The impact of major warming at 14.7 ka on environmental changes and activity of Final Palaeolithic hunters at a local scale (Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin, Western Carpathians, Poland

There is a widespread belief that the abrupt warming at 14.7 ka had a profound impact on the environment. However, the direct correlation between the global climatic event and changes in local environments is not obvious.We examined faunal succession in an intra-mountain basin of theWestern Carpathians to assess the potential influence of the climatic change between Greenland Stadial-2a and Greenland Interstadial-1e on the local environment.We investigated three vertebrate assemblages (total number of identified specimens = 18,745; minimumnumber of individuals = 7515; 138 taxa) from Obłazowa Cave (western entrance) and a Rock overhang in Cisowa Rock, radiocarbon dated to the period before and after the global warming, between ca. 17.0 and 14.0 ka. Our data revealed that the major abrupt warming that occurred 14.7 ka had little impact on the local environment, which could suggest that ecosystems in Central Europe were resilient to the abrupt global climate changes. The increase in fauna population sizes and species diversities in local biotopes was gradual and began long before the temperature increase. This was supported by the analysis of ancient DNA of Microtus arvalis, which showed a gradual increase in effective population size after 19.0 ka. The results of palaeoclimatic reconstruction pointed out that the compared sites were characterized by similar climatic conditions. According to our calculations, the differences in the annual mean temperatures did not exceed 0.5 °C and mean annual thermal amplitude changed from 22.9 to 22.4 °C. The environmental changes before 14.7 ka had no impact on the activity of Final Palaeolithic hunters in the studied area

Diversity of muskox Ovibos moschatus (Zimmerman, 1780) (Bovidae, Mammalia) in time and space based on cranial morphometry

Muskox Ovibos moschatus is a Pleistocene relic, which has survived only in North America and Greenland. During the Pleistocene, it was widely distributed in Eurasia and North America. To evaluate its morphological variability through time and space, we conducted an extensive morphometric study of 217 Praeovibos and Ovibos skull remains. The analyses showed that the skulls grew progressively wider from Praeovibos sp. to the Pleistocene O. moschatus, while from the Pleistocene to the recent O. moschatus, the facial regions of the skull turned narrower and shorter. We also noticed significant geographic differences between the various Pleistocene Ovibos crania. Siberian skulls were usually larger than those from Western and Central Europe. Eastern Europeanmuskoxen also exceeded in size those from the other regions of Europe. The large size of Late Pleistocene muskoxen from regions located in more continental climatic regimes was probably associated with the presence of more suitable food resources in steppe-tundra settings. Consistently, radiocarbon-dated records of this species are more numerous in colder periods, when the steppe-tundra was widely spread, and less abundant in warmer periods

Fossil bear material from the oldest deposits in the Jasna Strzegowska cave (Silesia, southern Poland)

Fossil bear material from the lowermost deposits of the Jasna Strzegowska cave is described and its taxonomic status assessed. Comparison with bear remains from other Early and early Middle Pleistocene localities of Eurasia shows the presence of two bear species: Ursus etruscus and U. deningeri, based on morphological and size characters of the teeth and postcranial bones. The teeth of U. deningeri from the Jasna Strzegowska cave are larger, wider and have much more complicated occlusal surfaces when compared with the teeth of U. etruscus. Both bear species are characterized by relatively short and robust metapodials, although those of U. etruscus are on average less massive. Some differences in muscle attachments and articular surfaces have also been found. Metapodials of primitive arctoid bears, that co-occurred with U. etruscus and U. deningeri, are much longer and slimmer. U. etruscus and U. deningeri probably did not live in the Jasna Strzegowska cave at the same time. Based on its time range in Eurasia and morphological characteristics, the age of U. etruscus is estimated as Early Pleistocene, between 1.8-1.3 Ma. This is its first description from Poland, and the remains described are in size and morphology indistinguishable from material from other European localities. For U. deningeri, an early Middle Pleistocene age is suggested

The history of bears (Ursidae, Carnivora, Mammalia) from Silesia (southern Poland) and the neighbouring areas

Revision of the Silesian bear fauna, based on material from 152 sites, mainly cave and karstic localities, and also archaeological and open-air sites, shows the presence of 13 forms and species. These records encompass the last 16.5 Ma and may be divided into five main morphophyletic groups. The oldest bears, represented by the genera Ballusia and Ursavus, are dated to 16.5-11 Ma, and belonged to the stem forms of the subfamily Ursinae. After a break of 6 My, the earliest members of the genus Ursus appeared, and all known Pliocene bears in Silesia belong to the genus Ursus were identified as Ursus minimus. They represent one or two migration events. Additionally, between 3.6 and 3.2 Ma, a single occurence of Agriotherium insigne was recorded from the Węże 1 site. A few Early Pleistocene bear records are represented by U. etruscus, which was a probable ancestor of both arctoid and spelaeoid bear lineages. The oldest representative of Ursus ex gr. arctos known so far and assigned to U. a. suessenbornensis is known from one latest Early Pleistocene (1.2-0.9 Ma) locality, while other Polish records of this form require confirmation. The first occurrence of U. deningeri, the oldest taxon within the U. ex gr. deningeri-spelaeus lineage, was recorded from ~700 ka deposits in Silesia. During the pronounced cold period of MIS 12, the Scandinavian ice sheet covered almost the entire modern territory of Poland, with the exception of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. The accompanying drastic faunal turnover led to the formation of the pan-Eurasian Mammoth Fauna at ~460 ka. At that time a characteristic member of this fauna, the steppe brown bear Ursus arctos priscus, a specific ecomorph adapted to live in open grasslands, appeared in this region. It survived until the beginning of MIS 1, when modern Ursus arctos arctos appeared in Silesia and survived to the present day. U. deningeri was the most common bear during the Middle Pleistocene, while the first records of U. spelaeus spelaeus appeared since MIS 7. The latter form was replaced by U. ingressus during the Late Pleistocene (~110-100 ka). Spelaeoid bears totally dominated the cave assemblage, and finally vanished between 27 and 24 ka

Faunal remains from Borsuka Cave – an example of local climate variability during Late Pleistocene in southern Poland

The Borsuka Cave is located in the southern part of Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, about 20 km west of Kraków. During excavations conducted in 2008-2010 a very rare and interesting faunal assemblage from layer VI was found, dating to the Upper Pleniglacial. Among cold steppe-tundra or taiga species such as Rangifer tarandus, Vulpes alopex, Equus sp. or Coelodonta antiquitatis taxa adapted to forest environment were also found. Associated with them we found snails, such as Ena montana, Aegopinella pura and Perforatella incarnata; insectivores, like Sorex araneus, carnivores, such as Martes martes, Meles meles and Lynx cf. lynx; ungulates, like Alces alces and Bos primigenius and, among rodents, Clethrionomys glareolus, Apodemus sylvaticus/flavicollis and Castor fiber. This assemblage is the first from southern Poland during this time period to comprise such relatively rich material, and indicates the presence of forest adapted species at the end of the Upper Plenivistulian. No similar assemblages are known from other caves from the Kraków-Czêstochowa Upland, and this suggests that during Late Pleistocene in a limited area of Poland, short episodes of forest formations could appear

THE FIRST RADIOCARBON-DATED REMAINS OF THE LEOPARD PANTHERA PARDUS (LINNAEUS, 1758) FROM THE PLEISTOCENE OF POLAND

The Pleistocene history of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Europe has been documented by the material obtained from 312 localities, with the last dated similar to 1.1 Myr. The relatively small and gracile form of the leopard was very rare during the late Early and Middle Pleistocene. Only after the disappearance of the jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis) did P. pardus spread widely in Europe, increasing in size and ecologically substituting P. gombaszoegensis. The number of late Middle Pleistocene localities with leopard remains, younger than 300 kyr, increased considerably. The leopard reached the maximum extension of its geographical range in the Late Pleistocene. The Iberian Peninsula was the last European refuge for this cat. Six sites, the Naciekowa, Obok Wschodniej, Radochowska, and Wschodnia Caves from the Sudety Mountains and the Bisnik and Dziadowa Skala Caves from the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland, have documented the presence of the leopard in Poland between MIS 10/9 and MIS 3. These records are from rocky regions with rugged terrain and are located in the territory of Silesia (southern Poland). A newly obtained radiocarbon date (43-42 kyr) from the Radochowska Cave directly confirms the occurrence of P. pardus in the Sudety Mountains in the middle part of MIS 3

Prędkość charakterystyczna silnego wiatru do celów inżynierii wiatrowej

Eurocode standard recommends using fundamental basic wind velocity (characteristic velocity) as the design value in civil engineering. There are different approaches to estimate this value depending on the climate features of the given area and the quality of environmental data. The estimation of the characteristic value requires statistical analysis of historical data regarding wind velocities measured throughout the country at meteorological stations. The results of the analysis are probability density distributions of this random variable for each meteorological station. On this basis, values of characteristic wind velocity with a mean return period of 50 years are determined. The zones with uniform velocities are delineated on the map of the country. In the case of Poland the last evaluation of wind zones took place over 15 years ago. Higher quality of measurement data on the one hand, and the introduction of the second generation of Eurocode standards on the other hand, create a need to check and update these zones. This work presents theoretical basis for the estimation of characteristic values of random variables in the context of wind velocity, comprehensively reviews practical methods used for this purpose and summarizes current situation in Poland, finally discusses the issues related to the heterogeneity of wind data, illustrating them with an example.Eurokod zaleca stosowanie podstawowej bazowej prędkości wiatru (prędkości charakterystycznej) jako wartości projektowej w inżynierii lądowej. Istnieją różne metody szacowania tej wartości, zależne od cech klimatycznych danego obszaru oraz jakości rejestrowanych danych środowiskowych. Oszacowanie wartości charakterystycznej wymaga analizy statystycznej danych historycznych na temat prędkości wiatru mierzonej na stacjach meteorologicznych na terenie całego kraju. Wynikiem analizy jest rozkład gęstości prawdopodobieństwa i w konsekwencji wartość charakterystyczna prędkości wiatru w danej lokalizacji. W normach projektowych, przeważnie jest to prędkość o tzw. okresie powrotu wynoszącym 50 lat. Końcowym efektem jest wyznaczenie na mapie kraju stref o jednakowych prędkościach wiatru. W przypadku Polski ostatnia aktualizacja stref wiatrowych miała miejsce ponad 15 lat temu. Znacznie dłuższe okresy pomiarowe i dobra jakość danych rejestrowanych na stacjach w ostatnich latach oraz wprowadzenie w niedalekiej przyszłości drugiej generacji norm Eurokod stwarza potrzebę sprawdzenia tych stref i ewentualnej ich korekty. W pracy przedstawiono podstawy teoretyczne estymacji wartości charakterystycznych zmiennych losowych w kontekście prędkości wiatru, dokonano kompleksowego przeglądu praktycznych metod stosowanych w tym celu oraz podsumowano obecną sytuację w Polsce. Omówiono również zagadnienia związane z niejednorodności danych wiatrowych rejestrowanych na stacjach meteorologicznych, ilustrując je przykładem

Steppe brown bear Ursus arctos \u201cpriscus\u201d from the Late Pleistocene of Europe

The steppe brown bear U. a. \u201cpriscus\u201d is constant but not a common member of the Late Pleistocene paleocommunities. It is not distinct arctoid species, but a large brown bear ecomorph which lived in open environments. Instead to speleoid bears, which disappeared ca. 26-24 ka BP, arctoid bears, thanks to their ecological plasticity, were present in most of the European areas even during the cold phases. The size and diet of these bears were modified under the climate conditions and food availability. U. a. \u201cpriscus\u201d cannot be distinguished genetically, but it differs metrically and morphologically. It was a big sized form with enlarged and broad cheek teeth. Late Pleistocene brown bears, especially those lived before the LGM were more carnivorous than the Holocene and recent brown bear. The steppe brown bear survived till the beginning of the Holocene, where the last relict populations lived around the Baltic and the North Sea decreasing in size and merging genetically with widely distributed Eurasian populations of U. a. arctos

Chronostratigraphy of Jerzmanowician : new data from Koziarnia Cave, Poland

Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) industries are extremely scarce in Central Europe. Therefore, each LRJ site is of great importance. One of them is Koziarnia Cave in Poland situated eastwards relative to other LRJ sites. Our investigations of this cave provided new chronostratigraphic data for the LRJ industries. A detail debitage analysis recognised the ventral thinning chips and enabled identification of the LRJ assemblage-containing stratum. Besides the LRJ assemblage, strata with traces of Late Middle Palaeolithic and Early Gravettian occupation were found at the site. The radiocarbon dates of Koziarnia samples show that the archaeological settlement represents one of the oldest Gravettian stays north to the Carpathians. Moreover, these dates demonstrate that humans and cave bears had alternately occupied the cave. Additionally, the radiocarbon dates indicate relatively young chronology of the Jerzmanowician occupation in Koziarnia Cave (ca. 39-36 ky calBP). The results suggest the long chronology of the LRJ technocomplex, exceeding the Campanian Ignimbrite event.Cave siteMiddle/Upper Palaeolithic transition; Leafpoint industries; Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician; Early Gravettia