The Thar Desert, located in western South Asia, marks a major global biogeographic boundary and a major adaptive threshold for the eastward expansions of modern humans from Africa across Asia. Examining the framework of palaeoenvironmental change in this region, both in terms of the regional manifestation of global climate change and the physical geography of the landscape, is therefore important to

The mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (mPWP, 3.264–3.025 Ma) of the Pliocene epoch has been proposed as an analog for future climate scenarios. Disagreement between the paleoenvironmental reconstruction and model simulations of the climate in subtropical regions for this period suggests that more investigation of the subtropical climate variability of the mPWP is needed. This study presents pollen, microcharcoal

Biogeochemical proxy records from Icelandic lake sediment track large-scale shifts in North Atlantic Holocene climate and highlight the impact that North Atlantic Ocean- and atmospheric circulation has on Iceland’s climate and environment. Following Early Holocene warmth, centennial-scale climate change is superimposed on millennial-scale cooling, culminating in the transition to the Little Ice Age

European paleoenvironmental records through the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT; ca 16-8 cal ka BP) record a series of climatic events occurring over decadal to multi-centennial timescales. Changes in components of the climatic system other than temperature (e.g. hydrology) through the LGIT are relatively poorly understood however, and further records of hydroclimatic changes are required

Detailed paleoecological evidence from Arctic Alaska’s past megafauna can help reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions and can illustrate ecological adaptation to varying environments. We examined a rare, largely articulated and almost complete skeleton of a steppe bison (Bison priscus) recently unearthed in Northern Alaska. We used a multi-proxy paleoecological approach to reconstruct the past ecology

Human tracks at White Sands National Park record more than one and a half kilometres of an out- and-return journey and form the longest Late Pleistocene-age double human trackway in the world. An adolescent or small adult female made two trips separated by at least several hours, carrying a young child in at least one direction. Despite giant ground sloth and Columbian Mammoth transecting them between

The Olduvai Gorge is considered one of the most relevant archaeological complexes with regards to the study of our human evolution. This is especially evident when studying the emergence of hunting practices over the past 1.7 Ma. Butchery activities have been documented throughout Bed II, including the exploitation of megafauna in a larger number of sites. Among these, Hippopotamus, giraffe, sivatherium

The Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA; 900–1300 AD) was the most recent period of pre-industrial climatic warming in the northern hemisphere, and thus estimations of MCA signals can illuminate possible impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Current high-resolution MCA climate signals are restricted to mid- and high-latitude regions, which confounds inferences of how the MCA impacted some global/hemispheric

The Steppe Altai is a natural transition zone between the Central Asian steppes and deserts and the Siberian taiga. Various lakes located in the Kulunda lowland, the biggest part of the Steppe Altai, provide a unique archive of the environmental history of the Altai Mountain piedmont and adjacent plains. Palaeorecords from two lakes, Maloye Yarovoye and Kuchuk, provide the longest high-resolution records

The presence of well-documented sites in the Americas predating and south of the opening of an ice-free corridor in the North American ice sheets lends credence to a Pacific coastal migration theory (CMT) explaining the route for the initial peopling of the Americas. This theory has been informally discussed for more than 50 years, but until recently, has been largely ignored and never properly defined

Understanding the marine radiocarbon reservoir effect (i.e., marine radiocarbon reservoir age (R) and/or correction (ΔR)) is important for the construction of robust radiocarbon chronologies for marine archives for various research areas including archaeology, palaeoecology, paleoceanography, Quaternary research and climate change studies. In this study, we examined temporal ΔR variability for the

As a contribution to the estimation of extreme floods and rainfall, palaeofloods in the East Alligator River in tropical Australia were examined to derive estimates of palaeodischarges and their frequency. Nine extreme floods have occurred over 8400 years in a non-stationary series, the youngest five of which are stationary, and the youngest three of which occurred during wet periods produced by variations

The Caribbean archipelago is a hotspot of biodiversity characterized by a high rate of extinction. Recent studies have examined these losses, but the causes of the Antillean Late Quaternary vertebrate extinctions, and especially the role of humans, are still unclear. Previous results provide support for climate-related and human-induced extinctions, but often downplaying other complex bio-ecological

We report archaeological findings from a significant new cave site on Alor Island, Indonesia, with an in situ basal date of 40,208–38,454 cal BP. Twenty thousand years older than the earliest Pleistocene site previously known from this island, Makpan retains dense midden deposits of marine shell, fish bone, urchin and crab remains, but few terrestrial species; demonstrating that protein requirements

Previous climate model simulations of the early Last Interglacial (LIG) underestimated the temperatures compared to proxy-based reconstructions. One possible reason for this underestimation is that in these simulations the vegetation was prescribed to a pre-industrial state. To study the impact of climate-vegetation interactions, we performed a series of model experiments using the iLOVECLIM climate

Understanding the effects of climate change on ecosystem structure and stability is challenging, especially in high latitude regions that are predicted to experience the largest increases in ambient temperature. Global warming is likely to be a key driver of ecosystem change in freshwater lakes. Increased temperature can positively or negatively affect lake community composition through the loss of

Understanding the spatial-temporal variations of climatic factors and hydro-thermal coupling patterns (HTCP) is crucial to forecasting and preparing for future climate change. Based on accurately dated tree rings, we developed the first dekad (10 days)-6 to dekad-27 minimum ground surface temperature (GSTmin6–27) reconstruction for the Jinggangshan Mountains (JGSM) in southeastern China (SC). Spanning

To understand past changes in ocean–cryosphere interactions in the Southern Ocean off the Antarctic Peninsula, multi-proxy analyses of three sediment cores located off Elephant Island were used to reconstruct changes in paleoproductivity, nutrient utilization, bottom current intensity, and iceberg calving since the last glacial period. The glacial period was characterized by low surface water productivity

Central Asia (CA) is located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, and faces an extreme risk of continued aridification under the current global warming trend. To predict future climate change in CA, paleoclimate studies provide essential references. However, the mechanisms underlying climate changes in CA remain relatively poorly known. Here, we investigate moisture variations in CA, as recorded

Knowing the evolution history of the climate systems in the Asian inland dominated by either the Westerlies or the Asian monsoon, and understanding their associated driving mechanisms are crucial for assessing future trends of climate and environmental conditions in this region, but both the evolution and mechanisms are still under debate. In this study, we present a comparative analysis of massive

Lake basins record critical interactions between the hydrosphere, cryosphere and atmosphere. Their sediments and shoreline landforms archive timing, duration, and intensity of past climatic variability and environmental impacts over a variety of timescales. Thousands of lake systems spread across the internally drained Tibetan Plateau today, of which many are only the salty remains of much more expansive

Tephra (volcanic ash) deposits are important isochronous markers for correlating marine sediments or events recorded in marine sediment cores. However, the active tectonics that are commonly associated with volcanic activity at plate tectonicboundaries also drive large-scale deformation, leading to steep and variable local and regional bathymetry (e.g., ridges, basins and canyons systems). This complex

A 24,000-year record of plant community dynamics, based on pollen and ancient DNA from the sediments (sedaDNA) of Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye in the Polar Ural Mountains, provides detailed information on the flora of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and also changes in plant community composition and dominance. It greatly improves on incomplete records from short and fragmented stratigraphic sequences found

We present a revised varve chronology for the duration of ice-dammed lakes that formed in the Lochaber district, Scotland, during the Loch Lomond (‘Younger Dryas’) Stadial. We analysed new varved sequences and combined them with existing varve records to develop the Lochaber Master Varve Chronology 2019 (LMVC19), published here for the first time. It spans an interval of 518 ± 18 vyrs and is considered

To test the biological effectiveness of iron fertilization by Asian aeolian dust and volcanic ash in the stratified high-nitrate, low-chlorophyll subarctic Pacific Ocean over long-time scales, we analysed sediments with ages between 2.8 and 0.9 Ma at ODP Site 885/886. This site lies far from the influence of other iron sources (e.g. icebergs or lateral iron transportation) and the water column has

Reconstructing and quantifying human impacts is an important step in understanding how, when, and to what extent humans have changed terrestrial ecosystems via agricultural land use during the Holocene. However, the use of soil-faunal indicators and an associated quantitative model of land use intensity to study anthropogenic disturbance is relatively poorly developed. In this study we collected 139

Modern observations document increased drought frequency together with more intense precipitation and flooding in the world’s semi-arid and arid regions as a consequence of the warming climate. Climate models predict that such conditions will intensify in the future, impacting millions of people. Paleoclimate studies can complement the short modern observational record and model projections by documenting

The Holocene (<11.7 kyr BP) is characterized by several periods of distinct climate changes. Some of these climate variations had extensive effects on mankind and coincided with demises of extinct high civilizations. Annually-resolved climate reconstructions will certainly play an increasingly important role in public perception, when applying these past patterns to the recent climate debate. The future

Previous studies have suggested that the Late Glacial period (LG; ∼14 600–11 700 cal BP) was characterised by abrupt and extreme climate variability over the European sector of the North Atlantic. The limited number of precisely dated, high-resolution proxy records, however, restricts our understanding of climate dynamics through the LG. Here, we present the first annually-resolved tree-cellulose stable

On glacial-interglacial and millennial timescales, sea ice is an important player in the circulation and primary productivity of high latitude oceans, affecting regional and global biogeochemical cycling. In the modern North Pacific, brine rejection during sea-ice freezing in the Sea of Okhotsk drives the formation of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) that ventilates the North Pacific Ocean at

Along tectonically active margins, the difference in elevations between global sea levels during highstands and uplifted marine terraces is a function of both tectonics and glacial-isostatic adjustment (GIA). However, disentangling the relative influence of these two processes remains a challenge for those trying to gain insights into either process. In this study, we outline a strategy for isolating

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) constitute a major threat in glacierized regions. Despite a recent increase in the size and number of glacial lakes worldwide, there is only limited evidence that climate change is affecting GLOF frequency. GLOFs are particularly common in the Baker River watershed (Patagonia, 47°S), where 21 GLOFs occurred between 2008 and 2017 due to the drainage of Cachet 2 Lake

The high-latitude Northern Hemisphere is a key region in the global climate balance. Variations in sea-ice extent affect biological productivity, CO2 exchange and carbon drawdown. Marine proxies indicative of proximity of the ice-marginal zone are therefore essential to understand these processes. Amphimelissa setosa is nowadays a dominant radiolarian species in the Arctic basin and very abundant in

Grain-size analysis and end-member modeling of the clastic fraction of the 25-kyr sediment sequence from Lake Chala, a meromictic crater lake on the lower east slope of Mt. Kilimanjaro, reveal crucial aspects of climate-driven environmental change in equatorial East Africa since the Last Glacial Maximum. The finely laminated sediments of Lake Chala contain only up to 40% of clastic components, the

Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 13, ∼533–478 ka, has received particular attention due to the unexpected enhancement of monsoon systems under a cool climate characterized by lower atmospheric CO2 and larger ice volume than many other interglacials. Key questions remain about its regional expression (intensity, climate variability, length), and underlying forcing factors, in particular at the mid-latitudes

The response of benthic foraminifera (BF) and radiolarian production in the central Okhotsk Sea (OS) to orbital and millennial changes of climate and environment over the last 136 kyr have been studied on the basis of the sediment core PC-7R, with available productivity, geochemical and lithological records and a modified age model. We used the calculated accumulation rate of microfossils (AR, fluxes)

Wet summers and dry winters are an essential feature of monsoon climates, but quantification of change in wet-dry seasonality through time is very challenging because most geological materials fail to record sub-annual environmental signals, instead integrating years, decades, or centuries. Here we quantify Asian wet-dry seasonality since the middle Pleistocene for monsoon climates using high-resolution

Climate change and human land use are thought to play a dominant role in the dynamics of European central-latitude forests in the Holocene. A wide range of mathematical and statistical models have been used to study the effects of these variables on forest dynamics, including physiologically-based simulations and phenomenological community models. However, for statistical analysis of pollen count data

Geological reconstruction of the retreat history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is essential for understanding the response of the ice sheet to global climatic change and the mechanisms of retreat, including a possible abrupt melting event. Such information is key for constraining climatic and ice-sheet models that are used to predict future Antarctic Ice

The respective impacts of Northern and Southern Hemispheric climatic changes on the Tropics during the last deglaciation remain poorly understood. In the High Tropical Andes, the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR, 14.3–12.9 ka BP) is better represented among morainic records than the Younger Dryas (12.9–11.7 ka BP). However, in the Altiplano basin (Bolivia), two cold periods of the Northern Hemisphere (Heinrich

Sediment budgets on wave-dominated coastlines are important in determining shoreline behaviour and are primarily inherited from geological-scale coastal evolutionary history. Sediment compartments provide a framework to conceptualise and investigate sediment budgets over a range of time and space scales. This study aims to assess the sediment budget for a secondary coastal compartment on the New South

The Quaternary East Asian summer rainfall evolution reconstructed with the Chinese speleothem δ18O records shows the consistency throughout the region of East Asia, and has long been considered equivalent to the monsoon intensity. Its variation and teleconnection with global climate were usually interpreted by the meridional shift of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). However, many other proxy

A reliable chronology for the oldest settlements of Europe from the Early to the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene is an important requirement for understanding human evolution and especially the routes used to reach Western Europe from Africa. The paucity of sites, plus the limited number of available samples for dating, and the many contexts which do not favor the use of particular dating methods

Magnitude 8 megathrust earthquakes that have generated large tsunamis with wave heights of >5 m in coastal areas of southwestern Japan have occurred every 100–150 years along the Nankai–Suruga Trough, which marks the convergent boundary between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea plates. Using sedimentological, geochemical, and paleontological analyses, as well as 14C dating, we examined tsunami deposits

A high-resolution study of the MIS 12/MIS 11 transition and the MIS 11 (430–376 kyr) coccolithophore assemblages at Ocean Drilling Program Site 977 was conducted to reconstruct the palaeoceanographic and climatic changes in the Alboran Sea from the variability in surface water conditions. The nannofossil record was integrated with the planktonic oxygen and carbon stable isotopes, as well as the Uk'37

The Middle Stone Age (MSA) is important to studies of human evolution because it witnessed the origin of modern Homo sapiens and its dispersal out of Africa and across the rest of the Old World. Obtaining accurate ages for these and other events that occurred during this time interval is of critical importance. Ostrich eggshell (OES) is commonly found in MSA sites, and OES calcite can be dated by radiocarbon

Climate conditions in Africa have varied substantially during the Late Quaternary with alternating humid and arid periods controlled mainly by the African monsoonal regime. However, the duration and termination of the last African Humid Period (14–6 ka BP) and its internal climatic variability are still debated. Using a laminated sequence from the Nile Deep-Sea Fan, we reconstruct for the first time

Contemporary measurements of carbon (C) accumulation rates in peatlands around the world often show the C sink to be stronger on average than at times in the past. Alteration of global nutrient cycles could be contributing to elevated carbon accumulation in the present day. Here we examine the effect of volcanic inputs of nutrients on peatland C accumulation in Moanatuatua Bog, New Zealand, by examining

Deglacial sea surface conditions in the subarctic North Pacific and marginal seas are the subject of increasing interest in paleoceanography. However, a cohesive picture of near-surface oceanography from which to compare inter and intra-regional variability through the last deglaciation is lacking. We present a synthesis of sea surface temperature covering the open North Pacific and its marginal seas

The evolution of Holocene moisture in semiarid and arid regions of Central Asia is key to understanding changes in current and future water resources, and has been a hotly debated topic in the past few decades. Central Asian loess deposits have shown potential as records of past moisture changes, particularly during the Holocene. Here, the variations in effective moisture during the Holocene in the

Southern Hemisphere Holocene glacier chronologies are important for unraveling past climate change, mid-to-high latitude teleconnections, and regional to global climate forcing. At present, a significant number of glacier chronologies for Patagonia are based on 14C dating, which may afford only maximum- or minimum-limiting dates. Here, we combine geomorphology and stratigraphy with radiocarbon (14C)

Accurate dating of young (<1 Ma) volcanic eruptions has long been a challenge for modern geochronology given the scarcity of datable mineral phases and low quantities of radiogenic daughter products. Combined U–Th–Pb and (U–Th)/He dating of zircon (i.e., zircon double-dating, ZDD) is a relatively new dating approach that offers a viable option for dating zircon-bearing volcanic and pyroclastic deposits

In order to examine the role of human drivers in shoreline advance of the Pearl River delta plain over the past 7500 years, this study reconstructed several palaeo-shorelines based on sedimentary records, archaeological findings, historical archives, family ancestral books and modern survey data. With these shorelines, this study quantified the land growth rate for each of seven time periods spanning

Mountain glaciers are important water resources in Alpine regions and are sensitive to climate change. Reconstructing glacier oscillations improves our understanding of the amplitude and the frequency of climate variability and resolves time periods when the climate system was in transition – from glacial to interglacial conditions at the beginning of the Holocene, and from a naturally controlled system

The South American summer monsoon (SASM) is the most important climate system of tropical South America, transporting moisture from the tropical Atlantic Ocean to the core of the continent during the austral summer. Recent paleoclimate studies suggest that past variability of the SASM has been more heterogenous in space and time than previously thought, implying that different atmospheric drivers controlled

In Northern Europe, the Holocene is characterized by climatic and environmental variations. A central question is how hunter-gatherer in different regions coped with these changes. In this article, we explore the temporal co-variance between environmental change and transitions in lithic technology during the Mesolithic of southeastern Norway. The empirical starting point comprises technological analysis

Decadal and longer-term variability in the tropical Pacific has the potential to impact climate worldwide, yet paleoclimate observations and climate model simulations disagree on the nature of this variability. In this study we investigate whether biases from paleoclimate reconstruction methodology and the currently available proxy network cause reconstructions of ENSO to overestimate the multidecadal-century

Sediment in lakes and meadows forms a powerful archive that can be used to reconstruct environmental change through time. Reconstructions of lake level, of chemical, biological, and hydrological conditions, and of surrounding vegetation provide detailed information about past climate conditions, both locally and regionally. Indeed, most of our current knowledge of centennial- to millennial-scale climate