Last Interglacial stratigraphy at Ristinge Klint, South Denmark

environmental changes in the Baltic area are discussed on the basis of fora minifera and ostracods as well as pollen and spores in marine sediments in cliff sections at Ristinge Klint, Langeland, southern Denmark. The sediment succession represents Jessen & Milthers' (1928) pollen zones d-g or Anders en's (1961, 1975) zones E2-E5, and a correlation with the annually laminate d Bispingen sequence indicates that the sequence spans about 3400 years. Ma rine conditions seem to have occurred at c. 300-365 years after the beginni ng of the Eemian Inter-glacial, close to fully marine conditions developing by c. 2500 years. This early date of the marine ingression pre-dates that of most previous studies in the region by several hundred years, but it pos tdates the initial marine ingression in the easternmost Baltic. A marked ch ange in salinity at c. 650 years after the beginning of the Eemian was pres umably caused by an opening of the Danish Belts. An indication of a major a lteration in current activity is registered at c. 3000 years after the begi nning of the interglacial. The recognition of the relative timing of these events may be significant for the understanding of the opening of connectio ns between the North Sea, the Baltic and the White Sea.