Journal of Quaternary Science最新文献

Understanding postglacial ontogeny in Arctic lakes helps contextualize modern-day climatic change. We used sediment cores to characterize ecological succession in three south-central Baffin Island lakes from deglaciation (c. 7–8k cal a BP) to present. Trends in diatom (Bacillariophyceae) and chironomid (Diptera: Chironomidae) assemblages were compared between two small lakes (depth ≤ 12 m, area ≤ 0.04 km²) and the north-western lagoonal system of Nettilling Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (sampling depth = 3 m, total area = 5543 km²). Ecological trajectories differed between the small lakes despite morphological similarities. The northern, lower elevation, small lake showed expected acidification and oligotrophication, while the southern, higher elevation lake experienced hydrologic disturbance likely associated with permafrost degradation. The Nettilling Lake core did not show clear ontogenetic processes, but the high sedimentation rate from approx 6.7 to 5.9k cal a BP (likely from glacial melt) obscured in-depth analysis of subsequent changes. While the composition of chironomid assemblages varied between lakes, all three lakes showed a minor shift from Tanytarsini to Orthocladiinae taxa over their development, which could reflect ontogenetic changes to resource availability. The different trajectory experienced by each study lake highlights the relevance of catchment properties in structuring lake development.

Future projections of climate change in the subtropics suggest warming and drying, while evidence from warm periods in the past shows increases in subtropical temperatures and precipitation. Eastern Australia is subject to interannual hydroclimate drivers and has experienced extreme flooding and droughts in recent years. To understand how the changes to the mean global conditions may affect sensitive environments, such as the wetlands in this region, baseline records of mean temperatures, especially since and during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), are vital. Several palaeoenvironment records exist from the coastal sand islands of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and K'gari (Fraser Island), south-east Queensland. However, these records appear to show divergent responses to climate change. Whilst there are a variety of proxies used for environmental reconstruction (e.g., pollen, charcoal, dust flux), there are relatively few continuous records of quantitative temperature, which limits our understanding of the causes of environmental change. Presented here is a palaeoclimate reconstruction spanning the LGM to Holocene, utilising glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGT), for Broutha Waterhole, a subtropical perched wetland in the Cooloola Sand Mass, Queensland, Australia, located between Minjerribah and K'gari. The GDGT-based palaeotemperature reconstruction features a temperature minimum of 17.0°C (~4.3°C maximum cooling) during the LGM, which is very close to the palaeotemperature recorded from K'gari and consistent with the Australia-wide temperature range. A progressively warming temperature during the deglacial is interrupted by a temperature decline (0.8°C–1.6°C) coincident with the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR), followed by a stable warm Holocene. It should be noted that there are possibilities of hiatuses of different periods at Cooloola Sand Mass compared to K'gari and Minjerribah, which may imply different control on the sediment deposition. This study provides a palaeotemperature record through the LGM and deglacial period that contributes to the limited quantitative temperature data in the subtropics.

We report 43 new ¹⁰Be exposure ages and six ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be measurements from replicates from a small piedmont mountain glacier located at Cape Farewell (south Greenland) and temperature anomalies estimated from equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) changes derived from 3D glacier reconstruction carried out using the ‘GlaRe’ toolbox. Both ELA-derived temperature estimations and climate conditions documented from the transient simulation TraCE-21ka help us to explore the causes of glacier changes during the investigated period. Exposure ages span from the Oldest Dryas to the Late Holocene, revealing that the GrIS retreat in this valley permitted the individualisation or formation of a mountain glacier early in the Lateglacial. Interestingly, four of the six ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be ratios come from samples located on the oldest moraines do not reveal inheritance. The two other ratios suggest inheritance up to 6 ka. The oldest moraine combining a frontal and a lateral remain is dated to 18.4 ± 0.8 ka. Between 18 ka and ~14.7 ka, the glacier experienced a significant retreat interrupted by at least three minor advances or stillstands. We did not find any moraine formed either during the Younger Dryas, or during the Early and the Mid Holocene. The largest Holocene glacier advance occurred ~4.4 ka. Two other younger moraines were formed at ~2.9 ka and probably during the LIA. Temperatures of 3.3°C and 1.7°C colder than today may explain the glacier extent during the Lateglacial and the Holocene, respectively. Complementary dry regional climate conditions estimated from TraCE-21ka simulations during the Early Holocene may explain why the glacier was smaller than during the Late Holocene.

This study investigates long-term impacts of empires on local socio-ecosystems in western Anatolia (modern western Türkiye) over the past four millennia. We focus on Buldan Yayla Lake, located in a small mountain basin north of the Büyük Menderes (Great Meander) River valley. By examining palynological data alongside historical and archaeological records, we show how four major empires—Hittite, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman—shaped land use, vegetation, and resource management practices in a specific locality within a wider regional and transregional economic network. The ebb and flow of empire resulted in cycles of land use intensification and rewilding, resembling broader patterns of regional integration and fragmentation. The different administrative and economic structures of each empire, however, left distinct ecological imprints, with evidence of shifts from extensive pastoralism to specialised crop cultivation, or from olive-focused agriculture to one dominated by mixed agriculture. These shifts underscore both the variation and the adaptability of local socio-ecological systems within broader imperial networks and highlight the interplay of transregional and local factors in landscape transformation.

Radiocarbon dating of bones is essential for reconstructing timelines of species' occurrences, domestication, extinction, migrations, and interactions with Quaternary environments. Many studies compile these chronologies at continental to global scales by aggregating radiocarbon dates from various sources, often balancing data quantity and quality. A major challenge, however, is the frequent lack of reported bone-collagen pretreatment protocols, which directly affect dating accuracy. Without this information, radiocarbon dates cannot be reliably quality-ranked, and retrieving unpublished pretreatment details is often difficult due to lost data, outdated contacts, or restricted access to records. Researchers should ensure that pretreatments are replicable in their publications; and dated materials, taxonomic identities, geolocation details and genetic sequences are linked to individual radiocarbon dates. Journals should mandate the inclusion of reproducible radiocarbon chemistry and liaise with reviewers or advisory board members with expertise in chronological methods for studies presenting new dates or compilations of published dates. Radiocarbon facilities can enhance accessibility and transparency by publishing pretreatment protocols, documenting their history and digitizing older data. We advocate for the creation of a global radiocarbon database, emphasizing the need for close collaboration among the scientific community, dating facilities, research institutions and universities, as well as the adequate allocation of resources to generate and curate reliable radiocarbon data. The scientific community should recognize that current limitations in collagen purification compromise dating accuracy and might significantly affect critical research on Quaternary chronologies, megafaunal extinctions and human evolutionary history.

The site of Loreto (Venosa Basin, Italy) was first discovered in 1929 and subsequently excavated during the latter half of the 20th century. The excavation revealed three archaeo-palaeontological levels, with the lowermost level (Level A) yielding the largest number of remains. Despite the site's notable fossil record, which underscores its importance within the framework of the early Middle Pleistocene, extant research on the site's substantial mammalian fauna has hitherto been confined to a modest number of palaeontological descriptions. The present study constitutes the first taphonomic research of the faunal remains recovered from Level A of Loreto. The anatomical and taxonomic diversity is low, with a marked predominance of cervids. However, the sample appears to be biased by the almost complete absence of small fragments and the high proportion of identifiable remains. The influence of water on the osteological assemblage is minimal, thereby ruling out a fluvial origin of the accumulation. Moreover, anthropogenic and carnivore activity is limited, suggesting that these predators did not significantly contribute to the formation of the assemblages as accumulating agents. It is hypothesised that carnivores and hominins acted in independent events on different carcasses, with little or no interaction among them, as part of the foraging and resource acquisition activities developed in the region. The comparison of these data with those presented for the nearby site of Notarchirico facilitates an understanding of hominin behaviour in the Venosa Basin during the early Middle Pleistocene.

North American arvicoline rodents have long been considered to have high biogeographic, biochronologic, and paleoecological value. They provide relative dating of faunal assemblages when absolute dating is not possible and contribute to paleobiome characterization. However, the scientific value of Arvicolinae is often limited by the level of taxonomic identification achievable by morphological analyses. ZooMS (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry) is a proteomic method that permits taxonomic identification of bone material. We added 19 North American arvicoline species to the ZooMS reference database to assess the level of taxonomic resolution between those species using ZooMS. Results show species-level taxonomic resolution for all tested arvicolines that diverged up to just under 1 mya. We estimate species-level taxonomic resolution is achievable for arvicolines that diverged up to 273 kya and up to 170.5 kya for members of Microtus. Application to arvicoline fossils demonstrates the presence of previously unidentified species of Microtus in the Great Basin, that isolated molars are sufficient for taxonomic identification, and provides results consistent with the morphological hypothesis that Microtus paroperarius and Alexandromys oeconomus are not conspecific. ZooMS can drastically improve taxonomic identification of arvicolines, and may increase their utility for biochronological, biogeographic, and paleoecological interpretations of Pleistocene faunal response to climatic and other environmental changes.