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The 15th century cross-vaults of the medieval Modena Cathedral (UNESCO site) consist of intricate patches of different masonry portions bound by three types of lime mortars and at least two types of gypsum mortars. Such anomalous structure suggests multiple repair works over time after damaging earthquakes. The absolute dating of lime mortars (14C) and bricks (TL) integrated with the pollen record of mortars allowed to clarify the construction and restoration history of the vaults and to link the repairs to the earthquake chronology for the area. The results reveal that the original construction of the vaults (1404–1454) was carried out using lime mortar binding reused Roman and medieval older bricks. Lime mortar was used also for later repairs caused by earthquakes in the 16th and 17th centuries. Gypsum mortars were then used to entirely rebuild some vaults and to repair others in the 18th and 19th centuries. The study indicates that unexpected damage could be revealed by the detailed chronology of masonry binders. These data represent fundamental steps to implement earthquake risk assessments and strengthening projects of ancient buildings.

Euthecosomata pteropods were analysed in core sediments collected in the framework of the 2016 EUROFLEETS2 SEMSEEP cruise, offshore of Israel, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The investigated cores were retrieved in a deep-sea coral area at 690 m depth, an actively methane-seeping pockmark area at 1038 m depth, and a deep-sea channel area at 1310 m water depth. We identified and documented the pteropod species belonging to the families Heliconoididae, Limacinidae, Creseidae, Cavoliniidae, Cliidae, and Hyalocylidae and to some heteropods. Our study highlights the importance of investigating pteropods in the size fractions > 63 µm instead of the > 125 µm only. In particular, neglecting the small size fraction may result in a remarkable (up to 50 %–60 %) underestimation of the relative abundance of the epipelagic species Creseis acicula and Creseis conica and the mesopelagic species Heliconoides inflatus. This may significantly affect palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. The observed presence of tropical species supports the suggestion that the eastern Mediterranean is a refugium for these species. This study provides a basic benchmark for the late Holocene evolution of pteropod and heteropod distribution over 5800–5300 cal BP across the base of the south-eastern Levantine margin.

Pteropods are holoplanktonic molluscs presently endangered because their fragile aragonitic shell is very sensitive to ocean acidification. The preservation of pteropods, and in particular of the mesopelagic Heliconoides (Limacina) inflatus, has been used to assess aragonite saturation state in Quaternary sediments (Limacina Dissolution Index, LDX) as an inferred proxy for climatic changes. Three deep-sea cores retrieved in 2016 during the EUROFLEETS2 SEMSEEP cruise offshore Israel are investigated to assess the preservation degree of H. inflatus (d'Orbigny, 1835) in representative environments across the base of the southeastern Mediterranean margin (cold water coral, active seepage pockmark and deep sea channel areas). In some core intervals, yellowish, recrystallized internal molds of this species are present. They have been previously observed in the Eastern Mediterranean, but the nature and origin of their colour was never explained. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) revealed that the recrystallized molds of the H. inflatus shells are formed by aragonite needles and high-Mg calcite crystals. The formation and preservation of these internal molds is induced by advective methane emissions, typically precipitating aragonite and High-Mg calcite phases close to the sediment–water interface. These molds were never used in previous applications of the LDX or in any existing ranking of pteropod preservation. Therefore, we have categorized these peculiar features combining previous pteropod ranking descriptions with the new observations to develop a modified biotic index (Heliconoides Modified Dissolution Index-HMDI). High values of the HMDI at the base of the pockmark core correspond to the interval where also active seepage-related features – e.g., bubble emissions, low-oxygen benthic foraminifera, chemosymbiotic molluscs, small fragments of authigenic carbonate crusts and slightly depl

Radiocarbon (C-14) can be used to build absolute chronologies and reconstruct ocean ventilation over the last 40 ka. Sample size requirements have restricted C-14 measurements in marine cores with low foraminifer content, impeding C-14-based studies focused on abrupt climate events. Recent developments have demonstrated that small-sized foraminifer samples can now be dated using a gas introduction system at the cost of a small decrease in precision. We explore the potential of gas measurements on benthic and planktonic foraminifers from core SU90-08 (43 degrees 03'1 '' N, 30 degrees 02'5 '' W, 3080 m). Gas measurements are accurate, reproducible within 2 sigma uncertainty and comparable to graphite measurements. Both techniques yield negative C-14 benthic-planktonic (B-P) age-offsets after Heinrich event 1. We argue that negative B-P ages result from bioturbation and changes in foraminifer abundances, with the chance of negative B-P especially increased when the C-14 age gradient between the deep and surface waters is decreased. Small-sized C-14 measurements seem to capture the variance of the foraminifera age distribution, revealing the active mixing in those archives. Sediment deposition and mixing effects possibly pose a greater obstacle for past C-14-based dating and ocean ventilation reconstructions than the measurement precision itself, particularly in relatively low sedimentation rate settings.

Radiocarbon (C) ages cannot provide absolutely dated chronologies for archaeological or paleoenvironmental studies directly but must be converted to calendar age equivalents using a calibration curve compensating for fluctuations in atmospheric C concentration. Although calibration curves are constructed from independently dated archives, they invariably require revision as new data become available and our understanding of the Earth system improves. In this volume the international C calibration curves for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, as well as for the ocean surface layer, have been updated to include a wealth of new data and extended to 55,000 cal BP. Based on tree rings, IntCal20 now extends as a fully atmospheric record to ca. 13,900 cal BP. For the older part of the timescale, IntCal20 comprises statistically integrated evidence from floating tree-ring chronologies, lacustrine and marine sediments, speleothems, and corals. We utilized improved evaluation of the timescales and location variable C offsets from the atmosphere (reservoir age, dead carbon fraction) for each dataset. New statistical methods have refined the structure of the calibration curves while maintaining a robust treatment of uncertainties in the C ages, the calendar ages and other corrections. The inclusion of modeled marine reservoir ages derived from a three-dimensional ocean circulation model has allowed us to apply more appropriate reservoir corrections to the marine C data rather than the previous use of constant regional offsets from the atmosphere. Here we provide an overview of the new and revised datasets and the associated methods used for the construction of the IntCal20 curve and explore potential regional offsets for tree-ring data. We discuss the main differences with respect to the previous calibration curve, IntCal13, and some of the implications for archaeology and geosciences ranging from the recent past to the time of the extinction of the Neanderthals.

After the last damaging earthquake in 2012, an anti-seismic reinforcement project of the cathedral of Modena was designed giving us the opportunity to investigate and date the building materials. Radiocarbon (14C), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and thermoluminescence (TL) dating techniques were performed on the vaults with the aim to (1) clarify the construction timing, (2) define the history of the restorations, and (3) explore the possible correlation of the main restoration works to the earthquake chronology deduced from the historic catalog. Preliminary results show that medieval older bricks were reused for most of the original construction. Only lime and non-gypsum mortar was used for the original construction in the 15th century and for later repair of damage caused by earthquakes in the 16th and 17th centuries. Gypsum mortar was used for later repair in the 18th century. The results show much stronger damage due to earthquakes than previously thought.

Rapid changes in ocean circulation and climate have been observed in marine-sediment and ice cores over the last glacial period and deglaciation, highlighting the non-linear character of the climate system and underlining the possibility of rapid climate shifts in response to anthropogenic greenhouse gas forcing. To date, these rapid changes in climate and ocean circulation are still not fully explained. One obstacle hindering progress in our understanding of the interactions between past ocean circulation and climate changes is the difficulty of accurately dating marine cores. Here, we present a set of 92 marine sediment cores from the Atlantic Ocean for which we have established age-depth models that are consistent with the Greenland GICC05 ice core chronology, and computed the associated dating uncertainties, using a new deposition modeling technique. This is the first set of consistently dated marine sediment cores enabling paleoclimate scientists to evaluate leads/lags between circulation and climate changes over vast regions of the Atlantic Ocean. Moreover, this data set is of direct use in paleoclimate modeling studies.

The modern antiquities market uses radiocarbon (14C) dating to screen for forged objects. Although this fact shows the potential and power of the method, the circumstances where it is applied can be questionable and call for our attention. Here we present an outline of a call to radiocarbon laboratories for due diligence and best practice approaches to the analysis of antique objects requested by non-research clients.

The medieval Modena cathedral (Northern Italy) was modified in the 15th century with the construction of 23 new vaults, which were progressively added throughout. A detailed survey of the vaults binder revealed the scars of multiple repair works after several earthquakes, resulting in a complex patchwork of lime mortar repairs over original gypsum vaults and gypsum repairs over original lime vaults. No apparent systematic construction criteria were followed to dictate the use of lime or gypsum binders. We used an integrated approach based on different absolute dating techniques in order to clarify the original vaults construction timing and to define the chronology of the restorations. The aim was to correlate the main restoration works to the earthquake chronology deduced from the catalogue of historic earthquakes. Radiocarbon dating using sequential dissolution (Lindroos et al., 2018) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence of the sand aggregate (Panzeri et al., 2018) were carried out to date the lime mortars and Thermoluminescence to date bricks. The preliminary results suggest that lime mortar was used both as original building material and for later major repairs. Some vaults were entirely rebuilt using a gypsum binder, and some others originally built using lime mortars were modified at least two times using two different gypsum mortars. These results are particularly significant because we were able to demonstrate that the vaults suffered much larger damage induced by earthquakes than previously assessed just by mapping fracture and crack networks.

Cold-water coral (CWC) ecosystems occur worldwide and play a major role in the ocean's carbonate budget and atmospheric CO2 balance since the Danian (∼65m.y. ago). However their temporal and spatial evolution against climatic and oceanographic variability is still unclear. For the first time, we combine the main macrofaunal components of a sediment core from a CWC mound of the Melilla Mounds Field in the Eastern Alboran Sea with the associated microfauna and we highlight the importance of foraminifera and ostracods as indicators of CWC mound evolution in the paleorecord. Abundances of macrofauna along the core reveal alternating periods dominated by distinct CWC taxa (mostly Lophelia pertusa, Madrepora oculata) that correspond to major shifts in foraminiferal and ostracod assemblages. The period dominated by M. oculata coincides with a period characterized by increased export of refractory organic matter to the seafloor and rather unstable oceanographic conditions at the benthic boundary layer with periodically decreased water energy and oxygenation, variable bottom water temperature/density and increased sediment flow. The microfaunal and geochemical data strongly suggest thatM. oculata and in particular Dendrophylliidae show a higher tolerance to environmental changes than L. pertusa. Finally, we show evidence for sustained CWC growth during the Alleröd-Younger-Dryas in the Eastern Alboran Sea and that this period corresponds to stable benthic conditions with cold/dense and well oxygenated bottom waters, high fluxes of labile organic matter and relatively strong bottom currents. Copyright

Soil carbon (C) fluxes, soil respiration and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) leaching were explored along the young Damma glacier forefield chronosequence (7-128years) over a three-year period. To gain insight into the sources of soil CO2 effluxes, radiocarbon signatures of respired CO2 were measured and a vegetation-clipping experiment was performed. Our results showed a clear increase in soil CO2 effluxes with increasing site age from 9±1 to 160±67gCO2-Cm−2year−1, which was linked to soil C accumulation and development of vegetation cover. Seasonal variations of soil respiration were mainly driven by temperature; between 62 and 70% of annual CO2 effluxes were respired during the 4-month long summer season. Sources of soil CO2 effluxes changed along the glacier forefield. For most recently deglaciated sites, radiocarbon-based age estimates indicated ancient C to be the dominant source of soil-respired CO2. At intermediate site age (58-78years), the contribution of new plant-fixed C via rhizosphere respiration amounted up to 90%, while with further soil formation, heterotrophically respired C probably from accumulated ‘older' soil organic carbon (SOC) became increasingly important. In comparison with soil respiration, DOC leaching at 10cm depth was small, but increased similarly from 0.4±0.02 to 7.4±1.6gDOCm−2year−1 over the chronosequence. A strong rise of the ratio of SOC to secondary iron and aluminium oxides strongly suggests that increasing DOC leaching with site age results from a faster increase of the DOC source, SOC, than of the DOC sink, reactive mineral surfaces. Overall, C losses from soil by soil respiration and DOC leaching increased from 9±1 to 70±17 and further to 168±68gCm−2year−1 at the <10, 58-78, and 110-128year old sites. By comparison, total ecosystem C stocks increased from 0.2 to 1.1 and to 3.1kgCm−2 from the young to intermediate and old sites. Therefore, the ecosystem evolved from a dominance of C accumulation in the initial phase to a high