In this paper, a record of the 14C and 13C isotope content of atmospheric CO2 for Gliwice is presented for samples collected on a weekly basis in the years 2011–2013. In addition, measurements were performed on the early and late wood from the annual rings of pine trees from five sites located 3–6 km from the atmospheric CO2 sampling point. The concentration of 14C in CO2 samples from the air was much lower relative to the concentration of this isotope in “clean air,” indicating a pronounce Suess effect, with a mean Δ14C lower by ca. 60‰ than Jungfraujoch data when the 15% of the highest differences are excluded, which leads to the FFCO2 estimate of 5.8%. In winter, the main source of fossil CO2 was fuel combustion, as confirmed by significant correlations with air pollutants. In the vegetation seasons, the Δ14C was highly variable due to biogenic influence and more variable winds. The isotopic results were also affected by an additional significant CO2 source for the Gliwice air, which was a closed mine shaft. The Δ14C and δ13C in tree rings did not record a strong Suess effect in the years 2008–2013 in woodland areas around Gliwice city.

The isotopic composition of oxygen in freshwater calcareous tufa seems to be a sensitive indicator of past climatic changes. Results of measurements of δc18O and δc13C in tufa samples dated with the 14C method are used to reconstruct Holocene climatic changes in southern Poland. Values of δc18O obtained on tufa samples from four sites (Raclawka, Rzerzuŝnia, Trzebienice, Sieradowice) representing different hydrodynamic conditions of tufa sedimentation seem to form a selfconsistent series. These values, with some simplifying assumptions concerning the course of tufa sedimentation, were therefore used to estimate mean annual temperatures in the interval ca. 9500-2000 yr B.P. When the resulting curve of thermal changes in southern Poland is compared with changes of deposition and erosion of tuffaceous sediments and with results of other methods of reconstruction of paleoclimate in central Europe, a reasonable agreement among the different specific methods is seen.

Southern Poland is home to numerous large mining and energy industry facilities, which consume relatively great amounts of fossil fuels. Temporal and spatial distribution of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere were estimated on the basis of 13C and 14C isotope measurements in atmospheric CO2 and in α-cellulose from pine tree rings. The Suess effect was evaluated in the atmospheric CO2 from the High Tatra Mountains (Kasprowy Wierch) and the urban area (Kraków), as well as in tree rings from Niepołomice Forest near Kraków. Two different models were used to estimate the emission component recorded in tree ring δ13C on the background of climatic changes.

Tree-ring samples were taken from a from a pine tree (Pinus pinea) growing in Villar de Peralonso, a rural area 50 km west of the city of Salamanca, Spain. All samples were processed to extract α-cellulose and the radiocarbon concentration in each annual ring was measured using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the University of Nagoya, Japan. The data set covers a growth period between 1979 and 2006, and represents the concentrations of 14C in a “clean area.” The average difference between 14C concentrations in Villar de Peralonso and NH zone 1 for the period 1979–1999 is 4.1 ± 1.3%. A sample was taken to obtain the reference level of 14C for the Iberian Peninsula, for a study of anthropogenic emission of CO2 in urban areas. As part of the initial study, 14C concentration data in tree rings from the city of Valladolid were used to recalculate the fossil fuel component (cfoss) using reference data from Villar de Peralonso.

A simplified model of hydrological changes during the Late Glacial and Holocene is presented for the northern Polish regions that were ice covered during the Last Glacial. This reconstruction is based on a group of 197 radiocarbon dates from about 120 localities reflecting the sequence of alternating lake transgressions and regressions. The earliest transgressions were related to dead-ice melting (sometimes in 2–3 phases), while the later ones started during more humid phases. However, these were usually followed by regressions, which may have been connected with the formation of new drainage systems and with the overgrowing of shallow lakes by peat bogs.

This article presents an application of a fixed-energy balance counting window in radiocarbon dating of geological peat samples. We determine a fixed-energy balance counting window with an inexpensive liquid scintillation counting ICELS system. We show long-term modern biosphere standard records that show stability sufficient for dating samples up to approximately 30,000 14C yr BP. We then compare our results to ones obtained previously using a Quantulus 1220™.

Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) for radiocarbon dating is a less expensive method than accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), provides a high degree of accuracy, and is less prone to contamination due to the larger sample sizes. However, to obtain high precision, a long counting time is needed. The Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory is seeking to obtain an increased counting capacity with 2–3 mL benzene samples than we presently can achieve with our 2 Quantulus systems. We are therefore investigating the possibility of using a simple, single-phototube LS system (ICELS) for dating samples younger than 5000 yr. We present the first results of this investigation, including the measurement of 3 VIRI and 3 FIRI intercomparison samples.

Archaeological excavations at the Syrian settlement of Tell Qaramel have been conducted since 1999. They are concentrated on remnants of the Protoneolithic and early stages of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period. The settlement has revealed an extremely rich collection of everyday use of flint, bone, and mostly stone objects, such as decorated chlorite or limestone vessels; shaft straighteners used to stretch wooden arrow shafts, richly decorated in geometrical, zoomorphic, and anthropomorphic patterns; as well as different kinds of stones, querns, mortars, pestles, grinders, polishing plates, celts, and adzes.

Excavations brought the discovery of 5 circular towers. Some 57 charcoal samples were collected during the excavations and dated in the GADAM Centre in Gliwice, Poland. The stratigraphy of the settlement and results of radiocarbon dating testify that these are the oldest such constructions in the world, older than the famous and unique tower in Jericho. They confirm that the Neolithic culture was formed simultaneously in many regions of the Near East, creating a farming culture and establishing settlements with mud and stone architecture and creating the first stages of a proto-urban being.

Santa Lucía is a pottery production site dating to the Formative period (about 1600 BC to AD 200). It is located in the Cochabamba valleys of the eastern Bolivian Andes. The settlement consists of a residential area and a separate workshop area. A peripheral sector of ash mounds was used as refuse sites and burial grounds. The excavations yielded a total of 16 radiocarbon samples from all 3 sectors, which were dated at the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory (Gliwice, Poland). The results from the deepest trench in the workshop sector (Trench 5) provide information for the stratigraphic sequence and help to define spatial and socioeconomic changes at around 600–500 BC with the beginning of the Late Formative or Santa Lucía III phase. The 14C dates from Santa Lucía, therefore, contribute to a better definition of the existing regional Formative period phases and finally to a better understanding of the processes during the Formative period in the south-central Andes.

Oxbow lake deposits of the Neris River at the Valakupiai site in Vilnius (Lithuania) have been studied by different methods including radiocarbon dating. A timescale was attained for the development of the oxbow lake and climatic events recorded in the sediments. 14C dates obtained for 24 samples cover the range 990–6500 BP (AD 580 to 5600 BC). Medieval human activity was found in the upper part of the sediments. Mollusk fauna found in the basal part of the terrace indicate contact between people living in the Baltic and the Black Sea basins. Mean rates were calculated for erosion of the river and for accumulation during the formation of the first terrace.

Carbonate binders from mortars and plasters as well as charcoal fragments sampled at the ancient settlement of Hippos (Sussita) have been subjected to radiocarbon dating by gas proportional counting (GPC) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Hippos is situated on the east coast of the Sea of Galilee (32°46′N, 35°39′E) at the top of a hill in the Golan Heights area, Israel. According to historical-archaeological data, the town had functioned since the 3rd century BC until AD 749, when it eventually crumbled into ruins after an earthquake. The appropriate sample selection and preparation based on the results of petrographic observations permitted us to distinguish different phases involved in the expansion of the settlement. More than 200 samples were taken from the settlement and subjected to petrographic and chemical analyses. Of the 200 total samples, about 20 were selected for dating. Here, we present the first 10 results of 14C dating carried out for Hippos. The oldest sample dated thus far gave an age corresponding with the 2nd century BC to 1st century AD—probably indicating an old Roman temple, on the base of which the North-West church (NWC) was later erected. The next dates extend up to the 8th century AD, the age related to the last phase of settlement inhabitation. Research is continuing as new excavations take place.

New records of δ13C and Δ14C values in annual rings of pine and oak from different sites around the world were obtained with a time resolution of 1 yr. The results obtained for Europe (Poland), east Asia (Japan), and South America (Peru) are presented in this paper. The δ13C and radiocarbon concentration of α-cellulose from annual tree rings of pine and of the latewood of oak were measured by both accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and liquid scintillation spectrometry (LSC). The values of 14S, which represent decreasing 14C concentrations caused by the emission of CO2 from fossil fuel use (Suess effect; Suess 1955), were calculated for each site. Low average 14S (about −0.4 to 0.8%) values for clean areas and high values (about 3.4–3.6%) for industrial and/or urbanized areas were noted. Records of the δ13C values obtained for pine and oak from Poland were used to reconstruct climate changes during the last 400 yr. The results clearly indicate the climate cooling during the periods of the Maunder minimum (1645–1715) and the Dalton minimum (1790–1820). The anti-correlation between the δ13C and Δ14C records during those 2 periods is clear if the 14C record is shifted toward older ages by 24 yr.

The ongoing Ychsma Project aims to shed light on the chronology and function of the late Prehispanic period at the well-known archaeological site of Pachacamac, Peru, through extensive archaeological research. The Temple of the Monkey is a special building that has been cleared, mapped, and excavated within the general framework of the study of “pyramids with ramps,” the most common form of monumental architecture at the site. Through the application of radiocarbon measurements, it can be shown that the temple has been used for around 150 yr and therefore is quite different from other pyramids with ramps previously studied (see Michczyński et al. 2003). Details of the temple, 14C sample selection, and methodology, as well as results, are discussed in this paper. The research has allowed us to make significant advances in the current understanding of pyramids with ramps and the function of the site of Pachacamac as a whole.

Large sets of radiocarbon dates of 1019 peat, 155 speleothem, and 100 tufa samples, as well as dates of 330 fluvial samples, were investigated in order to estimate environmental variability during the last 16,000 calendar years in Poland. All 14C dating was carried out in the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory, and results are stored in the RoS database. Probability density functions (PDFs) were created by summing up (on the calendar timescale) individual age probability distributions of all dates for different types of material and for different regions of Poland. We used an updated version of the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory calibration program GdCALIB. The 14C dates were calibrated using the IntCal04 calibration curve (Reimer et al. 2004), and results were compared with other paleoenvironmental records. The authors conclude that analyzing PDFs of different types of sediments can be helpful in the qualitative reconstruction of the past environment. The PDF for peat samples primarily reflects paleohydrological conditions; the PDFs for speleothem and tufa samples reflect changes in temperature and humidity, while analysis of the PDF created for fluvial data is in a general agreement with the PDFs constructed for peat samples.

New results of radiocarbon concentration in tree rings from the Kraków region covering a growth period of 20 yr have been analyzed, and the relationship between them and 14C concentrations in the atmospheric CO2 are described. This enabled assessment of the uptake period for pine trees at the regional climatic conditions. Both sets of data show lower 14C concentrations than reported for “clean air” at the reference station, indicating a remarkable input of “dead” CO2 of fossil fuel origin. Using data of carbon dioxide and 14C concentrations from Schauinsland, summer values of the fossil component (Cf) in carbon dioxide were calculated for the Kraków area. Fitting exponential and linear functions to experimental data, the exchange time was calculated, and expected future 14C concentration in the atmosphere was estimated.

Carbon isotopes are widely used as indicators in the study of atmospheric CO2 variability in space and time. Preliminary results are part of a project investigating 13C and 14C concentration changes during the last 150 yr in Poland, both in industrial and ecologically clean regions, using annual tree rings (Pinus sylvestris, Populus nigra). The results describe the local Suess effect recorded in the industrial Kraków and Upper Silesia regions compared to changes of background radiocarbon concentration caused by global human activity in a “clean region,” Augustów Wilderness. The δ13C record also shows the influence of the local Suess effect.

Mesolithic sites in modern Poland are mainly located in the southern part of the country. Radiocarbon dating of organic material, such as charcoals, wood, and peat, provide a time frame of human settlements in those regions, and dating of speleothems and peat formations provide information on climatic conditions and the timing of climatic change in the region. Here, we present the results of calibrated 14C ages from 3 main Mesolithic sites: Glanów, Chwalim, and Całowanie. Summary probability density distributions of the calendar ages were obtained, and time ranges were ascribed to the cultures in conjunction with archaeological information. These distributions also reveal the changes in human settlement.

We report on a statistical analysis of a large set of radiocarbon dates for reconstruction of paleoclimate. Probability density functions were constructed by summing the probability distributions of individual 14C dates. Our analysis was based on 2 assumptions: 1) The amount of organic matter in sediments depends on paleogeographical conditions; 2) The number of 14C-dated samples is proportional to the amount of organic matter deposited in sediments in the examined time intervals. We quantified how many dates are required to give statistically reliable results. As an example, 785 peat dates from Poland were selected. The dates encompassed the Holocene and Late Glacial period. All dates came from the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory. Results were compared with other paleoenvironmental records. Detailed analysis of the frequency distributions showed that preferential sampling plays an important part in the shape determination. The general rule to take samples from locations where visible changes of sedimentation are apparent (e.g. from the top and the bottom of the peat layer) results in narrow peaks in the probability density function near the limits of the Holocene subdivision.

Pachacamac, covering an area of about 600 hectares (ha) near the Pacific shore, is one of the largest and most important archaeological sites in Peru. Most of the monumental adobe-made buildings of the later pre-Inca period (or Late Intermediate Period, about 10th–15th century AD) are so-called pyramids with ramps (the role of the ramps has been interpreted in different ways). Precise dating of the pyramids appears as a crucial step in defining the functions of Pachacamac in pre-Inca times. In this paper, we present the results obtained from 3 field campaigns at Pyramid III, one of the biggest buildings of the site. A total of 24 radiocarbon datasets from 4 different laboratories will help us to place the various steps of development of Pyramid III on a timescale, defined on the basis of the excavations. More absolute dates are available from another pyramid with ramps, which allow us to make comparisons and propose a new model of interpretation for the Pachacamac site during the Late Intermediate Period (LIP).

Radiocarbon concentration measurements in tree rings from Upper Silesia indicate significantly lower 14C concentration as compared to the concentrations occurring in “clean air” areas. This phenomenon is known as the Suess effect and is caused by contamination with inactive carbon that originates from fossil fuels combustion. This effect is observed in large urban and industrial areas. Samples for the measurements presented in the paper were collected in some of the largest cities in Upper Silesia: Gliwice, Ruda Śląska, and Chorzów. The samples were annual tree rings (Populus nigra, Pinus silvestris) covering years 1965–1992 and the atmospheric CO2 collected weekly between December 1994 and December 1995.