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A comprehensive review of Holocene paleoenvironmental data has been prepared, providing the basis for evaluating natural variability in climate and ecosystem dynamics in the northern Columbia River basin. The paleoenvironmental record reveals four major climatic shifts and a number of less well-defined climatic changes throughout the Holocene. The major climate changes are (1) a cool or cold, late-glacial climate at the end of the last glaciation (>11 500 cal. year BP), (2) an interval of drought and maximum summer warmth during the early Holocene (ca. 10500 to 8000 cal. year BP), (3) a mid-Holocene trend towards a cooler, more moist climate (ca. 8000 to ca. 4000 cal. year BP), and (4) a relatively stable climate persisting from ca. 4000 cal. year BP until the arrival of European settlers. Air temperatures have warmed by about 1 °C over the past century. Minor climate events that are emerging as global in nature include Little Ice Age (1200–150 BP) conditions, and a late Holocene cool wet period (3500–2500 BP). These are observed in some study sites examined in this paper and may be related to large-scale cycles of 2800–2000 and 1500 years. A discussion of changing atmospheric circulation patterns, and the causes of long-term climatic change are included, together with a discussion of the implications of the paleoenvironmental record for understanding future climate, and the likely response of communities and ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]