The curves recommended for calibrating radiocarbon (14C) dates into absolute dates have been updated. For calibrating atmospheric samples from the Northern Hemisphere, the new curve is called IntCal20. This is accompanied by associated curves SHCal20 for the Southern Hemisphere, and Marine20 for marine samples. In this “companion article” we discuss advances and developments that have led to improvements in the updated curves and highlight some issues of relevance for the general readership. In particular the dendrochronological based part of the curve has seen a significant increase in data, with single-year resolution for certain time ranges, extending back to 13,910 calBP. Beyond the tree rings, the new curve is based upon an updated combination of marine corals, speleothems, macrofossils, and varved sediments and now reaches back to 55,000 calBP. Alongside these data advances, we have developed a new, bespoke statistical curve construction methodology to allow better incorporation of the diverse constituent records and produce a more robust curve with uncertainties. Combined, these data and methodological advances offer the potential for significant new insight into our past. We discuss some implications for the user, such as the dating of the Santorini eruption and also some consequences of the new curve for Paleolithic archaeology.

中文翻译：

---

考古和环境样品校准的最新进展

推荐用于校准放射性碳的曲线 (14C) 日期转换为绝对日期已更新。为了校准来自北半球的大气样本，新曲线称为 IntCal20。这伴随着南半球的相关曲线 SHCal20 和海洋样本的 Marine20。在这篇“配套文章”中，我们讨论了导致更新曲线改进的进步和发展，并强调了一些与普通读者相关的问题。特别是曲线中基于树木年代学的部分数据显着增加，在某些时间范围内具有单年分辨率，可回溯至 13,910 calBP。除了树木年轮，新曲线基于海洋珊瑚、洞穴、大型化石和花岗岩沉积物的更新组合，现在回到 55,000 calBP。除了这些数据的进步，我们开发了一种新的、定制的统计曲线构建方法，以便更好地整合不同的成分记录，并生成具有不确定性的更稳健的曲线。结合起来，这些数据和方法的进步为我们的过去提供了重要的新见解。我们讨论了对用户的一些影响，例如圣托里尼火山喷发的年代以及旧石器时代考古学新曲线的一些后果。