Pleistocene seasonal temperature variations recorded in the δ18O of Bison priscus teeth

Abstract

Oxygen isotope analysis of phosphate in tooth enamel of mammals ( δ 18O p) constitutes a valuable method to reconstruct past air temperatures in continental environments. The method is based on interdependent relationships between the δ 18O of apatite phosphate, body fluids, environmental waters and air temperatures. Continuous tooth growth and absence of enamel remodelling in bovid teeth ensures a reliable record of the intra-annual variability of air temperature through an incremental δ 18O analysis from apex to cervix. This method has been applied to Bison priscus dental remains of the late Middle Pleistocene from the fossiliferous layer of a cave at Coudoulous I in South-Western France (Layer 4). The stacked oxygen isotope signal obtained by combining 9 bison teeth shows sinusoidal variations (15.0‰ to 19.1‰ V-SMOW) of seasonal origin over 2.5 yr. The corresponding computed MAT of 9 ± 3 °C is about 4 °C lower than at present. Seasons appear more contrasted in Coudoulous I during Layer 4 deposition with summers as warm as present ones (19 ± 3 °C) and significantly colder winters about 0 ± 3 °C compared to 6 ± 1 °C at present.