Dear Dr. Ehlert and co-authors,

I had sent your revised manuscript again to both referees of the first round to seek their opinion whether you have addressed their concerns well enough to make the paper acceptable. I did so because you clearly had responded thoroughly to all referee comments but often seemed reluctant to modify the manuscript accordingly. However, both referees are satisfied with the way the revised manuscript has turned out. I am therefore pleased to accept it for publication in Climate of the Past.

Thank you for choosing Climate of the Past as a venue to publish your results and for preparing your material so meticulously.

I would also like to specifically thank the two referees for providing their valuable expert comments and judgement twice!

With kind regards,
Thorsten Kiefer