Decadally Resolved Lateglacial Radiocarbon Evidence from New Zealand Kauri

Abstract The Last Glacial–Interglacial Transition (LGIT; 15,000–11,000 cal BP) was characterized by complex spatiotemporal patterns of climate change, with numerous studies requiring accurate chronological control to decipher leads from lags in global paleoclimatic, paleoenvironmental, and archaeological records. However, close scrutiny of the few available tree-ring chronologies and radiocarbon-dated sequences composing the IntCal13 14C calibration curve indicates significant weakness in 14C calibration across key periods of the LGIT. Here, we present a decadally resolved atmospheric 14C record derived from New Zealand kauri spanning the Lateglacial from ~13,100–11,365 cal BP. Two floating kauri 14C time series, curve-matched to IntCal13, serve as a 14C backbone through the Younger Dryas. The floating Northern Hemisphere (NH) 14C data sets derived from the YD-B and Central European Lateglacial Master tree-ring series are matched against the new kauri data, forming a robust NH 14C time series to ~14,200 cal BP. Our results show that IntCal13 is questionable from ~12,200–11,900 cal BP and the ~10,400 BP 14C plateau is approximately 5 decades too short. The new kauri record and repositioned NH pine 14C series offer a refinement of the international 14C calibration curves IntCal13 and SHCal13, providing increased confidence in the correlation of global paleorecords.

[1]  J. Metcalf,et al.  Synergistic roles of climate warming and human occupation in Patagonian megafaunal extinctions during the Last Deglaciation , 2016, Science Advances.

[2]  K. Hughen,et al.  Punctuated Shutdown of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during Greenland Stadial 1 , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[3]  C. Ramsey,et al.  High-precision dating and correlation of ice, marine and terrestrial sequences spanning Heinrich Event 3: testing mechanisms of interhemispheric change using New Zealand ancient kauri (Agathis australis) , 2016 .

[4]  Konrad A Hughen,et al.  Abrupt warming events drove Late Pleistocene Holarctic megafaunal turnover , 2015, Science.

[5]  Geoffrey M. Hargreaves,et al.  Precise interpolar phasing of abrupt climate change during the last ice age , 2015, Nature.

[6]  A. Lorrey,et al.  Progress in refining the global radiocarbon calibration curve using New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) tree-ring series from Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 , 2015 .

[7]  M. Knudsen,et al.  Assessing the differences between the IntCal and Greenland ice-core time scales for the last 14,000 years via the common cosmogenic radionuclide variations , 2014 .

[8]  H. Fischer,et al.  A stratigraphic framework for abrupt climatic changes during the Last Glacial period based on three synchronized Greenland ice-core records: refining and extending the INTIMATE event stratigraphy , 2014 .

[9]  A. Lorrey,et al.  The late Holocene kauri chronology: assessing the potential of a 4500-year record for palaeoclimate reconstruction , 2014 .

[10]  A. Brauer,et al.  Delayed hydrological response to Greenland cooling at the onset of the Younger Dryas in western Europe , 2014 .

[11]  C. Ramsey,et al.  The New Zealand Kauri (Agathis Australis) Research Project: A Radiocarbon Dating Intercomparison of Younger Dryas Wood and Implications for IntCal13 , 2013, Radiocarbon.

[12]  Q. Hua,et al.  SHCal13 Southern Hemisphere Calibration, 0–50,000 Years cal BP , 2013, Radiocarbon.

[13]  T. Haraguchi,et al.  A Complete Terrestrial Radiocarbon Record for 11.2 to 52.8 kyr B.P. , 2012, Science.

[14]  B. Kromer,et al.  Challenging process to make the Lateglacial tree-ring chronologies from Europe absolute - an inventory , 2012 .

[15]  C. Ramsey,et al.  Synchronisation of palaeoenvironmental records over the last 60,000 years, and an extended INTIMATE event stratigraphy to 48,000 b2k , 2012 .

[16]  J. Southon,et al.  A high-resolution record of atmospheric 14C based on Hulu Cave speleothem H82 , 2012 .

[17]  J. Wilmshurst,et al.  Divergent trends in land and ocean temperature in the Southern Ocean over the past 18,000 years , 2010 .

[18]  J. Singarayer,et al.  Towards radiocarbon calibration beyond 28 ka using speleothems from the Bahamas , 2010 .

[19]  U. Zoppi,et al.  Atmospheric 14C variations derived from tree rings during the early Younger Dryas , 2009 .

[20]  Jonas Binladen,et al.  Monte Verde: Seaweed, Food, Medicine, and the Peopling of South America , 2008, Science.

[21]  B. Kromer,et al.  Tree rings and ice cores reveal C-14 calibration uncertainties during the Younger Dryas , 2008 .

[22]  D. Frank,et al.  Environmental change during the Allerød and Younger Dryas reconstructed from Swiss tree‐ring data , 2008 .

[23]  M. Waters,et al.  Redefining the Age of Clovis: Implications for the Peopling of the Americas , 2007, Science.

[24]  K. Hughen,et al.  Marine-derived 14C calibration and activity record for the past 50,000 years updated from the Cariaco Basin , 2006 .

[25]  M. Baillie,et al.  Extension of New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) tree‐ring chronologies into Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3 , 2006 .

[26]  B. Alloway,et al.  Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a well-preserved Stage 7 forest sequence catastrophically buried by basaltic eruptive deposits, northern New Zealand , 2006 .

[27]  M. McGlone,et al.  Climatic variability in the southwest Pacific during the Last Termination (20–10 kyr BP) , 2006 .

[28]  J. Ogden,et al.  Extension of the New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) chronology to 1724 BC , 2006 .

[29]  B. Kromer,et al.  Extension of the Swiss Lateglacial tree-ring chronologies , 2005 .

[30]  T. Guilderson,et al.  Radiocarbon calibration curve spanning 0 to 50,000 years BP based on paired 230 Th/ 234 U/ 238 U and 14 C dates on pristine corals , 2005 .

[31]  Michael Friedrich,et al.  High-resolution climate signals in the Bølling–Allerød Interstadial (Greenland Interstadial 1) as reflected in European tree-ring chronologies compared to marine varves and ice-core records ☆ , 2001 .

[32]  Edwards,et al.  Extremely Large Variations of Atmospheric 14C Concentration During the Last Glacial Period , 2001, Science.

[33]  J. Overpeck,et al.  Synchronous radiocarbon and climate shifts during the last deglaciation. , 2000, Science.

[34]  P. Grootes,et al.  Rapid flooding of the sunda shelf: A late-glacial sea-level record , 2000, Science.

[35]  B. Kromer,et al.  Paleo-environment and radiocarbon calibration as derived from Lateglacial/Early Holocene tree-ring chronologies , 1999 .

[36]  H. H. Birks,et al.  Climate variations in Britain during the Last Glacial–Holocene transition (15.0–11.5 cal ka bp): comparison with the GRIP ice-core record , 1999, Journal of the Geological Society.

[37]  J. Lowe,et al.  An event stratigraphy for the Last Termination in the North Atlantic region based on the Greenland ice-core record: a proposal by the INTIMATE group , 1998 .

[38]  J. Beck,et al.  A Large Drop in Atmospheric 14C/12C and Reduced Melting in the Younger Dryas, Documented with 230Th Ages of Corals , 1993, Science.

[39]  J. Ogden,et al.  The Late Quaternary History of Kauri (Agathis australis) in New Zealand and Its Climatic Significance , 1992 .

[40]  T. Wigley,et al.  On the Average Value of Correlated Time Series, with Applications in Dendroclimatology and Hydrometeorology , 1984 .

[41]  C. Buck,et al.  IntCal13 and Marine13 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves 0–50,000 Years cal BP , 2013, Radiocarbon.

[42]  P. Deschamps,et al.  Comparison of 14C and U-Th Ages in Corals from IODP #310 Cores Offshore Tahiti , 2013, Radiocarbon.

[43]  Sean Ulm,et al.  Marine Reservoir Variation in the Bismarck Region: An Evaluation of Spatial and Temporal Change in ΔR and R Over the Last 3000 Years , 2012, Radiocarbon.

[44]  C. Bronk Ramsey.  Dealing with Outliers and Offsets in Radiocarbon Dating , 2009, Radiocarbon.

[45]  B. Kromer,et al.  Lateglacial environmental variability from Swiss tree rings , 2008 .

[46]  J. J. Lowea,et al.  Synchronisation of palaeoenvironmental events in the North Atlantic region during the Last Termination : a revised protocol recommended by the INTIMATE group , 2008 .

[47]  Sune Olander Rasmussen,et al.  Synchronisation of palaeoenvironmental events in the North Atlantic region during the Last Termination: a revised protocol recommended by the INTIMATE group , 2008 .

[48]  K. Hughena,et al.  Marine-derived 14 C calibration and activity record for the past 50 , 000 years updated from the Cariaco Basin , 2007 .

[49]  M. Baillie,et al.  Towards a Radiocarbon Calibration for Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 Using New Zealand Kauri (Agathis Australis) , 2007, Radiocarbon.

[50]  M. Schaub.  Lateglacial environmental conditions on the Swiss Plateau : a multi-proxy approach using tree rings and sediment-based proxies , 2007 .

[51]  QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS , 2006 .

[52]  K. Hughen,et al.  Late Glacial 14C Ages from a Floating, 1382-Ring Pine Chronology , 2004, Radiocarbon.

[53]  K. Hughen,et al.  Cariaco Basin Calibration Update: Revisions to Calendar and 14C Chronologies for Core Pl07-58Pc , 2004, Radiocarbon.

[54]  Michael Friedrich,et al.  The 12,460-Year Hohenheim Oak and Pine Tree-Ring Chronology from Central Europe—A Unique Annual Record for Radiocarbon Calibration and Paleoenvironment Reconstructions , 2004, Radiocarbon.

[55]  J. Beck,et al.  Radiocarbon Calibration and Comparison to 50 Kyr BP with Paired 14C and 230Th Dating of Corals from Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea , 2004, Radiocarbon.

[56]  G. Burr,et al.  Radiocarbon Results from a 13-Kyr BP Coral from the Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea , 2004, Radiocarbon.

[57]  M. Baillie,et al.  High-Precision Radiocarbon Measurements of Contemporaneous Tree-Ring Dated Wood from the British Isles and New Zealand: Ad 1850–950 , 2002, Radiocarbon.

[58]  E. Bard,et al.  Radiocarbon Calibration by Means of Mass Spectrometric 230Th/234U and 14C Ages of Corals: An Updated Database Including Samples from Barbados, Mururoa and Tahiti , 1998, Radiocarbon.

[59]  J. Beck,et al.  A High-Resolution Radiocarbon Calibration Between 11,700 and 12,400 Calendar Years Bp Derived from 230Th Ages of Corals from Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu , 1998, Radiocarbon.

[60]  M. Stuiver,et al.  Discussion Reporting of 14C Data , 1977, Radiocarbon.

[61]  C. Hawkins.  TO NEW ZEALAND FOR KAURI , 1966 .