Quaternary Science Reviews最新文献

{"title":"Late Quaternary variability in sediment residence time and provenance in the Gulf of Carpentaria, northern Australia","authors":"Anthony Dosseto ,&nbsp;Ashley N. Martin ,&nbsp;Jan-Hendrik May ,&nbsp;Les Kinsley ,&nbsp;Inna Karatchevtseva ,&nbsp;Allan R. Chivas","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Uranium (U) isotopes in detrital marine sediments provide a means to estimate sediment residence time—the duration particles spend in the landscape prior to deposition. When paired with physical parameters such as specific surface area, these data offer insight into sediment sourcing and transport processes. Here, we apply comminution dating to two sediment cores from the Gulf of Carpentaria (GoC), spanning the past 120 ka. Residence times were calculated using a Monte Carlo simulation under two scenarios: with and without post-depositional ²³⁴U recoil loss. The latter produced geologically consistent results, ranging from ∼5 to 38 ka, while the former yielded mostly unrealistic (negative) values.</div><div>Core MD972132, dominated by northern catchments, exhibits significantly shorter residence times (mean = 12.6 ka) than MD972133 (mean = 24.4 ka), reflecting faster sediment routing or reduced alluvial storage. Temporal trends suggest longer residence times during MIS 3, coinciding with regional aridity and limited fluvial connectivity, and shorter residence times post-LGM as sediment delivery increased with monsoonal intensification. Principal component analysis and clustering further differentiate sediment provenance between cores. Our results show that U-isotope-based residence time estimates, when integrated with sedimentological data, can resolve sediment routing dynamics in large tropical catchments and track climate-driven shifts in source–sink connectivity over glacial–interglacial cycles.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109529"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144655824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental changes in Hudson Strait and cultural transition in the Kangiqsujuaq region, Nunavik, Canada","authors":"Bianca Fréchette ,&nbsp;Anne de Vernal ,&nbsp;Natasha Roy ,&nbsp;Elsa Cencig ,&nbsp;Susan Lofthouse ,&nbsp;André Rochon ,&nbsp;Matthias Moros","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A record of marine (dinoflagellate cysts) and terrestrial (pollen grains) palynomorphs combined with geochemical (organic C, C_org:N_tot) and isotopic (δ¹³C_org) data from a sediment core collected in Hudson Strait close to Kangiqsujuaq provides evidence of past climatic and hydrographic changes in northern Nunavik since 4000 years ago with a multidecadal temporal resolution. A significant transition is recorded around 1850 cal yr BP. In the dinocyst assemblages, it is characterised by a sharp increase in heterotrophic taxa at the expense of the cysts of <em>Pentapharsodinium dalei</em>; in the pollen assemblage, it is marked by a change in the ratio between <em>Picea</em> and <em>Pinus</em>, with <em>Pinus</em> becoming more abundant after 1850 cal yr BP. Reconstructions of sea-surface conditions based on dinocyst assemblages show a long-term cooling trend and increased seasonal sea-ice cover over the last 4000 years. The results also showed an overall increase in summer salinity, the isotopic composition of organic carbon (δ¹³C_org), and the organic carbon to total nitrogen ratio (C_org:N_tot), especially after ∼1850 cal yr BP. Such changes suggest a lower proportion of terrestrial sources of sedimentary organic matter, likely induced by an overall decrease in freshwater discharges from the Hudson Bay watershed, thus reducing dilution of ocean waters. The general reduction in the relative imprint of terrestrial inputs in the Hudson Strait may be related to an overall decrease in annual precipitation over the northern boreal forest, which is likely due to the generally colder climate. The Middle Dorset period, from approximately 2000 to 1500 years ago, encompasses the transition towards colder and drier conditions around 1850 cal yr BP. This was a period of southward population movements, possibly driven by the impact of increased sea ice, which hindered access to resources. We thus hypothesise that palaeoenvironmental changes have modified resource distribution, which was critical for the Dorset people as they experienced massive demographic shifts and southward population expansion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"367 ","pages":"Article 109506"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144672171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reconstructing the glacial history of the Bhagirathi catchment in the Garhwal Himalaya from ∼ 80 ka to present","authors":"Elizabeth N. Orr ,&nbsp;Sourav Saha ,&nbsp;Lewis A. Owen ,&nbsp;Sarah J. Hammer ,&nbsp;Marc W. Caffee","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109525","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109525","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A key challenge when evaluating mountain glacier change, particularly in the context of climate change, is that glacial geological research often operates within discrete timescales. Studies typically examine long-term glacier change over centuries to millennia or short-term change spanning days to decades. Bridging these temporal gaps is essential for refining projections of glacier mass loss and enhancing our understanding of the future of mountain glaciers, particularly in regions like the Himalayas. The closely monitored Gangotri Glacier in the Bhagirathi catchment of the Garhwal Himalaya provides an excellent opportunity to define the timing and drivers of late Quaternary glacier change from ∼80 ka to present. By integrating new and recalculated glacial geochronological datasets with instrumental and remote sensing data, we present a comprehensive glacial chronostratigraphy for the Bhagirathi catchment. Tracking of the glacier terminus position and equilibrium-line altitudes over the past ∼80 ka shows that Gangotri Glacier has been progressively retreating during this time. We provide strong evidence that Gangotri Glacier is sensitive to short- and long-term climate changes. The accelerated retreat in recent decades is likely driven by climate change-induced shifts in global temperature and precipitation patterns. This study highlights the importance of evaluating glacier change across multiple timescales, as this has enabled us to more confidently conclude that the retreat of mountain glaciers such as Gangotri Glacier will continue and possibly accelerate in response to ongoing climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109525"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Paired terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides support the mapping of relict polythermal terrains under the Keewatin Ice Divide, central mainland Nunavut, Canada","authors":"Isabelle McMartin ,&nbsp;Pierre-Marc Godbout ,&nbsp;Tommy Tremblay ,&nbsp;John C. Gosse ,&nbsp;Janet E. Campbell ,&nbsp;Martin Roy ,&nbsp;Joerg M. Schaefer ,&nbsp;Iyse Randour","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109505","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109505","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding basal thermal regimes of paleo-ice sheets is fundamental to provide constraints on ice sheet dynamics and geometry, subglacial hydrology and sediment fluxes, landscape evolution, and long-term climate responses. While various methods have characterized glacial terrains from a range of subglacial conditions, the relationship between landsystem mapping and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides (TCNs) remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate a continuum of relict polythermal landsystems and surrounding warm-based terrains mapped in areas formerly covered by the Keewatin Ice Divide by utilizing paired ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al cosmogenic nuclide analyses on bedrock, boulder, and till samples in the eastern Keewatin region of Nunavut, northern Canada. Exposure ages in low-elevation warm-based landscapes cluster at 8.2 ± 0.6 ka and align with the timing of deglaciation (7.7 ± 1 ka) indicating relatively high (deep) glacial erosion under dominantly warm-based conditions. Moderate nuclide abundances and apparent mean ages of 23.5 ± 4.6 ka (surface tills) and 21.8 ± 2.1 ka (bedrock trimlines at marine limit) in relict intermediate landsystems extending across the ice divide migration zone above 200 m elevation reflect moderate erosion during transient cold-based and warm-based conditions. High nuclide abundances and apparent mean ¹⁰Be ages of 53.7 ± 4.6 ka (bedrock and boulder) in relict cold-based landsystems, predominant where the ice divide was anchored in the uplands above 400 m elevation, are consistent with low erosion and persistent cold-based conditions partially preserving surfaces weathered prior to the last glaciation. The apparent exposure ages in the relict terrains, significantly exceeding expected deglacial ages, and the relatively long periods of burial derived from ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be ratios, indicate widespread TCN inheritance and reflect differential erosion under polythermal basal ice regimes as inferred from landsystem mapping. Our findings emphasize the importance of geomorphological mapping and landsystem analysis to inform the TCN sampling plan and highlight the need for caution in interpreting exposure ages within predominantly warm-based glacial landscapes in a core region of the Laurentide Ice Sheet where relict weathered terrains are recognized.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109505"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144655823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mobility, circulation and long-distance transport of exotic raw materials in South America: Records of Patagonian obsidian points in Uruguay","authors":"Rafael Suárez ,&nbsp;Mariela Pistón ,&nbsp;María Julia Melián ,&nbsp;Javier Silva ,&nbsp;Ricardo Faccio ,&nbsp;James A. Davenport ,&nbsp;Maria E. Arbiza ,&nbsp;Michael D. Glascock","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper reviews the different archaeological sites of Pampa where there are obsidian records and presents the results of the geochemical and technological analysis of two obsidian projectile points recovered from the Middle Negro River, Uruguay. Using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), two distinct sources were identified: Cerro de las Planicies/Lago Lolog (CP/LL1) and Telsen/Sierra Negra (T/SN1), both located in north and central Patagonia, approximately 1600 km from the study area. The results suggest that obsidian points transported to Uruguay exceed previous records of distances recorded for South America and are in the range of the greatest distances in the world. The technological and morphological features of the points suggest different trajectories of transport, chronology, use and curation. This contributes to broader discussions on long-distance interactions, technological organization, the social and symbolic significance of exotic raw materials in the prehistoric societies of southeastern South America.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109510"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of lithic technology in shaping mobility and decision-making: The case of Ararat-1 Cave","authors":"David Nora ,&nbsp;Ellery Frahm ,&nbsp;Ioannis A.K. Oikonomou ,&nbsp;Theodoros Karampaglidis ,&nbsp;Boris Gasparyan ,&nbsp;Artur Petrosyan ,&nbsp;Ariel Malinsky Buller","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studies of lithic technological organization have progressed from static typological classifications to analyses of dynamic processes of tool production, use, and discard. These analyses reveal the intricate interplay of human behavior and environmental adaptation. This paper investigates lithic technology, emphasizing the dichotomy of curated and expedient technologies by examining the differential strategies employed in raw material acquisition, tool production, and discard. It also explores how environmental, economic, and mobility factors interplay and shape lithic assemblages. Focusing on Ararat-1 cave, a late Middle Paleolithic site in the Armenian Highlands, we conducted an integrative techno-typological study of 1770 lithic artefacts spanning five stratigraphic units, identifying distinct raw material reduction strategies for obsidian and chert. Obsidian artefacts exhibited a focus on retouching and rejuvenation, indicative of curated technologies associated with high residential mobility, while the chert showed evidence of primary reduction and blank production, reflecting expedient strategies. By integrating module flake analysis and reviewing the Whole Assemblage Behavioral Indicators (WABI) framework, suggesting the addition of smaller debitage, we highlighted dual mobility patterns reflected in the site assemblage. This approach offers a refined understanding of lithic technological systems, providing insights into MIS 3 mobility and site function in the Armenian Highlands.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109524"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144614849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Updated multi-method estimates of Lake Titicaca's radiocarbon reservoir offset","authors":"Eduardo Queiroz Alves ,&nbsp;Stéphane Guédron ,&nbsp;Christophe Delaere ,&nbsp;Mathieu Boudin ,&nbsp;Alexandre Chevalier ,&nbsp;Tess van den Brande ,&nbsp;Gaia Ligovich ,&nbsp;Rosa Souza ,&nbsp;Peter Eeckhout ,&nbsp;Kita Macario","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109463","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109463","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inaccurate lake chronologies are often an outcome of unresolved radiocarbon (¹⁴C) reservoir effects. These phenomena may impose considerable challenges to the ¹⁴C dating of lacustrine samples, limiting the accuracy of environmental and archaeological research. In South America, the importance of such studies around the Lake Titicaca basin, which presents a vast biodiversity and a rich archaeological heritage, cannot be overstated. However, the lack of preserved terrestrial organic macrofossils in the region hinders the derivation of age offsets for the lake. Despite a previous attempt to quantify the ¹⁴C reservoir effect associated with Lake Titicaca, the phenomenon requires further investigation. Here, we used a combination of new and published ¹⁴C dates to recalculate the offset using Bayesian approaches, obtaining a value of R = 163 ± 83 ¹⁴C yr for the period between 4000 and 3000 cal BP. Moreover, in the present study we employed a novel approach using mercury peaks as a chrono-tracer across different cores to construct a Bayesian chronological model. This allowed us to derive an R value of 315 ± 33 ¹⁴C yr for the southern basin of the lake at 1590 CE, indicating temporal variation in the radiocarbon reservoir effect. The same approach allowed us to calculate offsets of 166 ± 53 ¹⁴C yr and 335 ± 29 ¹⁴C yr for the shallow and deep parts of the basin, respectively, showing evidence of depth-dependent variation. The methods are thoroughly described and the potential explanations for these values are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109463"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144614848","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating climatic and anthropogenic drivers of fire activity over four millennia at Eilandvlei, southern Cape coast, South Africa","authors":"Stella G. Mosher ,&nbsp;Mitchell J. Power ,&nbsp;Brian M. Chase ,&nbsp;Lynne J. Quick ,&nbsp;Torsten Haberzettl ,&nbsp;Thomas Kasper ,&nbsp;David R. Braun ,&nbsp;J. Tyler Faith","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fire is a key ecological force in South Africa's highly biodiverse Cape Floristic Region (CFR), yet the extent to which past changes in climate and anthropogenic activities have influenced fire activity over millennial timescales remains poorly understood. Here, we employ a continuous high-resolution (median 2-year/sample) sedimentary charcoal record spanning the last 4200 years to explore linkages between climate, vegetation, fire, and people from a southern Cape coastal lake, Eilandvlei. This record spans notable shifts in climate as well as subsistence and behavioral shifts among human populations living in this ecosystem. Pastoralists are first documented in the CFR ∼2000 years ago and European colonization commences in the mid-1600s CE. Fire activity at Eilandvlei generally decreased over the past four millennia, consistent with records of climate change from the region. This is reflected in the vegetation assemblage at Eilandvlei, which transitions from fynbos towards Afrotemperate forest dominance, in parallel with increased moisture availability and decreased fire activity. Linear regression modeling of the fire record identifies moisture availability as the most significant driver of fire at Eilandvlei over millennial timescales – outweighing all other variables, including proxy evidence for human population densities. The lowest fire activity of the record occurs in the past ∼140 years (since ∼1810 CE) – likely reflecting fire suppression practices enacted by colonial populations. This record suggests that increased moisture availability facilitates a shift in vegetation type and decreases fire activity as fuel becomes too wet to sustain burning. The record also suggests potential links between local-scale fire and global climate modes, including El Niño Southern Oscillation and related changes in ocean-atmosphere dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109520"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Revisiting the Early Aurignacian in Italy: New insights from Grotta della Cala","authors":"Armando Falcucci ,&nbsp;Keiko Kitagawa ,&nbsp;Luc Doyon ,&nbsp;Laura Tassoni ,&nbsp;Tom Higham ,&nbsp;Clarissa Dominici ,&nbsp;Diego Dreossi ,&nbsp;Jacopo Crezzini ,&nbsp;Matteo Rossini ,&nbsp;Stefano Benazzi ,&nbsp;Ivan Martini ,&nbsp;Francesco Boschin ,&nbsp;Vincenzo Spagnolo ,&nbsp;Adriana Moroni","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109471","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109471","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Grotta della Cala in southern Italy is a key archaeological site spanning from the Middle Paleolithic to the Bronze Age. In the stratigraphic sequence close to the cave entrance, numerous artifacts associated with Aurignacian occupations were uncovered, including both lithic and organic materials. However, earlier interpretations were limited by challenges in dating the Upper Paleolithic layers and a lack of modern analytical methods for characterizing the finds. Recent excavations have refined the site's chronology and further explored the Aurignacian deposit. This study builds on this updated framework, offering an interdisciplinary reassessment that includes technological analyses of lithic assemblages and bone tools, along with a taxonomic examination of the marine shells. Many of these shells were intentionally perforated, suggesting symbolic behaviors linked to coastal resource exploitation. Lithic technology at the site is characterized by the systematic production of miniaturized bladelets from carinated cores, while osseous technology centers on the manufacture of split-based antler points, marking the southernmost occurrence of this tool type in Europe. The integration of new radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating allows us to confidently assign all analyzed sub-layers to the Early Aurignacian, a significant finding, given that no other sites in the region securely postdate the Campanian Ignimbrite (∼40,000 years ago). As such, Grotta della Cala is a crucial site for understanding the lifeways of Aurignacian foraging groups in the aftermath of this super-eruption and during Heinrich Stadial 4. Our comparative analysis of Early Aurignacian sites across Italy provides a clearer understanding of regional variability and continuity between 40,000 and 37,000 years ago, contributing to the broader debate on the biocultural dynamics of the Upper Paleolithic in Europe.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109471"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A 150,000-year lacustrine record of the Indo-Australian monsoon from northern Australia","authors":"Michael I. Bird ,&nbsp;Michael Brand ,&nbsp;Rainy Comley ,&nbsp;Xennephone Hadeen ,&nbsp;Zenobia Jacobs ,&nbsp;Cassandra Rowe ,&nbsp;Frédérik Saltré ,&nbsp;Christopher M. Wurster ,&nbsp;Costijn Zwart ,&nbsp;Corey J.A. Bradshaw","doi":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.quascirev.2025.109504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nearly two thirds of the world's population depend on monsoon rainfall, with monsoon failure and extreme precipitation affecting societies for millennia. Monsoon hydroclimate is predicted to change as the climate warms, albeit with uncertain regional trajectories. Multiple glacial-interglacial terrestrial records of east Asian monsoon variability exist, but there are no terrestrial records of equivalent length from the coupled Indo-Australian monsoon at its southern limit — Australia. We present a continuous 150,000-year lacustrine record of monsoon dynamics from the core monsoon region of northern Australia based on the proportion of dryland tree pollen in the total dryland pollen spectra and the hydrogen isotope composition of long chain <em>n</em>-alkanes. We show that rainfall at the site depends strongly on sea level, which changes proximity of the coast to the site by 320 km over the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Long-term trends in rainfall are broadly anti-phased with the east Asian monsoon modulated by coastal proximity. The record also contains multiple, short intervals (∼2 to &lt; 10,000 years) of large changes in tree cover (from 5 to 95 % tree pollen over 3000 years in one instance). Changes in tree cover are frequently but not always, accompanied by synchronous large changes in the other hydroclimate proxies. While these wetter periods cannot be easily ascribed to orbitally induced changes in insolation or coastal proximity, they are correlated with most Heinrich events. This relationship implies that strong asymmetry in inter-hemispheric monsoon rainfall might be one outcome of the current weakening in the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, through a reduction in oceanic heat transfer from the Southern to the Northern Hemisphere.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20926,"journal":{"name":"Quaternary Science Reviews","volume":"366 ","pages":"Article 109504"},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144580759","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}