Journal of Quaternary Science最新文献

The glaciation of Scotland during the Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS; 12.9–11.7 ka BP) left a distinct and well-preserved geomorphological signature, permitting detailed reconstructions of former glaciers and palaeoclimatic conditions. However, the extent and style of glaciation in the Southeast Grampians remains poorly constrained. This study employs geomorphological mapping and glacier surface profile modelling to reconstruct a ∼60 km² icefield covering much of the Mounth Plateau. The results suggest that plateau ice was thicker and more extensive than previously considered, with a polythermal regime inferred from the geomorphological evidence. Based on contrasting landform assemblages inside and outside of reconstructed glacial limits and basal radiocarbon dates, the icefield is attributed to the LLS. The geomorphological evidence and superimposed streamlining of recessional moraines within the study site suggest that deglaciation was active and interrupted by periods of re-advance occurring during fluctuating climatic conditions. An equilibrium line altitude of 738 m and a precipitation value at sea level of 845 ± 150 mm a⁻¹ are calculated for the Mounth Icefield, suggesting a slightly more arid climate than present. Comparison with published glacier-derived palaeoclimatic variables supports a strong west–east precipitation gradient across Scotland during the LLS.

The charring process can preserve archaeobotanical remains, providing valuable insights into past climates, agricultural practices, and plant growth conditions. However, the impact of charring on stable isotopes, especially at temperatures above 300°C, remains poorly understood. To investigate this, wheat (einkorn, emmer) and millet grains were experimentally charred at 300°C, 450°C, and 550°C for 15 min to 48 h under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Consequently, the stable isotopic ratios of carbon (¹³C/¹²C; δ¹³C), nitrogen (¹⁵N/¹⁴N; δ¹⁵N), and oxygen (¹⁸O/¹⁶O; δ¹⁸O) were determined in fully charred grains with a blackened pericarp, visually comparable to archeological remains. Our results indicate that δ¹³C values are well preserved in charred grains, showing minimal shifts (<0.55‰ for wheat and <0.2‰ for millet), while δ¹⁵N values retained species-specific differences, with moderate variations (<1.31‰ for wheat and <0.68‰ for millet) influenced by charring conditions. In contrast, δ¹⁸O values showed high variability in experimentally charred grains, limiting their reliability for interpretative use. These findings underscore the potential of carbon and, to a lesser extent, nitrogen isotopes in charred grains, for reconstructing ancient growth conditions and improving the understanding of formation processes in archeological research.

Paleoenvironmental reconstructions from the Mexican Chihuahua Desert based on biological proxies are scarce, creating a gap in our understanding of the ecological responses to climate change in this water-scarce region. Here, we present a paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on geochemical data and biological proxies such as ostracods and ephippia from cladocerans from the Santa Clara basin, at the southern Chihuahua Desert, during the last 18.7 cal ka. Overall, cold and humid conditions between 18.7 and 15 cal ka BP prevailed in the Santa Clara region without ostracod preservation. During the warmer Bølling-Allerød, L. axalapasco presented higher productivity; however, this species did not occur during the colder Younger Dryas. The early Holocene was marked by a general trend towards warmer and dryer conditions, and a sedimentary hiatus was detected from 10.7 to 6.4 cal ka BP. Subsequently, when the North American Monsoon reached its maximum extension, ostracods exhibit their maximum total abundance during 6–4.8 cal ka BP, indicating warmer and shallower lake conditions. The presence of only females of L. bradburyi between 4–2 cal ka BP possibly suggests lower lake water temperatures associated with enhanced winter precipitation under El Niño type conditions. Finally, during the last 2 cal ka ephippia, L. axalapasco females and geochemical data suggest the driest period of the record as the ITCZ continued moving southwards. This work reveals the marked sensitivity of southern Chihuahua Desert ecosystems to the climatic shifts that occurred since the Last Glacial Maximum, and this perhaps indicates their vulnerability to future global warming reducing monsoonal precipitation.

This paper presents evidence of glacier surging in the British landform record. We use new high-resolution multibeam-echosounder bathymetry data to map the submarine geomorphology of a former tidewater glacier that drained the Skye Icefield, NW Scotland, during the Younger Dryas Stadial (Greenland Stadial 1) ca. 12.9–11.7 ka. Our onshore and offshore mapping identifies a glacial landform assemblage indicative of surge-type behaviour, followed by rapid retreat and stagnation. We delimit three separate fjord-mouth advances of the Ainort Glacier — interpreted as palaeo-surges — successively decreasing in extent. During the quiescent phase of the final surge cycle, the glacier deposited a suite of cross-fjord De Geer moraines, interpreted here as annual moraines. Their pattern and spacing suggest that net annual glacier retreat rates increased significantly from around 25–75 ma⁻¹ to 150 ma⁻¹ to >300 ma⁻¹, probably in the presence of seasonal sea ice. On this basis, we find that final post-surge retreat of the Ainort Glacier, from fjord mouth to marine limit (a distance of 3.5 km), was very rapid — probably taking just 20 years. Once wholly terrestrial, the glacier stagnated and did not experience further frontal oscillations. This work highlights one potential cause of asynchronous ice-mass responses in the Younger Dryas Stadial of Scotland and reinforces the importance of identifying surge-type glaciers in palaeoglaciological studies.

In Ireland, the Nahanagan Stadial (NS) was characterised by cirque glacier, plateau icefield and mountain ice cap expansion and is named after the cirque glacier type-site of Lough Nahanagan in the Wicklow Mountains. This period is broadly equivalent to the Younger Dryas Stadial and Greenland Stadial-1 (GS-1: ~12.9–11.7 ka). Here, we provide the first evaluation of the full extent of NS glaciation in the Wicklow Mountains by combining solar radiation modelling, mapping of glacial geomorphology, ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al cosmogenic surface exposure dating, 3D glacier reconstructions and analysis of snowblow and avalanching potential. We identify seven sites that hosted cirque glaciers at this time. Glacier extent was very restricted, with most glaciers only partially filling their cirques. Equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) ranged from 470 ± 5 m a.s.l. (Lough Nahanagan) to 721 ± 5 m a.s.l. (Lough Cleevaun), with an average ELA of 599 m a.s.l. Higher snowblow and avalanching contributions at sites with lower ELAs demonstrate local topoclimatic influence on glacier growth and preservation alongside regional climate. The Wicklow Mountains provides a good example of marginal cirque glaciation during GS-1 and the importance of local topography and microclimate for sustaining glaciers in some mountain areas of Britain and Ireland.

The stratigraphic and palaeogeographic interpretations in our article (Popova et al., 2025) received criticism from Mroczek et al. (2025), who argued that our results contradict regional and global stratigraphic models and that we propose a revision of the Ukrainian regional stratigraphic scheme without sufficient data background. We want to clarify that the main focus of our study was to shed light on climatically induced biotic transformations in the Middle Dnipro area during deglaciation and postglacial stages. We did not revise the stratigraphic framework but only provided support for an already established correlation model, according to which the Dnipro stage is associated with MIS 6, the Kaidaky with MIS 5e and the Tiasmyn with MIS 5d. This stratigraphic scheme is opposed by Mroczek et al. (2025), who questioned the reliability of our results. Here, we address their comments and discuss an approach to deal with competing stratigraphic models and methods of biostratigraphic, palaeogeographical and palaeoecological interpretation.

Reinardy B.T.I., Karstens J., Böttner C., Lichschlag A., Berndt C., Strandberg N.A. & Callow B.J. (2025). The Pleistocene Witch Ground Ice Stream in the central North Sea. Journal of Quaternary Science, 40: 185-200. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3691

Figure 6(A) displays a seismic root mean square (RMS) amplitude map but with an old version of the annotation which does not identify MSGL flowsets 1 to 5 described in the figure caption. Here, we provide the updated version of this figure with correct annotation that is referenced within the figure caption and discussed more widely within the text. In addition to the indicated MSGL flowsets 1 to 5, purple arrows have been added to indicate meltwater channels.

We apologize for this error.

Megafauna became extinct during the late Quaternary, with climate changes and human activities the two main proposed extinction drivers. Palaeoloxodon naumanni (Naumann's elephant) and Mammuthus primigenius roamed the Japanese archipelago during the Pleistocene. In contrast to the increasing amount of chronological information regarding extinct elephants, stable isotopic composition of these animals is less well studied, despite its potential to reveal foraging ecologies and surrounding paleoenvironments. The isotopic compositions were measured for tooth enamel and dentin collagen of fifteen P. naumanni and five Mammuthus sp. specimens from Lake Nojiri in Honshu and four sites in Hokkaido, Japan. Statistical differences were observed between the carbon isotopic composition of tooth enamel of the Lake Nojiri elephants and those of the two elephant species in Hokkaido, suggesting more open grassland for the former. In Hokkaido, no overlap was observed in the isotopic compositions of the two species, suggesting a separation in foraging behaviors. The specimens had relatively low nitrogen isotopic composition for Late Pleistocene elephants possibly reflecting an environmental stress at the edge of their distributions. The large isotopic variations of Naumann's elephants suggest that their demise was not triggered by inflexibility in their feeding strategies.