The regional loess stratigraphy in the Vojvodina region, in the southeastern Carpathian
Basin, has often been successfully correlated to the global palaeoclimate. This is
a quasi-continuous sedimentary record that provides detailed environmental reconstruction
during the last four glacial/interglacial cycles. In this study, we present a standardized
loess stratigraphy and illustrate how it correlates with the marine oxygen isotope
and Chinese loess stratigraphical records. We argue that the loess stratigraphy in
Vojvodina region is an important link in the integration of European terrestrial stratigraphical
schemes and the deep-sea stratigraphical model. We highlight how the loess record
can better illustrate terrestrial environmental change through multiple glacial cycles
than other records, such as glacial records. The investigated loess record enables
direct links to be made between the loess sediments and their glacial sources. This
reveals evidence of glaciations during every glacial cycle of the Saalian Stage complex,
equivalent to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 10, 8 and 6. Therefore, Serbian loess has
the potential to provide a direct link between terrestrial glaciations and wider records
of global climate change, which is an enigma for many other continental records. These
loess records display a strong relationship with the intensity of European glaciations
during different glacial cycles. Loess sedimentation rates are highest in the most
intensive European glaciation of the Saalian complex (MIS 6) and much lower during
the weaker ?missing? glaciations equivalent to MIS 8 and 10. A key observation from
the Vojvodina loess is the gradual increase in interglacial aridity through the late
Middle Pleistocene. The explanation for the progressively increasing aridity in the
investigated region at this time is still unclear. However, this trend is consistent
with the idea of the Saalian complex as representing a 400?ka mega glacial cycle modulated
by shorter classic 100?ka glacial cycles.
