consist of calcite precipitated in the epilimnion of the lake, with contents of detrital carbonate below 4%. Four significant negative δ¹⁸O oscillations occurred during the upper half of the interglacial. The most prominent of these oscillations has an amplitude of −1.1‰ and lasted 780 varve years. The three other oscillations are shorter (125–195 varve years) and of lower amplitude (0.4–0.9‰). An additional major drop in δ¹⁸O occurs 315 varve years before the end of continuous calcite precipitation in the lake. This shift marks the end of long interglacial conditions and the beginning of harsher climate conditions and glacier advances in the Southern Alps. In contrast, the four δ¹⁸O oscillations within the period of continuous formation of calcite varves reflect natural intra–interglacial climate dynamics.     

Glacio-isostasy and Glacial Ice Load at Law Dome, Wilkes Land, East Antarctica

The Holocene sea-level high stand or “marine limit” in Wilkes Land, East Antarctica, reached 30 m above present sea level at a few dispersed sites. The most detailed marine limit data have been recorded for the Windmill Islands and Budd Coast at the margin of the Law Dome ice cap, a dome of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS). Relative sea-level lowering of 30 m and the associated emergence of the Windmill Islands have occurred since 6900 ¹⁴C (corr.) yr B.P. Numerical modeling of the Earth's rheology is used to determine the glacio-isostatic component of the observed relative sea-level lowering. Glaciological evidence suggests that most of EAIS thickening occurred around its margin, with expansion onto the continental shelf. Consequently, a regional ice history for the last glacial maximum (LGM) was applied in the glacio-isostatic modeling to test whether the observed relative sea-level lowering was primarily produced by regional ice-sheet changes. The results of the modeling indicate that the postglacial (13,000 to 8000 ¹⁴C yr B.P) removal of an ice load of between 770 and 1000 m from around the margin of the Law Dome and adjacent EAIS have produced the observed relative sea-level lowering. Such an additional ice load would have been associated with a 40- to 65-km expansion of the Law Dome to near the continental shelf break, together with a few hundred meters of ice thickening on the adjoining coastal slope of the EAIS up to 2000 m elevation. Whereas the observed changes in relative sea level are shown to be strongly influenced by regional ice sheet changes, the glacio-isostatic response at the Windmill Islands results from a combination of regional and, to a lesser extent, Antarctic-wide effects. The correspondence between the Holocene relative sea-level lowering interpreted at the margin of the Law Dome and the lowering interpreted along the remainder of the Wilkes Land and Oates Land coasts (105°–160° E) suggests that a similar ice load of up to 1000 m existed along the EAIS margin between Wilkes Land and Oates Land.     

The speleothem record of climate variability in Southern Arabia

Uranium-series dated stalagmites from Oman indicate that pluvial conditions prevailed from 6.3 to 10.5, 78 to 82, 120 to 130, 180 to 200 and 300 to 330 kyr B.P.; all of these periods coincide with peak interglacials. Oxygen (δ¹⁸O) and hydrogen (δD) isotope ratios of speleothem calcite and fluid inclusions reveal the source of moisture and provide information on the amount of precipitation, respectively. δ¹⁸O and δD values of stalagmites deposited during peak interglacials vary between ?8 and ?4 ‰ (VPDB) and ?53 and ?20‰ (Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water [VSMOW]) respectively, whereas modern stalagmites range from ?2.6 to ?1.1‰ in δ¹⁸O (VPDB) and ?7.6 and ?3.3‰ in δD (VSMOW), respectively. The growth and isotopic records indicate that during peak interglacial periods, the limit of the monsoon rainfall was shifted far north of its present location and each pluvial period was coinciding with an interglacial stage of the marine oxygen isotope record.     

Towards a climate event stratigraphy for New Zealand over the past 30 000 years (NZ‐INTIMATE project)

It is widely recognised that the acquisition of high‐resolution palaeoclimate records from southern mid‐latitude sites is essential for establishing a coherent picture of inter‐hemispheric climate change and for better understanding of the role of Antarctic climate dynamics in the global climate system. New Zealand is considered to be a sensitive monitor of climate change because it is one of a few sizeable landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere westerly circulation zone, a critical transition zone between subtropical and Antarctic influences. New Zealand has mountainous axial ranges that amplify the climate signals and, consequently, the environmental gradients are highly sensitive to subtle changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. Since 1995, INTIMATE has, through a series of international workshops, sought ways to improve procedures for establishing the precise ages of climate events, and to correlate them with high precision, for the last 30 000 calendar years. The NZ‐INTIMATE project commenced in late 2003, and has involved virtually the entire New Zealand palaeoclimate community. Its aim is to develop an event stratigraphy for the New Zealand region over the past 30 000 years, and to reconcile these events against the established climatostratigraphy of the last glacial cycle which has largely been developed from Northern Hemisphere records (e.g. Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), Termination I, Younger Dryas). An initial outcome of NZ‐INTIMATE has been the identification of a series of well‐dated, high‐resolution onshore and offshore proxy records from a variety of latitudes and elevations on a common calendar timescale from 30 000 cal. yr BP to the present day. High‐resolution records for the last glacial coldest period (LGCP) (including the LGM sensu stricto) and last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT) from Auckland maars, Kaipo and Otamangakau wetlands on eastern and central North Island, marine core MD97‐2121 east of southern North Island, speleothems on northwest South Island, Okarito wetland on southwestern South Island, are presented. Discontinuous (fragmentary) records comprising compilations of glacial sequences, fluvial sequences, loess accumulation, and aeolian quartz accumulation in an andesitic terrain are described. Comparisons with ice‐core records from Antarctica (EPICA Dome C) and Greenland (GISP2) are discussed. A major advantage immediately evident from these records apart from the speleothem record, is that they are linked precisely by one or more tephra layers. Based on these New Zealand terrestrial and marine records, a reasonably coherent, regionally applicable, sequence of climatically linked stratigraphic events over the past 30 000 cal. yr is emerging. Three major climate events are recognised: (1) LGCP beginning at ca. 28 000 cal. yr BP, ending at Termination I, ca. 18 000 cal. yr BP, and including a warmer and more variable phase between ca. 27 000 and 21 000 cal. yr BP, (2) LGIT between ca. 18 000 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, including a Lateglacial warm period from ca. 14 800 to 13 500 cal. yr BP and a Lateglacial climate reversal between ca. 13 500 and 11 600 cal. yr BP, and (3) Holocene interglacial conditions, with two phases of greatest warmth between ca. 11 600 and 10 800 cal. yr BP and from ca. 6 800 to 6 500 cal. yr BP. Some key boundaries coincide with volcanic tephras. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quaternary Stratigraphy and Paleogeography of the Galilee Coastal Plain, Israel

The Quaternary deposits in the Galilee coastal plain comprise alternating calcareous sandstone, red loam, dark clay, and uncemented sand. The calcareous sandstone in the lower part of the sequence represents a Pliocene to early Pleistocene marine transgression, and is covered unconformably by the late Quaternary sequence. The base of this sequence has an estimated age of 500,000 yr. It is covered unconformably by marine calcareous sandstone in the west, which represents the global high sea-level stand of isotope stage 7.1, and is known as one of the “Tyrrhenian” events in the Mediterranean area. The overlying members represent the low sea-level stand of stage 6, the first a red paleosol indicating a relatively wet phase and the second an eolianite unit representing a drier phase. The eolianite forms longitudinal, subparallel ridges that formed contemporaneously. The overlying marine sandstone, which contains one of the diagnostic fossils of the “Tyrrhenian” events, the gastropodStrombus buboniusLMK, accumulated during the global high stand of stage 5.5. The last glacial period left no sedimentary record. The Holocene is represented by a marine clay unit that is covered by sand. The present study establishes a complete and detailed chronostratigraphic sequence for an eastern Mediterranean beach, which contains the gastropodS. buboniusLMK.S. buboniuson the Galilee coast is attributed to stage 5.5 and, therefore, establishes an east–west Mediterranean correlation, which can be used for linking Mediterranean events to paleo-sea levels and global climate changes.     

Influence of climatic teleconnections on the temporal isotopic variability as recorded in a firn core from the coastal Dronning Maud Land,East Antarctica

Ice and firn core studies provide one of the most valuable tools for understanding the past climate change. In order to evaluate the temporal isotopic variability recorded in ice and its relevance to environmental changes, stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen were studied in a firn core from coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. The annual δ ¹⁸O profile of the core shows a close relation to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability. The ENSO indices show significant correlation with the surface air temperatures and δ ¹⁸O values of this region during the austral summer season and support an additional influence related to the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). The correlation between the combined ENSO-SAM index and the summer δ ¹⁸O record seems to have been caused through an atmospheric mechanism. Snow accumulation in this region illustrates a decreasing trend with opposite relationships with δ ¹⁸O data and surface air temperature prior and subsequent to the year 1997. A reorganization of the local water cycle is further indicated by the deuterium excess data showing a shift around 1997, consistent with a change in evaporation conditions. The present study thus illustrates the utility of ice-core studies in the reconstruction of past climate change and suggests possible influence of climatic teleconnections on the snow accumulation rates and isotopic profiles of snow in the coastal regions of east Antarctica.     

Solar activity during the last 1000 yr inferred from radionuclide records

Identification of the causes of past climate change requires detailed knowledge of one of the most important natural factors—solar forcing. Prior to the period of direct solar observations, radionuclide abundances in natural archives provide the best-known proxies for changes in solar activity. Here we present two independent reconstructions of changes in solar activity during the last 1000 yr, which are inferred from ¹⁰Be and ¹⁴C records. We analyse the tree-ring ¹⁴C data (SHCal, IntCal04 from 1000 to 1510 AD and annual data from 1511 to 1950 AD) and four ¹⁰Be records from Greenland ice cores (Camp Century, GRIP, Milcent and Dye3) together with two ¹⁰Be records from Antarctic ice cores (Dome Concordia and South Pole). In general, the ¹⁰Be and ¹⁴C records exhibit good agreement that allows us to obtain reliable estimates of past solar magnetic modulation of the radionuclide production rates. Differences between ¹⁰Be records from Antarctica and Greenland indicate that climatic changes have influenced the deposition of ¹⁰Be during some periods of the last 1000 yr. The radionuclide-based reconstructions of past changes in solar activity do not always agree with the sunspot record, which indicates that the coupling between those proxies is not as close as has been sometimes assumed. The tree-ring ¹⁴C record and ¹⁰Be from Antarctica indicate that recent solar activity is high but not exceptional with respect to the last 1000 yr.     

Devils Hole, Nevada, δO record extended to the mid-Holocene

The mid-to-late Pleistocene Devils Hole δ¹⁸O record has been extended from 60,000 to 4500 yr ago. The new δ¹⁸O time series, in conjunction with the one previously published, is shown to be a proxy of Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) off the coast of California. During marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 2 and 6, the Devil Hole and SST time series exhibit a steady warming that began 5000 to > 10,000 yr prior to the last and penultimate deglaciations. Several possible proximate causes for this early warming are evaluated. The magnitude of the peak δ¹⁸O or SST during the last interglacial (LIG) is significantly greater (1 per mill and 2 to 3°C, respectively) than the peak value of these parameters for the Holocene; in contrast, benthic δ¹⁸O records of ice volume show only a few tenths per mill difference in the peak value for these interglacials. Statistical analysis provides an estimate of the large shared information (variation) between the Devils Hole and Eastern Pacific SST time series from ∼ 41 to ∼ 2°N and enforces the concept of a common forcing among all of these records. The extended Devils Hole record adds to evidence of the importance of uplands bordering the eastern Pacific as a source of archives for reconstructing Pacific climate variability.