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Paleolimnology is a rapidly expanding field within the natural sciences. To date, many scientific papers have been published focusing on studies of remains from single sediment cores in specific lakes, or a few cores from the same water body. However, few previous publications have provided a comprehensive comparative analysis of taphocenosis (and maternal community) changes in different water bodies from a large geographical region during whole Holocene using multivariate statistical methods. We conducted a joined statistical analysis of data obtained as a result of the cladoceran analysis of the sediment samples from six cores taken along the North-South transect from the Kola Peninsula to the Karelian Region (North-West Russia). Our aim was to identify, based on quantitative statistical methods, general whole-Holocene patterns in cladoceran taphocenosis changes. All taphocenoses in all cores from six lakes can be classified into six clusters based on their species composition. Our unexpected conclusion is that different taphocoenoses are formed by the same set of species, but their proportions vary significantly. This suggests that the same species may play different functional roles in different maternal communities. During whole Holocene, we observed a single taphocenosis cluster in the Holocene core from Lake Antyukh-Lambina, and four taphocenosis clusters in the Lake Medvedevskoe, with an intermediate number of clusters in the lakes between them. Furthermore, it can be asserted that the potential for cluster changes in the core is greater for the more southern studied water bodies (0–3 clusters for northern lakes vs. 4 clusters for southern lakes). Based on our data, we hypothesize that the diversity of cladoceran associations during the Holocene was lower in Arctic/Subarctic lakes, possibly due to their formation by ubiquitous species. Our study suggests that at least some Arctic lake ecosystems have remained unchanged since deglaciation times. Further studies are necessary to determine if this is a general rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractLa Esmeralda is a group of Donax hanleyanus shell middens (A, B, and C) located on the Uruguayan Atlantic coast dating to the late Holocene. This paper analyzes the vertebrate remains recovered during the excavation of shell midden A. The remains were taxonomically and anatomically identified, and quantified using NISP (number of identified specimens), MNI (minimum number of individuals), MNE (minimum number of elements), and MAU (minimum animal units). Additionally, bone surfaces were examined to identify anthropogenic and natural modifications. Several vertebrate species, including marine (pinnipeds, birds, fish) and terrestrial (deer, armadillos), were captured, processed, and consumed at the site. La Esmeralda can be chronologically linked to other coastal and inland sites located near the coast, which together reflect diverse forms of landscape occupation and various economic, domestic, and ritual activities. Collectively, these settlements show a sustained use of the Atlantic coast–grassland ecotone during the late Holocene, possibly within a coastal–inland mobility circuit. The significance of coastal and continental resources in this region has been discussed for over two decades. Although isotopic studies of human remains suggests that marine resources did not play a significant role in the diet, the material record shows the simultaneous exploitation of both types of resources. This work provides new information to continue enriching this discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of comprehensive (microprobe, paleomagnetic and magnetic) studies on peats from the Tyapka peat section (Russian Far East). Radiocarbon dating placed the start of peat formation at ∼11.7 ky B.P. The principle carriers of magnetization were found to be magnetite, to a lesser extent hematite and, possibly, greigite. The relative paleointensity values obtained through calculations are in good agreement with the literature data. Intervals with negative inclinations of the magnetization vector were identified in peats, which most likely correspond to geomagnetic excursions in the Holocene. The research constrained the duration of the geomagnetic excursions, as well as the geomagnetic field intensity behavior not typical for such variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deltas and coastal plains worldwide developed under the influence of relative sea level rise (RSLR) during the Holocene. In the Netherlands, Holocene RSLR results from both regional sea-level rise and regional subsidence patterns, mainly caused by glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA: Scandinavian forebulge collapse) and longer-term North Sea Basin tectono-sedimentary subsidence. Past coastal and inland water levels are preserved in geological indicators marking the gradual drowning of an area, for example basal peats. Such geological water-level indicators have been used in the Netherlands for varying types of research. However, uniform overviews of these data exist only for smaller local subsets and not for the entire Netherlands. In this paper we present a data set of 712 Holocene water-level indicators from the Dutch coastal plain that are relevant for studying RSLR and regional subsidence, compiled in HOLSEA workbook format. This format was expanded to allow for registering basal-peat type geological indicators, documenting Dutch-setting specific parameters and accompanying uncertainties, to assess indicative meaning, and to appropriately correct the raw vertical positions of the indicators. Overall, our new, internally consistent, expanded documentation provided for the water-level indicators encourages users to choose the information relevant for their research and report RSLR uncertainties transparently. From the indicators, 59 % was collected in 1950–2000, mainly in academic studies and survey mapping campaigns; 37 % was collected in 2000–2020 in academic studies and archaeological surveying projects, 4 % was newly collected (this study), the latter mainly in previously under sampled central and northern Netherlands regions. Prominent regional differences exist in the vertical position and abundance of the indicators. Older indicators in our data set are mostly located in the deeper seaward area of the Netherlands. These indicators correspond well with previous transgression reconstructions, that are partly based on the same data. The younger, landwards set of indicators in the Rhine-Meuse central and Flevoland regions corresponds with the transgression phase reaching further inland, from 8000 cal. BP onwards. Northern indicators of Middle Holocene age (8–5 ka cal. BP), in general lie 2–3 meters lower compared to those in the south. For younger data this difference is less, showing spatial and temporal variation in RSLR throughout the Netherlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The palaeofauna of the Quaternary is mostly known from the mammals' record, while the herpetofauna is less represented. In the same way, in northeastern Argentina reptile fossils records are scarce, usually represented by preliminary communications. This paper focuses on the study of herpetofauna remains from the Isla El Disparito archaeological site. The faunal materials collected at the site revealed an increase in taxonomic diversity related to the Quaternary herpetofauna in the IED site, with over 50% of the bone remains represented by anurans and at least six recognized squamates taxa. The purpose of this study is to properly identify these new records of herpetofauna remains from northeastern Argentina during the Holocene as well as to provide a dichotomous key of postcranial remains for identifying extant squamates taxa in other Quaternary sites from Argentina. The identified squamate assemblage includes the lizard Ophiodes sp., the snake families Typhlopidae, Dipsadidae, Viperidae and undetermined colubroids, along with anuran bone remains (Anura indet. and ?Hylidae). Additionally, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the herpetological assemblage in Argentina, providing insights into the composition of South American squamates during the Quaternary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the future of education, especially the future changes in education and the people that will occupy the field. What kind of people are we educating for the future? To answer this question, I will analyze the Deleuzo-Guattarian concept of people-yet-to-come by taking into account the new perception and explanation of time and space as well as the context of the Anthropocene. In the empirical part, interviews with experts from non-educational fields are used to discuss time and space in education. Statements about the new features of people in the future reveal the picture of the future of education in the eyes of the experts and its correspondence to theoretical considerations and prognoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea-level rise was a key factor changing environments during the Early Holocene in Northwest Europe. It affected Mesolithic hunter-gatherer communities by inundating large areas in the current North Sea, commonly referred to as Doggerland. In this paper we present novel inundation models for the southern North Sea providing visualisations of lateral inundation driven by sea-level rise and relate it to frequency analysis of radiocarbon dates from archaeological sites. These improve on previous studies that relied on bathymetric data, which includes post-inundation overprints of Holocene sedimentation and erosion, and thus significantly underestimates the timing of inundation in some areas. We constructed a paleoDEM (a composite elevation grid of the top of the Pleistocene) for the eastern part of the southern North Sea; and sea level surfaces that combine relative sea-level curves from glacio-isostatic adjustment models optimised for Britain and southern Scandinavia respectively. We corrected our paleoDEMs for tectonic background basin subsidence, and in the inundation modelling account for pre-compaction elevation of peat in coastal areas. We evaluated the impact of these model components on our results and describe the possible inundation history of Doggerland. We suggest earlier inundation than predicted by previous models, showing significant area loss around 10.5–10 ka cal BP. Palaeogeographic changes are compared with archaeological radiocarbon data using a dates-as-data approach. Composite Kernel Density Estimate and permutation tested Summed Probability Distributions are used as a proxy for the visibility, nature and intensity of human activity. Results indicate key periods of growth and decline recorded in the dataset, as well as regional differences in growth rate, some correlating with inundation phases. Chiefly, we find elevated growth rates around 10.5–10 ka in northwest Germany and the Netherlands, contemporaneous with the abovementioned phase of extensive area loss, and moreover, with changes in culture and practices on Early Mesolithic sites. However, the spatiotemporal distribution of archaeological data is significantly influenced by accessibility and preservation of sediments of a certain age. We discuss the importance of inundation modelling and sediment data in understanding how landscape taphonomy affects archaeological patterning, especially in dates-as-data approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an exploratory study on the taxonomic diversity of pre-Hispanic archaeofaunas in the South-Central Andes (SCA; western South America) from the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary to the Late-Holocene. The SCA is a complex of diverse environments and has undergone distinct climate events for the last 13,000 years, such as the occurrence of warmer and drier conditions in the Middle-Holocene. The South-Central Andean area was part of the larger Andes interaction area, which was a primary center for animal and plant domestication and the emergence of agro-pastoralist economies. Since subsistence was key to these processes, the SCA provides a relevant case study on the interactions among environment, foodways and sociocultural evolution. Taxonomic diversity was used here as a proxy for diet breadth. A total of 268 archaeofaunal assemblages were sampled from the zooarchaeological literature. Reviewed variables included the cultural chronology and spatial coordinates of the assemblages, as well as the presence and abundance of taxa at the family rank. Taxonomic diversity covered two dimensions: composition (families present in each assemblage) and structure (quantitative relationships among taxa), which was measured through richness (NTAXA), ubiquity and relative abundance (NISP based rank-order). Despite the uneven distribution of samples, the analyses revealed the following trends: (1) a moderate relationship between NTAXA and distance from coastline for most of the Holocene; (2) a potential decrease in assemblage richness for coastal ecoregions during the Late-Holocene; and (3) a generalized increase in the relative abundance of Camelidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of archaeological proxy records representative of population dynamics is paramount for a richer understanding of prehistoric cultural change, but its use require a dialectic assessment between proximate climatic drivers and ultimate cultural responses. Focusing on the Stone Age archaeological record of Western Norway (11,500–4300 cal. BP), this paper presents an exhaustive empirical curation and statistical testing between changing climates and demographic responses among coastal hunter-fisher-gatherers. The results connect long-term demographic fluctuations with changes in annual mean temperatures and seasonality and the results are discussed in relation changes in technology, subsistence and mobility. The paper also highlights the process of population decline and cultural loss towards the end of the Late Mesolithic (ca. 7000–6000 cal. BP) and emerging cultural novelties and population re-growth during the Early and Middle Neolithic (ca. 6000–4300 cal. BP). However, despite its strong correlation, the archaeological record of Western Norway lacks sufficient detail to ascribe an exclusive explanatory role to climate change, especially in episodes of significant population decline. This helps to emphasise that changing climates, while evidently central, form but a part of a larger system of interactions leading to demographic fluctuations and cultural change, the substantiation of which requires significant empirical improvements to the archaeological record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is a useful geochemical technique employed to explore toolstone procurement strategies in the lithic record, commonly utilized in sourcing obsidians. Non-obsidian volcanic toolstones (e.g., dacites, rhyolites, basalts, and andesites) are abundant in interior Alaskan assemblages yet understudied compared to obsidian. Geochemical analyses of these non-obsidian materials offer the potential to gain new insights into ancient toolstone provisioning behaviors. This paper presents a synthesis of geochemical (pXRF) analyses of rhyolite artifacts, systematic regional raw material surveys, and lithic technological analyses collected from nineteen late Pleistocene and Holocene assemblages from the Nenana valley, interior Alaska. Previous research studies on archaeological rhyolites from the region are replicated, new rhyolite artifact groups are identified, and one new rhyolite source is reported and described here. Ultimately, this paper contributes to a growing body of geochemical research seeking to provide a more nuanced look at the complex late Pleistocene and Holocene record of eastern Beringia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a new high-resolution (up to decadal) palaeoecological evidence based on detailed AMS radiocarbon dating, plant macrofossils, testate amoebae, loss on ignition, peat humification, elemental and stable isotopic records, obtained from a palsa peatland located in vicinities of Igarka town. This gave us a unique possibility to examine the mid-to late Holocene environmental changes in a poorly investigated area in Yenisei Siberia. The obtained data show that the peatland initiation occurred at about 6350 cal yr BP by paludification of a larch forest in the conditions of climate warming and high surface wetness, possibly, due to permafrost thaw. The first sign of palsa formation occurred about 5360 cal yr BP and coincided with the temperature decrease, wetter and anoxic conditions in peatland. After several phases of uplifts (and relatively dryer conditions) and partial thawing and subsidence of its surface (wetter conditions) between 5360 and 2250 cal yr BP, the continuous rise of the perennial frost mound (up to the height of 5 m) accomplished by drying its surface and colonization by drought-resistant plant species, evidently, encouraged by the climate cooling and permafrost aggradation during the last two millennia. The high-resolution analyses of elemental (C and N) and stable isotope content (δ13C and δ15N) of the peat sequence revealed the strong linkages between the plant composition and mineralization/humification processes. Our multi-proxy study revealed detailed features of peat accumulation patterns driven by multiple interrelated allogenic and autogenic forcings, influencing changes in peat macroelement content and stable isotope composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on results of bathymetric and seismoacoustic studies of the shelf in the western part of Peter the Great Bay. Five flooded coastlines, formed in the Late Pleistocene–Holocene, were revealed on the shelf. It was found that a significant part of the shelf is occupied by a zone of irregular sedimentation. This zone is underlain by an erosion surface buried under sediments of ebb–flood tidal deltas in the areas of active sedimentation and is exposed on the seafloor within the area of active modern erosion. The abrasion and formation of the irregular sedimentation zone on the shelf intensified about 11 500–11 700 years ago. Acoustic anomalies, associated with gas occurrences in sediments and gas plumes in the water column, were recorded on the shelf of the bay. Types of anomalies were classified, and a map of their areal distribution was compiled. It is concluded that the trigger mechanism that provides gas migration into sediments and to the water column is associated with a group of factors: the change of the postglacial sea level and abrasion processes, as well as the meteorological and hydrological regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore and integrate different currencies that may underlie large-game hunting to guide a trans-Holocene analysis of variation in artiodactyl utilization using massive archaeofaunal data-sets from predominantly open-air sites from the Bonneville and Wyoming basins. The available empirical data continue to suggest that artiodactyls yield consistently higher return rates than lagomorphs allowing us to leverage predictions from both the prey choice and energetic risk-gain models that the relative importance of artiodactyl hunting should scale closely with climate-based change in their abundance on the landscape. We document with modeled climate data that seasonal variables correlated with the relative frequency of artiodactyl hunting, but that summer temperature had a significant overriding effect in both regions. Controlling for the negative relationship between summer temperature and artiodactyl abundances, we then document enhanced artiodactyl hunting in general and bison more specifically during the Fremont period that is consistent with a costly signaling hypothesis and the unique socio-ecological conditions of this context. Thus, climatic variation and its influence on artiodactyl abundances drives the overall trajectory of Holocene large game hunting variation but measurable and more subtle influences of costly signaling are also detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents new paleobotanical data in combination with the results of radiocarbon dating obtained from organomineral deposits of the northern shore of Pechevalavato Lake (70°13′22.3″ N, 71°50′57.6″ E) in the Seyakha River basin and characterizing the dynamics of vegetation in the northern part of Central Yamal in the Holocene. It has been shown that a tree birch (Betula sect. Betula) grew in Yamal in the early Holocene (10.2–8.7 cal kyr BP) no less than 400 km north of the modern northern limit of distribution of Betula pubescens ssp. tortuosa. Favorable conditions for the existence of birch woodlands at this time were provided by a higher temperature of the growing season, exceeding the modern parameters of the warmest month of the summer season by approximately 3–4°C. At the end of the early Holocene (after 8.5 cal kyr BP), forest vegetation began to degrade, and open landscapes with diverse plant communities of the subarctic tundra and single trees in the river valley spread. About 6.5 cal kyr BP, the northern subarctic tundra began to form the zonal appearance of the study area in climatic conditions close to modern ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wellington Range region, in far Northern Australia, provides a remarkable record of cultural encounter. Cathedral‐sized rock art galleries include contact imagery referencing Macassan and European visitors while lithic artefact assemblages echo social mobility between Indigenous groups occurring from at least the mid Holocene period. In this paper, we continue the trajectory of archaeological research in this region by examining community entanglement over the longue durée, focusing on the Mayarnjarn rock‐shelter complex. Specifically, and following advice from traditional custodians, the authors complement archaeological excavation results with reflections on interactions between Traditional Mawng speaking Owners and archaeologists occurring during the 2016 and 2018 field seasons. This paper provides a cultural chronology built around both OSL and radiocarbon dates, a first for the region, indicating site activities dating from the terminal Pleistocene. An increase in exotic artefacts and presence of paintings belonging to a pan‐Arnhem land rock art tradition suggests widening social networks during the Holocene. Insight into the nuanced nature of interactions, also the role of animate objects as relationship referents, emerge through ethnography and experience as the field season unfolds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even over relatively recent epochs, galaxies have evolved significantly in their location in the mass–metallicity plane, which must be telling us something about the latter stages of galaxy evolution. In this paper, we analyse data from the LEGA-C survey using semi-analytic spectral and photometric fitting to determine these galaxies' evolution up to their observed epoch at z ∼ 0.7. We confirm that, at z ∼ 0.7, many objects already lie on the present-day mass–metallicity relation, but with a significant tail of high-mass low-metallicity galaxies that is not seen in the nearby Universe. Similar modelling of the evolution of galaxies in the nearby MaNGA survey allows us to reconstruct their properties at z ∼ 0.7. Once selection criteria similar to those of LEGA-C are applied, we reassuringly find that the MaNGA galaxies populate the mass–metallicity plane in the same way at z ∼ 0.7. Matching the LEGA-C sample to their mass–metallicity 'twins' in MaNGA at this redshift, we can explore the likely subsequent evolution of individual LEGA-C galaxies. Galaxies already on the present-day mass–metallicity relation form few more stars and their discs fade, so they become smaller and more bulge-like. By contrast, the high-mass low-metallicity galaxies grow their discs through late star formation, and evolve rapidly to higher metallicities due to a cut-off in their wind-driven mass-loss. There are significant indications that this late cut-off is associated with the belated end of strong active galactic nucleus activity in these objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope data obtained for two cores of bottom sediments taken in the Oga and Tsivolki bays of Severny Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The studied sequence of sediments from Oga Bay has accumulated over the last thousand years. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio decreases from top to bottom down the section from 0.72225 to 0.71995, the value of εNd varies from –6.1 to –5.5. The Pb isotopic composition varies within narrow limits: the 206Pb/204Pb ratio from 19.107 to 19.139, the 207Pb/204Pb ratio from 15.632 to 15.635, and the 208Pb/204Pb ratio from 38.568 to 38.635. A rapid decrease in the 87Sr/86Sr ratio at a relatively stable neodymium and lead isotope composition indicates a change in the source of the clastic material. This can be explained by the fact that the material of the destruction of Permian clay shales, and then Devonian–Silurian sedimentary carbonates, first entered the area of glacier abrasion and further, respectively, into the sedimentation zone. The sediment column from Tsivolki Bay was formed over a little more than 10 000 years. Based on the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope ratios, these bottom sediments are divided into lower and upper parts: before and after 150 cm (or ~3500 years). In the lower part of the column, the 87Sr/86Sr ratio increases from 0.72055 to 0.72580, the value of εNd remains approximately the same and varies around –8.2. In the upper part, the 87Sr/86Sr ratio drops to 0.72049 in the near-surface layer; at the same time, the value of εNd increases to –6.4. At the boundary of these two units, the 206Pb/204Pb ratio abruptly changes from about 18.0 in the lower part to 19.3 in the upper part and 208Pb/204Pb from about 36.5 in the lower part to 38.7 in the upper part of the section. The change in the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotope characteristics is likely a reflection of changes in the composition of the rocks in the area where the basin was removed, which is now being eroded by the glacier. Comparison with modern sources supplying clastic material to the Kara Sea showed that the material is supplied to the Oga and Tsivolki bays only from Novaya Zemlya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indus Delta plays an important role in the archaeology of the northern coast of the Arabian Sea. Little was known of this region until a few decades ago. The first surveys were carried out in the 1970s and were resumed by the present author in the 2010s. They have shown the great potential of the area for the interpretation of sea-level rise and its related human settlement between the beginning of the Holocene and the Hellenistic period. In this territory, several limestone terraces rise from the alluvial plain of the River Indus, which were islands in prehistoric and early historic times. Many archaeological artefacts, along with marine and mangrove shells, have been recovered from their surface and radiocarbon dated. These discoveries help us to follow the events that took place in the region in well-defined periods and interpret some aspects of the prehistoric coastal settlement in relation to the advance of the Indus Fan and the retreat of the Arabian Sea. The following questions are addressed in this paper: who settled these islands, when and why? During which prehistoric periods were mangrove and marine environments exploited? And what were the cultural characteristics of the communities that seasonally or permanently settled some of the present 'rocky outcrops'? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bog deposits that have existed for many thousands of years are valuable sources of information about changes in the Earth's climate in the past. One of the possible reasons for the change in the Earth's climate is the variations in solar radiation coming to the Earth's surface, due to the change in time of solar activity (SA). Thus, during the Little Ice Age (LIA), the well-known SA minima, the Spörer, Maunder, and Dalton minima, took place. This paper considers a possible relationship between changes in the growth rate of bog sediments and SA variations. In particular, it is shown that the decrease in the growth rate of bog deposits in the first millennium BC may be the result of a decrease in SA, which caused cooling on the Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climatic fluctuations and geological events since the LGM are believed to have significantly impacted the population size, distribution, and mobility of many species that we observe today. In this paper, we determined the processes driving the phylogeographic structure of the Korean endemic white forsythia by combining the use of genome‐wide SNPs and predicting paleoclimatic habitats during the LGM (21 kya), Early Holocene (10 kya), Mid‐Holocene (6 kya), and Late Holocene (3 kya). Using a maximum of 1897 SNPs retrieved from 124 samples across nine wild populations, five environmental predictors, and the species' natural occurrence records, we aimed to infer the species' demographic history and reconstruct its possible paleodistributions with the use of approximate Bayesian computation and ecological niche models, respectively. Under this integrated framework, we found strong evidence for patterns of range shift and expansion, and population divergence events from the onset of the Holocene, resulting in the formation of its five distinct genetic units. The most highly supported model inferred that after the split of an ancestral population into the southern group and a larger central metapopulation lineage, the latter gave rise to the eastern and northern clusters, before finally dividing into two sub‐central groups. While the use of molecular data allowed us to identify and refine the (phylo)genetic relationships of the species' lineages and populations, the use of ecological data helped us infer a past LGM refugium and the directions of post‐glacial range dynamics. The time frames of these demographic events were shown to be congruent with climatic and geological events that affected the central Korean Peninsula during these periods. These findings gave us a better understanding of the consequences of past spatiotemporal factors that may have resulted in the current fragmented population distribution of this endangered plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of disarticulated ossicles of recent sea cucumbers from Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from various Holocene strata, obtained by micropaleontological methods, resulted in the identification of at least eight holothurian taxa, belonging to the five of the seven orders of Holothuroidea: Apodida (Synaptidae, Chiridotidae), Dendrochirotida (Psolidae and Cucumariidae), Holothuriida (Holothuria), and Molpadiida (Molpadiidae, Eupyrgidae). Our paper endorses the importance of studies of recent fauna based on isolated ossicles for taxonomy, biostratigraphy, and ecology. This study represents the first effort at the study of recent fauna of sea cucumbers based on the analysis of preserved ossicles in marine sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We further support the development of adaptation pathways for the future directions for water management in light of expected climate changes (Finlayson I et al i ., [9]; Gell I et al i ., [17]), being aware that the Australasian chapter in the recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Lawrence I et al i ., [32]) has drawn attention to the difficulties that may arise with water sharing in the basin. ([4]) advocate with confidence that Lake Alexandrina must be kept fresh (as defined by Lester I et al., i [33], presumably) for the foreseeable future, as it was ever thus. ([4]) paper, as it was in similar advocacy papers and reports emerging from South Australia (Fluin I et al i ., [12]; Sim & Muller, [38]; Tibby I et al i ., [42]; and even Chiew I et al i ., [5]; who despite noting the records of the "mid-basin cores [are] indicative of intermediate salinity" [[5], p. 24], conclude that the lake was "largely fresh"). Maybe too, the father of Australian coastal geomorphology, Prof. Eric Bird, was misguided when he wrote in 1962 'After winter rains, and particularly after flooding in the Murray valley, the lakes became I almost fresh i , but in drought periods the reduction in freshwater inflow led to invasion of the lakes by sea water, and I high levels of salinity i were attained' (Bird, [3], p. 204). [Extracted from the article]

Humanity's relationship with the environment during the Holocene, and into the Anthropocene, is structured around our dependance on agricultural production, which has resulted in risk mitigation strategies that include intensive landscape modifications, among other tactics. However, to understand broader patterns of human resilience and the shifts in human/environment relationships, we need to look further back in time. Through this paper, we explore cultural strategies of risk management and resilience in pre-Holocene communities and how these practices allowed hunter-gatherer communities to adapt to a changing environment. For over 1000 years, the Epipalaeolithic site of Kharaneh IV was a focal point on the landscape for hunter-gatherer groups, acting as an aggregation site for Early and Middle Epipalaeolithic peoples. Located in the eastern desert of Jordan, at the time of occupation the site was a lush wetland surrounded by a rich grassland environment, providing abundant food and other resources for the site's occupants. However, over time the wetland began to dry up and by 18,600 cal BP Kharaneh IV was abandoned. In this paper, we discuss the final occupation of Kharaneh IV, linking the site's abandonment to the increasing aridification of eastern Jordan. Environmental change led to the eventual abandonment of Kharaneh IV and other nearby sites, as people relocated within the Azraq Basin in search of new water resources during the Holocene. Flexible technological strategies and knowledge of the landscape created resilient cultural practices that allowed these communities to use population movement as a risk management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drylands are diverse and dynamic ecosystems that have been occupied by humans throughout the Holocene. Nonetheless, drylands are often conceived of as marginal, rare, and inimical to human livelihoods. This Special Issue interrogates the interactions between humans and arid and aridifying environments to investigate how drylands offer unique risks and opportunities to their resilient inhabitants. This article introduces the 11 environmental archeology papers and 1 discussion paper in this Special Issue, the proceedings of a 2021 virtual workshop on the topics of risk and resilience. Each contribution explores a different geographic and chronological context around the globe. We also introduce three subthemes of this Special Issue: "Multi-Scalar Analysis," "Abundance and Diversity," and "Cascading Risks." Collectively, a key strength of the case studies in this volume is the range of environmental archeology methods and datasets that they showcase. These authors draw out details within a multi-scalar understanding of risk and risk perception in the particular contexts in which they work. As we face compounding contemporary risks associated with the global impacts of a changing climate, it is more important than ever to recognize the range of human relationships with aridification, and the dynamic, localized socio-environmental histories of drylands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Red River Fault Zone is a large-scale right-lateral strike-slip fault zone with relatively strong activity during the Quaternary Period. This fault, located on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai‒Tibetan Plateau, plays a key role in the extrusion, rotation and escape of the continental blocks constituting the Qinghai‒Tibetan Plateau. Furthermore, this fault represents the southwestern boundary of the Sichuan–Yunnan Block, which has experienced strong deformation and frequent seismic activity. The northern segment of the Red River Fault Zone is the most active part of the whole fault. However, surface erosion and vegetation coverage have obscured the activity of the northern segment; therefore, the study of its activity has obviously been insufficient. There is still controversy over whether all the secondary faults on the northern segment are active Holocene faults. Studying the activity characteristics of the northern segment, which is densely populated, is particularly important for seismic risk prevention in this area. Based on remote sensing interpretations and field geological surveys, this paper describes the latest activity characteristics of the Cangshan Piedmont Fault, Fengyi–Dingxiling Fault and Midu Basin Margin Fault, including their spatial distributions and kinematic characteristics. According to the ages of the offset strata in profiles, the above three secondary faults were all active in the late Holocene. The latest active age of the Cangshan Piedmont Fault was later than 543-494 cal BP, and two palaeoseismic events that occurred in this section during the Holocene occurred at 2700 and 473 cal BP. The latest active age of the Fengyi–Dingxiling Fault was later than 2760–2700 cal BP; in this section, one Holocene palaeoseismic event occurred between 1777 cal BP and 2730 cal BP, another occurred between 2730 cal BP and 5664 cal BP, and the third occurred between 6449 cal BP and 8360 cal BP. The latest active age of the Midu Basin Margin Fault was later than 558-510 cal BP, and two Holocene palaeoseismic events occurred later than 2318-2114 cal BP and 558-510 cal BP. Based on the results of this paper and previous studies, we believe that the Fengyi–Dingxiling Fault on the northern segment of the Red River Fault Zone is at risk for future strong earthquakes. Additionally, abundant geological and geomorphologic evidence suggests that the northern segment is dominated by normal faults, reflecting the local strain response to secondary clockwise rotation of the Sichuan–Yunnan Block along the boundary fault. This finding is in line with the eastwards extrusion and escape of materials on the Qinghai‒Tibetan Plateau caused by the northwards and northeastwards pushing of the Indian Plate. To a certain extent, these observations reflect the tectonic deformation coordination between block rotation and boundary fault slip in the Sichuan–Yunnan Block in the context of continental block extrusion on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first continuous multi-proxy record of climate and vegetation change from the central Namib Desert extending over much of the last ca. 39,000 years. Derived from rock hyrax middens, evidence from stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, pollen, and microcharcoal reveals significant differences between glacial-age and Holocene climates and vegetation types. Although still arid to semi-arid, conditions during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) 2–3 were significantly more humid than in the Late Holocene. Considerable associated vegetation change is apparent, with cooler temperatures and higher/more-regular rainfall promoting the westward expansion of relatively mesic shrubby karroid vegetation during MIS 2–3. With the last glacial–interglacial transition, increasing temperatures and less/less-regular rainfall resulted in marked vegetation changes and the establishment of current xeric grasslands. The inter-plant spacing of the karroid vegetation promoted by wetter conditions does not carry fire effectively, and the microcharcoal record indicates that more extensive fires may develop only with the development of grassier vegetation under drier conditions. As with other terrestrial records from the Namib Desert and environs, no Cape flora elements were found to support previously hypothesised expansion of the Fynbos Biome during the last glacial period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact craters are formed by collisions of cosmic bodies moving with hypervelocity. The formation of these features is not restricted to the distant geological past; new structures are constantly being created and at least 13 confirmed impact craters and crater fields have formed during the Holocene alone. This short review paper: (1) introduces the basics of the impact cratering process to physical geographers and Quaternary geologists; (2) provides a short description of representative examples of such features (Morasko, Kaali, Kamil, Ilumetsa); and (3) discusses the similarities and differences among very small craters, and contrasts these with larger impact structures. This manuscript may be useful to researchers planning to test whether a small Quaternary depression in the ground may be of impact origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an approach assuming that already in the sea, based on the express analysis of visually similar cores of Arctic Holocene sediments and their comparison with dated and studied in detail cores of the regional sediments, it is possible to select a material that is promising for sequence stratigraphic correlation and paleoreconstructions. The range of lithological, colorimetric (CIE L*, CIE a*, and CIE b*), geophysical (magnetic susceptibility), and geochemical (Fe/Rb, Mn/Rb, and Ti/Rb) parameters is analyzed. The most informative characteristics include the CIE b* color coordinate, magnetic susceptibility, and Fe/Rb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia is surrounded by three tectonic plates: the Eurasian, Indo−Australian, and Pacific plates. The plates have caused Indonesia to have many volcanoes, both active and inactive, resting, or no longer active. One of the volcanoes belonging to the formed “Rest” category is the ancient Lawu volcano. The mountain is 10,000 radiocarbon years old or approximately 11,430 ​± ​130 calendar years ago, which is part of the Holocene age. The Lawu volcano erupted on November 28, 1885. This paper discusses the study of magnetic minerals in the case of pyroclastic flows originating from Mount Lawu. The values obtained in magnetic susceptibility are 47.53 ​× ​10−6 ​m³/kg to 79.41 ​× ​10−6 ​m³/kg. The results of this susceptibility measurement indicate the presence of igneous rocks resulting from pyroclastic flow. Furthermore, the vibrating sample magnetometer test showed an S−type (ferromagnetic) hysteresis curve, and the value of Mr/Ms (remanence ratio) define was below 0.5, which realized a multi-domain configuration. This ferromagnetic characteristic is attributed to the iron-based mineral (10.4%–17.1%) from the evaluation of X−Ray Fluorescence. The magnetite mineral confirmed in the X-Ray Diffractometer test is the largest source of magnetism in the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bohai Bay is a typical area of global change research in East Asia, due to its unique geographical location and shallow water environment. In this paper, we present the results of a study of grain-size, geochemistry, pollen and algae of a middle to late Holocene sediment core from Haixing wetland, which located on the west coast of Bohai Bay. The results show that: 1) Prior to 6700 cal a B.P., the content of Cl, Sr/Ca ratio were the highest, end-member analysis of grain size suggested EM2 were dominant, which is characteristic of marine sediment and the concentrations of Pediastrum and Typha (indicating a freshwater environment) pollen were lowest, overall indicating the maximum of relative sea level; 2) During 6700–5000 cal a B.P., and the Ti and K contents, EM1 (lacustrine sedimentary component) increased substantially, EM2 decreased, and EM3 (fluvial sedimentary component) began to appear. The concentrations of Pediastrum , Dinophyceae and Typha pollen began to increase. All these indicating that the relative sea level began to fall and the study area became a lagoon environment; 3) During 5000–3500 cal a B.P. the Ti and K content increased further; EM1 was dominant, EM2 was rare, indicating that the relative sea level decreased further and the lagoon gradually became enclosed; 4) After 3500 cal a B.P., the Ti content reached its maximum and the Cl content and Sr/Ca ratio decreased to their lowest levels. EM1 was dominant and EM2 was virtually absent; dinoflagellate cysts almost disappeared and there was large increase of Typha pollen, indicating the complete exclusion of a marine influence during most of this period. However, during 2500–2000 cal a B.P. the Cl and the Sr/Ca ratio increased slightly once again, indicating a transient transgression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gangotri glacier located in the Uttarkashi District of the Garhwal Himalaya, is one of the longest valley glacier. It exhibits Lateral Moraines (LM), Recessional Moraines (RM), Kame Terraces (KT) and Outwash Plains (OWP) as important landforms. The sediments coded in these landforms, provide the information about sedimentary characteristics, and the evolutionary history of the Gangotri Glacier Region (GGR). The Gangotri is a well studied glacier, however the sedimentological characteristics and evolution of many landforms are yet to be understood. Therefore, present paper aimed to explain the sedimentological characteristics and the evolutionary history of the outwash plain deposits. The OWP deposits were studied by making a trench near Bhujbas and collecting the samples from it. The granulometric analysis explain that the mean grain size of the OWP sediments varies from 0.258 φ to 2.006 φ indicate coarse to medium sand. The skewness, varies from 0.138 φ to 0.427 φ indicate dominance of fine grained sediments. The kurtosis varying from 0.839 φ to 1.067 φ explain the dominance of finer sediments. The standard deviation varies from 1.210 φ to 1.633 φ thus indicating poor sorting of the OWP deposits and fluctuation in the energy of the depositional environment. Five sedimentary facies identified are gravel sandy facies, ripple laminated silty sand facies, sandy facies, poorly sorted sandy facies and silty sand facies. The study describes that the OWP deposits are stratified, consolidated to semi-consolidated, coarse to fine grained silt, sand and gravels with primary sedimentary structures, which are evolved by glacio-fluvial environment under fluctuating energy conditions during the late Holocene period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents isolation basin stratigraphy in bottom sediments from nine lakes in the Teriberka area on the Kola Peninsula, northwestern Russia. Isolation contacts in these basins, identified from lithological and diatom analysis, were used together with 25 radiocarbon dates, to construct a relative sea-level (RSL) curve for the Holocene. Records of marine water re-influx were found in the sediment sequence from one lake, located at c. 17 m a.s.l. The re-influx of marine water seems to be caused by the mid-Holocene (Tapes) transgression and tsunami event. The RSL curve indicates several phases in the postglacial evolution of the Kola coast. An early phase of rapid sea-level fall of c. 32 m around 11,500 cal yr BP, at a rate of c. 40 mm per year, corresponds to glacio-isostatically induced emergence following deglaciation at the Younger Dryas and beginning of the Holocene. In the time interval between c. 11,000 and 7600 cal yr BP, either a stillstand or a slight rise in relative sea level, cresting at about 21 m a.s.l., is suggested in the Teriberka area. This is followed, after c. 7300 cal yr BP to the present day, by a slow glacioisostatic emergence with an average rate of about 2–3 mm per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of microprobe, paleomagnetic, and rock magnetic studies on peats from the Tyapka peat section (Khabarovsk krai) up to the turn of 4 ka BP. The alternating field demagnetization of peats yielded a horizon of 57–109 cm (1833–3083 cal. BP) with negative inclination values of the magnetization vector corresponding to the geomagnetic Etrussia excursion. The relative paleointensity estimates obtained for peats for the first time are consistent with the literature archeomagnetic data on the western part of Eurasia. According to the results of this study, the Etrussia excursion took place against the background of increased values of the Earth's magnetic field and lasted for ~1200 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the occurrence of glendonite along coastlines since 1825, which have been previously referred to under different names such as Pseudogaylussite, Fundylite, and Kool Hoot across eleven sites. By utilising element ratios and 14C radiometric dating techniques, we establish a more accurate chronology for these varied sites ranging from 10 to 1 thousand years before the present (Ky BP). Sites include tidal flats, coastal barrier islands, and Wadden Sea environments. While some sites still exist, others are only known through publications and museum collections. Our research expands upon previous findings by presenting petrographic evidence that correlates with glendonite formation. Through the examination of the Olenitsa site on the Kola Peninsula, we demonstrate that marine bioclasts enclosed within concretions surrounding glendonites provide temporal context, suggesting that these outcrops were formed during a single event under changing conditions. Notably, certain sediment structures at selected sites indicate the occurrence of cold-water ice-raft storm events and the presence of drop stones. Furthermore, our paper explores the association of historic coastal sites with the formation of ikaite, highlighting the limitations of relying solely on geochemistry and isotopic analysis for interpretation. Intriguingly, we observe that pseudomorphs are abundant in specific areas but absent in adjacent regions with similar environmental, physical, and chemical conditions. No apparent connection is found between volcanic dust cloud-induced cold spells and glendonite. The distribution of coastal glendonites is more likely related to periods of climatic cooling through other means. We show that radiometric dating with 14C provides an indication of age, but the results can be erroneous due to the inclusion of older carbon sources in the analysis. The oldest locations discussed in this study are Kool Hoot (Alaska) and the river Clyde (Scotland), and the youngest glendonites discussed are from the Bay of Fundy in Canada. Occurrences from the Wadden Sea are intermediate in age and sit between the other two groups. The age of the Olenitsa site on the Russian Kola Peninsula is uncertain and still debated. We show that measuring the ratio of Mg/Ca can indicate how much the recrystallised ikaite preserved as calcite is influenced by diagenetic pore waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pierced antlers, traditionally known as bâtons de commandement, are commonly found in many Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic sites in Europe. Despite their original association to symbolic uses, their function is in constant debate, having as many hypotheses as contexts of finding. Predominance of symbolic use was replaced by the emphasis of antler mechanical properties chosen to perform this type of artefact. In America, pierced antlers are practically absent, however, a large number of antlers with short branches and a central perforation were found in the Low Paraná wetland. They were recovered from hunter-gatherer sites dated in the Late Holocene. In this paper, we analyse their chronological and spatial distribution, the material association and the morphometrical and physical properties of the assemblages to discuss the functional significance of these items in the local contexts. Antlers with and without perforation are considered. As a result, we note that the assemblage under analysis is morphologically different from the European's ones with symmetrical branches, despite the same material properties being maintained in the selection of deer antler as raw material. In our case, antlers without perforation are interpreted as discarded from the manufacturing processes that involve other types of tools besides there is a different proposal for a near area as the República Oriental del Uruguay. Pierced antlers show fractures and use-wear patterns like those described in the international literature. Even if no functional identification can be confirmed, high stress and domestic activity can be proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taphonomic analyses are of primary importance to understand the accumulation processes of fossil vertebrate bone assemblages. These approaches are fundamental in archaeological contexts in which the role of humans in the formation of an accumulation must be investigated in detail. However, taphonomic works have so far focused on temperate regions and mammals and few studies extensively deal with other vertebrates, especially the herpetofauna, and tropical areas. This results in an important gap in the scientific literature, which has a strong impact on the paleoecological and zooarchaeological research in the areas where squamates and amphibians are well-represented. In this paper, we present a detailed taphonomic study of a large herpetofaunal assemblage of nearly 11 000 bones collected in the Abri Cadet 3, on Marie Galante Island, and dated from the beginning of the Holocene to the Amerindian period. Obtained results don't support the role of humans in the constitution of the assemblage despite the occurrence of clear archaeological layers in the site. The most-likely culprit for the creation of the bone assemblage is a small nocturnal raptor (i.e., Athene cunicularia guadeloupensis (Ridgway, 1874) or Tyto insularis (Pelzeln, 1872)). We also conduct a comparison with the other available deposits from Marie Galante, highlighting the diversity of accumulation processes in the different nearby cave sites but also the lack of detailed taphonomic studies which would be needed to explain this diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the petroglyphs from Curapil site, located on the northern piedmont of the Somuncurá plateau. The objective is to characterize motifs and their contexts, and to compare them with the rock art from the plateau in order to evaluate mobility paths and the occupational redundancy of sectors with different water availability. Results point towards weak links with sites from the eastern portion of Somuncurá plateau. Future studies of recently detected sites on the western portion may determine their relationships with Curapil. Although all the analysed contexts bear signs of reoccupation, these are stronger in Somuncurá, where water sources are more punctually distributed than in the piedmont. Despite these intensity differences, Curapil may be considered as a place that persisted until present times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The settlement process of the south-central Western Pampa shows weak and scattered signs during the Early Holocene, a greater human incidence during the Middle Holocene and a progressive colonization process from the initial Late Holocene, around 4000-3000 years BP. The bioarchaeological record has been one of the clearest indicators of this process. In this paper we present the osteobiography of a burial called CLV3, recovered in Cerro de Los Viejos Archaeological Locality (SE of La Pampa province), which has a date of 3410±20 years BP. It is an adult male individual who was in good health. His lifestyle involved moderate mechanical stress and the intensive use of the masticatory apparatus. He had a local residence, a terrestrial diet, and shows circular cranial deformation. The characteristics of CLV3 reflect social and cultural patterns observed at the macro-regional scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An intertidal sandstone reef, named barra de Las Canteras, protects the western coast of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city (Canary Islands, Spain). The beach-reef system of Las Canteras constitutes one of the most valuable coastal geomorphological sites in the archipelago. Stratigraphic studies have identified the formation of the reef in the Last Interglacial (MIS 5e) in a coastal sedimentary paleo-environment. The rock structure is highly exposed to the Atlantic swell and consists mainly of a sandstone beachrock with a medium resistance to erosional processes. However, the historical and current erosion rates and the original extent of the reef are not known to date. This paper explores the geomorphological structure of the reef by combining a topo-bathymetric analysis (obtained by differential GPS, multibeam echosounder and hyperspectral sensor) and the analysis of geomorphological features on high-resolution images, obtained with a hyperspectral camera mounted on a UAV. The results provide a comprehensive, high-resolution image of the subaerial and submerged morphology of the reef. The structure reflects the distribution of erosional fronts and the existence of collapsing submarine blockfields and nearshore, uneroded, remnant reliefs. Detailed analysis of these features allows to estimate the probable original extent of the sandstone reef and to relate the erosional retreat processes to the sea-level dynamics during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the early Holocene onward, the Indian Subcontinent has accommodated a range of diverse human cultures and associated ecological adaptations and lifestyles. Around 10 kyrs ago, the Subcontinent has witnessed the development of later Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and their subsequent regional transitions to pastoralist (Neolithic) and agricultural (Chalcolithic) lifeways. The Holocene climate records reveal discrepancies in the timing and duration of climatic events, which can be attributed to a vast geographic isolation, the influence of height, elevation, and local climatic conditions. These changing climatic patterns including the development of a geographically variable monsoon directly impacted these various cultures including the Harappans and their contemporaries as well as younger Historical and Medieval empires across India, at various levels. In some regions, environmental changes led to uneven cultural transitions, geographic migrations, and the development of regionally-distinct material cultures along with establishment of sedentary life-ways. This paper attempts to present a review broadly correlating general climatic patterns throughout the Holocene period of India with regional cultural dynamics. All geomorphic-climatic zones of the Subcontinent showed strong inter-proxy coherence between 9 and 5 kyrs in response to increased precipitation. After this warming period ends, we see a moderate dry period as a result of a weakening monsoon and an overall tendency toward aridity throughout all zones (after 4 kyrs). The temporal variation of human habitation and respective adaptive responses suggest broad linkages to the varying climatic and physiographic features at a regional scale. Learning how this shaped human eco-dynamics in the past can help us expand our understanding of human history and implement lessons for the present as well as the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent epoch, initial uplink synchronization has become an essential part of the wireless communication systems owing to its amenities in the identification of new users to originate communication. Yet, allocating and sharing resources to users is a bottleneck due to the interference caused by multiple users. Besides, preceding works didn't concentrate on the usage of an effective mechanism to estimate the parameters of the received signal in the multiuser synchronization environment. These downsides affect the throughput and spectrum efficiency of the designed OFDMA system. To address these bottlenecks, this paper proposes the Joint Initial Uplink Synchronization and Interference Aware Resource Allocation (JIUS-IRA) in the Multi-User OFDMA system. JIUS-IRA comprises four processes: Parameter Estimation, Optimum Antenna Selection, Resource Allocation, and Resource Sharing. Initially, JIUS-IRA executes the Fast Block Least Mean Square-based Parameters Estimation Scheme (FBLMS-PES) to estimate the user parameters. To reduce the power consumption during transmission between 5G MIMO base station and users, JIUS-IRA selects the optimal antenna for transmission. The Sign Rank Oriented Resource Allocation (SO-RA) method is executed to allocate sub-channel resources to the cellular user. The resource requirement of D2D users present in the OFDMA system is resolved via the Harris Hawks Optimizer based Resource Sharing Scheme (H2ORSS). The numerical results acquired from the simulation are highly confidential with regard to metrics Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of timing estimation (∼0.006), RMSE of power estimation (∼0.0079), RMSE of frequency estimation (∼ 0.008), Throughput (∼95%), Spectrum Efficiency (∼11.9 bps), and Complexity (0.045 × 104). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we apply standard zooarchaeological methods and novel osteological approaches to analyse faunal remains from five Middle– Late Holocene sites in the southern Tibetan Plateau (STP). Framed by direct radiocarbon dates on taxonomically classified bioarchaeological remains and compared with published palaeoclimate data, our findings revealed a three-stage process of agro-pastoral development in the STP ca. 5.5 to 1.0 ka. In the first phase, habitation was restricted to the lower southeastern part of the plateau and human subsistence essentially based on foraging and low-level pig–millet farming. With the onset of colder and drier climatic conditions ca. 3.8 ka, the study area witnessed a growing human presence at higher elevations in its central and western parts, together with a shift towards bovid husbandry and barley cultivation, that is, agricultural practices that originated in west Asia; these were likely introduced to the STP following the eastern margin of the TP and/or arrived by sub-Himalayan transfer. Climate and ecological degradation might have contributed to the decline of local game in favour of cold-and-dry-tolerant pastoral livestock and crops. Our work shows that Middle–Late Holocene climate change, ecological change, human subsistence shifts, and prehistoric cultural transmissions are intimately connected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent climate and environment over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have undergone significant changes, dominated by variations in the Westerlies and the Indian summer monsoon. However, long‐term shifts in atmospheric circulation during the transitional seasons are still lacking. Here we investigate the modern distribution of Tsuga pollen over the central‐western TP and confirm it as an indicator of variable atmospheric circulation in spring. By combining our Tsuga record from Taro Co with existing records in the Tsuga pollen source area, we suggest that a potential particle transport pathway from the southern slope of the Himalayas to the interior of the plateau appeared in the spring of the late Holocene. Our results show that the springtime atmospheric circulation over the southwestern TP during the early and late Holocene is closely related to the substantial remnants of ice sheets at northern high latitudes and the frequency of El Niño events, respectively. Plain Language Summary: The spring climate over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is undergoing significant changes that yield profound impacts on environmental changes such as variations in vegetation phenology and alpine treeline. Knowledge of long‐term variations in atmospheric circulation during spring can improve the understanding of current climatic and environmental change and the projection of future variability. In this paper, we use an exotic pollen grain, which can be transported long distances in the air, as an indicator to trace the variability of spring atmospheric circulation over the TP. The results indicate that the spring meridional atmospheric circulation from the southern slope of the TP to its interior has been enhanced in the last four thousand years, which is mainly influenced by the frequency of El Niño events. Key Points: Spring atmospheric circulation change over the southwestern Tibetan Plateau (TP) during Holocene is reconstructedMeridional atmospheric circulation in spring over the southwestern TP is strengthened in the late HoloceneHigh‐(low‐) latitude forcing mainly influence the variations in spring atmospheric circulation during the early (late) Holocene [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wudaoliang–Changshagongma fault is one of the NW-trending faults located within the southern Bayan Har Block of the Tibetan Plateau in China. In this paper, we used high-resolution imagery and digital elevation model data to study the geomorphological and geological characteristics of the fault. Furthermore, the result also determined the fault trace and estimated the average horizontal slip rate of the fault since the late Quaternary to have been 2.6 ± 0.6 mm/a. This slip rate is approximately equivalent to that of the Awancang, Madoi–Garde, and Dari faults, which are also located within the block. Furthermore, the slip rates of these faults obtained by remote sensing and geological methods are consistent with GPS observations. It indicates that tectonic deformation within the block is continuous and diffuse. Using trenching study results and sedimentary radiocarbon dating, we identified four paleoearthquake events that occurred at 42,378–32,975, 33,935–20,663, 5052–4862, and after 673–628 cal BP, respectively. The recurrence intervals of large earthquakes on the faults within the block are much longer than those of the boundary faults, and the slip rates are also smaller, indicating that faults within the block play a regulatory role in the tectonic deformation of the Bayan Har Block. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa, the cradle of human evolution, has one of the largest and most diverse rainforests in the world. The African rainforests contain evidence of human occupation as well as fluctuating climate during the Pleistocene; such evidence offers archaeologists and palaeoecologists the opportunity to understand how climatic fluctuations have influenced human behaviour. However, compared to the rainforests environments in Asia and South America, the human ecological history of those in West-Central Africa is poorly understood. This is because of comparatively fewer scientific programmes which synergize palaeoecological and archaeological data and thus could enhance the knowledge and allow for an evaluation of the impact of climatic fluctuations on human behaviour in the rainforests of West-Central Africa during the Pleistocene and Holocene periods. The goals of this paper are twofold, namely: (i) to provide a synthesis of the past climatic variability in the rainforests of West-Central Africa, and (ii) to demonstrate the influence of such variability on human behaviour during the Pleistocene to Holocene periods. It is hoped that this paper will stimulate Africanists to adopt an inclusive scientific anthropological and palaeoecological approach in understanding human–climate interactions in the West-Central African rainforests. This article is part of the theme issue 'Tropical forests in the deep human past'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dramatic alterations to the natural environment due to human activity have produced a permanent rupture in the Earth system; the relative stable epoch of the Holocene has given way to a volatile Anthropocene. Acceptance of these claims means that we now live in this altered physical reality, inviting us to rethink how we conceptualise disasters. Yet, disaster scholars have been hesitant to apply the Anthropocene label and to acknowledge the profound changes that it can bring to the study of disasters. This paper queries whether this label is a necessary adage or unnecessary baggage for disaster studies by examining the possibilities and the challenges associated with engaging with the Anthropocene. An analysis of the concepts, causes, and consequences of disasters reveals how the Anthropocene provides, as the very least, a theoretical heuristic for challenging linear temporal assumptions, the epistemological status of uncertainty, and the location of agency in disaster studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies on the geomorphological evolution of the Holocene from the Ebro depression (NE Spain) are focused on the period up to the Roman Epoch (218 BC–476 AD) while some references to medieval (476 AD–15th century) deposits are also occasionally dated. This paper focuses on the establishment of aggradation units on the valley bottoms and slopes of the Ebro depression after 1400 BP, their origin, comparison with other areas, and relationship with global paleoenvironmental changes. These units were produced after the incision phase that marked the end of the large Holocene accumulation (unit H1) around 1400 BP (at the end of the Late Roman Epoch). Morphosedimentary records enable us to establish three aggradation units during the last 1400 years: unit H2 (ca. 1400–650 cal BP); unit H3 – with two H3A subunits (ca. 650–500 cal BP) and H3B (ca. 500–320 cal BP); and the H4 unit (after 320 cal BP). These units are organized following five types of aggradation/incision arrangements with differing complexities. There are also connections among these units and two slope stages in the region. Finally, the genetic relationships between these units and global paleoenvironmental changes are shown (LALIA, MCA, and LIA) and related to anthropic activity. This contribution is the first detailed and systematic approach to the study of morphosedimentary units and sedimentary arrangements during the Recent Holocene in the Mediterranean area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long considered on the margins, far from the major cultural traditions, the Sechura Desert is situated at the crossroads between the cultures of southern Ecuador and those of the northern Peruvian coast and preserves a large number of varied archaeological sites. Despite this evidence, little is known about the societies that inhabited this region during the Holocene. Exposed to natural hazards, including El Niño events, and to major climatic changes, they were able to adapt and exploit the scarce resources that this extreme environment offered them. Because of this rich history, we have been conducting archaeological research in this region since 2012 in order to clarify the dynamics of human occupation and their links with climate oscillations and environmental changes. This paper present the results of a multidisciplinary study of Huaca Grande, a mound located on Nunura Bay, 300 m from the Pacific Ocean. The nature of the human occupations at Huaca Grande was varied, and several adjustments occurred over time. The subsistence economy was based mainly on local marine resources and a continual use of terrestrial vegetal resources. However, a major change occurred in the more recent occupations, with the apparition of non-local resources (maize and cotton) indicating that Huaca Grande was connected to trade networks. The results show two main phases of occupation separated by a long abandonment (mid-5th century CE to mid-7th century CE and mid-13th century to mid-15th century CE). The occupation of the site appears to have been influenced by changes in the local climate and by extreme El Niño events. Our results highlight the great adaptability of these human groups over the span of a millennium and their capacity to react to the climatic changes and hazards that characterise this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]