Present Status of Radiocarbon Calibration and Comparison Records Based on Polynesian Corals and Iberian Margin Sediments

Abstract

In this paper, we present updated information and results of the radiocarbon records based on Polynesian corals and on Iberian Margin planktonic foraminifera. The latter record was first published by Bard et al. (2004a,b), with the subsequent addition of some data by Shackleton et al. (2004). These data sets are compared with the IntCal98 record (Stuiver et al. 1998) and with data sets based on other archives, such as varves of Lake Suigetsu (Kitagawa and van der Plicht 1998, 2000), speleothems from the Bahamas (Beck et al. 2001), and Cariaco sediments (Hughen et al. 2004). Up to 26,000 cal BP, the Iberian Margin data agree within the errors of the other records. By contrast, in the interval between 33,000 and 41,000 cal BP, the Iberian Margin record runs between the Lake Suigetsu and Bahamian speleothem data sets, but it agrees with the few IntCal98 coral data and the Cariaco record.