Central European climate is strongly influenced by North Atlantic (Westerlies) and Siberian High circulation patterns, which govern precipitation and temperature dynamics and induce heterogeneous climatic conditions, with distinct boundaries between climate zones. These climate boundaries are not stationary and shift geographically, depending on long-term atmospheric conditions. So far, little is known about past shifts of these climate boundaries and the local to regional environmental response prior to the instrumental era. High resolution multi-proxy data (stable oxygen and carbon isotope ratios, S/Ca and Sr/Ca) from two Holocene stalagmites from Bleßberg Cave (Thuringia) are used here to differentiate local and pan-regional environmental and climatic conditions Central Germany through the Holocene. Carbon isotope and S/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios inform us on local Holocene environmental changes in and around the cave, while d 18 O (when combined with independent records) serves as proxy for (pan-)regional atmospheric conditions. The stable carbon isotope record suggests repeated changes in vegetation density (open vs. dense forest), and increasing forest cover in the late Holocene. Concurrently, decreasing S/Ca values indicate more effective sulphur retention in better developed soils, with a stabilization in the mid-Holocene. This goes in hand with changes in effective summer infiltration, reflected in the Sr/Ca profile. Highest Sr/Ca values between 4 ka and 1 ka BP indicate intensified prior calcite precipitation resulting from reduced effective moisture supply. The region of Bleßberg Cave is sensitive to shifts of the boundary between maritime (Cfb) and continental (Dfb) climate and ideally suited to reconstruct past meridional shifts of this divide. We combined the Bleßberg Cave d 18 O time series with d 18 O data from Bunker Cave (western Germany) and a North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) record from lake SS1220 (SW Greenland) to reconstruct the mean position of the Cfb-Dfb climate boundary. We further estimate the dynamic interplay of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Siberian High and their influence on Central European climate. Repeated shifts of the Cfb-Dfb boundary over the last 4,000 years might explain previously observed discrepancies between proxy records from Europe. Detailed correlation analyses reveal multicentennial scale alternations of maritime and continental climate and, concurrently, waning and waxing influences of Siberian High and NAO on Central Europe.

The most pronounced climate anomaly of the Holocene was the 8.2 ka cooling event. We present new 230 Th/U-ages as well as high-resolution stable isotope and trace element data from three stalagmites from two different cave systems in Germany, which provide important information about the structure and climate variability of the 8.2 ka event in central Europe. In all three speleothems, the 8.2 ka event is clearly recorded as a pronounced negative excursion of the δ 18 O values and can be divided into a 'whole event' and a 'central event'. All stalagmites show a similar structure of the event with a short negative excursion prior to the 'central event', which marks the beginning of the 'whole event'. The timing and duration of the 8.2.ka event are different for the individual records, which may, however, be related to dating uncertainties. Whereas stalagmite Bu4 from Bunker Cave also shows a negative anomaly in the δ 13 C values and Mg content during the event, the two speleothems from the Herbstlabyrinth cave system do not show distinct peaks in the other proxies. This may suggest that the speleothem δ 18 O values recorded in the three stalagmites do not primarily reflect climate change at the cave site, but rather large-scale changes in the North Atlantic. This is supported by comparison with climate modelling data, which suggest that the negative peak in the speleothem δ 18 O values is mainly due to lower δ 18 O values of precipitation above the cave and that temperature only played a minor role. Alternatively, the other proxies may not be as sensitive as δ 18 O values to record this centennial-scale cooling event. This may particularly be the case for speleothem 13 C values as suggested by comparison with a climate modelling study simulating vegetation changes in Europe during the 8.2 ka event. Based on our records, it is not possible to resolve which of these hypotheses is most appropriate, but our multi-proxy dataset shows that regional climate evolution during the event was probably complex, although all δ 18 O records show a clear negative anomaly.

The Late Holocene was characterized by several centennial-scale climate oscillations including the Roman Warm Period, the Dark Ages Cold Period, the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. The detection and investigation of such climate anomalies requires paleoclimate archives with an accurate chronology as well as a high temporal resolution. Here, we present 230Th/U-dated high-resolution multi-proxy records (δ13C, δ18O and trace elements) for the last 2500 years of four speleothems from Bunker Cave and the Herbstlabyrinth cave system in Germany. The multi-proxy data of all four speleothems show evidence of two warm and two cold phases during the last 2500 years, which coincide with the Roman Warm Period and the Medieval Warm Period, as well as the Dark Ages Cold Period and the Little Ice Age, respectively. During these four cold and warm periods, the δ18O and δ13C records of all four speleothems and the Mg concentration of the speleothems Bu4 (Bunker Cave) and TV1 (Herbstlabyrinth cave system) show common features and are thus interpreted to be related to past climate variability. Comparison with other paleoclimate records suggests a strong influence of the North Atlantic Oscillation at the two caves sites, which is reflected by warm and humid conditions during the Roman Warm Period and the Medieval Warm Period, and cold and dry climate during the Dark Ages Cold period and the Little Ice Age. The Mg records of speleothems Bu1 (Bunker Cave) and NG01 (Herbstlabyrinth) as well as the inconsistent patterns of Sr, Ba and P suggests that the processes controlling the abundance of these trace elements are dominated by site-specific effects rather than being related to supra-regional climate variability.