Terrestrial versus marine archives: biostratigraphical correlation of the Middle Pleistocene lacustrine records from central Europe and their equivalents in the deep-sea cores from the Portuguese margin

Abstract

The palaeolake from Ossowka, eastern Poland, is an unusual example of basin, in which sedimentation lasted from the beginning of the Holsteinian through several climatic oscillations until the Early Saalian, i.e. over a period of ~70,000 years. This provides us with the opportunity of correlating the dynamically changing events on land with their potential equivalents in the marine profiles. Alkenone-based temperature reconstructions using U k′ 37 are an unusual tool in this respect. Nevertheless, as a result, we successfully relate this pollen sequence to the changing SST (sea surface temperature) values in the colder phases of MIS 11. The bipartite Ferdinandovian Interglacial was previously correlated with the upper part of the Cromerian complex (MIS 13 and MIS 15). Having at our disposal limits in the SST alkenone-based record, we clearly identify the stratigraphic position of the second warm phase of MIS 15 and a small fragment of MIS 14. In our opinion, the Rhume Interglacial, identified in Germany, should be located within MIS 13. Using the available orbitally tuned chronology, we also give a substantial input to estimate duration of these terrestrial interglacials, indicating the starting and ending points of their equivalents in the alkenone records