The Holocene

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ascough, P. L.
Right arrow Articles by McGovern, T. H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
The Holocene, Vol. 16, No. 1, 131-136 (2006)
DOI: 10.1191/0959683606hl913rr
© 2006 SAGE Publications

Variability in North Atlantic marine radiocarbon reservoir effects at c. AD 1000

P. L. Ascough

Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK; Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride G75 OQF, UK; School of Geography and Geosciences, Irvine Building, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9AL, UKplal1{at}st_andrews.ac.uk

G. T. Cook

Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, Rankine Avenue, East Kilbride G75 OQF, UK

M. J. Church

A. J. Dugmore

Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK

S. V. Arge

Føroya Fornminnissavn, Tórshavn, The Faroe Islands

T. H. McGovern

Hunter Bioarchaeology Laboratory, Hunter College CUNY, New York 10021, USA

14C age measurements made on samples from three archaeological sites located on North Atlantic coasts were used to investigate the marine reservoir effect (MRE) at c. AD 1000. This is an important period within human cultural and palaeoenvironmental research as it is a time when Norse expansion to the North Atlantic islands occurred, during what appears to be a period of ameliorating climatic conditions. This makes improved chronological precision and accuracy at this time highly desirable. The data indicate a potential latitudinal variation in MRE at c. AD 1000 from a {Delta}R of-142±16 14C yr at Omey Island (53° 32' N) to 64±13 14C yr at Undir Junkarinsfløtti (61° 51' N). The results are compared with modern assessments of MRE values within the context of oceanographic and climatic regimes that provide a possible driving mechanism for spatial and temporal variation in MRE.

Key Words: North Atlantic • radiocarbon • marine reservoir effect • {Delta}R • Norse archaeology • late Holocene


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?