STABLE OXYGEN-ISOTOPE AND POLLEN RECORDS FROM EASTERN SCOTLAND AND A CONSIDERATION OF LATE-GLACIAL AND EARLY HOLOCENE CLIMATE-CHANGE FOR EUROPE

The presence of mart deposits belonging to the Lateglacial period in a former lake basin at Lundin Tower in Fife, Scotland has allowed palae oenvironmental investigations by means of carbonate delta(13)C and del ta(18)O, and organic matter delta(13)C, in addition to palynology. The variations that emerge reveal strong similarities between the pollen and isotope records and these are interpreted as reflecting climatic s hifts. The classic Late-glacial pattern oi Oldest Dryas-Bolling-Older Dryas-Allerod-Younger Dryas may be evident and other climatic oscillat ions are shown to have occurred not only during the Allerod but also i n the Preboreal. The problem of the rime discordance between isotopic change and pollen representation is addressed through explanations inv olving lags in plant colonization. A comparison of the delta(18)O reco rds from 43 sites across Europe reveals two different regional pattern s, which raises fundamental questions over the nature of Late-glacial palaeoclimates.