Late‐glacial climate in the Maritimes Region, Canada, reconstructed from mutual climatic range analysis of fossil Coleoptera

Abstract

Mean July and January temperatures are reconstructed from radiocarbon‐dated fossil beetle assemblages from late‐glacial sites in the Maritimes Region of eastern Canada. Fossil‐bearing sediments date from 12700 14C yr BP (14950 cal yr BP) to younger than 10800 14C yr BP (12730 cal yr BP), spanning a period which includes stratigraphic, palynological, chironomid and coleopteran evidence for a climatic deterioration during the Younger Dryas in North America. Mutual Climatic Range data suggest several ‘events’ in the coleopteran record from the Maritimes that appear similar to climate events recorded in the GRIP ice‐core record, including the (Younger Dryas) cooling event from GI‐1a to GS‐1 beginning c. 12650 GRIP yr BP Some of the major temperature oscillations of Greenland Interstadial 1 may also be reflected in the coleopteran record of the Maritimes.