Articles | Volume 21, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1235-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1235-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 Jul 2025
Research article |
| 16 Jul 2025
| 16 Jul 2025
Temperature variability in southern Europe over the past 16 500 years constrained by speleothem fluid inclusion water isotopes
Juan Luis Bernal-Wormull
Department of Geoenvironmental Processes and Global Change, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Department of Geoenvironmental Processes and Global Change, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Yuri Dublyansky
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Christoph Spötl
Institute of Geology, University of Innsbruck, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Reyes Giménez
Department of Geoenvironmental Processes and Global Change, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Carlos Pérez-Mejías
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
Miguel Bartolomé
Departamento de Geología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C. de José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
Martin Arriolabengoa
Department of Geology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain
Eneko Iriarte
Laboratory of Human Evolution-IsoTOPIK Stable Isotope Laboratory, Department of History, Geography & Communication, Edificio de I+D+i, Universidad de Burgos, Pl. Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain
Isabel Cacho
GRC Geociències Marines, Universitat de Barcelona, 28080 Barcelona, Spain
Richard Lawrence Edwards
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
Hai Cheng
Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, China
State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, China
Key Laboratory of Karst Dynamics, MLR, Institute of Karst Geology, CAGS, Guilin, 541004, China
Related authors
No articles found.
Nikita Kaushal, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, and Heather M. Stoll
Clim. Past, 21, 1633–1660, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1633-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1633-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Terminations are large-magnitude rapid events triggered in the North Atlantic region that manifest across the global climate system. They provide key examples of climatic teleconnections and dynamics. In this study, we use the SISAL global speleothem database and find that there are sufficient climatic records from key locations to make speleothems a valuable archive for studying terminations and provide instances for more targeted work on speleothem research.
Stuart Umbo, Franziska Lechleitner, Thomas Opel, Sevasti Modestou, Tobias Braun, Anton Vaks, Gideon Henderson, Pete Scott, Alexander Osintzev, Alexandr Kononov, Irina Adrian, Yuri Dublyansky, Alena Giesche, and Sebastian F. M. Breitenbach
Clim. Past, 21, 1533–1551, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1533-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1533-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use cave rocks to reconstruct northern Siberian climate in 8.68 ± 0.09 Ma. We show that when the global average temperature was about 4.5 °C warmer than today (similar to what is expected in the coming decades should carbon emissions continue unabated), the Siberian Arctic temperature increased by more than 18 °C.
Laura Endres, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Ruza Ivanovic, Lauren Gregoire, Anna L. C. Hughes, Hai Cheng, and Heather Stoll
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3911, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3911, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Stable isotope data of a precisely dated stalagmite from northwestern Iberia indicate gradual North Atlantic meltwater input during the last glacial maximum, followed by abrupt surges early in the last deglaciation. The first abrupt surge was followed by cooling about 850 years later – unlike later events – which reveals that the Atlantic circulation’s sensitivity to meltwater is variable and related to the evolving background climate boundary conditions.
Timothy J. Pollard, Jon D. Woodhead, Russell N. Drysdale, R. Lawrence Edwards, Xianglei Li, Ashlea N. Wainwright, Mathieu Pythoud, Hai Cheng, John C. Hellstrom, Ilaria Isola, Eleonora Regattieri, Giovanni Zanchetta, and Dylan S. Parmenter
Geochronology, 7, 335–355, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-335-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-7-335-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The uranium–thorium (U–Th) and uranium–lead (U–Pb) radiometric dating methods are both suitable for dating carbonate samples ranging in age from about 400 000 to 650 000 years. Here we test agreement between the two methods by dating speleothems (i.e. secondary cave mineral deposits) that are well-suited to both methods. We demonstrate excellent agreement between them and discuss their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Hu Yang, Xiaoxu Shi, Xulong Wang, Qingsong Liu, Yi Zhong, Xiaodong Liu, Youbin Sun, Yanjun Cai, Fei Liu, Gerrit Lohmann, Martin Werner, Zhimin Jian, Tainã M. L. Pinho, Hai Cheng, Lijuan Lu, Jiping Liu, Chao-Yuan Yang, Qinghua Yang, Yongyun Hu, Xing Cheng, Jingyu Zhang, and Dake Chen
Clim. Past, 21, 1263–1279, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1263-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-1263-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
For 1 century, the hemispheric summer insolation is proposed as a key pacemaker of astronomical climate change. However, an increasing number of geologic records reveal that the low-latitude hydrological cycle shows asynchronous precessional evolutions that are very often out of phase with the summer insolation. Here, we propose that the astronomically driven low-latitude hydrological cycle is not paced by summer insolation but by shifting perihelion.
Carlos Sancho, Ánchel Belmonte, Maria Leunda, Marc Luetscher, Christoph Spötl, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, Belén Oliva-Urcia, Jerónimo López-Martínez, Ana Moreno, and Miguel Bartolomé
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-8, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-8, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ice caves, vital for paleoclimate studies, face rapid ice loss due to global warming. A294 cave, home to the oldest firn deposit (6100 years BP), shows rising air temperatures (~1.07–1.56 °C in 12 years), fewer freezing days, and melting rates (15–192 cm/year). Key factors include warmer winters, increased rainfall, and reduced snowfall. This study highlights the urgency of recovering data from these unique ice archives before they vanish forever.
Judit Torner, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Ana Moreno, Joan O. Grimalt, Francisco J. Sierro, Joan J. Fornós, Hai Cheng, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 21, 465–487, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-465-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-21-465-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We offer a clearer view of the timing of three relevant past glacial terminations. By analyzing the climatic signal recorded in stalagmite and linking it with marine records, we revealed differences in the intensity and duration of the ice melting associated with these three key deglaciations. This study shows that some deglaciations began earlier than previously thought; this improves our understanding of natural climate processes, helping us to contextualize current climate change.
Hubert B. Vonhof, Sophie Verheyden, Dominique Bonjean, Stéphane Pirson, Michael Weber, Denis Scholz, John Hellstrom, Hai Cheng, Xue Jia, Kévin Di Modica, Gregory Abrams, Marjan A. P. van Nunen, Joost Ruiter, Michèlle van der Does, Daniel Böhl, and Jeroen H. J. L. van der Lubbe
Clim. Past, 20, 2741–2758, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2741-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The sedimentary sequence in Scladina Cave (Belgium) is well-known for its rich archeological assemblages and its numerous faunal remains. Of particular interest is the presence of a nearly complete jaw bone of a Neanderthal child. In this study, we present new uranium series ages of stalagmites from the archeological sequence that allow more precise dating of the archeological finds. One key result is that the Neanderthal child may be slightly older than previously thought.
Ixeia Vidaller, Toshiyuki Fujioka, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, Ana Moreno, and the ASTER Team
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-75, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2024-75, 2024
Preprint under review for CP
Short summary
Short summary
Since the Pyrenean Last Glacial Maximum (75 ka), the deglaciation of the Ésera glacier (central Pyrenees) was characterized by complex dynamics, with advances and rapid retreats. Cosmogenic dates of moraines along the headwaters of the valley and lacustrine sediments analyses allowed to reconstruct evolutionary history of the Ésera glacier and the associated environmental implications during the last deglaciation and calculate the Equilibrium Line Altitude to determine changes in temperature.
Alexander H. Jarosch, Paul Hofer, and Christoph Spötl
The Cryosphere, 18, 4811–4816, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4811-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4811-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Mechanical damage to stalagmites is commonly observed in mid-latitude caves. In this study we investigate ice flow along the cave bed as a possible mechanism for stalagmite damage. Utilizing models which simulate forces created by ice flow, we study the structural integrity of different stalagmite geometries. Our results suggest that structural failure of stalagmites caused by ice flow is possible, albeit unlikely.
Paul Töchterle, Anna Baldo, Julian B. Murton, Frederik Schenk, R. Lawrence Edwards, Gabriella Koltai, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 20, 1521–1535, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1521-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present a reconstruction of permafrost and snow cover on the British Isles for the Younger Dryas period, a time of extremely cold winters that happened approximately 12 000 years ago. Our results indicate that seasonal sea ice in the North Atlantic was most likely a crucial factor to explain the observed climate shifts during this time.
Pengzhen Duan, Hanying Li, Zhibang Ma, Jingyao Zhao, Xiyu Dong, Ashish Sinha, Peng Hu, Haiwei Zhang, Youfeng Ning, Guangyou Zhu, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 1401–1414, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1401-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1401-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use multi-proxy speleothem records to reveal a two droughts–one pluvial pattern during 8.5–8.0 ka. The different rebounded rainfall quantity after two droughts causes different behavior of δ13C, suggesting the dominant role of rainfall threshold on the ecosystem. A comparison of different records suggests the prolonged 8.2 ka event is a globally common phenomenon rather than a regional signal. The variability of the AMOC strength is mainly responsible for these climate changes.
Nikita Kaushal, Franziska A. Lechleitner, Micah Wilhelm, Khalil Azennoud, Janica C. Bühler, Kerstin Braun, Yassine Ait Brahim, Andy Baker, Yuval Burstyn, Laia Comas-Bru, Jens Fohlmeister, Yonaton Goldsmith, Sandy P. Harrison, István G. Hatvani, Kira Rehfeld, Magdalena Ritzau, Vanessa Skiba, Heather M. Stoll, József G. Szűcs, Péter Tanos, Pauline C. Treble, Vitor Azevedo, Jonathan L. Baker, Andrea Borsato, Sakonvan Chawchai, Andrea Columbu, Laura Endres, Jun Hu, Zoltán Kern, Alena Kimbrough, Koray Koç, Monika Markowska, Belen Martrat, Syed Masood Ahmad, Carole Nehme, Valdir Felipe Novello, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Jiaoyang Ruan, Natasha Sekhon, Nitesh Sinha, Carol V. Tadros, Benjamin H. Tiger, Sophie Warken, Annabel Wolf, Haiwei Zhang, and SISAL Working Group members
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1933–1963, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1933-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1933-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Speleothems are a popular, multi-proxy climate archive that provide regional to global insights into past hydroclimate trends with precise chronologies. We present an update to the SISAL (Speleothem Isotopes
Synthesis and AnaLysis) database, SISALv3, which, for the first time, contains speleothem trace element records, in addition to an update to the stable isotope records available in previous versions of the database, cumulatively providing data from 365 globally distributed sites.
Synthesis and AnaLysis) database, SISALv3, which, for the first time, contains speleothem trace element records, in addition to an update to the stable isotope records available in previous versions of the database, cumulatively providing data from 365 globally distributed sites.
Miguel Bartolomé, Ana Moreno, Carlos Sancho, Isabel Cacho, Heather Stoll, Negar Haghipour, Ánchel Belmonte, Christoph Spötl, John Hellstrom, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 20, 467–494, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-467-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reconstructing past temperatures at regional scales during the Common Era is necessary to place the current warming in the context of natural climate variability. We present a climate reconstruction based on eight stalagmites from four caves in the Pyrenees, NE Spain. These stalagmites were dated precisely and analysed for their oxygen isotopes, which appear dominated by temperature changes. Solar variability and major volcanic eruptions are the two main drivers of observed climate variability.
Heather M. Stoll, Chris Day, Franziska Lechleitner, Oliver Kost, Laura Endres, Jakub Sliwinski, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Hai Cheng, and Denis Scholz
Clim. Past, 19, 2423–2444, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2423-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-2423-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Stalagmites formed in caves provide valuable information about past changes in climate and vegetation conditions. In this contribution, we present a new method to better estimate past changes in soil and vegetation productivity using carbon isotopes and trace elements measured in stalagmites. Applying this method to other stalagmites should provide a better indication of past vegetation feedbacks to climate change.
Giselle Utida, Francisco W. Cruz, Mathias Vuille, Angela Ampuero, Valdir F. Novello, Jelena Maksic, Gilvan Sampaio, Hai Cheng, Haiwei Zhang, Fabio Ramos Dias de Andrade, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Clim. Past, 19, 1975–1992, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1975-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstruct the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) behavior during the past 3000 years over northeastern Brazil based on oxygen stable isotopes of stalagmites. Paleoclimate changes were mainly forced by the tropical South Atlantic and tropical Pacific sea surface temperature variability. We describe an ITCZ zonal behavior active around 1100 CE and the period from 1500 to 1750 CE. The dataset also records historical droughts that affected modern human population in this area of Brazil.
Ixeia Vidaller, Eñaut Izagirre, Luis Mariano del Rio, Esteban Alonso-González, Francisco Rojas-Heredia, Enrique Serrano, Ana Moreno, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, and Jesús Revuelto
The Cryosphere, 17, 3177–3192, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Aneto glacier, the largest glacier in the Pyrenees, has shown continuous surface and ice thickness losses in the last decades. In this study, we examine changes in its surface and ice thickness for 1981–2022 and the remaining ice thickness in 2020. During these 41 years, the glacier has shrunk by 64.7 %, and the ice thickness has decreased by 30.5 m on average. The mean ice thickness in 2022 was 11.9 m, compared to 32.9 m in 1981. The results highlight the critical situation of the glacier.
Anika Donner, Paul Töchterle, Christoph Spötl, Irka Hajdas, Xianglei Li, R. Lawrence Edwards, and Gina E. Moseley
Clim. Past, 19, 1607–1621, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1607-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the first finding of fine-grained cryogenic cave minerals in Greenland, a type of speleothem that has been notably difficult to date. We present a successful approach for determining the age of these minerals using 230Th / U disequilibrium and 14C dating. We relate the formation of the cryogenic cave minerals to a well-documented extreme weather event in 1889 CE. Additionally, we provide a detailed report on the mineralogical and isotopic composition of these minerals.
Charlotte Honiat, Gabriella Koltai, Yuri Dublyansky, R. Lawrence Edwards, Haiwei Zhang, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 19, 1177–1199, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A look at the climate evolution during the last warm period may allow us to test ground for future climate conditions. We quantified the temperature evolution during the Last Interglacial using a tiny amount of water trapped in the crystals of precisely dated stalagmites in caves from the southeastern European Alps. Our record indicates temperatures up to 2 °C warmer than today and an unstable climate during the first half of the Last Interglacial.
Thibauld M. Béjard, Andrés S. Rigual-Hernández, José A. Flores, Javier P. Tarruella, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Isabel Cacho, Neghar Haghipour, Aidan Hunter, and Francisco J. Sierro
Biogeosciences, 20, 1505–1528, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1505-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1505-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Mediterranean Sea is undergoing a rapid and unprecedented environmental change. Planktic foraminifera calcification is affected on different timescales. On seasonal and interannual scales, calcification trends differ according to the species and are linked mainly to sea surface temperatures and carbonate system parameters, while comparison with pre/post-industrial assemblages shows that all three species have reduced their calcification between 10 % to 35 % according to the species.
Miguel Bartolomé, Gérard Cazenave, Marc Luetscher, Christoph Spötl, Fernando Gázquez, Ánchel Belmonte, Alexandra V. Turchyn, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, and Ana Moreno
The Cryosphere, 17, 477–497, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-477-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-477-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this work we study the microclimate and the geomorphological features of Devaux ice cave in the Central Pyrenees. The research is based on cave monitoring, geomorphology, and geochemical analyses. We infer two different thermal regimes. The cave is impacted by flooding in late winter/early spring when the main outlets freeze, damming the water inside. Rock temperatures below 0°C and the absence of drip water indicate frozen rock, while relict ice formations record past damming events.
Paul Töchterle, Simon D. Steidle, R. Lawrence Edwards, Yuri Dublyansky, Christoph Spötl, Xianglei Li, John Gunn, and Gina E. Moseley
Geochronology, 4, 617–627, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-617-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-617-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Cryogenic cave carbonates (CCCs) provide a marker for past permafrost conditions. Their formation age is determined by Th / U dating. However, samples can be contaminated with small amounts of Th at formation, which can cause inaccurate ages and require correction. We analysed multiple CCCs and found that varying degrees of contamination can cause an apparent spread of ages, when samples actually formed within distinguishable freezing events. A correction method using isochrons is presented.
Maria Wind, Friedrich Obleitner, Tanguy Racine, and Christoph Spötl
The Cryosphere, 16, 3163–3179, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3163-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3163-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present a thorough analysis of the thermal conditions of a sag-type ice cave in the Austrian Alps using temperature measurements for the period 2008–2021. Apart from a long-term increasing temperature trend in all parts of the cave, we find strong interannual and spatial variations as well as a characteristic seasonal pattern. Increasing temperatures further led to a drastic decrease in cave ice. A first attempt to model ablation based on temperature shows promising results.
Jan Pfeiffer, Thomas Zieher, Jan Schmieder, Thom Bogaard, Martin Rutzinger, and Christoph Spötl
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2219–2237, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2219-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The activity of slow-moving deep-seated landslides is commonly governed by pore pressure variations within the shear zone. Groundwater recharge as a consequence of precipitation therefore is a process regulating the activity of landslides. In this context, we present a highly automated geo-statistical approach to spatially assess groundwater recharge controlling the velocity of a deep-seated landslide in Tyrol, Austria.
Caroline Welte, Jens Fohlmeister, Melina Wertnik, Lukas Wacker, Bodo Hattendorf, Timothy I. Eglinton, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 17, 2165–2177, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2165-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Stalagmites are valuable climate archives, but unlike other proxies the use of stable carbon isotopes (δ13C) is still difficult. A stalagmite from the Austrian Alps was analyzed using a new laser ablation method for fast radiocarbon (14C) analysis. This allowed 14C and δ13C to be combined, showing that besides soil and bedrock a third source is contributing during periods of warm, wet climate: old organic matter.
Kathleen A. Wendt, Xianglei Li, R. Lawrence Edwards, Hai Cheng, and Christoph Spötl
Clim. Past, 17, 1443–1454, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1443-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-1443-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we tested the upper limits of U–Th dating precision by analyzing three stalagmites from the Austrian Alps that have high U concentrations. The composite record spans the penultimate interglacial (MIS 7) with an average 2σ age uncertainty of 400 years. This unprecedented age control allows us to constrain the timing of temperature shifts in the Alps during MIS 7 while offering new insight into millennial-scale changes in the North Atlantic leading up to Terminations III and IIIa.
Ana Moreno, Miguel Iglesias, Cesar Azorin-Molina, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Miguel Bartolomé, Carlos Sancho, Heather Stoll, Isabel Cacho, Jaime Frigola, Cinta Osácar, Arsenio Muñoz, Antonio Delgado-Huertas, Ileana Bladé, and Françoise Vimeux
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10159–10177, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10159-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10159-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a large and unique dataset of the rainfall isotopic composition at seven sites from northern Iberia to characterize their variability at daily and monthly timescales and to assess the role of climate and geographic factors in the modulation of δ18O values. We found that the origin, moisture uptake along the trajectory and type of precipitation play a key role. These results will help to improve the interpretation of δ18O paleorecords from lacustrine carbonates or speleothems.
Gabriella Koltai, Christoph Spötl, Alexander H. Jarosch, and Hai Cheng
Clim. Past, 17, 775–789, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-775-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This paper utilises a novel palaeoclimate archive from caves, cryogenic cave carbonates, which allow for precisely constraining permafrost thawing events in the past. Our study provides new insights into the climate of the Younger Dryas (12 800 to 11 700 years BP) in mid-Europe from the perspective of a high-elevation cave sensitive to permafrost development. We quantify seasonal temperature and precipitation changes by using a heat conduction model.
Chao-Jun Chen, Dao-Xian Yuan, Jun-Yun Li, Xian-Feng Wang, Hai Cheng, You-Feng Ning, R. Lawrence Edwards, Yao Wu, Si-Ya Xiao, Yu-Zhen Xu, Yang-Yang Huang, Hai-Ying Qiu, Jian Zhang, Ming-Qiang Liang, and Ting-Yong Li
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-20, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2021-20, 2021
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Ana Moreno, Miguel Bartolomé, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, Jorge Pey, Juan Pablo Corella, Jordi García-Orellana, Carlos Sancho, María Leunda, Graciela Gil-Romera, Penélope González-Sampériz, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Francisco Navarro, Jaime Otero-García, Javier Lapazaran, Esteban Alonso-González, Cristina Cid, Jerónimo López-Martínez, Belén Oliva-Urcia, Sérgio Henrique Faria, María José Sierra, Rocío Millán, Xavier Querol, Andrés Alastuey, and José M. García-Ruíz
The Cryosphere, 15, 1157–1172, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1157-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1157-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Our study of the chronological sequence of Monte Perdido Glacier in the Central Pyrenees (Spain) reveals that, although the intense warming associated with the Roman period or Medieval Climate Anomaly produced important ice mass losses, it was insufficient to make this glacier disappear. By contrast, recent global warming has melted away almost 600 years of ice accumulated since the Little Ice Age, jeopardising the survival of this and other southern European glaciers over the next few decades.
Xianglei Li, Kathleen A. Wendt, Yuri Dublyansky, Gina E. Moseley, Christoph Spötl, and R. Lawrence Edwards
Geochronology, 3, 49–58, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-49-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we built a statistical model to determine the initial δ234U in submerged calcite crusts that coat the walls of Devils Hole 2 (DH2) cave (Nevada, USA) and, using a 234U–238U dating method, extended the chronology of the calcite deposition beyond previous well-established 230Th ages and determined the oldest calcite deposited in this cave, a time marker for cave genesis. The novel method presented here may be used in future speleothem studies in similar hydrogeological settings.
Cited articles
Affolter, S., Fleitmann, D., and Leuenberger, M.: New online method for water isotope analysis of speleothem fluid inclusions using laser absorption spectroscopy (WS-CRDS), Clim. Past, 10, 1291–1304, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-1291-2014, 2014.
Affolter, S., Häuselmann, A., Fleitmann, D., Edwards, R. L., Cheng, H., and Leuenberger, M.: Central Europe temperature constrained by speleothem fluid inclusion water isotopes over the past 14,000 years, Sci. Adv., 5, eaav3809, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav3809, 2019.
Allen, J. R. M., Huntley, B., and Watts, W. A.: The vegetation and climate of northwest Iberia over the last 14,000 years, J. Quaternary Sci., 11, 125–147, https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1417(199603/04)11:2<125::AID-JQS232>3.0.CO;2-U, 1996.
Arienzo, M. M., Swart, P. K., and Vonhof, H. B.: Measurement of ä 18O and ä 2H values of fluid inclusion water in speleothems using cavity ring-down spectroscopy compared with isotope ratio mass spectrometry: Analysis of fluid inclusion water isotopes in speleothems using CRDS, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 27, 2616–2624, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.6723, 2013.
Armstrong McKay, D. I., Staal, A., Abrams, J. F., Winkelmann, R., Sakschewski, B., Loriani, S., Fetzer, I., Cornell, S. E., Rockström, J., and Lenton, T. M.: Exceeding 1.5 °C global warming could trigger multiple climate tipping points, Science, 377, eabn7950, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abn7950, 2022.
Baldini, L. M., Baldini, J. U. L., McDermott, F., Arias, P., Cueto, M., Fairchild, I. J., Hoffmann, D. L., Mattey, D. P., Müller, W., Nita, D. C., Ontañón, R., Garciá-Moncó, C., and Richards, D. A.: North Iberian temperature and rainfall seasonality over the Younger Dryas and Holocene, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 226, 105998, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2019.105998, 2019.
Bartolomé, M., Moreno, A., Sancho, C., Stoll, H. M., Cacho, I., Spötl, C., Belmonte, Á., Edwards, R. L., Cheng, H., and Hellstrom, J. C.: Hydrological change in Southern Europe responding to increasing North Atlantic overturning during Greenland Stadial 1, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 112, 6568–6572, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1503990112, 2015.
Bernal-Wormull, J. L., Moreno, A., Pérez-Mejías, C., Bartolomé, M., Aranburu, A., Arriolabengoa, M., Iriarte, E., Cacho, I., Spötl, C., Edwards, R. L., and Cheng, H.: Immediate temperature response in northern Iberia to last deglacial changes in the North Atlantic, Geology, 49, 999–1003, https://doi.org/10.1130/G48660.1, 2021.
Bernal-Wormull, J. L., Moreno, A., Bartolomé, M., Arriolabengoa, M., Pérez-Mejías, C., Iriarte, E., Osácar, C., Spötl, C., Stoll, H., Cacho, I., Edwards, R. L., and Cheng, H.: New insights into the climate of northern Iberia during the Younger Dryas and Holocene: The Mendukilo multi-speleothem record, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 305, 108006, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108006, 2023.
Bintanja, R., van de Wal, R. S. W., and Oerlemans, J.: Modelled atmospheric temperatures and global sea levels over the past million years, Nature, 437, 125–128, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03975, 2005.
Carlson, A. E., LeGrande, A. N., Oppo, D. W., Came, R. E., Schmidt, G. A., Anslow, F. S., Licciardi, J. M., and Obbink, E. A.: Rapid early Holocene deglaciation of the Laurentide ice sheet, Nat. Geosci., 1, 620–624, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo285, 2008.
Carrión, J. S.: Patterns and processes of Late Quaternary environmental change in a montane region of southwestern Europe, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 21, 2047–2066, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(02)00010-0, 2002.
Carrión, J. S. and Van Geel, B.: Fine-resolution Upper Weichselian and Holocene palynological record from Navarrés (Valencia, Spain) and a discussion about factors of Mediterranean forest succession, Rev. Palaeobot. Palyno., 106, 209–236, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0034-6667(99)00009-3, 1999.
Català, A., Cacho, I., Frigola, J., Pena, L. D., and Lirer, F.: Holocene hydrography evolution in the Alboran Sea: a multi-record and multi-proxy comparison, Clim. Past, 15, 927–942, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-927-2019, 2019.
Cheng, H., Zhang, H., Spötl, C., Baker, J., Sinha, A., Li, H., Bartolomé, M., Moreno, A., Kathayat, G., Zhao, J., Dong, X., Li, Y., Ning, Y., Jia, X., Zong, B., Ait Brahim, Y., Pérez-Mejías, C., Cai, Y., Novello, V. F., Cruz, F. W., Severinghaus, J. P., An, Z., and Edwards, R. L.: Timing and structure of the Younger Dryas event and its underlying climate dynamics, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 117, 23408–23417, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2007869117, 2020.
Clark, P. U., Shakun, J. D., Baker, P. A., Bartlein, P. J., Brewer, S., Brook, E., Carlson, A. E., Cheng, H., Kaufman, D. S., Liu, Z., Marchitto, T. M., Mix, A. C., Morrill, C., Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Pahnke, K., Russell, J. M., Whitlock, C., Adkins, J. F., Blois, J. L., Clark, J., Colman, S. M., Curry, W. B., Flower, B. P., He, F., Johnson, T. C., Lynch-Stieglitz, J., Markgraf, V., McManus, J., Mitrovica, J. X., Moreno, P. I., and Williams, J. W.: Global climate evolution during the last deglaciation, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 109, E1134–E1142, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1116619109, 2012.
Combourieu Nebout, N., Peyron, O., Dormoy, I., Desprat, S., Beaudouin, C., Kotthoff, U., and Marret, F.: Rapid climatic variability in the west Mediterranean during the last 25 000 years from high resolution pollen data, Clim. Past, 5, 503–521, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-5-503-2009, 2009.
Davis, B. A. S., Brewer, S., Stevenson, A. C., and Guiot, J.: The temperature of Europe during the Holocene reconstructed from pollen data, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 22, 1701–1716, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(03)00173-2, 2003.
Demény, A., Czuppon, G., Kern, Z., Leél-Õssy, S., Németh, A., Szabó, M., Tóth, M., Wu, C.-C., Shen, C.-C., Molnár, M., Németh, T., Németh, P., and Óvári, M.: Recrystallization-induced oxygen isotope changes in inclusion-hosted water of speleothems – Paleoclimatological implications, Quatern. Int., 415, 25–32, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.11.137, 2016.
Demény, A., Rinyu, L., Kern, Z., Hatvani, I. G., Czuppon, G., Surányi, G., Leél-Õssy, S., Shen, C.-C., and Koltai, G.: Paleotemperature reconstructions using speleothem fluid inclusion analyses from Hungary, Chem. Geol., 563, 120051, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.120051, 2021.
Domínguez-Villar, D., Fairchild, I. J., Baker, A., Wang, X., Edwards, R. L., and Cheng, H.: Oxygen isotope precipitation anomaly in the North Atlantic region during the 8.2 ka event, Geology, 37, 1095–1098, https://doi.org/10.1130/G30393A.1, 2009.
Domínguez-Villar, D., Wang, X., Krklec, K., Cheng, H., and Edwards, R. L.: The control of the tropical North Atlantic on Holocene millennial climate oscillations, Geology, 45, 303–306, https://doi.org/10.1130/G38573.1, 2017.
Dublyansky, Y. V. and Spötl, C.: Hydrogen and oxygen isotopes of water from inclusions in minerals: design of a new crushing system and on-line continuous-flow isotope ratio mass spectrometric analysis, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 23, 2605–2613, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.4155, 2009.
Eynaud, F., Malaizé, B., Zaragosi, S., de Vernal, A., Scourse, J., Pujol, C., Cortijo, E., Grousset, F. E., Penaud, A., Toucanne, S., Turon, J.-L., and Auffret, G.: New constraints on European glacial freshwater releases to the North Atlantic Ocean: EUROPEAN GLACIAL FRESHWATER RELEASES, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L15601, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL052100, 2012.
Fleitmann, D., Mudelsee, M., Burns, S. J., Bradley, R. S., Kramers, J., and Matter, A.: Evidence for a widespread climatic anomaly at around 9.2 ka before present: CLIMATIC ANOMALY AT AROUND 9.2 ka B.P., Paleoceanography, 23, PA1102, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007PA001519, 2008.
Fletcher, W. J., Sánchez Goñi, M. F., Allen, J. R. M., Cheddadi, R., Combourieu-Nebout, N., Huntley, B., Lawson, I., Londeix, L., Magri, D., Margari, V., Müller, U. C., Naughton, F., Novenko, E., Roucoux, K., and Tzedakis, P. C.: Millennial-scale variability during the last glacial in vegetation records from Europe, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 29, 2839–2864, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.11.015, 2010.
Fletcher, W. J., Debret, M., and Goñi, M. F. S.: Mid-Holocene emergence of a low-frequency millennial oscillation in western Mediterranean climate: Implications for past dynamics of the North Atlantic atmospheric westerlies, Holocene, 23, 153–166, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683612460783, 2013.
García-Escárzaga, A., Gutiérrez-Zugasti, I., Marín-Arroyo, A. B., Fernandes, R., Núñez de la Fuente, S., Cuenca-Solana, D., Iriarte, E., Simões, C., Martín-Chivelet, J., González-Morales, M. R., and Roberts, P.: Human forager response to abrupt climate change at 8.2 ka on the Atlantic coast of Europe, Sci. Rep.-UK, 12, 6481, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10135-w, 2022.
García-Ruiz, J. M., Palacios, D., Andrés, N., and López-Moreno, J. I.: Neoglaciation in the Spanish Pyrenees: a multiproxy challenge, Mediterr. Geosci. Rev., 2, 21–36, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42990-020-00022-9, 2020.
García-Ruiz, J. M., Hughes, P. D., Palacios, D., and Andrés, N.: The European glacial landscapes from the main deglaciation, in: European Glacial Landscapes, Elsevier, 243–259, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91899-2.00032-2, 2023.
Genty, D., Blamart, D., Ghaleb, B., Plagnes, V., Causse, Ch., Bakalowicz, M., Zouari, K., Chkir, N., Hellstrom, J., and Wainer, K.: Timing and dynamics of the last deglaciation from European and North African ä13C stalagmite profiles—comparison with Chinese and South Hemisphere stalagmites, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 25, 2118–2142, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2006.01.030, 2006.
Giménez, R., Bartolomé, M., Gázquez, F., Iglesias, M., and Moreno, A.: Underlying Climate Controls in Triple Oxygen (16O, 17O, 18O) and Hydrogen (1H, 2H) Isotopes Composition of Rainfall (Central Pyrenees), Front. Earth Sci., 9, 633698, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.633698, 2021.
González-Sampériz, P., Valero-Garcés, B. L., Moreno, A., Jalut, G., García-Ruiz, J. M., Martí-Bono, C., Delgado-Huertas, A., Navas, A., Otto, T., and Dedoubat, J. J.: Climate variability in the Spanish Pyrenees during the last 30,000 yr revealed by the El Portalet sequence, Quaternary Res., 66, 38–52, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2006.02.004, 2006.
González-Sampériz, P., Aranbarri, J., Pérez-Sanz, A., Gil-Romera, G., Moreno, A., Leunda, M., Sevilla-Callejo, M., Corella, J. P., Morellón, M., Oliva, B., and Valero-Garcés, B.: Environmental and climate change in the southern Central Pyrenees since the Last Glacial Maximum: A view from the lake records, CATENA, 149, 668–688, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2016.07.041, 2017.
Heiri, O., Koinig, K. A., Spötl, C., Barrett, S., Brauer, A., Drescher-Schneider, R., Gaar, D., Ivy-Ochs, S., Kerschner, H., Luetscher, M., Moran, A., Nicolussi, K., Preusser, F., Schmidt, R., Schoeneich, P., Schwörer, C., Sprafke, T., Terhorst, B., and Tinner, W.: Palaeoclimate records 60–8 ka in the Austrian and Swiss Alps and their forelands, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 106, 186–205, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.05.021, 2014a.
Heiri, O., Brooks, S. J., Renssen, H., Bedford, A., Hazekamp, M., Ilyashuk, B., Jeffers, E. S., Lang, B., Kirilova, E., Kuiper, S., Millet, L., Samartin, S., Toth, M., Verbruggen, F., Watson, J. E., van Asch, N., Lammertsma, E., Amon, L., Birks, H. H., Birks, H. J. B., Mortensen, M. F., Hoek, W. Z., Magyari, E., Muñoz Sobrino, C., Seppä, H., Tinner, W., Tonkov, S., Veski, S., and Lotter, A. F.: Validation of climate model-inferred regional temperature change for late-glacial Europe, Nat. Commun., 5, 1–7, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5914, 2014b.
Honiat, C., Koltai, G., Dublyansky, Y., Edwards, R. L., Zhang, H., Cheng, H., and Spötl, C.: A paleoprecipitation and paleotemperature reconstruction of the Last Interglacial in the southeastern Alps, Clim. Past, 19, 1177–1199, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-1177-2023, 2023.
Ilyashuk, E. A., Koinig, K. A., Heiri, O., Ilyashuk, B. P., and Psenner, R.: Holocene temperature variations at a high-altitude site in the Eastern Alps: a chironomid record from Schwarzsee ob Sölden, Austria, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 30, 176–191, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.10.008, 2011.
Iriarte-Chiapusso, M. J.: Reviewing the Lateglacial–Holocene transition in NW Iberia: A palaeoecological approach based on the comparison between dissimilar regions, Quatern. Int., 26, 2016.
Kilhavn, H., Couchoud, I., Drysdale, R. N., Rossi, C., Hellstrom, J., Arnaud, F., and Wong, H.: The 8.2 ka event in northern Spain: timing, structure and climatic impact from a multi-proxy speleothem record, Clim. Past, 18, 2321–2344, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2321-2022, 2022.
Kindler, P., Guillevic, M., Baumgartner, M., Schwander, J., Landais, A., and Leuenberger, M.: Temperature reconstruction from 10 to 120 kyr b2k from the NGRIP ice core, Clim. Past, 10, 887–902, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-887-2014, 2014.
Kleiven, H. (Kikki) F., Kissel, C., Laj, C., Ninnemann, U. S., Richter, T. O., and Cortijo, E.: Reduced North Atlantic Deep Water Coeval with the Glacial Lake Agassiz Freshwater Outburst, Science, 319, 60–64, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1148924, 2008.
Lachniet, M. S.: Climatic and environmental controls on speleothem oxygen-isotope values, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 28, 412–432, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.10.021, 2009.
Landais, A., Capron, E., Masson-Delmotte, V., Toucanne, S., Rhodes, R., Popp, T., Vinther, B., Minster, B., and Prié, F.: Ice core evidence for decoupling between midlatitude atmospheric water cycle and Greenland temperature during the last deglaciation, Clim. Past, 14, 1405–1415, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1405-2018, 2018.
Larocque-Tobler, I., Heiri, O., and Wehrli, M.: Late Glacial and Holocene temperature changes at Egelsee, Switzerland, reconstructed using subfossil chironomids, J. Paleolimnol., 43, 649–666, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9358-z, 2010.
LeGrande, A. N. and Schmidt, G. A.: Ensemble, water isotope-enabled, coupled general circulation modeling insights into the 8.2 ka event, Paleoceanography, 23, PA3207, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008PA001610, 2008.
Leunda, M., González-Sampériz, P., Gil-Romera, G., Bartolomé, M., Belmonte-Ribas, Á., Gómez-García, D., Kaltenrieder, P., Rubiales, J. M., Schwörer, C., Tinner, W., Morales-Molino, C., and Sancho, C.: Ice cave reveals environmental forcing of long-term Pyrenean tree line dynamics, J. Ecol., 107, 814–828, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13077, 2019.
Li, H., Spötl, C., and Cheng, H.: A high-resolution speleothem proxy record of the Late Glacial in the European Alps: extending the NALPS19 record until the beginning of the Holocene, J. Quaternary Sci., 36, 29–39, https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3255, 2020.
Lopez-Elorza, M., Muñoz-García, M. B., González-Acebrón, L., and Martín-Chivelet, J.: Fluid-inclusion petrography in calcite stalagmites: Implications for entrapment processes, J. Sediment. Res., 91, 1206–1226, https://doi.org/10.2110/jsr.2021.016, 2021.
Luetscher, M., Boch, R., Sodemann, H., Spötl, C., Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L., Frisia, S., Hof, F., and Müller, W.: North Atlantic storm track changes during the Last Glacial Maximum recorded by Alpine speleothems, Nat. Commun., 6, 6344, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms7344, 2015.
Marcott, S. A., Shakun, J. D., Clark, P. U., and Mix, A. C.: A Reconstruction of Regional and Global Temperature for the Past 11,300 Years, Science, 339, 1198–1201, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1228026, 2013.
Martrat, B., Jimenez-Amat, P., Zahn, R., and Grimalt, J. O.: Similarities and dissimilarities between the last two deglaciations and interglaciations in the North Atlantic region, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 99, 122–134, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.06.016, 2014.
Masson-Delmotte, V., Jouzel, J., Landais, A., Stievenard, M., Johnsen, S. J., White, J. W. C., Werner, M., Sveinbjornsdottir, A., and Fuhrer, K.: GRIP Deuterium Excess Reveals Rapid and Orbital-Scale Changes in Greenland Moisture Origin, Science, 309, 118–121, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1108575, 2005.
Matero, I. S. O., Gregoire, L. J., Ivanovic, R. F., Tindall, J. C., and Haywood, A. M.: The 8.2 ka cooling event caused by Laurentide ice saddle collapse, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 473, 205–214, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.06.011, 2017.
McDermott, F.: Palaeo-climate reconstruction from stable isotope variations in speleothems: a review, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 23, 901–918, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2003.06.021, 2004.
Mesa-Fernández, J. M., Jiménez-Moreno, G., Rodrigo-Gámiz, M., García-Alix, A., Jiménez-Espejo, F. J., Martínez-Ruiz, F., Anderson, R. S., Camuera, J., and Ramos-Román, M. J.: Vegetation and geochemical responses to Holocene rapid climate change in the Sierra Nevada (southeastern Iberia): the Laguna Hondera record, Clim. Past, 14, 1687–1706, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1687-2018, 2018.
Millet, L., Rius, D., Galop, D., Heiri, O., and Brooks, S. J.: Chironomid-based reconstruction of Lateglacial summer temperatures from the Ech palaeolake record (French western Pyrenees), Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 315–316, 86–99, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2011.11.014, 2012.
Morellón, M., Aranbarri, J., Moreno, A., González-Sampériz, P., and Valero-Garcés, B. L.: Early Holocene humidity patterns in the Iberian Peninsula reconstructed from lake, pollen and speleothem records, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 181, 1–18, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.11.016, 2018.
Moreno, A., Stoll, H., Jiménez-Sánchez, M., Cacho, I., Valero-Garcés, B., Ito, E., and Edwards, R. L.: A speleothem record of glacial (25–11.6 kyr BP) rapid climatic changes from northern Iberian Peninsula, Global Planet. Change, 71, 218–231, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2009.10.002, 2010.
Moreno, A., Svensson, A., Brooks, S. J., Connor, S., Engels, S., Fletcher, W., Genty, D., Heiri, O., Labuhn, I., Perşoiu, A., Peyron, O., Sadori, L., Valero-Garcés, B., Wulf, S., and Zanchetta, G.: A compilation of Western European terrestrial records 60–8 ka BP: towards an understanding of latitudinal climatic gradients, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 106, 167–185, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.06.030, 2014.
Moreno, A., Pérez-Mejías, C., Bartolomé, M., Sancho, C., Cacho, I., Stoll, H., Delgado-Huertas, A., Hellstrom, J., Edwards, R. L., and Cheng, H.: New speleothem data from Molinos and Ejulve caves reveal Holocene hydrological variability in northeast Iberia, Quaternary Res., 88, 223–233, https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2017.39, 2017.
Moreno, A., Iglesias, M., Azorin-Molina, C., Pérez-Mejías, C., Bartolomé, M., Sancho, C., Stoll, H., Cacho, I., Frigola, J., Osácar, C., Muñoz, A., Delgado-Huertas, A., Bladé, I., and Vimeux, F.: Measurement report: Spatial variability of northern Iberian rainfall stable isotope values – investigating atmospheric controls on daily and monthly timescales, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10159–10177, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10159-2021, 2021.
Morrill, C., Anderson, D. M., Bauer, B. A., Buckner, R., Gille, E. P., Gross, W. S., Hartman, M., and Shah, A.: Proxy benchmarks for intercomparison of 8.2 ka simulations, Clim. Past, 9, 423–432, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-423-2013, 2013.
Muñoz Sobrino, C., Heiri, O., Hazekamp, M., van der Velden, D., Kirilova, E. P., García-Moreiras, I., and Lotter, A. F.: New data on the Lateglacial period of SW Europe: a high resolution multiproxy record from Laguna de la Roya (NW Iberia), Quaternary Sci. Rev., 80, 58–77, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.08.016, 2013.
Muschitiello, F., D'Andrea, W. J., Schmittner, A., Heaton, T. J., Balascio, N. L., deRoberts, N., Caffee, M. W., Woodruff, T. E., Welten, K. C., Skinner, L. C., Simon, M. H., and Dokken, T. M.: Deep-water circulation changes lead North Atlantic climate during deglaciation, Nat. Commun., 10, 1272, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09237-3, 2019.
Pérez-Mejías, C., Moreno, A., Bernal-Wormull, J., Cacho, I., Osácar, M. C., Edwards, R. L., and Cheng, H.: Oldest Dryas hydroclimate reorganization in the eastern Iberian Peninsula after the iceberg discharges of Heinrich Event 1, Quaternary Res., 101, 67–83, https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2020.112, 2021.
Poage, M. A.: Empirical relationships between elevation and the stable isotope composition of precipitation and surface waters: considerations for studies of paleoelevation change, Am. J. Sci., 301, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.2475/ajs.301.1.1, 2001.
Rasmussen, S. O., Vinther, B. M., Clausen, H. B., and Andersen, K. K.: Early Holocene climate oscillations recorded in three Greenland ice cores, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 26, 1907–1914, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2007.06.015, 2007.
Rasmussen, S. O., Bigler, M., Blockley, S. P., Blunier, T., Buchardt, S. L., Clausen, H. B., Cvijanovic, I., Dahl-Jensen, D., Johnsen, S. J., Fischer, H., Gkinis, V., Guillevic, M., Hoek, W. Z., Lowe, J. J., Pedro, J. B., Popp, T., Seierstad, I. K., Steffensen, J. P., Svensson, A. M., Vallelonga, P., Vinther, B. M., Walker, M. J. C., Wheatley, J. J., and Winstrup, M.: A stratigraphic framework for abrupt climatic changes during the Last Glacial period based on three synchronized Greenland ice-core records: refining and extending the INTIMATE event stratigraphy, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 106, 14–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.09.007, 2014.
Renssen, H. and Isarin, R. F. B.: The two major warming phases of the last deglaciation at ∼ 14.7 and ∼ 11.5 ka cal BP in Europe: climate reconstructions and AGCM experiments, Global Planet. Change, 30, 117–153, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8181(01)00082-0, 2001.
Rodrigo-Gámiz, M., García-Alix, A., Jiménez-Moreno, G., Ramos-Román, M. J., Camuera, J., Toney, J. L., Sachse, D., Anderson, R. S., and Sinninghe Damsté, J. S.: Paleoclimate reconstruction of the last 36 kyr based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers in the Padul palaeolake record (Sierra Nevada, southern Iberian Peninsula), Quaternary Sci. Rev., 281, 107434, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107434, 2022.
Rodrigues, T., Grimalt, J. O., Abrantes, F., Naughton, F., and Flores, J.-A.: The last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT) in the western mid-latitudes of the North Atlantic: Abrupt sea surface temperature change and sea level implications, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 29, 1853–1862, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.04.004, 2010.
Rossi, C., Bajo, P., Lozano, R. P., and Hellstrom, J.: Younger Dryas to Early Holocene paleoclimate in Cantabria (N Spain): Constraints from speleothem Mg, annual fluorescence banding and stable isotope records, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 192, 71–85, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.05.025, 2018.
Rozanski, K., Araguás-Araguás, L., and Gonfiantini, R.: Relation Between Long-Term Trends of Oxygen-18 Isotope Composition of Precipitation and Climate, Science, 258, 981–985, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.258.5084.981, 1992.
Rozanski, K., Araguás-Araguás, L., and Gonfiantini, R.: Isotopic Patterns in Modern Global Precipitation, in: Geophysical Monograph Series, edited by: Swart, P. K., Lohmann, K. C., Mckenzie, J., and Savin, S., American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, https://doi.org/10.1029/GM078p0001, 1–36, 1993.
Sancho, C., Belmonte, Á., Bartolomé, M., Moreno, A., Leunda, M., and López-Martínez, J.: Middle-to-late Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstruction from the A294 ice-cave record (Central Pyrenees, northern Spain), Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 484, 135–144, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.12.027, 2018.
Seierstad, I. K., Abbott, P. M., Bigler, M., Blunier, T., Bourne, A. J., Brook, E., Buchardt, S. L., Buizert, C., Clausen, H. B., Cook, E., Dahl-Jensen, D., Davies, S. M., Guillevic, M., Johnsen, S. J., Pedersen, D. S., Popp, T. J., Rasmussen, S. O., Severinghaus, J. P., Svensson, A., and Vinther, B. M.: Consistently dated records from the Greenland GRIP, GISP2 and NGRIP ice cores for the past 104 ka reveal regional millennial-scale 18O gradients with possible Heinrich event imprint, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 106, 29–46, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.10.032, 2014.
Shakun, J. D.: Pollen weighs in on a climate conundrum, Nature, 554, 39–40, https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-00943-4, 2018.
Skinner, L. C. and Shackleton, N. J.: Deconstructing Terminations I and II: revisiting the glacioeustatic paradigm based on deep-water temperature estimates, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 25, 3312–3321, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2006.07.005, 2006.
Stoll, H. M., Cacho, I., Gasson, E., Sliwinski, J., Kost, O., Moreno, A., Iglesias, M., Torner, J., Perez-Mejias, C., Haghipour, N., Cheng, H., and Edwards, R. L.: Rapid northern hemisphere ice sheet melting during the penultimate deglaciation, Nat. Commun., 13, 3819, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31619-3, 2022.
Tarrats, P., Heiri, O., Valero-Garcés, B., Cañedo-Argüelles, M., Prat, N., Rieradevall, M., and González-Sampériz, P.: Chironomid-inferred Holocene temperature reconstruction in Basa de la Mora Lake (Central Pyrenees), Holocene, 28, 1685–1696, https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683618788662, 2018.
Uemura, R., Kina, Y., Shen, C.-C., and Omine, K.: Experimental evaluation of oxygen isotopic exchange between inclusion water and host calcite in speleothems, Clim. Past, 16, 17–27, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-17-2020, 2020.
Van Raden, U. J., Colombaroli, D., Gilli, A., Schwander, J., Bernasconi, S. M., Van Leeuwen, J., Leuenberger, M., and Eicher, U.: High-resolution late-glacial chronology for the Gerzensee lake record (Switzerland): 18O correlation between a Gerzensee-stack and NGRIP, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 391, 13–24, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2012.05.017, 2013.
Vegas, J., Ruiz-Zapata, B., Ortiz, J. E., Galán, L., Torres, T., García-Cortés, Á., Gil-García, M. J., Pérez-González, A., and Gallardo-Millán, J. L.: Identification of arid phases during the last 50 cal. ka BP from the Fuentillejo maar-lacustrine record (Campo de Calatrava Volcanic Field, Spain, J. Quaternary Sci., 25, 1051–1062, https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1262, 2010.
Vegas-Vilarrúbia, T., González-Sampériz, P., Morellón, M., Gil-Romera, G., Pérez-Sanz, A., and Valero-Garcés, B.: Diatom and vegetation responses to Late Glacial and Early Holocene climate changes at Lake Estanya (Southern Pyrenees, NE Spain), Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 392, 335–349, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.09.011, 2013.
Von Grafenstein, U., Erlenkeuser, H., Brauer, A., Jouzel, J., and Johnsen, S.: A Mid-European Decadal Isotope-Climate Record from 15,500 to 5000 Years B. P., Science, 284, 1654–1657, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.284.5420.1654, 1999.
Von Grafenstein, U., Belmecheri, S., Eicher, U., Van Raden, U. J., Erlenkeuser, H., Andersen, N., and Ammann, B.: The oxygen and carbon isotopic signatures of biogenic carbonates in Gerzensee, Switzerland, during the rapid warming around 14,685 years BP and the following interstadial, Palaeogeogr. Palaeocl., 391, 25–32, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2013.08.018, 2013.
Vonhof, H. B., van Breukelen, M. R., Postma, O., Rowe, P. J., Atkinson, T. C., and Kroon, D.: A continuous-flow crushing device for on-line δ2H analysis of fluid inclusion water in speleothems, Rapid Commun. Mass Sp., 20, 2553–2558, https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.2618, 2006.
Wanner, H., Beer, J., Bütikofer, J., Crowley, T. J., Cubasch, U., Flückiger, J., Goosse, H., Grosjean, M., Joos, F., Kaplan, J. O., Küttel, M., Müller, S. A., Prentice, I. C., Solomina, O., Stocker, T. F., Tarasov, P., Wagner, M., and Widmann, M.: Mid- to Late Holocene climate change: an overview, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 27, 1791–1828, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.06.013, 2008.
Wanner, H., Solomina, O., Grosjean, M., Ritz, S. P., and Jetel, M.: Structure and origin of Holocene cold events, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 30, 3109–3123, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.07.010, 2011.
Wilcox, P. S., Honiat, C., Trüssel, M., Edwards, R. L., and Spötl, C.: Exceptional warmth and climate instability occurred in the European Alps during the Last Interglacial period, Commun. Earth Environ., 1, 57, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00063-w, 2020.
Wormull, B. J. L.: OM-FIT data for the last 16500 years before present, Zenodo [data set], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15847530, 2025.
Zielhofer, C., Köhler, A., Mischke, S., Benkaddour, A., Mikdad, A., and Fletcher, W. J.: Western Mediterranean hydro-climatic consequences of Holocene ice-rafted debris (Bond) events, Clim. Past, 15, 463–475, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-463-2019, 2019.
Short summary
In this paper we present a record of temperature changes during the last deglaciation and the Holocene using isotopes of fluid inclusions in stalagmites from the northeastern region of the Iberian Peninsula. This innovative climate proxy for this study region provides a quantitative understanding of the abrupt temperature changes in southern Europe in the last 16 500 years before present.
In this paper we present a record of temperature changes during the last deglaciation and the...
