Late Quaternary vegetation and climate of SE Europe–NW Asia according to pollen records in three offshore cores from the Black and Marmara seas

High-resolution pollen analyses were performed on two cores from the western Black Sea and one core Marmara Sea, covering Late Glacial-Holocene transition using 14C chronology. Particular effort was invested in botanical identification of grains thereby significantly improving our knowledge regional flora. When interpreted with respect to modern vegetation, records revealed all major changes caused by climatic fluctuations over last 20,000 years. The results this study provide evidence for occurrence relict thermophilous-hygrophilous trees (papillate Cupressaceae, Carya, Liquidambar, Zelkova) certain refugia up Holocene. Vegetation dynamics is specified some taxa (e.g. Cupressus–Juniperus, Fagus, Cedrus) ecosystems mesophilous forests, Mediterranean sclerophyllous populations, steppes). Pollen data enabled palaeoclimatic reconstructions which compared available estimates region. use a powerful ratio between ‘thermophilous steppe taxa’ led fruitful climatostratigraphic relationships oxygen isotope curve NGRIP core. Younger Dryas cooling at 8.2 ka are among most obvious phases identified three studied here.