The Lateglacial interstadial at the southeastern limit of the Sonoran Desert,Mexico: vegetation and climate reconstruction based on pollen sequences from Ciénega San Marcial and comparison with the subrecent record

The last glacial–interglacial transition encompassed rapid climate oscillations that affected both hemispheres. At low latitudes, the pattern of oscillations is not well established. To address this issue, pollen analysis was performed at Ciénega San Marcial, a monsoon‐influenced site located on the southeastern edge of the Sonoran Desert at the limit of the tropical thornscrub. The pollen record covers the Late Wisconsinan glacial termination II, from 15 650 to 13 400 cal. a BP, including GS‐2 and the Lateglacial interstadial, and a recent historical period (AD c. 1919 to 2004). We applied the modern analogue technique, in which pollen taxa are assigned to plant functional types (PFTs), to reconstruct the past climates. At the end of GS‐2, a Juniperus–Pinus woodland is indicative of annual temperatures 10±2 °C colder than present and higher annual precipitation dominated by winter rains. The onset of the Lateglacial interstadial occurs at c. 15 500 cal. a BP, resulting in a lower sedimentation rate and the spread of a xeric grassland. This period is associated with an increase in summer insolation. A weak signal of summer monsoon intensification is dated to 14 825 cal. a BP but is associated with colder winter temperatures. A wider spread of tropical taxa occurs after 13 800 cal. a BP, along with the loss of Juniperus, suggesting a temperature increase of approximately 3 °C. In spite of the earlier Lateglacial warming, the transition from glacial to interstadial conditions seems to be related to North Atlantic atmospheric variations. We conclude that during the last glacial–interglacial transition, the Sonoran Desert at 28.5° latitude was sensitive to climate variations originating in northern latitudes. The recent historical sequence displays summer‐dominant precipitation and additional drivers of climate change, including anthropogenic factors and El Niño, thus showing a stronger Pacific circulation influence in the subrecent period.     

Late glacial vegetation and climate oscillations on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from the Lake Naleng pollen profile

We present a late glacial pollen record (17,700 to 8500 cal yr BP) from a Lake Naleng sediment core. Lake Naleng is located on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (31.10°N 99.75°E, 4200 m) along the upper tree-line. Variations in the summer monsoon are evident from shifts in vegetation that correspond to late glacial climate trends from other monsoon-sensitive regions. Alpine steppe was recorded between 17,700 and 14,800 cal yr BP, indicating low effective moisture at the study site. Expansion of alpine meadows followed by advances in the position of tree-line around Lake Naleng suggest that climate became warmer and wetter between ∼ 14,800 and 12,500 cal yr BP, probably representing an enhancement of the Asian monsoon. Climatic cooling and reduced effective moisture are inferred from multivariate analysis and the upward retreat of tree-line between ∼ 12,500 and 11,700 cal yr BP. The timing and nature of these shifts to warm, wet and then cold, dry climatic conditions suggest that they correspond to the Bølling/Allerød and Younger Dryas intervals. Abies-Betula forests, representing warm and moist conditions, spread during the early Holocene.     

The last 25,000 years in the Eastern Plateau of Southern Brazil according to Alpes de São Francisco record

The palaeoenvironmental history has been studied based on palynology of a sedimentary profile from the Alpes de São Francisco bog (29°29′35′′S, 50°37′18′′W), São Francisco de Paula municipality, Rio Grande do Sul eastern Plateau, extreme Southern Brazil. The results indicate a regional cold and dry climate between 25,000 and 12,500 yr BP, interpreted from the grassland vegetation, forest taxa were present in refuges and the shallow local lake began to fill in. Climatic conditions became more aride after 16,000 yr BP, when grassland became rare. From 12,500 yr BP onwards, the climate began to change and at 11,000–9700 yr BP a warm and moist climate permitted the slight migration of pioneer arboreal taxa from refuges and locally a marsh formation. Between 9700 and 6500 yr BP a warm and dry climate resulted in reduction of grassland, confined the forest in refuges, dried out the marsh. The gradual increase of humidity between 6500 and 4000 yr BP allowed migration of forests from refuges and a bog developed. Between 4000 and 2000 yr BP Araucaria forest spread, indicating moister climate. The local bog expanded. From 2000 yr BP onwards, humid but warmer climate seems to result in a lower reproductive capacity of Araucaria forest taxa limiting its expansion. The bog reached the present-day in a decline condition. The results are compared to previous records from Southern Brazil highlands and some places from Argentina in order to better elucidate the climatic and vegetational history of these important South America areas during the late Quaternary.     

A new approach for reconstructing glacier variability based on lake sediments recording input from more than one glacier

We explore the possibility of building a continuous glacier reconstruction by analyzing the integrated sedimentary response of a large (440 km²) glacierized catchment in western Norway, as recorded in the downstream lake Nerfloen (N61°56’, E6°52’). A multi-proxy numerical analysis demonstrates that it is possible to distinguish a glacier component in the ~ 8000-yr-long record, based on distinct changes in grain size, geochemistry, and magnetic composition. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) reveals a strong common signal in the 15 investigated sedimentary parameters, with the first principal component explaining 77% of the total variability. This signal is interpreted to reflect glacier activity in the upstream catchment, an interpretation that is independently tested through a mineral magnetic provenance analysis of catchment samples. Minimum glacier input is indicated between 6700–5700 cal yr BP, probably reflecting a situation when most glaciers in the catchment had melted away, whereas the highest glacier activity is observed around 600 and 200 cal yr BP. During the local Neoglacial interval (~ 4200 cal yr BP until present), five individual periods of significantly reduced glacier extent are identified at ~ 3400, 3000–2700, 2100–2000, 1700–1500, and ~ 900 cal yr BP.     

Post-Glacial climatic change on Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada

A high temporal resolution pollen diagram from a lake in the mid-Arctic region of the Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada, documents the history of the regional vegetation and climate for the past 7200 yr. Major tundra pollen taxa in the core include Cyperaceae and Salix, with Cyperaceae comprising over 50% of the pollen in the early and late Holocene. Tree pollen, transported from far to the south, comprised a large percentage of the pollen sum, with Pinus accounting for 30% of the pollen in some levels of the core. Pollen percentages and concentrations of taxa typical of the mid-Arctic were highest in the mid-Holocene, corresponding to warm conditions. Decreasing pollen concentrations indicate cooling temperatures, with more rapid decreases occurring around 4200, 3800-3400, and 2500 cal yr BP. Pollen percentages of Salix, Cyperaceae, and Artemisia increased in the past 35 yr in response to global warming. Reconstructions of July temperature using the modern analog technique showed that the mid-Holocene (5800-2800 cal yr BP) was approximately 1 °C higher than during the past 1000 yr.     

Holocene hydrological changes in south-western Mediterranean as recorded by lake-level fluctuations at Lago Preola,a coastal lake in southern Sicily,Italy

This paper presents a high-resolution lake-level record for the Holocene at Lago Preola (Sicily, southern Italy) based on a specific sedimentological approach, with a chronology derived from AMS radiocarbon dates. It gives evidence of three major successive palaeohydrological periods, with (1) a pronounced dryness during the early Holocene until ca 10300 cal BP, (2) a highstand from ca 10300 to 4500 cal BP, and (3) a marked lowstand from 4500 cal BP to present. Large amplitude lake-level fluctuations characterise two transition phases at ca 10300–9000 and 6400–4500 cal BP. Period 2 was interrupted between 8300 and 7000 cal BP by a dry phase that was punctuated to ca 7300 cal BP by the deposition of a tephra from neighbouring Pantelleria Island. Comparisons of the Preola record with other palaeohydrological records along north–south and west–east transects in the Mediterranean show contrasting patterns of hydrological changes: north (south) of around 40°N latitude, the records highlight a mid-Holocene period characterised by lake-level minima (maxima). Humid mid-Holocene conditions over the Mediterranean south of 40°N were probably linked to a strong weakening of the Hadley cell circulation and of monsoon winds. We suggest that the maximum of humidity in the Mediterranean during the mid-Holocene was characterised by humid winters to the north of 40°N and humid summers to the south. On a multi-centennial scale, the high-resolution palaeohydrological reconstructions in the central Mediterranean area reveal a strong climate reversal around 4500–4000 cal BP, with contrasting changes in the hydrological cycle. In addition to seasonal and inter-hemispherical changes related to orbital forcing, this major oscillation might be related to non-linear responses of the climatic system to the gradual decrease in summer insolation at northern latitudes. Another major climate oscillation around 7500–7000 cal BP may have resulted from the combined effects of (1) a strong rate of change in insolation, and (2) variations in solar activity. Finally, comparisons of the Preola lake-level record with Sicilian pollen records suggest a strong influence of moisture availability on vegetation development in Sicily. Very dry early Holocene conditions probably prevented the expansion of coastal evergreen forests, while decreasing moisture availability since the onset of the late Holocene may have exacerbated effects of intensive land-use.     

Iranshahr blueschist: subduction of the inner Makran oceanic crust

The Makran accretionary prism in SE Iran and SW Pakistan is one of the most extensive subduction accretions on Earth. It is characterized by intense folding, thrust faulting and dislocation of the Cenozoic units that consist of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks. Rock units forming the northern Makran ophiolites are amalgamated as a mélange. Metamorphic rocks, including greenschist, amphibolite and blueschist, resulted from metamorphism of mafic rocks and serpentinites. In spite of the geodynamic significance of blueschist in this area, it has been rarely studied. Peak metamorphic phases of the northern Makran mafic blueschist in the Iranshahr area are glaucophane, phengite, quartz±omphacite+epidote. Post peak minerals are chlorite, albite and calcic amphibole. Blueschist facies metasedimentary rocks contain garnet, phengite, albite and epidote in the matrix and as inclusions in glaucophane. The calculated P–T pseudosection for a representative metabasic glaucophane schist yields peak pressure and temperature of 11.5–15 kbar at 400–510 °C. These rocks experienced retrograde metamorphism from blueschist to greenschist facies (350–450 °C and 7–8 kbar) during exhumation. A back arc basin was formed due to northward subduction of Neotethys under Eurasia (Lut block). Exhumation of the high‐pressure metamorphic rocks in northern Makran occurred contemporarily with subduction. Several reverse faults played an important role in exhumation of the ophiolitic and HP‐LT rocks. The presence of serpentinite shows the possible role of a serpentinite diapir for exhumation of the blueschist. A tectonic model is proposed here for metamorphism and exhumation of oceanic crust and accretionary sedimentary rocks of the Makran area. Vast accretion of subducted materials caused southward migration of the shore.     

Vegetation and climate changes in northwestern Russia during the Lateglacial and Holocene inferred from the Lake Ladoga pollen record

The new pollen record from the upper 12.75 m of a sediment core obtained in Lake Ladoga documents regional vegetation and climate changes in northwestern Russia over the last 13.9 cal. ka. The Lateglacial chronostratigraphy is based on varve chronology, while the Holocene stratigraphy is based on AMS ¹⁴C and OSL dates, supported by comparison with regional pollen records. During the Lateglacial (c. 13.9–11.2 cal. ka BP), the Lake Ladoga region experienced several climatic fluctuations as reflected in vegetation changes. Shrub and grass communities dominated between c. 13.9 and 13.2 cal. ka BP. The increase in Picea pollen at c. 13.2 cal. ka BP probably reflects the appearance of spruce in the southern Ladoga region at the beginning of the Allerød interstadial. After c. 12.6 cal. ka BP, the Younger Dryas cooling caused a significant decrease in spruce and increase in Artemisia with other herbs, indicative of tundra‐ and steppe‐like vegetation. A sharp transition from tundra‐steppe habitats to sparse birch forests characterizes the onset of Holocene warming c. 11.2 cal. ka BP. Pine forests dominated in the region from c. 9.0 to 8.1 cal. ka BP. The most favourable climatic conditions for deciduous broad‐leaved taxa existed between c. 8.1 and 5.5 cal. ka BP. Alder experiences an abrupt increase in the local vegetation c. 7.8 cal. ka BP. The decrease in tree pollen taxa (especially Picea) and the increase in herbs (mainly Poaceae) probably reflect human activity during the last 2.2 cal. ka. Pine forests have dominated the region since that time. Secale and other Cerealia pollen as well as ruderal herbs are permanently recorded since c. 0.8 cal. ka BP.     

Chironomid-based reconstructions of summer air temperature from lake deposits in Lyndon Stream,New Zealand spanning the MIS 3/2 transition

We present chironomid-based temperature reconstructions from lake sediments deposited between ca 26,600 cal yr BP and 24,500 cal yr BP from Lyndon Stream, South Island, New Zealand. Summer (February mean) temperatures averaged 1 °C cooler, with a maximum inferred cooling of 3.7 °C. These estimates corroborate macrofossil and beetle-based temperature inferences from the same site and suggest climate amelioration (an interstadial) at this time. Other records from the New Zealand region also show a large degree of variability during the late Otiran glacial sequence (34,000–18,000 cal yr BP) including a phase of warming at the MIS 2/3 transition and a maximum cooling that did not occur until the global LGM (ca 20,000 cal yr BP).The very moderate cooling identified here at the MIS 2/3 transition confirms and enhances the long-standing discrepancy in New Zealand records between pollen and other proxies. Low abundances (<20%) of canopy tree pollen in records from late MIS 3 to the end of MIS 2 cannot be explained by the minor (<5 °C) cooling inferred from this and other studies unless other environmental parameters are considered. Further work is required to address this critical issue.     

Holocene environments and climate in the Mongolian Altai reconstructed from the Hoton-Nur pollen and diatom records: a step towards better understanding climate dynamics in Central Asia

This study presents the results of the palynological and diatom analyses of the sediment core recovered in Hoton-Nur Lake (48°37′18″N, 88°20′45″E, 2083 m) in 2004. Quantitative reconstruction of the Holocene vegetation and climate dynamics in the semiarid Mongolian Altai suggests that boreal woodland replaced the primarily open landscape of northwestern Mongolia at about 10 kyr BP (1 kyr = 1000 cal yr) in response to a noticeable increase in precipitation from 200–250 mm/yr to 450–550 mm/yr. A decline of the forest vegetation and a return to a predominance of open vegetation types occurred after 5 kyr BP when precipitation sums decreased to 250–300 mm/yr. Prior to 11.5 kyr BP diatom concentrations are relatively low and the lake is dominated by planktonic Cyclotella and small Fragilariaceae, suggesting the existence of a relatively deep and oligotrophic/mesotrophic lake. The great abundance of Staurosirella pinnata from the beginning of the record until 10.7 kyr BP might imply intensified erosion processes in the catchment and this is fully consistent with the presence of scarce and dry vegetation and the generally arid climate during this period. From about 10.7 kyr BP, more planktonic diatom taxa appeared and increased in abundance, indicating that the lake became more productive as diatom concentration increased. This change correlates well with the development of boreal woodland in the catchment. Decrease in precipitation and changes in the vegetation towards steppe are reflected by the rapid increase in Aulacoseira distans from about 5 kyr BP. The Holocene pollen and diatom records do not indicate soil and vegetation cover disturbances by the anthropogenic activities, implying that the main transformations of the regional vegetation occurred as a result of the natural climate change. Our reconstruction is in agreement with the paleomonsoon records from China, demonstrating an abrupt strengthening of the summer monsoon at 12 kyr BP and an associated increase in precipitation and in lake levels between 11 and 8 kyr BP, followed by the stepwise attenuation of the monsoon circulation and climate aridization towards the modern level. The records from the neighboring areas of Kazakhstan and Russia, situated west and north of Hoton-Nur, demonstrate spatially and temporally different Holocene vegetation and climate histories, indicating that the Altai Mountains as a climate boundary are of pivotal importance for the Holocene environmental and, possibly, habitation history of Central Asia.     

Quantitative climate reconstruction from pollen data in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg since 15 000 yr BP

Monthly temperature and precipitation estimates for the period 15000–2000 yr BP are statistically derived from pollen analytical data obtained from a site near Echternach, Luxembourg. A continuous warming trend of over 10°C is recorded for the period 10500—8000 yr BP, along with a rise in precipitation of 500 mm. A fairly constant temperature characterised the period between 8000 and 2000 yr BP, though an episode of slight temperature decrease (-2°C) occurred at about 4500 yr BP. The most humid intervals seem to have been at around 9000–7000 and 5000–3000 yr BP (principally during the warm season: more continental influence). In contrast with results obtained from more southerly sites, the ‘Older Dryas’ climatic reversal is clearly recorded at Echternach slightly before 12000 yr BP. It is marked by a cooling in July temperature of about 4°C and a decrease in monthly precipitation of about 30 mm (40%).     

P-T evolution of metapelites from the Bajgan complex in the Makran accretionary prism,south eastern Iran

The Bajgan Complex, one of the basement constituents of the arc massif in Iranian Makran forms a rugged, deeply incised terrain. The complex consists of pelitic schists with minor psammitic and basic schists, calc silicate rocks, amphibolites, marbles, metavolcanosediments, mafic and felsic intrusives as well as ultramafic rocks. Metapelitic rocks show an amphibolite facies regional metamorphism and contain garnet, biotite, white mica, quartz, albite ± rutile ± apatite. Thermobarometry of garnet schist yields pressure of more than 9 kbar and temperatures between 560 and 675 °C. The geothermal gradient obtained for the peak of regional metamorphism is 19 °C/km, corresponding to a depth of ca. 31 km. Replacement of garnet by chlorite and epidote suggest greenschist facies metamorphism due to a decrease in temperature and pressure through exhumation and retrograde metamorphism (370–450 °C and 3–6 kbar). The metapelitic rocks followed a ‘clockwise’ P–T path during metamorphism, consistent with thermal decline following tectonic thickening. The formation of medium-pressure metamorphic rocks is related to presence of active subduction of the Neotethys Oceanic lithosphere beneath Eurasia in the Makran.     

The Lateglacial and early Holocene vegetation and environment in the Dovre mountains,central Norway,as signalled in two Lateglacial nunatak lakes

By using heavy coring equipment in two high-altitudinal lakes (1253 and 1316 m a.s.l.) at Dovre, Central Norway, 1–1.5 m of unsorted coarsely minerogenic sediments were retrieved below the Holocene organic sediments. The minerogenic sequence contained well-preserved pollen and chironomid remains, revealing new and detailed palaeoenvironmental knowledge of the mountains in Central Norway during the last 5–6000 years of the Lateglacial (LG) period. However, the LG chronology is based on biostratigraphical correlations and not on ¹⁴C-dates, due to low organic content in the minerogenic sediments. The emerging LG nunataks, probably indicating a thin and multi-domed Scandinavian ice-sheet, was rapidly inhabited by immigrating species which could explain the present centric distributions of certain arctic-alpine plants. The LG vegetation development included a pre-interstadial dominated by mineral-soil pioneers, an interstadial dominated by shrubs and dwarf-shrubs, and the Younger Dryas cold period with recurring dominance of pioneers. Pollen and stomata of Pinus and Picea indicate their local LG presence at Dovre. LG climate oscillations are indicated by pollen stratigraphy and for the later part of LG also by chironomids. These oscillations could correspond to Heinrich event 1, GI-1d, GI-1b, and the Younger Dryas cold events. The LG interstadial reached July mean temperatures of more than 7–8 °C, similar to the present. Chironomids colonized the lake already during the onset of the interstadial, albeit at very low richness and abundances. Starting from YD, there are sufficient chironomid head capsules to perform a temperature reconstruction. The Holocene warming of about 2 °C initiated a vegetation closure from snow beds and dwarf-shrub tundra to shrubs and forests. Birch-forests established about 10 ka cal BP, slightly earlier than pine forests. Alnus expanded ca 9.2 ka cal BP and a thinning of the local forests occurred from ca 7 ka cal BP. Two short-lasting climate deteriorations found in the pollen record and the chironomid record may represent the Preboreal Oscillation and the 8.2 event. The Holocene Thermal Maximum is indicated around ca 7.8–7.3 ka cal BP showing a chironomid-inferred July mean of at least 11 °C. This is ca 3 °C warmer than today.     

Full-glacial — late-glacial palaeoclimate of the Southern Andes: evidence from pollen,beetle and glacial records

Palaeoecological studies carried out in the Chilean Lake District and Chilotan Archipelago (41°–43°S) record full-glacial and late-glacial pollen assemblages beginning just after 21000 and beetle assemblages after 18000, both sets extending until 10000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Pollen records indicate that Subantarctic Parkland, the vegetation of the early millennia of record, changed after about 14000 yr BP to become open woodland and later North Patagonian Evergreen Forest. Assemblages of plants and beetles, responding more or less in unison to a strong rise in temperature (≥ 6°C), behaved in accord at around 14000 until 13000–12500 yr BP, the beetle fauna displaying a marked increase in obligate forest types. During full-glacial conditions (17400–16100 and 15300 and 14400 yr BP) and in the late-glacial interval (after about 13000 yr BP), however, climate evidently coerced populations dissimilarly, the pollen sequence showing an increase in plant taxa indicative of colder climate, whereas the beetle fauna underwent little or no variation. Contrasting climate modes implied by plants and beetles may be attributed to differential responses to apparent low-order temperature changes (≤ 2–3°C).     

A 11,000 yr palaeotemperature reconstruction from the southern boreal zone in Finland

The ecotone between the boreo-nemoral (hemiboreal) and the southern boreal vegetation zones constitutes the northern distributional limit of a number of thermophilous tree species in northern Europe and is, to a large extent, controlled by climatic conditions. We present a quantitative annual mean temperature reconstruction from a high-resolution pollen stratigraphy in southern boreal Finland, using a pollen-climate calibration model with a cross-validated prediction error of 0.9°C. Our model reconstructs low but steadily rising annual mean temperature from 10,700 to 9000 cal yr BP. At 8000–4500 cal yr BP reconstructed annual mean temperature reaches a period of highest values (Holocene thermal maximum) with particularly high temperatures (2.0–1.5°C higher than at present) at 8000–5800 cal yr BP. From 4500 cal yr BP to the present-day, reconstructed annual mean temperature gradually decreases by ca 1.5°C. Comparison of present results with palaeotemperature records from the Greenland ice cores, notably with the NorthGRIP δ¹⁸O record, shows marked similarities, suggesting parallel large-scale Holocene temperature trends between the North Atlantic and North European regions. The verification of the occurrence, timing, and nature of the short-term temperature fluctuations during the Holocene in the southern boreal zone in Europe requires replicate, high-resolution climate reconstructions from the region.     

Fossil pollen from Los Toldos locality: A record of the Late-glacial transition in the Extra-Andean Patagonia

Paleoenvironmental changes during the Late-glacial transition are interpreted from a pollen record from two caves at Los Toldos (47°22′S; 68°58′W) in Extra-Andean Patagonia in Argentina. The paleoenvironmental interpretation is based on changes in the ratio between shrub and grass steppe taxa and on comparison with other pollen records from the region. Between 12,600 and 8750 yr BP two vegetational changes occurred thought to reflect the establishment of Holocene-type atmospheric circulation patterns. The first change is at ca. 11,000 yr BP expressed by replacement of shrub steppe with Ephedra by a grass steppe. The second change occurred ca. 10,000 yr BP when the grass steppe was replaced by a shrub steppe dominated by Asteraceae. Before ca. 11,000 yr BP the environmental conditions were extremely arid with precipitation lower than 200 mm. Between ca. 11,000 and ca. 10,000 yr BP effective moisture increased, probably related to an increase in precipitation to about 200 mm under cold conditions. A grass steppe extended through Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, at least as far north as 47°S. It is difficult to find modern analogues for pollen associations south of 47°S older than 10,000 yr BP. Possibly at that time climate patterns were markedly different from today. At about this time of environmental changes Level 11 industry associated with extinct grazing herbivores developed. Starting at ca. 10,000 yr BP, with expansion of the shrub steppe of Asteraceae east of the Andes at 47° to 52°S and forest at 51°–54°S west of the Andes, temperature increased while water availability decreased. Precipitation probably was similar to the present, which suggests that the modern climate patterns were established at the beginning of the Holocene. The Toldense Industry, which is associated with remains of modern fauna as well as with the last remains of the Pleistocene fauna, developed in this period. The beginning of this development coincides with the extinction of Pleistocene fauna.     

Diatom response to Asian monsoon variability during the Holocene in a deep lake at the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Diatom analysis was applied to a 5.56‐m‐long sediment core, spanning the last 7.8 ka, from Lake Chenghai on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Diatom assemblages are dominated by Cyclotella rhomboideo‐elliptica, Cyclostephanos dubius and small fragilarioid and periphytic taxa. These diatom taxa are interpreted to be sensitive to changes in trophic status and/or turbulence of the water column that are probably related to variations in precipitation and temperature induced through the Asian monsoon. High abundances of C. dubius, Staurosirella pinnata and periphytic taxa suggest higher trophic status (mesotrophic) and stronger turbulence in the water column in the middle Holocene (7.8–4.5 ka BP). During the period of 4.5–2.3 ka BP, a decline in C. dubius, S. pinnata and periphytic taxa, and an increase in C. rhomboideo‐elliptica with the appearance of Cyclotella ocellata suggests a response to decreasing trophic level (more oligotrophic). After 2.3 ka BP, the persistent increases in C. rhomboideo‐elliptica and the loss of Cyclotella ocellata mirrored a further decrease in trophic level (oligotrophic). The main changes in the diatom assemblages in the Lake Chenghai sediment core reflect direct and indirect climate forcing and in particular, the strength of monsoonal precipitation, which in turn corresponds to orbitally induced variability in Northern Hemisphere summer solar insolation since 7.8 ka BP.     

Late- and postglacial environment of the Buzuluk area,middle Volga region,Russia

A 13 m long core from the lake-swamp at Pobochnoye (53°01′30″ N, 51°50′30″ E) in the Buzuluk pine forest in the middle part of the Volga River basin, Russia was studied for pollen, peat stratigraphy, mollusc, δ¹⁸O/δ¹⁶O and δ¹³C/δ¹²C analyses and radiocarbon dating. For the first time the environment history of the east European Russia has been reconstructed for the last 14,000 years; ca 14,000–13,000 BP cold dry steppes spread across the basin of the Samara River. Isotope data indicate that the main climate shift occurred ca 10,000 BP at the Lateglacial–Holocene transition when climate became warmer and forests expanded. Pinus sylvestris L. expanded 10,000 BP. Ca 9,000 BP Ulmus, Quercus and Corylus appeared in the Buzuluk forest followed at ca. 7,000 BP by Alnus, then Tilia and Acer at 6000 BP. Between 6000 and 4500 BP the climatic conditions were optimal for the forest growth in the Samara River basin. 5500–5000 BP the lake became shallower and was transformed into the eutrophic peat swamp. Between 4500–3500 BP climate became drier and hotter and forest less abundant. Between 3500–2400 BP the forest cover again increased. Between 2400–2000 BP the pine forest area has reduced, apparently due to increased dryness, and around 2000 BP the modern environment in the Buzuluk area has been in existence.     

How cold was it for Neanderthals moving to Central Europe during warm phases of the last glaciation?

Precise estimates of mean annual temperature (MAT) for when Neanderthals occupied Central Europe are critical for understanding the role that climatic and associated environmental factors played in Neanderthal migrations and in their ultimate extinction. Neanderthals were continuously present in the relatively warm regions of southern and Western Europe in the Pleistocene but only temporarily settled Central Europe (CE), presumably because of its colder and less hospitable climate. Here, we present a new approach for more spatially and temporally accurate estimation of palaeotemperatures based on the stable oxygen isotope composition of phosphates extracted from animal teeth found at sites linked directly to concurrent Neanderthal occupation. We provide evidence that Neanderthals migrated along the Odra Valley of CE during warmer periods throughout the Upper Pleistocene. The MATs during these migrations were about 6.8 °C for the warm phase of Oxygen Isotope Stage OIS 5a–d (prior to the OIS4 cold event) at ～115–74,000 yr BP and about 6.3 °C during the early OIS 3 warm phase ～59–41,000 yr BP. Our results show that temperatures during these phases peaked 2–4 °C above longer term estimates from ice cores and pollen records. We argue that our approach can provide valuable insights into evaluating the role of climate in human migration patterns in the Pleistocene.     

A high-resolution geochemical record from Lake Edward,Uganda Congo and the timing and causes of tropical African drought during the late Holocene

High-resolution analyses of the elemental composition of calcite and biogenic silica (BSi) content in piston cores from Lake Edward, equatorial Africa, document complex interactions between climate variability and lacustrine geochemistry over the past 5400 years. Correlation of these records from Lake Edward to other climatically-forced geochemical and lake level records from Lakes Naivasha, Tanganyika, and Turkana allows us to develop a chronology of drought events in equatorial East Africa during the late Holocene. Major drought events of at least century-scale duration are recorded in lacustrine records at about 850, 1500, ∼2000, and 4100 cal year BP. Of these, the most severe event occurred between about 2050 and 1850 cal year BP, during which time Lake Edward stood about 15 m below its present level. Numerous additional droughts of less intensity and/or duration are present in the Lake Edward record, some of which may be correlated to other lacustrine climate records from equatorial East Africa. These events are superimposed on a long-term trend of increasingly arid conditions from 5400 to about 2000 cal year BP, followed by a shift toward wetter climates that may have resulted from an intensification of the winter Indian monsoon. Although the causes of decade- to century-scale climate variability in the East African tropics remain obscure, time-series spectral analysis suggests no direct linkage between solar output and regional rainfall. Rather, significant periods of ∼725, ∼125, 63–72, 31–25, and 19–16 years suggest a tight linkage between the Indian Ocean and African rainfall, and could result from coupled ocean-atmosphere variability inherent to the tropical monsoon system.