Direct land/sea correlation of the Eemian, and its comparison with the Holocene: a high-resolution palynological record off the Iberian margin

High-resolution pollen, dinocyst and isotopic profiles covering the marine isotope stage 5 (MIS 5) are presented from core MD952042 (Tagus abyssal pla in, 37 degrees 47'N, 10 degrees 09'W). Both marine and terrestrial proxies indicate the occurrence of a Bolling-Allerod-Younger Dryas-like event at th e beginning of MI substage 5e. The terrestrial Eemian stage coincides with both the lightest oxygen isotope values of substage 5e and the heavier ones approaching the 5e/5d transition. Accordingly, the Eemian is not equivalen t to MI substage 5e, as thr Holocene is nor equivalent to MIS 1. Remarkably, both pollen and dinocyst data reflect the same climatic pattern on land and ocean, and they evidence a succession of climatic events that the isotope signal does nor identify. The Eemian began with a Mediterranean vegetation that was gradually replaced by Eurosiberian formations indicati ng a change from Mediterranean to oceanic climates. In the middle of the Ee mian, warming conditions were interrupted by an event corresponding to a sl ight cooling resulting from an increase in precipitation over land and ocea n. Finally, a warming trend characterised the last phase of the Eemian. The occurrence of small climatic changes during this interglacial is inconsist ent with the dramatic variability suggested by the GRIP ice-core record.