ALBERT

Description: Lead content was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence core scanning (XRF-CS) in samples from the Late Glacial and Holocene (c. 14500 – 200 yrs cal. BP) obtained from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos (southern Germany). The age-depth-model is based on a total of 14 radiocarbon dates and constrained using BACON.

Description: High-resolution palynological data (taxa and groups) from the Füramoos peat bog. The data span from the latest Rissian glaciation (MIS 6) to the present (MIS 1) at an average temporal resolution of ~230 years and are given as percentages and a depth and age scale. The data highlight the presence of several forest expansions and contractions associated with Greenland Interstadials / Dansgaard-Oeschger Events during MIS 3 and 4. Interglacials (MIS 1 and 5e) are characterized by the establishment of a dense temperate forest and the Early Glacial (MIS 5d-5a) is marked by a persistent boreal forest. Pollen data from the Late Glacial and Holocene (14.5 - 0 ka BP) has been incorporated from Kern et al. (2021).

Description: High-resolution XRF core scanning data (K/Al and Si/Ti) spanning the late MIS 6 to MIS 1 from Füramoos in Southern Germany at an average temporal resolution of ~45 years. Si/Ti is used to identify phases of increased precipition of biogenic silica (primarily diatoms). K/Al is primarily interpreted as a proxy for precipitation and utilizes two characteristics: (a) K is far more easily water soluble than Al and thus easier transported into the basin during periods of high weathering intensity, and (b) high Al is associated with increased dust transport into the basin. Thus, high K and low Al are interpreted as wet conditions, whereas low K and high Al stand fro dry periods. Our XRF-CS data indicate millennial-scale climate oscillations associated with Greenland Interstadials / Dansgaard-Oeschger Events during MIS 3 and 4 and are used to support the palynological data of the same study.

Description: Loss on ignition data (LOI) from the lake/peat bog at Füramoos Germany. The data span from the latest Rissian glaciation (MIS 6) to the present (MIS 1) at an average temporal resolution of ~280 years and primarily reflect changes in lake productivity and peat formation.

Description: Palynological and X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) data from Tenaghi Philippon (Greece) were generated to reconstruct climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean region during the past 500 kyrs. The analyses were carried out on peat drillcores from two locations, i.e., TP-2005 – 40° 58' 24.0” N, 24° 13' 25.2” E; TP-2009 – 40° 57' 39.5” N, 24° 16' 03.1” E. A total of 2347 palynological samples, taken every 2-5 cm from the 4–91 m composite depth, were prepared using standard palynological techniques. Pollen percentages were calculated on the number of pollen grains from terrestrial plants excluding Cyperaceae and Poaceae because of their natural over-representation at Tenaghi Philippon. The palynological results present relative abundances of tree pollen, tree pollen without Pinus, temperate taxa, Mediterranean taxa, montane taxa, pioneer taxa, shrubs, steppic taxa, herbs, helophytes, sum of Poaceae and Cyperaceae, aquatic taxa, spores and algae. The XRF core scanning was performed with an AVAATECH (GEN-4) scanner at 5 mm resolution using a 10 kV energy level without filter, a current of 200 mA, and a counting time of 10 s. The geochemical results include the Si normalised counts and the log(Ca/Fe) ratio.

Description: Palynological and X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) data from Tenaghi Philippon (Greece) were generated to reconstruct climate and environmental changes in the Mediterranean region during the past 500 kyrs. The analyses were carried out on peat drillcores from two locations, i.e., TP-2005 – 40° 58' 24.0” N, 24° 13' 25.2” E; TP-2009 – 40° 57' 39.5” N, 24° 16' 03.1” E. A total of 2347 palynological samples, taken every 2-5 cm from the 4–91 m composite depth, were prepared using standard palynological techniques. Pollen percentages were calculated on the number of pollen grains from terrestrial plants excluding Cyperaceae and Poaceae because of their natural over-representation at Tenaghi Philippon. The palynological results present relative abundances of tree pollen, tree pollen without Pinus, temperate taxa, Mediterranean taxa, montane taxa, pioneer taxa, shrubs, steppic taxa, herbs, helophytes, sum of Poaceae and Cyperaceae, aquatic taxa, spores and algae. The XRF core scanning was performed with an AVAATECH (GEN-4) scanner at 5 mm resolution using a 10 kV energy level without filter, a current of 200 mA, and a counting time of 10 s. The geochemical results include the Si normalised counts and the log(Ca/Fe) ratio.

Description: Macrofossil data from selected samples of the MIS 2-4 period from Füramoos, Southern Germany. The data are used to augment the palynological dataset of the same study.

Description: Lead concentration and stable isotopes were analysed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in samples from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos (southern Germany).

Description: Palynological data from the Late Glacial and Holocene (c. 14500 – 200 yrs cal. BP) obtained from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos (southern Germany).

Description: Highlights • Anthropogenic lead contamination revealed by lead content, flux, and isotope data from a peat bog. • First evidence for anthropogenic lead contamination recorded at 3600 yrs BP. • Lead contamination modulated by political, economic, and social aspects. Abstract Despite a multitude of lead-contamination archives, the history of anthropogenic lead (Pb) contamination in Central Europe during the Holocene has remained incompletely understood. Contributing to a regionally differentiated understanding of Pb contamination in Central Europe since the Late Glacial (14.5 kyrs ago), this paper presents a record of atmospheric Pb deposition from an ombrotrophic peat bog at Füramoos, southern Germany. We combine Pb content and isotope data with pollen data allowing the interpretation of Pb signals within a context of natural change and human activities. The data show that Pb accumulation rates during the Late Glacial and early Holocene (0.074 mg*m-2*yr-1) were considerably higher than those during the mid-Holocene (0.016 mg*m-2*yr-1). Anthropogenic Pb contamination commenced at 3600 years BP and originates primarily from the Western Mediterranean region until the demise of the Roman Empire, after which contamination sources shifted to Britain, France, and Germany. For the past 3600 years, the data document an exponential increase in Pb contamination (max 5.6 mg*m-2*yr-1) that is unhinged from natural Pb deposition and far exceeds the natural Holocene background levels. The integrated geochemical and palynological approach allows placement of Pb contamination signals into detailed historical context. Land-use changes at Füramoos are consistent with the timing of political, economic, and social developments of medieval societies that modulated the ability and demand for mining during the past millennia.