A Tree-Ring Chronology and Paleoclimate Record for the Younger Dryas-Early Holocene Transition from Northeastern North America

Abstract: Spruce and tamarack logs dating from the Younger Dryas and Early Holocene (YDEH; approx. 12.9 – 11.3k cal a BP) were found at Bell Creek in the Lake Ontario lowlands of the Great Lakes region, North America. A 211-year tree-ring chronology dates to approx. 11 755 -11 545 cal a BP, across the YDEH transition. A 23-year period of higher year-to-year ring-width variability dates to around 11 650 cal a BP, infers strong regional climatic perturbations and may represent the end of the YD. Tamarack…