Prolonged interglacial warmth during the Last Glacial in northern Europe

Few fossil-based environmental and climate records in northern Europe are dated to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a around 80 ka BP. We here present multiple environmental and climate proxies obtained from a lake sequence of MIS 5a age in the Sokli basin (northern Finland). Pollen/spores, plant macrofossils, NPPs (e.g. green algae), bryozoa, diatoms and chironomids allowed an exceptionally detailed reconstruction of aquatic and telmatic ecosystem successions related to the development of the Sokli Ice Lake and subsequent infilling of a relatively small and shallow lake confined to the Sokli basin. A regional vegetation development typical for the early half of an interglacial is recorded by the pollen, stomata and plant macrofossil data. Reconstructions of July temperatures based on pollen assemblages suffer from a large contribution of local pollen from the lake's littoral zone. Summer temperatures reaching present-day values, inferred for the upper part of the lake sequence, however, agree with the establishment of pine-dominated boreal forest indicated by the plant fossil data. Habitat preferences also influence the climate record based on chironomids. Nevertheless, the climate optima of the predominant intermediate- to warm-water chironomid taxa suggest July temperatures exceeding present-day values by up to several degrees, in line with climate inferences from a variety of aquatic and wetland plant indicator species. The disequilibrium between regional vegetation development and warm, insolation-forced summers is also reported for Early Holocene records from northern Fennoscandia. The MIS 5a sequence is the last remaining fossil-bearing deposit in the late Quaternary basin infill at Sokli to be studied using multi-proxy evidence. A unique detailed climate record for MIS 5 is now available for formerly glaciated northern Europe. Our studies indicate that interglacial conditions persisted into MIS 5a, in agreement with data for large parts of the European mainland, shortening the Last Glacial by some 50 ka to MIS 4-2.Peer reviewe

Syndepositional deformation in the Kurkiselkä esker, Kiiminki, Finland

Syndepositional and metadepositional deformation structures from an esker section in Kiiminki, Finland, are described and discussed. The small folds are suggested to be a response of cohesive, hydroplastic material to the drag of turbulent flow, and the accompanying differential pressure conditions. The data indicate a rippling mechanism. The small folds have a transition into more complicated structures derived mainly from syndepositional or metadepositional horizontal movements, apparently in part gravity-induced, which operated contemporaneously with the rippling mechanism. The syndepositional deformation structures of the category described are rather common in the Oulu vicinity, probably due to the widespread occurrence of water-laid deposits composed of fine sand, a grain size that favours this kind of deformation. They can readily be confused with deformation structures of other origin, which exist in juxtaposition within the same area

Über die Vegetation und das Klima Madeiras

The vegetation of Madeira was mapped on the basis of topographical and land‑use maps and own field studies. Estimates for temperature and precipi­tation during every summer month were calculated for various heights. An aridity index N / 2 T (N = precipitation in cm, T = temperature in C’; 1 = the aridity limit) was used for establishing the number of and months in various height zones. The relations between the number of and months and the vegetation was interpreted on the basis of Lauer's classification. In the south­ern coastal zone, below 500 m, there are 3–6 and months corresponding to a Mediterranean climate and forest. In all other parts of Madeira the number of and months is less than 3. They have a moist subtropical climate, and the original vegetation has evidently been a dense Lauraceae forest as also the old stories report

The original garden cities in Britain and the garden city ideal in Finland

Ebenezer Howard's garden city ideal has two essential features. First, princi­pal sources of employment and the business area should be within a short walking distance from the residential area itself and routes to work should be made attractive by gardens, flower‑arrangements and planted trees and bushes. Building should only begin after detailed town planning, which should include both land use and traffic routes. Social considerations should be taken into account in the planning, and the economic structure of the community should be balanced and self‑sufficient. There should be no need for commuter traffic. Modern town planning has been greatly influenced by these demands. Two garden cities have been built according to these principles, Letchworth (1904) and Welwyn (1920), and also some garden suburbs, among others Hampstead Garden Suburb (1907).The first garden city experiment in Finland was Eliel Saarinen's Munkki­niemi–Haaga plan of 1915, but it was so much ahead of its time that the owner of the estate did not dare to carry it out. The Käpylä garden suburb plan two years later was carried out, however, and Käpylä is still a valuable residential area with a conservation order to protect it.The best known Finnish “garden city”, Tapiola, differs greatly from the original ideal. It is self‑sufficient only as regards commerce, its demographic and occupational structure is unbalanced, and instead of gardens there are woodland and parks. In spite of this, Tapiola is a pleasant well‑functioning community and represents a high standard of housing and other amenities. Areas of natural forest and parks between the houses and buildings give a feeling of openness to the neighbourhood and keep the air clean. The water supply comes from unpolluted lakes and the water on the sea‑shore makes for safe and clean swimming. This together with the pleasingly varied terrain affords a pleasant environment for children