Late Holocene Climate Change Research Articles

Environmental magnetic records derived from lacustrine sediments in the Western Guangdong Province, China: Implications for Late-Holocene climatic/environmental changes

The western Guangdong Province (WGDP) in China, influenced by both the East Asian and the Indian summer monsoon, is a pivotal region for exploring the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) evolution. So far, there still lacks detail studies on late Holocene climatic/environmental changes here. In this study, multiple magnetic parameters were measured on the lake sediments of Hedong section in this area. Results indicated a dominance of pseudo-single-domain detrital (titano-)magnetite or maghemite mixed with paramagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic minerals in sediments, and the impacts of authigenic greigite, bacterial activity, post-depositional dissolution, and dilution effects were trivial. Changes in rainfall-induced surface erosion intensity were determined as a role in sediment magnetic properties. Intensified surface erosion deduced by increased rainfall favored enhanced concentrations and more coarse-grained magnetic minerals in sediments, and vice versa. Thus, the magnetic parameters can be used to reflect varying ASM strength in the past ~4300 years. They revealed four relatively humid (strengthened ASM) (i.e., 4300–4000 cal. yr BP, 3500–3130 cal. yr BP, 2640–1950 cal. yr BP, and 1250–850 cal. yr BP), and three dry periods (weakened ASM) (i.e., 4000–3500 cal. yr BP, 3130–2640 cal. yr BP, and 1950–1250 cal. yr BP) which coincided with the Bond events 3, 2, and 1 respectively. In combination with the three significant cycles (i.e., 1250-, 75-, and 65-year) revealed by spectral analysis on SIRM record, we inferred both the external forcing (e.g., solar activity) and internal hemispheric-scale atmospheric processes (e.g., ENSO, North Atlantic Oscillation) have played an integral role in late Holocene climate changes in the study region.

The Middle and Late Holocene climate change in Bohai Bay revealed by diatom proxy

The Middle and Late Holocene climate change in Bohai Bay revealed by diatom proxy

Correlating Late-Holocene climate change and population dynamics at Cahokia Mounds (American Bottom, USA)

Food insecurity and the disruption of agricultural systems are often cited as explanations for the correlations observed between climate change and demographic shifts in past agricultural societies. While these narratives are abundant with data pertaining to climate and demographic changes, they often lack substantial information regarding the processes contributing to agricultural destabilization. In this article, we employ stable carbon isotopes extracted from paleosols collected at Cahokia Mounds, the largest Indigenous settlement in North America, to illustrate that vegetative communities did not respond to the multi-decadal drought that afflicted the mid-continent region at the end of the 13th century. This research underscores the existing gaps in our understanding of how plant communities respond to climate variations. To effectively utilize historical examples in shaping future strategies for adapting to contemporary climate change, it is imperative that we acquire deeper insights into the tolerance of Indigenous crops and culturally significant plants to various drought and flood conditions.

Agropastoral and dietary practices of the northern Levant facing Late Holocene climate and environmental change: Isotopic analysis of plants, animals and humans from Bronze to Iron Age Tell Tweini.

One of the largest isotopic datasets of the ancient Eastern Mediterranean region is evaluated, based on plants (n = 410), animals (n = 210) and humans (n = 16) from Tell Tweini (Syria). Diachronic analysis of plant and faunal specimens from four main periods of occupation: Early Bronze Age (2600-2000 BC), Middle Bronze Age (2000-1600 BC), Late Bronze Age (1600-1200 BC) and Iron Age (1200-333 BC) were investigated. Mean Δ13C results from seven plant species reveal emmer and free threshing wheat, olives, bitter vetch, rye grass and barley were adequately or well-watered during all periods of occupation. The grape Δ13C results suggest excellent growing conditions and particular care for its cultivation. The δ15N results indicate that especially the emmer and free threshing wheats received some manure inputs throughout the occupation sequence, while these were likely further increased during the Iron Age, encompassing also the olive groves and grape vineyards. Generally, domestic animals (cattle, sheep, goats) had C3 terrestrial diets and were kept together in similar environments. However, some animals consumed significant amounts of marine or C4 plants, possibly from disturbed habitats due to land use pressure or salt tolerant grasses and shrubs from wetland environments, which were recorded in the direct vicinity of the site. Middle Bronze Age humans consumed a C3 terrestrial diet with no measurable input from C4, freshwater or marine protein sources. Interestingly, the human diet was relatively low in animal protein and appears comparable to what is considered today a typical Mediterranean diet consisting of bread (wheat/barley), olives, grapes, pulses, dairy products and small amounts of meat. The combined isotopic analysis of plants, animals and humans from Tell Tweini represents unbroken links in the food chain which create unparalleled opportunities to enhance our current understanding of environmental conditions, climate change and lifeways in past populations from the Eastern Mediterranean.

Mid to late Holocene climate changes and grazing activities in northern Loess Plateau, China

Despite the importance of pastoralism, as an alternative or adjunct to farming in China's long history, a clear understanding of the spreading routes and mechanisms of pastoralism in China is lacking. Fungal spores can be a useful addition to zooarchaeological evidence and have been widely used to explore the origins and development of pastoralism in different regions of the globe. The northern Loess Plateau is one of the most important areas for the emergence and development of pastoralism in early China. The aim of this paper was to take the fungal spores in the Baihemiao (BHM) core that we extracted from a site in the Yulin region, combine them with the zooarchaeological records to explore their relationship with climate and environmental changes, and reconstruct the evolution of animal husbandry in the northern Loess Plateau since the mid-Holocene. The results indicate that the climatic conditions in the northern Loess Plateau during the first period of 6–4.2 ka were relatively humid, the number of domesticated herbivores was small, animal husbandry was not developed, and the spores of coprophilous fungi in the sediments mainly originated from wild herbivores. Fungal spores as well as zooarchaeological evidence reveal that cattle and sheep grazing developed rapidly in the region during the second period, c. 4.2–3 ka. We suggest that the arid climatic conditions during this period facilitated the development of pastoral activities in the northern Loess Plateau. However, this pastoral economy gradually weakened after 1.2 ka.

Middle to late Holocene climate change in the monsoon-dominated southeastern Tibetan Plateau and its relationship with human activity

Aeolian deposits on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP) can provide evidence of how prehistoric humans were influenced by climatic and environmental changes in high-altitude regions. We present the results of multi-proxy analyses of a middle–late Holocene aeolian section in the SETP, together with the probability density of the ages of various cultural sites within and around the study area. Quartz optically stimulated luminescence dating provides a reliable chronology for this section, and analyses of geochemical elements, color and grain size are used to reconstruct the pattern of climate change during the middle–late Holocene. The results suggest a trend of gradually decreasing moisture from the middle Holocene (∼6 ka) onwards, followed by a slight increase at ∼2 ka, which is supported by TraCE-21 ka simulation results. These changes were closely related to variation in the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) caused by decreasing Northern Hemisphere summer insolation and an increase in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. The variations in dust activity are inversely related with moisture and there was a significant decrease in dust activity after ∼2 ka. The drought conditions during the 4.2 ka event recorded within the section appear to be a continuation of the trend of middle–late Holocene climatic deterioration, which is superimposed on a weakening trend of the ISM. The permanent human occupation of the study area after ∼2 ka corresponded to an interval of mild and wet climate when dust activity was relatively weak. An observed correlation between the intensity of human activity and dust storms suggests that the enhancement of human activities played a significant role in increasing the occurrence of dust storms. Overall, our results provide new insights into human-environmental interactions in the SETP.

Late Quaternary glacial history of the Ulugh Muztagh, central Kunlun Mountains

Only a few studies of Quaternary glaciation have been conducted in the central Kunlun Mountains, hindering a full understanding of Late Pleistocene and Holocene climatic changes on the Tibetan Plateau. This study presents 30 new 10Be surface exposure ages from five moraine crests, two moraine platforms and two glaciofluvial terraces on the northwestern slopes of the Ulugh Muztagh in the central Kunlun Mountains. The moraine ages indicate that an old glacial advance occurred no later than ∼87.10 ka, an extensive glacial advance at ∼35.61 ka and Holocene advances at ∼7.61 ka, ∼1.65 ka, ∼0.69 ka, and ∼ 0.36 ka. Two glaciofluvial terraces were tentatively determined to have been deposited at ∼24.87 ka and ∼ 17.35 ka, possibly implying the occurrence of limited global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Heinrich Stadial 1 glacial advances. After combining these findings with geomorphic evidence, it was inferred that glacial coverage was more extensive during MIS 3 than the global LGM, indicating that the timing of the LGM in the Ulugh Muztagh was asynchronous with that of the monsoon-dominated Tibetan Plateau. Reference to other palaeoclimatic archives suggested that glacial advances since MIS 3 were most likely driven by a combination of cool to cold temperatures and a relatively humid climate. The limited global LGM advance was attributed to increased aridity.

Speleothems uncover Late Holocene environmental changes across the Nuragic period in Sardinia (Italy): A possible human influence on land use during bronze to post-Iron Age cultural shifts

During the Bronze and Iron Age, Sardinia was home of one of the most technologically advanced Mediterranean societies (the Nuragic culture). Given its key geographical location, the island was also the fulcrum of deep cultural exchanges. Toward the end of the Iron Age, Phoenicians, and especially Carthaginians and Romans, massively frequented Sardinia for different purposes. This marks an important cultural transition for the region, as the ancient Nuragic-related society terminated. At the same time, this impacted the subsistence and land use practices. Together with middle to late Holocene climate changes, the novel anthropic activities had a pivotal role in shaping the landscape around the island. However, high resolution climate and environmental records for these culturally important phases are still lacking in Sardinia. Thus, this paper explores palaeoenvironmental changes from the Bronze Age to post Iron Ages times by using carbonate speleothems from Suttaterra de Sarpis Cave (Urzulei, central east Sardinia), strategically located nearby the Or Murales Nuragic Village. U–Th ages (n = 20) indicate that five stalagmites comprehensively span the last ∼7000 years. Peculiarly, they all show an evident stratigraphic discontinuity. Age models attest that hiatuses can be at times associated with the discontinuities, spanning periods of ∼1200 to ∼200 years. Importantly, the discontinuities occurred from the Late Iron Age to the Roman period. Based on fabric observations, trace elements and δ13C- δ18O analyses, the discontinuities are primarily attributed to a progressive change of land use above the cave. We suppose that deforestation aimed to clearance for agriculture and livestock practices probably was the most impacting factor for infiltration dynamics and soil state, thus affecting the studied speleothems, although archaeological and historical data are absent for the specific study area. Instead, this is in line with the cultural transition occurring in Sardinia toward the end of the Iron Age, with novel agricultural practices imported by the overseas populations. The anthropic disturbance to the millennial-long karst equilibrium possibly overprinted the response of speleothem proxies to climate oscillations, although future higher resolution analyses are necessary to better investigate the evolution of climate during the Holocene as well as its role in the development of ancient civilizations. Indeed, this is the first speleothem-based Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction accomplished in Sardinia. Considering the paucity of natural lakes in this key location, speleothems here demonstrate their potential in exploring human-driven palaeoenvironmental changes during times of cultural transitions within the Mediterranean context.

Human settlement density, not late Holocene climate change, influenced Artiodactyla species abundance in northeastern California faunal assemblages

Variation in late Holocene artiodactyl (e.g., deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep) hunting in northern California has often been examined from a behavioral ecological perspective to understand past foraging and land-use practices and related changes in human behavior, including settlement patterns, technological change, social signaling, large-scale resource intensification, and anthropogenic resource depression. However, rarely are past climate records and proxies of human population density coupled with zooarchaeological estimates of artiodactyl abundance to evaluate the ecological and anthropogenic drivers of changes in species representation over time. To better understand changes in human behavior related to past large game hunting, we disentangle the causal relationships between late Holocene climate change, human demography, and artiodactyl abundance to assess whether climate change, human hunting, or both impacted the abundance of artiodactyls in zooarchaeological assemblages from northeastern California. We evaluate how climatic variability and inferred human settlement density impacted artiodactyl abundance using modeled paleoclimatic reconstructions, distributions of radiocarbon dates, and faunal data derived from 35 archaeological sites and 37,319 individual faunal specimens. Using piecewise structural equation models, we assess the direct and mediating effects between climate, human settlement density, and artiodactyl abundance and determine the individual effects of these variables on large game species representation in zooarchaeological assemblages. We find that expanding human settlement density and related increases in logistical foraging—not late Holocene climate change—directly impacts the relative abundance of artiodactyls in these assemblages. Moreover, our findings reveal that the effects of climate change are entirely mediated through human settlement density. While our study is unable to decipher if observed changes in human behavior were motivated by goals related to energetic maximization or costly signaling, our study does provide a useful framework for separating the effects of human- and climate-induced explanations for variation in species composition in faunal assemblages.

The development of early farming diets and population change in the Maya region and their climate context

We explore the impact of a millennium-long period of decreased rainfall during the transition from the Middle to Late Holocene on human diet and population dynamics in the northern neotropical Maya Lowlands. To do so, we use a nearby paleo-precipitation reconstruction to evaluate the timing of this period of reduced rainfall and compare those data to population proxies and stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen from directly dated human bone spanning the interval of interest. Our results show that decreased precipitation coincided with archaeological and isotopic evidence for increasing reliance on maize as a dietary staple. Two rockshelter sites located in Southern Belize have produced a mortuary assemblage that spans the Holocene. These assemblages provide a unique opportunity to examine how early farmers during the transition to agriculture may have been affected by Middle to Late Holocene climate change. Between 5600 and 4200 cal BP lowland populations were already consuming significant amounts of maize reflected in proxies for the protein and the whole diet portions, suggesting the establishment of farming communities at least 800–2200 years before the emergence of public architecture. We demonstrate that increasing reliance on maize shows the resilience of farming populations to climate variability during this crucial period just prior to massive demographic change and the emergence of complex economic institutions.

Mid-to-late Holocene climate variability in coastal East Asia and its impact on ancient Korean societies

The sustainability of human societies is contingent upon our ability to accurately predict the effects of future climate change on the global environment and humanity. Wise responses to forthcoming environmental alterations require extensive knowledge from historical precedents. However, in coastal East Asia, a region with a long history of agriculture, it is challenging to obtain paleoenvironmental proxy data without anthropogenic disturbances that can be used to assess the impact of late Holocene climate change on local communities. This study introduces a high-resolution multi-proxy sedimentary record from an isolated crater in Jeju Island, Korea, to elucidate the mechanisms underlying mid-to-late Holocene climate change and its impacts on ancient societies. Our findings suggest that hydroclimate changes were predominantly governed by sea surface temperature fluctuations in the western tropical Pacific, with low-frequency variability in solar activity and a decrease in summer insolation identified as primary drivers of temperature change. Moreover, ancient societies on the Korean peninsula were significantly affected by recurring cooling events, including the 2.8 ka event, 2.3 ka event, Late Antique Little Ice Age, maunder minimum, and others.

Long-term stability of temperate Australian wet forest-moorland mosaics despite recurrent fires associated with late Holocene climate change

ContextThe primary factors(s) responsible for the maintenance of Alternative biome states (ABS) in world forest biomes remains unclear and debatable, partly due to insufficient long-term ecological data from suitable ecosystem sites. The occurrence of moorland in southern and western Tasmanian wet temperate forest presents a suitable setting to test for ABS and understand the main stabilizing factors of ABS.ObjectivesWe use a palaeoecological approach to test for ABS and identify the degree of vegetation change and the effect of climate change and fire occurrence associated with ABS in southern Tasmania.MethodsSediment sequence from sink-hole lake in a forest and nearby pond in southern Tasmania were analysed for pollen and charcoal to reconstruct histories of forest, moorland and fire in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). Reconstructions were compared to palaeoclimate record.ResultsMoorland and forest in southern Tasmania have occupied the same habitat for at least the last 2600 years, and neither past climate change nor fire occurrence affected the stability of the vegetation mosaic. We suspect that localized environmental settings, such as topography and edaphic conditions are the primary stabilizing factors of the forest-moorland mosaics.ConclusionsThe observed stable vegetation mosaics in our study is contrary to the dominant ecological paradigm of landscape dynamics currently used to manage the TWWHA, and there is a need to refine the ecological basis of fire management in the area. Similar targeted palaeoecological studies are needed to fully understand the underlying factors responsible for the persistence of treeless vegetation in world forest biomes.

Middle to Late Holocene lake evolution and its links with westerlies and Asian monsoon in the middle part of the Hexi Corridor, NW China

AbstractThe interpretation and understanding of the relationship between Middle to Late Holocene climate change in monsoon margins of northwest China with the westerlies and Asian monsoon (AM) remain controversial. Here we present a new multi-proxy sedimentary dataset from the Heihe River basin in the middle part of the Hexi Corridor on the northern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), which is a sensitive zone for the interaction between the westerlies and AM. Fluctuations in grain size, δ13Corg, δ18O, magnetic susceptibility, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, and C/N ratio document regional lake and climate evolution since 5334 cal yr BP. Results show that climate conditions on the millennial timescale are humid in the late Middle Holocene (MH) and dry to wet in the Late Holocene (LH). Combined with the multi-model ensemble simulation from PMIP3-CMIP5, high lake levels and wetter climate in the late MH are closely linked to the strengthening Asian summer monsoon. Simultaneously, the slight wetting trend since the late LH may be the superimposing effect of enhanced westerlies and the weakening Asian winter monsoon. These findings can provide insights into the interpretation of the interaction between the westerlies and AM during the Holocene in East Asia.

Human–animal–environment dynamics and formation of pastoralism in the southern Tibetan Plateau during the Middle–Late Holocene

AbstractIn this paper, we apply standard zooarchaeological methods and novel osteological approaches to analyse faunal remains from five Middle–Late Holocene sites in the southern Tibetan Plateau (STP). Framed by direct radiocarbon dates on taxonomically classified bioarchaeological remains and compared with published palaeoclimate data, our findings revealed a three-stage process of agro-pastoral development in the STP ca. 5.5 to 1.0 ka. In the first phase, habitation was restricted to the lower southeastern part of the plateau and human subsistence essentially based on foraging and low-level pig–millet farming. With the onset of colder and drier climatic conditions ca. 3.8 ka, the study area witnessed a growing human presence at higher elevations in its central and western parts, together with a shift towards bovid husbandry and barley cultivation, that is, agricultural practices that originated in west Asia; these were likely introduced to the STP following the eastern margin of the TP and/or arrived by sub-Himalayan transfer. Climate and ecological degradation might have contributed to the decline of local game in favour of cold-and-dry-tolerant pastoral livestock and crops. Our work shows that Middle–Late Holocene climate change, ecological change, human subsistence shifts, and prehistoric cultural transmissions are intimately connected.

Mid and late Holocene climate changes recorded by biomarkers in the sediments of Lake Gouchi and their relationship with the cultural evolution of northern Shaanxi

The climatic and environmental characteristics of the Holocene are much debated, especially the occurrence of a climatic optimum in the mid-Holocene and the interactions between human civilization and the environment. Knowledge of the Holocene climatic evolution of the Mu Us Sandy Land in North China is important for understanding the cultural development of northern Shaanxi. However, few continuous and high-resolution lake sedimentary records are available from the region. We selected Lake Gouchi, a climatically sensitive site in the Mu Us Sandy Land, for a study of sedimentary organic indicators such as n-alkanes, with the objective of reconstructing the regional climatic history since the mid-Holocene. Our results indicate that during 8130–4500 BP, the regional climate was relatively warm and humid, the terrestrial vegetation was dominated by woody plants, and the nutrient level of the lake was relatively stable. Then the climate gradually became arid. However, at the beginning of 2500 BP, there was an 800-year period of warm and humid conditions. Entering the historical period there was an increase in the environmental impacts of human activities. Overall, the climate of the Gouchi area was influenced by the response of the East Asian summer monsoon to changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, which were responsible for the mid-Holocene Maximum. Comparison of the climatic record of Lake Gouchi with the sequence of cultural evolution in northern Shaanxi reveals a distinct relationship. Favorable climatic conditions were associated with technological development, an increasing population, and a flourishing civilization; whereas less favorable climatic conditions were associated with cultural stagnation or decline.

Late Holocene climate change in northern Australia inferred from the archaeal lipids in Lake Barrine

Understanding long-term climate change is particularly relevant in Australasia, where precipitation exhibits marked variability on annual and decadal timescales. Although numerous studies have investigated hydroclimate change during the Common Era in Australasia, high-quality records covering the late Holocene remain scarce in northern Australia. Here we present an isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGT) record from Lake Barrine, to evaluate the environmental significance of archaeal lipid-based proxies in the lake system and possible drivers of changes during the late Holocene. The fractional composition of isoprenoid GDGTs in the sediments from Lake Barrine is dominated by GDGT-0 and crenarchaeol. The ratio of crenarchaeol and its regio-isomer (cren/cren’), GDGT-0/crenarchaeol ratios and Methane Index suggest that a dominant contribution of archaeal lipids in Lake Barrine derived from Group Ⅰ.1a Thaumarchaeota, with a minor contribution from Group Ⅰ.1b Thaumarchaeota and methanogenic archaea. Centennial-scale variation in cren/cren’ ratios correlates well with other hydroclimate records in the tropical Australia, due to a preference of Group Ⅰ.1a Thaumarchaeota for deeper lakes, and humid climates typically do not offer a large niche for soil Group Ⅰ.1b Thaumarchaeota. Variability of hydroclimate in northern Australia is linked to the mean position and strength of the intertropical convergence zone. Furthermore, the TEX86 proxy can effectively record lake surface temperature during the past 0.8 kyr, however, a slight increase in the contribution of non-Thaumarchaeota in deeper sediments lead to underestimate of the paleotemperature.

The geoarchaeological investigation on the defunctionalisation of an Assyrian canals system reveals Late-Holocene land use transitions in Northern Mesopotamia

During the Assyrian rule over Northern Mesopotamia (present-day northern Iraq), complex systems of canals were built to increase the surface of cultivable land and improve the movement of people and goods across the irrigated waterscape of the hinterland of Nineveh and other major urban centres, with the aim of granting socio-economic prosperity to the empire. Nevertheless, supra-regional political instability eventually led to the rapid downfall of the Assyrian state during the late seventh century BCE, causing the swift abandonment of the canal systems. In this study, we examine the post-abandonment formation processes of the natural and anthropogenic infillings of three portions of King Sennacherib’s Khinis canal system (705–681 BCE, northwestern Kurdistan Region of Iraq) through means of archaeological, sedimentological and micromorphological analyses. We identify water lain sediments, desiccation features, colluvial gravel intake and pastoral occupation layers, anchoring the deposit to radiometric dating and contextualising it against the known regional climatic history. The interpretation of pedostratigraphic evidence highlights subsequent phases of use, abandonment, and repurposing of the canals, reflecting shifts in land-use from agriculture to pastoralism and dynamic adaptation and resilience of the local ancient communities in response to Late-Holocene climate changes and geopolitical events.

Spatio-temporal patterns of centennial-scale climate change over the Tibetan Plateau during the past two millennia and their possible mechanisms

In order to project future changes in climate and their corresponding environmental and social impacts, it is of utmost importance to understand the spatiotemporal patterns of past climate changes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Although numerous records of late Holocene climate changes have been developed across the TP, the spatiotemporal patterns of changes in temperature and precipitation/moisture are unclear and a comprehensive review of this topic is urgently needed. Here, we present such a synthesis using currently available temperature and precipitation/moisture records from across the TP to understand spatial and temporal variations over the past two millennia. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) Temperature variations on the TP during the past two millennia are not homogeneous and show strong seasonality. Although patterns of mean annual temperature change on the TP during the past two millennia remain contradictory, summer temperature variations are generally consistent. The summer temperature reconstructions indicate that the warmest period during the past two millennia was in the middle ages, as opposed to the recent 20th century. 2) Precipitation/moisture patterns on the TP are spatially complex. The most striking feature is that an inverse pattern of precipitation/moisture variation can be detected over most parts of the TP between 600-1400 AD and 1400-1900 AD. Specifically, the eastern TP, southwestern TP, and part of the northeastern TP were generally wetter, whereas the southeastern TP, the southern TP, the northwestern TP, and part of the northeastern TP were generally drier during 600–1400 AD as compared to during 1400–1900 AD. However, such anti-phased hydroclimatic variability is not found in either the cold period of 1–600 AD or in the current warm period of the past century. This indicates that temperature and precipitation/moisture changes appear in multiple combinations. 3) Fluctuations in the intensity and seasonal movement of the westerlies and the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) over the Tibetan Plateau, as well as the associated climate variability modes (e.g., North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Indian Ocean dipole (IOD), ENSO, and Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)), might be responsible for the spatially complex patterns of climate anomalies over TP during the past 2000 years. 4) The results highlight the need for more high-quality paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions that span the past two millennia on the TP. Such reconstructions must have unambiguous climate significance, clear seasonality, site-specific calibration, and robust dating.

Correction to: Late Holocene climate change inferred from the lithology and chemical stratigraphy of sediment cores from Swan Lake, Nebraska Sandhills, USA

Correction to: Late Holocene climate change inferred from the lithology and chemical stratigraphy of sediment cores from Swan Lake, Nebraska Sandhills, USA

Middle to Late Holocene climate, vegetation and sea-level changes in NW Tripura, northeast India, based on palynological and mineral magnetic evidence

Middle to Late Holocene climate, vegetation and sea-level changes in NW Tripura, northeast India, based on palynological and mineral magnetic evidence