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We report lignitic fossil rich-beds from the Bathonian Castelbouc sauropod tracksite (Castelbouc Cave N°4, Causses Basin, southern France). Showing the co-occurrence of amber with plant, vertebrate and invertebrate remains, they are a precious tool to reconstruct Middle Jurassic dinosaur ecosystems. A multiproxy approach combining sedimentology, petrology, mineralogy and palaeontology led to determine that these fossil rich-beds were deposited in a range of insular coastal palaeoenvironments. They include protected backshore areas such as freshwater/brackish ponds and brackish bay/lagoon showing co-occurrence of terrestrial and marine inputs. The backshore environments were particularly rich in ostracods (Darwinula sp., Fabanella bathonica) and gyrogonites of charophytes (Porochara douzensis). The abundance of conifer remains including leafy axes (Brachyphyllum), cones (cf. Classostrobus), wood (Brachyoxylon) and pollen grains (Classopollis) shows that ponds and bay/lagoon were bordered by conifer-dominated forests in which Cheirolepidiaceae were the main component. Such a rich and relatively diverse flora was probably an attractive source of food for megaherbivorous dinosaurs. Vertebrate microremains mostly consist of fish scales (Ginglymodi indet.) and crocodylomorph teeth (Atoposauridae indet.), two groups that are common components of Middle Jurassic paralic faunas. The palaeobotanical assemblage suggests a warm subtropical climate probably tropophilous with marked alternation between a wet and a dry season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reconstructing interglacial marine environments helps us understand the climate change mechanisms of the past. To contribute to this body of knowledge, we studied a high-resolution 455 cm-thick sediment sequence of the Boreal (Eemian) marine beds directly overlying Moscovian (Saalian) moraine in the Bychye-2 section on the Pyoza River. We analyzed lithological and microfossil (foraminifers, ostracods, pollen, aquatic palynomorphs) variations at the studied site. Stratigraphical zonation is based on the local and well-established regional pollen zones, correlated with the western European pollen zones. The studied marine beds accumulated from the end of the Moscovian glacial (>131 ka) until ca. 119.5 ka. We distinguished three successive phases: a seasonally sea-ice-covered, relatively deep, freshened basin in the initial rapid flooding stage (>131–130.5 ka); a deep basin in the maximum flooding phase with less extensive sea ice cover (130.5–130.25 ka); and a shallow basin with reduced sea ice cover (130.25–119.5 ka). According to a pollen zone comparison with other sites, the regional glacioisostatic rebound started ca. 130 ka. The diverse warm-water assemblages of benthic foraminifers and ostracods containing typical Baltic Sea species occurred during the regression, mainly 128–124 ka, thus giving evidence for a relatively long-lasting connection between the White and Baltic Seas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfossils of the Strenoceras niortense Zone of the Upper Bajocian of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic are studied. The zone is represented mainly by dark gray silty-sandy clays, with scattered nodules often arranged in interbeds, and belongs to the lower part of the upper subformation of the Djangura Formation. The taxonomic composition and distribution of foraminifera, ostracods, dinoflagellate cysts, and miospores in the section has been identified. The ranges of biostratigraphic units based on foraminifera, ostracods, and dinocysts are emended and these units are correlated with the ammonite scale. The distribution of benthic foraminifers indicates that these are Beds with Ophthalmidium caucasicum, comparable with the entire Niortense Zone and most of the Garantiana Zone. The Beds with Globuligerina dagestanica established using planktonic foraminifera are correlated with the entire studied interval from the Niortense Zone to the Lower Bathonian, inclusive. In the middle-upper part of the Niortense Zone (Rostovtsevi and Baculatum Subzones), the Beds with ostracods Palaeocytheridea (Malzevia) subtilis were recognized for the first time. The beds with dinocysts Carpathodinium predae, Rhynchodiniopsis? regalis, Meiourogonyaulax valensii are correlated with the range of the Niortense and Garantiana Zones and the lower part of the Parkinsoni Zone, inclusive. Characteristic taxa of microfauna and dinocysts are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time for saline lakes of the Crimean Peninsula, the results of a comprehensive study of lacustrine sediments using litho-, bio- and chronological methods were obtained. For the first time, radiocarbon dating of the Crimean lake sediments was performed. In lakes Saki and Dzharylgach, sediment sequences of closed highly mineralized reservoirs, which overlay marine deposits, were retrieved. The surface of marine sediments is dated to 5610–5340 cal BP for Lake Saki and 5590–5350 cal BP for Lake Dzharylgach. By this time, sand barriers began to form, which subsequently completely separated the lagoons from the sea and led to the formation of closed reservoirs. Full isolation of Lake Dzharylgach occurred about 4600 cal BP. The vegetation change at the first stage of the lakes' existence was controlled by changes in the sea level, as well as by fluctuations of salinity, later changes being mainly influenced by changes in climate humidity. The first Cerealia-type pollen occurs in the Subboreal period. Human settlements in the area of Lake Dzharylgach represent the Eneolithic, Bronze Age, as well as the Greco-Roman and medieval periods. A notable demographic change is observed in the period from the early first millennium to the end of the 5th century BC. The majority of archaeological sites in the vicinity of Lake Saki belongs to the Greco-Roman period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite global and local evidence of significant precipitation changes since the Little Ice Age (LIA), their impact upon lake hydrology and surrounding vegetation has yet to be investigated in NW Anatolia. Moreover, the LIA, as a trigger to the social/political recession of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century is expected to have these impacts. To address this important gap, we studied three cores from Lake Sünnet, a landslide-dammed high altitude lake with extreme sedimentation rates, by using a wide range of proxies including lithology, stable isotopes of O and C, diatoms, pollen, and ostracods. The LIA timespan of AD 1510–1750 is represented by poorly preserved diatom flora and scarce ostracod fauna that collectively suggest very shallow aquatic conditions. The period AD 1640–1710 within the LIA is standing out with higher Abies and total herb pollen percentages that denotes considerably cooler conditions. During and soon after this cold and dry period precisely overlapping the Maunder Minimum, the currently deep Lake Sülüklü in close vicinity was a dry lowland where tall trees were growing. Progressive warming/lake level rise in Lake Sünnet after the AD 1750s is suggested based on a continuous diatom record with increasing planktonic share, increase in diverse and warm demanding arboreal cover, and a positive shift in δ18O of the lake muds. Following the relatively dry/cold period of AD 1800–1850 (Dalton Minimum) when the lake level was stationary and Artemisia cover became the most expanded of the whole record, a relatively warmer climate has dominated the area until the end of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new accerator mass spectrometry (AMS)‐dated sedimentary record from Lake Ochaul (54°14′N, 106°28′E; 641 m a.s.l.) in Eastern Siberia covers the interval from ca. 27 850 to 20 400 cal a bp at ca. 180‐year resolution and contributes to a better understanding of the complex spatial vegetation pattern during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Non‐arboreal pollen taxa are abundant in the pollen assemblages (mean value ca. 92.6%), but boreal trees are represented by all major taxa that grow in the lake catchment today, including Betula sect. Albae (0.6–4.8%), Picea (0.6–2.8%), Pinus sibirica (Haploxylon type) (up to 1.5%), Pinus sylvestris (Diploxylon type) (up to 2%), Larix (up to 0.6%) and Abies (up to 0.6%). Betula sect. Nanae/Fruticosae (2–5.2%) and Salix (up to 3.2%) are the most representative boreal shrub taxa. Together with existing modern and fossil pollen data from the wider study region, the current record provides further evidence for the long‐debated presence of boreal trees and shrubs in Eastern Siberia throughout the LGM. Our results show that the Upper Lena was a region in which refugia for arboreal taxa existed and that far‐distant pollen transport can be ruled out as the source of the detected arboreal pollen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the micropalaeontological data (palynomorphs and ostracods) including index taxa to assign a precise age, and the palaeoecological evolution of the Aspiras Basin, south‐east Kastamonu, northern Anatolia. The succession may informally be divided into a lower part including rich lignites interbedded with fine‐grained sediments and an upper part which comprises lignite‐free deposits such as mudrocks with dense gypsum and rare limestones. The sediments of the lower part were deposited in a wetland (i.e. peat‐forming environment) showing oscillations of the lake level, whereas the upper part indicates the shoaling or closing phase of the lake. Early Miocene age is assigned to the Aspiras Basin due to the presence of index taxa such as Leiotriletes maximus, Dicolpopollis kockelii, Intratriporopollenites instructus, Caryapollenites simplex, and ostracods Pseudocandona praecox and Potamocypris gracilis. Moreover, a new species of ostracod, Heterocypris aspirasensis, has been discovered. In the lowermost part of the succession, palynomorph spectra are dominated by spores such as Leiotriletes maxoides, L. maximus, and Verrutacosporites alienus while diverse pollen types, notably conifer pollen, attain high abundances further up in the succession. In the forested environment, the mixed mesophytic plants were less diverse. Low quantities of herbaceous taxa such as Ephedra sp., Poaceae, Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae‐Asteroideae, and Asteraceae‐Cichorioideae indicate the limited occurrence of open areas. During the Early Miocene, a warm and moist climate prevailed according to quantitative palaeoclimate data and the presence of the mega‐mesothermic taxa such as Taxodioideae, Mastixiaceae, Engelhardia, Sapotaceae, and Calamus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microfossils of the upper Bajocian Garantiana garantiana Zone of the Kyafar River (a tributary of the Bolshoi Zelenchuk River, Karachay-Cherkess Republic) are studied. The zone is represented by dark gray claystone-like clay series with sporadically scattered nodules, often forming interlayers, and is recognized in the upper subformation of the Djangura Formation. The taxonomic composition and distribution in the section of foraminifers, ostracods, dinoflagellate cysts, and miospores are studied. The range of foraminiferal and dinocyst biostratigraphic units and their correlation with the ammonite scale are established. On the basis of benthic foraminifera, these are Beds with Ophthalmidium caucasicum, corresponding to most of the Garantiana Zone, and Beds with Sublamarckella terquemi, corresponding to the upper part of the Garantiana Zone and the lower part of the Parkinsoni Zone. The Beds with Globuligerina dagestanica, recognized on the basis of planktonic foraminifera, are compared with the entire studied interval from the Garantiana Zone to the bottom of the lower Bathonian inclusive. The Beds with Meiourogonyaulax valensii and Rhynchodiniopsis? regalis (dinocysts) are considered equivalent to the entire range of the Garantiana Zone to the lower part of the Parkinsoni Zone inclusive. The key fossils are illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples from 12 drillhole-cores from the Urals-Emba region to the north-east of the Caspian Sea were analysed for pollen and spores. The records reveal vegetation and climate changes for the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene within the time interval from ca. 3.6 to ca. 1.65 Ma. According to the results of the pollen analysis, at the beginning of the Akchagylian stage (3.6–3.4 Ma) there was a cooling and change in structure of the dendroflora, and steppe-dominated landscapes were present. At the end of the early Akchagylian, and continuing into the middle Akchagylian, a maximum variety of pollen from tree species occurred. The presence of mesophilic and thermophilic elements signifies a moderately warm and humid climate occurred at around 3.2 Ma, probably related to the 'Mid-Pliocene Warm Period'. A second major cooling occurred at around 2.5 Ma coinciding with the onset of northern hemisphere glaciations. During this time, coniferous forests dominated by Picea , Pinus and Abies with lesser numbers of broad-leaved trees were established. At the end of the Akchagylian, at around 1.8 Ma, the climate became more arid and steppe landscapes were re-established. During the Akchagylian, alternations between forest- and steppe-dominated landscapes occurred at least three times in the Urals-Emba region. Results are compared with pollen spectra in surface samples, and with ostracods and foraminiferal assemblages in cores from the study region. • Pollen analyses of samples from 12 cores from the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene of the Urals-Emba region, Russia. • Detailed vegetation interpretations for the Akchagylian and Apsheronian regional stages of the northern Caspian Sea region. • Recognition of phases of steppe and forest vegetation in relation to periods of dry and humid climates. • Analysis of dendroflora of determine paleogeographic origins of Plio-Pleistocene tree taxa. • Integration of results with modern pollen, foraminifera, ostracods and regional geology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Thorough faunal (benthic foraminifera, ostracods, molluscs) and palynomorph analyses as well as magnetic susceptibility measurements performed on the Piraeus coastal plain sedimentary sequences have shed light on the paleoenvironmental evolution of the area since ca. 9000 cal BP. Benthic and palynomorph assemblages along with magnetic susceptibility suggest a typical lagoonal environment with significant freshwater inputs at the eastern part of the plain after 8700 cal BP. Between 7500 and 5400 cal BP, microfaunal assemblages, mollusc fauna and magnetic susceptibility suggest a shallow marine paleoenvironment, with Piraeus forming a tied island in the center of the bay. Since ca. 4800 cal BP a closed oligohaline lagoon is evidenced in the western part of the Piraeus plain further developed to a marsh after 2800 cal BP, while a coastal environment associated with the fluvio-deltaic system of Kifissos and Korydallos Rivers is continually developing to the west. Signs of cultivation and grazing activities in the area are evidenced since the Early Bronze Age, culminating during the Classical Period. A comparison with a well-dated marine record, recovered from the nearby shallow Elefsis Bay, provides a reasonable estimation of ~5 mm/yr for the absolute sea level rise rate in the inner Saronikos Gulf during the Mid-Holocene.

Abstract New palynological, ostracod and foraminiferal data are presented from a long outcrop section in the Jeirankechmez river valley, Azerbaijan, near the western coast of the Caspian Sea. The interval studied includes the upper part of the Pliocene Productive Series and overlying Plio-Pleistocene Akchagylian (Akchagyl) and Apsheronian (Apsheron) regional stages. Productive Series sediments were deposited in a closed fluvio-lacustrine basin, isolated from any marine influence. The onset of Akchagyl deposition is marked by a lithological change associated with a significant flooding event that, at its maximum extent, reached the Sea of Azov and into present-day Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia. At the Jeirankechmez locality, the lowermost beds of the Akchagyl contain predominantly freshwater assemblages with very minimal marine or brackish content showing that the onset of Akchagyl deposition was not a marine induced event. Reworked Mesozoic palynomorphs occur frequently in this lowermost interval, including the reworked pollen taxa Aquilapollenites - Triprojectus that were eroded from the north or north-east. Significant marine influence is evident ca. 30 m above the base of the Akchagyl in the studied outcrop, marked by the ' Cassidulina Beds' which contain a distinct but low diversity assemblage of foraminifera that occurs widely and can be correlated in many parts of the greater Caspian region. Dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) in the marine interval include frequent specimens very similar to Algidasphaeridium capillatum (Matsuoka and Bujak), a species only previously recorded from the northern Bering Sea. The combined evidence from these dinocysts and foraminifera suggests that a marine (i.e. seaway) connection existed briefly between the Arctic Ocean and the Caspian Sea at the very end of the Pliocene. Re-examination of core material from the Adriatic Sea shows that Cassidulina reniforme (Nørvang) was present in the Mediterranean during and shortly after the Last Glacial Maximum. The possibility that the end Pliocene marine incursion came from the Mediterranean via the Black Sea region to the Caspian Sea cannot be entirely ruled out but is considered unlikely. Biometric analyses are applied to obtain a better understanding of the palaeoenvironmental significance of the assemblages dominated by cassidulinids. An interval >300 m thick is assigned to the Apsheron regional stage on the basis of predominantly brackish ostracod and dinocyst associations. The dinocysts are of 'Peri-Paratethyan' affinity and closely resemble species first described from Miocene and Pliocene sediments in the Pannonian and Dacic basins of Eastern Europe. Many similarities exist in the microplankton records (dinocysts and acritarchs) between the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and Central Paratethys. Highlights • New biostratigraphic study of Plio-Pleistocene Akchagyl and Apsheron regional stages in outcrop from Gobustan, Azerbaijan • Records of ostracods, foraminifera and palynomorphs (dinoflagellates, acritarchs, pollen, algae) including SEM images • Foraminifera (Cassidulina / Cibicides) potentially of arctic affinity in the Caspian Sea at the beginning of Pleistocene • Potential migration pathways from Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean and Black Sea to the Caspian Sea investigated • Dinoflagellate cysts with affinity to Central Paratethys (Pannonian and Dacic Basins) in Caspian Sea during Apsheron stage [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochronology is the most widely used method for organizing the successions of continental vertebrate faunas in geological time and for allowing the correlation of continental deposits. However, due to the fragmentary nature of the paleontological record and the diachronicity of first and last occurrences of vertebrate taxa in different areas (i.e., bioevents), it is difficult to precisely define the temporal boundaries between biochronological units. That is why it is crucial to calibrate biochronological data with independent proxies wherever possible. Here, thanks to an interdisciplinary approach that combines sedimentology and stratigraphy, vertebrate paleontology, micropaleontology (ostracods), palynology, and geochronology, we provide a chronological framework and a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the paleontological site of Pantalla (Central Italy). The combination between biochronological/biostratigraphic and geochronological (U-series/ESR dating and paleomagnetism) data allows us to refer the site to c. 2.2 Ma, i.e., in the transition phase between the Middle and Late Villafranchian in the European biochronological scheme. We reconstruct the environment as a fluvial area with a frequently flooded wet floodplain and marked (probably seasonal) variations of the water level of the channel river. The depositional system was surrounded by a conifer-dominated forest, which is suggestive of a glacial phase. • Pantalla is a paleontological site yielding well-preserved terrestrial mammals. • Geological and paleontological data are combined in an interdisciplinary approach. • A chronological and paleoenvironmental framework of Pantalla is provided. • Age of the site (c. 2.2 Ma) is close to the Middle-Late Villafranchian transition. • The environment was a fluvial area with a frequently flooded wet floodplain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-proxy approach has been adopted to reconstruct the Holocene history of the St. Eufemia Plain (western Calabria, Italy) and to discern the influence that sea level rise and tectonics exerted in its evolution. Sedimentological, paleoecological and palynological data have been obtained from a 24-m long core, mostly made of pelitic back-barrier sediments, chronologically constrained by twelve AMS C dates. Radiocarbon ages of lagoon samples have been corrected by taking into account the influence of both the marine and hardwater effect on the reservoir age. The new data have been integrated with those of pre-existing stratigraphies in order to better characterize the overall sedimentary architecture of the plain. In the early Holocene (from ca. 8300 to ca. 6900 yr. cal BP), eustasy largely prevailed on the tectonic uplift, causing coastline ingression and aggradation. From ca. 6900 to ca. 2800 yr. cal BP, coastline progradation and aggradation were driven by high detrital inputs and slowdown of sea level rise, during a phase characterized by a general weak subsidence. From ca. 2800 to ca. 1400 yr. cal BP, higher rates of subsidence favored the establishment of marsh and flooded alluvial plain environments in the back-barrier domain. After ca. 1400 yr. cal BP, a substantial stability characterized the St. Eufemia Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New micropaleontological and paleomagnetic data were obtained by studying core samples of Cenozoic continental deposits from two boreholes drilled in the south of Tyumen oblast (Western Siberia). Palynological assemblages in deposits of the Tavda (upper part), Novomikhailovka, Turtas, Abrosimovka, Tobolsk, Smirnovka, and Suzgun formations were described. Deposits of these formations are enriched in spore-pollen assemblages, which can be correlated with assemblages of regional palynozones of the West Siberian Plain. Ostracods were described in Quaternary deposits. On the basis of biostratigraphic and paleomagnetic data, the Late Eocene (Priabonian)-Holocene age of deposits was substantiated. For the first time, beds with dinocysts of genus Pseudokomewuia were identified in deposits of the Turtas Formation (Upper Oligocene) of the Ishim lithofacial area. In total, nine regional magnetozones were distinguished in the paleomagnetic section. On the basis of palynological and paleomagnetic data, sections of two boreholes were correlated, and hiatuses in sedimentation were revealed. A large hiatus is at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary (Western Siberia): the Lower Oligocene Atlym Horizon and Miocene-Pliocene and Eopleistocene sediments are missing. The Oligocene interval of the section is represented in a reduced volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six cores, each approximately 10 m long, of late Pleistocene to Holocene age were studied from the Emba Delta region in the north-eastern Caspian Sea. Radiocarbon dates provide ages within the range of 47,820 to 12,020 cal BP for the middle sections, and for post-1950 close to surface. The ages fall within Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, MIS 2 and MIS 1 (with MIS 4 also inferred). Four lithological units are present, each separated by an erosional contact. Unit 4 is equated with MIS 4 and consists of over-consolidated, east-west trending aeolian sands deposited during the late Pleistocene Atelian lowstand. Unit 3 is equated with MIS 3 and is a low-energy, shallow open water or lagoonal deposit based on ostracod faunas. Pollen from mesophilic trees is common, confirming warm climatic conditions. Floristic elements such as Engelhardia and Carya were shared with East Asia. Frequent Taxodiaceae pollen occurs, derived from Glyptostrobus pensilis , a seasonal freshwater swamp tree, now found naturally only in isolated relict stands in East Asia. This suggests that the north-eastern Caspian region was a ‘refugium’ supporting Glyptostrobus swamp vegetation during MIS 3. There is no evidence to indicate that these are reworked occurrences. Unit 2 consists of early Khvalynian transgressive barrier sands and Unit 1 of shoreface sands and muds of Holocene age. The late Khvalynian highstand and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) record are eroded by the Mangyshlak unconformity after ca. 12,500 cal BP. The Holocene interval contains frequent foraminifera and dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) of restricted ‘marine’ affinity (e.g. Lingulodinium machaerophorum ). The dinocysts Pterocysta cruciformis and Impagidinium inaequalis are found commonly in the Caspian Sea for the first time. Results are compared with palynological and ostracod assemblages in surface samples from the eastern Caspian Sea coastal region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information obtained from a 21 m thick open-pit section of silty-clayey sediments in the Arumetsa bedrock valley, southwestern Estonia, revealed that lacustrine to glaciolacustrine sedimentation at the site started prior to 151 ka ago and lasted to about the end of marine isotope stage 6 (MIS6) at 130 ka. Further down from the 151 ka age-level to the bottom of the buried valley there are ca 60 m of lacustrine fine-grained sediments, the age of which remains still unclear. The Late Saalian sediments at Arumetsa are discordantly overlain by Middle Weichselian clay, silt and sand, deposited between ca 44 and 37 ka ago. As testified by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, and pollen and diatom record, the Middle Weichselian fine-grained sediments contain redeposited Holsteinian but no Eemian pollen, and have not been fully bleached during deposition. Chronological, microfossil and sedimentological data show two hiatuses in the Arumetsa section. The first hiatus has left no sedimentary evidence for the period between ca 130 ka and 44 ka ago (MIS5 to older half of MIS3). The younger hiatus from ca 37 to 22 ka occurs between the Middle Weichselian lacustrine silt and the Late Weichselian till layer on top of the section.

The 4.5 m thick Haljala sequence in North Estonia was studied to provide information on palaeoenvironmental changes between 13 800 and 11 300 cal yr BP. Late glacial environmental history of North Estonia was reconstructed using AMS-dated pollen record, sediment composition, plant macrofossils, and ostracods. The obtained data show environmental fluctuations that are linked to the climate shifts of the Last Termination in the North Atlantic region. Decrease in the arboreal pollen accumulation rate around 13 700–13 600 and 13 300–13 100 cal yr BP refers to short deterioration of climate within the Allerød Interstadial and has been correlated with the cooling of the Greenland Interstadial GI-1c and GI-1b events, respectively. Between 13 100 and 12 850 cal yr BP the pollen accumulation rate of trees, shrubs, and herb as well as organic matter increased, indicating short-term climate amelioration and establishment of pine-birch woods. This change has been correlated with the GI-1a event. Climate deterioration during the Younger Dryas (GS-1) was inferred from the reduction of tree pollen and flourishing of cold-tolerant species, such as Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae, and Cyperaceae. New data show that ice cover of the Pandivere Upland started to perish already about 13 800 cal yr BP.

New detailed palynological and ostracodological analyses together with texture data from a sediment core drilled in Ostia Antica confirm the existence of the ancient Ostia harbour and its location by the Tiber River. Using the different proxies analysed in this work and chronologically framing the sediment record with three AMS radiocarbon dates, four phases have been singled out: pre-harbour, harbour bay under fluvial influence, more protected harbour basin and post-harbour phase. Ostracodology is used to reconstruct the marine versus freshwater influence in the basin. Palynology is used to reconstruct the plant landscape and the surrounding environment. Phases with low pollen concentration and expansions of NPPs suggest soil erosion and are alternated with quieter ones, where human impact was very clear. Deciduous oaks typical of coastal plain forests are the main taxon during the harbour phases. The occurrence of riparian trees increases in periods with low pollen concentration, high NPPs and very high pine percentages. These should be the periods in which important sediment inputs inside the harbour basin arrived and could be the expression of intense flooding phases. The comparison between the ostracod assemblages recovered in the two cores and has led to speculate a complex harbour structure. A separation could explain the micropalaeontological differences between the cores. Thus, we suggest that a pier must have been built in order to protect the inner harbour from the marine influence and to unload the goods transported by the big ships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous saline playa lakes exist across the arid, semiarid and temperate regions of Australia. These playa lakes exhibit a diverse range of hydrological conditions to which the Australian aquatic invertebrate biota have become adapted and which the biota can utilise as refugia in times of hydrological deterioration. Saline playas also yield palaeoenvironmental records that can be used to infer lacustrine and catchment responses to environmental variability. Wepresent a palaeoenvironmental record recovered from Two Mile Lake, a saline playa from southern Western Australia. Dating, based on quartz optical luminescence and 14C accelerator mass spectrometry of biogenic carbonates and organic fibres, suggests that most of the sediment was rapidly deposited at 4.36±0.25 thousand years ago. Ostracods and nonmarine foraminifera preserved in the sediment show periods of faunal colonisation of the lake with oscillations between hypersaline and oligosaline conditions. The geochemistry of ostracod valves and foraminifera tests suggests higherfrequency variability within the lake, and palynological changes indicate landscape changes, possibly in response to fire. The Two Mile Lake record highlights the utility of saline playas as archives of environmental change that can be used to guide wetland health management, particularly under the impacts of a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comparison between the first results of comprehensive micropaleontological analysis (pollen, spores, foraminifera, and ostracods) and those of radiocarbon dating (AMSC) for the sediments of the eastern inner shelf of the Laptev Sea (the core collected from depth of 37 m) indicates that considerable changes in natural conditions in the sea and on land coincide in time and refer to the time period of 1500-1700 years B.P. This period is characterized by changes in microfossils: appearance of thermophilic pollen and planktonic foraminifera and increase in total number of benthic foraminifera and ostracods. Intense warming and humidification of the climate reconstructed for this 200-year period promoted the expansion of large-shrub tundra. Summer air temperatures were lower than that in the peak mid-Holocene climatic optimum by 2°-3°C, but 1°C higher than the present-day temperature. An estuary freshwater basin developed: it was strongly affected by river discharge, but North Atlantic waters also intensely penetrated here in short-term intervals. In general, the studied microfossil complex reflects the relatively stable environmental conditions and decrease in seawater salinity in the eastern part of the Laptev Sea shelf during the last 2300 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ancient site of Elaiussa Sebaste (SE coast of Turkey) was one of the main trading harbours of the Mediterranean, growing in the Augustan period and maintaining its prestige until the Byzantine era. The Arabic invasion that occurred in the second half of the 7th century AD marked its definitive abandonment. A very prominent historical topic concerns the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the northern and southern harbours of Elaiussa Sebaste, including their decline and burial. A wide interdisciplinary study plans to analyse 8 cores drilled in the modern plains, which correspond to the setting of the 2 harbours basins. This geoarchaeological investigation aims to provide a first model of the environmental evolution recorded in the northern port basin, obtained by means of litho- and biofacies analyses from one of the 8 cores (ELA6) that best represents a good reference-succession in order to interpret this evolution. It consists of sediments deposited in a timespan from the 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD, corresponding to the developments of the ancient town and its harbours. The geophysics evidences the depth of the bedrock and the overlaying deposits. Sedimentology, macropalaeontology, and micropalaeontology define a sequence of shallow marine palaeoenvironments, with clear influence of fresh water. The palynology focuses the attention on a short core-interval corresponding to the timespan of 150-190 AD approximately, when the human impact might have controlled this evolution by building and cultivating. A hypothetical scenario might link some natural events (i.e. the uplift of the area, the increase of the sedimentation rate) to the human impact. These causes may have resulted in the siltation of the harbour that finally ended all harbour-related activities. During the timespan of the 2nd century BC to the 4th century AD, the northern harbour of Elaiussa-Sebaste may represent a good test to apply the Ancient Harbour Parasequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative analyses on pollen and ostracods were performed on the Montalbano Jonico succession (MJS) through Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 18–21 in order to acquire details of paleoenvironmental changes and climate pattern during MIS 19, which includes the Matuyama–Brunhes paleomagnetic boundary (MBB). While the MJS does not record the MBB, which is the main criterion for defining the Early–Middle Pleistocene boundary, it is a candidate Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Ionian Stage and Middle Pleistocene Subseries because of its excellent exposure, continuous deposition, and astronomically tuned record between MIS 37 and MIS 16. The new 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age of 773.9 ± 1.3 ka for volcaniclastic layer V4 allows the age-model for the succession to be refined. Ostracod assemblages show significant paleodepth fluctuations at the glacial–interglacial scale, in agreement with the pollen distality index ( Pinus vs. Caryophyllaceae, Amaranthaceae and Ephedra ) which also suggests higher values during MIS 19. Pollen analysis provides supplementary paleoclimate data that are valuable to reconstruct temperature variation during the identified phases. A major expansion of steppic vegetation at 790 ka in the uppermost MIS 20 correlates with a significant cold and arid Northern Hemisphere climate phase, as documented by a concurrent peak both in North Atlantic ice rafted debris and Mediterranean dust records. Climate conditions recorded in MIS 19.3 were similar to those of the present interglacial, whereas a dry climate phase marks MIS 19.2 at 771.84 ka, slightly above the V4 layer. Millennial scale climate variability occurred during MIS 19 as evidenced by two abrupt short-term moderately dry pollen events at 783.5 ka and 774.8 ka that could be related to a period of reduced geomagnetic field intensity through the MBB transition. Additional environmental/chronological events accompanied this stratigraphic interval: i) the volcaniclastic layers V3 and V4, radiometrically dated at 801.2 ± 19.5 ka and 773.9 ± 1.3 ka, respectively; ii) the co-occurrence of maximum flooding and thermal maximum in agreement with the previously recorded co-occurrence of the Neopycnodonte community and tropical–subtropical mesopelagic teleostean Bonapartia pedaliota , close to the increase of Quercus ; and iii) the maximum depth (MD) between 777.3 and 773.25 ka as recorded by outer shelf/upper slope macroinvertebrate fauna, close to the highest value of pollen distality index in MIS 19. Results enhance the understanding of orbital-suborbital paleoenvironmental change during the mid-Pleistocene, and particularly of the climate pattern during MIS 19 and across the MBB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiproxy record from Lake Parishan, SW Iran, shows human impact on the lake and its catchment over the last 4000 years. The Parishan record provides evidence of changes in lake hydrology, from ostracod, diatom and isotope analyses, that are directly linked to human activity in the catchment; recorded by pollen and charcoal and supported by regional archaeological and historical data. The lake ostracod fauna is particularly sensitive to human-induced catchment alterations and allows us to identify changes in catchment hydrology that are due to more than a simple change in precipitation: evaporation state. Oxygen isotope data from endogenic carbonates follow these faunal changes but also display a longer trend to more positive values through the period, coincident with regional patterns of water balance for the late-Holocene in the eastern Mediterranean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 70s, the Early Pleistocene (Gelasian) site of Coste San Giacomo (Anagni Basin, central Italy) has been known amongst palaeontologists for its diverse vertebrate fauna. During the last 5 years, new excavations and the drilling of a 46-m-deep core have provided novel pieces of information. Palaeomagnetic data, pollen and small vertebrates analyses are presented here for the first time and combined with the updated list of the large vertebrates and ostracod analysis in a multidisciplinary perspective. Large and small mammals, pollen and ostracod analyses have allowed an integrated palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the sedimentary sequence, depicting the evolution of the alluvial plain in the surrounding landscape. Moreover, magnetostratigraphy, pollen and small mammal biochronological data have confirmed the position of the Coste San Giacomo Faunal Unit, focusing the possible age of the mammal assemblage around 2.1 Ma, in a reversed phase before the base of the Olduvai chron. In particular, the occurrence of the large vole Mimomys pliocaenicus has important biochronological significance. The Coste San Giacomo site offers a unique opportunity to investigate the faunal and environmental changes that occurred in Mediterranean Europe during the Early Pleistocene, coinciding with major climatic changes at a global scale. The occurrence of taxa such as Hippopotamus sp. in the assemblage provides evidence of early dispersal events of African taxa prior to the early Homo diffusion into Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The closed Tangra Yumco Basin underwent the strongest Quaternary lake-level changes so far recorded on the Tibetan Plateau. It was hitherto unknown what effect this had on local Holocene vegetation development. A 3.6-m sediment core from a recessional lake terrace at 4,700 m a.s.l., 160 m above the present lake level of Tangra Yumco, was studied to reconstruct Holocene flooding phases (sedimentology and ostracod analyses), vegetation dynamics and human influence (palynology, charcoal and coprophilous fungi analyses). Peat at the base of the profile proves lake level was below 4,700 m a.s.l. during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. A deep-lake phase started after 11 cal ka BP, but the ostracod record indicates the level was not higher than ~4,720 m a.s.l. (180 m above present) and decreased gradually after the early Holocene maximum. Additional sediment ages from the basin suggest recession of Tangra Yumco from the coring site after 2.6 cal ka BP, with a shallow local lake persisting at the site until ~1 cal ka BP. The final peat formation indicates drier conditions thereafter. Persistence of Artemisia steppe during the Holocene lake high-stand resembles palynological records from west Tibet that indicate early Holocene aridity, in spite of high lake levels that may have resulted from meltwater input. Yet pollen assemblages indicate humidity closer to that of present potential forest areas near Lhasa, with 500-600 mm annual precipitation. Thus, the early mid-Holocene humidity was sufficient to sustain at least juniper forest, but Artemisia dominance persisted as a consequence of a combination of environmental disturbances such as (1) strong early Holocene climate fluctuations, (2) inundation of habitats suitable for forest, (3) extensive water surfaces that served as barriers to terrestrial diaspore transport from refuge areas, (4) strong erosion that denuded the non-flooded upper slopes and (5) increasing human influence since the late glacial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Multi-proxy data from the Lake Słone sediments (SE Poland) yielded information on the Holocene changes of Lake Słone in a karst region. Changes of limnological conditions and vegetation reconstructions correspond to high resolution multi-proxy records from north-central Europe. Ostracods showed several small oscillations. Most significant changes occurred at 12300cal yr BP (Younger Dryas–Preboreal transition) and between 11800 and 11100cal yr BP (“Preboreal Oscillation”). Lowering of the water table at around 11100–10800cal yr BP was probably connected with abrupt warming at ca. 11000cal BP. Temperature and water depth fell at about 8400–8100cal yr BP (8200cal yr BP). The Atlantic period was generally warm and is divided into two parts: an older one with comparatively stable water level and a second one (between 7000 and 6300cal yr BP) with two phases of higher water level separated by lowering at 6800cal yr BP. At the transition from the Atlantic to the Subboreal (6200–5950cal yr BP) the dry period is more pronounced than changes in the second half of the Atlantic. Since the beginning of the Subboreal an increase in human activity in Central Europe was the main factor shaping the landscape and changing the limnic regimes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Holocene palaeoclimatic history of south-western Western Australia (SWWA) has received little attention compared to south-eastern Australia, and this has resulted in conflicting views over the impact of climate variability in the region. We present here a well-dated, high-resolution record from two overlapping sediment cores obtained from the centre of Barker Swamp, Rottnest Island, offshore Perth. The records span the last 8.7 ka, with the main lacustrine phase occurring after 7.4 ka. This site preserves both pollen and several ostracod taxa. The pollen record suggests a long-term shift from the early-mid Holocene to the late Holocene to drier conditions with less shrubland and more low-ground cover and less fire activity. A salinity transfer function was developed from ostracod faunal assemblage data and trace metal ratios (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Na/Ca) and stable isotopes (δ18O and δ13C) analysed on selected ostracod valves. These provide a detailed history of evaporation/precipitation (E/P) differences that clearly shows that the SWWA region was subjected to significant climatic shifts over the last 7.4 ka, with a broad shift towards increased aridity after 5 ka. The swamp ranged from fresh to saline as recorded in the ostracod valve chemistry and the independently-derived salinity transfer function. The ostracod record also indicates that a sea-level highstand occurred between ca. 4.5 and 4.3 ka, with probable step-wise increases at 6.75, 6.2, and 5.6 ka, with the last vestiges of salt water intrusion at ca. 1 ka. After about 2.3 ka, the fresh, groundwater lens that underlies the western portion of the island intersected the swamp depression, influencing the hydrology of the swamp. The broad climatic changes recorded in Barker Swamp are also compared with data from southern South Africa, and it is suggested that the Southern Annular Mode appears to have been the dominant driver in the climate of these regions and that the Indian Ocean Dipole is of little importance in the southern regions of the south-western Cape of Africa and south-western Western Australia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper presents the first paleontological data (pollen, plant macrofossil, diatom and ostracod) on the sediments of Lake Beloye, which is situated in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia. Our study contributes to better understanding of the Middle–Late Holocene regional to local environmental changes. Regionally, we recognized a cold stage of 3.4–2.3 calibrated ka BP and a dry stage of 2.8–1.7ka BP. The dry stage coincides with the climate-driven lowered level of the lake at 2.6–1.5ka BP. Later, the climate changed to warmer and wetter, which resulted in a highest stand of the lake at 1.3–0.2ka BP and was followed by the lowering of the lake. Forest-steppe persisted in this area during the whole period under consideration, but probably shifted southward. Such a shift is reflected in the environment around Lake Beloye similar to that of modern taiga, which existed at 3.2–1.3ka BP, however, compared to the colder and wetter climate of taiga, the conditions were colder and drier. The local plant associations and the lake ecosystem were affected by those events of climate and lake level changes. The initial eutrophic sedge-reed swamp evolved to the oligo-mesotrophic sphagnum bog, which existed around the lake at 3.2–1.3ka BP. Later, the bogging process was interrupted by the lake transgression, after which the dried bog around the lake was occupied by the birch forest. The lake ecosystem was strongly affected by the 3.4ka BP climate change: the low-alkaline eutrophic lake with abundant water higher plants and diatoms changed to the alkaline oligotrophic lake with calcium-fixing macrophytic algae and angiosperms. This resulted in total change of lake''s bio-geochemical and sedimentation patterns. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We present the Holocene sequence from Lago Enol (43°16′N, 4°59′W, 1,070 m a.s.l.), Cantabrian Mountains, northern Spain. A multiproxy analysis provided comprehensive information about regional humidity and temperature changes. The analysis included sedimentological descriptions, physical properties, organic carbon and carbonate content, mineralogy and geochemical composition together with biological proxies including diatom and ostracod assemblages. A detailed pollen study enabled reconstruction of variations in vegetation cover, which were interpreted in the context of climate changes and human impact. Four distinct stages were recognized for the last 13,500 years: (1) a cold and dry episode that includes the Younger Dryas event (13,500-11,600 cal. year BP); (2) a humid and warmer period characterizing the onset of the Holocene (11,600-8,700 cal. year BP); (3) a tendency toward a drier climate during the middle Holocene (8,700-4,650 cal. year BP); and (4) a return to humid conditions following landscape modification by human activity (pastoral activities, deforestation) in the late Holocene (4,650-2,200 cal. year BP). Superimposed on relatively stable landscape conditions (e.g. maintenance of well established forests), the typical environmental variability of the southern European region is observed at this site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used two sediment cores from the ancient harbour of Rome (Italy) for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. The imperial harbour of Rome and its town, Portus, were constructed in the Tiber Delta area. Today, they are ~3 km from the coast, close to Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. The port was excavated during the reign of Emperor Claudius, inaugurated by Nero in 64 AD, and substantially enlarged under Emperor Trajan. This paper focuses on analyses of ostracods in sediment cores from the harbour and provides insights into the palaeoenvironmental evolution of the harbour water bodies. Pollen data complement this ostracod-based reconstruction, providing information about the vegetation around the port. One core (PTS13) was taken from the dock area ( darsena) excavated at the time of Claudius. The second core (PTS5) was collected from the Trasverso Channel ( Canale Trasverso), excavated after the port inauguration and later dredged during the fourth century AD because it had filled in with silt. Radiocarbon, archaeological and pollen data indicate the two cores overlap in time slightly, or perhaps not at all, the core from the dock site (PTS13) containing the older record. Ostracods recovered from the two sites represent very different aquatic environments, driven in one case by the Tiber River input and in the other by 'marine' harbour waters. Parallel study of ostracods and pollen in the cores reveals the impact of harbour management activities, which are linked to ship hull maintenance, as well as erosion and siltation in this coastal setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The research concerns the Tiber delta area, about 3 km far from the present seacoast, where the remains of the ancient harbour of Rome are located. In 42 AD, Claudius started the construction of the harbour and Nero completed it in 64 AD. Then, the emperor Trajan went on to add a hexagonal basin to the former structure, which had gradually silted up. The imperial harbour was connected to the Tiber River and ultimately to the city of Rome through the Trajan channel. During the imperial period, most of the supplies imported from the Mediterranean provinces reached the city of Rome through Portus. This study applies detailed pollen, microcharcoal, and ostracod analyses together with radiocarbon dating to the sediments recovered from two cores drilled in the area of the Claudius harbour. The objective of the drillings was to identify morphological and environmental features of the Tiber delta dating back to the Roman period, and to characterize the landscape of the harbour. The chronological framing of the records is based on stratigraphical criteria, radiocarbon dates, historical data and on the typology of pottery fragments. Pollen, plant macroremains, and ostracod assemblages indicate that the two cores record different periods of time. The dock core shows the first phases of the harbour activities, recording first a marine and then a brackish environment. The plant landscape is typical of a coastal environment and appears rather preserved. The human presence is clear, but not of great impact. The channel core records mainly a brackish water environment and a strong human impact related to the presence of Portus, the port town. Anthropic indicators such as cultivated and synanthropic taxa as well as strong fire use/occurrence are evidence of a high human pressure increasing in the first centuries AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The information obtained from a 21 m thick open-pit section of silty-clayey sediments in the Arumetsa bedrock valley, southwestern Estonia, revealed that lacustrine to glaciolacustrine sedimentation at the site started prior to 151 ka ago and lasted to about the end of marine isotope stage 6 (MIS6) at 130 ka. Further down from the 151 ka age-level to the bottom of the buried valley there are ca 60 m of lacustrine fine-grained sediments, the age of which remains still unclear. The Late Saalian sediments at Arumetsa are discordantly overlain by Middle Weichselian clay, silt and sand, deposited between ca 44 and 37 ka ago. As testified by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, and pollen and diatom record, the Middle Weichselian fine-grained sediments contain redeposited Holsteinian but no Eemian pollen, and have not been fully bleached during deposition. Chronological, microfossil and sedimentological data show two hiatuses in the Arumetsa section. The first hiatus has left no sedimentary evidence for the period between ca 130 ka and 44 ka ago (MIS5 to older half of MIS3). The younger hiatus from ca 37 to 22 ka occurs between the Middle Weichselian lacustrine silt and the Late Weichselian till layer on top of the section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ostracod and pollen records of Lago Piccolo di Avigliana were used for the reconstruction of aquatic and terrestrial palaeoenvironments between 17 and 10 kyr cal BP. A combination of multivariate ordination techniques (PCA and RDA) made it possible to describe ostracod and pollen biostratigraphies and to evaluate whether changes in the aquatic ecosystem were associated with those in the terrestrial environments. Samples and taxa in the ordination plots were grouped into three clusters: a first cluster representing herbaceous and shrub pollen taxa (Juniperus, Chenopodiaceae, Gramineae, Artemisia, and Rubiaceae) associated with ostracods typical of oligotrophic and well oxygenated aquatic environments (Cytherissa lacustris), a second cluster containing pollen taxa representing boreal forests (Betula, Pinus sylvestris, and Pinus cembra) associated with ostracod taxa from shallow oligo-mesotrophic aquatic environments (Candona candida, Darwinula stevensoni), and a third cluster including pollen of thermophilous trees and shrubs (Corylus, Quercus ilex, Fraxinus, Quercus robur-type, and Ulmus) connected to ostracods representing warm mesotrophic aquatic conditions with aquatic vegetation (Cypria ophtalmica, Metacypris cordata). Hypothesis testing with constrained Monte Carlo permutations rejected the null hypothesis that no relationship exists between ostracod and pollen datasets at 2% level of significance. As a whole, changes in temperature and precipitation–evaporation balance that influenced terrestrial vegetation were represented by changes in trophic level and water level in the aquatic environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The recent discovery of one of the earliest Mesolithic occupation sites in northern Britain, at Howick on the Northumberland coast, in association with multiperiod archaeological evidence nearby, highlights the importance of UK coastal settings as focii of human occupation through the Holocene. Environmental evidence from a nearby river valley (8.15 m of sediment ranging in age from about 12 000 cal. BP to the present) records local and regional environmental change. Twenty-four radiocarbon dates based on plant macrofossils provide a strong chronological framework. Calcareous microfossil assemblages (foraminifera, ostracods) have been recovered from the fine-grained sediments, recording a change from marine through to brackish and eventually freshwater conditions between about 8200 and 6500 cal. BP. A preliminary pollen study of the core has permitted a reconstruction of the regional vegetation as it responded to climatic amelioration and human influence upon the landscape. Radiocarbon dating and sedimentological evidence indicates a major hiatus between approximately 11 000 and 8000 years BP (including the period of Mesolithic occupation), represented by a 30 cm layer of coarse sands and sandstone pebbles, probably the result of a significant high-energy event dated to about 8300 cal. BP. Although not a typical tsunami deposit, the age and context suggests that this may be associated with the Storegga Slide event, already well-documented along the eastern coast of Scotland. The sedimentary and biological remains at Howick record environmental change over much of the Holocene and are compared with other environmental change records from the region to provide an environmental framework for the archaeology of this coastline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holocene vegetation history and palaeoenvironmental conditions are investigated at the south coast of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. La Olla 1 and Laguna del Sauce Grande sediment sequences are analysed for pollen, calcareous microfossil (ostracods and foraminifers) and plant macrofossil remains (mainly seeds and charophyte oospores). Supplementary information is provided by sedimentological analysis. Modern surface sample data are used to assist in the interpretation of the fossil records. La Olla 1 sequence covers the period 7890 to 7630 cal. BP. The microfauna recovered is characteristic of a shallow marginal-marine environment such as a coastal lagoon. The microfossils indicate a marine connection between 7850 and 7800 cal. BP. Plant macrofossil remains and pollen analyses indicate an extension of the water body after 7780 cal. BP. The pollen record reveals the development of a halophytic plant community in a coastal environment. The sediment record from Laguna del Sauce Grande comprises the last 3000 years. Microfossils and macrofossil remains indicate that the lake history begins with a temporary brackish-water phase. More stable conditions and higher salinity values occur between 1940 and 900 cal. BP. Periods of water level fluctuations occur after 900 cal. BP, with high water levels between 660 and 270 cal. BP. The uppermost samples of the sequence show similar conditions to present day. Pollen spectra indicate a relatively stable vegetation composition throughout the last 3000 years. Pollen assemblages reflect the present regional grassland vegetation with taxa characteristic of the surrounding dune communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Combined investigations of ostracod communities, pollen, and stable isotopes were carried out on Lateglacial limnic high-resolution sediment sequence from Miesenheim in Germany. The pollen data confirm the presence of Meiendorf Interstadial, the first interstadial after the Pleniglacial. The former shallow lake was formed at the end of the Pleniglacial and partly dried out between the Bølling and the Allerød. Lake Laach tephra (12,880 warve yr BP) marks the top of this profile. The intensive colonization with ostracods at the beginning of the Meiendorf Interstadial is characterized by great instability of their populations. Only ostracods from the upper littoral zones of lakes, ponds or temporary pools were found. The stable isotope data (δ 18O, δ 13C) of the valves of the Cypridopsis vidua, Herpetocypris reptans, and Candona candida reflect the different microhabitats of these three species and show a general climatic development during the Meiendorf Interstadial with two summer temperature peaks, one at the beginning and a weaker one in the second half of the Meiendorf Interstadial. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The sediment record of the Estanya lakes (Pre-Pyrenees, Spain) indicates that this region was intensely affected by land use during the Middle and Modern ages, which contrasts with the present-day poor socioeconomic development of the region. The correlation between sediment and biotic data and well-known historical events suggests a reliable history of environmental changes in this area during the last 2000 years. Changes in lake level were mainly controlled by climatic factors, whereas properties such as lithology, organic carbon, ostracods and pollen content are mainly associated with lake management and land use. Major sedimentological changes resulted from the use of the lake for hemp retting at the start of the XIVth century. Subsequent depopulation of the area in the XXth century led to the progressive recovery of the lacustrine ecosystem. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Pliocene Villarroya basin fill consists of lacustrine and alluvial deposits over 100 m thick. The lacustrine deposits, up to 30 m thick, comprise three sequences. The two lower sequences consist of profundal, laminated deposits formed by mostly terrigenous facies that are overlain by charophytic carbonates and varves. The uppermost, third sequence made up of massive bioturbated mudstones corresponds to a very shallow lacustrine–palustrine environment. Bulk mineralogy comprises carbonates, clay minerals, quartz and feldspars. The carbonates are: exogenic, biogenic calcite and biogenic aragonite. Biogenic calcite constitutes ostracod shells and charophyte stem encrustations, whereas aragonite forms gastropod shells and, in some varve intervals, charophyte encrustations. The clay minerals are illite, kaolinite, palygorskite, chlorite and paragonite, which are inherited from source rocks, and smectite and interstratified clays, which are probably formed in the soils of the source area. Variations in clay mineralogy reflect the interplay between the climate, tectonic rejuvenation and the paleogeography of the basin.The pollen assemblages indicate significant variations in climate: a first phase of varying climate was followed by cool-temperate and sub-humid phases that culminated in a temperate and dry episode, which is recorded in the lower part of the second lacustrine sequence. This was succeeded by a marked warm and humid episode, which may be correlated with the Mid-Pliocene warmth about 3.0 Ma and the subsequent cooling phase, which is recorded in the upper, third sequence.In the two lower sequences (profundal lacustrine deposits), ostracods indicate oligosaline to mesosaline waters with salinity variations and some warm and Na–Cl episodes. Molluscs are characterized by hydrobiids, suggesting a salinity stress. In the upper, palustrine deposits, the ostracods and aquatic mollusc assemblages indicate fresh, cold waters. Faunal records indicate that changes in salinity do not correlate with climate, suggesting phases of significant saline inputs to the lake which were recorded in the lower first sequence and in the upper part of the second sequence.The lacustrine sequence of Villarroya record pronounced variations in climate and in the lacustrine environment. However, there are no consistent relationships between the climate conditions inferred from the pollen data and the sedimentary record of the environmental changes, showing that other factors, especially tectonics, have exerted an influence on the paleoenvironmental evolution, and on the sedimentary record of the Pliocene Villarroya lake. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Palaeolimnological data (diatoms, ostracods, foraminifera, molluscs, aquatic pollen and lithology) from a radiocarbon dated sediment core from a saline lake, the Laguna de Medina, provide the first complete record of Holocene lake-level change for southwest Spain for the last c. 9000 cal. years. The lake has always been relatively shallow but has exhibited marked fluctuations in salinity and water depth, especially in the earlier record when oscillations culminate in maximum lake levels from c. 6960–6680 cal. BP (c. 6070–5830 BP), indicating enhanced early- to mid-Holocene humidity and a mid-Holocene humidity maximum. Prolonged shallowing thereafter reflects in part increased aridity in the later Holocene. Lake desiccation followed by a c. 800-yr phase (zone 2) of major limnological change commencing at c. 8000 cal. BP (c. 7200 BP), and a number of other abrupt desiccation events, are also noteworthy. The mid-Holocene maximum is consistent with widespread evidence for high lake levels around 6000 BP, but the underlying climatic mechanisms are uncertain; there is some evidence it may apply predominantly to the westerly (Atlantic) Peninsula, with earlier maxima in the east. Phases of abrupt limnological change show affinities with African data; as in African lakes, the ‘zone 2’ phase appears to be a response to global change centred on c. 8.1–8.2 cal. BP. Other correlations made are tenuous, due partly to the lack of preservation in the upper record of some of the proxies used. Other desiccation events currently appear to be of more local significance, reflecting high decadal- to century-scale climatic variability throughout the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thorough faunal (benthic foraminifera, ostracods, molluscs) and palynomorph analyses as well as magnetic susceptibility measurements performed on the Piraeus coastal plain sedimentary sequences have shed light on the paleoenvironmental evolution of the area since ca. 9000 cal BP. Benthic and palynomorph assemblages along with magnetic susceptibility suggest a typical lagoonal environment with significant freshwater inputs at the eastern part of the plain after 8700 cal BP. Between 7500 and 5400 cal BP, microfaunal assemblages, mollusc fauna and magnetic susceptibility suggest a shallow marine paleoenvironment, with Piraeus forming a tied island in the center of the bay. Since ca. 4800 cal BP a closed oligohaline lagoon is evidenced in the western part of the Piraeus plain further developed to a marsh after 2800 cal BP, while a coastal environment associated with the fluvio-deltaic system of Kifissos and Korydallos Rivers is continually developing to the west. Signs of cultivation and grazing activities in the area are evidenced since the Early Bronze Age, culminating during the Classical Period. A comparison with a well-dated marine record, recovered from the nearby shallow Elefsis Bay, provides a reasonable estimation of ~5 mm/yr for the absolute sea level rise rate in the inner Saronikos Gulf during the Mid-Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen, geochemical and sedimentological data from Sidi Ali, a montane Moroccan lake, provide a 7000 yr record of changes in climate, catchment vegetation and soil erosion intensity. Diatoms, non-silicious algae, macrophyte fossils and ostracods from the same core record the dynamics of the lake ecosystem. Oxygen isotope and trace-element ratios of benthic ostracods appear to be relatively insensitive to climatic variation in this open lake with low water-residence time, but diatom plankton / periphyton (P/L) ratios show lake-level variations that are probably climate controlled. At least two superimposed processes are recorded, but at different timescales: catchment vegetation and soils show long-term changes due to climate and human impact, whereas P/L ratios suggest century-scale oscillations in lake depth. The timing of changes in algal and macrophyte productivity and carbon cycling within the lake broadly corresponds to changes in terrestrial vegetation, suggesting either that lake nutrient status is linked to catchment vegetation and soils, or that both were influenced by climate. The lack of a sensitive and independent (non-biological) climate proxy makes it more difficult to assess the lake's ecological response to short-term climate variation. Overall, the lake's evolution has been influenced both by catchment-mediated nutrient flux and by changes in water balance, thus having characteristics in common with both temperate and arid zone lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated analysis of molluscs, ostracods and pollen is presented from early Holocene lake marl at Llangorse Lake, Powys, South Wales. The mollusc and ostracod records reflect a littoral environment with increasing eutrophic conditions and a progressive shallowing of lake waters, although the record does not begin until around 9600 BP, probably due to the isolated location. The pollen profile provides evidence of both local and regional vegetational changes over the first two millennia of the present interglacial. Following climatic amelioration at the beginning of the Holocene, there was rapid colonization by trees and shrubs, with juniper widespread by 9800 BP, birch woodland by 9500 BP, and pine by 9300 BP. Late in the ninth millennium BP, hazel became established, to be followed during the course of the eighth millennium by elm and oak. There are indications in both the pollen and molluscan/ ostracod sequences of a relatively dry climatic regime during the early Holocene, while the pollen record suggests a short-lived climatic cooling in the middle of the tenth millennium BP. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Palaeoecological studies of a 14C-dated, 6 m Livingstone core collected from Lac Ichkeul, N. Tunisia have allowed a palaeosalinity and vegetational history record for the last 3000 years to be derived from pollen, chemical and faunal evidence. The lake has been the subject of at least three different salinity regimes; saline (c. 3000 BP-c. 2000 BP), then brackish - fresh (c. 2000 BP-c. 1500 BP), and finally saline (c. 1500 BP-present). These changes in lake salinity are evaluated in the light of the known causes and the implications for the long-term future of the waterfowl populations discussed. An already disturbed Mediterranean woodland dominated by Quercus (cf. Q. suber) and Pinus (possibly P. halepensis) with a significant amount of Phillyrea characterizes the catchment vegetation from c. 3000 BP. From c. 1900 BP a degree of stabilization and regeneration occurs as woodland reinvades and ruderal indicators decline. However, from c. 1400 BP disturbance recommences and Quercus ilex pollen is seen for the first time. This is followed by further woodland interference resulting in the initial rise of Pistacia, but even this is eventually replaced by grassland as intensive cultivation of the Ichkeul catchment for Olea and winter wheat occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Long core was investigated in terms of ostracods, pollen and stable isotopes. • Cyprideis torosa was dominant during the late glacial in the brackish conditions. • There is a transition from oligotrophic to eutrophic conditions at the end of YD. • Relatively wet and dry phases have been observed through the core. • Older Dryas, Allerød interstadial, and Younger Dryas can be discernable in core. This study investigates the ostracod assemblages obtained from a sediment core from a paleolake in the Sağlık plain in south-central Anatolia (Turkey). In addition to ostracods, oxygen and carbon stable isotopes of ostracod shells were analysed and pollen analysis of the core undertaken. The sediments comprise the Late Glacial and early Holocene interval with an approximate 14C age from 18,000 to 6700 14C years ago, after applying a correction for reservoir effects. Eight podocopid ostracod species were recorded, among them Cyprideis torosa and Candona sp. which were used for stable oxygen and carbon isotope analyses. C. torosa dominated during the Late Glacial while Candona sp. dominated most of the early Holocene assemblages. Both forms of C. torosa disappear abruptly close to the onset of the Holocene. Around this time, ostracod preservation was dominated by many black coloured valves and carapaces. Based on ostracod assemblage data and isotope analyses, relatively wet phases were identified for the Older Dryas, Younger Dryas, and during the mid-Holocene at around 7500 14C years ago. Relatively dry phases were identified during the Allerød interstadial, at the end of YD, and at about 6700 14C years ago. An oligotrophic and brackish lake persisted until shortly before the end of the YD, when, according to the δ 13C values, conditions gradually became more eutrophic. The sudden disappearance of C. torosa at the end of the YD seems the consequence of anoxic bottom water conditions and/or eutrophication. Alternating wet and dry phases characterize the early Holocene, with a longer period of wet and oligotrophic conditions around 7500 14C years ago (ca. 8300 calBP). Ostracod assemblages and isotope records indicate a dry and more productive lake around 6700 14C years ago (ca. 7550 calBP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land-shelf interactions and related environmental changes were reconstructed for the past 6 cal. kyrs interpreting multiproxy records from the two AMS14C-dated sediment cores from the sites located to the north and northeast of the Lena River delta. Proxies used include terrestrial and aquatic palynomorphs, benthic/planktic foraminifers and ostracods paired with benthic δ18O and δ13C records of Haynesina orbiculare. The study focused on unravelling the relation between river runoff and the regional climate changes on the one hand, and its imprint on the shelf sea environment on timescales beyond the instrumental records on the other. The palynomorph records show that the Lena River outflow largely determined the composition of species associations and the magnitude of terrestrial matter influx from land. Pollen assemblages of the inner Laptev Sea shelf reflect complex pollen contribution of the Arctic tundra and remote taiga zones drained by the Lena River and indicate a vegetation response to warmer-than-present climatic conditions between 6.0 and 4.5 cal. ka and a subsequent gradual cooling. Fluvial influence in the records is manifested by (1) increases in sedimentation rates; (2) high influxes of pollen/spores and freshwater chlorophycean algae, wood and plant remains; (3) negative δ13C excursions due to the introduction of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from river water. Episodes of enhanced freshwater influence in the surface water layers (fluvial events) correlate with positive benthic δ18O excursions and increasing representation of river-distal species among benthics. Altogether, this points to an estuarine-like reversed (north to south) bottom current activity along the submarine paleovalleys on the shelf. The most pronounced fluvial events are recognized at 5.3–5.9, 1.5 and <0.5 cal. ka. The oldest fluvial event coincides with the final stage of mid-Holocene climate warming. A fluvial event at 1.5 cal. ka is specifically strong at the northeastern site thus marking a direction change of the Lena River outflow at this time and the progressive protrusion of the delta. During the past 500 years distinct negative δ13C values at the northeastern site reflect enhanced riverine influence. It is therefore concluded that the unprecedented change in the δ13C trend corroborates the other evidence for a principal diversion of the major Lena River outflows into its present-day, easterly direction. • Land-shelf interactions in vicinity to the Lena River delta since 6 cal. ka. • Arctic tundra and taiga zones drained by the Lena River form shelf pollen assemblages. • Warmer-than-present climatic conditions 6–4.5 cal. ka and subsequent gradual cooling. • Estuarine-like reversed (N to S) bottom current activity along submarine paleovalleys. • Principal diversion of the major Lena River outflows to the east since 0.5 cal. ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]