Northeastern Iberian Peninsula Research Articles

The role of the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) as a bone accumulator in cliff rock shelters: an analysis of modern bone nest assemblages from North-eastern Iberia

The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) is one of the smallest vultures in the Old World. Today, this vulture is seasonal in Europe, spending winter in North Africa and returning to Europe in spring; however, some permanent populations reside in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. These birds feed mainly on carrion but are opportunistic and will prey on small mammals, birds and reptiles. The remains of Egyptian Vultures have been found on archaeological sites dated to the Pleistocene and Holocene, raising the possibility that they may have been active bone accumulating agents in caves and shelters, a practice evidenced by contemporary observation. Taphonomic studies on prey remains consumed by this vulture are very scarce and its role as an agent responsible for bone accumulations on archaeological sites is not fully understood. In this paper, we analyse bone remains recovered from three well known Egyptian Vulture nests situated in cliff rock shelters from Osona and Ripollès regions (Northeast Spain) with the aim of characterising their accumulations. Specifically, we detail taxonomic and anatomical representation, bone breakage, beak marks and digestion damage. Results show that very diverse taxonomic groups can be accumulated in Egyptian Vulture nest assemblages. The anatomical representation pattern varies greatly depending on the size of prey. Skeletal remains show a low degree of fragmentation and digestion, whilst the proportion of beak marked bones is high. Comparisons with other agents of bone accumulation (birds of prey and terrestrial mammalian carnivores) reveal that the taphonomic signature of Egyptian Vultures differs from most predators.

Thermal and petrophysical characterization of the lithospheric mantle along the northeastern Iberia geo-transect

We present a new model on the present-day lithospheric structure along a 1100km transect crossing the NE-Iberian Peninsula, the Western Mediterranean basin and the Algeria margin and ends at the Tell–Atlas Mountains. The modeling is based on an integrated geophysical-petrological methodology combining elevation, gravity, geoid, surface heat flow, seismic and geochemical data. Unlike previous models proposed for the region where the density of the lithospheric mantle is only temperature-dependent, the applied methodology allows inferring seismic velocities and density in the mantle down to 410km depth from its chemical composition through self-consistent thermodynamic calculations. We have considered five lithospheric mantle compositions including predominantly average Phanerozoic and lherzolitic Proterozoic in the continental mainland, and more fertile PUM (primitive upper mantle) compositions in the Western Mediterranean basin. Mantle petrology affects the resulting density distribution and LAB (lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary) geometry and allows a direct comparison with tomography models and seismic data. Measured low Pn velocities in the Western Mediterranean basin can be explained by either serpentinization and/or seismic anisotropy and only partly by transient thermal effects. The obtained lithospheric structure is compatible with P- and S-wave tomography models.

Especies del grupo Intravaginal de <em>Festuca</em> L. sección <em>Festuca</em> en los pisos basal y montano del nordeste de la Península Ibérica

Diferentes especies de Festuca morfológicamente afines crecen en gran parte del territorio objeto de esta reseña (tierras mediterráneas del nordeste de la Península Ibérica), a baja y mediana altitud. Excluyendo las especies de alta montaña, estas poblaciones se han estudiado aquí haciendo hincapié en Festuca grupo inops (F. gracilior), y se han tratado otras especies (F. lemanii en especial) que a veces complican la identificación de los miembros de dicho grupo, sobre todo cuando solapan sus distribuciones. Se comenta la aplicación del binomen F. inops De Not. a algunas poblaciones ibéricas del grupo F. inops. Nuevas citas de F. tarraconensis, F. occitanica, F. michaelis y F. heteroidea amplían la distribución de estos taxones dentro de la Península Ibérica.

Drought-induced mortality selectively affects Scots pine trees that show limited intrinsic water-use efficiency responsiveness to raising atmospheric CO2.

Widespread drought-induced tree mortality has been documented around the world, and could increase in frequency and intensity under warmer and drier conditions. Ecophysiological differences between dying and surviving trees might underlie predispositions to mortality, but are poorly documented. Here we report a study of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) from two sites located in north-eastern Iberian Peninsula where drought-associated mortality episodes were registered during the last few decades. Time trends of discrimination against 13C (Δ13C) and intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) in tree rings at an annual resolution and for a 34 year period were used to compare co-occurring now-dead and surviving pines. Results indicate that both surviving and now-dead pines significantly increased their WUEi over time, although this increase was significantly lower for now-dead individuals. These differential WUEi trends corresponded to different scenarios describing how plant gas exchange responds to increasing atmospheric CO2 (Ca): the estimated intercellular CO2 concentration was nearly constant in surviving pines but tended to increase proportionally to Ca in now-dead trees. Concurrently, the WUEi increase was not paralleled by a growth enhancement, regardless of tree state, suggesting that in water-limited areas like the Mediterranean, it cannot overcome the impact of an increasingly warmer and drier climate on tree growth.

Environmental and climatic context of Neanderthal occupation in southwestern Europe during MIS3 inferred from the small-vertebrate assemblages

According to pollen analysis, Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3, ca. 60–30 ka) is characterized in southern Europe by dynamic alternations of forest vs. semi-arid area expansion in accordance with the warming and cooling, respectively, of the sea-surface temperatures. It is in this context of rapid fluctuations that the Neanderthal occupation of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula took place. This paper sets forth a synthesis of the previously published environmental and climatic data obtained from the small vertebrates (herpetofauna and small mammals) of the Neanderthal localities of Cova del Gegant, Abric Romani, l'Arbreda cave, Canyars and Teixoneres. Using habitat weighting and mutual climatic range methods to reconstruct the environment, temperature and rainfall, the Middle Paleolithic occupations in northeastern Iberia are closely related to the presence of woodlands, irrespective of the climatic conditions. However, there are differences in the percentage of forest formations from the south to the northeast of Iberia. Southern Iberia (Gorham's cave) was much more forested than the northern parts (A. Romaní, l'Arbreda, Canyars, Teixoneres, C. Gegant). This observation coincides with the status of the southernmost Iberian Peninsula as a climatic refuge, where Neanderthals survived until ca. 28 ka BP.

Neolithic diffusion of obsidian in the western Mediterranean: new data from Iberia

We analyse the origin of all obsidian artefacts recovered up to date from Neolithic sites of north-eastern Iberia, which are the only documented ones in the whole Iberian Peninsula. Despite the antiquity of one of the findings, they had never been studied in detail. The recent discovery of the other remains has allowed us to better clarify its context and specify its absolute chronology. All the archaeological sites where obsidian tools have been recovered can be placed somewhere between the end of the fifth millennium and the first centuries of the fourth millennium cal BC, corresponding to the full Middle Neolithic. The study about its origins shows clearly that it can be linked to the island of Sardinia, namely the SA source. Its spread can be associated to the time that the Sardinian obsidian reaches maximum intensity in its exploitation and maximum diffusion around the Mediterranean coasts. In this sense, the artefacts recovered in the Iberian sites are the ones located to a farthest distance from their source of origin, about 1200 km away. The linking of these products to individual burial grave goods, along with other non-native elements of nature, indicates that its value exceeds the strictly utilitarian.

Reconstrucción paleoambiental del último ciclo glacial-interglacial en la Iberia continental: la secuencia del Cañizar de Villarquemado (Teruel)

El Cañizar de Villarquemado sequence (North-eastern Iberian Peninsula) stands as an exceptional palaeoenvironmental record for the last 130 000 years. The preliminary multidisciplinary study carried out so far include pollen and sedimentological analyses, comprising geochemical, X ray fluorescence (XRF), mineralogical, organic and inorganic content (TOC/TIC) analyses. The chronological model has been established combining AMS 14C on the first 20 m of sediment and OSL methods on the remaining 54 m to the bottom. The sedimentary sequence is essentially formed by alternating facies of peatbogs and wetlands with those of distal alluvial fan deposits and others of carbonate lake. The results currently obtained support relatively humid conditions at El Cañizar de Villarquemado during a likely MIS6-MIS5 period, as errors linked to the age model prevent us to guarantee precisely the period boundaries. Despite indications of humidity, the regional vegetation variations during the MIS6-MIS5 period, essentially represented by Juniperus, were constrained by the intense continentality of the area, resulting in unexpected pollen assemblages for an interglacial period as the Eemian. The most arid phase of the sequence is registered during the MIS3, as shown by the available sedimentological and palynological results, while the MIS2 presents greater local and regional variability as proved by the sedimentary facies and aquatics and the other pollen spectra, respectively. The Holocene presents an abrupt onset regarding palaeohydrology while terrestrial vegetation, dominated by pine instead than Juniperus as in the sequence’s bottom, show a resilient response as these are well adapted communities to extreme continentality. The later development of both, evergreen and marcescent Quercus, together with the presence of pine woodland, indicate very different climatic conditions between the MIS5 and MIS1 interglacial periods.

Formación de espeleotemas en el noreste peninsular y su relación con las condiciones climáticas durante los últimos ciclos glaciares

Speleothem growing is closely linked to warm climates with a positive hydrological balance. Mild temperatures and hydrological availability are conditions that tend to stimulate soil CO2 production due to denser vegetation cover and higher microbial activity. In such situations, waters enriched with dissolved carbonate are common and can infiltrate in the karstic system. This study compiles 158 dates from 34 speleothems collected in nine caves in the Northeastern Iberia to distinguish the time intervals with speleothem formation. A clear connection of speleothem growth and interglacial periods is established but precesssional influence is also observed, being periods of maxima insolation those with ideal conditions to produce karstic formations such as speleothems. The Holocene is without doubt the best represented period in the available records. However, last centuries were not characterized by an important development of speleothems in the studied caves.

Microbial-dominated carbonate platforms during the Ladinian rifting: sequence stratigraphy and evolution of accommodation in a fault-controlled setting (Catalan Coastal Ranges, NE Spain)

The Upper Muschelkalk sedimentary record constitutes a major transgressive pulse of north-eastern Iberia during the Ladinian. This record is arranged in two transgressive–regressive (T–R) sequences formed by two stepped microbial-dominated carbonate ramp systems where accommodation was mainly controlled by extensional faults. This study seeks to gain new insights into how the evolution of syn-rift subsidence controls the creation of accommodation space, the depositional styles and, especially, the palaeogeographical domains where specific microbialites developed (thrombolites and stromatolites). Thrombolite bodies (at least 40 m thick) display two types of architecture, biostromal and mud-mounded and stromatolite bodies (at least 7 m thick) consist of tabular and domed, head-shaped morphologies. Domed and mounded forms are usually developed during stages of increasing accommodation rates, low-to flat-nelief forms tend to grow in association with periods of low accommodation rates. A sea-level fall of at least 50 m occurred at the end of the Early Ladinian leaving the platform subaerially exposed. As a result, a prominent karst with significant erosional incisions and profuse collapse breccia fillings was formed in the inner and middle ramp settings. The resultant subaerial unconformity bounds T–R sequences 1 and 2. Subsidence curves display two stages of rapid/decelerated total subsidence, constituting two discrete rift/post-rift pulses in the large Triassic rifting period: (i) Buntsandstein – Middle Muschelkalk, and (ii) Late Muschelkalk – Imon Formation (Rhaetian). The second pulse is characterized by a rapid syn-rift subsidence during the Late Muschelkalk, and a decelerated post-rift subsidence throughout the deposition of Keuper facies and Imon Formation. The Late Muschelkalk rapid syn-rift pulse of total subsidence produces gains in accommodation, which controls the development of the stromatolites and thrombolites (biostromes and mud-mounds).

On the Ability of the WRF Model to Reproduce the Surface Wind Direction over Complex Terrain

AbstractThe ability of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to reproduce the surface wind direction over complex terrain is examined. A simulation spanning a winter season at a high horizontal resolution of 2 km is compared with wind direction records from a surface observational network located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. A previous evaluation has shown the ability of WRF to reproduce the wind speed over the region once the effects of the subgrid-scale topography are parameterized. Hence, the current investigation complements the previous findings, providing information about the model's ability to reproduce the direction of the surface flow. The differences between the observations and the model are quantified in terms of scores explicitly designed to handle the circular nature of the wind direction. Results show that the differences depend on the wind speed. The larger the wind speed is, the smaller are the wind direction differences. Areas with more complex terrain show larger systematic differences between model and observations; in these areas, a statistical correction is shown to help. The importance of the grid point selected for the comparison with observations is also analyzed. A careful selection is relevant to reducing comparative problems over complex terrain.

Facies heterogeneity and depositional models of a Ladinian (Middle Triassic) microbial-dominated carbonate ramp system (Catalan Coastal Ranges, NE Spain)

The Ladinian sedimentary successions record a major transgressive pulse of northeastern Iberia during the Middle Triassic. This record is arranged in two transgressive–regressive (T–R) sequences formed by two fault-block microbial and shoal-dominated carbonate ramps. The main factor controlling the creation of accommodation space is the differential rapid syn-rift subsidence, which induces the generation of palaeogeographical barriers that played a key role in the sedimentary architecture and microbial development.The facies architecture of these ramps was reconstructed by means of facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy. T–R sequence 1 corresponds to a fault-block carbonate ramp system dominated by microbialites and oolitic shoals. T–R sequence 2 represents a fault-block carbonate ramp system mainly characterised by lagoons and shoals.The diverse types of microbialites (stromatolites and thrombolites) are widely represented in the inner and middle ramp settings, reaching a width of 45 km and an average thickness of 40 m. T–R sequence 1 contains the most noticeable microbial deposits, stromatolites in the inner ramp (up to 7 m thick) and thrombolites in the middle ramp (up to 40 m thick). T–R sequence 2 is mainly characterised by the occurrence of oolitic stromatolites in the inner ramp and internal shoals and sheltered lagoons in the middle ramp. Microbialites exhibit a fabric-selective ancient porosity which is currently occluded by coarse calcite and quartz cements. The most common types of ancient porosity are interlaminar, vuggy and mouldic (grain dissolution and evaporite replacement).The studied carbonate ramps can be used as an analogue for ancient microbialite reservoirs in rapidly subsiding depositional areas, with a high diversity of microbial deposits formed in restricted to open marine conditions, with a wide array of ancient porosity and a well-known sequence stratigraphic context.

Future variability of droughts in three Mediterranean catchments

In the present study, we analyze the magnitude and frequency of long-term droughts throughout the present century in Catalonia in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula (Spain). In fact, this western Mediterranean region has recently suffered one of the most extreme dry episodes (2006–2008) in the last decades. This calls for further study of future perspectives of drought variability at the local scale. We selected three medium-sized catchments on the Catalan littoral: Fluvia, Tordera and Siurana. We employed both instrumental and simulated temperature and rainfall data to calculate two multi-scalar drought indices: the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Instrumental data consisted of several weather stations for a recent period: 1984–2008. Future projections covering the 2001–2100 period were extracted from a dynamical downscaling procedure at a 15-km horizontal grid resolution, nesting the mesoscale model MM5 into the atmosphere–ocean coupled model ECHAM5/MPI-OM, performed by the Meteorological Service of Catalonia. We calculated 24-month SPI and SPEI values for the instrumental and simulated periods, and no changes were found in drought variability for the early twenty-first century. For the mid-century, high climatic variability was detected, as extremely dry and wet periods might alternate according to the SPI values. At the end of the present century, we generally detected, particularly in the dry catchment of southern Catalonia, Siurana, more severe and longer droughts than the last extreme drought (2006–2008). There is a need to implement appropriate and specific adaptation strategies for water management of each catchment over the next decades to reduce the risk of the forecasted drought conditions.

Early Pliocene range expansion of a clade of subterranean Pyrenean beetles

Aim To investigate the possibility of range expansion and diversification within the subterranean environment in a genus of troglobiont beetles of the family Leiodidae (Troglocharinus), which have a disjunct distribution between the Pyrenees and the Catalonian coast. Location North-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Methods We sequenced 4 kb of five mitochondrial and two nuclear genes of 50 specimens of 12 of the 18 species of Troglocharinus, plus several outgroups. We reconstructed a phylogeny using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood, estimated divergence times using Bayesian probabilities and an a priori evolutionary rate, compared the diversification of the main clades within the genus, and reconstructed their ancestral distribution using maximum likelihood. Results We found strong support for the monophyly of Troglocharinus and the clades in each of the geographical areas, which diverged in the early Pliocene. The coastal clade was further divided into geographically well-defined lineages, separated by Quaternary deposits. The origin of the coastal clade was a single colonization in the early Pliocene from the central Pyrenees. The diversification of the Pyrenean clade followed a constant rate, while the diversification rate of the coastal clade significantly decreased through the Plio-Pleistocene transition. Main conclusions Troglocharinus expanded its range from its ancestral area in the central Pyrenees to the coast of Catalonia and subsequently diversified, probably within the subterranean environment. Our favoured scenario is a stepping-stone migration, with possibly short-distance dispersals through the surface, along the eastern margin of the north-eastern Ebro basin. The range expansion took place in a narrow temporal window with favourable conditions between the early Pliocene and the onset of the Mediterranean climate by the mid-Pliocene. Surface dispersal was probably severely limited afterwards, as shown by the fragmentation of the coastal lineage.

The Gravettian calvaria from Mollet III cave (Serinyà, Northeastern Iberian Peninsula)

Traditionally, fossil directors have been key elements for the characterization of chrono-cultural series over time. Current research on lithic technology demonstrate extensive and growing variability within technocomplexes, particularly in the Upper Paleolithic, making more complex the previously established chrono-cultural organization.In this article we analyze the lithic technology of level 497C from Cova Gran de Santa Linya, dated to 26.220 ± 220 BP (31260–30580 cal BP). Chronometric data indicates the assemblage is located between MIS 3 and MIS 2, likely placing it within the Gravettian tradition. The level 497C constitutes one of the few archaeological sites in NE Iberia for this period and allows identifying technical traits in core reduction methods, stone tools manufacture and site composition.Reduction strategies through prismatic cores were used to obtain distinct sequences of blades and bladelets. The assemblage of retouched artifacts is mainly composed by “fond commun”, pieces with abrupt retouch, and burins (mostly on oblique truncation). Backed tools, which were common during this period, are notably rare, as are Gravette points and Noailles burins, classic indicators that are not represented here. Nevertheless, a group of partially retouched macro-flakes forms a little-known category of instruments that can provide remarkable information regarding the technical behaviors of human groups.The technological features seen in level 497C may be consistent with the Gravettian technocomplex. However, we suggest the integration of technical-organizational indicators to assist the contextualization of the diversity of responses and technological decisions identified in technocomplexes. In this sense, the characteristics of this assemblage offer keys for evaluating archaeological sequences without fossil directors, thereby expanding our understanding of technological variability in this period in Iberia.

Heinrich event 4 characterized by terrestrial proxies in southwestern Europe

Abstract. Heinrich event 4 (H4) is well documented in the North Atlantic Ocean as a cooling event that occurred between 39 and 40 Ka. Deep-sea cores around the Iberian Peninsula coastline have been analysed to characterize the H4 event, but there are no data on the terrestrial response to this event. Here we present for the first time an analysis of terrestrial proxies for characterizing the H4 event, using the small-vertebrate assemblage (comprising small mammals, squamates and amphibians) from Terrassa Riera dels Canyars, an archaeo-palaeontological deposit located on the seaboard of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. This assemblage shows that the H4 event is characterized in northeastern Iberia by harsher and drier terrestrial conditions than today. Our results were compared with other proxies such as pollen, charcoal, phytolith, avifauna and large-mammal data available for this site, as well as with the general H4 event fluctuations and with other sites where H4 and the previous and subsequent Heinrich events (H5 and H3) have been detected in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions of the Iberian Peninsula. We conclude that the terrestrial proxies follow the same patterns as the climatic and environmental conditions detected by the deep-sea cores at the Iberian margins.

Volatile organic compounds in the western Mediterranean basin: urban and rural winter measurements during the DAURE campaign

Abstract. Atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have key environmental and biological roles, but little is known about the daily VOC mixing ratios in Mediterranean urban and natural environments. We measured VOC mixing ratios concurrently at an urban and a rural site during the winter DAURE campaign in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, by means of PTR-MS at both locations: a PTR-Quad-MS at the urban site and a PTR-ToF-MS at the rural site. All VOC mixing ratios measured were higher at the urban site (e.g. acetaldehyde, isoprene, benzene, and toluene with averages up to 1.68, 0.31, 0.58 and 2.71 ppbv, respectively), with the exception of some short-chain oxygenated VOCs such as acetone (with similar averages of 0.7–1.6 ppbv at both sites). The average diurnal pattern also differed between the sites. Most of the VOCs at the urban location showed their highest mixing ratios in the morning and evening. These peaks coincided with traffic during rush hour, the main origin of most of the VOCs analyzed. Between these two peaks, the sea breeze transported the urban air inland, thus helping to lower the VOC loading at the urban site. At the rural site, most of the measured VOCs were advected by the midday sea breeze, yielding the highest daily VOC mixing ratios (e.g. acetaldehyde, isoprene, benzene, and toluene with averages up to 0.65, 0.07, 0.19, and 0.41 ppbv, respectively). Only biogenic monoterpenes showed a clear local origin at this site. In addition, the concentrations of fine particulate matter observed at both sites, together with the synoptic meteorological conditions and radio-sounding data, allowed the identification of different atmospheric scenarios that had a clear influence on the measured VOC mixing ratios. These results highlight the differences and relationships in VOC mixing ratios between nearby urban and rural areas in Mediterranean regions. Further research in other urban-rural areas is warranted to better understand the urban-rural influence on atmospheric VOC mixing ratios under different atmospheric conditions.

Zooarchaeological Evidence for Domestic Rituals in the Iron Age Communities of North‐Eastern Iberia (Present‐Day Catalonia) (Sixth–Second Century BC)

SummaryMany socio‐economic changes occurred in southern Europe during the first millennium BC. In north‐eastern Iberia societies evolved from the small‐scale local groups of the Late Bronze Age to the more complex societies of the Iron Age. Together with a diversity of material changes (detected in pottery, agricultural techniques, architecture, etc.), a new ritual manifestation is attested in the Ancient Iberian Period (about 550 BC), lasting until some time after the Roman conquest. This consisted of sheep and goats (among other species) being carefully deposited below the floors of some domestic buildings. In this article the characteristics of these associated bone groups are described and their significance is discussed.

Brief communication Decreasing fires in a Mediterranean region (1970–2010, NE Spain)

Abstract. We analyse the recent evolution of fires in Catalonia (north-eastern Iberian Peninsula), a typical Mediterranean region. We examine a homogeneous series of forest fires in the period 1970–2010. During this period, more than 9000 fire events greater than 0.5 ha were recorded, and the total burned area was more than 400 kha. Our analysis shows that both the burned area and number of fire series display a decreasing trend. Superposed onto this general decrease, strong oscillations on shorter time scales are evident. After the large fires of 1986 and 1994, the increased effort in fire prevention and suppression could explain part of the decreasing trend. Although it is often stated that fires have increased in Mediterranean regions, the higher efficiency in fire detection could have led to spurious trends and misleading conclusions.

Isoscapes of tree‐ring carbon‐13 perform like meteorological networks in predicting regional precipitation patterns

AbstractStable isotopes in tree rings provide climatic information with annual resolution dating back for centuries or even millennia. However, deriving spatially explicit climate models from isotope networks remains challenging. Here we propose a methodology to model regional precipitation from carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) in tree rings by (1) building regional spatial models of Δ13C (isoscapes) and (2) deriving precipitation maps from Δ13C‐isoscapes, taking advantage of the response of Δ13C to precipitation in seasonally dry climates. As a case study, we modeled the spatial distribution of mean annual precipitation (MAP) in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, a region with complex topography and climate (MAP = 303–1086 mm). We compiled wood Δ13C data for two Mediterranean species that exhibit complementary responses to seasonal precipitation (Pinus halepensis Mill., N = 38; Quercus ilex L.; N = 44; pooling period: 1975–2008). By combining multiple regression and geostatistical interpolation, we generated one Δ13 C‐isoscape for each species. A spatial model of MAP was then built as the sum of two complementary maps of seasonal precipitation, each one derived from the corresponding Δ13C‐isoscape (September–November from Q. ilex; December–August from P. halepensis). Our approach showed a predictive power for MAP (RMSE = 84 mm) nearly identical to that obtained by interpolating data directly from a similarly dense network of meteorological stations (RMSE = 80–83 mm, N = 65), being only outperformed when using a much denser meteorological network (RMSE = 56–57 mm, N = 340). This method offers new avenues for modeling spatial variability of past precipitation, exploiting the large amount of information currently available from tree‐ring networks.

Changements environnementaux, dépositionels et culturels pendant le Pléistocène supérieur et l'Holocène ancien : la séquence de la Cinglera del Capello (Capellades, Espagne)

The correlation between environmental and cultural changes is one of the primary archeological and paleoanthropological research topics. Analysis of ice and marine cores has yielded a high-resolution record of millennial-scale changes during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene eras. However, cultural changes are documented in low-resolution continental deposits; thus, their correlation with the millennial-scale climatic sequence is often difficult. In this paper, we present a rare occurrence in which a thick archeological sequence is associated with a high-resolution environmental record. The Cinglera del Capello is a tufa-draped cliff located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, 50 km west of Barcelona. This cliff harbors several rock-shelters with Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits. Together, the deposits of four rock-shelters span from 7000 to 70,000 years ago and provide a high-resolution record of the environmental and human dynamics during this timespan. This record allows the correlation of the cultural and environmental changes. The multiproxy approach to the Cinglera evidence indicates that the main cultural stages of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene (Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic) are associated with significant changes in the environmental and depositional contexts.