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A ca. 12,700 year-long pollen and diatom record, as well as data on lithology, geochemistry, and grain size were obtained from two sediment cores retrieved in the southwest part of Lake Ladoga. Changes in phosphorus content during the Holocene were recorded from this sequence dated by the radiocarbon method. An increase in phosphorus, loss-on-ignition and the Fe/Mn ratio was recorded during the climatic optimum of the Holocene ca. 7500–7250 cal yr BP. At the same time, pollen data showed the spread of broad-leaved forests. The peak in phosphorus in the upper part of the core associated with anthropogenic activities is smaller to the peak corresponding to the Holocene climatic optimum. This may indicate that climatic factors affect the ecosystems of large lakes more significantly than anthropogenic ones. According to our new pollen data, first human impact is recorded in Lake Ladoga sediments ca. 2580 cal yr BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic and environmental changes in the arid region of Central Asia since the late glacial period have long been a research focus. This study investigated the 200 cm evaporite profile in the Kumishi Basin, an inland Salt Lake situated in the arid region of Central Asia. By utilising AMS14C dating and examining the relationship between pollen and grain size, this study analysed the paleoclimate and related paleoenvironmental changes. Based on the dating results and the characteristics of pollen and grain size, it was deduced that the Kumishi Salt Lake formed prior to 11.6 cal ka BP. Although the climate was initially humid, the dominant conditions in this area were mainly arid, featuring desert and desert vegetation environments. Between 11.6 and 6.0 cal ka BP, the vegetation primarily consisted of desert steppe, while the climate remained predominantly dry with a minor period of humidity in the early stages of the Holocene. From 6.0 to 0 cal ka BP, desert grasslands continued to dominate the landscape as the climate gradually intensified in aridity. These climate fluctuations in the Kumishi Salt Lake area exhibited distinct regional characteristics after the late glacial period. Compared to the monsoon system, the climate of the study area was more likely influenced and controlled by the westerlies, as particularly evidenced by the dry environment during the Holocene period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure knapping technique develops circa 25,000 cal BP in Northeast Asia and excels at producing highly standardized microblades. Microblade pressure knapping spreads throughout most of Northeast Asia up to the Russian Arctic, and Alaska, in areas where the human presence was unknown. Swan Point CZ4b is the earliest uncontested evidence of human occupation of Alaska, at around 14,000 cal BP. It yields a pressure microblade component produced with the Yubetsu method, which is widespread in Northeast Asia during the Late Glacial period. Through the techno-functional analysis of 634 lithic pieces from this site, this study seeks to identify the techno-economical purposes for which the Yubetsu method was implemented. Data show that the microblade production system is related to an economy based on the planning of future needs, which is visible through blanks standardization, their overproduction, their functional versatility, and the segmentation of part of the chaîne opératoire. This expresses the efficiency and economic value of the microblade production system. The flexible use of pressure microblades identified at Swan Point CZ4b is also found in Japan, Korea, Kamchatka, and the North Baikal region, suggesting that their modes of use accompany the spread of early microblade pressure knapping over an immense territory across Beringia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice cores from the northwestern Tibetan Plateau (NWTP) contain long records of regional climate variability, but refrozen meltwater and dust in these cores has hampered development of robust timescales. Here, we introduce an approach to dating the ice via the isotopic composition of atmospheric O2 in air bubbles (δ18Oatm), along with annual layer counting and radiocarbon dating. We provide a robust chronology for water isotope records (δ18Oice and d-excess) from three ice cores from the Guliya ice cap in the NWTP. The measurement of δ18Oatm, although common in polar ice core timescales, has rarely been used on ice cores from low-latitude, high-altitude glaciers due to (1) low air pressure, (2) the common presence of refrozen melt that adds dissolved gases and reduces the amount of air available for analysis, and (3) the respiratory consumption of molecular oxygen (O2) by micro-organisms in the ice, which fractionates the δ18O of O2 from the atmospheric value. Here, we make corrections for melt and respiration to address these complications. The resulting records of water isotopes from the Guliya ice cores reveal climatic variations over the last 15,000 y, the timings of which correspond to those observed in independently dated lake and speleothem records and confirm that the Guliya ice cap existed before the Holocene. The millennial-scale drivers of δ18Oice are complex and temporally variable; however, Guliya δ18Oice values since the mid-20th century are the highest since the beginning of the Holocene and have increased with regional air temperature.

The reconstruction of environmental changes at the termination of the Last Glaciation range in NE Europe during the Late Glacial is hampered by the multiplicity of processes underway at that time and during the Holocene that dynamically modified the Young Glacial landscape. In lake sediments, these changes are recorded in a manner that is almost always incomplete or disturbed. For this reason, the succession that was successfully reconstructed in two profiles from the Osinki site in NE Poland is extremely valuable. Palynological, Cladocera and geochemical analyses, as well as fragmentary malacofauna and diatom analyses, made it possible to trace the changes in the environment that took place in two differently functioning parts of a single lake, in not interrupted periods from the Oldest Dryas to the Younger Dryas. Detailed research results show that despite the proximity of natural environment components, their developments in both cases were conducted in different ways, what they prove to the changes in pollen record, Cladocera, and geochemical composition of sediments. Climate changes affected the changes in the vegetation, the composition of malacofauna, Cladocera and diatoms. They also influenced the erosion processes within the catchment and the oxidation-reduction conditions. On the basis of the research results, changes in water trophy, from oligotrophic to eutrophic, were also observed. In this case, we also observe significant differences between the two analysed profiles. These changes first occurred in Allerød in the shallow part of the lake, and then in its deeper zone in Young Dryas. In addition, Late Weichselian profiles from the Poland–Belarus–Lithuania borderland area were analysed in detail, and the age of the bottom of sediments is usually estimated to the Allerød, and the Bølling. The results of analyses from Osinki and Osinki2 profiles (beginning of sedimentation in the Oldest Dryas) indicate that the reason for this discrepancy is to be found in, among other things, the methodological limitations of the palynological analysis for most of the sites. The above-standard amount of mineral sediment allows the age of the sediment to be established as being much older than if determined using only pollen analysis of organic sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeolian sediments and landforms of the former continental ice sheets' periphery can be used as invaluable sources of information on palaeoenvironmental changes. In the Northeastern Europe, there is very limited knowledge on the structure and age of the aeolian deposits and landforms. This study presents the first data on distribution and chronology of aeolian sediments and landforms in the Vychegda River basin (northeast of the East European Plain). Using grain-size analysis, radiocarbon and OSL dating, we were able to determine the age of the sediments found in the region and study their lithological composition. We discovered aeolian sediments comprising the upper parts of the most river terraces throughout the valley; they come in forms of dunes, dune fields, and sandy or loess-like covers. Previously it was argued that the terraces' upper parts were comprised by glaciolacustrine deposits, but lithological composition of these sediments showed their aeolian origin. It was found that most of the aeolian sediments have formed in the Late Glacial, between 17 and 10.5 ka. We consider that increased fluvial activity and melting of permafrost were the main causes of the aeolian processes activization and that sediment availability was the most important controlling factor during that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent zonal steppes of Eastern Europe and South-West Asia have their origin in the glacial steppe with its specific continental climate. The westernmost edge of the steppe belt in Central Europe has been climatically shifted from a continental course during the Last Glacial to a rather oceanic one during the Holocene. Steppe enclaves could survive only locally in the driest parts of this area, but as we have confirmed, early arrival of Neolithic agriculture played a significant role in their preservation as well. While pollen analyses can provide the main pattern of landscape development, mollusc successions provide more information about landscape details we need for a better understanding of a steppe transformation towards the recent agricultural ecosystems. Based on the study of 18 mollusc successions in two neighbouring lowlands in the chernozems and alluvial areas of Central and North Bohemia, we described a postglacial development of these two climatically different agricultural landscapes. Based on mollusc evidence, we illustrated the impoverishment of forest communities and the continual occurrence of open habitats throughout the forest climatic optimum of the Holocene. Since the Neolithic colonisation, several erosion events were observed in many profiles documented by a lack of preserved fossil molluscs and layer redeposition which are in excellent agreement with the reconstruction of the fluvial sedimentation and vegetation in the Elbe River floodplain and with the continual settlement of this area. Because we have evidence of a fully developed forest fauna in the Eem interglacial from the Polabí lowland we know that the impoverishment of forest communities and the occurrence of open habitats during the interglacial forest climatic optimum is characteristic only of the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sedimentary records of environmental conditions retrieved from archeological sites provide valuable insight into the milieux of ancient humans and context to understand societal and cultural changes. At Jordan River Dureijat, an open-air site in Israel's Hula Valley documenting the entire Epipaleolithic period as well as the Early Neolithic, sediments exposed on the walls of the excavation pit reveal a sequence of lacustrine deposits accumulated continuously between c. 21.1 and 11.3 cal ka BP near the southeast margin of Paleolake Hula. Through sediment-grain-size, geochemical, and paleontological analyses, we describe the nature of the Paleolake Hula from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) to the start of the Holocene. Until c. 17.2 cal ka BP, Paleolake Hula existed as a relatively large and well-buffered waterbody. A rapid and substantial drawdown of the lake occurred at 17.2 cal ka BP, followed by more frequent changes in the position of the shoreline in a smaller and shallower lake, resulting in the deposition of alternating near-shore and deeper lacustrine facies. Since the LGM, seven beds of structureless, silty sediments preserve archeological artifacts belonging to three Epipaleolithic cultures as well as the Early Neolithic pre-pottery Neolithic A culture. These sediments were deposited during phases of low lake level during which times humans waded into the shallow part of the lake, leaving behind stone and bone tools such as bladelets, lunates and burins, fishing hooks, line weights and net sinkers. Using radiocarbon-dated charcoal and a Bayesian statistical model, we produced a chronostratigraphic model for the archeological site, which enables the comparison of proxy paleoclimate records produced from this site's sediments with regional archives as well as with global trends and changes in the Northern Hemisphere climate. Periods of low lake stands are correlated with the end of the LGM, Heinrich Event 1, and the beginning of the Younger Dryas Stadial. High water stands occurred contemporaneously with the peak of the LGM and during the Bølling–Allerød interstadial. This new water-level record from Lake Hula confirms that lake-level changes here broadly paralleled those of the Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee during the late Pleistocene, highlighting the importance of northern water sources to the overall water balance of the lakes along the Dead Sea Transform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil fauna of small mammals from the Imanay cave deposits (53°02′ N, 56°26′ E), Southern Urals, Russia, was studied. Species of open habitats prevailed, the narrow-headed vole (Microtus (Stenocranius) gregalis) being dominant. Two types of fauna were identified that characterize its composition and structure at the end of the Late Pleistocene and, presumably, in the Early Holocene. A codominant species of the first type of fauna (lower and middle cave deposits) was the steppe lemming (Lagurus lagurus). This type was characterized by a sharp predominance (83.0–92.2%) of steppe species and a low proportion (1.5–3.9%) of forest mammal species. Open landscapes must have dominated and been common in the Late Glacial in the southern part of the Ural Mountains. The pika (Ochotona sp.) co-dominated in the fauna of the second type (upper cave deposits), with relatively high proportions of forest species (14.3–21.4%) indicating the appearance of forest formations in the Late Glacial or Early Holocene in this area. Samples of the first lower molars of narrow-headed voles were characterized by a high proportion of teeth (>50%) with simple variants of the structure of the anteroconid cap ("gregaloid" morphotype). High proportions (up to 51.6%) of the "transiens" morphotype were recorded among the first lower molars of the steppe lemming. Among the teeth in the lower half of the cave deposits, rootless cemented first lower molars (m1) and third upper molars (M3) were found with wide merging triangles T4–T5 (m1) and T2–T (M3). This structure of the chewing surface of the molars was typical of the ancient voles Microtus (Stenocranius) gregaloides and M. (Terricola) arvalidens from the fauna of the first half of the Early Pleistocene and the second half of the Middle Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Paisley Cave archeological site in the Northern Great Basin has provided a rich archaeological record from 13,000 to 6000 cal yr BP, including abundant mammalian coprolites preserved in a well-dated stratigraphy. Here we analyze and contrast pollen from within coprolites and pollen in associated sediments to examine vegetation history and assess whether coprolite pollen provides unique information with respect to the coprolite producer, such as the use of specific habitats, foods, or water sources. We found that the dissimilarity of pollen assemblages between coprolites and associated sediments was greater than the serial dissimilarity between stratigraphically adjacent samples within either group. Serial dissimilarity within types was not greater for coprolites than sediments, as would be expected if there were unique pollen signatures derived from the short period (1-2 days) represented by each coprolite. Compared with sediment pollen assemblages, the coprolites had higher abundances of lighter pollen types, and some individual samples were high in wetland taxa (especially Typha). Our results are consistent with coprolite pollen representing short time periods collected as a mammal moves on the landscape, whereas sediment pollen reflects longer time periods and more regional vegetation indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first continuous (gap-free) Late Glacial-Early Holocene (LGEH) pollen record for the Iberian Pyrenees resolved at centennial resolution. The main aims are (i) to provide a standard chronostratigraphic correlation framework, (ii) to unravel the relationships between vegetation shifts, climatic changes and fire, and (iii) to obtain a regional picture of LGEH vegetation for the Pyrenees and the surrounding lowlands. Seven pollen assemblage zones were obtained and correlated with the stadial/interstadial phases of the Greenland ice cores that serve as a global reference. Several well-dated datums were also derived for keystone individual taxa that are useful for correlation purposes. Four vegetation types were identified, two of them corresponding to conifer and deciduous forests (Cf, Df) and two representing open vegetation types (O1, O2) with no modern analogs, dominated by Artemisia-Poaceae and Saxifraga-Cichorioideae, respectively. Forests dominated during interstadial phases (Bølling/Allerød and Early Holocene), whereas O1 dominated during stadials (Oldest Dryas and Younger Dryas), with O2 being important only in the first half of the Younger Dryas. The use of pollen-independent proxies for temperature and moisture allowed the reconstruction of paleoclimatic trends and the responses of the four vegetation types defined. The most relevant observation in this sense was the finding of wet climates during the Younger Dryas, which challenges the traditional view of arid conditions for this phase on the basis of former pollen records. Fire incidence was low until the Early Holocene, when regional fires were exacerbated, probably due to the combination of higher temperatures and forest biomass accumulation. These results are compared with the pollen records available for the whole Pyrenean range and the surrounding lowlands within the framework of elevational, climatic and biogeographical gradients. Some potential future developments are suggested on the basis of the obtained results, with an emphasis on the reconsideration of the LGEH spatiotemporal moisture patterns and the comparison of the Pyrenees with other European ranges from different climatic and biogeographical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to present new data on vegetation dynamics and plant collecting practices during the Late Glacial and the Early Holocene in southwestern France. La Tourasse cave is located in the Pyrenean piedmont plain, where the Azilian cultural complex was initially defined. The last excavations of the site took place in the 1980s and 1990s and the recovered materials are currently being studied or revisited from a multidisciplinary perspective. We present here the results of the charcoal analysis performed on La Tourasse’s Azilian (ca. 13000–11500 cal. BP) and Mesolithic (ca. 10500–9000 cal. BP) levels, complemented by the study of a small seed assemblage. Our results document the shift from an open landscape towards a forested environment, with the gradual passage from open vegetation dominated by shrubs of the Rose family (Prunus spp.) to the mixed oak forest, which speaks in favor of the biochronological coherence of this sequence. However, marked differences in taxonomic richness and state of the wood from one level to another, unrelated to the prevailing environmental conditions, suggest variable behavior of humans toward wood that could be the result of differing mobility strategies, hearth functionalities, or taxonomic preferences.

This essay is a personal insight based on my own experience in the Iberian Pyrenees, which addresses three situations common in paleoecological research, such as the verification of previously devised hypotheses (anticipation), the finding on unknown events in unstudied sites (discovery) and the finding of unexpected outputs in already known areas (serendipity). The account is concentrated on the value of the coring sites by themselves as generators of paleoecological knowledge, rather than on the actual findings, which are presented and discussed in the corresponding data papers. The main aim is to show that there is still much room for new findings, even in areas that have been surveyed for a long time and are supposed to be well known, from a paleoecological perspective. Finally, some general lessons are derived and conceptualized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the history of the development of six, paleo-lakes, which are at present filled with sediments, in a dune area in Central Poland, based on multiproxy paleoecological analyses and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating. The aims of the paleoecological studies were: i) to determine the initial age of lakes development, ii) to reconstruct the local and regional plant succession, as well as iii) to reconstruct the environmental conditions during the initial stage of the development of lakes and peatlands. The obtained results indicated that: the former lakes in dune depressions were developed during the Bølling and Allerød when sparse vegetation allowed strong aeolian activity. Climate warming in Bølling led to the development of a denser plant cover, inhibition of sand transportation and the formation of mid-dune reservoirs with the accumulation of organic sediments. As indicated by 14 C dating, mid-dunes basins were formed between 14 686 ± 60 cal. yr BP and 13 421 ± 60 cal. yr BP. The results of the paleobotanical analysis suggested that the reservoirs were shallow, oligo-mesotrophic, inhabited by pioneer calcicole vascular plant species such as: Chara sp., Hippuris vulgaris , Potamogeton natans , Potamogeton fresii , Potamogeton alpinus and Potamogeton filiformis , and mosses such as: Pseudocalliergon trifarium , Calliergon sp. and Calliergonella cordifolium . The area next to the reservoirs was covered with sparse pine forests combined with birch, which is typical of the Late Glacial period. The open areas were dominated by psammophilic and steppe vegetation, including Poaceae, Artemisia and Hippophae rhamnoides . Geochemical analysis revealed that Ca 2+ and Fe 3+ were in high concentrations, which could have influenced the presence of taxa preferring soil with high Ca 2+ content. The accumulation of calcium in sediments confirms that the reservoirs were fed by groundwater originating from the progressive degradation of permafrost associated with thermal changes.

The landscape of central Europe is thought to have been dominated by steppe, forest-steppe, or tundra during the Last Glacial. This classical view is mostly based on the pollen records. However, as the pollen production and taphonomy during the cold periods are largely unknown, modern analogies of past landscapes need to be involved to provide more plausible vegetation reconstructions. Here we performed pollen analyses of recent samples from small lakes in Yakutia, eastern Siberia, a cold region where larch taiga forest is maintained by water from cyclically melting permafrost. We compared the pollen samples using multivariate (PCA) and analogue matching techniques with 830 fossil pollen samples from central Europe dated to MIS3–MIS1 (ca 35,000–11,700 cal BP). We have shown that the non-arboreal pollen proportion is around 50% in the lakes within Yakutian forested landscape, while such proportions have been interpreted as an indication of forestless landscape in European fossil records. Some central European fossil samples are more similar to samples from present-day Yakutia than to the South Siberian steppes so far considered analogous; this is especially true for samples from areas on unconsolidated bedrock with water-saturated permafrost from the Late Glacial, Bølling–Allerød interstadials. We advocate the idea of extending existing interpretations of past landscapes. The fossil pollen might not only reflect steppe–tundra vegetation, but, in addition to that, at least the Late Glacial pollen samples from central Europe may reflect a landscape forested by 'invisible' larch with spatially limited steppe patches, like the one found in present-day Yakutia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the history of the development of six, paleo-lakes, which are at present filled with sediments, in a dune area in Central Poland, based on multiproxy paleoecological analyses and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating. The aims of the paleoecological studies were: i) to determine the initial age of lakes development, ii) to reconstruct the local and regional plant succession, as well as iii) to reconstruct the environmental conditions during the initial stage of the development of lakes and peatlands. The obtained results indicated that: the former lakes in dune depressions were developed during the Bølling and Allerød when sparse vegetation allowed strong aeolian activity. Climate warming in Bølling led to the development of a denser plant cover, inhibition of sand transportation and the formation of mid-dune reservoirs with the accumulation of organic sediments. As indicated by 14C dating, mid-dunes basins were formed between 14 686 ± 60 cal. yr BP and 13 421 ± 60 cal. yr BP. The results of the paleobotanical analysis suggested that the reservoirs were shallow, oligo-mesotrophic, inhabited by pioneer calcicole vascular plant species such as: Chara sp., Hippuris vulgaris, Potamogeton natans, Potamogeton fresii, Potamogeton alpinus and Potamogeton filiformis, and mosses such as: Pseudocalliergon trifarium, Calliergon sp. and Calliergonella cordifolium. The area next to the reservoirs was covered with sparse pine forests combined with birch, which is typical of the Late Glacial period. The open areas were dominated by psammophilic and steppe vegetation, including Poaceae, Artemisia and Hippophae rhamnoides. Geochemical analysis revealed that Ca2+ and Fe3+ were in high concentrations, which could have influenced the presence of taxa preferring soil with high Ca2+ content. The accumulation of calcium in sediments confirms that the reservoirs were fed by groundwater originating from the progressive degradation of permafrost associated with thermal changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several caves from Southern Italy and Sicily provided invaluable evidence, including several human burials, for reconstructing human adaptations and subsistence in the area during the Upper Palaeolithic. A wealth of information is available concerning the exploitation of animal resources as food. However, little is still known about the role of plants in the diet of the ancient hunter-gatherers of the region. By combining the carpological data with vegetal micro-debris entrapped in human dental calculus, we provide new clues about the dietary role of plant foods in the analysed area during the Late Glacial. Our study focused on five key sites from Southern Italy and Sicily: Grotta della Serratura in Campania, Grotta del Romito in Calabria, Grotta del Cavallo in Apulia, Grotta di San Teodoro and Grotta d'Oriente in Sicily. Our results demonstrate that several plant resources were exploited at these sites, including seeds, grasses, and fruits. Amongst the carpological remains recovered, several plant taxa are known for their medical properties. Overall, our study explores how critical climatic and environmental changes characterising the timeframe between the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and the beginning of the Holocene affected Late Upper Palaeolithic dietary habits. Moreover, it shows the methodological relevance of combining different strands of archaeological evidence for reconstructing the Palaeolithic diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peat and lacustrine sediments are a valuable source of knowledge about past biodiversity. Plant macrofossil remains were identified in sediments of mires in northeastern Poland's Knyszyn Forest. Among them, the remains of species currently absent in this area, such as Potamogeton pusillus, P. friesii, P. filiformis, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, and Cladium mariscus, have been found. In addition, the history of Betula humilis and its possible correlations with another species of bush birch—Betula nana—were of interest. Radiocarbon dating allowed the presence of the studied species to be placed within a time frame, and it was thus established that aquatic species existed in the area under study during the Late Glacial and the turn of the Holocene. Cladium mariscus occurred during the Greenlandian and Meghalayan stages of the Holocene and then became intolerant of habitat changes that occurred. The coexistence of two species of birch known to exist since the Late Glacial was interrupted in the Northgrippian. B. nana, then disappeared from the area, and B. humilis continued to occur as it was more resistant to the changing environmental conditions. It must be emphasized, however, that these conclusions were made possible by the researchers' access to undisturbed deposits. The mires present in the area of study remain in good condition, providing important and relevant materials for palaeoecological research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term and continuous lake sedimentary records offer enormous potential for interpreting paleoenvironmental histories and for understanding how terrestrial environments might respond to current global warming conditions. However, sedimentary records that contain the Late Glacial and Holocene epochs are scarce in deep continental high-mountain regions. A 150 cm sediment core was obtained from Lake Kaskadnoe-1 in the East Sayan Mountains (South Siberia, Russia, 2080 m above sea level), containing a unique record of the last 13,200 calibrated years (cal yr). Chronological control was obtained by AMS 14C dating. Here, we show the first detailed X-ray fluorescence (XRF) geochemical record, with the goal of broadening our knowledge of the paleoenvironmental history of the East Sayan Mountains in the past. The determination of major compounds and trace elements (Sr, Zr) was performed from each centimeter of the Lake Kaskadnoe-1 sediment core. The inorganic geochemistry indicates significant variations in elemental composition between two major lithological units of the sediment core: the Late Glacial dense grey silty clay (150–144 cm), and the upper interval (0–143 cm) mostly consisted of dark biogenic-terrigenous silt, accumulated during the Holocene. The Late Glacial sediments accumulated 13,200–12,800 cal yr BP are characterized by high values of CIA, Mg/Al, K/Al, and Mn/Fe, and are depleted in Si/Al, Fe/Al, and Ca/Al. During the Younger Dryas cold episode, LOI enrichment was probably caused by the presence of less oxic conditions, as seen in lower Mn/Fe values, due to a longer period of lake ice-cover. The Early Holocene (12,000–7500 cal yr BP) is associated with a decreasing trend of mineral matter with fluvial transport to Lake Kaskadnoe-1 (low K/Al, Mg/Al) and stronger chemical weathering in the lake basin. The increase in Ti/Al, K/Al and CIA values over the last 7500 years suggests an increase in the terrigenous input into the lake. Low LOI values can be possibly explained by the presence of less dense vegetation cover in the basin. In summary, our data indicate that the geochemical indices and selected elemental ratios mirror the sedimentation conditions that were triggered by environmental and climate changes during the Late Glacial and Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the environmental response to the last glacial termination in regions located in transitional climate zones such as the Atlantic Iberian mountains is crucial to estimate potential changes in regions affected by current glacial melting. We present an 8.5 m‐long, solid last deglaciation and Holocene chronostratigraphic record including detailed sediment analysis from Lake Peixão, a pro‐glacial lake in the Serra da Estrela (Central Portugal). The age–depth model relies on a Bayesian approach that includes 16 AMS 14C dates and 210Pb–137CS measurements, robustly dating the lake formation at 14.7 ± 0.32 cal. ka BP. This chronological reconstruction shows an average sedimentation rate of ca. 0.07 cm yr−1 (15 yr cm−1), enabling proxy analyses at decadal timescales. The sediment sequence is composed of five lithological units: (U1) coarse and unsorted fluvioglacial lacustrine deposits; (U2) massive fluvioglacial lacustrine deposits (863–790 cm below surface [bsf]; 14.7 ± 0.32–13.8 ± 0.12 cal. ka BP); (U3) water current fluvioglacial lacustrine deposits (790–766 cm bsf; 13.8 ± 0.12–12.9 ± 0.29 cal. ka BP); (U4) laminated/banded lacustrine deposits characterized by terrigenous deposits from ice‐covered lake periods and episodic events of ice and snow melting (766–752 cm bsf; 12.9 ± 0.29–11.7 ± 0.15 cal. ka BP); and (U5) massive muddy lacustrine deposits (752–0 cm bsf; 11.7 ± 0.15 cal. ka BP–present). The occurrence of U2 to U4 deposits defines the transition from glacial cold (U1) to net warm postglacial conditions (U5). These climate transitions are marked by changes in sediments and the presence of very low sedimentation rate periods, possibly related to the Intra‐Allerød Cold Period and the coldest phase of the Younger Dryas. Our results support the previously proposed timing of the retreat of the Serra da Estrela glaciers ca. 13.8 ± 0.12 cal. ka BP. The robust chronology of Lake Peixão highlights the potential of Iberian pro‐glacial lakes for dating deglaciation processes and will lead to unprecedented decadal‐to‐centennial timescale palaeoclimate reconstructions in this region since the last glacial–interglacial transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to trace in detail the periods of rapid changes during the Late Glacial period based on a subfossil Cladocera analysis and a palynological, geochemical, and statistical analysis. At the end of the Older Dryas, the water level in the reservoir was low, with quite cold waters and inconvenient conditions for developing Cladocera-dominated cold-tolerant species. The beginning of the Alleröd is marked by increasing vegetation density and a rising water temperature, with favorable conditions for developing rare species. At its end, there was a large diversity of species, along with the quite deep and rather mesotrophic nature of the water body. The beginning of the Younger Dryas is a shift back to conditions similar to those noticed during the Older Dryas. The shift to Holocene is manifested by a rapid increase in the number of species and abundance of planktonic forms that appeared before the Holocene onset. The high resolution of the research (1 cm sampling) allowed us to set up more precisely the boundaries between the stadials and interstadials of the Late Glacial and to find some species which were found in the sediment earlier than in previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrological regime of large meandering rivers of the West Siberian Plain in the Late Pleniglacial/Late Glacial was reconstructed from the hydraulic geometry of palaeochannels. The main tools for the reconstruction were the power law relationship between channel bankfull width and mean maximum discharge, taken in the downstream direction, and relationships between peak flood discharge and the contributing basin area. Reconstructed values of daily maximum surface runoff depth during the snow thaw period in the Late Pleniglacial/Late Glacial were 60–75 mm/day in the north of the plain with tundra and sparse forest and 20–40 mm/day in the south with periglacial steppe. The mean daily maximum surface runoff depth for the entirety of West Siberia was about 46 mm, which is more than five times greater than the modern value. Annual river runoff was calculated with the ratio between mean annual and mean maximum runoff depths, estimated for the modern region's analogues of ancient periglacial landscapes and climates. Total annual flow of the Ob into the ocean was about 1000 km3. This is three times the current flow from the same basin, so the river was a significant source of fresh water to the Arctic Ocean during the last deglaciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paleoclimatic reconstruction of the last 14 ka was carried out by GPR sounding, spore–pollen analysis, and radiocarbon dating of a peat section (7 m) located in the model bog of Valdai National Park (Novgorod oblast). The peat accumulation rates varied from 0.075 mm/yr during the Late Glacial to 0.15–1.15 mm/yr during the Boreal stage (when the level of the Valdai lakes dropped by 10 m) and up to 4.25 mm/yr in recent centuries. Numerous cycles of the Holocene warming/cooling events were within ±1–2°C compared to the current ones and were accompanied by moderate fluctuations in annual precipitation (±25–50 mm). The forest composition changes were the most considerable during the Atlantic period, when spruce–broad-leaved forests and oak woods were predominant. Over the last two thousand years, the regional vegetation dynamics has mainly been influenced by agricultural activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micromammalian fauna and palynological spectra have been studied in two cave-type localities of the Iordanskogo Ravine in the Northern Urals (Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve): the Studyony canopy and the Filin niche. The cave sedimentation conditions have been reconstructed on the basis of the paleofauna and palynological data. The fossil small mammal assemblages and the spore–pollen spectra are indicative of the spread of shrubby swampy tundra with forest islands in the Upper Pechora region at the end of the Middle Valdai (Byzovaya Interstadial, MIS 3) and tundra-steppe landscapes under the progressive climate drying during the Last Glacial Maximum. During the Late Glacial, tundra-like shrubs prevailed, and the climate was much colder than the recent one. The rodent fauna was dominated by tundra and tundra-steppe species. In the Early Holocene, the climate warming lowered the role of xerophytic shrubs, replaced by birch–spruce–pine forests. In the rodent fauna, the proportion of tundra and tundra-steppe species decreased by more than a factor of three. During the Late Holocene, dark coniferous forests with fir and Siberian pine became widespread. Rodent associations acquired a typical taiga appearance: the forest inhabitants accounted for more than half of all remains (60–80%), while the tundra species were absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of interdisciplinary (archaeological and palaeoecological) studies conducted in 2018–2021 in the northern part of Perm Territory at the confluence of the Kosa and Lolog rivers are given. Research has focused on the Mesolithic sites and their natural environment in the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. To identify attribution of the archaeological sites to certain landforms within the river valley, the paleochannel method was used. As a result, two terraces and the Holocene floodplain were identified. The natural conditions were reconstructed on the basis of the palynological and paleocarpological methods. To create the chronological framework for the study area, radiocarbon dating was used. To estimate the economic activities of the Mesolithic groups, osteological analysis was used. It was established that, in the Late Glacial, the study area was not yet inhabited by ancient people due to unfavorable natural environments. The settlement started only in the second half of the Boreal period of the Holocene, after the formation of the second floodplain terrace covered with taiga pine and birch formations with spruce. The Kosa I and Kosa II sites, located on the former banks of the Lolog River, should be referred to this time. The population was mostly engaged in hunting and, partly, fishing. The natural environments at the beginning of the Atlantic period of the Holocene were still favorable for the existence of human groups here. The formation of the first terrace in the Lolog River valley contributed to the human colonization of this area. The Kosa III site, the population of which continued to hunt and probably fish, should be associated with this time. Subsequently, due to the continuing lateral migration of the Kosa and Lolog channels to the east, as well as the expansion of a swamped floodplain, humans left these places and began to develop them again only in the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice cores from the northwestern Tibetan Plateau (NWTP) contain long records of regional climate variability, but refrozen meltwater and dust in these cores has hampered development of robust timescales. Here, we introduce an approach to dating the ice via the isotopic composition of atmospheric O2 in air bubbles (δ18Oatm), along with annual layer counting and radiocarbon dating. We provide a robust chronology for water isotope records (δ18Oice and d-excess) from three ice cores from the Guliya ice cap in the NWTP. The measurement of δ18Oatm, although common in polar ice core timescales, has rarely been used on ice cores from low-latitude, high-altitude glaciers due to (1) low air pressure, (2) the common presence of refrozen melt that adds dissolved gases and reduces the amount of air available for analysis, and (3) the respiratory consumption of molecular oxygen (O2) by micro-organisms in the ice, which fractionates the δ18O of O2 from the atmospheric value. Here, we make corrections for melt and respiration to address these complications. The resulting records of water isotopes from the Guliya ice cores reveal climatic variations over the last 15,000 y, the timings of which correspond to those observed in independently dated lake and speleothem records and confirm that the Guliya ice cap existed before the Holocene. The millennial-scale drivers of δ18Oice are complex and temporally variable; however, Guliya δ18Oice values since the mid-20th century are the highest since the beginning of the Holocene and have increased with regional air temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large paleochannels are considered to be a geomorphological phenomenon. The landscape–geomorphological traces of large paleochannels on the floodplains of the Volga River basin are reviewed, the regularities in their distribution are considered, and an improved method of analyzing the river floodplain topography based on remote sensing data is proposed. Based on analysis of high-resolution satellite images and digital elevation models of the Volga River valleys, more than 1700 sites with large paleochannels have been mapped. The morphology of the paleochannel makes it possible to reveal the landscape and climatic differences between the northern and southern parts of the basin. The distribution of large paleochannels in the Volga River basin is likely indicative of the fact that the duration and severity of paleoclimatic episodes of high river runoff on the East European Plain was maximum in the area occupied by recent steppes and forest–steppes. To the north and south of this area, there were fewer episodes of high runoff, and therefore, not too many geomorphological traces were left in the river valleys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Upper Palaeolithic Hamburgian tradition reflects the earliest known human presence in northern Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum. We report here on the open-air site of Jels 3 (Denmark) and its associated stone tool assemblage, which can be unambiguously attributed to this period. Along with only a handful of other sites, Jels 3 represents the northernmost limits of human expansion in Europe at this time. We conduct a technological analysis of the lithic material from Jels 3 and other relevant sites to shed new light on the behavioral processes that likely underwrote this expansion. Given that sites dating to this initial dispersal remain few, are restricted to certain geographic regions, and represent an overall lack of a well-developed settlement hierarchy, we suggest that this dispersal process is most commensurable with the earlier stages of a leap-frogging colonization targeting specific landscape elements and that it was quite possibly very short-lived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Younger Dryas (YD; 12.9 to 11.7 thousand years before present [ka]) was an abrupt cooling event in the North Atlantic region that interrupted the last deglaciation. This interval is an important analogue for ice inception and provides key insights into the impacts of millennial-scale climatic excursions on the broad Earth System. However, the effect of YD cooling on North American ice sheets – by far the largest ice masses in the Northern Hemisphere at that time – is poorly understood. Here, we document our current level of knowledge in ice margin behavior (stabilization, advance or continued retreat) that occurred to North American ice sheets during the YD interval. We assign a quality score for each segment of the YD ice margin that takes into account (i) our degree of confidence in the YD ice position (e.g. whether prominent moraines were formed) and (ii) the quality of chronological control on the ice position (e.g. assumed vs. directly dated). We divide the North American ice sheets into 11 regions and discuss changes in behavior during the YD interval. In some cases, our level of knowledge on the local YD ice margin behavior and chronological control is good (e.g. Ten Mile Lake moraine [Newfoundland], Collins Pond Phase [Atlantic Canada], Grand Marais I moraine, Dog Lake moraine, Hartman-Lac Seul moraine [all in the region of Lake Superior], and Cree Lake moraine [northern Saskatchewan]). In other cases, our knowledge is poor, and the ice margin behavior and age assignment are inferred or interpolated across the broad region. We also bring together paleoclimate data from 155 sites (largely lakes, ponds and peatlands) situated near the YD ice margin to provide additional context for any local or regional climate variations during that interval and to explore potential linkages between cooling and nearby ice margin behavior. We finish by discussing YD ice sheet response in other areas (ie. Svalbard and Fennoscandia); outlining the possible mechanisms for YD cooling; delving into numerical modelling through the YD interval and suggesting future improvements in empirical and numerical approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-Antarctic glacier chronologies can provide valuable information about the past variability of climate dynamics in the Southern Ocean region. The Kerguelen Archipelago (49°S) is advantageously located under the influence of the Southern Hemisphere's westerly wind belt, thus fluctuations of climate-sensitive glaciers on Kerguelen can provide a baseline for understanding the behavior of this atmospheric regime in response to climatic forcings. We present 17 36Cl exposure ages of moraine and erratic boulders to provide chronological constraints to paleoglacier extents of the Guynemer cirque glacier, located just north of the Cook Ice Cap. Erratic boulders show ice thinning in the Guynemer region started to occur in the Late Glacial by 13.5 ka and continued past 12.4 ka. Ice retreat was punctuated by the formation of two moraine stages, the outermost at 11.5 ± 0.4 ka followed by another at 10.4 ± 1.2 ka, which are indicative of Early Holocene glacier advances/standstills. A glacial advance occurred at 1.4 ± 0.3 ka, which corroborates other Late Holocene re-advances elsewhere on the archipelago. Finally, three undated moraine stages are found between 1.4 ka and the 1960s. The lack of moraines after 10.4 ka and through the Mid-Holocene suggests that the Guynemer glacier was significantly smaller during this extended period of the Holocene compared to its Early Holocene as well as its Late Holocene limits. The Guynemer glacier history provides unique evidence of Early Holocene moraines on Kerguelen, which have not been discovered thus far on the archipelago. Similar to glaciers in Patagonia, New Zealand and South Georgia, the Guynemer glacier was at its largest Holocene extent in the Early Holocene. However, while other southern mid-latitude glacier chronologies show progressively smaller glacial extents throughout the Mid- to Late Holocene, the Late Holocene re-advance of the Guynemer glacier, like other Kerguelen glaciers, likely exceeded its Mid-Holocene extent. • We present 17 new 36Cl surface exposure ages from the Kerguelen Archipelago. • 36Cl ages range from 13.5 ± 0.3 ka to 1.2 ± 0.2 ka. • First early Holocene-dated moraines on Kerguelen. • Glacial readvance occurred in late Holocene. • Holocene glacial evolution on Kerguelen differs from other sub-Antarctic glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lateglacial and Holocene sandy aeolian sequences with palaeosol horizons located in different sedimentary zones in western-central Poland were analysed in order to establish their regional stratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental significance. Results of sedimentological, geomorphological and absolute dating methods from 3 representative profiles from an extraglacial zone (Leszczyca site), a glaciomarginal zone (Barczygłów site) and a glaciated zone (Godzięba site) are presented. A compilation of 31 luminescence dates from aeolian sands and 7 14C-dates from palaeosols formed the basement for establishing the stratigraphic position of the analysed deposits. The obtained results were correlated with reference to Greenland ice-core chronology, which has the best resolution for the Northern Hemisphere. In the extraglacial zone, aeolian deposition started in the Oldest Dryas and continued throughout the Older Dryas (main phase of dune built) with limited deposition in the Younger Dryas and finished in Preboreal. Aeolian deposition was interrupted by pedogenic processes in the Bølling and Allerød interstadials as well as in the Younger Dryas-Preboreal transition. Whereas in the glaciomarginal zone aeolian deposition started in the Younger Dryas and continued to the Early Boreal with a weakly expressed pedogenic process in the Early Preboreal. In the glaciated zone, aeolian deposition took place in the Younger Dryas. At the Barczygłów and Godzięba sites palaeosols of the Roman Period and 19th century were detected, covered by aeolian sands. The Subatlantic aeolian episodes were induced by human activity and registered forest fires. Identified periods of aeolian activity and pedogenic processes were correlated with other profiles from central and western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geological-geophysical data show that the Holocene marine and Late Glacial glaciomarine sediments in the eastern part of the Barents Sea are seismostratigraphic complexes (SSCs), SSCI and SSCII, respectively. SSCII sediments composed of glacial mineral matter were formed during deglaciation of the Barents Sea shelf. The SSCI sediments deposited in the setting of the open sea basin are terrigenous. The structure, composition, and thicknesses of the SSCII sediments are determined by the thawing of degraded glacier masses and by the character of the resulting sedimentation basins, while the same parameters of the SSCI sediments are determined by the hydrodynamics and, partially, by processes of the last glacioeustatic marine transgression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We propose a new relative shore-level curve for the Aarhus Bugt area, an embayment in eastern Jylland, Denmark, based on a compilation of published and new radiocarbon ages of organic material. Lakes existed in the area during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. Lake level rose gradually until the region was inundated by the sea at c. 9000 cal. years BP. The relative sea level reached a high stand at about 6000 cal. years BP, when the local relative sea level was c. 3 m above present-day mean sea level. The Aarhus Bugt area was inundated by the sea later than the Limfjord area in northern Jylland, but earlier than the Lillebælt region in southern Denmark. The shore-level curves for these areas differ partly because the glacio-isostatic uplift was more pronounced in the Limfjord area than farther south and partly because the northern regions were inundated by the sea earlier than the southern areas.

Peat and lacustrine sediments are a valuable source of knowledge about past biodiversity. Plant macrofossil remains were identified in sediments of mires in northeastern Poland’s Knyszyn Forest. Among them, the remains of species currently absent in this area, such as Potamogeton pusillus, P. friesii, P. filiformis, Myriophyllum alterniflorum, and Cladium mariscus, have been found. In addition, the history of Betula humilis and its possible correlations with another species of bush birch—Betula nana—were of interest. Radiocarbon dating allowed the presence of the studied species to be placed within a time frame, and it was thus established that aquatic species existed in the area under study during the Late Glacial and the turn of the Holocene. Cladium mariscus occurred during the Greenlandian and Meghalayan stages of the Holocene and then became intolerant of habitat changes that occurred. The coexistence of two species of birch known to exist since the Late Glacial was interrupted in the Northgrippian. B. nana, then disappeared from the area, and B. humilis continued to occur as it was more resistant to the changing environmental conditions. It must be emphasized, however, that these conclusions were made possible by the researchers’ access to undisturbed deposits. The mires present in the area of study remain in good condition, providing important and relevant materials for palaeoecological research.

The Moravian Sahara dune field located in southeastern Czechia represents a unique aeolian system preserving the Late Glacial environment. Until now, the main focus has been concentrated on defining its multigenerational development and examining the environmental factors controlling its formation. However, current studies have failed to bring robust chronologies, so environmental and temporal comparisons with the main aeolian phases in Europe could not be made. Here, we present a study combining chronological and environmental interpretations. To do so, four boreholes were drilled to obtain the samples for optically stimulated luminescence, quartz grain morphoscopy and sediment maturity estimation. The results show that the Moravian Sahara dune field developed episodically between the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Younger Dryas, with the peak occurring during the Oldest Dryas. Quartz grain analysis revealed that the phases of wind-blown sand deposition were short and that the dune sediments had three different sources. Furthermore, it appears that the katabatic winds propagated to the study area during the LGM and Late Pleniglacial and were replaced by westerlies since the Oldest Dryas. Finally, the chronology of aeolian activity in the study area shows that Moravian Sahara dune field development was antecedent to the European Sand Belt and shares more similarities with the landforms in the Carpathian Basin located further south. • Moravian Sahara dunes formed between the Last Glacial Maximum and Younger Dryas. • Peak of the aeolian activity was during the Oldest Dryas. • Phases of aeolian activity resemble those of the Pannonian Basin. • Last Glacial Maximum katabatic wind propagated from Fennoscandian Ice Sheet. • Multiple wind-blown sand sources from fluvial and Neogene marine strata were traced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-proxy temperature reconstructions can provide robust insights into past environmental conditions. By combining different proxies we can disentangle the temperature signal from the indirect climate effects on the environment. This study uses a multi-proxy approach to reconstruct temperature and palaeoenvironmental conditions during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene (13.5–8 cal. ka BP) in the Bohemian Forest, Central Europe. We assessed the similarity of the temperature signal based on chironomids, isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether lipids (isoGDGTs), and pollen within a comparison with locally modeled temperature data generated by the CHELSA_Trace21k dataset. Pollen, macroscopic charcoal remains, and geochemistry were further used to reconstruct past environmental conditions such as vegetation dynamics, fire activity, the input of lithogenic material (Titanium), nutrient content (Total Nitrogen) and the sources of organic matter (C/N and δ13C org). All temperature reconstructions based on independent proxies were positively correlated and followed the same long-term trend. However, results also showed that chironomids-inferred July temperature had lower amplitude variations compared to the other temperature curves. IsoGDGTs showed the most pronounced decrease in temperature values at the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD), corroborating that this cooling event was more marked during winter than summer. However, a decrease of less than 1 °C during summer and two short-term warm events at 12.6 and 12.2 cal ka BP provoked a modest and asynchronous response of the vegetation to the onset of the YD. Nevertheless, isoGDGTs appeared to react to changes in both temperature and organic carbon sources, particularly between 11.2 and 10.6 cal yr BP. These environmental changes, characterized by high values of the GDGT-0/crenarchaeol ratio, recorded an increase in methanogenic activity in the lake sediments, which likely altered the recorded climatic signal. The corresponding anoxic episodes in the lake sediments might be caused by an increasing input of organic carbon from the catchment, related to the development of the vegetation and catchment soils at the beginning of the Holocene. Finally, pollen-based temperature reconstruction showed a lag in the response to major climatic events, such as the onset of YD and Holocene. Our study increases the understanding of the climate-vegetation-environmental feedback during the Late Glacial and Early Holocene in the Bohemian Forest, Central Europe. • Multi-proxy temperature reconstructions can overcome the limitations of the proxies and provide clearer climatic trends. • Temperature reconstructions based on independent proxies used in our study follow a similar trajectory and high correlations. • The cooling related to the onset of the YD was more marked during winter than summer, corroborating a higher seasonality. • In the Bohemian Forest, the environmental response to the YD cooling was non-synchronous to other Western European records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperate glaciers are very sensitive to changes in the global climate system and provide an excellent opportunity to obtain information on the timing and magnitude of palaeoclimatic changes. Numerous studies in the Mediterranean mountains indicate alternating glacial advance and retreat episodes during the last glacial cycle (110.8 ka to 11.7 ka ago). However, glacial chronology is often restricted to the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and records covering the remainder of the last glacial cycle are less well-known in the eastern Mediterranean region. Here, we present a continuous chronology of glacial stages in the east Mediterranean based on cosmogenic 36Cl terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCN) in glacial landforms. We present 105 36Cl ages (43 new and 62 recalculated from previously published studies) from the moraine, landslide, glacial outwash boulders, and limestone bedrock from Mt. Aladağlar (37°8′N, 35°2′E) in the central Taurus Mountains of Southern Türkiye. Three local icefields (Yedigöller, Körmenlik, and Akçay icefields, covering 20 km2, 8 km2, and 7 km2, respectively, and >3000 m above sea level (asl)) occupied the summits in the past. The bedrock ages obtained from the uppermost parts of the Yedigöller Plateau indicate that the peaks (>3400 m, asl) have been ice-free since about 67 ka. Several glacier tongues descended from the icefields through eight main glacial valleys (three on the western and five on the eastern side). The outwash fan along the SW front of Mt. Aladağlar represents the oldest (about 136 ka) glacial deposits developed during the previous glacial cycle. Four other outwash fans yielded ages that range from about 97 ka to 65 ka, indicating deposition during the last cycle. On the western side, the oldest moraine ages (about 46 ka and 38 ka) from two valleys show pre-LGM advances that could be considered the maximum extent of local glaciers. Intriguingly, global LGM moraines (about 23-19 ka) are relatively small and preserved only at high elevations (>2450 m asl). Recalculated ages of seven consecutive moraines in the longest (17.2 km) and the deepest valley on the eastern side indicate Late Glacial (about 15 ka) to Early Holocene (about 12 ka) deglaciation. Several small moraines also show deglaciation (about 12-10 ka) corresponding to the Younger Dryas and the onset of the Holocene. The ages obtained from Mt. Aladağlar indicate a complete range of glacial conditions during pre-LGM, global LGM, Late Glacial, Younger Dryas, and Early Holocene in the eastern Mediterranean. • A continuous last glacial cycle 36Cl glacial chronology from Mt Aladağlar, Türkiye. • 105 moraine, landslide, glacial outwash boulders and limestone bedrock ages. • Three local icefields (>3000 m) and eight main glacial valleys. • Oldest moraines (46 ka) indicate the maximum extent of local glaciers. • Last Glacial Maximum, Late Glacial, Younger Dryas, and Early Holocene glaciers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term and continuous lake sedimentary records offer enormous potential for interpreting paleoenvironmental histories and for understanding how terrestrial environments might respond to current global warming conditions. However, sedimentary records that contain the Late Glacial and Holocene epochs are scarce in deep continental high-mountain regions. A 150 cm sediment core was obtained from Lake Kaskadnoe-1 in the East Sayan Mountains (South Siberia, Russia, 2080 m above sea level), containing a unique record of the last 13,200 calibrated years (cal yr). Chronological control was obtained by AMS 14C dating. Here, we show the first detailed X-ray fluorescence (XRF) geochemical record, with the goal of broadening our knowledge of the paleoenvironmental history of the East Sayan Mountains in the past. The determination of major compounds and trace elements (Sr, Zr) was performed from each centimeter of the Lake Kaskadnoe-1 sediment core. The inorganic geochemistry indicates significant variations in elemental composition between two major lithological units of the sediment core: the Late Glacial dense grey silty clay (150–144 cm), and the upper interval (0–143 cm) mostly consisted of dark biogenic-terrigenous silt, accumulated during the Holocene. The Late Glacial sediments accumulated 13,200–12,800 cal yr BP are characterized by high values of CIA, Mg/Al, K/Al, and Mn/Fe, and are depleted in Si/Al, Fe/Al, and Ca/Al. During the Younger Dryas cold episode, LOI enrichment was probably caused by the presence of less oxic conditions, as seen in lower Mn/Fe values, due to a longer period of lake ice-cover. The Early Holocene (12,000–7500 cal yr BP) is associated with a decreasing trend of mineral matter with fluvial transport to Lake Kaskadnoe-1 (low K/Al, Mg/Al) and stronger chemical weathering in the lake basin. The increase in Ti/Al, K/Al and CIA values over the last 7500 years suggests an increase in the terrigenous input into the lake. Low LOI values can be possibly explained by the presence of less dense vegetation cover in the basin. In summary, our data indicate that the geochemical indices and selected elemental ratios mirror the sedimentation conditions that were triggered by environmental and climate changes during the Late Glacial and Holocene.

The hydrological regime of large meandering rivers of the West Siberian Plain in the Late Pleniglacial/Late Glacial was reconstructed from the hydraulic geometry of palaeochannels. The main tools for the reconstruction were the power law relationship between channel bankfull width and mean maximum discharge, taken in the downstream direction, and relationships between peak flood discharge and the contributing basin area. Reconstructed values of daily maximum surface runoff depth during the snow thaw period in the Late Pleniglacial/Late Glacial were 60–75 mm/day in the north of the plain with tundra and sparse forest and 20–40 mm/day in the south with periglacial steppe. The mean daily maximum surface runoff depth for the entirety of West Siberia was about 46 mm, which is more than five times greater than the modern value. Annual river runoff was calculated with the ratio between mean annual and mean maximum runoff depths, estimated for the modern region’s analogues of ancient periglacial landscapes and climates. Total annual flow of the Ob into the ocean was about 1000 km3. This is three times the current flow from the same basin, so the river was a significant source of fresh water to the Arctic Ocean during the last deglaciation.

This article aims to trace in detail the periods of rapid changes during the Late Glacial period based on a subfossil Cladocera analysis and a palynological, geochemical, and statistical analysis. At the end of the Older Dryas, the water level in the reservoir was low, with quite cold waters and inconvenient conditions for developing Cladocera-dominated cold-tolerant species. The beginning of the Alleröd is marked by increasing vegetation density and a rising water temperature, with favorable conditions for developing rare species. At its end, there was a large diversity of species, along with the quite deep and rather mesotrophic nature of the water body. The beginning of the Younger Dryas is a shift back to conditions similar to those noticed during the Older Dryas. The shift to Holocene is manifested by a rapid increase in the number of species and abundance of planktonic forms that appeared before the Holocene onset. The high resolution of the research (1 cm sampling) allowed us to set up more precisely the boundaries between the stadials and interstadials of the Late Glacial and to find some species which were found in the sediment earlier than in previous studies.