Coastal environments have experienced large ecological changes as a result of human activities over the last 100−200 years. To understand the severity and potential consequences of such changes, paleoenvironmental records provide important contextual information. The Baltic Sea coastal zone is naturally a vulnerable system and subject to significant human-induced impacts. To put the recent environmental degradation in the Baltic coastal zone into a long-term perspective, and to assess the natural and anthropogenic drivers of environmental change, we present sedimentary records covering the last 1000 years obtained from a coastal inlet (Gåsfjärden) and a nearby lake (Lake Storsjön) in Sweden. We investigate the links between a pollen-based land cover reconstruction from Lake Storsjön and paleoenvironmental variables from Gåsfjärden itself, including diatom assemblages, organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) contents, stable C and N isotopic ratios, and biogenic silica contents. The Lake Storsjön record shows that regional land use was characterized by small-scale agricultural activity between 900 and 1400 CE, which slightly intensified between 1400 and 1800 CE. Substantial expansion of cropland was observed between 1800 and 1950 CE, before afforestation between 1950 and 2010 CE. From the Gåsfjärden record, prior to 1800 CE, relatively minor changes in the diatom and geochemical proxies were found. The onset of cultural eutrophication in Gåsfjärden can be traced to the 1800s and intensified land use is identified as the main driver. Anthropogenic activities in the 20th century have caused unprecedented ecosystem changes in the coastal inlet, as reflected in the diatom composition and geochemical proxies.

We reconstructed the past coastal environment of the Baltic Sea from c. 7300 to 3500 cal. a BP, with a focus on sea surface salinity (SSS). To quantitatively determine the SSS, two methods were employed: measurements of 87Sr/86Sr ratios in mollusc shells (SSSSr) and process length variations of dinoflagellate cysts Operculodinium centrocarpum (SSSpl). The SSSSr was ~6–7 between 6800 and 6400 cal. a BP, similar to modern conditions. Between 6000 and 3900 cal. a BP, SSSSr was consistently higher, ranging between ~9 and 13. Microfossils sensitive to salinity variations, such as Radiosperma corbiforum and Spiniferites spp., support the SSSSr estimate. In comparison with the SSSSr, the SSSpl values were consistently higher, with an average of ~14. We suggest SSSpl tend to overestimate salinity and are not as reliable as SSSSr. A multi‐proxy approach, including analysis of microfossil, organic carbon content, C/N ratios and grain‐size, allowed for a division of the study period into three zones (Zones I–III). Zone I (7300–6400 cal. a BP) is characterized by relatively O. centrocarpum and R. corbiforum concentrations, silt contents and C/N ratios, corresponding to the regional Littorina transgression maximum. Zone II (6400–3900 cal. a BP) is characterized by increased Spiniferites spp. and decreased R. corbiforum abundances, and by lowered C/N ratios and silt contents relative to Zone I. Zone III (3900–3500 cal. a BP) represents the start of the Post‐Littorina Sea phase, indicating a shift to the modern Baltic Sea phase with decreased salinity.

Although bottom water hypoxia (O 2 \ 2 mg L -1 ) is presently widespread in the Baltic Sea coastal zone, there is a lack of insight into past changes in bottom water oxygen in these areas on timescales of millennia, and the possible driving factors. Here, we present a sediment-based environmental reconstruction of surface water productivity, salinity and bottom water oxygen for the past 5400 years at Ga ˚sfja ¨rden, a coastal site in SE Sweden. As proxies, we use dinoflagellate cysts, benthic foraminifera, organic carbon (C org ), biogenic silica (BSi), C org /N tot , C org /P tot , Ti/Al, K/Al and grain size distribution. The chronology of the sediment sequence is well constrained, based on 210 Pb, 137 Cs and AMS 14 C dates. Between 3400 and 2100 BCE, isostatic conditions favored enhanced deep water exchange between Ga ˚sfja ¨rden and the open Baltic Sea. At that time, Ga ˚sfja ¨rden was characterized by relatively high productivity and salinity, as well as frequently occurring hypoxic-anoxic bottom water, despite the relatively large connection with the Baltic Sea. The most severe interval of oxygen depletion is recorded between 2400 and 2100 BCE, and appears to coincide

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We used the radiocarbon wiggle-match dating technique to date the varved sediments of Lake Gyltigesjön in southern Sweden with the main aim to construct an accurate chronology covering the period between about 3000 and 2000 cal BP. Wiggle-match dating was applied to bulk sediments to evaluate the possibility of constructing accurate chronologies in the absence of terrestrial plant macrofossils and when the amount of old carbon in the sediments is unknown. Facilitated by a floating varve chronology and relatively stable 14C reservoir ages, the results show the possibility to assess the contribution of old carbon solely based on the 14C wiggle-matching of bulk sediments. We confirm the wiggle-matched chronology and the 14C reservoir age of approximately 260 yr by cross-checking the results with 14C dating of macrofossils. The obtained calibrated ages based on bulk sediments have an uncertainty range of about 60–65 yr (95.4% confidence interval). This study confirms that 14C wiggle-match dating of bulk sediments is a viable tool when constructing high-resolution chronologies. The method is especially useful in Sun-climate studies since the timing between solar activity variations (expressed as 14C variations) and climate changes can be accurately determined.