Palaeoenvironment in northern N orway between 22.2 and 14.5 cal. ka BP

The stratigraphy of lake E ndletvatn on northern A ndøya, northern N orway, has been revisited to improve the understanding of the palaeoenvironment in the region during the L ast G lacial M aximum ( LGM ). Four high‐quality cores were analysed with respect to various lithological parameters and macrofossil content, supplemented by 47 AMS radiocarbon dates. The sediments indicate a low‐energy environment with a mean sedimentation rate of 0.5 mm a −1 . We infer perennially frozen ground in the surroundings during the LGM . Climate proxies indicate a high arctic climate (i.e. J uly mean temperatures between 0 and 3° C ) throughout most of the LGM . The warmest periods are marked by a rise in seed, moss and animal fossils, and often also by higher organic production in the lake. These periods took place from 21.4 to 20.1, from 18.8 to 18.1, around 17 and from 16.4 cal. ka BP onwards. The shifts between the different climatic regimes occurred rapidly – probably during one or two decades. The present data do not support recently published conclusions stating that P icea , P inus and B etula pubescens grew on A ndøya during parts of the LGM . The highest relative sea level after the final deglaciation on northern A ndøya is bracketed between 36 and 38 m a.s.l. It occurred between 21.0 and 20.3 cal. ka BP , peaking around 20.7 cal. ka BP . The final deglaciation of the northern tip of A ndøya occurred 22.2 cal. ka BP . Then the western margin of the A ndfjorden ice stream receded to the K jølhaugen M oraine and shortly thereafter to the E ndleten M oraine. Our research confirms that northern A ndøya is a key location for understanding the natural environment in northwestern E urope during the LGM .