Articles | Volume 15, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1665-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-1665-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Is there evidence for a 4.2 ka BP event in the northern North Atlantic region?
Raymond S. Bradley
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geosciences/Climate System Research Center, University
of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
Jostein Bakke
Department of Earth Science/Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research,
University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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54 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A late response of the sea-ice cover to Neoglacial cooling in the western Barents Sea M. Telesiński et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836241247305
- Expression of the “4.2 ka event” in the southern Rocky Mountains, USA D. Liefert & B. Shuman https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1109-2022
- Millennial‐scale oscillations and an environmental regime shift around the Middle to Late Holocene transition in the North Atlantic region based on a multiproxy record from Isfjorden, West Spitsbergen C. Brice et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12602
- A Bayesian change point analysis re-examines the 4.2 ka BP event in southeast Europe and southwest Asia Z. Bora Ön https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108163
- Past abrupt changes, tipping points and cascading impacts in the Earth system V. Brovkin et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00790-5
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- Inequality in relational wealth within the upper societal segment: evidence from prehistoric Central Europe J. Marzian et al. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03053-x
- 15000 ans d’histoire de la végétation et d’évolution du paysage dans la région des marais de Saint Gond (Marne, France) P. Ruffaldi et al. https://doi.org/10.4000/15eed
- Holocene glacial history of Svalbard: Status, perspectives and challenges W. Farnsworth et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103249
- Lake level fluctuations and varve preservation – The sediment record from Lake Suminko (Poland) reflects European paleoclimatic changes W. Tylmann et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108854
- A 12,000-year perspective of fire and vegetation history in Northern Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada K. Laird et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836251327732
- The timing, duration and magnitude of the 8.2 ka event in global speleothem records S. Parker & S. Harrison https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14684-y
- Searching for the 4.2 ka climate event at Lake Spore, Poland K. Pleskot et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104565
- Sub-divisions of the Holocene R. BRADLEY https://doi.org/10.5026/jgeography.134.351
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- Low-latitude forcing on 4.2 ka event indicated by records in the Asian monsoon region X. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104401
- A Holocene history of high bluffs, strandplains, terraces, and dunes along the southeastern margin of Lake Superior (Michigan, USA) with reference to fluctuating lake levels T. Fisher et al. https://doi.org/10.1130/B37843.1
- A Bayesian test for the 4.2 ka BP abrupt climatic change event in southeast Europe and southwest Asia using structural time series analysis of paleoclimate data Z. Ön et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03010-6
- The Holocene paleoenvironmental history of Western Caucasus (Russia) reconstructed by multi-proxy analysis of the continuous sediment sequence from Lake Khuko A. Grachev et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620972782
- The prolonged weak monsoon event in East Asia and the interhemispheric seesaw: implications for persistent AMOC forcing at the mid-late Holocene transition M. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105091
- FINAL NEOLITHIC AND BRONZE AGE FUNERARY PRACTICES AND POPULATION DYNAMICS IN BELGIUM, THE IMPACT OF RADIOCARBON DATING CREMATED BONES G. Capuzzo et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2022.94
- The tripartite 4.2 ka event in East Asia: Stalagmite evidence and its interregional implications Z. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105200
- Granlund’s recurrence surfaces revisited and reanalysed S. Wastegård https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836261440848
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- The Holocene of Sweden – a review S. Wastegård https://doi.org/10.1080/11035897.2022.2086290
- Surface oceanographic changes from ∼ 25,000 to 3500 cal yr BP in the eastern Arabian Sea J. Majumder et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104397
- Salt production by ignition during the prehistory in the Iberian Peninsula with special focus on the archaeological site of Espartinas (Ciempozuelos, Spain) F. Jiménez-Espejo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108775
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- Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic maritime resilience? The 4.2 ka BP event and its implications for environments and societies in Northwest Europe J. Kleijne et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aba3d6
- Was there a 4.2 ka BP event in Sweden? Evidence from peat, tree-rings and lake sediments E. Bromfält & S. Wastegård https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.2024.2440845
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- Holocene Monsoon Change and Abrupt Events on the Western Chinese Loess Plateau as Revealed by Accurately Dated Stalagmites L. Tan et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090273
- Hydroclimatic changes in south-central China during the 4.2 ka event and their potential impacts on the development of Neolithic culture T. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2022.11
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- Hydroclimatic variation over central China during the 4.2 ka event and its implications for cultural transformation W. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111441
- Collapse Studies in Archaeology from 2012 to 2023 G. Middleton https://doi.org/10.1007/s10814-024-09196-4
- Glacial history of the Åsgardfonna Ice Cap, NE Spitsbergen, since the last glaciation L. Allaart et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106717
- Lateglacial and Holocene chronology of climate‐driven postglacial landscape evolution in northeast Greenland J. Garcia‐Oteyza et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12683
- How volcanoes affect boreal mires: Climate-driven regional vegetation changes and stage-dependent responses to tephra fallout in Kamchatka during the Late Holocene V. Pimenov et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.113501
- Feeding Shimao: Archaeobotanical and Isotopic Investigation into Early Urbanism (4200-3000 BP) on the Northern Loess Plateau, China P. Sheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2021.2009995
- A complete Holocene lake sediment ancient DNA record reveals long-standing high Arctic plant diversity hotspot in northern Svalbard L. Voldstad et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106207
- Environmental variability at the margin of the South American monsoon system recorded by a high-resolution sediment record from Lagoa Dourada (South Brazil) B. Zolitschka et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107204
- End of Green Sahara amplified mid- to late Holocene megadroughts in mainland Southeast Asia M. Griffiths et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17927-6
- An absolutely dated mid-Holocene English yew chronology offers new opportunities for archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research T. Bebchuk et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836251407634
- Pulsebeat of early Holocene glaciation in Baffin Bay from high-resolution beryllium-10 moraine chronologies N. Young et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107179
- Glacier response to the Little Ice Age during the Neoglacial cooling in Greenland K. Kjær et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.103984
- Climate model experiments on the 4.2 ka event: The impact of tropical sea-surface temperature anomalies and desertification H. Renssen https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836221074031
- Human population dynamics in relation to Holocene climate variability in the North American Arctic and Subarctic M. Briere & K. Gajewski https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106370
- Landscape evolution, post-LGM surface denudation and soil weathering processes from Dickinson Park mire, Wind River Range, Wyoming (USA) M. Egli et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107433
- The 4.2 ka Event and the End of the Maltese “Temple Period” H. Groucutt et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.771683
54 citations as recorded by crossref.
- A late response of the sea-ice cover to Neoglacial cooling in the western Barents Sea M. Telesiński et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836241247305
- Expression of the “4.2 ka event” in the southern Rocky Mountains, USA D. Liefert & B. Shuman https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1109-2022
- Millennial‐scale oscillations and an environmental regime shift around the Middle to Late Holocene transition in the North Atlantic region based on a multiproxy record from Isfjorden, West Spitsbergen C. Brice et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12602
- A Bayesian change point analysis re-examines the 4.2 ka BP event in southeast Europe and southwest Asia Z. Bora Ön https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108163
- Past abrupt changes, tipping points and cascading impacts in the Earth system V. Brovkin et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00790-5
- Considering change with archaeological data: Reevaluating local variation in the role of the ~4.2k BP event in Northwest China Y. Jaffe & A. Hein https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620970254
- Inequality in relational wealth within the upper societal segment: evidence from prehistoric Central Europe J. Marzian et al. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03053-x
- 15000 ans d’histoire de la végétation et d’évolution du paysage dans la région des marais de Saint Gond (Marne, France) P. Ruffaldi et al. https://doi.org/10.4000/15eed
- Holocene glacial history of Svalbard: Status, perspectives and challenges W. Farnsworth et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103249
- Lake level fluctuations and varve preservation – The sediment record from Lake Suminko (Poland) reflects European paleoclimatic changes W. Tylmann et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108854
- A 12,000-year perspective of fire and vegetation history in Northern Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada K. Laird et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836251327732
- The timing, duration and magnitude of the 8.2 ka event in global speleothem records S. Parker & S. Harrison https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14684-y
- Searching for the 4.2 ka climate event at Lake Spore, Poland K. Pleskot et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104565
- Sub-divisions of the Holocene R. BRADLEY https://doi.org/10.5026/jgeography.134.351
- From the Neolithic to the present day: The impact of human presence on floristic diversity in the sandstone Northern Vosges (France) E. Gouriveau et al. https://doi.org/10.1051/bsgf/2020045
- Low-latitude forcing on 4.2 ka event indicated by records in the Asian monsoon region X. Zhou et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104401
- A Holocene history of high bluffs, strandplains, terraces, and dunes along the southeastern margin of Lake Superior (Michigan, USA) with reference to fluctuating lake levels T. Fisher et al. https://doi.org/10.1130/B37843.1
- A Bayesian test for the 4.2 ka BP abrupt climatic change event in southeast Europe and southwest Asia using structural time series analysis of paleoclimate data Z. Ön et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03010-6
- The Holocene paleoenvironmental history of Western Caucasus (Russia) reconstructed by multi-proxy analysis of the continuous sediment sequence from Lake Khuko A. Grachev et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620972782
- The prolonged weak monsoon event in East Asia and the interhemispheric seesaw: implications for persistent AMOC forcing at the mid-late Holocene transition M. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105091
- FINAL NEOLITHIC AND BRONZE AGE FUNERARY PRACTICES AND POPULATION DYNAMICS IN BELGIUM, THE IMPACT OF RADIOCARBON DATING CREMATED BONES G. Capuzzo et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2022.94
- The tripartite 4.2 ka event in East Asia: Stalagmite evidence and its interregional implications Z. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105200
- Granlund’s recurrence surfaces revisited and reanalysed S. Wastegård https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836261440848
- Holocene vegetation history in the Northern Vosges Mountains (NE France): Palynological, geochemical and sedimentological data E. Gouriveau et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620902229
- The Holocene of Sweden – a review S. Wastegård https://doi.org/10.1080/11035897.2022.2086290
- Surface oceanographic changes from ∼ 25,000 to 3500 cal yr BP in the eastern Arabian Sea J. Majumder et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2024.104397
- Salt production by ignition during the prehistory in the Iberian Peninsula with special focus on the archaeological site of Espartinas (Ciempozuelos, Spain) F. Jiménez-Espejo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108775
- Hydroclimate change during the transition of mid-to late Holocene and its potential impacts on late Neolithic settlements in middle Yangtze Basin, Central-South China J. Yin et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.104834
- Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic maritime resilience? The 4.2 ka BP event and its implications for environments and societies in Northwest Europe J. Kleijne et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aba3d6
- Was there a 4.2 ka BP event in Sweden? Evidence from peat, tree-rings and lake sediments E. Bromfält & S. Wastegård https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.2024.2440845
- Holocene Forest Dynamics in Western Mediterranean Islands: Rates, Periodicity, and Trends F. Michelangeli et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/f16050808
- Authenticity of the Great Flood during the late Longshan era H. Ni et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-025-2391-7
- Holocene Monsoon Change and Abrupt Events on the Western Chinese Loess Plateau as Revealed by Accurately Dated Stalagmites L. Tan et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090273
- Hydroclimatic changes in south-central China during the 4.2 ka event and their potential impacts on the development of Neolithic culture T. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2022.11
- Fossil leaf wax hydrogen isotopes reveal variability of Atlantic and Mediterranean climate forcing on the southeast Iberian Peninsula between 6000 to 3000 cal. BP J. Schirrmacher et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243662
- A cold but stable 4,200 yr event in Britain and the northeastern Atlantic region I. Candy et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.109093
- The role of sea-level changes in the evolution of coastal barriers – An example from the southwestern Baltic Sea R. Lampe & M. Lampe https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683620981703
- Holocene hydroclimate variability of the Baltic region inferred from stable isotopes, d-excess and multi-proxy data at lake Nuudsaku, Estonia (NE Europe) M. Eensalu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108736
- Hydroclimatic variation over central China during the 4.2 ka event and its implications for cultural transformation W. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111441
- Collapse Studies in Archaeology from 2012 to 2023 G. Middleton https://doi.org/10.1007/s10814-024-09196-4
- Glacial history of the Åsgardfonna Ice Cap, NE Spitsbergen, since the last glaciation L. Allaart et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106717
- Lateglacial and Holocene chronology of climate‐driven postglacial landscape evolution in northeast Greenland J. Garcia‐Oteyza et al. https://doi.org/10.1111/bor.12683
- How volcanoes affect boreal mires: Climate-driven regional vegetation changes and stage-dependent responses to tephra fallout in Kamchatka during the Late Holocene V. Pimenov et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.113501
- Feeding Shimao: Archaeobotanical and Isotopic Investigation into Early Urbanism (4200-3000 BP) on the Northern Loess Plateau, China P. Sheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2021.2009995
- A complete Holocene lake sediment ancient DNA record reveals long-standing high Arctic plant diversity hotspot in northern Svalbard L. Voldstad et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106207
- Environmental variability at the margin of the South American monsoon system recorded by a high-resolution sediment record from Lagoa Dourada (South Brazil) B. Zolitschka et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107204
- End of Green Sahara amplified mid- to late Holocene megadroughts in mainland Southeast Asia M. Griffiths et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17927-6
- An absolutely dated mid-Holocene English yew chronology offers new opportunities for archaeological and palaeoenvironmental research T. Bebchuk et al. https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836251407634
- Pulsebeat of early Holocene glaciation in Baffin Bay from high-resolution beryllium-10 moraine chronologies N. Young et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107179
- Glacier response to the Little Ice Age during the Neoglacial cooling in Greenland K. Kjær et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.103984
- Climate model experiments on the 4.2 ka event: The impact of tropical sea-surface temperature anomalies and desertification H. Renssen https://doi.org/10.1177/09596836221074031
- Human population dynamics in relation to Holocene climate variability in the North American Arctic and Subarctic M. Briere & K. Gajewski https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106370
- Landscape evolution, post-LGM surface denudation and soil weathering processes from Dickinson Park mire, Wind River Range, Wyoming (USA) M. Egli et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107433
- The 4.2 ka Event and the End of the Maltese “Temple Period” H. Groucutt et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.771683
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Discussed (final revised paper)
Latest update: 07 Jun 2026
Short summary
We review paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic records from the northern North Atlantic to assess the nature of climatic conditions at 4.2 ka BP. There was a general decline in temperatures after ~ 5 ka BP, which led to the onset of neoglaciation. Although a few records do show a distinct anomaly around 4.2 ka BP (associated with a glacial advance), this is not widespread and we interpret it as a local manifestation of the overall climatic deterioration that characterized the late Holocene.
We review paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic records from the northern North Atlantic to assess...
Special issue