Sites In Central Europe Research Articles

Snow Cover Maps from MODIS Images at 250 m Resolution, Part 2: Validation

The performance of a new algorithm for binary snow cover monitoring based on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite images at 250 m resolution is validated using snow cover maps (SCA) based on Landsat 7 ETM+ images and in situ snow depth measurements from ground stations in selected test sites in Central Europe. The advantages of the proposed algorithm are the improved ground resolution of 250 m and the near real-time availability with respect to the 500 m standard National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) MODIS snow products (MOD10 and MYD10). It allows a more accurate snow cover monitoring at a local scale, especially in mountainous areas characterized by large landscape heterogeneity. The near real-time delivery makes the product valuable as input for hydrological models, e.g., for flood forecast. A comparison to sixteen snow cover maps derived from Landsat ETM/ETM+ showed an overall accuracy of 88.1%, which increases to 93.6% in areas outside of forests. A comparison of the SCA derived from the proposed algorithm with standard MODIS products, MYD10 and MOD10, indicates an agreement of around 85.4% with major discrepancies in forested areas. The validation of MODIS snow cover maps with 148 in situ snow depth measurements shows an accuracy ranging from 94% to around 82%, where the lowest accuracies is found in very rugged terrain restricted to in situ stations along north facing slopes, which lie in shadow in winter during the early morning acquisition.

Trace Metal Budgets for Forested Catchments in Europe—Pb, Cd, Hg, Cu and Zn

Input/output budgets for cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) in the years 1997–2011 were monitored and determined for 14 small forest-covered catchments across Europe as part of the Integrated Monitoring program on the effects of long-range pollutants on ecosystems. Metal inputs were considered to derive from bulk deposition, throughfall and litterfall. Outputs were estimated from run-off values. Litterfall plus throughfall was taken as a measure of the total deposition of Pb and Hg (wet + dry) on the basis of evidence suggesting that, for these metals, internal circulation is negligible. The same is not true for Cd. Excluding a few sites with high discharge, between 74 and 94 % of the input Pb was retained within the catchments; significant Cd retention was also observed. High losses of Pb (>1.4 mg m−2 year−1) and Cd (>0.15 mg m−2 year−1) were observed in two mountainous Central European sites with high water discharge. All other sites had outputs below or equal to 0.36 and 0.06 mg m−2 year−1, respectively, for the two metals. Almost complete retention of Hg, 86–99 % of input, was reported in the Swedish sites. These high levels of metal retention were maintained even in the face of recent dramatic reductions in pollutant loads.

Spontaneous vegetation succession at different central European mining sites: a comparison across seres

We performed detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) ordination to compare seven successional seres running in stone quarries, coal mining spoil heaps, sand and gravel pits, and extracted peatlands in the Czech Republic in central Europe. In total, we obtained 1,187 vegetation samples containing 705 species. These represent various successional stages aged from 1 to 100years. The successional seres studied were more similar in their species composition in the initial stages, in which synathropic species prevailed, than in later successional stages. This vegetation differentiation was determined especially by local moisture conditions. In most cases, succession led to a woodland, which usually established after approximately 20years. In very dry or wet places, by contrast, where woody species were limited, often highly valuable, open vegetation developed. Except in the peatlands, the total number of species and the number of target species increased during succession. Participation of invasive aliens was mostly unimportant. Spontaneous vegetation succession generally appears to be an ecologically suitable and cheap way of ecosystem restoration of heavily disturbed sites. It should, therefore, be preferred over technical reclamation.

Mass specific optical absorption coefficient of HULIS aerosol measured by a four-wavelength photoacoustic spectrometer at NIR, VIS and UV wavelengths

The mass specific optical absorption coefficient (MAC) of Humic-Like Substances (HULIS), isolated from a fine aerosol fraction (PM1) collected at a typical Central European rural background site (Kpuszta) was measured in the re-dispersed aerosol phase at 1064, 532, 355 and 266 nm wavelengths by our recently developed four wavelength photoacoustic spectrometer. It is found to be practically negligible in the visible (0.03 m2 g−1 @532 nm), while in the ultraviolet (4.9 m2 g−1 @266 nm) it becomes comparable with that of black carbon (BC), a major absorbing fraction of the ambient aerosol. This type of wavelength dependency was already hypothesized for HULIS aerosol, but it was proved previously only by indirect measurements on HULIS samples dissolved in the aqueous phase. On the other hand, the other generally accepted hypothesis, that this wavelength dependency can be described by a single, wavelength independent absorption Angström-exponent (AAE) is not justified by the presented measurements.

Key factors affecting the future provision of tree-based forest ecosystem goods and services

The continuous provisioning of forest ecosystem goods and services (EGS) is of considerable interest to society. To provide insights on how much EGS provision will change with a changing climate and which factors will influence this change the most, we simulated forest stands on six climatically different sites in Central Europe under several scenarios of species diversity, management, and climate change. We evaluated the influence of these factors on the provision of a range of tree-based EGS, represented by harvested basal area, total biomass, stand diversity, and productivity. The most influential factor was species diversity, with diverse forest stands showing a lower sensitivity to climate change than monocultures. Management mainly influenced biomass, with the most intensively managed stands retaining more of their original biomass than others. All three climate-change scenarios yielded very similar results. We showed that (1) only few factor combinations perform worse under climate-change conditions than others, (2) diversity aspects are important for adaptive management measures, but for some indicators, management may be more important than diversity, and (3) at locations subject to increasing drought, the future provision of EGS may decrease regardless of the factor combination. This quantitative evaluation of the influence of different factors on changes in the provision of forest EGS with climate change represents an important step towards the design of more focused adaptation strategies and highlights key factors that should be considered in simulation studies under climate change.

Speciated mercury measurements in ambient air from 2009 to 2011 at a Central European rural background monitoring site

Since January 2009 highly time-resolved mercury speciation measurements in ambient air are carried out at the Central European German EMEP monitoring station and measurement site of the German Federal Environment Agency “Waldhof“, providing the longest Central European dataset for mercury species. First statistical analyses do not indicate long term trends for the concentrations of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) and particle bound mercury (TPM). A potential increasing trend for reactive gaseous mercury (RGM) will have to be verified in the coming years and should be regarded as indicative only at present. A seasonal cycle for TPM could be observed with higher concentrations during winter time. Furthermore a diurnal cycle for RGM is apparent with highest concentrations in the early afternoon.

Spermatogenesis, sperm storage and reproductive timing in bats

AbstractReproduction in bats from the temperate zones differs from the general mammalian pattern with regard to long‐term sperm storage. In contrast to other mammals, female bats from the temperate zones store viable spermatozoa from autumn copulations through hibernation into spring when fertilization occurs. Males, however, are also capable of storing spermatozoa viably in their cauda epididymides after they have undergone spermatogenesis in the summer months. This could free them from precisely coupling their spermatogenic timing to the female cycle. Furthermore, it enables them to inseminate females throughout winter during periodic arousals and into spring. In this comparative study of four sympatric species at one site in Central Europe, we tested for interspecific differences in the onset and length of the mating period. Species‐specific mating periods can be best explained by the availability of receptive females since males match the timing of spermatogenesis closely to the female reproductive cycle. The close sequence of male reproductive readiness and female availability indicates a fertilization advantage of early copulations in hibernating bats, as opposed to last sperm precedence in most mammals. Thus, the observed marked differences in the timing of reproduction between these sympatric species are in contrast to the hypothesis that reproductive timing results solely from climate and food availability.

Spatial stratification of various Lyme disease spirochetes in a Central European site

To determine whether the genospecies composition of Lyme disease spirochetes is spatially stratified, we collected questing Ixodes ricinus ticks in neighboring plots where rodents, birds, and lizards were present as reservoir host and compared the prevalence of various genospecies. The overall prevalence of spirochetes in questing ticks varied across the study site. Borrelia lusitaniae appeared to infect adult ticks in one plot at the same frequency as did Borrelia afzelii in the other plots. The relative density of questing nymphal and adult ticks varied profoundly. Where lizards were exceedingly abundant, these vertebrates seemed to constitute the dominant host for nymphal ticks, contributing the majority of infected adult ticks. Because lizards support solely B.lusitaniae and appear to exclude other genospecies, their narrow genospecies association results in predominance of B.lusitaniae in sites where lizards are abundant, while limiting its spread to the host's habitat range. To the extent that Central European B.lusitaniae strains are nonpathogenic, the presence of numerous lizards should locally decrease risk of infection for people. Evaluation of regional risk of infection by Lyme disease spirochetes should take the spatial effect of hosts into consideration, which stratify the distribution of specifically infected ticks on a small scale.

The effect of abrupt climate warming on biogeochemical cycling and N2O emissions in a terrestrial ecosystem

The large, rapid increase in atmospheric N2O concentrations that occurred concurrent with the abrupt warming at the end of the Last Glacial period might have been the result of a reorganization in global biogeochemical cycles. To explore the sensitivity of nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems to abrupt warming, we combined a scenario of climate and vegetation composition change based on multiproxy data for the Oldest Dryas–Bolling abrupt warming event at Gerzensee, Switzerland, with a biogeochemical model that simulates terrestrial N uptake and release, including N2O emissions. As for many central European sites, the pollen record at the Gerzensee is remarkable for the abundant presence of the symbiotic nitrogen fixer Hippophae rhamnoides (L.) during the abrupt warming that also marks the beginning of primary succession on immature glacial soils. Here we show that without additional nitrogen fixation, climate change results in a significant increase of N2O emissions of approximately factor 3.4 (from 6.4 ± 1.9 to 21.6 ± 5.9 mg N2O–N m− 2 yr− 1). Each additional 1000 mg m− 2 yr− 1 of nitrogen added to the ecosystem through N-fixation results in additional N2O emissions of 1.6 mg N2O–N m− 2 yr− 1 for the time with maximum H. rhamnoides coverage. Our results suggest that local reactions of emissions to abrupt climate change could have been considerably faster than the overall atmospheric concentration changes observed in polar ice. Nitrogen enrichment of soils due to the presence of symbiotic N-fixers during early primary succession not only facilitates the establishment of vegetation on soils in their initial stage of development, but can also have considerable influence on biogeochemical cycles and the release of reactive nitrogen trace gases to the atmosphere.

Les structures d’occupation gravettiennes en Europe centrale : le cas de Grub/Kranawetberg, Autriche

Grub/Kranawetberg, a multilayered Gravettian site in Lower Austria, is one of many Gravettian open-air sites of Central Europe. These sites are well-known since a long time for their settlement structures, but also rich lithic inventories as well as organic tools, personal adornments, and art objects (e.g., Pavlov, Dolní Vestonice). While old excavation and recording techniques do not allow a detailed intrasite spatial analysis of these sites, the ongoing fieldwork at Grub/Kranawetberg provides us with abundant and detailed information about spatial organization of a Gravettian open-air site in Central Europe. The site is excavated since 1993 and yielded four archaeological horizons with abundant finds (including numerous personal adornments) and some evident structures. The main focus of this paper is on the GIS-based methodology of intrasite spatial analysis, especially emphasizing the possibilities of recognizing formation processes, size-sorting and locating a possible dwelling. Application of various methods, among them piece-plotting, mapping of find quantities, application of kernel density estimates and ring and sector analysis, in the 1995 and 1996 excavation area showed latent structures which are interpreted as evidence for a dwelling in this area of the site. In the last part of the paper the evidence of Grub/Kranawetberg is discussed and compared with other European Gravettian sites.

Dietary reconstruction in Migration Period Central Germany: a carbon and nitrogen isotope study

This study presents bone collagen carbon and nitrogen isotope data from the Migration Period cemeteries (fifth/sixth century AD) of Obermollern and Rathewitz in Central Germany. The human average δ 13C ratios of −19.8 ± 0.3 ‰ and δ 15N ratios of 9.6 ± 0.9 ‰ (n = 43) reflect a mixed diet in a temperate C3-based ecosystem without significant difference between the two sites. The average offset between human and faunal δ 13C and δ 15N values indicates a significant contribution of plant food to the human diet that has different isotope ratios from the forage of the animals. It furthermore suggests the influence of land management on the δ 15N values. One adult male from Obermollern stands out due to his elevated nitrogen isotope ratio, body height, grave goods, and burial position. The collagen isotope data of this study are comparable with data from other central European sites and confirm rather stable communities with moderate variation in the environmental conditions of arable land.

Influence of wood harvest on tree-ring time-series of Picea abies in a temperate forest

Tree-ring width data are the prime source of high-resolution climate reconstructions covering recent millennia. Their variations, from year-to-year, are calibrated against regional instrumental data to evaluate the strength of associations with temperature and precipitation records, though the level of variance explained by climatic variables is frequently less than 50%. Among the remaining factors affecting tree growth, the influence of forest management for tree-ring width time-series used to resolve annual climate reconstructions remains relatively unexplored. We here evaluate the impact of conventional single-tree harvesting on tree-ring data using a compilation of circumstantially mapped Picea abies sites in western Germany. Climate signals are explored by calibration against regional temperature and precipitation data, and the influences of forest management analyzed using long-term logging data spanning the past 40–80years and mapped stumps (and neighboring trees) spanning the past 20years. Our results indicate a weak but statistically significant control of total May–July precipitation of P. abies growth. This association is only marginally, if at all, affected by forest management, i.e. wider tree-rings due to improved access to light and nutrients in years after logging events are either not found or in line with increased precipitation sums following single-tree harvest. These findings suggest only minor influences of selective harvesting on Picea tree-ring growth in western Germany, and overall limited biases of annually resolved climate reconstructions from lower elevation central European sites due to historical logging events.

Analysis of soil moisture memory from observations in Europe

Soil moisture is known to show distinctive persistence characteristics compared to other quantities in the climate system. As soil moisture is governing land‐atmosphere feedbacks to a large extent, its persistence can provide potential to improve seasonal climate predictions. So far, many modeling studies have investigated the nature of soil moisture memory, with consistent, but model‐dependent results. This study investigates soil moisture memory in long‐term observational records based on data from five stations across Europe. We investigate spatial and seasonal variations in soil moisture memory and identify their main climatic drivers. Also, we test an existing framework and introduce an extension thereof to approximate soil moisture memory and evaluate the contributions of its driving processes. At the analyzed five sites, we identify the variability of initial soil moisture divided by that of the accumulated forcing over the considered time frame as a main driver of soil moisture memory that reflects the impact of the precipitation regime and of soil and vegetation characteristics. Another important driver is found to be the correlation of initial soil moisture with subsequent forcing that captures forcing memory as it propagates to the soil and also land‐atmosphere interactions. Thereby, the role of precipitation is found to be dominant for the forcing. In contrast to results from previous modeling studies, the runoff and evapotranspiration sensitivities to soil moisture are found to have only a minor influence on soil moisture persistence at the analyzed sites. For the central European sites, the seasonal cycles of soil moisture memory display a maximum in late summer and a minimum in spring. An opposite seasonal cycle is found at the analyzed site in Italy. High soil moisture memory is shown to last up to 40 days in some seasons at most sites. Extremely dry or wet states of the soil tend to increase soil moisture memory, suggesting enhanced prediction potential during extreme events at most sites considered in this study.

The effect of abrupt climatic warming on biogeochemical cycling and N2O emissions in a terrestrial ecosystem

The large, rapid increase in atmospheric N2O concentrations that occurred concurrent with the abrupt warming at the end of the Last Glacial period might have been the result of a reorganization in global biogeochemical cycles. To explore the sensitivity of nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems to abrupt warming, we combined a scenario of climate and vegetation composition change based on multiproxy data for the Oldest Dryas–Bølling abrupt warming event at Gerzensee, Switzerland, with a biogeochemical model that simulates terrestrial N uptake and release, including N2O emissions. As for many central European sites, the pollen record at the Gerzensee is remarkable for the abundant presence of the symbiotic nitrogen fixer Hippophaë rhamnoides (L.) during the abrupt warming that also marks the beginning of primary succession on immature glacial soils. Here we show that without additional nitrogen fixation, climate change results in a significant increase of N2O emissions of approximately factor 3.4 (from 6.4±1.9 to 21.6±5.9mgN2O–Nm−2yr−1). Each additional 1000mgm−2yr−1 of nitrogen added to the ecosystem through N-fixation results in additional N2O emissions of 1.6mgN2O–Nm−2yr−1 for the time with maximum H. rhamnoides coverage. Our results suggest that local reactions of emissions to abrupt climate change could have been considerably faster than the overall atmospheric concentration changes observed in polar ice. Nitrogen enrichment of soils due to the presence of symbiotic N-fixers during early primary succession not only facilitates the establishment of vegetation on soils in their initial stage of development, but can also have considerable influence on biogeochemical cycles and the release of reactive nitrogen trace gases to the atmosphere.

Water consumption by Asteraceae weeds under field conditions

Knowledge of weedy species' moisture demands is the basis for determining the relationships in relation to competition for water within agronomic plant communities, but it is also essential for assessing water balance in stands of cultivated plants. The aims of this work were to determine the flow of water in selected weed species from the Asteraceae family under field conditions and to verify the dependence of water flow on selected meteorological phenomena. Between 2006 and 2010, the water flow in Artemisia vulgaris, Conyza canadensis, and Lactuca serriola was studied under field conditions at a central European (Czech Republic) site. The sap flow rates (Q; kg per day) were measured by a sap flow meter. The growth stage, plant weight, and plant length at the end of the Q measurement periods were recorded. Adding the missing values of Q (kg h−1) was carried out by calculating Qcalc (kg h–1, calculated values), while Qfill (kg h–1, replaced values) was used for the final evaluation. In A. vulgaris, the average daily value of Qfill (kg per day) in individual years ranged from 0.020 to 0.148 (BBCH 67–75), while it ranged from 0.006 to 0.657 (BBCH 55–89) in C. canadensis, and from 0.002 to 0.327 (BBCH 59–85) in L. serriola. The experiments have demonstrated Q's dependence on global solar radiation and a vapor pressure deficit.

Combined quantification of faecal sterols, stanols, stanones and bile acids in soils and terrestrial sediments by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

Faeces incorporation can alter the concentration patterns of stanols, stanones, Δ5-sterols and bile acids in soils and terrestrial sediments. A joint quantification of these substances would give robust and specific information about the faecal input. Therefore, a method was developed for their purification and determination via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) based on a total lipid extract (TLE) of soils and terrestrial sediments. Stanols, stanones, Δ5-steroles and bile acids were extracted by a single Soxhlet extraction yielding a TLE. The TLE was saponified with KOH in methanol. Sequential liquid–liquid extraction was applied to recover the biomarkers from the saponified extract and to separate the bile acids from the neutral stanoles, stanones and Δ5-steroles. The neutral fraction was directly purified using solid phase extraction (SPE) columns packed with 5% deactivated silica gel. The bile acids were methylated in dry HCl in methanol and purified on SPE columns packed with activated silica gel. A mixture of hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) and pyridine was used to silylate the hydroxyl groups of the stanols and Δ5-sterols avoiding a silylation of the keto groups of the stanones in their enol-form. Silylation of the bile acids was carried out with N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) containing N-trimethylsilylimidazole (TSIM). TLEs from a set of soils with different physico-chemical properties were used for method evaluation and for comparison of amounts of faecal biomarkers analysed with saponification and without saponification of the TLE. Therefore, a Regosol, a Podzol and a Ferralsol were sampled. To proof the applicability of the method for faecal biomarker analyses in archaeological soils and sediments, additional samples were taken from pre-Columbian Anthrosols in Amazonia and an Anthrosol from a site in central Europe settled since the Neolithic. The comparison of the amounts of steroids in combination with and without saponification of the TLE showed that high amounts of faecal biomarkers occur bound to other lipids and were liberated by saponification. The method was evaluated by standard addition. The standard contained 5β-stanols, 5β-stanones and their 5α-isomers together with Δ5-sterols and bile acids (19 substances). The standard addition revealed mean recoveries of individual substances ≥85%. The recoveries of biomarkers within each biomarker group did not differ significantly. Precisions were ≤0.22 (RSD) and quantification limits were between 1.3 and 10ngg−1 soil. These data showed that the method can be applied for quantification of trace amounts of faecal steroids and for the analyses of steroid patterns to detect enhanced faeces deposition in soils and sediments.

A new approach for determination of crustal and trace elements in airborne particulate matter

An ICP-OES procedure was developed for fast and accurate determination of various crustal (Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Si) and trace elements (Ba, Cu, Mn, Na, K, Sr, Ti, Zn) in airborne particulate matter. The method is based on a preliminary treatment of the aerosol samples with a mixture of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide at elevated temperature leading to a mineralization of the organic sampling substrate, dissolution of soluble material and homogeneous suspension of the remaining non-soluble fraction. After dilution the derived slurry solutions were measured using ICP-OES. The reproducibility of analysis given as the relative standard deviation (% RSD) varied between 3.2 and 6.8% for bulk constituents such as Al, Ca, Fe, Mg and Si whereas values ranging from 3.5 to 9.1% were obtained for trace metals present with distinctly lower abundance in PM10 (e.g. Ba, Cu, Mn, Sr, Zn). The limits of detection (LOD) calculated as three times the standard deviation (3σ) of the signal derived from filter blank samples ranged from approximately 1 ng m−3 (Sr) to 71 ng m−3(Ca). The developed procedure was evaluated by comparing the obtained results with the findings derived for the same set of aerosol samples analyzed using a microwave procedure for sample dissolution with subsequent ICP-OES analysis. Finally the developed procedure was applied for the analysis of crustal and trace elements in PM10 samples collected at an urban site (Getreidemarkt, Vienna) and a rural site (Hartberg, Styria), in Austria. The concentrations of the investigated crustal elements varied between some hundred ng m−3 and few µg m−3 with highest concentrations for Fe and Si, distinctly reduced concentrations ranging from some ng m−3 (Sr) to more than hundred ng m−3 (K) were found for trace elements. Observed PM10 concentrations were found to be in accordance to literature findings from urban sites in central Europe.

Variation in functional leaf traits among beech provenances during a Spanish summer reflects the differences in their origin

We assessed the response of 11-year-old saplings from six beech provenances growing in a common-garden trial at the southwestern range limit. Provenances from distinct climatic regions across the European beech distribution were selected. The local Spanish provenance appeared well suited to the site conditions, maintaining high rates of assimilation even in midsummer, but so did the provenance of southern continental origin, from Gotze-Delchev, Bulgaria. Those provenances from cooler sites in central Europe, a continental mountain climate in the Czech Republic and a continental range-edge site in eastern Poland, along with a German provenance of mild maritime origin, had good physiological functionality in early summer but reduced carbon assimilation (Aarea) and apparent soil–leaf hydraulic conductivity (KL) in midsummer. The northern maritime provenance from Sweden demonstrated severely-reduced photosynthetic capacity. These groupings of provenances according to their photosynthetic performance, stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C; a proxy for water-use efficiency) and leaf water potential under marginal conditions, during late summer in the trial, suggest that they have divergent strategies for water use. The research highlights large intraspecific differences among beech provenances of distinct origin and strategies which are expected to modify their response to drought, requiring future genetic studies to explicitly determine the basis of this ecophysiological differentiation.

Pathogens of the bark beetle Ips cembrae: microsporidia and gregarines also known from other Ips species

AbstractThe objective of the current study was to identify pathogens of the large larch bark beetle, Ips cembrae, which is a secondary pest that has produced several local outbreaks across Europe in recent years. Beetles were collected from pheromone traps, trap trees and emergence traps (Larix decidua) during 2007 to 2011 at 10 study sites in central Europe. A total of 3379 mature and callow beetles were examined with a light microscope, and only two microsporidian pathogens [Chytridiopsis typographi and a diplokaryotic microsporidium (probably Nosema sp.)] and two gregarines (Gregarina typographi and Mattesia schwenkei) were found. Within the I. cembrae populations, the infection rate for C. typographi ranged from 2 to 58%. Nosema sp. occurred in only two beetles in 2007 (at two study sites). G. typographi was recorded only in Austria and Croatia and only in 1–2% of the beetles in those countries. Mattesia schwenkei was observed solely in Croatia in 0.6% of the beetles in that country. Only one fungal pathogen in the genus Fusarium was found and only in two mature beetles (0.7%) in 2010. The pathogen species found during our study of I. cembrae were very similar to the pathogens previously identified for Ips typographus. No species‐specific pathogen was detected.

New information from Maszycka Cave and the Late Glacial recolonisation of Central Europe

Maszycka cave is one of the most important Magdalenian sites in Central Europe. The assemblage is characterized by a considerable number of organic tools including points, navettes and a decorated perforated antler. The cave was related to the middle Magdalenian of western Europe and identified as one of the earliest Magdalenian sites of Central Europe. A series of four AMS-dates now assigns the site more precisely to the period 16,350 to 16,100 calBC (c. 15.000 BP). No other reliably dated Magdalenian sites of this early period of recolonisation of southern Central Europe are known and its clearest parallels to the west are the Grotte Grappin at Arlay in western France and perhaps the open air site Munzingen in southwestern Germany. After the first short episode of recolonisation, a more permanent Magdalenian expansion into Central Europe started hundreds of years later with sites such as Kesslerloch in northern Switzerland.