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This paper introduces the reader to a special issue of articles that explores links and processes behind societal change, climate change and environmental change in a Holocene perspective in the Mediterranean region. All papers are, by purpose, co-authored by scientists representing different disciplines. The cross-cutting theme has been to reach beyond simple explanations of potential climate-society relationships and advance our understanding on how to improve research methods and theories in the field. The thirteen papers in this issue address these questions in three different ways, by i) conceptual/methodological approaches; ii) review papers; and iii) case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a new methodological approach to analyse secular patterns of flooding (magnitude and frequency) from sedimentary evidence (palaeofloods), taking into account changes in channel geometry, and their links to historical environmental changes and the inherent social and demographic evolution within the catchment. A case study analysis was focused in Rambla de la Viuda (drainage area of 1500 km 2 ) whose stream flow is related to extreme rainfalls. A 500 years sedimentary archive was reconstructed from eight stratigraphic profiles comprising continuous sequences of slackwater flood deposits interbedded with episodic colluvial and edaphic horizons. Discharge estimates associated to sedimentary flood evidences were obtained from one-dimensional hydraulic modelling. The stratigraphic units were sampled to characterise their geochemical and paleobotanical (phytoliths) contents. Palaeoflood chronology was obtained from radiocarbon and luminescence (OSL) dating, supported by documentary data (written historical documents). A high frequency and high magnitude palaeoflood period took place during the 15 th -middle 16th century, which seem to correlate in time with general wetter conditions. Three short-term environment stability conditions (land use and climatic) also made possible the development of three paleosols. The lowest flood magnitude and discharges in the sedimentary record was found between the mid-17th to mid-18th centuries, under prevailing drier environmental conditions. Episodic high magnitude flooding took place at late 18th century, correlating in time with palaeovegetation and geochemical evidences of important changes on land use (deforestation and grazing). Poorer developed soils were found at upper stratigraphic sequences (19th century) characterised by thick units of colluvium deposits, usually culminating sequences of short-lived continuous slackwater flood units. Despite of the potential human influence (land-use) on soil hydrology, the long-term behaviour of high magnitude floods (>1000 m 3 s -1 ) has been stationary over the last 500 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a summary of the results of a detailed multidisciplinary study of the near surface geology of the Dogger Bank in the southern central North Sea, forming part of a site investigation for a major windfarm development undertaken by the Forewind consortium. It has revealed that the Dogger Bank is internally complex rather than comprising a simple “layer cake” of the Quaternary sediments as previously thought. Regional and high-resolution seismic surveys have enabled a revised stratigraphic framework to be established for the upper part of this sequence which comprises the Eem (oldest), Dogger Bank, Bolders Bank formations and Botney Cut Formation (youngest), overlain by a typically thin Holocene sequence. Detailed mapping of key horizons identified on the high-resolution seismic profiles has led to the recognition of a series of buried palaeo-landsystems which are characterised by a range of features including; glacial, glacifluvial and fluvial channels, a large-scale glacitectonic thrust-moraine complex with intervening ice-marginal basins, a lacustrine basin and marine ravinement surfaces. Interpretation of these buried landscapes has enabled the development of an environmental change model to explain the evolution of the Dogger Bank. This evolution was driven by the complex interplay between climate change, ice sheet dynamics and sea level change associated with the growth and subsequent demise of the British and Irish and Fennoscandian ice sheets during the Weichselian glaciation. Following the decay of these ice sheets the Dogger Bank entered a period of significant climatic and environmental flux which saw a terrestrial landscape being progressively inundated as sea levels rose during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the main external driver, environmental changes largely predetermine human population distribution, especially in the Arctic, where environmental conditions were often too extreme for human survival. Not that long ago the only evidence of human presence here was the Berelekh site in the lower reaches of the Indighirka River. This landmark dates to 13,000–12,000 years ago but it was widely accepted as documentation of the earliest stage of human dispersal in the Arctic. New research discussed here, shows that humans began colonizing the Siberian Arctic at least by the end of the early stage of MIS 3 at around 45,000 years ago. For now, this earliest known stage of human occupation in the arctic regions is documented by the evidence of human hunting. The archaeological record of continued human occupation is fragmentary; nevertheless, evidence exists for each significant phase including the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Siberian Arctic human populations were likely supported by the local mammoth population, which provided humans with food and raw material in the form of mammoth tusks. Processing of mammoth ivory is recognized widely as one of the most important peculiarities of the material culture of ancient humans. In fact, ivory tool manufacturing is one of the most important innovations of the Upper Palaeolithic in northern Eurasia. Technology that allowed manufacturing of long ivory shafts – long points and full-size spears – was critical in the tree-less open landscapes of Eurasian mammoth steppe belt. These technological skills reach their greatest extent and development shortly before the Last Glacial Maximum but are recognizable until the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary across Northern Eurasia in all areas populated by mammoths and humans. Loss of this stable source of raw material due to the late Pleistocene mammoth extinction may have provoked a shift in post-LGM Siberia to the Beringian microblade tradition. This paper reviews the most important archaeological findings made in arctic Siberia over the last twenty years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When dealing with current and past landscape evolution, a key issue addresses responses of geomorphic systems to the large number of influencing variables. Identifying morphodynamic phases and revealing interrelations with specific driving forces are demanding tasks for Quaternary research. In this paper, we present late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial sedimentation patterns of three Western Mediterranean river catchments, namely Jarama River, Guadalete River and Guadalquivir River that extent along a climatic transect from semi-humid SW-Spain to semi-arid central Spain. These studies are based on extensive fieldwork conducted on 36 exposures and 13 drillings in floodplain positions. Field data is supported by geochemical analyses, while the chronological framework was obtained from the analyses of 70 radiocarbon samples. Results show distinct patterns of fluvial sedimentation as well as soil formation linked to floodplain stability for each river catchment. On regional or catchment scale, pollen stratigraphical correlation and comparison with lacustrine records show that fluvial dynamics have a strong reaction to climatic shifts, with phases of high fragility characterized by catchment erosion and floodplain sedimentation in response to climatic aridification events and phases of climate change in general. The comparison of the examined river systems reveals that periods of supra-regional floodplain sedimentation in several catchments occurred from 8.0 to 7.0, 5.0 to 3.8, 2.2 to 1.5, and around 1.0 as well as 0.4 ka cal. BP, while we found periods of supra-regional soil formation from 13.3 to 12.7, 7.0 to 5.1 (with a short interruption around 6.0 to 5.5 ka), 2.8 to 2.3 ka, 1.4 to 1.2 ka, and 0.8 to 0.5 ka cal. BP. Beside these consistencies we found deviating dynamic patterns that are apparently expressed in terms of differing onset and offset, differing durations, or even the lack of fluvial system response. The main reasons for this can be seen in different regional climate condition and impacts of further influencing factors, or in different levels of sensitivity of the river catchments that may be controlled by initial hydrological conditions, catchment size, or the degree of anthropogenic influence. A larger scale assessment shows that fluvial dynamic patterns are hardly comparable across entire Spain due to strong spatial heterogeneity of physiographic and climatic conditions on the Iberian Peninsula, in particular when areas are influenced by different circulation systems (e.g. regions influenced by the Atlantic Ocean vs. regions influenced by the Mediterranean Sea). However, the consideration of North Atlantic marine records reveals a certain coupling between North Atlantic coolings, atmospheric processes leading to arid climate over large parts of Spain, as well as increased landscape instability including strong fluvial sedimentation activity. Attendant atmospheric conditions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]