Taylor, Jennifer, Selby, David, Lloyd, Jeremy, Best, Louise ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3731-054X, Podrecca, Luca, Sageman, Bradley and Simms, Alexander R
(2026)
From Ice to Isolation: A geochemical reconstruction of the palaeoenvironmental evolution of Gairloch, NW Scotland (UK), since the Last Glacial Maximum.
Journal of Quaternary Science.
doi:10.1002/jqs.70057
(In Press)
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Abstract
Complex relative sea-level (RSL) changes are associated with the deglaciation of the British and Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). Sediment archives from Loch Bad na h-Achlaise, an isolation basin in NW Scotland, UK, span Late Glacial to Holocene time and record sea-level change and ice proximity via a geochemical and biostratigraphic multiproxy approach. Osmium and carbon isotope, carbon and nitrogen content, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) data suggest that the basal sedimentary unit reflects a glaciomarine depositional setting, a finding previously unresolved due to an inadequate biostratigraphic framework. The 187Os/188Os record from the basin captures the RSL history of this site and illustrates the interplay between the local signal of glacial isostatic adjustment and the non-local signal of glacio-eustatic sea-level rise. By coupling the 187Os/188Os data with a detailed age–depth model, our study demonstrates a period of RSL fall between 16.2 and 15.9 cal ka BP, which culminates in basin isolation. The close agreement between the biostratigraphy, where available, and the 187Os/188Os record confirms the viability of this isotope system as an RSL proxy not reliant on microfossil preservation and thus a potentially effective approach when poor microfossil preservation hampers palaeoenvironmental reconstruction.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Article Type: | Article |
| Additional Information: | Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, grant no. NE/X009343/1, and NSFGEO-NERC, grant agreement no. 2147750. |
| Subjects: | G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography |
| Divisions: | Schools and Research Institutes > School of Arts, Culture and Environment |
| Depositing User: | Louise Best |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Mar 2026 09:26 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Mar 2026 09:45 |
| URI: | https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/15881 |
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