Spatial variation in the MRE throughout the Scottish Post-Roman to late Medieval period: North Sea values (500-1350 BP)

Russell, N., Cook, G. , Ascough, P.L. and Dugmore, A. (2010) Spatial variation in the MRE throughout the Scottish Post-Roman to late Medieval period: North Sea values (500-1350 BP). Radiocarbon, 52(3), pp. 1166-1181.

Abstract

The marine radiocarbon reservoir effect (MRE) occurs as a spatially and temporally dependent variable owing to localized changes in oceanic water composition. This study investigates ΔR values (deviations from the global average MRE whose ΔR = 0) during the period 500–1350 BP for the east coast of Scotland, where a complex estuarine system exists that drains into the semi-enclosed North Sea basin. Due to the availability of suitable archaeological samples, the data set has a distinct Medieval focus that spans the area from Aberdeen in the north to East Lothian in the south. Many of the ΔR values are not significantly different from 0 (the global average), but there are occasional excursions to negative values (max –172 ± 20) indicating the presence of younger water. These values show greater variability compared to other published data for this general region, suggesting that considerable care must be taken when dating marine derived samples from archaeological sites on the east coast of Scotland.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Cook, Professor Gordon and Ascough, Dr Philippa and Russell, Dr Nicola
• Authors: Russell, N., Cook, G., Ascough, P.L., and Dugmore, A.
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre
• Journal Name: Radiocarbon
• Publisher: University of Arizona
• ISSN: 0033-8222
• Published Online: 01 January 2010
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2010 Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona
• First Published: First published in Radiocarbon 52(3):116-1181
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License