Seasonal climate variations during Marine Isotope Stages 3 and 2 inferred from high‐resolution oxygen isotope ratios in horse tooth enamel from Lower Austria

Abstract

We present sequential oxygen isotope records (δ18Ophosphate vs. VSMOW) of horse tooth enamel phosphate of six individuals from two adjacent Palaeolithic sites in Lower Austria. Three molars from the site Krems‐Wachtberg date to 33–31k cal a bp, and three molars from Kammern‐Grubgraben to 24–20k cal a bp. All teeth show seasonal isotope variations, which are used to reconstruct the annual oxygen isotope composition of drinking water (δ18Odw) and palaeotemperatures. Measured δ18Ophosphate values ranged from 8.6 to 13.0‰ and from 10.8 to 13.9‰ at Krems‐Wachtberg and Kammern‐Grubgraben, respectively. An inverse modelling approach was used to reconstruct summer and winter temperatures after a correction for glacial oceanic source water δ18O. Reconstructed annual δ18Odw was −16.4 ± 1.5‰ at Krems‐Wachtberg and −15.3 ± 1.4‰ at Kammern‐Grubgraben, resulting in annual temperatures of −5.7 ± 3.1 and −3.5 ± 2.9°C, respectively. Summer and winter temperatures reconstructed from individual teeth exhibit high seasonal variations with moderate summer temperatures and extremely low winter temperatures typical for a polar tundra climate. Isotopic differences between individuals are attributed to interannual climate variability or to different drinking water sources. Our reconstructed temperatures are, overall, consistent with previously reported values from European horse teeth, when taking regional differences into account.

Ice Age apparel – changing prey patterns towards the Last Glacial Maximum and the role of reindeer fur for clothing at Kammern-Grubgraben

“…Our earlier studies proposed more favourable climatic conditions for Krems-Wachtberg as opposed to Kammern-Grubgraben(Maier et al, 2021;Reiss et al, 2023). Nevertheless, high-resolution δ 18 O analyses of horse teeth do not reveal substantial climatic differences between the pre-LGM and LGM as during both periods a polar tundra climate with largely similar cold temperatures during stadial conditions prevailed(Reiss et al, 2024). However, there was a prolonged cooling phase, the GS 3, in which environmental and faunal changes must have occurred in the study area.…”

“…The radiocarbon age ranges of the archaeological contexts considered in this study, Krems-Wachtberg 1930 and Krems-Wachtberg 2005-2015 (layers WA-AH 4.11, WA-AH 4.4) and Krems-Hundssteig 2000-2002 (layers HU-AH 3.2, HU-AH 3.3/3.4) cover Greenland Interstadial (GI) 5.2 and Greenland Stadials (GS) 6 and 5.2, the range of Langenlois A covers GI 5.1 and GS 5.1, and the one of Kammern-Grubgraben (layers KG-AH 1, KG-AH 2) covers GI 2.2 and 2.1 and GS 3, 2.2 and 2.1 (Rasmussen et al, 2014). Based on the radiocarbon ages, it is therefore currently not possible to say with certainty whether any of the referred occupations took place during suggested stadial conditions (Reiss et al, 2024).…”