Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109815
Deke Xu , Yuhai Wang , Keyang He , Hao Li , Yajie Dong , Jun Kuang , Zhigang Zhang , Bing Song , Yulong Niu , Guoping Sun , Yonglei Wang , Jiatong Lu , Jie Liu , Houyuan Lu , Chang Li
Centennial-scale climate–human interactions provide critical insights into societal adaptation to environmental change, yet their dynamics in East Asian coastal systems are still poorly understood. Here we analyze 1,008 radiocarbon dates from Neolithic to Bronze Age archaeological sites across the lower Yangtze River and adjacent coastal region to reconstruct 10,000 years of population dynamics using summed probability distributions. Our demographic record reveals prominent ∼500-yr cycles superimposed on long-term trends, with 14 population maxima occurring at around 9,700, 9,200, 8,600, 8,000, 7,200, 6,700, 6,300, 5,800, 5,200, 4,700, 4,300, 4,000, 3,500, and 3000 calendar years before present (cal yr BP). Time-series analysis demonstrates that these demographic cycles lag East Asian summer monsoon fluctuations by ∼60–170 yrs, indicating systematic climate-driven population responses mediated by ecological processes. Unexpectedly, weakened monsoon phases increased regional precipitation, enhanced food resource availability, and supported demographic expansion, while intensified monsoon conditions reduced precipitation and constrained population growth via food resource limitations. This climate–population coupling temporarily broke down between ∼7,800 and ∼5,500 cal yr BP, coinciding with reduced monsoon variability and enhanced societal resilience during the Kuahuqiao–Hemudu/Majiabang–Songze transitions. Our findings demonstrate a persistent centennial-scale link between monsoon variability and prehistoric demography, offering new insights into climate–societal dynamics across monsoon Asia.
百年尺度的气候-人类相互作用为社会适应环境变化提供了重要的见解，但它们在东亚沿海系统中的动态仍然知之甚少。本文分析了长江下游及邻近沿海地区新石器时代至青铜时代考古遗址的1008个放射性碳年代，利用求和概率分布重建了1万年的人口动态。我们的人口统计记录显示了叠加在长期趋势上的突出的~ 500年周期，14个人口最大值发生在距今（cal - year BP）之前的9,700、9,200、8,600、8,000、7,200、6,700、6,300、5,800、5,200、4,700、4,300、4,000、3,500和3000日历年左右。时间序列分析表明，这些人口周期滞后于东亚夏季风波动约60-170年，表明生态过程介导的系统气候驱动的人口响应。出乎意料的是，减弱的季风阶段增加了区域降水，增强了食物资源的可用性，并支持了人口的扩张，而增强的季风条件减少了降水，并通过食物资源限制限制了人口增长。这种气候-人口耦合在~ 7800至~ 5500 cal - yr BP之间暂时中断，与夸虎桥-河姆渡/马家邦-松泽过渡期间季风变率降低和社会恢复力增强相一致。我们的研究结果表明，季风变化与史前人口统计学之间存在百年尺度的持续联系，为季风亚洲的气候社会动态提供了新的见解。
{"title":"A 500-year cycle of demographic expansion and contraction in the lower Yangtze and adjacent coastal region during the Holocene driven by East Asian summer monsoon oscillations","authors":"Deke Xu , Yuhai Wang , Keyang He , Hao Li , Yajie Dong , Jun Kuang , Zhigang Zhang , Bing Song , Yulong Niu , Guoping Sun , Yonglei Wang , Jiatong Lu , Jie Liu , Houyuan Lu , Chang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109815","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109815","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Centennial-scale climate–human interactions provide critical insights into societal adaptation to environmental change, yet their dynamics in East Asian coastal systems are still poorly understood. Here we analyze 1,008 radiocarbon dates from Neolithic to Bronze Age archaeological sites across the lower Yangtze River and adjacent coastal region to reconstruct 10,000 years of population dynamics using summed probability distributions. Our demographic record reveals prominent ∼500-yr cycles superimposed on long-term trends, with 14 population maxima occurring at around 9,700, 9,200, 8,600, 8,000, 7,200, 6,700, 6,300, 5,800, 5,200, 4,700, 4,300, 4,000, 3,500, and 3000 calendar years before present (cal yr BP). Time-series analysis demonstrates that these demographic cycles lag East Asian summer monsoon fluctuations by ∼60–170 yrs, indicating systematic climate-driven population responses mediated by ecological processes. Unexpectedly, weakened monsoon phases increased regional precipitation, enhanced food resource availability, and supported demographic expansion, while intensified monsoon conditions reduced precipitation and constrained population growth via food resource limitations. This climate–population coupling temporarily broke down between ∼7,800 and ∼5,500 cal yr BP, coinciding with reduced monsoon variability and enhanced societal resilience during the Kuahuqiao–Hemudu/Majiabang–Songze transitions. Our findings demonstrate a persistent centennial-scale link between monsoon variability and prehistoric demography, offering new insights into climate–societal dynamics across monsoon Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 109815"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-26DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109770
Alexandra L. Norwood , Joshua R. Robinson , Brian A. Stewart
The Middle to Later Stone Age (MSA/LSA) transition in southern Africa represents a profound shift in technology and social organization characterized by population growth, higher density artifact assemblages, and increased evidence of symbolic behavior. Recurrent stadial periods associated with global cooling, particularly the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM: ∼24–17 ka), have been closely linked to these broad cultural changes. The widespread nature of these material culture changes cross-cutting southern Africa's highly variable environments raises questions about the degree to which the transition to LSA behavioral suites is attributable to climatic, social or other factors. However, the relationships between specific climatic variables and local environmental proxy records remain elusive, making it difficult to use isotope ratios like carbon in fossil ungulate enamel (δ13CE) to characterize the environmental impact of past climate events. Alternative approaches must be taken to characterize spatial and temporal variation in enamel isotopes in the fossil record to understand the local effects of broader climatic conditions. We present a novel application of generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to the δ13CE record of southern Africa from the later Pleistocene (∼40–11 ka). GAMMs are able to simultaneously consider the influence of dietary and climate components, representing global to local scales, on the variation in δ13CE. Our results provide evidence of spatial variation in δ13CE among sites caused by differences in the impact of climate change across the subcontinent's rainfall zones. Negative δ13CE values in the summer rainfall zone from shortly before 30 ka through the early LGM indicate pronounced cooling coincident with the phased transition there from MSA to LSA tool kits. This suggests that the MSA disappearance was partially climate-driven and occurred first in the eastern part of southern Africa. We suggest that fragmented final MSA social networks made space for local pools of enhanced innovation. Out of this innovation, a widespread and cohesive LSA tradition – the Robberg – emerged and spread through processes of renewed coalescence.
{"title":"Generalized additive mixed models of carbon enamel isotopes implicate climate change in the southern African Middle to Later Stone Age transition","authors":"Alexandra L. Norwood , Joshua R. Robinson , Brian A. Stewart","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109770","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109770","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Middle to Later Stone Age (MSA/LSA) transition in southern Africa represents a profound shift in technology and social organization characterized by population growth, higher density artifact assemblages, and increased evidence of symbolic behavior. Recurrent stadial periods associated with global cooling, particularly the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM: ∼24–17 ka), have been closely linked to these broad cultural changes. The widespread nature of these material culture changes cross-cutting southern Africa's highly variable environments raises questions about the degree to which the transition to LSA behavioral suites is attributable to climatic, social or other factors. However, the relationships between specific climatic variables and local environmental proxy records remain elusive, making it difficult to use isotope ratios like carbon in fossil ungulate enamel (δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>E</sub>) to characterize the environmental impact of past climate events. Alternative approaches must be taken to characterize spatial and temporal variation in enamel isotopes in the fossil record to understand the local effects of broader climatic conditions. We present a novel application of generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to the δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>E</sub> record of southern Africa from the later Pleistocene (∼40–11 ka). GAMMs are able to simultaneously consider the influence of dietary and climate components, representing global to local scales, on the variation in δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>E</sub>. Our results provide evidence of spatial variation in δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>E</sub> among sites caused by differences in the impact of climate change across the subcontinent's rainfall zones. Negative δ<sup>13</sup>C<sub>E</sub> values in the summer rainfall zone from shortly before 30 ka through the early LGM indicate pronounced cooling coincident with the phased transition there from MSA to LSA tool kits. This suggests that the MSA disappearance was partially climate-driven and occurred first in the eastern part of southern Africa. We suggest that fragmented final MSA social networks made space for local pools of enhanced innovation. Out of this innovation, a widespread and cohesive LSA tradition – the Robberg – emerged and spread through processes of renewed coalescence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 109770"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-24DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109805
James T. Teller , Stephen R. Moran
Sediments in the lower Mississippi River Valley and delta contain a record of late-glacial events resulting from varying flows through the Mississippi River. The sedimentary sequence in >100 boreholes near Baton Rouge, Louisiana (the Plaquemine Site), was investigated to explore its possible relationship to large outflows from glacial Lake Agassiz--once the largest lake in the world--that lay along the margin of the melting Laurentide Ice Sheet of north-central North America. The lake's initial overflow during its Lockhart Phase, as well as runoff from the melting Laurentide Ice Sheet, contributed to a thick sequence of sandy fluvial sediment in the Atchafalaya Basin of Louisiana during the late Pleistocene, including at the Plaquemine Site. Lake Agassiz overflow switched its route away from the Mississippi River ∼12.9 to 11.4 cal yrs BP during its Moorhead Phase (coincident with the global Younger Dryas cooling), and lower flows led to weathering and erosion of the Pleistocene sands in the Atchafalaya Basin of Louisiana. Because of differential isostatic rebound and a readvance of the Laurentide Ice Sheet into the Lake Superior basin about 11.4 cal ka, overflow through the eastern outlets of Lake Agassiz was blocked, causing lake level to rise to the Campbell strandline and to overflow southward again into the Mississippi River during its Emerson Phase. This resulted in flooding of lowland areas of the Atchafalaya Basin and a sequence of lacustrine clays and organic zones to be deposited for more than 1400 years, interrupted by a short diversion of Lake Agassiz overflow around 10.9 cal ka that is reflected by weathering and peat deposition at the Plaquemine Site. Clay continued to be deposited at the Site even after Lake Agassiz overflow was re-routed into the Superior basin after 10.7 ka because that basin overflowed into the Mississippi River basin for another thousand years. The sedimentary record in the Atchafalaya Basin of Louisiana and in the Gulf of Mexico reflects the history of late-glacial overflow (and non-overflow) from Lake Agassiz during the early Holocene, and radiocarbon dates of those changes in the Atchafalaya Basin sequence correlate with those dated late-glacial phases of changing overflow from the lake.
密西西比河下游河谷和三角洲的沉积物包含了由密西西比河不同流量引起的晚冰期事件的记录。研究人员调查了路易斯安那州巴吞鲁日（普拉克明遗址）附近100个钻孔的沉积序列，以探索其与冰川湖（曾经是世界上最大的湖泊）大量流出物的可能关系，该湖位于北美中北部劳伦泰德冰盖融化的边缘。该湖在洛克哈特阶段的最初溢出，以及劳伦泰德冰盖融化的径流，在晚更新世期间在路易斯安那州的阿查法拉亚盆地形成了一层厚厚的沙质河流沉积物，包括在普拉克明遗址。在距今12.9至11.4万年的摩尔黑德阶段（与全球新仙女木时期的降温一致），阿加西湖的溢流改变了其从密西西比河流出的路线，而较低的流量导致了路易斯安那州Atchafalaya盆地更新世砂岩的风化和侵蚀。由于差异均衡反弹和劳伦泰德冰盖在11.4 cal ka左右向苏伯利尔湖盆地推进，阿加西斯湖东部出水口的溢流被阻塞，导致湖泊水位上升到坎贝尔海岸线，并在爱默生阶段再次向南溢流到密西西比河。这导致了Atchafalaya盆地低地地区的洪水泛滥，一系列湖泊粘土和有机带沉积了1400多年，被10.9 calka左右的阿加西湖溢流短暂转移所中断，这反映在Plaquemine遗址的风化和泥炭沉积上。即使阿加西斯湖的溢流在10.7万年后重新流入苏必利尔河盆地，黏土仍继续沉积在遗址上，因为该盆地又在1000年后流入密西西比河流域。路易斯安那州Atchafalaya盆地和墨西哥湾的沉积记录反映了全新世早期阿加西湖晚冰期溢流（和非溢流）的历史，Atchafalaya盆地层序中这些变化的放射性碳定年与阿加西湖溢流变化的晚冰期定年具有相关性。
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Pub Date : 2026-01-24DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109834
Yan Liu , Mengjiao Yu , Jinqi Dai , Yongzhi Huang , Haixian Xiong , Ning Zhao , Shihao Liu , Jing Chen , Maotian Li , Qianli Sun
Coastal peat layers in the Lower Yangtze Region (LYR) provide critical archives of Holocene environmental change and human–landscape interaction. To clarify the mechanisms driving their formation and decline, we compile 105 dated peat records and integrate them with regional sea-level, palaeoclimate, archaeological evidence, and local wetness and warmth reconstructions developed in this study. The results show that early Holocene peat initiation was suppressed by unstable hydrological regimes, high sedimentation rates in incised valleys, and relatively cool–dry local conditions. Widespread peat accumulation began after ∼8 ka BP, when the deceleration of sea-level rise, warmer and wetter conditions, and the development of geomorphologically stable back-barrier and delta-plain wetlands together created favorable settings for peat growth. From ∼6 ka BP, however, increased ENSO-related flooding, gradual hydroclimatic deterioration, and intensified Neolithic rice farming disrupted wetland stability, accelerating peat degradation and altering carbon storage. These findings demonstrate that the development of peat layers in the LYR were governed not simply by regional monsoon intensity, but by the interaction of local hydroclimatic thresholds, geomorphic stability, and human disturbance. The study highlights the vulnerability of coastal peat layers to climatic extremes and anthropogenic pressures, offering insights for understanding past human–environment feedbacks and informing modern strategies for wetland conservation and carbon management.
下扬子地区沿海泥炭层提供了全新世环境变化和人类景观相互作用的重要资料。为了阐明其形成和衰落的机制，我们收集了105份泥炭记录，并将其与区域海平面、古气候、考古证据和本研究中建立的当地湿度和温度重建相结合。结果表明，全新世早期泥炭的形成受到不稳定的水文条件、高沉积速率和相对干燥的局部条件的抑制。大范围的泥炭积累开始于~ 8 ka BP之后，当时海平面上升的减速，温暖湿润的环境，以及地貌稳定的后屏障和三角洲平原湿地的发展共同为泥炭的生长创造了有利的环境。然而，从6 ka BP开始，enso相关的洪水增加，水文气候逐渐恶化，新石器时代水稻种植加剧，破坏了湿地的稳定性，加速了泥炭退化，改变了碳储量。这些发现表明，LYR泥炭层的发育不仅受区域季风强度的控制，还受当地水文气候阈值、地貌稳定性和人为干扰的相互作用。该研究强调了沿海泥炭层对极端气候和人为压力的脆弱性，为理解过去的人类-环境反馈提供了见解，并为湿地保护和碳管理的现代战略提供了信息。
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Pub Date : 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109830
Juan Ochando , Donatella Magri , Biagio Giaccio , Giovanni Zanchetta , Antonino Vazzana , Omry Barzilai , Francesco Berna , Gruppo Speleologico Neretino , Giulia Marciani , Andrea Zerboni , Sara Silvestrini , Enza E. Spinapolice , Adriana Moroni , Gabriele Terlato , Matteo Romandini , Stefano Benazzi
The southern Italian Peninsula plays a crucial role as a biogeographical hotspot in Southern Europe, influenced significantly by the Mediterranean climate. This environment acted as a glacial refuge for diverse flora and fauna, humans included. This study employs pollen analysis on Mousterian and Uluzzian sediments from Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C in the Salento Peninsula (southern Italy) to reconstruct the vegetation landscapes encountered by the late Italian Neanderthals (thus far associated with the Mousterian) and early modern humans (linked to the Uluzzian) during the mid Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Our palynological analyses reveal a distinctive and diverse environment within the Mediterranean landscape. Tephrochronological and OSL constraints and paleoenvironmental variability consistently allow us to date the investigated interval between ∼46.6 ka and 43.4 ka, encompassing the second part of the long Greenland interstadial 12 (GI-12) and the onset of the GI-11. Over these three millennia, the environment in the area of Uluzzo C is characterized by a rich flora mainly composed of evergreen elements. Additionally, heliophytes such as Amaranthaceae, Artemisia, and Poaceae are observed. The consistent presence of pollen taxa such as Juglans, and Pinus halepensis/pinea, among others, highlights the importance of this coastal area of Apulia for the long-term persistence of Mediterranean species during the Late Pleistocene. These taxa could be supported by a generally mild climate, as suggested by the occurrence of Olea, Myrtus, and Cistus. These diverse environments would undeniably have offered various opportunities for the survival of Neanderthals and early Upper Palaeolithic hominins, especially during the warm phases and, critically, the cold events of the Late Pleistocene. Our integrated approach underscores the importance of Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C as a MIS 3 archive, contributing to the ongoing debate on the spatial extent of glacial refugia. Our data from Uluzzo C corroborate the previous idea that the climatic and environmental setting were not the main reason for Neanderthals' abandonment of Uluzzo Bay and potentially southern Italy around 45,000 years ago.
意大利半岛南部受地中海气候影响较大，是南欧生物地理热点地区。这个环境是包括人类在内的各种动植物的冰川避难所。本研究对意大利南部萨伦托半岛（Salento Peninsula） Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C地区的Mousterian和Uluzzian沉积物进行了花粉分析，重建了晚期意大利尼安德特人（迄今为止与Mousterian有关）和早期现代人（与Uluzzian有关）在海洋同位素阶段（MIS）中期所遇到的植被景观。我们的孢粉学分析揭示了地中海景观中独特而多样的环境。温度年代学和OSL约束以及古环境变率一致地使我们能够确定所研究的时间间隔在~ 46.6 ka和43.4 ka之间，包括长格陵兰岛间期12 （GI-12）的第二部分和GI-11的开始。在这三千年里，乌鲁佐C地区的环境以丰富的植物群为特征，主要由常绿元素组成。此外，还观察到苋科、蒿科和禾本科等向日葵植物。诸如Juglans和Pinus halepensis/pinea等花粉分类群的持续存在突出了普利亚沿海地区在晚更新世期间地中海物种长期存在的重要性。这些分类群可能存在于普遍温和的气候中，如油橄榄属、桃金娘属和桃金娘属的出现。不可否认，这些多样化的环境为尼安德特人和旧石器时代早期的人类提供了各种生存机会，尤其是在温暖时期，更重要的是，在晚更新世的寒冷时期。我们的综合方法强调了Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C作为MIS 3档案的重要性，为冰川避难所的空间范围的持续争论做出了贡献。我们来自乌鲁佐C区的数据证实了之前的观点，即气候和环境环境并不是尼安德特人在大约4.5万年前放弃乌鲁佐湾和可能的意大利南部的主要原因。
{"title":"From Neanderthals to Homo sapiens: New palaeoecological and tephrocronological data from the MIS3 layers of Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C (Apulia, southern Italy)","authors":"Juan Ochando , Donatella Magri , Biagio Giaccio , Giovanni Zanchetta , Antonino Vazzana , Omry Barzilai , Francesco Berna , Gruppo Speleologico Neretino , Giulia Marciani , Andrea Zerboni , Sara Silvestrini , Enza E. Spinapolice , Adriana Moroni , Gabriele Terlato , Matteo Romandini , Stefano Benazzi","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109830","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109830","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The southern Italian Peninsula plays a crucial role as a biogeographical hotspot in Southern Europe, influenced significantly by the Mediterranean climate. This environment acted as a glacial refuge for diverse flora and fauna, humans included. This study employs pollen analysis on Mousterian and Uluzzian sediments from Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C in the Salento Peninsula (southern Italy) to reconstruct the vegetation landscapes encountered by the late Italian Neanderthals (thus far associated with the Mousterian) and early modern humans (linked to the Uluzzian) during the mid Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3. Our palynological analyses reveal a distinctive and diverse environment within the Mediterranean landscape. Tephrochronological and OSL constraints and paleoenvironmental variability consistently allow us to date the investigated interval between ∼46.6 ka and 43.4 ka, encompassing the second part of the long Greenland interstadial 12 (GI-12) and the onset of the GI-11. Over these three millennia, the environment in the area of Uluzzo C is characterized by a rich flora mainly composed of evergreen elements. Additionally, heliophytes such as Amaranthaceae, <em>Artemisia</em>, and Poaceae are observed. The consistent presence of pollen taxa such as <em>Juglans</em>, and <em>Pinus halepensis/pinea</em>, among others, highlights the importance of this coastal area of Apulia for the long-term persistence of Mediterranean species during the Late Pleistocene. These taxa could be supported by a generally mild climate, as suggested by the occurrence of <em>Olea</em>, <em>Myrtus</em>, and <em>Cistus</em>. These diverse environments would undeniably have offered various opportunities for the survival of Neanderthals and early Upper Palaeolithic hominins, especially during the warm phases and, critically, the cold events of the Late Pleistocene. Our integrated approach underscores the importance of Grotta-Riparo di Uluzzo C as a MIS 3 archive, contributing to the ongoing debate on the spatial extent of glacial refugia. Our data from Uluzzo C corroborate the previous idea that the climatic and environmental setting were not the main reason for Neanderthals' abandonment of Uluzzo Bay and potentially southern Italy around 45,000 years ago.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 109830"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109810
György Lengyel , János Kovács , Bernadeta Kufel-Diakowska , Zsuzsa Lisztes-Szabó , Magdalena Moskal-del Hoyo , Gábor Újvári , Jarosław Wilczyński
The Gravettian site of Bodrogkeresztúr–Henye in northeastern Hungary has long been considered the oldest of its kind in the region. Fieldwork in 2019 revealed a stratigraphic succession spanning from the Late Aurignacian to the Late Gravettian. The Late Aurignacian component is represented by few artefacts and lacks archaeozoological remains, suggesting a short-term occupation, whereas the Late Gravettian yielded an abundant archaeological record indicative of a base camp within a highly mobile settlement system connected to Eastern Central (ECE) and Eastern Europe. The Late Aurignacian corresponds to a climatically milder phase, while the Late Gravettian is associated with colder conditions. The sequence is incomplete, lacking Early Gravettian and Pavlovian layers, comparable to Early–Middle Upper Palaeolithic sequences in Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. These data suggest that the Early Gravettian in western ECE was contemporaneous with the Late Aurignacian in eastern ECE, and that eastern ECE experienced a brief human occupation hiatus during the Pavlovian. The Late Gravettian represents the Middle Upper Palaeolithic cultural that spread across Eastern Central and Eastern Europe with the onset of colder conditions at the MIS 3–2 transition, likely reflecting adaptive strategies to cold environments, including long-distance human mobility.
{"title":"The Early–Middle Upper Palaeolithic transition in Eastern Central Europe across MIS3–2 and the Bodrogkeresztúr–Henye site, NE Hungary","authors":"György Lengyel , János Kovács , Bernadeta Kufel-Diakowska , Zsuzsa Lisztes-Szabó , Magdalena Moskal-del Hoyo , Gábor Újvári , Jarosław Wilczyński","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109810","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109810","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Gravettian site of Bodrogkeresztúr–Henye in northeastern Hungary has long been considered the oldest of its kind in the region. Fieldwork in 2019 revealed a stratigraphic succession spanning from the Late Aurignacian to the Late Gravettian. The Late Aurignacian component is represented by few artefacts and lacks archaeozoological remains, suggesting a short-term occupation, whereas the Late Gravettian yielded an abundant archaeological record indicative of a base camp within a highly mobile settlement system connected to Eastern Central (ECE) and Eastern Europe. The Late Aurignacian corresponds to a climatically milder phase, while the Late Gravettian is associated with colder conditions. The sequence is incomplete, lacking Early Gravettian and Pavlovian layers, comparable to Early–Middle Upper Palaeolithic sequences in Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. These data suggest that the Early Gravettian in western ECE was contemporaneous with the Late Aurignacian in eastern ECE, and that eastern ECE experienced a brief human occupation hiatus during the Pavlovian. The Late Gravettian represents the Middle Upper Palaeolithic cultural that spread across Eastern Central and Eastern Europe with the onset of colder conditions at the MIS 3–2 transition, likely reflecting adaptive strategies to cold environments, including long-distance human mobility.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 109810"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109771
A.P. Palmer , J.M. Bendle , I.P. Matthews , A. MacLeod , R.A. Staff , P. Lincoln , W.Z. Hoek
Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS 1; 18-15 ka) was a climatically dynamic period during the Last Deglaciation, which is thought to have been driven by alterations in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and which impacted terrestrial systems around the Northern Hemisphere. The event is usually divided into substages suggesting that conditions were not stable throughout the period. The middle- and high-latitude land masses adjacent to the North Atlantic were likely to have been most strongly impacted by such AMOC changes. However, very few records exist from these areas due to extensive ice cover which persisted over much of Europe and North America at this time, and because the impact of changing AMOC conditions on the melting ice masses and wider landscape is difficult to assess. This paper uses annually laminated lake-sediment cores from a glaciolacustrine system in South Wales to generate the first chronology of southern British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) deglaciation and associated environmental changes through HS 1. Microfacies analysis of two laminated core sections from Llangorse Lake yields a merged master varve chronology which spans 3506 ± 143 years. This chronology is tethered to an absolute age scale at the youngest point of the varve section using radiocarbon dates and extrapolating the Bayesian age model to date the onset and end of varve formation. The varve thickness data shows that an ice-dammed glacial lake formed circa 18.84 cal ka BP (20,034–17,648) and transitioned into a cold-climate lake system ∼18.75 cal ka BP (19,939–17,553). This later, nival lake persisted for ∼3400 years until ∼15.34 cal ka BP (16,207–14,463), spanning the period of HS 1, after which the lake transitioned to non-varved sediments. The LLaMVC21 varve thickness record is related to i) millennial scale transition from drier to wetter conditions during Heinrich Stadial 1, and ii) inter-annual to decadal variability in hydroclimate, with three multi-decadal periods of decreased varve thickness detected. The findings here supports a wetter late HS 1 with the timing of the change between drier and wetter conditions broadly consistent with more distant records in more northerly latitudes.
海因里希Stadial 1 （HS 1; 18-15 ka）是末次冰期的一个气候动力期，被认为是由大西洋经向翻转环流（AMOC）的变化所驱动的，并影响了北半球的陆地系统。这一事件通常分为几个阶段，表明整个时期的情况并不稳定。与北大西洋相邻的中纬度和高纬度陆地块可能受到这种AMOC变化的最强烈影响。然而，由于当时欧洲和北美大部分地区持续覆盖着广泛的冰层，这些地区的记录很少，而且AMOC条件的变化对融化的冰块和更广泛的景观的影响很难评估。本文利用南威尔士冰湖系统的年度层压湖泊沉积物岩心，生成了第一个通过HS 1的南英属爱尔兰冰盖（BIIS）消冰和相关环境变化的年表。通过对Llangorse湖两个层状岩心剖面的微相分析，得出了一个跨度为3506±143年的合并主控年代学。这一年代学通过放射性碳测年和外推贝叶斯年龄模型来确定瓣膜形成的开始和结束时间，并将其与瓣膜剖面最年轻点的绝对年龄尺度联系在一起。阀厚资料表明，约18.84 cal ka BP（20034 ~ 17648）形成一个冰坝冰湖，并在约18.75 cal ka BP（19939 ~ 17553）转变为一个寒冷气候湖泊系统。后来，湖泊持续了~ 3400年，直到~ 15.34 cal ka BP(16,207-14,463)，跨越了HS 1时期，之后湖泊转变为非分裂沉积物。LLaMVC21阀厚记录与1)Heinrich Stadial 1期间从干燥到湿润的千禧年尺度转变和2)水文气候的年际至年代际变化有关，其中有3个多年代际变化期阀厚下降。这里的发现支持了HS 1的湿润晚期，干旱和湿润条件之间变化的时间与更遥远的北纬地区的记录大体一致。
{"title":"A varve chronology for glacial retreat and hydroclimate changes during Heinrich Stadial 1 on the Northwest European margins","authors":"A.P. Palmer , J.M. Bendle , I.P. Matthews , A. MacLeod , R.A. Staff , P. Lincoln , W.Z. Hoek","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109771","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109771","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS 1; 18-15 ka) was a climatically dynamic period during the Last Deglaciation, which is thought to have been driven by alterations in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), and which impacted terrestrial systems around the Northern Hemisphere. The event is usually divided into substages suggesting that conditions were not stable throughout the period. The middle- and high-latitude land masses adjacent to the North Atlantic were likely to have been most strongly impacted by such AMOC changes. However, very few records exist from these areas due to extensive ice cover which persisted over much of Europe and North America at this time, and because the impact of changing AMOC conditions on the melting ice masses and wider landscape is difficult to assess. This paper uses annually laminated lake-sediment cores from a glaciolacustrine system in South Wales to generate the first chronology of southern British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) deglaciation and associated environmental changes through HS 1. Microfacies analysis of two laminated core sections from Llangorse Lake yields a merged master varve chronology which spans 3506 ± 143 years. This chronology is tethered to an absolute age scale at the youngest point of the varve section using radiocarbon dates and extrapolating the Bayesian age model to date the onset and end of varve formation. The varve thickness data shows that an ice-dammed glacial lake formed circa 18.84 cal ka BP (20,034–17,648) and transitioned into a cold-climate lake system ∼18.75 cal ka BP (19,939–17,553). This later, nival lake persisted for ∼3400 years until ∼15.34 cal ka BP (16,207–14,463), spanning the period of HS 1, after which the lake transitioned to non-varved sediments. The LLaMVC21 varve thickness record is related to i) millennial scale transition from drier to wetter conditions during Heinrich Stadial 1, and ii) inter-annual to decadal variability in hydroclimate, with three multi-decadal periods of decreased varve thickness detected. The findings here supports a wetter late HS 1 with the timing of the change between drier and wetter conditions broadly consistent with more distant records in more northerly latitudes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 109771"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-22DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109820
Dongliang Ning , Xianqiang Meng , Qi Lin , Enfeng Liu , Zhenyu Ni , Weiwei Sun , Wenfang Zhang , Yao Wang , Rong Chen , Enlou Zhang
Climate change-induced algal blooms are increasingly threatening water resources in global temperate regions. However, the mechanisms underlying multi-forcing interaction remain controversial, largely due to the scarcity of reliable algal productivity proxies and a long-term perspective. Here, we quantified algae-sourced sediment organic matter as an indicator of lake primary productivity using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). A significant absorbance band around 1550 cm−1 in lake algae but absence in aquatic macrophyte and terrestrial plants guarantees the reliability of FTIR to separate the algal signal in lake sediments. On this basis, we reconstructed the Holocene trajectory of algal productivity in a remote crater lake, northeast China, and synthesized the regional Holocene algal productivity using Generalized Additive Models (GAM). The results indicated relatively high primary productivity during the mid-Holocene as well as some early and late episodes. Those periods of high productivity were synchronous with the changing pattern of regional precipitation. Our multivariate statistical modeling further revealed the dominant role of precipitation and the additive effects of temperature and dust deposition, underscoring the impact of precipitation-driven nutrient dynamics in stimulating algal blooms in a warming world.
{"title":"Precipitation dominates remote lake primary productivity: A Holocene perspective based on regional synthesis from northeastern Asia","authors":"Dongliang Ning , Xianqiang Meng , Qi Lin , Enfeng Liu , Zhenyu Ni , Weiwei Sun , Wenfang Zhang , Yao Wang , Rong Chen , Enlou Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109820","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109820","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change-induced algal blooms are increasingly threatening water resources in global temperate regions. However, the mechanisms underlying multi-forcing interaction remain controversial, largely due to the scarcity of reliable algal productivity proxies and a long-term perspective. Here, we quantified algae-sourced sediment organic matter as an indicator of lake primary productivity using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). A significant absorbance band around 1550 cm<sup>−1</sup> in lake algae but absence in aquatic macrophyte and terrestrial plants guarantees the reliability of FTIR to separate the algal signal in lake sediments. On this basis, we reconstructed the Holocene trajectory of algal productivity in a remote crater lake, northeast China, and synthesized the regional Holocene algal productivity using Generalized Additive Models (GAM). The results indicated relatively high primary productivity during the mid-Holocene as well as some early and late episodes. Those periods of high productivity were synchronous with the changing pattern of regional precipitation. Our multivariate statistical modeling further revealed the dominant role of precipitation and the additive effects of temperature and dust deposition, underscoring the impact of precipitation-driven nutrient dynamics in stimulating algal blooms in a warming world.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 109820"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109799
Ramona Schneider , Ekaterina Kulakova , Bjarne Almqvist , Dominika Niezabitowska , Richard Leeding , Redzhep Kurbanov , Thomas Stevens
The last 1.2 million years have witnessed fundamental changes in global climate, including substantial intensification of global glaciations and a shift from obliquity-to eccentricity-paced glacial-interglacial cycles. However, the effect of these changes on prevailing wind direction and mineral dust transport pathways remains enigmatic. Here, we utilize anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of Tajik loess over the last 1.2 Ma to constrain past wind regimes in the Afghan-Tajik Basin of southern Central Asia. The area is located at the intersection of the Siberian High pressure system, the Mid-Latitude Westerlies, and the Indian Summer Monsoon, and acts as one of the largest dust-emitting regions globally. AMS measures the magnetic fabric of loess, a function of dust transporting wind directions and post-depositional processes, and here we apply the technique to three different loess-palaeosol sections on the Khovaling Loess Plateau, Tajikistan. In addition to constraining post depositional reworking, we show through comparison to modern modelled and observed wind regimes that AMS does indeed reflect the directions of dust-transporting winds that, while partly affected by meso-scale and local topography, are ultimately driven by regional wind systems. Our results demonstrate that the directions of these dust-transporting winds have remained stable for the last 1.2 million years. This remarkable resilience of the dust transporting wind regime suggests a stability of the wider synoptic wind field despite major global climate transitions and regional orogenic uplift.
{"title":"Stable dust-transporting winds in Central Asia over the last 1.2 million years","authors":"Ramona Schneider , Ekaterina Kulakova , Bjarne Almqvist , Dominika Niezabitowska , Richard Leeding , Redzhep Kurbanov , Thomas Stevens","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109799","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109799","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The last 1.2 million years have witnessed fundamental changes in global climate, including substantial intensification of global glaciations and a shift from obliquity-to eccentricity-paced glacial-interglacial cycles. However, the effect of these changes on prevailing wind direction and mineral dust transport pathways remains enigmatic. Here, we utilize anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) of Tajik loess over the last 1.2 Ma to constrain past wind regimes in the Afghan-Tajik Basin of southern Central Asia. The area is located at the intersection of the Siberian High pressure system, the Mid-Latitude Westerlies, and the Indian Summer Monsoon, and acts as one of the largest dust-emitting regions globally. AMS measures the magnetic fabric of loess, a function of dust transporting wind directions and post-depositional processes, and here we apply the technique to three different loess-palaeosol sections on the Khovaling Loess Plateau, Tajikistan. In addition to constraining post depositional reworking, we show through comparison to modern modelled and observed wind regimes that AMS does indeed reflect the directions of dust-transporting winds that, while partly affected by meso-scale and local topography, are ultimately driven by regional wind systems. Our results demonstrate that the directions of these dust-transporting winds have remained stable for the last 1.2 million years. This remarkable resilience of the dust transporting wind regime suggests a stability of the wider synoptic wind field despite major global climate transitions and regional orogenic uplift.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"376 ","pages":"Article 109799"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2026-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146039461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2026.109809
Jinming Xie , Gang Hu , Liubing Xu , Shangzhe Zhou , Yanren Wang , Tinley Tsring , Huiying Wang , Ping Wang , Xiaoyan Yang
Archaeological evidence shows that high-elevation, deeply incised valleys of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, despite geomorphic hazards and limited arable land, have supported widespread permanent human occupation since the Neolithic period, largely facilitated by the development of agriculture. To examine this adaptation, we reconstructed the latest Quaternary landscape evolution around the La phob archaeological site, the earliest known Neolithic settlement in Tibet (∼4800 cal BP), using OSL and 14C dating of fluvial, alluvial, and dammed-lake sediments. The site is situated on a debris-flow-dominated alluvial fan in the Bodui Zangbo River valley, southeastern Tibet. Our results reveal valley aggradation during the Last Glacial Maximum and last deglaciation, followed by incision and the formation of multi-level fill and cut-in-fill terraces in the early Holocene. At ∼4.8 ka, a debris-flow dam created a ∼11 km2 paleolake that persisted until ∼1.2 ka, depositing thick lacustrine sediments over pre-existing terraces. The paleolake would have provided a stable water source, and settlement and agriculture emerged adjacent to it. We propose that the site's location on an alluvial fan benefited from episodic debris flows that supplied fine-grained, fertile sediments suitable for cultivation, despite geomorphic instability. After dam collapse, populations likely migrated to lacustrine sediment-covered terraces, where fertile soils sustained continued agriculture. Integrated with regional evidence, our findings indicate that recurrent river-blocking events promoted valley widening through cycles of aggradation and incision. These geomorphic processes enhanced habitable and agricultural land availability and played a key role in shaping prehistoric settlement patterns and adaptive subsistence strategies on the Tibetan Plateau.
考古证据表明，青藏高原东南部高海拔、深切口的山谷，尽管地貌危险，可耕地有限，但自新石器时代以来，农业的发展在很大程度上促进了人类的广泛永久居住。为了研究这种适应性，我们利用OSL和14C测年技术对河流、冲积物和坝湖沉积物进行测年，重建了喇phob考古遗址周围最新的第四纪景观演变，喇phob考古遗址是西藏已知最早的新石器时代聚落（~ 4800 cal BP）。该遗址位于西藏东南部博堆藏布河谷以泥石流为主的冲积扇上。研究结果表明，末次盛冰期和末次消冰期为河谷淤积期，全新世早期为切口型梯田，形成多层次的充填梯田和充填梯田。在~ 4.8 ka，一个泥石流大坝形成了一个~ 11平方公里的古湖泊，该湖泊一直持续到~ 1.2 ka，在原有的阶地上沉积了厚厚的湖泊沉积物。古湖泊可能提供了稳定的水源，并在其附近出现了定居点和农业。我们认为，尽管地貌不稳定，但该遗址位于冲积扇上的位置受益于间歇性的泥石流，这些泥石流提供了适合耕种的细粒度、肥沃的沉积物。大坝倒塌后，人口可能迁移到湖泊沉积物覆盖的梯田，那里肥沃的土壤维持了农业的持续发展。结合区域证据，我们的研究结果表明，反复发生的河流阻塞事件通过淤积和切割循环促进了河谷的拓宽。这些地貌过程提高了可居住和农业用地的可获得性，并在形成青藏高原史前定居模式和适应性生存策略方面发挥了关键作用。
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