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Climate modelling and palaeotemperature reconstructions derived from several proxies (TEX 86 , δ18O) suggest that the Late Cretaceous was one of the warmest intervals in Earth history. The greenhouse climate reached its acme near the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary (CTB) interval with sea surface temperatures over 35 °C in low and mid- palaeolatitudes, coinciding with the highest sea level stands of the Phanerozoic. Following this warming phase, a general cooling trend punctuated by short-term hot snaps characterized the rest of the Cretaceous. Palaeotemperature and palaeoenvironmental changes are well documented in deep-water carbonate deposits based on variations in geochemical proxies and distribution patterns of macro- and microfauna. However, such climatic and environmental fluctuations severely impacted carbonate platforms, sedimentary environments that are particularly sensitive to external perturbations. Palaeontological data show major changes within the main carbonate platform producers (rudists and benthic foraminifera) during the early Late Cretaceous. Both groups experienced major taxonomic turnovers at the CTB, followed by a further re-radiation in the middle/late Turonian. The lack of detailed palaeoclimatic reconstructions in shallow water carbonate succession hampers the possibility to investigate a possible causal relationship between temperature changes and faunal evolution. In this paper, we report integrated geochemical, sedimentological, and palaeontological data from the Adriatic Carbonate Platform (Friuli, north-east Italy). Benthic foraminifera biostratigraphy and isotope stratigraphy (δ13C and 87Sr/86Sr) were used to precisely constrain the stratigraphy of the late Cenomanian-middle Turonian interval. δ18O analysis on both well-preserved rudist shells and bulk rock samples enabled the construction of high-resolution palaeotemperature curves. The resulting temperature trends are comparable with those from the deep-water record across the late Cenomanian-Turonian interval. The warmest phase was in the Early Turonian with sea surface palaeotemperatures as high as 41–45 °C recorded in rudist shells. Data show temperature fluctuation from the late Cenomanian to the Early Turonian with a magnitude >7 °C. Benthic foraminifera and rudist evolution responded to these palaeotemperature fluctuations, and their decline in the late Cenomanian and full recovery in the Turonian suggest a strong link with temperature changes. • Reconstructed temperatures from carbonate platforms during the Cenomanian -Turonian interval are missing • High resolution paleotemperatures reconstruction and biota evolution (rudists and benthic foraminifera) from Friuli Carbonate Platform is presented • Paleotemperatures estimated using δ18O analyses on bulk rock and well preserved bivalve samples (rudists and Chondrodonta) • δ18O analyses in bivalve shells suggest warmest Temperatures °>40°C in the Early Turonian • Rudists and benthic foraminifera distribution/abundance strongly modulated by temperature changes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships between pedogenetic processes and fluvial-coastal dynamics in the Po Plain have been reconstructed through sedimentological analysis and correlation of ca. 170 core data chronologically constrained by 376 radiocarbon dates. Vertically stacked, weakly developed paleosols within Upper Pleistocene and Holocene mud-prone strata testify to intermittent pedogenesis, periodically interrupted by overbank sedimentation. Individual paleosols are laterally traceable for tens of km and exhibit A-Bk-Bw, A-Bk or A-Bw profiles. Stratigraphically ordered 14C calibrated ages from A organo-mineral horizons testify to slow aggradation during 4–6 thousand years-long exposure periods. Burial ages, with an error of few centuries, are provided by plant debris at the top of A horizons. Millennial-scale climate oscillations and glacio-eustasy are the main drivers of the pedo-sedimentary evolution of the area during the last 50 kyr. Upper Pleistocene paleosols (P1-P3) developed in well-drained floodplain environments, during relatively warm periods. Paleosol burial occurred during colder phases. High-sediment-supply during the Last Glacial Maximum hindered pedogenesis and led to the accumulation of 3–10 m-thick overbank strata. Widespread soil development (paleosol PH) occurred at the end of Last Glacial Maximum, following the retreat of Alpine glaciers and the afforestation of Apennine drainage basins. At distal locations, paleosol PH was progressively buried under estuarine sediments during the Holocene phases of post-glacial sea-level rise. Beyond the area of marine influence, burial ages of paleosol PH change from a place to another without specific spatial trends and reflect upstream fluvial sedimentation dominated by avulsions and deposition of spatially restricted alluvial units. Holocene (H1−H2) paleosols show a poor correlation potential and laterally variable degree of maturity that reflect avulsive sedimentation patterns and crevassing. This paper provides insights on the timing and mechanisms of formation and burial of weakly-developed paleosols. The outcomes of this research are applicable to similar Quaternary alluvial systems, and may help interpreting ancient paleosol-bearing successions. • Po Plain pedostratigraphy reveals relations between pedogenetic and alluvial events. • Upper Pleistocene-Holocene stacked paleosols testify to intermittent pedogenesis. • Radiocarbon dates permitted to estimate the duration of the main pedogenetic phases. • Climate change and eustasy controlled Late Pleistocene pedo-sedimentary evolution. • Discontinuous Holocene paleosols reflect avulsive sedimentation and crevassing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]