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The Lateglacial (14,700–11,700 cal BP) is a key climate period marked by rapid but contrasted changes in the Northern Hemisphere. Indeed, regional climate differences have been evidenced during the Lateglacial in Europe and the Northern Mediterranean areas. However, past climate patterns are still debated since temperature and precipitation changes are poorly investigated towards the lower European latitudes. Lake Matese in Southern Italy is a key site in the Central Mediterranean to investigate climate patterns during the Lateglacial. This study uses a multi-proxy approach including magnetic susceptibility, geochemistry (XRF core scanning), pollen data and molecular biomarkers like branched Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers (brGDGTs) to reconstruct climate changes and their impacts at Matese. Palaeotemperatures and -precipitation patterns are quantitatively inferred from pollen assemblages (multi-method approach: Modern Analogue Technique, Weighted Averaging Partial Least Squares regression, Random Forest, and Boosted Regression Trees) and brGDGTs calibrations. The results are compared to a latitudinal selection of regional climate reconstructions in Italy to better understand climate processes in Europe and in the circum-Mediterranean region. A warm Bølling–Allerød and a marked cold Younger Dryas are revealed in all climate reconstructions inferred from various proxies (chironomids, ostracods, speleothems, pollen, brGDGTs), showing no latitudinal differences in terms of temperatures across Italy. During the Bølling–Allerød, no significant changes in terms of precipitation are recorded, however, a contrasted pattern is visible during the Younger Dryas. Slightly wet conditions are recorded south of latitude 42° N whereas dry conditions are recorded north of latitude 42° N. During the Younger Dryas, cold conditions can be attributed to the southward position of North Atlantic sea-ice and of the Polar Frontal JetStream whereas the increase of precipitation is Southern Italy seems to be linked to relocation of Atlantic storm tracks into the Mediterranean, induced by the Fennoscandian ice sheet and the North European Plain. On the contrary, during the Bølling–Allerød warm conditions can be linked to the northward position of North Atlantic sea-ice and of the Polar Frontal JetStream.

The Late Glacial (14 700–11 700 cal BP) is a key climate period marked by rapid but contrasted changes in the Northern Hemisphere. Indeed, regional climate differences have been evidenced during the Late Glacial in Europe and the northern Mediterranean. However, past climate patterns are still debated since temperature and precipitation changes are poorly investigated towards the lower European latitudes. Lake Matese in southern Italy is a key site in the central Mediterranean to investigate climate patterns during the Late Glacial. This study aims to reconstruct climate changes and their impacts at Matese using a multi-proxy approach including magnetic susceptibility, geochemistry (XRF core scanning), pollen data and molecular biomarkers like branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs). Paleotemperatures and paleo-precipitation patterns are quantitatively inferred from pollen assemblages (multi-method approach: modern analogue technique, weighted averaging partial least-squares regression, random forest and boosted regression trees) and brGDGT calibrations. The results are compared to a latitudinal selection of regional climate reconstructions in Italy to better understand climate processes in Europe and in the circum-Mediterranean region. A warm Bølling–Allerød and a marked cold Younger Dryas are revealed in all climate reconstructions inferred from various proxies (chironomids, ostracods, speleothems, pollen, brGDGTs), showing no latitudinal differences in terms of temperatures across Italy. During the Bølling–Allerød, no significant changes in terms of precipitation are recorded; however, a contrasted pattern is visible during the Younger Dryas. Slightly wetter conditions are recorded south of 42∘ N, whereas dry conditions are recorded north of 42∘ N. During the Younger Dryas, cold conditions can be attributed to the southward position of North Atlantic sea ice and of the polar frontal jet stream, whereas the increase in precipitation in southern Italy seems to be linked to relocation of Atlantic storm tracks into the Mediterranean, induced by the Fennoscandian ice sheet and the North European Plain. By contrast, warm conditions during the Bølling–Allerød can be linked to the northward position of North Atlantic sea ice and of the polar frontal jet stream.

Volcanic ash can disperse thousands of kilometres from the source volcano and provide valuable chronostratigraphic markers for palaeoclimate studies. We present new cryptotephra findings of historical and modern Icelandic eruptions in annually laminated lacustrine sediment records from several sites within a 570 km SW–NE transect across northern Poland. Sediments from the two lakes Wąsoskie and Szurpiły contain glass shards originating from the Plinian Askja ad 1875 eruption and showing bimodal, rhyolitic and dacitic affinities. A further cryptotephra finding in Lake Lubińskie suggests a potential origin from the Hekla ad 1845 eruption. These new findings extend the tephra dispersal map towards the south‐east and provide valuable isochrons for the synchronisation of palaeoclimate proxy data at the termination of the Little Ice Age in central eastern Europe. Very low glass concentrations of modern cryptotephra in Lake Wąsoskie were potentially correlated with the Eyjafjallajökull ad 2010 eruption. Further findings in the uppermost sediments of lakes Szurpiły and Żabińskie in north‐eastern Poland tentatively suggest other sources from either the Hekla and/or Kamchatkan volcanoes.

Tephra layers preserved in distal sedimentary archives represent chronicles of explosive volcanism that can complement the often more fragmentary information from near-source volcanic deposits to establish complete volcanic histories. With regard to these aspects, the Middle Pleistocene of the Eastern Mediterranean region stands out as it has a complex and diverse, but as yet largely unexplored record of volcanic eruptions. Here we present the first distal tephra record for the Eastern Mediterranean region spanning from 335 to 235 ka (corresponding to Marine Isotope Stages [MIS] 9 to 7e); our record has been derived from peat cores from the iconic terrestrial climate archive of Tenaghi Philippon (NE Greece). We have identified twenty-seven cryptotephra layers that represent eruptions from diverse Mediterranean sources. Six cryptotephra layers can be linked to Campanian volcanoes, and another six layers are tentatively correlated to Aeolian Arc volcanism. Of the ten cryptotephra layers that we have identified as deriving from the Aegean Arc, eight originate from Santorini volcano and two are tentatively attributed to either Kos or Milos. Five cryptotephra layers have yet unknown origins. Most of the identified cryptotephras represent previously undocumented eruptions. We provide age estimates for all cryptotephras and, by extension, for the underlying eruptions based on orbitally tuned pollen data from the same cores. The only cryptotephra layer in the 335–235 ka record from Tenaghi Philippon that represents a previously known eruption has a palynostratigraphically derived age of c. 289 ka and can be tentatively linked to the Seiano Ignimbrite from the Campanian Volcanic Zone; this represents the first time that this eruption can be traced beyond its proximal area. The documentation and geochemical characterization of tephra layers from different Mediterranean sources in the Tenaghi Philippon peat cores for MIS 9–7e is an important step towards the integration of regional Mediterranean tephrostratigraphic information for the Middle Pleistocene.

Funder: Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, Due to a lack of visible tephras in the Dead Sea record, this unique palaeoenvironmental archive is largely unconnected to the well‐established Mediterranean tephrostratigraphy. Here we present first results of the ongoing search for cryptotephras in the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) sediment core from the deep Dead Sea basin. This study focusses on the Lateglacial (~15–11.4 cal. ka BP), when Lake Lisan – the precursor of the Dead Sea – shrank from its glacial highstand to the Holocene low levels. We developed a glass shard separation protocol and counting procedure that is adapted to the extreme salinity and sediment recycling of the Dead Sea. Cryptotephra is abundant in the Dead Sea record (up to ~100 shards cm-3), but often glasses are physically and/or chemically altered. Six glass samples from five tephra horizons reveal a heterogeneous geochemical composition, with mainly rhyolitic and some trachytic glasses potentially sourced from Italian, Aegean and Anatolian volcanoes. Most shards likely originate from the eastern Anatolian volcanic province and can be correlated using major element analyses with tephra deposits from swarm eruptions of the Süphan Volcano ~13 ka BP and with ashes from Nemrut Volcano, presumably the Lake Van V‐16 volcanic layer at ~13.8 ka BP. In addition to glasses that match the TM‐10‐1 from Lago Grande di Monticchio (15 820±790 cal. a BP) tentatively correlated with the St. Angelo Tuff of Ischia, we further identified a cryptotephra with glass analyses which are chemically identical with those of the PhT1 tephra in the Philippon peat record (13.9–10.5 ka BP), and also a compositional match for the glass analyses of the Santorini Cape Riva Tephra (Y‐2 marine tephra, 22 024±642 cal. a BP). These first results demonstrate the great potential of cryptotephrochronology in the Dead Sea record for improving its chronology and connecting the Levantine region to the Mediterranean tephra framework.

Sea-level change is thought to influence the frequencies of volcanic eruptions on glacial to interglacial timescales. However, the underlying physical processes and their importance relative to other influences (for example, magma recharge rates) remain poorly understood. Here we compare an approximately 360-kyr-long record of effusive and explosive eruptions from the flooded caldera volcano at Santorini (Greece) with a high-resolution sea-level record spanning the last four glacial–interglacial cycles. Numerical modelling shows that when the sea level falls by 40 m below the present-day level, the induced tensile stresses in the roof of the magma chamber of Santorini trigger dyke injections. As the sea level continues to fall to −70 or −80 m, the induced tensile stress spreads throughout the roof so that some dykes reach the surface to feed eruptions. Similarly, the volcanic activity gradually disappears after the sea level rises above −40 m. Synchronizing Santorini’s stratigraphy with the sea-level record using tephra layers in marine sediment cores shows that 208 out of 211 eruptions (both effusive and explosive) occurred during periods constrained by sea-level falls (below −40 m) and subsequent rises, suggesting a strong absolute sea-level control on the timing of eruptions on Santorini—a result that probably applies to many other volcanic islands around the world. Sea-level lowstands over the last 360,000 years strongly controlled the timing of eruptions of the Santorini Volcano, according to an analysis of tephras and sea-level records, as well as numerical modelling of the underlying magma chamber.

Highlights • Tephrostratigraphic record from the Ionian Sea for the past 800 kyr. • 7 macro- and 19 cryptotephra layers traced to Italian and Aegean Arc sources. • Tephras provide first direct land-sea correlations in the Eastern Mediterranean region for MIS 13–9. • New insight into Middle Pleistocene activity of Santorini and Campanian volcanoes. Abstract Direct correlations between terrestrial and marine climate-proxy records are essential in order to determine potential lead/lag relationships in the response of the terrestrial and marine realms to climate forcing. In the Eastern Mediterranean region, such land-sea correlations have not yet been established beyond c. 200 ka. To explore the potential of tephra layers for Late and Middle Pleistocene land-sea correlations in the Eastern Mediterranean region, we have revisited yet unconfirmed tephra layers previously reported from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 964 (Ionian Basin) for the past c. 800 kyr in order to identify their origin and examine potential terrestrial counterparts. Using major- and trace-element glass analyses, we confirmed the presence of seven visible tephra layers with ages from 623 to 38 ka. These tephra layers represent known tephra isochrons from Italian volcanic centers (Y-5, Y-7, X-6, and V-0) and three yet unknown eruptions from Etna (623 ka), the Campanian Volcanic Zone (CVZ; 238 ka), and Pantelleria (238 ka). Because the majority of the previously reported tephra layers from ODP Site 964 were identified as clastic layers of non-volcanic origin, cryptotephra analyses were carried out for cores spanning Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 13 to 9 (500–320 ka). This effort yielded 19 cryptotephra layers originating from Santorini volcano, the CVZ, possibly Roccamonfina volcano, and an undefined source in either the Aeolian Islands or the South Aegean Volcanic Arc. Two tephra layers are correlated with potential equivalents from terrestrial archives on the Italian and Balkan Peninsulas, including tephra isochrons SC5/A7/OH-DP-1966 (c. 493 ka; Mercure basin, Acerno basin, and Lake Ohrid) and TP09–65.95 (c. 359 ka; Tenaghi Philippon) that represent an unknown eruption of Roccamonfina and the Cape Therma 1 eruption of Santorini, respectively. Direct linking of the marine record from ODP Site 964 with the terrestrial records from Tenaghi Philippon, Lake Ohrid, and the Acerno basin via tephra tie points allowed us to circumvent shortcomings of the individual age models, and to obtain a comprehensive picture of climate variability in the greater Eastern Mediterranean region for the MIS 13–9 interval.

The Eemian was the last interglacial period (~130 to 115 ka BP) to precede the current interglacial. In Eastern Mediterranean marine sediments, it is marked by a well-developed and organic-rich “sapropel” layer (S5), which is thought to reflect an intensification and northward migration of the African monsoon rain belt over orbital timescales. However, despite the importance of these sediments, very little proxy-independent stratigraphic information is available to enable rigorous correlation of these sediments across the region. This paper presents the first detailed study of visible and non-visible (cryptotephra) layers found within these sediments at three marine coring sites: ODP Site 967B (Levantine Basin), KL51 (South East of Crete) and LC21 (Southern Aegean Sea). Major element analyses of the glass component were used to distinguish four distinct tephra events of Santorini (e.g., Vourvoulos eruption) and possible Anatolian provenance occurring during the formation of S5. Interpolation of core chronologies provides provisional eruption ages for the uppermost tephra (unknown Santorini, 121.8 ± 2.9 ka) and lowermost tephra (Anatolia or Kos/Yali/Nisyros, 126.4 ± 2.9 ka). These newly characterised tephra deposits have also been set into the regional tephrostratigraphy to illustrate the potential to precisely synchronise marine proxy records with their terrestrial counterparts, and also contribute to the establishment of a more detailed volcanic history of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Multiproxy investigations of lacustrine sediments from Laguna Azul (52 °S) document multi-millennial Holocene influences of Southern Hemispheric Westerlies (SHW) on the hydroclimatic variability of south-eastern Patagonia. During the last 4000 years, this hydroclimatic variability is overprinted by centennial warm/dry periods. A cool/wet period from 11,600 to 10,100 cal. BP is succeeded by an early Holocene dry period (10,100–8300 cal. BP) with a shallow lake, strong anoxia, methanogenesis and high salinity. Between 8300 and 4000 cal. BP the influence of SHW weakened, resulting in a freshwater lake considered to be related to less arid conditions. Since 4000 cal. BP, regional temperature decreased accompanied by re-intensification of SHW reaching full strength since 3000 cal. BP. Centred around 2200, 1000 cal. BP and in the 20th century, Laguna Azul experienced century-long warm/dry spells. Between these dry periods, two pronounced moist periods are suggested to be contemporaneous to the ‘Dark Age Cold Period’ and the ‘Little Ice Age’. Different from millennial SHW variations, centennial fluctuations appear to be synchronous for South America and the Northern Hemisphere. Changes in solar activity, large volcanic eruptions and/or modulations of ocean circulation are potential triggers for this synchronicity. Fil: Zolitschka, Bernd. Universitat Bremen; Alemania Fil: Fey, Michael. Universitat Bremen; Alemania Fil: Janssen, Stephanie. Universitat zu Köln; Alemania Fil: Maidana, Nora Irene. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Mayr, Christoph. Universitat Technical Zu Munich; Alemania. Universitat Erlangen-Nuremberg; Alemania Fil: Wulf, Sabine. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences ; Alemania. University of Portsmouth; Alemania Fil: Haberzettl, Torsten. University of Greifswald; Alemania Fil: Corbella, Jorge Hugo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentina Fil: Lücke, Andreas. IBG-3. Agrosphere, Institute of Bio- and Geosciences; Alemania Fil: Ohlendorf, Christian. Universitat Bremen; Alemania Fil: Schäbitz, Frank. Universitat zu Köln; Alemania

International audience; The rhyolitic Upper Nisyros Pumice (UNP) from the Kos-Yali-Nisyros volcanic system has been detected as a cryptotephra layer in lacustrine sediments from the Sea of Marmara (SoM). A new independent age of the UNP eruption at 57.1 ± 1.5 cal ka BP has been interpolated using a combination of radiocarbon dating, tephrochronology and wiggle-matching of the SoM proxy record (Ca-curves) with Greenland oxygen isotope data, therewith confirming recently published radioisotopic dates of UNP land deposits. The UNP tephra in the SoM was identified by comparisons of the SoM tephra glass chemical dataset with published data of other marine tephra records from the Aegean Sea and the Megali Limni lacustrine sediment sequence (Lesvos Island). The stratigraphic position of the UNP tephra in these records verified its deposition in the SoM at the onset of MIS-3 and specifically at the termination of Greenland Interstadial GI-16. The new findings define the UNP tephra as a valuable time marker for the synchronisation of palaeoenvironmental data for this time period and help spurring the establishment of a robust tephrostratigraphical framework for the last ~70 kyr in the Aegean-Black Sea region.

Accurate dating and unambiguous chronological correlation using cryptotephras provide a powerful tool to compare the varved sediment records of the lakes Głęboczek (JG), Czechowskie (JC) and Jelonek (JEL) (north-central Poland). For the last 140 years, micro-facies analyses and µ-XRF element scanning at seasonal resolution, as well as bulk elemental analyses (organic matter, carbonate) at sub-decadal to decadal resolution, were conducted for all three lakes records. All lakes are located in a region with low population density, and therefore, anthropogenic influences are negligible or only minor. The varve chronologies have been established independently for each record and were synchronized with the Askja AD 1875 cryptotephra. Comparison with monthly temperature data since 1870 and daily temperature data since 1951 revealed different responses of lake deposition to recent climate change. Varves are well preserved over the entire 140 years only at JG, while in the JC record two faintly varved intervals are intercalated and in the JEL record two non-varved intervals occur at the base and top of the profiles. These differences likely are due to variations in lake characteristics and their influence on lake-internal responses. JG is the smallest and best wind-sheltered lake, which favours varve preservation. JC’s attenuated sediment responses can likely be linked to lake productivity changes with respect to climate warming. JEL is lacking a direct sedimentological response to the observed temperature increase, which can be linked to lake size and water depth superimposing regional climate changes. Climate changes at the demise of the ‘Little Ice Age’ around 1900 and the recent warming since the 1980s are expressed in sediment proxies in the lakes with different response times and amplitudes. This detailed comparison study on three nearby lakes demonstrates the influence of local parameters such as lake and catchment size and water depth superimposed on more regional climate-driven changes.

Here we report on the first findings of a cryptotephra in the Holocene lacustrine sediment records of the Dead Sea and Tayma palaeolake (NW Arabian Peninsula). The major element glass composition of this rhyolitic tephra is identical to the distal ‘S1’ tephra layer identified in the Yammouneh palaeolake (Lebanon), in a marine sediment record from the SE Levantine basin and in the Sodmein Cave archaeological site in Egypt. The S1 tephra corresponds to the early Holocene ‘Dikkartin’ dome eruption of the Erciyes Dag volcano in central Anatolia (Turkey) and has been dated in the marine record at 8830 ± 140 cal yr BP. We present new age estimates of the S1 tephra based on radiocarbon dating of terrestrial plant remains and pollen concentrates revealing ages of 8939 ± 83 cal yr BP in the Dead Sea sediments and 9041 ± 254 cal yr BP in Tayma. The precise date from the Dead Sea allows refining the early Holocene marine reservoir age in the SE Levantine Sea to ca. 320 ± 50 years. Synchronisation of marine and terrestrial palaeoclimate records in the eastern Mediterranean region using the S1 tephra further suggests a time-transgressive expansion of the early Holocene humid period.

Here we present the first tephrostratigraphic, palaeomagnetic, and multiproxy data from a new ∼98 m-deep sediment core retrieved from the Fucino Basin, central Italy, spanning the last ∼430 kyr. Palaeoenvironmental proxy data (Ca-XRF, gamma ray and magnetic susceptibility) show a cyclical variability related to interglacial-glacial cycles since the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12-MIS 11 transition. More than 130 tephra layers are visible to the naked eye, 11 of which were analysed (glass-WDS) and successfully correlated to known eruptions and/or other equivalent tephra. In addition to tephra already recognised in the previously investigated cores spanning the last 190 kyr, we identified for the first time tephra from the eruptions of: Tufo Giallo di Sacrofano, Sabatini (288.0 ± 2.0 ka); Villa Senni, Colli Albani (367.5 ± 1.6 ka); Pozzolane Nere and its precursor, Colli Albani (405.0 ± 2.0 ka, and 407.1 ± 4.2 ka, respectively) and Castel Broco, Vulsini (419–490 ka). The latter occurs at the bottom of the core and has been 40Ar/39Ar dated at 424.3 ± 3.2 ka, thus providing a robust chronological constrain for both the eruption itself and the base of the investigated succession. Direct 40Ar/39Ar dating and tephra geochemical fingerprinting provide a preliminary radioisotopic-based chronological framework for the MIS 11-MIS 7 interval, which represent a foundation for the forthcoming multiproxy studies and for investigating the remaining ∼110 tephra layers that are recorded within this interval. Such future developments will contribute towards an improved MIS 11-MIS 7 Mediterranean tephrostratigraphy, which is still poorly explored and exploited.

The Saalian was one of the largest glaciations during the Quaternary with an ice sheet extending considerably wider into the Eurasian continent than during other glacials. Orbital variations caused the ice sheet to switch between growing and shrinking. The partial retreat of the ice sheet and meltwater discharge resulted in global sea-level rise and increased lake levels of inland seas with broader environmental implications. During Marine Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6), meltwater entered the formerly enclosed Black Sea at least twice as documented in a δ18O record from Anatolian speleothems. Here we present a sedimentary record from the Black Sea “Lake” covering MIS 6 and provide evidence for three meltwater periods coinciding with insolation maxima (BSWP-6-1: 180-167 ka BP, BSWP-6-2: 160-145 ka BP, BSWP-II: 133-130 ka BP). While δ18Oostracods and Sr/Caostracods point to pronounced meltwater supply and decreasing salinity, 87Sr/86Srostracods shed light on meltwater sources and pathways. During all three periods, meltwater drained most likely via the Dnieper and Volga into the Black and Caspian Seas and connected both basins. Relatively low 87Sr/86Srostracods values during the oldest meltwater period suggest melting solely of the eastern Eurasian Ice Sheet. In contrast, during the younger meltwater periods, exceptional high 87Sr/86Srostracods values point towards additional meltwater from the western Eurasian Ice Sheet. A surplus from melting glaciers in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains that finally entered the Caspian Sea via the Amu Darya and Sry Darya probably amplified the input of high radiogenic Sr-isotope water. We also show that higher temperatures and productivity suggest Dansgaard-Oeschger-like climate variability during the first half of MIS 6.

Millennial-scale Dansgaard Oeschger (DO) variability at northern high latitudes has influenced climatic and environmental conditions in the Mediterranean during the last glacial period. There is evidence that the hemispheric transmission of the DO variability occurred at the end of DO event 25; however, the exact timing and the trigger that activated the environmental response in the Mediterranean remains incompletely understood. Here, we provide evidence that the clear millennial-scale teleconnection between Greenland and the Mediterranean started at similar to 111.4 ka BP and was initiated by a sub-millennial scale cooling in Greenland (GI-25b). High-resolution sediment proxies and the pollen record of Lago Grande di Monticchio (MON), Italy, reflect climatic instability during the last millennium of the last interglacial, which was characterised by a first and short cooling episode (MON 1) at 111.44 +/- 0.69 ka BP, coinciding with the Greenland cold sub-event GI-25b in duration and timing (within dating uncertainties). MON and Greenland (NorthGRIP ice core) also agree in recording a subsequent warm rebound phase that abruptly culminated in the stadial MON 2/GS-25, marking the transition into the last glacial period. Our results show that the GI-25b triggered an early environmental response at MON to centennial-scale climate change in Greenland as a prelude to the millennial-scale teleconnection that was maintained during the glacial period.

We present major element glass data and correlations for the ‘Roxolany Tephra’ − a so far geochemically unconstrained volcanic ash layer previously described in last glacial (Marine Isotope Stage 2) loess deposits of the Roxolany loess–palaeosol complex in south-west Ukraine. This exceptionally well-preserved, 2–3-cm-thick tephra layer is characterized by a rhyolitic glass composition that is comparable to that of proximal tephra units from Ciomadul volcano in the East Carpathians, central Romania. The chemistry particularly matches that of the final Latest St. Ana Phreatomagmatic Activity pyroclastic fall unit of St. Ana crater that is radiocarbon dated in the proximal Mohos coring site (MOH-2) to 29.6 ± 0.62 cal ka BP. The age of the tephra correlative agrees with the newest radiocarbon and infrared optically stimulated luminescence age constraints from overlying palaeosols and tephra-embedding loess of the Roxolany sequence, respectively, which place the tephra between ca. 33 and 24 cal ka BP, and thus confirm the long-debated chronostratigraphy of this important environmental archive. The occurrence of a distal Ciomadul tephra ca. 350 km east of its source indicates great potential for further tephra and cryptotephra findings from this volcanic complex in the south-eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea region.

We report the first findings of coexisting early Holocene Hasseldalen and Askja-S cryptotephras in a varved sediment record in Lake Czechowskie (Poland). A time span of 152 +11/−8 varve years between the two tephras has been revealed by differential dating through varve counting. This is in agreement within the uncertainties with calculations from radiocarbon-based age models from the non-varved Hasseldala port record in southern Sweden, but shorter than assumed from the non-varved lake record on the Faroe Islands. We discuss possible reasons for the observed differences in duration between the two tephras and provide a revised absolute age for the Askja-S tephra of 11 228 ± 226 cal a BP based on anchoring our floating varve chronology to the absolute timescale by using the Hasseldalen Tephra as dated in the Hasseldala port sediments (11 380 ± 216 cal a BP). This age agrees with radiocarbon age models with larger uncertainty ranges, but is slightly older than radiocarbon-based age models with narrow uncertainty bands and is even 200–300 years older than the age reported from the Faroe Islands record. In addition to these chronological issues we discuss the possible response of the Czechowskie sediment record to the Preboreal climate oscillation.

Lacustrine sediments are important archives for high resolution palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of the Holocene. Despite the density of ancient cities and settlements along the western coast of Turkey, the archives from coastal lakes in this area have until now not been recognized to their fullest potential and are, therefore, only poorly studied. The exceptional geo-bio-archive of Lake Belevi is located close to the ancient city of Ephesos in western Turkey. Two sediment cores have been analysed using geochemical, sedimentological, microfaunal, palynological, and archaeoparasitological methods. The in-depth study of these Holocene deposits is supported by a robust age-depth model that used 33 radiocarbon dates and tephrochronology. The results reveal the existence of a freshwater lake in the Early Holocene which turned brackish when the rising sea level connected it with the sea. The delta evolution of the Kucuk Menderes led to the re-establishment of a freshwater lake. The natural vegetation was represented by open oak woodlands. There are hints for first agricultural activities in the environs of Belevi as early as 8000 cal yr BP. Intensive cultivation of Olea is proven since 3000 cal yr BP. Starting during the 3rd millennium BP, the human impact with enhanced deforestation activities and correlative high sedimentation rates is attested for sites such as Belevi (Ephesos), Elaia (Pergamon) and Miletos. For the first time, tephra from the eruption of Minoan Santorini has been identified in the environs of Ephesos. This ash covered the vegetation by a thick layer, wherefore low-growing plants were strongly affected. The comparison between the results from the quasi natural area of Lake Belevi and the area around the city of Ephesos gives insights into the development and use of the landscapes, the environmental changes as well as the duration and intensity of the human impact.

Varved (annually laminated) lake sediments provide valuable archives for ultra-distal tephra preservation and at the same time allow the precise dating of volcanic eruptive events. We used a high-precision varve chronology from Lake Żabinskie in NE Poland and EPMA glass chemical data to identify cryptotephra from three large-scale, late Holocene eruptions from European and Northern American volcanoes: the White River Ash eastern lobe (WRAe) eruption from Mount Churchill, Alaska (833–850 CE); a tentative finding of the Glen Garry eruption of the Askja volcano, Iceland (1966–2210 cal a BP); and an yet undefined eruption from Furnas volcano, Azores. The varve age of 863–903 CE of the Alaskan WRAe cryptotephra in Lake Żabinskie is slightly younger than the proximal radiocarbon date and the annual layer estimate of the distal AD860B correlative in the Greenland NGRIP ice core but is within 14C dating uncertainties of distal tephra findings in the Irish peat record. The varve ages of the Glen Garry and Furnas tephras in Lake Żabinskie provide a minimum age at 1991 cal a BP (41 BCE). All three cryptotephra findings represent their easternmost occurrences from the volcanic source and hence considerably extend existing tephra dispersal maps.

The island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea is one of the world’s most violent active volcanoes. Santorini has produced numerous highly explosive eruptions over at least the past ∼360 kyrs that are documented by the island’s unique proximal tephra record. However, the lack of precise eruption ages and comprehensive glass geochemical datasets for proximal tephras has long hindered the development of a detailed distal tephrostratigraphy for Santorini eruptions. In light of these requirements, this study develops a distal tephrostratigraphy for Santorini covering the past ∼360 kyrs, which represents a major step forward towards the establishment of a tephrostratigraphic framework for the Eastern Mediterranean region. We present new EPMA glass geochemical data of proximal tephra deposits from twelve Plinian and numerous Inter-Plinian Santorini eruptions and use this dataset to establish assignments of 28 distal marine tephras from three Aegean Sea cores (KL49, KL51 and LC21) to specific volcanic events. Based on interpolation of sapropel core chronologies we provide new eruption age estimates for correlated Santorini tephras, including dates for major Plinian eruptions, Upper Scoriae 1 (80.8 ± 2.9 ka), Vourvoulos (126.5 ± 2.9 ka), Middle Pumice (141.0 ± 2.6 ka), Cape Thera (156.9 ± 2.3 ka), Lower Pumice 2 (176.7 ± 0.6 ka), Lower Pumice 1 (185.7 ± 0.7 ka), and Cape Therma 3 (200.2 ± 0.9 ka), but also for 17 Inter-Plinian events. Older Plinian and Inter-Plinian activity between ∼310 ka and 370 ka, documented in the distal terrestrial setting of Tenaghi Philippon (NE Greece), is independently dated by palynostratigraphy and complements the distal Santorini tephrostratigraphic record.

Precise chronologies that allow direct correlation of paleoclimate archives are a prerequisite for deciphering the spatiotemporal characteristics of short-term climate variability. Such chronologies can be established through the analysis of tephra layers that are preserved in the respective sedimentary archives. Here we explore the yet untapped tephrochronological potential of the Eastern Mediterranean region for the Middle Pleistocene, specifically for the interval spanning Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 12–10 (460–335 ka). High-resolution cryptotephra analysis was carried out on peat cores spanning the MIS 12–10 interval that have been recovered from the iconic climate archive of Tenaghi Philippon, NE Greece. Eighteen primary cryptotephras were identified, and major- and trace-element analyses of single glass shards from all cryptotephras were performed in order to correlate them with their eruptive sources. The results suggest origins from both Italian and Aegean Arc volcanoes. Specifically, one cryptotephra layer could be firmly correlated with the Cape Therma 1 eruption from Santorini, which makes it the first distal tephra finding for this eruptive event. While eight further cryptotephras could be tentatively correlated with their volcanic or even eruptive sources, the provenance of another nine cryptotephras as yet remains unknown. The relatively large number of cryptotephras that could not be assigned to specific volcanic sources and eruptive events reflects the still considerable knowledge gap regarding the geochronology and geochemistry of proximal tephra deposits from the Middle Pleistocene of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean regions. Due to the lack of well-dated Middle Pleistocene eruptions, we provide age estimates for all cryptotephra layers identified in the MIS 12–10 interval at Tenaghi Philippon based on high-resolution pollen data from the same cores. While eight of the identified cryptotephras were deposited within MIS 12 (∼438–427 ka), one cryptotephra was deposited at the onset of MIS 11 (∼419 ka), five cryptotephras during the younger part of MIS 11 (∼391–367 ka), and four cryptotephras during MIS 10 (∼359–336 ka). The high number of cryptotephras from multiple sources as recorded in the MIS 12–10 interval at Tenaghi Philippon highlights the key role of this archive for linking tephrostratigraphic lattices for the Middle Pleistocene of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean regions.

We present the results of new tephrostratigraphical and environmental impact studies of the 40–38 ka varved sediment section of Lago Grande di Monticchio (southern Italy). The sediments in this time zone are correlated with the Heinrich H4-stadial that occurred between Greenland Interstadials GI-9 and GI-8, and include the widespread Campanian Ignimbrite (CI, 39.3 ka) as a thick tephra layer in the middle of the H4 stadial. The CI in the Monticchio record is overlain by the Schiava tephra from Vesuvius, c. 1240 varve-years younger than the CI, and preceded by four tephras from small-scale eruptions of the Phlegrean Fields and by an Ischia-derived tephra. The four Phlegrean Field-derived tephras were deposited 600 varve-years or fewer prior to the deposition of the CI and show very similar major, minor, and trace element glass compositions to those of the CI. This close similarity in composition and age could compromise the accurate linking and synchronisation of palaeoenvironmental records in the central Mediterranean area. Microfacies analyses and μ-XRF core scanning were used to characterise primary and secondary depositional features of all seven tephra layers and to evaluate environmental and ecological responses after tephra deposition. Higher concentrations of tephra-derived material (mainly glass shards and pumices) in primary and reworked layers were detected by elevated K-counts in μ-XRF elemental core scans. Reworked tephra derives mainly from in-washing from the littoral zone and the catchment and occurs within five to 30 years, and up to 1240 varve years, after the deposition of thinner (1–5 mm) and thicker (5–230 mm) tephra fallout deposits, respectively. An obvious response of diatom population growth directly after the primary tephra deposition was observed for the thicker tephra layers (>1 mm) during the first 1–8 years after deposition of the primary deposit indicating that the additional input of potential nutrients (glass shards) temporarily affected the ecological lake system.

The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition is one of the crucial periods of change in the prehistory of Europe due to the full emergence, continent-wide, of modern human lithic technologies, and detrimental of Neanderthal survival. Knowledge about the transition is growing, however, the evidence for cultural and technological developments for the Middle Palaeolithic in the Carpathian – Lower Danube Basin is still rather sparse. Here we discuss latest findings arising from a chronological investigation of Middle Palaeolithic assemblages within the Varghis karst, Eastern Transylvania, Romania. Combining our first chronological results with information from previous excavations, we can distinguish two main stages of habitation (albeit Middle Palaeolithic lithics and faunal remains appear scattered throughout the investigated profile) within the Abri 122 rock shelter. In order to augment the typological cultural considerations, we applied direct radiocarbon dating on bones and charcoal from within the occupation layers. Radiocarbon dating of bones suggests that the Middle Palaeolithic sequence is older than the upper dating limit of the method, whereas direct luminescence ages on the lowermost productive horizon and immediately above it indicate surprisingly old ages of ca. 106–141 ka (OSL – optically stimulated) or 99–174 ka (IRSL – infrared stimulated). Multiple-protocol dating of charcoal found within the two habitation layers produced ages >38 14 C ka BP, also suggesting that the lowermost lithic-rich horizon pertains to the Middle Palaeolithic industries. Overall, the recovered lithics, currently forming one of the most significant collections for Romania, are fully consistent with two main habitation phases connected to Middle Palaeolithic cultural affinities. The occurrence of a volcanic ash layer within Ursului Cave and originating from the Ciomadul volcanic complex (Carpathians) is first reported here. Recently dated to ∼ ≥ 43 (−50) ka, it might represent an important marker horizon, providing that it is identified within other Palaeolithic cave assemblages.

International audience; Retrospective science such as palaeoecology deeply depends on the preservation of archives in sensitive places. As an example, mountains of medium altitude from Mediterranean peninsulas have long been identified by biogeographers as refuges zones allowing the survival of European temperate taxa during the ice ages, but archives to validate this hypothesis are scarce, especially in Southern Italy. Here we present a new sequence from Lago Trifoglietti (1048 m a.s.l.) in the Calabrian Mountains, which covers the Late Glacial Interstadial (LGI, corresponding to the Bolling€-Allerod€ period in northern-central Europe) and the transition to the Holocene. The independent chronology based on seven radiocarbon dates is supported by the evidence of three tephra layers already identified in other regional sequences. During the LGI, besides the high diversity of non arboreal pollen grains, a great number of pollens of temperate forest trees are present or abundant (mostly deciduous oaks and fir). These assemblages suggest that the site was above but not far from the upper limit of diversified woodland stands. They confirm a local survival during the last glacial. The Younger Dryas is not marked by major changes, and oak percentages are even higher, suggesting a resilient expansion at lower altitude. Surprisingly the site remains above the timberline until an aridity crisis centered at 11,100 cal 14 C yr PB, which is correlated with the Pre-boreal Oscillation (PBO). This event is immediately followed by the local settlement of a dense fir and beech forest around the lake. A comparison with other Italian key sequences aims at explaining the climate forcing factors that governed this original vegetation dynamic. Further investigations using additional proxies are needed for a more robust climate reconstruction. (O. Peyron), l.bernardo@unical.it (L. Bernardo), Julien.Didier@ univ-fcomte.fr (J. Didier), agnes.stock@univ-fcomte.fr (A. Stock), Damien.Rius@ univ-fcomte.fr (D. Rius), Michel.Magny@univ-fcomte.fr (M. Magny).

Violent explosive eruptions occurred between c. 51 and 29 thousand years ago—during the Last Glacial Maximum in East-Central Europe—at the picturesque volcano of Ciomadul, located at the southernmost tip of the Inner Carpathian Volcanic Range in Romania. Field volcanology, glass geochemistry of tephra, radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescene dating, along with coring the lacustrine infill of the two explosive craters of Ciomadul (St Ana and Mohos), constrain the last volcanic activity to three subsequent eruptive stages. The explosivity was due to the silicic composition of the magma producing Plinian-style eruptions, and the interaction of magma with the underlying, water-rich rocks resulting in violent phreatomagmatic outbursts. Tephra (volcanic ash) from these eruptions are interbedded with contemporaneous loess deposits, which form thick sequences in the vicinity of the volcano. Moreover, tephra layers are also preserved in the older Mohos crater infill, providing an important archive for palaeoclimate studies. Identifying the final phreatomagmatic eruption of Ciomadul at c. 29.6 ka, which shaped the present-day landform of the 1600-m-wide St Ana explosion crater, we were able to correlate related tephra deposits as far as 350 km from the source within a thick loess-palaeosol sequence at the Dniester Delta in Roxolany, Ukraine. A refined tephrostratigraphy, based on a number of newly found exposures in the Ciomadul surrounding region as well as correlation with the distal terrestrial and marine (e.g. Black Sea) volcano-sedimentary record, is expected from ongoing studies.

The Holocene sediment record of Lake Tiefer See exhibits striking alternations between well-varved and non-varved intervals. Here, we present a high-resolution multi-proxy record for the past ~6000 years and discuss possible causes for the observed sediment variability. This approach comprises microfacies, geochemical and microfossil analyses and a multiple dating concept including varve counting, tephrochronology and radiocarbon dating. Four periods of predominantly well-varved sediment were identified at 6000–3950, 3100–2850 and 2100–750 cal. a BP and AD 1924–present. Except of sub- recent varve formation, these periods are considered to reflect reduced lake circulation and consequently, stronger anoxic bottom water conditions. In contrast, intercalated intervals of poor varve preservation or even extensively mixed non-varved sediments indicate strengthened lake circulation. Sub-recent varve formation since AD 1924 is, in addition to natural forcing, influenced by enhanced lake productivity due to modern anthropogenic eutrophication. The general increase in periods of intensified lake circulation in Lake Tiefer See since ~4000 cal. a BP presumably is caused by gradual changes in the northern hemisphere orbital forcing, leading to cooler and windier conditions in Central Europe. Superimposed decadal- to centennial- scale variability of the lake circulation regime is likely the result of additional human-induced changes of the catchment vegetation. The coincidence of major non-varved periods at Lake Tiefer See and intervals of bioturbated sediments in the Baltic Sea implies a broader regional significance of our findings.

High-resolution biological proxies (pollen, macrofossils, Cladocera and diatoms), geochemical data (μ-XRF element scans, TOC, C/N ratios, δ 18 O carb and δ 13 C org values) and a robust chronology based on varve counting, AMS 14 C dating and tephrochronology were applied to reconstruct lake system responses to rapid climatic and environmental changes of the Trzechowskie palaeolake (TRZ; Northern Poland) during the late Allerod – Younger Dryas (YD) transition. Palaeoecological and geochemical data at 5–15 years temporal resolution allowed tracing the dynamics of short-term shifts of the ecosystem triggered by abrupt climate change. The robust age control together with the high-resolution sampling allowed the detection of leads and lags between different proxies to the climate shift at the Allerod-Younger Dryas transition. Our results indicate (1) a water level decrease and an increase in wind activities during the late Allerod and the Allerod-YD transition, which caused intensified erosion in the catchment, (2) a two-decades delayed vegetation response in comparison to the lake depositional system. Comparison with the Lake Meerfelder Maar record revealed slightly different vegetation responses of the Trzechowskie palaeolake at the YD onset.

We present major element glass data and correlations for the ‘Roxolany Tephra’ − a so far geochemically unconstrained volcanic ash layer previously described in last glacial (Marine Isotope Stage 2) loess deposits of the Roxolany loess–palaeosol complex in south‐west Ukraine. This exceptionally well‐preserved, 2–3‐cm‐thick tephra layer is characterized by a rhyolitic glass composition that is comparable to that of proximal tephra units from Ciomadul volcano in the East Carpathians, central Romania. The chemistry particularly matches that of the final Latest St. Ana Phreatomagmatic Activity pyroclastic fall unit of St. Ana crater that is radiocarbon dated in the proximal Mohoş coring site (MOH‐2) to 29.6 ± 0.62 cal ka BP. The age of the tephra correlative agrees with the newest radiocarbon and infrared optically stimulated luminescence age constraints from overlying palaeosols and tephra‐embedding loess of the Roxolany sequence, respectively, which place the tephra between ca. 33 and 24 cal ka BP, and thus confirm the long‐debated chronostratigraphy of this important environmental archive. The occurrence of a distal Ciomadul tephra ca. 350 km east of its source indicates great potential for further tephra and cryptotephra findings from this volcanic complex in the south‐eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea region.

The most recent, mainly explosive eruptions of Ciomadul, the youngest volcano in the Carpatho-Pannonian Region, have been constrained by detailed field volcanological studies, major element pumice glass geochemistry, luminescence and radiocarbon dating, and a critical evaluation of available geochronological data. These investigations were complemented by the first tephrostratigraphic studies of the lacustrine infill of Ciomadul's twin craters (St. Ana and Mohos) that received tephra deposition during the last eruptions of the volcano. Our analysis shows that significant explosive activity, collectively called EPPA (Early Phreatomagmatic and Plinian Activity), started at Ciomadul in or around the present-day Mohos, the older crater, at ≥ 51 ka BP. These eruptions resulted in a thick succession of pyroclastic-fall deposits found in both proximal and medial/distal localities around the volcano, characterized by highly silicic (rhyolitic) glass chemical compositions (ca. 75.2–79.8 wt.% SiO2). The EPPA stage was terminated by a subplinian/plinian eruption at ≥ 43 ka BP, producing pumiceous pyroclastic-fall and -flow deposits of similar glass composition, probably from a “Proto-St. Ana” vent located at or around the younger crater hosting the present-day Lake St. Ana. After a quiescent period with a proposed lava dome growth in the St. Ana crater, a new explosive stage began, defined as MPA (Middle Plinian Activity). In particular, a significant two-phase eruption occurred at ~ 31.5 ka BP, producing pyroclastic flows from vulcanian explosions disrupting the preexisting lava dome of Sf. Ana, and followed by pumiceous fallout from a plinian eruption column. Related pyroclastic deposits show a characteristic, less evolved rhyolitic glass composition (ca. 70.2–74.5 wt.% SiO2) and occur both in proximal and medial/distal localities up to 21 km from source. The MPA eruptions, that may have pre-shaped a crater similar to, but possibly smaller than, the present-day St. Ana crater, was followed by a so far unknown, but likewise violent last eruptive stage from the same vent, creating the final morphology of the crater. This stage, referred to as LSPA (Latest St. Ana Phreatomagmatic Activity), produced pyroclastic-fall deposits of more evolved rhyolitic glass composition (ca. 72.8–78.8 wt.% SiO2) compared to that of the previous MPA stage. According to radiocarbon age constraints on bulk sediment, charcoal and organic matter from lacustrine sediments recovered from both craters, the last of these phreatomagmatic eruptions – that draped the landscape toward the east and southeast of the volcano – occurred at ~ 29.6 ka BP, some 2000 years later than the previously suggested last eruption of Ciomadul.

New sediment cores were recovered from two sites in the central part of Lake Iznik with the overall aim of reconstructing past environmental conditions of the Marmara region. The composite profile presented here, IZN09/LC2&LC3, encompasses the late Pleistocene to Holocene transition (c. 36 ka cal BP) which is the longest lacustrine record in this region obtained to date. A lithostratigraphical and geochronological framework builds the basis to establish a composite section for first inferences on the paleo Lake Iznik. The recovered sedimentary record was divided into five stratigraphic units which can be correlated between the different coring locations. The proposed age-depth model is based on eleven 14C dates (eight radiocarbon-dated levels) and two tephra layers, supported by three OSL ages. The modeled age distribution of the Ca/Ti ratio and magnetic susceptibility express variations in the carbonate accumulation in balance with clastic sediment input. Starting from the end of MIS 3 with high clastic input, Lake Iznik passed through a low lake-level during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), delineated by a sublitoral sedimentary facies, and reduced sedimentation rates. After c. 18 ka cal BP, the onset of primary carbonate deposition might be linked to meltwater inflow into the lake as well as onset of lake productivity. From this time onward, there is a gradual increase in carbonate accumulation punctuated by the occurrence of an iron-sulfidic layer which coincides with the Younger Dryas event. At the early Holocene, the lake presents a minimum level as reflected by the maximum carbonate production, followed by a lake level rise at c. 9 ka cal BP when it reached a level similar to the modern situation.

The spread of anatomically modern humans (AMH) into Europe occurred when shifts in the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation triggered a series of large and abrupt climate changes during the last glacial. However, the role of climate forcing in this process has remained unclear. Here we present a last glacial record that provides insight into climate-related environmental shifts in the eastern Mediterranean region, i.e. the gateway for the colonisation of Europe by AMH. We show that the environmental impact of the Heinrich Event H5 climatic deterioration c. 48 kyr ago was as extreme as that of the glacial maximum of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 when most of Europe was deserted by Neanderthals. We argue that Heinrich H5 resulted in a similar demographic vacuum so that invasive AMH populations had the opportunity to spread into Europe and occupy large parts before the Neanderthals were able to reoccupy this territory. This spread followed the resumption of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation at the beginning of Greenland Interstadial (GIS) 12 c. 47 kyr ago that triggered an extreme and rapid shift from desert-steppe to open woodland biomes in the gateway to Europe. We conclude that the extreme environmental impact of Heinrich H5 within a situation of competitive exclusion between two closely related hominids species shifted the balance in favour of modern humans.

A detailed compilation of distal tephrostratigraphy comprising the last 20,000 yrs is given for the Central Mediterranean region. A total of 47 distinct ash layers identified in the maar lake sediments of Lago Grande di Monticchio (Basilicata, Southern Italy) are compared with proximal and distal terrestrial-marine tephra deposits in the circum-central Mediterranean region. The results of these studies provide valuable information for reconstructing the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene dispersal of pyroclastic deposits from south Italian explosive volcanoes, in particular Somma-Vesuvius, the Campi Flegrei caldera, Ischia Island and Mount Etna. Prominent tephras are discussed with respect to their reliability as dating and correlation tools in sedimentary records. Ashes from Plinian eruptions of Somma-Vesuvius (i.e. Avellino, Mercato, Greenish, Pomici di Base), for instance, are well-defined by their distribution patterns and their unique composition. The widespread Y-1 tephra from Mount Etna, on the other hand, derived most likely from two distinct Plinian events with changing wind conditions, and therefore becomes a less reliable stratigraphic marker. Statistical–numerical calculations are presented in order to discriminate between Holocene tephras from the Campi Flegrei caldera (i.e. Astroni 1–3, Agnano Monte Spina, Averno 1, Lagno Amendolare), since these ashes are characterized by an almost indistinguishable chemical fingerprint. As a highlight, numerous Campanian eruptions of proposed low-intensity have been identified in the distal site of Monticchio suggesting a revision of existing tephra dispersal maps and re-calculation of eruptive conditions. In summary, the tephra record of Monticchio is one of the key successions for linking both, terrestrial records from Central-southern Italy and marine sequences from the Tyrrhenian, Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating of ostracod and gastropod shells from the southwestern Black Sea cores combined with tephrochronology provides the basis for studying reservoir age changes in the late-glacial Black Sea. The comparison of our data with records from the northwestern Black Sea shows that an apparent reservoir age of ∼145014C yr found in the glacial is characteristic of a homogenized water column. This apparent reservoir age is most likely due to the hardwater effect. Though data indicate that a reservoir age of ∼145014C yr may have persisted until the Bølling-Allerød warm period, a comparison with the GISP2 ice-core record suggests a gradual reduction of the reservoir age to ∼100014C yr, which might have been caused by dilution effects of inflowing meltwater. During the Bølling-Allerød warm period, soil development and increased vegetation cover in the catchment area of the Black Sea could have hampered erosion of carbonate bedrock, and hence diminished contamination by “old” carbon brought to the Black Sea basin by rivers. A further reduction of the reservoir age most probably occurred contemporary to the precipitation of inorganic carbonates triggered by increased phytoplankton activity, and was confined to the upper water column. Intensified deep water formation subsequently enhanced the mixing/convection and renewal of intermediate water. During the Younger Dryas, the age of the upper water column was close to 0 yr, while the intermediate water was ∼90014C yr older. The first inflow of saline Mediterranean water, at ∼830014C yr BP, shifted the surface water age towards the recent value of ∼40014C yr.

A detailed Holocene tephrostratigraphic framework has been developed for two predominately varved lake sediment sequences from NE Germany (Lake Tiefer See) and central N Poland (Lake Czechowskie). A total of thirteen tephras and cryptotephras of Icelandic provenance were detected and chemically fingerprinted in order to define correlatives and to integrate known tephra ages into the sediment chronologies. Out of these, three cryptotephras (Askja-AD1875, Askja-S and H€asseldalen) were identified in both records, thus allowing a detailed synchronization of developing high-resolution palaeoenvironmental proxy data. The early Holocene Saksunarvatn Ash layer and the middle Holocene Lairg-B and Hekla-4 cryptotephras in Lake Tiefer See are further important anchor points for the comparison with other high-resolution palaeoclimate records in Central and Northern Europe. Tentative correlations of cryptotephras have been made with a historical basaltic Grimsv€otn eruption (~AD890 e AD856) and three late Holocene rhyolitic eruptions, including the 2.1 ka Glen Garry and two unknown high-silicic cryptotephras of probably Icelandic provenance (~1.9 cal ka BP).

Permafrost-related processes drive regional landscape dynamics in the Arctic terrestrial system. A better understanding of past periods indicative of permafrost degradation and aggradation is important for predicting the future response of Arctic landscapes to climate change. Here, we used a multi-proxy approach to analyse a ~ 4 m long sediment core from a drained thermokarst lake basin on the northern Seward Peninsula in western Arctic Alaska (USA). Sedimentological, biogeochemical, geochronological, micropalaeontological (ostracoda, testate amoebae) and tephra analyses were used to determine the long-term environmental Early-Wisconsin to Holocene history preserved in our core for central Beringia. Yedoma accumulation dominated throughout the Early to Late-Wisconsin but was interrupted by wetland formation from 44.5 to 41.5 ka BP. The latter was terminated by the deposition of 1 m of volcanic tephra, most likely originating from the South Killeak Maar eruption at about 42 ka BP. Yedoma deposition continued until 22.5 ka BP and was followed by a depositional hiatus in the sediment core between 22.5 and 0.23 ka BP. We interpret this hiatus as due to intense thermokarst activity in the areas surrounding the site, which served as a sediment source during the Late-Wisconsin to Holocene climate transition. The lake forming the modern basin on the upland initiated around 0.23 ka BP and drained catastrophically in spring 2005. The present study emphasises that Arctic lake systems and periglacial landscapes are highly dynamic and that permafrost formation as well as degradation in central Beringia was controlled by regional to global climate patterns as well as by local disturbances. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Detailed lithostratigraphic, geochemical, pedological, micromorphological and archaeological analyses were carried out at a stratigraphic sequence of Scafati, about 3 km east of ancient Pompeii. It comprises roughly the last 22,000 years of landscape history consisting of a multilayered succession of repeated volcanic deposition and pedogenesis. The former is caused by several phases of volcanic activity of Somma-Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia, reflecting a large spectrum of eruption types including Plinian, sub-Plinian, Strombolian to Vulcanian and effusive volcanic events. The latter contains phases of volcanic quiescence leading to soil formations of different durations, intensities and soil-forming environments. Furthermore, the paleosols repeatedly reveal clear evidence of anthropogenic activity such as agriculture. Using this multiproxy approach, a holistic landscape evolution model was developed reconstructing the late Pleistocene and Holocene history of volcanic activity, soil formation and land use in the hinterland of Pompeii. This was correlated with the larger-scale climatic and human history of the Campania region.

Varved lake sediments provide a unique opportunity to validate results of isotope dating methods. This allows testing of different numerical models and constraining procedures to produce reliable and precise chronologies. Here we present results of the model testing and validation by multiple dating approaches for the varved sediment record from Lake Żabińskie (northeastern Poland). Our goal was to assess possible deviations of 210Pb-derived ages from true sediment ages provided by varve chronology and to check how different numerical procedures can improve the consistency of the chronologies. Different methods for age estimation were applied including varve counting, 210Pb, 137Cs, 14C and tephra identification. Microscopic analysis of the varve microfacies revealed that laminations found in Lake Żabińskie were biogenic (calcite) varves. Three independent counts indicated a good preservation quality of laminae in the sediment profile which contained 178+4/−8 varve years. The calendar-year time scale was verified with two maxima of 137Cs activity concentrations in the sediments (AD 1963 and 1986) and a terrestrial leaf dated to AD 1957–1958 by the 14C method. Additionally, geochemical analysis of the glass shards found in the sediments indicated a clear correlation with the Askja AD 1875 eruption of Iceland which provided an unambiguous verification of the varve chronology. For testing 210Pb dating we used two routinely applied models: Constant Flux Constant Sedimentation (CFCS) and Constant Rate of Supply (CRS). None of the models in their standard forms produced a chronology consistent with varve counts and independent chronostratigraphic markers. Both models yielded ages much younger than the calendar age with a difference of ca. 50 years at the bottom part of the profile. However, a significant improvement was introduced after using the composite CFCS model with sediment accumulation rates calculated for different zones of the sediment profile. This provided highly consistent values along the time scale with deviations 137Cs peaks as well as testing the correction values for incomplete 210Pb inventory provided results that finally deviated from the calendar age only by ≈ 10 yrs for the 120 years old sediments.

Establishing phase relationships between earth-system components during periods of rapid global change is vital to understanding the underlying processes. It requires records of each component with independent and accurate chronologies. Until now, no continental record extending from the present to the penultimate glacial had such a chronology to our knowledge. Here, we present such a record from the annually laminated sediments of Lago Grande di Monticchio, southern Italy. Using this record we determine the duration (17.70 +/- 0.20 ka) and age of onset (127.20 +/- 1.60 ka B.P.) of the last interglacial, as reflected by terrestrial ecosystems. This record also reveals that the transitions at the beginning and end of the interglacial spanned only approximately 100 and 150 years, respectively. Comparison with records of other earth-system components reveals complex leads and lags. During the penultimate deglaciation phase relationships are similar to those during the most recent deglaciation, peaks in Antarctic warming and atmospheric methane both leading Northern Hemisphere terrestrial warming. It is notable, however, that there is no evidence at Monticchio of a Younger Dryas-like oscillation during the penultimate deglaciation. Warming into the first major interstadial event after the last interglacial is characterized by markedly different phase relationships to those of the deglaciations, warming at Monticchio coinciding with Antarctic warming and leading the atmospheric methane increase. Diachroneity is seen at the end of the interglacial; several global proxies indicate progressive cooling after approximately 115 ka B.P., whereas the main terrestrial response in the Mediterranean region is abrupt and occurs at 109.50 +/- 1.40 ka B.P.

The sediment record from the Piànico palaeolake in the southern Alps is continuously varved, spans more than 15 500 years, and represents a key archive for interglacial climate variability at seasonal resolution. The stratigraphic position of the Piànico Interglacial has been controversial in the past. The identification of two volcanic ash layers and their microscopic analysis provides distinct marker layers for tephrochronological dating of these interglacial deposits. In addition to micro-facies analyses reconstructing depositional processes of both tephra layers within the lake environment, their mineralogical and geochemical composition has been determined through major-element electron probe micro-analysis on glass shards. Comparison with published tephra data traced the volcanic source regions of the Piànico tephras to the Campanian volcanic complex of Roccamonfina (Italy) and probably the Puy de Sancy volcano in the French Massif Central. Available dating of near-vent deposits from the Roccamonfina volcano provides a robust tephrochronological anchor point at around 400 ka for the Piànico Interglacial. These deposits correlate with marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 11 and thus are younger than Early to Middle Pleistocene previously suggested by K/Ar dating and older than the last interglacial as inferred from macrofloral remains and the geological setting. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In efforts to understand the natural variability of the Earth climate system and the potential for future climate and environmental (e.g., biodiversity) changes, palaeodata play a key role by extending the baseline of environmental and climatic observations. Lake sediments, and particularly sediment archives of volcanic lakes, help to decipher natural climate variability at seasonal to millennial scales, and help identifying causal mechanisms. Their importance includes their potential to provide precise and accurate inter-archive correlations (e.g., based on tephrochronology) and to record cyclicity and high frequency climate signals. We present a few examples of commonly used techniques and proxy-records to investigate past climatic variability and its influence to the history of the lakes and of their biota. This paper is rather a presentation of potentials and limits of palaeolimnological and limnogeological research on crater lakes, than a pervasive review of palaeolimnological studies on crater lakes. We show the importance of seismic stratigraphy for the selection of coring sites, and discuss problems in core chronology. Then we give examples of physical and chemical proxies, including magnetism, micro-facies and oxygen and carbon stable isotopes from crater lake deposits mainly located in central and southern Europe. Finally, we present the use of air-transported (pollens) and lacustrine biological remains. The continuing need to develop new approaches and methods stimulated us to mention, as an example, the potential of the studies of subsurface biosphere, and the effects of microbiological metabolism on mineral diagenesis in sediments.

Tephra layers are assuming an increasingly important role in the dating and correlation of Late Quaternary marine sequences. Here we demonstrate their potential by reporting a new study of the sediment sequence of marine core SA03-11, recovered from the Southern Adriatic Sea, which spans the last c. 39 lea. A total of 28 discrete tephra layers are reported from this sequence, 10 of which are visible in the core and a further 18 are non-visible cryptotephra layers. These have been analysed using more than 1400 WDS-EPMA measurements of glass chemistry and results have been compared with published chemical measurements obtained from relevant proximal and distal sites which preserve eruptive material dating to within the same time interval. The data show that a high proportion of the layers originate from the Campi Flegrei volcanic field but more distinctive layers are sourced from Vesuvius, the Aeolian Islands and Vulcano, and these provide key marker horizons. The results show that the sequence extends in time to the Campanian Ignimbrite at the base, that a number of the layers have robust age estimates that permit a better constrained age depth model to be constructed for the sequence, and that the potential exists for importing terrestrially-based age estimates into marine contexts, thereby circumventing problems of incorporating reservoir uncertainties associated with marine radiocarbon dates. The WDS-EPMA dataset generated here also provides important new data that constrain key Late Quaternary tephra layers in the central Mediterranean region.

Since the first pollen analyses from core material in the 1960s, the limnotelmatic sequence of Tenaghi Philippon, located within the subsurface of the Drama Basin of NE Greece, has been recognized as an exceptional archive of terrestrial climate and ecosystem dynamics for the Quaternary in Europe. The polleniferous sequence covers the last ~ 1.35 Ma continuously, spanning at least 19 consecutive glacial-interglacial cycles. Analyses of Tenaghi Philippon as based on the drillcores from the 1960s were restricted to a millennial-scale resolution. Because the original cores have deteriorated, the archive’s potential for analyzing abrupt (i. e., centennial- to decadal-scale) climate and ecosystem change has long remained unexplored. Therefore new drilling campaigns were carried out in 2005 and 2009 to recover the 0–60 m and 50–200 m depth intervals of the archive, respectively. The new cores (recovery: 97.8 and 99.0%, respectively) allow characterization of the evolution of abrupt climate and ecosystem variability across the full range of climatic boundary conditions realized during the late obliquity-dominated ʻ41-ka worldʼ and the eccentricity-dominated ʻ100-ka worldʼ. The resulting climate data will also assist paleoanthropologists in resolving the dispersal dynamics of archaic and modern humans into Eurasia. In light of these new research initiatives, and because much of the previous literature on Tenaghi Philippon is from sources that are partially difficult to access, we here provide a review of the geological evolution of the Tenaghi Philippon archive, its present-day environmental conditions and its exploration history. We further give a synopsis of recent work based on the new cores and discuss the perspectives for future studies.

The ‘Y-3’ tephra is a crucial stratigraphic marker within the central Mediterranean region that falls close to the Marine Isotope Stage 3/2 transition and a cooling event proposed as a correlative of the North Atlantic Heinrich Stadial 3 (HS3). Consequently, this tephra offers great potential to assess any leads and lags in environmental responses to this abrupt climatic transition. New grain-specific glass analysis (EMPA and LA-ICP-MS) of the type locality Y-3 tephra recorded in the Ionian Sea confirms its origin from Campi Flegrei (CF) but reveals that it is compositionally different from the previously suggested proximal equivalent the VRa eruptive unit (Verdolino Valley, CF). Consequently, the 40Ar/39Ar age of the VRa should not be exported distally to the Y-3 tephra. Instead, we propose a new robust age for the Y-3 tephra following its identification in the Tenaghi Philippon sedimentary record, NE Greece. A Bayesian-based 14C age model from Tenaghi Philippon provides a distal age of 28,680–29,420 cal yrs BP for the Y-3 tephra. The identification of this tephra in NE Greece markedly extends its known eastern dispersal. Whilst its stratigraphic position falls within the latter part of a period of low tree pollen percentages related to dry stadial conditions. This new age and environmental context suggest that this marker postdates the onset of HS3 in the eastern Mediterranean region by ∼2300 years.

We report the results of tephrochronological studies on marine cores from the eastern and western part of the Sea of Marmara extending back to early MIS-4. Glass shard compositions using electron probe microanalyses (EPMA) and stratigraphic analysis assigned three distinct tephra layers to the eruption of Aydin (Somma-Vesuvius/Italy, 3.9 ka), Cape Riva (Thera/Santorini, 22 ka) and the Campanian Ignimbrite (Phlegrean Fields/Italy, 393 ka), respectively. Tephra layers are important chronostratigraphic markers for the refining of age-depth models of cores and thus for the reconstruction of the palaeoceanographic evolution of the Sea of Marmara. Accordingly, a continuous sedimentary record for the last ca. 67 ka in core MD01-2430, located at -580 m on the Western High, shows only one lacustrine-marine transition at 12.55 +/- 0.35 cal ka BP, which indicates that the Sea of Marmara was under lacustrine conditions disconnected from the Mediterranean Sea from early MIS-4 to early MIS-1. High lake levels and oxic bottom water conditions prevailed especially during the MIS-3 stadials. This implies that the sill depth of the canakkale Strait (Dardanelles) was probably higher during MIS-3 time than the present sill depth of -65 m. Alternatively, strong fresh water discharges from the Black Sea during the interstadials might have kept the Sea of Marmara stratified with a relatively thick layer of fresh waters above a weak Mediterranean inflow filling only deeper parts of the basins. Based on the radiocarbon and tephra-integrated age model the marine transgression at 12.55 +/- 0.35 cal ka BP was followed by the deposition of the main lower Holocene sapropel between ca. 12.3 and 5.7 cal ka BP, and in the shallow shelf areas (