Abstractdecline is anomalous and cannot be explained by any known temperature shifts, however, this "depletion trend" is seen in several other early Holocene lacustrine records from across the British Isles. The study concludes by suggesting that this decline reflects a shift in the seasonality of precipitation during the early Holocene from a more seasonal precipitation regime typical of a "continental" (strong seasonal contrasts in both temperature and rainfall)climate to a more "maritime" (reduced seasonality in terms of both temperature and rainfall) climate which was characterised by consistent levels of rainfall occurring across the year. The relative timing of the archaeological site of Star Carr suggests that human occupation occurred after this isotopic decline and, therefore, under maritime rather than under continental climate.