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Environmental changes on the northern Taymyr Peninsula were reconstructed based on a new pollen record from a 46‐m‐long sediment core recovered from Lake Levinson‐Lessing (latitude 74°27′54″N, longitude 98°39′58″E). The record is continuous and has a relatively good age control and high temporal resolution. Reaching a basal age of 62 cal. ka BP, it provides a unique environmental archive for the central Russian Arctic. The results reveal that open landscapes dominated 62.0–50.8 cal. ka BP, but presence of shrubs reflects a relatively warm summer climate. Numerous Pediastrum colonies in the sediments point to a rather low lake stand. A decrease in algae remains in the pollen spectra reflects a higher lake level after c. 50.8 cal. ka BP. From c. 47.8 to 25.5 cal. ka BP, lower contents of Betula and higher percentages of herb pollen point to colder and drier conditions. Besides, larger amounts of Pre‐Quaternary palynomorphs and Pediastrum colonies point to increased erosion processes and a lower lake stand. After c. 25.5 cal. ka BP, herb communities further increased. Poaceae and Artemisia show the highest contents between c. 20.3 and 19.2 cal. ka BP, suggesting the coldest and driest climatic conditions during the studied time interval coincident with the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Pollen spectra dated c. 19.20–16.05 cal. ka BP reflect a slightly warmer and wetter climate in comparison to the LGM. Increased amounts of coprophilous fungi spores indirectly indicate that grazing animals were abundant around the lake. After с. 16.05 cal. ka BP, increases in shrubs and sedges reflect somewhat warmer and/or wetter conditions. The pollen data also well document the Allerød warming and Younger Dryas cooling events, reflecting an Atlantic influence on the regional climate development during these times. The transition from the Lateglacial to the Holocene at c. 11.63 cal. ka BP is characterized by drastic increases in pollen of shrubs, which document a significant warming. The Early Holocene (c. 11.63–8.30 cal. ka BP) pollen spectra reflect the Holocene Thermal Maximum in the study region. After c. 8.3 cal. ka BP, gradual cooling prevailed and led to climate conditions similar to modern ones at c. 2 cal. ka BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The semi-arid steppe and forest-steppe regions of southern Siberia have a long history of human occupation. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, the area became home to a number of archaeological cultures that greatly influenced the cultural and technological development and exchange processes in the middle latitudes of Eurasia and left a rich archaeological record. One of the lesser-known Iron Age archaeological cultures is the Tashtyk culture, which flourished in the Minusinsk Basin in the upper reaches of the Yenisei during the 1st to 7th centuries CE. Using an extensive set of radiocarbon dates and identifications of plant and animal remains from the best-preserved and most spectacular Grave 4 of the Oglakhty burial ground, our study aims to improve the age determination of the examined grave and to better understand the natural environments and way of life of the local population in this remote region of Central Asia during the early 1st millennium CE. Our dating approach could narrow down the probabilistic age range of the time at which Grave 4 was constructed and used to ca. 250–300 CE. The inferred age together with polychrome jin silks documented in Grave 4 suggests a connection between the local populations and silk producing centres in eastern China via either oases-states in the Tarim and Turfan basins or via the Mongolian steppes. The records of zooarchaeological remains and artefacts approve that the local Tashtyk people were skilful craftsmen and had a complex subsistence economy mainly based on animal husbandry, which was supplemented by hunting-gathering and small-scale agriculture. The available evidence on the use of sheep indicates that they played an important role in the local economy, although other domesticated animals (such as goats, cattle, horses) were bred as well. Whether reindeer were present locally (i.e. domesticated) or their skins were obtained through hunting or more distant exchange requires further investigation. Also, the role of agriculture and millet cultivation (mentioned in the reports of the first archaeological excavations) remains an important topic for upcoming research. The available, albeit still rare, palaeoenvironmental records from the region suggest drier conditions during the 4th to 1st centuries BCE, partly corresponding to a colder and dryer phase in the North Atlantic region. The regional pollen and isotope records demonstrate a weak trend towards wetter and warmer climate during the following five centuries representing the Tashtyk culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numerous lake and peat sedimentary archives of Central European Russia are ideal for studying the Lateglacial–Holocene climate and vegetation history of the region. However, robustly dated palaeoenvironmental records have only become available in the last decade and are still few and far between. Together with the continuously growing archaeological record and increasing focus on absolute dating of cultural assemblages, such records, where available, offer an excellent opportunity to study human-environment interactions in the region. For this study we selected one of the most detailed regional pollen records, from a 4.5-m-long sediment section from Zmeinoe Mire (56°16′53″ N, 31°15′36″ E) at Zhizhitskoye Lake (165 m a.s.l.). We performed quantitative pollen-based biome reconstruction and constructed a Bayesian age-depth model to ensure maximum chronological control of the sediment succession. To link the reconstructed vegetation changes to human activities, we gathered and summarized available archaeological data from the study area. Our results show that humid conditions and taiga-like patchy forests (spruce, pine, birch) dominated the study region during the Lateglacial. The Early Holocene (ca. 11,650–8000 cal yr BP) was marked by a warming and drying trend indicated by the spread of cool-temperate summergreen broad-leaved trees and shrubs (elm, lime, hazel) and the retreat of spruce. Warmest conditions, expressed by the maximum contribution of temperate deciduous woody taxa to the pollen assemblages, were recorded during the Middle Holocene (ca. 8000–4000 cal yr BP) when Mesolithic and Neolithic hunter-fisher-gatherer groups flourished in the region. The pollen record suggests that the regional climate became cooler and wetter after 4000 cal yr BP, which may explain the decline of the Neolithic pile dwelling settlement Naumovo at Zhizhitskoye Lake around 3800 cal yr BP. Evidence for human impact on natural forest vegetation becomes visible from 5000 cal yr BP, although it remains at modest levels until the end of the Neolithic (3500–3000 cal yr BP). Decline in arboreal pollen percentages intensified after ca. 2800 cal yr BP, indicating the onset of increased deforestation for pasture, farmland, construction material and fuel by Iron Age populations. This is in line with the foundation of the fortified Iron Age Anashkino settlement north of Zhizhitskoye Lake dated to around 2750 cal yr BP. Forest clearance further increased during the second half of the Iron Age (5th century BCE–5th century CE) and again from ca. 1200 cal yr BP after the onset of the Middle Ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern Asia (here, the Russian Federation east of the Urals) played a key role in the spread of anatomically modern humans (AMH) across the Eurasian continent during the Upper Palaeolithic (UP). This time interval witnessed the climatically harshest and most variable part of the last glacial epoch when AMH spread to all continents, with the exception of ice-covered Antarctica, thus raising questions about how humans and environments interacted. Our review of available proxy records shows that the study region was largely dominated by productive steppe and tundra plant communities, which promoted a diverse small- to mega-scale fauna throughout the UP. While this rich fauna was an ideal food resource for AMH populations, its possible influence on the growth of woody plants through grazing is less well resolved. Another non-climatic factor that may have impacted on the spread of woody taxa are human activities (e.g. setting fires to facilitate hunting). Evidence that small populations of woody taxa were distributed in climatically favourable habitats comes from plant macroremains from sediment sequences and archaeological sites and from aDNA data. Contrary to the long-standing view of a generally colder-than-present last glacial climate, these proxy records reveal evidence that summers were warmer than today by several degrees Celsius, providing additional advantages for human activities. Another benefit for large herbivores, and thus human subsistence, were the generally low winter precipitation levels (similar to those of the modern steppe regions of Mongolia), which sustained year-round grazing grounds. These factors apparently outweighed the harsh colder-than-present winter conditions and promoted habitation of AMH in Northern Asia even during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ca. 30‒18 cal kyr BP. While our understanding of qualitative climate trends, mainly based on fossil pollen records, has substantially improved, quantification of climate parameters is still a challenging task. For the last glacial interval in Northern Asia, plant macroremains, chironomids, diatoms and ostracods may provide suitable alternative proxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changbaishan volcano (China/North Korea) is one of the most active and hazardous volcanic centers in Northeast Asia. Despite decades of intensive research, the eruption history of this stratovolcano remains poorly constrained. One of the major puzzles is the timing of the eruption that produced the Tianwen Yellow Pumice (TYP) deposit at the caldera rim. Here we identify a new cryptotephra layer in sediment core 13PT‐P4 from the East Sea. Grain‐specific major, minor, and trace element analyses of glass shards allow a clear correlation of this distal tephra to the proximal TYP deposit of Changbaishan. Age‐depth modeling using radiocarbon (14C) dates of sediment bulk organic fractions and other tephrochronological markers from the sediment sequence constraints the age of the cryptotephra and thus the TYP eruption to 29,948–29,625 cal yr BP (95.4% confidence interval). Our findings lead to a revision of the history of Changbaishan explosive activity, and show that the volcano has been particularly active during ca. 51–24 ka BP in the last 100 ka. Using high resolution palaeo‐proxy records, we find the TYP tephra almost coeval with regional to hemispheric‐scale climatic changes known as Heinrich Event 3 (H3). With its precise age determination and wide geographic dispersion, the tephra offers a key isochron for dating records of past climatic changes and addressing the phasing relationships in environmental response to H3 across East Asia. Plain Language Summary: Improving the knowledge of past volcanism is critical for volcanic hazard mitigation. Changbaishan volcano is one of the most dangerous volcanic centers in Northeast Asia, but its eruption history is not clearly understood. A classic example is the eruption that produced the magnificent Tianwen Yellow Pumice (TYP) deposited at the crater rim. Previous studies suggested a range of very different ages for this major eruption. In this study we trace its volcanic ash into a marine sediment core from the East Sea. By radiocarbon age‐depth modeling we are able to say with a high level of certainty that the eruption occurred sometime between 29,948 and 29,625 cal yr BP. The new results demonstrate the dispersal potential of ash from the eruption and shed light on the history and frequency of Changbaishan explosive activity. In addition, the TYP eruption is found to coincide with hemispheric‐scale and regional environmental changes. As a consequence, the volcanic ash can be used as a key time mark for dating sediment sequences and for investigating past environmental changes in East Asia. Our study also demonstrates the potential of using distal volcanic ash in reconstructing past explosive volcanism. Key Points: Timing of the Changbaishan Tianwen Yellow Pumice (TYP) eruption is resolved through proximal‐distal tephra correlation and radiocarbon age‐depth modelingEruption history of the Changbaishan volcano is revised, and dispersal potential of the TYP tephra is shown for the first timeA demonstration that the TYP tephra, as a regional marker, has great potential for sediment sequence‐based palaeoenvironmental studies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on the reassessment and correlation of five pollen records from the upper Western Dvina River region. For the most complete record (Korovinskoe Mire; 56°16′N, 31°20′E) we constructed a Bayesian age-depth model to provide robust chronological control for the reconstructed changes in the regional environments and to facilitate interregional comparisons. The results show that the Holocene Thermal Maximum in the study region (ca. 8600–6900 cal BP) started and ended some centuries earlier than suggested for the neighboring Baltic region (ca. 8100–5600 cal BP). The spruce (Picea) pollen records corroborate other palaeobotanical records from the wider region indicating a relatively dry early and middle Holocene and cooler/wetter conditions after ca. 5400 cal BP. Local initial opening of forests by Neolithic populations is indicated by 7600 cal BP and a stepwise intensification of forest clearance is registered from ca. 4200/3700 and ca. 1400–1000 cal BP. There is evidence for an asynchronous pattern of human impact during the early period of occupation prior to ca. 4000 cal BP, which can be explained by a low density and uneven distribution of prehistoric hunter-fisher-gatherer populations. Although single Cerealia -type pollen grains are registered as early as ca. 6700 cal BP, intensive cultivation of cereals in the study region probably did not occur before ca. 1400 cal BP, i.e. much later than suggested for the Baltic states, Poland, and Belarus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a multi‐proxy record from Lake Kotokel in the Baikal region at decadal‐to‐multidecadal resolution and provides a reconstruction of terrestrial and aquatic environments in the area during a 2000‐year interval of globally harsh climate often referred to as the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The studied lake is situated near the eastern shoreline of Lake Baikal, in a climatically sensitive zone that hosts boreal taiga and cold deciduous forests, cold steppe associations typical for northern Mongolia, and mountain tundra vegetation. The results provide a detailed picture of the period in focus, indicating (i) a driest phase (c. 24.0–23.4 cal. ka BP) with low precipitation, high summer evaporation, and low lake levels, (ii) a transitional interval of unstable conditions (c. 23.4–22.6 cal. ka BP), and (iii) a phase (c. 22.6–22.0 cal. ka BP) of relatively high precipitation (and moisture availability) and relatively high lake levels. One hotly debated issue in late Quaternary research is regional summer thermal conditions during the LGM. Our chironomid‐based reconstruction suggests at least 3.5 °C higher than present summer temperatures between c. 22.6 and 22.0 cal. ka BP, which are well in line with warmer and wetter conditions in the North Atlantic region inferred from Greenland ice‐cores. Overall, it appears that environments in central Eurasia during the LGM were affected by much colder than present winter temperatures and higher than present summer temperatures, although the effects of temperature oscillations were strongly influenced by changes in humidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Palynological dataset for the XBWu-46 sediment core extracted from Bosten Lake at the south-eastern end of the Tian Shan, Northwest China, contains a climate record divided into three major intervals: a period of increasing aridity (ca. 8540–4000 cal. yr BP), a peak arid phase (ca. 4000 to 2000/1500 cal. yr BP), and an interval of increasing humidity towards the core top (ca. 60 cal. yr BP). Correlation with other climate proxies from different regions implies that hydrological conditions in Northwest China were governed by Asian summer monsoon precipitation during the early and middle Holocene and that the increase in humidity over the last two millennia was controlled by westerly-derived precipitation. Regional evidence for early human activities in the lake sediments starts to accumulate from the onset of the driest interval comprising records of enhanced charred grass fragment concentrations (since ca. 4350 cal. yr BP), and pollen of Cerealia type (since ca. 4000 cal. yr BP), Xanthium (since ca. 3700 cal. yr BP), and Cannabis type (since ca. 2500 cal. yr BP). These signals are likely related to early agro-pastoral populations of regional Andronovo Culture that, according to archaeological data, appeared in the south-eastern Tian Shan around 4000 cal. yr BP. In addition, increased Xanthium pollen and charred grass fragment abundances point to enhanced human impact linked to intensified Silk Road activities during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Highlights • The XBWu-46 pollen record reflects moisture changes of the last 8500 years. • Arboreal pollen percentages reflect changes in the mountain and riparian forests. • A/C pollen ratio reflects changes in lowland desert vegetation around the study site. • Long-term decline in mountain forests culminated ca. 4000–2000 cal. yr BP. • The earliest Cerealia type pollen recorded about 4000 cal. yr BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continuous pollen record from Lake El'gygytgyn (northeastern Russian Arctic) provides detailed information concerning the regional vegetation and climate history during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition ( MPT), between 1091 ka (end of Marine Isotope Stage ( MIS) 32) and 715 ka (end of MIS 18). Pollen-based qualitative vegetation reconstruction along with biome reconstruction indicate that the interglacial regional vegetation history during the MPT is characterized by a gradual replacement of forest and shrub vegetation by open herbaceous communities (i.e. tundra/cold steppe). The pollen spectra reveal seven vegetation successions that have clearly distinguishable glacial-interglacial cycles. These successions are represented by the intervals of cold deciduous forest (CLDE) biome scores changing from high to low, which are basically in phase with the variations of obliquity from maxima to minima. The dominating influence of obliquity forcing on vegetation successions contradicts with the stronger power of eccentricity, as demonstrated by the result of wavelet analysis based on landscape openness reconstruction. This discrepancy shows that a single index is insufficient for catching signals of all the impacting factors. Comparisons with vegetation and environmental changes in the Asian interior suggest that global cooling during the MPT was probably the key force driving long-term aridification in the Arctic region. The accelerated aridification after MIS 24-22 was probably caused by the additional effect of the Tibetan Plateau uplift, which played an important role on intensification of the Siberian High and westerly jet systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For well over a century, scholars from across the social and biological sciences have been trying to understand the origins and spread of agriculture. This debate is often intertwined with discussions of climate change and human environmental impact. Over the past decade, this debate has spread into Central Eurasia, from western China to Ukraine and southern Russia to Turkmenistan, a part of the world often thought to have been largely dominated by pastoralists. A growing interest in the prehistory of Central Eurasia has spurred a new chapter in the origins of agriculture debate; archaeobotanical research is showing how important farming practices in this region were in regard to the spread of crops across the Old World. While early people living in Central Eurasia played an influential role in shaping human history, there is still limited understanding of the trajectories of social evolution among these populations. In March 2015, 30 leading scholars from around the globe came together in Berlin, Germany, to discuss the introduction and intensification of agriculture in Central Eurasia and adjacent regions. At the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, DAI), these scholars presented novel data on topics covering East, South, and Central Asia, spanning a wide realm of methodological approaches. The present special edition volume deals with a selection of the papers given at this conference, and it marks a significant step toward recognizing the contribution of Central Eurasian populations in the spread and development of agricultural systems over the course of the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen and charcoal records derived from the sediment core of Lantianyan (LTY) peat bog, Northern Wuyi Mountain chains, eastern subtropical China, provide valuable information of landscape evolution caused by both climatic variation and anthropogenic activities over the past 8200 years. Our results reveal fluvial and lacustrine deposition between c. 8200 and 5600 cal. yr BP. The high proportion of pollen from evergreen broadleaved forests (e.g. Quercus and Castanopsis) and Alnus trees, a taxon frequently occurring in mountain wetlands, implies a humid interval, which is consistent with the Holocene moisture maximum in eastern China. After 5600 cal. yr BP, the spread of the wooded swamp taxon, Glyptostrobus, suggests shallow water conditions and peat formation caused by gradual drying. The drying trend generally corresponds with the speleothem isotope record from this region, revealing a weakening East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) due to a decrease in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (and in air temperature). Peaks in the abundance and concentration of Glyptostrobus pollen at c. 4600–4400 cal. yr BP and c. 3300–3000 cal. yr BP suggest two periods of swamp expansions, which coincide with the drought intervals revealed by the speleothem records. The LTY pollen and charcoal record demonstrates that human-induced land cover change was negligible before 3600 cal. yr BP. We consider the first signal of intensive human activity and landscape clearing to be the noticeable increase in charcoal particles at around 3600 cal. yr BP. This anthropogenic impact is followed by a dramatic decrease in arboreal pollen and increase in Poaceae pollen percentages, likely reflecting a transition to rice-paddy agriculture in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is focused on a 3.55-m-long sediment core retrieved from Badanital (i.e. the BT core) in 2008. Badanital (30°29′50″N, 78°55′26″E, 2083 m a.s.l.) is a small lake located in the upper catchment area of the Ganges in Garhwal Himalaya, northern India. The lake and the regional broad-leaved semi-evergreen forests are under the influence of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) and westerly associated cyclones. Palynological investigation of the BT core revealed past vegetation changes reflecting both climate and human impact during the last 4600 years. Maximum spread of oaks occurred during c. AD 550–1100 and c. AD 1400–1630, that is, the intervals which partly overlap with the ‘Medieval Warm Period’ and the ‘Little Ice Age’, respectively. Three intervals of decreased oak pollen percentages are attributed to (1) continuously drier and cooler climatic conditions and fire activity (c. 2600–500 BC), (2) severe reduction in oak forests followed by secondary succession of alder woods (c. AD 1150–1270) and (3) pre-modern settlement activities since the British imperial occupation (after c. AD 1700). We argue that the high percentages (i.e. up to 28%) of Humulus/Cannabis type and Cannabis type pollen point to intense local retting of hemp c. 500 BC–AD 1050. Based on our age model, Cannabis fibre production at Badanital is contemporaneous with archaeological records of ancient hemp products from different parts of Eurasia suggesting possible linkages to early trade and knowledge exchange routes connecting India and the Himalaya with Central and East Asia and possibly Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sediment record of Lake El’gygytgyn (67°30′N, 172°05′E) spans the past 3.6 Ma and provides unique opportunities for qualitative and quantitative reconstructions of the regional paleoenvironmental history of the terrestrial Arctic. Millennial-scale pollen studies of the sediments that accumulated during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene (ca. 2.7 to 2.5 Ma) demonstrate orbitally-driven vegetation and climate changes during this transitional interval. Pollen spectra show a significant vegetation shift at the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary that is, however, delayed by a few thousand years compared to lacustrine response. About 2.70–2.68 Ma the vegetation at Lake El’gygytgyn, currently a tundra area was mostly dominated by larch forests with some shrub pine, shrub alder and dwarf birch in understory. During the marine isotope stages G3 and G1, ca. 2.665–2.647 and 2.625–2.617 Ma, some spruce trees grew in the local larch-pine forests, pointing to relatively warm climate conditions. At the beginning of the Pleistocene, around 2.588 Ma, a prominent climatic deterioration led to a change from larch-dominated forests to predominantly treeless steppe- and tundra-like habitats. Between ca. 2.56–2.53 Ma some climate amelioration is reflected by the higher presence of coniferous taxa (mostly pine and larch, but probably also spruce) in the area. After 2.53 Ma a relatively cold and dry climate became dominant again, leading to open steppe-like and shrubby environments followed by climate amelioration between ca. 2.510 and 2.495 Ma, when pollen assemblages show that larch forests with dwarf birch and shrub alder still grew in the lake’s vicinity. Increased contents of green algae colonies ( Botryococcus ) remains and Zygnema cysts around 2.691–2.689, 2.679–2.677, 2.601–2.594, 2.564–2.545, and 2.532–2.510 Ma suggest a spread of shallow-water environments most likely due to a lake-level lowering. These events occurred simultaneously with dry climate conditions inferred from broad distribution of steppe habitats with Artemisia and other herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebun Island is a key research area for the Baikal-Hokkaido Archaeology Project to better understand the dynamics of the Neolithic hunter–gatherers in the NW Pacific region. Hence, the ca. 19.5 m sediment core RK12 spanning the last ca. 16.6 cal. kyr BP was obtained from Lake Kushu. Our aim is to test its potential as a high-resolution multi-proxy archive. Here, we used diatoms to investigate the modern ecosystem of Lake Kushu and its surrounding area on Rebun Island and of Hime-numa Pond on Rishiri Island and selected core samples for comparison. Modern diatom and stable isotope analyses show well-mixed freshwater bodies with eutrophic, alkaline conditions. The fossil diatom and geochemical sediment analyses display three phases that represent major changes in the lake development: (i) a marshy phase (ca. 16.6–10 cal. kyr BP); (ii) a brackish water lagoon phase (ca. 10–6.6 cal. kyr BP); and (iii) a freshwater lake phase (since ca. 6.6 cal. kyr BP). This shows the major role of the post-glacial climate amelioration, global sea-level rise and marine transgression in the development of this landscape. Further analyses will provide a palaeolimnological record at (sub-)decadal resolution that will facilitate the interpretation of the hunter–gatherer dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new decadal-resolution fossil pollen record from Lake Kotokel (52°47′N, 108°07′E, 458 m a.s.l.) and provides a reconstruction of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) vegetation and environments in the study area during this interval of globally harsh climate. Lake Kotokel is situated close to the eastern shoreline of Lake Baikal, in the boreal forest zone of southern Siberia. The analysed 190 cm long section 6 of the bottom core KTK10 (KTK10/6) consists of compact, undisturbed, greenish-grey to dark-grey, slightly laminated silty clay indicating continuous lacustrine sedimentation throughout the LGM period ca. 26.8–19.1 cal. ka BP. The age model is supported by 11 calibrated AMS dates. The results of pollen analysis and pollen-based biome reconstruction show that steppe and tundra vegetation composed of grasses and various herbs dominated ca. 26.8–19.1 cal. ka BP. Occurrence of conifer tracheids and stomata throughout the record, together with small quantities of boreal conifer and broadleaf tree and shrub taxa pollen, suggests the presence of single trees or small forest stands in the lake vicinity, most likely in the river valleys. Application of the biomisation method and the resulting numerical scores of the most characteristic biomes (steppe, tundra and cold deciduous forest) show minor fluctuations, signifying stability of the regional vegetation cover during the analysed LGM interval. In contrast to the regional biomes, the local environmental indicators demonstrate greater sensitivity of the lake system to decadal- and century-scale climate variability. The highest pollen percentages of Ranunculaceae, representing littoral/meadow vegetation communities, are registered ca. 23.8–23.4 cal. ka BP. This and an increase in coarse-grained sand particles together with slightly increased total inorganic carbon (TIC) values representing calcite in the KTK10/6 sediment provide evidence of a much shorter than present distance between the coring site and the shoreline and a reduced lake area, in line with a drier-than-present LGM climate. A general stability of the grassland vegetation in the study region ca. 26.8–19.1 cal. ka BP and relatively constant total organic carbon (TOC) values support the hypothesis that this productive vegetation could stably serve as a perennial food resource for large populations of herbivores, thus providing favourable environments for the local hunter–gatherers inhabiting the Lake Baikal region during the LGM interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 844 cm long core PS51/118-3 (77°53.54′ N; 132°11.92′ E) recovered from the upper slope (122 m water depth) of the Laptev Sea (Russian Arctic) has been studied for pollen, spores and aquatic palynomorphs, including freshwater green algae and cysts of marine dinoflagellates. The age model was established on the basis of radiocarbon dates obtained on marine bivalve mollusk shells. The available dates suggest that the analyzed sediment was accumulated during the last ca. 10.8 cal. ka and reveal two intervals with markedly different sedimentation rates, reflecting the sedimentary regime changes of the Laptev Sea shelf during postglacial sea-level rise. Very high sedimentation rates (ca. 4.7 mm per year) in the lower part of the core (120–866 cm) between ca. 9.2 and 10.8 cal. ka BP reflect lower-than-present sea levels, high erosion activity and much closer position of the palaeo-shoreline with the Lena and Yana river mouths to the core site. Dramatic decrease in sedimentation rates (ca. 0.1 mm per year) during the middle and late Holocene interval reflects high sea-level and decreased amount of suspended material transported to the outer shelf by rivers. Despite the location of the core site at the continental slope and far away from the modern coastline pollen, spores and fresh-water algae constitute a major part of the microfossils throughout the whole record, indicating great impact of the Lena and Yana rivers and possibly prevalent wind regime on the pollen and non-pollen-palynomorph (NPP) assemblages. Although a number of short-term (decadal to multi-century) oscillations deviate from the mean Holocene values, pollen taxa percentages and pollen-based numerical biome reconstructions do not show very clear trends. The latter is likely a result of the mixed environmental signal and complex pollen contribution of several large environmental regions and vegetation zones of Siberia drained by the Lena and Yana rivers. The greater pollen contribution of the forested regions to the PS51/118-3 record reflects higher pollen production of the boreal trees and shrubs over the low-productive Arctic vegetation. The intervals of the relative increase in the tundra biome scores in the PS51/118-3 record reflect decreased arboreal pollen production or/and increased landscape openness within the pollen source area and can be correlated (within the uncertainty of the age models) with the cold episodes observed in the Greenland ice and North Atlantic sediment records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent global sea-level data indicate that a final growth of ice volume occurred towards the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The LGM culmination, LGM-b, lasted from about 21 to 17 ka and was followed by rapid deglaciation. This finding suggests a millennial-scale state with extreme glacial conditions (at least regionally) that immediately preceded the onset of full deglaciation marked by Heinrich event 1. In order to check how regional climate and vegetation in subtropical East Asia responded to the global-scale LGM culmination and the deglaciation onset, a new high-resolution pollen record from the Lijiafang peatland (LJF: 26°36.849′N, 116°08.463′E, 270 m) in Southeast China was generated. This record demonstrates a massive expansion of herbs during LGM-b. The dominance of herbaceous pollen suggests sparse forest cover in the lowlands of the subtropical East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) region and indicates an approximately 3300-year-long interval of the driest climate conditions of the entire last glacial-interglacial cycle. The LJF pollen-based reconstruction is consistent with the other vegetation records from the larger region, suggesting the climate change during LGM-b significantly impacted terrestrial ecosystems. The environmental change in the EASM region is likely linked to the Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) decrease that weakened the Walker cell convection over the western Pacific Ocean and reduced convection and moisture content in the Intertropical Convergence Zone. The strengthened decrease in moisture supply during LGM-b seems to have resulted in extreme and widespread megadroughts in the EASM and Australian regions. Our data indicate that the cold SSTs may have also decreased air temperatures in the neighboring parts of the continents. We suggest that the widespread SSTs decline in the western Pacific may have been linked to the cooling of the Southern Ocean and the expansion of Antarctic sea ice during LGM-b. • A high-resolution and accurately dated pollen record (25–16.2 cal ka BP) from the southeastern subtropical China. • Significant vegetation and climate change during the LGM culmination (lasted from about 21 to 17 cal ka BP). • Moisture decrease in subtropical EASM region during LGM-b probably linked to the change of western Pacific SSTs. • Widespread cooling and drying in the western Pacific region during LGM-b. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The current study presents quantitative reconstructions of tree cover, annual precipitation and mean July temperature derived from the pollen record from Lake Billyakh (65°17′N, 126°47′E, 340 m above sea level) spanning the last ca. 50 ka (ca. 50,000 cal yrs). The reconstruction of tree cover suggests presence of woody plants through the entire analyzed time interval, although trees played only a minor role in the vegetation around Lake Billyakh prior to 14 ka BP (<5%). This result corroborates low percentages of tree pollen and low scores of the cold deciduous forest biome in the PG1755 record from Lake Billyakh. The reconstructed values of the mean temperature of the warmest month ∼8–10 °C do not support larch forest or woodland around Lake Billyakh during the coldest phase of the last glacial between ∼32 and ∼15 ka BP. However, modern cases from northern Siberia, ca. 750 km north of Lake Billyakh, demonstrate that individual larch plants can grow within shrub and grass tundra landscape in very low mean July temperatures of about 8 °C. This makes plausible the hypothesis that the western and southern foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains could provide enough moist and warm microhabitats and allow individual larch specimens to survive climatic extremes of the last glacial. Reconstructed mean values of annual precipitation are about 270 mm during the last glacial interval. This value is almost 100 mm higher than modern averages reported for the extreme-continental north-eastern Siberia east of Lake Billyakh, where larch-dominated cold deciduous forest grows at present. This suggests that last glacial environments around Lake Billyakh were never too dry for larch to grow and that the insufficient summer warmth was the main factor, which limited tree growth during the last glacial interval. The n-alkane analysis of the Siberian plants presented in this study demonstrates rather complex alkane distribution patterns, which challenge the interpretation of the fossil records. In particular, extremely low n-alkane concentrations in the leaves of local coniferous trees and shrubs suggest that their contribution to the litter and therefore to the fossil lake sediments might be not high enough for tracing the Quaternary history of the needleleaved taxa using the n-alkane biomarker method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The record of well preserved palynomorphs from sediment samples of Lake Suigetsu mirrors temporal changes in the flora around the lake and spatial changes in the vegetation cover of central Japan during the late Quaternary. This study presents photographic images of 169 identifiable types of moss, lycophyte and fern spores and pollen of gymnospermous and angiospermous plants from the SG06 core sediment obtained at a standard magnification of ca. 750×. Additionally non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs), which appeared in the pollen slides, are documented, including remains of fungi, rhizopods, arthropods, rotifers, flatworms as well as green algae and plant tissue fragments. All documented taxa are presented in taxonomical order on 66 plates, including 55 plates for pollen and spores of higher plants and 11 plates for NPPs. This study renders an overview on quality of preservation and on the range of palynomorphs found in the last glacial-interglacial sediments of Lake Suigetsu, and furthermore, may serve as a handy and thorough guide for palynological investigations, aiming at the reconstruction of past vegetation, environmental and climate dynamics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study presents a newly compiled dataset of modern pollen and climate data from 798 sites across Japan and the Russian Far East. This comprehensive reference dataset combined with the modern analogue technique (MAT) provides a powerful tool for pollen-based reconstruction of the Quaternary Northwest Pacific climate. Pollen-derived reconstruction of the modern climate at the reference pollen-sampling sites matches well with the estimated modern climate values (R 2 values vary between 0.79 and 0.95, and RMSEP values vary between 5.8 and 9.7% of the modern climatic range for all nine tested variables). The successful testing of the method encourages its application to the fossil pollen records. We used a coarse-resolution pollen record from Lake Biwa to reconstruct glacial–interglacial climate dynamics in central Japan since ~438kyr and compared it to the earlier reconstruction based on a less representative reference dataset. The current and earlier results consistently demonstrate that the coldest glacial intervals experienced pronounced cooling in winter and moderate cooling in summer, supporting the growth of cool mixed forest (COMX) where warm mixed forest (WAMX) predominates today. During the last glacial, maximum (~24kyr BP) mean temperatures of the coldest (MTCO) and warmest (MTWA) month were about −13°C (RMSEP=2.34°C) and 21°C (RMSEP=1.66°C) respectively, and annual precipitation (PANN) was about 800mm (RMSEP=158.06mm). During the thermal optimums of the interglacial intervals, the temperatures of the coldest and warmest month were above 0°C and 25°C respectively, leading to the reconstruction of WAMX and temperate conifer forest (TECO). Although both these vegetation types grow in the southern part of Japan today, WAMX requires warmer space. The presence of WAMX during marine isotope stages (MIS) 11 and 1, and its absence during MIS 9 and MIS 5 contradict the marine isotope and Antarctic ice records, suggesting that the latter two interglacials were the warmest of the last 800kyr. The apparent contradiction allows at least three different explanations including low temporal resolution of the pollen record; different trends in CO2 concentrations during ‘short’ and ‘long’ interglacials; and regional climate variability and non-linear response of different regions to the global forcing. More definitive conclusions will be possible on the basis of forthcoming high-resolution pollen records from central Japan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Radiocarbon-dated pollen and diatom records from Lake Kotokel in southern Siberia help to reconstruct the environmental history of the area since ~47kyr BP. Pollen spectra composition and reconstructed biome scores suggest predominance of a tundra–steppe vegetation and variable woody cover (5–20%) between ~47 and 30kyr BP, indicating generally a harsh and unstable climate during this interval, conventionally regarded as the interstadial within the last glacial. The short-term climate amelioration episodes in the glacial part of the records are marked by the peaks in taiga and corresponding minima in steppe biome scores and appear synchronously with the hemispheric temperature and precipitation changes recorded in the Greenland ice cores and Chinese stalagmites. Transition to full glacial environments occurred between 32 and 30kyr BP. The interval at ~30–24kyr BP was probably the driest and coldest of the whole record, as indicated by highest scores for steppe biome, woody coverage <5%, absence of diatoms and reduced size of the lake. A slight amelioration of the regional climate at ~24–22kyr BP was followed by a shorter than the previous and less pronounced deterioration phase. The late-glacial (~17–11.65kyr BP) is marked by a gradual increase in tree/shrub pollen percentages and re-appearance of diatoms. After 14.7kyr BP the climate became warmer and wetter than ever during ~47–14.7kyr BP, resulting in the deepening of the lake and increase in the woody coverage to 20–30% ~14.5–14kyr and ~13.3–12.8kyr BP. These two intervals correspond to the Meiendorf and Allerød interstadials, which until now were interpreted as part of the undifferentiated Bølling/Allerød interstadial complex in the Lake Baikal region. The increase in tundra biome scores and pronounced change in the diatom composition allow (for the first time) the unambiguous identification of the Younger Dryas (YD) in the Lake Baikal region at ~12.7–11.65kyr BP, in agreement with the formal definition and dating of the YD based on the Greenland NGRIP ice core records. The maximal spread of the taiga communities in the region is associated with a warmer and wetter climate than the present prior to ~7kyr BP. This was followed by a wide spread of Scots pine, indicating the onset of modern environments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Here we present a detailed radiocarbon-dated 936cm long pollen record from Lake Billyakh (65°17′N, 126°47′E; 340m a.s.l.) situated in the western part of the Verkhoyansk Mountains, about 140 km south of the Arctic Circle. A set of 53 surface pollen samples representing tundra, cold deciduous forest and taiga was collected in northern and central Yakutia communities to verify the accuracy of the quantitative biome reconstruction method and to obtain a more precise attribution of the identified pollen taxa to the main regional biomes. The adjusted method is then applied to the pollen record from Lake Billyakh to gain a reconstruction of vegetation and environments since about 50.7 kyr BP. The results of the pollen analysis and pollen-based biome reconstruction suggest that herbaceous tundra and steppe communities dominated the area from 50.7 to 13.5 kyr BP. Relatively low pollen concentrations and high percentages of herbaceous pollen taxa (mainly Cyperaceae, Poaceae and Artemisia) likely indicate a reduced vegetation cover and/or lower pollen production. On the other hand, extremely low percentages of drought-tolerant taxa, such as Chenopodiaceae and Ephedra, and the constant presence of various mesophyllous herbaceous (Thalictrum, Rosaceae, Asteraceae) and shrubby taxa (Betula sect. Nanae/Fruticosae, Duschekia fruticosa, Salix) in the pollen assemblages prevent an interpretation of the last glacial environments around Lake Billyakh as extremely arid. The lowest pollen percentages of woody taxa and the highest values of Artemisia pollen attest that the 31–15 kyr BP period as the driest and coldest interval of the entire record. A relative high content of taxa representing shrub tundra communities and the presence of larch pollen recorded prior to 31 kyr and after 13.5 kyr BP likely indicate interstadial climate amelioration associated with the middle and latest parts of the last glacial. An increase in pollen percentages of herbaceous taxa around 12 kyr BP suggests broader distribution of drier communities in response to the colder and drier than present climate of the Younger Dryas (YD). The onset of the Holocene is marked in the pollen record by the highest values of shrub taxa, mainly B. sect. Nanae/Fruticosae. Pollen percentages of arboreal taxa increase gradually and reach maximum values after 7 kyr BP. The latter maximum mainly reflects the spread of Pinus sylvestris in central Yakutia as a response to the mid-Holocene climatic optimum. The quasi-continuous presence of larch, shrubby birch and alder pollen throughout the whole record is the most striking feature of the pollen record. Noticeable variations in larch pollen percentages point to multiple short-term warming episodes, which might be synchronous with the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles in the North Atlantic records. The Lake Billyakh pollen record suggests that larch possibly survived during the last 50 kyr BP in locally favourable environments in the study region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Werner, K., Tarasov, P. E., Andreev, A. A., Müller, S., Kienast, F., Zech, M., Zech, W. & Diekmann, B. 2009: A 12.5-kyr history of vegetation dynamics and mire development with evidence of Younger Dryas larch presence in the Verkhoyansk Mountains, East Siberia, Russia. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2009.00116.x. ISSN 0300-9483. A 415 cm thick permafrost peat section from the Verkhoyansk Mountains was radiocarbon-dated and studied using palaeobotanical and sedimentological approaches. Accumulation of organic-rich sediment commenced in a former oxbow lake, detached from a Dyanushka River meander during the Younger Dryas stadial, at ∼12.5 kyr BP. Pollen data indicate that larch trees, shrub alder and dwarf birch were abundant in the vegetation at that time. Local presence of larch during the Younger Dryas is documented by well-preserved and radiocarbon-dated needles and cones. The early Holocene pollen assemblages reveal high percentages of Artemisia pollen, suggesting the presence of steppe-like communities around the site, possibly in response to a relatively warm and dry climate ∼11.4–11.2 kyr BP. Both pollen and plant macrofossil data demonstrate that larch woods were common in the river valley. Remains of charcoal and pollen of Epilobium indicate fire events and mark a hiatus ∼11.0–8.7 kyr BP. Changes in peat properties, C31/C27 alkane ratios and radiocarbon dates suggest that two other hiatuses occurred ∼8.2–6.9 and ∼6.7–0.6 kyr BP. Prior to 0.6 kyr BP, a major fire destroyed the mire surface. The upper 60 cm of the studied section is composed of aeolian sands modified in the uppermost part by the modern soil formation. For the first time, local growth of larch during the Younger Dryas has been verified in the western foreland of the Verkhoyansk Mountains (∼170 km south of the Arctic Circle), thus increasing our understanding of the quick reforestation of northern Eurasia by the early Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Palynological investigation of a 410 cm long core section from Tso Kar (33°10′N, 78°00′E, 4527 m a.s.l.), an alpine lake situated in the arid Ladakh area of NW India at the limit of the present-day Indian summer monsoon, was performed in order to reconstruct post-glacial regional vegetation and climate dynamics. The area was covered with alpine desert vegetation from ca. 15.2 to 14 kyr BP (1 kyr=1000 cal. years), reflecting dry and cold conditions. High influx values of long-distance transported Pinus sylvestris type pollen suggest prevailing air flow from the west and northwest. The spread of alpine meadow communities and local aquatic vegetation is a weak sign of climate amelioration after ca. 14 kyr BP. Pollen data (e.g. influx values of Pinus roxburghii type and Quercus) suggest that this was due to a strengthening of the summer monsoon and the reduced activity of westerly winds. The further spread of Artemisia and species-rich meadows occurred in response to improved moisture conditions between ca. 12.9 and 12.5 kyr BP. The subsequent change towards drier desert-steppe vegetation likely indicates more frequent westerly disturbances and associated snowfalls, which favoured the persistence of alpine meadows on edaphically moist sites. The spread of Chenopodiaceae-dominated vegetation associated with an extremely weak monsoon occurred at ca. 12.2–11.8 kyr BP during the Younger Dryas interstadial. A major increase in humidity is inferred from the development of Artemisia-dominated steppe and wet alpine meadows with Gentianaceae after the late glacial/early Holocene transition in response to the strengthening of the summer monsoon. Monsoonal influence reached maximum activity in the Tso Kar region between ca. 10.9 and 9.2 kyr BP. The subsequent development of the alpine meadow, steppe and desert-steppe vegetation points to a moderate reduction in the moisture supply, which can be linked to the weaker summer monsoon and the accompanying enhancement of the winter westerly flow from ca. 9.2 to 4.8 kyr BP. The highest water levels of Tso Kar around 8 kyr BP probably reflect combined effect of both monsoonal and westerly influence in the region. An abrupt shift towards aridity in the Tso Kar region occurred after ca. 4.8 kyr BP, as evidenced by an expansion of Chenopodiaceae-dominated desert-steppe. Low pollen influx values registered ca. 2.8–1.3 kyr BP suggest scarce vegetation cover and unfavourable growing conditions likely associated with a further weakening of the Indian Monsoon. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The deglacial meltwater pulse in the North Atlantic that induced the Younger Dryas event also prompted climate cooling in East Asian monsoon regions such as Japan and coastal mid-latitude China. However, very little is understood about the mechanism that can transmit changes in the North Atlantic to the Far East. Here we show that the shutdown of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation brought about significantly lower temperatures and higher precipitation in the Japanese winter, whereas the change in the Japanese summer climate was considerably smaller. The cooling of the Siberian air mass seems to have caused an increased pressure gradient between Siberia and the West Pacific in winter, intensifying the winter monsoon. The Mongolian high-pressure system and the westerly jet stream played an important role in the teleconnection. In contrast, the warming at the onset of the late glacial interstadial (GI-1; B&3x00F8;lling-Aller&3x00F8;d) in the West Pacific did not have season-specific features, implying that the principal driving mechanism of this warming event may lie in a pan-hemispheric or global factor, such as insolation changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An 1180-cm long core recovered from Lake Lyadhej-To (68°15′ N, 65°45′ E, 150 m a.s.l.) at the NW rim of the Polar Urals Mountains reflects the Holocene environmental history from ca. 11,000 cal. yr BP. Pollen assemblages from the diamicton (ca. 11,000–10,700 cal. yr BP) are dominated by Pre-Quaternary spores and redeposited Pinaceae pollen, pointing to a high terrestrial input. Turbid and nutrient-poor conditions existed in the lake ca. 10,700–10,550 cal. yr BP. The chironomid-inferred reconstructions suggest that mean July temperature increased rapidly from 10.0 to 11.8 °C during this period. Sparse, treeless vegetation dominated on the disturbed and denuded soils in the catchment area. A distinct dominance of planktonic diatoms ca. 10,500–8800 cal. yr BP points to the lowest lake-ice coverage, the longest growing season and the highest bioproductivity during the lake history. Birch forest with some shrub alder grew around the lake reflecting the warmest climate conditions during the Holocene. Mean July temperature was likely 11–13 °C and annual precipitation—400–500 mm. The period ca. 8800–5500 cal. yr BP is characterized by a gradual deterioration of environmental conditions in the lake and lake catchment. The pollen- and chironomid-inferred temperatures reflect a warm period (ca. 6500–6000 cal. BP) with a mean July temperature at least 1–2 °C higher than today. Birch forests disappeared from the lake vicinity after 6000 cal. yr BP. The vegetation in the Lyadhej-To region became similar to the modern one. Shrub (Betula nana, Salix) and herb tundra have dominated the lake catchment since ca. 5500 cal. yr BP. All proxies suggest rather harsh environmental conditions. Diatom assemblages reflect relatively short growing seasons and a longer persistence of lake-ice ca. 5500–2500 cal. yr BP. Pollen-based climate reconstructions suggest significant cooling between ca. 5500 and 3500 cal. yr BP with a mean July temperature 8–10 °C and annual precipitation—300–400 mm. The bioproductivity in the lake remained low after 2500 cal. yr BP, but biogeochemical proxies reflect a higher terrestrial influx. Changes in the diatom content may indicate warmer water temperatures and a reduced ice cover on the lake. However, chironomid-based reconstructions reflect a period with minimal temperatures during the lake history. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

July mean temperatures and annual precipitation during the last 9000 years were inferred using the pollen record from Chuna Lake, Kola Peninsula, Russia. A quantitative pollen-climate model was generated using the best modern analogues method from a training set of 99 surface pollen spectra from the Kola Peninsula, northern Fennoscandia and Karelia. According to the evidence from Chuna Lake, the early and mid-Holocene (c. 9000— 5000 cal. BP) was warm and dry in the central Kola Peninsula with July temperatures being 1.5–2°C higher than at present. The onset of warm and dry early to mid-Holocene occurred in the Kola Peninsula earlier than in the rest of northern Fennoscandia. July temperature started to decrease and annual precipitation increased from c. 5000 cal. yr BP and climate became cool and moist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen data from a Levinson-Lessing Lake sediment core (74°28′N, 98°38′E) and Cape Sabler, Taymyr Lake permafrost sequences (74°33′N, 100°32′E) reveal substantial environmental changes on the northern Taymyr Peninsula during the last c . 32 000 14 C years. The continuous records confirm that a scarce steppe-like vegetation with Poaceae, Artemisia and Cyperaceae dominated c . 32 000-10 300 14 C yr BP, while tundra-like vegetation with Oxyria , Ranunculaceae and Caryophyllaceae grew in wetter areas. The coldest interval occurred c . 18 000 yr BP. Lateglacial pollen data show several warming events followed by a climate deterioration c . 10 500 14 C yr BP, which may correspond with the Younger Dryas. The Late Pleistocene/Holocene transition, c . 10 300-10 000 14 C yr BP, is characterized by a change from the herb-dominated vegetation to shrubby tundra with Betula sect. Nanae and Salix. Alnus fruticosa arrived locally c . 9000-8500 14 C yr BP and disappeared c . 4000-3500 14 C yr BP. Communities of Betula sect. Nanae , broadly distributed at c . 10 000-3500 14 C yr BP, almost disappeared when vegetation became similar to the modern herb tundra after 3500-3000 14 C yr BP. Quantitative climate reconstructions show Last Glacial Maximum summer temperature about 4°C below the present and Preboreal ( c . 10 000 14 C yr BP) temperature 2-4°C above the present. Maximum summer temperature occurred between 10 000 and 5500 14 C yr BP; later summers were similar to present or slightly warmer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate reconstruction in Japan by the best modern analogues method was tested with 285 surface pollen spectra, and then applied to the 47,000 years pollen profile from Lake Mikata, Central Japan. Both pollen taxa percentages and plant functional type affinity scores were used in the reconstruction of six climate variables. The reconstructed values were compared with the estimated modern climate at each surface pollen site in order to evaluate the accuracy of the pollen-based reconstruction. The reconstruction of thermal parameters is very reliable (correlation coefficient R between 0.86 and 0.89). The reconstruction of annual precipitation is less accurate (R=0.7). We also proposed a new technique to calibrate reconstructed values into both probability distribution and/or confidence regions of observed values. The specialized programs for this calibration (PolCalib and PolHist) are available at QSR website (http://www.elsevier.nl/locate/quascirev). The reconstruction of the Late Quaternary climate changes around Lake Mikata shows that the summer and winter temperatures were 5°C lower than present around 40 uncal. kyr BP, reached a minimum around 20 uncal. kyr BP (10°C lower than present), and became similar to present-day at 8 uncal. kyr BP. The estimates for annual precipitation show that it was driest around 20 uncal. kyr BP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With its numerous environmental archives stored in lake and peat sediments and relatively low human pressure, the Lake Onega region in eastern Fennoscandia is regarded as a particularly promising area for studying past changes in vegetation and climate since the Lateglacial period. The 885-cm-long sediment core RZ19 (62°27′53″N, 34°26′4″E) was collected from Razlomnoe Peat on the northern shore of Lake Onega in 2019, radiocarbon-dated and analysed for pollen and cryptogam spores. The age-depth model suggests continuous sedimentation since ca. 11,800 a BP (all ages given in years (a) or kiloyears (ka) before present (BP) with BP referring to 1950 CE). The results of pollen analysis and pollen-based biome reconstruction show rapid afforestation of the area in the Early Holocene, although the scores of the tundra biome remain relatively high prior to ca. 11,450 a BP, suggesting that the vegetation was likely more open than today. Between 8300 and 8000 a BP, Betula sect. Albae shows a marked increase in pollen percentage, while Pinus sylvestris experiences a marked decrease. These changes coinciding with the 8.2 ka BP cooling event indicate less favourable conditions for Scots pine while being beneficial for fast-growing birch. The transition from the Early to Middle Holocene (i.e. from Greenlandian to Northgrippian) is marked by an increase in pollen productivity, spread of Picea and further afforestation of the area. The decrease in arboreal and Picea pollen percentages and the abrupt increase in landscape openness after ca. 4000 a BP mark the onset of the Late Holocene (i.e. Northgrippian-Meghalayan transition) and likely reflect the combined effect of insolation-induced temperature decrease and associated paludification and forest retreat rather than a decrease in atmospheric precipitation and/or spread of Late Neolithic agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 318-m long sediment record from Lake El'gygytgyn, NE Russia situated in the present-day herb tundra zone, provides a unique archive of high Arctic environmental changes since ca 3.6 million years ago (Ma). This paper focuses on pollen-derived vegetation change during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP) and in particular during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) M2, which is known to represent the coldest interval of the Pliocene. Building on initial pollen studies, we provide a more complete record and a more detailed discussion of climatically-driven vegetation and environmental changes in the northeastern Russian Arctic, spanning the 203-thousand-year interval between 3.383 and 3.180 Ma ago. Pine-spruce-fir-larch-Douglas fir forests dominated the area around Lake El'gygytgyn between 3.383 and 3.330 Ma (MIS MG4 - MIS MG2). Colder and drier climate caused a decrease of coniferous forests and widespread Sphagnum habitats around the lake between 3.370 and 3.357 Ma. After 3.3 Ma, the presence of spruce, fir and Douglas fir decreased again. A very pronounced cooling took place at the first half of MIS M2 (3.312–3.283 Ma), when treeless tundra- and steppe-like habitats became common in the regional vegetation. Climate conditions were similar or only slightly warmer and wetter to those of the Holocene. Numerous coprophilous fungi spores identified in the MIS M2 pollen samples suggest the presence of grazing mammals around the lake. Larch-pine forests with some spruce started to dominate the area again after ca. 3.282 Ma, thus pointing to a significant climate amelioration during the mPWP. However, the forested area decreased, while herb- and shrub-dominated vegetation spread again during MIS KM6 (especially 3.235–3.223 Ma), suggesting a noticeable climatic deterioration and relatively cold and dry conditions. • Insight into the mid-Pliocene Warm Period (mPWP) interval from 3.383 to 3.180 Ma ago. • Detailed reconstruction of climate and vegetation changes in north-eastern Eurasia during the mPWP. • Heterogeneous environments during the 203-thousand-year mPWP interval in the high Arctic. • Pine-spruce-fir-larch-Douglas fir forests dominated in the present-day herb tundra zone. • Pronounced cooling during the MIS M2 led to the spread of tundra and steppe-like vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a high‐resolution reconstruction of the vegetation and climate dynamics during the penultimate interglacial, corresponding with Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7, based on detailed palynological analyses of lacustrine sediments from Lake El'gygytgyn, northeastern Siberia. The analysed sediments were deposited between 246 and 181 ka ago (late MIS 8 to early MIS 6.6). The interglacial vegetation was characterized by herb and shrub (mainly alder and birch) dominated plant communities. Pollen‐based biome reconstruction shows a dominance of the tundra (TUND) biome, thus indicating rather open vegetation. Warmer intervals (MIS 7.5, 7.3 and 7.1) were marked by an increase in the cold deciduous forest (CLDE) biome scores and a synchronous decrease in the cold steppe (STEP) biome scores. The thermal maximum occurred during MIS 7.1, as indicated by the highest CLDE biome scores occurring in this period, and lasted ~10 ka, possibly favoured by the high precession‐related summer insolation and the legacy of the preceding mild and dry stadial (MIS 7.2). In contrast, MIS 7.3 and 7.5 were characterized by shorter durations (~4 ka) and lower summer temperatures. The preceding cold glacial and stadial (MIS 8 and 7.4, respectively) might have led to an extensive distribution of permafrost that hindered vegetation development during the subsequent warm intervals. MIS 7.4 and 6.6 were cold and wet, probably triggered by low obliquity values and coevally low precession‐related summer insolation. As a result, these periods were marked by significantly reduced summer temperatures and an enhanced snow‐ice albedo feedback. The obtained reconstructions provide potential scenarios for future climate changes and allow a better understanding of the relationship between vegetation, climate and external/internal forcings in the high latitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we present an almost complete and integrated Holocene record of marine and terrestrial palaeoenvironmental change from the NE shelf of the Black Sea. A dinoflagellate cyst record used to reconstruct Holocene sea-surface conditions highlights that the NE shelf was a brackish water environment, with a minimum salinity of 7 psu in the early-Holocene before changing at a gradual rate to a more saline environment with maximum salinities of ~18 psu being reached around 3 cal. ka. A warming phase was detected from 6 cal. ka BP, with warmest conditions between 3 and 2.5 cal. ka BP. A pollen record is used to examine the major climate and land-use changes in the eastern Black Sea region. Biome reconstructions show that the temperate deciduous forest dominates throughout the record, although with an overall decline. From early-Holocene to the first hiatus around ~9 cal. ka BP, Pinus pollen dominates, while taxa representing a mixed oak-hornbeam-beech forest are less abundant, indicating relatively cool and dry conditions. Between ~7.9 and ~6.1 cal. ka BP, a thermophilous deciduous forest established, suggesting an overall warming trend and humid conditions. From 4 cal. ka BP, Pinus dominates the pollen record, accompanied by an increase of herbs, implying an opening of the landscape, which would coincide with the beginning of the Meghalayan Age. The integrated record of the marine and terrestrial climate indicators supports the notion that this change in landscape may have been triggered by a combination of warmer and drier conditions and human activities in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we describe LegacyClimate 1.0, a dataset of the reconstruction of the mean July temperature (TJuly), mean annual temperature (Tann), and annual precipitation (Pann) from 2594 fossil pollen records from the Northern Hemisphere, spanning the entire Holocene, with some records reaching back to the Last Glacial Period. Two reconstruction methods, the modern analog technique (MAT) and weighted averaging partial least squares regression (WA-PLS), reveal similar results regarding spatial and temporal patterns. To reduce the impact of precipitation on temperature reconstruction, and vice versa, we also provide reconstructions using tailored modern pollen data, limiting the range of the corresponding other climate variables. We assess the reliability of the reconstructions, using information from the spatial distributions of the root mean squared error in the prediction and reconstruction significance tests. The dataset is beneficial for synthesis studies of proxy-based reconstructions and to evaluate the output of climate models and thus help to improve the models themselves. We provide our compilation of reconstructed TJuly , Tann , and Pann as open-access datasets at PANGAEA (10.1594/PANGAEA.930512; Herzschuh et al., 2023a). The R code for the reconstructions is provided at Zenodo (10.5281/zenodo.7887565; Herzschuh et al., 2023b), including the harmonized open-access modern and fossil datasets used for the reconstructions, so that customized reconstructions can be easily established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatio-temporal distribution of archaeological sites in the Hokkaido region reveals hunter–gatherer population dynamics from the Upper Palaeolithic (>14,000 cal. yr BP) through the Neolithic/Jomon and Epi Jomom period (c. 14,000–1300 cal. yr BP) to the historic Ainu period (c. 700–100 cal. yr BP). It appears that most cultural transitions coincide with periods of climate and environmental change. However, this observation does not automatically mean causality and, therefore, other potential driving factors must be checked. The data support the hypothesis that Palaeolithic subsistence was (at least partly) based on terrestrial hunting. Paralleled by lateglacial climate amelioration, rising sea levels and a change in marine currents, this strategy shifted towards marine resources and plant exploitation at the beginning of the Jomon period. Along with continuous Holocene climate warming, Hokkaido’s Neolithic Jomon population increased culminating in the Middle Jomon period (5000–4000 cal. yr BP). Simultaneously, Jomon subsistence underwent a process of diversification and intensification in exploitation of food resources. This practice probably allowed the persistence of the Middle Jomon culture beyond the Holocene temperature optimum (around 5000 cal. yr BP). Thereafter, the population decreased until the end of the Jomon culture accompanied by a trend towards cooler climate conditions and a shift in subsistence towards a more narrow range of food resources with increased hunting and less plant food. Population re-increased during the Satsumon/Okhotsk culture periods (1500–700 cal. yr BP), which may be the result of Okhotsk immigration because of climate cooling in the regions north of Hokkaido and enhanced inner-Hokkaido trade (between Satsumon and Okhotsk) and trade with communities outside Hokkaido. During the Ainu period (c. 700–100 cal. yr BP), site, and possibly population numbers, re-decreased significantly and concentrated in eastern Hokkaido. Whether social and/or climatic factors brought about the Satsumon–Ainu cultural transition and the observed change in population pattern remains unresolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As heated debates about the origin of rice domestication and cultivation in southern and eastern China continuously attract attention of the broad scientific community, new evidence for early rice exploitation from the regions located outside the core area of domestication, the lower Yangtze, are very important. Here, we present new archaeobotanical results of plant macrofossil and phytolith analyses, including directly dated rice grains from the sites of Dongpan (4030–3820 cal. BC) and Beiqian (3700–2900 cal. BC). These results fill (at least partly) an existing gap between the c. 8000-year-old rice remains from the Early Neolithic Houli Culture (c. 6500–5500 BC) sites north of the Shandong Highlands and the Longshan Culture (c. 2600–1900 BC) sites, where intensive rice agriculture was practiced. Neither rice nor millet made substantial contribution to the plant macrofossil assemblage at Dongpan, while broomcorn (and to a lesser extent foxtail) millet contributed up to 75% to the macrofossil assemblage at Beiqian. This increase can be interpreted as a major change in regional subsistence from strongly relying on wild resources and small scale cultivation during the Beixin Cultural period to a millet-based economy during the Dawenkou Culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 51,074 archaeological sites from the early Neolithic to the early Iron Age (c. 8000–500 BC), with a spatial extent covering most regions of China (c. 73–131°E and c. 20–53°N), were analysed over space and time in this study. Site maps of 25 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, published in the series ‘Atlas of Chinese Cultural Relics’, were used to extract, digitalise and correlate its archaeological data. The data were, in turn, entered into a database using a self-developed mapping software that makes the data, in a dynamic way, analysable as a contribution to various scientific questions, such as population growth and migrations, spread of agriculture and changes in subsistence strategies. The results clearly show asynchronous patterns of changes between the northern and southern parts of China (i.e. north and south of the Yangtze River, respectively) but also within these macro-regions. In the northern part of China (i.e. along the Yellow River and its tributaries and in the Xiliao River basin), the first noticeable increase in the concentration of Neolithic sites occurred between c. 5000 and 4000 BC; however, highest site concentrations were reached between c. 2000 and 500 BC. Our analysis shows a radical north-eastern shift of high site-density clusters (over 50 sites per 100 × 100 km grid cell) from the Wei and middle/lower Yellow Rivers to the Liao River system sometime between 2350 BC and 1750 BC. This shift is hypothetically discussed in the context of the incorporation of West Asian domesticated animals and plants into the existing northern Chinese agricultural system. In the southern part of China, archaeological sites do not show a noticeable increase in the absolute number of sites until after c. 1500 BC, reaching a maximum around 1000 BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, researchers have directed greater focus toward understanding Bronze (3200–800 BC) and Iron Age (800 BC–AD 400) economies of Central Asia. In this article, we synthesize paleobotanical data from across this broad region and discuss the piecemeal archaeological evidence for agriculture in relation to environmental records of vegetation and climate change. The synthesis shows that agricultural products were present in northern Central Asia by the mid-3rd millennium BC; however, solid evidence for their spread even further north into the Altai Mountains and southern Siberia only comes from the late 2nd and early 1st millennia BC. The earliest crops introduced into Central Asia likely came as a mixed package of free-threshing wheat, naked barley, and broomcorn millet, an assemblage pioneered further south along the northern foothills of the Central Asian mountains. Further east, in Mongolia, and debatably to the west of Central Asia, in the steppe of northern Kazakhstan and the southern Ural region of Russia, the earliest evidence of agriculture (with a similar mixed assemblage) is considerably later, roughly late 1st millennium BC. The lack of clear-cut early evidence for agricultural goods either east or west of the Central Asian mountain belt suggests that agriculture spread northward along these mountains, based on an agropastoral system pioneered millennia earlier at higher elevations of lower latitudes. Additionally, moister regional environmental conditions in the northern mountains after 3000 cal. BC may have increased the favorability of adopting an agricultural component in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lake El'gygytgyn in Far East Russia is a 3.6 Myr old impact crater lake. Located in an area that has never been affected by Cenozoic glaciations nor desiccation, the unique sediment record of the lake represents the longest continuous sediment archive of the terrestrial Arctic. The surrounding crater is the only impact structure on Earth developed in mostly acid volcanic rocks. Recent studies on the impactite, permafrost, and sediment sequences recovered within the framework of the ICDP “El'gygytgyn Drilling Project” and multiple pre-site surveys yielded new insight into the bedrock origin and cratering processes as well as permafrost dynamics and the climate and environmental history of the terrestrial Arctic back to the mid-Pliocene. Results from the impact rock section recovered during the deep drilling clearly confirm the impact genesis of the El'gygytgyn crater, but indicate an only very reduced fallback impactite sequence without larger coherent melt bodies. Isotope and element data of impact melt samples indicate a F-type asteroid of mixed composition or an ordinary chondrite as the likely impactor. The impact event caused a long-lasting hydrothermal activity in the crater that is assumed to have persisted for c. 300 kyr. Geochemical and microbial analyses of the permafrost core indicate a subaquatic formation of the lower part during lake-level highstand, but a subaerial genesis of the upper part after a lake-level drop after the Allerød. The isotope signal and ion compositions of ground ice is overprinted by several thaw-freeze cycles due to variations in the talik underneath the lake. Modeling results suggest a modern permafrost thickness in the crater of c. 340 m, and further confirm a pervasive character of the talik below Lake El'gygytgyn. The lake sediment sequences shed new leight into the Pliocene and Pleistocene climate and environmental evolution of the Arctic. During the mid-Pliocene, significantly warmer and wetter climatic conditions in western Beringia than today enabled dense boreal forests to grow around Lake El'gygytgyn and, in combination with a higher nutrient flux into the lake, promoted primary production. The exceptional warmth during the mid-Pliocene is in accordance with other marine and terrestrial records from the Arctic and indicates a period of enhanced “Arctic amplification”. The favourable conditions during the mid-Pliocene were repeatedly interrupted by climate deteriorations, e.g., during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) M2, when pollen data and sediment proxies indicate a major cooling and the onset of local permafrost around the lake. A gradual vegetation change after c. 3.0 Ma points to the onset of a long-term cooling trend during the Late Pliocene that culminated in major temperature drops, first during MIS G6, and later during MIS 104. These cold events coincide with the onset of an intensified Northern Hemisphere (NH) glaciation and the largest extent of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, respectively. After the Pliocene/Pleistocene transition, local vegetation and primary production in Lake El'gygtygyn experienced a major change from relatively uniform conditions to a high-amplitude glacial-to-interglacial cyclicity that fluctuated on a dominant 41 kyr obliquity band, but changed to a 100 kyr eccentricity dominance during the Middle Pleistocene transition (MPT) at c. 1.2–0.6 Ma. Periods of exceptional warming in the Pleistocene record of Lake El'gygytgyn with dense boreal forests around and peaks of primary production in the lake are assigned to so-called “super-interglacial” periods. The occurrence of these super-interglacials well corresponds to collapses of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) recorded in ice-free periods in the ANDRILL core, which suggests strong intrahemispheric teleconnections presumably driven by changes in the thermocline ocean circulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the first radiocarbon-dated palynological record from a peat section (57°49′10.03"N; 114°03′31.37"E, 251 m above sea level) in the Mamakan area located in the lower Vitim River valley, about 350 km northeast of Lake Baikal. While the area is particularly renowned for its numerous multi-layered Upper Palaeolithic (ca. 50,000–14,000/10,000 cal yr BP) archaeological sites with rich cultural assemblages, there is also evidence for human occupation during the Mesolithic–Neolithic–Bronze Age period (ca. 14,000/10,000–3000 cal yr BP). However, the absence of accurately dated palaeoenvironmental records does not allow discussion of prehistoric human–environment interactions in this area. The records of pollen, spores and other non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) from the Mamakan site presented in this article document changes in the vegetation and climate of the study area between 6570 and 3630 cal yr BP. From 6570 to 6200 cal yr BP the vegetation around the site was dominated by sparse forests of mainly spruce and larch, indicating that the permafrost layer was located relatively close to the surface. Fir was part of the forest communities in habitats with a milder microclimate and a deeper permafrost layer. Around 6200 cal yr BP Scots pine started to spread across the study area. Until 4670 cal yr BP it dominated the pollen spectra of the Mamakan record, indicating warmer conditions. Climate cooling and higher soil moisture is indicated by the spread of Siberian pine and Siberian dwarf pine at the expense of Scots pine between 4670 and 3840 cal yr BP. From 3840 cal yr BP the Mamakan record suggests a landscape opening associated with the spread of Sphagnum -dominated bog vegetation and an increase in the occurrence of wildfires (3870–3820 cal yr BP), which were either natural in origin or caused by human activities. The spread of Scots pine paralleled by a decline in dark conifers (spruce and fir) and larch in the Lake Baikal Region (LBR) has been linked to a 'hiatus' in the Cis-Baikal archaeological records of the Middle Neolithic (6660–6060 cal yr BP). Around the Mamakan site this vegetation change occurred comparatively late, about 600 years later than in the regions around and east (e.g. Lake Baunt area) of Lake Baikal. The Mamakan pollen and NPP records, together with the available archaeological data, suggest that the environmental conditions in the lower Vitim River area may have sustained the hunter-gatherer lifestyle also during the 'hiatus' interval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a quantitative chronology for the spread of rice, based on the global Rice Chronology Database that builds upon direct datings of archaeological rice remains. Bayesian and spatio-temporal modelling suggest eastern China (lower Yangzi, middle Yangzi, southern Huai River, and Shandong) and northeastern South Asia as two key origins of rice cultivation, dating to ca. 7430 and 6460 BCE, respectively. At least two episodes of spread of rice are identified. The first, dating to the 4th and 3rd millennia BCE, accounts for the appearance of rice in the middle Yellow River and Wei River regions, southeastern China, southwestern China, and Southeast Asia. An examination of population dynamics in China shows that this episode of spread might be associated with farmers whose subsistence was based largely on millets. During a second episode of spread, dating between the 1st millennium BCE and 1st millennium CE, rice spread to the Liao River region, Central Asia, and Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first millennium BCE was pivotal for the environment and for human societies in Central and Eastern Eurasia because transformations accelerated and altered natural and cultural landscapes to hitherto unknown dimensions. Among the major driving forces was the increasing use of horse riding, which extended range of movement significantly and led to the development of cavalry units as a part of large armies. Empires with enormous outreach and gravitational pull formed and disintegrated in close dependence. The wide spread of military technologies demonstrates their bonds, though mostly in the form of metal objects due to the inherent survivability of their materials. Equipment and protective clothing of organic material, albeit produced in large numbers and thus an economic and environmental factor, are rarely preserved. In Yanghai cemetery site, Turfan, the remains of one leather scale armour were discovered. In this study, the results of the AMS radiocarbon dating as well as the construction details of the Yanghai find are presented and compared with a contemporary armour of unknown origin in the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York (MET) and with finds and depictions from the Near East, the adjacent northern steppe areas and the territory of China. The armour, datable to 786–543 cal BCE (95% probability), was originally made of about 5444 smaller scales and 140 larger scales, which, together with leather laces and lining, had a total weight of ca. 4–5 kg. Our reconstruction demonstrates that it can be donned quickly and without the help of another person by wrapping the left part around the back, tying it to the right part under the right arm and fastening with thongs crosswise over the back to laces at the opposite hip parts. Fitting different statures, it is a light and highly efficient defensive garment. In age, construction details and aesthetic appearance it resembles the MET armour. The stylistic similarities but constructional differences suggest that the two armours were intended as outfits for distinct units of the same army, i.e. light cavalry and heavy infantry, respectively. As such a high level of standardization of military equipment during the 7th century BCE is only known for the Neo-Assyrian military forces, we suggest that the place of manufacture of both armours was the Neo-Assyrian Empire. If this supposition is correct, then the Yanghai armour is one of the rare actual proofs of West-East technology transfer across the Eurasian continent during the first half of the first millennium BCE, when social and economic transformation enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture based on broomcorn and foxtail millet has been identified as one of the main drivers of population expansion and/or resource and innovation transfer across Neolithic and Bronze Age Eurasia. However, accurate reconstruction of spatio-temporal patterns of millet spread within and outside China remains a challenging issue. Here we use a representative set of 27 millet-based radiocarbon (14C) dates from southern Primorye to reconstruct when millet cultivation became part of hunter-fisher-gatherer subsistence in this vast southeasternmost region of Russia. The spatio-temporal distribution of the 14C data demonstrates the following picture. After the earliest conventionally accepted (although not directly dated) appearance of millet at the Krounovka-1 site in the Suifen (Razdol'naya) River catchment west of Khanka Lake around 3521–3356 BCE (95.4% probability range of calibrated ages of wood charcoal), millet agriculture is registered at the site Gvozdevo-4 located on the southern coastal plains northeast of the mouth of the Tumen (Tumannaya) River in the first half of the 3rd millennium BCE. Several archaeological sites (Novoselishche-4, Bogolyubovka-1, Rettikhovka Geologicheskaya-1, Risovoe-4) with directly dated millet indicate the spread of millet cultivation across the fertile plains around Khanka Lake during the second half of the 3rd millennium BCE. The dates obtained from the Olga-10 site on the eastern coastal plains along the Sea of Japan suggest that millet contributed to the food economy there from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE. The presented dataset shows the presence of millet in the north-eastern part of the study region (i.e. at the Glazovka-gorodishche site) in the second half of the 1st millennium BCE. Our dataset demonstrates that millet has been cultivated in southern Primorye since the Late Neolithic, when small-scale agriculture was introduced by Zaisanovskaya culture groups archaeologically documented in the study region and neighbouring regions of China and North Korea. This indicates that millet was an integral part of the subsistence economy of the local populations throughout the entire period under review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain legumes of the Vigna genus are important crops in Asia, although their origins and history of domestication and cultivation are less known than that of rice and millet. Azuki (V. angularis var. angularis) is widely cultivated and consumed across East Asia, especially in China, Korea and Japan, which are considered independent centres of azuki domestication. This study presents the first directly dated archaeobotanical record of V. angularis from Taiwan recovered from prehistoric cultural layers at the Sanbaopi 5 archaeological site (23°07′03″N, 120°15′32″E, 3 m above sea level) located in the Tainan Science Park, south-western Taiwan. The archaeological dataset is compared with charred modern reference material and records from other prehistoric sites in East Asia and then discussed in context of cultivation and domestication. The obtained results suggest that V. angularis was used in the study area between the first half of the 1st millennium BCE (Wushantou phase) and 6th century CE (Niaosong phase) and that it was an important part of the diet of local populations. The younger specimens appear on average larger than the older ones. It is possibly that during this period the pulse underwent selection for size increase so that at least the specimens dating to the 6th century CE may be addressed as azuki (V. angularis var. angularis), the domesticated form of V. angularis var. nipponensis. This indicates that prehistoric Taiwan may have been an independent centre of azuki cultivation/domestication in addition to the previously suggested regions. However, compared to evidence for azuki domestication in Japan, Korea and China, which dates to between ca. 4000 and 1000 BCE, the larger pulses from Taiwan appear quite late (about 4500–1500 years later). An alternative scenario to regional domestication is that azuki was introduced to the island by immigrating farmers or through exchange across the Taiwan Strait. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current study, different geochemical and biological proxies, including pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, ostracods and molluscs, from an AMS radiocarbon-dated sediment core from Lake Ochaul (54°14′N, 106°28′E; 641 m a.s.l.) are presented and discussed. Ochaul is a fresh-water lake and an archaeological site situated ca. 100 km northwest of Lake Baikal in the upper reaches of the Lena River. The 260-cm-long sedimentary record presented here spans the Lateglacial–Holocene interval, between ca. 13,500 cal yr BP and the present. The reconstructions of the postglacial vegetation and lake system development are discussed along with the regional climate dynamics and the hemispheric-scale environmental changes. During the Allerød interstadial the region around Lake Ochaul was dominated by sparse taiga forests. Cooling during the Younger Dryas led to a more open tundra landscape where trees formed patchy forest stands in climatically favourable environments. This facilitated a rapid spread of forests at the onset of the Early Holocene during which the study region was probably characterized by seasonally dry climate controlled by the interplay of higher insolation, lower global sea levels and remaining ice sheets in the North Atlantic region. After thermal and moisture optimum conditions and a maximum spread of forests during the Middle Holocene, continuous cooling and a trend to more open forests landscapes marked the Late Holocene. These long-term trends were interrupted by several relatively short episodes of change in the vegetation and algal records, which coincide with short-term (centennial-scale) Northern Hemisphere cooling/drying phases. This shows that the regional vegetation reacted sensitively to these climate oscillations. Six AMS radiocarbon dates of bone material of large herbivorous animals from the Ochaul archaeological site located at the northern shore of the lake provide important information about prehistoric hunter-gatherers and indicate that activities at the site took place at ca. 27,780–27,160 cal yr BP (95% probability range) as well as during the Mesolithic (ca. 8850–8450 cal yr BP), Early, Middle and Late Neolithic (between ca. 6840 and 5490 cal yr BP) and the Iron Age (ca. 2120–1930 cal yr BP). Our results demonstrate that despite major environmental transformations following the Last Glacial Maximum, Lake Ochaul and the Malaya Anga River valley remained attractive for large herbivores and for prehistoric hunter-gatherers, even during the Middle Neolithic cultural "hiatus" (ca. 6660–6060 cal yr BP) in Cis-Baikal, as documented by the published archaeological records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebun is a small island located northwest of Hokkaido Island where hunter-fisher-gatherer cultural traditions continued until the 19th century CE. In this study, we quantified polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pentacyclic triterpene methyl ethers (PTMEs), n -fatty acids, and glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in sediments from Lake Kushu in northern Rebun Island to reconstruct changes in limnology, the local environment and local to regional fire activities during the past 17,000 years (i.e., 17 ka). The PAH concentration increased from 11 to 10 cal ka BP. PAH and PTME compositions indicate that this change was associated with an increase of fire activity at proximal locations (i.e., the vicinity of Lake Kushu) and a change in the composition of grasses growing around the lake. A peak in PAH concentrations at 6.6–6.0 cal ka BP likely indicates intensive fire activity on Rebun Island. The PAH composition after 6 cal ka BP mainly reflected the combustion of conifers near the lake. The GDGTs, n -fatty acids, perylene, and PTME concentrations were higher around 10 cal ka BP and after 6 cal ka BP compared to the remaining periods, suggesting better preservation of those compounds under lake conditions marked by lower oxygen concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-altitude lake Tso Moriri (32°55′46″N, 78°19′24″E; 4522 m a.s.l.) is situated at the margin of the Indian Summer Monsoon and westerly influences in the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh. Human settlements are rare and domestic and wild animals are concentrated in the alpine meadows. A set of modern surface samples and fossil pollen from a deep-water core was evaluated with focus on indicator types revealing human impact, grazing activities and lake system development during the last ca. 12 cal ka BP. The non-pollen palynomorph (NPP) record, comprising remains of limnic algae and invertebrates as well as fungal spores and charred plant tissue fragments, were examined in order to attest palaeolimnic phases and human impact, respectively. Changes in the early and middle Holocene limnic environment are mainly influenced by regional climatic conditions and glacier-fed meltwater flow in the catchment area. The NPP record indicates low lake productivity with high influx of freshwater between ca. 11.5 and 4.5 cal ka BP which is in agreement with the regional monsoon dynamics and published climate reconstructions. Geomorphologic observations suggest that during this period of enhanced precipitation the lake had a regular outflow and contributed large amounts of water to the Sutlej River, the lower reaches of which were integral part of the Indus Civilisation area. The inferred minimum freshwater input and maximum lake productivity between ca. 4.5–1.8 cal ka BP coincides with the reconstruction of greatest aridity and glaciation in the Korzong Valley, resulting in significantly reduced or even ceased outflow. We suggest that lowered lake levels and river discharge at a larger regional scale may have caused irrigation problems and harvest losses in the Indus Valley and lowlands occupied by sedentary agricultural communities. This scenario, in turn, supports the hypothesis that Mature Harappan urbanism (ca. 4.5–3.9 cal ka BP) emerged in order to facilitate storage, protection, administration, and redistribution of crop yields, and secondly, the eventual decline of the Harappan Culture (ca. 3.5–3 cal ka BP) was promoted by prolonged aridity. There is no clear evidence for human impact around Tso Moriri prior to ca. 3.7 cal ka BP, with a more distinct record since ca. 2.7 cal ka BP. This suggests that the sedimentary record from Tso Moriri primarily archives the regional climate history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new fossil pollen record from Tso Moriri (32°54′N, 78°19′E, 4512 m a.s.l.) and seeks to reconstruct changes in mean annual precipitation (MAP) during the last 12,000 years. This high-alpine lake occupies an area of 140 km 2 in a glacial-tectonic valley in the northwestern Himalaya. The region has a cold climate, with a MAP <300 mm, and open vegetation. The hydrology is controlled by the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM), but winter westerly-associated precipitation also affects the regional water balance. Results indicate that precipitation levels varied significantly during the Holocene. After a rapid increase in MAP, a phase of maximum humidity was reached between ca. 11 and 9.6 cal ka BP, followed by a gradual decline in MAP. This trend parallels the reduction in the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. Comparison of different palaeoclimate proxy records reveal evidence for a stronger Holocene decrease in precipitation in the northern versus the southern parts of the ISM domain. The long-term trend of ISM weakening is overlaid with several short periods of greater dryness, which are broadly synchronous with the North Atlantic cold spells, suggesting reduced amounts of westerly-associated winter precipitation. Compared to the mid and late Holocene, it appears that westerlies had a greater influence on the western parts of the ISM domain during the early Holocene. During this period, the westerly-associated summer precipitation belt was positioned at Mediterranean latitudes and amplified the ISM-derived precipitation. The Tso Moriri pollen record and moisture reconstructions also suggest that changes in climatic conditions affected the ancient Harappan Civilisation, which flourished in the greater Indus Valley from approximately 5.2 to 3 cal ka BP. The prolonged Holocene trend towards aridity, punctuated by an interval of increased dryness (between ca. 4.5 and 4.3 cal ka BP), may have pushed the Mature Harappan urban settlements (between ca. 4.5 and 3.9 cal ka BP) to develop more efficient agricultural practices to deal with the increasingly acute water shortages. The amplified aridity associated with North Atlantic cooling between ca. 4 and 3.6 and around 3.2 cal ka BP further hindered local agriculture, possibly causing the deurbanisation that occurred from ca. 3.9 cal ka BP and eventual collapse of the Harappan Civilisation between ca. 3.5 and 3 cal ka BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]