Sequential Stable Isotopes in Red Deer Tooth Enamel for Reconstructing Past Seasonality

Stable isotope analysis has become an essential tool for reconstructing past environments and understanding human‐animal interactions. The recent advances in sequential enamel isotope sampling now allow paleoclimate to be examined at seasonal resolution. This study applies a sequential sampling strategy of red deer (Cervus elaphus) molar enamel from stratified Late Pleistocene archaeological layers (~16,600‐13,400 cal BP) at Riparo Tagliente rockshelter (NE Italy) to generate high‐resolution isotopic records of environmental seasonality across the Late Glacial. By combining carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotope ratios in enamel carbonate from second and third molars, we distinguished between seasonal signals, with δ¹³C reflecting consistent C₃ plant diets in open woodland settings, and δ¹⁸O capturing complementary summer and winter conditions. Importantly, we developed a linear equation to translate intra‐tooth δ¹⁸O variation into reconstructed mean monthly air temperatures (MMT). This method reconstructed detailed climatic variability spanning the transition from the cold Greenland Stadial‐2.1a (e.g., ‐6.5 °C in winter) to the abrupt warming of Greenland Interstadial‐1 (e.g., 15 °C in summer). The results demonstrate that enamel isotope sequencing can yield fine‐grained seasonal paleoclimate data, providing a framework that complements dietary reconstructions and informs archaeological interpretations of human adaptation, mobility, and resilience in dynamic climatic contexts.