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The arid climate of many regions within Central Asia often leads to excellent archaeological preservation, especially in sealed funerary contexts, allowing for ancient DNA analyses. While geneticists have looked at human remains, clothes, tools, and other burial objects are often neglected. In this paper, we present the results of an ancient DNA study on Bronze Age leather objects excavated from tombs of the Wupu cemetery in the Hami Oasis and Yanghai cemetery in the Turpan Oasis, both in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of northwestern China. In addition to species identification of goat (Capra aegagrus/hircus), sheep (Ovis orientalis/aries), and cattle (Bos primigenius/taurus), mitochondrial haplogroups were determined for several samples. Our results show that Bronze Age domesticated goats and sheep from the Hami and Turpan oases possessed identical or closely related haplotypes to modern domestic animals of this area. The absence of leather produced from wild animals emphasizes the importance of animal husbandry in the cultures of Wupu and Yanghai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebun Island with Hamanaka and Funadomari among the 43 documented archaeological sites and the environmental archive stored in the Lake Kushu sediment proves to be one of the key areas to study the interplay between ecology, climate and human activities. This paper focuses on the potential of palaeobotanical records from Rebun Island for improving the chronological control and understanding of late Quaternary climate changes and habitation environments of northern hunter-gatherers in the Hokkaido Region of Japan. A set of 57 radiocarbon dates of the RK12 core (Lake Kushu) demonstrates that it represents a continuous environmental archive covering the last c. 17,000 years. The RK12 pollen record reflects distinct vegetation changes associated with the onset of the lateglacial warming about 15,000 cal. yr BP and the cold climate reversal after c. 13,000 cal. yr BP. The onset of the current Holocene interglacial after c. 11,700 cal. yr BP is marked by a major spread of trees. The middle Holocene (c. 8000–4000 cal. yr BP) is characterized by a major spread of deciduous oak in the vegetation cover reflecting a temperature increase. A decline of oak and spread of fir and pine is recorded at c. 2000 cal. yr BP. After c. 1100 cal. yr BP, arboreal pollen percentages decrease, possibly linked to intensified usage of wood during the Okhotsk and Ainu culture periods. The results of diatom analysis suggest marshy or deltaic environments at the RK12 coring site prior to c. 10,500 cal. yr BP and a brackish lagoon between c. 10,500 and 7000 cal. yr BP. A freshwater lake developed after 6500 cal. yr BP, likely reflecting sea level stabilization and formation of the sand bar separating the Kushu depression from the sea. Plant macrofossil analysis shows use of various wild plants and also domesticated barley during the Okhotsk and Ainu periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present high-resolution early Holocene pollen, plant macrofossil, charcoal, diatom, biogenic silica, and loss-on-ignition records from a mountain lake in the South Carpathians in order to reveal ecosystem response to the 8.2-ka climatic oscillation. We found significant changes both in terrestrial vegetation and lake diatom assemblages in the northern slope of the Retezat Mts between c. 8300 and 8000 cal. yr BP. Rapid changes in relative frequencies and pollen accumulation rates of the major deciduous pollen types associated with peaks in microcharcoal accumulation rates suggested that vegetation disturbance mainly took place in the mixed-deciduous forest zone, where woodland fires partially destroyed the populations of Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus, and Corylus avellana and facilitated the establishment of Carpinus betulus in the forest openings. The diatom record furthermore showed the spread of a planktonic diatom species, Aulacoseira valida, at 8150 cal. yr BP, coincidently with a short-lived expansion of C. betulus. Since diatom blooms mainly occur in spring in the Retezat Mts, increased spring water depth and increased water turbulence were inferred from these data. The expansion of C. betulus against F. excelsior and C. avellana at the same time suggested a modest increase in available moisture during the growing season. Taken together, these data imply that during the 8.2-ka event, winter and spring season available moisture increased, while summers were characterized by alternating moist/cool and dry/warm conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research in northern Iceland has highlighted a significant period of rock slope instability during the early Holocene due to the combined effects of postglacial rebound, relative sea-level fall, and glacially oversteepened mountain slopes. Using the Vatn landslide (Skagafjörður, central northern Iceland) as an example, this paper focuses on this period and describes the sequence of events that led to landsliding. Geomorphic mapping, stratigraphical evidence, and both radiocarbon and tephra dating were applied. Collectively, the data acquired indicate that the landslide occurred between 11,400 and 10,790 cal. yr BP. However, while rock slope failure represents a significant disintegration of mountain slopes, this study suggests that large postglacial landslides might also play a role in arresting sediment transport from other hillslope processes rather than contributing large volumes of sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural societies around the world have dramatically altered the natural landscape, particularly through accelerated soil erosion. The expansion of agricultural land use into steeper headwater areas during the Medieval period in central Europe is known to have caused large increases in soil erosion and sediment redistribution downstream. Although land-use practices changed and improved following this initial impact, it is currently unknown whether changes in land-use techniques also improved hillslope soil erosion and sediment redistribution rates. In this paper, we use a variety of techniques, including chrono-stratigraphy, wood charcoal analysis and a geostatistical model, to reconstruct land-use and erosion rates for the period spanning the Medieval Period to the present (1100–300 years ago) in a small headwater catchment in central Europe. Coupling land-use, hillslope erosion and sediment redistribution fluxes, we find the largest flux change occurs because of the initial deforestation at the beginning of the Medieval Period (1100 years ago). Following deforestation, we identified three main types of land-use techniques that were practised between ~1100 and 300 years ago: Horticulture, cropping agriculture and rotational birch silviculture, the last of which represents the earliest evidence for this practice found in central Europe to date. However, we find only small differences in hillslope fluxes throughout the catchment despite the variable land-use techniques employed. This is because the land-use techniques primarily influenced and increased the hillslope sediment storage capacity rather than erosion rates directly, which is an important distinction to consider for future work attempting to link changes in human land use and hillslope erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent interpretations of the archaeology of domesticated rice evolution and the development of agriculture in the Lower Yangzi Valley are being informed by new genetic, palaeoenvironmental, archaeological and archaeobotanical data. This paper explores current views on early rice production in the region and attempts to expand the discourse to provoke exploration of new and modified questions. Rice-specific botanical through large-scale ecological issues and causality are examined. This paper argues that understanding rice domestication and production, although important, should not be the exclusive goal of research on early agriculture in the Yangzi Valley. Despite the preliminary nature of the investigations at Kuahuqiao (c. 8000–7000 cal. BP), evidence of resource management, and potential domesticated resources or their ancestors that includes pig (Sus scrofa), peach (Prunus persica), apricot (P. armeniaca), Japanese apricot (P. mume), foxnut (Euryale ferox) and water chestnut (Trapa spp.) underscore the need to broaden the scope of inquiry on early food/resource production. The complexities of the archaeological and environmental record in the Yangzi valley indicate that nuanced, complex explanations for rice domestication and agricultural origins rather than deterministic, single cause explanations are necessary in order to move forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of past lake-level changes in Lake Xinias covering the last 40 000 years was presented in an earlier paper. In that paper, changes during the Holocene were only briefly dealt with, because of poor sedimentary representation. In this paper a supplementary transect of cores is described, in which Holocene lake-level changes are better recorded. The correlation of the cores was based on pollen and lithostratigraphic analyses, and a curve was constructed showing recorded lake-level changes. The curve from Lake Xinias was compared with an earlier compilation of lake-level changes from the Balkans, mainly from Greece. The compilation shows rising lake levels during the earlier part of the Holocene, and successively lowered levels during the later part. Most lake levels were high between about 8000 and 5500 cal. yr BP. The reconstruction from Lake Xinias indcates similar changes during the early and late Holocene. However, it differs by indicating a lowering in lake level, culminating around 7000 cal. yr BP, interrupting and dividing the period of mid-Holocene high lake-level stand. Further studies are required to show if this lowering in Lake Xinias was regionally representative and caused by climate change, or was caused by tectonic disturbance locally affecting lake level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dallund Sø, a lake on the island of Funen, Denmark, is positioned in a landscape that has been heavily impacted by human activities and land-use change over thousands of years. In 1998 a project was initiated to utilize a variety of palaeoecological analyses to investigate lake response to changing land use through the period of agricultural impact on the Danish landscape, i.e., the last 6000 years. This paper describes the overall aims of the study, the natural and cultural setting, sediment core collection, sampling and physical properties, the chronology and erosion history. The long-term changes in the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem are assessed in the following papers in this Research set using (i) pollen, (ii) diatoms, macrofossils and Pediastrum and (iii) zooplankton. These papers are followed by a synthesis paper focusing on the linkage between land-use change and lake development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue of The Holocene contains 16 research papers based on a symposium at the 11th International Meeting of the European Union of Geosciences held in Strasbourg in April 2001. The aim of the symposium was a state-of-the-art assessment of empirical studies of postglacial marine and terrestrial climatic archives and their integration with numerical climate models. This editorial places the individual papers in the broader context of natural climate variability and anthropogenic impacts on the global climate system, regional differences in climate between maritime and continental areas, and the need for an improved theoretical basis for understanding the underlying causes of environmental change. The focus of the Special Issue is the dynamic and relatively well-understood climate of the North Atlantic and the European realm, where, in relation to the steepest offshore temperature gradient on Earth, observational data are abundant and many recent advances have been made in climate reconstruction from proxy archives. The editorial also contains a summary and overview of the papers included in the four main sections of the Special Issue, which emphasize: (1) numerical modelling experiments; (2) models of glacier buildup and equilibrium-line altitude; (3) marine and terrestrial proxy records of climatic change; and (4) multiproxy palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of a Portuguese lagoonal system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a detailed record of the plant remains recovered on the palaeo-seafloors of Neapolis harbour, spanning ≈700 years, between the 2nd century BC and the 5th century AD, thus intersecting the entire Roman Imperial Age. The site preserved many cultivated or cultivable plant remains, especially from food related trees. This particular feature provided the opportunity to reconstruct the puzzling history of planting them and the Roman economy, especially with respect to food production, the market and to dietary habits. The evidence suggests that Prunus persica, Castanea sativa, Juglans regia and Pinus pinea were locally grown all along the investigated period, testifying for a well advanced arboriculture. A broad presence of P. pinea cones could be related to their large use as stoppers for amphorae which probably was among the driving force for planting it actually influencing its original range. The seafarers had extensive access to dry fruit such as walnut, hazelnut and chestnut that for its imperishable nature and the high energy density, would probably have been part of the food-stocks of the galleys. Chestnut consumption, attested throughout the entire period in the harbour, represents the first strong archaeobotanical evidence of chestnut as food in the Western Mediterranean in Roman time. This evidence shed light on the cultural-social significance of these fruits that was probably eaten mainly or almost exclusively by low social classes. The exceptional find of Hyphaene thebaica for the first time outside its native range is also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesic tree species such as Fagus grandifolia and Tsuga canadensis experienced multiple abundance declines in eastern North America during the last 8000 years, but the causes remain unclear. This paper presents a new sub-centennial record of Holocene vegetation, fire and sedimentological changes at Spicer Lake, IN, to test hypotheses about the role of fire and hydrological variations on shifts in vegetation composition. Four pollen zones are reported: Abies–Picea forests (15–11.8 ka BP), Pinus-dominated mixed forest (11.8–10.6 ka BP), transitional mixed forest (10.6–6.8 ka BP), and deciduous forest characterized by the expansion and high variability of F. grandifolia (after 6.8 ka BP). Macroscopic charcoal indicates five to seven fires between 6.1 and 4.4 ka BP and no fires between 4.4 and 2 ka BP, despite several large declines in F. grandifolia, and more fires after 1.8 ka BP likely linked to declining F. grandifolia abundances after 1.1 ka BP. Six peaks in mineralogenic sediments are suggestive of hydroclimate variability, but do not consistently correspond to shifts in F. grandifolia abundances. A Bayesian change-point analysis of 15 regional F. grandifolia pollen records identifies peak probabilities of events at 4.8 and 1.1 ka BP, similar in timing to variations in T. canadensis at other sites. Hence, fire can be ruled out as a driver of the mid-Holocene declines of F. grandifolia, but more work is needed to confidently establish the regional timing of F. grandifolia declines and to link them to past droughts and T. canadensis declines in eastern North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The islands of the Central Ryukyus (Amami and Okinawa archipelagos), Japan, were continuously occupied by hunter-gatherers for several thousand years during the Holocene. This occupation would seem to represent a unique example of island settlement by hunter-gatherers. Homo sapiens had expanded into all continents except Antarctica by 10,000 BP, demonstrating high adaptability to various environments, but few islands had been settled by that time. Most islands appear to have been too small to support hunter-gatherer subsistence. Many islands were indeed first colonized by agriculturalists. Some islands located close to large landmasses, having a large surface area, or with reliable sea mammal populations or translocated plants and animals were successfully colonized by hunter-gatherers, but none of these features characterize the prehistoric Central Ryukyu Islands, which were successfully colonized by hunter-gatherers by at least the early–middle Holocene. Furthermore, this colonization was likely accomplished with smaller populations and foraging territories than previously documented for hunter-gatherers. Coral reef resources with nuts (and possibly yams) appear to have played a crucial role in this island colonization. The only similar case to prehistoric Okinawa comes from the Andaman Islands, where hunter-gatherers have occupied small tropical islands for thousands of years. The final part of this paper provides a brief comparison of the Andaman data in light of the results from the Central Ryukyus described here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides another look at the response of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) to insolation forcing and oceanic feedback during the Holocene, using a fully coupled general circulation ocean–atmosphere model forced by Earth’s orbital variations. The model results revealed a recurrent circumglobal teleconnection (CGT) pattern in the summertime (June–July–August) mid-latitude circulation of the Northern Hemisphere during the Holocene. The CGT index showed a decreasing trend before ~5 ka BP and a slight increasing trend afterwards, affected by the combined effects of summer insolation, Indian summer monsoon (ISM), North Atlantic and Indian Ocean–western Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature (SST). The CGT showed a close relationship with ASM precipitation and surface air temperature during the Holocene and, therefore, could act as a bridge linking the ASM to insolation, high-latitude forcing (North Atlantic SST), and low-latitude forcing (tropical Ocean SST). We emphasize that the mid-latitude atmospheric circulation has been a key factor for the evolution of the ASM during the Holocene. In addition, the CGT provides a viable explanation for the out-of-phase relationship in the moisture evolution but an in-phase relationship in the speleothem δ18O between arid central Asia and the ISM region during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollen productivity estimates of individual plant taxa are necessary when determining changes of vegetation cover during the Holocene. To date, studies describing this parameter in lowland temperate Europe have been carried out in cultural landscapes showing low forest cover and dominated by human activities. However, these may be of limited use when applied to reconstruct past land cover, for instance, from pre-agricultural landscapes. The aim of this paper is to ascertain whether pollen productivity from the closed-canopy old-growth forest in the Białowieża National Park, Poland, where human impact has been minimal for nearly a century, is different from that calculated in much more open landscapes. We ask: how much does forest antiquity and structure influence the amount of pollen released from particular taxa? We implemented maximum likelihood estimation of relative pollen productivity for seven tree species and for Poaceae using 18 modern pollen assemblages and distance-weighted plant abundances. Our results demonstrate that the ratio of pollen productivity between high producers (Pinus sylvestris and Quercus robur) and low producers (Poaceae, Corylus avellana) is on an average six times greater in Białowieża than across other European cultural landscapes. Pollen from forest Poaceae and C. avellana is six times more under-represented in old-growth forest than hitherto estimated from cultural landscapes. This finding reinforces the idea that pollen productivity can vary in response to changes in the prevailing environmental settings and we present for the first time a quantification of this variability, likely induced by differences in light availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the impact of the crusades on the landscape and environment of northern Latvia between the 13th–16th centuries (medieval Livonia). The crusades replaced tribal societies in the eastern Baltic with a religious state (Ordenstaat) run by the military orders and their allies, accompanied by significant social, cultural and economic developments. These changes have previously received little consideration in palaeoenvironmental studies of past land use in the eastern Baltic region, but are fundamental to understanding the development and expansion of a European Christian identity. Sediment cores from Lake Trikāta, located adjacent to a medieval castle and settlement, were studied using pollen, macrofossils, loss-on-ignition and magnetic susceptibility. Our results show that despite continuous agricultural land use from 500 BC, the local landscape was still densely wooded until the start of the crusades in AD 1198 when a diversified pattern of pasture, meadow and arable land use was established. Colonisation followed the crusades, although in Livonia this occurred on a much smaller scale than in the rest of the Ordenstaat; Trikāta is atypical showing significant impact following the crusades with many other palaeoenvironmental studies only revealing more limited impact from the 14th century and later. Subsequent wars and changes in political control in the post-medieval period had little apparent effect on agricultural land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medieval Islamic archaeology in Jordan is relevant to the ‘Anthropocene’ discourse because of state investment in intensive land use, including irrigation and diversion of local agricultural economies from subsistence crops to cash crops. Archaeology offers a deep-time perspective on these issues. Previous archaeological and historical studies indicate that major centers of Medieval agriculture deteriorated at some point during the 15th century, in part because of state economic withdrawal and this impacted land use. In this paper, we use phytoliths to understand agricultural practices of Medieval Hisban (Mediterranean vegetation zone), Tawahin as-Sukkar, Khirbet as-Sheikh Isa, and Beidha (semi-arid region of the Jordan Valley) to offer new insights into state agricultural policies in relation to ecological and environmental history. Our results show control of irrigable land by subsistence farmers gave them resilience and contributed to sustainable farming. However, state-managed agricultural systems expropriated irrigable land, emphasizing production of cash crops for state revenue, thus reducing sustainability and putting pressure on the landscape. Sugarcane production replaced cereal cultivation and led to wood fuel burning, enhancing landscape erosion. Phytoliths from Beidha indicate that intensive agricultural production extended to marginal areas with the use of irrigation, thus creating greater human impact on sensitive environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we use geoarchaeological and paleoenvironmental data from three localities in the Yellow River Valley, China – Taosi, Sanyangzhuang, and the Yiluo Valley – to argue that human activity in the mid- to late-Holocene contributed to large-scale changes in the behavior of the Yellow River and that these changes were of sufficient magnitude to bend the arc of China’s history. Massive anthropogenic landscape transformation from the later Neolithic into the early Dynastic periods, especially in the Chinese Loess Plateau, increased sedimentation in the Yellow River requiring intensive investment in flood control features to protect an ever-growing population. As the Yellow River channel aggraded, channel gradients became increasingly steep, and avulsions occurred with greater frequency and consequence. Flooding reached an apogee in the first decades of the Common Era when a massive avulsion of the Yellow River ca. 14–17 CE caused the river to shift to the south and east of its former channel. This avulsion and the catastrophic flooding that followed triggered the collapse of the Western Han dynasty. The Yellow River – known as ‘China’s Tribulation’ – has been seen as a natural scourge that afflicts the inhabitants of the fertile North China Plain. However, when viewed in an Anthropocene perspective, it is evident that China’s Tribulation largely is the result of human manipulation of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When Spanish colonists entered New Mexico in 1598, they encountered landscapes shaped by centuries of intensive human use: the fields, water features, and towns of prehistoric New Mexico were all products of human activity, and both zooarchaeological and paleoethnobotanical data suggest significant human impacts on floral and faunal features outside of human settlement. And yet, these human-influenced prehistoric Southwestern landscapes were distinct from those that developed through the ‘Columbian exchange’ and contact between indigenous communities and the Spanish. The Spanish colonists brought with them a suite of new taxa – both floral and faunal – as well as new land management practices that transformed New Mexican environments, eventually leading to the iconic Southwestern landscapes of today. In this paper, I use zooarchaeological data to explore New Mexican landscapes from the late prehistoric period through the early 20th century, assessing the degree of influence of Spanish fauna across this period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature and spatial scale of prehistoric human landscape modifications in Amazonia are enduring questions. Original conceptions of the issues by archaeologists published more than 40 years ago posited little human influence because of putative environmental constraints. Empirical data accumulated more recently demonstrated dense, permanent settlements along major watercourses of the central and southern Amazon, and profound landscape alterations in seasonally flooded savanna regions of Bolivia. These results led some investigators to propose that most to all of Amazonia was heavily populated and modified before European arrival, and that prehistoric fires and forest clearing were of such a massive scale that post-Columbian reforestation was a significant contributor to decreasing atmospheric CO2 levels and the onset of the ‘Little Ice Age’. Recent data generated from investigations of soils sampled from underneath standing terra firme forests in parts of the western Amazon indicate ephemeral ancient human occupation and little vegetation disturbance there. These issues are central to ongoing discussions surrounding the classification and timing of the Anthropocene, because a geological epoch proposed on the basis of profound human alteration of environments and considerations of when during the Holocene it should begin, require robust paleo-environmental and archaeological data from major, critically important zones such as the Amazon Basin. This paper reviews debates and existing information on prehistoric human influences in Amazonia, provides new data from the western Amazon, and attempts to arrive at reasonable conclusions based on the available empirical data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When is the baseline for Anthropocene? The first indications of human impact on earth closely relate to early human behavior and use of resources. First agricultural societies modified the landscape with the aim of generating their own resources to satisfy the needs of an increasing population. This new system was the result of years of learning and continuous interaction with landscape. Hunter-gatherer societies had shown a vast knowledge of their surrounding environment, which allowed them to exploit and optimize the available resources. But, had these societies the capacity to modify the landscape in such a way that can be traced up until today? How far back in time can we go to find the first evidence of human impact on earth? In this paper, we will try to analyze early human behavior and the possible impact of their activities on the landscape. We will use the paleoanthropological site of Olduvai Gorge (northern Tanzania) as a case study to suggest that the baseline for Anthropocene, taking the term as human impact on earth through cognitive-behavioral strategies, can be moved back to the time when early hominins visited Olduvai. Olduvai Gorge is perfectly suited for this study since the latest scientific research and publications have yielded a detailed knowledge of the vegetation, the landscape, and of the wildlife that lived in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palynological archives dating from the Pleistocene–Holocene transition are scarce in the arid zone of the southern Levant. Anthracological remains (the carbonized residues of wood fuel use found in archaeological habitation sites) provide an alternative source of information about past vegetation. This paper discusses new and previously available anthracological datasets retrieved from excavated habitation sites in the southern Levant dating to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) period. The available evidence indicates the existence of distinct arboreal floras growing in different ecological niches, which occupied areas that today are either treeless or very sparsely wooded. The anthracological data provide independent confirmation of the hypothesis that early Holocene climate in the southern Levant was significantly moister than at present. Clear North–South and East–West precipitation and associated woodland composition gradients are evidenced. Far from deducing widespread anthropogenic degradation of the regional vegetation, it is suggested that woodland expansion in the semi-arid interiors of the Levant may be attributed to the intensive management of Pistacia woodlands for food, fuel and pasture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sediment core from a lagoon in southeastern Cuba was the focus of a multi-proxy paleoenvironmental study to investigate lagoon response to sea-level change and climate change and also to infer changes in the frequency of past hurricane strikes. The proxy data examined included benthic foraminifera, fossil pollen, particle size analysis, and macrocharcoal influx values. The core was dated using 137Cs and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon methods. The results show that lagoon formation began approximately 4000 years ago and that the lagoon environment evolved through four phases: (1) from ~4000 to 2800 cal. yr BP, the lagoon was a shallow polyhaline to euryhaline system with limited mangrove coverage; (2) from ~2800 to 2000 cal. yr BP, there was a decrease in salinity which facilitated the expansion of red mangrove; (3) from ~2000 to 1000 cal. yr BP, sea-level rise resulted in an increase in water depth and possibly salinity; and (4) from ~1000 cal. yr BP to the present, water level continued to rise and the mangrove environment diversified. The shift to lower salinity conditions from ~2800 to 2000 cal. yr BP may have been climate driven as similar changes are seen at lagoons elsewhere in Cuba. The particle size data show several periods where sand-sized particles are more abundant; these periods are similar to data from Puerto Rico that document times of relatively frequent hurricanes. This paper shows that coastal lagoons are useful archives of paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental information in the Caribbean region and that they should be the focus of additional research efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a multidisciplinary study using both paleoenvironmental methods (biological, sedimentological, magnetic and geochemical) and archaeological data in order to characterize landscape and hydrological network changes as well as human impact on a littoral catchment in the Western Mediterranean area. Sedimentary records obtained around a coastal alluvial plain (Cassis, Southeastern France) reveal local environmental changes and human activities since the Neolithic (ca. 6000 cal. BP). Anthropogenic impact is already noticeable in the earliest record, and we follow its evolution through time. According to biological markers, the Holocene landscape of the Calanques is dominated by a mosaic of open herbaceous formations partly generated by human activity. The prevalence of Cernuella virgata in malacofauna successions and of coprophilous fungal spores in the pollen record testifies to the spread of agro-pastoral activities. Two increases of anthropogenic impact are highlighted during the Roman (ca. 2000 cal. BP) and Modern (from ca. 1450 to today) periods. Lead isotope analyses indicate an anthropogenic release of lead, possibly originating from the Greek Cyclades (ca. 2000 cal. BP). Hydrographic and agricultural work is also enhanced during the Roman period. Magnetic parameters and lead isotopes indicate that the Modern anthropogenic impact may be associated with high temperature activities (e.g. lime kiln, fossil fuel). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on compilation of a large number of archaeological and palaeosol 14C-ages, the Summed Probability Method is used to reconstruct population history and climatic patterns on the Chinese Loess Plateau during the period 8.5–3.5 cal. ka BP. During this period, the population experienced two major expansion periods and several climatic fluctuations. The first population expansion began at around 7.8 cal. ka BP, and the second at around 5.8 cal. ka BP. During the first period, although already in combination with cultivation of broomcorn millet the population growth was supported mainly by hunting and gathering. With the switch from broomcorn millet to foxtail millet, plant cultivation became the major factor promoting a second population increase. In this paper, we demonstrate that, initially, suitable climate and agriculture both can facilitate population growth and climate events had a significant influence on demographic fluctuations. However, when reaching the threshold of land capacity, population became increasingly more sensitive towards climate fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in oxygen isotope ratios from shell carbonates are mainly dependent on sea surface temperature, which enables the estimation of temperatures during periods of shell growth and helps to determine the season of the year when the mollusk died. The marine topshell Phorcus lineatus (Da Costa, 1778) is commonly found in Holocene archaeological deposits of Atlantic Europe and is one of the most abundant subsistence resources utilized during the Mesolithic in northern Spain. Before applying isotopic techniques to ancient samples, calibration of the past isotopic data and its variability must be performed through the study of modern specimens to test their potential as paleoclimate proxy and their suitability for determining the collection season. Although previous studies performed in the region highlighted the existing relationship between sea surface temperatures and isotopic signatures, no systematic works have been done so far. In this paper, calibration of modern P. lineatus shells from northern Spain was carried out using δ18O analysis. The results showed (1) the existence of a robust inverse correlation between instrumental temperatures (Tmeas) and δ18Oshell (R2 > 0.9), accompanied by the lack of significant dependence from δ18Owater variations (R2 = 0.06); (2) the existence of conditions of (or close to) isotopic equilibrium during the formation of the aragonite in the P. lineatus shells; and (3) that using mean annual δ18Owater values, past temperatures could be calculated with a maximum uncertainty of ±3°C. Moreover, results suggested that P. lineatus generally grew without substantial slow/cessation throughout the year, reflecting the four annual seasons. Therefore, our study not only confirms the potential of oxygen isotope analysis on P. lineatus for paleoclimate reconstruction and archaeological studies highlighted in previous studies but also shows for the first time that the aragonite of those shells grew under conditions of isotopic equilibrium, opening new avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human-climate-ecosystem interactions in the past were valuable for today’s human beings who face the challenge of global change. The multi-proxy reconstruction of climate change impacts and social responses and the comparative study between typical periods form an effective tool for elucidating the mechanisms of the interactions. In this paper, with a reconstruction of the proxy series of famine, migration and wars, the most typical social consequences related to climate change and disasters (flood/drought) in North China in 1470–1911 were quantitatively described, and two typical periods of human-climate interaction with similar climate change backgrounds (cold periods of the ‘Little Ice Age’), which were the late Ming dynasty (1560–1644) and late Qing dynasty (1780–1911), were selected and compared. It is determined that the climate deterioration (rapid cooling and increasing extreme disasters) in the late 16th and 18th centuries both resulted in severe social consequences characterized by more famine and popular unrest. The differences were that the climatic impacts in the late Ming were much more serious, and interregional migration, which was an effective responsive measure in the late Qing, was not important in the late Ming; they were primarily influenced by three factors based on the analytical framework of the impacts of historical climate change and social responses: (1) climate deterioration in the late Ming was more severe (more rapid cooling and more extreme disasters), (2) social system were more sensitive to climate change in the late Ming because of its mode of agricultural production (especially cropping system and crop species), and (3) the capacity of social response to climate disaster, especially disaster relief and refugee settlement, was considerably greater in the late Qing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variations in the Nile River water level have been historically associated with social development of the Egyptian civilization, particularly through times of famine. In addition, the Nile River water levels have been strongly linked to variations in climate teleconnections, specifically El Niño/Southern Oscillation, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. In this paper, we demonstrate that the cumulative effects of these three teleconnections link strongly to the occurrence of famine in Egypt. To create a cumulative response, we employed a principal component analysis (PCA) of the reconstructions of these three climate teleconnections that yielded a composite accounting for 61% of the total variance in the three datasets. We compared that analysis to a new compilation of drought and famine in Egypt. Analysis reveals 8 of 10 major famines in Egypt over the last thousand years correspond to low points or downward movements in a detrended composite eigenvector of the three major climate teleconnections discussed. This Southern Oscillation Index–NAO (SOI-NAO) eigenvector has a statistically significant discrimination between the occurrence of famine and non-occurrence of famine (t = 2.56; p = 0.013). Additionally, the composite climate eigenvector correctly identifies 50 out of 80 events (63%) of lesser incident years mentioned in other Arabic texts. While this climate composite teleconnection analysis alone does not explain all famine events in Egypt over the last thousand years, the relative strength of linkage suggests that potential exists to account for even older (e.g. Egyptian Empire) famines as climate reconstructions extending further back in time become available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peat deposits from an ombrotrophic bog (north-eastern Poland) were analysed to reconstruct peatland development and environmental changes. This paper presents reconstructions of hydrological changes and plant succession over the last 6000 years. The methods included the high-resolution analysis of plant macrofossils, pollen and testate amoebae, supported by radiocarbon dating. Three main phases were identified in the history of the bog and surrounding woodland vegetation: 4000–400 BC, 400 BC–AD 1700 and AD 1700–2011. Except for terrestrialisation and the fen-to-bog transition phase, the development of bog vegetation was mainly dependent on the climate until approximately AD 1700. The dominant taxon in Gązwa bog was Sphagnum fuscum/rubellum. Woodland development was significantly affected by human activity at several time periods. The most visible human activity, manifested by the decline of deciduous species, occurred ca. 350 BC, ca. AD 250, ca. AD 1350 and after AD 1700. These events correspond to phases of human settlement in the area. During 400–300 BC, the decline of deciduous trees, primarily Carpinus, coincided with an increase in indicators of human activity and fire frequency. At ca. AD 200, Carpinus and Tilia abundance decreased, corresponding to an increased importance of cereals (Secale and Triticum). Since ca. AD 1350, the impact of Teutonic settlement is apparent, and after AD 1700, deciduous forests largely disappeared. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The first Sierras of Córdoba (Argentina) evidences of Chenopodium spp. and/or Amaranthus spp. human consumption were presented in this paper. The identifications were made over micro-botanical remains – starch granules – from grinding tools and pottery from two archaeological sites: Quebrada del Real 1 (c. 3000 BP) and C.Pun.39 (c. 1000–500 BP). Multiproxy data suggest the management of high-nutritional wild plants and the early knowledge of the post-harvest processing technology required to remove the non-edible portion of seed. Thus, the presence of Chenopodium spp. was significant to the study of the subsistence strategies and the small-scale farming spread among the early late Holocene human societies in central Argentina, being especially pertinent as a potential comparison to seek the early phases of food transition in contemporary Andean South America, Mesoamerica, and Eastern North America. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite the great potential of palaeo-environmental information to strengthen natural resource policy, science and practical outcomes naturally occurring archives of palaeo-environmental and ecosystem service information have not been fully recognised or utilised to inform the development of environmental policy. In this paper, we describe how Australian palaeo-environmental science is improving environmental understanding through local studies and regional syntheses that inform us about past conditions, extreme conditions and altered ecosystem states. Australian innovations in ecosystem services research and palaeo-environmental science contribute in five important contexts: discussions about environmental understanding and management objectives, improving access to information, improved knowledge about the dynamics of ecosystem services, increasing understanding of environmental processes and resource availability, and engaging interdisciplinary approaches to manage ecosystem services. Knowledge of the past is an important starting point for setting present and future resource management objectives, anticipating consequences of trade-offs, sharing risk and evaluating and monitoring the ongoing availability of ecosystem services. Palaeo-environmental information helps reframe discussions about desirable futures and collaborative efforts between scientists, planners, managers and communities. However, further steps are needed to translate the ecosystem services concept into ecosystem services policy and tangible management objectives and actions that are useful, feasible and encompass the range of benefits to people from ecosystems. We argue that increased incorporation of palaeo-environmental information into policy and decision-making is needed for evidence-based adaptive management to enhance sustainability of ecosystem functions and reduce long-term risks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Fire residues elucidate the where, when, and how of land use. Charcoal analysis provides insights into wood-burning practices, but is restricted by the size of identifiable particles. The present paper is the first to apply a black carbon (BC) method to archaeological sediment deposits. This method oxidizes charcoal and soot particles from the bulk sediment to benzene polycarboxylic acids (BPCAs), independent of size. Our aim was to test the potential of BC analysis in order to elucidate the input from grass and wood fires and discuss the potential limitations of the method on sediments of the Ifri Oudadane rock shelter, Morocco. Sediments cover the cultural transition from hunter–gatherers to food-producing communities (Epipaleolithic to Neolithic period, 11–6 kyr cal. BP), which has previously been shown to affect the geochemical, palynological, and archaeological inventories of these sediments. We found respective changes in BC; specifically, content was highest during the Epipaleolithic, with an average of 35% BC in organic carbon (Corg) compared with Neolithic sediments with an average of 24% BC in Corg. The fire temperature (expressed by BPCA composition) changed significantly, which suggests that wood fires dominated in the Epipaleolithic and grass fires dominated in the Neolithic period. These findings agree with a previously suggested shift in usage. We are able to show here that BC analysis, when combined with other proxy data and archaeological findings, can contribute to a deepened understanding of past human activities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The development since the beginning of the 20th century of the pollen-analytical theory and method as a palaeoecological tool for describing landscape development is outlined with reference to southern Scandinavia. Numerical methods applied since the 1980s are discussed. The aim of this paper is to provide a new perspective on the landscape development and human impact during the Holocene by applying the Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites (REVEALS) model to the pollen records from the reference site Lake Färskesjön in SE Sweden. The model was applied both to a previously published record (core 1956, entire Holocene until ad 1600) and a newly collected dataset (core 2013, the last 3000 years). The comparison between the REVEALS estimates of vegetation cover and historical landscape maps indicate that traditional, uncorrected pollen percentages significantly underestimate the degree of landscape openness created by long-term farming and pasturing, but that the degree of underestimation varies over time, depending on the species composition of both the forest and the open-land communities. The REVEALS reconstructions are also a useful tool for the quantification of past land-use changes that may have affected the nutrient loading to the Baltic Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive geographical range of palaeolimnological studies designed to assess the extent of surface water acidification in the United Kingdom during the 1980s, little attention was paid to the status of surface waters in the North York Moors (NYM). In this paper, we present sediment core data from a moorland pool in the NYM that provide a record of air pollution contamination and surface water acidification. The 41-cm-long core was divided into three lithostratigraphic units. The lower two comprise peaty soils and peats, respectively, that date to between approximately 8080 and 6740 cal. BP. The uppermost unit comprises peaty lake muds dating from between approximately ad 1790 and the present day (ad 2006). The lower two units contain pollen dominated by forest taxa, whereas the uppermost unit contains pollen indicative of open landscape conditions similar to those of the present. Heavy metal, spheroidal carbonaceous particle, mineral magnetics and stable isotope analysis of the upper sediments show clear evidence of contamination by air pollutants derived from fossil-fuel combustion over the last c. 150 years, and diatom analysis indicates that the naturally acidic pool became more acidic during the 20th century. We conclude that the exceptionally acidic surface waters of the pool at present (pH = c. 4.1) are the result of a long history of air pollution and not because of naturally acidic local conditions. We argue that the highly acidic surface waters elsewhere in the NYM are similarly acidified and that the lack of evidence of significant recovery from acidification, despite major reductions in the emissions of acidic gases that have taken place over the last c. 30 years, indicates the continuing influence of pollutant sulphur stored in catchment peats, a legacy of over 150 years of acid deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an integrated approach to assess Holocene environmental changes in the Sperchios delta, Sperchios rift, central Greece. A multidisciplinary study was carried out applying established analytical methods as well as exploring new techniques to detect past environmental conditions in a fluvio-deltaic depositional system. A series of six deep boreholes, up to 50 m long, and four shallow cores, up to 6 m long, from across the delta plain, were studied in detail. Sedimentary facies were defined by changes in grain size and macro- and microfaunal composition. Variability in mineral magnetic composition documented by changes in bulk magnetic susceptibility (χ and χ77K/χ293K) and remanence parameters (S−300 and σARM/σSIRM ratios), as well as down-core elemental variations obtained by scanning micro-x-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), provide constraints on the depositional changes related to the evolution of the Sperchios delta. Correlations between elemental data derived by µ-XRF analyses and grain size were also analyzed and used to further constrain the facies interpretation. Overall, these Holocene sediments reveal a transgressive–regressive succession overlying pre-transgressive terrestrial deposits of Late Pleistocene–Early Holocene age. Furthermore, 13 new 14C radiocarbon dates constrain the transgression rate to be ~3.5 m/yr for the Early Holocene and the regression rate to be ~1 m/yr for the Late Holocene. The Sperchios delta plain developed when the rate of sea-level rise decreased ~6000 cal. yr BP as it has been proposed for the broader area of Aegean Sea. This study demonstrates that the combination of techniques used here provides a powerful way to map out paleoenvironmental changes and thus the 3D stratigraphic architecture of Holocene sedimentary successions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) of the 15th to 19th centuries ad is well-attested from much of Europe and from some other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It has been attributed to solar forcing, associated with reduced solar activity, notably during the Spörer, Maunder and Dalton solar minima, although other causes have also been proposed and feature strongly in recent papers. Detection of the LIA in some proxy-climate records from the Southern Hemisphere is less clear, leading to suggestions that the LIA was perhaps not a global phenomenon. Resolving this issue requires more data from the Southern Hemisphere. We present proxy-climate data (plant macrofossils; peat humification) covering the past three millennia from an ombrotrophic mire (peat bog) in Tierra del Fuego, southern South America, but focus our discussion on the period traditionally associated with the LIA. During parts of this time, the mire surface was apparently relatively dry compared with much of its 3000-year record. It was reported earlier that a particularly dry episode in the mire coincided with the 2800 cal. BP ‘solar’ event (since identified as a Grand Solar Minimum), which was attributed to solar-driven changes in atmospheric circulation, and more specifically to a shift in position of the Westerlies. Parts of the LIA record show a similar shift to dryness, and we invoke a similar cause. The shifts to and from dry episodes are abrupt. These new data support the concept of a global LIA, and for at least the intense dry episodes might reinforce the claim for solar forcing of parts of the LIA climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ringed seal (Pusa hispida) is an early immigrant in the Baltic Basin and has since its arrival experienced substantial changes in the climate, salinity and productivity of the Basin. In this paper, we discuss the dispersal and distribution of the ringed seal during different stages of the Baltic Sea in relation to past and ongoing environmental changes. Subfossil ringed seal remains around the Baltic Sea and the Danish Straits were radiocarbon dated in order to map the distribution of the species in different time periods. The δ13C data were used in evaluating the changes in the marine character of the Baltic Basin. The sequence of the dates indicates a continuous presence of the species in the Baltic Basin. The earliest ringed seal finds come from the Skagerrak/Kattegat area (Denmark, Swedish west coast) and date to the full glacial period and Baltic Ice Lake. In the Baltic Basin, the species appears in the subfossil record during the Ancylus period, but the main part of the remains date to the Littorina stage. During the Littorina stage, the distribution of the species was at least periodically wider than today, covering also southern parts of the Baltic. The presence of breeding populations in southern parts of the Baltic during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) indicates that the winters were at least periodically cold enough for winter ice. The changes in the marine influence in the Baltic Basin can be seen in the seal collagen δ13C values, which serve as a proxy for qualitative changes in water mass salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate of Sulawesi is driven by the monsoon system as well as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Until now, mechanisms and long-term variations of these complex interacting climate processes have been poorly understood. This paper uses a sediment record from Lake Kalimpaa to investigate long-term rainfall trends of the past ~1500 years. Granulometric and geochemical data provide indications for an increasingly wetter climate (higher rainfall intensities and/or mean rainfall) on centennial to millennial time scales from approximately ad 560 to the 20th century. Highest rainfall intensities probably occurred at the end of the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA). The trend towards wetter conditions during this time could also be detected in other palaeoclimatic studies from the region. A plausible explanation for these observations is the southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) associated with changes in monsoon dynamics. However, comparison of the results with other proxy and model data indicates that the long-term rainfall variability in Central Sulawesi is also determined by variations in ENSO. During the 20th century, the climate signal in the Kalimpaa record is superimposed by human impact. Moreover, the data suggest that two periods of disturbance occurred within the lake catchment between about ad 1090–1190 and ad 1450–1620. Comparison with fire frequency derived from macro-charcoal analysis indicates that these events were caused by forest fires which likely took place during periods of drought. Broadly simultaneous drought periods have been detected in records from East Java suggesting a regional drought occurrence affecting at least East Java and Sulawesi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a study of surface pollen deposition on 26 glacier forelands in the Jostedalsbreen–Jotunheimen region of southern Norway. Numerical techniques, including two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), are used to identify distinct plant assemblages, to examine the pollen–vegetation relationship and to distinguish broad trends in the data. The source of pollen is fundamental; the majority of samples, especially those from sparsely vegetated sites, are dominated by arboreal pollen (up to 90% of the total land pollen (TLP) sum), most with a long-distance source. However, indicator taxa, notably Salix and Empetrum, although present at low frequencies, can hold the key to the true nature of the local vegetation. Indicator taxa produce strong correlations between their presence in the vegetation and representation in the pollen spectra, at times essential to distinguish plant communities. Multivariate analysis of the 197 surface pollen samples and vegetation data indicates the broad division of the sub-alpine and alpine vegetation into four major groups: pioneer communities, snowbed communities, heath communities and woodland. The primary DCA ordination axes show significant correlations with altitude and terrain age (e.g. correlation r = 0.36 between altitude and non-arboreal pollen (NAP) Axis-1). The most readily interpretable results are produced by CCA simultaneous ordination of vegetation data and NAP data. The potential for improving the interpretation of Holocene vegetation is assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human colonization of Norway occurred in the Pleistocene–Holocene transition – one of the most abrupt and severe climatic shifts in human history. For 1500 years (9500–8000 bc), the whole coast was occupied by mobile, marine-oriented hunter-gatherers. This paper explores dynamic relations between human adaptation and marine environmental variations in this period. An updated record of archaeological sites and palaeo-oceanographic data suggests a correlation between marine productivity and site distribution and density. The data further demonstrate spatial and temporal differences in the environment. A cooling pulse at 9300–9200 bc (the Preboreal Oscillation) with widespread ecological consequences must have been noticeable to humans occupying Norwegian landscapes. A more gradual shift occurred around 8800 bc when the arctic climate gave way to warmer conditions: The Norwegian Atlantic current stabilized, all fjord systems became ice-free, and animal diversity increased. In the northernmost region, the impact of Atlantic water was less severe, and Polar conditions with more sea ice seem to have lingered throughout the period. Variations in the site pattern may be related to these fluctuations in the resource situation. Variations in the lithic industry, on the other hand, seem to be connected to technological choices or local traditions, rather than environmental dissimilarities. The archaeological record indicates that the lifestyle, which developed under arctic conditions, was maintained through a flexible mobility pattern and a versatile tool technology, but the Norwegian coast also provided a good base to uphold such a lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Precise timing of natural and cultural events provides a foundation for understanding how past natural phenomena have driven changes in population and culture. In this study, we used high-resolution Bayesian chronology to describe an event sequence of a massive and abrupt water level decline of a large lake and the contemporaneous cultural changes that occurred in eastern Fennoscandia during the mid-Holocene. The study provides the first transdisciplinary analysis of the causes and effects of the events by using a combination of archaeological, geological and ecological data. Nearly 6000 years ago, ancient Lake Saimaa, estimated to cover nearly 9000 km2at the time, was abruptly discharged through a new outlet. The event created thousands of square kilometres of new residual wetlands. The archaeological record shows a profound cultural replacement and a subsequent sharp human population maximum in the area during the decades after the decline in water level. During the population maximum, the proportion of Alces alces (moose) in the diet rapidly increased and became prominent as a dietary resource. The eventual population decline in the area coincided with ecological development towards old boreal conifer forests, along with the colonization of a new species of tree Picea abies (Norway spruce). The new ecosystem was less suitable for moose to forage in, and this attenuated the dietary role of moose and thus contributed towards the eventual population and cultural decline. The methodological approach described in this paper allowed the reconstruction of past natural and cultural events and demonstrated how they can be causally intertwined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) was introduced in Europe from Asia Minor during classical Greek and Roman times. Since then, hemp pollen abundances between 10% and 80% in Late Holocene sediments have been considered indicative of the local or regional cultivation and/or retting of this plant. In this paper, a unique pollen peak of >60% recorded in Lake Montcortès (pre-Pyrenean foothills, NE Spain) is evaluated as a potential chronostratigraphic marker. Previously, this pollen peak was dated to ad 1757 using a depth–age model based on AMS 14C dates from sedimentary macrofossils, but a recent calibration of the model using varve counting has refined the date of the hemp pollen maximum to ad 1839. This date coincides with an outstanding socio-political shift from feudalism to liberalism in Spain and the corresponding dismantling of the royal navy, the main consumer of hemp fibre. These events produced a well-documented decline in Cannabis cultivation across the Iberian Peninsula. The sharpness of the Cannabis pollen peak, its accurate dating using annual varves and its almost exact coincidence with outstanding and widespread historical events suggest that this palynological landmark could be used as a chronostratigraphic marker for recent centuries. This possibility, as well as the geographical extent of this potential datum, should be confirmed with further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of natural landscapes in Middle Europe began in the Neolithic as a result of the introduction of food-producing economies. This paper examines the relation between land-cover and demographic change in a regionally restricted case study. The study area is the Western Lake Constance area which has very detailed palynological as well as archaeological records. We compare land-cover change derived from nine pollen records using a pseudo-biomisation approach with 14C date probability density functions from archaeological sites which serve as a demographic proxy. We chose the Lake Constance area as a regional example where the pollen signal integrates a larger spatial pattern. The land-cover reconstructions for this region show first notable impacts at the Middle to Young Neolithic transition. The beginning of the Bronze Age is characterised by increases of arable land and pasture/meadow, whereas the deciduous woodland decreases dramatically. Changes in the land-cover classes show a correlation with the 14C density curve: the correlation is best with secondary woodland in the Young Neolithic which reflects the lake shore settlement dynamics. In the Early Bronze Age, the radiocarbon density correlates with open land-cover classes, such as pasture, meadow and arable land, reflecting a change in the land-use strategy. The close overall correspondence between the two archives implies that population dynamics and land-cover change were intrinsically linked. We therefore see human impact as a key driver for vegetation change in the Neolithic. Climate might have an influence on vegetation development, but the changes caused by human land use are clearly detectable from Neolithic times, at least in these densely settled, mid-altitude landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatlands represent the largest and most concentrated carbon pool in the terrestrial biosphere, and their dynamics during the Holocene have had significant impacts on the global carbon cycle. In this Introduction paper, we provide an overview of the contributions presented in this Special Issue on Holocene peatland carbon dynamics. We also provide a brief history and current status of peat-core-based research on peatland carbon dynamics. Finally, we identify and discuss some challenges and opportunities that would guide peatland carbon research in the near future. These challenges and opportunities include the need to fill data gaps and increase geographic representations of peat carbon accumulation records, a better understanding of peatland lateral expansion process and improved estimate of peatland area change over time, developing regional carbon accumulation histories and carbon pool estimates, and projecting and quantifying overall peatland net carbon balance in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates the interaction between groundwater and groundwater-dominated Crescent Spring in an aeolian sand environment to determine the drainage source of groundwater for the lake using hydraulic gradient and isotope analysis methods. The precipitation is found to have an insignificant effect on the lake in an arid climate environment. Hydrogen and oxygen isotopic evidence presents at least two aquifer contributions that recharge 87% and 13% water supply of the lake, respectively. The flow direction of groundwater is theoretically established based on the hydraulic gradient and isotope analysis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Modern pollen-rain studies are crucial for the calibration and interpretation of fossil pollen records. In East Africa, numerous pollen records provide important insights into the impact of human populations and climate change on tropical ecosystems. However, the confident use of fossil pollen data to reconstruct vegetation and climate dynamics requires well-founded knowledge regarding the relationship between pollen deposition and modern-day vegetation, which is still deficient for large parts of the African continent and non-existent for the tropical East African Mountains. In this study, we investigated the relationship between vegetation and modern pollen-rain along the elevational gradient of Kilimanjaro. We apply multivariate data analysis to assess the relationship between vegetation and modern pollen-rain and quantify the representativeness of forest zones. We further assessed the taxonomic level needed for differentiation between forest zones based on the modern pollen-rain assemblage, biodiversity patterns and pollen and spore drift. In the montane vegetation of Kilimanjaro, it is sufficient to analyse the pollen-rain on plant family level in order to derive the forest zone of the surrounding vegetation. Along this elevational gradient, pollen and spore dispersal is strongly influenced by regional wind patterns, but their deposition reflects the diversity patterns of the surrounding vegetation. This study represents the first statistical analysis of pollen vegetation relationship along an elevational gradient in Africa. Hence, this paper improves confidence in interpretation of palynological records from the tropical East African Mountains and may refine past climate reconstructions for a more accurate comparison of data and modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bay of Quiberon (NW France), which is protected by the Quiberon Peninsula, provides well-preserved sedimentary archives for high-resolution reconstruction of Holocene climate variability. Very-high-resolution seismic profiles were obtained from two Seistec boomer seismic campaigns conducted in the bay. The seismic surveys reveal the deposition of five distinct sedimentary units. This succession is correlated with radiocarbon-dated sediments sampled in a long CASQ core (MD08-3204CQ). The analysis of the sediments shows significant changes in grain size, indicating a complex series of palaeo-climate events dated at 8800, 8600, 4270, 3860, 2470 and 1060 cal. yr BP. These may be correlated with millennial timescale climate variability corresponding to the phases of Holocene rapid climate changes (RCCs), associated with negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and usually characterized by weaker winter storms. On the contrary, periods between RCCs are characterized by the predominance of westerly winds and stormy conditions for Brittany (i.e. positive NAO). However, only storm events occurring during the RCCs have been preserved in the Bay of Quiberon. This paper aims to reconstruct the Holocene sedimentary infill of the bay, highlighting the role of episodic acceleration phases of the sea-level rise on the preservation of sedimentary archives. Thus, the Bay of Quiberon provides substantially a complete sedimentation record of the last 10,000 years characterized by a series of complex palaeo-environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aims to understand the recurring climatic conditions prevailing during the largest storms reaching NW France (Brittany). These storms are responsible for the breaching of coastal barriers and major flooding of lowlands. In a first part of our work, we examine the morphological impact and stratigraphic record of storm events along Western Brittany rocky coasts, with a special focus on the southern coast of the Bay of Audierne, the most exposed coast of the region. In a second paper (‘Middle- to Late-Holocene Storminess in Brittany (NW France): Part II’), we shall focus on the chronology of storm events and their climate forcing conditions. Drilling transects and stratigraphic analyses were first undertaken to constrain chronology, strength and wind direction during the main Holocene storm events. New dates, observations and a relative sea-level (RSL) curve were then used to inform discussion of the necessary climatic and morphologic conditions leading to destructive storm events. Most recorded events appear to be linked with cooling episodes of the Holocene and a RSL close to present. Some storms are clearly responsible for breaching and dune building or remobilisation. We demonstrate that storm frequency and intensity appear to rise in a stepwise manner during the late Holocene. Maximum efficiency is reached during the ‘Little Ice Age’ with clustered events probably lasting several days, but major storms also occurred immediately prior to the ‘Medieval Warm Period’. We suggest that recent coastal dune building from c.ad 1100 until now, despite a sea level close to present and continuously rising, may be a direct consequence of the restoration of beaches after periods of recurrent storminess. This building activity often occurred during dry negative North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) events, in connection with the available sedimentary supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From ad 711 to 1492, several regions in Iberia were under Muslim ruling. This Al-Andalus civilization generated a large amount of documentation during those centuries. Unfortunately, most of the documents are lost. The surviving Arabic documentary sources have never been studied from a climate perspective. In this paper, we present the first attempt to retrieve climate evidence from them. We studied all the Islamic chronicles (documents written by Islamic historians that narrate the social, political and religious history) available for the period ad 711–1010. It is shown that these sources recorded extreme events with a high temporal and spatial resolution. We identified three severe droughts, ad 748–754, ad 812–823 and ad 867–879, affecting Al-Andalus. We also noticed that the weather in Cordoba during the period ad 971–975 showed a higher frequency of snow and hail than current climate. The possibility of obtaining long continuous series from this type of source seems highly difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the different practices employed in the acquisition of woody material used by hunter–gatherer societies from the northwestern region of the Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia, during the early and middle Holocene. In addressing this theme, we study carbonized and non-carbonized wood recovered from six stratigraphic levels from the Cerro Casa de Piedra 7 site. This research revealed that during the lowest level of occupation, a distinct range of woody species were utilized; these were subsequently absent in the rest of the stratigraphical levels studied. In fact, all the other levels analyzed presented the homogeneous presence of a single plant species: Nothofagus pumilio. This species has the largest representation among both the charcoal and uncharred wood fragments of the six levels studied. The study of the assemblage samples allowed us to identify differences between the various archaeological levels, which could be the product of behavioral and/or environmental differences. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Coastal dunefields along the east coast of Korea have long been thought to have originated from beach ridges that prograded during the Holocene, but there has been little chronological evidence based on absolute dating. In this paper, we use optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys to reconstruct the coastal progradation of Anin dunefield in the Gangneung area on the east coast of Korea. GPR profiles and sedimentological analyses of four beach-foredune ridges reveal that the ridges are composed mainly of beach deposits showing seaward-dipping and horizontal laminae, capped by eolian sands with landward-dipping laminae. The beach deposits are, in places, underlain by fluvial sands with gravels. Coupled with data from OSL dating, we interpret these results to mean that the fluvial sands and rounded cobbles were deposited in the study area, during the last glacial period. Between the mid-Holocene (~6.5 kyr) and c. 3.5–3.0 kyr, the transgression rate of the sea decreased and coastal progradation occurred. Between c. 3.5 and 3.0 kyr, foreshore sediments, including granules and pebbles, accumulated over the older beach deposits, indicating erosional events. Progradation resumed at ~3.0 kyr and continues to the present. During the past 3 kyr, there has been an average rate of progradation of ~0.14 m/yr. The beach-foredune ridges in the Gangneung area represent the evolution of coastal progradation on the east coast of Korea during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]