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2. The lives of creatures obscure, misunderstood, and wonderful: a volume in honour of Ken Aplin 1958–2019. In Papers in Honour of Ken Aplin, ed. Julien Louys, Sue O’Connor, and Kristofer M. Helgen
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Kristofer M. Helgen, Julien Louys, and Sue O'Connor
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mammals ,rodentia ,muridae ,new guinea ,holocene ,quaternary ,pleistocene ,Museums. Collectors and collecting ,AM1-501 ,Evolution ,QH359-425 - Abstract
[Excerpt] He was always a modest man, but Ken was a genius and the toughest man we knew. He was also extraordinarily generous of spirit. The way he gave of himself, his time, and his hard-won stores of knowledge, was legendary amongst his friends and colleagues. We admired him and we loved him. Ken was a world-renowned comparative anatomist, vertebrate systematist, palaeontologist, and zooarchaeologist. He was a problem solver like few we’ve ever met, and a fieldworker and world traveller par excellence. Ken’s personal and professional outlook embraced the whole world, in all its true facets and flavours, its complexities and eccentricities—he took the world, and all of us in it, as we came. His intellectual reputation extended well beyond Australia and was known to thousands of colleagues who may never have had the chance to meet him.
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- 2020
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3. Special Paper: Comparison of Post-Glacial Molluscan and Vegetational Successions from a Radiocarbon-Dated Tufa Sequence in Oxfordshire
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Preece, R. C. and Day, S. P.
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- 1994
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4. At the vanishing point : environment and prehistoric land use in the Black Rock Desert. (Anthropological papers of the American Museum of Natural History, number 103)
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Colligan, Kaely, Harold, Laura, Hildebrandt, William R., McGuire, Kelly R., Young, D. Craig, American Museum of Natural History Library, Colligan, Kaely, Harold, Laura, Hildebrandt, William R., McGuire, Kelly R., and Young, D. Craig
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Antiquities, Prehistoric ,Black Rock Desert (Nev.) ,Desert ecology ,Dwellings ,Environmental archaeology ,Excavations (Archaeology) ,Holocene ,Human ecology ,Indians of North America ,Indians of North America ,Land settlement patterns, Prehistoric ,Land use ,Nevada ,Paleoecology ,Paleo-Indians ,Pleistocene ,Sulphur Springs Region (Humboldt County, Nev.)
5. G. Russell Coope: Papers honouring his life and career.
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Elias, Scott A. and Whitehouse, Nicki J.
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ENTOMOLOGY , *PLEISTOCENE Epoch , *BEETLES , *GLACIAL climates , *ARCHAEOLOGY , *FOSSILS - Abstract
The passing of Russell Coope in 2011 brought an end to a vigorous, dynamic research career that launched the field of Quaternary entomology. This issue of Quaternary International is composed mostly of papers given in his honour in June, 2012 at Royal Holloway University of London. It comprises 21 papers that cover a wide range of topics. The reconstruction of British Pleistocene environments was arguably Coope's most important contribution to science. Three papers containing previously unpublished Middle and Late Pleistocene beetle faunas and their interpretations are included here. A discussion paper on the origins of the insect faunas of North Atlantic islands echoes another of Coope's research interests, as do two studies of late glacial climates of northwest Europe. A suite of several papers discussing the environmental archaeology of sites ranging in age from the Bronze Age to the early 20th century honour Coope's pioneering work in this field. Pleistocene research from sites in North America and Japan complete the volume, followed by descriptions of two large-scale insect fossil databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2014
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6. Comment on the paper ‘Impact of volcanic eruptions on the environment and climatic conditions in the area of Poland (Central Europe)’ by A. Gałaś.
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Brauer, Achim, Wulf, Sabine, Ott, Florian, Błaszkiewicz, Mirosław, and Słowiński, Michał
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VOLCANIC eruptions , *CLIMATOLOGY , *LAKE sediments , *VOLCANIC ash, tuff, etc. - Published
- 2017
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7. AustArch: A Database of 14C and Non-14C Ages from Archaeological Sites in Australia - Composition, Compilation and Review (Data Paper)
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Jill Reid, Mike Smith, Sean Ulm, and Alan N. Williams
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Archeology ,Thermoluminescence Dating ,Pleistocene ,Optically Stimulated Luminescence ,Cation Ratio Dating ,Australia ,archaeology ,Electron Spin Resonance ,Archaeology ,Proxy (climate) ,Midden ,El Niño Southern Oscillation ,Oxidisable Carbon ,Sample Type ,lcsh:Archaeology ,Rock art ,lcsh:CC1-960 ,Radiocarbon Dating ,Amino Acid Racemization ,Arid zone ,Holocene ,Geology ,database ,Uranium-Series - Abstract
This dataset represents an invaluable compilation of 14C and non-14C ages from archaeological sites for most of the 89 bio-regions of Australia. Critically harvesting some 5,000 14C and 500 non-14C dates from over 1,000 publications, the dataset provides information on each date in 26 fields including its location, site type, biogeographic zone, sample material, context and age details (including 13C and error). This data provides a comprehensive foundation for any regional archaeology in Australia illustrating past research foci, strengths and biases in sampling of bioregions, geomorphic context, site type, sample type, and adequacy of contextualisation (e.g. association with cultural events). Such datasets can improve time series and summed probability methods and are being used as a mainstream proxy to explore archaeological trends and specifically demographic fluctuations for the tropical northern, central arid zone and southern ocean provinces. Such reconstructions will always rely on coverage and adequacy of sampling (52 bioregions register less than 50 dates). While both closed rockshelter sites and open/midden sites account for a similar proportion of dates, less than 14% of sites have returned 4 or more dates. Given that 74% of dates fall within the Holocene epoch, this period is most amenable to archaeological enquiry at a fine-scaled regional level. For the Pleistocene era, larger scale questions such as occupation patterns during the LGM might reasonably be addressed and refined. The data may be re-used for studies of a) timing of colonisation of differing bioregions, b) characterising varying mobility patterns of groups occupying the arid zone, c) identifying gaps in previous research (the Great Victoria and Tanami Deserts), d) as proxy for demographic changes, e) the responses of groups to environmental stochasticity such as OIS2 and ENSO, f) the relationship between occupation and phases of rock art production through time, g) the nature of coastal occupation during lower sea stands and specifically following mid-Holocene stabilisation, and h) not least, as a fundamental building block for any regional archaeology of Australia.
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- 2014
8. Medical imaging as a taphonomic tool : The naturally-mummified bodies from Takarkori rock shelter (Tadrart Acacus, SW Libya, 6100-5600 uncal BP)
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Profico, Antonio, Tafuri, Mary Anne, Di Vincenzo, Fabio, Ricci, Francesca, Ottini, Laura, Ventura, Luca, Fornaciari, Gino, Di Lernia, Savino, and Manzi, Giorgio
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- 2020
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9. RESEARCH PAPER An evaluation of the Lost World and Vertical Displacement hypotheses in the Chimantá Massif, Venezuelan Guayana.
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Rull, Valentí
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VEGETATION & climate , *LIFE zones , *BIOGEOGRAPHY , *ECOLOGY ,TEPUIS (Venezuela) - Abstract
To document the occurrence of vertical displacements of vegetation in the high plateaus of the Venezuelan Guayana ( tepuis) over the last c. 6000 years, and to discuss their significance for the origin of their flora, especially the endemism patterns observed in their flat summits. Two hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of the summit flora. One (the Lost World hypothesis) proposes a long history of evolution in isolation from the surrounding plains, while the other (the Vertical Displacement hypothesis) suggests that vertical movements of vegetation during the Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles would have resulted in floristic mixing within the lowlands, and genetic interchange among plateau summits. This work has been conducted on the flat summit of the Churí-tepui, in the Chimantá massif, at 5°15′ Lat. N and 62°01′ Long. W, around 2250 m altitude. Pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating of two peat outcrops, using modern analogue technique and numerical methods for palaeoecological interpretation were used. The replacement of a high-altitude plant community (a paramoid Chimantaea shrubland) by a lower elevation (< 2300 m) Stegolepis meadow, occurred about 2500 years before present (yr bp). This vegetation change is inferred to have resulted from a regional climatic shift to higher temperature and moisture. A subsequent decrease in temperature and moisture led to the establishment of present conditions after about 1450 yr bp. The highland vegetation of the tepuis responded to climate shifts with vertical displacements, supporting the hypothesis of vertical mixing. However, a physiographical analysis shows that around half of the tepuis would never have been connected by lowlands. Therefore, both hypotheses are needed to explain the origins of the summit flora in the tepuis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2004
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10. Short papers of the 4th South American symposium on isotope geology : volume 1 : volume 2
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Pessenda, L.C.R., Ribeiro, A.S., Gouveia, S.E.M., Aravena, R., Boulet, René, Bendassolli, J.A., Da Silva Rosa, M. de L. (ed.), Correia Rios, D. (ed.), Kosin, M. (ed.), Santos Pinto Miedema, M. (ed.), Nobrega Sial, A. (ed.), Chemale, F. (ed.), McReath, I. (ed.), Bettencourt, J.S. (ed.), Pimentel, M.M. (ed.), and Macambira, M.J.B. (ed.)
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QUATERNAIRE ,SOL ,PALEOCLIMAT ,CHANGEMENT CLIMATIQUE ,PLEISTOCENE ,MATIERE ORGANIQUE ,HOLOCENE ,CHARBON ,PALEOENVIRONNEMENT ,VEGETATION ,ANALYSE ISOTOPIQUE ,CARBONE ,DATATION - Published
- 2003
11. Early to mid-Holocene lake high-stand sediments at Lake Donggi Cona, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China — Comment to the paper published by Dietze et al., Quaternary Research 79 (2013), 325-336.
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Mischke, Steffen, Zhang, Chengjun, and Fan, Rong
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HOLOCENE Epoch , *LAKE sediments , *FOSSIL microorganisms , *QUATERNARY Period - Published
- 2015
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12. Reconstruction of the holocene evolution of the Dutch coast. The Dutch coast. Paper no 2
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T.J. Zitman, Hans J. Wiersma, and Marcel J. F. Stive
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Oceanography ,evolution ,Coastal geography ,Geology ,Holocene ,Coastal zones GEOLOGY Geomorphology Holocene period coastal evolution geography coastal genesis programme coastal processes 471 (Marine Science and Oceanography) 481 (Geology and Geophysics) - Published
- 1990
13. Formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch: a Discussion Paper by a Working Group of INTIMATE (Integration of ice-core, marine and terrestrial records) and the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (International Commission on Stratigraphy).
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Walker, M. J. C., Berkelhammer, M., Björck, S., Cwynar, L. C., Fisher, D. A., Long, A. J., Lowe, J. J., Newnham, R. M., Rasmussen, S. O., and Weiss, H.
- Abstract
This discussion paper, by a Working Group of INTIMATE (Integration of ice-core, marine and terrestrial records) and the Subcommision on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS) of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), considers the prospects for a formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch. Although previous attempts to subdivide the Holocene have proved inconclusive, recent developments in Quaternary stratigraphy, notably the definition of the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary and the emergence of formal subdivisions of the Pleistocene Series/Epoch, mean that it may be timely to revisit this matter. The Quaternary literature reveals a widespread but variable informal usage of a tripartite division of the Holocene ('early', 'middle' or 'mid', and 'late'), and we argue that this de facto subdivision should now be formalized to ensure consistency in stratigraphic terminology. We propose an Early-Middle Holocene Boundary at 8200 a BP and a Middle-Late Holocene Boundary at 4200 a BP, each of which is linked to a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). Should the proposal find a broad measure of support from the Quaternary community, a submission will be made to the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), via the SQS and the ICS, for formal ratification of this subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2012
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14. Commentary: Human brains have shrunk: the questions are when and why.
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De Caro, Liberato and Gilissen, Emmanuel Paul
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HUMAN origins ,CRANIOMETRY ,BIOLOGICAL evolution ,HOMO naledi ,TIME series analysis ,NEANDERTHALS - Abstract
The given text is a list of references and acknowledgments for a research article on the topic of human brain size and evolution. It includes various studies and papers that have explored the changes in brain size over time, as well as the factors that may have influenced these changes. The article discusses different perspectives and theories on the subject, including the impact of climate change and the transition to complex societies. The references cover a wide range of topics related to human evolution and brain morphology, providing a comprehensive overview of the current research in the field. [Extracted from the article]
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- 2024
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15. Holocene flood records and human impacts implied from the pollen evidence in the Daming area, North China Plain.
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Jinsong Yang, Linjing Liu, Roberts, Harry, Zhe Liu, Lei Song, Peng Zhang, Junghyung Ryu, Zhixiong Shen, and Yuecong Li
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HOLOCENE Epoch ,POLLEN ,ALLUVIAL plains ,STRATIGRAPHIC correlation ,PLAINS ,COTTON ,FERNS - Abstract
Understanding the environmental significance of pollen and spores in alluvial plains is important for stratigraphic correlation and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This paper presents palynological data from the North China Plain and explores their relationship with paleoflood records and human impacts since the Holocene. Our data reveal that pollen concentration and pollen assemblage vary in flood deposits (including overbank deposits and slackwater deposits) and inter-flood deposits (including sandy soils and lacustrine deposits). Flood deposits have higher fern percentages (28.6%) and lower herbaceous percentages (14.8%) compared to inter-flood deposits, though slackwater deposits share similar pollen concentrations and assemblages with sandy soils. Notably, overbank deposits are characterized by pollen-poor zones and aggregation of deteriorated pollen grains, especially in Unit III (755-385 cm, ca. 3.2-2.2 ka) and Unit V (190-0 cm, after ca. 0.6 ka). These findings suggest that overbank deposits correspond to strengthened hydrodynamic conditions at the flood-peak stage. Furthermore, the indicative pollen and spores provide compelling evidence for intensifying human impact in the North China Plain since the late Holocene. An aggregation of Selaginella sinensis at the depth of 640-610 cm indicates deforestation in the uplands since ca. 2.9 ka. Similarly, a sharp increase in Malvaceae percentage at the depth of 285-215 supports historical records of initial cotton planting in the Tang Dynasty (ca. 1.4-1.1 ka). The study underscores the value of palynological analysis for reconstructing paleoenvironment and human-environment interactions, providing a robust framework for understanding landscape evolution in the North China Plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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16. Selected papers of the special session on the quaternary of South America : 12th INQUA international congress
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Prost, Marie-Thérèse and Rabassa, J. (ed.)
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QUATERNAIRE ,DYNAMIQUE COTIERE ,VARIATION ,HOLOCENE ,LITTORAL ,SEDIMENTOLOGIE ,LIGNE DE RIVAGE - Published
- 1987
17. Revisiting afro-alpine Lake Garba Guracha in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia: rationale, chronology, geochemistry, and paleoenvironmental implications
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Bittner, L., Bliedtner, M., Grady, D., Gil-Romera, G., Martin-Jones, C., Lemma, B., Mekonnen, B., Lamb, H. F., Yang, H., Glaser, B., Szidat, S., Salazar, G., Rose, N. L., Opgenoorth, L., Miehe, G., Zech, W., Zech, M., Heisenberg Chair of Physical Geography with Focus on Paleoenvironmental Research, Institute of Geography, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany, Department of Physical Geography, Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Jena, Germany, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, UK, Department of Geo-Environmental Processes and Global Change, CSIC, Pyrenean Institute of Ecology, Zaragoza, Spain, Limnology Unit, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium, Institute of Agronomy and Nutritional Sciences, Soil Biogeochemistry, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany, Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, London, UK, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, Department of Geography, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany, Institute of Soil Science and Soil Geography, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany, Bittner, L [0000-0003-2521-5596], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository, and Bittner, L. [0000-0003-2521-5596]
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Radiocarbon dating ,010506 paleontology ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Sedimentation rate ,Aquatic Science ,01 natural sciences ,law.invention ,law ,540 Chemistry ,Paleoclimatology ,Afro-alpine ,Sedimentary organic matter ,Glacial period ,Younger Dryas ,Paleolimnology ,Sedimentology ,Holocene ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Earth-Surface Processes ,Original Paper ,ddc:551 ,XRF scanning ,570 Life sciences ,biology ,Physical geography ,Geology ,Biomarkers ,Chronology - Abstract
Previous paleolimnological studies demonstrated that the sediments of Garba Guracha, situated at 3950 m asl in the afro-alpine zone of the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia, provide a complete Late Glacial and Holocene paleoclimate and environmental archive. We revisited Garba Guracha in order to retrieve new sediment cores and to apply new environmental proxies, e.g. charcoal, diatoms, biomarkers, and stable isotopes. Our chronology is established using 210Pb dating and radiocarbon dating of bulk sedimentary organic matter, bulk n-alkanes, and charcoal. Although bedrock was not reached during coring, basal ages confirm that sedimentation started at the earliest ~ 16 cal kyr BP. The absence of a systematic age offset for the n-alkanes suggests that “pre-aging” is not a prominent issue in this lake, which is characterised by a very small afro-alpine catchment. X-ray fluorescence scans and total organic carbon contents show a prominent transition from minerogenic to organic-rich sediments around 11 cal kyr BP coinciding with the Holocene onset. While an unambiguous terrestrial versus aquatic source identification seems challenging, the n-alkane-based Paq proxy, TOC/N ratios, δ13C values, and the sugar biomarker patterns suggest a predominantly autochthonous organic matter source. Supraregional climate events, such as the African Humid Period, the Younger Dryas (YD), a 6.5 cal kyr BP short drying event, and the 4.2 cal kyr BP transition to overall drier climate are recorded in our archive. The Garba Guracha record suggests that northern hemisphere forcings played a role in the Eastern African highland paleoclimate., Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659
- Published
- 2020
18. Climate change and long-term human behaviour in the Neotropics: an archaeological view from the Global South.
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Scheinsohn, Vivian, Muñoz, A. Sebastián, and Mondini, Mariana
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HUMAN behavior ,DEVELOPING countries ,CLIMATE change adaptation ,PHYSIOLOGICAL adaptation ,CLIMATE change - Abstract
In this paper, we argue for the inclusion of archaeology in discussions about how humans have contributed to and dealt with climate change, especially in the long term. We suggest Niche Construction Theory as a suitable framework to that end. In order to take into account both human and environmental variability, we also advocate for a situated perspective that includes the Global South as a source of knowledge production, and the Neotropics as a relevant case study to consider. To illustrate this, we review the mid-Holocene Hypsithermal period in the southern Puna and continental Patagonia, both in southern South America, by assessing the challenges posed by this climate period and the archaeological signatures of the time from a Niche Construction Theory perspective. Finally, we emphasize the importance of these considerations for policymaking. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change adaptation needs a science of culture'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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19. An Efficient Approach to the Sequence Stratigraphic Study of Monotonous Holocene Sediments from the Arctic Shelf.
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Kolesnik, A. N., Selyutin, S. A., Kolesnik, O. N., Bosin, A. A., Astakhov, A. S., Vologina, E. G., Sukhoveev, E. N., and Bazhenov, I. I.
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SEQUENCE stratigraphy ,HOLOCENE Epoch ,STRATIGRAPHIC correlation ,MAGNETIC susceptibility ,SEDIMENTS - Abstract
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]
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- 2023
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20. Holocene impact craters on Earth.
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Losiak, Anna
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IMPACT craters ,HOLOCENE Epoch ,RESEARCH personnel ,HYPERVELOCITY ,CRATERING ,GEOLOGISTS - Abstract
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]
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- 2023
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21. The post-fire shift of temperate white pine-birch forest to boreal balsam fir forest in eastern Canada: climate-fire implications.
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Payette, Serge, Frégeau, Mathieu, Couillard, Pierre-Luc, and Laflamme, Jason
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BALSAM fir ,TAIGAS ,PLANT identification ,WHITE pine ,CLIMATE change - Abstract
Copyright of Botany is the property of Canadian Science Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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- 2023
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22. Accelerating the Renewable Energy Revolution to Get Back to the Holocene.
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Abbott, Benjamin W., Abrahamian, Chelsea, Newbold, Nicholas, Smith, Peter, Merritt, Marina, Sayedi, Sayedeh Sara, Bekker, Jeremy, Greenhalgh, Mitchell, Gilbert, Sophie, King, Michalea, Lopez, Gabriel, Zimmermann, Nils, and Breyer, Christian
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RENEWABLE energy sources ,ENVIRONMENTAL health ,HOLOCENE Epoch ,RENEWABLE energy costs ,STANDARD of living ,INDUSTRIAL energy consumption ,ENERGY consumption - Abstract
The UN's Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming between 1.5 and 2°C is dangerously obsolete and needs to be replaced by a commitment to restore Earth's climate. We now know that continued use of fossil fuels associated with 1.5–2°C scenarios would result in hundreds of millions of pollution deaths and likely trigger multiple tipping elements in the Earth system. Unexpected advances in renewable power production and storage have radically expanded our climate response capacity. The cost of renewable technologies has plummeted at least 30‐year faster than projected, and renewables now dominate energy investment and growth. This renewable revolution creates an opportunity and responsibility to raise our climate ambitions. Rather than aiming for climate mitigation—making things less bad—we should commit to climate restoration—a rapid return to Holocene‐like climate conditions where we know humanity and life on Earth can thrive. Based on observed and projected energy system trends, we estimate that the global economy could reach zero emissions by 2040 and potentially return atmospheric CO2 to pre‐industrial levels by 2100–2150. However, this would require an intense and sustained rollout of renewable energy and negative emissions technologies on very large scales. We describe these clean electrification scenarios and outline technical and socioeconomic strategies that would increase the likelihood of restoring a Holocene‐like climate in the next 100 years. We invite researchers, policymakers, regulators, educators, and citizens in all countries to share and promote this positive message of climate restoration for human wellbeing and planetary stability. Plain Language Summary: New research in global ecology and public health shows that the consequences of burning fossil fuels are much more severe than previously understood. Current global warming targets are not enough to protect us from sea level rise, ecosystem collapse, and hundreds of millions of human deaths from fossil fuel pollution. Thankfully, the cost of renewable energy technologies has dropped below the cost of fossil fuels decades faster than predicted. This has triggered a renewable revolution that is transforming the global energy system. Our paper considers the feasibility of accelerating this transition through policy, investment, and strategic research. We conclude that there is a viable pathway to restoring Earth's climate through clean electrification and carbon capture. We call for a global commitment to restore pre‐industrial climate conditions within a century and describe what approaches would increase our chances of success. Accelerating the renewable revolution would move us toward a sustainable civilization by eliminating air pollution, stabilizing climate, reducing energy costs, and enhancing living standards worldwide. Because there is no safe level of climate disruption or pollution death, we believe it is our responsibility to restore a Holocene‐like climate, which we know can support human civilization and other life on Earth. Key Points: Goals of 1.5–2°C are not safe given current understanding of ecosystem climate sensitivity and high social costs of fossil fuel pollutionClimate restoration‐rapidly reestablishing Holocene‐like conditions‐has not been fully considered because of socioeconomic obstaclesStrategic financing and prioritization of clean electrification could create pathways back to the Holocene within a century [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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23. Anticipation, Discovery and Serendipity in Quaternary Paleoecology: Personal Experiences from the Iberian Pyrenees.
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Rull, Valentí
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SERENDIPITY ,EXPECTATION (Psychology) ,PALEOECOLOGY - Abstract
This essay is a personal insight based on my own experience in the Iberian Pyrenees, which addresses three situations common in paleoecological research, such as the verification of previously devised hypotheses (anticipation), the finding on unknown events in unstudied sites (discovery) and the finding of unexpected outputs in already known areas (serendipity). The account is concentrated on the value of the coring sites by themselves as generators of paleoecological knowledge, rather than on the actual findings, which are presented and discussed in the corresponding data papers. The main aim is to show that there is still much room for new findings, even in areas that have been surveyed for a long time and are supposed to be well known, from a paleoecological perspective. Finally, some general lessons are derived and conceptualized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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24. Holocene Geomagnetic Excursions in Peat Deposits
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Peskov, A. Yu., Didenko, A. N., Karetnikov, A. S., Klimin, M. A., Arkhipov, M. V., Kozhemyako, N. V., and Tikhomirova, A. I.
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- 2024
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25. Holocene vegetation and flora dynamics of the west Cork/Kerry region, south-western Ireland
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O’Connell, Michael and Overland, Anette
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- 2024
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26. The Stonehenge bluestones did not come from Waun Mawn in West Wales.
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John, Brian
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BUILDING stones , *GLACIAL drift , *NEOLITHIC Period , *ARCHAEOLOGISTS - Abstract
This paper examines the hypothesis that Waun Mawn in West Wales provided the bluestone monoliths that were used at Stonehenge. Some archaeologists believe that the site supports the last remains of a giant stone circle or 'Proto Stonehenge' which was dismantled and transported to Salisbury Plain around 5000 years ago. It was claimed, after three excavation seasons at Waun Mawn in 2017, 2018 and 2021, that there is firm evidence of some standing stones which were later removed or broken up, but it has still not been demonstrated that there ever was a small stone circle here, let alone a 'giant' one. Furthermore, there have been no control studies in the neighbourhood which might demonstrate that the speculative feature has any unique characteristics. There is nothing at Waun Mawn to link this site in any way to Stonehenge, and this is confirmed by recent cited research. No evidence has been brought forward in support of the claim that 'this was one of the great religious and political centres of Neolithic Britain'. It is concluded that at Waun Mawn and elsewhere in West Wales there has been substantial 'interpretative inflation' driven by the desire to demonstrate a Stonehenge connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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27. Zooarchaeological perspectives in the framework of the Anthropocene: Contributions to ecological, environmental and conservation studies from South America.
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Mignino, Julián, López, José Manuel, and Samec, Celeste Tamara
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ENVIRONMENTAL protection , *ENVIRONMENTAL sciences , *MARINE mammals , *BIOLOGICAL extinction , *ANIMAL communities , *MAMMAL communities , *BIRD populations , *ECOSYSTEMS - Abstract
This special volume considers major recent changes in southern South American animal communities. Eleven papers consider megafauna, pinnipeds, marine mammals, small terrestrial mammals and birds and are grouped under four sub-headings: (1) Isotopic insights into guanaco populations; (2) Historical sources and marine ecosystem change; (3) Changes in small mammal communities and human impacts; and (4) megafaunal extinction, domestication, avifauna and recent interactions with humans. Although some of these contributions include changes that occurred earlier in the Holocene, many highlight a current decrease in the taxonomic diversity of communities and ecosystems in different environments, which are likely to have been caused by modern human activities. The Anthropocene concept is seen as providing a useful framework for understanding and mitigation of such adverse human impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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28. From Pleistocene to Holocene: the prehistory of southwest Asia in evolutionary context
- Author
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Trevor Watkins
- Subjects
010506 paleontology ,History ,Asia ,Pleistocene ,Evolution of human intelligence ,Context (language use) ,Biology ,01 natural sciences ,Prehistory ,Middle East ,History and Philosophy of Science ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Cultural Evolution ,Humans ,0601 history and archaeology ,Neolithic ,Sociocultural evolution ,Domestication ,Holocene ,Cognitive-cultural co-evolution ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Cultural niche construction theory ,Original Paper ,060102 archaeology ,Epipalaeolithic ,Agriculture ,06 humanities and the arts ,Models, Theoretical ,Biological Evolution ,Southwest Asia ,Niche construction ,Archaeology ,Ethnology - Abstract
In this paper I seek to show how cultural niche construction theory offers the potential to extend the human evolutionary story beyond the Pleistocene, through the Neolithic, towards the kind of very large-scale societies in which we live today. The study of the human past has been compartmentalised, each compartment using different analytical vocabularies, so that their accounts are written in mutually incompatible languages. In recent years social, cognitive and cultural evolutionary theories, building on a growing body of archaeological evidence, have made substantial sense of the social and cultural evolution of the genus Homo. However, specialists in this field of studies have found it difficult to extend their kind of analysis into the Holocene human world. Within southwest Asia the three or four millennia of the Neolithic period at the beginning of the Holocene represents a pivotal point, which saw the transformation of human society in the emergence of the first large-scale, permanent communities, the domestication of plants and animals, and the establishment of effective farming economies. Following the Neolithic, the pace of human social, economic and cultural evolution continued to increase. By 5000 years ago, in parts of southwest Asia and northeast Africa there were very large-scale urban societies, and the first large-scale states (kingdoms). An extension of cultural niche construction theory enables us to extend the evolutionary narrative of the Pleistocene into the Holocene, opening the way to developing a single, long-term, evolutionary account of human history.
- Published
- 2017
29. Land use, settlement, and plant diversity in Iron Age Northwest France
- Author
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Françoise Burel, Roy van Beek, Dominique Marguerie, Soil Geography and Landscape Group, Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen] (WUR), Ecosystèmes, biodiversité, évolution [Rennes] (ECOBIO), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Rennes 1 (UR1), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES), Institute Écologie et Environnement (INEE) of the Centre National de la Recherce Scientifique (CNRS) within the framework of the postdoctoral award DIPEE Paysages-Rennes (les dispositifs de partenariat en écologie et environnement)., Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Rennes (OSUR), and Université de Rennes (UR)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,010506 paleontology ,Archeology ,rarefaction diversity measurement ,land-use history ,Iron Age ,Beta diversity ,Biodiversity ,Subsistence economy ,WASS ,Biology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,paleoecology ,paleoecololgy ,Holocene ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Earth-Surface Processes ,Global and Planetary Change ,Ecology ,Land use ,Northwest France ,Paleontology ,Cultural Geography ,15. Life on land ,PE&RC ,Research Papers ,Bodemgeografie en Landschap ,Paleoecology ,Soil Geography and Landscape ,Species richness ,rarefaction analysis ,[SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology ,palynological richness - Abstract
International audience; Various studies using pollen stratigraphies have demonstrated significant correlations between Holocene plant diversity, climate, and human activities. Studies that have analyzed longer Holocene timescales tend to discuss cultural data very superficially. This is remarkable because detailed insights into past human activities may be key to gain an understanding of the observed trends in biodiversity. This study aims to reconstruct and explain spatio-temporal trends in past plant diversity (alpha, temporal, and spatial beta diversity) by integrating data on vegetation dynamics, human subsistence economy, and land-use patterns. The landscape of Northwest France during the greater part of the Iron Age and the start of the Roman period (600 BC–AD 100) is selected as a case study. In total, 30 high-quality pollen-stratigraphical sequences allow for the reconstruction of the main long-term trends in plant diversity and more generally of the changing fabric of the landscape. Additionally, increasingly detailed images of the Iron Age rural landscape are available because of a steep increase in archaeological data (aerial photography, surveys, and excavations). These different types of data are integrated and used as input for a wider discussion on the relation between human activities and plant diversity. In general, the taxonomic richness increases steadily during the period under study. Some spatio-temporal differences are observed. The increasing richness values correspond with the growing impact of human activities on the landscape. Archaeologically documented land-use changes on smaller timescales are less clearly reflected in the richness values and vegetation dynamics, which might result from the (large-scale) research design.
- Published
- 2018
30. Controls on late-Holocene drift-sand dynamics : The dominant role of human pressure in the Netherlands
- Author
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Pierik, H.J., Van Lanen, Rowin, Gouw-Bouman, M.T.I.J., Groenewoudt, Bert, Wallinga, Jakob, Hoek, W.Z., Biogeomorphology of Rivers and Estuaries, Geomorfologie, and Coastal dynamics, Fluvial systems and Global change
- Subjects
010506 paleontology ,Archeology ,human impact ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Pleistocene ,Climate change ,drift-sand activity ,01 natural sciences ,vegetation development ,Deforestation ,climate ,Mesolithic ,Holocene ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Earth-Surface Processes ,Global and Planetary Change ,Ecology ,Paleontology ,Vegetation ,15. Life on land ,PE&RC ,chronology ,Research Papers ,Bodemgeografie en Landschap ,Geography ,13. Climate action ,Period (geology) ,Soil Geography and Landscape ,Physical geography ,Chronology - Abstract
Holocene drift-sand activity in the northwest European sand belt is commonly directly linked to population pressure (agricultural activity) or to climate change (e.g. storminess). In the Pleistocene sand areas of the Netherlands, small-scale Holocene drift-sand activity began in the Mesolithic, whereas large-scale sand drifting started during the Middle Ages. This last phase not only coincides with the intensification of farming and demographic pressure but also is commonly associated with a colder climate and enhanced storminess. This raises the question to what extent drift-sand activity can be attributed to either human activities or natural forcing factors. In this study, we compare the spatial and temporal patterns of drift-sand occurrence for the four characteristic Pleistocene sand regions in the Netherlands for the period between 1000 BC and AD 1700. To this end, we compiled a new supra-regional overview of drift-sand activity based on age estimates (14C, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), archaeological and historical ages). The occurrence of sand drifting was then compared in time and space with historical-route networks, relative vegetation openness and climate. Results indicate a constant but low drift-sand activity between 1000 BC and AD 1000, interrupted by a remarkable decrease in activity around the BC/AD transition. It is evident that human pressure on the landscape was most influential on initiating sand drifting: this is supported by more frequent occurrences close to routes and the uninterrupted increase of drift-sand activity from AD 900 onwards, a period of high population density and large-scale deforestation. Once triggered by human activities, this drift-sand development was probably further intensified several centuries later during the cold and stormier ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA; AD 1570–1850).
- Published
- 2018
31. An Assessment of Soil Phytolith Analysis as a Palaeoecological Tool for Identifying Pre-Columbian Land Use in Amazonian Rainforests.
- Author
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Hill, James, Black, Stuart, Araujo-Murakami, Alejandro, Boot, Rene, Brienen, Roel, Feldpausch, Ted, Leigue, John, Murakami, Samaria, Monteagudo, Abel, Pardo, Guido, Peña-Claros, Marielos, Phillips, Oliver L., Toledo, Marisol, Vos, Vincent, Zuidema, Pieter, and Mayle, Francis E.
- Subjects
SOIL testing ,PALEOECOLOGY ,LAND use ,RAIN forests ,PHYTOLITHS ,DEFORESTATION ,CHARCOAL - Abstract
Phytolith analysis is a well-established archaeobotanical tool, having provided important insights into pre-Columbian crop cultivation and domestication across Amazonia through the Holocene. Yet, its use as a palaeoecological tool is in its infancy in Amazonia and its effectiveness for reconstructing pre-Columbian land-use beyond archaeological sites (i.e., 'off-site') has so far received little critical attention. This paper examines both new and previously published soil phytolith data from SW Amazonia to assess the robustness of this proxy for reconstructing pre-Columbian land-use. We conducted the study via off-site soil pits radiating 7.5 km beyond a geoglyph in Acre state, Brazil, and 50 km beyond a ring-ditch in northern Bolivia, spanning the expected gradients in historical land-use intensity. We found that the spatio-temporal patterns in palm phytolith data across our soil-pit transects support the hypothesis that pre-Columbian peoples enriched their forests with palms over several millennia, although phytoliths are limited in their ability to capture small-scale crop cultivation and deforestation. Despite these drawbacks, we conclude that off-site soil phytolith analysis can provide novel insights into pre-Columbian land use, provided it is effectively integrated with other land-use (e.g., charcoal) and archaeological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Using the radiocarbon dates of Central Africa for studying long-term demographic trends of the last 50,000 years: potential and pitfalls.
- Author
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Clist, Bernard, Denbow, James, and Lanfranchi, Raymond
- Subjects
RADIOCARBON dating ,LAND use - Abstract
Copyright of Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Mosses recognized as glacial relicts from their postglacial distribution in Poland
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Drzymulska, Danuta
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. The impact of avulsion on groundwater level and peat formation in delta floodbasins during the middle-Holocene transgression in the Rhine-Meuse delta, The Netherlands
- Author
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van Asselen, S., Cohen, K.M., Stouthamer, E., Coastal dynamics, Fluvial systems and Global change, Geomorfologie, Coastal dynamics, Fluvial systems and Global change, and Geomorfologie
- Subjects
Delta ,Archeology ,Peat ,YTransgression stage ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Water table ,Middle-Holocene ,Geological Survey Netherlands ,Wetland ,Peat formation ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,01 natural sciences ,groundwater table rise ,2015 Geo ,2015 Energy ,high-stand stage ,organo-clastic delta ,Holocene ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Earth-Surface Processes ,Hydrology ,geography ,Global and Planetary Change ,Avulsion ,High-stand stage ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,peat formation ,Paleontology ,Geology ,Research Papers ,middle-Holocene ,GM - Geomodelling ,Organo-clastic delta ,transgression stage ,Groundwater table rise ,ELSS - Earth, Life and Social Sciences ,avulsion ,Groundwater ,Channel (geography) ,Geosciences ,Marine transgression - Abstract
By redistributing water and sediment in delta plains, avulsions of river branches have major environmental impacts, notably in changing hydrological and peat-forming conditions in floodbasins. The central part of the Rhine-Meuse delta, with its extensive databases including detailed lithological data and high-resolution age control, offers a unique opportunity to study middle-Holocene avulsion impacts on floodbasin groundwater level and peat formation. Avulsion has caused local accelerations of rising groundwater tables to be superimposed on decelerating base-level rise. This is evident from comparing single-site groundwater rise for multiple floodbasins in the river-dominated part of the delta, with regionally averaged groundwater-rise reconstructions. Floodbasin type (lacustrine versus terrestrial wetland), size and openness, partly through effects on discharge dispersal, affect how strongly the floodbasin groundwater tables respond to avulsion-diverted discharge. Cross-sectional lithology repeatedly indicates a shift from high-organic wood peat to low-organic reed peat in the vicinity of the avulsed channel, resulting from changes in water-table regime and nutrient status. Avulsive impact on the floodbasin groundwater table was most pronounced during the transition from transgressive to high-stand stage (between ca. 6000 and 4000 years ago), owing to developing floodbasin compartmentalization (size reduction, confinement) resulting from repeated avulsion. By way of environmental impacts on groundwater tables and vegetation, avulsions thus affect the heterogeneity of floodbasin facies. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017.
- Published
- 2017
35. Main and Concomitant Prey of the Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) in Problems of Historical Ecology.
- Author
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Smirnov, N. G. and Kropacheva, Yu. E.
- Subjects
OWLS ,RODENT populations ,ECOLOGY ,TAIGAS ,PREY availability - Abstract
This paper considers mass materials related to the feeding of the eagle owl from three latitudinal regions of the Urals (northern and southern taiga and steppe). All collections were carried out in the same type of location of bone remains of prey from pellets at the nesting grounds of eagle owls in niches and caves at cliffs along riverbanks. The prey of the eagle owl is divided into three categories: main, alternative, and concomitant. The paper shows the degree of correspondence of the proportions of individuals of different species and their groups in the diet of the eagle owl and the population of rodents in the environs of nesting areas. The importance of separate consideration of the main and other prey of the eagle owl in reconstruction of the composition of the fauna and structure of the rodent population based on subfossil ornithogenic materials is emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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- View/download PDF
36. Comparison and Renormalization of Holocene Paleointensity Records From Central North America (17°N–51°N, 205°E–295°E).
- Author
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Lund, Steve P., Richardson, Marci, Verosub, Ken, King, John, Champion, Duane, and St‐Onge, Guillame
- Subjects
HOLOCENE Epoch ,GEOMAGNETISM ,LAVA flows ,ELECTRIC generators ,OSCILLATIONS - Abstract
This paper develops a composite absolute paleointensity record for Holocene paleomagnetic secular variation (PSV) from central North America. Twelve full‐vector (inclination, declination, paleointensity) PSV records were assessed in order to build the composite record. Nine of the paleointensity records come from sediment paleomagnetic studies and are considered relative in intensity. Three of the paleointensity records come from absolute paleointensity measurements of archeological materials and lava flows. This paper develops a new method to normalize the sediment relative paleointensity records to the absolute intensity records. The final composite paleointensity record describes intensity variability over a region of Central North America delineated by 35°–48.6°N and 240.4–291.4°E (∼14° × 50°). This composite record shows a distinctive long‐duration (∼104 year) oscillation and a series of millennial‐scale intensity oscillations that are consistent over our study region. Plain Language Summary: This study develops a composite record of geomagnetic field intensity for the central North America for the last 8,000 years. This record is important for considering the total geomagnetic field variability I this region and its dynamo source(s). Key Points: We develop a new composite absolute paleointensity record for Holocene Central North AmericaWe develop a new renormalization technique to combine absolute paleointensity records and sediment relative paleointensity recordsThe final composite absolute paleointensity record has a distinctive long‐term trend and millennial‐scale variability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. Disentangling late quaternary fluvial and climatic drivers of palaeohydrological change in the Najaf Sea basin, Western Iraq.
- Author
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Briant, R. M., Jotheri, J., Al‐Ameri, I., Ahmed, A., Bateman, M. D., Engels, S., Garzanti, E., Nymark, A., and Reynolds, T. E.
- Subjects
OPTICALLY stimulated luminescence dating ,WATERSHEDS ,ARCHAEOLOGICAL excavations ,SHORELINES ,MINERAL analysis ,HEAVY minerals ,RADIOCARBON dating - Abstract
The water resource provided by lake basins in the western desert of Iraq is important for human occupation of areas outside the Tigris‐Euphrates floodplain, both in the past and into the future. This paper presents the first geomorphological and geochronological study of the date of formation of the Najaf Sea and the only such study of any lake basin to the west of Mesopotamia. Geomorphological shoreline features and a palaeochannel linking to the Euphrates were studied and dated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon dating. Provenance was determined using heavy mineral analysis. Past environments in the Najaf Sea were reconstructed by molluscan analysis. The earliest OSL ages date from c. 30 000 and 22 000 years ago and seem to predate lake formation. Younger OSL ages date the highest lake level at c. 19 m asl to between 1620–1760 AD (base) to 1906–1974 AD (near surface). The radiocarbon ages are affected by a freshwater reservoir effect, but the maximum ages recorded for either of the c. 15 m and c. 17 m asl shorelines are c. 800 cal. BC. This predates the first archaeological sites in the Najaf basin and is similar to maximum ages of c. 850 and c. 1100 cal. BC from the associated palaeochannel. This timing does not seem to be linked to a humid climate event. We therefore conclude that the establishment of the Najaf Sea in the Najaf basin occurred as a result of an avulsion event within the Euphrates system that diverted flow to the basin. The trigger for this avulsion event likely related to rapid sediment accumulation and may have been either autogenic or driven by human activity. This study therefore suggests that Najaf Sea formation facilitated human expansion beyond the Tigris‐ Euphrates floodplain and occurred due to avulsion of the Euphrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. Variations in Spring Atmospheric Circulation on the Southwestern Tibetan Plateau During Holocene Linked to High‐ and Low‐Latitude Forcing.
- Author
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Ma, Qingfeng, Zhu, Liping, Wang, Junbo, Ju, Jianting, and Wang, Yong
- Subjects
SPRING ,CLIMATE change ,HOLOCENE Epoch ,TIMBERLINE ,POLLEN ,PLANT phenology ,ATMOSPHERIC circulation - Abstract
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]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. RECONSTRUCTING HUMAN−ENVIRONMENTAL RELATIONSHIP IN THE SIBERIAN ARCTIC AND SUB-ARCTIC: A HOLOCENE OVERVIEW.
- Author
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Kuzmin, Yaroslav V
- Subjects
HOLOCENE Epoch ,CLIMATE change ,TUNDRAS ,WATERSHEDS ,INTERDISCIPLINARY research ,RADIOCARBON dating - Abstract
This paper examines patterns of human–environmental interactions across northern Asia during the Holocene, in order to summarize current knowledge and identify key areas for future research. To achieve these goals, currently available chronological, cultural, and paleoenvironmental datasets from the east Russian Arctic for the last 10,000
14 C years were integrated. Study regions include the Taymyr Peninsula, Lena River basin (except its southern part), northeastern Siberia, and Kamchatka Peninsula. Several broad-scale correlations between climatic fluctuations and cultural responses (e.g., subsistence strategies and occupation densities) were identified; however, these are not straightforward. For example, the increase of occupations during the warm periods in the Early–Middle Holocene are notable while the most pronounced rises coincide with a cooling trend in the Late Holocene. This shows that the human–environmental relationships in the Holocene were not linear; more interdisciplinary research will be needed to construct higher resolution data for understanding prehistoric cultural responses to past environmental changes in the Asian Arctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. The Sedimentary Context of Open-Air Archaeology: A Case Study in the Western Cape's Doring River Valley, South Africa.
- Author
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Phillips, Natasha, Moffat, Ian, Mackay, Alex, and Jones, Brian G.
- Subjects
CAVES ,ARCHAEOLOGY ,EOLIAN processes ,TAPHONOMY ,PLEISTOCENE Epoch - Abstract
Despite the wealth of Late Pleistocene archaeology that exists across southern Africa's open landscape, it is routinely neglected in favour of rock shelter (re)excavation, biasing interpretation of human–environment interaction. This is compounded by the scarcity of open-air studies that use geoarchaeological methods to investigate the history and processes involved in their formation. The open-air archaeology of the Doring River Valley is an example of this, despite nearly a decade of dedicated study and publication. Consequently, there remains a limited and untested understanding of the valley's formation history. This paper rectifies this by providing a sedimentary context for the surface archaeology exposed across one of the Doring River Valley's artefact-baring localities, Uitspankraal 7 (UPK7). Characterisation, particle size, mineralogical, morphometric, and geophysical analysis of UPK7′s sand mantle resulted in the identification of four artefact-bearing sedimentary units, the aeolian and pedogenic processes involved in their formation, and their proposed order of deposition. This provides a stratigraphic, taphonomic, and environmental context against which chronometric dating and an analysis of the taphonomic, spatio-temporal, and technological composition of UPK7′s surface archaeology can be compared. This work is the first vital step towards understanding the depositional and behavioural history of a landscape, irrespective of context type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Application of holocene geological data for siting coastal nuclear power plants: An example from Puerto Rico
- Author
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Shlemon, R. J. and Capacete, J. L.
- Published
- 1976
- Full Text
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42. Desertification and Related Climate Change in the Alashan Plateau since the Last 40 ka of the Last Glacial Period.
- Author
-
Zhu, Bingqi and Yang, Limin
- Subjects
DESERTIFICATION ,GLACIATION ,CLIMATE change ,GLOBAL environmental change ,LAST Glacial Maximum ,WIND power - Abstract
Clues of climate change on the Alashan Plateau since the last glacial period (40 ka) are important for revealing the mechanism of desertification of middle-latitude deserts in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). Studies are still rare for the understanding of the specific relationship of climate changes between the Alashan Plateau and the global. Based on a systematic and comparative analysis of the existing research in China and the international academic community, this paper reviews the environmental evolution history of the Alashan Plateau since the last glacial period from the records of paleo-environment and geomorphological characteristics in different deserts of the plateau (e.g., Badanjilin, Tenggeli, and Wulanbuhe). From about 40 ka to the end of the last glacial maximum, the climate on the plateau was wetter than it is today, and to the end of the Pleistocene, the climate was generally dry and the aeolian activities were enhanced. However, the climate was arid during the whole last glacial period in the Wulanbuhe Desert, evidently different from the overall pattern of the plateau. The Tenggeli Desert was characterized by an arid climate in the early Holocene. The most controversial events for the Alashan Plateau are the drought events in the middle Holocene in the Badanjilin Desert. The role and impact of the westerlies and the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) systems on the climate change of the desert and even the whole plateau is a vexed question that brings different views in different periods. There is still a lack of definite evidence representing the events of global environmental change that occurred on the plateau during the discussed period. The distinctive morphology of dune mountains and the distribution of sand dunes are mutually indicative of the direction and energy of wind systems on the plateau. It is suggested that appropriate wind energy is the significant key to the desertification in these middle-latitude deserts on the plateau. From a global-scale review of climate change, the desertification of the modern-scale sandy desert landscapes on the Alashan Plateau is generally related to the global glacial period and the cold and dry climate during the past 40 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. New Data on the Pleistocene Mammoth Fauna from the Territory of the Lena Pillars Nature Park (Middle Lena River, Yakutia).
- Author
-
Boeskorov, G. G., Maschenko, E. N., Ponomarev, I. V., Solomonov, N. G., Nogovitsyn, P. R., Shchelchkova, M. V., Stepanov, A. D., and Oleinikov, O. B.
- Abstract
This paper presents data on new finds of remains of Mammoth fauna mammals in the Middle Lena River basin (Lena Pillars Nature Park (Yakutia) and adjacent areas). Based on these data, a list of the main localities for large mammal species in this region was compiled. Eleven species of large mammals are identified, among which, the cave lion Panthera spelaea is reported for the first time for this region. A series of new radiocarbon dates allows us to conclude that there was a mass burial of Neopleistocene mammalian remains in this region during the Karginian interstadial (60 (55)–24 kyr ago, MIS-3). The radiocarbon dates obtained and species composition are consistent with the data that the Karginian interstadial was the most favorable for the distribution of the Mammoth fauna in the territory of Yakutia. The study results show that the ecological distribution of Ovis nivicola in the Late Pleistocene differs from its present-day habitat area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Figurative representations of the Pali Aike volcanic field (Santa Cruz, Argentina - Magallanes, Chile) in comparative perspective with the southern extreme of Patagonia.
- Author
-
Funes, Paula Daniela
- Subjects
VOLCANIC fields ,SPECIES distribution ,HOLOCENE Epoch ,INFORMATION sharing ,ROCK art (Archaeology) - Abstract
Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Water Level Fluctuations in the Middle and Late Holocene in the Curonian Lagoon, Southeastern Baltic: Results of the Macrofossil and Phytolith Analyses.
- Author
-
Druzhinina, Olga, Napreenko, Maxim, Napreenko-Dorokhova, Tatiana, Golyeva, Alexandra, and Bashirova, Leyla
- Subjects
LAGOONS ,HOLOCENE Epoch ,TERRITORIAL waters ,WATER levels ,PLANT succession ,COASTAL sediments ,PLANT communities - Abstract
This paper presents the results of a study on fluctuations in the water level of the Curonian Lagoon (in the Baltic Sea). To date, the genesis of this inland bay as part of the complex postglacial development of the southeastern Baltic is poorly understood. The data from lithological, geochronological, and phytolith analyses, as well as assessments of plant and animal macroremains from the lagoonal sediments, provide a reconstruction of local coastal biocenoses and water level dynamics in the Middle and Late Holocene time. This study reveals the fairly dynamic evolution of the coastal zone of the Curonian Lagoon over the past 7000 years, as indicated by the traced succession of plant communities from forest to near-shore, open-water biocenoses and the alternations of the drying out and inundation of the area under consideration. Thus far, a connection with two stages of the Baltic Sea water level fluctuations has been traced: the regressional stage, which took place approximately 5600 cal years BP, and the Late Subatlantic transgression, which started at approximately 1100 cal BP. This study demonstrates that phytolith (microbiomorphic) analysis is a promising method for the study of temperate-latitude lagoonal sediments, providing information not only on the local plant communities, but also on the changes in the hydrological regime of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Fossil diatom assemblage changes due to paleoenvironment change, tsunami, and typhoon in southern Japan.
- Author
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Cho, Ara, Kashima, Kaoru, Baranes, Hannah, Ladlow, Caroline, Katsuki, Kota, and Woodruff, Jonathan D.
- Subjects
FOSSIL diatoms ,TSUNAMIS ,TYPHOONS ,TERRIGENOUS sediments ,LAKE sediments ,COASTAL sediments - Abstract
Tracking paleoenvironmental change and past event deposits is very important to evaluate the natural hazard spatially. This paper presents how the environment changes and implies the event deposit depending on the diatom assemblage change. To investigate paleoenvironmental change and identify the difference between tsunami and typhoon deposits, we analyze diatoms from the sediments in two coastal lakes in southern Japan where flood deposits have been linked to historical typhoon and tsunami events (Lakes Kawahara and Ryuo). The sediment cores extend from B.C.E. 500 to approximately C.E. 1000 and the downcore variation in diatom assemblages indicates a series of transitions from saline to fresher conditions in both Lake Kawahara and Lake Ryuo between approximately C.E. 500 and 1700. We observe an obvious deviation in diatom assemblages in event deposits previously identified to be either of tsunami or typhoon in origin. For the most prominent event deposit preserved in Lake Ryuo by the Hoei tsunami of C.E. 1707, the deposition of marine diatoms serves as evidence of marine flooding, while the subsequent deposition of soil and freshwater diatoms indicates the mobilization of terrigenous sediment during returning seaward flows. In contrast, the most prominent event deposit in Lake Kawahara is associated with freshwater flooding by the Kamikaze typhoon of C.E. 1281 and contains very low diatom abundances and a peak of freshwater taxa, followed by a peak in diatom counts potentially due to greater biological activity induced by a resultant influx of nutrients and re‐oxygenation during the event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Response of the Lake Ecosystem of the Lesser Kuril Ridge to Paleoclimatic and Seismic Events.
- Author
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Razzhigaeva, N. G., Grebennikova, T. A., Ganzey, L. A., Ponomarev, V. I., and Kharlamov, A. A.
- Subjects
LITTLE Ice Age ,YOUNGER Dryas ,FOSSIL diatoms ,CLIMATE change ,EROSION ,LAKES ,BOTANY - Abstract
In this paper we restore moisture changes since the Younger Dryas based on the study of diatom flora in sediments of the Zelenyi coastal paleolake, the Lesser Kuril Ridge. The section includes numerous interlayers of tephra, the sources of which were located on the islands of Kunashir and Hokkaido, and interlayers of tsunamigenic sands, which made it possible to determine the impact of catastrophic events on changes in the ecological situation. The stages of the development of the lake are identified and its evolution is analyzed during short-period climatic rhythms. The reservoir had its maximal depth at the beginning of the Holocene, and planktonic forms predominated among diatoms. Three phases when the lake turned into a lagoon were established, and the erosion of the barrier form most likely caused this during large tsunamis associated with earthquakes. Except for these cases, the main factor leading to the change in lacustrine–marsh environments was climate change. We identified relatively dry periods and wet periods associated with an increase in the intensity of cyclogenesis in the South Kurils region. We correlated with high-resolution paleoclimatic records from archives for the Southern Kuriles; the most striking events were compared with data for Sakhalin and the continent. Changes in moisture on the islands and the margin of the mainland in the Middle–Late Holocene were established to be in antiphase in most cases, except for the cooling of 2800–2500 BP and the Little Ice Age. The connection of regional climatic changes with anomalies in the ocean and atmosphere of the Asia-Pacific region is shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. Responses of Caribbean Mangroves to Quaternary Climatic, Eustatic, and Anthropogenic Drivers of Ecological Change: A Review †.
- Author
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Rull, Valentí
- Subjects
MANGROVE plants ,ENDANGERED ecosystems ,SEA level ,LITTLE Ice Age ,FOSSIL hominids ,HOLOCENE Epoch - Abstract
Mangroves are among the world's most threatened ecosystems. Understanding how these ecosystems responded to past natural and anthropogenic drivers of ecological change is essential not only for understanding how extant mangroves have been shaped but also for informing their conservation. This paper reviews the available paleoecological evidence for Pleistocene and Holocene responses of Caribbean mangroves to climatic, eustatic, and anthropogenic drivers. The first records date from the Last Interglacial, when global average temperatures and sea levels were slightly higher than present and mangroves grew in locations and conditions similar to today. During the Last Glaciation, temperatures and sea levels were significantly lower, and Caribbean mangroves grew far from their present locations on presently submerged sites. The current mangrove configuration was progressively attained after Early Holocene warming and sea level rise in the absence of anthropogenic pressure. Human influence began to be important in the Mid-Late Holocene, especially during the Archaic and Ceramic cultural periods, when sea levels were close to their present position and climatic and human drivers were the most influential factors. During the last millennium, the most relevant drivers of ecological change have been the episodic droughts linked to the Little Ice Age and the historical developments of the last centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. REINTERPRETATION OF FLUVIAL-AEOLIAN SEDIMENTS FROM LAST GLACIAL TERMINATION CLASSIC TYPE LOCALITIES USING HIGH-RESOLUTION RADIOCARBON DATA FROM THE POLISH PART OF THE EUROPEAN SAND BELT.
- Author
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Sokołowski, Robert J, Moska, Piotr, Zieliński, Paweł, Jary, Zdzisław, Piotrowska, Natalia, Raczyk, Jerzy, Mroczek, Przemysław, Szymak, Agnieszka, Krawczyk, Marcin, Skurzyński, Jacek, Poręba, Grzegorz, Łopuch, Michał, and Tudyka, Konrad
- Subjects
SOIL horizons ,CARBON isotopes ,YOUNGER Dryas ,SEDIMENTS ,SAND ,SOIL formation ,ICE cores - Abstract
This paper presents 66 radiocarbon (
14 C) dates obtained at 33 key sites from the Polish part of the European Sand Belt. These calibrated dating results were compared to 34 high-resolution14 C dates obtained from a fluvial-aeolian sediments to identify pedogenic phases from the late Pleniglacial interval to the early Holocene. These identified pedogenic phases were correlated with Greenland ice-core records, revealing high sensitivity of the fluvio-aeolian paleoenvironment to climate changes. Two pedogenic phases were identified from the late Pleniglacial interval (Greenland Stadial GS-2.1b and GS-2.1a), three from the Bølling-Allerød interstadial (Greenland Stadial GI-1), one from the late Allerød–Younger Dryas boundary, and at least one from the Younger Dryas. The ages of these pedogenic phases reveal a distinct delay of 50–100 calendar years after the onset of cool climate conditions during GI-1, reflecting gradual withdrawal of vegetation. Soil horizons from the early Holocene do not show any clear relation with climate change, where breaks in soil formation were caused by local factors such as human activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Application of Parameterized Grain-Size Endmember Modeling in the Study of Quaternary Oxbow Lake Sedimentation: A Case Study of Tövises Bed Sediments in the Eastern Great Hungarian Plain.
- Author
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Eltijani, Abdelrhim, Molnár, Dávid, Makó, László, Geiger, János, and Sümegi, Pál
- Subjects
MAGNETIC susceptibility ,SEDIMENTS ,LITHOFACIES ,PLAINS ,LAKES - Abstract
Abandoned channels are essential in the Quaternary floodplains, and their infill contains different paleoenvironment recorders. Grain-size distribution (GSD) is one proxy that helps characterize the alluviation and associated sedimentological processes of the abandoned channels. The classic statistical methods of the grain-size analysis provide insufficient information on the whole distribution; this necessitates a more comprehensive approach. Grain-size endmember modeling (EMM) is one approach beyond the traditional procedures that helps unmix the GSDs. This study describes the changes in the depositional process by unmixing the GSDs of a Holocene abandoned channel through parameterized EMM integrated with lithofacies, age–depth model, loss-on-ignition (LOI), and magnetic susceptibility (MS). This approach effectively enabled the quantification and characterization of up to four endmembers (EM1-4); the characteristics of grain-size endmembers imply changes in sedimentary environments since 8000 BP. EM1 is mainly clay and very fine silt, representing the fine component of the distribution corresponding to the background of quiet water sedimentation of the lacustrine phase. EM2 and EM3 are the intermediate components representing the distal overbank deposits of the flood. EM4 is dominated by coarse silt and very fine sand, representing deposition of overbank flow during the flood periods. This paper demonstrates that the parametrized grain-size EMM is reasonable in characterizing abandoned channel infill sedimentary depositional and sedimentation history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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