MIS 13–12 in Britain and the North Atlantic: understanding the palaeoclimatic context of the earliest Acheulean

Abstract

Research over the last two decades has revealed a rich record of Lower Palaeolithic occupation in Britain before 450 000 years. Acheulean industries (Mode II) first appear in the later part of the early Middle Pleistocene [Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 19-13]. This paper reviews: (i) the age of the earliest Acheulean in Britain; (ii) the climates under which the earliest Acheulean industries occur, as recorded by the palaeoecological assemblages that are found at key archaeological sites; and (iii) the spatial and temporal pattern of regional climate change, i.e. the magnitude of glacial/interglacial cycles that occurred as a backdrop to the first arrival of Mode II archaeology in Britain. This review suggests that in Britain, the earliest Acheulean populations arrived during MIS 13 and that early occupation occurred under a range of climatic/environmental settings but frequently under posttemperate late interglacial or interstadial-type cool boreal environments. Furthermore, this review shows that the pattern of climate forcing in Western Europe during MIS 13-12 was not analogous to the interglacial cycles of the past 450 000 years as latitudinal climate gradients appear to have been less pronounced. The paper concludes by discussing the significance of these observations for understanding the arrival of the earliest Acheulean in Britain.localities. We summarize the palaeoclimatic data from British terrestrial sequences spanning MIS 13-12, characterizing this major climatic transition in Britain and placing the earliest Acheulean into this environmental framework. The British record is compared with sea surface temperature (SST) records from the North Atlantic and palaeoenvironmental records from southern Europe. Ã See Moir (1923).†Sequence contains evidence for climatic variability; values from the base of the sequence are shown here.

How warm was Britain during the Last Interglacial? A critical review of Ipswichian (MIS 5e) palaeotemperature reconstructions

“…At Swanton Morley, the occurrence of Trapa natans in association with an IpIIb pollen signature might imply that summer temperatures were ≥20 °C; however, since T. natans is the only thermophile present in this deposit, this estimate is not supported by other independent lines of evidence. The climatic significance of T. natans is important to understanding the thermal maximum of the LIG since (i) it is the only thermophilous species that is used to suggest such high (≥20 °C) T max values, and (ii) its climatic significance has been questioned (see above; Candy et al ., ). Excluding T. natans , T max estimates for Trafalgar Square would be +18 to +21 °C, the lower end of this range being consistent with the T max estimates for most other LIG sites presented here.…”

“…Excluding T. natans , T max estimates for Trafalgar Square would be +18 to +21 °C, the lower end of this range being consistent with the T max estimates for most other LIG sites presented here. Researchers have debated the relative roles of human agency, water quality and direct insolation versus air temperature in controlling the distribution of T. natans (see Candy et al ., for detailed discussion). The T max reconstruction presented here therefore assumes that the summer temperature requirement of ≥20 °C for T. natans is reliable and implies strong summer warmth during the deposition of the Trafalgar Square sequence.…”

“…This is proposed because in mid‐latitude, temperate lowland river systems water temperatures rapidly equilibrate with air temperatures and are therefore equivalent (see Waghorne et al ., ). This is not necessarily true of lake waters (see Candy et al ., ) but as all sequences discussed here are fluvial in origin this is not considered significant. Site data and palaeoclimate reconstructions are summarized in Table SI 2 and Fig.…”

“…controlling the distribution of T. natans (see Candy et al, 2015 for detailed discussion). The T max reconstruction presented here therefore assumes that the summer temperature requirement of !20˚C for T. natans is reliable and implies strong summer warmth during the deposition of the Trafalgar Square sequence.…”

A 1 Ma sea surface temperature record from the North Atlantic and its implications for the early human occupation of Britain

“…A key research question is the relationship between patterns of climate forcing and human occupation in this region (see Parfitt et al, 2005;2010;Candy et al, 2015). The prevailing model is one of abandonment of the British Isles by early humans during glacial stages and re-occupation during interglacial/temperate episodes (Ashton and Lewis, 2002;Ashton et al, 2011).…”