Multiproxy quantitative paleoceanographic dataset from late Quaternary marine sediment archives in the western Ross Sea (Antarctica).

The past ice sheet dynamics and the timing of retreat events in the paleo-record in the Ross Sea is an issue still few understood. In order to contribute to this topic, we provide a multiproxy data from marine sediment archives (cores and box cores) collected in three sites in the Central Basin (Western Ross Sea, Antarctica). Each site recorded different environments, affected by different oceanographic conditions and sedimentary regime.

Mediterranean winter rainfall in phase with African monsoons during the past 1.36 million years.

Mediterranean climates are characterized by strong seasonal contrasts between dry summers and wet winters. Changes in winter rainfall are critical for regional socioeconomic development, but are difficult to simulate accurately and reconstruct on Quaternary timescales. This is partly because regional hydroclimate records that cover multiple glacial-interglacial cycles with different orbital geometries, global ice volume and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations are scarce.

Historical ecology reveals landscape transformation coincident with cultural development in central Italy since the Roman Period.

Knowledge of the direct role humans have had in changing the landscape requires the perspective of historical and archaeological sources, as well as climatic and ecologic processes, when interpreting paleoecological records. People directly impact land at the local scale and land use decisions are strongly influenced by local sociopolitical priorities that change through time. A complete picture of the potential drivers of past environmental change must include a detailed and integrated analysis of evolving sociopolitical priorities, climatic change and ecological processes.

Magnetic properties and element concentrations in lichens exposed to airborne pollutants released during cement production.

The content of selected elements (Al, As, Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, S, Ti, V and Zn) was measured in samples of the lichen Evernia prunastri exposed for 30, 90 and 180 days around a cement mill, limestone and basalt quarries and urban and agricultural areas in SW Slovakia. Lichens transplanted around the investigated quarries and the cement mill rapidly (30 days) reflected the deposition of dust-associated elements, namely Ca (at the cement mill and the limestone quarry) and Fe, Ti and V (around the cement mill and the basalt quarry), and their content remained significantly higher throughout the whole period (30-180 days) with respect to the surrounding environment. Airborne pollutants (such as S) progressively increased in the study area from 30 to 180 days.