Calcitic stalagmites from caves in the Sauerland, Germany, prove the existence of sub-Milankovitch cycles in precipitation during the last 6000 yr. The N 18 O record dated with Th/U is interpreted as an indicator of paleohumidity. Spectral analysis of N 18 O from 6000 a BP up to the recent top of a stalagmite from the Atta cave yields statistically significant peaks at 1450, 117, 64 and 57 a. Additionally we find a good correlation of the stalagmite's N 18 O and v 14 C from European tree rings. The 1450 a cycle in the stalagmite probably is analogous to the pervasive millennial scale climate cycle described by Bond et al. [Science 278 (1997 294 (2001) 2130^2136] derived from the amount of ice rafted debris in deep sediments from the North Atlantic. Our results suggest that the centennial to millennial shifts observed in the North Atlantic are accompanied by synchronous shifts of the climate in Northern and Central Europe, which most probably can be attributed to solar irradiation variations. ß

Stable isotope analyses and seven U/Th dates of a stalagmite from the alpine Hö lloch Cave (Germany) have yielded a palaeoclimate record for the past 14 300 yr. The 18 O record is positively correlated with relative temperature variations. The late glacial part of this record, including the Younger Dryas, exhibits a striking correlation with records from ice cores, lake sediments and marine sediments. In addition, this record suggests relatively high temperatures and distinct temperature fluctuations from 9000-4200 yr BP, if compared with the 4200-0 yr BP period, matching the regional soil formation-erosion and timberline patterns. The 13 C record appears to have been controlled mainly by soil formation (14 300-9000 yr BP) and by humidity variations (9000-0 yr BP).

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Combined visual cathodoluminescence (CL) and spectral analyses of CL reveals periodic enrichments of rare earth elements (REE3+) and manganese (Mn2+) within the laminations of eight calcitic lateglacial to postglacial stalagmites. In the annual layers, the enrichment of trace elements can be correlated with the autumn/winter laminae, which are strongly pigmented and rich in organic carbon. During the Holocene, they occur especially in the Atlantic stage and in subrecent/recent times. The enrichment of REE3+ and Mn + reflects times of more intense weathering, which presumably prevailed during the Atlantic warm and humid climate. In subrecent/recent times, especially the last 100 years, these enrichments may have been at least partially anthropogenically induced.