Hydroclimate reconstruction through MIS 3 in the Middle Paleolithic site of Crvena Stijena (Montenegro) based on hydrogen-isotopic composition of sedimentary n-alkanes.

This study presents a hydroclimatic reconstruction from Crvena Stijena (Montenegro, Balkan Peninsula), a rock shelter that has yielded evidence for Middle Paleolithic human occupation. The integration of lipid biomarkers, hydrogen (δD) isotopic compositions of n -alkanes, and organic elemental geochemistry in the 7-m deep vertical sedimentary sequence enables reconstruction of the main hydrological and environmental changes during the MIS 3 and their correlation with the presence at the site. We apply agglomerative hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis to the geochemical, molecular, and stable isotopic data to obtain a robust hydrological record. We find evidence of three aridity trends from the studied period, one of them correlated with the Heinrich Event 5, and humid and cold-temperate conditions in archaeology-rich layers. Our dataset also contributes to the knowledge of past hydrological variability in the Balkan Peninsula, a sensitive area to short-lived climatic shifts, and overall, in the Mediterranean region during the last glacial/interglacial cycle. • Hydrogen isotopes from sedimentary leaf waxes as a paleohydrological proxy. • Hydroclimatic reconstruction in the Middle Paleolithic site of Crvena Stijena. • Three aridity trends in the 7 m-deep sedimentary sequence (MIS 4/3 to MIS 2). • Archaeology-rich layers show depleted sedimentary n -alkanes δD values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]