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Paleolimnology is a rapidly expanding field within the natural sciences. To date, many scientific papers have been published focusing on studies of remains from single sediment cores in specific lakes, or a few cores from the same water body. However, few previous publications have provided a comprehensive comparative analysis of taphocenosis (and maternal community) changes in different water bodies from a large geographical region during whole Holocene using multivariate statistical methods. We conducted a joined statistical analysis of data obtained as a result of the cladoceran analysis of the sediment samples from six cores taken along the North-South transect from the Kola Peninsula to the Karelian Region (North-West Russia). Our aim was to identify, based on quantitative statistical methods, general whole-Holocene patterns in cladoceran taphocenosis changes. All taphocenoses in all cores from six lakes can be classified into six clusters based on their species composition. Our unexpected conclusion is that different taphocoenoses are formed by the same set of species, but their proportions vary significantly. This suggests that the same species may play different functional roles in different maternal communities. During whole Holocene, we observed a single taphocenosis cluster in the Holocene core from Lake Antyukh-Lambina, and four taphocenosis clusters in the Lake Medvedevskoe, with an intermediate number of clusters in the lakes between them. Furthermore, it can be asserted that the potential for cluster changes in the core is greater for the more southern studied water bodies (0–3 clusters for northern lakes vs. 4 clusters for southern lakes). Based on our data, we hypothesize that the diversity of cladoceran associations during the Holocene was lower in Arctic/Subarctic lakes, possibly due to their formation by ubiquitous species. Our study suggests that at least some Arctic lake ecosystems have remained unchanged since deglaciation times. Further studies are necessary to determine if this is a general rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea-level rise was a key factor changing environments during the Early Holocene in Northwest Europe. It affected Mesolithic hunter-gatherer communities by inundating large areas in the current North Sea, commonly referred to as Doggerland. In this paper we present novel inundation models for the southern North Sea providing visualisations of lateral inundation driven by sea-level rise and relate it to frequency analysis of radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites. These improve on previous studies that relied on bathymetric data, which includes post-inundation overprints of Holocene sedimentation and erosion, and thus significantly underestimates the timing of inundation in some areas. We constructed a paleoDEM (a composite elevation grid of the top of the Pleistocene) for the eastern part of the southern North Sea; and sea level surfaces that combine relative sea-level curves from glacio-isostatic adjustment models optimised for Britain and southern Scandinavia respectively. We corrected our paleoDEMs for tectonic background basin subsidence, and in the inundation modelling account for pre-compaction elevation of peat in coastal areas. We evaluated the impact of these model components on our results and describe the possible inundation history of Doggerland. We suggest earlier inundation than predicted by previous models, showing significant area loss around 10.5–10 ka cal BP. Palaeogeographic changes are compared with archaeological radiocarbon data using a dates-as-data approach. Composite Kernel Density Estimate and permutation tested Summed Probability Distributions are used as a proxy for the visibility, nature and intensity of human activity. Results indicate key periods of growth and decline recorded in the dataset, as well as regional differences in growth rate, some correlating with inundation phases. Chiefly, we find elevated growth rates around 10.5–10 ka in northwest Germany and the Netherlands, contemporaneous with the abovementioned phase of extensive area loss, and moreover, with changes in culture and practices on Early Mesolithic sites. However, the spatiotemporal distribution of archaeological data is significantly influenced by accessibility and preservation of sediments of a certain age. We discuss the importance of inundation modelling and sediment data in understanding how landscape taphonomy affects archaeological patterning, especially in dates-as-data approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a new high-resolution (up to decadal) palaeoecological evidence based on detailed AMS radiocarbon dating, plant macrofossils, testate amoebae, loss on ignition, peat humification, elemental and stable isotopic records, obtained from a palsa peatland located in vicinities of Igarka town. This gave us a unique possibility to examine the mid-to late Holocene environmental changes in a poorly investigated area in Yenisei Siberia. The obtained data show that the peatland initiation occurred at about 6350 cal yr BP by paludification of a larch forest in the conditions of climate warming and high surface wetness, possibly, due to permafrost thaw. The first sign of palsa formation occurred about 5360 cal yr BP and coincided with the temperature decrease, wetter and anoxic conditions in peatland. After several phases of uplifts (and relatively dryer conditions) and partial thawing and subsidence of its surface (wetter conditions) between 5360 and 2250 cal yr BP, the continuous rise of the perennial frost mound (up to the height of 5 m) accomplished by drying its surface and colonization by drought-resistant plant species, evidently, encouraged by the climate cooling and permafrost aggradation during the last two millennia. The high-resolution analyses of elemental (C and N) and stable isotope content (δ13C and δ15N) of the peat sequence revealed the strong linkages between the plant composition and mineralization/humification processes. Our multi-proxy study revealed detailed features of peat accumulation patterns driven by multiple interrelated allogenic and autogenic forcings, influencing changes in peat macroelement content and stable isotope composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Red River Fault Zone is a large-scale right-lateral strike-slip fault zone with relatively strong activity during the Quaternary Period. This fault, located on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai‒Tibetan Plateau, plays a key role in the extrusion, rotation and escape of the continental blocks constituting the Qinghai‒Tibetan Plateau. Furthermore, this fault represents the southwestern boundary of the Sichuan–Yunnan Block, which has experienced strong deformation and frequent seismic activity. The northern segment of the Red River Fault Zone is the most active part of the whole fault. However, surface erosion and vegetation coverage have obscured the activity of the northern segment; therefore, the study of its activity has obviously been insufficient. There is still controversy over whether all the secondary faults on the northern segment are active Holocene faults. Studying the activity characteristics of the northern segment, which is densely populated, is particularly important for seismic risk prevention in this area. Based on remote sensing interpretations and field geological surveys, this paper describes the latest activity characteristics of the Cangshan Piedmont Fault, Fengyi–Dingxiling Fault and Midu Basin Margin Fault, including their spatial distributions and kinematic characteristics. According to the ages of the offset strata in profiles, the above three secondary faults were all active in the late Holocene. The latest active age of the Cangshan Piedmont Fault was later than 543-494 cal BP, and two palaeoseismic events that occurred in this section during the Holocene occurred at 2700 and 473 cal BP. The latest active age of the Fengyi–Dingxiling Fault was later than 2760–2700 cal BP; in this section, one Holocene palaeoseismic event occurred between 1777 cal BP and 2730 cal BP, another occurred between 2730 cal BP and 5664 cal BP, and the third occurred between 6449 cal BP and 8360 cal BP. The latest active age of the Midu Basin Margin Fault was later than 558-510 cal BP, and two Holocene palaeoseismic events occurred later than 2318-2114 cal BP and 558-510 cal BP. Based on the results of this paper and previous studies, we believe that the Fengyi–Dingxiling Fault on the northern segment of the Red River Fault Zone is at risk for future strong earthquakes. Additionally, abundant geological and geomorphologic evidence suggests that the northern segment is dominated by normal faults, reflecting the local strain response to secondary clockwise rotation of the Sichuan–Yunnan Block along the boundary fault. This finding is in line with the eastwards extrusion and escape of materials on the Qinghai‒Tibetan Plateau caused by the northwards and northeastwards pushing of the Indian Plate. To a certain extent, these observations reflect the tectonic deformation coordination between block rotation and boundary fault slip in the Sichuan–Yunnan Block in the context of continental block extrusion on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bohai Bay is a typical area of global change research in East Asia, due to its unique geographical location and shallow water environment. In this paper, we present the results of a study of grain-size, geochemistry, pollen and algae of a middle to late Holocene sediment core from Haixing wetland, which located on the west coast of Bohai Bay. The results show that: 1) Prior to 6700 cal a B.P., the content of Cl, Sr/Ca ratio were the highest, end-member analysis of grain size suggested EM2 were dominant, which is characteristic of marine sediment and the concentrations of Pediastrum and Typha (indicating a freshwater environment) pollen were lowest, overall indicating the maximum of relative sea level; 2) During 6700–5000 cal a B.P., and the Ti and K contents, EM1 (lacustrine sedimentary component) increased substantially, EM2 decreased, and EM3 (fluvial sedimentary component) began to appear. The concentrations of Pediastrum , Dinophyceae and Typha pollen began to increase. All these indicating that the relative sea level began to fall and the study area became a lagoon environment; 3) During 5000–3500 cal a B.P. the Ti and K content increased further; EM1 was dominant, EM2 was rare, indicating that the relative sea level decreased further and the lagoon gradually became enclosed; 4) After 3500 cal a B.P., the Ti content reached its maximum and the Cl content and Sr/Ca ratio decreased to their lowest levels. EM1 was dominant and EM2 was virtually absent; dinoflagellate cysts almost disappeared and there was large increase of Typha pollen, indicating the complete exclusion of a marine influence during most of this period. However, during 2500–2000 cal a B.P. the Cl and the Sr/Ca ratio increased slightly once again, indicating a transient transgression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pierced antlers, traditionally known as bâtons de commandement, are commonly found in many Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites in Europe. Despite their original association to symbolic uses, their function is in constant debate, having as many hypotheses as contexts of finding. Predominance of symbolic use was replaced by the emphasis of antler mechanical properties chosen to perform this type of artefact. In America, pierced antlers are practically absent, however, a large number of antlers with short branches and a central perforation were found in the Low Paraná wetland. They were recovered from hunter-gatherer sites dated in the Late Holocene. In this paper, we analyse their chronological and spatial distribution, the material association and the morphometrical and physical properties of the assemblages to discuss the functional significance of these items in the local contexts. Antlers with and without perforation are considered. As a result, we note that the assemblage under analysis is morphologically different from the European's ones with symmetrical branches, despite the same material properties being maintained in the selection of deer antler as raw material. In our case, antlers without perforation are interpreted as discarded from the manufacturing processes that involve other types of tools besides there is a different proposal for a near area as the República Oriental del Uruguay. Pierced antlers show fractures and use-wear patterns like those described in the international literature. Even if no functional identification can be confirmed, high stress and domestic activity can be proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to highlight new occurrences of tephra and cryptotephra layers from three peatbogs located southeastern from the French Massif Central in France. These tephras were evidenced using magnetic susceptibility logging, scanner imagery and chemical analyses by X-Ray Fluorescence, and characterized by their glass chemistry. Originated from the Chaîne des Puys volcanic field, these six new tephras allow for the definition of a more detailed regional tephrostratigraphic framework. Most of these tephras were deposited between ca. 13,500 and 9500 yrs cal. BP, and the last one was deposited between 6400 and 5920 yrs cal. BP. Some tephras of this framework were previously described in the Jura Mountains, the Northern Alps and the Western Swiss Plateau, and allow its correlation to the Northern European context established by previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentary sequence of La Narce du Béage Basin is one of the few natural archives covering the last 18 ka cal. BP in the French Massif Central. This paper focuses on the palaeoecological reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes affecting this shallow periglacial lake from the Late-Glacial to the Early Holocene. After field surveys and geophysical mapping, two cores (cores A and D) were extracted and dated. Plant macrofossils, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and diatom assemblages were compared within the cores to study vegetation, temperature, pH, water level and ice cover changes through time. During the Oldest Dryas (18–14.75 ka cal. BP), climatic conditions were the coldest with a short ice-free season allowing the development of periphytic diatoms only (ecologically comparable to Arctic ones). A cold and dry steppe landscape – exposed to severe erosion – comprised an herbaceous and shrub flora (e.g. Artemisia , Chenopodiaceae, Helianthemum, Ephedra, Hippophaë, Juniperus). Animal presence is suggested by coprophilous fungi. Periphytic diatoms and allochtonous pollen (Cedrus) underline windy conditions, and the possible erosion of neo-formed soils. Then, during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial (14.75–12.7 ka cal. BP), the ice-free season increased and some trees/shrubs (Salix, Betula and Juniperus) established locally within open grasslands. During the Younger Dryas (12.7–11.7 ka cal. BP) cooler conditions favoured steppe taxa again (Helianthemum, Achillea, Artemisia , Caryophyllaceae, Ranunculaceae) and erosion increased. The ice cover on the lake prevailed even if the conditions were not as cold as during the Oldest Dryas. During the Preboreal (11.7–10 ka cal. BP) Isoëtes echinospora and I. lacustris developed in the eulittoral zone of the lake, which was surrounded by a swamp forest (with Betula nana and B. pubescens). Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana and trees from the Quercetum mixtum rapidly established in the uplands. Occurrences of Gaeumannomyces and Xylomyces fungi – both phytopathogens on broadleaved trees – and decreasing herb values indirectly hint at a close forest canopy. At the beginning of the Boreal (10 ka cal. BP), aquatic and semi-aquatic taxa developed on open water due to longer ice-free seasons (diatoms, micro-algae, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Potamogeton, Typha). The final terrestrialization towards a mire occurred as a consequence of the Holocene warming and related to water chemistry changes (acidification, eutrophication). • During the last deglaciation, a very shallow lake established as demonstrated by palaeoecological data, such as epiphytic diatoms, living on rocks. • Late-Glacial steppe landscape with severe erosion, open grassland and possible mega-herbivore presence. Arctic-like conditions. • Development of shrubs or trees during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial and reduced ice-free season. • Dry and cold conditions persisted from the Younger Dryas to the Early Preboreal. Oligotrophic flora (Isoetids) established in the eulittoral zone. • During the post-glacial warming, the lake tended to acidify. Peat flora and organic matter accumulated and led to the terrestrialization of the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand long-term precipitation changes in arid Central Asia, reconstruction of past precipitation is critical. This paper analyzed the core sediments of Balikun lake in eastern Xinjiang. We analyzed 200 pollen samples, combined with 441 surface pollen samples and a radiocarbon chronology, using the Weighted Averaging Partial Least Sequence (WA-PLS) method, to characterize the Holocene high-resolution precipitation change process in Balikun basin. And, Combined with the vegetation types reconstructed by biome method, we discussed the landscape evolution of Balikun basin. Results show that the mean annual precipitation during the Holocene can be broken into three phases: Early Holocene (11,750–8030 cal yr B.P.), which averaged about 130 mm; Middle Holocene (8030–4420 cal yr B.P.), which averaged about 250 mm; and Late Holocene (4420–0 cal yr B.P.), which averaged about 210 mm. The vegetation changed from desert to steppe during the Holocene, and the wetlands gradually expanded, which was mainly informed by precipitation and glacial melt water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The periodicities of the climate change have long been explored by researchers not only because they reflect the inherent characteristics of the climate systems, but also because they are the foundations of climate-change predictability. This paper reports the periodicities of the hydroclimate variations reconstructed from a lacustrine sequence at Tiancun section (TC section) in the Luoyang Basin within the Central Plains of China and the sequence covers the first half of the Holocene. Our reconstruction shows that the hydroclimate variations at the TC section during the period from ∼10,135 and ∼ 5890 cal. yr BP were well corresponding with the effective soil moisture variations recorded by the stalagmite δ13C sequence at the Magou Cave. This corresponding relationship suggests that when the effective soil moisture increases (i.e., more negative δ13C values), the ratio of evaporation over precipitation in the paleolake at the TC section decreased, resulting in lower CaCO 3 content. It also suggests that when the effective soil moisture increases, more inflowing water entered the paleolake, resulting in coarser sediments. Our reconstruction also shows that the hydroclimate variations or lake level variations in the Luoyang Basin were characterized by millennial-scale quasi-periodicities that were most likely paced by the changes in ITCZ (Inter-tropical Convergent Zone) position and also by alterations in ENSO-like phase. And, both (ITCZ and ENSO) were most likely regulated by the solar activity. Our further analysis shows that the hydroclimate in the Luoyang Basin also experienced centennial-scale variations. Specifically, the grain size data express the following cycles: 692-year, 538-year, 217-year, 170-year and 123-year, all at the 99% confidence level. And, the CaCO 3 content data express the following cycles: 202-year, 184-year, 169-year and 85-year, all at the 99% confidence level. These cycles are approximately coincident with the widely-reported solar-activity cycles. • This paper reports the periodicities of the hydroclimate variations reconstructed from a lacustrine sequence in the Central Plains of China and the sequence covers the first half of the Holocene. • The hydroclimate variations were primarily paced by changes in ITCZ position and also by alterations in ENSO-like phase. And, both (ITCZ and ENSO) were most likely regulated by solar activity. • The centennial-scale hydroclimate variations were approximately coincident with the widely-reported solar-activity cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on the evolution of coral reefs in the South China Sea, this special issue is dedicated to enhancing our understanding of Holocene environmental and climate changes in the region and their driving mechanisms. It comprises twenty-four papers organised into seven themes: (1) Palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment evolution recorded by coral reefs; (2) Palaeo-ENSO activity recorded by coral reefs; (3) Palaeo-storm activity recorded by coral reefs; (4) The formation and evolution of coral reefs; (5) Carbonate diagenesis in coral reefs; (6) The application of new geochemical record indicators to coral reefs; and (7) Lipid biomarker records in coral reefs. This special issue provides an improved understanding of Holocene paleoclimates and paleoenvironments within the South China Sea, and the development of its coral reefs. It is hoped that these findings will deepen our knowledge of the natural and anthropogenic processes that contribute to climate and environmental change in the region, and aid the long-term protection of coral reef systems. • This special issue on recent advances of coral reefs in the South China Sea comprises twenty-four papers. • This special issue focuses on the evolution of coral reefs and their records on paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the paleogeographic evolution of Viedma Lake (252 masl) sedimentary sequences with glaciolacustrine and lacustrine strata between 307 masl and 266 masl and bathymetric fluctuations between 27 ka. and 2.4 ka. were identified. The paleoenvironmental interpretation of the stratigraphic profiles was carried out based on the analysis of facies and their associations. The oldest age was recorded at 301 masl (27 ka) and the youngest corresponds to 266 masl (2.4 ka). The record of 27 ka was compared with another dated record of the Tar-San Martin Lakes basin showing that Viedma – Tar-San Martín Lakes were formed at similar ages. Taking into account that the deposits of Bahía Túnel are located at 266 masl and that the level of the lake would be above this height, it is proposed that this lake level would have restricted the movement of hunter-gatherer populations along the coast and to the west. From 2.4 ka on a new space started to be available for these populations broadening the wintering grounds (≤400 masl). The chronology of the archaeological record found in this new space fits the proposed paleogeographic evolution. This paper complements the research on the evolution of lacustrine systems in the Patagonian Mountain range and broadens the discussion of human mobility in the Viedma Lake basin during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the Holocene evolution of the Cávado estuarine coastal system (Portugal) and the adjacent terrestrial areas, using a multidisciplinary approach, which includes geomorphology, sedimentology, palynology, radiocarbon and history. During the Early Holocene, the Cávado environment was characterized by the dominance of coarse sediments especially in the most westward areas, corresponding to fluvial energetic dynamics. During the Middle Holocene, the presence of wetlands dominated especially in the most sheltered areas. The pollen data reflect the predominance of forests during the initial phases of the introduction of agriculture, with a significant presence of humid forests. Between 4240 and 3980 cal BP, a sudden marine flooding took place over the peat. During the Late Holocene, there was a succession of low, high and again low energy fluvial environments in the eastward sheltered areas, while high energy dominated in the Fão channel entrance, with marine influence on the uppermost units. The pollen content reflects a situation of high human influence, with a poor representation of natural forests and a predominance of agrosystems, related to the rise of the Cávado estuary as a port during the heyday of the city of Braga during the Roman and Suevian periods, as described in historical texts and archaeological research. In connection with this growth, the pollen data show the existence of local Pinus plantations related to shipbuilding and repair in the port. During these times, the estuary was larger and open to the sea at Fão. After the 15th century, with the general silting of coastal areas, the inlet closed and the river mouth was displaced to the North. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of pastoralism, as an alternative or adjunct to farming in China's long history, a clear understanding of the spreading routes and mechanisms of pastoralism in China is lacking. Fungal spores can be a useful addition to zooarchaeological evidence and have been widely used to explore the origins and development of pastoralism in different regions of the globe. The northern Loess Plateau is one of the most important areas for the emergence and development of pastoralism in early China. The aim of this paper was to take the fungal spores in the Baihemiao (BHM) core that we extracted from a site in the Yulin region, combine them with the zooarchaeological records to explore their relationship with climate and environmental changes, and reconstruct the evolution of animal husbandry in the northern Loess Plateau since the mid-Holocene. The results indicate that the climatic conditions in the northern Loess Plateau during the first period of 6–4.2 ka were relatively humid, the number of domesticated herbivores was small, animal husbandry was not developed, and the spores of coprophilous fungi in the sediments mainly originated from wild herbivores. Fungal spores as well as zooarchaeological evidence reveal that cattle and sheep grazing developed rapidly in the region during the second period, c. 4.2–3 ka. We suggest that the arid climatic conditions during this period facilitated the development of pastoral activities in the northern Loess Plateau. However, this pastoral economy gradually weakened after 1.2 ka. • Sporormiella suggests a high volume of herbivore activities in the Baihemiao area in 6–4.2 ka. • Fungal spores and zooarchaeological record from the archaeological sites indicate that grazing activity was strong in 4.2-3 ka. • Arid climatic conditions facilitated the development of pastoral activities in the northern Loess Plateau in 4.2–3 ka. • Pastoralism weakened and declined during the period from 3 ka to 1.2 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing correlations between pile and cone penetration test (CPT) results often lack versatility for silty geomaterials, as they were primarily developed for clays or sands. To establish meaningful correlations, it is essential to understand the geology of the environment under examination. The CPT and its derived parameters, including the Soil Behavior Type (SBT) index, have proven to provide reliable soil information, particularly in the field of pile foundation engineering. This paper presents the findings and interpretations from several pile load tests conducted alongside field cone penetration tests on a Holocene saline interlayered silty formation, a distinct condition encountered in practice. Various CPT-based pile design methods were employed to evaluate pile capacity based on CPT results. As observed, predictions for pile shaft resistance in this geological formation remained consistent across all methods, while notable variations emerged in estimating pile end bearing. This was inferred to be a result of limited research on pile end bearing capacity in the literature, leading to proposals of broad ranges for pile influence zone and toe coefficient values, as well as various CPT tip resistance averaging techniques across different methods. Consequently, to improve accuracy, modifications based on site-specific test data may be necessary. Drawing from the assessments, effective modifications involved considering the SBT index near the pile tip. Subsequently, the current study introduces a new region-specific adjustment to the widely recognized Enhanced Unicone method based on the SBT index, resulting in a more accurate estimate of pile end bearing in such interlayered silty contexts, with less scatter compared to other available approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene open-air archaeological sites have been assumed to be disturbed throughout Central Africa because key sites located on the Kalahari Sand Belt and excavated in the 1970s documented substantial artefact displacement. As a result, only cave sites have long been seen as suitable for presenting reliable vertical chrono-cultural sequences, and minimal effort was made to investigate open-air sites in Central Africa. This paper presents a multi-disciplinary approach combining archaeological, anthracological, and sediment granulometry data to test the vertical integrity of detailed excavations at the open-air site Mukila (DRC). Refitting analysis shows only minor vertical displacement of lithics (6306 artefacts), pottery (1095 sherds) and charcoal (447 fragments), along with a uniform soil particle size distribution throughout the profile. A chronology of 16 radiocarbon dates confirms a continuous age-depth relationship at the site. These data reveal a mostly intact stratigraphy spanning the last 40,000 years. We thus demonstrate that sites along the northern edges of the Kalahari Sand Belt do not per se show vertical disturbance of charcoal and artefact distribution despite uniform grain size distribution. We conclude that a multi-disciplinary approach is mandatory for studying the integrity of archaeological sequences from Central African open-air sites. • The site of Mukila covers 40 millennia and provides a rare glimpse into the lithic production in the Late Pleistocene to the Holocene south of the equatorial rainforest of Central Africa. • The integrity of open-air sites has never been proven by utilising extensive refitting of lithics in combination with anthracological analyses in that region. • We provide a robust protocol for a multi-disciplinary study of site integrity in open-air sites. • The latest Late Stone Age findings are crucial to further our understanding of these insufficiently studied communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily insolation at a given latitude is often used in the explanation of the long-term variations of paleoclimate records. However, the length of astronomical seasons, which has been paid less attention, could also be important. This paper provides an original calculation of the length of these seasons using the eccentric anomaly. The past and future long-term variations as well as the spectral characteristics of the length of astronomical seasons, of the total and average insolation over the astronomical seasons and of the caloric insolation are shown and compared. The length of astronomical seasons is only a function of climatic precession. The total irradiation for a given latitude and an astronomical season is mainly a function of obliquity except that it is mainly a function of eccentricity in a latitudinal band that is season dependent and from where the phase between obliquity and total irradiation reverses (e.g. ∼11.5°N for the astronomical northern hemisphere summer half-year). The spectral characteristic of the mean insolation over the astronomical summer half-year varies in latitude and time. It contains stronger obliquity signal in high latitudes than in low latitudes, but the obliquity signal already gets very weak at 45°N/S leaving the dominance of climatic precession between 45°N and 45°S. The variation of the mean summer half-year insolation over the last 1 Ma is characterized by a Mid-Brunhes transition at ∼450 ka BP, with a dominant role of climatic precession at all latitudes before ∼450 ka BP but significantly enhanced role of obliquity in high latitudes after this time. The simultaneous weakening of the variations of climatic precession and obliquity around 800 ka ago, a time corresponding to the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, leads to weak variations in both total and mean seasonal insolation. The insolation of a specific case, the Holocene, is finally discussed. Depending on the sensitivity to different types of insolation, different climate variables and regions could show different evolution and trend during the Holocene. • An original calculation of the length of the astronomical seasons is provided. • Precession and obliquity contribute differently to the length of astronomical seasons and to different insolation metrics. • Distinctive variations of total and mean seasonal insolation characterize the Mid-Brunhes and Mid-Pleistocene transitions. • Different insolation metrics display different trend over the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal sedimentary record of Galicia (NW Spain) is important to study sea-level oscillations during the Late Quaternary. The alluvial deposits preserved in the Ria de Coruña and Ria de Arousa are remnants of fluvial valleys flooded by the sea during the successive Pleistocene and Holocene transgressions. A first chronological study by Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL)- revealed a fast-component dominated, but dim OSL signal emitted by quartz from this area. Equivalent dose distributions, as obtained with the Analyst software, yielded large overdispersion values, which were negatively correlated to the potassium concentration in the sediment, thus suggesting the influence of beta dose rate heterogeneities. Nevertheless, for most samples many aliquots were considered in saturation, leading to a palaeodose and age underestimation – regardless of the model choice for age calculation. In this paper, we present new analyses using the open-source R package BayLum, as the so-called saturated aliquots may be incorporated in age calculation. Thus, we test this model performance and more commonly used models in retrieving large doses. Then, we discuss the implications for age calculation for these continental sediments formed during the Late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first insight into the interpretation of the wood charcoal from the Holocene layers of Wonderwerk Cave. Situated in the Northern Cape Province in the arid interior of South Africa, the site provides a unique and valuable chronological record of past environmental fluctuations and responding human behavioural adaptations spanning the last two million years. The Holocene strata have been dated to cover the last 12.5 ka cal BP years, but exclude the last 100 years because of contamination. A sizeable amount of charcoal was recovered from these strata and remnants have been identified, described and the species composition amongst the strata compared. Most identified species are those that tolerate hot, dry conditions, signalling an arid trend during the Holocene. Comparison with present day species distributions suggests an eastwards shift in modern vegetation. The charcoal data also indicate that during the mid Holocene there was a wetter period from 6.2 to 4.5 ka cal BP, coinciding with stratum 4a. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main drivers of Europe's climate during the Holocene result from the coupling and interplay of external and internal radiative processes with the shifting patterns of many dynamic components (e.g. glaciers, ocean currents, wind fields, vegetation cover). Those driving forces were expressed across a range of geographical scales, from local to global, in a diverse set of records forming a patchwork of evidence as to the fundamental pacing effect of climate on past ecosystems. Various sedimentary deposits resulting from those complex forcing contexts bear climatic signatures that it is not always easy to disentangle especially with respect to local factors. The present paper focuses on a coastal archaeological site on the Medoc peninsula (the Lède du Gurp site in south-western France) that records Holocene palaeoenvironmental changes, decoded here century after century and integrated with ongoing events on a pan-North-Atlantic scale. Based on updated geoarchaeological approaches, thanks to new applications of proxies, especially X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanning methods for this article, continuous sedimentary records have been analysed in order to reconstruct a regional framework for past ecosystem events, including events potentially related to human activity. Our work identifies signals on various scales in the record under study, with both long- and short-term trends and local and global imprints, but all closely bound up with proximal North Atlantic Ocean dynamics. It highlights how western European environments (and so populations) were dependent upon the linearity of climate evolution at the key Northgrippian/Meghalayan transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaporites were deposited in every saline lake in the western Qaidam Basin (QB) during the late Quaternary, but the role of the Quaternary glacial environment in the formation of evaporite deposits remains to be clarified. In this paper, five upper Quaternary evaporite-bearing profiles in the western QB are studied. Uranium-thorium (U–Th) dating was applied to obtain the depositional ages of these profiles, and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis was applied to identify the evaporite minerals. The U–Th dating results indicate that halite (NaCl)-dominated profile D08 and mirabilite (Na 2 SO 4 ·10H 2 O)-dominated profile MXK were deposited between 146.1 ± 53.4 ka and 171.3 ± 27.2 ka, mainly corresponding to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6; the bloedite (Na 2 Mg(SO 4) 2 ·4H 2 O)-dominated profiles WMX1 and WMX2 were deposited between 182.1 ± 2.5 ka and 206.7 ± 7.0 ka, mainly corresponding to the late period of MIS7; and the mirabilite and halite-dominated salt layers in profile D30 were deposited between 9.0 ± 0.7 ka and 14.3 ± 1.6 ka, with mirabilite deposit ages corresponding to MIS2 and early MIS1. The minerals in the profiles identified by XRD analyses are mirabilite, thenardite (Na 2 SO 4), bloedite, gypsum (CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O), starkeyite (MgSO 4 ·4H 2 O), hexahydrite (MgSO 4 ·6H 2 O) and halite. This study, combined with those of previously reported evaporite deposits in the western QB, indicates that MIS7, MIS6 and MIS2 were important evaporite deposition periods in the late Quaternary. Evaporite depositions in the QB during MIS6 and MIS2 were attributed to a decrease in temperature and shrinkage of the saline lake hydrosphere. The cold glacial climate during MIS6 and MIS2 was conducive to mirabilite deposition in the western QB, while the relatively warm climate of the late period MIS7 was conducive to bloedite deposition. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg mountains in the west of KwaZulu-Natal have been home to people for over 25ka years. The primary occupation has, however, been within the last 3ka. Settled primarily by hunter-gatherers, there appears to have been a possible ephemeral pastoralist presence around 2ka and an increasing agriculturist presence during the last 1ka. This paper outlines these occupations, focusing primarily on the northern uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, where most archaeological research has taken place. The emphasis is on the rock shelter excavations at Diamond 1, Driel Shelter, Clarke's Shelter, Collingham Shelter, Good Hope Shelter 1 and Mhlwazini Cave, complemented by reference to open-air and rock shelter surface scatters and rock paintings. Data about the subsistence and material cultural of all these occupants is synthesised to show that the people of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, but primarily the hunters-gatherers, had a varied diet complemented by rich material cultural assemblages. The Discussion considers, (i), the notion of hunter-gatherer seasonality concluding that the mountains could have been occupied on an all-year basis and, (ii), the possible presence of pastoralists in and adjacent the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg around 2ka years ago, which might have involved the practice of feasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New investigations of the Krasnaya Gorka site suggest the emergence of pottery in the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene in the Transbaikal region. Several new AMS dates obtained for the early ceramic cultural layer 2 indicate an age between 13900-10500 cal BP. The results of palynological studies of the Krasnaya Gorka deposits are given in the paper for the first time, and the Late Pleistocene-Holocene environmental changes were reconstructed. Pollen data obtained from the Krasnaya Gorka profile showed cold and dry Late Pleistocene environmental conditions. The regional climate became milder and more humid around 13900–12700 cal BP, which corresponds to the Allerød interstadial thus corroborating the radiocarbon age results. The warmest interval of the Late Pleistocene occurred around 13500 cal BP. Between 12700 and 11800 cal BP, cooling probably corresponds to the cold and dry event of the Younger Dryas. There is some stratigraphical in deposits of the Krasnaya Gorka archeological site. The deposits forming in the early Holocene and beginning of the middle Holocene most likely were removed by erosion. Warming and increased humidity occurred in middle of the late Holocene (2700-1800 cal BP). During the late Holocene, the climate was unstable. Beginning 400 cal BP, the vegetation of the region acquired its modern appearance. Some published materials concerning reconstructions of paleoclimate in the region of Ust'-Karenga XII, Studenoe I, and Ust'-Menza I are considered in the context of general characteristics of the region. Therefore, both palynological reconstructions and radiocarbon dates place the earliest ceramics from Krasnaya Gorka within the final stage of the Late Pleistocene – Early Holocene between 13900-10500 cal BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene stratigraphy of the southeastern White Sea region is presented in the paper, based upon the analysis of published data, new results, and correlation between marine and terrestrial archives. The Pleistocene stratigraphic record in the southeastern White Sea region begins with Mikulino Horizon, which comprises the whole MIS 5 and is composed of marine sediments – sands, sandy clays and clays – with Boreal, Arctic–Boreal and Lusitanean–Boreal microfauna and mollusc fauna, dated back at 161–77 ka. The Podporozhie Horizon in the southeastern White Sea region comprises the MIS 4 (71–57 ka) complex of marine mostly near-shore sediments. The glaciation during MIS 4 was localized, on one hand, within the Kola Peninsula. On the other hand, the glacier probably overlapped the Kanin Peninsula and the Mezen Bay, however the Gorlo Strait was not blocked and the northward river outflow was preserved. The Leningrad Horizon had been formed also in the marine sedimentation pattern during the MIS 3 (57–29 ka). However, the lack of data in the region allows us to make only the comparative analysis. The Ostashkov Horizon (MIS 2, 29–11.7 ka) is composed of the deposits of glacial paragenetic series: tills, glaciofluvial, glaciomarine, and glaciolacustrine deposits, but also comprises the deglaciation (Late Glacial) sedimentary complex including marginal tills. The Holocene stratigraphic record is subdivided into three stages – 11.7–9.5, 9.5–3.5 and 3.5–0 ka BP, and do not match with new formal stratigraphic subdivision of the Holocene series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of late Quaternary continental and marine proxies allows improved reconstruction of palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimates models for the south-eastern coast of Brazil. In this paper, we analyse pollen, fern spores, and dinoflagellate cysts in a marine sediment core (GL74) over the last ∼109 kyr. Results showed that, between 109 and 89.5 kyr, low sea levels promoted the expansion of herbaceous taxa across open areas while climatic conditions were relatively warm and humid, as indicated by the high frequency of Atlantic rainforest Ombrophilous forest pollen types and abundant of fern spores. Between ∼79–49 kyr, higher concentrations of palynomorphs were recorded, which were likely related to the low relative sea level during the last glacial period. During this interval, there was a decrease in tree pollen grains and an increase in shrub and herbaceous pollen grains, indicating cold and relatively dry weather conditions. In the Holocene period, the low deposition of palynomorphs may have been influenced by the gradual submergence of the central part of the Brazilian coast. This process was associated with warm and humid climatic conditions, as suggested by the expansion of rainforests and the presence of hygrophyte/aquatic taxa and fern spores, as well as the retraction of grassland pollen types. Dinocyst assemblages suggest that nutrient-rich waters and/or the presence of upwelling cells were dominant between ∼109–88 kyr, but gradually reduced between 88 and 65 kyr (and/or ∼ 88–20 kyr) under the influence of subtropical fronts. The study culminated in the dominance of unproductive warm water in the upper column between 65 and 0.5 kyr. • Correlation of continental and marine proxies in south-eastern Brazil during the late Quaternary Late • Quaternary dynamics of the South Atlantic Ocean based on dinocysts • Reconstruction of palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate for the last ∼109 kyr along the southeast coast of Brazil [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent discoveries of several Mesolithic sites within the Dagsmosse Basin, south-central Sweden, offer an opportunity to study the lifestyle and skillsets of Mesolithic hunter-gatherer-fishers operating in wetland environments. In this paper, we present a combined archaeological and palaeoecological analysis of a Mesolithic fenland environment using Repetitive-Proxy Pollen Analysis (RPPA) of early Holocene sequences. Based on comparison of stratigraphic profiles from two cores within the basin, we infer that the variance in pollen composition and anthropogenic signals reflect variability in human/vegetation interactions in the fenland, at different distances to the main human dwelling at Jussberg (9.0–8.2 ka cal BP). Our study describes the socio-environmental relations within the wetland and adjacent terrestrial areas, providing a basis for tracking changes in forager interactions with their surroundings during the Mesolithic. Pollen analysis is consistent with the previously established sequence of settlement phases and extent as well as providing new data concerning the anthropogenic impacts on plant communities within the wetland including the use, reuse, and management of vegetation taxa. Correlations between palaeoecological and archaeological data demonstrate that forager communities (i) prevailed in the open fenland landscape between 9.3 and 8.2 ka cal BP, (ii) actively altered taxa composition through small-scale clearings of pine (Pinus), birch (Betula) and sedges (Cyperaceae) and (iii) reduced canopy cover, possibly to intentionally encourage the growth of taxa such as hazel (Corylus), but that also promoted the establishment of pioneer plants such as mugwort (Artemisia) and bracken (Pteridium). • Mesolithic foragers impacted forest and grassland vegetation around the Dagsmosse basin as well as the wetland formation. • HGF clearance and plant-use was perceivable at multiple spatial scales through comparative pollen analysis. • Human activity and movement within the middle Scandinavian inland changed throughout the Mesolithic and the 8.2 ka stadial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the explorations carried out in the western sector of the Iberian Central System (western Gredos, Béjar, Gata and Estrela mountain ranges). The macroremains found allow detailing the model of the landscape transformation, the composition and extension of their vegetal formations throughout the Holocene. Ninety-nine woody macroremains, 3 bark remains and 8 pinecones were located from eight sites between 875 and 1860 m above sea level, among which 15 radiocarbon dates were made. The taxonomic identification of two trunks found in Estrela allows us to document the local presence of Pinus cf. sylvestris ca. 6600 cal BP in this site. The same taxon also appears at the western end of Gredos between ca. 1700–2800 cal BP at approximately 1300 m. These remains expand the Holocene distribution of P. cf. sylvestris in the Central System known to date, both temporally and geographically. In parallel, the macroremains analysed document the composition of high mountain scrub (Cytisus type, Erica cf. arborea) in Béjar (ca. 1860 m), as well as mixed scrub-woodland formations in Gata (975–1180 m), which included deciduous Quercus , Betulaceae and Ericaceae. The presence of P. pinaster at ca. 6200 cal BP and 1180 m in this mountain range constitutes the earliest palaeobotanical evidence of this species recorded in Gata. The main results support the continuous persistence of plant formations in which P. sylvestris , P. nigra , and P. pinaster would have formed part throughout the Iberian Central System during the Holocene in a wide altitudinal range (1100–1840 m). • Above one hundred Holocene macrofossils from eight different sites were analysed. • Pinus sylvestris recently disappeared from the western Central System. • P. gr. sylvestris remained in Serra da Estrela until ˜6650 years ago. • First evidence of Pinus pinaster has been found in Gata ˜6200 years ago. • Betula , Quercus , Alnus and Ericaceae Holocene macroremains were found in Gata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aimed at estimating the significance of paleoenvironmental changes in the process of the prehistorical human dispersals over Northern Eurasia, and particularly his penetration to the High Latitudes. As follows from the recent investigations, the northeastern part of Europe appears to be settled earlier than it has been supposed until recently. The traces left by the early man in the European Arctic may be dated to 40 000 to 35 000 years BP (43096 to 40159 cal. BP). The Siberian North was colonized in the Late Pleistocene. The materials recovered from the Yanskaya site (71°N) provide evidence of human survival in the Arctic regions of Eastern Siberia at least ca. 28 to 27 ka BP (32780 ± 660 to 31170 ± 520 cal. BP). Valleys in the middle reaches of the Lena and Aldan rivers were populated after 24 000 yr BP (28165 cal. BP). We may identify two main directions in the High Latitude colonization between 40 000 to 12 000 yr BP [43096 to 13907 cal. BP], namely along the basins of the Kama and Pechora rivers in Eastern Europe and by way of the Lena and Yana basins in Northern Asia. West Siberia and the Northeastern Asia were actively populated at the Late Glacial time; the same period was marked by the first human penetration from the Eastern to Western hemisphere (from the Chukchi Peninsula to Alaska) by the 'Bering Land Bridge'. The northernmost regions of the East Siberia, such as Taymyr Peninsula and the New Siberian Islands (Zhokhov Island), were inhabited in the early and middle Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the position of the Holocene transgression on the coast of the Valencia Gulf. To achieve this goal, a sedimentological and micropaleontological analysis of samples of fossil benthic foraminifera in cores from six boreholes drilled in three different wetlands (Almenara marsh, Moro marsh and Valencia lagoon) was carried out. In order to assess the extent of sea level change, at least three factors must be taken into account: 1) eustatic rise (global scale) 2) neotectonics (regional scale) and 3) the sedimentary factor (local and regional scale). Regarding the first factor, some authors have noted that the Holocene transgression reached +1 m above the current sea level in this area. As for the second factor, while the Valencia lagoon is located on a subsiding coast the northernmost marshes are located on a tectonically stable coast. Finally, sedimentation rates are highly variable depending on the area; whereas in the Valencia lagoon the shoreline generally shifts seawards (progradation) in the northernmost areas the coast is currently undergoing retrogradation, although the anthropic factor clearly interferes with this pattern. One of the main conclusions is that in the Valencian coast the Holocene maximum relative sea level did not exceed the present-day one, except in the case of the subsiding area of the Valencia lagoon. The calculation of sedimentation rates, the relative sea-level curve and the evolution of the water column in the different wetlands seem to corroborate it. Radiocarbon and AAR analyses allowed us to date the maximum extent of the Holocene transgression on the Valencian coast at around 5500 cal yr BP in all cases. Despite the different subsidence the three studied wetlands reflected the predominant marine influence until 5500–5200 BP, which was later followed by a growing fluvial or continental incidence, when glacioeustatic adjustments defined the patterns of coastal progradation. [Display omitted] • Location of the MIS 1 coastline position in three West Mediterranean wetlands. • The global Holocene eustatic rise invaded the three wetlands at least 5300 years BP. • Subsidence rate determined different MIS 1 relative sea-level rise in the wetlands. • Tectonic stability in the northern wetlands involved slower relative sea-level rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lake evolution of Sumxi Co has been reconstructed from lacustrine carbonate isotopes. • Hydrological conditions were mainly dominated by regional precipitation on the northwestern QTP. • Millennial hydroclimate events were responding to globally cooling events and solar irradiance. Climatic and hydrological changes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) are controlled by the Asian summer monsoon and the mid-latitude westerlies, which directly affect a large population in Asia. However, the millennial temporal and spatial patterns of Holocene hydroclimate variations on the QTP remain unclear due to the lack of high-quality paleoclimatic records. This paper examines high-resolution stable oxygen and carbon isotopes of authigenic carbonate (δ18O carb and δ13C carb) covering the past 5,000 years taken from Sumxi Co, a hydrologically closed lake lies outside the direct influence of the large ice caps on the northwestern QTP. The hydrological environment of Sumxi Co inferred from the covariance between δ18O carb and δ13C carb values was unstable during the middle to late Holocene, with abrupt increases in lake-levels during the 5.0–4.0 cal ka BP, 3.2–3.1 cal ka BP, 1.8–1.3 cal ka BP, and 0.7 cal ka BP to present. Past millennial hydrological fluctuations coincide temporally with the occurrences of glacier advances on the northwestern QTP, implying increased regional moisture and precipitation during cold periods in the region. The 'cold and wet' hydroclimatic pattern is comparable in other records to the arid areas of central Asia dominated by westerlies before the current anthropogenic warming. The four millennial-scale humid events are synchronous with reduced solar irradiance within dating errors, supporting the hypotheses that the regional pattern of hydroclimatic evolution in arid central Asia responds dominantly and directly to changes in solar activity. This external forcing may be amplified by North Atlantic cooling events and southward shifts of the intertropical convergence, which have further modulated the position of mid-latitude westerlies and the strength of the Indian summer monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the Holocene climatic dynamics of South Africa's southern Cape, a region that supports a large proportion of the Greater Cape Floristic Region and contains an array of important archaeological sites. While South African climates are generally characterised by marked rainfall seasonality, the southern Cape is currently situated at the interface between tropical and temperate climate systems, resulting in a largely aseasonal rainfall regime. This regime, however, is thought to have been particularly sensitive to past changes in late Quaternary boundary conditions, meaning that variability in either tropical or temperate systems could have significant environmental impacts. Evidence of past climate change, however, remains limited. We present a 9000-year record of hydroclimatic variability obtained from rock hyrax midden stable nitrogen records, from Papkuilsfontein, on the southern slope of the Anysberg Mountains. Resolved to an average 6-year resolution and spanning the period c. 9050 cal yr BP to 1990 CE, this is the highest resolution Holocene record from southern Africa and presents a unique opportunity for the detailed study of the primary drivers and spatial gradients of Holocene climate change in the southern Cape. The data indicate a long-term decrease in aridity across the Holocene and a pattern of variability that reveals remarkable similarities with records from the South African tropics and El Niño–Southern Oscillation proxies, highlighting the significance of tropical systems as drivers of Holocene climate change in the region. This substantially expands what has been previously considered to be the zone of tropical influence, extending from a coastal phenomenon associated with heat transport via the Agulhas Current to encompass much, if not all, of the Agulhas Plain south of the Cape Fold Mountains. These findings provide a valuable new climatic framework for contextualizing changes in ecological and archaeological records in the southern Cape, and contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of climate systems in southern Africa. • Sub-decadal 9000-year record of aridity from South Africa's southern Cape. • Reveals dominance of tropical forcing across the southern Cape and Agulhas Plain. • ENSO variability indicated to be important driver of regional climate change. • Presents high-resolution framework for study of human-environment interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline of ancient societies has been often associated with hydroclimate instabilities. In this paper, we report phytolith records from the Yangtze River Delta of China, to reconstruct middle and late Holocene climate dynamics, and understand societal impacts. Our findings reveal that the area experienced a consistent decline in temperature and humidity punctuated by several rapid climate shifts. A distinct dry episode from 7000 to 6000 cal yr BP likely developed in response to weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and a southward shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), resulting in a weakened East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and a strengthened East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). This dry condition would have favoured the emergence of dryland and facilitated rice cultivation in the lower Yangtze region. Another dry episode at 4500–4000 cal yr BP, which was probably associated with the widespread 4.2 ka climate event, and linked to a further retreat of the ITCZ and highly variable ENSO intensity, led to highly unstable hydroclimate conditions in the region. We argue that this event disrupted social resilience and culminated in the cultural collapse at the end of Liangzhu Culture. • Cooling trend since 8000 cal yr BP in response to decline of summer insolation. • Dry episodes at 7000–6000 and 4500–4000 cal yr BP. • Strength of AMOC and position of ITCZ jointly modulates the EASM. • Neolithic societal resilience shows varied responses to each dry episode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal wetlands provide valuable ecosystem services and understanding their response to past climatic changes may help predict their possible future responses. In this paper, we obtained records of pollen, algae, sediment grain-size, and other environmental proxies, from a late Holocene sediment core (CFD-E) from the Caofeidian area, on the northwest coast of the Bay of Bohai, China. Our results indicate three major stages of environmental change. During Stage I (3500–2800 cal yr BP), arboreal pollen content was high (mostly >60%), especially for Pinus and Quercus , and the PCA sample scores on Axis 1 were negative indicating that regional vegetation was temperate broadleaved forest and the climate was wet. During Stage II (2800–2350 cal yr BP), the arboreal pollen content decreased substantially (mostly <40%), and the PCA Axis 1 sample scores were positive indicating a decrease in forest vegetation, grassland expansion, and a drier climate. During Stage III (2350–1400 cal yr BP), the arboreal pollen content increased again (mostly >40%), although it remained lower than during Stage I, indicating that forests expanded under a relatively humid climate while the wetland area decreased slightly. Our results also record the 2.8 ka and 2.4 ka events of monsoon weakening, which were characterized by increases in herbaceous pollen (indicating grassland expansion) and the drying of the regional climate. There are several differences in the regional expression of these two climatic events. During the 2.4 ka event, Chenopodiaceae pollen increased substantially (average of 42.0%), indicating the expansion of halophytes; whereas during the 2.8 ka event, an increase in Artemisia indicates the occurrence of a dry climate throughout the region. We suggest that the aridity during the 2.8 ka event was triggered by decreased solar activity and the resulting changes in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which weakened the East Asian summer monsoon. However, we suggest that the 2.4 ka event was driven by the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. • Significant increase in halophytic vegetation during 3500–1400 cal yr BP • The 2.8 ka and 2.4 ka events were characterized by climate drying lasting ∼150 years. • During these two events the area of forest decreased and grassland expanded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A proxy based on mass movements for assessing climate change was proposed. • The periodicity of mass movements conforms to the changing patterns of traditional climate proxies. • Climate change determines the spatial and temporal distribution of mass movements. The spatial and temporal distribution, as well as the formation and evolution of mass movements in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau orogenic belt, have been extensively discussed. We gathered research papers focusing on the ages of Quaternary residual deposits associated with mass movements in the surrounding orogenic belts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A total of 172 large-scale typical deposits and their ages were analyzed to explore the primary driving mechanisms behind mass movements in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As these deposits were collected from diverse geological environments and the ages primarily concentrated in the Late Pleistocene and Holocene periods, we categorized mass movements with ages younger than 140 ka into three distinct regional climate systems: the Indian Summer Monsoon, the East Asian Summer Monsoon, and the Westerlies. The relationship between the emergence of mass movements and climate change was thoroughly investigated. Our research indicates that mass movements can serve as a reliable proxy for indicating climate change. The cycles of mass movements are closely synchronized with the warm and cold alternations of regional climates, holding significant importance in reshaping the environmental evolutionary history. We propose that the extensive mass movements in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are primarily driven by periodic climate variations, although they may not exhibit a perfect one-to-one correspondence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of sediment provenance in the East Siberian Arctic Shelf is crucial for the understanding of source to sink pathways and their link to climatic and environmental changes. In this paper, we conducted detrital mineral analysis on surface sediments and one sedimentary core (LV77–41-1) from the eastern Laptev Sea and the western shelves of the East Siberian Sea. Based on the results of light and heavy mineral analysis in surface sediments, two distinct zones were identified in the eastern Laptev Sea: an eastern zone is characterized by sources from the Lena River and a northern zone is characterized by sources that transition from riverine dominance to more sea-ice transported sources in an offshore direction. In the western part of the East Siberian Sea, detrital mineral assemblages in the outer Indigirka River mouth region are influenced by polygenic sources comprising sediments mainly derived from the river itself, and some material supplied by the Siberian Coastal Current, and the erosion of coastal permafrost and nearby islands. In the outer shelf and basin region, detrital mineral assemblages contain signatures of apatite, garnet, and hypersthene, indicating various material sources are represented, including the Lena River, Taimyr Peninsula, and Kamchatka Peninsula. Integrating this understanding of the sources and transport pathways of surface sediments, detrital mineral analysis of core LV77–41-1 indicate that coarse-grained Holocene sediments were mainly transported by the Indigirka River, with subordinate sources from coastal permafrost erosion, materials carried by Siberian Coastal Current, and island erosion. Since 7 ka BP, four distinct fluvial events have occurred, with the most prominent fluvial event occurring between 4.6 and 4.3 ka when the depocenter shifted significantly toward the sea. The fluvial events occurred following the onset warm periods and the high frequency of volcanic glass observed in layers marking these fluvial events serves as evidence of the influx of glacial meltwater into the Indigirka River basin during these warmer episodes. • Northern Laptev Sea shows a transitional zone with less river input and more sea-ice transport. • Sediments in outer shelf, basin originate from Lena, Taymyr, Indigirka, Kamchatka. • Since 7 ka, four major Indigirka River floods linked to warm periods, evident in volcanic glass distribution. • Sediments have predominantly come from river inputs and coastal erosion since 7 ka, with reduced erosion after 3.5 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate Holocene precipitation changes in northern China to improve the understanding of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and provide an environmental context for the development of Chinese civilisation. Our study is based on an analysis of 260 pollen samples from Holocene lacustrine sediments at Ningjinpo in northern China, and employs the biomisation method to reconstruct regional vegetation types and vegetation changes, and to decipher their driving factors, by incorporating regional climatic data and information on human activities. Results indicate that, in the early Holocene (10,000–8100 cal yr B.P.), regional climate was dry, with annual precipitation of 470 mm. In the middle Holocene (8100–3000 cal yr B.P.), a rapid increase was observed in precipitation, reaching 580 mm. During the late Holocene (2600–600 cal yr B.P.), climate became drier again, with annual precipitation decreasing to 480 mm. Between 10,000–600 cal yr B.P., vegetation exhibited distinct successional patterns dominantly influenced by climate, transitioning from meadow-steppe to forest, and then back to meadow-steppe. After 600 cal yr B.P., vegetation succession decoupled from climate change, with human activities emerging as the primary driving force, as indicated by the substantial increase in anthropogenic pollen and charcoal concentrations. In the future, under the combined influence of global warming and intensified human activity, the implementation of scientific environmental planning measures will become increasingly important for the restoration and sustainable development of regional vegetation ecosystems. • Unambiguous high-resolution precipitation record from the North China Plain. • Human activities variedly impact vegetation evolution since 2600 cal yr B.P. • A shift from natural to anthropogenic vegetation change happened at 600 cal yr B.P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Bronze and Iron Age, Sardinia was home of one of the most technologically advanced Mediterranean societies (the Nuragic culture). Given its key geographical location, the island was also the fulcrum of deep cultural exchanges. Toward the end of the Iron Age, Phoenicians, and especially Carthaginians and Romans, massively frequented Sardinia for different purposes. This marks an important cultural transition for the region, as the ancient Nuragic-related society terminated. At the same time, this impacted the subsistence and land use practices. Together with middle to late Holocene climate changes, the novel anthropic activities had a pivotal role in shaping the landscape around the island. However, high resolution climate and environmental records for these culturally important phases are still lacking in Sardinia. Thus, this paper explores palaeoenvironmental changes from the Bronze Age to post Iron Ages times by using carbonate speleothems from Suttaterra de Sarpis Cave (Urzulei, central east Sardinia), strategically located nearby the Or Murales Nuragic Village. U–Th ages (n = 20) indicate that five stalagmites comprehensively span the last ∼7000 years. Peculiarly, they all show an evident stratigraphic discontinuity. Age models attest that hiatuses can be at times associated with the discontinuities, spanning periods of ∼1200 to ∼200 years. Importantly, the discontinuities occurred from the Late Iron Age to the Roman period. Based on fabric observations, trace elements and δ13C- δ18O analyses, the discontinuities are primarily attributed to a progressive change of land use above the cave. We suppose that deforestation aimed to clearance for agriculture and livestock practices probably was the most impacting factor for infiltration dynamics and soil state, thus affecting the studied speleothems, although archaeological and historical data are absent for the specific study area. Instead, this is in line with the cultural transition occurring in Sardinia toward the end of the Iron Age, with novel agricultural practices imported by the overseas populations. The anthropic disturbance to the millennial-long karst equilibrium possibly overprinted the response of speleothem proxies to climate oscillations, although future higher resolution analyses are necessary to better investigate the evolution of climate during the Holocene as well as its role in the development of ancient civilizations. Indeed, this is the first speleothem-based Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction accomplished in Sardinia. Considering the paucity of natural lakes in this key location, speleothems here demonstrate their potential in exploring human-driven palaeoenvironmental changes during times of cultural transitions within the Mediterranean context. • The first Holocene speleothem paleoenvironmental record from Sardinia (Italy). • Changes in geochemical and physical speleothems' properties point to variation of land use. • Land use variation is connected to cultural shifts during intra- and post-Nuragic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses a model of coastal barrier progradation where the development of a prograded plain was a product of the successive formation of foredune ridges followed by their burial by transgressive sand sheets and dunefields. The results are based on direct lithological data from drill holes and geomorphological analyses, indirect geophysical data (GPR), and 14C and OSL dating. Barrier progradation started at 6.69 ka (OSL) or 7.2 ka (14C), under sea-level rise. At around 5.0 ka (OSL), or thereabouts, a forced regression condition started to operate, when sea-level started to fall after it reached a maximum of 2.34 ± 0.8 m. During barrier progradation sets of foredunes were formed, and at least some of them were buried by sands of transgressive dunefields (TDF), which later evolved to transgressive sand sheets (TSS). A total of 11+ phases of TSS and a modern phase of TDF were formed in a time span of 6.69 ka (OSL) or 7.2 ka (14C), corresponding to one phase formed at each 560 or 600 yrs. Two models of possible development of the surface of Curumim barrier are proposed. • Arare record of aforedune plain buried by transgressive sandsheets formation. • The cyclic formation of transgressive dunefieldsand transgressive sand sheets. • The foredune/beach contact as a proxy of sea-level position. • Distinct contributions of normal and forced regressionon barrier progradation. • Possibletransformation of a transgressive dunefield in a transgressive sand sheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few archaeological sites that contain records for Pleistocene coastal occupation in Australia, as is the case globally. Two major viewpoints seek to explain why so few sites exist. The first is that the Pleistocene coast was a relatively marginal environment where fluctuating sea levels actively inhibited coastal resource productivity until the mid-to-late Holocene. The second position suggests that the Pleistocene coast (and its resources) was variably productive, potentially hosting extensive populations, but that the archaeological evidence for this occupation has been submerged by sea level rise. To help reconcile these perspectives in Australia, this paper provides a review, discussion, and assessment of the evidence for Australian Pleistocene coastal productivity and occupation. In doing so, we find no reason to categorically assume that coastal landscapes were ever unproductive or unoccupied. We demonstrate that the majority of Pleistocene coastal archaeology will be drowned where dense marine faunal assemblages should only be expected close to palaeo-shorelines. Mixed terrestrial and marine assemblages are likely to occur at sites located >2 km from Pleistocene shorelines. Ultimately, the discussions and arguments put forward in this paper provide a basic framework, and a different set of environmental expectations, within which to assess the results of independent coastal research. • Addresses Pleistocene coastal occupation and productivity in Australia. • Australian Pleistocene coasts were likely widely occupied and variably productive. • A basic framework within which to assess coastal occupation patterns is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We provide the first detailed Relative Mean Sea-Level curve for the Northern Aegean. • We detected for the first time in this coastal area the Neolithic drowned landscapes. • Palaeogeographic reconstruction shows coastal progradation due to anthropic forcing. • Historical events appear to dominate the fate of the city over environmental factors. • We detected the impact of a tsunami in 544 AD in this part of the Thracian coast. This paper presents an integrated Geoarchaeological approach to Holocene landscape change and socio-environmental interaction around ancient Abdera, a Greek colony in Aegean Thrace. A combination of remote sensing, geomorphological mapping, sedimentary coring, and radiocarbon dating was used to build the first detailed Holocene sea-level curve in the Northern Aegean, and to reconstruct the palaeogeographic evolution around Abdera from the Neolithic onwards. The discussion of these results, alongside the available archaeo-historical data, sheds new light on the role of historical and environmental factors in the rise and eventual decline of Abdera, thereby challenging previous narratives. This study is the first to detect evidence of the Neolithic landscapes in this coastal area being submerged by marine transgression c. 5000 cal. BC. A lagoonal landscape developed from the Neolithic until Greek colonists settled in the area c. 654 BC. The results presented here suggest that the relocation of the city in the 4th century BC was not caused by the silting up of the bay but was due to historical events. The coastal progradation only became significant after 300 cal. BC and accelerated in the following centuries. Based on the data acquired, it is hypothesized that this was due to anthropogenic forcing of the sedimentary systems both at local and regional levels, caused by the development of the productive activities of the colony. The evidence presented here demonstrates that while Abdera retained good access to the sea, its decline in the 4th c. AD was certainly due to the gradual shift of the economic axis inland. By 400 cal. AD the coastline was very close to its current position. The results of this study also add to the catalogue of known tsunamis in the Northern Aegean, by providing new evidence of a tsunami on this section of the Thracian coast in 544 AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new sedimentological, geomorphological, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) geochronological evidence for fluvial evolution of the mid- to lower River Tyne through the Lateglacial to late Holocene. These data reveal a series of fluvial terraces produced by cycles of aggradation and incision, conditioned by glacial inheritance and driven by changing sediment availability and hydrological regime. The distribution and stratigraphy (where available) of nine river terrace and their associated sediments have been recorded. At two key sites the sediments have been dated using OSL measurements to constrain the fluvial geomorphology. Significant entrenchment of the fluvial system, followed by aggradation formed the earliest fluvial terrace (T1), which encompasses environments spanning the transition from deglaciation into Greenland Interstadial 1 (GI-1). Incision below T1 began towards the end of GI-1, with three terraces (T2 – T4) between the abandonment of T1 and the early Holocene (15.0–9.2 ka). Climatic shifts, limited vegetation cover/soil development, and peri −/paraglacial landscape instability conditioned the development of the early postglacial fluvial landsystem. Three further terraces (T5 – T7) developed during the mid- to Late Holocene (6.6–3.1 ka), and comprise most of the valley floor. Climatic instability, glacial inheritance, and widespread anthropogenic disturbances are reflected in greater hillslope-channel coupling during this period. The extent of later Holocene terraces (T8 – T9) is limited as the river became isolated from flanking hillslopes entrenched between existing river terraces. Fluvial landscape evolution in formerly glaciated catchments is strongly conditioned by the cold stage legacy that introduced excess sediment and landscape instability into the catchment. Subsequent catchment-wide responses are variable and non-linear, with valley floors operating in a series of reach-wide responses. There is a need for greater chronological control to constrain the Lateglacial and Holocene evolution in the Tyne catchment, but also to further our understanding of region-wide responses to external drivers and local dynamics. • Lateglacial to late Holocene fluvial response recorded from river terrace sequence. • Fluvial landscape strongly conditioned by glacial legacy. • Catchment-wide responses are non-linear and valley floors operated as reach-wide responses. • River responded to climate and/or landscape perturbations at ∼16, 11.9, 8.7, 4 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bohai Sea is a semi-enclosed shallow shelf sea that has undergone a unique sediment source-to-sink process in the past. Despite this, our knowledge about the sediment budget, existence of depocenters and the factors controlling depocenter formation during the Holocene remains limited. This paper aims to address these gaps by estimating the Holocene marine deposit thickness and sediment budget in the Bohai Sea using high-resolution subbottom profiles. The results reveal that the mean thickness of Holocene marine deposits is approximately 7.8 m and a maximum thickness of 28 m was found in Jinzhou Bay. The Highstand System Tracts (HST) have a mean thickness of approximately 5.4 m and a maximum thickness of 25 m observed in the Jinzhou Bay. On the other hand, the Transgressive System Tracts (TST) have a mean thickness of approximately 2.5 m and a maximum thickness of 7 m in the north of the Laizhou Bay. The total accumulation in the Bohai Sea is estimated to be ∼713.97 × 109 tons, consisting of 489.28 × 109 tons from the HST and 224.69 × 109 tons from the TST. Three deposit centers were identified and estimated to be approximately 299 × 109 tons, accounting for approximately 42 % of the total Bohai Sea sediments. The development of Holocene marine deposit centers was mainly influenced by the Tanlu Fault zone and water circulations. Based on preliminary estimates, it is suggested that roughly half of the sediments dispersed from the estuaries are preserved on the Bohai Sea shelf since the maximum flooding (∼7000 cal yr BP). This research provides valuable insights for the post-glacial sedimentary and geomorphic evolution of the Bohai Sea. • Holocene marine accumulation in the Bohai Sea is estimated to be ∼713.97 × 109 tons. • Accumulation in HST is of ∼489.28 × 109 tons and that in TST is of ∼224.69 × 109 tons. • Three depocenters were identified and account for ∼42 % of the total accumulation. • Roughly half of the sediments were preserved on the shelf over the past 7000 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a few comments on the paper "Relative sea-level curve during the Holocene in Rio de Janeiro, Southeastern Brazil: A review of the indicators - RSL, altimetric and geochronological data". Surprisingly the authors omitted in this review a former discussion on the interpretation of paleo-sea level indicator and paleo-sea level reconstructions on the Rio de Janeiro coast that questions their results. Therefore, at this present work we resume the previous discussion. We conclude that although at the commented paper the altitudes of the paleo-sea level indicators were determined precisely, they did not consider the vertical distance between a given a paleo-sea level indicator and its current homologous one, and thus do not indicate paleo-sea levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach and results of our 2019 paper (Brooke et al., 2019) have been criticised by Dougherty (2022). We examined the sensitivity of a tropical, coarse sand strandplain to changes in relative sea level as expressed through beach-ridge morphology and the elevation of beach berms preserved in the succession of cyclone-generated beach ridges at Cowley Beach, Queensland, Australia. Rather than presenting a new sea-level curve for this region as suggested by Dougherty, our 2019 study of the Cowley Beach strandplain revealed that when compared with the modelled Holocene relative sea-level record and sea-level indicator data for north-eastern Queensland, the strandplain morphology and stratigraphy provide a first-order representation of sea-level position. Importantly, Dougherty (2022) has overlooked the processes involved in the formation of beach ridges at this site and the spatial coverage of our analysis of the strandplain morphology. Both these factors are fundamental to the approach and conclusions of our 2019 paper. We reiterate here that the Cowley Beach strandplain morphology and succession of beach-berm deposits have elevation patterns that match well the broad trend in the regional relative sea-level model for the past 7 ka. We highlight those key beach-ridge formative processes and data limitations neglected in the Dougherty Comment. Finally, we note the challenges and opportunities for further research into the sedimentary records preserved in this distinctive type of tropical strandplain. • First-order changes of sea level can be detected in the Cowley Beach strandplain. • The coarse sandy ridges comprise a berm capped by cyclone-generated surge deposits. • Processes forming these ridges are in marked contrast to temperate strandplains. • There is negligible aeolian deposition contributing to these low-relief ridges. • Uncertainties in ridge elevation, age and GPR data limit sea-level reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Massive sand beds and lateral gravel bars induced by outburst floods are identified. • Modern flood hydrographs provide potential scenarios for megaflood simulations. • Our new geomorphic evidences provide key constraint on megaflood age and magnitude. • Potential flood erosion and depositional area were predicted in the Grand Canyon. • Geomorphic impact of outburst flood events was assessed from 104 to106 m3/s. Catastrophic floods from breaching of natural dams on the Namche Barwa and Giala Peri play an important role in shaping high-mountain landforms in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. However, there is limited knowledge of geomorphologic evidences and magnitude of outburst flooding in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon. In this paper, geomorphic impacts of high-magnitude outburst floods (104–106 m3/s) were analyzed using palaeoflood hydrology technology. Well-preserved 2018 Sedongpu (SDP) flood and 2000 Yigong (YG) flood sand bars are charactered by grey sands with parallel laminations, whereas megaflood geomorphic evidences in the Grand Canyon are dominated by massive slackwater deposits and lateral gravel bars. The palaeoflood events were dated to 4.3–2.4 ka, corresponding to the known Holocene megafloods in the lower Yarlung Tsangpo River. These flood ages are obviously younger than most of remnant lacustrine deposits during the late Pleistocene, but consistent with the ages in the top part of palaeolake and glacial moraines of the Namche Barwa. The chronological data help to confirm the highest probability phases of outburst floods from moraine-dammed lakes. The repeated megaflood peak discharges range from 0.5 to 1.1 × 106 m3/s, which are approximately 5–10 times greater than the maximum peak discharge of 2000 YG flood (9.5 × 104 m3/s) and 20–40 times than that of 2018 SDP flood (2.5 × 104 m3/s) in the Medog reach. Megaflood waters are always deepest (∼200 m) and fastest (∼50 m/s), which are at least twice times larger than 2000 YG flood. Higher shear stress (>3.3 kPa) and stream power per unit area (>168 kw/m2) occurred in narrower channel and sharp bend with higher velocity. Our model also predicts some potential erosion and deposition landscapes resulted from floodwaters routing through the Grand Canyon. These results address the geomorphic impacts of catastrophic flood events with magnitudes (104–106 m3/s) in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon. Our new palaeoflood geomorphologic evidences provide a key constraint on the age and magnitude of Holocene megafloods in the largest Himalayan River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding human impact on the vegetation of the Tibetan Plateau through the Holocene is important for developing strategies for sustainable ecosystem management in the region. In this paper, 53 pairs of surface-soil samples from inside and outside livestock enclosures were obtained from across the Tibetan Plateau to investigate the differences in pollen assemblages between grazed and ungrazed sites. This modern dataset was then applied to palynological records from four lakes in the northeast Tibetan Plateau region to investigate middle to late Holocene grazing history. Results show that modern grazing activities have a limited impact on the vegetation, although grazing activity leads to an increase in the pollen proportion of Cyperaceae, Artemisia , Ranunculaceae, Brassicaceae, Taraxacum -type, Fabaceae, and Saxifrageceae while representatives of Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, and Aster -type pollen decrease. Application of these grazing indicators to the pollen spectra obtained from the four lake sites, together with other proxies, reveals that grazing activity only commenced during the last few hundred years in the northeast marginal areas of the Tibetan Plateau at c. 3000 m a.s.l, while there is no grazing signal in pollen records from above 4000 m a.s.l. Our study emphasises the importance of using multi-proxy methods in estimating signals of past human activity. • Pollen assemblage should be insensitive to grazing activities on the Tibetan Plateau. • Human impacts on vegetation at ∼3400 m a.s.l are limited to within a few centuries. • No significant pollen signal of grazing is revealed for the high-elevation areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The location of the Yellow River estuary controls the pattern of mud dispersal and therefore influences the ecology of China's marginal seas. However, little is known regarding the Holocene history of Yellow River avulsion. The Yangtze estuary, south of the Yellow River estuary, may provide some clues, as a large amount of Holocene sediments has accumulated in a major paleovalley in this area, incised during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In this paper, we identify clay contributions from the Yellow River in the three Holocene cores (TZ, DY, and HM) of the Yangtze estuary using provenance analogues of clay geochemistry associated with the modern rivers, and reveal the history of Yellow River avulsion into the South Yellow Sea. The results show that clay geochemistry in the Holocene cores is similar to that of the Yangtze River, except for the period of ∼9.5–7.0 cal. kyr B.P. when it is represented by lower element contents more closely similar to those of Yellow River clays. Provenance end-member analysis shows 40%–60% clays of the Yangtze paleovalley was derived from the Yellow River during this period. These findings indicate that, at least, one channel of the Yellow River avulsed southward into the South Yellow Sea during the early to middle Holocene (∼9.5–7.0 cal. kyr B.P.). Fine-grained sediments from the Yellow River paleoestuary could be transported southward to the Yangtze paleovalley by enhanced marine energy during the early to middle Holocene. This study, not only, provides new evidence for Yellow River avulsion in the Holocene, but also sheds light on the impact of the Yellow River sediments on the depositional system along the coast of China, especially in the Yangtze delta. • Three Holocene cores of the Yangtze estuary are analyzed for clay geochemistry. • Geochemistry analogue with the modern rivers identifies clay provenance of cores. • Yellow River clay contributes high to the Yangtze estuary in early-middle Holocene. • Yellow River ever flowed into the South Yellow Sea during ∼9.5–7.0 cal. Kyr B.P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we undertake a high-resolution palynological analysis of a sediment core covering the last 1500 years obtained from Lake Ayakum in the northern Tibetan Plateau, to improve the understanding of regional climate fluctuations and their driving mechanisms. The pollen spectra are dominated by herbaceous species such as Artemisia , Chenopodiaceae, Cyperaceae and Poaceae, which grew in various alpine desert settings. Four pollen assemblage zones are identified using stratigraphically constrained cluster analysis, representing climate history at different stages. The Artemisia /Chenopodiaceae (A/C) ratio and axis score of the first principal component are used to infer regional moisture conditions and reveal a temporal pattern that is consistent with various records from central Asia. The source of Cyperaceae pollen is mainly from marsh wetlands distributed around the lake, which responded sensitively to the lake level fluctuations. In contrast, arboreal pollen is mainly a long-distance transported component, reflecting changes in regional vegetation. Our findings show that the northern Tibetan Plateau experienced relatively wet conditions during the Dark Age Cold Period and the Little Ice Age, while relatively dry conditions occurred during the Medieval Warm Period and the last two centuries. Fluctuations in moisture levels are broadly consistent with moisture records elsewhere in western China, and show a good correlation with phase changes of the North Atlantic Oscillation. The climate changes in the northern Tibetan Plateau are supposed to be primarily triggered by the NAO phases through south-north migrations of the mid-latitude westerlies during the late Holocene. • Fossil pollen based 1500-year vegetation and climate changes on the northern Tibetan Plateau. • Major pollen species were analyzed and interpreted in terms of regional moisture variations. • Four vegetation and climate stages during the late Holocene were determined accordingly. • NAO phases affected northern TP climate through south-north migrations of the westerlies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-latitude permafrost peatlands are sensitive to global warming, and understanding their paleohydrological evolution is critical for assessing future hydrological and environmental changes. This paper presents a diatom record from a peat deposit covering the past 3300 years to reconstruct the moisture and acidity conditions in the Tuqiang permafrost peatland in the northern Greater Khingan Mountains of northeast China. Our findings are integrated with previously published records of plant macrofossils, palynology, and geochemistry from the same profile. From 3300 to 2800 cal yr BP, planktonic and benthic diatoms were equally abundant, indicating relatively high moisture conditions, while the low abundance of acidophilous diatoms reflects relatively high pH during this interval. Pollen data show dominance by sedges with input from the surrounding Pinus forest, while LOI data and lithology suggest that the site was a non-peat accumulating wetland. During the period 2800–1100 cal yr BP, the dominance of planktonic diatoms indicates a wetter local environment, concurrent with the dominance of peat-forming sedges (Eriophorum), indicating the development of a peatland. Between 1100 and 500 cal yr BP, a short-lived increase in acidophilous diatoms (Eunotia) marks a decrease in pH. Since 500 cal yr BP, the dominance of benthic diatoms reflects a drier environment, while a vegetation shift from an Eriophorum -dominated rich fen to a Sphagnum- and Ericaceae-dominated poor fen. An increase in Eunotia diatoms prior to the Sphagnum peak may indicate that diatoms are more sensitive to local acidified habitats than moss. Peatland development in the northern Greater Khingan Mountains was likely induced by the onset of a cooler and wetter climate starting at approximately 2800 cal yr BP, a scenario supported by regional paleoclimate records. Since 700 cal yr BP, the peatland has been affected by both anthropogenic activities and climatic changes, as a drying climate and intensified human activities around the study area reduced diatom species diversity and peat accumulation. Under the background of future global warming and enhanced human activities, the decreasing species diversity and carbon accumulation rate of peatlands in high-latitude permafrost regions need more attention. • Diatoms can indicate local moisture and acidity in permafrost peatlands. • Diatoms are likely more sensitive to microhabitats than bryophytes. • TQ peatland formed after 2800 cal yr BP caused by the cooler and wetter climate. • Rich-fen shifted to poor-fen which co-influenced by deforestation and dry climate at LIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grapevine and wine have deeply shaped the landscapes, economy and cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean. In France, it is considered that viticulture started in the south via contacts with Mediterranean populations (Greeks, Etruscans, Phoenicians), during the second half of the 1st millennium BCE, and spread further with the Romans. Wild grapevines were nevertheless present in various areas of the country all through the Holocene. No archaeological or historical source allows us to follow the history of grapevine and viticulture over the entire Holocene period and over the whole territory. In this paper we investigate the potential of archaeological plant macroremains (seed/fruits and wood) to trace the history of the vine on a large scale. We have assembled the largest possible database of published and unpublished archaeobotanical data, comprising 4449 site-phases for seed and fruits and 1356 site-phases for wood remains. In spite of taphonomic discrepancies and imbalances in the datasets, the different types of macroremains and modes of preservation produce consistent patterns. They provide the first comprehensive picture of the spread of grapevine, fluctuations in the economic role of viticulture and grape uses over time, although some periods and regions are less documented. Grapevine remains are regularly recorded from the Mesolithic to the Iron Age in most regions showing that human societies were already familiar with the wild plant and its fruits, especially in the Mediterranean. In this region, Vitis remains become considerably more frequent and numerous during the Iron Age, from around 500 BCE onwards, testifying to the rapid and strong implantation of viticulture. Grapevine macroremains confirm that the spread of viticulture outside the Mediterranean area occurred mainly during the Roman period. However, this expansion was limited and mainly focused on the South. The main expansion into the temperate zone took place during the Middle Ages. However, the more detailed fluctuations of viticulture, particularly in relation to climate oscillations are still difficult to follow. Pip remains are mainly associated with urban sites. This is a consequence of the actual consumption of grapes and may be evidence of a viticulture centered around urban areas. • Macroremains data to retrace the Holocene history of Vitis. • Unique database of 4449 site-phases for seeds and 1356 site-phases for wood remains. • First comprehensive picture of the spread of Vitis and viticulture in France. • Significant and consistent involvement of cities in viticultural activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]