The full programme book (PDF) - Royal Geographical Society

QRA@50: Quaternary Revolutions 

QRA Annual Discussion Meeting, January 2014 

Held jointly with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) 

At the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Kensington Gore, London 

Tuesday 7th – Thursday 9th January 2014 

Welcome to QRA@50! – a meeting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Quaternary 

Research Association by looking both backward and forward at the big changes in 

Quaternary science. Fifty years ago this year, the first meeting of the Quaternary Field 

Studies Group was held in Birmingham, stimulated by Richard Hey and Richard West and 

hosted by Fred Shotton and Russell Coope. The idea caught on quickly and a series of 

meetings were held through the mid-1960s with the name change to Quaternary Research 

Association in 1968. The Association has grown in size and diversity of activities since 

then, and can justly claim to have had a major influence on the development of 

Quaternary science over the last 50 years. 

Since 1964, Quaternary science has developed rapidly and become much more integrated 

with other areas of the environmental sciences, contributing to far‐reaching debates on the 

Earth system and its relationship with past and future human development and society. 

There are some key developments that have been particularly important in increasing the 

scope, influence and thinking in relation to ‘big science’ problems and their relevance to 

society. We have called the meeting ‘Revolutions in Quaternary science’ and have asked 

a series of invited speakers to discuss each of eleven themes covering the full range of 

Quaternary science. Between them, the speakers will review major scientific ‘revolutions’ 

across these themes, examine the current state of the art and look forward to future 

developments. Each theme session will include a discussion slot and associated posters. 

We’ll also be celebrating the 50th Anniversary with a reception for the launch of ‘The 

History of the QRA’, a new book edited by John Catt and Ian Candy. We welcome you all 

to the meeting and hope it provides a fitting way to celebrate our 50th anniversary, as well 

as a stimulating science meeting with broad appeal. 

Organising committee: 

Dan Charman (Exeter) 

James Scourse (Bangor) 

Antony Long (Durham) 

Danielle Schreve (RHUL) 

John Catt (UCL) 

Catherine Souch (RGS‐IBG) 

Tom Hill (Natural History Museum) 

Danni Pearce (Worcester) 

Tom White (Cambridge) 

COVER PHOTO: Richard West and Richard Hey at Easton Bavents, Suffolk, during the QRA 1988 

Easter field meeting (photograph: James Scourse)

Conference Programme 

Tuesday 7th January 

0830 Registration and coffee (Main Hall) 

9.15 – 10.45 Theme 1: Causes of climate change 

0915 Chronis Tzedakis (University College London) 

Towards a unified theory of Quaternary climate variability: the Heroic Age and 

the modern synthesis 

0945 Phil Jones (University of East Anglia) 

Causes of Climate Change over the last 500 years 

1015 Discussion 

1045 Coffee and posters 

11.15 – 12.45 Theme 2: Measuring time 

1115 John Lowe (Royal Holloway University of London) and Mike Walker (University 

of Wales, Lampeter) 

Measuring Quaternary time: a 50-year perspective 

1135 Chris Bronk Ramsey (University of Oxford) 

Radiocarbon dating and its revolutions 

1155 Siwan Davies (Swansea University) 

A little goes a long way: the emergence of tephrochronology 


1245 Lunch and posters 

14.00 – 15.30 Theme 3: Measuring and understanding climate change 

1400 Valerie Masson-Delmotte (LSCE, Gif-sur-Yvette) 

Measuring and understanding climate change 

1430 Danny McCarroll (Swansea University) 

Measuring and understanding climate change: a brief retrospective 


1530 Tea and posters 

16.00 – 17.30 Theme 4: Modelling the earth system 

1600 Paul Valdes (University of Bristol) 

Palaeoclimate Modelling: The past, present, and future. 

1630 Sandy Harrison (Macquarie University & University of Reading) 

Modelling the Earth System: Challenges in using Observations for Model 

Evaluation 


1730 Drinks, posters, QRA AGM

Conference Programme 

Wednesday 8th January 

0830 Registration 

09.15 – 10.45 Theme 5: Ice sheet dynamics 

0915 Geoff Boulton (University of Edinburgh) 

Retrospect and prospect: understanding ice sheets ancient and modern 

0945 Richard Hindmarsh (British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge) 

Time, transgressions and topography: how do classic themes in Quaternary 

Science illuminate the data acquisition revolution in ice-sheet glaciology 



11.15 – 12.45 Theme 6: Sea level in time and space 

1115 Ian Shennan (Durham University) and Roland Gehrels (University of York) 

Sea Level in Time and Space 



14.00 – 15.30 Theme 7: The oceans 

1400 Wiley-Blackwell annual lecture 

Maureen Raymo (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University). 

The Oceans, CO 2 , Sea Level and Ice: Four Million Years of Natural Climate 

Variability 

1430 Luke Skinner (University of Cambridge) 

Future Challenges for Quaternary Palaeoceanography: from Protists, to Proxies, 

to Physics 


1530 Tea, posters, QRA awards 

1700 QRA@50 reception 

1900 Conference dinner

ConferenProgramme 

Thursday 9th January 

0830 Registration 

09.15 – 10.45 Theme 8: Terrestrial stratigraphy and landscape evolution 

0915 Jim Rose (Royal Holloway University of London) 

Terrestrial stratigraphy and landscape evolution 

0945 Phil Gibbard (University of Cambridge) 

Terrestrial stratigraphy and landscape evolution during the Quaternary 



11.15 – 12.45 Theme 9: Palaeoecology 

1115 Kathy Willis (University of Oxford) 

Conservation policy, politics and palaeoecology 

1135 Mary Edwards (University of Southampton) 

The contribution of vegetation palaeoecology: from molecules to maps 

1155 Adrian Lister (Natural History Musuem, London) 

Beetles, bones and biozones: Quaternary palaeozoology in relation to 

environmental change 



14.00 – 15.30 Theme 10: Human origins, environments and impacts 

1400 Chris Stringer (Natural History Museum, London) 

Human evolution: a half century of progress 

1430 Wil Roebroeks (Leiden University) 

Human origins, environments and impacts 


1530 Tea and posters 

16.00 – 17.30 Theme 11: Insights from genetics 

1600 Terry Brown (University of Manchester) 

Insights from genetics – the past and future of ancient DNA research 

1630 Ian Barnes (Royal Holloway University of London) 



1730 Closing remarks/end of meeting

General Notes 

Exhibitors 

A small number of publishers and organisations will have exhibitions in the Map Room. 

Medical, emergencies and security 

First Aiders will be available at the registration desk of the RGS-IBG. For more serious 

emergencies delegates are advised to go to one of the local hospitals; the Chelsea and 

Westminster Hospital, Fulham Road, or St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington. 

Urgent messages may be left with RGS-IBG Registration (020 7591 3022). 

The RGS-IBG is located on a busy road. There is plenty of opportunity for petty theft. 

Although this is not a known issue at the RGS-IBG, we encourage you to keep your 

personal possessions with you and to be aware of security at all times. Bags can be left 

with the security staff at registration for safe keeping. Please wear your delegate badge at 

all times. 

Volunteers 

Volunteers will be available throughout the week; they will be clearly identified with red 

lanyards. Please do not hesitate to ask them for assistance at any time. 

Food and refreshments 

Morning and afternoon coffee and tea and lunch all are included in the conference 

registration. These will be served in the Main Hall. If you have made specific dietary 

requests, please identify yourself to the catering staff. 

Recycling 

The RGS-IBG is committed to reducing the resources used in conferences by sourcing 

supplies and food locally, using recycled and recyclable materials, and reducing, reusing 

and recycling conference materials to every extent possible. We urge all delegates to 

recycle discarded materials. 

Banks and bureau de change 

There are a number of banks at South Kensington and High Street Kensington, including 

ATM machines inside South Kensington Underground Station and Imperial College 

outside the Student Union shop and canteen on the Main Walkway, which is accessed 

through the Main Entrance to Imperial College. There are bureau de change facilities next 

door to Knightsbridge Underground Station and at the Post Office at South Kensington. 

Local transport 

Oyster cards: Oyster cards are the cheapest way to travel on all public transport in 

London. A £5 refundable deposit is required for the card.

By underground: The Society is close to the following underground stations: 

South Kensington 

(District, Circle & Piccadilly Lines) 

High Street Kensington (Circle & District Lines) 

Knightsbridge 

(Piccadilly Line) 

Gloucester Road 

(District, Circle & Piccadilly Lines) 

By bus: The following buses all stop directly outside the Society 

Number 9 

(Aldwych to Hammersmith) 

Number 10 

(Kings Cross to Hammersmith) 

Number 52 

(Victoria to Willesden) 

Number 452 

(Chelsea to Kensal Rise) 

Transport for London further information: 

W: www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl T: 08459 00 1234 

Visit the local area: 

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is at the centre of a cultural heartland 

The Royal Albert Hall, completed in 1871, has recently undergone major improvements 

and renovations 

Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens, two of London's most famous Royal Parks are 

situated opposite the RGS-IBG 

The Natural History Museum (admission free) opening times 10:00 to 17:50 

The Science Museum (admission free) opening times 10:00 to 18:00 

The Victoria & Albert Museum (admission free) opening times 10:00 to 17:45 daily; 

10:00 to 22:00 Wednesdays 

The Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, facing the Royal Albert Hall, was commissioned by 

Queen Victoria in 1876 in memory of Prince Albert

QRA50: Top 50 UK Quaternary Sites Nomination Form 

As part of the 50th year celebrations of the QRA, it seems fitting to highlight some of the 

key sites and localities fundamental to our understanding of the Quaternary landscape 

around us. 

Over 2014, we are looking to compile a list of the 50 most significant Quaternary sites 

within the UK as nominated by you, the QRA community. These top 50 sites will be 

published at the end of the year in the form of a QRA50 full colour booklet and ultimately 

as a web based resource available through the QRA web site. 

Please submit your nomination using the following form either in the nomination box at the 

ADM, by post to (QRA50 c/o Dr Emrys Phillips, British Geological Survey, Murchison 

House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3LA) or by email to Barbara Silva (Outreach 

Officer) - pollenbird@hotmail.com. 

Any Quaternary site within Britain is eligible and you are welcome to submit more than one 

site if you have several favourites. Submissions should be accompanied by a photo if 

possible including any credits. 

Please provide the following details in support of your nomination: 

Nominator 

Address: 

Email address 

Site Name 

Grid Reference 

Photo title and credits 

Site description (no more than 250 words including references

THEME 1: CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE 

Towards a unified theory of Quaternary climate variability: 

the Heroic Age and the modern synthesis 

Chronis Tzedakis 

Department of Geography, University College London, London 

The Heroic Age of Palaeoclimate Research saw the accumulation of an extensive body of 

evidence on the nature of Middle and Late Pleistocene changes in the Earth System and 

verification of the central tenet of the Milankovitch theory that astronomically-driven 

variations in insolation cause changes in global climate. An important further development 

was the realization of the extreme and pervasive nature of millennial-scale climate 

variability, especially during intervals of increased ice volume. 

Although important questions still remain (e.g. the origin of the 100-kyr cycles), significant 

new strides towards a unified theory of glacial-interglacial cycles have been achieved in 

recent years. Thus classical astronomical theory has been supplemented by a growing 

recognition of the role of CO 2 in glacial-interglacial changes and the abrupt rather than 

slow nature of climate transitions especially at glacial terminations, implying that the 

interaction of orbital and millennial-scale may be an additional driver promoting 

deglaciation. More specifically, while astronomical forcing dictates the broad timing of 

interglacials, the actual mechanisms controlling glacial terminations may be related to the 

critical size of ice sheets and bipolar-seesaw variability and its influence on CO 2 

concentrations combined with ice-albedo and dust feedbacks. For glacial inceptions, 

astronomical forcing reducing the amount of summer insolation is considered the primary 

trigger, with CO 2 playing a secondary role along with a number of feedbacks and 

mechanisms. However, the overall duration of an interglacial appears to be related to the 

phasing of astronomical parameters and history of insolation, rather than its instantaneous 

forcing value at inception. 

This emerging synthesis is very much dominated by a ‘100-kyr world’ perspective, but the 

strong non-linearity of the climate-cryosphere system during this period means that it is 

unrepresentative of most of the glaciated part of the Cainozoic, where 41-kyr cycles 

prevail. The Early Pleistocene of smaller ice sheets and reduced non-linearity provides a 

more appropriate testbed for understanding the response of the climate system to orbital 

forcing, but we still remain in relative ignorance over the character of orbital- and 

millennial-scale variability and their interaction during this period. Any theory of ice ages 

remains incomplete if it does not include an adequate description and understanding of 

the ‘41-kyr world’ and the transition into the ‘100-kyr world’. 

Key words: climate variability; orbital; millennial; heroic age; modern synthesis


Causes of Climate Change over the last 500 years 

Phil Jones 

Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ 

The last 500 years is the period for which we have both instrumental measurements and 

numerous annual and seasonally resolved reconstructions from natural and documentary 

proxies. Additionally, to consider the various factors that have caused climate change over 

these periods we need instrumental measurements and direct reconstructions of the 

various forcing factors. The talk will discuss the various factors in two categories – 

external or internal to the climate system. External factors are clearly the sun and 

explosive volcanic eruptions, but in the last two centuries a number of human-induced 

factors are important, such the build-up of greenhouse gases and also aerosols related to 

burning of fossil fuels. Additionally, more local/regional anthropogenic influences – landuse 

change, deforestation and urban expansion are potentially important at the regional 

scale. The importance of spatial scale is a key issue in any assessment. Internallygenerated 

factors relate to modes of variability of the atmosphere and the ocean. 

Important to consider here is what the ultimate cause of the variations are? Do these 

modes just randomly vary on a variety of timescales or are they additionally responding to 

the external factors, so amplifying or reducing their influence. Numerous ‘modes’ have 

been identified since the 1920s with many having had extended reconstructions 

developed in the last twenty years. However, just because a ‘mode’ has a time series 

doesn’t mean some of its recent variability cannot be the result of external forcing (natural 

and anthropogenic). 

Keywords: Climate Change; causal factors; external; internal

THEME 2: MEASURING TIME 

Measuring Quaternary time: a 50-year perspective 

John Lowe 1 and Mike Walker 2 

1 Centre for Quaternary Research, Geography Department, Royal Holloway, University of London 

2 University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter, Wales & Aberystwyth University, Wales 

In the 50 years since the inception of the QRA, there has been considerable development 

in the range and sophistication of the chronological tools that are now available to 

underpin the research of its members. Notable milestones over this period include the 

introduction of new methods (e.g. OSL, CRN, ice-layer counting, molecular ‘clocks’), and 

refinement of established techniques (e.g. AMS, 14 C calibration, high-precision U-series, 

Ar-Ar, cryptotephra analysis). Indeed, the QRA and its members have played important 

roles in pioneering some of the key advances from which we presently benefit. Developing 

new techniques and methodologies for measuring Quaternary time is not an end in itself, 

however: it is stimulated by a parallel need, which is a deeper understanding of the mode, 

pattern and rates of environmental processes, and how different processes inter-connect. 

We will reflect on the symbiotic relationship between environmental reconstruction on the 

one hand, and geochronological capability on the other, and how a breakthrough in one or 

the other serves to illuminate limitations in stratigraphic practice. We conclude by 

suggesting that Quaternary science is currently experiencing a new paradigm shift, one 

that is likely to gather momentum in the early stages of the next 50 years of the 

Association’s history.


Radiocarbon dating and its revolutions 

Christopher Bronk Ramsey 

Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins 

Building, South Parks Road, Oxford 

The term “Radiocarbon Revolution” was first used to describe the impact on archaeology 

of Willard Libby's 1949 discovery of the dating technique over the succeeding two 

decades. The term is equally valid in describing the impact on environmental sciences. 

Soon after the discovery, however, it was realised that radiocarbon dates required 

calibration. The development of tree-ring based calibration is often referred to as the 

second radiocarbon revolution. The calibration revolution has continued ever since, as the 

period covered has edged steadily back to the limit of the technique. It is no coincidence 

that the duration of this particular revolution has coincided with the existence of the QRA, 

many of whose members have contributed significantly to the enterprise. 

In the wake of the first two revolutions it is easy to lose count of subsequent developments 

that have been termed ‘revolutionary’. The development of Accelerator Mass 

Spectrometry (AMS), allowing the measurement of smaller samples and therefore 

samples of different types, was responsible for an explosion in the number of 

measurements available, and this has had a profound impact on the application of the 

technique. Another revolution has been seen in our understanding of the dating of the 

Palaeolithic, through new chemical methods that allow accurate dating of materials like 

bone and charcoal towards the limit of the technique. With the explosion of data have 

come equally important developments in statistics and information technology, made 

possible by the widespread availability of powerful computers. Just as Geographic 

Information Systems (GIS) have revolutionised the way we use spatial information, so 

chronological modelling approaches have revolutionised the way in which we use dating 

information. This is a revolution that is still in its infancy. As we aim to combine information 

from many different dating techniques in ways that allow us to better understand 

processes of change throughout the Quaternary it is clear that the boundaries between 

understanding chronology and understanding environmental processes have broken 

down: chronology is no longer something which is imported into Quaternary research, it 

must be fully integrated with it. 

Keywords: radiocarbon; quaternary geochronology; Bayesian age modelling; quaternary 

environments; archaeology; accelerator mass spectrometry.


A little goes a long way: the emergence of tephrochronology 

Siwan M. Davies 

College of Science, Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales 

Tephrochronology has developed into a widely-used and central technique for Quaternary 

science. From its Icelandic origins in the study of visible tephra horizons, the technique 

took a remarkable step in the late 1980s with the discovery of a 4000 year old microscopic 

ash layer in a Scottish peat bog (Dugmore, 1989). Since then, the search for so-called 

cryptotephra deposits (horizons that contain a low concentration of volcanic glass particles 

that are, as such, invisible to the naked eye) in distal areas has gone from strength to 

strength. Extraction techniques have been successfully adapted and modified to extend 

the cryptotephra work into mineral-rich lacustrine and marine sediments, and ice-core 

records. Indeed, a recent discovery demonstrates how just a handful of microscopic 

volcanic particles can be traced over 7000 km from the volcanic source (Pyne-O'Donnell 

et al., 2012). Instantaneous deposition of geochemically-distinct volcanic material over 

such large geographical areas results in a powerful correlation tool with considerable 

potential for addressing key scientific questions (e.g. assessing leads and lags in 

palaeoclimate work, human dispersal and archaeological studies, volcanic ash-fall 

frequency and marine reservoir offsets). An essential first step for facilitating this work is 

the establishment of regional tephra frameworks that include well-constrained age 

estimates and robust geochemical signatures for each volcanic event (e.g. Lowe et al., 

2008). With distal sites revealing a complex record of previously unknown volcanic events, 

such frameworks are regularly refined and revised and, in some instances, it has become 

apparent that some closely-timed eruptions have similar geochemical signatures, thus 

presenting a challenge for tephrochronologists. As such, the search for unique and robust 

geochemical fingerprints now hinges on rigorous single-shard analysis by electron 

microprobe and Laser-Ablation ICP-MS. Historical developments, methodological 

challenges and significant breakthroughs will be presented to chart the pivotal 

contributions of UK and QRA scientists to the emergence and prominence of 

tephrochronology. 

Keywords: tephrochronology; cryptotephra; precise correlation; geochemical fingerprinting 

Dugmore, A.J., 1989. Icelandic volcanic ash in Scotland. Scottish Geographical Magazine 105, 168- 

172. 

Lowe, J.J., et al., 2008. Synchronisation of palaeoenvironmental events in the North Atlantic region 

during the Last Termination: a revised protocol recommended by the INTIMATE group. Quaternary 

Science Reviews 27, 6-17. 

Pyne-O'Donnell, S.D.F., et al., 2012. High-precision ultra-distal Holocene tephrochronology in North 

America. Quaternary Science Reviews 52, 6-11.

THEME 3: MEASURING AND UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE 

Measuring and understanding climate change 

Valérie Masson-Delmotte 

IPSL/LSCE (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Gif-sur-Yvette, France 

This presentation will be focused on a bipolar perspective on climate change, based on 

quantitative estimates of past temperature changes from Greenland and Antarctic ice 

cores. 

The state of the art regarding the quantification methods will be briefly reviewed. They 

combine information from water stable isotopes (including the use of atmospheric models 

enabled with water stable isotopes), borehole temperature profile inversions, and 

gravitational and thermal gas fractionation. 

The main findings based on these records will then be summarized throughout different 

time scales. The overlap between internal variability, response to orbital, solar and 

volcanic forcing, and anthropogenic effects will be discussed within the framework of 

Greenland/Arctic and Antarctic temperature records spanning the last centuries/millennia. 

They stress the gap in understanding the mechanisms driving Antarctic temperature 

variations. 

The understanding of multi-millennial temperature trends during the current and last 

interglacial periods will be discussed using temperature estimates from ice cores together 

with transient simulations conducted with different climate models. Again, this comparison 

highlights a model-data mismatch with respect to Antarctic temperature, stressing the lack 

of understanding of the mechanisms at play. While the NEEM ice core data have been 

used to constrain past changes in Greenland elevation and therefore, combined with ice 

sheet simulations, its contribution to sea level change during the last interglacial period, 

the contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to sea level change during the last interglacial 

period remains an open issue. 

The bipolar approach is particularly useful for abrupt events during the last glacial period, 

which involve major reorganizations of the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Circulation. The 

synchronisation of ice cores is critical with respect to the characterisation of the bipolar 

seesaw pattern. The matrix of ice cores allows to characterize the regional structures of 

temperature changes, which is expected to reflect the impact of changes in regional sea 

ice / atmospheric circulation patterns. Regional Greenland temperature gradients have 

recently been identified along Dansgaard-Oeschger events, showing a structure which is 

consistent with the simulated fingerprint of changes in Nordic Seas sea ice extent. Ice core 

records also reveal regional patterns in their Antarctic fingerprint (Antarctic Isotopic 

Maxima). A faster warming rate is estimated in the Atlantic sector, when compared to the 

Indo-Pacific ice core records, possibly associated with fast atmospheric teleconnections. 

Recent works have also identified a potential fingerprint of Heinrich events within 

Greenland stadials, challenging the classical simulation of stadials through freshwater 

hosing into climate models. 

Finally, the glacial-interglacial sequence of events is relevant for issues such as polar 

amplification, climate and carbon cycle feedbacks, and climate sensitivity. The focus will 

be placed here on recent findings regarding the timing and patterns of Antarctic 

temperature changes with respect to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration during 

the last two terminations. 

Key words: ice cores; temperature; last millennium; glacial-interglacial variations; abrupt events


Measuring and understanding climate change: a brief retrospective 

Danny McCarroll 

Department of Geography, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP 

Over the last 50 years, huge advances have been made in quantifying the magnitude and 

rate of past climate changes and in understanding those changes. At glacial/interglacial 

timescales the dominance of orbital forcing has now been clearly demonstrated using 

evidence first from marine sediment cores and later from polar ice cores. At the scale of 

the last glacial cycle there have been advances in our understanding of the extent and 

timing of glaciation, and in the early days of the QRA the CLIMAP project attempted to 

quantify the climate of the last glacial maximum, particularly away from the large ice 

sheets. The large fluctuations in climate at the end of the last glaciation, resulting in the 

‘Windermere interstadial’ and ‘Loch Lomond stadial’ have been a major focus of British 

Quaternary research since the earliest days of the QRA. The swings in climate were first 

demonstrated using pollen records, but it was fossil beetles (coleoptera) that illuminated 

the magnitude and incredibly rapid rate of warming. The Lateglacial swings in climate 

have now been investigated using every conceivable proxy, but enthusiasm to work on 

this time period never wanes, despite arguments that it has limited relevance to our 

understanding of current and future climate change. 

It is unsurprising that the spectacular swings in climate of the glacial cycles and the 

Lateglacial should have attracted so much interest, but the QRA also has a long history of 

working on the much more muted changes of the Holocene. Given current concerns about 

anthropogenic greenhouse warming the climate of the Holocene, and particularly the late 

Holocene, has suddenly been thrown into focus. If we are to successfully model the 

climate of the future we need to calibrate and test our models using climate 

reconstructions under current boundary conditions. However, providing accurate and 

precise quantification of the subtle climate changes of the Holocene pushes our available 

techniques to and frequently well beyond their limits. Understanding why climate has 

changed, and in particular deciphering the difference between forced and unforced 

changes, and between the effects of changes in solar radiation, volcanism and 

greenhouse gasses has become increasingly urgent and politicized. 

Keywords: Climate Change; Lateglacial; Holocene

THEME 4: MODELLING THE EARTH SYSTEM 

Palaeoclimate Modelling: The past, present, and future 

Paul Valdes 

School of Georaphical Sciences, University of Bristol University Road, Clifton, Bristol 

Among the many revolutions that have occurred in Quaternary science during the last 50 

years, computer modelling of the past has probably been one of the most dramatic. The 

first detailed computer palaeoclimate model was developed less than 40 years ago but 

since then the pace of change in the subject has been immense. Early palaeoclimate 

models were very limited in their ability and could only examine some large scale "big 

picture" issues and they quickly proved to be valuable tools in helping to understand the 

mechanisms and processes thought to be responsible for climate change. However, today 

the state-of-the-art models represent many of the key components of the Earth system 

and are increasingly able to address the details of past climate change. Linking 

palaeoenvironmental data with palaeoclimate modelling is now playing a crucial role in 

testing and evaluating these models which are the main tool for predicting future climate 

change. The talk will review the development of the subject, highlight some key results 

and identify some of the most exciting advances that are likely to happen in the next 

decade or two.


Modelling the Earth System: Challenges in using Observations for Model Evaluation 

Sandy Harrison 1,2 

1 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Macquarie University, Australia 

2 Centre for Past Climate Change and School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science 

(SAGES), University of Reading 

The confrontation of palaeo-observations and model experiments has evolved from 

essentially qualitative “data-model comparisons” to quantitative “model evaluation”. Both 

have a role to play: the first in elucidating the mechanisms of climate change and regional 

impacts, the second in testing the reliability of state-of-the-art models. 

Data-model comparisons have focused on large-scale regional patterns of climate and/or 

environmental changes. Mapped patterns are used to elucidate the mechanisms of 

climate change, based on the idea that these patterns provide fingerprints of the response 

to specific types of forcing. Map comparisons are facilitated by the use of forward 

modeling, which translates simulated climate changes into environmental responses such 

as vegetation shifts, changes in fire regimes or changes in peat accumulation rates which 

can be more directly compared with observations. The use of forward models raises 

issues about the independent validation those models, but perhaps a more serious issue 

is how to compare spatial patterns in a mechanistically realistic way – given that features 

anchoring these patterns in the real world may not be represented in the model world. 

Various clustering or circulation-based techniques are being explored to address this 

issue, but the answer is not entirely obvious. 

Model evaluation has become a major preoccupation with the inclusion of palaeoclimate 

experiments, specifically the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), mid-Holocene (MH) and last 

millennium (LM), in the Coupled Modelling Intercomparison Project (CMIP) as a way of 

testing whether models that are used for future projections can simulate known climate 

changes. Model evaluation relies on synthesis of quantitative climate reconstructions or of 

palaeoenvironmental data that can be directly compared with outputs from earth-system 

models (ESMs). There are a large number of quasi-global palaeodata syntheses now 

available; whether they are suited to purpose is more debatable. There are issues 

associated with the reporting of uncertainty and the use of reported uncertainties in 

comparison exercises. To some extent the importance of such issues is a function of the 

signal being evaluated. For example, the signal-to-noise ratio in the LGM change in seasurface 

temperatures is sufficiently large for methodological uncertainties or inter-sensor 

differences to be negligible. This is not true for the MH, where methodological 

uncertainties alone are larger than any apparent regional signal in seasonal sea-surface 

temperature changes, and differences in the reconstructions obtained from different types 

of record are also large and non-systematic. 

The growing focus on using transient simulations to understand climate evolution poses 

new and particular challenges. Observationalists are well aware of the issues associated 

with temporal uncertainty. We have not yet grappled with temporal uncertainty in a

modeling context, or in the context of comparing time sequences from models and 

observations. It is clear that straightforward curve-matching approaches are not sufficient. 

As an example, differences between members of an identically-forced ensemble of LM 

climate simulations can result in offsets of more than 50 years and more than 5ppm in 

simulated carbon fluxes. The differences in peak magnitudes of the CO2 flux are similar to 

the differences caused by uncertainties in forcing during this interval. 

Discrepancies between observations and model predictions are frequently ascribed to 

failure to include all components of the climate system (e.g. MH vegetation, LGM dust). 

The ongoing development of ESMs, which do incorporate this complexity, will address 

such arguments but poses a major problem for model evaluation. Sub-models which 

perform reasonably well in offline mode do not necessarily perform equally well when 

included in the ESM framework; effects that are important in sensitivity tests have only 

small impacts in the coupled model. Finding ways of evaluating the performance of each 

sub-model is conceptually challenging and will certainly require a wider suite of 

observations than currently available.

THEME 5: ICE SHEET DYNAMICS 

Retrospect and prospect: understanding ice sheets ancient and modern 

Geoffrey Boulton 

School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JW 

Science progresses in fits and starts, sometimes as a consequence of creative, 

unanticipated insights or observations and increasingly because of application of new 

technologies. Louis Agassiz’s bold deductions from erratics on the Swiss Plain about the 

former extent of alpine glaciers, and his extension of the theme to the glaciation of 

northern Europe and North America, was the most creative, in envisaging a past world 

unimaginable different from the present, and was the motivating concept for the 

development of palaeoclimate science. The early work on the extent and character of 

Pleistocene ice sheets long preceded significant discoveries of the character of modern 

ice sheets. 

From the 1950s onwards, the glaciology of modern ice sheets and glaciers developed 

apace, progressively correcting some of the errors that had arisen from study of ancient 

landforms and sediments uninformed by modern process studies. We began to 

understand the rheology of ice, the physical basis for the form of ice sheets, the existence 

of ice streams as crucial ice sheet dynamic components, the hydrology of glaciers and the 

nature of the coupling between ice and bed. From the 1970s, these discoveries began to 

influence the reconstruction of Pleistocene ice sheets and their properties, leading to 

greater convergence between modern- and palaeo-glaciology. The former contributes 

knowledge of ice processes and large-scale system dynamics, the latter knowledge of the 

bed mosaic, long-term ice sheet evolution and major, but infrequent events such as 

Heinrich events. This latter convergence continues, powerfully developed through the 

space-borne capacity to image large areas of former and modern ice sheet terrains in 

great detail, and to deduce their properties. It is a trend that should be sustained. 

Keywords: ice sheet dynamics; palaeo-glaciology


Time, transgressions and topography: how do classic themes in Quaternary 

Science illuminate the data acquisition revolution in ice-sheet glaciology 

Richard C.A Hindmarsh 

British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge 

In the past twenty years, satellite, airborne and ground-based observations have 

revolutionised our understanding of the physical glaciology of the Antarctic and Greenland 

ice-sheets. While providing a snapshot of current change, these observations pose 

questions that can only be answered by understanding change over the internal timescales 

of the ice-sheets, which span centuries to millennia. A particular issue is the motion 

of the grounding line over such time scales, whose understanding can be used to validate 

predictive models. 

Here I present examples of how Quaternary Research approaches complement modern 

snapshot observations in the goal of predicting Antarctic ice-sheet contributions to sealevel 

change. ‘Time’ is addressed by showing how ice internal stratigraphy, detected by 

radar layers, can be used to date change in the ice-sheet; ‘Transgressions’ looks at how 

changes in relative sea-level induced by isostatic-adjustment play a role in ice-sheet 

grounding line dynamics; and ‘Topography’ considers how glacigenic landforms 

illuminate the workings of the lubrication zone at the base of the ice-stream. 

Keywords: Antarctic; ice-streams; grounding line; drumlins; ice-rises; isostasy

THEME 6: SEA LEVEL IN TIME AND SPACE 

Sea Level in Time and Space 

Ian Shennan 1 and Roland Gehrels 2 

1 Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE 

2 Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD 

In this paper we identify four revolutions that have shaped the study of sea-level changes 

in recent decades. 

1. The search for ‘eustasy’ 

In the 1960s one of the most hotly debated issues in sea-level science concerned the 

search of a sea-level curve that could describe the mean global sea-level changes since 

glacial times in a single graph. It is now clear that eustasy cannot be measured anywhere 

on Earth due to continual deformation of the solid Earth. Nonetheless, the question is still 

relevant as models of Glacial Isostatic Rebound (GIA) require input of the amount of 

meltwater that has entered the world’s oceans following the demise of the large 

Pleistocene ice sheets. 

2. Resolution of sea-level archives 

During the search for the ‘eustatic’ curve its shape was hotly debated. Was it smooth or 

wiggly? This debate persists to this day, although many sea-level archives have limitations 

in their resolving power. From studies of salt-marsh deposits and corals it is clear, for 

example, that metre-scale sea-level fluctuations have not occurred during the middle and 

late Holocene. Other archives, for example the oxygen isotope record of the Red Sea, 

have been used to argue for rapidly oscillating sea levels, raising questions about the 

(in)stability of ice sheets during interglacials. 

3. Merging of empirical sea-level investigations and models 

Sea-level research has moved towards the integration of models and data in the past two 

decades. For example, GIA models provide us with hypotheses that can be tested with 

empirical data. They also provide insights into the underlying processes that are 

responsible for the sea-level changes that are observed. Palaeorecords provide data and 

constraints for the testing and calibration of both semi-empirical and process-based 

predictive models. 

4. Rapid sea-level changes 

Improved coring technology since the late 1980s has resulted in the identification of 

meltwater pulses (e.g., Barbados, Tahiti) and sea-level oscillations during past 

interglacials (Red Sea). Low frequency high magnitude events have also been 

documented along seismically active shorelines, providing information on earthquake 

recurrence intervals. In addition, identification of storms and tsunamis in the stratigraphic 

record is a growing area of research. 

A common theme between these four ‘revolutions’ is the recognition of the relevance of 

sea-level research for society. Overarching research questions concern the stability of ice 

sheets and the occurrences of extreme sea levels. Although fundamental sea-level 

research examines the vertical component of sea-level change, ultimately it is the 

horizontal component (i.e. the position of the shoreline) that justifies its funding. 

Key words: Glacial Isostatic Adjustment; eustasy; meltwater pulses; Holocene; interglacial.

THEME 7: THE OCEANS 

The Oceans, CO 2 , Sea Level and Ice: Four Million Years of Natural Climate 

Variability 

Maureen E. Raymo 

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964 

How have the interactions between orbitally-controlled variations in insolation and 

geologically and biologically controlled variations in atmospheric CO 2 influenced Earth’s 

climate over the last four million years? I will argue that the late Pliocene intensification of 

northern hemisphere glaciation was likely driven by a modest decrease in atmospheric 

CO 2 levels (Raymo et al., 1988). Various lines of evidence suggest that CO 2 levels during 

the mid-Pliocene warm period were between 350-450 ppm and significant effort should be 

put into confirming these estimates, especially in light of policy discussions that seek to 

determine a “safe” level of atmospheric CO 2 . Subsequent to 3 Ma ago, changes in global 

climate and polar ice volume were paced by orbital variations, however, the timing, 

physics, and amplitude of the climate response remain uncertain, especially for the early 

Pleistocene. How, for instance, do we explain the lack of significant precession variability 

in early Pleistocene climate records (e.g. the “41kyr world”)? Proxy evidence suggests 

that the last interglacial warm period (the Eemian), Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11, and 

the mid-Pliocene warm period (MPWP) were progressively warmer than the Holocene. 

Each interval also appears to exhibit increasingly higher eustatic sea level (due to polar 

ice sheet decay) although the evidence for the mid Pliocene sea level change is less 

robust. During MIS11 and MIS5e (the Eemian), our field evidence indicates that the 

eustatic rise in sea level occurred at the end of the interglacial warm period, suggesting 

that thresholds exist such that the Greenland Ice Sheet and West Antarctic Ice Sheet can 

rapidly disintegrate given a long enough interval of sustained warmth. For the mid- 

Pliocene warm period more accurate estimates of sea level are necessary if we are to 

better constrain Greenland and Antarctic equilibrium ice sheet stability in a slightly warmer 

“400ppm CO 2 ” world. This will require better constraints on the influence of glacioisostasy 

and dynamic topography on existing (and new) Pliocene shoreline elevation 

estimates. Determination of the maximum mid-Pliocene sea level rise will allow climate 

modelers to better assess the level at which atmospheric CO 2 concentrations might lead to 

significant melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and West and East Antarctic Ice Sheets. 

Keywords: Milankovitch; sea level; ice ages.


Future Challenges for Quaternary Palaeoceanography: from Protists, to Proxies, to 

Physics 

Luke Skinner 

Godwin Laboratory for Palaeoclimate Research, Department of Earth Sciences, University of 

Cambridge 

Power-density spectra of Quaternary climate variability reveal peaks in variance that are 

centred on diurnal, annual, millennial and ‘orbital’ timescales. The diurnal and annual 

cycles are by far the strongest (on the 2 Ma timeframe), and have a well-known external 

forcing: solar radiation, modulated by the regular spin and heliocentric orbit of the earth. 

In contrast, the millennial variability of the Quaternary has no known external forcing, and 

although the ‘orbital’ variability is clearly paralleled by similarly paced changes in the 

distribution of incoming solar radiation with respect to latitude and the annual cycle, the 

link between this forcing and the global climate response continues to defy complete 

mechanistic explanation. Indeed, if explaining these dominant modes of climate variability 

remains the central challenge of Quaternary palaeoclimatology, unravelling the ocean’s 

role in their underlying physical mechanisms must be the central challenge of Quaternary 

palaeoceanography. 

The ocean’s role in the climate system stems primarily from its effect on the transport and 

sequestration of heat and carbon. Classically, the ocean’s large scale overturning 

circulation (OLSOC), especially in the field of palaeoceanography, has been understood in 

terms of the metaphor of a ‘global ocean conveyor belt’ driven by buoyancy loss and deep 

water export in the North Atlantic. However, this view of the OLSOC has been largely 

superseded by a view that places greater emphasis on the energy budget of the ocean, 

small scale mixing processes in the ocean interior and wind- and buoyancy forcing in the 

Southern Ocean. The conveyor belt ‘heat engine’ has been replaced by a diffusive 

‘energy sink’ that is both pushed and pulled. This revised understanding of the OLSOC 

provides a new conceptual framework both to be developed further through future 

palaeoceanographic research, and on which to base future revolutions in our 

understanding of the ocean’s role in Quaternary climate change. 

In this respect, three research questions stand out as being of central importance: 1) what 

are the stability properties of the OLSOC – (how) can it become multi-stable and subject to 

bifurcation- or noise induced abrupt transitions; 2) what was the state of the OLSOC at the 

Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and what was its impact on the carbon cycle; and 3) how 

has the ocean contributed to the transfer of climatic variance from higher frequencies and 

lower amplitudes (e.g. modulation of the seasonal cycle) to lower frequencies and higher 

amplitudes (e.g. glacial-interglacial cycles)? Success in addressing these major research 

questions will rely on future efforts to obtain new material (e.g. long high accumulation rate 

sediment cores), to develop new methods (e.g. novel proxies and analytical techniques), 

but especially to adopt new approaches. Central to the latter will be the careful design of 

sampling arrays that are well suited to the analysis of basin-scale processes, as well as 

the deployment of novel (e.g. inverse) modelling approaches and data-model comparisons 

that take advantage of emerging data arrays. Examples of exciting new developments in 

all of these areas can already be identified, and suggest that a robust description of the 

LGM circulation, and more importantly the physical processes that have determined it, 

may be obtainable within the decade.

THEME 8: TERRESTRIAL STRATIGRAPHY AND LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION 

Terrestrial stratigraphy and landscape evolution 

Jim Rose 1,2 

1 Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX 

2 British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG 

Terrestrial Quaternary stratigraphy was, traditionally, the core of Quaternary Science 

reflecting the influence of its origins in Geology and Geomorphology, and this part of the 

subject has concentrated on reconstructing a history of landscape change involving the 

many surface processes, especially glacial, river and coastal processes. However, 

whereas other aspects of Quaternary Science, reflected by most of the other topics 

considered in the meeting, have progressed over the same time, sometimes beyond 

recognition, much of Terrestrial Stratigraphy has progressed little, bringing immense 

confusion and little enlightenment. This confusion has been compounded by the desire of 

some to burden the subject with convoluted, rapidly changing and un-memorable 

stratigraphic terminologies and it is only with the wide acceptance of the value of the 

marine isotope record as a template for moderate resolution climate change and reliable, 

fine resolution dating technologies, that we have been able to give more attention to 

factors that determine the character of terrestrial environments, their range and their 

response to change. 

This presentation seeks to consider the processes that have determined the nature of 

temperate latitude terrestrial environments over the last c. 3 million years and to highlight 

some of the methods used to overcome some of the problems listed above. 

Firstly a scheme is presented that is based on the processes that act on the land over any 

given period of time. It is proposed that the processes operating in any given area are the 

product of climate (driver of kinetic energy) modulated by rock type (the resisting agent) 

and relief (potential energy, determined by tectonics and antecedent relief-forming 

factors). Climate is generalized in terms of the scales and rates of change determined by 

orbital forcing, and patterns are proposed for changes during the existence of precession 

cycles, obliquity cycles and eccentricity cycles. 

Secondly, Middle Pleistocene Glaciations, and Early and early Middle Pleistocene 

terrestrial and shallow marine environments are used as an example of the problems that 

arise because of the nature of the terrestrial and shallow marine driving forces and the 

types of evidence needed to overcome this problem are discussed. 

Thirdly attention is given to the BRITICE Project and linked research in order to exemplify 

the approaches needed to understand the processes that drive terrestrial change and 

provide the information needed to reconstruct some terrestrial environments over a 

definable period of eccentricity forcing. 

Fourthly attention is given to the nuances of terrestrial change associated with the 

Lateglacial and the problems of reconciling different rates and magnitudes of change 

when the climate driver changes very rapidly, is conditioned by different antecedent 

controls and operates in different ways on different processes. There is nothing special 

about this period – it is simply the only period for which we have sufficient temporal detail 

and control to investigate the issues. 

Finally a plea is made for more cooperation with Geomorphologists in order to understand 

and model, at a variety of scales, the processes that drive terrestrial landscape change. 

Keywords: Terrestrial stratigraphy; landscape change; climate forcing; Middle Pleistocene 

Glaciations; BRITICE Project; Lateglacial.


Terrestrial stratigraphy and landscape evolution during the Quaternary. 

Phil L.Gibbard 

Cambridge Quaternary, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EN, 

England 

From its earliest beginnings, the study of geology has been fundamentally linked to the 

study of sedimentary strata and their relationship to each other. This concept provides the 

very fabric of the subject and its application in presenting and determining the evolution of 

the Earth through time. This holds as true for the Quaternary as it does for any other part 

of the geological column. Therefore the division of the sequences that record the passage 

of events and time provides the central pillar of palaeoenvironmental and landscape 

reconstruction through the period. 

Ever since the nineteenth century, when the recognition that glaciers had been far more 

extensive than today, the basis of Quaternary history had been the sheets of glacial 

materials (specifically tills, erratic rocks and associated meltwater deposits). By late in the 

century the realisation that glacial ice had extended multiple times, their deposits being 

separated by fossil-bearing beds yielding evidence that temperate climate episodes 

intervened between them, led James Geikie to use the terms 'glacial' and 'interglacial' to 

classify these events. 

Subsequent development of the divisions and definition of Quaternary time and events 

naturally followed. One of the most striking themes that repeatedly recurs through the 

decades being the desire to equate events identified from local sequences with apparent 

'global' records. This has happened against the background of repeated paradigm-shifts, 

starting with the Alpine sequences of Penck & Brückner (1911), then the sea-level 

chronology of Zeuner (1957) and Evans (1971) and most recently the marine isotope and 

ice-core successions. Each of these paradigm shifts was seen as a 'revolutionary' 

advance in understanding of what we now recognise as undoubtedly an extremely 

complex sequence of climatically driven changes at a range of scales. 

Until the implications of the marine isotope succession were adopted in the early 1970s, 

terrestrial evidence formed the foundation for the division of Quaternary time. Today the 

contrast could not be greater, with many abandoning the terrestrial chronostratigraphical 

classification in favour of the ocean-floor isotope stratigraphy. Whilst undoubtedly the 

isotope and ice-core sequences offer a reliable framework, it is essential to remember that 

these sequences, especially those in the ocean-bottom sediments, record global-scale 

changes. This contrasts substantially with terrestrial or shallow marine sequences which 

preserve locally-dominated successions, reflecting local events. Such events are not 

necessarily represented in the global patterns because the local responses to changes will 

inevitably lead to modifications to any all encompassing pattern. For this reason direct 

correlation of terrestrial sediment sequences with those in the oceans is a serious matter 

which should not be undertaken uncritically. Lessons from the past have repeatedly 

shown that simplistic or mechanistic correlation, when examined in detail, is 

unsustainable. 

The complexity of events shown by high-resolution investigations, such as those from the 

ice-cores, have allowed the recognition of ever more climatic oscillations of decreasing 

scale. The identification of these events has substantial implications for our understanding 

of the nature of landscape development and terrestrial evolution. However, the 

unravelling of this evolution requires a rigorous time-division foundation. The 

reconstruction of events should use all the available lines of evidence to ensure a rigorous 

local and regional chronostratigraphical scale.

THEME 9: PALAEOECOLOGY 

Conservation policy, politics and palaeoecology 

Kathy J. Willis 

Long-term ecology Laboratory, Biodiversity Institute, University of Oxford, OX1 3PS 

The political background surrounding biodiversity conservation has shifted markedly in the 

past 50 years. Originally there was a strong focus on identification and policies to 

conserve hotspots of biodiversity i.e. those areas containing high numbers of unique and 

threated species. This was then followed by additional policies that sought to conserve 

ecological and evolutionary processes responsible for biodiversity including management 

strategies to conserve the natural variability and resilience of species and communities. 

Most recently the political conservation goalposts have shifted once again, this time 

emphasising the need to identify and conserve biodiversity that is responsible for the 

important ecosystem services that it provides for human-wellbeing. Throughout this 

transition, neo-ecologists have redesigned their spatial datasets, metrics and models to 

meet these political challenges – in most cases extremely successfully. So how have 

palaeoecologists and the long-term datasets relevant to biodiversity conservation, fared 

over the same interval in time? This talk will examine how the changing political landscape 

in biodiversity conservation been embraced by the palaeocological community at large 

and where there have been successes and challenges in the use of long-term ecological 

datasets for biodiversity conservation. It will then ask what new approaches and datasets 

are needed to address the challenges of biodiversity conservation over the next 50 years.


The contribution of vegetation palaeoecology: from molecules to maps 

Mary E. Edwards 

Geography and Environment, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton 

SO17 1BJ 

Plant palaeoecological data are extraordinarily versatile, lending themselves to fine-scale, 

detailed reconstructions of changing local landscapes, on the one hand, and the mapping 

of global shifts in biome distributions on the other-and much else at scales in-between. 

The limits to the spatial, temporal and taxonomic resolution of palaeodata have been 

known to frustrate “neo” ecologists, yet the insights into ecological and biogeographical 

processes that have been achieved are impressive. Concern over climate change has 

brought the dramatic records found in palaeodata firmly into the mainstreams of ecology, 

conservation biology and climate change science. The mapping of pollen data to show 

biogeographic patterns extends back to the early years of palaeoecology and has 

provided insights into a range of questions in ecology and biogeography, particularly as 

the amount of data available has increased. The expansion patterns of northern tree 

species recolonizing post-glacial landscapes highlighted the importance of long-distance 

migration as a response to climate change. Mapping demonstrated the individualistic 

nature of species migration and the ephemeral nature of plant community composition. 

Recently, comparison of migration routes with contemporary genetic information has 

contributed to the assessment of the evolutionary consequences of range changes, and 

the identification of refugial (or relictual) populations raises questions as to the importance 

of refugial populations as centres of expansion. 

At smaller scales palaeoecology addresses the reconstruction of landscape-scale 

community structure and composition. Palaeoecologists have long sought-and only 

recently found-an effective way to compensate for the bias in pollen representation that 

confounds attempts to describe, for example, proportions of open and forested land within 

a landscape, or to provide land-cover maps that reflect patterns of past human influence 

on landscapes. Plant macrofossils complement pollen data, providing unequivocal 

evidence of plant presence and greatly enhancing the floristic information detail of past 

plant assemblages. Now, biomolecules offer a complementary approach: the technical 

revolution in molecular biology has made possible the extraction of a range of molecules 

from Quaternary sediments that can indicate the presence of organisms from Archaea to 

Artemisia. Molecular records furthermore provide insight into some key biogeochemical 

processes. As with macrofossils, the molecular information is, typically, local and 

taxonomically specific. There is great potential here for novel science-but as these data, 

like almost all Quaternary data, derive from sediments, there is much work ahead to 

establish exactly what they mean. 

Keywords: pollen data; mapping; refugia; migration; landscape reconstruction; ancient 

biomolecules.


Beetles, bones and biozones: Quaternary palaeozoology in relation to 

environmental change 

Adrian M Lister 

Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD 

The study of Quaternary palaeozoology has made enormous strides in the past 50 years – 

aided by both conceptual and technological advances, and the much firmer chronological 

framework provided by stratigraphic and dating refinements. The sequence of faunal 

change though Middle and Late Pleistocene temperate stages is better known for the UK 

than anywhere else, allowing analysis of faunal turnover in relation to environmental 

change, although cold faunas preceding the last glaciation remain less well understood. 

Landmark studies of beetles and, more recently, other animal groups, have provided 

important proxies of environmental change, and have led to niche-modelling approaches 

with both retrodictive and predictive power. Direct insight into the ecology of individual 

organisms and species is provided by methods barely conceived 50 years ago, such as 

the reconstruction of diet using dental microwear, mesowear and stable isotope analysis. 

Puzzling non-analogue assemblages are now increasingly understood, as much in terms 

of varying migratory response rates of different organisms as of genuinely non-analogue 

environmental drivers. Large radiocarbon datasets allow detailed mapping of range shifts 

through time, providing insights especially into the role of refugia and the dynamics of late 

Quaternary megafaunal extinctions.

THEME 10: HUMAN ORIGINS, ENVIRONMENTS AND IMPACTS 

Human evolution: a half century of progress 

Chris Stringer 

Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD 

Looking at the last half century of research on human evolution does neatly encapsulate 

many of the key developments and discoveries in this field. 1964 was the year of 

publication of a new and primitive species, Homo habilis, which took the genus Homo 

back to the earliest part of the Quaternary. Highly controversial at the time, the rather 

fragmentary nominative material from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) was joined in the 

following decade by a wealth of more complete fossils from the area now known as East 

Turkana (Kenya). That region also provided representatives of the species H. erectus that 

appeared more primitive than the long-established examples from Indonesia and China. In 

the last two decades Georgia has rather surprisingly added an even richer seam of 

primitive erectus material from the site of Dmanisi. 

Moving on from the early Quaternary, we have seen the creation of the new species H. 

antecessor from fossils dating close to the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary at Atapuerca in 

Spain, and the proposal that H. heidelbergensis (named from the Mauer mandible, found 

near Heidelberg in 1907) was not just a local European species, but represented a form 

that spread across the Old World, and gave rise to both the Neanderthals (H. 

neanderthalensis) in western Eurasia and modern humans (H. sapiens) in Africa. An early 

stage in the evolution of the Neanderthal lineage has been spectacularly illustrated by the 

discovery of a huge cache of fossils in the Sima de los Huesos (‘Pit of the Bones’) deep 

within a cave system, also at Atapuerca. 

Africa lacks such rich documentation of the earliest stages in the evolution of H. sapiens, 

but fossils sharing fundamental aspects of anatomy with modern humans are known from 

Ethiopia (Omo Kibish and Herto), dating between 150-200ka. 

Within the last 60,000 years modern humans emerged from Africa and soon dispersed 

across the more temperate parts of the Old World, reaching Europe and Australia by 45ka. 

During that dispersal they must have encountered lineages of other human groups like the 

Neanderthals, as well as more recently recognised forms such as the Denisovans (known 

from distinctive DNA recovered from Denisova Cave in Siberia), and H. floresiensis 

(known from fossil material excavated from Liang Bua on the remote island of Flores). 

New investigative techniques have also had a great impact on palaeoanthropological 

research, especially during the last two decades. These include direct dating procedures, 

isotope studies, scanning through CT and synchrotrons, and the recovery of DNA from 

Neanderthal, Denisovan and early modern human fossils. DNA, in particular, has clarified 

and complicated our understanding of recent human evolution, in equal measure! 

Keywords: human; evolution; palaeontology; Homo; fossil; Pleistocene.


Human origins, environments and impacts 

Wil Roebroeks 

Leiden University, The Netherlands 

The last half century has been a very productive period for our understanding of the 

development of the human niche, a field at the crossroads of a wide variety of disciplines. 

A glance at F. Clark Howell’s famous 1965 Early Man Time/Life volume gives a good 

impression of the state of knowledge of the field five decades ago. Early Man provides us 

with a yardstick to document the major changes in the study of the earliest members of the 

genus Homo (see Abstract of Chris Stringer), of the earliest colonization of Eurasia, of 

hominin subsistence strategies (including those of the Neandertals), as well as of the 

environmental backgrounds of the presence and absence of the Neandertals and their 

geographical distribution in Europe and Asia. 

Significant contributions have come from recent advances in laboratory studies of skeletal 

remains and artefacts. The chemical composition of hominin skeletal can provide 

information about former diet and, thus, complement archaeozoological data obtained 

from studying faunal remains, as well as in some cases point to areas with distinct 

geological substrates where individuals spent their childhood. The study of ancient DNA 

has revolutionized our thinking about relationships between extinct hominins and modern 

humans and yielded insights into the demographics of ancient hominins, including 

Neandertals. The integration of “classic” archaeological and palaeoanthropological studies 

with such new laboratory techniques is undoubtedly moving the field forward at a higher 

pace than ever before. It will allow us to make well-informed conclusions about aspects of 

the lives of prehistoric people which until recently were only up for speculation. As an 

example, a study by Haak et al. (2008) of later prehistoric (Neolithic) skeletal remains in 

Eulau (Germany) demonstrated the existence of an exogamous patrilocal marriage 

system there, almost 5000 years ago. 

The further development of new laboratory techniques will undoubtedly lead to major and 

exciting discoveries. However, fieldwork will continue to be part of our core business, 

generating fresh data as well as recruiting young students into the multidisciplinary world 

of Quaternary studies. A major challenge lies in safeguarding the quality of the study of 

the sediments encapsulating our archaeological finds and the precious hominin fossils 

which make it to the covers of Science and Nature. Establishing solid geological 

frameworks for fossil or archaeological sites and retrieving and studying environmental 

proxies from the matrix of these sites is essential, dependent upon approaches such as 

palynology, malacology, micromorphology and the study of fossil beetles. These specialist 

disciplines are time-demanding and practitioners are unfortunately becoming increasingly 

scarce. 

Haak, W. et al. (2008). Ancient DNA, Strontium isotopes, and osteological analyses shed light on social 

and kinship organization of the Later Stone Age. PNAS 2008 105 (47) 18226-18231

THEME 11: INSIGHTS FROM GENETICS 


Terry Brown 

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester 

M1 7DN 

It is almost 30 years since the first report of ancient DNA (aDNA) in a quagga skin and 25 

years since the discovery of aDNA in preserved bones. During the intervening years, 

aDNA research has progressed through an over-ambitious phase during which anything 

seemed possible, a re-evaluation phase when nothing seemed possible and everything 

appeared to be modern contamination, and finally to a more sober and productive phase 

that can be traced back to the early 2000s. The growing maturity of aDNA research has 

been driven by an increasing understanding of the technical regimes needed to limit 

contamination of ancient samples with modern DNA and to recognize contamination when 

in occurs. Today, contamination is still a major issue when human remains are studied, 

but is no longer a serious problem with non-human material, at least when the work is 

done properly. The current productivity of aDNA research is also due to the introduction of 

new ‘next generation’ sequencing (NGS) techniques, which have now largely replaced the 

previous methodology based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). With PCR it was 

only possible to obtain a few short sequences from an aDNA extract, but NGS provides 

many millions of sequences in a single experiment. NGS can therefore be used to 

sequence the entire genomes of extinct species or of prehistoric examples of extant 

species, or can be directed at individual genes and groups of genes of interest. 

Metagenome sequencing, in which all the aDNA in an environmental sample such as a 

sediment core is studied, is being used to reconstruct palaeoecologies. In many respects, 

the limit to the ambition of aDNA researchers lies not with the questions being asked, but 

with the bioinformatics challenges inherent in handling and analyzing the millions of 

sequences that are now routinely obtained. The future trends are staggering in their 

possibilities. Sequencing a modern human genome is now so easy and cheap that it could 

be considered for an undergraduate lab class and the techniques that make this possible 

are rapidly being superseded by even more powerful ones. In this paper I will attempt to 

map out the ways in which this revolution in aDNA research will revolutionize Quaternary 

science in coming years. 

Keywords: ancient DNA; genetics; genomes; palaeoecology.



Ian Barnes 

Vertebrates and Anthropology, Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell 

Road, London SW7 5BD 

After an initial burst of enthusiasm in the late 1980’s, ancient DNA research spent much of 

the 1990’s grappling with the technical limitations of the technique, and trying to find a 

place for itself within a broader range of relevant subjects: archaeology, palaeontology and 

evolutionary biology. While much of the initial enthusiasm for ancient DNA analysis came 

from archaeologists, it has been Quaternary palaeontology where some of the most 

interesting work has been conducted. Despite the far greater age of the material, it is 

possible to find samples with exceptional DNA preservation, due to the availability of longterm 

frozen, permafrost-derived specimens. In addition, the types of questions interesting 

to palaeontologists have been more readily translated into the language of PCR and 

Sanger sequencing than the complexities of culture, gender and status that were of 

primary interest to archaeologists at that time. 

Throughout much of the 1990’s, the application of ancient DNA to Quaternary material 

was focused on a conceptually straightforward problem; the phylogenetic placement of 

extinct megafauna. These studies were perhaps most important in maintaining interest in 

a technique which was struggling with credibility issues stemming from contamination 

problems, and rejecting the increasingly predominant view of ancient DNA as a technical 

novelty. By the end of the 1990’s, the importance of permafrost preservation was 

becoming increasingly obvious to a number of groups. The ability to work with large 

numbers of individuals was further facilitated by improvements in DNA extraction, 

amplification and sequencing, and by the wider availability of high-quality radiocarbon 

dates. 

This approach enabled the first population surveys, or at least surveys of multiple 

individuals through time, which enabled us to recognize the exceptionally dynamic nature 

of populations during the late Pleistocene. The taxonomic focus has until recently stayed 

on the northern Holarctic, extinct, megafauna - although this initial period of big game 

hunting seems to be drawing to a close. More recent studies have looked at a broader 

range of mammalian species, and there is also an increasing interest in placing results 

within the broader context of late Quaternary climate change. Ongoing development of 

statistical modeling methods will facilitate this, with the traditional data analysis of choice 

for ancient DNA datasets – the Bayesian skyline plot – being continually enhanced, and 

now supplemented by coalescent-based hypothesis simulation tools. 

The technical requirements of next generation sequencing have driven a renewed interest 

in working with well-preserved individual samples, but this is likely to change as better 

enrichment methods become available. Beyond this, it is difficult to predict the future of 

Quaternary ancient DNA, given the rapidly changing technological basis of DNA 

sequencing; however certain features seem highly likely. An increasing awareness of the 

complexities of population genomics will drive the need for genomic-level ancient DNA 

datasets. At the same time, work on functional genomics in extant species and 

populations will provide a basis for studies into the long-term history of selection in 

different fauna. Finally, the potential to work with smaller amounts of highly fragmented 

DNA may enable us to routinely work with material of much greater age, allowing us to 

examine the impact of the earlier warm stages on megafaunal populations.

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Poster abstracts have been arranged alphabetically by first author, rather than by 

theme, to assist in abstract searches. However, a summary of abstracts by theme 

are provided below for reference. 


Orme 


Abbott, Bourne, Callum, Cook, Duller, Fabel, Griggs, Lamb, Lowick, Mackay, Standell, 

Streeter, Torbensen, Watson. 


Barr, Davies, Dean, Gagan, Lacey, Lane, Langdon, Lombino, Maddison, Mather, Panizzo, 

Ranner, Sanchez-Montez, Sherriff, Tyler , Young, Young 


Thomas 


Arosio, Bickerdale, Bradwell, Burke, Chandler, Chiverell, Chiverell, Clark, Crocket, Darvill, 

Davies, Dove, Evans, Evans, Fairburn, Finlayson, Jarman, Lea, O Cofaigh, Pearce, 

Pearce, Phillips, Reinardy, Small, Storrar 

THEME 6: SEA LEVEL IN TIME AND SPACE 

Barlow, Best, Blakemore, Brader 


Butler, McClymont, Panizzo, Small, Swann 


Bailey, Bateman, Bridle, Dugmore, Groves, Langford, Lovell, McDougall, Rijsdijk, Rijsdijk, 

Sheriff, Timms, Tye, Westaway 


Barcla, Blaikie, Davies, Garbett, Gosling , Hassall, Herridge, Hincke, Holmes, Holtvoeth, 

Hopla Kelly, Kingsbury, Lister , Mansilla , Newnham, Pappa, Reed, Roberts, Roberts, 

Roucoux, Sanderson, Seddon , Stevenson, Stewart, van Hardenbroek, Vossel, Waitz, 

Zhang 


Brown, Brown, Davies, Enge, Grosvenor, Martin-Jones, Mayle, Minnikin, Stastney 


Jarman, Johnson, Marr

T2 

TRACEing Tephra Horizons in North Atlantic Marine Sequences between 25-80 ka 

b2k 

Abbott, P.M. 1 *, Davies, S.M. 1 , Bourne, A.J. 1 , Griggs, A.J. 1 , Austin, W.E.N. 2 , Chapman, M. 3 , 

Hall, I.R. 4 , Scourse, J 5 

1 Department of Geography, College of Science, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 

8PP 

2 School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews, North Street, St Andrews, KY16 

9AL 

3 School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich, NR4 7TJ 

4 School of Earth, Ocean, and Planetary Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, 

CF10 3YE 

5 School of Ocean Sciences, University of Wales Bangor, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB 

Tephrochronological investigations are currently being undertaken on a network of marine 

cores from a range of locations and depositional settings within the North Atlantic. This 

work forms a component of the ERC-funded project Tephra constraints on Rapid Climate 

Events (TRACE). The main aim of this project is to utilise isochronous tephra horizons as 

direct tie-lines to correlate North Atlantic marine sequences and the Greenland ice-cores 

to determine the relative timing of oceanic and atmospheric changes associated with the 

rapid climate events that dominated the last glacial period. 

Cryptotephra extraction techniques, more commonly applied to the study of terrestrial 

sequences, have been successfully employed to identify a number of tephra horizons in 

the core network. All horizons have an Icelandic source with horizons of both rhyolitic and 

basaltic composition isolated. There is high variability in the nature of these deposits 

ranging from deposits that are dispersed over tens of centimetres with no clear peak 

apparent to relatively discrete peaks with high shard concentrations restricted to a few 

centimetres. The acquisition of high-resolution profiles of shard concentration and 

comprehensive geochemical characterisations for horizons is vital to this work. As it allows 

us to disentangle the processes that transported material to core sites, which can include 

primary airfall, sea-ice rafting and iceberg rafting, and the potential impact of secondary 

reworking processes such as bottom current reworking and bioturbation on the 

stratigraphic integrity of horizons. 

Early comparisons of four North Atlantic marine records (MD99-2251, MD04-2820CQ, 

MD04-2829CQ and MD04-2822) and the Greenland ice-cores highlight five tephra 

horizons common to the ice record and one or more marine sequences. These horizons 

are within GS-3 (29,130 ± 456 a b2k), GS-9 (38,300 ± 703 a b2k), GS-10 (40,220 ± 792 a 

b2k) and GS-12 (43,680 ± 877 a b2k) and the widespread North Atlantic Ash Zone II 

(55,380 ± 1184 a b2k). Other potential correlations throughout the period are being 

explored and the implications of the correlations for climatic changes during this period are 

discussed. 

Keywords: Cryptotephra; marine; North Atlantic: Greenland ice-cores; palaeoclimatic 

synchronisation

T9 

Plants and soil microbes respond to recent warming on the Antarctic Peninsula 

Matthew Amesbury 1 *, Jessica Royles 2,3 *, Dominic Hodgson 3 , Pete Convey 3 , Howard 

Griffiths 2 , Mel Leng 4 , Dan Charman 1 

1 University of Exeter; 

2 University of Cambridge; 

3 British Antarctic Survey; 

4 British Geological Survey 

Annual temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the most rapidly warming regions 

on Earth, have risen by as much as 3°C since the 1950s. However, the longer-term 

context of this change is limited and existing records are not suitably located to be able to 

trace the spatial signature of change over time. Here, we present the first published results 

from a wider project exploiting peat moss banks spanning 10 degrees of latitude along the 

Antarctic Peninsula as an archive of late Holocene climate variability. These moss banks 

are ideal for palaeoclimate research as they are well-preserved by freezing, generally 

monospecific, easily dated by using radiocarbon and have sufficiently high accumulation 

rates to permit decadal resolution. 

A unique time series of past moss growth and soil microbial activity has been produced 

from a 150 year old moss bank at Lazarev Bay, Alexander Island, a site at the southern 

limit of significant plant growth on the Antarctic Peninsula. We applied classical 

Quaternary research techniques by using moss accumulation rates, carbon stable isotope 

ratios and testate amoebae in this unusual setting to provide an indication of ecosystem 

productivity. We show that both moss and microbial population growth rates rose rapidly in 

the 1960s, consistent with temperature change, although recently may have stalled, 

concurrent with other evidence. The increase in terrestrial plant growth rates and soil 

microbial activity is unprecedented in the last 150 years. 

The observed relationship between moss growth, microbial activity and climate at Lazarev 

Bay suggests that moss bank records have the potential to test the regional expression of 

temperature variability shown by instrumental data on the Antarctic Peninsula over 

centennial to millennial timescales by providing long-term records of summer growth 

conditions, complementing the more distant and widely dispersed ice core records. As a 

result, we will place the Lazarev Bay record into the wider context of the latest progress of 

analysis of moss bank cores obtained along the length of the Antarctic Peninsula. 

Keywords: Moss banks; Antarctic Peninsula; testate amoebae; carbon isotopes; moss 

accumulation rates.

T5 

The Hebrides Ice Stream (HIS) and the deglaciation of the Hebrides shelf and Firth 

of Lorn, western Scotland, UK 

R. Arosio 1 *, J.A. Howe 1 , C. O’Cofaigh 2 , K. Crocket 1 

1 Scottish Association for Marine Science; Marine Scottish Institute, Dunbeg, Oban, PA37 1QA 

2 Durham University, Department of Geography, Lower Mountjoy, South Road Durham, DH1 3LE 

Previously, numerous studies have been undertaken both onshore and offshore to 

decipher the morphological and sedimentological record in order to better constrain the 

limits and duration of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) (Ballantyne et al. 2009, Bradwell et 

al. 2008b, Clark et al. 2011, Dunlop et al. 2010, Howe et al. 2012, O’Cofaigh et al. in 

press). Late glacial ice sheet dynamics have been revealed to be far more rapid and 

responsive to climatic amelioration than had previously been considered. 

Notable in this debate has been the evidence that has been obtained in the inshore and, 

to a lesser extent, offshore on the UK continental shelf. Here new geomorphological data, 

principally multibeam echo sounder (MBES) data has provided imagery of previously 

unseen features interpreted as being glacial in origin. 

In the wake of these new discoveries this projects aims to investigate the extent, timing, 

growth and final disintegration of the BIIS across Western Scotland. This area of particular 

interest for the development of the glaciated North Atlantic margin has been generally 

neglected in past studies, especially across the mid-outer shelf, which constitutes a 

missing part in the jigsaw of the reconstructed BIIS during the last ~20.000yrs. 

We aim to mainly focus on geomorphological analyses of MBES data collected in the Firth 

of Lorn and Sea of Hebrides; a study of features as moraines, glacial lineations and 

drumlins will provide important clues on the dynamics and maximum extension of the 

sheet. 

Subsequently we will examine the geometry and composition of the shelf sediment infill, 

aiming to constrain the influence of ice retreat on depositional environments using multielement 

geochemical (Pb-isotopes ratios, 14C and OSL dating) and sedimentological 

techniques. Such an investigation will also give retrospective information on the sources 

for these sediments, hence more indications on ice configuration. Ultimately we aim to 

provide a model of deglaciation for the western sector of the BIIS. 

Keywords: British-Irish Ice Sheet, NW Scotland, glacial bedforms, geochronology 

Ballantyne, C.K., Schnabel, C. & Xu, S. 2009. Readvance of the last British Ice Sheet during Greenland 

Interstade (GI-1): the Wester Ross Readvance, NW Scotland. Quaternary Science Reviews, 28, 783- 

789 

Bradwell, T., Fabel, D., Stoker, M., Mathers, H., McHargue, L., Howe, J., 2008b. Ice caps existed 

throughout the Late glacial interstadial in northern Scotland. Journal of Quaternary Science 23, 401- 

407. 

Clark, C.D., Hughes, A.L.C., Greenwood, S.L., Jordan, C., Sejrup, H.P. 2012. Pattern and timing of 

retreat of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet. Quaternary Science Reviews. 

Dunlop, P., Shannon, R., McCabe, M., Quinn, R., Doyle, E. 2010. Marine geophysical evidence for ice 

sheet extension and recession on the Malin Shelf: New evidence for the western limits of the British- 

Irish Ice Sheet. Marine Geology, 276: 86-99. 

Howe, J. A., Dove, D., Bradwell, T. & Gaferia, J. 2012. Submarine geomorphology and glacial history of 

the Sea of the Hebrides, UK. Marine Geology 315‐318, 64‐78 

O' Cofaigh, C., Dunlop, P. Benetti, S., 2012. Marine geophysical evidence for Late Pleistocene ice 

sheet extent and recession off northwest Ireland, Quaternary Science Reviews. In press.

T8 

A quantitative approach to understanding dated dune stratigraphies 

R.M. Bailey 1 * and D.S.G. Thomas 1 

1 School of Geography and the Environment, OUCE, University of Oxford, OX1 3QY 

Attempts to reconstruct past changes in climate-related forcing of dryland landscapes are 

hampered by the lack of an adequate quantitative framework for understanding the 

production and interpretation of dated sedimentary records. In drylands, as in other 

environments, information on past forcing conditions is progressively modified, degraded 

and removed from the available stratigraphic record by a series of ‘filters’ involving 

changes in the primary forcing factors themselves, geomorphological processes and the 

sampling/dating procedures. Here we describe a quantitative model that includes these 

effects, and use the model to examine the nature of preserved dryland sedimentary 

records and their relationships to primary forcing conditions: thicker preserved 

sedimentary records reflect periods of more intense aeolian activity; localized switching 

between erosion and deposition results in discontinuous and highly variable stratigraphic 

sequences; a preservation bias towards younger deposits is observed, potentially leading 

to a continuum of accumulation that decays approximately in proportion to 1⁄√age . Time 

periods not represented by deposition can in some cases be interpreted as periods of 

higher precipitation and/or lower wind energy. An asymmetry exists between the efficiency 

with which past ‘drier’ and ‘wetter’ episodes can be identified, which relates to the timeseparation 

of depositional periods and the correct distinction between hiatuses due to 

forcing conditions and those due to under-sampling. Relevant to this is the effect of 

random dating errors (statistical uncertainty), which (increasingly which age) filter-out 

higher frequency events from the record. A new data treatment method (termed 

Accumulation Rate Variability) provides an efficient proxy for accumulation rates, and 

therefore the intensity of aeolian activity, with significant improvements over existing datefrequency 

methods. The filtering problem discussed applies to all attempts at 

understanding the timing and nature of past events, independent of the proxies and dating 

methods employed. 

Keywords: Stratigraphy, quantitative, model, luminescence, dryland, dune, climate

T9 

Formation and Cultural Use of Wetland Areas in Vatnsfjörður, Northwest Iceland 

R. Barclay 1 *, E.W. Tisdall 1 and I.A. Simpson 1 

1 Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Natural Science, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 

4LA 

Landscape diversity and resource availability played a significant role in influencing the 

Norse settlement of Iceland. Settlements initially concentrated in the few regions rich in 

resources; it was believed due to its isolated position and hostile physical environment the 

north-western peninsula was one of the last regions settled, and when settled was done 

so by poorer settlers. However, the recent discovery of a tenth century longhouse at 

Vatnsfjörður, NW Iceland suggests much earlier settlement within this region. The site is 

also well documented in historical sources as being a major power centre for the area, 

emerging as one of the richest Icelandic farms in the late middle ages. 

Given the unusual environmental and social context of the site this research aims to 

enhance understanding of how people adapted to the challenging environment through 

exploring the cultural records archived within anthropogenic soils. This data can be used 

to further investigate the extent to which inherent landscape properties influenced choice 

of settlement site and influences on community resilience and farm success. 

Radiocarbon dating, soil micromorphology and pollen analysis provide evidence here of 

development and management of a small and possibly artificially created wet meadow. 

Given the inherent infertility of the site, it is likely this meadow was used in the production 

of fodder crops, for overwintered livestock, thus contributing to the overall success of the 

settlement. 

Keywords: Landnám; palaeoecology; resilience; human ecodynamics; pollen; soil 

micromorphology; NW Iceland.

T6 

Testing modes of interglacial sea level variability, using estuarine deposits from the 

North Sea basin 

N.L.M.Barlow 1 *, A.J. Long 1 , W.R. Gehrels 2 and M.H. Saher 2 

1 Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE 

2 Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD 

Many reconstructions of relative sea-level change from previous interglacials in locations 

distant from the former great ice sheets are characterised by high-frequency (submillennial), 

large-amplitude (several meter) fluctuations. These are especially notable 

when sea level rose close to and above present-day levels. Fluctuations of this nature 

were once thought to exist in the Holocene as well but revolutions in the methods of 

quantitative sea-level reconstruction from estuarine sequences, and an improved 

understanding of local, regional and global processes, now mean that large oscillations 

are only rarely recognised within the Holocene. It is therefore essential that the apparent 

differences in the mode of Holocene and previous interglacial sea-level variability are 

demonstrated to be real and not merely an artefact of the methods of reconstruction. RSL 

reconstructions from temperate latitudes have been important in understanding the modes 

of post-LGM sea-level change and similar records are required from previous interglacials 

to understand the nature of former sea level highstands. 

We present the results of an ongoing research programme (as part of the iGlass 

consortium) designed to assess the mode of sea-level variability during the late 

Pleistocene interglacials. We do this by applying litho- and bio-stratigraphical 

(foraminifera and pollen) methods of sea-level reconstruction that are common to 

Holocene sea-level studies to intertidal deposits from around the North Sea, most notably 

from the Nar Valley. Stratigraphical investigations are supported by AAR and U-Th 

dating. Our results, though preliminary, fail to record multiple abrupt sea-level oscillations 

during previous interglacials. We explore the implications of this work for our 

understanding of ice sheet and sea-level variability during previous warm periods. 

Sea level, estuarine, interglacial, foraminifera, pollen, AAR, North Sea

T3 

Glacier-based climate reconstructions: approaches, limitations, and future 

directions 

I.D. Barr 1 *, C. Boston 2 , D. Pearce 3 and M. Standell 4 

1 Queen’s University Belfast 

2 University of Portsmouth 

3 University of Worcester 

4 Loughborough University 

Geomorphological reconstructions of mountain-scale ice masses are widely-used as 

indicators of palaeoclimate. This approach has a foundation in the mid-20th century but 

there has been a recent proliferation of studies, coinciding with the development of remote 

sensing and GIS technologies. Despite this wide use, methods are rarely formalised, and 

sources of uncertainty are rarely explicitly discussed. 

Here we address this lack by outlining some of the principal sources of uncertainty and 

error in glacier-based climate reconstructions. Focus is placed on uncertainties with 

delimiting glacier dimensions, estimating palaeo equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs), and 

making subsequent quantitative links to palaeoclimate. We suggest that the process of 

reconstructing glacier dimensions offers the greatest potential for error in this process; 

whilst the choice of ‘appropriate’ ELA estimation method or procedure for linking to climate 

(e.g. whether to use empirical precipitation/temperature relationships or a degree day 

model) only serve to add to this uncertainty. We conclude by suggesting some ‘best’ 

methods and possible future research directions, and, in the absence of an ideal 

methodology, encourage practitioners to be explicit and transparent about their 

methodologies, to highlight areas of uncertainty in their reconstructions, and to report all 

estimates of glacier dimensions, ELA, and palaeoclimate with associated error bars. 

Keywords: glacier reconstructions; palaeoclimate; ELA; methods; error; uncertainty.

T6 

Late Holocene sea-level change and saline intrusion, Humber Estuary 

L.A. Best 1 *, K.A. Selby 1 , M. Morton 2 

1 Environment Department, University of York 

2 Yorkshire Water, Bradford 

Changing sea-levels are a key concern around the globe due to both the direct and 

indirect effects on coastal regions and resources. For the Yorkshire region this has 

resulted in particular concerns over the preservation of potable and plentiful water 

supplies. Groundwater is abstracted as a source of potable water from the chalk aquifer in 

close proximity to the Humber Estuary. There is a complex relationship within, and 

between, groundwater and estuarine coastal processes, and the risk of possible intrusions 

of saline water into the groundwater source needs to be investigated. This requires a 

consideration of both the sea-level history of the estuary, as well as the groundwater 

characteristics of the surrounding region. 

Existing sea-level data points for the estuary provide a record of change during the 

Holocene, however there is a scarcity of data for the most recent ~2000 years (Long et al., 

1998; Metcalfe et al., 2000). This project aims to establish a high resolution sea-level 

record for this late Holocene period in the Humber Estuary through litho- and biostratigraphical 

analyses of multiple locations around the estuary. Microfossils, primarily 

diatoms, will be used as the proxy data to reconstruct former relative sea-levels. This will 

assist in furthering understanding of the Holocene evolution of the estuary, the 

implications of saline intrusion into the chalk aquifer, and the consequences of possible 

future changes. The data can be used in conjunction with groundwater models to inform 

the decisions, policies and management strategies of the local water authority to 

safeguard future water supplies for the region. 

Keywords: palaeoenvironmental reconstruction; sea-level; microfossils; diatoms; 

groundwater. 

Long, A.J., Innes, J.B., Kirby, J.R., Lloyd, J.M., Rutherford, M.M., Shennan, I. & Tooley, M.J. (1998) 

Holocene sea-level change and coastal evolution in the Humber Estuary, eastern England: an 

assessment of rapid coastal change, The Holocene, 8, 2, 229-247. 

Metcalfe, S.E., Ellis, S., Horton, B.P., Innes, J.B., McArthur, J., Mitlehner, A., Parkes, A., Pethick, J.S., 

Rees, J., Ridgway, J., Rutherford, M.M., Shennan, I. & Tooley, M.J. (2000) The Holocene evolution of 

the Humber Estuary: reconstructing change in a dynamic environment, in Shennan, I. & Andrews, J. 

(Eds.) Holocene Land-Ocean Interaction and Environmental Change around the North Sea, Geological 

Society, London, Special Publications, 166, 97-118.

T5 

Reconstructing the maximum extent of Loch Lomond Stadial glaciation in Britain 

H.L. Bickerdike 1 *, D.J.A. Evans 1 , C.R. Stokes 1 and C. O’Cofaigh 1 

1 Durham University, Durham, England 

This paper details an ongoing Ph.D. project which aims to determine the maximum extent 

of Loch Lomond Stadial (LLS) glaciation in Britain. This will be done, in part, by compiling 

geomorphological evidence from the existing academic literature into a GIS database, 

similar to the BRITICE project (Clark et al., 2004). Despite having been extensively 

studied over the last century, the majority of LLS research has been in the form of 

localised mapping of specific case studies. By synthesising this evidence into a single GIS 

database, this project will overcome the spatially inconsistent and fragmented nature of 

the existing research and facilitate comparison of landform assemblages at inter-valley 

and inter-regional scales, thereby improving understanding of LLS glacier dynamics. 

Georeferencing techniques have been used to align previous maps with an underlying 

base map. Landforms have been entered into the GIS using on-screen digitising and, 

where possible, were checked using an underlying digital terrain model (NEXTMAP) and 

aerial photographs. The final map will include ice marginal features (end, lateral, 

recessional and hummocky moraines and drift limits), meltwater channels and relict 

periglacial features (solifluction sheets and lobes, blockfields, scree and talus). The 

citation for each feature will be recorded in its attribute data to enable consultation of the 

original source. Taken together, the evidence will be used to inform a glacial 

reconstruction that better constrains LLS glaciation during the stadial. The GIS shapefiles, 

and accompanying glacial map, will be made available for web download. It is hoped that 

this will provide a resource to stimulate further research, particularly in constraining 

numerical modelling and guiding fieldwork to specific areas of persisting uncertainty. 

Keywords: Loch Lomond Stadial; Britain; geomorphology; glacial reconstruction; GIS. 

Clark, C.D., Evans, D.J.A., Khatwa, A., Bradwell, T., Jordan, C.J., Marsh, S.H., Mitchell, W.A. and 

Bateman, M. D. 2004. Map and GIS database of glacial landforms and features related to the last 

British Ice Sheet. Boreas, Vol 33, 359-375.

T9 

Palaeoecological reconstruction of rapid Late Glacial - Holocene environmental 

change for Patagonia, southern South America 

J. Blaikie 1 *, R.D. McCulloch 1 , E.W. Tisdall 1 , A.J. Dugmore 2 

1 Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, FK9 4LA 

2 Geography, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, EH8 9YL 

This project will provide a high-resolution record of climatic and environmental change for 

the southern hemisphere region of Patagonia. The palaeoclimatic history of southern 

South America (also known as Patagonia), is dominated by the strength and latitudinal 

position of the Southern Westerly storm tracks, which are presently centred on ~50°S. 

Patagonia lies along this zone of high precipitation and past migrations of these storm 

tracks can be mapped through fluctuations of the Patagonian ice fields and the response 

of the surrounding vegetation cover. 

To reconstruct the Late Glacial and Holocene environments of this region the project will 

produce records of vegetation change using pollen analysis (Palynology) from lake and 

peat sites. Pollen analysis remains the most powerful technique for the reconstruction of 

past landscape change due to the spatial nature of the data and the temporal continuity in 

the records. Deep basin sediments (both lacustrine and peat) have been identified along 

an north-south transect between 47°S and 55°S to provide temporally high-resolution 

sediments. These records will be reinforced through lithostatigraphic analyses (organic 

content, peat humification and geochemistry) and constrain in time using radiocarbon 

dating and tephrochronology 

It is anticipated that the palaeovegetation records, focusing on the latitudinal shifts in 

ecotones, from the warmer climate of the north to the sub-polar regions in the south, will 

circumscribe the timing and extent of temperature changes during the Late 

Glacial/Holocene transition and shifting focus of precipitation during the Holocene at subcentennial 

scale. 

Keywords: Patagonia; Southern Westerlies; pollen; peat; tephrochronology

T6 

First recorded evidence of subaqueously-deposited late Pleistocene interstadial 

coastal strata above present sea level in Australia 

A.Blakemore 1 *, C.V. Murray-Wallace 1 and T.J. Lachlan 1 

1 School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia 

Significant variations in the elevation of late Pleistocene interstadial coastal strata have 

been noted at the global scale resulting from the combined effects of tectonism, proximity 

of field sites to Pleistocene ice sheets, and the variable effects of glacio-hydro-isostatic 

adjustment processes. In this poster we report the first recorded example of subaqueously 

deposited late Pleistocene interstadial coastal sediments above present sea level in 

Australia, a far-field location characterised by minimal to modest rates of vertical crustal 

movements. Located at Port MacDonnell, 20 km south of a Pleistocene-Holocene 

volcanic complex in southern Australia, the sediments are represented by a flint 

conglomerate beach facies with interstratified shells. Through stratigraphical analysis of 

sedimentary units surrounding and including the beach facies and through the application 

of geochronological techniques we are able to constrain the timing and elevation of the 

interstadial sea-level highstand. An optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age of 53 ± 4 

ka for an aeolianite unit that unconformably overlies the shelly deposit indicates that the 

beach facies is older than early MIS 3. OSL analysis of quartz grains from a barrier 

shoreline 7 km inland from the modern coastline indicates it is last interglacial (MIS 5e) in 

age (124 ± 10 ka) and is not related to the shelly beach facies. Radiocarbon dating of the 

operculum of Turbo undulatus from the shelly conglomerate yielded a minimum age of 

47,905 ± 2106 yr BP (Wk 34733). The extent of amino acid racemization (AAR) on the 

Turbo sp. from the shelly unit beneath the aeolianite suggests an interstadial age (102 ± 

16 ka). Palaeo-sea level at the time of deposition of the shelly flint conglomerate was 

approximately -14 m during MIS 5c. These results are consistent with palaeosea-level 

estimates from other far-field sites around the globe as well as oxygen isotope-inferred 

sea levels for this interval. 

Keywords: sea level; MIS 5c; amino acid racemization; Australia; beach facies

Figure 1: A: Barrier successions of the Bridgewater Formation on the Mount Gambier coastal plain with 

sub-crop map highlighting study location. B: Composite stratigraphical cross-section illustrating the 

sedimentary deposits found on Port MacDonnell Beach (solid lines) and the deposits within the coastal 

cliffs approximately 100 m west (dashed lines). These facies have been drawn on top of one another 

to illustrate how a stratigraphical cross-section may have looked prior to the erosion of aeolianite units 

on Port MacDonnell Beach [Note Holocene beach deposit would not appear in such as cross-section 

as deposited after aeolianite]

T2 

Towards a Greenland tephra lattice: a detailed framework from four ice-cores 

spanning 25-45 ka 

A.J. Bourne 1 *, E. Cook 1 , S.M. Davies 1 , P.M. Abbott 1 , A.J. Griggs 1 , M. Chapman 2 , I.R. 

Hall 3 , J. Scourse 4 , J.P Steffensen 5 , A. Svensson 5 


8PP 

2 School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich, NR4 7TJ 

3 School of Earth, Ocean, and Planetary Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, 

CF10 3YE 

4 School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB 

5 Centre for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries vej 30, DK- 

2100 Copenhagen, Denmark 

The TRACE project aims to utilise tephrochronology to facilitate the high-precision 

correlation of palaeoclimatic archives preserving a record of the rapid climate changes that 

characterised the North Atlantic region during the last glacial period. The synchronisation 

of the Greenland ice-cores to North Atlantic marine records will allow the determination of 

lead/lag relationships between the atmospheric and oceanic systems over these climatic 

events and permit an assessment of potential causal mechanisms. Initial investigations 

have focused on the period between 25-45 ka b2k in four deep ice cores from Greenland. 

Within this time period 34 tephra layers were identified in NGRIP, 24 tephra layers were 

identified in NEEM, 25 tephra layers were identified in GRIP and 20 tephra layers were 

identified in DYE-3. The majority of tephras are basaltic and are predominantly tholeiitic in 

composition indicating a source from the rift zones of Iceland, with the Grimsvötn and 

Kverkfjöll systems the most likely sources. Two non-basaltic horizons appear to have a 

source from outside Iceland. 

Tephra layers that fall between Greenland Interstadial 8 and 9 (13 in NGRIP, 7 in NEEM, 

12 in GRIP and 7 in DYE-3) have been shown to all fall within the compositional envelope 

of the Faroe Marine Ash Zone III tephra layer, which has implications for the use of this 

tephra layer as a marine-ice synchronisation point (Bourne et al., 2013). Early 

comparisons of the ice core layers to North Atlantic marine records highlight four potential 

common tephra horizons, within GS-3 (29,130 ± 456 a b2k), GS-9 (38,300 ± 703 a b2k), 

GS-10 (40,220 ± 792 a b2k) and GS-12 (43,680 ± 877 a b2k). Other potential correlations 

throughout the period are being explored. We explore all these potential correlations and 

compare the climatic changes preserved within these cores as constrained by these 

tephra horizons. 

Ongoing work on the ice will allow an assessment of the Icelandic volcanic frequency 

during the last glacial period as well as the relationship between volcanic eruptions 

preserved in the ice and climate changes. 

Keywords: tephra; Greenland; North Atlantic; synchronisation.

T6 

Postglacial relative sea-level change and the deglaciation of northwest Iceland 

M. D. Brader 1 *, J. M. Lloyd 1 , M. J. Bentley 1 , A. J. Newton 2 and N. L. M. Barlow 1 

1 Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH13LE 

2 Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP 

Until recently, comparatively little scientific investigation had been undertaken to establish 

postglacial relative sea level (RSL) changes in Iceland, particularly in the northwest. This 

project aims to employ new and existing RSL data to resolve the current debates 

regarding the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice extent of the Icelandic Ice Sheet (IIS). An 

accurate understanding of the LGM ice extent in Iceland is important, as the two 

contrasting LGM ice loading scenarios would have very different implications for global 

thermohaline circulation and therefore climate. Previous studies of glacial geomorphology 

and sedimentology have failed to unequivocally distinguish between the two scenarios. 

However, RSL study has the potential to address this issue when undertaken in specific 

locations that are likely to yield contrasting histories under the two glaciation hypotheses. 

Northwest Iceland has this potential, whilst also proving sensitive to current ice and Earth 

models. As a result, this study will provide a critical test of these models for Iceland, 

through the employment of RSL data and subsequent glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) 

modelling. A number of isolation basin and coastal lowland sites have been sampled and 

analysed for microfossils along two transects of research in northwest Iceland, with 

tephrochronological analyses identifying useful isochrones for the study. Mapping of the 

marine limit has also provided an insight into the pattern and timing of deglaciation. New 

RSL records have therefore been generated for a number of the proposed research 

locations, allowing the testing of a series of crustal characteristics and ice loading 

scenarios for Iceland. Further modelling of GIA will allow the two contrasting hypotheses 

of the LGM glaciation of Iceland to be tested and evaluated. 

Keywords: sea-level; Iceland; deglaciation; glacio-isostatic adjustment

T5 

BRITICE-CHRONO Transect 8: constraining the timing and style of British-Irish Ice 

Sheet retreat in NW Scotland 

T. Bradwell 1 *, D. Fabel 2 , D. Small 2 , R.C. Chiverrell 3 , M.J. Burke 3 and C.D. Clark 4 

1 British Geological Survey, Edinburgh 

2 School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow 

3 School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool 

4 Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield 

The aim of Transect 8 (T8) of the NERC-funded consortium BRITICE-CHRONO is to 

establish the timing and style of retreat of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) from the 

continental shelf N and W of Lewis, into The Minch and back to the Highlands of NW 

Scotland. The transect encompasses the flowpath and catchment of the former Minch ice 

stream – a large dynamic fast flow zone of the BIIS (Bradwell et al., 2007). The research 

involves collecting new geochronological data from the terrestrial and marine realms within 

a ~30,000 km 2 

area (T8). A marine geological cruise on the RRS James Cook is 

scheduled for 2015; however this poster focuses on the results of the terrestrial campaign 

so far (year 1). T8 covers a large area and includes the rugged seaboard, lochs and 

mountains of NW Scotland; the Isle of Lewis; the islands of Skye, Raasay and Rona; and 

numerous small outlying islands. Uncertainty currently surrounds the extent and timing of 

ice sheet deglaciation on the Hebrides Shelf and the Isle of Lewis, with few absolute dates 

existing to bracket ice sheet retreat (Stoker et al., 1993; Bradwell et al., 2007). During 

LGM, the BIIS reached onto the mid-shelf and overwhelmed the small island of North 

Rona depositing boulders there at c. 25 ka BP (Everest et al., 2013). It remains uncertain 

how rapidly and by what mechanism ice sheet retreat took place in this sector, although 

existing chronological constraints place the retreating ice-sheet margin in the Summer 

Isles region at c. 15 ka BP (Stoker et al., 2009). It is speculated that the Minch Ice Stream 

may have broken up rapidly, possibly by flotation, as it retreated shoreward into deeper 

water. Two field sampling campaigns were undertaken in 2013: one along the NW 

seaboard of mainland Scotland; the other on Lewis. In total 85 rock samples were 

collected for terrestrial cosmogenic-nuclide (TCN) analysis, most from glacially transported 

(erratic) boulders on glacially streamlined bedrock and ice sheet moraines. The samples 

are currently being processed at the University of Glasgow. In addition, field sampling in 

northern Lewis of glaciofluvial and ice-marginal deltaic deposits for optically stimulated 

luminescence (OSL) dating is planned for early 2014. Crucially, the suite of new TCN and 

OSL age estimates will help to constrain the retreat rate and ice volume loss in this 

dynamic ice stream sector as it transitioned from a marine-influenced to a terrestrial ice 

sheet. 

Keywords: BRITICE-CHRONO; British-Irish Ice Sheet; deglaciation; NW Scotland, The 

Minch; Outer Hebrides 

Bradwell, T., Stoker, M., Larter, R. 2007. Geomorphological signature and flow dynamics of The Minch 

palaeo-ice stream, NW Scotland. Journal of Quaternary Science, 22: 609-617. 

Stoker, M.S., Bradwell, T., Howe, J.A. Wilkinson, I.M., McIntyre, K. 2009. Lateglacial ice-cap dynamics 

in NW Scotland: evidence from the fjords of the Summer Isles region. Quaternary Science Reviews, 28: 

3161-3184. 

Stoker, M.S. Hitchen, K., Graham, C.C., 1993. The geology of the Hebrides and West Shetland shelves 

and adjacent deep-water areas. UK Offshore Regional Report. British Geological Survey, HMSO. 

150pp. 

Everest, J.D., Bradwell, T., Stoker, M.S., Dewey, S. 2013. New age constraints for the maximum extent 

of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet (NW Sector). Journal of Quaternary Science, 28: 2-7.

T9 

Dama roberti, a new species of deer from the early Middle Pleistocene of Europe, 

and the origins of modern fallow deer 

Marzia Breda 1,2 and Adrian Lister 1 

1 Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD 

2 Department of Human Studies, University of Ferrara, Corso Ercole I D’Este, 32, Ferrara 44100, Italy 

The ancestry of the modern fallow deer, Dama dama, has been tentatively traced back to 

Pliocene/Early Pleistocene forms referred to ‘Pseudodama’, characterized by unpalmated 

three- or four-point antlers. By the late Middle Pleistocene, Dama with palmated antlers 

appears, as Dama dama clactoniana. However, fallow deer from the interim period, the 

early Middle Pleistocene, are poorly-known. A new specimen of Dama from Pakefield 

(Suffolk), represented by a portion of cranium with a substantial part of both antlers plus a 

mandible and scapula, is the most complete medium-sized deer specimen from the British 

early Middle Pleistocene (c. 700 ka). The antler form, unbranched above the basal tine 

and with a peculiar, spade-like termination, are unique and justify the erection of a new 

species provisionally placed within the genus Dama, Dama roberti n. sp. Another 

specimen, from Soleilhac (Auvergne, France), represented by portions of the two antlers, 

a mandible and a tibia, shares antler morphology with the Pakefield specimen and can be 

ascribed to the same new species. Isolated antler and dental remains from other early 

Middle Pleistocene sites are tentatively ascribed to D. roberti n. sp. The new species has 

implications for the ancestry of modern fallow deer.

T8 

Pleistocene landscape change at ice sheet margins: the Gordano Valley, southwest 

England 

Anne Bridle* 1 , D.J. Case 1 , C.D. Spencer 1 and W.A. Woodland 1 

1 Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of the West of England, Bristol 

The Gordano Valley (UK National Grid Reference ST 450735) is a low-lying valley 

adjacent to the Severn Estuary which lies less than 20 km from the accepted Devensian 

ice front in South Wales and 4 km north east of Kenn where there is sedimentary evidence 

for an earlier glaciation. The valley has been infilled with later Pleistocene sands and 

gravels which on the valley floor are overlain by Holocene estuarine alluvium and peat, 

preserving an archive of evidence for sedimentary deposition at ice-sheet margins which 

has wider national importance in the context of ice-marginal landscape evolution. 

LiDAR DEM combined with data from manual coring reveals an axial channel and fanshaped 

spreads of gravel, sand and silt with a hummocky surface topography at the valley 

margins. Stratigraphic and sedimentological analyses of material recovered by percussion 

coring reveals thinly bedded, very poorly sorted gravel, silt and sand deposits. The 

sediments are characterised as representing deposition by debris flow and fluvial 

processes, interspersed with periods of non-deposition in a landscape of alluvial fans 

close to valley margins and streams flow along the valley axis. 

OSL age estimates demonstrate fan deposition occurred during MIS5b/4. This is much 

earlier than has previously been assumed for similar deposits (Mendips) and has 

implications for the timing and processes of deposition in the wider landscape. 

Key words: Ice-sheet margins; Pleistocene landscape change; southwest England

T10 

Advances in geoconservation: celebrating the contribution of the Quaternary 

Research Association 

E.J. Brown 1 *, J.E. Gordon 2 , C.V. Burek 3 , S. Campbell 4 , B. Silva 1 and D.R. Bridgland 5 

1 Mail Hub, Natural England, Block B Government Buildings, Whittington Road, Worcester WR5 2LQ 

2 School of Geography & Geosciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AL, Scotland 

3 Centre for Science Communication, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 4BJ 

4 Natural Resources Wales, Maes y Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DW, Wales 

5 Department of Geography, Durham University, Lower Mountjoy, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE 

We assess the role of the QRA in Quaternary geoconservation since the Association’s 

inception in 1964, including the involvement of QRA members in the major developments 

that have occurred in systematic geoconservation audits and site assessment, practical 

conservation outreach and the advancement of geoconservation science (see Prosser, 

2013; Brown et al., in press). Key Quaternary sites face many threats and pressures from 

development, engineering works, new infrastructure, aggregate/peat extraction, 

recreation, afforestation, landfill, coastal erosion and defence, and climate change. The 

QRA and its members have contributed significantly to the Geological Conservation 

Review (GCR) site assessment process in Great Britain and the Earth Science 

Conservation Review in Northern Ireland, consistently providing advice to conservation 

bodies, robustly defending sites when they have been threatened by proposed 

development, and providing opportunities for discussion at Field Meetings. In Great 

Britain, the majority of the nationally and internationally important Quaternary and 

geomorphological sites now have statutory protection as SSSIs. Many more Quaternary 

sites with local importance and educational and aesthetic value are designated as local 

geodiversity sites. The last decade has seen a fundamental shift, now embodied in the 

ecosystem approach, through the growing appreciation of the wider relevance of 

Quaternary geodiversity and its links with landscape and biodiversity conservation, climate 

change adaptation, economic development (through geotourism and Geoparks), 

sustainable management of land and water, historical and cultural heritage and people's 

health and wellbeing through lifelong learning, recreation and enjoyment of the outdoors 

(Gordon et al., 2012; Gray et al., 2013). The QRA has contributed to these developments 

through Discussion Meetings and in collaboration with others, and thus a firm foundation 

for conservation of Quaternary sites and landscapes for the future has been established. 

Keywords: Quaternary geoconservation; site audits 

Brown, E.J., Gordon, J.E., Burek, C.V., Campbell, S., Bridgland, D.R. in press. The contribution of the 

Quaternary Research Association to geoconservation: achievements and future challenges. In: Catt, J. 

& Candy, I. (eds), The History of the Quaternary Research Association. Quaternary Research 

Association, London. 

Gordon, J.E., Barron, H.F., Hansom, J.D., Thomas, M.F. 2012. Engaging with geodiversity – why it 

matters. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 123, 1-6. 

Gray, M., Gordon, J.E., Brown, E.J. 2013. Geodiversity and the ecosystem approach: the contribution 

of geosciences in delivering integrated environmental management. Proceedings of the Geologists’ 

Association 124, 659-673. 

Prosser, C.D. 2013. Our rich and varied geoconservation portfolio: the foundation for the future. 

Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 124, 568-580.

T10 

Advances in geoconservation: future challenges for the Quaternary Research 

Association 

E.J. Brown 1 *, J.E. Gordon 2 , C.V. Burek 3 , S. Campbell 4 , B. Silva 1 and D.R. Bridgland 5 

1 Mail Hub, Natural England, Block B Government Buildings, Whittington Road, Worcester WR5 2LQ 

2 School of Geography & Geosciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AL, Scotland 

3 Centre for Science Communication, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 4BJ 

4 Natural Resources Wales, Maes y Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2DW, Wales 

5 Department of Geography, Durham University, Lower Mountjoy, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE 

The QRA and its members have been instrumental in advancing geoconservation in the 

UK. This contribution is being applied for the benefit not only of the geoscience 

community, but also for the wider benefit of society through improving our understanding 

of climate change, environmental management and sustainable development and 

enabling much better insights into how environmental systems and processes change 

over time, and the natural and human forcing factors involved. We now know more about 

many aspects of environmental change as a result, including rivers and flooding, coastal 

dynamics, geohazards, ecosystem functioning, biodiversity, invasive species and 

archaeology. Such understanding has a key part to play in the ecosystem approach, an 

important driver of current conservation policy within a governmental framework of 

sustainable development. 

However, there is still much to be done by those engaged in geoconservation and by 

bodies such as the QRA to respond to the challenges and opportunities to deliver 

geoconservation for science and society. This poster sets out an agenda for the future 

engagement of the QRA, with the main priorities addressing site conservation in both the 

terrestrial and marine environments, especially as a result of recent marine legislation 

(Burek et al., 2013); developing the conservation science agenda; interpretation and 

outreach; and influencing policy (Brown et al., in press). Increasingly, delivery of 

geoconservation will form part of an ecosystem approach, providing multiple benefits for 

geosciences and society (Gray et al., 2013). This opens up new challenges for ensuring a 

rigorous scientific rationale and evidence base, as well as new opportunities for research. 

Quaternary outreach will be a key element in building geoconservation awareness, 

understanding and involvement. In terms of engaging decision makers and wider society, 

it will be essential to ensure that headlines and messages have relevance for their 

agendas (Gordon et al., 2012; Prosser et al., 2013). A much more active approach to 

outreach and education will be fundamental to the success of both Quaternary 

geoconservation and the application of Quaternary science to meeting society's needs. 

Keywords: Quaternary geoconservation; ecosystem approach 

Brown, E.J., Gordon, J.E., Burek, C.V., Campbell, S., Bridgland, D.R. in press. The contribution of the 

Quaternary Research Association to geoconservation: achievements and future challenges. In: Catt, J. 

& Candy, I. (eds), The History of the Quaternary Research Association. Quaternary Research 

Association, London. 

Burek, C.V., Ellis, N.V., Evans, D.H., Hart, M.B., Larwood, J.G. 2013 Marine conservation in the United 

Kingdom. Proceedings of the Geologists' Association 124, 581-592. 

Gordon, J.E., Barron, H.F., Hansom, J.D., Thomas, M.F. 2012. Engaging with geodiversity – why it 

matters. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 123, 1- 6. 

Gray, M., Gordon, J.E., Brown, E.J. 2013. Geodiversity and the ecosystem approach: the contribution 

of geosciences in delivering integrated environmental management. Proceedings of the Geologists’ 

Association 124, 659-673. 

Prosser, C.D., Brown, E.J., Larwood, J.G., Bridgland, D.R. 2013. Geoconservation for science and 

society – an agenda for the future. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 124, 561-567.

T5 

Geophysical prospecting for BRITICE-CHRONO geochronological targets 

M.J. Burke* 1 , R.C. Chiverrell 1 and the BRITICE-CHRONO consortium 

1 School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZT 

The terrestrial sampling campaign of the NERC-funded BRITICE-CHRONO consortium is 

now well underway (see associated posters). During this first phase of fieldwork, sampling 

has been focussed on ice-scoured and meltwater eroded bedrock (TCN dating), as well as 

quarries/sediment exposures within glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits (OSL 

dating). However, some transects lack sufficient sediment and/or bedrock exposure, and 

existing sites are not evenly distributed through transects or always aligned in the direction 

of ice retreat. The second phase of the terrestrial campaign aims to fill gaps within ice 

retreat zones by dating material from boreholes. The consortium includes funding for a 35 

day borehole campaign using a Dando Terrier Rig, which has the ability to collect dark 

cores (using opaque PVC tubes) from which OSL samples will be collected. Given the 

relatively short amount of time allocated to this sampling programme (35 days at a drilling 

rate of ≤15 m per day) and the need to cover a large area, it is most cost-effective to run 

the drilling as a single campaign across all sites. To facilitate an efficient drilling 

programme a list of target sites will be compiled prior to the second phase of sampling. 

Broad target areas will be identified using the geomorphology and existing borehole data 

(BGS), but specific drill locations will be directed from Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) 

data. GPR is a non-invasive technique that detects changes in the electrical properties of 

the shallow subsurface by propagating electromagnetic energy into the ground and 

detecting energy reflected from subsurface features. Correctly processed GPR data can 

be used to reconstruct past depositional environments because reflections usually 

correspond to primary depositional structure. Where the resolution of a survey allows 

(depending upon the antenna frequency) the radar facies (lithofacies) most suited to OSL 

sampling will be targeted (e.g., delta topsets, sheet-stratified or planar cross-set sand). 

Because GPR performs best in dry sand and gravel and worst in wet clay-rich materials, a 

number of considerations need to be made during the site selection process. This poster, 

using examples from transect 3 (Irish Sea Ice Stream East), presents a framework for site 

selection and details the methodology for GPR data collection, processing and 

interpretation using test data collected at Four Ashes SSSI, a type site for the late 

Devensian. The GPR campaign will take place in early 2014 to allow sufficient time for 

data processing and analysis prior to the drilling campaign in the summer. 

Keywords: BRITICE-CHRONO; TCN dating; OSL dating; ground-penetrating radar.

T7 

ARAMACC: Advancing the use of annually-resolved and absolutely-dated 

palaeoceanographic records for the north Atlantic region 

P.G.Butler 1 *, C. Andersson 2 , T. Brey 3 , M. Carroll 4 , P. Freitas 5 , J. Hartley 6 , M. Peharda 7 , 

B.R.Schöne 8 , J.D.Scourse 1 , J. Thebault 9 , A.D.Wanamaker 10 , R. Witbaard 11 , E. Zorita 12 

1 School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Wales 

2 Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway 

3 Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Bremerhaven, Germany 

4 Akvaplan-niva, Fram Centre for Climate and Environment, Tromsø, Norway 

5 Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, Amadora, Portugal 

6 Hartley Anderson Ltd, Aberdeen, Scotland 

7 Institute of Oceanogtaphy and Fisheries, Split, Croatia 

8 Instute of Geosciences, University of Mainz, Germany 

9 Laboratoire des sciences de l’environment marin, University of Brest, Plouzané, France 

10 Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, USA 

11 Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, Netherlands 

12 Instute for Coastal Research, Holmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Germany 

While the ‘typical’ Quaternary event – if there is such a thing - is the large-scale glacialinterglacial 

transition, it can be argued that the most important event, whose study has the 

greatest relevance to modern human society, is the experiment that we are, perhaps 

unwittingly, carrying out with the Earth’s climate right now. Because our experiment is 

occurring during an interglacial (a period of relatively low background variability), the 

techniques required to study it necessitate a step change in the resolution – both spatial 

and temporal – with which we can measure and reconstruct palaeo-environments. Here 

we describe an important forthcoming project to study change in the climatically important 

north Atlantic ocean at very high resolution. 

The temperate north Atlantic region is home to some of the longest-lived animals known to 

science. These are species of bivalve mollusc (Arctica islandica and Glycymeris 

glycymeris) that preserve a record of their growth in distinctive annual banding in their 

shells. Synchronous growth within populations provides prima facie evidence that the 

shell growth is a response to common environmental forcing. It also allows the shells to 

be cross dated back in time, like tree-rings, so that absolute dates can be ascribed to 

subfossil shells taken from seabed lags. This makes available archives of carbonate 

material that can be geochemically analysed and used for high resolution environmental 

reconstruction and model comparisons. These archives have multiple applications 

including: (a) constraining coupled climate models and biogeochemically capable 

hydrodynamic models; (b) providing long baseline data for monitoring the effects of shelf 

sea infrastructure; and (c) offering a detailed and precisely dated window into the history 

of the north Atlantic. In this poster we introduce a new project (ARAMACC: Annually 

Resolved Archives of MArine Climate Change), funded under the EU FP7 Marie Curie 

Initial Training Network scheme. The principle goal of ARAMACC is the construction of a 

network of shell-based marine proxy archives for the northeast Atlantic ocean and the use 

of geochemical analyses (stable oxygen and carbon isotopes) of the absolutely dated 

material to obtain proxy information about recent (past few hundred years) changes in 

north Atlantic oceanography with very high spatial and temporal resolution. In addition, 

ARAMACC researchers will (i) investigate the environmental drivers of shell growth, (ii) 

work on the development of new proxy archives, (iii) develop methods to apply the shell 

archives to climate modelling, and (iv) develop applications for the commercial and 

regulatory sectors. 

Keywords: sclerochronology; bivalves; north Atlantic ocean; marine climate; Holocene; 

palaeoceanography; Arctica islandica

T5 

Inter-catchment variations in Loch Lomond Stadial corrie glacier retreat dynamics, 

Northwest Scottish Highlands 

Benjamin M.P. Chandler 1, 2 * and Sven Lukas 1 

1 School of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London 

2 Department of Geography, Durham University 

Knowledge about moraine sequences produced by former glaciers can reveal much about 

glacier-climate interactions. Geomorphological and sedimentological investigations of 

individual moraines and moraine complexes have provided insights into the pattern, 

dynamics and timing of deglaciation (e.g. Benn and Lukas, 2006; Lukas and Benn, 2006). 

On the basis that moraines in the Northwest Scottish Highlands represent ice-marginal 

positions, Lukas and Benn (2006) postulated that they can be employed to delineate 

successive palaeo-ice frontal positions. Therefrom, ‘barcode patterns’ can be constructed 

along former flowlines, allowing retreat patterns to be compared and frequency of moraine 

formation to be assessed. 

The approach outlined by Lukas and Benn (2006) is applied here to Loch Lomond Stadial 

corrie glaciers in the Northwest Scottish Highlands, representing the first study to 

systematically examine inter-catchment variations in corrie glacier retreat dynamics. 

Comparison of individual barcode patterns constructed for Arkle, Ben More Coigach and 

Ben Klibreck suggests that corrie glaciers in the Northwest Scottish Highlands displayed 

marked variations in the magnitude, and possibly timing, of retreat and readvance in 

response to short-term climate change (Chandler, 2013). Statistical analyses conducted to 

elucidate the factors controlling glacier response to climate change in the Northwest 

Scottish Highlands indicate significant positive correlations between average spacing of 

palaeo-ice fronts and glacier size and length, thus appearing to support the hypothesis 

that smaller glaciers had a short response time and, therefore, produced a more 

compressed record of retreat compared to larger glaciers (cf. Lukas and Benn, 2006). 

It is acknowledged that this investigation of inter-catchment variations in corrie glacier 

retreat dynamics is based upon a small dataset, thus necessitating further research in the 

Northwest Scottish Highlands and elsewhere to allow further assessment of the factors 

influencing retreat patterns of corrie glaciers. Inclusion of retreat patterns for larger ice 

masses in the dataset would allow rigorous testing of the hypothesis that smaller glaciers 

produce more compressed records of retreat as a consequence of shorter response times 

and represents an exciting avenue for further research. 

Keywords: moraines; glacier dynamics; deglaciation; Loch Lomond Stadial; Northwest 

Scottish Highlands. 

Benn, D.I., Lukas, S., 2006. Younger Dryas glacial landsystems in North West Scotland: an 

assessment of modern analogues and palaeoclimatic implications. Quaternary Science Reviews, 25, 

2390-2408. 

Chandler, B.M.P., 2013. Glacial geomorphology of Ben More Coigach, Northwest Scottish Highlands: 

Implications for Loch Lomond Stadial glaciation and palaeoclimate. Unpublished BSc Dissertation, 

Queen Mary, University of London, 126 pp. 

Lukas, S., Benn, D.I., 2006. Retreat dynamics of Younger Dryas glaciers in the far NW Scottish 

Highlands reconstructed from moraine sequences. Scottish Geographical Journal, 122, 308-325.

T5 


Sheet retreat of the eastern Irish Sea ice lobe 

R.C. Chiverrell 1 *, M.J. Burke 1 , G.S.P. Thomas 1 , D.H. Roberts 2 , D.J.A. Evans 2 , M. 

Bateman 3 , S. Livingstone 3 , G. Duller 4 , D. Fabel 5 , D. Small 5 



3 Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN 

4 Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DB 

5 Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ 

The aim of Transect 3 of the NERC funded consortium BRITICE-CHRONO is to establish 

the timing and style of retreat of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) from maximum limits in 

the English Midlands. There are two components to this research. First, a marine 

geological cruise scheduled to take place on the RRS James Cook in 2014 sampling 

materials between Anglesey and the Isle of Man, and second, a programme of on-shore 

field sampling for terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) dating, optically–stimulated 

luminescence (OSL) dating and radiocarbon dating. This poster focuses on the results, to 

date, of the terrestrial component. Ice in the eastern Irish Sea and Cheshire/Shropshire 

lowlands was sourced by ice flowing through the Solway Firth, from the Lake District and 

Pennines. The dominant ice-sources were in Scotland, Lake District and a Ribble Valley 

Glacier fed by the South Pennine Icecap. At the Last Glacial Maximum these coalesced 

and ran south across the floor of the Eastern Irish Sea, then split with lobes extending 1) 

W to SW merging with the West Irish Sea (WIS) Ice Stream between the Isle of Man (IoM) 

and Anglesey and 2) SSE through Cheshire to maximum limits near Wolverhampton. 

Comprehensive mapping of the landform record from Shropshire to Lancashire (Thomas 

et al., unpublished), on the Isle of Man (Thomas et al., 2004) and in Cumbria (Livingstone 

et al., 2009) allows division of the transect into discrete zone of ice marginal retreat. 

Substantial moraine systems punctuate the landform sequence: e.g. Oswestry- 

Whitchurch, Kirkham and Bride moraines amongst others. Sampling has sought to 

constrain deglaciation south to north across some 330 km testing the various hypotheses: 

(1) retreat of the ice lobe was punctuated by still-stands; (2) pace of retreat varied with 

marginal conditions (terrestrial/subaqueous), with ice bed-slope. Eighteen samples for 

TCN dating were collected from glacially-scoured bedrock of the mid-Cheshire and 

Shropshire Permo-Triassic sandstone ridge, with others from the Isle of Man. These 

samples are first CN dating of glacigenic surfaces for the Permo-Triass in Britain. Well 

defined ice marginal contexts (17 sites) with thick sequences of glacial outwash spaced 

through the retreat sequence have provided >50 OSL samples from glacifluvial and icemarginal, 

shallow subaqueous deposits, principally outwash sandur and glacilacustrine 

deltas exposed in sand and gravel quarries. These age estimates will form the basis for 

Bayesian modelling to establish the timing and pattern of retreat of the east Irish Sea 

glacier. 

Keywords: BRITICE-CHRONO; British-Irish Ice Sheet; Irish Sea Ice Stream, Cheshire, 

Shropshire; Lancashire; Cumbria; Isle of Man; deglaciation 

Livingstone, S.J., Evans, D.J.A. and Ó Cofaigh, C. 2010. Re-advance of Scottish Ice into the Solway 

Lowlands (Cumbria) during the Main Late Devensian deglaciation. Quaternary Science Reviews, 

29(19-20), 2544-2570. 

Thomas GSP, Chiverrell RC, Huddart D (2004) Ice-marginal depositional responses to readvance 

episodes in the Late Devensian deglaciation of the Isle of Man. Quaternary Science Reviews vol 23 

issue 1-2 pp 85-106

Figure 1: BRITICE-CHRONO transect 3, the Irish Sea East ice lobe, showing a subdivision into major 

retreat zones, the sampled (summer 2013) geochronology sites and existing dating locations. Inset 

shows the eight BRITICE-CHRONO transects.

T5 


Sheet retreat of the Irish Sea Ice Stream 

R.C. Chiverrell 1 *, J. Scourse 2 , K. van Landeghem 2 , L. Yorke 2 , M.J. Burke 1 , G.S.P. 

Thomas 1 , C. Ó Cofaigh 3 , D.J.A. Evans 3 , D McCarroll 4 , S.M. Davies 4 , G. Duller 5 , D. Small 6 



3Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE 

4 Department of Geography, Wallace Building, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP 

5 Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23 3DB 

6 Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ 

Transect 4 of the NERC funded consortium BRITICE-CHRONO aims to establish the 

timing and style of retreat of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) from maximum limits in the 

south Celtic Sea. There are two components to this research. First, a marine geological 

cruise scheduled to take place on the RRS James Cook in 2014, and second, a 

programme of on-shore field sampling for terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) dating, 

optically–stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and radiocarbon dating. This poster 

focuses on the results, to date, of the terrestrial component. The Irish Sea Ice Stream 

(ISIS), the largest drainage conduit for the MIS2 British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS; Fig. 1), was 

fed by ice flowing southwards from southern Scotland, northern Ireland and the English 

Lake District. It divided in two, with the ISIS flowing southwards through the central Irish 

Sea and into the Celtic Sea. The Welsh Ice Cap contributed ice mass, along with ice 

draining the Wicklow Mountains and central Ireland. On entering the Celtic Sea the ice 

extended westwards along the south coast of Ireland west of Cork and southwards as far 

as the Isles of Scilly. To date the ISIS was probably the best dated sector of BIIS, with an 

8000-year retreat history spanning 650 km of ice margin retreat for the largest marine 

terminating ice stream draining the former British–Irish Ice Sheet. Recent Bayesian 

modelling of the geochronological data (Chiverrell et al., 2013) shows the ISIS expanded 

34.0–25.3 ka, reaching a maximum 25.3–24.5 ka before a retreat uneven in pace affected 

by variations in the calving margin, ice bed and marginal geometry. Comprehensive 

mapping of the sediment and landform record from Scilly (Scourse, 2006), eastern Ireland 

(Thomas and Summers, 1983) and Wales (Thomas and Chiverrell 2007) has allowed 

division of the transect into discrete zones of ice marginal retreat. Objectives for the 

research are: (1) to better constrain the evidence base for the LGM on Scilly; (2) to test 

the role of Irish ice in contributing to the ISIS; and to enhance the existing model for 

deglaciation south to north across some 400 km. Ten samples for TCN dating were 

collected from glacially-scoured bedrock and boulders on Scilly, with further samples 

planned for Wicklow Head. Well defined ice marginal contexts (12 sites) with thick 

sequences of glacial outwash spaced through the retreat sequence have provided >30 

OSL samples from glacifluvial and ice-marginal, shallow subaqueous deposits, principally 

outwash sandur morain ridges and glacilacustrine deltas exposed in quarries and on the 

coast. These age estimates will form the basis for revised Bayesian modelling to establish 

the timing and pattern of retreat of the ISIS. 

Keywords: BRITICE-CHRONO; British-Irish Ice Sheet; Irish Sea Ice Stream, Cheshire, 

Shropshire; Lancashire; Cumbria; Isle of Man; deglaciation 

Chiverrell R C, Thrasher I M, Thomas G S P, Lang A, Scourse J D, van Landeghem K J J, McCarroll D, 

Clark C D, Cofaigh C O, Evans D J A and Ballantyne C K (2013) Bayesian modelling the retreat of the 

Irish Sea Ice Stream. Journal of Quaternary Science vol 28 issue 2 pp 200-209 

Scourse JD (ed.). 2006. The Isles of Scilly: Field Guide, Quaternary Research Association: London, 

13–22.

Thomas GSP, Chiverrell RC. 2007. Structural and depositional evidence for repeated ice-marginal 

oscillation along the eastern margin of the Late Devensian Irish Sea Ice Stream. Quaternary Science 

Reviews 26: 2375–2405. 

Thomas, G.S.P., Summers, A.J. 1983. The Quaternary stratigraphy between Blackwater Harbour and 

Tinnaberna, County Wexford. Journal of Earth Sciences - Royal Dublin Society, Volume 5, Issue 2, 

Pages 121-134 

Figure 1: BRITICE-CHRONO transect 4, the Irish Sea Ice Stream, showing a subdivision into major 

retreat zones, the sampled (summer 2013) and prospective geochronology sites (12/2013-5/2014), and 

existing dating locations

T5 

BRITICE-CHRONO: Constraining rates and style of marine-influenced ice sheet 

decay. 

Clark, C.D.*, Fabel, D., O’Cofaigh, C., Chiverrell, R., Scourse, J., Hindmarsh, R.C.A., 

Bradwell, T., Evans, D.J.A., Benneti, S., Freeman, S., Moreton, S. and Ballantyne, C., 

Bateman, M.D., Bigg, G.R., Burke, M., Davies, S., Duller, G., Gafeira, J., Greenwood, S., 

Gregoire, L., Hambrey, M., Hughes, A., Jamieson, S. Livingstone, S., McCarroll, D., 

McCarron, S., Monteys, X., Pienkowski, A., Praeg, D., Roberts, D., Rutt, I., Sejrup, H.P., 

Small, D., van Landeghem, K., 

Universities of Sheffield*, Glasgow, Durham, Liverpool, Bangor, Ulster, St Andrews, Swansea, 

Aberystwyth, Leeds, Maynooth, & British Antarctic Survey and British and Irish Geological Surveys, and 

Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, & Universities of Bergen & Stockholm 

Uncertainty exists regarding the future mass of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets 

and the change in sea level that would arise from any such changes. This is now an 

important scientific and societal issue that Quaternary scientists are addressing. If we 

want to know more about the mechanisms and rate of change of shrinking ice sheets, then 

why not examine one that has disappeared already and track its retreat through time? 

Here we provide an overview of the aims of the BRITICE-CHRONO consortium of 

Quaternary scientists and glaciologists, in a NERC-funded (£3.7 M) consortium project 

running from 2012 – 2017. Progress thus far can be gleaned from associated posters. Our 

project resonates with the ‘Quaternary Revolutions’ conference theme with regard to 

advances: in geochronometric dating; marine geophysics; RS-mapping and GIS 

compilation of Quaternary data; establishing on - offshore connections (e.g. IRD); and an 

improved interaction between empirical data and ice sheet modelling. 

The first objective is to produce an ice sheet wide empirical database of the timing and 

rates of change of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). This is being achieved by focusing on 

8 transects running from the continental shelf edge to a short distance (10s km) onshore 

and acquiring marine and terrestrial samples for geochronometric dating. The project 

includes funding for 587 radiocarbon, 140 OSL and 158 TCN samples for surface 

exposure dating; with sampling accomplished by two research cruises (NERC vessel) and 

8 fieldwork campaigns. Results will reveal the timing and rate of change of ice margin 

recession for each transect, and combined with existing landform and dating databases, 

will be used to build an ice sheet-wide empirical reconstruction of retreat. Simulations 

using two numerical ice sheet models, fitted against the geochronological data, will yield 

insights regarding both their predictive abilities, and the significance of various factors 

such as sea-level rise, ocean/atmosphere forcing, bed topography and buttressing ice 

shelves on retreat rate. 

Keywords: British-Irish Ice Sheet; retreat; geochronometric dating; marine cruise; 

terrestrial fieldwork; GIS reconstruction; ice sheet modelling.

Figure 1: BRITICE-CHRONO is focusing on eight transects mostly running from the shelf-break to 

some tens of kms onshore. The transects are illustrated here overlaid on a pattern of marginal retreat.

T2 

Tracing and constraining key tephras between 29.2 – 11.1 ka b2k within the NEEM, 

NGRIP and GRIP ice core records 

Eliza Cook* 1 , S.M. Davies 1 , P.M. Abbott 1 , A.J, Bourne 1 , M. Bigler 2 , I.K. Seirstad 3 , A. 

Svensson 3 , S.O. Rasmussen 3 , J.P. Steffensen 3 

1 Department of Geography, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea 

2 Physics Institute, Climate and Environmental Physics and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change 

Research, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012, Bern, Switzerland 

3 Ice and Climate group, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries vej 30, DK-2100 

Copenhagen, Denmark 

This project aims to improve the European tephrochronological framework for the last 

glacial-interglacial transition (LGIT) between 29.2 and 11.10 ka b2k through the 

identification and characterisation of tephra layers within the NEEM, NGRIP and GRIP icecore 

records from Greenland. Prior to this study, just 16 tephra horizons had been 

identified within this interval in Greenland. Here we outline the discovery of a further 64 

new tephra horizons in the 3 deep ice-cores from Greenland, with 23 identified in NEEM, 

24 in GRIP and 17 in NGRIP. Iceland is the dominant source of tephra, although one 

horizon is far travelled and represents the first Kamchatka-Kurile island arc tephra to be 

identified in Greenland ice. 

Tephras are identified in the ice by adoption of a new low-resolution screening approach 

for NEEM via the continuous flow analysis system (CFA). A high-resolution sampling 

strategy was devised based on the results of the former and was successful in identifying 

many previously unknown tephra horizons at a 3-20cm resolution. Horizons found in 

NEEM were then traced in GRIP and NGRIP. 

The key highlights of this work include: 

1. 20 new tie-points have been established between GRIP and NGRIP between 

GS-2 and GS-5. 

2. 9 tie-points have been established between NEEM and either NGRIP or GRIP. 

These include the Vedde ash (12,171 ± 57 yr b2k), a NGRIP Katla horizon that falls within 

GS-5 and dated to 29,130 ± 456 yr b2k, a basaltic horizon within the cold GI-1d episode 

and three isochrons in the poorly resolved GS-2b/a interval, promoting confident matching 

and timescale transfer between cores. 

3. A dacitic horizon detected in NEEM during GS-3 has a potential Kamchatka- 

Kurile island provenance; providing an opportunity to examine synchronicity of North 

Atlantic/North West Pacific climate records during the glacial maximum. 

4. Two Borrobol-Penifiler type horizons have been found in GRIP and one in 

NGRIP, during GI-1e. 

The discovery of new inter-core tie points provides a test of the matching/synchronisation 

approach used for the transferral of the GICC05 timescale from NGRIP to other Greenland 

ice-cores as well as providing individual timescale transfer points e.g. Rasmussen et al., 

2013. Ongoing geochemical analysis will focus on extending these tephra isochrons to 

terrestrial and marine sequences. 

KEYWORDS: tephra horizons; isochrons; Greenland ice-cores; Iceland; last glacialinterglacial 

transition

T5 

A Pb isotope tracer of ocean-ice sheet interaction: 

The record from the NE Atlantic during the last glacial/interglacial cycle 

Kirsty C. Crocket* 1a , G.L. Foster 2b , D. Vance 2c , D.A. Richards 1 , M. Tranter 3 

1 Bristol Isotope Group, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol 

2 Bristol Isotope Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol 

3 Bristol Glaciology Centre, University of Bristol 

a Now at: Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban 

b Now at: National Oceanography Centre Southampton 

c Now at: Department of Earth Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland 

Ice sheet-ocean interactions are both a response to climate forcing and a source of 

climate feedback, releasing freshwater to the surface ocean and influencing climate and 

atmospheric CO 2 through changes in ocean circulation. Documenting the outcomes of 

these interactions for recent glacial cycles is important given current and future scenarios 

of polar ice retreat. However, this is currently hampered by lack of accurate constraints on 

ice sheet development and demise. Marine sedimentary Pb isotope records have potential 

to investigate these aspects of ice sheet feedbacks at high temporal resolution because of 

the sensitivity of the Pb isotope composition to continental weathering intensity and solute 

flux. Here we present a Pb isotope record sourced from the FeMn oxyhydroxide fraction in 

marine sediments from ODP Site 980 on Feni Drift (2168 mbsl, Rockall Trough, NE 

Atlantic), spanning the last 43 ka (Crocket et al., in press). The location of Site 980 at the 

northern edge of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) makes it well-placed to monitor changes 

in BIIS development as it responded to migration of the Polar Front during the last 

glacial/interglacial cycle. The data reveal millennial-scale cyclicity in Pb isotope 

composition, reminiscent of Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles, from the start of the record until 

Heinrich event 2 (43 to 24 ka), characterised by extreme shifts to radiogenic compositions 

(i.e. variation in 206 Pb/ 204 Pb from ~18.9 to 20.5). The period 24 to 17.5 ka is also 

characterised by exceptionally radiogenic and highly variable Pb isotope compositions, 

associated with the rapid and repeated expansion and collapse of the BIIS. The presence 

of such radiogenic Pb isotope compositions during periods of maximum ice sheet activity 

support interpretation of the subglacial environment as an active weathering environment, 

contributing to biogeochemical cycles through the transport vectors of meltwater release 

and debris-laden ice calving. 

Keywords: Pb isotopes; British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS); Last Glacial Maximum; 

glacial/interglacial cycles; chemical weathering; authigenic and pre-formed FeMn 

oxyhydroxides 

Crocket, K.C., Foster, G.L., Vance, D., Richards, D.A., Tranter, M., in press. A Pb isotope tracer of 

ocean-ice sheet interaction: The record from the NE Atlantic during the last glacial/interglacial cycle. 

Quaternary Science Reviews.

T2 

Testing the potential of OSL to date glacial sediments from Estonia 

M. Cullum 1 , K. Kalla 2 , F. Preusser 1 , M. Rattas 2 , T. Hang 2 

1 Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, 

Sweden 

2 Department of Geology, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia 

Numerous dating techniques have been applied to various ice margins associated with the 

last deglaciation. However, as each method has a number of strengths and weaknesses 

depending on natural variations in the environment, it is important to apply several 

different dating methods to construct a more accurate chronology. This Master’s Project 

aims to apply Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating to several sites across 

northern Estonia, eastern Baltic, to test the potential of OSL when dating glaciofluvial 

sediments. This project works in collaboration with the University of Tartu to locate 

suitable sites from which cross-comparison with previous work can be produced. Upon 

dating of sediments, this project will first determine the effectiveness of OSL dating on proglacial 

sediments, allowing a detailed critical analysis of OSL when applied to northern 

Estonia, resulting in a greater understanding of its advantages and limitations when 

compared to other dating techniques. The project utilises fieldwork carried out in August 

2013 at sites where age constraints are available, meaning each sample will be well 

integrated within the existing chronological framework. Many of these sites exist in active 

and closed quarries, where recent excavations have provided suitable exposures of 

sedimentary layers from the Last Glacial Period. During fieldwork the morphological and 

geological context of each site has been investigated and samples of suitable grain size 

and composition will be taken for OSL dating. Altogether, 14 samples in total from differing 

locations across northern Estonia have been taken. The interpretation of these sediments 

will be enhanced via the use of LIDAR and SRTM imagery for each site, allowing in-depth 

analysis of the deglaciation patterns of the larger area. 

The final aim of this project is to improve the understanding of OSL dating on pro-glacial 

sediment and to provide new information on the timing of deglaciation in the south eastern 

sector of the Last Scandinavian Ice Sheet. This will not only help produce a more accurate 

chronology of the deglaciation, but also provide better understanding of the deglaciation 

characteristics. Critically analysing the use of OSL in the region will also help determine 

future locations for OSL dating depending on the accuracy of the dates produced. 

Keywords: Luminescence; deglaciation; Estonia; LIDAR; glaciofluvial; Quaternary

T5 

The timing of glaciations in southernmost South America 

C.M. Darvill 1 *, M.J. Bentley 1 and C.R. Stokes 1 


Ice sheets in southernmost South America (52 to 54°S) are likely to have been sensitive to 

oceanic and atmospheric forcing, but the timing of glaciations is poorly constrained. This 

uncertainty represents a significant gap in our understanding of the southern hemisphere 

terrestrial-climatic record and stems from two unresolved issues. First, the nature of 

advance(s) and retreat(s) of the five southernmost ice lobes is relatively unknown. 

Secondly, there is a difficulty in establishing age constraints beyond the Last Glacial 

Maximum (LGM), with previous cosmogenic nuclide exposure data from boulders yielding 

ages that are significantly younger (ca. Last Glacial Maximum) than the previously 

hypothesised ages of the ice limits (ca. MIS 8 to 12), which was ascribed to postdepositional 

processes acting on the boulders. This paper presents the preliminary results 

of an on-going investigation into the timing of glaciations for these ice lobes, focussing on 

glacial geomorphological mapping, ice lobe reconstruction and an alternative cosmogenic 

nuclide depth-profile approach to dating former ice limits. New glacial geomorphological 

mapping provides evidence of multiple phases of advance, implying that the limits are not 

simply a step-wise recession, and highlights locations where there are clear relationships 

between glaciofluvial outwash and corresponding ice limits. These are the target locations 

for cosmogenic outwash-depth-profiles which are being used to date the surface of 

outwash (rather than moraine boulders) whilst accounting for issues of erosion, 

exhumation and inheritance. Analysis of relative weathering proxies may also help to show 

whether dating boulders in this region may be problematic. The aim is to produce robust 

ages for the pre-‘LGM’ limits of the southernmost ice lobes in order to show when ice 

advances occurred and how this relates to wider Southern Hemispheric climatic change. 

Keywords: Glacial; chronology; cosmogenic; Patagonia; Tierra del Fuego; South America 

Figure 1: A cosmogenic depth-profile through outwash in Tierra del Fuego, southernmost South 

America. Using depth profiles through outwash gravels associated with glacial limits can give a more 

robust age for the timing of glacial advances. Published boulder ages may have been affected by postdepositional 

erosion and exhumation whereas depth-profiles can take such processes into account.

T5 

Reconstruction of ice-sheet changes in the Antarctic Peninsula since the LGM 

Bethan Davies 1 *, Colm Ó Cofaigh 2 , Stephen Livingstone 3 , James Smith 4 , Joanne 

Johnson 4 

1 Centre for Glaciology, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, 

Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, Wales 

2 Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE 

3 Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN 

4 British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET 

We compile and review marine and terrestrial data constraining the dimensions and 

configuration of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) from the Last Glacial Maximum 

(LGM) through deglaciation to the present day, presenting evidence collected over many 

decades of Antarctic exploration. These data are used to reconstruct grounding-line 

recession in 5 kyr time-steps from 25 kyr BP to present. The APIS was grounded to the 

outer shelf/shelf edge at the LGM until ~ 20 kyr BP, and contained a series of fast-flowing 

ice streams that drained along cross-shelf bathymetric troughs. Recession in the east was 

underway by about 18 cal kyr BP. The earliest dates on recession in the west are from 

Bransfield Basin where recession was underway by 17.5 cal kyr BP. Ice streams were 

active during deglaciation at least until the ice sheet had pulled back to the mid-shelf. The 

timing of initial retreat decreased progressively southwards along the western AP shelf; 

Marguerite Trough Ice Stream remained grounded at the shelf edge until ~14 cal kyr BP, 

although thinning commenced by 18 kyr BP. Between 15-10 cal kyr BP the APIS 

underwent significant recession along the western AP margin, although recession 

between individual troughs was asynchronous. Ice in Marguerite Trough was still 

grounded on the mid-shelf at 10 cal kyr BP. In the Larsen-A region the transition from 

grounded to floating ice was established by 10.7 cal. kyr BP. The APIS had receded 

towards its present configuration in the western AP by the mid-Holocene but on the 

eastern Peninsula may have approached its present configuration several thousand years 

earlier, by the start of the Holocene. Mid to late-Holocene retreat was diachronous with 

stillstands, re-advances and changes in ice-shelf configuration being recorded in most 

places. Subglacial topography exerted a major control on grounding-line retreat with 

grounding-zone wedges, and thus by inference slow-downs or stillstands in the retreat of 

the grounding line, occurring, in some cases on reverse bed slopes. Together, these data 

provide new insights into ice sheet evolution, and a ‘revolution’ in our perception of ice 

sheet growth and decay.

T9 

Modern calibrations of potential palaeoecological proxies for methane emissions 

from thermokarst lakes 

K. L. Davies 1 *, M. E. Edwards 1 and P. G. Langdon 1 

1 PLUS, Geography & Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton 

Arctic and sub-Arctic regions are highly sensitive to climatic fluctuations and 21st century 

warming in these regions is projected to be more pronounced than anywhere else on 

Earth (IPCC, 2007). Thermokarst lakes (TKLs) are high-latitude phenomena which have 

recently been identified as a source of biogenic methane (CH 4 ) emissions (Walter et al., 

2006). This source of CH 4 has yet to be included in regional or global climate models as 

there is a high degree of variability in emission location and rate, even within a single lake, 

therefore, accurate predictions of CH 4 are difficult to obtain (Walter et al., 2006). There is a 

need to quantify the amount of CH 4 produced from TKLs over a range of timescales, in 

order to better inform climate modellers and to determine the true importance of these 

lakes as large-scale contributors to increased CH 4 levels in the atmosphere. 

The focus of this study is to test the applicability of stable isotope from chironomids and 

lipid biomarkers as indicators of CH 4 production in TKLs and aims to assess inter-lake and 

intra-lake variability in distribution of these signals. Lipid biomarkers were used to trace the 

presence of methanotrophic bacteria in the surface sediments of a TKL and non-TKL lake, 

whilst chironomid assemblage data and stable isotope measurements of larvae and head 

capsules were used to test the relationship between chironomid assemblages and CH 4 

presence. The data will be compared with actual emission flux to assess the ability of the 

proxies to reconstruct CH 4 

Preliminary biomarker results indicate methanotophic bacteria are present to some degree 

across both CH 4 and non-CH 4 emission areas and there is little evidence to suggest 

higher concentrations in CH 4 emission areas. From the current dataset, within lake 

variations in chironomid assemblages are present between areas of high and low CH 4 . 

The distribution of taxa such as Chironomus spp., show spatial heterogeneity across the 

lake, however, whether this relationship is linked to CH 4 or another variable such as depth 

is yet to be statistically determined. The δ 13 C values ranged from -30‰ to -39‰ and 

consistently were more depleted than the surrounding bulk sediments and macrophytes 

from the same sediment. This offset of δ 13 C is present regardless of sample position in 

relation to CH 4 emissions. Further work is being carried out to increase the size of the 

datasets in order to statistically validate the spatial patterns that have been observed. 

Keywords: Methane; chironomids; stable isotopes; thermokarst lakes 

IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the 

Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Core Writing Team, 

Pachauri, R. K. and Reisinger, A. [eds]). IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland, 104 pp. 

Walter, K. M., Zimov, S., Chanton, J. P., Verbyla, D., Chapin, F. S., 2006. Methane bubbling from 

Siberian thaw lakes as a positive feedback to climate warming. Nature 443, 71-5

T3 

Spatial and temporal variability of North American Monsoon during the Holocene 

S.J. Davies 1 *, J. Barron 2 , S. E. Metcalfe 3 

1 Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, SY23 

3DB 

2 United States Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, Colorado 94025-3561, USA 

3 School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD 

The North American Monsoon (NAM) is a vital moisture source for central and northern 

Mexico and the south-west USA. With climate change projections suggesting both 

increased temperatures and reduced precipitation in the region, a more complete 

understanding of long term variability and forcing mechanisms is required. Whilst a direct 

relationship between insolation and monsoon strength is to be expected through the 

Holocene, as exists for other monsoon regions, considerable variability is observed across 

the NAM region. The present day summer monsoon regime is influenced by precipitation 

from the Gulf of Mexico / Atlantic and the Gulf of California / Pacific, although there is 

regional variation in the relative importance of the two moisture sources. This results in a 

spatially variable response to forcings such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), 

the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). 

Seasonality of precipitation is also key factor, with winter rainfall being more important in 

the northern NAM region. 

Here, we bring together palaeoclimate data from both marine and continental proxy 

records to reconstruct spatial patterns of change in the NAM through the Holocene. The 

evidence indicates a muted response to enhanced orbital forcing during the early 

Holocene, which we attribute to the continuing influence of the residual Laurentide Ice 

Sheet. The monsoon appears to have been centred over a more westerly location at this 

time. By 7.5 cal ka BP, conditions were wetter than present across the region. A more 

complex picture emerges during the mid-Holocene, with more regional variability around 6 

cal ka BP. The interval between c. 3 and 4 cal. ka BP represents a period of major 

reorganisation in the NAM system. After this, conditions are generally drier and oscillating, 

particularly in the south, with a more southerly ITCZ and ENSO playing an important role 

in driving regional differences. 

Keywords: North American Monsoon; Holocene; ENSO; ITCZ

T3 

The nature of the Younger Dryas-Holocene transition and early Holocene ‘events' in 

the Near East: new insights from a sub-centennial resolution isotope record from 

Nar Gölü, central Turkey 

J.R. Dean 1 *, M.D. Jones 1 , S.E. Metcalfe 1 , M.J. Leng 2,3 , C.N. Roberts 4 and S.R. Noble 2 

1 School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD 

2 NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Nottingham NG12 5GG 

3 Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH 

4 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth PL4 8AA 

Uncertainty surrounds the nature of the Younger Dryas-Holocene transition in the Near 

East, in terms of magnitude and rate, and the existence or not of early Holocene 

centennial scale climate shifts found in other regions such as the 8.2 ka event. High 

resolution records are required to better understand climate changes over this key period 

and to investigate the degree to which shifts might be synchronous with changes 

elsewhere. This will improve our understanding of the controls on Near East climate. 

A 21.5 m sediment sequence, spanning the late glacial and Holocene, has been retrieved 

from Nar Gölü, a maar lake in central Turkey. A U-Th date provides a chronological tiepoint 

for a varved sequence that extends throughout the early Holocene. Oxygen isotope 

data from carbonates (here a proxy for water balance) are presented at an average 

resolution of 25 years, the highest resolution of any record thus far produced for the Near 

East in this period. 

These high resolution oxygen isotope data allow us to demonstrate that what is believed 

to be the Younger Dryas-Holocene transition in the Nar Gölü record occurred in less than 

a century, a rapidity more similar to that seen in the North Atlantic records than in those of 

the Asian monsoon from further east. Additionally, there are arid periods at approximately 

the same time in the Nar Gölü record as the 9.3 ka and 8.2 ka cooling ‘events’ in NGRIP 

(Rasmussen et al., 2006). 

The dry Younger Dryas, and the centennial scale returns to aridity at these two occasions 

in the early Holocene, suggest that the Near East is drier when the North Atlantic is cooler. 

The rapidity of the Younger Dryas-Holocene transition indicates a strong link between 

North Atlantic circulation and Near East hydroclimate, probably via Mediterranean storm 

track frequency and winter rains. However, the longer duration of the early Holocene 

aridity events at Nar Gölü, as seen in other records from outside of the North Atlantic 

region such as Qunf in Oman (Fleitmann et al., 2003) and Dongge in China (Dykoski et 

al., 2005), compared to shorter and more discrete ‘events’ seen in e.g. NGRIP and 

Ammersee (von Grafenstein et al., 1999), suggests there are additional controls on Near 

East hydroclimate such as changes driven by the Indian monsoon system. 

Keywords: Oxygen isotopes; Near East; 8.2 ka event; Younger Dryas-Holocene transition. 

Dykoski, C. A., Edwards, R. L., Cheng, H., Yuan, D. X., Cai, Y. J., Zhang, M. L., Lin, Y. S., Qing, J. M., 

An, Z. S. & Revenaugh, J. (2005). A high-resolution, absolute-dated Holocene and deglacial Asian 

monsoon record from Dongge Cave, China. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 233, 71-86. 

Fleitmann, D., Burns, S. J., Mudelsee, M., Neff, U., Kramers, J., Mangini, A. & Matter, A. (2003). 

Holocene forcing of the Indian monsoon recorded in a stalagmite from Southern Oman. Science, 300, 

1737-1739. 

Rasmussen, S. O., Andersen, K. K., Svenssen, A. M., Steffensen, J. P., Vinther, B. M., Clausen, H. B., 

Siggaard-Andersen, M. L., Johnsen, S. J., Larsen, L. B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Bigler, M., Rothlisberger, R., 

Fischer, H., Goto-Azuma, K., Hansson, M. E. & Ruth, U. (2006). A new Greenland ice core chronology 

for the last glacial termination. Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 111, 1-16. 

Von Grafenstein, U., Erlenkeuser, H., Brauer, A., Jouzel, J. & Johnsen, S. J. (1999). A mid-European 

decadal isotope-climate record from 15,500 to 5000 years BP. Science, 284, 1654-1657.

T5 

Glacial geomorphology of the Inner Hebrides based on new swath bathymetry data 

D. Dove* 1 , A. Finlayson 1 , T. Bradwell 1 , J.A. Howe 2 , R. Arosio 2 

1 British Geological Survey (BGS), Edinburgh 

2 Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS), Oban 

This project aims to map and describe the submarine glacial landscape in the Inner 

Hebrides sector of the former British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). As part of the MAREMAP 

Project (http://www.maremap.ac.uk), and to build on previous work (Howe et al., 2012), we 

are using recently acquired swath bathymetry data, collected primarily by the UKHO Civil 

Hydrography Programme, to characterise the geomorphology, sea-bed sediments, and 

bedrock geology of the Inner Hebrides region. With near continuous coverage from the 

Isle of Skye in the north to the Sound of Jura in the south, the new bathymetry data have 

been stitched together with onshore NextMap airborne radar data, both gridded at 5m 

resolution. 

Preliminary mapping has revealed extensive suites of well-preserved glacigenic landforms 

on the seabed associated with key ice flow and retreat stages of the BIIS following the 

Last Glacial Maximum. On multiple submarine rock platforms and within overdeepened 

troughs, diverse assemblages of glacially streamlined landforms are present, forming a 

geomorphic continuum between rock drumlins and mega-flutes. Offshore of Iona, 

superimposed streamlined bedforms indicate different phases of fast flow at the ice sheet 

bed. In the vicinity of Coll/Tiree, the convergence of flow sets suggest that ice sheet flow 

was organised into faster flowing topographically controlled corridors. Across the region, 

the streamlined landforms occur within a geographically controlled zone, semiindependent 

of the underlying geology. This is consistent with the onset zone of the 

Hebrides Ice Stream, as previously postulated (Howe et al., 2012). 

Submarine moraine ridges are observed widely across the survey area: within sea lochs, 

atop rock platforms and superimposed on glacially streamlined bedforms, as well as 

pinned to topographic highs (i.e. islands). Some retreat patterns reveal clear glacial 

recession towards respective catchments, while others are more ambiguous and are the 

focus of ongoing work. 

These new bathymetric data provide the opportunity to greatly improve offshore geology 

maps of the region, which are in increasing demand by governmental, commercial, and 

conservation groups. Furthermore, these data provide the opportunity to reassess 

onshore mapping, where clear offshore examples may provide insights into poorly 

understood geological and geomorphological features on land. 

Keywords: British and Irish Ice Sheet; Submarine Geomorphology; Ice stream; Hebrides; 

Deglaciation. 

Howe, JA, Dove, D, Bradwell, T & Gafeira J (2012) Submarine geomorphology and glacial history of 

the Sea of the Hebrides. Marine Geology 315-318: 64-76.

T8 

Measuring Landscape Resilience using tephra 

Dugmore A.J. 1 * and Streeter, R.T. 2 

1 Institute of Geography and the Lived Environment, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, 

Edinburgh, EH8 9XP 

2 Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, Irvine Building, 

North Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AL 

We report a novel use of volcanic ash layer variation as a measure of land surface 

resilience to better understand proximity to threshold-crossing change at the time of the 

ash fall. This is possible because the morphology of volcanic ash layers a few cm thick 

reflects surface stability and the spatial patterning of vegetation for the period the ash is 

exposed. We illustrate this with high-resolution thickness data from the Grímsvötn 2011 

tephra measured from within stable grassland into an area of active cryoturbation. As in 

the case of migrating rofabard erosion fronts and expanding deflation patches (Streeter 

and Dugmore 2013), these data show strong early warning signals of threshold change 

(rising autocorrelation and increasing standard deviation in the detrended data set). This 

shows the potential use of tephra layer morphology to interpret the resilience of past land 

surfaces marked by the abundant archive of buried tephra layers, and thus a new way to 

use terrestrial stratigraphy to understand processes of landscape evolution. 

Keywords: Tephra; resilience; early warning signals; thresholds; erosion. 

Streeter, R. and Dugmore, A. J. 2013 ‘Anticipating land surface change’: Proceedings of the National 

Academy of Sciences 110, 15, 5779-5784.

T2 

Revolution and evolution: 35 years of luminescence dating of sediments 

G.A.T. Duller 1 and H.M. Roberts 1 

1 Aberystwyth Luminescence Research Laboratory, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, 

Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, United Kingdom 

The first paper describing luminescence dating of Quaternary sediments was published 35 

years ago (Wintle and Huntley 1979). Since then a series of revolutionary developments 

have been made in the equipment available for measurement, in the methods used for 

analysis, and as a consequence in the applications that can be tackled. Luminescence 

now plays a major role in providing numerical chronology for the last 100,000 - 200,000 

years, and in the future it is hoped that this may be extended over much longer periods of 

the Quaternary. 

Major technological innovations over the last 35 years have included the development of 

automated equipment for measurement of luminescence signals, the discovery of optically 

stimulated luminescence, and the development of equipment for single grain 

measurements. Major advances in measurement protocols include the development of 

single aliquot methods for feldspar and quartz, and more recently the isolation of a stable 

signal from feldspars. These technological and procedural innovations have revolutionised 

the accuracy and precision of luminescence ages, making it possible for luminescence to 

make many major contributions to Quaternary sciences. These include radically improving 

our understanding of dust deposition and loess accumulation, revolutionising our 

understanding of the dynamics of the world’s major deserts, and rewriting archaeological 

interpretations of the peopling of Australia and the timing of innovations in the Middle 

Stone Age of Africa. 

Luminescence has a bright future, with exciting prospects for extending the age range 

over which it is possible to date, and in novel applications such as surface exposure dating 

and low temperature thermochronology. Together, it is hoped that the family of established 

and emerging luminescence dating techniques will soon be able to span the entire 

Quaternary Period, bringing in turn further revolutions in Quaternary science. 

Wintle, A. G. and D. J. Huntley (1979). Thermoluminescence dating of a deep-sea sediment core 

Nature 279: 710-712.

T10 

Changes in Soil Profile Characteristics due to Colonization along the Cape Fear 

River Flood Plain, North Carolina, USA. 

T. G. Enge 1 * 

1 Plymouth University, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences 

This novel study aims to identify the characteristics of the soil profile, overlying a buried 

subsurface horizon in a floodplain in North Carolina, USA. Previous work (Gray, 2009) 

established the presence of this buried horizon, associated with European settlement post 

1660, which marked the start of a time of drastic environmental impact: settlers plundered 

the extensive original woodlands, produced lumber, cleared space for agricultural 

production, leading to increased runoff and accelerated soil erosion (Craven, 1925; Hall, 

1948; Winberry and Stine, 2008). 

The Breecetract floodplain close to Elizabeth Town, North Carolina was chosen as study 

site, because of its well-recorded settlement history and overall isolation from invasive 

modern-day human disturbance. Five cores to a depth of 150 cm were recovered from the 

site along a transect using an AMS 9100-ATV PowerProbe. Additionally, pulseEKKO 100 

PRO Ground Penetrating Radar was used to investigate the presence of the buried 

horizon. Furthermore, the following laboratory methods were undertaken: 14C analysis of 

two samples, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) determination, Magnetic Susceptibility analysis, 

Particle Size Distribution analysis, X-ray Diffractometry and X-ray Fluorometric Analysis. 

Key result of the applied multi-proxy approach was the establishment of a geochronology. 

Radiocarbon dating of one sample (1647 ±25 years, 113cm depth) was consistent with 

Gray’s (2009) results (1660 ±40 years at 96cm depth) at a site 50 m away from the core, 

leading to the identification of a buried organic horizon at 80–100cm depth, based on 

SOC. This suggested rapid environmental change after 1660, where increased 

sedimentation buried the organic topsoil. 

Taking into account the two radiocarbon dates and Gray’s (2009) results, the 

sedimentation rate was estimated at 3mm a-1, since 1660 to today. Furthermore, 

magnetic susceptibility indicated rates of around 3.4mm a-1 from 113-40cm depth 

(40cm~1860s) and a decrease to 2.6mm a-1 from 40-0cm, which can be associated with 

land use change: from Naval Store production for the Crown (high erosion potential, 

peaked 1860s), over shifts to cotton and tobacco production (medium erosion potential, 

1860s to 1920s), to abandonment of agricultural production, to consequential reforestation 

(strongly reduced erosion potential, post 1920s) and introduction of soil conservation (post 

1940s) (Trimble, 1975). 

Another key feature at 12cm depth was a significant increase in the Pb/Al and Pb/Si ratios 

due to influx of anthropogenic lead, which could be dated to about 1965. Further planned 

work is continuing to refine the chronology of the profile based and correlate it to the 

historic record. 

Keywords: european settlement; buried soil horizon; geoarchaeology; human 

environmental impact. 

Craven, A.O., 1925. Soil exhaustion as a factor in the agricultural history of Virginia and Maryland, 

1606 – 1860. University of Illinois, Studies in Social Sciences, vol. 13, no.1. 

Gray, C.M., 2009. Buried soils as stratigraphic marker horizons on the Cape Fear River floodplain, 

Bladen County, North Carolina. Honors thesis, University of North Carolina Wilmington. 

Hall, A.R., 1948. Soil Erosion and Agriculture in the Southern Piedmont: A history. Durham: Duke 

University Press. 

Trimble, S.W., 1974. Non-induced Soil Erosion on the Southern Piedmont. Soil Conservation Society of 

America. 

Winberry, J.J., Stine, R.S., 2008. Settlement Geography of the Carolinas before 1900. In: A Geography 

of the Carolinas. Eds: Bennett, D.G., Patton, J.C. Boone: Parkway Publishers.

T5 

BRITICE-CHRONO, Transect 2: constraining rates and style of BIIS decay in the 

southern North Sea 

D.J.A. Evans 1 *, D.H. Roberts 1 and M.D. Bateman 2 

1 Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE 

2 Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Winter Street, Sheffield S10 2TN 

As part of the wider remit of the NERC funded consortium BRITICE-CHRONO, work on 

Transect 2 aims to collate and collect geological and geomorphological data on the 

onshore and offshore record of British-Irish Ice Sheet deglaciation, pertaining specifically 

to the former dynamics of the North Sea lobe during the LGM. This poster presents 

progress to date on the terrestrial record of deglaciation and focusses on the glacial 

landform-sediment assemblages along the eastern English coast. Dating control on the 

associated glacial stratigraphy is being compiled by OSL methods, whereby samples have 

been collected from glacifluvial and ice-contact shallow subaqueous deposits recording 

ice-marginal sedimentation. Depositional settings include: a) subaqueous fans deposited 

at oscillating ice sheet margins and include the Mill Hill Member (sands and gravels) 

interbedded with the Skipsea and Withernsea tills at Berrygate Hill, Little Catwick, Skipsea 

and Barmston on Holderness (Evans & Thomson 2010; Bateman et al. 2011); b) deltaic 

and/or outwash sequences recording proglacial deposition during deglaciation (North 

Ferriby in the Humber estuary, Filey on north Holderness, Marfield in the Vale of York) 

and/or ice marginal recession and readvance (Upgang, North Yorkshire; Roberts et al. 

2013; Welton le Wold in Lincolnshire); c) proglacial and potentially LGM maximum 

outwash at West Heslerton in the Vale of Pickering and North Cave on south Holderness. 

Future work will extend the sampling programme into Country Durham, specifically aimed 

at using a variety of dating techniques on the deposits of Glacial Lake Tees and Glacial 

Lake Wear, which were dammed by the recession of the North Sea lobe. The restricted 

number of exposures through potential sampling targets in Lincolnshire and north Norfolk 

will be resolved during the next phase of fieldwork, when drift mounds identified on 

Nextmap imagery and associated with previously mapped major moraine systems will be 

targeted for borehole drilling; these include glacitectonized outwash and lake sediments in 

the Stickney moraine in Norfolk (Pawley et al. 2006) and the numerous components of the 

extensive Killingholme-Hogsthorpe Moraine of the Lincolnshire coast (Straw 1961). 

Key words: BRITICE-CHRONO; British-Irish Ice Sheet; North Sea lobe; deglaciation 

chronology 

Bateman, M.D., Buckland, P.C., Whyte, M.A., Ashurst, R.A., Boulter, C., Panagiotakopulu, E. (2011) 

Re-evaluation of the Last Glacial Maximum typesite at Dimlington. Boreas 40, 573-584. 

Evans D.J.A. & Thomson S.A. (2010) Glacial sediments and landforms of Holderness, eastern 

England: A glacial depositional model for the North Sea Lobe of the British–Irish Ice Sheet. Earth- 

Science Reviews 101, 147–189 

Pawley S.M., Candy I. & Booth, S.J. (2006) The Late Devensian terminal moraine ridge at Garret Hill, 

Stiffkey valley, north Norfolk, England. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society 56, 31-39. 

Roberts D.H., Evans D.J.A., Lodwick J. & Cox N.J. (2013) The subglacial and ice-marginal signature of 

the North Sea Lobe of the British–Irish Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum at Upgang, North 

Yorkshire. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association 124, 503-519. 

Straw A. (1961) Drifts, meltwater channels and ice margins in the Lincolnshire Wolds. Transactions of 

the Institute of British Geographers, 29, 115–128.

T5 

Glacial Landsystems Working Group (GLWG): 15 years of field based research 

meetings on palaeoglaciological reconstruction 

D.J.A. Evans 1 *, D.H. Roberts 1 and C.R. Stokes 1 


GLWG was founded in 1998 by a group of glacial geomorphologists and sedimentologists 

interested in advancing our understanding of palaeoglaciological reconstruction in Britain 

and Ireland whilst simultaneously providing an outlet for the dissemination of results from 

ongoing landsystem style field investigations (e.g. Eyles 1983; Evans 2003). GLWG was a 

QRA working group from 2009-2012, but is an informal organization acting as a catalyst 

for research on landform/sediment associations and their application to glaciated 

landscapes. Dissemination of ongoing research material is undertaken during short field 

meetings at various locations in glaciated Britain and Ireland, focussing on critical sites 

and also often featuring short seminars and poster sessions, encouraging in particular the 

contributions of the postgraduate community. GLWG aims to provide a catalyst for 

constructive discussion on glaciated basins as they pertain to the glacial record, using the 

landsystems concept as a framework for holistic assessments of glacial 

sediment/landform associations and enabling the synthesis of data across a range of 

scales. Previous meetings have been held in SW Scotland (cross-cutting subglacial 

bedforms and ice-marginal landforms), west Wales (Irish Sea/Welsh ice sheet 

interactions), East Yorkshire (subaqueous fan and sub-marginal tills of the North Sea 

lobe), Kells in Ireland (subglacial bedforms and ice-marginal subaqueous deposits), North 

Pennines (subglacial bedforms), Northumberland (subglacial and ice-marginal 

sedimentation), South Loch Lomond (sub-marginal and ice-contact subaquaeous 

landform-sediment assemblages), north Norfolk (sedimentology and glacitectonics at the 

Anglian ice sheet margin), North Pennines/Solway Lowlands (cross-cutting subglacial 

bedforms, glacial stratigraphy and ice sheet dynamics), Durham and Yorkshire coast 

(North Sea lobe glacial sedimentology), Anglesey (subglacial bedform development in 

hard bedrock terrain), North Norfolk (glacitectonics workshop), Scottish Borders (Younger 

Dryas glaciation of the Tweedsmuir Hills), and the Cheshire-Shropshire lowlands (ice 

sheet marginal landform-sediment assemblages). Since its inception GLWG has not only 

organized field meetings but has also co-hosted: 1) the Ice Marginal Landsystems 

Conference at Keele (2000; see special edition of Sedimentary Geology (Evans & Russell 

2002); 2) a special session at INQUA 2007 on Modern analogues for Quaternary 

palaeoglaciology (see special edition of Quaternary Science Reviews, Evans 2009); 3) a 

special session at INQUA 2011 on Spatial and temporal change in glacial landsystems: 

implications for Quaternary palaeoglaciology; 4) the QRA Glacitectonics Workshop and 

field meeting 2011 (Phillips et al. 2011); 5) the INQUA Palaeo-ice streams symposium 

2001 (Clark et al 2003); 6) the QRA field meetings in the Solway Lowlands (Livingstone et 

al. 2010) and Northumberland/Durham/N Yorkshire (Davies et al 2013). 

Keywords: Glacial landsystems; palaeoglaciology 

Clark C.D., Evans D.J.A. & Piotrowski J.A. (2003) Palaeo-Ice Streams. Boreas 32. Davies B.J., Yorke L., 

Bridgland D.R. & Roberts D.H. (2013) The Quaternary of Northumberland, Durham and North Yorkshire. QRA, 

London. Evans D.J.A. (ed.) 2003. Glacial Landsystems. Arnold, London. 

Evans D.J.A. 2009. Special theme: Modern analogues in Quaternary palaeoglaciological reconstruction. 

Quaternary Science Reviews 28, 181-182. 

Evans D.J.A. & Russell A.J. 2002. Modern and Ancient Ice-marginal Landsystems. Sedimentary Geology 149, 

Issues 1-3. 

Eyles N. (ed.) 1983. Glacial Geology – A Landsystem Approach. Pergamon, Oxford.Livingstone S.J., Evans 

D.J.A. & Ó Cofaigh C. (eds.) (2010) The Quaternary of the Solway Lowlands and Pennine Escarpment – Field 

Guide. QRA, London: 154p. 

Phillips E.R., Lee J.R. & Evans H.M. 2011. Glacitectonics – Field Guide. QRA, London.

T2 

Improving surface exposure ages with a local UK production rate 

D. Fabel 1 *, J. Graham 1 , J. McKie 1 and S. Xu 2 

1 School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow 

2 Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, East Kilbride 

The past 20 years has witnessed the development and application of in-situ produced 

terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) measurements in minerals, resulting in significant 

advances in constraining Quaternary chronologies and understanding surface processes. 

Surface exposure ages are determined from the cosmogenic nuclide concentration in a 

sample divided by the cosmogenic nuclide production rate. However, for the most 

frequently used nuclide, beryllium-10 ( 10 Be) in quartz, the current global reference 

production rate applied in the most commonly utilised community exposure age calculator, 

has an uncertainty of 9%. This means that 10 Be exposure ages for surfaces created during 

events such as the Younger Dryas typically have uncertainties of ca. 1000 years, which is 

not precise enough to date events at different stages of the Younger Dryas, or similar 

length climatic oscillations. 

Here we present the outcome of two undergraduate laboratory projects that determined a 

local 10 Be production rate of 3.92 ± 0.18 atoms/g-SiO2/yr at the type section for the Loch 

Lomond Stadial (GS-1), and constrained the duration of the Lateglacial Interstade (GI-1) at 

this site to 2871 ± 260 years. Application of the new local 10 Be production rate increases 

ages previously calculated using the global reference production rate by about 13% and 

improves precision by a factor of 2. The implications of the revised 10 Be production rate 

are demonstrated by comparing published versus recalculated ages, resolving some 

previously enigmatic chronologies. 

Keywords: surface exposure dating; local UK production rate

T5 

A re-interpretation of the physiographic evolution of the southern end of the Vale of 

York from the mid-Pleistocene to Early Holocene 

W.A. Fairburn 1 * and M.D. Bateman 1 

1 Geography Department, Sheffield University, Winter St., Sheffield S10 2TN 

The recognition and mapping of planar terraces on the York Moraine led to the belief that 

these were shorelines of the Late Devensian proglacial Lake Humber and the hypothesis 

that the progressive demise of the lake was recognisable from stillstands (Fairburn, 2009). 

To test this landform mapping was initiated across the Vale of York and the flanks of the 

Wolds between Pocklington and Hessle to identify and record planar land surfaces, which 

had distinct topographic boundaries resulting from erosional and depositional processes. 

The results of this confirmed the earlier shoreline mapping and identified strandlines, at 

lower elevations, down to a terminal lake level of 5.0 m OD. Erosional and deposition 

effects associated with both stands and retreat stages of Lake Humber have deposited a 

sand mantle up to 2.0 m thick on the southern face of the moraine from transgressive and 

regressive shorelines. In addition, two sets of alluvial fans, originating from dry valleys in 

the Wolds from frost-fractured Chalk formation were recognised. The older set were 

terraced by shorelines of Lake Humber, in contrast to the younger set, which clearly postdated 

Lake Humber. Corroborative evidence for the existence of the shorelines has been 

provided by photography and LIDAR imagery. An additional objective was to establish a 

chronology for key mapped landforms based on luminescence dating of sand samples 

from shoreline deposits and younger fluvial events. 

The main conclusions of the research are that the older periglacial alluvial fans are from a 

previous glacial period (possibly OIS 8) and that the younger Late Devensian (OIS 2) 

glaciation retreated north of the York Moraine about 17 ka BP prior to the main phase of 

impounding Lake Humber. The dating of this event is based on an age for high-level 

Lake Humber of c. 16.6 ka (Bateman et al., 2008).The existing two stage model of 

proglacial Lake Humber is revised. Mapped shorelines, of this lake, now define an 8-stage 

regressive decline model for Lake Humber, from a high level Stage 1 at 42 m OD down to 

a low level (partly fluvial) Stage 8 at 5.0 m OD. Mapping has also revealed that the decline 

sequence appears to have been punctuated by short-lived, modest rises in lake level from 

oscillations of the blocking North Sea Ice Lobe. It has been established that the present 

southerly decline of the Vale of York is testimony to Holocene flooding and not to isostasy. 

Keywords: Lake Humber; periglacial alluvial fans; luminescence dating. 

Bateman, M.D., Buckland, P.C., Chase,B., Frederick,C.D. & Gaunt, G.D. 2008. The late Devensian 

proglacial lake Humber; new evidence from littoral deposits at Ferrybridge, England. Boreas, 37,195- 

210. 

Fairburn, W.A. 2009. Landforms and geological evolution of the Vale of York during the Late 

Devensian. Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society, 57, 145-153.

T5 

Geomorphology and dynamics of the British-Irish Ice Sheet in western Scotland 

A. Finlayson 1 *,T. Bradwell 1 , D. Sugden 2 , D. Fabel 3 


2 University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh 

3 University of Glasgow, Glasgow 

This project uses glacial sediments and landforms to examine the evolution of the British- 

Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) and its bed, in western Scotland. The topography of the subglacial 

landscape was an important influence on the location of dynamic and stable components 

of the ice sheet. At an ice cap scale, zones of glacier inception and retreat were linked to 

catchment elevation and size. At the ice sheet scale, the migration of ice divides and 

thermal boundaries were focused through corridors of low relief subglacial topography. 

The main west-east ice divide of the BIIS in central Scotland migrated by 60 km, 

approximately 10% of the ice sheet’s width, through one such corridor during the glacial 

cycle. A major change in the flow of the BIIS accompanied the development of a marinebased 

sector over the Malin Shelf. As the BIIS advanced to shelf edge, ice flow was 

drawn westwards, orthogonal to the earlier, geologically controlled, flow pattern. Retreat 

from the shelf edge occurred at an average rate of ~10 m a -1 , but was punctuated by at 

least one episode of accelerated retreat at ~100 m a -1 . In the zones of the BIIS examined, 

a rich palimpsest landscape is preserved and the role of earlier glaciations in conditioning 

or shaping the landscape is highlighted. Where the ice sheet was underlain by soft 

sediments, glacier movement at the bed was facilitated by a combination of basal sliding 

and a localised mosaic of shallow deforming spots, allowing landform and sediment 

preservation. In places, till deposition was focused over permeable substrates acting to 

seal the bed, promote lower effective pressures, and enhance motion by basal sliding. 

The modern land surface in western Scotland provides an approximation for the relief of 

the former glacier bed, and can be used for conceptual palaeoglaciological 

reconstructions. Areas of focused postglacial deposition have, however, obscured parts of 

the ice sheet bed, with demonstrable implications for quantitative palaeoglaciological 

analyses. Methods to improve the representation of the ice sheet bed in these areas are 

discussed and may be pertinent to future BIIS modelling exercises. 

Keywords: British-Irish Ice Sheet; western Scotland; glacial landscape; palaeoglaciology

T3 

Unforced variability in summer storm track position over the past millennium 

Mary Gagen 1 *, Eduardo Zorita 2 , Danny McCarroll 1 , Neil Loader 1 , Iain Robertson 1 , Giles 

Young 1 and the Millennium team 3 . 

1 Swansea University, Swansea 

2 HZG, Geesthacht, Germany 

3 EU 6th Framework Project Millennium 017008 

Disentangling the regional climate changes which are attributable to external forcings from 

the multidecadal internal variability is essential to estimate the range of regional future 

climate change. There are indications, in the recent past, of large multi-decadal excursions 

in European temperatures that do not match estimated external forcing. Here we analyse 

the simulated and reconstructed evolution of European summer temperatures over the last 

millennium in an attempt to identify where specific deviations are distinctly caused by 

internal processes. In addition to a forced, spatially homogeneous, temperature response 

to external forcing, we identify a pattern of unforced multidecadal variability that is best 

described by a north-south temperature dipole over Europe. In observations and climate 

simulations, this mode is linked to precipitation and cloud cover variability and represents 

a meridional variations of the summer storm tracks in the European-North Atlantic region. 

It expresses strongly in multi decadal phases centred on AD 1620 and 1900 and explains 

the recent period of cool, damp summers experienced by northern Europe. Our results 

indicate that storm tracks meridional vacillations may display wide, unforced, multidecadal 

variability. 

Keywords: Climate change; palaeoclimate; storm track; climate reconstruction; last 

millennium

T9 

The Anthropogenic Element in the Palaeoecology of the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall 

G. G. Garbett 1,2 

1 The Open University, Milton Keynes 

2 Cornwall College, Pool, Redruth, Cornwall 

The Lizard Peninsula is the most southerly point of the British Isles. It is well known for its 

rare plants resulting from its unusual geology and its near Mediterranean climate. The 

palaeoecology of the Peninsula’s 100 m OD Pliocene plateau has previously been under 

researched. Pollen diagrams from two sites on the plateau are presented here. 

The ‘Hendra’, diagram is from a 1.2 m core collected from the organic sediments of an 

abandoned river terrace approximately 50 m below the 100 m summit of the plateau. The 

basal 14 C date is 7489±64 cal. yrs BP. It indicates an early pine forest, gradually replaced 

by birch and hazel and finally, by 4383±137 BP, mixed deciduous woodland with locally 

abundant alder. By 2230±82 BP the woodland has been replaced by pasture and 

heathland with large Poaceae grains indicating arable agriculture. At about 1237±61 BP 

the heathland and woodland pollen largely disappears with a coincident increase in large 

Poaceae and pasture herb grains. 

The ‘Croft Pascoe’ diagram has been constructed from an 85 cm sediment core taken 

from a wet, linear feature on the summit of the plateau at Goonhilly Downs. The basal 

sediment’s 14 C date is 4152±254 BP and indicates a relatively open landscape with some 

oak and hazel, abundant grass and pasture herbs and with arable agriculture suggested 

by occasional large Poaceae grains. These have been provisionally identified as within 

the barley and oat/wheat groups of Andersen (1979). This pollen assemblage continues 

largely unchanged until 2788±48 BP when there are clear signs of an hiatus in the pollen 

record. By 569±57 BP the pollen rain is dominated by Ericaceae spp. particularly the 

endemic Cornish Heath. 

The first discussion point arising from these diagrams is the retreat of the pine forest 

approximately 3000 years later than elsewhere in the British Isles, although other sites in 

the south also show a late retreat (Groves et al., 2012). A second key finding is the 

indication of Bronze Age arable farming on the summit of the plateau. This area has not 

been farmed within the historical period suggesting very different climatic and edaphic 

conditions and the possibility of climate change resulting in the abandonment of the high 

plateau in the late Bronze Age. Finally the anthropogenic element in the development of 

the heathland is evident from both archives, with heathland existing alongside agriculture 

in its early stages. It was suppressed at Hendra by an increase in agricultural activity but 

at Croft Pascoe the abandonment of agriculture was followed by the domination of the 

plateau pollen by ericaceous species. 

Keywords: Lizard Peninsula; palaeoecology 

Andersen, S.T. (1979) Identification of wild grasses and cereal pollen. Danmarks 

Undersøgelse, Arbog, 1978, 69-72 

Geol 

Groves, J.A., Waller, M.P., Grant, M.J. and Schofield, J.E. (2012) Long-term development of a cultural 

landscape: the origins and dynamics of lowland heathland in southern England. Veget, Hist. 

Archaeobot. Published online 06.09.2012

T9 

Frontiers in tropical palaeoecology 

W.D. Gosling 1 *, E. Montoya 1 , H. Keen 1 , F. Matthews-Bird 1 , P. Jardine 1 , W.T. Fraser 2 & B. 

Lomax 3 

1 Department of Environment, Earth & Ecosystems, Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and 

Astronomical Research (CEPSAR), The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA 

2 Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Gibbs Building, Gipsy Lane, Headington, 

Oxford OX3 0BP 

3 School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Gateway Building, Sutton Bonington Campus, Sutton 

Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD 

Over the last few decades, among other things, palaeoecology has contributed to our 

understanding of vegetation community interactions, and patterns of broad scale 

environmental changes; notably the concept of no analogue vegetation assemblages 

(Jackson & Overpeck, 2000), and the relationship between biotic and abiotic components 

of global environmental (Swetnam et al., 1999). In comparison with Western Europe and 

North America, the tropics has relatively few palaeoecological studies, consequently our 

understanding of one of the most ecologically most important regions of the Earth is 

limited (Bush & Gosling, 2012). In order to improve understanding of tropical 

palaeoecology new sites need to be discovered, and techniques applied/developed to 

provide insight into how tropical systems might respond to projected future climate 

change. 

We have been pursuing a number of frontiers through which we hope to further 

understanding of tropical palaeoecology. Here we highlight some of our recent and ongoing 

technical developments. 

1. Improving the identification of tropical fossil pollen. At high and mid-latitudes pollen 

floras can be characterised by a few tens of pollen types. In the tropics pollen counts may 

contain a hundred different taxa. To facilitate better identification of tropical pollen we have 

been developing a searchable online pan-tropical pollen database based on herbarium 

reference material (Gosling et al., online). 

2. Extracting ecologically meaningful data from fossil pollen records. The high diversity of 

tropical vegetation means that extracting ecological information from the fossil pollen is 

fraught with difficulty. To ensure that inferences about pollen assemblage richness and 

evenness are robust we have developed a pollen count simulation model which allows 

statistically robust, sample specific, pollen count sizes to be estimated. 

3. Testing ecosystem dynamics and drivers of change. To establish the relationship 

between different elements of an ecosystem requires multiple proxy records are. To help 

tease apart different aspects of ecosystem interactions we have been developing the use 

of biological proxies (chironomids, non-pollen palynomorphs) (Montoya et al., 2010; 

Williams et al., 2012), and the chemical features of biological proxies (sporopollenin 

chemistry) (Lomax et al., 2008; Fraser et al., in review). Application and development of 

these proxies can provide new insight into ecosystems dynamics such as vegetation 

sensitivity (from pollen) to temperature change (from chironomids). 

Here we present examples of the development of these techniques and how they can be 

used to develop an enhanced understanding of past ecological change relevant to the 

future of tropical ecosystems. 

Bush, M.B. & Gosling, W.D. (2012) Environmental change in the humid tropics and monsoonal regions. 

The sage handbook of environmental change (ed. by J.A. Matthews, P.J. Bartlein, K.R. Briffa, A.G. 

Dawson, A. De Vernal, T. Denham, S.C. Fritz and F. Oldfield), pp. 113-140. SAGE, London.

Fraser, W.T., Watson, J.S., Sephton, M.A., Lomax, B.H., Harrington, G., Gosling, W.D. & Self, S. (in 

review) Changes in spore chemisrty appearance with increasing maturity. Review of Palaeobotany & 

Palynology 

Gosling, W.D., Miller, C.S. & Livingstone, D.A. (online) Atlas of the tropical west african pollen flora. 

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 

Jackson, S.T. & Overpeck, J.T. (2000) Responses of plant populations and communities to 

environmental changes of the late Quaternary. Paleobiology, 26, 194-220 

Lomax, B.H., Fraser, W.T., Sephton, M.A., Callaghan, T.V., Self, S., Harfoot, M., Pyle, J.A., Wellman, 

C.H. & Beerling, D.J. (2008) Plant spore walls as a record of long-term changes in Ultraviolet-B 

radiation. Nature Geoscience, 1, 592-596 

Montoya, E., Rull, V. & Van Geel, B. (2010) Non-pollen palynomorphs from surface sediments along an 

altitudinal transect of the Venezuelan Andes. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 

297, 169-183 

Swetnam, T.W., Allen, C.D. & Betancourt, J.L. (1999) Applied historical ecology: Using the past to 

manage for the future. Ecological Applications, 9, 1189-1206 

Williams, J.J., Brooks, S.J. & Gosling, W.D. (2012) Response of chironomids to late Pleistocene and 

Holocene environmental change in the eastern Bolivian Andes. Journal of Paleolimnology, 48, 485-501

T2 

Optimising the use of marine tephrochronology in the North Atlantic: A detailed 

investigation into the Faroe Marine Ash Zones II, III and IV 

A.J. Griggs 1 *, S.M. Davies 1 , P.A. Abbott 1 , T.L. Rasmussen 2 , A.P. Palmer 3 


8PP 

2 Department of Geology, University of Trømso, NO9037, Trømso, Norway 

3 Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, Egham Hill, Egham, TW20 0EX 

Tephrochronology is central to the INTIMATE goals to test the degree of climatic 

synchroneity during abrupt climatic events that punctuated the last glacial period. Since 

their identification in North Atlantic marine sequences, the Faroe Marine Ash Zone II 

(FMAZ-II), FMAZ-III and FMAZ-IV have received considerable attention due to their 

potential for high-precision synchronisation with the Greenland ice-cores. In order to 

optimise the use of these horizons as isochronous markers, a detailed re-investigation into 

the geochemical composition, sedimentology and the processes that deposited each ash 

zone is presented. Shard concentration profiles, geochemical homogeneity and microsedimentological 

structures are investigated for each ash zone preserved within core 

JM11-19PC, retrieved from the southeastern Norwegian Sea on the central North Faroe 

Slope. This approach allows a thorough assessment of primary ash-fall preservation and 

secondary depositional signals and demonstrates its values for assessing depositional 

integrity in the marine environment. Results indicate that the FMAZ II and IV are wellresolved 

primary deposits that can be used as isochrons for high precision correlation 

studies. We outline key recommendations for future marine tephrochronolgical studies and 

provide a protocol for optimising the application of marine tephras to meet the INTIMATE 

synchronisation goals. 

Keywords: cryptotephra; isochrones; taphonomy; palaeoclimatic correlation; Iceland

T10 

Human-environment-climate interactions during the mid-Holocene in Cumbria 

M.J. Grosvenor 1 *, R.T. Jones 1 , D.J. Charman 1 and C. Turney 2 

1 Geography, College of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter 

2 Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 

Human societal development during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition across Europe 

brought a widespread change towards a more resource intensive lifestyle in order to 

support a growing population. In Cumbria, this period coincides with the mid-Holocene, 

yet despite the wealth of environmental and archaeological research in the region, it is still 

unknown when the human population started to modify their lifestyle, how rapidly changes 

occurred, and to what extent the impacts varied regionally. Furthermore, there is a lack of 

high-resolution regional climate records for the mid-Holocene and this project seeks to 

investigate whether climate change may have driven humans to modify their lifestyle. 

Much of the previous research has identified mid-Holocene landscape change and 

suggested human activity being a likely driver (such as Oldfield and Statham, 1963; 

Pennington, 1964), whilst archaeological investigations indicate that land use was highly 

varied in the contrasting landscapes of Cumbria. Here, we revisit two contrasting sites 

that have previously been thought to contain human impact signals, and develop new 

high-resolution environmental datasets to provide a new level of insight. Additionally, by 

producing a detailed chronology, we are able to compare contrasting sites to highlight 

leads and lags in environmental change. As much of the existing archaeological 

evidence is not well dated, this research will assist in constraining the archaeological data. 

We use lake sediments from contrasting upland and lowland sites (Blea Tarn, Langdale 

and Urswick Tarn, Furness) to reconstruct the mid-Holocene environment and interpret 

these datasets in the context of existing archaeological evidence. High-resolution 

palynology and charcoal analysis, lake sediment geochemistry, and a chironomid-inferred 

temperature record are used for the proxy datasets which are linked between sites using 

high resolution radiocarbon chronologies. 

We are able to highlight the timing of a number of near synchronous vegetation changes, 

but also several that show a temporal offset between the upland and lowland 

environments, and changes occurring in only one environment. Fire history shows strong 

contrast between sites with a number of intensive shortlived charcoal peaks in the upland 

environment. Geochemistry provides an erosion history for the catchments which 

indicates periods of increased soil erosion and is closely linked to vegetation change. 

We show the timing of transition from predominantly natural landscapes to those 

containing differing human impact signals. It appears that an intensive but shortlived 

period of human activity can have substantial impact on the landscape as well as more 

sustained activity. 

Keywords: Neolithic; Mesolithic; Cumbria; Holocene; palynology; chironomids; 

geochemistry 

Oldfield, F., Statham, D.C. (1963) Pollen-analytical data from Urswick Tarn and Ellerside Moss, North 

Lancashire, New Phytologist 62(1) pp53-66 

Pennington, W. (1964) Pollen analyses from the deposits of six upland tarns in the Lake District, 

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London Series B, Biological Sciences, 248(746) 

pp205-244

T8 

Revolutions in micromorphology: new knowledge from real 3D fabric data and 

applications to subglacial traction tills. 

John Groves 1 *, Simon Carr 1 

1 Centre for Micromorphology, School of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End, 

London, E1 4NS 

Particle fabric data derived from subglacial tills is often used to constrain former ice flow 

direction and reconstruct stresses associated with mechanisms of subglacial sediment 

deposition and deformation. These processes are key indicators of ice-substrate coupling, 

a significant component controlling glacier dynamics. However, till macro-fabric data has 

come under significant criticism in recent years with operator bias, low sample populations 

(typically ~50 grains per sample) and small-scale spatial variation compounding to 

undermine traditional methods. The study of micro-fabric in till has revealed more subtle 

indicators of stress direction and magnitude, and has suggested systematic variations in 

particle size with particle fabric. However the 2D nature of thin-sections used for deriving 

microfabric compromises their legitimacy as indicators of complex 3D stresses. As such, 

there are several factors undermining the study of particle fabric, particularly the lack of 

true 3D data, with significant implications for understanding particle motion and fabric 

development during subglacial strain. 

We present true 3D micro-fabric data from a subglacial traction till deposited at Falljökull, 

Southeast Iceland. 10 samples of undisturbed till from three sites were scanned and 

analysed using high-resolution 3D X-ray computed tomography (X-ray µCT). Over 6,000 

particles are objectively identified using a machine-learning segmentation algorithm, and 

fabric data is extracted and presented alongside a full logging and traditional 

reconstructive investigation. Fabric is weighted by particle size and shape and 

discrepancies are noted with macro-fabric data. µCT has shown to add new and impartial 

data to the ongoing particle fabric debate. 

Keywords: X-ray tomography; particle fabric; subglacial till; micromorphology

T9 

Island Evolution: a ‘front-line’ biotic response to sea-level change 

Victoria Herridge 1 , David Richards 2 , Jean-Luc Schwenninger 3 , Ed Rhodes 4 , Kirsty 

Penkman 5 and Adrian Lister 1 . 

1 Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD 

2 School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, University Road, Bristol, BS8 1SS 

3 Research Laboratory of Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, 

Oxford, OX1 3QY 

4 Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA 

5 Department of Chemistry, University of York, York, YO10 5DD 

Island biodiversity is closely related to island area and distance from the mainland two 

characters unquestionably linked with eustatic sea level. Additionally, island populations 

typically have high evolutionary rates and are characterized by endemic and often unusual 

flora and fauna that are vulnerable to extinction. Thus we might expect island faunas to be 

affected to a greater extent, and at a faster rate, than those of the mainland – forming the 

‘front-line’ of biotic response to global sea-level change. Quaternary island systems show 

great potential for quantifying the evolutionary response of faunas to climatically driven 

environmental and associated sea-level changes characteristic of that period (Siddall et al 

2003). A widespread evolutionary response of insular Quaternary large mammals is 

extreme body size reduction (e.g. 100 kg elephant Palaeoloxodon falconeri on Sicily and 

Malta descended from 10,000 kg mainland species, P. antiquus). This phenomenon is 

usually ‘explained’ by the ‘Island Rule’, whereby small mammals become large and large 

mammals dwarf on islands. A paucity of geochronological information has hampered the 

consideration of insular body-size change within the context of the climatic fluctuations of 

the Quaternary, despite the fact that island conditions are significantly affected by climate 

and sea-level changes. Using new evidence, we make a preliminary assessment of the 

role that sea-level change may have played in driving the evolution of Mediterranean 

dwarf elephant and dwarf deer.

T8 

The Evolution of Periglacial Patterned Ground In East Anglia 

Stephen Hitchen 1 , Mark D. Bateman 1 *, Julian B. Murton 2 , Jonathan R. Lee 3 , and Philip L. 

Gibbard 4 

1 Geography Department, Sheffield University, Winter St., Sheffield S10 2TN 

2 Department of Geography, University of Sussex, Falmer, East Sussex BN1 9RH 

3 British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG 

4 Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Downing Place, Cambridge CB2 3EN 

During the Late Pleistocene, East Anglia in Britain experienced multiple cycles of 

periglacial activity. This research investigates whether the extensive well-developed 

chalkland patterned ground in this region was formed or reworked during one or more of 

these cycles or whether it reflects conditions during the Dimlington and/or Younger Dryas 

Stadials which were the last periods of intensive periglacial activity to affect lowland 

Britain. Using twenty-six coversand samples from six spatially diverse polygon and stripe 

sites, single grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) measurements have been 

used to differentiate post-depositional disturbance from sand deposited under periglacial 

conditions. Cluster analysis of this OSL data has been used to establish dominant ages of 

periglacial sand burial. These have been used to reconstruct re-activation histories of the 

periglacial phenomena thereby giving a better understanding of the timing and 

development of periglacial conditions in East Anglia. Results show multiple phases of 

activity within the last 90 -10 ka but nothing from earlier cold cycles. East Anglian 

polygons and stripes appeared to have been most active in four phases; (1) ~55-60 ka, (2) 

~31-35 ka, (3) ~20-22 ka and (4) ~11-12 ka. Most sites showed some activity around the 

Greenland Stadial 2a and the Younger Dryas Stadial but polygon sites showed a longer 

and more temporally and spatially varied record than those found at stripe sites. 

Interpreted phases of activity mostly coincide with stadials within the last glacialinterglacial 

cycle, possibly at the end of climatic cold phases. 

Keywords: stripes; polygons; coversand; luminescence dating.

T5 

Modelling the water isotope response to last interglacial changes in the West 

Antarctic Ice Sheet 

M. Holloway 1 *, P. Valdes 2 , L. Sime 3 , J. Singarayer 4 , J. Tindall 5 , M. Whipple 6 

1 The British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK 

1 School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; 


3 The British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK 

4 Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, UK; 

5 University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; 


A number of studies identify surface elevation to be a primary driver of spatial water 

isotope variations in Antarctic surface snow. Consequently a significant mass loss or gain 

of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) would be expected to cause changes in the water 

isotope record across Antarctic ice core sites. Analysis of sea level indicators for the last 

interglacial, around 125 to 128 ky, suggest a global sea level peak 6 to 9 m higher than 

present. We know from recent NEEM Greenland ice core results that Greenland likely 

provided a modest ~2m contribution towards this global sea level rise. This result implies 

that a last interglacial WAIS contribution is necessary to explain the last interglacial sea 

level maxima. 

Modelling the isotopic response to differing WAIS deglaciation scenarios using a fully 

coupled GCM can help isolate the contribution of individual processes and feedbacks to 

final isotopic signals recorded in Antarctic ice cores. This particular study uses the isotope 

enabled HadCM3 climate model to evaluate the spatial response of the oxygen-18 water 

isotope in Antarctic accumulation to altered WAIS configurations. Of particular interest are 

the effects of an altered WAIS configuration to changes in: atmospheric circulation 

patterns; moisture source regions; and the general relationship between temperature and 

isotopes recorded in ice cores. Model output is compared to Antarctic ice core isotopic 

observations to help understand how past WAIS ice sheet changes may be imprinted on 

Antarctic ice core water isotope records. 

Keywords: Paleoclimate modelling; Oxygen isotopes; Antarctic climate, West Antarctic Ice 

Sheet

T9 

Saltmarsh Ecosystem Responses to Historic Storm Events 

T.J. Holmes 1 *, K.A. Selby 1 , L.E. Whitmarsh 2 and C. D. Brown 1 

1 Environment Department, University of York, Heslington, York. YO10 5DD 

2 School of Psychology, University of Cardiff, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff. CF10 3AT 

Coastal ecosystems, such as saltmarshes and sand dunes, provide a range of important 

services from coastal protection and carbon sequestration to tourism and recreation. They 

are, however, subject to multiple use pressures from development, rising sea level and 

potential increases in the frequency and magnitude of storm events. Investigation of the 

resilience of these ecosystems to storm events is vital to support effective coastal zone 

management. 

This research is investigating how coastal saltmarsh environments have evolved over the 

last 150 years, with a particular focus on the effects of storm activity at three UK study 

sites; Spurn Point at the mouth of the Humber Estuary, the Essex Marshes and 

Morecambe Bay on the Lancashire and Cumbrian coastlines. Analysis of borehole 

sediment geochemistry and particle size, combined with pollen analysis will allow past 

environmental conditions to be reconstructed, thus enabling assessment of ecosystem 

responses and resilience to storm events. 

Initial fieldwork has identified potential storm deposits in the sediment cores and there 

appear to be correlations between proposed storm horizons, particle size and 

geochemistry. 

Keywords: storms; coastal ecosystem services; saltmarsh; sediment accumulation; 

geochemistry; pollen; resilience.

T9 

Biome dynamics in the Ohrid Basin (Albania, Macedonia) revealed by biomarkers 

and compound-specific isotopes ( 13 C, D) 

J. Holtvoeth 1 *, H. Vogel 2,3 , V. Valsecchi 4 , M.J. Leng 5 , S. Schouten 6 , B. Wagner 2 , T. 

Wagner 7 and G.A. Wolff 1 

1 University of Liverpool, School of Environmental Sciences, Liverpool 

2 University of Cologne, Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Cologne, Germany 

3 University of Bern, Institute of Geological Sciences, Bern, Switzerland 

4 University of Montpellier, Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution de Montpellier, France 

5 British Geological Survey, NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, Nottingham 

6 Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Marine Organic Biochemistry, Den Burg, 

Texel, The Netherlands 

7 University of Newcastle, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 

Currently, biome reconstructions using marine or lacustrine sedimentary archives are 

overwhelmingly based on pollen data. As such, they are principally reconstructions of the 

vegetation cover in the catchment of the study site. This approach, however, neglects the 

dynamics of the soil cover. Attempts to incorporate soil dynamics into paleoenvironmental 

studies have been made only recently and are generally based on the geochemical 

differences between soils, terrestrial vegetation and sediments. 

In order to better understand the dynamics of the soil carbon pool and its contributions to 

sedimentary organic matter (OM), we have investigated sediments of Lake Ohrid 

(Albania/Macedonia), one of the oldest lakes in the World (~1.6Ma). Sediment core 

Co1202 has been taken near the eastern shores of the lake and covers the past 136,000 

years. Our multi-proxy approach focussed on the period from 130 to 97ka and included 

elemental analysis (TOC, CaCO 3 ), biomarker analysis (TEX 86 /surface water temperature, 

lipid composition), carbonate carbon isotope (13Ccalcite) and compound-specific carbon 

and hydrogen isotope analysis ( 13 C and D of fatty acids) as well as palynology. For an 

improved knowledge of the organic geochemical fingerprints of the main contributors to 

sedimentary OM we also investigated modern materials such as leaf litter, soils, water 

plants and phytoplankton. 

Lipid distributions and compound-specific isotopes of modern materials reveal that midchain 

C 22 and C 24 n-fatty acids (FA) and n-alcohols (OH) are biosynthesised during litter 

degradation and increase relative to long-chain compounds from litter to soil. Furthermore, 

long-chain OH appear more resistant to degradation than FA. Ratios of mid-chain over 

long-chain compounds and of long-chain FA over OH in the sediments are thus recording 

changing overall contributions from the soil carbon pool as well as the level of degradation 

of the terrestrial plant matter. While carbonate sedimentation and surface water 

temperature appear closely linked to North Atlantic climate, these new lipid-based proxies 

provide valuable additional information as they incorporate basin-specific biome 

responses to climate change such as soil build-up and maturation lagging behind 

vegetation expansion. Abrupt shifts in several proxies can now be related to lake-level rise 

and the rapid inundation of marshy areas that led to a change in OM supply from forest 

vegetation and low-land soils in the catchment of Co1202. Finally, the correlation of 

carbonate carbon isotopes with soil OM degradation (long-chain FA/OH ratio) under stable 

humid conditions confirms that dissolution of the underlying limestone is influenced by the 

presence of substantial soils and enhanced soil respiration. 

Keywords: Lake Ohrid; biome reconstruction; biomarkers; Marine Isotope Stage 5; soil 

organic matter

T9 

Holocene ecosystem functions in arctic lake catchments 

E-J. Hopla 1 *, M. Van Hardenbroek 1 , M. Edwards 1 , P. Langdon 1 , A. Clark 1 

1 Palaeoenvironmental Laboratory University of Southampton, Geography and Environment, University 

of Southampton 

The Arctic is sensitive to climate change and it is predicted that the region will experience 

rapid changes with future global warming (Solomon et al, 2007). Vegetation is already 

responding to increasing global temperatures by migrating northwards in a process called 

“greening” (Jia et al. 2009; Forbes et al. 2010). It is currently unclear what the overall 

result of greening will be on the carbon cycle. Lakes are an important geographical feature 

in the Arctic and in light of future climate change understanding their ecosystem dynamics 

of the past and present is of significant interest. 

This project will primarily aim to reconstruct Holocene vegetation changes associated with 

past climate warming events in 3 sets of small lake catchments in Alaska, Greenland and 

Russia to help us to understand the long-term interactions between climate, vegetation 

and in lake processes. Testing reproducibility of the signals in our records within and 

between regions is a key element of the project. This poster focuses on two lakes within 

the Brooks Range of Alaska (1-2 km apart), Ruppert Lake and Lake 3. Preliminary pollen 

data at Lake 3 suggests a basal date of around 10,000 years BP with deciduous woodland 

dominated by popular and birch. The vegetation shifts into forest tundra with an increase 

in spruce followed by a rise in alder, which is consistent with previous research 

undertaken at Ruppert Lake (Higuera et al. 2009). Alder is a nitrogen-fixing tree and it is 

assumed that the introduction of this species into the catchment will have an effect on the 

N and in turn the C cycle. Catchment fire disturbances have been recorded within the 

charcoal record at Lake 3 and will be compared to pre-existing data from Ruppert Lake to 

strengthen the current understanding of fire histories in the region, to investigate how 

replicable these records are, and to link changes in fire regime to vegetation types and 

nutrient cycling in soils. 

Keywords: Holocene; arctic; lakes; pollen; carbon cycle 

Forbes, B.C., Macias Fauria, M., and Zetterberg, P. (2009) Russian Arctic warming and ‘greening’ are 

closely tracked by tundra shrub willows, Global Change Biology, 16 (5) 1542-1554 

Higuera, P.E., Brubaker, L.B., Anderson, P.M., Sheng Hu, F and Brown, T.A. (2009) Vegetation 

mediated the impacts of postglacial climate change on fire regimes in the south-central Brooks Range, 

Alaska, Ecological Monographs, 79(2) 201-219 

Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.) 

(2007) Contribution of Working group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental 

Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press. 

Jia, G.J., Epstein, H.E., and Walker, D.A. (2009) Vegetation greening in the Canadian arctic related to 

decadal warming, J.Environ.Monit, 11, 2231-2238

T5 

The Moffatdale RSF cluster, Southern Uplands: a paraglacial signal of concentrated 

erosion of bedrock 

D. Jarman 1 and D. Pearce 2 

1 Mountain Landform Research 


Awareness of RSF in the Southern Uplands has been negligible. A dense RSF cluster is 

identified around Moffatdale, on the south side of the 800 m-high Tweedsmuir Hills. With a 

total area of 3.11 km 2 , this group of 14 RSFs affects 7-8% of the catchment. This is one of 

the highest densities discovered in the British mountains. All RSF modes are represented, 

in steeply-dipping, generally weak metasediments. Three extensive, rather diffuse, slope 

deformations exceed 0.5 km 2 . The sites are generally beyond Younger Dryas limits and 

are thus a paraglacial response to the LGM (including associated glaciofluvial meltwater 

channel incisions). Sparse RSF across the rest of the Tweedsmuir Hills suggests that this 

cluster is associated with the unusual profundity of Moffatdale, a glaciated valley which 

has 650 m available relief, but is not a main fault trough. It implies that concentrated 

erosion of bedrock (CEB) may have occurred during recent glacial cycles, thus raising 

slope stresses above prevailing thresholds of stability, and provoking rebound breakouts. 

Most glaciated troughs are thought to have adapted to ice discharge earlier in the 

Pleistocene, with only low erosion rates latterly. Recent CEB by glacier ice might here be 

due to late-onset cirque and side-trough development in an easterly location, or to 

breaching of the regional divide, perhaps as icesheds and dispersal routes fluctuate, 

including by icestream piracy. However, incision of Moffatdale is also part of the very longterm 

re-equilibration of an asymmetry created by the opening of the Solway Basin, 

reflected in higher RSF incidence on the south side of the Southern Uplands divide. 

Keywords: Rock Slope Failure; Scotland,

T11 

Provenance of sweet chestnut in Britain: genetic, palaeoenvironmental and 

historical evidence from the Forest of Dean 

Rob Jarman 1 *, Frank M. Chambers 1 , Karen Russell 2 and Richard Harrison 3 

1 Centre for Environmental Change and Quaternary Research, University of Gloucestershire, 

Cheltenham 

2 K Russell Consulting Ltd., 6 The Avenue, Leighton Bromswold, PE28 5AW 

3 East Malling Research, East Malling, Kent 

The first introduction of Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) into England is thought 

variously to be medieval, Roman or possibly pre-Roman, with its provenance being 

southern Europe. However, wood remains from archaeological sites may be from imports, 

and so do not certainly attest to locally grown chestnut. Pollen may not have been evident 

at all sites where the tree was present. The Forest of Dean in SW Gloucestershire has 

been chosen as a study area to address the provenance of sweet chestnut on account of 

its Iron Age and Roman history and long continuity of land use as Royal Forest, purlieus 

and monastic Estates. Evidence will be sought for i) chronology of chestnut in Dean, using 

new pollen and charcoal evidence and previous archaeological/palaeoenvironmental 

studies; ii) provenance of chestnut population(s) in Dean, using genetic analysis of 

chestnut trees, compared with defined European genotypes; iii) cultural significance of 

chestnut in Dean, using historical/archival evidence. Historical evidence shows that 

chestnut was present in Dean in the Norman period, but its earlier presence remains to be 

investigated fully. A pre-Norman ‘hotspot’ for chestnut can be postulated in the area 

named “Dene” in Domesday Book. Genetic evidence will be provided from analysis of 

chestnut leaves from 115 sites across the region for their microsatellite markers (Buck et 

al., 2003; Martin et al. 2010). These will indicate the probable origin(s) of chestnut in 

Dean. Recovery sites for charcoal (charcoal hearths and iron bloomeries) and for 

pollen/woody remains will be sought, informed by LiDAR and archaeological survey data. 

Initial findings, derived from fieldwork, literature review and interviews in UK and 

continental Europe, are that identification of chestnut charcoal can be problematic but is 

feasible. Microsatellite markers can be used to define the geography of sweet chestnut 

populations, so referencing Dean chestnut against European genotypes is feasible 

(Mattioni et al. 2013). The research is intended to provide new evidence to indicate when 

chestnut came to England, whence and with whom. This will enable a review of the 

cultural (conservation) significance of sweet chestnut in England, which is important given 

both the threat of chestnut blight and silvicultural interest in sweet chestnut as a ‘futures’ 

tree in the context of projected future climate changes. 

Keywords: Sweet Chestnut; Forest of Dean; palaeoenvironment; genetics; provenance; 

cultural significance; chestnut blight. 

Buck, E.J., Hadonou, M., James, C.J., Blakesley, D., Russell, K., 2003: Isolation and characterization 

of polymorphic microsatellites in European chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.). Mol. Ecol. Notes, 3: 239- 

241. 

Martin, M. Angela., Mattioni, C., Cherubini, M., Taurchini, D., Villani, F., 2010: Genetic Diversity in 

European chestnut populations by means of genomic and genic microsatellite markers. Tree Genetics 

& Genomics, 6: 735-744. 

Mattioni, C., Martin M. Angela, Pollegioni, P., Cherubini, M., Villani, F., 2013: Microsatellite markers 

reveal a strong geographical structure in European populations of Castanea sativa (Fagaceae): 

evidence for multiple glacial refugia. American Journal of Botany 100(5): 000–000. 2013. 

http://www.amjbot.org/cgi/doi/10.3732/ajb.1200194.

T11 

Combining palynology and ecological genetics to investigate the postglacial history 

of Araucaria araucana (the Monkey Puzzle tree) in South America. 

K. Johnson 1 * 

1 School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast 

Research utilising standard palynological techniques based in Patagonia is difficult in 

certain regions due to the presence of impenetrable tephra layers in lakes. This study 

aimed to investigate the potential of combining techniques to further our understanding of 

vegetation dynamics northern Patagonia, a region home to the culturally significant 

conifer, the Monkey Puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana). Palynological analysis of a core 

from Laguna Villa Pehuenia sur, Neuquén, highlighted the presence of A. araucana pollen 

throughout the 2,500 year old record. Pollen from the A. araucana tree holds potential for 

ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis due to its large size (80 μm) and thick exine, aiding 

preservation in sediments. Analysis of aDNA from individual pollen grains from the 

sediment core highlighted a long microsatellite (repeating sequences of DNA) in the 

chloroplast region, an area of DNA paternally inherited in conifers. This microsatellite was 

also identical in length to the modern, fresh and herbarium needle samples of A. 

araucana. Results show A. araucana survived in situ in the region through the last 

glaciation in Northern Patagonia, and the genetic variability has not changed in the last 

2,500 years. The research suggests if suitable pollen grains are present, aDNA can 

provide a valuable link between spatial and temporal vegetation dynamics, however there 

are other important factors to consider, such as the age of pollen grains, concentration of 

pollen grains in sediment, and genetic mutation rates of the chosen species. 

Keywords: palaeoecology; pollen; ancient DNA; phylogeography; phylogenetics

T9 

Peatland development in Amazonia: palaeobotanical and stratigraphic evidence 

T.J. Kelly 1 *, I.T. Lawson 1 , K.H. Roucoux 1 , and T. R. Baker 1 . 

1 School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds 

Amazonian floodplains occupy around 800,000 km 2 , with forested wetlands constituting a 

significant proportion of the lowland Amazon (c. 30%; Junk et al., 2013), yet we know very 

little about their palaeoecological history. The discovery of large peatland areas in northeast 

Peru (Lähteenoja et al., 2009) has brought to light a new archive of information in the 

Amazonian lowlands which can be used to improve our knowledge of these systems. 

This study aims to use pollen analysis to investigate the causes of vegetation change in a 

tropical peatland in Peru (Quistococha) over the last 5,000 years. Together with an 

existing peatland pollen record (see Roucoux et al., 2013), we have studied a lake core, 

and a further four peat cores from across the site; this is therefore one of the most 

comprehensive multi-core pollen studies of any tropical wetland. 

Comparison of our lake record with the peatland pollen data reveals some important 

differences in the pattern and timing of vegetation development recorded in each 

depositional environment. Whilst several vegetation changes are recorded at the same 

time in both cores (e.g. a decline in the secondary growth tree Cecropia which directly 

precedes peat initiation), in the lake record Mauritia type pollen becomes abundant c. 750 

years before the increase is recorded in the peatland. The pollen source area of each peat 

core is likely to be smaller than that of the lake core due to the presence of closed canopy 

forest on the peat for much of its history. The difference in timing between the two 

depositional environments probably reflects differences in the timing of palm swamp 

expansion in the peatland and the wider floodplain. 

Vegetation changes in the five peatland records show some strong similarities. This 

suggests that a single core taken from the deepest point can indeed represent the main 

vegetation changes through time for a given site. However, the additional four peatland 

records have also revealed several past vegetation phases, including a one with abundant 

Ficus, a Symmeria paniculata phase, and a Euterpe-type palm phase, not recorded in the 

original core (cf. Roucoux et al., 2013). Thus, the additional cores have added useful 

spatial detail which can help when inferring developmental drivers. 

Keywords: peat; pollen; palm swamp; wetland; aguajal 

Junk WJ, Piedade MTF, Lourival R, Wittmann F, Kandus P, Lacerda LD, Bozelli RL, Esteves FA, 

Nunes da Cunha C, Maltchik L, Schongart J, Schaeffer-Novelli Y, and Agostinho AA (2013) Brazilian 

wetlands: their definition, delineation, and classification 

for research, sustainable management, and protection. Aquatic Conserv: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. DOI: 

10.1002/aqc.2386 

Lähteenoja O, Ruokolainen K, Schulman L and Oinonen M (2009) Amazonian peatlands: an ignored C 

sink and potential source. Global Change Biology 15: 2311-2320. 

Roucoux KH, Lawson IT, Jones TD, Baker TR, Coronado EN, Gosling WD and Lähteenoja O (2013) 

Vegetation development in an Amazonian peatland. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, 

Palaeoecology 374: 242-255.

Figure 1: The palm swamp forest at Quistococha. Three species dominate the vegetation at this 

site: Tabebuia insignis Sandwith and the palms Mauritia flexuosa L. and Mauritiella armata (Mart.) 

Burrett together represent 82% of the individuals.

T9 

Reconstructing the changing climate and landscapes of the Scottish North Atlantic 

Islands 

M.V. Kingsbury 1 *, R. McCulloch 1 , E. Tisdall 1 

1 University of Stirling Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Stirling 

The Northern Scottish Islands in the Atlantic Ocean are located in a unique transitional 

area between the Atlantic and the North Sea, on the edge of deep ocean and the 

European continental shelf, and are heavily influenced climatically by the North Atlantic 

current and the Shelf Edge Current (Biglow et al. 2005). The islands have been subjected 

to extreme shifts in climate over thousands of years as a result of changes in the North 

Atlantic Oscillation and thermohaline current which currently brings warm water from the 

tropics. It has been predicted that these currents could change in the future due to melting 

seas ice and other climate forcing, which in turn will alter the present climate regime (Bigg 

2003). The majority of research into past climates in this region has been constrained to 

archaeological sites and can be discontinuous due to the episodic nature of study sites 

(Biglow et al. 2005) or at a low temporal resolution which would not detect changes over 

shorter time-scales (Nesje et al. 2006). 

I propose to examine lakes in a transect from Shetland and Orkney to the Western Isles to 

provide the context of the overall changes that have occurred in this region during the 

early Holocene. For this study, lakes will be sampled for pollen, diatoms, and a suite of 

geomorphological variables. Pollen and diatoms have established sensitivities to different 

indicators and will be used in conjunction with other variables to explore the following 

questions: i) Provide more detail to the timing of events determined by pollen records by 

using different proxies, and to determine (if possible) what dominant environmental 

variables may be driving these responses; ii) Determine if changes correlate to sea ice 

cover, alterations of sea currents or storm events from published data; iii) Provide a 

continuous palaeoenvironmental record to reconstruct the changing physical and cultural 

landscape in the region. The results will integrated into existing palaeoenvironmental 

records from other locales (Northern Scotland, Greenland, Iceland, The Faroe Islands, 

and Norway). 

This project will provide high-resolution records of palaeoclimate and the changing 

landscape for the region, thus determining if localized events at occupation sites coincides 

with regional climate changes. Having a better understanding on how the climate 

changed in the past at a higher resolution in the North Atlantic Ocean and the subsequent 

terrestrial response will aid in the development of models for predicting future events on a 

more regional scale. 

Keywords: Scotland; North Atlantic; palaeolimnology; palynology; Holocene; climate 

change; islands; landscape reconstruction

T3 

SCOPSCO Lake Ohrid deep drilling project: understanding the climatic history and 

biological evolution of an ancient European lake 

Jack H. Lacey 1 *, Melanie J. Leng 1,2 , Alexander Francke 3 , Bernd Wagner 3 

1 Department of Geology, University of Leicester, LE1 7RH 

2 NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory (NIGL) British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG 

3 Institute for Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, 50674 Köln, Germany 

Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania) is the oldest lake in modern Europe, forming during the 

Pliocene-Lower Pleistocene, and exhibits an outstanding degree of endemic biodiversity 

with over 210 described unique species; when overall size is taken into account this 

makes it the most biologically diverse in the world. Lake Ohrid has been the subject of 

intensive research over the last decade, where past climate, environment and tectonics 

have been investigated to show that the lake provides a high-resolution archive suitable 

for long-term palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. To date, there have been several short 

cores recovered that span the last glacial-interglacial cycle and in Spring 2013 the ICDP 

SCOPSCO deep drilling project retrieved a total of 2.1 km of core from 4 separate 

localities. Regarded as one of the most successful ICDP lake drilling campaigns ever, the 

project recovered a 568 m composite profile from thick, undisturbed sediments in the 

center of the lake that likely covers >1.2 million years of Mediterranean history. The 

SCOPSCO project aims to study: (1) the age and origin of the lake, (2) the seismotectonic 

history of the area, (3) the climatic change and volcanic activity in the central northern 

Mediterranean and (4) the link between geological/environmental events and the 

extraordinary endemic biodiversity. Initial results from borehole logging, geochemical and 

magnetic susceptibility data suggest the lake is highly sensitive to global temperature 

changes, where carbonate precipitation and preservation tracks glacial-interglacial cycles. 

A core recovered in June 2011 has been investigated to provide the highest-resolution 

and best chronologically constrained record so far through the Late Glacial-Holocene, 

which will act as a recent calibration to reconstruct climate and hydrology over the entire 

lake history. 

Keywords: Lake Ohrid; Mediterranean; Pleistocene; palaeolimnology; stable isotopes; 

endemism

T10 

The Hominin sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project: testing hypotheses of climatedriven 

human evolution and dispersal at Chew Bahir, Ethiopia 

Henry Lamb 1 , Andrew Cohen 2 , Frank Schäbitz 3 , Asfawossen Asrat 4 , Philip Barker 5 , Richard Bates 6 , 

Sarah Davies 1 *, Alan Deino 7 , Verena Förster 3 , Matthew Grove 8 , David Huws 9 , Annett Junginger 10 , 

Mathias Konrad-Schmolke 10 , Christine Lane 11 , Melanie Leng 12,13 , Darren Mark 14 , Erin Martin-Jones 1 , 

Nick Pearce 1 , Emma Pearson 15 , Marvin Preusse 10 , Christopher Ramsey 11 , Timothy Raub 6 , Janet 

Rethemeyer 16 Helen Roberts 1 , Christian Rogass 17 Martin Trauth 10 , Finn Viehberg 16 Giday 

Woldegabriel 18 

1 Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth 

2 Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, 1040E 4th Street, Tucson, USA 

3 Seminar of Geography and Education, University of Cologne, 50931, Germany 

4 School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University 

5 Lancaster Environment Centre, Bailrigg, Lancaster 

6 School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews 

7 Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA 

8 School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool 


10 Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 

14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany 

11 Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, School of Archaeology, University of 

Oxford, Dyson Perrins Building, South Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3QY 

12 Department of Geology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester 

13 NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth 

14 NERC Argon Isotope Facility, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Scottish 

Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride, G75 0QF 

15 School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne 

16 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, Zulpischer Str. 49a, Germany 

17 Heimholtz Centre Potsdam, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 

Germany 

18 Los Alamos National Laboratory, PO Box 166, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA 

There are numerous hypotheses linking climatic trends, events and variability to human 

origins, evolution and dispersal. Long palaeoenvironmental records from continental sites 

that may allow tests of these hypotheses are only now becoming available, but most are 

distant from fossil human sites. The Hominin Sites and Paleolakes Drilling Project 

(HSPDP) aims to obtain long continuous sediment cores spanning critical intervals of 

evolutionary history from lacustrine sites close to globally significant hominin sites in East 

Africa. Together, the five sites – Northern Awash and Chew Bahir, Ethiopia; West 

Turkana, Baringo Basin and Lake Magadi, Kenya – will provide multi-proxy records 

spanning the last 4 million years. This will allow us to correlate and compare 

environmental changes to the more fragmentary record of evolution, dispersal, extinction 

and cultural innovation. The project team will evaluate models of climatic and tectonic 

forcing of environmental processes and landscape resources. We will test hypotheses 

linking climate variability to physical and cultural evolution. The project is supported by the 

International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP), NSF (USA), DFG (Germany) and by 

NERC (UK). Drilling began in June 2013 in Kenya. 

NERC funded research focuses on the Chew Bahir site in Ethiopia, where a survey of 

basin sediments using 2D electrical resistivity tomography was completed in October 2013 

and drilling of a 400 m core is scheduled for December 2013. A team of UK Quaternary 

scientists will work with German and Ethiopian colleagues to produce a multi-proxy record 

which is anticipated will cover the last c. 500,000 years. Detailed analysis will focus on 

identifying the nature of climate variability during the penultimate glacial-interglacial 

transition (Termination II: c. 125-135 ka), once an outline chronology has been 

established. Key proxies are: high-resolution geochemistry; isotopes (δ 13 C, δ1 8 Ocarb,

δ 18 Odiatom); biomarkers; pollen; diatoms; ostracods and magnetic properties. The 

chronological framework will be constructed using radiocarbon, Post-IR IR luminescence 

and 40Ar-39Ar dating along with tephrochronology, which will be used to correlate 

between sites where possible. The record of climatic and ecological change, from Chew 

Bahir, along with previous data from Lake Tana, will be used as model input to test the 

hypothesis that periods of high climatic variability correlate with key biological and cultural 

transitions. 

Keywords: Human evolution; East Africa; Ethiopia; Kenya; Termination II

T2 

Pushing the boundaries of the early Pleistocene in the North Sea: new insights from 

3D seismic interpretation 

Rachel Lamb 1 *, Mads Huuse 1 , Margaret Stewart 2 , Simon H. Brocklehurst 1 

1 School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester 

2 British Geological Society, Murchison House, Edinburgh 

The identification and mapping of the base-Quaternary boundary in the central parts of the 

North Sea is problematic due to the change from an unconformable transition between 

Pliocene and Pleistocene deltaic deposits in the southern North Sea to a conformable one 

further north (Sejrup et al 1991; Gatliff et al 1994). The best estimates of the transition use 

seismic reflection data to identify a ‘crenulated reflector’ (Buckley 2012), or rely on 

correlating sparse biostratigraphy (Cameron et al 1987). Recent integration of 

biostratigraphy, pollen analysis, paleomagnetism and amino acid analysis in the Dutch 

and Danish sectors (Rasmussen et al 2005; Kuhlmann et al 2006) allows greater 

confidence in the correlation to a regional 3D seismic dataset and show that the base- 

Quaternary can be mapped across the entire basin. 

The base-Quaternary has been mapped using the PGS MegaSurvey dataset from wells in 

the Danish Sector along the initially unconformable horizon and down the delta front into 

the more conformable basin giving a high degree of confidence in the horizon pick. The 

mapped horizon is presented here alongside the difference between this new 

interpretation and the traditional base-Quaternary (Buckley 2012). The new base- 

Quaternary surface reaches a depth of 1248 ms TWT showing an elongate basin shape 

that follows the underlying structure of the Central Graben. The difference between the 

new base-Quaternary and the traditional base-Quaternary reaches a maximum of over 

600 ms TWT in the south-west with over 300 ms TWT at the Josephine well (56°36.11’N, 

2°27.09’E) in the centre of the basin. 

The new base-Quaternary boundary has been investigated using RMS amplitudes and 

amplitude variance across the horizon and in time slice to interpret the environments of 

the earliest Quaternary prior to the onset of glaciation. Analysis of aligned elongate 

furrows over 10 km long, 100 m wide and 100 ms deep suggest a deep marine 

environment with persistent strong NW-SE bottom currents in the deepest parts of the 

basin, while pockmarks are formed by the escape of shallow gas on the sides of a small 

delta in the eastern part of the basin. The advancement of large deltas from both the north 

and south into the basin make up the majority of the deposition of sediment into the basin. 

Keywords: base-Quaternary; seismic interpretation; paleoenvironments 

Buckley, F.A., (2012) ‘An Early Pleistocene grounded ice sheet in the Central North Sea’ From: Huuse, M., 

Redfern, J., Le Heron, D.P., Dixon, R.J., Moscariello, A., Craig, J. (eds) ‘Glaciogenic reservoirs and 

Hydrocarbon Systems’ Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 368 

Cameron, T.D.J., Stoker, M.S., Long, D., (1987) ‘The history of Quaternary sedimentation in the UK sector of 

the North Sea Basin’ Journal of the Geological Society, 144, 43-58 

Gatliff, R.W, Richards, P.C, Smith, K, Graham, C.C, McCormac, M, Smith, N.J.P, Long, D, Cameron, T.D.J, 

Evans, D, Stevenson, A.G, Bulat, J, Ritchie, J.D, (1994) ‘United Kingdom offshore regional report: the geology 

of the central North Sea.’ London: HMSO for the British Geological Survey 

Kulhmann, G., Langereis C.G., Munsterman, D., van Leeuwen, R.-J., Verreussel, R., Meulenkamp, J.E., 

Wong, Th.E., 2006 ‘Intergrated chronostratigraphy of the Pliocene-Pliestocene interval and its relation to the 

regional stratigraphical stages in the Southern North Sea region’ Netherlands Journal of Geosciences 85(1), 

29-45 

Rasmussen, E.A., Vejbӕk O.V., Bidstrup, T., Piasecki, S., Dybkjӕr, K., 2005 ‘Late Cenozoic depositional 

history of the Danish North Sea Basin: implications for the petroleum systems in the Kraka, Halfdan, Siri and 

Nini fields’, Petroleum Geology Conference series 6, 1347-1358 

Sejrup, H.P., Aareseth, I., Haflidason, H., 1991 ‘The Quaternary succession in the northern North Sea’ Marine 

Geology 101 103-111

T3 

Quaternary revelations: the role of Climatica in public-outreach 

T. P. Lane 1 *, K. R. Adamson 2 , R. S. Jones 3 

1 Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, United Kingdom 

2 Geography, Queen Mary, University of London, London, E1 4NS, United Kingdom 

3 Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, PO Box 600, New Zealand 

The subject of ‘climate change’ now extends far beyond the academic realm and plays an 

important role in politics, policies, and daily activities. Public outreach is now a vital 

component of climate science research. However, effective public engagement can be 

challenging. These issues were highlighted at the QRA Annual Discussion Meeting in 

2010, where the need for a reliable outreach platform was identified. Funded by the QRA 

and the Geological Society, Climatica.org.uk is a web-based initiative aiming to develop 

high quality science-public interaction. We use a combination of background material and 

original research articles, written by leading scientists and delivered directly to the public. 

Our articles address a range of earth and climate science domains, with a strong 

emphasis on Quaternary science. 

Since our launch in August 2013, we have already published 15 expert articles, and have 

confirmed a further 10 contributors. These cover key issues such as: Antarctic glaciation; 

the Anthropocene; and forest fires. To ensure a balanced approach to public-science 

discourse, we also support scientists in developing their outreach skills. In 2012 the 

Climatica team led a science outreach discussion forum at the QRA ADM. In 2014, we will 

convene a science communication skills workshop at the EGU in Vienna. Through our 

engagement with social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, we now have a global 

audience. This has led to several high profile outreach opportunities, including: publication 

in The Guardian; collaboration with the World Bank Connect 4 Climate coalition; invited 

membership to the AGU expert outreach network; and participation in a recent climate 

change documentary as outreach and Quaternary science experts. 

Through forging a supportive outreach community, Climatica is becoming a trusted 

science communication platform. Public outreach will continue to be a key aspect of 

scientific research output. The continued success of outreach projects relies on the 

development of an open and supportive scientist-public discourse. 

Keywords: science communication; climate research; public outreach; knowledge 

dissemination

T3 

Summer temperature gradients in northwest Europe during the Lateglacial to early 

Holocene transition (15-8ka BP) inferred from chironomid assemblages 

Langdon, P.G. 1 * and Brooks, S.J. 2 

1 Geography and Environment, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ 

2 Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD 

We present a series of summer air temperature isotherm maps based on chironomidinferred 

temperatures from northwest Europe, covering the Lateglacial and early Holocene 

(15-8 ka BP). These maps are the first of their kind, and use data derived from 22 

Lateglacial sites and 34 early Holocene sites. The isotherms are generated by weighted 

spatial interpolation (kriging). The major patterns of chironomid-inferred summer 

temperatures are spatially well-resolved in both the Lateglacial and early Holocene. The 

isotherm maps indicate that there was a strong west to east gradient during the Lateglacial 

Interstadial (GI-1) due to the influence of thermohaline circulation in the regions bordering 

the north Atlantic, which diminishes eastwards. A strong north to south temperature 

gradient is also apparent, particularly in eastern regions, influenced by the extent of the 

Scandinavian ice-cap. Peak temperatures are achieved early in the Interstadial in the 

south of the region but occur towards the end of the Interstadial in the north. Holocene 

warming varies spatially and temporally and is earliest in the south and east, but later in 

the north and west. During the period covered in our study maximum warmth is reached 

ca. 10 ka BP. The chironomid-based Lateglacial isotherm maps are compared with 

previously published isotherm maps from the same region based on beetle-inferred 

temperatures. While the trends shown in the two datasets are similar, beetle-inferred 

temperatures are often warmer than chironomid-inferred temperatures. This is especially 

marked in GI-1e and may be due to microclimatic effects causing the chironomids to 

underestimate air temperatures and/or the beetles to over-estimate air temperatures. The 

spatial coherence between sites in both the Lateglacial and early Holocene suggest that 

the chironomid-based temperature estimates are largely reliable, although data testing 

suggests that estimates from southern Scandinavia may be less reliable perhaps due to 

high topographical relief influencing local climate. More data points are required, 

particularly from northwest Scotland, southwest England and Wales, northeast France, 

Denmark, Finland and the Baltic States, to confirm trends and provide even coverage and 

a denser network of sites. 

Keywords: European isotherm maps; mutual climatic range; chironomids; beetles; 

Lateglacial; Holocene

T8 

Late-Middle to Late Pleistocene deposits of the lower River Nene, eastern England, 

and implications for stratigraphical interpretation 

H. E. Langford 

Department of Geography, Environment and Development Studies, Birbeck University of London, Malet 

Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom 

Correlation of British Pleistocene fluvial deposits historically relied upon subjective 

altitudinal qrouping of disparate sand and gravel bodies on valley sides, valley floors and 

interfluves. Over recent decades this has been supplemented by lithological, 

biostratigraphical and age-estimate data (mostly amino acid racemization and optically 

stimulated luminescence), generally within the established terrace systems. Detailed 

sedimentary facies analysis of fluvial deposits has been the exception rather than the rule. 

Likewise, the three-tier terrace system of the River Nene is based on historical altitudinal 

grouping representing temporally distinct periods of aggradation. More recently proposed 

revisions have questioned this simplistic triparte division and recognized greater 

complexity within the terrace system, but without amending the altitudinal parameters or 

components of the historical grouping. Sedimentological, palaeoecological and ageestimate 

studies on the sedimentary succession at Whittlesey, eastern England, have 

been carried out over the past 20 years. This succession records complex late-Middle to 

Late Pleistocene fluvial aggradation extending back to at least marine oxygen isotope 

stage 8, and represents two interglacial and three glacial stages. A similarly complex 

sequence, possibly representing the same time span, at Sutton Cross occupies a River 

Nene 2nd Terrace some 15 km upstream of the 1st Terrace at Whittlesey. Evidence for 

the preservation of possibly temporally equivalent fluvial sequences within separate 

terraces therefore challenges the established tripartite terrace system, as well as recently 

proposed revisions. The various terrace stratigraphical schemes are presented here and 

the impoverishment of the database and the difficulty of subjectively distinguishing 

separate altitudinal groups are demonstrated. Various proposals for the formation and 

preservation of terrace systems are also discussed. A brief description of the sedimentary 

succession at Whittlesey is provided and some implications for Pleistocene stratigraphy 

discussed. An alternative terrace stratigraphy scheme capturing the data from Whittlesey 

and Sutton Cross is presented but rejected because the rationale for such schemes is 

fundamentally flawed. Instead a combination of detailed sedimentology combined with 

geomorphological considerations demonstrates that the disparate sand and gravel bodies 

of the River Nene catchment are post-Anglian remnants of fluvial activity on a palimsest 

landscape. It is also recommended that in future cartoons depicting catchment-wide 

terrace stratigraphy should be replaced by a sequence of cross-sections that would be 

spatially more meaningful and also demonstrate the impoverishment or otherwise of the 

supporting database. 

Keywords: sedimentology; geomorphology; sedimentary succession; terrace stratigraphy; 

late Middle to Late Pleistocene; River Nene; Whittelsey.

T5 

Changing tidewater glacier extent and response to climate from Little Ice Age to 

present: observations and modelling of Kangiata Nunaata Sermia, SW Greenland. 

J.M. Lea 1 *, D.W.F. Mair 1 , F.M. Nick 2,3 , B.R. Rea 1 , P.W. Nienow 4 

1 Dept. of Geography, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen 

2 UNIS, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway 

3 GEUS, Copenhagen, Denmark 

4 Dept. of Geography, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh 

Records of Greenlandic tidewater glacier (TWG) change are primarily restricted to the 

period covered by satellite observation. This study extends the record of terminus change 

of the tidewater outlet glacier Kangiata Nunaata Sermia (KNS), SW Greenland to its Little 

Ice Age maximum (LIAmax). This is achieved using a combination of geomorphology, 

written observations, and historical and satellite imagery. We explore likely marine and 

atmospheric controls on terminus change by comparison with existing records of local air 

and ocean temperatures and, for earlier periods, by modelling glacier response to 

systematic changes in marine and oceanic forcings at the terminus. 

Results from the glacier reconstruction show that retreat began in the late 18th century, 

with the terminus retreating at least 12 km from its LIAmax by 1859. KNS then 

experienced a period of relative stability before advancing to its 20th century maximum by 

~1920. Significant retreat occurred from 1921-1965, before periods of advance and retreat 

up until 1997. Subsequent to this, KNS has retreated by 2 km up to the end of the 2012 

melt season. The LIAmax to present retreat of KNS totals 22.6 km. Comparison of 

terminus fluctuations to local air temperature (1866-present) and sea surface temperature 

(1870-present) anomalies demonstrate that air temperature exerts a significant modulating 

control on terminus stability for the duration of the record. A state-of-the-art 1-dimensional 

flow-band model driven by submarine melt (SM) and crevasse water depth (CWD; Nick et 

al, 2010) is capable of reconstructing observed terminus fluctuations during earlier periods 

for realistic values of SM using a range of CWD. This provides confidence that such 

models are capable of predicting TWG terminus variability over centennial timescales. 

Keywords: Greenland, Tidewater Glaciers, Little Ice Age, Numerical Modelling, Glacial 

Geomorphology, Historical Records

T9 

Climate forcing of mammoth range shifts in the countdown to extinction 

A. Lister 1 and T. Stuart 2 

1 Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD 

2 School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, DH1 3LE 

A global database of some 2400 published and new radiocarbon dates on woolly 

mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) has been audited, using objective criteria, to around 

1900 ‘good’ dates for northern Eurasia and Alaska/Yukon. 

The first possibly significant change in mammoth distribution within the range of 

radiocarbon dating is an apparent contraction in Siberia to the far north in the interval ca. 

35-32 ka (all dates calibrated), which may explain an observed loss of genetic diversity 

around this time. Mammoth distribution then re-expands, but the species vacates western 

and central Europe entirely for the interval 21.5-19.5 ka, in the middle of GS-2 and 

corresponding to the maximum extent of the European ice sheet. The range expands 

again in late GS-2, but in the Bølling warming (14.6-13.9 ka) both the European and 

Siberian ranges become restricted and possibly disjunct. Re-dating of key specimens now 

suggests that with the afforestation of the Allerød (13.9-12.8 ka), Europe and western 

Siberia were completely vacated by mammoths; this corresponds closely in time with the 

global extinction of woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquitatis) and cave lion (Panthera 

spelaea). The Younger Dryas (GS-1, 12.8-11.7 ka) saw North American woolly mammoth 

extinct, and Eurasian populations restricted to northernmost Siberia with a short-lived reinvasion 

of north-east Europe. By 11 ka (within the earliest Holocene), mammoth was 

extinct in mainland Eurasia. Terminal island populations in the Beringian region expired on 

St Paul (Pribilof Islands) around 6.5 ka and Wrangel Island around 4 ka. 

The major shifts in mammoth range after 40 ka correspond to climatic and vegetational 

events, suggesting these as the main driving force. Although distributional gaps are hard 

to deduce from fossil data, the terminal distribution of M. primigenius is consistent with 

severe range reduction, and probably fragmentation. Human impact on these fragmented, 

climatically-stressed populations cannot be ruled out as a contributing factor to extinction, 

but direct evidence of mammoth hunting is limited, especially in the far northern ‘refugial’ 

areas, and the significance of celebrated mammoth-bone assemblages such as Yana 

River and Berelekh is unclear. Thus far there is no clear evidence for human occupation of 

either St Paul or Wrangel Island until after the extinction of their respective mammoth 

populations.

T3 

Chironomids as a proxy for reconstructing past lake water δ 18 O: a late glacial downcore 

record from Hawes Water 

A.Lombino 1 *, V. Jones 1 , J. Holmes 1 , T. Atkinson 1 , S.Brooks 2 & D. Gröcke 3 

1 Department of Geography, University College London, Pearson Building, Gower Street, London 

2 Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London 

3 Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE 

In recent years the remains of chironomid larvae have received increasing attention as a 

proxy for reconstructing past lake water δ 18 O and climate. Preliminary studies have 

demonstrated the existence a robust linear relationship between the oxygen isotope 

composition of chironomid head capsules, which are ubiquitous in most lacustrine 

sediments, lake water and mean annual temperature (MAT) in suitable lacustrine settings. 

In this study a high-resolution (~2cm) chironomid δ 18 O record from a Late-Glacial 

sediment sequence (Hawes Water) was produced, using a thermal combustion elemental 

analyser (TC/EA) coupled to a Thermo Fisher Delta V isotope ratio mass spectrometer. In 

order to produce meaningful δ 18 O determinations from chironomid remains, non-amino 

polysaccharide impurities (both compositional and exogenous) were limited by series of 

liquid reagent-based extractions. Sub-fossil chironomid samples were sequentially soaked 

in solutions of DCM:MeOH (2:1), HCl (0.25M), NaOH (0.25M) for 24 hours at room 

temperature. The δ 18 O of chironomid samples subjected to chemical pre-treatment 

showed good agreement with the δ 18 Obulk carbonate (r 2 = 0.68) measured on the same 

sediment core, successfully tracking well-known δ 18 O excursions during the Late-Glacial. 

However, the amplitude and the onset of the high frequency isotope excursions differed 

slightly in the two records mainly due to differential temperature effects on oxygen isotope 

fractionation during the formation of carbonates and chironomid head capsules. A 

palaeotemperature equation was then used to infer temperature changes throughout the 

studied late-glacial period. The results of this study confirm that chironomid δ 18 O can 

successfully track changes in lake water δ 18 O and that this proxy can become an 

important tool in palaeothermometry, particularly in lakes where carbonate records are 

incomplete or absent. 

Keywords: chironomids; stable oxygen isotopes; Hawes Water; temperature

T8 

Svalbard surging glacier landsystems 

H. Lovell 1,2 *, D.I. Benn 2 , S. Lukas 1 and A.E. Flink 2 

1 School of Geography, Queen Mary University of London, London 

2 Department of Geology, The University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), Longyearbyen, Norway 

The percentage of Svalbard glaciers thought to be of surge-type is somewhere between 

13-90% according to different sources variously based on statistical analysis and 

observations of diagnostic glaciological and geomorphological features, e.g. looped 

moraines. Developing a better understanding of which of these figures, if either, is most 

realistic is important in the context of glacier dynamics and related contributions of small 

glaciers and ice caps to sea level change in the immediate future. We present detailed 

geomorphological assessments of the margins of several known surge-type glaciers in 

Svalbard in order to update and improve the existing framework by which they are 

identified, and to provide a foundation for future reassessments of the surge-type glacier 

population based on distinct landform-sediment assemblages. Three landsystems are 

proposed: (1) Surges of small valley glaciers produce a prominent ice-cored latero-frontal 

moraine at their surge maximum and are characterised by an inner zone of ice stagnation 

terrain (hummocky topography, kettle lakes, debris flows) with no or only very few poorlydefined 

bedforms (crevasse squeeze ridges, eskers and flutes) and no recessional 

moraines. Many of these glaciers may have surged in the past but show no signs that they 

have the capability to do so again in the future. (2) Larger land-terminating glaciers, often 

with several tributaries, typically produce a push moraine complex which contains 

evidence for multiple advances, as identified from ridge-meltwater channel relationships. 

The inner zone often contains a large lagoon, partly dammed by the push moraine 

complex, and widespread ice stagnation terrain. Crevasse squeeze ridges, eskers and 

flutes are well-defined but small and limited in number and distribution. (3) Surges of large 

tidewater glaciers produce distinctive, often multi-generational, landform assemblages 

both in submarine and lateral terrestrial positions. The well-preserved submarine record is 

characterised by large cross-fjord push moraines of fjord floor sediments with lobe-shaped 

debris flows on their distal slope, glacial lineations, dense rhombohedral networks of 

crevasse squeeze ridges, and eskers. Annual push moraines associated with the 

quiescent phase are also observed and are unique to the submarine record. The terrestrial 

record consists of large lateral moraine systems alongside the fjord which contain outer 

push ridges composed of shallow marine sediments and an inner zone of ice stagnation 

terrain. Eskers, flutes and large, sharp-crested crevasse fill ridges in dense networks are 

superimposed on this inner zone; the latter are similar in character to their submarine 

counterparts but typically higher. We suggest that these three landsystems broadly 

characterise the geomorphology of the vast majority of known Svalbard surge-type 

glaciers and may allow previously unknown surge-type glaciers to be identified, both in the 

field and from aerial photographs and sea floor imagery. 

Keywords: surging glaciers; landsystems; glacial geomorphology; Svalbard

T2 

Palynostratigraphic alignment chronology versus independent dating methods. 

14 

C, OSL and tephra: an example from Lake Fimon, northern Italy 

S. E. Lowick 1 *, M. Hardiman 2,3 , S. P.E. Blockley 2 , B. Giaccio 4 F. Preusser 5 , P. Reimer 6 , C. 

S. Lane 7 

1 Institute of Geological Sciences and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of 

Bern, Switzerland 

2 Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, 

Egham, Surrey, United Kingdom 

3 Department of Geography, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth 

4 Istituto di Geologia Ambientale e Geoingegneria, CNR, Via Salaria km 29,300, 00015 Rome, Italy 

5 Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology, Stockholm University, Sweden 

6 Centre for Climate, the Environment & Chronology, School of Geography, Archaeology and 

Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom 

7 Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Dyson Perrins 

Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY 

Independent dating evidence is presented for a lacustrine record for which an age-depth 

model had already been derived primarily through the interpretation of a pollen signal. For 

the upper part of the core, quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages support 

radiocarbon ages that were previously considered to suffer an underestimation due to 

contamination, and both methods imply a younger chronology than does the pollen. The 

successful identification of the Campanian Ignimbrite as a cryptotephra within the core 

also validates this younger chronology for the upper part of the core, as well as extending 

the known geographical distribution of this tephra layer within Italy. Further down the core, 

the OSL ages continue to be younger then the pollen chronology, and underestimate a 

pollen assemblage correlated to the Eemian (Marine Isotope Age 5e) by ~ 20 ka. These 

new results pose problems for both the pollen interpretation and the OSL in the upper and 

lower part of the core respectively. For the upper core, the three independent dating 

methods suggest that care should always be taken when building chronologies from proxy 

records via alignment techniques, particularly when correlations are made to records 

which have themselves been tuned to a target record or global signal (i.e. double tuning). 

In the lower part of the core, the OSL quartz signal suggests an underestimation around 

the age range that has already been shown to be problematic by some other studies, 

although no indication of a problem has so far been found with the Fimon quartz. No 

definitive chronology is offered here for Lake Fimon, although multiple lines of dating 

evidence show that there is sufficient reason to seriously consider it within MIS 3. This 

data is presented to encourage debate and further investigation of such issues. The 

Quaternary dating community should always have all age information available, even 

when significant temporal offsets are apparent between various lines of evidence, to be: 1) 

better informed when they face similar dilemmas in the future, and 2) allow multiple 

working hypotheses to be considered. 

Keywords: independent dating; proxy records; tuning; luminescence; radiocarbon; 

cryptotephra

T2 

Constraining peatland environmental change: exploiting the emerging eastern 

North American crypto-tephrostratigraphic record 

H. Mackay 1 *, P.D.M. Hughes 1 , P.G. Langdon 1 

1 Palaeoenvironmental Laboratory (PLUS), Geography and Environment, University of Southampton 

The relatively recent advances in tephrochronology have led to the investigation of nonvisible 

(crypto) tephra horizons in sediment distal from volcanic origins. Such studies have 

been predominantly centered on western Europe; however the potential of North American 

cryptotephras is rapidly emerging. This not only facilitates the construction of more robust 

chronologies in areas thought to be outside the scope of this technique, but also the 

provision of isochrons enhances comparisons of environmental spatial synchronicity 

across sites and regions. 

Four tephrostratigraphies across a transect of peatlands in Maine, Nova Scotia and southwestern 

Newfoundland have been constructed. A total of 18 horizons were detected over 

the last ca. 4000 years, the preliminary geochemical analysis of which suggest that 

constrained eruptions originate from the Cascade Range and Alaska ca. 5000-6000 km to 

the west of the sites. These results complement the one existing record from eastern 

Newfoundland (Pyne-O’Donnell et al. 2012), facilitating the extension of the late Holocene 

crypto-tephrostratigraphic framework for the eastern seaboard of North America. 

Peatlands are considered to be ideal archives for preserving tephrostratigraphies since 

cryptotephra horizons are often present in discrete layers, thought to represent primary 

airfall. Such preservation in this setting is critiqued here, assisted by radiocarbon 

measurements. 

The tephra horizons are used as pinning-points between records to address the wider aim 

of the study: to examine the terrestrial manifestations of late Holocene climatic change 

across an eastern North American climatic gradient. Of particular interest are the 

temporal and spatial characteristics of changes in peatland accumulation and 

reconstructed water table depth during the most dominant late Holocene climatic 

perturbations: the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. This time period is 

constrained by the most dominant eruption, White River Ash (AD ~843), which is present 

in all sites and the subsequent Mount St Helens eruption (AD ~1482) which is restricted to 

the more northerly records. 

Changes in bulk density, organic matter content, carbon content, plant macrofossil and 

testate amoebae records investigate the relationship between peat accumulation and 

changes in the moisture balance. Results reveal differences in the sensitivity of the four 

peatlands to environmental change across the transect and to different climatic forcing 

throughout the last 2000 years. The identification of these differences is facilitated by the 

improved temporal precision; highlighting the role that crypo-tephrochronology plays in 

enhancing palaeoenvironmental reconstructions and understanding of the environmental 

history of eastern North America. 

Keywords: cryptotephra, North America, isochrons, peatlands, palaeoenvironmental 

change. 

Pyne-O’Donnell et al., 2012. High-precision ultra-distal Holocene tephrochronology in North America. 

Quaternary Science Reviews 52, 6-11.

T3 

A Greenland temperature inference model: chironomids as indicators of climate 

change 

E.J. Maddison 1 *, A.J. Long 1 , S.A. Woodroffe 1 , P.H. Ranner 2 , B. Huntley 2 

1 Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham 

2 School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham 

Current climate warming is predicted to accelerate melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and 

cause global sea-level to rise, but there is uncertainty about whether changes will be 

abrupt or more gradual, and whether the key forcing will be air or ocean temperatures. 

Examining past ice sheet response to climate change is therefore important, yet only a 

handful of quantitative temperature reconstructions exist from the Greenland Ice Sheet 

margin, which is where most melt happens. 

Subfossil chironomids are a widely used biological proxy, with modern calibration datasets 

used to construct past temperature. However, no usable chironomid-inferred 

temperature model currently exists for Greenland. Here we present a new model from 

south-west Greenland which utilises 25 lakes from the Nuup Kangerlua area (collected in 

2011) and 26 lakes from the Kangerlussuaq fjord area (part of a dataset reported in 

Brodersen and Anderson (2002)). 

Air temperature data that was collected in 2011/2 from the Nuup Kangerlua area was used 

in conjunction with existing meteorological station temperature data from both lake regions 

to model monthly mean air temperatures for each lake site. Statistical analysis of lake 

water chemistry, geographical information, air temperature and contemporary chironomid 

assemblage data was undertaken on the 51 lake training set. 

Mean June air temperature was found to be the main environmental control on the 

chironomid community, although other factors, including sample depth and total nitrogen 

water content, were also found to be important. Weighted averaging partial least squares 

(WA-PLS) analysis was used to develop a new mean June air temperature inference 

model. Analysis indicated that the best model was a two component WA-PLS with r 2 =0.75, 

r 2 boot=0.56 and root mean square error of prediction = 2.5°C. Using this model, 

quantitative Holocene temperature reconstructions of new and existing Greenland 

chironomid records will be presented. 

The development of this new chironomid-inferred temperature model provides an 

opportunity to increase the number of quantitative palaeotemperature records from the 

Greenland Ice Sheet margin. Comparison of these new chironomid-inferred 

palaeotemperature records with other Greenland proxy records will demonstrate the 

potential of this new model for improving understanding of Greenland climate dynamics. 

chironomid, Greenland, lakes, climate change, temperature inference model 

Brodersen, K.P. & Anderson, N.J. (2002) Distribution of chironomids (Diptera) in low arctic West 

Greenland lakes: trophic conditions, temperature and environmental reconstruction. Freshwater Biology 

47: 1137-1157

T9 

Late - glacial/Holocene vegetational history of Fuego-Patagonia, southern South 

America (53-54°S). 

C. A. Mansilla 1 * and R. D. McCulloch 1 

1 School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Scotland 

The region of Tierra del Fuego, is an ideal place for the reconstruction of past vegetation 

communities changes and inferring the climatic conditions under which these changes 

took place, due to its subantarctic physical setting, topography and climate. Among the 

different vegetation communities of the Fuegian region, the forests of Nothofagus have 

been the dominant type and were able to survive in refugia during the last glacial period. 

Moreover, Nothofagus forests have historically been an important source of food and 

shelter for the early inhabitants of this region. Despite their importance, few high resolution 

palaeoecological records are currently available and as a result, the links between the 

environmental changes and human settlement and migration across Fuego-Patagonia 

during the late-glacial and early Holocene are not fully understood. 

The goal of the present study is to reconstruct past vegetation communities through the 

extraction of cores from peatlands and the analysis of high resolution pollen fossil records. 

Study sites will be located along the present ecotonal boundaries of Nothofagus forest and 

the steppe zone on the island of Tierra del Fuego. Pollen records will be supported by 

lithostratigraphic analysis, radiocarbon dating and tephrochronology. 

The analysis from palaeoecological records performed here will has the potential to help 

addressing the following issues: i) the timing and rate of vegetation migration and 

colonization of deglaciated terrain during the Late-glacial/Holocene transition, ii) the 

establishment and migration of subantarctic Nothofagus forest across Fuego-Patagonia, 

iii) the relationship between fire frequency and changes in vegetation communities and iv) 

to infer climatic changes from the palaeovegetation record. 

Keywords: palaeoecology; pollen analysis; Lateglacial; Nothofagus; Southern Patagonia.

T11 

Mammalian response to abrupt climate change at the Pleistocene-Holocene 

boundary? 

Marr. M* 1 , Barnes. I 2 , Macleod, N 2 , and Schreve, D 1 

1 Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham 

2 Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum London, Cromwell Road, London 

What are the geographical and biological origins of the contemporary British mammal 

fauna? Modern British mammalian communities have a relatively short history, originating 

in the closing stages of the Devensian Glaciation and shaped by the abrupt nature of the 

climatic fluctuations that followed. The research presented here focuses on a period of 

extreme climatic variability, which coincided with a period of significant turnover in the 

British mammal fauna: the closing stages of the last glacial c. 15 000 cal BP and into the 

early Holocene interglacial, which commenced c. 11 500 cal BP. Central to this research 

is the novel synthesis of two cutting-edge techniques – ancient DNA and 3D geometric 

morphometrics - used to investigate variation in both genetics and morphology and 

allowing the elucidation of past population processes and ecomorphological change in 

Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene mammals for the first time. 

In order to examine individualistic responses to abrupt climate change this study focuses 

on species with different ecologies and dispersal potentials: Equus ferus (wild horse), 

Microtus agrestis (field vole), Castor fiber (Eurasian beaver), and Felis silvestris (wild cat). 

Evidence from the Eurasian beaver Castor fiber is presented here as a test-case to 

demonstrate how these methods can be used to reconstruct species histories. The 

Gironde River in France has been suggested as the source, from which beavers reentered 

Britain during the Lateglacial Interstadial (c. 14 700 – 12 900 cal BP), taking a 

route through the western British lowlands. During the Younger Dryas Stadial (c. 12 900 – 

11 500 cal BP), beavers presumably tracked their habitat south and were absent from the 

majority of Britain, although populations may have persisted in sheltered areas in the 

extreme south. As the climate warmed in the early Holocene, beavers would have again 

spread through Britain. This overall project therefore aims to establish the geographic 

origins, recolonization routes and ecomorphological variation in this species over these 

key climate periods. 

Keywords: ancient DNA; geometric morphometrics; Late Pleistocene; Holocene; mammals

T10 

Developing a Holocene tephrostratigraphy of eastern Africa 

Martin-Jones, C.M. 1 *, Lamb, H. F. 1 , Pearce, N.J.G. 1 , Lane, C. S. 2 

1 Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University 

2 Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford 

Early Pliocene to late Pleistocene tephra deposits provide chronological control on 

Ethiopian and Kenyan palaeoanthropological sites. However, the occurrence of younger 

East African Holocene tephra units remains poorly documented. Visible tephra and ultradistal 

‘invisible’ cryptotephra horizons within post-LGM lacustrine cores from Lakes 

Ashenge, Hayk and Dendi (Ethiopia) are studied here to construct a regional 

tephrostratigraphy. Cryptotephra detection methods often involve time consuming 

separation and counting procedures. Itrax® X-ray fluorescence core scanning rapidly 

analyses the elemental composition of core sediments. Numerous studies have utilized 

XRF scanning to identify cryptotephra horizons and this project will further assess the 

suitability of detecting cryptotephra using this technique. 

The Ashenge core contains four visible tephra layers, Itrax® core scanning measures 

anomalously high K, Rb, Y and Zr counts in the lake sediments at their respective depths. 

Density separation methods identify five cryptotephra horizons in the Ashenge core. Core 

scanning measures elevated K, Rb, Y and Zr counts at the location of these cryptotephra 

layers, although one cryptotephra cannot be distinguished using this technique. These 

preliminary data indicate cryptotephra detection using XRF scanning may be related to 

variables such as shard concentration and tephra/core composition. 

Following the successful identification of tephra layers in Lake Ashenge sediments, tephra 

horizons in other regional lake cores will now be studied and geochemically fingerprinted. 

The resulting tephrostratigraphy may be utilized for the correlation of climate archives from 

eastern Africa. 

Keywords: tephrochronology, hominin evolution, cryptotephra, XRF core scanning.

T3 

Chironomid-Inferred Lateglacial Interstadial Temperatures from Muir Park, southern 

Scotland 

K. Mather 1 *, I.P. Matthews 1 , and S.J Brooks 2 


Egham 

2 Life Sciences Department, Aquatic Invertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London 

Currently there are ten published Lateglacial chironomid-inferred mean July air 

temperature (C-IT) records in Britain and Ireland, which are all broadly similar to oxygen 

isotope data from Greenland ice-core records. However, due to local and regional factors, 

poor chronological controls, and in-lake variability, differences exist. Ice-cores provide a 

highly resolved record of climate change during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition 

(LGIT), but additional independent, high resolution climate records are required to 

determine any differences in the magnitude and timing of climatic trends on local and 

regional scales in NW Europe. Chironomidae (non-biting midges) provide high resolution, 

quantitative, low-error summer temperature data and are used here to provide a new 

Lateglacial Interstadial (14.7 – 12.9 ka BP) C-IT record from Muir Park, Scotland. 

Preparation and identification of chironomid head capsules follows Brooks et al. (2007) 

and mean July air temperature was reconstructed using a modern Norwegian training set 

and 2-component weighted averaging partial least squares inference model (Brooks and 

Birks, 2000; Heiri et al., 2011; Self et al., 2011). Two previously identified cryptotephras, 

the Borrobol and Penifiler tephra, are used to provide a chronology and isochronous 

marker (Cooper, 1999; Roberts, 1997; Royal Holloway Tephra Laboratory). C-ITs indicate 

a thermal maximum of 13.2 °C at the Lateglacial Interstadial onset, which correlates to GI- 

1e. Temperature then declines to 10.6 °C, which is interpreted as GI-1d, due to 

stratigraphic proximity to the Penifiler tephra. Temperature then oscillates between 12.4 

°C and 10.7 °C, with two smaller cold events, of 10.7 °C and 10.8 °C, which is interpreted 

as GI-1c. This is followed by a temperature reduction to 10.2 °C, which is the coldest 

recorded temperature in the sequence, and is interpreted as GI-1b. Finally, temperature 

rises to 12 °C which is interpreted as GI-1a. C-ITs from this study are linked to previously 

reconstructed C-ITs from Muir Park, which add data from the Younger Dryas and early 

Holocene (Davies, 2010), and as a result completes the Lateglacial C-IT record at Muir 

Park. C-IT trends from this study are similar to C-IT from other sites in Britain, Ireland, and 

NW Europe, and to records based on other proxies in Britain during the Lateglacial. 

However, differences exist, notably that GI-1b is inferred as being cooler than GI-1d at 

Muir Park, whereas in most other British records a reverse trend is evident, which 

suggests regional factors and localised climate forces may be influencing the Muir Park 

record. 

Keywords: chironomidae; Diptera; Invertebrates; Lateglacial; LGIT; Scotland 

Brooks, S. J., Langdon, P. G. and Heiri, O. (2007) The identification and Use of Palaearctic 

Chironomidae Larvae in Palaeoecology. Quaternary Research Association Technical Guide no. 10. 

Brooks, S. J. and Birks, H. J. B. (2000) ‘Chironomid-inferred Late-glacial air temperatures at Whitrig 

Bog, southeast Scotland’, Journal of Quaternary Science, 15(8), pp. 759 – 764. 

Cooper, R. (1999) Lithostratigraphy and tephrochronology of sediments spanning the time interval of 

the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition at Muir Park Reservoir, Scotland and Sluggan Moss, Northern 

Ireland. Unpublished BSc Thesis, University of London. 

Davies, K. L. (2010) The Younger Dryas-Holocene Transition: A Chironomid-Inferred Temperature 

Reconstruction, Muir Park Reservoir, Scotland. Unpublished MSc Thesis, Royal Holloway, University of 

London. 

Heiri, O., Brooks, S. J., Birks, H. J. B. and Lotter, A. F. (2011) ‘A 274-lake calibration data-set and 

inferences model for chironomid-based summer air temperature reconstruction in Europe’, Quaternary 

Science Reviews, 30, pp. 3445 – 3456.

Roberts, S. J. (1997) The spatial extent and geochemical characteristics of Lateglacial tephra deposits 

in Scotland and Northern England. Unpublished MSc Thesis, University of London.Royal Holloway 

Tephra Laboratory. Available at: 

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/geography/research/researchgroups/cqr/tephra.aspx 

Self, A. E., Brooks, S. J., Birks, H. J. B., Nazarova, L., Porinchu, D., Odland, A. Yang, H. and Jones, V. 

J. (2011) ‘The distribution and abundance of chironomids in high-latitude Eurasian lakes with respect to 

temperature and continentality: development and application of new chironomid-based climateinference 

models in northern Russia’, Quaternary Science Reviews, 30, pp. 1122 – 1141.

T10 

Amazonia before Columbus – Virgin Wilderness or Domesticated Landscape? 

F.E. Mayle 1 *, B. Whitney 2 , J. Carson 2 , J. Iriarte 3 , and R. Dickau 3 

1 Centre for Past Climate Change (University of Reading) and Department of Geography and 

Environmental Science, School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science (SAGES), 

University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB 

2 Institute of Geography, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh 

EH8 9XP 

3 Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter, Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QE 

Amazonia is home to half the tropical rainforest on Earth, and has long been considered 

one of the last untamed wilderness areas on the planet, still largely untainted by human 

activities. Although humans have lived here for at least the last 12,000 years, until 

recently the long-accepted paradigm was of the ‘noble savage’ living in harmony with 

these ancient forests, existing as small tribes with little discernable impact upon them. In 

recent years though, this ‘virgin wilderness’ paradigm has been challenged by the 

discovery of vast Pre-Columbian (pre-1492) Amazonian earthworks – geoglyphs, 

habitation mounds, raised fields – that point to much larger scale human impacts, and 

more complex societies, than those associated with small-scale shifting agriculture 

practiced by indigenous peoples today. If Amazonia’s tropical forests are to be 

understood in terms of their biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and, in particular, whether 

they are inherently susceptible or resilient to anthropogenic disturbance, then this 

controversy over the geographic scale and intensity of pre-Columbian human impacts 

upon these forests needs to be resolved. We demonstrate how a tightly integrated, crossdisciplinary 

approach can be successfully employed to address this controversy and tackle 

the following questions: 

1) To what extent were changes in forest cover through the late Holocene in southwestern 

Amazonia ‘natural’ (i.e. climate-driven) or instead anthropogenic (i.e. a function of pre- 

Columbian land-use and post-Conquest abandonment)? 

2) To what extent did different pre-Columbian cultures alter the species composition of 

Amazonian forests through selection of economically important species? 

We tackle these questions by closely integrating palaeoecological analyses from lakes 

with archaeological and archaeobotanical analyses of neighbouring anthropogenic 

earthworks. We demonstrate how the use of a range of complementary techniques – 

pollen, charcoal, phytoliths, starch grains, stable carbon isotopes – upon lake sediments, 

soils, and ceramics, are a fruitful means of investigating complex human-climateecosystem 

interactions. 

Keywords: Amazon; pre-Columbian; pollen; phytoliths; archaeology; climate; earthworks.

T7 

Pleistocene sea-surface and intermediate water temperature evolution: early 

cooling, delayed glacial intensification, and implications for the mid-Pleistocene 

climate transition 

E.L. McClymont 1 *, A.C. Elmore 1 , S.M. Sosdian 2 , H. Elderfield 3 , S. Kender 4 , A. Rosell- 

Melé 5 , Y. Rosenthal 6 

1 Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE 

2 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT 

3 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ 


5 Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, 

Spain 

6 Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, and Department of Geology, Rutgers, The State University, 

NJ 08901-8521 USA 

The mechanisms driving the evolution of the global climate system through the Quaternary 

continue to be debated, as does the nature of the feedbacks that translated such forcing 

into global climate change. The mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT) is defined by the 

emergence of high amplitude, quasi-100 kyr glacial-interglacial cycles from a prior regime 

of more subtle 41 kyr cycles. This change in periodicity and amplitude cannot be explained 

by a change in ‘external’ astronomical forcing. 

Here, we first review the expression of sea surface temperature (SST) change associated 

with the MPT using previously published records from both the alkenone (UK37’) and 

foraminifera Mg/Ca proxies. We show that glacial-interglacial variability in SSTs is 

superimposed upon longer-term cooling trends in oceanographic systems spanning the 

low to high latitudes. Importantly, the SST cooling trends intensify from 1.2 Ma, pre-dating 

the step-like increase in benthic δ18O at 0.9 Ma which is argued to reflect expansion of 

continental ice-sheets. We also show that the long term decline in mean SSTs is driven by 

cooling during glacial stages, potentially indicating development of feedbacks conducive to 

later continental ice sheet growth. 

To investigate these ideas further, we present new data examining the signature of 

Pleistocene temperature change from within the intermediate waters of the ocean (~500- 

1500 m water depth). Using Mg/Ca in benthic foraminifera species, we demonstrate that 

Antarctic Intermediate Water temperatures also experienced a gradual glacial-stage 

cooling the Pleistocene. However, interglacial periods only show a cooling trend after the 

MPT. In comparison with other records from the Southern Ocean, these new results 

demonstrate a more diverse pattern of ocean temperature change through the 

Pleistocene. In turn, the timing and pattern of cooling raises questions about the role 

played by northern hemisphere ice sheets in driving Pliocene-Pleistocene climate 

transitions. 

Keywords: Mid Pleistocene Transition; 100 ka cycles; sea surface temperatures; 

alkenones; foraminifera

T8 

Glaciation style and valley-floor landform development in the eastern Lake District, 

northwest England 

D.A. McDougall* 

Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester UK – 

WR2 6AJ 

The glaciers that developed in upland Britain during the Younger Dryas (c. 12.9-11.7 ka 

BP) have been mapped by many workers over the past fifty years, usually as a basis for 

palaeoclimatic reconstructions. Although chronological control remains poor at most sites 

due to the inherent difficulties in dating glacial landforms and sediments, there is a 

consensus in the literature that accurate ice mass reconstructions are possible in the 

majority of cases due to the clarity of the geomorphological record, which in turn enables 

the application of morphostratigraphic approaches. In particular, there is a long tradition of 

workers employing moraine morphology as a relative dating technique, with a distinction 

made between prominent, sharply-defined moraines believed to be of Younger Dryas age, 

and lower, more subdued features, which are assumed to be older (Late Devensian). 

However, recent research in the eastern Lake District demonstrates that this approach is 

unreliable in areas of more complex terrain. Detailed geomorphological mapping reveals 

that the most recent glaciation to affect the area (presumably during the Younger Dryas) 

was characterised by widespread summit glacierisation, with outlet glaciers descending 

into the surrounding valleys via valley-heads and -sides. Changing glacier-topographic 

configurations over both space and time resulted in concomitant variations in debris 

availability and supply to ice margins. This had a significant impact on valley-floor 

landform development, with impressively well-developed features in some valleys and 

subdued landsystems in others. This complicates reconstructions based solely on the 

glacial geomorphological record because the absence of clearly-defined moraines within a 

valley may not necessarily indicate ice-free conditions. 

Keywords: Younger Dryas; glaciation style; geomorphological record; English Lake District

T10 

Man, Megafauna and Mycobacteria in the Pleistocene 

D.E. Minnikin 1 *, O.Y-C. Lee 1 , H.H.T. Wu 1 , G.S. Besra 1 , B.M. Rothschild 2 , R. Laub 3 , M. 

Spigelman 4 and H.D. Donoghue 5 

1 Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham; 

2 Biodiversity Institute and Departments of Anthropology and Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence 

KS,USA; 

3 Buffalo Museum of Science, Buffalo NY,USA 

4 Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Ancient DNA, Hadassah Medical 

School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel 

5 Centres for Clinical Microbiology and the History of Medicine, University College London, London 

The Pleistocene period was pivotal in the evolution of mankind, other mammals and the 

associated pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The later Pleistocene millennia saw 

the demise of the Neanderthals and many megafaunal species, but Homo sapiens and 

tubercle bacilli survived apparent bottlenecks and marched on strongly into the Holocene. 

It is possible to diagnose tuberculosis in the skeletal record for humans and mammals. In 

humans there are mostly rib lesions and spinal deformities, but not in H. sapiens prior to 

the Holocene. In contrast, there are characteristic metacarpal undermining articular 

surface tuberculosis lesions in many Pleistocene bovids (125–8 ka BP) (Rothschild and 

Martin, 2006) and mastodons (38-10 ka BP) (Rothschild and Laub, 2006). Such a 

metacarpal from a 17 ka BP extinct Bison antiquus was shown to have DNA characteristic 

of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (Rothschild et al. 2001), confirmed by the 

detection of key phthiocerol, mycolic, mycocerosic and mycolipenic acid lipid biomarkers 

(Lee et al. 2012). The robust nature of such lipid biomarkers provides the potential for their 

use back beyond the range of genomic preservation. This presentation will illustrate how 

lipid biomarkers are recording tuberculosis in Pleistocene megafauna back to at least 40 

ka BP. The likely significance of lipid changes in a hypothetical scheme for the evolution of 

tubercle bacilli from environmental ancestral mycobacteria will be highlighted. 

Characteristic mycolic acids were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography 

(HPLC) and mycolipenic and mycocerosic acids profiled by gas chromatography mass 

spectrometry (GCMS). In conjunction with DNA amplification, mycolate analysis confirmed 

the oldest case of tuberculosis in H. sapiens in 9 ka BP skeletons from Atlit-Yam (Israel) 

(Hershkovitz et al. 2008). Prior to that, animal cases dominate with a portfolio of lipids 

confirming tuberculosis in the 17 ka BP bison from Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming (Lee et 

al. 2012). In unpublished studies, mycolates, mycocerosates and mycolipenate are being 

detected from at least six ~10 ka BP mastodon metacarpals from the Hiscock Site NY and 

a ~40 ka BP bison from Kent’s Cavern, Torquay. In view of the above results, and ongoing 

studies, the hypothesis (Lee et al. 2012) that this disease evolved principally as a 

Pleistocene zoonosis will be elaborated. A coherent evolutionary progression to modern 

tubercle bacilli will be outlined, from an environmental organism, such as Mycobacterium 

kansasii, through a proven ancestral taxon, probably “Mycobacterium canettii”. Possible 

linked scenarios regarding bottlenecks in human and tuberculosis evolution will be 

considered. 

Keywords: Evolution; tuberculosis; lipid biomarkers; Humans; Pleistocene megafauna. 

Hershkovitz et al. 2008 PLoS ONE 3:e3426 

Lee et al. 2012 PLoS ONE 7:e41923 

Rothschild et al. 2001 Clin Infect Dis 33:305–311 

Rothschild and Laub 2006 Naturwissenschaften 93:557-564 

Rothschild and Martin 2006 Naturwissenschaften 93:565-569

T9 

The concept of landscape inversion to explain biotic response to glacial-interglacial 

cycles in the southern mid-latitudes 

R.M. Newnham 1 *, M.S. McGlone 2 , J.R. Wood 2 , J.M. Wilmshurst 2 

1 Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand 

2 Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln, New Zealand 

Quaternary palaeoecological records reveal the remarkable resilience of biotic 

communities to climate change. But how did biota adapt to the extreme climate 

fluctuations of the glacial-interglacial cycles and accompanying dramatic changes in 

habitat? And want can we learn from this past evidence about how biotic communities will 

respond under future climate change? Much palaeoecological literature invokes the 

concepts of ‘refugia’ and ‘migration’, drawing on evidence from high northern latitudes for 

long-distance migratory movements forced by growth and decay of massive ice sheets 

during the glacial-interglacial cycles. We revisit this time honoured issue by examining key 

vegetation and avifaunal evidence from New Zealand in the southern mid-latitudes 

spanning the last glacial maximum and subsequent transition to the present interglacial. 

Here, the narrow, north-south trending distribution of ice during its maximum extent 

enforces only short distance migration – mostly less than 50 km. For any given region 

most of the taxa present during the present interglacial were there from the beginning of 

this period, or shortly thereafter. The New Zealand evidence therefore calls for an 

alternative model and, we argue, is better explained by the concept of Inversion than by 

the Migration-Refugium model. Over a relatively short period of time, a region ‘inverted’ 

from one dominant structural state (say open, shrubland-grasslands with an upland moa 

fauna to another (for instance, podocarp-broadleaved rainforest with a lowland moa 

fauna). What were patchy, rare or fugitive ecosystems became widespread, and the 

previously dominant ecosystems were confined to sites with unusually favourable 

combinations of climate and edaphic factors necessary to sustain their constituent 

species. 

The main lesson to be drawn from the past is that the New Zealand biota has been 

resilient to landscape and climate changes of considerable magnitude. Even the massive 

reorganisations between glacial and interglacial conditions led to little change. Instead, the 

new ecosystem was re-constituted locally out of pre-existing species and ecotypes that 

were marginal or subdominant in the old. Groups of species favoured by cooler, drier, 

more seasonal climates regularly switched dominance with those favoured by moist, mild 

climates. Because of the asymmetry of the inversion process, species favoured by 

cool/dry/seasonal climates often need a secondary toleration of poor, stressed soils and 

sites in order to persist in the face of competition under mild, moist climate regimes. We 

suggest that this adaptability to severe change during glacial-interglacial cycles has 

promoted the resilience of the modern flora to contemporary and future climate change. 

Keywords: Glacial-Interglacial cycles; migration; refugium; inversion; New Zealand

T5 


Sheet retreat along the western Irish margin 

C. Ó Cofaigh 1 , D.H. Roberts 1 , M.J. Burke 2 , R.C. Chiverell 2 , D.J.A. Evans 1 , C.K. Ballantyne 3 

and C.D. Clark 4 * 



3 Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews 

4 Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN 

The aim of Transect 5 of the NERC funded consortium BRITICE-CHRONO is to establish 

the timing and style of retreat of the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) from the continental shelf 

offshore of western Ireland to the adjoining terrestrial hinterland. There are two 

components to this research. First, a marine geological cruise scheduled to take place on 

the RRS James Cook in 2014, and second, a programme of on-shore field sampling for 

terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) dating, optically–stimulated luminescence (OSL) 

dating and radiocarbon dating. This poster focuses on the results, to date, of the terrestrial 

component. The region of T5 is physiographically diverse and includes the upland area of 

the Twelve Bens and Maamturk mountains of Connemara, the adjoining relatively lowlying 

coastal hinterland of Connemara and Galway, the karstic region of the Burren and 

the Aran Islands and the low‐lying landscape of southwest Clare and the Shannon 

Estuary. During the LGM the region received ice from both the main ice sheet and the 

Connemara mountains (Ballantyne et al., 2008; Greenwood and Clark, 2009). The main 

Irish Ice Sheet flowed SW onto the continental shelf from inland areas north and east of 

County Galway and County Clare, and ice also flowed westwards from the Connemara 

Mountains. Sampling to constrain deglaciation sought to test the following hypotheses: (1) 

Retreat of the main ice sheet occurred in a north-easterly direction from southern County 

Clare across the Aran Islands and through Galway Bay following the ice sheet flow 

patterns established during advance. (2) Retreat into western Connemara mirrored the 

advance flow patterns of ice sourced from the mountains. Fifty one samples for TCN 

dating were collected from erratic boulders and ice-moulded bedrock from the Connemara 

mountains and adjoining coastal hinterland, as well as from the Burren and the Aran 

Islands (Inish Mean). These samples were supplemented by sixteen OSL samples 

collected from glacifluvial and ice-marginal, shallow subaqueous deposits, principally in 

the form of ice-contact deltas and outwash fans from north Connemara, south-west Clare 

and the Shannon Estuary. Dating these samples will establish the timing of retreat of both 

the main ice sheet and ice sourced from mountain areas. This poster presents the results 

of the T5 research to date. 

Key words: BRITICE-CHRONO; British-Irish Ice Sheet; Western Ireland; Connemara; 

deglaciation 

Ballantyne, C.K., Stone, J.O. and McCarroll, D., 2008. Dimensions and chronology of the last ice sheet 

in western Ireland. Quaternary Science Reviews 27, 185-200. 

Greenwood, S.L., Clark, C.D., 2009. Reconstructing the last Irish Ice Sheet 2: a geomorphologicallydriven 

model of ice sheet growth, retreat and dynamics. Quaternary Science Reviews 28, 3101–3123.

T1 

European records of late Holocene storminess 

L. Orme 1 *, A. Barkwith 2 D. Charman 1 , R. Jones 1 , F. Mitchell 3 , L. Reinhardt 1 , B. Stefanini 3 

1 Geography Department, University of Exeter, Streatham Campus, Exeter, EX4 4QJ 


3 Department of Botany, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland 

This research aims to improve understanding of storminess variability and storm track 

shifts in Europe during the late Holocene. During the modern instrumental period the 

storm track was positioned across northern and southern Europe during positive and 

negative phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) respectively. However during the 

Little Ice Age (LIA, 1400-1850 A.D.) it has been suggested that storminess increased 

across Europe, which it is hypothesised was due to a steeper meridional temperature 

gradient causing higher storm intensity (Trouet et al., 2012). We will present decadalresolution 

storminess reconstructions from two NAO-sensitive sites, the Outer Hebrides 

(Scotland) and Galicia (Spain), to investigate the importance of the NAO in controlling 

storminess. During storms sand is blown inland and onto the coring sites, so measures of 

sand quantity and size have been used to create these records. These reconstructions 

indicate the Late Holocene has undergone multi-centennial variability in storminess in both 

north and south Europe that appear to have opposite long-term trends. Comparison with 

reconstructions of the NAO and other storm track proxies suggest that storm track shifts 

are the result of changes in the dominant state of the NAO. 

Keywords: storminess; Holocene; Europe; North Atlantic Oscillation; storm track 

Trouet, V., J. D. Scourse & C. C. Raible (2012) North Atlantic storminess and Atlantic Meridional 

Overturning Circulation during the last Millennium: Reconciling contradictory proxy records of NAO 

variability. Global and Planetary Change, 84-85, 48-55.

T8 

The “Four Ages” of Micromorphology 

A.P. Palmer 1 & S.J. Carr 2 

1 Centre for Quaternary Research, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey. TW20 0EX. 

2 School of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London, Mile End Road, London. E1 4NS. 

In the fifty year existence of the QRA, the techniques routinely employed to understand 

Quaternary environments have developed substantially through the application of new 

technologies, an improvement of analytical precision allied to advances in computer 

power. A technique which reflects many of these ‘revolutions’ is that of micromorphology. 

In this poster we present a historical perspective of thin section and micro-scale analysis: 

the ‘four ages of micromorphology’, highlighting key periods of advancement in techniques 

and application of the method. 

First Age (1970s - 1980s): the application of standard soil science techniques to 

understanding Quaternary environmental change, most notably in the analysis of loesspalaeosol 

sequences. 

Second Age (1990s): technological improvements in thin section production allow highly 

consolidated glacial sediments to be examined. This ‘Age’ coincides with the explosion of 

the ‘deforming-bed’ paradigm in glaciology. 

Third Age (2000s): the analysis of laminated sediments and the development of highresolution 

chronologies. 

Fourth Age (2010s): the routine application of micro-CT scanning to develop 

understanding of 3D sediment fabric. 

Each of these ‘Ages’ is illustrated through examples of innovative research emerging from 

the Centre for Micromorphology at RHUL and QMUL, which continues to offer world-class 

facilities for the study of sediments at a microscopic level. 

Keywords: micromorphology; soils; glacial; laminated sediments; micro-tomography

T7 

Sea ice diatom contributions to Holocene nutrient utilization in East Antarctica: A 

consideration for palaeoreconstructions 

V.N. Panizzo 1 *, J. Crespin 2 , X. Crosta 3 , A. Shemesh 2 , G. Massé 4,5 , R. Yam 2 , N. Mattielli 7 

and Damien Cardinal 5,6,7 


2 Department of Environmental Sciences and Energy Research, Weizmann Institute of Science, 

Rehovot, 76100, Israel 

3 UMR-CNRS 5805 EPOC, Avenue des Facultés, Université Bordeaux I, 33405 Talence Cedex, France 

4 UMI3376 TAKUVIK– CNRS/U. Laval, Université Laval, 1045 avenue de la Médecine, G1V 0A6 

Québec, Canada 

5 LOCEAN – IPSL, UPMC/IRD/CNRS/MNHN, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 Place Jussieu, Boite 

100, F-75252 PARIS Cedex 05, France 

6 Université Libre de Bruxelles, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, CP 160/02 Avenue 

F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium 

7 Section of Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg, 13, 

B-3080, Tervuren, Belgium 

The first combined high resolution Holocene δ 30 Si diat and δ 13 C diat paleorecords are 

presented from the Seasonal Ice Zone, East Antarctica. Both data sets reflect periods of 

increased nutrient utilization by diatoms during the Hypsithermal period (c. 7,800 to 3,500 

years BP), coincident with a higher abundance of open water diatom species 

(Fragilariopsis kerguelensis), increased biogenic silica productivity (%BSi) and higher 

regional summer temperatures. The Neoglacial period (after c. 3,500 years BP) is 

reflected by an increase in sea ice indicative species (Fragilariopsis curta and 

Fragilariopsis cylindrus, up to 50%) along with a decrease in %BSi and δ13C diat (< -18‰). 

However, over this period δ 30 Si diat data show an increasing trend, to some of the highest 

values in the Holocene record (average of 0.43‰). Competing hypotheses are discussed 

to account for the decoupling trend in utilization proxies including iron fertilization, speciesdependent 

fractionation effects and diatom habitats. Based on mass balance calculations, 

we highlight that diatom species derived from the semi-enclosed sea ice environment may 

have a confounding effect upon δ 30 Si downcore compositions of the seasonal sea ice zone. A 

diatom composition, with c. 28% of BSi derived from the sea ice environment (diat-SI) can 

account for the increased average composition of δ 30 Si diat during the Neoglacial. These 

data highlight the implications of productivity reconstructions from the seasonal ice zone 

(SIZ) and argue that more comprehensive investigations of diatom habitats, sea ice 

structure and upwelling are needed to help constrain these records. 

Key words: diatoms; silicon isotopes; carbon specific isotopes; Seasonal Ice Zone; ice 

cover; Holocene; Southern Ocean; East Antarctica

T3 

Continental silicon cycling and Lake Baikal 

V.N. Panizzo* 1 , G.E.A. Swann 1 , A.W. Mackay 2 , S. Roberts 1 , S. McGowan 1 and M.S.A. 

Horstwood 3 


2 Environmental Change Research Centre, Department of Geography, University College London, 

Pearson Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT 

3 NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG 

There has been a recent expansion in the application of silicon isotopes (δ 30 Si) in 

environmental research. To date, most work has centred on marine systems in order to 

understand modern and palaeo-silicon cycling and its link with carbon burial. Whilst other 

studies have used δ 30 Si in terrestrial and riverine environments (De la Rocha, 2000; 

Basile-Doelsch et al, 2005; Georg, 2006) few have investigated its use in lacustrine 

systems (Alleman et al 2005; Street-Perrott et al, 2011; Swann et al, 2010; Opfergelt et al, 

2011) despite its potential to revolutionise limnological research by providing a much 

needed constraint on the aquatic silicon cycle, for which much remains unknown (Conley 

2002; Strufy et al, 2009). This project provides one of the first detailed budgets of silicon 

cycling in Lake Baikal, Siberia. Diatoms account for more than half of Lake Baikal’s 

primary productivity (Mackay et al, 1998; Mackay et al, 2006) for which silicon is the most 

essential nutrient in the formation of their frustules. In order to understand fully the 

relationship between diatoms and silicon utilisation (e.g. lake productivity), we must first 

have a clear grasp on modern day silicon cycling at the site and its catchment (e.g. endmembers). 

Here we present the first detailed δ 30 Si of Lake Baikal’s dominant inflows, 

outflows and the Selenga Delta. As measured by Multi-Collector Inter-Coupled Mass 

Spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS). These data will be compared to the δ 30 Si of catchment 

geology, seasonal lake waters and modern day diatoms in order to trace the route of 

silicon throughout the Lake Baikal system. As Lake Baikal has seen an increase in both 

anthropogenic and climate driven pressures in recent decades (e.g. nutrient loading in the 

south basin and decreasing trends in lake ice duration) such data are essential in order to 

understand future lake productivity, at this once pristine environment. 

Keywords: Lake Baikal; silicon isotopes; diatoms; rivers; utilisation. 

Alleman, L.Y., et al. 2005. J Great Lakes Res. 31: 509-519. 

Basile-Doelsch, I., et al. 2005. Nature 433: 399-402. 

Conley, D. 2002. Global Planet Change. 16: 1121. 

De La Rocha C. 2000 Geochim Cosmochim Ac 64:2467-2477. 

Georg, R.B., 2006a. Earth Planet Sc Lett. 249: 290-306. 

Mackay, A.W., et al. 1998. Phil. Trans. of the Royal Society,353: 1011-1055. 

Mackay, A.W., et al. 2006.Glob Change Biol. 12: 2297-2315. 

Opfergelt, S., et al. 2011, Earth Planet Sc Lett. 305: 73-82. 

Street-Perrott, F.A. et al. 2008. J Quaternary Sci. 23: 375-387. 

Struyf, E., et al. 2009. Biogeosciences 6: 623-631. 

Swann, G.E.A., et al. 2010. Quaternary Sci Rev. 29: 774-786.

T9 

A preliminary study on dental microwear patterns of extant and extinct Ursids. 

S. Pappa 1 *, D.C. Schreve 1 & F. Rivals 2 

1 Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX 

2 Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), Tarragona, Spain 

Dental wear studies allow us to examine variation in microwear patterns that reflect the 

properties of food consumed by Pleistocene mammals, thereby shedding light on their 

palaeodietary ecology. However, few palaeodietary studies have previously focused on 

carnivores. Carnivores are extremely diverse, with each member of a guild adapted to a 

particular environment and mode of life. This remarkable diversity is clearly seen in the 

Family Ursidae. In this study, enamel microwear of select extant and extinct ursid species 

was assessed via standard light stereomicroscopy at 35x magnification using the standard 

preparation methods of Solounias and Semprebon (2002). 

First lower molar teeth (m1, carnassials) with occlusal surface wear indicative of prime 

adults (categories IV, V and VI of Stiner, 1998) were selected for study. This tooth 

combines bunodont cusps and a corresponding basin (talonid area) associated with 

crushing actions, and shearing blades (trigonid with protoconid and paraconid cusps), 

which are linked with slicing actions. Where this tooth was unavailable or poorly 

preserved, analogous teeth from the upper jaw, the upper fourth premolar (P4) and the 

upper first molar (M1) were chosen. 

The results reveal that extant ursid species can be separated into different parts of a 

dietary morphospace. In general, the hypercarnivorous Ursus maritimus (polar bear) has 

the coarsest microwear features of all extant species, characterized by more abundant pits 

than scratches. In contrast, the omnivorous Helarctos malayanus (sun bear) possesses 

more abundant scratches than pits and Ursus arctos (brown bear) from Greece has 

almost even number of scratches and pits, reflecting a mixed diet with an important green 

vegetation component in spring and soft mast in summer and autumn. 

Regarding the results on the extinct cave bear Ursus deningeri from Westbury-sub-Mendip 

(Somerset), the microwear pattern reveals a large number of scratches and pits together 

with many fine scratches and some gouge features. Plotting of large versus small pits in 

extant species and Ursus deningeri suggests that the last occupied a position in dietary 

morphospace between the polar bear and sun bear, overlapping with modern brown bears 

from Alaska. 

A future aim of the project is to create a comprehensive dental microwear database of 

extant ursids, including specimens from different geographical regions in order to elucidate 

the most complete interpretation of changing palaeodietary trends in various bear species 

across Europe in the Middle and Late Pleistocene. 

Keywords: Ursids; diet; paleoecology; microwear; light stereomicroscopy 

Solounias, N. and Semprebon, G., 2002. Advances in the Reconstruction of Ungulate Ecomorphology 

with Application to Early Fossil Equids. American Museum Novitates 3366: 1-49. 

Stiner, M. C., 1998. Mortality analysis of Pleistocene bears and its paleoantropological relevance. J. 

Hum. Evol., 34: 303-326.

T5 

Reconstructing plateau icefields: Evaluating empirical and modelled approaches 

D.Pearce 1 *, B.R.Rea 2 , I.Barr 3 and D.McDougall 1 


2 University of Aberdeen 

3 Queens University Belfast 

Glacial landforms are widely utilised to reconstruct former glacier geometries with a 

common aim to estimate the Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELAs) and from these, infer 

palaeoclimatic conditions. Such inferences may be studied on a regional scale and used 

to correlate climatic gradients across large distances (e.g., Europe). In Britain, the 

traditional approach uses geomorphological mapping with hand contouring to derive the 

palaeo-ice surface. Recently, ice surface modelling enables an equilibrium profile 

reconstruction tuned using the geomorphology. Both methods permit derivation of palaeoclimate 

but no study has compared the two methods for the same ice-mass. This is 

important because either approach may result in differences in glacier limits, ELAs and 

palaeo-climate. This research uses both methods to reconstruct a plateau icefield and 

quantifies the results from a cartographic and geometrical aspect. 

Detailed geomorphological mapping of the Tweedsmuir Hills in the Southern Uplands, 

Scotland (c. 320 km 2 ) was conducted to examine the extent of Younger Dryas (YD; 12.9 - 

11.7 cal. ka BP) glaciation. Landform evidence indicates a plateau icefield configuration of 

two separate ice-masses during the YD covering an area c. 45 km 2 

and 25 km 2 . The 

interpreted age is supported by new radiocarbon dating of basal stratigraphies and 

Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclide Analysis (TCNA) of in situ boulders. 

Both techniques produce similar configurations however; the model results in a coarser 

resolution requiring further processing if a cartographic map is required. When landforms 

are absent or fragmentary (e.g., trimlines and lateral moraines), like in many accumulation 

zones on plateau icefields, the geomorphological approach increasingly relies on 

extrapolation between lines of evidence and on the individual’s perception of how the icemass 

ought to look. In some locations this results in an underestimation of the ice surface 

compared to the modelled surface most likely due to reworking and paraglacial 

modification. It is suggested the model produces an overall more holistic reconstruction, 

providing glaciological insights into an otherwise static reconstruction. The model should 

not replace the traditional technique but should be used in conjunction since it provides 

important insights into likely boundary conditions, including shear stress, the presence of 

plateau ice and thickness. 

Keywords: Glacier reconstruction; ELA; Palaeoclimate; Scotland,

T5 

Lateglacial geomorphology in the Tweedsmuir Hills, Scotland – Implications for ice 

mass reconstructions and chronology. 

Danni Pearce 1 *, Brice R. Rea 2 , T. Bradwell 3 and Des McDougall 1 


2 University of Aberdeen 


The Tweedsmuir Hills, Southern Uplands, Scotland, contain excellent assemblages of 

glacial landforms, including hummocky moraine, classically associated with Lateglacial 

deglaciation (c. 14.7 – 11.7 cal. ka BP) in the UK. Although initially documented in 1855, 

a detailed systematic geomorphological investigation has never been undertaken in the 

region, meaning reconstructions are patchy, outdated and lacking chronological control. 

Given the evidence that ice-masses survived, Well into or throughout the Lateglacial in a 

number of regions in Scotland, the glacial geomorphology and reconstructions for this 

area will provide a key input of palaeo-glacier data for subsequent investigation of wider 

patterns of Lateglacial ice-mass distribution and climate gradients across the UK and NW 

Europe. 

Geomorphological mapping followed a morphostratigraphic approach using a combination 

of aerial photos, NEXTMap DEMs and mapping in the field using a ruggedized tablet PC, 

with built in GPS and ArcGIS 10. 

The glacial landforms indicate two separate landsystems. The first is characterised by 

isolated mounds and an extensive network of nested meltwater channels which override 

the topography, suggested to be attributable to the Devensian glaciation. The second 

landsystem is characterised by closely spaced sharp crested moraines, oblique to the 

valley axis and confined by the topography, meltwater channels and single terrace 

systems, which are likely to have formed in a subsequent period of renewed glaciation i.e. 

Lateglacial. The Lateglacial landform assemblage indicates more extensive glaciation 

than previously envisaged, with two plateau icefields forming over the Tweedsmuir Hills. 

Interestingly, a geomorphic pattern is observable in more than one valley, which is 

interpreted as a synchronous recession of the outlet glaciers and a rapid deglaciation 

towards the summits. Whilst two landsystems have been mapped the second poses 

interesting problems regarding extent and timing of glaciation. The Loch Skene site has 

been traditionally associated with a small valley glacier. However, it appears to feed ice 

into a lower valley which exhibits a landform assemblage typical of Lateglacial 

deglaciation in Scotland. It is tentatively proposed that the Loch Skene glacier represents 

a retreat phase prior to complete deglaciation rather than the Younger Dryas maximum.

T3 

Exploiting multi-proxy analysis of marine sediments in the southeast Atlantic: 

Intensification of Agulhas leakage tied to the start of the 100ka cycles. 

Benjamin F. Petrick 1 *, Erin L. McClymont 2 , Rosell-Mele, A. 3 , and Ferrer, G. R. 3 

1 School of Geography, Politics & Sociology, Newcastle University, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon 

Tyne, NE1 7RU, U.K. 

2 Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, U.K. 

3 Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus UAB, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Spain. 

Understanding the impact of changes in global climatic cycles on major oceanic systems 

is important in understanding the causes and impacts of changes in climate cycles. Here, 

we present reconstructions of sea-surface temperature (SST), salinity, plankton 

assemblages and global ice volume obtained from a single core, ODP site 1087 (31º28’S, 

15º19’E, 1374m water depth) spanning the last 1.5 Ma. Our hypothesis is that the 

response and position of the Agulhas leakage, which transfers heat and salt to the SE 

Atlantic region, has shifted as a result of changes in the dominant periodicity of climate 

cycles. We draw on evidence from the alkenone (UK37’) and GDGT (TEXH86) proxies for 

SST, foraminifera oxygen isotopes for salinity and ice volume, to identify changes in the 

input of the Agulhas leakage. We present the first continuous record of SE Atlantic SSTs 

reaching to 1.5 Ma which spans both the 41 kyr and 100 kyr glacial cycles. We identify 

large changes in SST and salinity on glacial-interglacial timescales, but show that there is 

a consistent pattern of SSTs leading salinity and then global ice volume change, so that 

deglaciation occurs some 5-10 kyr after the onset of rapid warming in the SE Atlantic 

during the recent glacials and interglacials. This early warming pattern, which 

characterises the most recent cycles, began to develop as early at 900 ka, as the 100 kyr 

cycles became dominant. Before this time there is little evidence of Agulhas leakage in 

the ODP1087 record. We also show that over the last 600 ka there has been a 

strengthening of the Agulhas Leakage which has led to warmer interglacials over this time 

period. Overall the record shows that the strength and location of the Agulhas leakage is 

sensitive to changes in the dominant cycles in the climate.

T5 

Micromorphological evidence of liquefaction, injection and sediment deposition 

during basal sliding 

E. Phillips 1 *, E. Lipka 2 , J.J.M. van der Meer 3 

1 British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3LA 

2 Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Department of Geomorphology, Adam Mickiewicz 

University, Dziegielowa 27, 61-680 Poznan, Poland 

3 School of Geography, Queen Mary, University of London 

Mile End Road, London E1 4NS 

The sliding of an ice mass over its bed represents one of the main mechanisms for the 

forward motion of glaciers and ice sheets. The basal sliding process is thought to be 

facilitated by either regelation of the overriding ice and/or the introduction of meltwater 

along the ice-bed interface. The periodic nature of these conditions results in a stick-slip 

style of motion with phases of basal sliding leading to the repeated decoupling of the ice 

from its bed. However, in the geological record, physical evidence of this process having 

occurred beneath former glacier and ice sheets is limited. We present the results of a 

detailed micromorphological study of thinly stratified subglacial tills exposed at two sites: 

(i) Galmis in Switzerland and (ii) Plumpe Farm, near Gretna Green in SW Scotland. The 

stratification within these tills comprises alternating layers of massive to weakly foliated 

diamicton and variably deformed (folded, faulted) laminated silt and clay. 

Micromorphological and microstructural evidence is interpreted in terms of repeated 

phases of basal sliding as the ice overrode a soft-sediment bed. Elevated meltwater 

contents/pressures encountered immediately prior to, and during basal sliding promoted 

localised liquefaction within the underlying bed. Decoupling of the ice from the bed 

enabled the injection of the liquefied diamicton along the ice-bed interface and/or into the 

laminated sediments immediately adjacent to this boundary. The laminated silts and clays 

record the settling out of fines (clay, slit) from meltwater trapped along the ice-bed 

interface after an individual phase of basal sliding has ceased. Injection of till into the 

locally water-saturated silts and clays resulted in partial liquefaction and incomplete mixing 

of these fine-grained sediments with the diamicton. Density contrasts between the two 

liquefied sediments led to the development of a complex ‘vinaigrette’ like texture (in 

analogy with igneous petrological terminology) comprising rounded to irregular till pebbles 

within a matrix of variably homogenised silty clay. Recoupling of the ice with its bed led to 

localised folding and thrusting within the laminated silts and clays, hydrofracturing and 

injection of a network of sand-filled veins, and the imposition of a variably developed clast 

microfabric in the diamicton layers. Analysis (E1 and E2 eigenvalues) of the clast 

microfabrics indicates that the intensity of these fabrics is highly variable reflecting the 

variation in the intensity of deformation imposed by the overriding ice. 

Keywords: micromorphology; basal sliding; till liquefaction and injection; soft-s

T3 

Tipping Points: Rapid Neo-glacial transitions in the North Atlantic Region 

P.H. Ranner 1 *, B. Huntley 1 , A.J. Long 2 , E.J. Maddison 2 , S.A. Woodroffe 2 , 

J.R.M. Allen 1 , 

1 School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Durham University, Durham 

2 Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham 

Possible ‘Tipping Point’ behaviour has been identified across a spectrum of palaeoclimatic 

studies, for example, the relatively rapid climatic changes associated with shifts from 

glacial to interglacial conditions, or short‐lived excursions such as the 8200 yr BP cold 

event. A majority of these changes can be attributed to external forcing mechanisms, such 

as orbitally-forced changes in insolation, or to internal mechanisms or feedbacks such as 

pro-glacial lake drainage, changes in ice-sheet extent sea-level changes, ice-sheet extent 

or volcanic aerosols. 

This study explores a pronounced climatic cooling event. The transition from the generally 

warmer conditions of the Holocene Thermal Optimum (HTO) to the cooler Neo-glacial is 

recorded across much of the northern Hemisphere and in a range of proxy records, 

although, the date for this event at individual localities ranges between 4000 and 6000 yr 

BP. The signal is particularly clear in Greenland ice-core borehole temperature profiles 

and ice-rafted debris content of ocean cores from east of Greenland. The underlying 

mechanism for this climatic transition remains undetermined. Our objective is to 

investigate the cause(s) for this event by developing new, high temporal resolution 

palaeoclimatic records from the climatically sensitive North Atlantic region, using 

complementary climate proxies, including pollen, Chironomids, diatoms and biomarkers. 

This poster presents preliminary palaeoclimate reconstructions following pollen analysis. 

Data are presented from new records from two lakes in Southern Greenland and one lake 

in Finnmark, Northern Norway. The Neo-glacial transition is identified at the three new 

sites and its tipping Point characteristics are discussed within the framework of existing 

records from the region. 

Keywords: pollen; palaeoclimate reconstructions; Greenland; Finnmark; tipping-point

T9 

Palaeolimnological evidence for the Medieval Warm Period in the northeastern 

Mediterranean? 

Jane M. Reed 1 *, Aleksandra Cvetkoska 2 , Alexander Francke 3 , Jack H. Lacey 4 , Melanie J. 

Leng 4,5 , , Zlatko Levkov 2 , Bernd Wagner 3 , Xiaosen Zhang 1 

1 Dept. of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, University of Hull, Hull 

2 Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia 3 Institute of Geology 

and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany 

4 Dept. of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester 

5 NERC Isotope Geosciences Lab, British Geological Survey, Nottingham 

The Medieval Warm Period (MWP, centred on ca. 950 AD) is recognised as a phase of 

marked Holocene environmental change in palaeoenvironmental records across the 

Mediterranean. Its signature is complex, however, with major differences in patterns of 

temperature and precipitation change inferred across the region. Ancient Lake Ohrid 

(Macedonia/Albania) is a site of global importance for palaeoclimate research. As part of 

the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP) project, SCOPSCO, 

palaeolimnological studies of glacial-interglacial climate change have demonstrated the 

strong climatic response of diatoms and stable isotopes. Here, we present proxy data for 

hydrological change during the Late Holocene from Ohrid core Lz1120, in comparison with 

extant data from other Holocene sequences in Ohrid (Reed et al. 2010) and Prespa 

(Cvetkoska et al., submitted). Evidence for a prolonged low lake-level phase in both lakes 

at ca. 1 ka is compared with other sites in the region to assess whether this represents a 

climatic response to enhanced MWP aridity, or whether it is a function of catchmentspecific 

drivers. 

Keywords: Medieval Warm Period; Mediterranean; Ohrid; palaeolimnology; diatoms; 

stable isotopes 

Cvetkoska, A., Levkov, Z., Reed, J.M., Wagner, B. (submitted). Late glacial to Holocene climate 

change and human impact in the Mediterranean: the last ca. 17 ka diatom record of Lake Prespa 

(Macedonia/Albania/Greece). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 

Reed J. M., Cvetkoska A., Levkov Z., Vogel H. & Wagner B. (2010). The last glacial-interglacial cycle in 

Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania): testing diatom response to climate. Biogeosciences 7, 3083-3094

T5 

Glacial history of the central northern North Sea 

B.T.I. Reinardy* 1 , B.O. Hjelstuen 1 , H.P. Sejrup 1 and D. Stoddart 2 

1 Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway 

2 Lundin, Strandveien 50D, NO-1366, Lysaker, Norway 

Despite a long history of investigation, the glacial history of the North Sea is still partly 

unresolved. This is largely due to poorly constrained chronology across the area, 

particularly a chronological framework that enables correlation of both the sedimentary 

and seismic stratigraphy of both the Norwegian and British sectors. A majority of these 

investigations also tend to focus on the most recent glacial cycle within the North Sea. In 

this study we plan to utilise 3D seismic data collected in the central northern North Sea 

that will allow detailed stratigraphic mapping of units extending back to the Pliocene- 

Pleistocene boundary. Interpretations of these units will not only be based on their seismic 

character but also correlated to well and shallow core data allowing their depositional 

history to be investigated. Several physical properties have been measured on these 

cores and include grain-size, calcium carbonate, total organic carbon, palaeomagnetic 

intensity and shear strength. To be able to combine and correlate this lithological and 

physical properties data and the seismic data, we plan to carry out multiple dating 

techniques on these cores that will allow us to build up a chronology for this part of the 

North Sea extending back to early Pleistocene times when the first evidence of 

widespread glaciation is thought to have affected the area. 

Keywords: North Sea; 3D seismic data; glacimarine sediments; till.

T8 

The volcanic island of Mauritius: “Star and key*” for unraveling island ecological 

dynamics? 

*Mauritius national motto: "Stella Clavisque Maris Indici" or "Star and Key of the Indian Ocean" 

K.F. Rijsdijk * 1 , Erik J. de Boer 2 , Henry Hooghiemstra 2 & Dodo Research Programme team 

1 Computational GeoEcology Group, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem dynamics, UVA. P.O. Box 

94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

2 Palaeoecology and Landscape Ecology Group, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem dynamics, 

UVA. P.O. Box 94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

The volcanic island of Mauritius emerged ca. 9 Ma and underwent several volcanic 

phases of formation including the developments of calderas. Volcanism gradually 

decreased the last 0.5 My and ceased after the last eruptions during the last interglacial 

(stage MIS 5e). Sea level falls during the Pleistocene ice ages led to deeply incised 

gorges and , which breach submarine reefs forming ecological corridors. The isolated 

position of Mauritius led to the evolution of a globally unique ecosystems that is are part of 

the Madagascar biodiversity hotspot. Despites being nearly completely (98%) deforested, 

the small island still contains a high vascular plant diversity (> 740 native species). It 

contained 40 vertebrate species of which half succumbed less than 400 years ago as a 

result of human interference. Mauritius is privileged in holding rich natural sedimentary 

archives, which in the uplands comprise crater fills with peaty sediments registering 40 ky 

of vegetation change 1 . In the lowlands, an extremely rich mass grave of vertebrate fauna 

provides a high resolution lens into the ecological dynamics of a vertebrate community 

that died 4200 y ago in response to environmental conditions 2 . Mauritius has the potential 

of an ecological laboratory in which nature itself has carried out controlled experiments. 

Fundamental ecological questions can be addressed 3 , such as: how do biomes respond to 

climate change if migration is not an option?, and where is biodiversity located and how 

does it exchange between reservoirs and the remaining parts of the island surface?, how 

fast are rates of migration and evolution?, and is the cumulative genepool of Mauritius’ 

flora and fauna sensitive to climate change or can it accommodate a response to climatic 

extremes? The key difference between small oceanic islands and continental areas is the 

lack of migration options in islands making it therefore crucial to understand how insular 

ecological systems respond to environmental forcing. Two core conclusions can already 

be drawn: (1a) tropical islands ecosystems are not ecological safe havens as climatic 

change is amplified on small islands, (2b) insular ecosystems underwent bottlenecks due 

to climatic extremes often combined with volcanic eruptions, but, as far as our records 

reach, extinctions only commenced after human colonization. Natural and historic archives 

on Mauritius make the volcanic island both a guiding star and key for insular ecological 

theory and palaeoecological dynamics to natural and human environmental change. 

Moreover the extinct Dodo’s ecosystem hold fundamental lessons for humanity that 

currently transforms ‘island Earth’ at alarming rates. 

Keywords: Mauritius, Climate Change, Palaeoecology, Palaeoclimate, Evolution, Human 

impact Volcanic Islands 

1 De Boer, E.J., Hooghiemstra, H., Florens, F.B.V., Baider, C., Engels, S., Dakos, V., Blaauw, M., Bennett, 

K.D., 2013b. Rapid succession of plant associations on the small ocean island of Mauritius at the onset of the 

Holocene. Quaternary Science Reviews 68, 114-125. 

2 Rijsdijk, K.F. , Zinke J., de Louw P.G.B., Hume J.P., van der Plicht H.J., Hooghiemstra H., Meijer H.J.M, 

Vonhof H.J., Porch N.,Florens F.B.V., Baider C., van Geel B., Brinkkemper J., Vernimmen T., Janoo A. 2011 . 

Mid-Holocene (4200 yr BP) mass mortalities in Mauritius (Mascarenes): Insular vertebrates resilient to climatic 

extremes but vulnerable to human impact. The Holocene 21, 1179 - 1194. . 

3 De Boer, E.J., Tjallingii, R., Vélez, M.I., Rijsdijk, K.F., Vlug, A., Prendergast, A.L., De Louw, P.G.B., Florens, 

F.B.V., Baider, C., Hooghiemstra, H. In progress. Decadal- to millennial-scale climate variability in the SW 

Indian Ocean from a 8000-yr long multi-proxy record in the Mauritian lowlands. Accepted in Quaternary 

Science Reviews

T8 

Reconstructing Quaternary Rhine–Meuse dynamics in the southern North Sea: 

architecture, seismo-lithofacies associations and malacological biozonation 

Rijsdijk K.F.* 1 , Kroon I.C. 2 , Meijer T. 3,4 , Passchier S. 5 , van Dijk T.A.G.P .6,7 , 

Bunnik F.P.M. 8, and Janse A.C. 4 

1 Computational GeoEcology Group, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem dynamics, UVA. P.O. Box 

94248, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands 

2 Sustainable GeoEnergy, TNO. P.O. Box 80015, NL-3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands 

3 WMC Kwartair Consultants, Alkmaar, The Netherlands 

4 Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity, Naturalis, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR Leiden. The Netherlands. 

5 Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair NJ 07043, USA. 

6 Department of Applied Geology and Geophysic, Deltares, Postbus 85467, 3508 AL Utrecht, The 

Netherlands 

7 Department of Water Engineering & Management, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE 

Enschede, The Netherlands 

8 Petroleum Geosciences, TNO. P.O. Box 80015, NL-3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands 

Mapping the thickness of the Middle to Upper Pleistocene Rhine-Meuse sequence in the 

southern North Sea based on new core and seismic data has allowed for a detailed 

palaeonvironmental re-assessment 1 . A marine integrated litho-seismostratigraphic and 

malacological biostratigraphic framework is correlated with the OSL-dated Rhine-Meuse 

sequence onshore 2a,b . The data point to a dynamic interplay of fluvial and marine systems 

in the southern part of the North Sea driven by longer term (>100 ka) tectonic and 

epeirogenic processes and shorter term (100 ka) uplift of the 

Wealden-Artois synclinorium and compaction-driven subsidence of Tertiary shales within 

the Voorne Trough. Post-depositional compaction of these shales resulted in Cenozoic 

subsidence rates that are up to 3 cm/ka faster than in the surrounding region 5 , creating 

accommodation space for the fluvial sequence (Figure 1). The Saalian Palaeo-Channel 

river must have caused a permanent breach in the Cretaceous chalks exposed in the 

Weald-Artois anticlinorium leading to a full marine connection with the southern Lusitanian 

mollusc fauna province during the subsequent interglacials 6 and a permanent southward 

diversion of the Rhine-Meuse system during the last glaciation. The dominant erosive 

sedimentary signatures within the Rhine-Meuse sequence resulted through shorter term 

(

the southern North Sea basin: imprints of climate change, sea-level oscillation and glacio-isostacy. 

Quaternary Science Reviews 26: 3216-3248. 

2b Busschers FS, van Balen RT, Cohen KM, Kasse C, Weerts HJT, Wallinga J, & Bunnik FPM. 2008. 

Response of the Rhine-Meuse fluvial system to Saalian ice-sheet dynamics. Boreas, 37: 377–398. 

3 Toucanne S, Zaragosi S, Bourillet JF, Cremer M, Eynaud F, Van Vliet-Lanoë B, Penaud A, Fontanier 

C, Turon JL, Cortijo E, Gibbard PL. 2009. Timing of massive ‘Fleuve Manche’ discharges over the last 

350 kyr: insights into the European ice-sheet oscillations and the European drainage network from MIS 

10 to 2. Quaternary Science Reviews 28: 1238-1256. 

5 Kooi H. 2000. Land subsidence due to compaction in the coastal area of The Netherlands: the role of 

lateral fluid flow and constraints from well-log data. Global and Planetary Change 27: 207-222. 

6 Meijer T, Preece RC. 1995. Malacological evidence relating to the insularity of the British Isles during 

the Quaternary. In: Preece RC. (ed.), 1995, Island Britain: a Quaternary perspective. Geological 

Society Special Publication 96: 89-110. 

7 Bridgland DR, Gibbard PL. 1997 Quaternary River Diversions in the London Basin and the Eastern 

English Channel. Géographie physique et Quaternaire 51: 337-346. 

Figure 1: The extent and thickness of the Middle Pleistocene Rhine -Meuse sequence in the southern 

North Sea (thickness in 5 m increments, arrows denote palaeo-courses of the Rhine, southern arrow 

coincides with location of the “Euro-channel” belt, indented lines showing isolines of relative subsidence 

rates in cm/ka within the Voorne Trough).

T9 

When was Europe deforested? Large-scale Holocene land-cover reconstruction 

using a pollen-based pseudo-biomisation approach 

Neil Roberts 1 *, Jessie Woodbridge 1 and Ralph Fyfe 1 

1 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA 

The need for accurate land-cover datasets extending beyond the period covered by 

remote-sensing has encouraged the development of various reconstruction approaches to 

past vegetation (e.g. Kaplan et al., 2009). The pseudo-biomisation (PBM) approach (Fyfe 

et al., 2010; Woodbridge et al. 2013) has been developed to provide a simple and easily 

applied transformation of fossil pollen data into land-cover classes in order to reconstruct 

broad-scale anthropogenic land-use change through time. The PBM has been tested and 

refined through application to an extensive modern pollen dataset (Davis et al., 2013) and 

comparison with Corine remote-sensed land cover maps (Woodbridge et al., in review). 

The method has now been applied to 982 records from the European Pollen Database 

and synthesised at 200-year time steps from 11,000 BP to the present. Regional 

comparisons indicate that forest decline and increased semi-open and open land cover 

can be detected since at least ~6000 BP in Central and Northwest Europe. In Southeast 

Europe and the Mediterranean, closed forest was part of a regional vegetation mosaic that 

always included significant areas of open and semi-open land cover. In consequence, 

here it is harder to separate, for example, natural grassland from pasture-land of anthropic 

origin. In addition to a Europe-wide synthesis, we present a number of case study areas 

in order to explore regionally-specific land-use change, and compare these with other, 

non-pollen based estimates of past land cover and demographic change. Our results are 

consistent with farming and other human actions having been the primary cause of landcover 

change across most of Europe since the mid-Holocene. This in turn gives at least 

partial support to Ruddiman’s (2013) early anthropogenic greenhouse hypothesis for the 

pre-industrial rise in atmospheric CO 2 concentration. 

Keywords: pollen; land cover; anthropogenic; Europe; carbon dioxide; deforestation 

Davis B.A.S, Zanon M, Collins P., et al. (online first: 2013) The European Modern Pollen Database 

(EMPD) project. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany. 

Fyfe, R.M., Roberts, N., and Woodbridge, J. (2010) A pseudo-biomisation approach to anthropogenic 

land cover change. Holocene. 20: 1165-1171 

Kaplan J.O., Krumhardt, K.M. and Zimmerman N. (2009) The prehistorical and preindustrial 

deforestation of Europe. Quat. Sci. Rev. 28: 3016–34 

Ruddiman, W.F. (2013) The Anthropocene. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 41: 4.1–4.24 

Woodbridge, J., Fyfe, R.M. and Roberts, N. (in review) A comparison of remotely-sensed and pollenbased 

approaches to mapping Europe’s land cover. Submitted to J. Biogeography 

Woodbridge, J., Fyfe, R.M., Roberts, N., Downey, S., Edinborough, K., and Shennan, S. (online first: 

2013) The impact of the Neolithic agricultural transition in Britain: a comparison of pollen-based landcover 

and archaeological 14C date-inferred population change. Journal of Archaeological Science.

T9 

Diatom response to recent pollution and environmental change at 

Lake Baikal, Siberia 

S. Roberts 1 *, S. McGowan 1 , G.E.A. Swann 1 , A.W. Mackay 2 , V.N. Panizzo 1 

1 School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham; 

2 ECRC, Department of Geography, UCL, London 

This research project aims to investigate the impact of recent anthropogenic activity, and 

natural climate variability over the past 1000 years on Lake Baikal. Situated within a rift 

zone in southeastern Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world’s oldest, deepest and most 

voluminous lake, leading to high levels of endemicity (Timoshkin, 2007). This UNESCO 

site has undergone substantial catchment changes since the 1950s as a result of 

increased development, catchment logging and industrialisation, increasing the nutrient 

loading into the photic zone (Ciesielki et al., 2006). Interlinked with this, declining ice-cover 

thickness and duration along with increased nutrient enrichment from regional permafrost 

thaw and fluvial input are also suggested to have impacted the aquatic ecosystem 

(Hampton et al., 2008; Todd and Mackay, 2003). 

We studied diatoms from sediment cores in the north, south and central basins of the lake. 

Diatoms contribute to over half of the primary productivity within Lake Baikal and are 

comprised of many endemic species (e.g. Aulacoseira baicalensis and Cyclotella minuta). 

We hypothesised that within areas of localised eutrophication the abundances of 

cosmopolitan diatom species such as Synedra acus v. radians and Synedra acus v. acus 

will increase due to higher nutrient availability (nitrogen, phosphorus and silicon). Previous 

research shows evidence of diatom assemblage changes within shallow-water regions of 

the south basin from 1960 AD onwards in regions close to major fluvial inputs and 

factories (Mackay et al, 1998). However, the impact of recent nutrient enrichment over the 

last 15-20 years from increased catchment activity remains unknown. Results from diatom 

taxonomic counts and a dissolution index to account for taphonomic processes (Ryves et 

al., 2009) are presented from sediment cores obtained from the north basin of the lake 

and from the south and central basins, which are believed to be more heavily impacted by 

anthropogenic activities. These results highlight the on-going temporal and spatial 

changes in the lake ecosystem that are occurring in response to anthropogenic forcing 

from both climate change and catchment activities, with observed increases in Synedra 

species abundances in the uppermost sediment samples. 

Keywords: diatom; nutrient; pollution; climate; Baikal 

Ciesielski, T., Pastukhov, M.V., Fodor, P., Bertenyi, Z., Namiesnik, J., Szefer, P. (2006). 'Relationships 

and bioaccumulation of chemical elements in the Baikal seal (Phoca sibirica).' Environmental Pollution, 

139, 372-384 

Hampton, S.E., Izmesteva, L.R., Moore, M.V., Katz, S.L., Dennis, B., Silow, E.A. (2008). ‘Sixty years of 

environmental change in the world’s largest freshwater lake – Lake Baikal, Siberia.’ Global Change 

Biology, 14, 1947-1958 

Mackay, A.W., Flower, R.J., Kutmina, A.E., Granina, L., Rose, N.L., Appleby, P.G., Boyle, J.F., 

Battarbee, R.W. (1998). ‘Diatom succession trends in recent sediments from Lake Baikal and their 

relation to atmospheric pollution and to climate change.’ Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B., 353, 1011-1055 

Ryves, D.B., Battarbee, R.W., Frit, S.C. (2009). ‘The Dilemma of Disappearing Diatoms: Incorporating 

Diatom Dissolution Data into Palaeoenvironmental Modelling and Reconstruction.’ Quaternary Science 

Reviews, 28, 1-2, 120-136 

Timoshkin, O.A. (2007). In: New Scope on the Boreal Ecosystems in East Siberia. Proceedings of the 

International Symposium, Kyoto Nov.23–25 1994. 

Todd, M.C., Mackay, A.W. (2003). ‘Large-Scale climate controls on Lake Baikal ice cover.’ Journal of 

Climate, 16, 3186-3199

T9 

Long-term vegetation development in an Amazonian peatland 

* 1 K.H. Roucoux, 1 I.T. Lawson, 2 T.D. Jones, 1 T.R. Baker, 1,3 E.N. Honorio Coronado, 4 

W.D. Gosling, 5 O. Lähteenoja 

1 School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT 

2 Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4YW 

3 Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, Av. José A. Quiñones km 2.5, Iquitos, Peru. 

4 Department of Environment, Earth and Ecosystems, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, 

MK7 6AA 

5 Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland 

The existence of widespread peat-forming ecosystems in western Amazonia has recently 

been reported (Lähteenoja et al., 2009, 2012). The contribution these peatlands make to 

Amazonian biodiversity and below-ground carbon storage (Lähteenoja et al., 2012) make 

it imperative that we understand their potential responses to future climatic and land use 

change. Of the complex ecohydrological factors which interact to determine peatland 

distribution and function, vegetation composition is pivotal and an understanding of longterm 

peatland vegetation history is central to predicting their sensitivity to environmental 

change. We present results of the first attempt to establish the long-term (millennial-scale) 

vegetation history of one of these peatland sites: Quistococha, close to the city of Iquitos 

in northern Peru (Roucoux et al., 2013). Pollen and sedimentological analyses show that 

peat formation began at the core site under sedge fen or floating mat vegetation c. 2200 

calendar years before present (cal yr BP). This was followed by the development of a 

seasonally flooded woodland c. 1880 cal yr BP. The permanently water-logged palm 

swamp which persists today began to form c. 1000 cal yr BP, with the present vegetation 

community established by c. 400 years ago. Our results show that the vegetation has 

undergone continuous change throughout the period of peat formation, with several abrupt 

transitions, and reversals and repetitions in the apparent trajectory of change. The pollen 

data, combined with sedimentary evidence, suggest that the dominant control on 

ecosystem functioning and development is the flooding regime and there appears to have 

been a decrease in fluvial influence over time. There is no clear evidence of direct climatic 

or anthropogenic influence although we cannot rule the possibility of climatically driven 

hydrological changes. Our results caution against adoption a simple model of peatland 

vegetation succession in the region. Further work at this site and at other sites in the 

region will enable us to test the possible drivers of change. 

Keywords: Amazonia; Peru; peat; pollen; succession; aguajal 

Lähteenoja, O., Ruokolainen, K., Schulman, L., Alvarez, J. (2009) Amazonian floodplains harbour 

minerotrophic and ombrotrophic peatlands. Catena 79, 140-145. 

Lähteenoja, O., Rojas Reátegui, Y., Rasanen, M.E., Del Castillio Torres, D., Oinonen, M., Page, S.E. 

(2012) The large Amazonian peatland carbon sink in the subsiding Pastaza-Marañon foreland basin, 

Peru. Global Change Biology 18, 164-178. 

Roucoux, K.H., Lawson, I.T., Jones, T.D., Baker, T.R., Honorio Coronado, E.N., Gosling, W.D., 

Lähteenoja, O. (2013) Vegetation development in an Amazonian peatland. Palaeogeography, 

Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 372, 242-255.

T3 

Spacial isotopic variations in water isotopes and dissolved inorganic carbon along 

the pyrenees during the beginning of spring 2013 

M. L. Sanchez Montes 1 * 

1 Department of Geography, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield 

Oxygen (δ 18 O), hydrogen (δ 2 H) and carbon (δ 13 C) stable isotope analyses from 72 rivers 

along the Pyrenees have been carried out in order to observe their spatial and temporal 

variability. The Pyrenees mountain range has been divided into four areas according to 

north, south, west and east to compare the stable isotopic values. Spatial isotopic 

fractionation differences along the Pyrenees can be explained by different controls. In 

order to do that, here we analyse and compare the isotopic data of the four different areas. 

Our results show that, despite their complexity, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic values were 

subject to spatial differences among the four areas due to differences in moisture sources 

of the precipitation and re-evaporation processes. In contrast, the carbon isotopic values 

showed a common respiration and erosion controls for the west and the north and 

chemical weathering controls for the south and the east. Furthermore, this study contains 

an isotopic data record (δ 2 H and δ 18 O and δ 13 C) to help future investigations regarding 

temporal changes in these stable isotopic compositions over this place. As far as it could 

be found, this study is the first one to characterize these stable isotopes for the entire 

Pyrenees range until the present time. Local isotopic data-record for Lannemezan during 

spring 2009 (Lambs et al, 2009) was compared with the data collected in this work in 

spring 2013. The isotopic changes of this area showed to have become lighter during the 

last 4 years. It is expected that the evolution trajectory of this mountain could be a good 

representation of the evolution of mountain ranges situated at higher latitudes, regarding 

the context of future global warming scenario (Lopez-Moreno et al. 2008). 

Keywords: oxygen; hydrogen; stable isotopes; dissolved inorganic carbon; rivers; 

Pyrenees; climate change. 

Lambs, L., Brunet, F. and Probst, J.L., 2009, Isotopic characteristics of the Garonne River and its 

tributaries, RCM 2543-2550. 

Lopez-Moreno, J. I., Beniston, M. And Garcia-Ruiz, J. M., 2008, Environmental change and water 

management in the Pyrenees: Facts and future perspectives for Mediterranean mountains, Global and 

Planetary Change 61, 300-312.

T9 

Climate, microtopography and permafrost controls on recent carbon accumulation 

in peatlands in Northeastern Canada 

N.K. Sanderson 1 * D.J. Charman 1 , I.P. Hartley 1 , M. Garneau 2 

1 Geography Department, University of Exeter 

2 GEOTOP Research Centre, Département de Géographie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada 

In Northeastern Canada, permafrost for the Holocene reached its southernmost extent 

during the Little Ice Age. Recent warming and permafrost degradation during the last few 

decades along the southern limit of the discontinuous permafrost zone have been altering 

peatland microtopography, hydrology and carbon cycling; this trend is projected to 

continue. However, understanding of multi-decadal and centennial scale change in 

peatlands is limited. This study aims to quantify changes in carbon accumulation rates for 

the last millennium in ombrotrophic peatlands from three regions along the North Shore of 

the Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada. In each region, three peatlands were cored and 3-4 

microforms were sampled per peatland. This replication allows changes in accumulation 

rates to be examined on two scales: 1) between regions along a N-S climatic gradient, and 

2) within peatlands in the same region along a microtopography gradient. Recent carbon 

accumulation rates for last 150-200 years were calculated with lead-210 dating. Some 

initial estimates are also available for the last millennium using radiocarbon dates. Carbon 

accumulation rates were higher for all sites in the southernmost region, with sphagnum 

hummocks having the highest accumulation rates overall. In more northern peatlands, 

rates were found to differ between microforms, and between sites. This variability may be 

due to exposure and winter snow cover differences between sites, and between 

microforms within sites. A high-resolution (0.5 cm) multi-proxy analysis using testate 

amoebae and plant macrofossils will be performed around key periods of accumulation 

change to evaluate peatland carbon sensitivity to hydrological change. 

Keywords: Peatlands; carbon accumulation; last millennium; lead-210; microtopography; 

permafrost 

Payette, S. Delwaide, A., Caccianiga, M. and Beauchemin, M. (2004) Accelerated thawing of subarctic 

peatland permafrost over the last 50 years. Geophysical Research Letters 31, L18208, 

doi:10.1029/2004/GL020358

T9 

Looking forward through the past. Identification of fifty priority research questions 

in palaeoecology 

A.W.R. Seddon 1,2 *, A.W. Mackay 3 , A.G. Baker 2 and the Palaeo50 Working Group 

1 Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 

2 Biodiversity Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford 

3 ECRC, Department of Geography, UCL, London 

Priority question exercises are becoming an increasingly common tool to frame future 

agendas in conservation and ecological science. They are an effective way to identify 

research foci that advance the field and that also have high policy and conservation 

relevance. To date there has been no coherent synthesis of key questions and priority 

research areas for palaeoecology, which combines biological, geochemical and molecular 

techniques in order to reconstruct past ecological and environmental systems on 

timescales from decades to millions of years. 

We adapted a well-established methodology to identify 50 priority research questions in 

palaeoecology (Seddon et al. accepted). Using a set of criteria designed to identify 

realistic and achievable research goals, we selected questions from a pool submitted by 

the international palaeoecology research community and relevant policy practitioners. The 

integration of online participation, both before and during the workshop, increased 

international engagement in question selection. 

The questions selected are structured around six themes: human–environment 

interactions in the Anthropocene; biodiversity, conservation, and novel ecosystems; 

biodiversity over long timescales; ecosystem processes and biogeochemical cycling; 

comparing, combining and synthesizing information from multiple records; and new 

developments in palaeoecology (Figure 1). Future opportunities in palaeoecology are 

related to improved incorporation of uncertainty into reconstructions, an enhanced 

understanding of ecological and evolutionary dynamics and processes, and the continued 

application of long-term data for better-informed landscape management. 

Palaeoecology is a vibrant and thriving discipline and these 50 priority questions highlight 

its potential for addressing both pure (e.g. theoretical) and applied (e.g. environmental) 

research questions related to ecological science and global change. 

Keywords: palaeoecology; biodiversity; conservation; ecology; evolution 

Seddon, A.W.R., Mackay, A.W., Baker, A.G., Palaeo50 Working Group (accepted). Looking forward 

through the past. Identification of fifty priority research questions in palaeoecology. Journal of Ecology

T3 

The temperature-δ 18 O relationship of British freshwater molluscan assemblages: 

Modern analogue studies and the application to interglacial climates 

J. Sherriff* 1 , I. Candy 1 , D. Schreve 1 , A. Palmer 1 


Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX 

The δ 18 O of freshwater carbonates has the potential to provide high-resolution and 

quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstructions, based on the principle that in temperate midlatitudes, 

the δ 18 O of these carbonates is controlled primarily by temperature (Candy, 

2009). In Britain, these archives mainly comprise freshwater molluscan assemblages 

associated with fluvial and lacustrine interglacial and interstadial deposits in southern 

Britain. Whilst these assemblages have been investigated with regards to their ecological 

properties, few have had their δ 18 O composition systematically studied. This is primarily 

due to the lack of high-resolution modern analogue studies, and consequently a lack of 

understanding of how shell δ 18 O composition relates to water chemistry and temperature. 

This poster presents the results from a modern study investigating the relationship 

between δ 18 O water and shell/opercula δ 18 O from three fluvial sites of differing scales: 

Thames, Wey and Colne. At each site, monthly water samples from the period November 

2011-December 2012 were collected and the δ 18 O composition analysed. From the same 

sites, living freshwater gastropods and bivalves were collected from the same period and 

individual’s shell/operculum δ 18 O and δ 13 C analysed. Data is presented from one species: 

Bithynia tentaculata (L) in which both the aragonitic shell and calcitic operculum were 

analysed. 

The results show that B. tentaculata shells mineralise in isotopic equilibrium with river 

waters during spring-summer months from all three locations. The calcitic operculum from 

the same individual however does not show this relationship suggesting that disequilibrium 

processes such as metabolic effects during opercula mineralisation may be occurring. It is 

evident that modern isotopic composition of B. tentaculata shell is comparable, both 

between sites in this study and elsewhere in Britain (Waghorne et al, 2012). This suggests 

a consistent relationship between δ 18 O shell and water temperature, indicating that the 

δ 18 O composition of B. tentaculata shells can be used as a proxy for spring-summer 

temperature. The poster will discuss the potential of these shells to provide quantitative 

temperature estimates using established palaeotemperature equations. It will highlight the 

application of this relationship for understanding temperature regimes of British 

Quaternary interglacial and interstadial periods. 

Keywords: Stable isotopes; palaeotempertures; freshwater molluscs; modern analogue; 

interglacial climates 

Candy, I. (2009) Terrestrial and freshwater carbonates in Hoxnian interglacial deposits: 

micromorphology, stable isotopic composition and palaeoenvironmental significance, Proceedings of 

the Geologists’ Association, 20, 1, 49-57 

Waghorne R., Hancock J. D. R., Candy I. (2012) Environmental controls on the δ18O composition of 

freshwater calcite and aragonite in a temperate, lowland river system: significance for palaeoclimatic 

studies, Proceedings of the Geologists' Association, 123, 4, 576–583

T8 

Re-investigation of a MIS11-aged tufa deposit at Hitchin, Hertfordshire: Key findings 

and future prospects 

J. Sherriff* 1 , D. Schreve 1 , I. Candy 1 , T. White 2 , A. Palmer 1 


Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX 

2 Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, New Barnett House. 

28 Little Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX1 2HU 

The importance of marine oxygen isotope stage 11 (MIS 11) in the British Quaternary is 

two-fold. Firstly, MIS 11 is considered one of the most appropriate analogues for the 

current interglacial; the study of MIS11-aged deposits can yield information regarding the 

climatic evolution of a Holocene-like interglacial in the absence of anthropogenic activity. 

Secondly, studies of pollen and faunal remains from deposits associated with this period 

have greatly improved our stratigraphic understanding of the British Quaternary. 

Groundwater-fed spring deposits such as tufa greatly aid this understanding: the 

calcareous nature of these deposits means that molluscan and vertebrate remains are 

readily preserved within the deposit, allowing for high-resolution ecological and climatic 

changes to be recorded. Furthermore, detailed study of the isotopic composition and 

petrography of the tufa itself can allow further understanding of environmental change 

through deposition. 

Currently, there are two tufa sites in Britain that have been assigned to MIS11. These are 

the tufa deposit forming part of a complex interglacial sequence at Beeches Pit, West 

Stow, Suffolk, which has investigated in detail by Preece et al (2007). A similar deposit 

has also been recorded from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, first described by Wiggs (1943) and 

subsequently studied by Kerney (1959) who recorded a rich molluscan fauna from the site, 

including the distinctive ‘Lyrodiscus fauna’, which has allowed the site to be correlated to 

MIS 11. 

The tufa deposit at Hitchin was re-excavated in 2013 with the aim of constructing a highresolution 

environmental record through the sequence. The poster presents some the key 

findings from this excavation including: a) the sedimentology and petrology of the 

sequence and b) preliminary mammalian and molluscan findings from the deposit. These 

results will be used to discuss the palaeoenvironmental context of the deposit and any 

observed changes through the sequence. The poster will highlight the future prospects of 

the project, which include the already planned large-scale excavation works and isotopic 

analysis of selected faunal remains throughout the sequence. 

Keywords: Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 11; tufa; carbonate sedimentology; mammals; 

molluscs 

Kerney, M. P. (1959) An interglacial tufa near Hitchin Hertfordshire, Proceedings of the Geologists' 

Association, 70, 4, 322–337 

Preece R. C, Parfitt S. A, Bridgland D. R, Lewis S. G, Rowe P. J, Atkinson T. C, Candy I, Debenham N. 

C, Penkman K. E. H, Rhodes E. J, Schwenninger J-L, Griffiths H. I, Whittaker J. E, Gleed-Owen C 

(2007) Terrestrial environments during MIS 11: evidence from the Palaeolithic site at West Stow, 

Suffolk. Quaternary Science Reviews, 26, 1236-1300 

Wiggs, R.J. (1943) The Year's Palaeontology, Journal of Letchworth Natural History Society, 3, 9

T10 

Neolithic land-use change climate impacts and interactions 

Joy S. Singarayer 1 * and Paul J. Valdes 2 

1 Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, UK; 

2 BRIDGE, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK 

Arguably the largest change to human society in prehistory was the Neolithic (agricultural) 

revolution approximately 10 000 years ago. Large-scale conversion of natural 

environments to land suitable for cultivation (mainly through deforestation and irrigation) 

occurred gradually over thousands of years. In recent reconstructions of 

Holocene/Neolithic land-use change it has been estimated that cropland occupied roughly 

1 per cent of global ice-free land area by AD 1000 (e.g. Klein Goldewijk et al., 2010), with 

regions such as Europe likely to be much higher than this (Kaplan et al., 2009). Previous 

studies have estimated the impacts of this prehistoric land conversion on the carbon cycle 

(e.g. Kaplan et al, 2011). In this study we examine the impacts of the biogeophysical 

factors on Holocene climate change and climate variability. We have performed two sets 

of simulations with global coupled ocean-atmosphere-vegetation model, HadCM3. The 

first set is of equilibrium simulations at 1-kyr intervals through the Holocene without any 

prescribed change to land-use (i.e. no anthropogenic influence). The second set of 

simulations prescribes increased anthropogenic conversion to agricultural land throughout 

the Holocene. We assess the impact of regional changes to albedo, roughness length, 

and hydrological cycle on regional and global climate. We compare overall Holocene 

trends to recent estimates of global temperature trends using palaeo-data to examine the 

scale of Neolithic influence on long-term climate change. 

Keywords: palaeoclimate; Neolithic; land-use; climate modelling. 

Goldewijk, Kees Klein, Arthur Beusen, and Peter Janssen. "Long-term dynamic modeling of global 

population and built-up area in a spatially explicit way: HYDE 3.1." The Holocene 20.4 (2010): 565-573. 

Kaplan, Jed O., Kristen M. Krumhardt, and Niklaus Zimmermann. "The prehistoric and preindustrial 

deforestation of Europe." Quaternary Science Reviews 28.27 (2009): 3016-3034. 

Kaplan, Jed O., et al. "Holocene carbon emissions as a result of anthropogenic land cover change." 

The Holocene 21.5 (2011): 775-791.

T7 

The dispersal of Ice Rafted Detritus in the North Atlantic during the last 

deglaciation; insights from a new application of U-Pb rutile and zircon 

geochronology. 

David Small 1 *, William Austin 1 , Vincent Rinterknecht 1 , Randall Parrish 2 

1 School of Geography and Geosciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9AL 

2 NERC Isotope and Geosciences Laboratory, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG 

*Now at Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ 

A sediment core from the northeast North Atlantic, proximal to the last British-Irish Ice 

Sheet, contains high-resolution co-registered foraminiferal δ 18 O and Ice Rafted Detritus 

(IRD) records for the last deglaciation. These reveal a distinct ice-rafting event that 

occurred at the time of Greenland Interstade 1d (GI-1d). A new approach to determining 

IRD provenance using U-Pb geochronology of the detrital minerals rutile and zircon 

suggests that this IRD was distally sourced demonstrating the widespread and rapid 

dispersal of debris across the sub-polar North Atlantic during the short-lived GI-1d cold 

oscillation. The occurrence of this geographically widespread peak in IRD at ice distal 

sites at a time when increased freshwater flux to the surface ocean is inferred to have 

caused rapid cooling suggests a mechanistic link between the processes, analogous to 

the Younger Dryas (GS-1) cooling episode. The general absence of IRD at southern 

locations at other times during GI-1 when the flux of icebergs from surviving ice sheets to 

northern locations continued, suggests that the GI-1d IRD peak represents a time of 

hyrdrographic reorganisation which changed IRD dispersal. While numerous studies have 

suggested freshwater flux as a major driver of rapid climate oscillations observed around 

the North Atlantic during the last deglaciation, the evidence presented here both supports 

that mechanism and highlights the potential for rapid and major reorganisation of the of 

the North Atlantic’s surface hydrography to explain changes in IRD flux independently of 

ice sheet calving dynamics. In addition our findings highlight the sensitivity of some IRD 

records to rapid climate change during the last deglaciation and support the interpretation 

of Heinrich events as time parallel marker horizons. 

Key words: Ice rafted detritus; North Atlantic; U-Pb geochronology data; deglaciation; 

hydrography; sea surface temperature

T5 

Assessing existing dating constraints on British-Irish Ice Sheet retreat: out with the 

old, in with the new? 

David Small 1 *, Derek Fabel 1 , Stewart Freeman 2 , Steve Moreton 3 , Mark Bateman 4 , Geoff 

Duller 5 and the BRITICE-CHRONO consortium 

1 Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow 

2 Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride 

3 NERC Radiocarbon Facility, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride 

4 Department of Geography, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield 

5 Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth 

BRITICE-CHRONO is a NERC funded consortium grant which aims to constrain the 

demise of a marine based palaeo-ice sheet, namely the former British-Irish Ice Sheet 

(BIIS). To achieve this requires a large amount of chronological data that directly relates 

to the timing of ice margin retreat. A large volume of legacy data already exists and has 

been compiled into a database of all known ages relating to the last BIIS (Hughes et al. 

2011). However, the quality of this legacy data set is variable due to several factors 

including original sampling strategy and advances in dating techniques. BRITICE- 

CHRONO aims to carry out a rigid quality control exercise on the existing dates to assess 

which ones are suitably robust for inclusion in the new data-set. This will involve 

assessing ages for accuracy given developments in geochronological methods over 

recent years. In addition to this quality control, a large amount of new chronological data 

will be obtained as part of BRITICE-CHRONO including 158 cosmogenic exposure ages, 

140 OSL ages and 587 14 C ages. These datasets will be used to help assess the 

accuracy of various modelling simulations of the former BIIS. This poster outlines some of 

the quality control procedures that have been implemented and highlights the large 

volume of legacy data that is not suitable for BRITICE-CHRONO. In addition we outline 

some of the sampling that has been undertaken for new data and where further sampling 

is planned. 

Key words: BRITICE-CHRONO; British-Irish Ice Sheet; Geochronology; deglaciation 

chronology 

Hughes, A. L., Greenwood, S. L., & Clark, C. D. (2011). Dating constraints on the last British-Irish Ice 

Sheet: a map and database. Journal of Maps, 7(1), 156-184.

T2 

New Be 10 surface exposure ages and topoclimatic factors for Younger Dryas 

glaciation in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland. 

M. Standell 1 * D. Graham 1 R. Hodgkins 1 and Á. Rodés 2 

1 Department of Geography, Loughborough University 

2 NERC CIAF, East Kilbride 

The Cairngorm Mountains contain an outstanding assemblage of glacial landforms from 

both the deglaciation of the last British-Irish Ice Sheet and the Younger Dryas Readvance; 

these provide a wealth of information about glacier-climate interaction and palaeoclimate. 

Previous interpretations have left doubt over the extent and style of the Younger Dryas 

readvance. In addition, the pattern and timing of deglaciation in the southern Cairngorms 

and, particularly, how local and external ice masses interacted is unclear. 

New geomorphological mapping from aerial images and fieldwork has been compiled in a 

GIS for a 600 km 2 area of the Cairngorm Mountains. This has been combined with new 

cosmogenic surface exposure ages taken from areas of ‘hummocky moraine’ previously 

subject to differing age interpretations. The effect of moraine denudation on apparent Be 10 

ages has been checked by inverse modelling of the Be 10 concentration vs. boulder height. 

The results indicate more extensive Younger Dryas glaciation, with preliminary glacier 

reconstructions and ELAs comparable with the surrounding areas. Reconstruction of both 

valley and plateau-fed glaciers, combined with modelling of local topoclimatic factors such 

as radiation, avalanche and snow drifting can explain some of the variations within the 

ELAs. The geomorphological evidence and palaeoclimatic inferences are important, 

alongside a growing number of palaeoglaciological studies, in acting as evaluation areas 

for current numerical models of ice sheet growth and decay. 

Keywords: palaeoclimate; Younger Dryas; glacier reconstruction; ELA; cosmogenic Be 10 

exposure dating

T10 

Assessing the effects of the '2.8 kyr event' on Bronze Age peatland archaeology in 

Ireland 

P. Stastney 1 * 

1 School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Whiteknights, 

Reading RG6 6AB 

This poster presents research examining the chronological relationships between Late 

Holocene hydrological change at ca. 2800 cal BP and the construction of archaeological 

sites on raised bogs in central Ireland. Archaeological excavations have uncovered 

hundreds of structures, mostly wooden trackways, on former raised bogs in the central 

lowlands of Ireland, many dating to the Middle and Late Bronze Age (ca. 3500 - 2500 cal 

BP). Comparisons between 14 C- and dendrochronologically-dated archaeological records 

and testate amoebae-derived reconstructed water tables have allowed the investigation of 

human-environment interactions during this period. Records from two sites ca. 100 km 

apart (Longfordpass, Co. Tipperary, and Kinnegad, Co. Meath) are presented. 

Archaeological excavations at both sites have uncovered a total of 14 dated prehistoric 

structures (10 trackways, three platforms, and one possible animal trap). Utilising the 'time 

window' approach of Blaauw et al. (2007), the timing of a shift to wetter bog surface 

conditions observed at both sites at ca. 2800 cal BP was assessed; this was then 

compared with the dates of archaeological features from both sites. Analysis of the 

chronologies of both sequences (based on a total of 11 AMS 14 C dates and two tephra 

layers) shows a peak in the probability of a wet shift occurring at both sites within a 100 

year time window at 2800 cal BP. This coincides with an apparent gap in the construction 

of trackways at both sites. Comparisons between records from these sites, and several 

others in central Ireland (e.g. Plunkett et al. 2013), do not show a linear relationship 

between bog surface wetness and human activity. However, it appears plausible that the 

climatically driven wet-shift at ca. 2800 cal BP may have caused local changes in bog 

surface conditions which, for a time, discouraged human activity on these sites. 

Keywords: raised bog; palaeohydrology; climate; archaeology; Bronze Age; Ireland. 

Blaauw, M., Christen, J. A., Mauquoy, D., van der Plicht, J., and Bennett, K. D. (2007). 'Testing the 

timing of radiocarbon-dated events between proxy archives'. The Holocene 17(2): 283-288. 

Plunkett, G., McDermott, C., Swindles, G. T., and Brown, D. M. (2013). 'Environmental indifference? A 

critique of environmentally deterministic theories of peatland archaeological site construction in Ireland'. 

Quaternary Science Reviews 61: 17-31.

T9 

Algal records of carbon flux in Arctic lake sediments, Disko Island, west Greenland 

M.A. Stevenson 1 *, S. McGowan 1 , E.J. Pearson 2 , G.E. Swann 1 and E. J. Whiteford 3 

1 School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham 

2 School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 

3 Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Loughborough 

Studies suggest the Arctic is rapidly warming and vegetation may be expanding at high 

latitudes (Sturm et al., 2001). Lakes process carbon at the landscape scale and may act 

as net sources or sinks (Williamson et al., 2009). As Arctic lakes process high amounts of 

carbon per unit area (Anderson et al., 2009) it is important to identify and decouple when 

past conditions over the Holocene promoted carbon release or sequestration. Sediment 

cores have been taken from three lake on Disko Island, west Greenland at elevations from 

299 m.a.s.l to 575 m.a.s.l, all above the marine limit which is between 60 and 90 m.a.s.l. 

(Ingólfsson et al., 1990). Here, we present an algal pigment record for lake Disko 2 (575 

m.a.s.l.) situated in an upland, primarily fellfield terrain with limited terrestrial vegetation. 

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been used to separate and quantify 

chlorophylls and carotenoids over the Holocene. We hypothesise that during warm 

periods such as the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) and Medieval Warm Period 

(MWP), expansion of shrub tundra may increase dissolved organic carbon (DOC) input 

stimulating lake mixotrophy and switching the lake from net-autotrophic to netheterotrophic 

production (inferred by increases in alloxanthin pigment). Alternatively, 

during cool periods such as the Little Ice Age (LIA) terrestrial inputs and DOC may have 

been reduced, causing a switch to lake net autotrophy. However, decreasing DOC may 

also act to limit autotrophic production due to potential algal sensitivity to UVR (Leavitt et 

al., 2003). We found fluctuations in the sedimentary pigment records are likely to be 

contemporaneous with key climate periods over the Holocene including the LIA, HTM and 

MWP. 14 C dating on terrestrial plant macrofossils is currently in progress at three points in 

the core (funded by the QRA). Based on fluctuations in the (LOI 550ºC) organic matter 

profile we expect the core to span the entire Holocene. Once dated, cores will be used to 

estimate carbon accumulation rates for the Disko Island region over the Holocene. 

Planned future analyses include lipid biomarkers (n-alkanes, n-alkenes, n-alkanoic acids) 

at key periods to confirm the source origins of organic carbon and δ 13 C of bulk organic 

matter to identify changes in autotrophic productivity. 

Keywords: pigments; paleolimnology; Arctic; Disko Island; DOC; Holocene. 

Anderson, N.J. et al. (2009). Global Change Biology, 15, 2590-2598. 

Ingólfsson, Ó. et al. (1990). Boreas, 19, 297-311. 

Leavitt, P.R. et al. (2003). Limnology and Oceanography, 48, 2062-2069. 

Sturm, M. et al. (2001). Nature, 411, 546-547. 

Williamson, C.E. et al. (2009). Science, 323, 887-888.

Figure 1: Lake ‘Disko 2’ on Disko Island (Qeqertarsuaq), western Greenland.

T9 

Peat’s secret archive: reconstructing the North Atlantic storm frequency and 

volcanic eruption history of the past 10,000 years 

H.K. Stewart 1 *, R.D McCulloch 2 , T. Bradwell³ and J.E. Bullard 4 

1 Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland; 

2 Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland 

³British Geological Survey, Murchison House, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, Scotland 

⁴Department of Geography, University of Loughborough, Loughborough, England 

The world’s largest sources of dust are found in low latitude arid regions and this is where 

most aeolian research has been focused. However the processes of dust production and 

emissions may still be found in higher latitude and colder climatic regions such as Iceland. 

Dust emission and deposition rates in active glacial catchments are very high, and in 

some cases exceed the rates measured in lower latitudes (Sugden et al., 2000, Bullard, 

2012). The main sources of North Atlantic dust are the expansive unvegetated Sandur 

plains of southern Iceland and areas close to the glaciers. Glaciers cover approximately 

10% of the country and create high levels of physical weathering (Thorsteinsson et al., 

2011). Therefore, the sediment load of glacial rivers is high and large quantities of 

sediments are deposited on floodplains and at the glacial margins creating large sources 

of windblown dust (Arnalds et al., 2001). During high-magnitude storms this dust is 

remobilised in the lower atmosphere and carried further afield by strong winds and is often 

deposited over Scotland and the British Isles enabling a chronology of this process to be 

developed from peat cores. Iceland is also a highly volcanic area therefore tephra can be 

identified alongside the glacial dust in the peat cores and can be used as a chronological 

tool. This project focuses on producing a high-resolution, age-constrained index of 

Icelandic dust storm and volcanic eruption frequency spanning the past 10,000 years, 

through detailed analysis of terrestrial peat cores from northern Scotland and assessing 

the long term frequency of these events. 

Keywords: dust; storms; tephra; Iceland. 

Arnalds O, Gisladottir F.O, Sigurjonsson (2001), Sandy deserts of Iceland: an overview, Journal of Arid 

Environments, Vol 47, pp 359-371 

Bullard J.E (2012), Contemporary glacigenic inputs to the dust cycle, Earth surface processes and 

landforms, 38 (1), pp 71-89 

Sugden D.E, McCulloch R.D, Bory A.J.-M, Hein A.S (2009), Influence of Patagonian glaciers on 

Antarctic dust deposition during the last glacial period, Nature Geoscience, Vol 2, pp 281-285 

Thorsteinsson T, Gísladóttir G, Bullard J, McTainsh G (2011), Dust Storm Contributions to Airborne 

Particulate Matter in Reykjavík, Iceland, Atmospheric Environment, Vol 45, Issue 32

T5 

Increased channelization of subglacial meltwater drainage during deglaciation of 

the Laurentide Ice Sheet 

R.D. Storrar 1 *, C.R. Stokes 1 & D.J.A. Evans 1 


The configuration of subglacial meltwater is a critical control on ice sheet dynamics and 

the presence of pressurised water distributed across the bed can induce dynamic 

instabilities. However, this process can be offset by efficient evacuation of water within 

large subglacial channels, and drainage systems beneath Alpine glaciers have been 

shown to become increasingly channelized throughout the melt season, in response to the 

increased production of meltwater. This seasonal evolution has recently been inferred 

beneath outlet glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet, but the extent to which this process 

occurs across much larger spatial and temporal scales is largely unknown, introducing 

considerable uncertainty about the evolution of subglacial drainage networks at the ice 

sheet scale and associated ice sheet dynamics. This poster uses an unprecedented 

dataset of over 20,000 eskers, mapped from Landsat ETM+ imagery of Canada, and a 

published ice margin chronology to reconstruct the evolution of channelized meltwater 

systems during the final deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (13 to 7 cal ka). We 

demonstrate that eskers become more frequent during deglaciation and that this coincides 

with periods of increased rates of ice margin recession and climatic warming. Such 

behaviour is reminiscent of the seasonal evolution of drainage systems observed on 

smaller glaciers and implies that channelized drainage became increasingly important 

during deglaciation. An important corollary is that the area of the bed subjected to a less 

efficient pressurised drainage system decreased, which may have precluded dynamic 

instabilities, such as surging or ice streaming. 

Keywords: Esker; Laurentide; Canada; Ice Sheet; Deglaciation

T2 

High-resolution tephrochronology for reconstructing spatial patterns of land 

surface change 

Streeter, RT 1 * and Dugmore AJ 2 

1 Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, Irvine Building, 

North Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AL 

2 Institute of Geography and the Lived Environment, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, 

Edinburgh, EH8 9XP 

Tephrochronology helped to revolutionise our understanding of late Quaternary events in 

Iceland — in particular the nature and timing of the 9 th century AD Norse settlement, one 

of the last human colonisations on Earth. Tephrochronology still has unrealised potential 

and may be used to tackle questions of human-environment interaction that would be 

difficult to address in any other way by providing spatially extensive chronologies that are 

precise and accurate. We illustrate this with an enhanced 1140 year chronology from east 

of Mýrdarsjökull, Iceland that is based on 200 stratigraphic profiles and 2635 individual 

tephra deposits. Particular attention was given to patchy tephra deposits which might 

otherwise be overlooked but can enhance chronological resolution. Tephra layers can be 

dated to high-resolution using sediment accumulation rates (SeAR) where accumulation 

rates are high, measurements are precise and numerous and the stratigraphic separations 

between dated horizons are small (equivalent to decadal time scales). Two tephras from 

Grímsvötn are dated using this approach to AD 1432±5 and AD 1457±5 and mapped over 

240 km 2 . These and other tephras underpin an analysis of land surface stability across 

multiple scales over the last 2 ka. The aggregate regional sediment accumulation records 

suggest a relatively slow rate of land driven by climate and land use change over the 

period of human occupation of the island (after AD ~870), but the spatial patterning of 

change shows that it is more complex, with landscape scale hysteresis and path 

dependency making the relationship between climate and land surface instability 

contingent. An alternative steady state of much higher rates of sediment accumulation is 

seen in areas below 300 m asl after AD ~870 despite large variations in climate, with two 

phases of increased erosion, one related to vegetation change (AD 870-1206) and 

another related to climate (AD 1597-1918). In areas above 300 m asl there is a short lived 

increase in erosion after settlement (AD ~870-935) and then relatively little change to 

present. Spatial correlation between rates of sediment accumulation at different profiles 

decreases rapidly after AD ~935 from ~ 4 km to less than 250 m as the landscape 

becomes more heterogeneous. These insights are only possible using high-resolution 

tephrochronology applied spatially across a landscape, an approach that can be applied to 

the large areas of the Earth’s surface affected by the repeated fallout of cm-scale tephra 

layers. 

Keywords: 

Tephra; Iceland; erosion; Grímsvötn; Little Ice Age

T7 

Holocene controls on silicic acid utilisation along the West Antarctic Peninsula 

G.E.A. Swann 1 *, J. Pike 2 , M.J. Leng 3,4 , H.J. Sloane 4 , A.M. Snelling 4 


2 School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT 

3 Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH 

4 NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG 

The west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) marking the most northerly part of Antarctica has 

witnessed the greatest increases in surface air temperature of anywhere in the Southern 

Hemisphere since 1950. Accompanying this are increases in both the duration of annual 

melting and glacier retreat as well as in coastal summer sea surface temperatures. With 

further warmth and associated melting forecast for the 21st Century along both the WAP 

and other sections of the West and East Antarctic Ice Sheets, we assess the controls on 

Holocene records of nutrient utilisation along the WAP using the silicon isotope 

composition of marine diatoms (δ 30 Sidiatom). From the onset of the Holocene until 4.0 ka 

changes in nutrient (silicic acid) utilisation along the WAP are linked to changes in sea-ice 

as indicated by diatom taxonomic records. After this, utilisation becomes linked to the 

increased input of glacial discharge along the peninsula (δ 18 Odiatom), related to 

increasing El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) strength and peak summer insolation. 

Keywords: Antarctic; diatom; isotope; nutrients; sea-ice; silicon; Southern Ocean

T4 

Abrupt transitions in the East Asian Summer Monsoon over the penultimate glacial 

cycle: Early warnings and missed alarms 

Z. A. Thomas 1 *, F. Kwasniok 2 , P. M. Cox 2 , R. T. Jones 1 , T. M. Lenton 1 , C. S. M. Turney 3 

1 College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter 

2 College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter 

3 Climate Change Research Unit, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia 

Abrupt shifts in the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) have been well documented by 

palaeo-records throughout China. Speleothem δ 18 O records from Hulu cave (Wang et al. 

2001) and Sanbao cave (Wang et al. 2008) in southeastern China demonstrate that longterm 

histories of the EASM are dominated by abrupt and large magnitude monsoon shifts, 

alternating from periods of high monsoon rainfall to weak monsoon rains. The drivers of 

past and future variability are highly uncertain; future abrupt shifts of the EASM would 

have immense impacts on the growing human societies that depend upon them. The 

potential for detecting early warning signals of such changes would therefore be extremely 

valuable. 

It has been hypothesised that the EASM exhibits bistability with bifurcation-type tipping 

points (Schewe et al. 2012). Here we test this hypothesis by looking for early warning 

signals of past EASM bifurcations in speleothem records from Sanbao Cave spanning the 

penultimate glacial cycle, a shorter record from Hulu cave, and in multiple simulations of a 

model derived from the data. 

We find a clear slowing down signal during the Weak Monsoon Interval (WMI) immediately 

prior to Termination II in two regionally distinct speleothem records (Sanbao and Hulu). 

However, we find no consistent evidence of early warning signals for abrupt monsoonal 

shifts between 230 and 150 ka BP in these data. Interpreting these results with our dataderived 

model suggests that Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (NHSI) forcing 

generally occurs sufficiently fast that the potential well describing the stability of the 

current state of the system does not flatten before abrupt transitions, causing ‘missed 

alarms’. In marked contrast, the critical slowing down detected at Termination II, 

associated with a ~6.5 ka lag after the NHSI maxima, suggests that different forcing 

mechanism(s) dominated at the deglaciation. 

Our results have significant implications for understanding the future behaviour of the 

EASM under enhanced anthropogenic greenhouse gas and aerosol forcing, and question 

whether there would be any early warning signals of possible future abrupt monsoon 

transitions, especially if they could be caused by relatively rapid anthropogenic forcing. 

Keywords tipping points; speleothem; monsoon; early warning signals 

Wang, Y. J. et al. A high-resolution absolute-dated late Pleistocene Monsoon record from Hulu Cave, 

China. Science (New York, N.Y.) 294, 2345–8 (2001). 

Wang, Y. et al. Millennial- and orbital-scale changes in the East Asian monsoon over the past 224,000 

years. Nature 451, 1090–3 (2008). 

Schewe, J., Levermann, a. & Cheng, H. A critical humidity threshold for monsoon transitions. Climate of 

the Past 8, 535–544 (2012).

T8 

Tanera Mor: a new stratotype for tephra in the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition 

(LGIT). 

Rhys Timms 1 *, Ian Matthews 1 , Dorothy Weston 1 

1 Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey, England 

The Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT) (ca. 15–9 ka), was a period characterised 

by a series of abrupt climatic oscillations and concomitant environmental instability. The 

evolving tephrostratigraphy of NW Europe over this period provides an excellent means to 

correlate and synchronize ice-core, marine, and terrestrial records. 

In line with the aims of the INTIMATE group, the scope of this project is to investigate and 

quantify the relative impact of shorter-lived centennial to decadal scale events in Scottish 

lacustrine deposits, and aims to begin to establish whether such events can be seen to 

lead or lag the Greenland stratotype. 

As a mode of correlation tephrostratigraphy can provide a level of precision beyond that of 

any radiometric method, and for the period in question is highly robust. 

Here we present a new tephrostratigraphic record from Tanera Mor, NW Scotland. 

Emerging results from the site have shown that the tephrostratigraphy of Scotland during 

the LGIT is more complex than previously documented. The number of tephras preserved 

at the site, and the stratigraphic clarity of those is unparalleled for a sequence in the 

British Isles. As a working hypothesis at least 6 stratigraphically distinct horizons are 

believed to be present. The site also potentially exhibits, for the first time in the UK, the 

occurrence of pre-interstadial tephras during the Late Dimlington Stadial, and a Late 

Windermere Interstadial tephra. 

In conjunction with this record, site conditions have yielded a number of excellently 

preserved plant-macrofossil assemblages, which will enable the high-resolution 

radiocarbon dating of this important sequence. When coupled with the tephra record, and 

considering the positioning of the site on the Eastern margin of the Atlantic, Tanera Mor 

offers great potential in developing a highly robust chronology of climatic variability during 

the LGIT, and provides a key site in the assessment of synchronicity in the climate 

system. 

Keywords; Tephra; Lateglacial; Radiocarbon; Plant Macrofossils; Scotland

T2 

Asynchrony between the Greenland ice core chronology and the radiocarbon 

calibration curve? Evidence from Irish bogs 

M.C.A. Torbenson 1,2 *, G. Plunkett 2 and D.M. Brown 2 

1 Center for Dendrochronology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, United States 

2 School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern 

Ireland, United Kingdom 

A significant cold event, deduced from the Greenland ice cores, took place between 8200 

and 8000 cal. BP. Modeling of the event suggests that higher northern latitudes would 

have also experienced considerable decreases in precipitation and that Ireland would 

have witnessed one of the greatest depressions. However, no well-dated proxy record 

exists from the British Isles to test the model results. Here we present independent 

evidence for a phase of major pine recruitment on Irish bogs at around 8150 cal. BP. 

Dendrochronological dating of subfossil trees from three sites reveal synchronicity in 

germination across the region, indicative of a regional forcing, and allows for highprecision 

radiocarbon based dating. The inner-rings of 40% of all samples from the north 

of Ireland dating to the period 8500-7500 cal. BP fall within a 25-yr window. The 

concurrent colonization of pine on peatland is interpreted as drier conditions in the region 

and provides the first substantive proxy data in support of a significant hydrological 

change in the north of Ireland accompanying the 8.2 ka event. The dating uncertainties 

associated with the Irish pine record and the Greenland Ice Core Chronology 2005 

(GICC05) do not allow for any overlap between the two. Our results indicate that the 

discrepancy could be an artifact of dating inaccuracy, and support a similar claim by 

Lohne et al. (2013) for the Younger Dryas boundaries. If real, this asynchrony will most 

likely have affected interpretations of previous proxy alignments. 

Keywords: dendrochronology; 8.2 ka event; radiocarbon; asynchrony; proxy alignment 

Lohne, Ø.S., J. Mangerud and H.H. Birks 2013 “Precise 14 C ages of the Vedde and Saksunarvatn 

ashes and the Younger Dryas boundaries from western Norway and their comparison with the 

Greenland Ice Core (GICC05) chronology” Journal of Quaternary Science, 28, 490-500.

T8 

Landscape response to abrupt climate events during the closest climatic analogue 

to the Holocene 

G.J. Tye 1 *, I. Candy 1 , A.P. Palmer 1 , P. Coxon 2 , M. Hardiman 1,3 , A. Scott 4 , D. Ryves 5 and K. 

Loakes 5 

1 Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX. 

2 Department of Geography, Museum Building, Trinity College, Dublin 2 

3 Department of Geography, Buckingham Building, Lion Terrace, Portsmouth, PO1 3HE 

4 Department of Earth Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX 

5 Department of Geography, Loughborough University, Leicester LE11 3TU 

The British Isles offers a unique opportunity to study climates in the recent geological 

record as it preserves one of the best resolved Quaternary stratigraphies in the world (e.g. 

Bowen, 1999). Of the Interglacials preserved, Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11), ca 

410,000 yrs BP, is the most complete and best represented (e.g. Thomas, 2001). Further 

to this, MIS 11 is considered to be one of the most appropriate climatic analogues for the 

Holocene, based on the similarity of orbital forcing patterns during both Interglacials 

(Loutre and Berger, 2003). 

Understanding the timing and dynamics of landscape response to abrupt climate change 

during MIS 11 therefore has major implications for society. In this study we chose to focus 

on MIS 11 because investigating the impacts of such events during the Holocene is 

problematic, due to anthropogenic modification of the landscape potentially masking the 

impact of climatic events. It has also been suggested that an 8.2 ka type-event occurs in 

MIS 11 (Koutsodendris et al., 2012), identified through a short-lived, ca 300yr, period of 

grassland expansion and woodland contraction (referred to as the Non-arboreal Pollen, 

NAP phase; Turner, 1970). The spatial and temporal extent of this event can only be 

deduced by high-resolution analysis of the sediments which is possible at the palaeolake 

basin of Marks Tey, eastern England where an annually-laminated (varved) record of MIS 

11 contains a very clear expression of the NAP phase. 

We present a high-resolution, multi-proxy (oxygen isotopes, varve micro-facies, pollen, 

charcoal and diatoms) reconstruction of the NAP phase at Marks Tey. The varve 

chronology that is generated, when coupled with the range of proxies, allows us to 

characterise the structure, magnitude and duration of this abrupt event. The varved record 

also provides the opportunity to quantify any leads and lags in proxy response, 

highlighting the potential problems of deriving comparable climatic data from different 

archives. The forcing mechanism for this event is also discussed. 

Keywords: Marine Isotope Stage 11, abrupt climate events, varve chronology, isotopes, 

multi-proxy 

Bowen, D.Q. (Ed.), 1999. A revised correlation of Quaternary deposits in the British Isles. Geological 

Society of London Special Report No. 23. 

Koutsodendris, A., Pross, J., Muller, U.C., Brauer, A., Fletcher, W.J., Kuhl, N., Kirilova, E., Verhagen, 

T.M., Lucke, A. and Lotter, A.F., 2012. A short-term climate oscillation during the Holsteinian 

interglacial (MIS 11c): an analogy to the 8.2 ka event? Global Planetary Change 92-93, 224-235. 

Loutre, M.F. and Berger, A., 2003. Marine Isotope Stage 11 as an analogue for the present interglacial. 

Global Planetary Change 762, 1-9. 

Thomas, G.N., 2001. Late Middle Pleistocene pollen biostratigraphy in Britain: pitfalls and possibilities 

in the separation of interglacial sequences. Quaternary Sciene Reviews 20, 1621-1630. 

Turner, C., 1970. The Middle Pleistocene deposits at Marks Tey, Essex. Philosophical Transactions of 

the Royal Society of London, B257, 373-440.

T3 

A synthesis of decadal scale environmental change in Australia during the last 2000 

years 

Jonathan Tyler 1,2,3 *, David Karoly 1 , Peter Gell 2 , Ian Goodwin 4 and AUS2K Consortium 

1 School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, 3010, Australia 

2 Centre for Environmental Management, University of Ballarat, Mount Helen, Victoria, 3350, Australia 

3 School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, 

Australia 

4 Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, 

2109, Australia 

Our understanding of Southern Hemispheric climate variability on multidecadal to 

multicentennial timescales is limited by a scarcity of quantitative, sub-decadally resolved 

climate records, a problem which is particularly manifest in Australia. To date there are no 

quantitative, annually resolved records from within continental Australia which extend 

further back in time than the most recent c. 300 years [Neukom and Gergis, 2012; PAGES 

2k Consortium, 2013]. By contrast, a number of marine, lake, peat and speleothem 

sedimentary records exist, some of which span multiple millennia at sub-decadal 

resolution. Here we report a database of existing sedimentary records of environmental 

change in Australia [Freeman et al., 2011], of which 25 have sample resolutions < 100 

years/sample and which span > 500 years in duration. The majority of these records are 

located in southeastern Australia, providing an invaluable resource with which to examine 

regional scale climate and environmental change. Although most of the records can not be 

quantitatively related to climate variability, Empirical Orthogonal Functions coupled with 

Monte Carlo iterative age modelling, demonstrate coherent patterns of environmental and 

ecological change. This coherency, as well as comparisons with a limited number of 

quantitative records, suggests that regional hydroclimatic changes were responsible for 

the observed patterns. Here, we discuss the implications of these findings with respect to 

Southern Hemisphere climate during the last 2000 years. In addition, we review the 

progress and potential of ongoing research in the region. 

Keywords: Climate; Australia; lake sediments; speleothems; ENSO; SAM; synthesis 

Freeman, R., I. D. Goodwin, and T. Donovan (2011), Paleoclimate data synthesis and data base for the 

reconstruction of climate variability and impacts in NSW over the past 2000 years., Climate Futures 

Technical Report, 1/2011, 50 pages. 

Neukom, R., and J. Gergis (2012), Southern Hemisphere high-resolution palaeoclimate records of the 

last 2000 years, Holocene, 22(5), 501-524, doi:10.1177/0959683611427335. 

PAGES 2k Consortium (2013), Continental-scale temperature variability during the past two millennia, 

Nature Geoscience, 6, 339-346.

T9 

Impact of vegetation shifts on invertebrate communities in arctic lakes 

M. van Hardenbroek 1 *, E. Hopla 1 , P.G. Langdon 1 , M.E. Edwards 1 , and LAC team 

members 

1 School of Geography, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton S017 1BJ, United Kingdom 

Over the last three decades, a northward increase in shrubs and boreal forest has been 

observed in the arctic. This ‘greening’ is likely to be linked to warmer climate and is 

expected to continue to change arctic landscapes. Lakes are strongly influenced by 

landscape changes that occur in their catchment, but the effect of greening on arctic lakes 

is largely unknown. To understand the effect of vegetation change on arctic lakes, we will 

investigate past periods of known vegetation change and their influence on lake systems, 

based on sedimentary archives from lakes across the Arctic. 

In order to address these issues, we will first assess changes in vegetation by analysing 

pollen, plant macrofossils, and charcoal. We will also look for changes in the input 

nutrients into the lakes by XRF scanning and analyses of stable isotopes and C:N ratios of 

sedimentary organic matter. Secondly, we will investigate how changes in the input from 

the catchment are linked to productivity and diversity of lake ecosystems themselves by 

analyses of loss-on-ignition, diatoms, cladocerans, chironomids, pigments, and remains of 

aquatic vegetation. This poster will present some of the initial results from these analyses. 

We will study lakes in three regions (Alaska, Greenland, Russia), and by replicating the 

design in three lakes per region, we aim to provide insights in both spatial and temporal 

patterns in the response of lakes to vegetation change across the Arctic. 

Keywords: arctic; greening; vegetation; palaeolimnology; chironomids; cladocerans

T9 

Holocene palaeoclimate reconstruction in the Eastern Mediterranean: a quantitative 

diatom study of an approximately 18 m long sediment core from Lake Kinneret 

(Israel) 

H. Vossel 1 *, T. Litt 2 and J. Reed 3 

1, 2 Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Steinmann-Institute for Geology, Mineralogy and 

Palaeontology, Bonn, Germany 

3 University of Hull, Department of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Hull, United Kingdom 

This study comprises a relatively low resolution study of an 18 m core by analysis of 19 

sediment samples for preliminary investigation of remarkable shifts in the diatom flora of 

Lake Kinneret over the last ca. 8,000 years. The aim is to clarify why diatom assemblages 

have changed over time, and to establish whether the results are in accord with (1) 

previous inference based on proxies such as pollen and (2) output from the climatological 

models of the Levant region. 

All samples were prepared using standard techniques by Battarbee (1986). The wet 

sediment samples were firstly treated with H 2 O 2 to remove and oxidize all organic 

components and in a second step with HCl to remove the carbonate material. Microscope 

slides with two different concentrations were prepared by using Naphrax as mountant. 500 

diatom valves per slide were counted on a Leica light microscope, and were identified 

using standard texts and a special Atlas of freshwater diatoms in Israel. 

The lake is freshwater throughout, with open hydrology, but highly alkaline. 98 % of the 

diatom taxa can be classified as oligohalobous-indifferent, and as alkaliphilous. Five main 

diatom assemblage zones can be recognised using CONISS-analysis afterwards. 

Changes in the diatom assemblages over the last ca. 8,000 years can be interpreted 

mainly in terms of productivity shifts, from an oligotrophic flora at the base to 

hypereutrophic in the modern lake. The trend towards eutrophication accelerates after 

3,000 cal. yrs. BP, indicating the influence of increased human activity in the catchment. 

The pollen record also shows an increase in human activity around Lake Kinneret during 

that time (Schiebel, 2013). 

There is also some evidence for lake-level fluctuations. Low lake-level stands are 

characterized by a low diatom concentration and the increasing occurrence of littoral taxa. 

High lake level stands are marked by the occurrence of planktonic species, such as 

Cyclotella ocellata, in huge numbers and high diatom concentrations. The inferred lakelevel 

oscillations appear to correlate well with output from the climatic models from the 

Levant region, representing fluctuations in moisture availability (Litt et al., 2012). The 

results can also be correlated with previous diatom studies from short core material of the 

littoral zones of Lake Kinneret, which cover the last 3,000 years cal BP (Pollingher & 

Ehrlich, 1984; Ehrlich, 1985). 

Keywords: diatoms; Lake Kinneret; Holocene; eutrophication; lake-level fluctuations 

Battarbee, R. W., 1986. Diatom analysis. In: Berglund BE (ed.) Handbook of Holocene palaeoecology and 

palaeohydrology. Wiley, Chichester, pp. 527-670. 

Ehrlich, A., 1985. The eco-biostratigraphic significance of the fossil diatoms of Lake Kinneret. GSI Current 

Research 5: 24-30. 

Litt, T., C. Ohlwein, F.H. Neumann, A. Hense & M. Stein, 2012. Holocene climate variability in the Levant from 

the Dead Sea pollen record. Quaternary Science Review 49: 95-105. 

Pollingher, U. & A. Ehrlich, 1984. The planktonic diatoms of Lake Kinneret, Israel, during the last 5000 years – 

their contribution to the algal biomass. Proc. 8th Int. Symp. Living and Fossil Diatoms, Paris, 27-30 Aug. 1984. 

Schiebel, V., 2013. Vegetation and climate history of the southern Levant during the last 30,000 years based 

on palynological investigation. Unpublished Phd thesis.

T9 

Assessing seasonality changes during the last termination by combined cuticle, 

pollen, and oxygen isotope analysis 

F. Wagner-Cremer 1 , A.J.C. Hincke 1 *, J.A.A. Bos 2 and A.F. Lotter 1 

1 Palaeoecology, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Physical Geography, Utrecht University, 

Budapestlaan 4, 3584CD Utrecht, The Netherlands 

2 ADC ArcheoProjecten, Nijverheidsweg-Noord 114, 3812PN Amersfoort, The Netherlands 

Earlier spring onset and the associated extension of the growing season in high latitudes 

belong to the most conspicuous consequences of global warming. The natural dynamics 

of growing season properties during past climate shifts, however, are extremely difficult to 

assess since temperature reconstructions are rarely seasonally resolved and the 

commonly-applied biotic proxies such as chironomids, macrofossils, or pollen are mainly 

sensitive to summer temperatures. Here we use a newly developed leaf cuticle-based 

proxy to reconstruct growing degree-days (GDD) in a quantitative way and to estimate 

changes in the timing of spring onset over the last deglaciation. 

By parallel, high-resolution cuticle, pollen, and stable oxygen stable-isotope analysis 

performed on the same sediment core from Schleinsee (Southern Germany) we are 

directly comparing spring and summer temperatures as well as approximate annual 

temperature regimes. Based on this multi-proxy approach the issue of seasonality 

changes during the last termination, covering the period from the Late Pleniglacial to the 

Bølling/Allerød interstadial, will be discussed. 

By deriving independent cuticle-based and pollen-based temperature records from a 

single archive we will moreover assess the potential influence of seasonality on the pollen 

record. Correlation of the local oxygen isotope record with Greenland ice-core stable 

isotope records will enable a sound analysis of phase relationships between spring 

conditions at high latitudes and in the Alpine region, which are today closely linked by the 

activity of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). 

NAO-like sea level pressure dynamics exert complex spatial variability over the continental 

North Atlantic realm, which impedes uncertainties in the proxy-based reconstructions of 

past temperature where the seasonality of surface climate variability is not taken into 

account. Pinning down seasonality through time may allow a mapping of seasonal 

variability that places apparent discrepancies between continental temperature records 

into a logical context. The determination of spatial patterns in seasonality changes during 

natural climate shifts may contribute to a better assessment of the consequences resulting 

from on-going human-induced warming. 

Keywords: last termination; growing season; cuticle analysis; NAO

T9 

Environmental History and Human Impact on coastal Peat Deposits 

A. Waitz¹ 

¹Department of Geography, School of Natural Science, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland 

The rich peat deposits in Ireland have long been used to reconstruct past environments 

and palynological research reaches back to the 1940s with the pioneering work carried out 

by Jessen (1949). While early research focused on relative changes in species 

abundance, improvements in dating technologies and interests in human-environment 

interactions have shifted the focus of work to more interdisciplinary areas. This PhD 

project focuses on peat deposits located at or below sea-level, giving a unique insight into 

the development of coastal vegetation. Furthermore, the research locations are associated 

with human habitation sites allowing for the assessment of human impacts on coastal 

areas. As erosion is a major concern in these coastal settings, research is of vital 

importance as archives are prone to destruction by storm events and long term sea-level 

rise. At Tralong Bay, Co. Cork, Ireland over 6m of sediment cores were recovered from 

the intertidal peat deposits, located in close proximity to a Bronze Age Stone Circle and 

hut site at Drombeg. Radiocarbon dates were obtained to give a time frame to the 

deposits, which place the oldest at 5704 ±46 BP. The samples were then processed in the 

laboratory according to standard procedures (Faegi and Iversen, 1989) and a 

palynological investigation as well as LOI were carried out. Preliminary results show a 

distinct shift in vegetation 3800 BP from Quercus and Alnus rich woodland to a flora 

dominated by Phragmites, indicating a notable shift in hydrological regime. Many charcoal 

rich layers, as early as 5704 ± 46 BP, point towards human impact on the environment 

long before the Drombeg settlement, dated to ± 1400 BP (McAulay and Watts, 1961). 

Crypto-tephra analysis will be carried out on the Tralong Bay sediment cores and it is 

hoped to locate some tephra horizons within the deposits, in particular Hekla 4 (± 3844 

BP) and Hekla eruptions within the last century (Lawson et al. 2012). The identification of 

established eruption events would not only further constrain the radiocarbon dates 

obtained but would also allow for the placement of the deposits within the wider European 

context. 

Keywords: vegetation history; coastal peatland; human impact; pollen; Holocene; cryptotephra 

Faegi, K. and Iversen, J. (1989) Textbook of Pollen Analysis. Chichester: Wiley 

Jessen, K. (1949) Studies in the late Quaternary deposits and flora-history of Ireland. Proceedings of 

the Royal Irish Academy. 52B pp. 85-290. 

Lawson, I.T., Swindles, G.T., Plunkett, G., and Greenberg, D. (2012) The spatial distribution of 

Holocene cryptotephras in north-west Europe since 7 ka: implications for understanding ash fall events 

from Icelandic eruptions. Quaternary Science Reviews, 41 pp.57-66. 

McAuley, I.R. and Watts, W.A. (1961) Dublin Radiocarbon Dates I. Radiocarbon. 3 pp. 26-38

T2 

Cryptotephra records as archives of volcanic ash cloud events over northern 

Europe 

E.J. Watson 1 *, G.T.Swindles 1 , I.T. Lawson 1 and I.Savov 2 

1 School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds 

2 School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds 

Improved knowledge of past volcanic ash cloud occurrence will greatly enhance our 

understanding of the future risk posed by such events, information which is of importance 

to modellers as well as the insurance and aviation industries. Not all volcanic eruptions 

result in ash clouds which are large enough to cause disruption more than a few hundred 

kilometres from the volcano. Therefore our understanding of past volcanic ash dispersal 

must be based directly on records of ash, not simply on records of volcanic eruption 

frequency. 

Layers of volcanic ash (tephra) are found in a variety of depositional environments. In 

distal areas far from the volcanic source they form sparse horizons which are not visible to 

the human eye. These ‘cryptotephra’ horizons can often be linked to source eruptions 

based on their chemical properties, which reflect the composition of magma during an 

eruption. Tephra records can therefore provide an insight into the reoccurrence intervals 

and nature of volcanic ash deposition events (Swindles et al., 2011). 

This project aims to build a new statistical model of volcanic ash deposition over northern 

Europe, where most Holocene tephra layers originate from Icelandic sources. This aim will 

be partly achieved through the development of new high-quality tephrostratigraphic 

records from across Europe, addressing temporal and spatial gaps in existing Holocene 

cryptotephra records (Lawson et al., 2012). Patterns of volcanic ash deposition are 

influenced by the prevailing wind and precipitation patterns at the time of eruption. As a 

result ash clouds can influence parts of Europe, rather than falling as a ‘blanket’ across 

the continent. Therefore comprehensive spatial coverage of records across Europe is 

required to minimise the risk of undiscovered Holocene tephras which could have an 

influence on the reoccurrence model. 

Electron Probe Microanalysis of individual glass shards will be used alongside Laser 

Ablation ICP-MS and stratigraphic information to correlate the cryptotephra layers with 

volcanic eruptions. An additional aim is to examine the extent to which cryptotephra 

horizons are accurate records of ash-fall events: for example, to what extent do ash 

concentrations in records reflect ash concentrations in the air. Finally new probabilistic and 

Bayesian modelling techniques will be investigated. 

Although the project is in its early stages, preliminary findings include multiple tephra 

horizons in Arctic Sweden (an area previously unexamined for tephras). Fieldwork for a 

within-site variability study has been conducted and preliminary results suggest tephra 

concentrations vary significantly across the site, indicating peatland processes impact 

upon tephra following deposition. 

Keywords: cryptotephra; ash clouds; Europe; Bayesian modelling

T8 

Global review of Quaternary fluvial sequences, vertical crustal motions, and crustal 

properties 

Rob Westaway 1,2 and David Bridgland 3 

1 School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ 

2 NIReS, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE1 7RU 


We shall summarize the results of a decade of work aimed at understanding cause-andeffect 

relations between fluvial sequences, vertical crustal motions and physical properties 

of the underlying continental crust, which constitutes one of the more significant advances 

in Quaternary Science during the existence of the QRA. Prior to the start of this 

programme, it was well-established that an increase in rates of vertical crustal motion 

occurred in parts of western and central Europe at a time (~0.9 Ma) that was roughly 

synchronous with the Mid-Pleistocene Revolution in climate. A change in rates of vertical 

crustal motion at this time is now evident worldwide (e.g., Bridgland and Westaway, 2008; 

Westaway et al., 2009). Earlier increases in rates of vertical crustal motion, typically uplift 

in continental interior regions, which likewise correlate with times of climate change, are 

also recognized in many regions, for example, around the ‘conventional’ Pliocene- 

Pleistocene boundary (~2.0 Ma), at the end of the Mid-Pliocene climatic optimum (~3.1 

Ma), and at the start of the Messinian salinity crisis in the Mediterranean region or its 

Pontian counterpart in the Black Sea region (~6 Ma). However, these phases of vertical 

crustal motion are absent within Archaean cratons (Westaway et al., 2003). The latter 

crustal provinces lack a mobile lower-crustal layer, suggesting that the presence of such a 

layer is required to mediate the uplift occurring in the other regions, which is thus 

envisaged as a consequence of the isostatic response to surface processes (such as, 

climate-induced erosion), mediated by lower-crustal flow (e.g., Westaway, 2002; 

Westaway et al., 2002). Others have noted the occurrence of the same phases of uplift as 

were noted above, but have tried to explain them on the contrary as consequences of 

plate motions or mantle plume activity; however, these alternative views provide no natural 

explanation for why these phases correlate with times of long-timescale climate change 

that are known independently. This poster will also touch upon more recent developments 

in ideas, such as: the detailed modelling of patterns of vertical crustal motion to constrain 

crustal properties at depth, illustrating how the thickness of the mobile lower-crustal layer 

affects the observed uplift response (e.g., Westaway et al., 2006); the realization in 

regions where this mobile layer is thin, one observes alternations of uplift and subsidence, 

and the potential explanation (Westaway, 2012); and the role of climate-induced stresstriggering 

in the development of active faulting in intraplate continental regions (e.g., 

Westaway, 2006; Abou Romieh et al., 2012). 

Abou Romieh, M., Westaway, R., Daoud, M., Bridgland, D.R., 2012. First indications of high slip rates 

on active reverse faults NW of Damascus, Syria, from observations of deformed Quaternary sediments: 

implications for the partitioning of crustal deformation in the Middle Eastern region. Tectonophysics 

538-540, 86-104. 

Bridgland, D.R., Westaway, R., 2008. Preservation patterns of Late Cenozoic fluvial deposits and their 

implications: results from IGCP 449. Quaternary International 189, 5-38. 

Westaway, R., 2002. The Quaternary evolution of the Gulf of Corinth, central Greece: coupling between 

surface processes and flow in the lower continental crust. Tectonophysics 348, 269-318. 

Westaway, R., 2006. Investigation of coupling between surface processes and induced flow in the 

lower continental crust as a cause of intraplate seismicity. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 31, 

1480-1509. 

Westaway, R., 2012. A numerical modelling technique that can account for alternations of uplift and 

subsidence revealed by Late Cenozoic fluvial sequences. Geomorphology, 165-166, 124-143.

Westaway, R., Bridgland, D.R., Mishra, S., 2003. Rheological differences between Archaean and 

younger crust can determine rates of Quaternary vertical motions revealed by fluvial geomorphology. 

Terra Nova 15, 287-298. 

Westaway, R., Bridgland, D.R., Sinha, R., Demir, T., 2009. Fluvial sequences as evidence for 

landscape and climatic evolution in the Late Cenozoic: a synthesis of data from IGCP 518. Global and 

Planetary Change 68, 237-253. 

Westaway, R., Bridgland, D.R., White, M., 2006. The Quaternary uplift history of central southern 

England: evidence from the terraces of the Solent River system and nearby raised beaches, 

Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 2212-2250. 

Westaway, R., Maddy, D., Bridgland, D.R., 2002. Flow in the lower continental crust as a mechanism 

for the Quaternary uplift of southeast England: constraints from the Thames terrace record. Quaternary 

Science Reviews 21, 559-603.

T3 

Mid- to Late Holocene Palaeoclimate Records from the Irish Midlands 

D.S. Young 1 * and P. Stastney 1 

1 School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading, Reading 

Recent research investigating the coherence between Mid- to Late Holocene 

palaeoclimate records has identified a paucity of well-dated, high-quality sequences for 

the Irish Holocene (Swindles et al., 2013). Nine new multi-proxy records are presented 

from ombrotrophic raised peatlands in Counties Galway, Roscommon, Meath, Tipperary 

and Longford, each of which provides a record of hydrological change derived from plant 

macrofossil and testate amoebae analysis which spans the last ca. 5000 years. 

Analysis of the plant macrofossils and testate amoebae from these peatlands has 

Demonstrated (in the majority of records) excellent agreement between proxies, 

particularly between one-dimensional summaries of the plant macrofossil data 

(hydrological indices cf. Dupont, 1986) and testate amoebae transfer function derived 

depth to water table (DWT) curves. Such good agreement between proxies can be 

considered indicative of peatland sequences that are highly sensitive to hydrological 

changes, from which good-quality proxy-palaeoclimate data can be obtained (Barber, 

2007). 

These records form part of an investigation of the relationship between the Irish wetland 

archaeological record, peatland hydrology and climate change. Preliminary analysis of the 

plant macrofossil and testate amoebae from the nine new sites has identified several key, 

apparently regional hydrological events in the sequences, at ca. (1) 4000 to 3500; (2) 

3100 to 2650; (3) 2300 to 1900; (4) 1200 to 800 and (5) 400 to 200 cal. yr BP. 

Significantly, three of these five events appear to coincide with periods of greater visibility 

in the wetland archaeological record (those at 4000 to 3500; 3100 to 2650 and 2300 to 

1900 cal. yr BP). 

An on-going programme of radiocarbon dating and Bayesian age-depth modelling aims to 

improve the chronological uncertainty of these records, and ultimately to contribute to the 

archive of well-dated, good-quality palaeoclimate records for the Irish Holocene which can 

be used to investigate the relationships between centennial-scale climate variability and 

the archaeological record for the Mid- to Late Holocene. 

Keywords: Holocene; climate change; peatlands; plant macrofossils; testate amoebae; 

wetland archaeology 

Barber, K.E. and Langdon, P.G. (2007) What drives the peat-based palaeoclimate record? A critical 

test using multi-proxy climate records from northern Britain. Quaternary Science Reviews 26: 3318- 

3327. 

Swindles, G.T., Lawson, I.T., Matthews, I.P., Blaauw, M., Daley, T.J., Charman, D.J., Roland, T.P., 

Plunkett, G., Schettler, G., Gearey, B.R., Turner, T.E., Rea, H.A., Roe, H.M., Amesbury, M.J., 

Chambers, F.M., Holmes, J., Mitchell, F.J.G., Blackford, J., Blundell, A., Branch, N., Holmes, J., 

Langdon, P., McCarroll, J., McDermott, F., Oksanen, P.O., Pritchard, O., Stastney, O., Stefanini, B., 

Young, D., Wheeler, J., Becker, K., Armit, I. (2013) Centennial-scale climate change in Ireland during 

the Holocene. Earth Science Reviews 126: 300-320.

T3 

Songs from the wood: tales of the past from ancient oaks 

Giles H.F. Young 1 *, Danny McCarroll 1 , Neil J. Loader 1 , Roderick J. Bale 2 

1 Department of GeographySwansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP 

2 Department of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 

Lampeter, Ceredigion, SA48 7ED 

Accurately reconstructing past global climate change is an important and challenging 

scientific task. Placing recent climate changes into the context of natural, late Holocene, 

variability requires records of temperature and precipitation far longer than those available 

from instrumental sources. Much of the high resolution (annually resolved) palaeoclimatic 

data available are from proxies contained within the annual rings of trees. However, most 

of this evidence is confined to locations with extreme climate where tree growth is strongly 

limited by growing season temperatures or precipitation. We therefore have little, statically 

verifiable, palaeoclimatic evidence from temperate mid-latitude locations such as the UK. 

This has led to a geographical imbalance in past hemispheric climate reconstructions 

towards regions with extreme climates, often far removed from the large population 

centres which will be affected by future climate changes. 

Stable isotopes from tree-rings have the potential to rectify this imbalance by 

reconstructing environmental variability away from tree-line locations. The processes 

which control stable carbon and oxygen isotope fractionation should remain the same at 

all locations. For carbon isotopes (δ 13 C) this is a balance between photosynthetic rate and 

stomatal conductance and for oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O) the isotopic ratio of the source water 

overlaid by an evaporative enrichment signal. The only prerequisite required to obtain an 

environmental signal from tree-ring isotopes should be an annual climate regime with a 

distinct growing season, to allow the annual cross matching and dating of rings. The raw 

material required to construct long isotope chronologies in mid-latitudes is already in 

place. Long oak tree-ring chronologies have been developed over many years, primarily 

as a tool for archaeological dating. In many parts of Europe, including the UK, 

chronologies extend over many thousands of years (c. 7000). 

At Swansea University isotope ratios from oak trees at a number of UK locations have 

been analysed to produce UK composites for both δ 13 C and δ 18 O for the period AD 1850- 

2010. Both isotope chronologies have very strong, significant and temporally stable 

relationships with UK measured summer climate variables (Fig. 1): δ 13 C with temperature 

(r = 0.76, P

Figure 1: Oak stable carbon isotopes scaled to mean summer (July-August) Central England 

temperature (A); oxygen isotopes scaled to summer (June-August) England and Wales precipitation 

sum (B).

T9 

Lateglacial and Holocene Climate and Environmental Change in the Northeastern 

Mediterranean Region: The Diatom Evidence from Lake Dojran (Republic of 

Macedonia/Greece) 

X.S. Zhang 1 *, J.M. Reed 1 , B. Wagner 2 , A. Francke 2 and Z. Levkov 3 

1 Department of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, University of Hull, Hull 

2 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany 

3 Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia 

The northeastern Mediterranean region is located on an important boundary between 

classic Mediterranean and continental climate zones. In spite of the recent increase in 

palaeoclimate research, our understanding of patterns and mechanisms of Late 

Quaternary climate change is still poor across the region, with spatial inconsistency in 

inferred patterns of change. The southern Balkan Republic of Macedonia varies in climate 

between continental-Mediterranean (ancient Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa in the 

southeast) and classic Mediterranean (Lake Dojran in the west). As part of a multi-site 

ICDP project which aims to reconstruct Quaternary climate across multiple glacialinterglacial 

cycles, this study focuses on limnological response to Lateglacial and 

Holocene climate and environmental change from analysis of a 7.17 m core from Lake 

Dojran, which is currently a shallow and hypereutrophic lake which has suffered 

accelerated impact from water abstraction and anthropogenic nutrient input. The results of 

diatom analysis show a shift to the dominance of benthic taxa, including obligate saline 

taxa, during the Younger Dryas period, providing the strong evidence for minimum lake 

level and enhanced aridity. During the earliest Holocene (corresponding to the Preboreal 

period) the low diversity dominance of planktonic Cyclotella ocellata indicates a maximum 

lake depth, probably due to meltwater impulse. During the early Holocene a shallower and 

eutrophic condition is indicated by the dominance of non-planktonic taxa. During the mid 

Holocene the planktonic taxa such as Aulacoseira granulata, Stephanodiscus medius, S. 

hantzschii and Cyclostephanos dubius indicate a eutrophic, possibly relatively deep and 

turbid condition. In spite of low concentration and high dissolution of diatoms during the 

late Holocene, the diatom composition indicates a shallow condition and high nutrient 

level. However, in spite of enhanced anthropogenic deforestation, there is no clear 

evidence for accelerated nutrient input in the recent past. 

Keywords: northeastern Mediterranean; Lake Dojran; diatom; Younger Dryas; Holocene

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