Early Holocene deglaciation of Drangajökull, Vestfirðir, Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harning, David J.; Geirsdóttir, Áslaug; Miller, Gifford H.; Zalzal, Kate

2016-12-01

The status of Icelandic ice caps during the early Holocene provides important constraints on North Atlantic climate and the mechanisms behind natural climate variability. A recent study postulates that Drangajökull on Vestfirðir, Iceland, persisted through the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM, 7.9-5.5 ka) and may be a relic from the last glacial period. We test this hypothesis with a suite of sediment cores from threshold lakes both proximal and distal to the ice cap's modern margin. Distal lakes document rapid early Holocene deglaciation from the coast and across the highlands south of the glacier. Sediment from Skorarvatn, a lake to the north of Drangajökull, shows that the northern margin of the ice cap reached a size comparable to its contemporary limit by ∼10.3 ka. Two southeastern lakes with catchments extending well beneath modern Drangajökull confirm that by ∼9.2 ka, the ice cap was reduced to ∼20% of its current area. A continuous 10.3ka record of biological productivity from Skorarvatn's sediment indicates local peak warmth occurred between 9 and 6.9 ka. The combination of warm and dry summers on Vestfirðir suggests that Drangajökull very likely melted completely shortly after 9.2 ka, similar to most other Icelandic ice caps.

Faunal reorganisation in terrestrial mammalian communities: evidence from France during the Lateglacial-Early Holocene transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bridault, Anne

2010-05-01

The Lateglacial-Early Holocene transition is characterized by rapid oscillations between warm and cold episodes. Their impact on ecosystem dynamics was particularly pronounced in north-western Europe where hunter-gatherer societies experienced a succession of environmental transformations, including the expansion and dispersal of biotic communities and changing herbivore habitats. Recent archaeozoological studies and AMS direct dating on mammalian bones/or bone collagen allow to map and precise this process at a supra-regional scale (France). At regional scales (i.e. Paris Basin & Jura-Northern French Alps), results indicate a rapid faunal reorganisation at the end of Lateglacial that will be presented in detail. Composition of faunal assemblages remains then unchanged during the Early Holocene. By contrast, significant herbivore habitat changes are recorded during the Early Holocene by other proxies (pollen data and isotopic data) and a decrease in Red Deer size through time is evidenced by osteometrical analyses. Hypotheses regarding the kind of adaptation process experienced by the faunal communities through time will be presented. Factors that may have controlled the observed changes will be discussed.

Early Holocene pecan, Carya illinoensis, in the Mississippi River Valley near Muscatine, Iowa*1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bettis, E. Arthur; Baker, Richard G.; Nations, Brenda K.; Benn, David W.

1990-01-01

A fossil pecan, Carya illinoensis (Wang.) K. Koch, from floodplain sediments of the Mississippi River near Muscatine, Iowa, was accelerator-dated at 7280 ± 120 yr B.P. This discovery indicates that pecan was at or near its present northern limit by that time. Carya pollen profiles from the Mississippi River Trench indicate that hickory pollen percentages were much higher in the valley than at upland locations during the early Holocene. Pecan, the hickory with the most restricted riparian habitat, is the likely candidate for producing these peaks in Carya pollen percentages. Therefore, pecan may have reached its northern limit as early as 10,300 yr B.P. Its abundance in Early Archaic archaeological sites and the co-occurrence of early Holocene Carya pollen peaks with the arrival of the Dalton artifact complex in the Upper Mississippi Valley suggest that humans may have played a role in the early dispersal of pecan.

Climate Controls on Last Glacial Maximum to Early Holocene Glacier Extents in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda-Democratic Republic of Congo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, M. S.; Kelly, M. A.; Russell, J. M.; Baber, M.; Loomis, S. E.

2014-12-01

The climate controls on past and present tropical glacier fluctuations are unclear. Here we present a chronology of past glacial extents in the Rwenzori Mountains (~1ºN, 30ºE), on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and compare this with local and regional paleoclimate records to infer the climate controls on glaciation. The Rwenzori Mountains host the most extensive glacial system in Africa and are composed of quartz-rich bedrock lithologies, enabling 10Be dating. Our dataset includes thirty 10Be ages of boulders on moraines estimated to have been deposited between the end of the last glacial period and early Holocene time. In the Mubuku Valley, eight 10Be ages of large (~50-150 m relief) lateral moraines that extend down to ~2000 m asl indicate that deposition occurred at ~23.4 ka (n=4) and ~20.1 ka (n=4), contemporaneously with the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Local and regional paleoclimate records document dry, cool conditions in East Africa during this time. Therefore, we suggest that cooler temperatures were a primary influence on the LGM glacial extents. Upvalley from these samples, six 10Be ages of boulders on moraines (between 3450 and 3720 m asl) document stillstands or readvances of glacier ice at ~14.3 ka (n=2), ~13.2 ka (n=2), and ~11.1 ka (n=2). In the nearby Nyagumasani Valley sixteen 10Be ages of boulders on moraines at similar elevations (3870-4020 m asl) indicate stillstands or readvances at ~11.5 ka (n=4), ~10.6 ka (n=4), and ~10.5 ka (n=4). Local and regional paleoclimate records indicate dry conditions during Younger Dryas time, wet conditions during early Holocene time, and no significant late-glacial temperature reversal. Thus, the relationship between glacier advance and climate conditions during late-glacial time remains enigmatic. We continue to develop the moraine chronology in order to improve our interpretations of climate controls on glacier fluctuations during late-glacial to early Holocene time.

Impact of a drier Early-Mid-Holocene climate upon Amazonian forests.

PubMed

Mayle, Francis E; Power, Mitchell J

2008-05-27

This paper uses a palaeoecological approach to examine the impact of drier climatic conditions of the Early-Mid-Holocene (ca 8000-4000 years ago) upon Amazonia's forests and their fire regimes. Palaeovegetation (pollen data) and palaeofire (charcoal) records are synthesized from 20 sites within the present tropical forest biome, and the underlying causes of any emergent patterns or changes are explored by reference to independent palaeoclimate data and present-day patterns of precipitation, forest cover and fire activity across Amazonia. During the Early-Mid-Holocene, Andean cloud forest taxa were replaced by lowland tree taxa as the cloud base rose while lowland ecotonal areas, which are presently covered by evergreen rainforest, were instead dominated by savannahs and/or semi-deciduous dry forests. Elsewhere in the Amazon Basin there is considerable spatial and temporal variation in patterns of vegetation disturbance and fire, which probably reflects the complex heterogeneous patterns in precipitation and seasonality across the basin, and the interactions between climate change, drought- and fire susceptibility of the forests, and Palaeo-Indian land use. Our analysis shows that the forest biome in most parts of Amazonia appears to have been remarkably resilient to climatic conditions significantly drier than those of today, despite widespread evidence of forest burning. Only in ecotonal areas is there evidence of biome replacement in the Holocene. From this palaeoecological perspective, we argue against the Amazon forest 'dieback' scenario simulated for the future.

Holocene vegetation changes through Lac Ledro sediments (Trentino, Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joannin, Sebastien; Vannière, Boris; Galop, Didier; Magny, Michel; Gilli, Adrian; Chapron, Emmanuel; Wirth, Stéfanie; Anselmetti, Flavio; Desmet, Marc

2010-05-01

Lake Ledro is part of the French program ANR LAMA (coordinators: M. Magny and N. Combourieu Nebout) which aims to link Holocene paleoenvironmental changes along a north-south transect in Italy. Lake Ledro (652 m a.s.l.; Trentino, north-eastern Italy) is the northward component of the transect. It is located on the southern slope of the Alps and its catchment area covers 131 km2 with mountains culminating at 1500-2000 m. A multi-proxy approach based on biotic and abiotic indicators (lake-level, palynology, geochemistry and geophysic) was developed from deep and littoral cores, including sediment sequences in Early and Middle Bronze Age lake-shore archaeological sites. We aim reconstructing paleoenvironmental changes resulting from both climate and anthropic influences trough the entire Holocene. A deep master core was built after extracting twin cores from a non disturbed sediment zone recognised by seismic-reflexion investigations. The age-depth model is based on 13 AMS 14C ages measured on terrestrial plant macrofossils and the mean temporal resolution for analyses is ca 60 years. Palynological study shows the usual vegetation succession for the southern slope of the Alps. During the first part of the Holocene, abrupt changes are observed in pollen assemblages in relation to changes in other proxies (XRF and Magnetic Susceptibility) and correlate with cold events associated to the deglaciation in the North-Atlantic area. Cool episodes corresponding to the PreBoreal Oscillation (ca 11.3 ka cal BP) and 8.2 ka event are respectively characterized by stopping afforestation and a strong development of Abies in the local ecosystem. During the second part of the Holocene, two declines of arboreal pollen abundance are observed in relation with occurrences in both cereal and anthropic pollen indicators. These two phases are confirmed by increase in soil erosion as indicated by abiotic proxies. They give evidence of two successive steps for human settlement (Early

Penetration of Atlantic Walker Circulation Into East Africa During Early to mid-Holocene: Hydrogen Isotope Evidence From Sacred Lake, Mt. Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, J.; Russell, J. M.; Huang, Y.

2007-12-01

The tropics play a very important role in global climate variability, yet the mechanisms behind the tropical climate variation remain poorly understood. Here, we present a high-resolution, well-dated record from Sacred Lake, Kenya, East Africa. We measured D/H ratios of botryococcenes, a class of highly specific biomarkers produced by freshwater algae ( Botrycoccus braunii) in a sediment core obtained from this open lake. Our main goal is to examine changes in East African rainfall amount and moisture source during the past 18kyr BP. During the late Pleistocene and late Holocene, the hydrogen isotope records track local hydrological variations inferred from numerous lake level and pollen records from the region. However, during the early to mid-Holocene (10-5ka cal yr BP), the D/H values from Sacred Lake were as much as 90 per mil heavier than during the late Pleistocene and late Holocene. If the "amount effect" is the main control on the isotopic compositions of rainfall during the early to mid Holocene, Our data would suggest drier conditions, which is inconsistent with the "African Humid Period" inferred by numerous records of the mid-Holocene. We propose that the high isotopic ratios in precipitation in East Africa during the early to mid-Holocene is due to an eastward shift in the large-scale atmospheric circulation of the tropics. In East Africa, this shift involves a major increase in moisture source from the Atlantic Ocean relative to Indian Ocean. Heavier isotope ratios of precipitation originated from Atlantic Ocean result from the intensive convection and recycling of water vapor over the Congo Basin, as opposed to Indian moisture that traverses dry land masses and losses moisture rapidly. In comparison to the late Holocene, the early to mid-Holocene is characterized by relatively northerly positioning of the ITCZ and intense monsoon systems as well as weak ENSO. These factors combine to shift the walker circulation eastward, allowing the Atlantic

People, lakes and seashores: Studies from the Baltic Sea basin and adjacent areas in the early and Mid-Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Groß, Daniel; Zander, Annabell; Boethius, Adam; Dreibrodt, Stefan; Grøn, Ole; Hansson, Anton; Jessen, Catherine; Koivisto, Satu; Larsson, Lars; Lübke, Harald; Nilsson, Björn

2018-04-01

During the Early and Mid-Holocene significant changes in the ecology and socio-cultural spheres occurred around the Baltic Sea. Because of the underlying climatic changes and thus environmental alterations, the area was the scene for various cultural developments during the period under investigation. In the course of the melting of the glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age, isostatic and eustatic movements caused continual changes to the Baltic Sea basin. Changes in water level, however, affected not only the Early and Mid-Holocene coastlines, but also the whole Baltic Sea drainage system, including large lakes, rivers and watersheds in the hinterland were also dramatically impacted by these ecological changes. Prehistoric people were thus affected by changes in resource availability and reduction or enlargement of their territories, respectively. In order to evaluate the impact of changes in the water and land networks on the environment, resource availability, and human behaviour, and to reconstruct human responses to these changes, we pursue an interdisciplinary approach connecting environmental and archaeological research highlighted through different case studies.

Multiproxy evidence of Holocene climate variability from estuarine sediments, eastern North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cronin, T. M.; Thunell, R.; Dwyer, G.S.; Saenger, C.; Mann, M.E.; Vann, C.; Seal, R.R.

2005-01-01

We reconstructed paleoclimate patterns from oxygen and carbon isotope records from the fossil estuarine benthic foraminifera Elphidium and Mg/ Ca ratios from the ostracode Loxoconcha from sediment cores from Chesapeake Bay to examine the Holocene evolution of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)-type climate variability. Precipitation-driven river discharge and regional temperature variability are the primary influences on Chesapeake Bay salinity and water temperature, respectively. We first calibrated modern ??18 Owater to salinity and applied this relationship to calculate trends in paleosalinity from the ??18 Oforam, correcting for changes in water temperature estimated from ostracode Mg /Ca ratios. The results indicate a much drier early Holocene in which mean paleosalinity was ???28 ppt in the northern bay, falling ???25% to ???20 ppt during the late Holocene. Early Holocene Mg/Ca-derived temperatures varied in a relatively narrow range of 13?? to 16??C with a mean temperature of 14.2??C and excursions above 16??C; the late Holocene was on average cooler (mean temperature of 12.8??C). In addition to the large contrast between early and late Holocene regional climate conditions, multidecadal (20-40 years) salinity and temperature variability is an inherent part of the region's climate during both the early and late Holocene, including the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age. These patterns are similar to those observed during the twentieth century caused by NAO-related processes. Comparison of the midlatitude Chesapeake Bay salinity record with tropical climate records of Intertropical Convergence Zone fluctuations inferred from the Cariaco Basin titanium record suggests an anticorrelation between precipitation in the two regions at both millennial and centennial timescales. Copyright 2005 by the American Geophysical Union.

Holocene climate and cultural evolution in late prehistoric-early historic West Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staubwasser, Michael; Weiss, Harvey

2006-11-01

The precipitation climatology and the underlying climate mechanisms of the eastern Mediterranean, West Asia, and the Indian subcontinent are reviewed, with emphasis on upper and middle tropospheric flow in the subtropics and its steering of precipitation. Holocene climate change of the region is summarized from proxy records. The Indian monsoon weakened during the Holocene over its northernmost region, the Ganges and Indus catchments and the western Arabian Sea. Southern regions, the Indian Peninsula, do not show a reduction, but an increase of summer monsoon rain across the Holocene. The long-term trend towards drier conditions in the eastern Mediterranean can be linked to a regionally complex monsoon evolution. Abrupt climate change events, such as the widespread droughts around 8200, 5200 and 4200 cal yr BP, are suggested to be the result of altered subtropical upper-level flow over the eastern Mediterranean and Asia. The abrupt climate change events of the Holocene radically altered precipitation, fundamental for cereal agriculture, across the expanse of late prehistoric-early historic cultures known from the archaeological record in these regions. Social adaptations to reduced agro-production, in both dry-farming and irrigation agriculture regions, are visible in the archaeological record during each abrupt climate change event in West Asia. Chronological refinement, in both the paleoclimate and archaeological records, and transfer functions for both precipitation and agro-production are needed to understand precisely the evident causal linkages.

Early-Holocene greening of the Afro-Asian dust belt changed sources of mineral dust in West Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharifi, Arash; Murphy, Lisa N.; Pourmand, Ali; Clement, Amy C.; Canuel, Elizabeth A.; Naderi Beni, Abdolmajid; Lahijani, Hamid A. K.; Delanghe, Doriane; Ahmady-Birgani, Hesam

2018-01-01

Production, transport and deposition of mineral dust have significant impacts on different components of the Earth systems through time and space. In modern times, dust plumes are associated with their source region(s) using satellite and land-based measurements and trajectory analysis of air masses through time. Reconstruction of past changes in the sources of mineral dust as related to changes in climate, however, must rely on the knowledge of the geochemical and mineralogical composition of modern and paleo-dust, and that of their potential source origins. In this contribution, we present a 13,000-yr record of variations in radiogenic Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes and Rare Earth Element (REE) anomalies as well as dust grain size from an ombrotrophic (rain fed) peat core in NW Iran as proxies of past changes in the sources of dust over the interior of West Asia. Our data shows that although the grain size of dust varies in a narrow range through the entire record, the geochemical fingerprint of dust particles deposited during the low-flux, early Holocene period (11,700-6,000 yr BP) is distinctly different from aerosols deposited during high dust flux periods of the Younger Dryas and the mid-late Holocene (6,000-present). Our findings indicate that the composition of mineral dust deposited at the study site changed as a function of prevailing atmospheric circulation regimes and land exposure throughout the last deglacial period and the Holocene. Simulations of atmospheric circulation over the region show the Northern Hemisphere Summer Westerly Jet was displaced poleward across the study area during the early Holocene when Northern Hemisphere insolation was higher due to the Earth's orbital configuration. This shift, coupled with lower dust emissions simulated based on greening of the Afro-Asian Dust Belt during the early Holocene likely led to potential sources in Central Asia dominating dust export to West Asia during this period. In contrast, the dominant western and

Early Holocene turnover, followed by stability, in a Caribbean lizard assemblage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, Melissa E.; Hadly, Elizabeth A.

2016-03-01

Understanding how communities are impacted by environmental perturbations is integral for addressing the ongoing biodiversity crisis that impacts ecosystems worldwide. The fossil record serves as a window into ancient interactions and the responses of communities to past perturbations. Here, we re-examine paleontological data from Katouche Bay, Anguilla, a Holocene site in the Lesser Antilles. We reveal that the site was more diverse than previously indicated, with long-term, continuous records of three genera of extant lizards (Anolis, Ameiva, and Thecadactylus), and the early Holocene presence of Leiocephalus, a large ground-dwelling lizard that has since been completely extirpated from the Lesser Antilles. The disappearance of Leiocephalus from Katouche Bay resulted in high turnover, decreased evenness, and decreased species richness-a trend that continues to the present day. Our body size reconstructions for the most abundant genus, Anolis, are consistent with the presence of only one species, Anolis cf. gingivinus, at Katouche Bay throughout the Holocene, contrary to previously published studies. Additionally, we find no evidence of dwarfism in A. cf. gingivinus, which contrasts with a global study of contemporary insular lizards. Our data reveal that the impacts of diversity loss on lizard communities are long lasting and irreversible over millennia.

New stratigraphic constraints on Holocene glacier advances at Mt. Baker, Washington

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, D.; Ryane, C.; Tucker, D.; Davis, T.; Bowerman, N.; Osborn, G.; Clague, J.; Menounos, B.; Scott, K.; Guilderson, T.; Riedel, J.; Steig, E.

2007-12-01

New data from a lake sediment core and moraine exposures at Mt. Baker, WA, indicate that a purported early Holocene glacier advance occurred earlier, likely at the end of the Pleistocene. Previous workers used 14C ages associated with small cirque moraines on the SW flank of Mt. Baker, along with the apparent absence of a distinctive scoria (set SC; 8850 14C yr BP, ~9900 cal yr BP) from other moraines on Mt. Baker, as evidence for an advance at ~8400 14C yr BP (~9450 cal yr BP). Such an advance is important to test because it would contrast with glacial records throughout most of the rest of western North America. A 1.2-m sediment core collected from Pocket Lake, which is dammed by one of the previously dated cirque moraines, contains three tephras: Baker set BA (~5800 14C yr BP; 6600 cal yr BP), Mazama ash (6800 14C yr BP; 7600 cal yr BP), and a basal set of ash beds that are tentatively identified as Baker set SC. The lowest macrofossil in the core, ~2 cm above the top of the basal ash beds, yielded an age of 7640 ± 50 14C yr BP (~8400 cal yr BP), consistent with the tephra being SC. Initial geochemical analyses of the tephra also support this identification. These findings indicate that the previous age on the cirque moraine, from organics near the surface of the till, provides a minimum rather than a direct age for the advance that formed the moraine. A 14C age of 11,400 ± 110 14C yr BP (~13,300 cal yr BP) on bulk sediments below the basal ash is likely contaminated and therefore too old. Tephra overlying other ridges at Mt. Baker that were previously identified as post-SC, early-Holocene moraines has been identified as set SC. The ridges thus are actually pre-SC rather than post-SC in age; they may not be moraines in any event. Meanwhile, abundant 14C ages on tills below Deming Glacier indicate both Younger Dryas and Neoglacial advances, but no early Holocene advances. Together, these observations indicate that glaciers in the Mt. Baker area advanced during

Reconstruction of early Holocene paleoclimate and environment in the SW Kola region, Russian Arctic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grekov, Ivan; Kolka, Vasiliy; Syrykh, Liudmila; Nazarova, Larisa

2016-04-01

In the current period of the global climate change it becomes necessary to have a clear understanding of not only the changes taking place in the components of the natural environment, but also to understand development of all interactions between those components. Quaternary terrigenic sediments and lakes of the Kola Peninsula store information about the development of the region in the Late Glacial and Holocene: movements of the glacier, neotectonic activity, post-glacial rebound, formation and development of natural environments after deglaciation. Multi-proxy study of landscapes evolution of the Kola Peninsula in the Late Quaternary will help to establish a detailed reconstruction of climatic and environmental changes of this poor studied sector of the Arctic. Quaternary history on the Kola Peninsula is represented mainly by Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments covering the Baltic Shield (Lavrova, 1960; Evzerov, 2015). Several palaeolimnological investigations in the Baltic Shield area have been performed earlier (Donner et al., 1977; Anundsen, 1985; Berglund, 2004). Studies of the southern coast of the Kola Peninsula have shown that marine transgression took place in the Late Pleistocene that was then replaced by a regression with variable speed. The slowdown of the uplift of the area took place between 8800 - 6800 BP (cal. years) and corresponded to the time of the Tapes transgression of the Arctic Ocean (Evzerov et al. 2010; Kolka, et al., 2013). Palaeoclimatic studies based on micro-paleontological analyzes indicate uneven development of the Kola Peninsula landscapes in the Late Glacial and Early Holocene. The northern coast of the Peninsula became free of ice first. In this area tundra-steppe vegetation was established for a short time and was later replaced by tundra (Snyder et al, 2000). Southern part of the Kola Peninsula was dependent on the conditions of deglaciation of the White Sea basin and cleared of ice much later (Evzerov et al., 2010; Kolka

The Schmidt hammer as a relative-age dating tool and its potential for calibrated-age dating in Holocene glaciated environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shakesby, Richard A.; Matthews, John A.; Owen, Geraint

2006-11-01

The Schmidt hammer is a relatively cheap, portable, sturdy instrument with proven value over the last two decades or so in rapidly dating coarse inorganic deposits of diverse origins. Early views were that its dating role was limited to distinguishing recently exposed from much older. Typically, either a few sites of possibly different ages or occasional older surfaces amongst many young sites were studied. More recently, calibration curves based on individual R-value means from small numbers (2-4) of sites of known ages have been used to estimate the ages of undated sites. We present Schmidt hammer rebound ( R-) values from 28 'Little Ice Age' (and younger), 23 Preboreal and 7 Younger Dryas glaciated surfaces in southern Norway in order, first, to test rigorously the robustness of the instrument as a relative-age dating tool. Despite being obtained from different surfaces (moraines, glaciofluvial deposits and bedrock) and varied metamorphic lithologies, the R-value overall means and 95% confidence intervals for the 'Little Ice Age', Preboreal and Younger Dryas age categories (respectively, 60.0±1.6, 41.6±1.4 and 34.2±2.0) are statistically significantly different. Only two outlying sites in the two younger age categories have overlapping confidence intervals, demonstrating remarkable robustness in differentiating early- and late-Holocene surfaces. The distinction between Preboreal and Younger Dryas sites (with terminal dates <2000 years apart) is less clear but still statistically significant, though possibly partly because of enhanced weathering conditions at the predominantly well vegetated Younger Dryas sites. Second, we examine the feasibility and desirability of controlling non-age-related factors, including some previously considered critical (instrument wear, operator bias, initial rock surface texture), which emerge either as less important than previously argued or as relatively unimportant, together with others previously unreported (e.g. long

Not Just the 8.2 event: Dynamic Early Holocene Climate in Arctic Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axford, Y.; Briner, J. P.; Miller, G. H.; Francis, D. R.

2006-12-01

Temperature reconstructions from a lake in the eastern Canadian Arctic indicate that peak warmth in the early Holocene was interrupted by two abrupt, short-lived temperature reversals at ~9.l and ~8.5 ka. Summer temperatures at Lake CF8, Baffin Island (~500 km west of Greenland) are inferred from subfossil midge (Chironomidae) assemblages. Our results indicate that the site, like others on Baffin Island, experienced exceptionally warm summers (almost 5°C warmer than present) through much of the early Holocene, presumably in response to enhanced summer insolation. After 1000 years of very warm, stable climate, warmth was interrupted by two discrete cold reversals at ~9.1 and ~8.5 ka, during which multiple cold-stenothermous midge taxa appeared in the lake and summer temperatures dropped more than 3°C. These two clearly-defined reversals, well beyond the range of background variability, were of similar amplitude and duration, and were separated by several centuries of near-peak warmth. The only Holocene events of comparable amplitude at this site are the rapid onset of Holocene warmth, and the more gradual Neoglacial cooling after 8 ka. Abrupt cooling events over the Baffin region are consistent with model simulations of the impacts of freshwater outbursts into the Labrador Sea, such as the Lake Agassiz outburst flood that occurred ~8.4 ka. That there are two discrete events recorded at this site indicates that the "8.2 event" was not uniquely significant in this region; rather, the period between approximately ~9.2 and 8 ka was characterized by repeated climate fluctuations forced by multiple outburst floods or other mechanisms. Thus global correlations among paleoclimate records need not assume that climate perturbations during this time period necessarily correlate with the draining of Lake Agassiz or the 8.2 ka cooling in central Greenland.

Paleoecological evidence for abrupt cold reversals during peak Holocene warmth on Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axford, Yarrow; Briner, Jason P.; Miller, Gifford H.; Francis, Donna R.

2009-03-01

A continuous record of insect (Chironomidae) remains preserved in lake sediments is used to infer temperature changes at a small lake in Arctic Canada through the Holocene. Early Holocene summers at the study site were characterized by more thermophilous assemblages and warmer inferred temperatures than today, presumably in response to the positive anomaly in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. Peak early Holocene warmth was interrupted by two cold reversals between 9.5 and 8 cal ka BP, during which multiple cold-stenothermous chironomid taxa appeared in the lake. The earlier reversal appears to correlate with widespread climate anomalies around 9.2 cal ka BP; the age of the younger reversal is equivocal but it may correlate with the 8.2 cal ka BP cold event documented elsewhere. Widespread, abrupt climate shifts in the early Holocene illustrate the susceptibility of the climate system to perturbations, even during periods of enhanced warmth in the Northern Hemisphere.

Pine nut use in the Early Holocene and beyond: The danger cave archaeobotanical record

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rhode, D.; Madsen, D.B.

1998-01-01

Nuts of limber pine (Pinus flexilis) from Early Holocene strata in Danger Cave, Utah, are distinguishable by seed-coat sculpturing from pine nuts of single-needled pinyon (Pinus monophylla), which occur in strata dating <7000 years BP. Owls and other taphonomic agents may deposit pine nuts in archaeological sites, but the morphology of the pine nuts in Danger Cave strongly indicate they were deposited by human foragers who brought small quantities with them for food for at least the last 7500 years. Large-scale transport of pine nuts to Danger Cave from distant hinterlands is unlikely, however. The seamless transition from limber pine to pinyon pine nuts in the Danger Cave record suggests that foragers who had utilized limber pine as a food resource easily switched to using pinyon pine nuts when pinyon pine migrated into the region at the close of the Early Holocene.

Liquefaction along Late Pleistocene to early Holocene Faults as Revealed by Lidar in Northwest Tasmania, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, J.; Gardner, T.

2016-12-01

In northwest Tasmania well-preserved mid-Holocene beach ridges with maximum radiocarbon ages of 5.25 ka occur along the coast; inland are a parallel set of lower relief beach ridges of probable MIS 5e age. The latter are cut by northeast-striking faults clearly visible on LIDAR images, with a maximum vertical displacement (evident as difference in topographic elevation) of 3 m. Also distinct on the LIDAR images are large sand boils along the fault lines; they are up to 5 m in diameter and 2-3 m high and mostly occur on the hanging wall close to the fault traces. Without LIDAR it would have been almost impossible to distinguish either the fault scarps or the sand boils. Excavations through the sand boils show that they are massive, with no internal structure, suggesting that they formed in a single event. They are composed of well-sorted, very fine white sand, identical to the sand in the underlying beach ridges. The sand boils overlie a peaty paleosol; this formed in the tea-tree swamp that formerly covered the area, and has been offset along the faults. Radiocarbon dating of the buried organic-rich paleosol gave ages of 14.8-7.2 ka, suggesting that the faulting is latest Pleistocene to early Holocene in age; it occurred prior to deposition of the mid-Holocene beach ridges, which are not offset. The beach ridge sediments are up to 7 m thick and contain an iron-cemented hard pan 1-3 m below the surface. The water table is very shallow and close to the ground surface, so the sands of the beach ridges are mostly saturated. During faulting these sands experienced extensive liquefaction. The resulting sand boils rose to a substantial height of 2-3 m, probably possibly reflecting the elevation of the potentiometric surface within the confined part of the beach ridge sediments below the iron-cemented hard pan. Motion on the faults was predominantly dip slip (shown by an absence of horizontal offset) and probably reverse, which is consistent with the present-day northwest

European Bison as a Refugee Species? Evidence from Isotopic Data on Early Holocene Bison and Other Large Herbivores in Northern Europe

PubMed Central

Bocherens, Hervé; Hofman-Kamińska, Emilia; Drucker, Dorothée G.; Schmölcke, Ulrich; Kowalczyk, Rafał

2015-01-01

According to the refugee species concept, increasing replacement of open steppe by forest cover after the last glacial period and human pressure had together forced European bison (Bison bonasus)—the largest extant terrestrial mammal of Europe—into forests as a refuge habitat. The consequent decreased fitness and population density led to the gradual extinction of the species. Understanding the pre-refugee ecology of the species may help its conservation management and ensure its long time survival. In view of this, we investigated the abundance of stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) in radiocarbon dated skeletal remains of European bison and other large herbivores—aurochs (Bos primigenius), moose (Alces alces), and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)—from the Early Holocene of northern Europe to reconstruct their dietary habits and pattern of habitat use in conditions of low human influence. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions in collagen of the ungulate species in northern central Europe during the Early Holocene showed significant differences in the habitat use and the diet of these herbivores. The values of the δ13C and δ15N isotopes reflected the use of open habitats by bison, with their diet intermediate between that of aurochs (grazer) and of moose (browser). Our results show that, despite the partial overlap in carbon and nitrogen isotopic values of some species, Early Holocene large ungulates avoided competition by selection of different habitats or different food sources within similar environments. Although Early Holocene bison and Late Pleistocene steppe bison utilized open habitats, their diets were significantly different, as reflected by their δ15N values. Additional isotopic analyses show that modern populations of European bison utilize much more forested habitats than Early Holocene bison, which supports the refugee status of the species. PMID:25671634

Millennial-scale variability in the local radiocarbon reservoir age of the Florida Keys reef tract during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashe, E.; Toth, L. T.; Cheng, H.; Edwards, R. L.; Richey, J. N.

2016-12-01

The oceanic passage between the Florida Keys and Cuba, known as the Straits of Florida, provides a critical connection between the tropics and northern Atlantic. Changes in the character of water masses transported through this region may ultimately have important impacts on high-latitude climate variability. Although recent studies have documented significant changes in the density of regional surface waters over millennial timescales, little is known about the contribution of local- to regional-scale changes in circulation to surface-water variability. Local variability in the radiocarbon age, ΔR, of surface waters can be used to trace changes in local water-column mixing and/or changes in regional source water over a variety of spatial and temporal scales. We reconstructed "snapshots" of ΔR variability across the Florida Keys reef tract during the last 10,000 years by dating 68 unaltered corals collected from Holocene reef cores with both U-series and radiocarbon techniques. We combined the snapshots of ΔR into a semi-empirical model to develop a robust statistical reconstruction of millennial-scale variability in ΔR on the Florida Keys reef tract. Our model demonstrates that ΔR varied significantly during the Holocene, with relatively high values during the early Holocene and around 3000 years BP and relatively low values around 7000 years BP and at present. We compare the trends in ΔR to existing paleoceanographic reconstructions to evaluate the relative contribution of local upwelling versus changes in source water to the region as a whole in driving local radiocarbon variability, and discuss the importance of these results to our understanding of regional-scale oceanographic and climatic variability during the Holocene. We also discuss the implications of our results for radiocarbon dating of marine samples from south Florida and present a model of ΔR versus 14C age that can be used to improve the accuracy of radiocarbon calibrations from this region.

Early- to Mid-Holocene hydroclimate shifts in tropical East Africa: the multi-proxy sediment record from Lake Rutundu, Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Cort, Gijs; Creutz, Mike; Barao, Lucia; Conley, Daniel; Haug, Gerald; Bodé, Samuel; Blaauw, Maarten; Engstrom, Dan; Verschuren, Dirk

2015-04-01

Following the generally arid conditions of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a large part of the African continent experienced the Early to Mid-Holocene as a much more humid period than today. This so-called African Humid Period (AHP) coincided with high summertime insolation over the Northern Hemisphere subtropics, causing invigorated monsoons to create moist conditions over the northern parts of the continent. Similarly, equatorial and even low-latitude southeastern Africa experienced a wetter climate due to the post-glacial increase in atmospheric greenhouse gasses ultimately leading to altered Atlantic and Indian Ocean monsoon dynamics. The timing and abruptness of the onset and ending of the AHP in the different regions of the continent have been the subject of major discussion. On the other hand, shorter-lived climate fluctuations within the AHP have received much less attention, due to a scarcity of well-dated, high-resolution African paleoclimate records spanning the entire Holocene. In this study we used the sediment record of Lake Rutundu, a high-altitude crater lake on Mount Kenya, to document multidecadal to millennial-scale hydroclimate variability on the East African equator from the LGM to the present. A multiproxy approach combining core-surface scanning techniques (magnetic susceptibility, X-ray fluorescence) and close-interval bulk-sediment analyses (organic matter and biogenic Si content, grain size, organic δ15N and δ13C) resulted in a high-resolution record firmly anchored in time by an age model based on 210Pb dating and sixteen calibrated radiocarbon ages. This new Lake Rutundu hydroclimate record confirms that moister conditions following the LGM returned to East Africa ca.16 kyr BP, and it contains a perfectly timed Younger Dryas episode (12.8-11.5 kyr BP) of intermittent drought. We find that the Early- to Mid-Holocene period, which in African records is often described as uniformly wet, was in fact punctuated by three distinct, century

Holocene glacial fluctuations in southern South America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reynhout, S.; Sagredo, E. A.; Kaplan, M. R.; Aravena, J. C.; Martini, M. A.; Strelin, J. A.; Schaefer, J. M.

2016-12-01

Understanding the timing and magnitude of former glacier fluctuations is critical to decipher long-term climatic trends and to unravel both natural cycles and human impact on the current glacial behavior. Despite more than seven decades of research efforts, a unifying model of Holocene glacial fluctuations in Southern South America remains elusive. Here, we present the state-of-the-art regarding the timing of Holocene glacial fluctuation in southern Patagonia-Tierra del Fuego, with a focus on a new generation of high-resolution radiocarbon and 10Be surface exposure dating chronologies. Recently acquired evidence suggest that after receding from advanced Late Glacial positions, Patagonian glaciers were for the most part close to, or even behind, present ice margins during the Early Holocene. On the other hand, emerging chronologies indicate that in some areas there were extensive expansions (century scale?) that punctuated the warm interval. Subsequently, we have evidence of multiple millennial timescale glacial advances starting in the middle Holocene. Several glacial maxima are defined by moraines and other landforms from 7000 years ago to the 19th century, with a gap sometime between 4,500 and 2,500 years ago. The last set of advances began around 800-600 years ago. Although glacial activity is documented in Patagonia at the same time as the European Little Ice Age, the extent of these glacial events are less prominent than those of the mid-Holocene. The causes that may explain these glacial fluctuations remain elusive. Finally, we discuss ongoing efforts to better define the timing and extent of Holocene glaciations in southern South America, and to establish the basis to test competing hypothesis of regional Holocene climate variability.

Early Holocene groundwater table fluctuations in relation to rice domestication in the middle Yangtze River basin, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tao; Liu, Yan; Sun, Qianli; Zong, Yongqiang; Finlayson, Brian; Chen, Zhongyuan

2017-01-01

The early Holocene environmental amelioration stimulated the trajectory of Neolithic farming cultures and specific geographic settings played a role in determining the nature of these cultures. Using microfossil evidence, the present study reveals that the fluctuations of the groundwater table substantially influenced rice domestication in the Dongting Lake area of the middle Yangtze River basin in the early Holocene. Our 14C-dated sediment core taken from the Bashidang (BSD) Neolithic site contains evidence that the site was a floodplain prior to human occupation ca. 8600 years ago. Poaceae, which contained wild rice (Oryza sp.) as indicated by combined pollen and phytolith evidence, and low counts of freshwater algae indicated a moist site condition. The area then gradually evolved into wetlands as the water table rose, in response to the increasing monsoon precipitation during the early Holocene. This favored rice domestication, assisted by firing and clearing, that continued to flourish for several hundred years. Finally, rice domestication declined during the late stage of the Pengtoushan culture, accompanied by evidence of the expansion of wetlands reflecting the effects of a rising groundwater table that had caused the cessation of rice farming at the Bashidang site after ca. 8000-7900 cal yr BP. This study shows that there are local effects at particular sites that may differ from the trend at the regional scale, necessitating a careful interpretation of the available evidence.

Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Evidence of Prostatic Stones at Al Khiday Cemetery, Central Sudan

PubMed Central

Usai, Donatella

2017-01-01

The recovery of three stone-like ovoid objects within the burial of a pre-Mesolithic (Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene) individual at Al Khiday cemetery (Central Sudan) raises the question of the nature and origin of these objects. The position in which the objects were found in relation to the human skeleton suggested a pathological condition affecting the individual, possibly urinary bladder, kidney stones or gallstones. To solve this issue, a multi-analytical approach, consisting of tomographic, microstructural and compositional analyses, was therefore performed. Based on their microstructure and mineralogical composition, consisting of hydroxylapatite and whitlockite, the investigated stones were identified as primary (endogenous) prostatic calculi. In addition, the occurrence of bacterial imprints also indicates on-going infectious processes in the individual. This discovery of the earliest known case of lithiasis extends the appearance of prostatic stones into the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene, a disease which therefore can no longer be considered exclusive to the modern era, but which also affected prehistoric individuals, whose lifestyle and diet were significantly different to our own. PMID:28122013

Glaciation in the Andes during the Lateglacial and Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodbell, Donald T.; Smith, Jacqueline A.; Mark, Bryan G.

2009-10-01

This review updates the chronology of Andean glaciation during the Lateglacial and the Holocene from the numerous articles and reviews published over the past three decades. The Andes, which include some of the world's wettest and driest mountainous regions, offer an unparalleled opportunity to elucidate spatial and temporal patterns of glaciation along a continuous 68-degree meridional transect. The geographic and altitudinal extent of modern glaciers and the sensitivity of both modern and former glaciers to respond to changes in specific climatic variables reflect broad-scale atmospheric circulation and consequent regional moisture patterns. Glaciers in the tropical Andes and in the mid-latitude Andes are likely to have been far more sensitive to changes in temperature than glaciers in the dry subtropical Andes. Broad-scale temporal and spatial patterns of glaciation during the Lateglacial are apparent. In the southernmost Andes, the Lateglacial chronology appears to have a strong Antarctic signature with the best-dated moraines correlating closely with the Antarctic Cold Reversal. The southernmost Andes do not appear to have experienced a significant ice advance coeval with the Younger Dryas (YD) climatic reversal. At the other end of the Andes, from ˜0 to 9°N, a stronger YD connection may exist, but critical stratigraphic and geochronologic work is required before a YD ice advance can be fully demonstrated. In the central Andes of Peru, well-dated moraines record a significant ice readvance at the onset of the YD, but ice was retreating during much of the remaining YD interval. The spatial-temporal pattern of Holocene glaciation exhibits tantalizing but incomplete evidence for an Early to Mid-Holocene ice advance(s) in many regions, but not in the arid subtropical Andes, where moraines deposited during or slightly prior to the Little Ice Age (LIA) record the most extensive advance of the Holocene. In many regions, there is strong evidence for Neoglacial

Climate Change in Lowland Central America During the Late Deglacial and Early Holocene

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hillesheim, M B; Hodell, D A; Leyden, B W

2005-02-08

The transition from arid glacial to moist early Holocene conditions represented a profound change in northern lowland Neotropical climate. Here we report a detailed record of changes in moisture availability during the latter part of this transition ({approx}11,250 to 7,500 cal yr BP) inferred from sediment cores retrieved in Lake Peten Itza, northern Guatemala. Pollen assemblages demonstrate that a mesic forest had been largely established by {approx}11,250 cal yr BP, but sediment properties indicate that lake level was more than 35 m below modern stage. From 11,250 to 10,350 cal yr BP, during the Preboreal period, lithologic changes in sedimentsmore » from deep-water cores (>50 m below modern water level) indicate several wet-dry cycles that suggest distinct changes in effective moisture. Four dry events (designated PBE1-4) occurred at 11,200, 10,900, 10,700, and 10,400 cal yr BP and correlate with similar variability observed in the Cariaco Basin titanium record and glacial meltwater pulses into the Gulf of Mexico. After 10,350 cal yr BP, multiple sediment proxies suggest a shift to a more persistently moist early Holocene climate. Comparison of results from Lake Peten Itza with other records from the circum-Caribbean demonstrates a coherent climate response during the entire span of our record. Furthermore, lowland Neotropical climate during the late deglacial and early Holocene period appears to be tightly linked to climate change in the high-latitude North Atlantic. We speculate that the observed changes in lowland Neotropical precipitation were related to the intensity of the annual cycle and associated displacements in the mean latitudinal position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and Azores-Bermuda high-pressure system. This mechanism operated on millennial-to-submillennial timescales and may have responded to changes in solar radiation, glacial meltwater, North Atlantic sea ice, and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC).« less

Timing and nature of Holocene glacier advances at the northwestern end of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Sourav; Owen, Lewis A.; Orr, Elizabeth N.; Caffee, Marc W.

2018-05-01

Holocene glacial chronostratigraphies are developed for four glaciated valleys at the northwestern end of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen using geomorphic mapping and cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure dating. The study areas include the Hamtah valley in the Lahul Himalaya, and the Karzok, Lato and upper Stok valleys in Zanskar. Five local glacial stages are dated to ∼10.4, ∼6.1-3.3, ∼2.1-0.9, ∼0.7-0.4, and ∼0.3-0.2 ka based on 49 new moraine boulder ages. Large age dispersions are evident for each of the local glacial stages. This is especially the case for ∼6.1-3.3 and ∼2.1-0.9 ka, which is likely a result of prior and/or incomplete exposures in very young moraine boulders. An additional compilation of 187 published 10Be moraine boulder ages help define seven Himalayan Holocene regional glacial stages (HHs) for the northwestern end of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. These HHs date to ∼10.9-9.3, ∼8.2-7.4, ∼6.9-4.3, ∼4.5-2.8, ∼2.7-1.8, ∼1.8-0.9, and <1 ka. Early Holocene glacier advances were generally more extensive and had larger equilibrium-line altitude depressions (ΔELA = ∼425 ± 229 m) than glacier advances during the mid-Holocene (ΔELA = ∼141 ± 106) and late Holocene (ΔELA = ∼124 ± 121 m). The early Holocene glacier advances likely correspond to orbitally-forced northerly migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and enhanced summer monsoon. The timing of the majority of HHs during mid- and late Holocene corresponds well with the North Atlantic cooling that is likely teleconnected via mid-latitude westerlies, particularly during ∼8 ka and after ∼5 ka. These chronostratigraphies suggest that Holocene glaciation in the northwestern part of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen is largely influenced by long-term orbital forcing amplified by large-scale migration of the Earth's thermal equator and the associated hemispheric oceanic-atmospheric systems.

Middle Holocene thermal maximum in eastern Beringia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, D. S.; Bartlein, P. J.

2015-12-01

A new systematic review of diverse Holocene paleoenvironmental records (Kaufman et al., Quat. Sci. Rev., in revision) has clarified the primary multi-centennial- to millennial-scale trends across eastern Beringia (Alaska, westernmost Canada and adjacent seas). Composite time series from midges, pollen, and biogeochemical indicators are compared with new summaries of mountain-glacier and lake-level fluctuations, terrestrial water-isotope records, sea-ice and sea-surface-temperature analyses, and peatland and thaw-lake initiation frequencies. The paleo observations are also compared with recently published simulations (Bartlein et al., Clim. Past Discuss., 2015) that used a regional climate model to simulate the effects of global and regional-scale forcings at 11 and 6 ka. During the early Holocene (11.5-8 ka), rather than a prominent thermal maximum as suggested previously, the newly compiled paleo evidence (mostly sensitive to summer conditions) indicates that temperatures were highly variable, at times both higher and lower than present, although the overall lowest average temperatures occurred during the earliest Holocene. During the middle Holocene (8-4 ka), glaciers retreated as the regional average temperature increased to a maximum between 7 and 5 ka, as reflected in most proxy types. The paleo evidence for low and variable temperatures during the early Holocene contrasts with more uniformly high temperatures during the middle Holocene and agrees with the climate simulations, which show that temperature in eastern Beringia was on average lower at 11 ka and higher at 6 ka than at present (pre-industrial). Low temperatures during the early Holocene can be attributed in part to the summer chilling caused by flooding the continental shelves, whereas the mid-Holocene thermal maximum was likely driven by the loss of the Laurentide ice sheet, rise in greenhouse gases, higher-than-present summer insolation, and expansion of forest over tundra.

Holocene temperature history of northern Iceland inferred from subfossil midges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axford, Yarrow; Miller, Gifford H.; Geirsdóttir, Áslaug; Langdon, Peter G.

2007-12-01

The Holocene temperature history of Iceland is not well known, despite Iceland's climatically strategic location at the intersection of major surface currents in the high-latitude North Atlantic. Existing terrestrial records reveal spatially heterogeneous changes in Iceland's glacier extent, vegetation cover, and climate over the Holocene, but these records are temporally discontinuous and mostly qualitative. This paper presents the first quantitative estimates of temperatures throughout the entire Holocene on Iceland. Mean July temperatures are inferred based upon subfossil midge (Chironomidae) assemblages from three coastal lakes in northern Iceland. Midge data from each of the three lakes indicate broadly similar temperature trends, and suggest that the North Icelandic coast experienced relatively cool early Holocene summers and gradual warming throughout the Holocene until after 3 ka. This contrasts with many sites on Iceland and around the high-latitude Northern Hemisphere that experienced an early to mid-Holocene "thermal maximum" in response to enhanced summer insolation forcing. Our results suggest a heightened temperature gradient across Iceland in the early Holocene, with suppressed terrestrial temperatures along the northern coastal fringe, possibly as a result of sea surface conditions on the North Iceland shelf.

The NAO Influence on the Early to Mid-Holocene North Atlantic Coastal Upwelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez, A.; Cachão, M.; Sousa, P.; Trigo, R. M.; Freitas, M. C.

2017-12-01

Coastal upwelling regions yield some of the oceanic most productive ecosystems, being crucial for the worldwide social and economic development. Most upwelling systems, emerging cold nutrient-rich deep waters, are located in the eastern boundaries of the Atlantic and Pacific basins, and are driven by meridional wind fields parallel to the coastal shore. These winds are associated with the subsiding branch of the large-scale Anticyclonic high pressure systems that dominate the subtropical ocean basins, and therefore can be displaced or intensified within the context of past and future climate changes. However, the role of the current global warming influencing the coastal upwelling is, as yet, unclear. Therefore it is essential to derive a long-term perspective, beyond the era of instrumental measurements, to detect similar warm periods in the past that have triggered changes in the upwelling patterns. In this work, the upwelling dynamics in the Iberian North Atlantic margin during the early and mid-Holocene is reconstructed, using calcareous nannofossils from a decadally resolved estuarine sediment core located in southwestern Portugal. Results suggest that the coastal dynamics reflects changes in winds direction likely related to shifts in the NAO-like conditions. Furthermore, the reconstructed centennial-scale variations in the upwelling are synchronous with changes in solar irradiance, a major external forcing factor of the climate system that is known to exert influence in atmospheric circulation patterns. In addition, these proxy-based data interpretations are in agreement with wind field and solar irradiance simulation modelling for the mid-Holocene. Therefore, the conclusion that the solar activity via the NAO modulation controlled the North Atlantic upwelling of western Iberia during the early and mid-Holocene at decadal to centennial timescales can be derived. The financial support for attending this meeting was possible through FCT project UID/GEO/50019

A mid-holocene fauna from Bear Den Cave, Sequoia National Park, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mead, Jim I.; McGinnis, Thomas W.; Keeley, Jon E.

2006-01-01

Test excavation of floor fill deposits in the first room in Bear Den Cave, Sequoia National Park, produced fossiliferous sediments down to at least 40 cm depth. Radiocarbon analysis of charcoal from this layer indicates an early-middle Holocene age of 7220 CAL BP. The fossil accumulation represents prey recovered from generations of ringtail (Bassariscus astutus) dung. Microvertebrate remains include salamanders, lizards, snakes, and mammals. The recovery of Aneides ferreus/vagransfrom early-middle Holocene deposits in Bear Den Cave is a first for this species group. Equally interesting is the recovery of Plethodon sp. Neither taxa live in the Sierra Nevada today. The fossil-rich deposits of Bear Den Cave indicate that future paleoecological studies will be productive in Sequoia National Park.

How Early Holocene Greening of the Afro-Asian Dust Belt Changed Sources of Mineral Dust in West Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pourmand, A.; Sharifi, A.; Goes, L. M.; Clement, A. C.; Canuel, E. A.; Naderi Beni, A.; Ahmady-Birgani, H.

2016-12-01

Production, transport and deposition of mineral dust have significant temporal and spatial impacts on different components of the Earth systems. In modern times, dust plumes can be associated with their source origin(s) using satellite and land-based measurements and back-trajectory reconstruction of air masses. Reconstructing past changes in the sources of mineral dust as related to changes in climate, however, must rely on the knowledge of the geochemical and mineralogical composition of modern and paleo-dust, and their potential source origins. In this contribution, we present a 13,000-year record of variations in radiogenic Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes and Rare Earth Element (REE) anomalies from an ombrotrophic (rain fed) peat core in NW Iran as proxies of past changes in sources of dust over West Asia. The geochemical fingerprint of dust particles deposited during the low-flux, early Holocene period (11,700-6,000 yr BP) is distinctly different from times of high dust fluxes during the Younger Dryas, and that of the mid-late Holocene. This indicates that the composition of mineral dust deposited at the receptor site changed as a function of prevailing atmospheric circulation regimes and land exposure. Simulations of atmospheric circulation over the region show the Northern Hemisphere Westerly Jet (NHWJ) was displaced poleward across the study area during the early Holocene when solar insolation was higher. This shift, coupled with lower dust emissions simulated based on greening of the Afro-Asian Dust Belt during the early Holocene likely led to potential sources in Central Asia to dominate dust export to West Asia during this period, in contrast to the dominant western and southwest Asian and Eastern African sources that prevail during the modern period.

Early Holocene estuary development of the Hesselø Bay area, southern Kattegat, Denmark and its implication for Ancylus Lake drainage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bendixen, Carina; Boldreel, Lars Ole; Jensen, Jørn Bo; Bennike, Ole; Hübscher, Christian; Clausen, Ole Rønø

2017-12-01

High-resolution shallow seismic data, sediment core information, radiocarbon dating and sequence stratigraphy have been used to interpret the late glacial to early Holocene geological evolution of Hesselø Bay in the southern Kattegat, Denmark. A reconstruction of the early Holocene coastal environment and a description of coastal processes associated with a river outlet into the bay are presented. Weichselian glacial deposits form the lowermost interpreted unit, covered by late glacial (LG) and postglacial (PG, Holocene) sediments. A funnel-shaped estuary existed at the mouth of channels in the period 10.3-9.2 cal. ka BP; the channels drained water from south to north. The early PG is characterised by estuarine and coastal deposits. The early Holocene bars that developed in the estuary are preserved as morphological features on the present-day seabed, possibly as a result of rapid relative sea-level rise. The estuary existed simultaneously with the occurrence and drainage of the Ancylus Lake. The drainage of this lake occurred through the Dana River (palaeo-Great Belt channel) into the southern Kattegat and then into the study area. The level of the Ancylus Lake in the Baltic Sea region dropped significantly at about 10.2 cal. ka BP at the same time as the estuary developed in the Kattegat region. One outcome of the present study is an enhanced understanding of the Ancylus Lake drainage path. No evidence of major erosion is seen, which indicates non-catastrophic continuous water flow from the south without major drainage events of the Ancylus Lake to the southern Kattegat. During the Littorina transgression, coastal estuarine conditions characterized the Hesselø Bay area where elongated ridges formed a bar system. As the Littorina transgression continued, back-stepping of the bar system and coastline occurred. When the transgression breached the Great Belt threshold, flooding caused major erosion throughout the study area.

Holocene climate changes in eastern Beringia (NW North America) - A systematic review of multi-proxy evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Darrell S.; Axford, Yarrow L.; Henderson, Andrew C. G.; McKay, Nicholas P.; Oswald, W. Wyatt; Saenger, Casey; Anderson, R. Scott; Bailey, Hannah L.; Clegg, Benjamin; Gajewski, Konrad; Hu, Feng Sheng; Jones, Miriam C.; Massa, Charly; Routson, Cody C.; Werner, Al; Wooller, Matthew J.; Yu, Zicheng

2016-09-01

frequency of both peatland and thaw-lake initiation ages also occurred during the early Holocene. During the middle Holocene (8.2-4.2 ka), glaciers retreated as the regional average temperature increased to a maximum between 7 and 5 ka, as reflected in most proxy types. Following the middle Holocene thermal maximum, temperatures decreased starting between 4 and 3 ka, signaling the onset of Neoglacial cooling. Glaciers in the Brooks and Alaska Ranges advanced to their maximum Holocene extent as lakes generally rose to modern levels. Temperature differences for averaged 500-year time steps typically ranged by 1-2 °C for individual records in the Arctic Holocene database, with a transition to a cooler late Holocene that was neither abrupt nor spatially coherent. The longest and highest-resolution terrestrial water isotope records previously interpreted to represent changes in the Aleutian low-pressure system around this time are here shown to be largely contradictory. Furthermore, there are too few records with sufficient resolution to identify sub-centennial-scale climate anomalies, such as the 8.2 ka event. The review concludes by suggesting some priorities for future paleoclimate research in the region.

Early Holocene humidity patterns in the Iberian Peninsula reconstructed from lake, pollen and speleothem records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morellón, Mario; Aranbarri, Josu; Moreno, Ana; González-Sampériz, Penélope; Valero-Garcés, Blas L.

2018-02-01

Comparison of selected, well-dated, lacustrine, speleothem and terrestrial pollen records spanning the Holocene onset and the Early Holocene (ca. 11.7-8 cal kyrs BP) in the Iberian Peninsula shows large hydrological fluctuations and landscape changes with a complex regional pattern in timing and intensity. Marine pollen records from Alboran, the Mediterranean and off shore Atlantic sites show a step-wise increase in moisture and forest during this transition. However, available continental records point to two main patterns of spatial and temporal hydrological variability: i) Atlantic-influenced sites located at the northwestern areas (Enol, Sanabria, Lucenza, PRD-4), characterized by a gradual increase in humidity from the end of the Younger Dryas to the Mid Holocene, similarly to most North Atlantic records; and ii) continental and Mediterranean-influenced sites (Laguna Grande, Villarquemado, Fuentillejo, Padul, Estanya, Banyoles, Salines), with prolonged arid conditions of variable temporal extension after the Younger Dryas, followed by an abrupt increase in moisture at 10-9 cal kyrs BP. Different local climate conditions influenced by topography or the variable sensitivity (gradual versus threshold values) of the proxies analyzed in each case are evaluated. Vegetation composition (conifers versus mesothermophilous taxa) and resilience would explain a subdued response of vegetation in central continental areas while in Mediterranean sites, insufficient summer moisture availability could not maintain high lake levels and promote mesophyte forest, in contrast to Atlantic-influenced areas. Comparison with available climate models, Greenland ice cores, North Atlantic marine sequences and continental records from Central and Northern Europe and the whole Mediterranean region underlines the distinctive character of the hydrological changes occurred in inner Iberia throughout the Early Holocene. The persistent arid conditions might be explained by the intensification

Towards a European tephrochronological framework for Termination 1 and the Early Holocene.

PubMed

Davies, Siwan M; Branch, Nicholas P; Lowe, J John; Turney, Chris S M

2002-04-15

The record of deposition of tephras in Europe and the North Atlantic during the period 18.5-8.0 (14)C ka BP (the Last Termination and Early Holocene) is reviewed. Altogether, 34 tephras originating from four main volcanic provinces (Iceland, the Eifel district, the Massif Central and Italy) have been identified so far in geological sequences spanning this time-interval. Most of the records have been based, until very recently, on observations of visible layers of tephras. Here, we report on the potential for extending the areas over which some of the tephras can be traced by the search for layers of micro-tephra, which are not visible to the naked eye, and on the use of geochemical methods to correlate them with known tephra horizons. This approach has greatly extended the area in Northern Europe over which the Vedde Ash can be traced. The same potential exists in southern Europe, which is demonstrated for the first time by the discovery of a distinct layer of micro-tephra of the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff in a site in the Northern Apennines in Italy, far to the north of the occurrences of visible records of this tephra. The paper closes by considering the potential for developing a robust European tephrostratigraphy to underpin the chronology of records of the Last Termination and Early Holocene, thereby promoting a better understanding of the nature, timing and environmental effects of the abrupt climatic changes that characterized this period.

Early-to-middle Holocene sea-level fluctuations, coastal progradation and the Neolithic occupations in Yaojiang valley of southern Hangzhou bay, eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Sun, Q.; Fan, D.; Chen, Z.

2017-12-01

The formation of Holocene coast in eastern China provided material base for the development of Neolithic civilizations. The coastal Yaojiang valley of south Hangzhou bay was one of the examples where the well-known Neolithic Hemudu Culture (HC) of Eastern China initiated. Here, we studied the early-to-middle Holocene environment changes in relation to sea-level fluctuations on the basis of a serial of sediment cores based on a set of new Accelerator Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) chronology. The result indicated that relative sea-level rose rapidly in the Yaojiang valley at the early Holocene, reaching its maximum at ca. 8000-7800 cal yr BP and then decelerated at ca. 7800-7500 cal yr BP. The alluvial plain in Yaojiang valley began to form at the foothills first and then grew towards the valley center accompanying with the sea-level stabilization after ca. 7500 cal yr BP. This progressive progradation of alluvial plain would attract the early arrivals of foragers to dwell at the foothills to engaging in rice farming after ca.7000 cal yr BP and starting the epic Hemudu Culture. The HC people then move down to the valley center as more land became available thanks to sediment aggregation and progradation. The rise and development of HC were closely associated with the sea-level induced landscape changes in Yaojiang valley at the early-middle Holocene, and the unstable hydraulic condition in the valley after 5000 cal yr BP could be accountable for the cultural termination.

Age and height distribution of holocene transgressive deposits in eastern North Island, New Zealand

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ota, Y.; Berryman, K.R.; Hull, A.G.; Miyauchi, T.; Iso, N.

1988-01-01

Holocene transgressive deposits are frequently exposed near the present-day coastline of the study area along eastern North Island, New Zealand. They occur in sites of former estuaries that were filled during the postglacial rise in sea level. We present one hundred radiocarbon dates of Holocene transgressive deposits from the study area, ranging in age from ca. 10,000 to 5500 yr B.P. Relative sea level curves up to ca. 6000 yr B.P. were reconstructed for six locations. The curves have similar slopes prior to about 7000 yr B.P., indicating that sea level rise was much more rapid than any tectonic uplift at that time. The postglacial rise in sea level in New Zealand is considered, in general, to have culminated at about 6500 yr B.P. but the upper limit ages of transgressive deposits in our study area vary from ca. 5500 to 7000 yr B.P. At sites where the uplift rate is high the postglacial transgression culminated rather earlier than ca. 6500 yr B.P., and at sites where there is subsidence or there is very low uplift the culmination is later than ca. 6500 yr B.P. Nine of fourteen dates from fossil trees in growth position, that grew in and were buried by estuarine silt, cluster in the age range ca. 8000-8400 yr B.P. These data support the view that there was a minor regression or stillstand in the eustatic sea level rise at that time. Eleven tectonic subregions are recognized in the study area on the basis of average uplift rate. Most of these subregions coincide with those established from the number and ages of younger Holocene marine terraces of probable coseismic origin. ?? 1988.

Environmental, depositional and cultural changes in the upper Pleistocene and early Holocene; the Cinglera del Capello Sequence (Capellades, Spain)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vaquero, Manuel; Allué, Ethel; Bischoff, James L.; Burjachs, Francesc; Vallverdú, Josep

2013-01-01

The correlation between environmental and cultural changes is one of the primary archeological and paleoanthropological research topics. Analysis of ice and marine cores has yielded a high-resolution record of millennial-scale changes during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene eras. However, cultural changes are documented in low-resolution continental deposits; thus, their correlation with the millennial-scale climatic sequence is often difficult. In this paper, we present a rare occurrence in which a thick archeological sequence is associated with a high-resolution environmental record. The Cinglera del Capello is a tufa-draped cliff located in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, 50 km west of Barcelona. This cliff harbors several rock-shelters with Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits. Together, the deposits of four rock-shelters span from 7000 to 70,000 years ago and provide a high-resolution record of the environmental and human dynamics during this timespan. This record allows the correlation of the cultural and environmental changes. The multiproxy approach to the Cinglera evidence indicates that the main cultural stages of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene (Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic and Mesolithic) are associated with significant changes in the environmental and depositional contexts.

Refining the time span between the early Holocene Askja-S and Hässeldalen tephras through differential dating based on varve counting from Lake Czechowskie (N Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ott, Florian; Wulf, Sabine; Serb, Johanna; Słowiński, Michał; Obremska, Milena; Tjallingii, Rik; Błaszkiewicz, Mirosław; Brauer, Achim

2016-04-01

Robust chronological framework is a crucial necessity for palaeoclimate reconstructions and especially for synchronizing records to decipher climatic teleconnections. Volcanic ash deposits (tephra) provide isochronous time marker that can be utilized as tie-lines to synchronize sedimentary archives. Advances in the detection and identification of non-visible (crypto-) tephra, often transported over thousands of kilometers, also allows identifying ash deposits even in distal records. We report the first findings of co-existing early Holocene Hässeldalen and Askja-S cryptotephras in a varved sediment record in Lake Czechowskie (JC, northern Poland). Annual layer counting was used to establish a varve chronology and micro-facies analyses, relative calcium (Ca) and titanium (Ti) concentrations were used to decipher between lake productivity and detrital flux. Here we focus (i) on the determination of the time span between both tephras, (ii) revised age estimates for the Askja-S tephra and (iii) the sedimentological response of the JC record to the Preboreal Oscillation (PBO), a short lived cold episode during the early Holocene. A differential dating approach revealed a time span of 152 +11/-8 varve years counted in the JC sediment record between both tephras. Since the varved interval of the JC sediment record comprising the tephras is floating, we anchored the floating varve chronology to an absolute timescale by using the radiocarbon-dated Hässeldalen Tephra (11,380 ± 216 cal a BP, Wohlfarth et al, 2006). The resulting age for the Askja-S of 11,454-11,002 cal a BP is, even considering the rather large uncertainties, a few decades to several hundred years older than most radiocarbon based age models, but it supports the original age model from Hässseldala port. The sediment response to the PBO cold period is seen only in a slight decrease in titanium, a proxy for detrital matter flux. Varve micro-facies did not change during this interval confirming a weak impact

Small-Mammal Data on Early and Middle Holocene Climates and Biotic Communities in the Bonneville Basin, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, Dave N.; Madsen, David B.; Lupo, Karen D.

2002-11-01

Archaeological investigations in Camels Back Cave, western Utah, recovered a series of small-mammal bone assemblages from stratified deposits dating between ca. 12,000 and 500 14C yr B.P. The cave's early Holocene fauna includes a number of species adapted to montane or mesic habitats containing grasses and/or sagebrush (e.g., Lepus townsendii, Marmota flaviventris, Reithrodontomys megalotis, and Brachylagus idahoensis) which suggest that the region was relatively cool and moist until after 8800 14C yr B.P. Between ca. 8600 and 8100 14C yr B.P. these mammals became locally extinct, taxonomic diversity declined, and there was an increase in species well-adapted to xeric, low-elevation habitats, including ground squirrels, Lepus californicus and Neotoma lepida. The early small-mammal record from Camels Back Cave is similar to the 11,300-6000 14C yr B.P. mammalian sequence from Homestead Cave, northwestern Utah, and provides corroborative data on Bonneville Basin paleoenvironments and mammalian responses to middle Holocene desertification.

Cosmogenic 10Be Dating of Early and Latest Holocene Moraines on Nevado Salcantay in the Southern Peruvian Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licciardi, J. M.; Schaefer, J. M.; Lund, D. C.

2007-12-01

A two-fold sequence of nested lateral and end moraines was mapped in a glacial trough emanating from the southwest flank of Nevado Salcantay (6271 m; ~13°S latitude), the highest peak in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southern Peru. The field area is situated 25 km due south of the archaeological site of Machu Picchu. Outer and inner moraines in the sequence were deposited by valley glaciers that terminated ~5 km and ~3 km, respectively, from their headwall on the Salcantay summit massif. Cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure dating of granitic boulders sampled on the Salcantay moraines is underway and has provided the first numerical ages for these deposits. Initial results indicate ages of 8.1 ± 0.1 10Be ka for the outer moraine and 200 ± 20 10Be years for the sharp-crested inner moraine. These ages are derived using the CRONUS-Earth 10Be exposure age calculator (version 2.0) and expressed with respect to the Lal- Stone production rate scaling scheme using the standard atmosphere. The outer and inner moraine ages correspond to glacial events during the early and latest Holocene, respectively. Further 10Be dating of the mapped moraines and similar deposits observed in adjacent drainages on Nevado Salcantay is anticipated to yield a high-resolution chronology of valley glaciation in this segment of the southern Peruvian Andes. The new results bridge an important gap between existing Andean glacier records to the north and south, and complement available ice core and lacustrine paleoclimate records in the vicinity, thereby expanding spatial and temporal coverage for identifying patterns of Holocene climate change in the tropical Andes. Notably, the inner moraine age correlates with the timing of the Little Ice Age as defined in northern mid- and high latitude glacier records, and suggests considerable expansion of valley glaciers in the southern Peruvian Andes during this climatic minimum. Apart from their paleoclimatic significance, the initial results also demonstrate

Climate variability during the Holocene inferred from northeastern Iberian speleothems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, A.; Bartolomé, M.; Sancho, C.; Belmonte, Á.; Stoll, H.; Cacho, I.; Edwards, R. L.; Hellstrom, J.

2012-04-01

Although the general climate trends during the Holocene in the Iberian Peninsula have been well described after the study of marine and lacustrine records, many questions regarding the timing of some of the events together with the characterization of the higher-frequency climate variability are still poorly understood. New speleothem records from several caves in northeastern Iberia provide data to explore Holocene climate changes. The selected caves are located in a latitudinal transect from the Pyrenees to the Iberian Range and placed at different altitude. Two of them, 5 de Agosto and Pot au Feu, belong to the same karstic complex in Cotiella massif (Central Pyrenees, 1600 m asl). Seso Cave, also in the Central Pyrenees but at 781 m of altitude, and Molinos cave, a cavity very rich in speleothems located at 1040 m in the Iberian Range, complete the transect. Although in all the caves precipitation coming from Atlantic fronts dominates over the year, a significant Mediterranean influence, specially in summer months, is identified after rainfall monitoring. Speleothem formation during the Holocene occurred at a very low pace in 5 de Agosto cave (80yrs/mm) and increased dramatically at low-altitude caves and during particular periods proved to be wetter (eg. Early Holocene in Molinos cave, less than 10yr/mm). In Seso and Pot au Feu caves, up to seven studied speleothems only grew during short climatic events such as the Iron Cold Period (3000-2500 cal yr BP) or the Little Ice Age (1300-1850 yr AD) that, although cold, were particularly humid periods in northeastern Spain. First stable isotope results highlight the importance of comparing speleothems with similar growing rates and from the same cave to extract climate information and discard other influences. From the integration of four stalagmites from Molinos cave covering since the Holocene onset to 2000 cal yrs BP, the Early Holocene (11.7-8.5 ka BP) with d13C values between -11 and - 9‰ appears as the

Holocene Paleolimnological Records from Thule, Northwestern Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbett, L.; Osterberg, E. C.; Kelly, M. A.; Axford, Y.

2012-12-01

Assessing Holocene climatic and environmental variability around the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet provides important information against which to compare ice sheet margin fluctuations. Here, we report preliminary results from ongoing research in northwestern Greenland. We present records of physical properties of lake sediments and use these to make inferences about the evolution of the lake and its surroundings over the latter half of the Holocene. We collected two sediment cores, 90 and 72 cm in length, from a small (surface area ~0.3 km2), shallow (maximum depth ~4.5 m) lake at 76°33'40''N 68°26'31''W near Thule Air Base in July 2012. The length of the cores was limited by the length of the core barrel and does not reflect the total thickness of sediment in the lake. The lake is situated within the glacial limit and likely formed subsequent to deglaciation of the region during early Holocene time. No glaciers exist within the lake's catchment today; the primary modern source of sediment is a perennial inflow from the west. We developed a preliminary depth-age model using radiocarbon ages of terrestrial organic macrofossils. Thus far, we have analyzed the sediments for magnetic susceptibility and loss-on-ignition. A radiocarbon age of 6069 ± 90 cal yr BP at the base of the core indicates that the sediments preserve a continuous record of middle to late Holocene conditions. The top of both cores consists of a thick (~12 cm) layer of dark gray unlaminated sediments, while the rest of the material in both cores is lighter brown to olive, finely laminated sediment. The upper layer is characterized by low water content (<25%), low loss-on-ignition (<5%), and high magnetic susceptibility (~150-250 x10-6). Conversely, the laminated sediments beneath have higher water content (~40-50%), higher loss-on-ignition (~5-10%), and much lower magnetic susceptibility (<50 x10-6). We hypothesize that the upper, less organic unit may represent a single event in the lake

Holocene seasonal variability inferred from multiple proxy records from Crevice Lake, Yellowstone National Park, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitlock, Cathy; Dean, Walter E.; Fritz, Sherilyn C.; Stevens, Lora R.; Stone, Jeffery R.; Power, Mitchell J.; Rosenbaum, Joseph R.; Pierce, Kenneth L.; Bracht-Flyr, Brandi B.

2012-01-01

the Roman Warm Period (~ 2000 cal yr BP) and Medieval Climate Anomaly (1200–800 cal yr BP). Long springs and mild summers occurred during the Little Ice Age, and these conditions persist to the present. Although the proxy data indicate effectively wet summer conditions in the early Holocene and drier conditions in the middle and late Holocene, none point specifically to changes in summer precipitation as the cause. Instead, summer conditions were governed by multi-seasonal controls on effective moisture that operated over multiple time scales.

New radiocarbon dates for terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene settlements in West Turkana, northern Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beyin, Amanuel; Prendergast, Mary E.; Grillo, Katherine M.; Wang, Hong

2017-07-01

The Turkana Basin in northern Kenya is located in an environmentally sensitive region along the eastern African Rift system. Lake Turkana's sensitivity to fluctuations in precipitation makes this an ideal place to study prehistoric human adaptations during key climatic transitions. Here we present eleven radiocarbon dates from two recently excavated sites in West Turkana, Kokito 01 and Kokito 02. The sites span the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, a time of fluctuating lake levels and novel cultural responses within the region. Several scenarios are laid out for the interpretation of site chronologies, and these are discussed with reference to the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene chronological record for the region. Given the paucity of well-dated sites from this timespan in the Turkana Basin, the new radiocarbon dates are an important step toward establishing human settlement history and associated cultural developments in the region.

Isotopic signature of Tian-Shan mountain soils as a record of climatic changes of the Late Pleistocene and Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovaleva, N. O.

2018-01-01

Specific features of the polygenetic mountain soils of the Tian-Shan (Kyrgystan) are due to the action of present-day and relict soil processes that vary in age and intensity under the influence of glacier movements and climatic fluctuations. These properties can be used as indicators of paleoclimatic changes. The diagnosis of ancient pedogenesis was based on criteria with the longest response time, namely, soil morphology, characteristics of organic matter, 13C-NMR spectra of soil humic acids, isotope composition of humus and carbonates, and the soil age. The results indicate a glacial climate of the Late Pleistocene, a dry and cold climate during the Early Holocene, warm and dry conditions of soil formation in the Middle Holocene, and humidity climate of the Late Holocene.

An Early Holocene Record of Cimex (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) From Western North America.

PubMed

Adams, Martin E; Jenkins, Dennis L

2017-07-01

The subfossil remains of 14 cimicids (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) were recovered during archaeological investigations of the Paisley Five Mile Point Cave site (35LK3400), an exceptionally well-dated (n = 229 radiocarbon dates) late Pleistocene-early Holocene rock shelter site in south-central Oregon. Nine of the specimens have been assigned to three modern species of Nearctic Cimicidae-Cimex antennatus Usinger & Ueshima, Cimex latipennis Usinger & Ueshima, and Cimex pilosellus (Horváth)-whereas the remaining five individuals were too fragmentary to positively identify. The chronology of the insect assemblage puts one specimen at circa 5,100 calibrated years before present (cal. yr BP), and the remaining 13 range in age from 9,400 to almost 11,000 cal. yr BP. Although fossil and subfossil cimicid remains have been recovered at other archaeological sites, the fossil record for bed bugs is largely undocumented. The Paisley Caves specimens thus far represent the oldest remains of the genus in probable contact with humans on record. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Mid-Holocene stabilization of the Karakum and Kyzylkum sand seas, central Asia - evidence from OSL ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maman, Shimrit; Tsoar, Haim; Blumberg, Dan G.; Porat, Naomi

2013-04-01

Sand seas (ergs) are large areas of deserts covered by wind-swept sand with varying degrees of vegetation cover. The Kyzylkum and Karakum ergs have accumulated in the Turan basin, northwest of the Hindu Kush range, and span from south Turkmenistan to the Syrdarya River in Kazakhstan. These ergs are dissected by the Amudarya River; To the north lies the Kyzylkum (red sands) and to the south the Karakum (black sands). This area is understudied, and little information has been published regarding the sands stabilization processes and deposition ages. This research focuses on identifying and mapping the ergs of Central Asia and analyzing the climate factors that set the dunes into motion and that stabilized them. A variety of spaceborne imagery with varying spectral and spatial resolutions was used. These images provide the basis for mapping sand distribution, dune forms, and vegetation cover. Wilson (1973) defined these ergs as active based on precipitation. Our results show that they are mostly stabilized, with an estimated area of ~260,000 sq. Km for Kara-Kum , and ~195,500 sq. Km for the Kyzyl-Kum . Meteorological analysis of wind and precipitation data indicate a low wind energy environment (DP<200) and sufficient rainfall (>100 mm) to which is essential for vegetation cover. We present the first optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from the upper meter of 14 exposed sections from both ergs. The age of the sand samples was determined as ~Mid-Holocene by OSL, which provides an insight into past climate characteristics. These ages indicate extensive sand and dune stabilization during the Mid-Holocene. GIS analysis was performed in parallel with field work to validate and verify the results. The OSL ages, coupled with a compilation of regional palaeoclimatic data, corroborate and reinforce the previously proposed Mid-Holocene Liavliakan phase, known to reflect a warmer, wetter, less windy climate than persists today and that resulted in dune stabilization

Skeletal variation among early Holocene North American humans: implications for origins and diversity in the Americas.

PubMed

Auerbach, Benjamin M

2012-12-01

The movement of humans into the Americas remains a major topic of debate among scientific disciplines. Central to this discussion is ascertaining the timing and migratory routes of the earliest colonizers, in addition to understanding their ancestry. Molecular studies have recently argued that the colonizing population was isolated from other Asian populations for an extended period before proceeding to colonize the Americas. This research has suggested that Beringia was the location of this "incubation," though archaeological and skeletal data have not yet supported this hypothesis. This study employs the remains of the five most complete North American male early Holocene skeletons to examine patterns of human morphology at the earliest observable time period. Stature, body mass, body breadth, and limb proportions are examined in the context of male skeletal samples representing the range of morphological variation in North America in the last two millennia of the Holocene. These are also compared with a global sample. Results indicate that early Holocene males have variable postcranial morphologies, but all share the common trait of wide bodies. This trait, which is retained in more recent indigenous North American groups, is associated with adaptations to cold climates. Peoples from the Americas exhibit wider bodies than other populations sampled globally. This pattern suggests the common ancestral population of all of these indigenous American groups had reduced morphological variation in this trait. Furthermore, this provides support for a single, possibly high latitude location for the genetic isolation of ancestors of the human colonizers of the Americas. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Tropical ocean-atmospheric forcing of Late Glacial and Holocene glacier fluctuations in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stansell, Nathan D.; Licciardi, Joseph M.; Rodbell, Donald T.; Mark, Bryan G.

2017-05-01

Evaluating the timing and style of past glacier fluctuations in the tropical Andes is important for our scientific understanding of global environmental change. Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide ages on moraine boulders combined with 14C-dated clastic sediment records from alpine lakes document glacial variability in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru during the last 16 ka. Late Glacial ice extents culminated at the start of the Antarctic Cold Reversal and began retracting prior to the Younger Dryas. Multiple moraine crests dating to the early Holocene mark brief readvances or stillstands that punctuated overall retreat of the Queshque Valley glacier terminus during this interval. Glaciers were less extensive during the middle Holocene before readvancing during the latest Holocene. These records suggest that tropical Atlantic and Pacific ocean-atmospheric processes exerted temporally variable forcing of Late Glacial and Holocene glacial changes in the Peruvian Andes.

Sensitivity of the marine-terminating margins to Holocene climate change in south and southeast Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, L.; Larsen, N. K.; Kjaer, K. H.; Bjork, A. A.; Kjeldsen, K. K.; Funder, S.; Kelly, M. A.; Howley, J. A.

2016-12-01

The marine-terminating glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) are responding rapidly to present-day climate change. More than one-third of the GrIS's discharge flows to the ocean through the marine-terminating outlet glaciers of southeastern Greenland, making it a potentially important region of the ice sheet. Documenting how these outlet glaciers have responded to longer-term past climate change (i.e. the Holocene) allows for more accurate predictions of their response to future climate changes. Here, we present 36 new 10Be ages on boulders perched on bedrock and on bedrock that record the timing of ice marginal fluctuations in several fjords in southeast and south Greenland, a region where little is known about past ice fluctuations due to its relative inaccessibility. We show that at Skjoldungen Sund (63.4N), deglaciation was rapid, beginning by 10.1 ± 0.4 ka. Deglaciation occurred concurrently at Timmiarmiut Fjord (62.7N), 100 km to the south, at 10.3 ± 0.4 ka. We suggest that this was in response to the warming ocean and air temperatures of the early Holocene. Additionally, 10Be ages on boulders perched on bedrock just distal to the historic­ moraines in Timmiarmiut Fjord date to 1.7 ± 0.1 ka, indicating the presence of a late Holocene advance prior to the Little Ice Age. In southern Greenland, deglaciation at Lindenow Fjord (60.6N), which drains the Julienhåb ice cap, occurred at 11.2 ± 0.4 ka. The ice then retreated up-fjord at a rate of 70-100 m yr-1, comparable with modern retreat rates of 30-100 m yr-1. We hypothesize that the earlier deglaciation at Lindenow Fjord by 1 ka may indicate that the Julienhåb ice cap was more sensitive to early Holocene warming than the GrIS. Additional 10Be ages from Prins Christen Fjord and near Qaqortoq are forthcoming. These new 10Be ages provide a longer-term perspective of marine-terminating outlet glacier fluctuations in Greenland and show that the ice sheet responded sensitively to Holocene climate change.

Holocene climate changes in eastern Beringia (NW North America) – A systematic review of multi-proxy evidence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kaufman, Darrell S.; Axford, Yarrow L.; Henderson, Andrew C.G.; McKay, Nicolas P.; Oswald, W. Wyatt; Saenger, Casey; Anderson, R. Scott; Bailey, Hannah L.; Clegg, Benjamin; Gajewski, Konrad; Hu, Feng Sheng; Jones, Miriam C.; Massa, Charly; Routson, Cody C.; Werner, Al; Wooller, Matthew J.; Yu, Zicheng

2016-01-01

frequency of both peatland and thaw-lake initiation ages also occurred during the early Holocene. During the middle Holocene (8.2–4.2 ka), glaciers retreated as the regional average temperature increased to a maximum between 7 and 5 ka, as reflected in most proxy types. Following the middle Holocene thermal maximum, temperatures decreased starting between 4 and 3 ka, signaling the onset of Neoglacial cooling. Glaciers in the Brooks and Alaska Ranges advanced to their maximum Holocene extent as lakes generally rose to modern levels. Temperature differences for averaged 500-year time steps typically ranged by 1–2 °C for individual records in the Arctic Holocene database, with a transition to a cooler late Holocene that was neither abrupt nor spatially coherent. The longest and highest-resolution terrestrial water isotope records previously interpreted to represent changes in the Aleutian low-pressure system around this time are here shown to be largely contradictory. Furthermore, there are too few records with sufficient resolution to identify sub-centennial-scale climate anomalies, such as the 8.2 ka event. The review concludes by suggesting some priorities for future paleoclimate research in the region.

Patagonian and southern South Atlantic view of Holocene climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, M. R.; Schaefer, J. M.; Strelin, J. A.; Denton, G. H.; Anderson, R. F.; Vandergoes, M. J.; Finkel, R. C.; Schwartz, R.; Travis, S. G.; Garcia, J. L.; Martini, M. A.; Nielsen, S. H. H.

2016-06-01

We present a comprehensive 10Be chronology for Holocene moraines in the Lago Argentino basin, on the east side of the South Patagonian Icefield. We focus on three different areas, where prior studies show ample glacier moraine records exist because they were formed by outlet glaciers sensitive to climate change. The 10Be dated records are from the Lago Pearson, Herminita Península-Brazo Upsala, and Lago Frías areas, which span a distance of almost 100 km adjacent to the modern Icefield. New 10Be ages show that expanded glaciers and moraine building events occurred at least at 6120 ± 390 (n = 13), 4450 ± 220 (n = 7), 1450 or 1410 ± 110 (n = 18), 360 ± 30 (n = 5), and 240 ± 20 (n = 8) years ago. Furthermore, other less well-dated glacier expansions of the Upsala Glacier occurred between 1400 and ∼1000 and ∼2300 and ∼2000 years ago. The most extensive glaciers occurred over the interval from ∼6100 to ∼4500 years ago, and their margins over the last ∼600 years were well within and lower than those in the middle Holocene. The 10Be ages agree with 14C-limiting data for the glacier histories in this area. We then link southern South American, adjacent South Atlantic, and other Southern Hemisphere records to elucidate broader regional patterns of climate and their possible causes. In the early Holocene, a far southward position of the westerly winds fostered warmth, small Patagonian glaciers, and reduced sea ice coverage over the South Atlantic. Although we infer a pronounced southward displacement of the westerlies during the early Holocene, these conditions did not occur throughout the southern mid-high latitudes, an important exception being over the southwest Pacific sector. Subsequently, a northward locus and/or expansion of the winds over the Patagonia-South Atlantic sector promoted the largest glaciers between ∼6100 and ∼4500 years ago and greatest sea ice coverage. Over the last few millennia, the South Patagonian Icefield has experienced

Rapid thinning of Pine Island Glacier in the early Holocene.

PubMed

Johnson, J S; Bentley, M J; Smith, J A; Finkel, R C; Rood, D H; Gohl, K; Balco, G; Larter, R D; Schaefer, J M

2014-02-28

Pine Island Glacier, a major outlet of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, has been undergoing rapid thinning and retreat for the past two decades. We demonstrate, using glacial-geological and geochronological data, that Pine Island Glacier (PIG) also experienced rapid thinning during the early Holocene, around 8000 years ago. Cosmogenic (10)Be concentrations in glacially transported rocks show that this thinning was sustained for decades to centuries at an average rate of more than 100 centimeters per year, which is comparable with contemporary thinning rates. The most likely mechanism was a reduction in ice shelf buttressing. Our findings reveal that PIG has experienced rapid thinning at least once in the past and that, once set in motion, rapid ice sheet changes in this region can persist for centuries.

North Atlantic forcing of moisture delivery to Europe throughout the Holocene

PubMed Central

Smith, Andrew C.; Wynn, Peter M.; Barker, Philip A.; Leng, Melanie J.; Noble, Stephen R.; Tych, Wlodek

2016-01-01

Century-to-millennial scale fluctuations in precipitation and temperature are an established feature of European Holocene climates. Changes in moisture delivery are driven by complex interactions between ocean moisture sources and atmospheric circulation modes, making it difficult to resolve the drivers behind millennial scale variability in European precipitation. Here, we present two overlapping decadal resolution speleothem oxygen isotope (δ18O) records from a cave on the Atlantic coastline of northern Iberia, covering the period 12.1–0 ka. Speleothem δ18O reveals nine quasi-cyclical events of relatively wet-to-dry climatic conditions during the Holocene. Dynamic Harmonic Regression modelling indicates that changes in precipitation occurred with a ~1500 year frequency during the late Holocene and at a shorter length during the early Holocene. The timing of these cycles coincides with changes in North Atlantic Ocean conditions, indicating a connectivity between ocean conditions and Holocene moisture delivery. Early Holocene climate is potentially dominated by freshwater outburst events, whilst ~1500 year cycles in the late Holocene are more likely driven by changes internal to the ocean system. This is the first continental record of its type that clearly demonstrates millennial scale connectivity between the pulse of the ocean and precipitation over Europe through the entirety of the Holocene. PMID:27109216

A Holocene temperature reconstruction from northern New Zealand: a test of North Atlantic Holocene climate patterns as a global template

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Bos, Valerie; Rees, Andrew; Newnham, Rewi; Augustinus, Paul

2017-04-01

Holocene climate variability has been well defined in the North Atlantic (Walker et al., 2012), but the global extent of this climate change stratigraphy is debatable. If the North Atlantic serves as a global template for Holocene climate, then New Zealand (NZ) is ideally positioned to test this assertion, as it is distal from the northern drivers. Additionally, it is one of the few landmasses in the Southern Hemisphere that is influenced by both sub-tropical and extra-tropical climatic regimes, which may be more important controls in the southern mid-latitudes. Although much work has been done to characterise the Holocene in NZ using pollen, most of these records lack the resolution or sensitivity to determine whether abrupt or short-lived events occurred. The NZ-INTIMATE climate event stratigraphy lacks a type section for the Holocene (Alloway et al., 2007). Records from northern NZ typically show little change, other than a possible early Holocene warming. Here, we present a combined pollen and chironomid temperature reconstruction from Lake Pupuke (northern NZ), the first of its kind in NZ that covers the entire Holocene. By comparing mean annual temperatures reconstructed from fossil pollen and mean summer temperatures inferred from chironomid remains, we can assess changes in seasonality. Mean summer temperature was reconstructed from the chironomid record using a weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) model (n comp = 2, r2booth = 0.77, RMSEP = 1.4°C) developed from an expanded version of Dieffenbacher-Krall et al. (2007)'s chironomid training set. Preliminary results show evidence for cool summers during the early Holocene as well as around the period of the Little Ice Age as defined in the North Atlantic region. These and other climate patterns determined from the Pupuke chironomid and pollen records will be compared with other evidence from northern New Zealand and with the North Atlantic record of Holocene climate variability. References

Small-mammal data on early and middle Holocene climates and biotic communities in the Bonneville Basin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmitt, D.N.; Madsen, D.B.; Lupo, K.D.

2002-01-01

Archaeological investigations in Camels Back Cave, western Utah, recovered a series of small-mammal bone assemblages from stratified deposits dating between ca. 12,000 and 500 14C yr B.P. The cave's early Holocene fauna includes a number of species adapted to montane or mesic habitats containing grasses and/or sagebrush (e.g., Lepus townsendii, Marmota flaviventris, Reithrodontomys megalotis, and Brachylagus idahoensis) which suggest that the region was relatively cool and moist until after 8800 14C yr B.P. Between ca. 8600 and 8100 14C yr B.P. these mammals became locally extinct, taxonomic diversity declined, and there was an increase in species well-adapted to xeric, low-elevation habitats, including ground squirrels, Lepus californicus and Neotoma lepida. The early small-mammal record from Camels Back Cave is similar to the 11,300-6000 14C yr B.P. mammalian sequence from Homestead Cave, northwestern Utah, and provides corroborative data on Bonneville Basin paleoenvironments and mammalian responses to middle Holocene desertification. ?? 2002 University of Washington.

A new late glacial to early Holocene palaeobotanical and archaeological record in the Eastern Pre-Alps: the Palughetto basin (Cansiglio Plateau, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avigliano, Roberto; di Anastasio, Giulio; Improta, Salvatore; Peresani, Marco; Ravazzi, Cesare

2000-12-01

A late glacial to early Holocene lacustrine and peat succession, rich in conifer remains and including some palaeolithic flint artefacts, has been investigated in the Palughetto intermorainic basin (Venetian Pre-Alps). The geomorphological and stratigraphical relationships, 14C dates and pollen analyses allow a reconstruction of the environmental history of the basin and provide significant insights into the reforestation and peopling of the Pre-Alps. The onset of peat accumulation is dated to 14.4-14.1 kyr cal. BP, coinciding with reforestation at middle altitudes that immediately post-dates the immigration of Larix decidua and Picea abies subsp. europaea. Plant macrofossils point to the expansion of spruce about 14.3 kyr cal. BP, so far one of the earliest directly dated in the late glacial period of southern Europe. The previous hypothesis of an early Holocene spruce immigration in the Southern Alps from Slovenia needs reconsideration. Organic sedimentation stopped at the end of the Younger Dryas and was followed by the evolution of hydromorphic soils containing lithic artefacts, anthropic structures and wood charcoal. The typological features of the flint implements refer human occupation of the site to the end of the recent Epigravettian. Charcoals yielded dates either consistent with, or younger than, the archaeological chronology, in the early and middle Holocene.

Early and Middle Holocene evidence for plant use and cultivation in the Middle Cauca River Basin, Cordillera Central (Colombia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aceituno, Francisco J.; Loaiza, Nicolás

2014-02-01

This paper presents the latest results of research done in the Colombian Andean region known as Middle Cauca River Basin, an important location for the study of the origins of plant use and the dispersal of domesticates throughout the Americas due to its geographical position in northwest South America. We discuss human-environment interactions during Pleistocene/Holocene transition to middle Holocene (ca 10,000-4000 BP), specifically human-plant interaction and environmental factors that led to the adoption of horticultural practices. Three lines of evidence are analyzed: archaeological stratigraphy, lithic technology, and microbotanical remains. Our results suggest that early Holocene environmental stability allowed Middle Cauca settlers to use the diverse local resources for several millennia, altering the local vegetation, and leading to the development of horticultural practices that included the use of both local and foreign plants. These results inform the ongoing debate about the antiquity and nature of plant domestication and dispersals in the Americas.

Holocene South Asian Monsoon Climate Change - Potential Mechanisms and Effects on Past Civilizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staubwasser, M.; Sirocko, F.; Grootes, P. M.; Erlenkeuser, H.; Segl, M.

2002-12-01

Planktonic oxygen isotope ratios from the laminated sediment core 63KA off the river Indus delta dated with 80 AMS radiocarbon ages reveal significant climate changes in the south Asian monsoon system throughout the Holocene. The most prominent event of the early-mid Holocene occurred after 8.4 ka BP and is within dating error of the GISP/GRIP event centered at 8.2 ka BP. The late Holocene is generally more variable, and shows non-periodic cycles in the multi-centennial frequency band. The largest change of the entire Holocene occurred at 4.2 ka BP and is concordant with the end of urban Harappan civilization in the Indus valley. Opposing isotopic trends across the northern Arabian Sea surface indicate a reduction in Indus river discharge at that time. Consequently, sustained drought may have initiated the archaeologically recorded interval of southeastward habitat tracking within the Harappan cultural domain. The hemispheric significance of the 4.2 ka BP event is evident from concordant climate change in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The late Holocene cycles in South Asia, which most likely represent drought cycles, vary between 250 and 800 years and are coherent with the evolution of cosmogenic radiocarbon production rates in the atmosphere. This suggests that solar variability is the fundamental cause behind late Holocene rainfall changes at least over south Asia.

A Holocene Record of Hydrological Fluctuations in the Northern Chilean Altiplano (Lago Chungará)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valero-Garces, B. L.; Saez, A.; Pueyo, J.; Taberner, C.; Bao, R.; Schnurrenberger, D.; Myrbo, A.; Shapley, M.; Herrera, C.; Moreno-Caballud, A.; Gonzalez-Samperiz, P.; Giralt, S.; Oriol-Gibert, R.; Edwards, L.; Schwalb, A.

2004-12-01

Holocene records of moisture availability in the Central Andes and the Altiplano show contrasting and even opposite signals and time-transgressive millennial-scale climatic changes across the region, particularly between the Titicaca Basin and the Atacama Altiplano. A multiproxy study of a 13 kyr record of Lago Chungará (18° 15' S, 69° 10' W, 4520 m a.s.l.) provides new data to solve some of the paleoclimate controversies as regional moisture availability patterns during the early and mid Holocene and the onset of modern ENSO conditions. Lago Chungara originated after the emplacement of the Parinacota volcano debris avalanche that blocked the Chungará River prior to 13 cal. kyrs ago. A seismic survey and fifteen Kullenberg cores allowed a detailed 3-D reconstruction of the 8 m long sedimentary sequence. The chronological model is based on 5 AMS 14C on bulk organic matter and 3 U/Th dates on authigenic carbonates and shells. To assess the typically large (and variable) reservoir effect, we dated modern sediments and waters, and constrained the model with time markers based on a 210Pb age model for the last 150 yrs, volcanic ashes of known age, and the U/Th dates. We performed high-resolution analyses by an X-ray fluorescence core scanner and magnetic, sedimentological, mineralogical, isotopic, and biological (pollen, diatoms and ostracodes) analyses on selected cores. Statistical analyses helped to separate the volcanism from climate as the key driving forces in the hydrological and sedimentological evolution of the lake. Three main lacustrine units are identified on top of the pre Parinacota avalanche substrate. The basal unit (13 - 7.2 cal. kyrs BP) is a finely laminated diatomite. The middle unit (7.2 - 4.5 cal. kyrs BP) is banded and it is composed of diatomites and carbonate-rich layers. The diatomaceous upper unit (after 4.5 cal. kyrs BP) is banded to massive, and it contains abundant volcanic layers (lapilli, ash layers). Increased volcanic activity after

Pollen from accurately dated speleothems supports alpine glacier low-stands during the early Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Festi, Daniela; Hoffmann, Dirk L.; Luetscher, Marc

2016-07-01

Deciphering pollen assemblages from alpine speleothems holds potential to provide unique information about past vegetation in rapidly changing environments. Here, we reconstruct subsurface aerosol transport at Milchbach cave (Switzerland, 1840 m asl) based on the pollen content of two Holocene stalagmites. We demonstrate that pollen is chiefly associated with bacterially mediated calcite fabrics, typical of a well-ventilated cave system. In contrast, pollen is absent from columnar calcite fabrics confirming that hydrological transport is not a significant process for the incorporation of pollen into speleothems at Milchbach cave. Our results support significant changes in the subsurface ventilation regime, which can be associated with the waxing and waning of Upper Grindelwald glacier. Pollen assemblages obtained from six carbonate sub-samples attest the presence of a mixed deciduous forest in the Grindelwald valley during the early and middle Holocene, in agreement with coeval regional pollen records. This study demonstrates that even small amounts of calcite (0.3-2.8 cm3) are capable of delivering pollen spectra representative of the original vegetation if sufficiently elevated deposition fluxes are provided.

Clinal variation of some mammals during the Holocene in Missouri

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purdue, James R.

1980-03-01

Eastern cottontail ( Sylvilagus floridanus), fox squirrel ( Sciurus niger), and gray squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis) were examined for clinal variation during the Holocene. Modern samples of all three species displayed strong east-west patterns along the western edge of the eastern deciduous forest: S. floridanus and S. niger decrease and S. carolinensis increases in size. Archeological samples of S. carolinensis from Rodgers Shelter (23BE125), Benton County, Missouri, and Graham Cave (23MT2), Montgomery County, Missouri, indicated an increase in size from early to middle Holocene. Sylvilagus floridanus from Rodgers Shelter decreased in size from early to middle Holocene and then increased during the late Holocene to modern proportions. A literature survey reveals that clinal variation is a common phenomenon among modern homeotherms. In introduced species, clinal variation has developed after relatively few generations, indicating rapid adaptations to environmental conditions; often winter climatic variables are implicated. Morphological variation in the study species during the Holocene is interpreted as a response to changing climates. Studies of morphological clines may lead to another valuable data source for reconstructing past ecologies.

Tropical North Atlantic Coral-Based Sea Surface Temperature and Salinity Reconstructions From the Little Ice Age and Early Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saenger, C.; Cohen, A.; Oppo, D.; Hubbard, D.

2006-12-01

Understanding the magnitude and spatial extent of tropical sea surface temperature (SST) cooling during the Little Ice Age (~1400-1850 A.D.; LIA) is important for elucidating low-latitude paleoclimate, but present estimates are poorly constrained. We used Sr/Ca and δ18O variability within the aragonitic skeleton of the coral genus Montastrea to reconstruct SST and sea surface salinity (SSS) during the LIA and early Holocene (EH) in the tropical Atlantic. Four seasonally-resolved coral Sr/Ca records from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Bermuda indicate SST is highly correlated (r2 = 0.94) with modern Montastrea Sr/Ca and mean annual coral extension. A Sr/Ca -SST calibration that combines temperature and growth rate effects on coral Sr/Ca was applied to fossil St. Croix corals to reconstruct Caribbean climate during 5-10 year intervals of the LIA (440 ± 30 yBP) and EH (7200 ± 30; EH). Contrary to previous coral-based LIA proxy reconstructions, we find mean SST during the LIA was similar to today, but approximately 1.2°C cooler during the EH. Both periods exhibited higher amplitude seasonal variability indicating other SST estimates may be seasonally biased. Based on residual coral δ18O, we find the LIA and EH were saltier, which suggests previous cooling estimates of 1-3°C relative to today may be exaggerated by changes in seawater δ18O. Our results are consistent with a southerly migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) during the LIA, but their corroboration requires longer, high-resolution proxy reconstructions that place our two brief multi-annual coral records from the LIA and EH, respectively, within the context of multi-decadal variability.

Organic carbon accumulation and reactivity in central Swedish lakes during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chmiel, H.; Kokic, J.; Niggemann, J.; Dittmar, T.; Sobek, S.

2012-04-01

Sedimentation and burial of particulate organic carbon (POC), received from terrestrial sources and from lake internal primary production, are responsible for the progressive accumulation and long-term storage of organic matter in lake basins. For lakes in the boreal zone of central Sweden it can be presumed, that the onset of POC accumulation occurred during the early Holocene (˜8000 BP.) after the retreat of the Scandinavian ice sheet. In this study we investigated carbon mass accumulation rates (CMARs), as well as sources and reactivity of deposited organic material, for seven lakes in central Sweden (60°N, 15°E), in order to obtain a detailed temporal resolution of carbon burial and preservation in boreal lakes. Sediment long-cores were sampled in March 2011 from the ice, and CMARs were calculated from water contents, dry bulk densities, carbon contents and radiocarbon (14C) ages of the depth profiles. To indicate the sources of the organic material and characterize its diagenetic state, we determined carbon-nitrogen ratios (C/N) as well as amounts and compositions of lignin phenols. The transitions from organic rich sediment layers to glacial till deposits were found to be in sediment depths of ˜3 m in each lake. POC contents were on average highest (25-34 wt. % C), in small lakes (≤ 0.07 km2) and lowest (10-18 wt. % C) in the larger lakes (≥ 165 km2). The CMARs over the Holocene showed significant variations and were on average lower in the early Holocene, compared to recent accumulation rates. C/N values and the composition of lignin phenols further provided indications of important changes in organic matter source and reactivity over the Holocene. In summary, our data suggest that boreal lake sediments were a significantly stronger sink for organic carbon during the last ~150 years than during earlier periods of the Holocene.

Holocene environmental change at the oasis of Tayma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engel, Max; Brückner, Helmut; Wellbrock, Kai; Pint, Anna; Grottker, Matthias; Voss, Peter; Ginau, Andreas; Klasen, Nicole; Frenzel, Peter

2013-04-01

The oasis of Tayma in northwestern Saudi Arabia has a rich cultural heritage comprising a large number of historic buildings and artefacts from the late Neolithic onwards. Extensive groundwater resources and the location at a branch of the Incense Road connecting south Arabia and the eastern Mediterranean determined the site's importance in Antiquity. This paper reports about Holocene environmental change at Tayma setting the frame for the interpretation of the archaeological record. Humid conditions during the early Holocene are inferred for the Arabian Peninsula (AP) based on the investigation of sabkhas, palaeo-lakes, sand dunes, wadis, speleothems and marine sediments. Most of these climate archives are located in the southern and southeastern part of the AP, where a northward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) triggered increased rainfall at the onset of the Holocene. At Tayma, where the influence of the ITCZ shift can be excluded, the sedimentary infill of a sabkha basin, the micro- and macrofaunal record, a digital elevation model based on DGPS measurements, and 14C-AMS data indicate the presence of a perennial lake with a minimum depth of 13 m, a stored water volume of 1.16 107 m3 and a surface of 18.45 km2 between 10,000-9000 cal BP. Foraminiferal test malformations and the shape of sieve pores on ostracod valves were used to detect trends in palaeo-salinity and ecological stress conditions. Contraction of the lake at least after 8500 cal BP is a response to a long-term aridisation trend subsequent to the early Holocene. Based on the hydrological water balance equation, quantitative data on minimum palaeo-rainfall during the early Holocene humid period were determined. Input parameters for the equation are the minimum lake level, lake surface and lake volume during the peak of the early Holocene humid period as well as palaeo-evapotranspiration, groundwater infiltration, and surface runoff. A perennial lake in the endorheic basin of the

Millennial-scale variability in the local radiocarbon reservoir age of south Florida during the Holocene

USGS Publications Warehouse

Toth, Lauren T.; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. Lawrence; Ashe, Erica; Richey, Julie N.

2017-01-01

A growing body of research suggests that the marine environments of south Florida provide a critical link between the tropical and high-latitude Atlantic. Changes in the characteristics of water masses off south Florida may therefore have important implications for our understanding of climatic and oceanographic variability over a broad spatial scale; however, the sources of variability within this oceanic corridor remain poorly understood. Measurements of ΔR, the local offset of the radiocarbon reservoir age, from shallow-water marine environments can serve as a powerful tracer of water-mass sources that can be used to reconstruct variability in local-to regional-scale oceanography and hydrology. We combined radiocarbon and U-series measurements of Holocene-aged corals from the shallow-water environments of the Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) with robust statistical modeling to quantify the millennial-scale variability in ΔR at locations with (“nearshore”) and without (“open ocean”) substantial terrestrial influence. Our reconstructions demonstrate that there was significant spatial and temporal variability in ΔR on the FKRT during the Holocene. Whereas ΔR was similar throughout the region after ∼4000 years ago, nearshore ΔR was significantly higher than in the open ocean during the middle Holocene. We suggest that the elevated nearshore ΔR from ∼8000 to 5000 years ago was most likely the result of greater groundwater influence associated with lower sea level at this time. In the open ocean, which would have been isolated from the influence of groundwater, ΔR was lowest ∼7000 years ago, and was highest ∼3000 years ago. We evaluated our open-ocean model of ΔR variability against records of local-to regional-scale oceanography and conclude that local upwelling was not a significant driver of open-ocean radiocarbon variability in this region. Instead, the millennial-scale trends in open-ocean ΔR were more likely a result of broader

Lakeside Cemeteries in the Sahara: 5000 Years of Holocene Population and Environmental Change

PubMed Central

Sereno, Paul C.; Garcea, Elena A. A.; Jousse, Hélène; Stojanowski, Christopher M.; Saliège, Jean-François; Maga, Abdoulaye; Ide, Oumarou A.; Knudson, Kelly J.; Mercuri, Anna Maria; Stafford, Thomas W.; Kaye, Thomas G.; Giraudi, Carlo; N'siala, Isabella Massamba; Cocca, Enzo; Moots, Hannah M.; Dutheil, Didier B.; Stivers, Jeffrey P.

2008-01-01

Background Approximately two hundred human burials were discovered on the edge of a paleolake in Niger that provide a uniquely preserved record of human occupation in the Sahara during the Holocene (∼8000 B.C.E. to the present). Called Gobero, this suite of closely spaced sites chronicles the rapid pace of biosocial change in the southern Sahara in response to severe climatic fluctuation. Methodology/Principal Findings Two main occupational phases are identified that correspond with humid intervals in the early and mid-Holocene, based on 78 direct AMS radiocarbon dates on human remains, fauna and artifacts, as well as 9 OSL dates on paleodune sand. The older occupants have craniofacial dimensions that demonstrate similarities with mid-Holocene occupants of the southern Sahara and Late Pleistocene to early Holocene inhabitants of the Maghreb. Their hyperflexed burials compose the earliest cemetery in the Sahara dating to ∼7500 B.C.E. These early occupants abandon the area under arid conditions and, when humid conditions return ∼4600 B.C.E., are replaced by a more gracile people with elaborated grave goods including animal bone and ivory ornaments. Conclusions/Significance The principal significance of Gobero lies in its extraordinary human, faunal, and archaeological record, from which we conclude the following: The early Holocene occupants at Gobero (7700–6200 B.C.E.) were largely sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherers with lakeside funerary sites that include the earliest recorded cemetery in the Sahara.Principal components analysis of craniometric variables closely allies the early Holocene occupants at Gobero with a skeletally robust, trans-Saharan assemblage of Late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene human populations from the Maghreb and southern Sahara.Gobero was abandoned during a period of severe aridification possibly as long as one millennium (6200–5200 B.C.E).More gracile humans arrived in the mid-Holocene (5200–2500 B.C.E.) employing a diversified

Holocene reef development where wave energy reduces accommodation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grossman, Eric E.; Fletcher, Charles H.

2004-01-01

Analyses of 32 drill cores obtained from the windward reef of Kailua Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, indicate that high wave energy significantly reduced accommodation space for reef development in the Holocene and produced variable architecture because of the combined influence of sea-level history and wave exposure over a complex antecedent topography. A paleostream valley within the late Pleistocene insular limestone shelf provided accommodation space for more than 11 m of vertical accretion since sea level flooded the bay 8000 yr BP. Virtually no net accretion (pile-up of fore-reef-derived rubble (rudstone) and sparse bindstone, and (3) a final stage of catch-up bindstone accretion in depths > 6 m. Coral framestone accreted at rates of 2.5-6.0 mm/yr in water depths > 11 m during the early Holocene; it abruptly terminated at ~4500 yr BP because of wave scour as sea level stabilized. More than 4 m of rudstone derived from the upper fore reef accreted at depths of 6 to 13 m below sea level between 4000 and 1500 yr BP coincident with late Holocene relative sea-level fall. Variations in the thickness, composition, and age of these reef facies across spatial scales of 10-1000 m within Kailua Bay illustrate the importance of antecedent topography and wave-related stress in reducing accommodation space for reef development set by sea level. Although accommodation space of 6 to 17 m has existed through most of the Holocene, the Kailua reef has been unable to catch up to sea level because of persistent high wave stress.

Contributions of a Strengthened Early Holocene Monsoon and Sediment Loading to Present-Day Subsidence of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karpytchev, M.; Ballu, V.; Krien, Y.; Becker, M.; Goodbred, S.; Spada, G.; Calmant, S.; Shum, C. K.; Khan, Z.

2018-02-01

The contribution of subsidence to relative sea level rise in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta (GBD) is largely unknown and may considerably enhance exposure of the Bengal Basin populations to sea level rise and storm surges. This paper focuses on estimating the present-day subsidence induced by Holocene sediment in the Bengal Basin and by oceanic loading due to eustatic sea level rise over the past 18 kyr. Using a viscoelastic Earth model and sediment deposition history based on in situ measurements, results suggest that massive sediment influx initiated in the early Holocene under a strengthened South Asian monsoon may have contributed significantly to the present-day subsidence of the GBD. We estimate that the Holocene loading generates up to 1.6 mm/yr of the present-day subsidence along the GBD coast, depending on the rheological model of the Earth. This rate is close to the twentieth century global mean sea level rise (1.1-1.7 mm/yr). Thus, past climate change, by way of enhanced sedimentation, is impacting vulnerability of the GBD populations.

Simple technologies and diverse food strategies of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene at Huaca Prieta, Coastal Peru

PubMed Central

Dillehay, Tom D.; Goodbred, Steve; Pino, Mario; Vásquez Sánchez, Víctor F.; Tham, Teresa Rosales; Adovasio, James; Collins, Michael B.; Netherly, Patricia J.; Hastorf, Christine A.; Chiou, Katherine L.; Piperno, Dolores; Rey, Isabel; Velchoff, Nancy

2017-01-01

Simple pebble tools, ephemeral cultural features, and the remains of maritime and terrestrial foods are present in undisturbed Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits underneath a large human-made mound at Huaca Prieta and nearby sites on the Pacific coast of northern Peru. Radiocarbon ages indicate an intermittent human presence dated between ~15,000 and 8000 calendar years ago before the mound was built. The absence of fishhooks, harpoons, and bifacial stone tools suggests that technologies of gathering, trapping, clubbing, and exchange were used primarily to procure food resources along the shoreline and in estuarine wetlands and distant mountains. The stone artifacts are minimally worked unifacial stone tools characteristic of several areas of South America. Remains of avocado, bean, and possibly cultivated squash and chile pepper are also present, suggesting human transport and consumption. Our new findings emphasize an early coastal lifeway of diverse food procurement strategies that suggest detailed observation of resource availability in multiple environments and a knowledgeable economic organization, although technologies were simple and campsites were seemingly ephemeral and discontinuous. These findings raise questions about the pace of early human movement along some areas of the Pacific coast and the level of knowledge and technology required to exploit maritime and inland resources. PMID:28560337

Simple technologies and diverse food strategies of the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene at Huaca Prieta, Coastal Peru.

PubMed

Dillehay, Tom D; Goodbred, Steve; Pino, Mario; Vásquez Sánchez, Víctor F; Tham, Teresa Rosales; Adovasio, James; Collins, Michael B; Netherly, Patricia J; Hastorf, Christine A; Chiou, Katherine L; Piperno, Dolores; Rey, Isabel; Velchoff, Nancy

2017-05-01

Simple pebble tools, ephemeral cultural features, and the remains of maritime and terrestrial foods are present in undisturbed Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene deposits underneath a large human-made mound at Huaca Prieta and nearby sites on the Pacific coast of northern Peru. Radiocarbon ages indicate an intermittent human presence dated between ~15,000 and 8000 calendar years ago before the mound was built. The absence of fishhooks, harpoons, and bifacial stone tools suggests that technologies of gathering, trapping, clubbing, and exchange were used primarily to procure food resources along the shoreline and in estuarine wetlands and distant mountains. The stone artifacts are minimally worked unifacial stone tools characteristic of several areas of South America. Remains of avocado, bean, and possibly cultivated squash and chile pepper are also present, suggesting human transport and consumption. Our new findings emphasize an early coastal lifeway of diverse food procurement strategies that suggest detailed observation of resource availability in multiple environments and a knowledgeable economic organization, although technologies were simple and campsites were seemingly ephemeral and discontinuous. These findings raise questions about the pace of early human movement along some areas of the Pacific coast and the level of knowledge and technology required to exploit maritime and inland resources.

Younger Dryas to Early Holocene paleoclimate in Cantabria (N Spain): Constraints from speleothem Mg, annual fluorescence banding and stable isotope records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossi, Carlos; Bajo, Petra; Lozano, Rafael P.; Hellstrom, John

2018-07-01

The Younger Dryas (YD) stadial represents the most abrupt climate change of the Earth's recent history. Thus, understanding its causes and different local responses is relevant for Quaternary paleoclimatology. We present a speleothem high-resolution proxy record of the Lateglacial to Early Holocene paleoclimate of the Cantabrian Cordillera (N Spain), a strategic location to evaluate the influence of North Atlantic events such as the YD on South-Western Europe. Fluorescence lamination, growth-rate, stable-isotope, and [Mg] records from stalagmite SIR-1 were dated using an age-depth model constrained by U-Th dates and annual-lamina counting. The YD is recorded as a prominent positive δ13C excursion whose chronology (12.95 ± 0.14 to 11.62 ± 0.16 ka) and shape closely agree with the GS-1 stadial as defined in Greenland ice, supporting the event synchronicity in both areas. A colder and drier YD climate limited soil productivity and dripwater availability, leading to higher δ13C and [Mg], reduced growth rate, and virtually absent fluorescence lamination. The early YD record (until ∼12.5 ka) reflects increasing aridity, whereas the late YD (from ∼12.2 ka on) shows the opposite trend. At the YD boundaries, temperature changes influenced the [Mg] record by modifying the Mg partition into calcite. However, this effect was superseded by major changes in dripwater Mg/Ca linked to rainfall variations. During the Early Holocene, the Arnero Sierra was forested and had a relatively warm and humid seasonal climate, indicated in SIR-1 by higher growth rates, lower δ13C and [Mg], and well-developed fluorescent lamination. Similar to other high-resolution stalagmitic records of the Cordillera, from ∼8.5 to 8.0 ka SIR-1 reflects a temporary trend of increasing aridity.

Glacial inception during the late Holocene without carbon emissions from early agriculture: lessons from the stage-19 glacial inception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, F.; Vavrus, S. J.; Kutzbach, J. E.; Ruddiman, W. F.; Tzedakis, P. C.

2013-12-01

Decreases in orbitally-forced summer insolation along with downward trends in greenhouse gases (GHG) have been precursors to incipient glaciation in the past. In the last several thousand years of the current interglacial, while summer insolation has decreased, there was a reversal of the downward trends in CH4 and CO2 concentration within the Holocene around 5,000 and 7,000 years ago. While the cause of this reversal remains unresolved, a leading hypothesis is Ruddiman's Early Anthropogenic Hypothesis that early agriculture, starting several thousand years ago, caused emissions of GHG large enough to reverse natural downward trends in CO2 and CH4 and kept Earth's climate anomalously warm, with the corollary that this may have prevented incipient glaciation during the late Holocene. Here we use the 1-degree, fully coupled Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) with climate forcings (orbital parameters and GHG) of a previous glacial inception to investigate whether glacial inception should have occurred prior to the industrial revolution if the concentrations of CH4 and CO2 had followed their natural downward trends throughout the Holocene. Tzedakis et al. [2012] show that for the previous eight interglacials, Stage 11 and Stage 19 are the best analogs of the Holocene because of their low eccentricities, and Stage 19 is a better analog than Stage 11 for the Holocene due to the in-phase relationship between obliquity and precession. Furthermore, their study suggests that 777 ka BP (777,000 years before present) is the timing of glacial inception for Stage 19, based on the occurrence of the earliest bipolar seesaw event associated with glacial melting. Not only do the orbital parameters at 777 ka BP resemble pre-industrial conditions, but the concentrations of CO2 at that time were essentially the same as their expected 'natural' pre-industrial values in the absence of anthropogenic greenhouse emissions. Our multi-millennial coupled CCSM4 simulations show

The early Holocene humid period in the Tayma palaeolake, NW Arabian Peninsula -- A high-resolution micro-facies and geochemical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neugebauer, Ina; Plessen, Birgit; Dinies, Michèle; Engel, Max; Tjallingii, Rik; Brauer, Achim

2016-04-01

The Tayma palaeolake is a rare archive of the early Holocene humid period in northern Arabia (Dinies et al. 2015; Engel et al. 2012). Here we present a ca. 1 m thick and 500 years spanning annually laminated sediment section that was deposited in the centre of the former lake from ca. 8500 to 8000 calibrated years (cal. yrs) BP, as determined by AMS 14C dating of pollen concentrates (Dinies et al. 2015). High-resolution micro-facies analyses based on thin section microscopy, μXRF element scanning, δ18Ocarb and δ13Ccarb measurements on single carbonate laminae, as well as geochemical measurements on bulk samples for TOC, CaCO3, C/N ratio, δ18Ocarb, δ13Ccarb, δ13Corg and δ15N determination were performed in order to investigate the sedimentological and geochemical changes along the varved sequence in great detail. The finely laminated marl sediments are mainly composed of sub-mm thick laminae of endogenic aragonite, organic matter and diatoms, as well as occasional, often graded silt-clay layers. Following an early lake phase from ca. 8700 to 8500 cal. yrs BP characterized by coarsely laminated, presumably non-annual marl sediments that are rich in ostracods, three main varved phases can be distinguished within the investigated section: (1) aragonitic-organic varves from ca. 8500 to 8300 cal. yrs BP, (2) diatom-organic varves from ca. 8300 to 8100 cal. yrs BP that frequently include aragonite laminae and occasionally gastropod and ostracod shells, and (3) organic varves from ca. 8100 to 8000 cal. yrs BP with decreasing diatom and aragonite laminae and an increasing frequency of gypsum layers. After this period, gypsum becomes abundant and fine lamination appears only sporadically. In addition, we observe increasing trends of TOC, C/N and δ13Ccarb and decreasing δ18Ocarb during phase 1 and excess δ18Ocarb, δ13Ccarb and TOC values during phase 2, pointing towards the maximum lake productivity and increased seasonal precipitation. We interpret this

El Nino influence on Holocene reef accretion in Hawai'i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rooney, J.; Fletcher, C.; Grossman, E.; Engels, M.; Field, M.

2004-01-01

New observations of reef accretion from several locations show that in Hawai'i accretion during early to middle Holocene time occurred in areas where today it is precluded by the wave regime, suggesting an increase in wave energy. Accretion of coral and coralline algae reefs in the Hawaiian Islands today is largely controlled by wave energy. Many coastal areas in the main Hawaiian Islands are periodically exposed to large waves, in particular from North Pacific swell and hurricanes. These are of sufficient intensity to prevent modern net accretion as evidenced by the antecedent nature of the seafloor. Only in areas sheltered from intense wave energy is active accretion observed. Analysis of reef cores reveals patterns of rapid early Holocene accretion in several locations that terminated by middle Holocene time, ca. 5000 yr ago. Previous analyses have suggested that changes in Holocene accretion were a result of reef growth "catching up" to sea level. New data and interpretations indicate that the end of reef accretion in the middle Holocene may be influenced by factors in addition to sea level. Reef accretion histories from the islands of Kaua'i, O'ahu, and Moloka'i may be interpreted to suggest that a change in wave energy contributed to the reduction or termination of Holocene accretion by 5000 yr ago in some areas. In these cases, the decrease in reef accretion occurred before the best estimates of the decrease in relative sea-level rise during the mid-Holocene high stand of sea level in the main Hawaiian Islands. However, reef accretion should decrease following the termination of relative sea-level rise (ca. 3000 yr ago) if reef growth were "catching up" to sea level. Evidence indicates that rapid accretion occurred at these sites in early Holocene time and that no permanent accretion is occurring at these sites today. This pattern persists despite the availability of hard substrate suitable for colonization at a wide range of depths between -30 m and the

Latitudinal Expansion of the Holocene Optimum in the East Asian Monsoon Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, X.; Sun, L.; Zhan, T.; Huang, W.; Zhou, X.; Hao, Q.; He, X.; Zhao, C.; Zhang, J.; Qiao, Y.; Ge, J.; Yan, P.; Shao, D.; Chu, Z.; Yang, W.

2014-12-01

With increasingly abundant high resolution and high precision records of East Asian monsoon, its spatial and temporal dynamics during the Holocene have been extensively studied. However, partly due to the lack of records in high latitude areas and the age uncertainties, these studies characterized a wide range of spatial-temporal patterns of Holocene Optimum (HO). We reconstructed a 14,000-year record of vegetation using sediments from a crater lake in Northeast China. Analyses of the vegetation time series show that HO began around 6,000 a BP in Northeast China, significantly later than generally recognized. By comparison with Holocene records of vegetation in other regions of the East Asia, we found a marked northward shift of initial time of HO from 10,600 a BP in South China to 6,000 a BP in Northeast China, which appeared to be forced by the shrinkage of the northern hemisphere ice-sheet (NHIS) during early to mid Holocene. Finally, we fitted a regression model of initial HO time on latitude, which allows us to make prediction of initial HO time based on their geographical locations. This study reveals a strong relationship between latitude and initial HO times and provides a window towards understanding the joint forcing of high and low latitude factors on regional climate.

Holocene and latest Pleistocene climate and glacier fluctuations in Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geirsdóttir, Áslaug; Miller, Gifford H.; Axford, Yarrow; Ólafsdóttir, Sædís

2009-10-01

Multiproxy climate records from Iceland document complex changes in terrestrial climate and glacier fluctuations through the Holocene, revealing some coherent patterns of change as well as significant spatial variability. Most studies on the Last Glacial Maximum and subsequent deglaciation reveal a dynamic Iceland Ice Sheet (IIS) that responded abruptly to changes in ocean currents and sea level. The IIS broke up catastrophically around 15 ka as the Polar Front migrated northward and sea level rose. Indications of regional advance or halt of the glaciers are seen in late Alleröd/early Younger Dryas time and again in PreBoreal time. Due to the apparent rise of relative sea level in Iceland during this time, most sites contain evidence for fluctuating, tidewater glacier termini occupying paleo fjords and bays. The time between the end of the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal was characterized by repeated jökulhlaups that eroded glacial deposits. By 10.3 ka, the main ice sheet was in rapid retreat across the highlands of Iceland. The Holocene thermal maximum (HTM) was reached after 8 ka with land temperatures estimated to be 3 °C higher than the 1961-1990 reference, and net precipitation similar to modern. Such temperatures imply largely ice-free conditions across Iceland in the early to mid-Holocene. Several marine and lacustrine sediment climate proxies record substantial summer temperature depression between 8.5 and 8 ka, but no moraines have been detected from that time. Termination of the HTM and onset of Neoglacial cooling took place sometime after 6 ka with increased glacier activity between 4.5 and 4.0 ka, intensifying between 3.0 and 2.5 ka. Although a distinct warming during the Medieval Warm Period is not dramatically apparent in Icelandic records, the interval from ca AD 0 to 1200 is commonly characterized by relative stability with slow rates of change. The literature most commonly describes Little Ice Age moraines (ca AD 1250-1900) as representing the

Holocene precipitation changes in the deep tropics recorded by Speleothems (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X.; Auler, A. S.; Edwards, R.; Kong, X.; Cheng, H.; Cruz, F. W.; Wang, Y.; Broecker, W. S.

2010-12-01

We have obtained a high-resolution oxygen isotope (δ18O) record of cave calcite from Paraiso Cave, eastern Amazon, which covers most of the Holocene. Its chronology was determined by U-Th ages from three column-shaped stalagmites. Their δ18O profiles replicate among their contemporaneous growth periods. Therefore, the samples were likely precipitated under equilibrium conditions and their oxygen isotopic variations are primarily caused by climate change. We find that the δ18O decreases steadily from ~11.0 to 5.0 thousand years ago, with a growth gap between ~8.4 to 6.3 thousand years ago, and then gradually increases until the present. The large amplitude of the δ18O change (up to 4 per mil) suggests that the variation in δ18O value is dominated by meteoric precipitation change at this equatorial site. In order to investigate the interactions between the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), monsoons and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity during the Holocene, we compare the Paraiso record to speleothem records from other locations in the deep tropics, namely, cave sites from Flores, Borneo and Peru. We find that all these speleothem records are consistent, with a progressive δ18O decrease (rainfall increase) during the early Holocene, probably in response to the southward retreat of the ITCZ from its northernmost location in the early Holocene. This is evident from the strong anti-correlation between the speleothem monsoonal records from China and southern Brazil. However, our record is distinct from the others during the last 4 thousand years, when it switches to a continuous δ18O increase (rainfall decrease) trend, while the others flatten out. We propose that, during the late Holocene, the strengthened South American Summer Monsoon may override the ENSO influence and cause the discrepancy in precipitation between eastern Amazon and other deep tropical cave sites.

Pleistocene and Holocene geomorphological development in the Algarve, southern Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chester, David K.

2012-06-01

A detailed chronological framework for Pleistocene and Holocene geomorphology and landscape evolution in the Algarve is proposed. With regards to the Pleistocene, attention has focused on the origin, dating and stratigraphy of the Ludo Formation. Subsuming the classifications of earlier writers, it is now proposed that during the Pliocene a marine transgression occurred across a tectonically controlled basin that was constrained by the mountains of the Algarve interior to the north. Fluvial sands were then deposited in a regressive phase during the late Pliocene/early Pleistocene, while braided streams operating under semi-arid conditions subsequently laid down sands and gravels in the middle and upper Pleistocene. Lying unconformably over the Ludo Formation is an alluvial deposit (Odiáxere gravels and Loulé sands) of late Pleistocene/early Holocene date that is found within the river valleys of the Algarve. In the early-Holocene (ca.10, 000-ca.7000 BP) and early late-Holocene (ca.5000-ca.3000 BP), the situation in the Algarve was one of climatic amelioration (i.e., warmer and wetter conditions), rising sea levels, vegetation colonization, soil development and towards the end of this period trenching of the Odiáxere gravels and Loulé sands. From ca.3000 BP evidence is abundant that humans became important geomorphological agents either acting on their own or in combination with climatic factors. From around 5000 BP, conditions became dryer and, between ca.3000 BP and ca.700 BP, clearance of land by pre-Roman, Roman, and especially Islamic agricultural settlers caused widespread erosion and the deposition of extensive spreads of topsoil dominated sediment within river valleys (i.e., the Holocene terrace) and in coastal estuaries. A period followed up to 1900 CE when agricultural practices were less damaging to the soil, erosion was reduced and the Holocene terrace - together with coastal and estuarine deposits - was incised. In the past century and under

Subsistence strategies in Argentina during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, Gustavo; Gutiérrez, María A.; Messineo, Pablo G.; Kaufmann, Cristian A.; Rafuse, Daniel J.

2016-07-01

This paper highlights regional and temporal variation in the presence and exploitation of faunal resources from different regions of Argentina during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Specifically, the faunal analysis considered here includes the zooarchaeological remains from all sites older than 7500 14C years BP. We include quantitative information for each reported species (genus, family, or order) and we use the number of identified specimens (NISP per taxon and the NISPtotal by sites) as the quantitative measure of taxonomic abundance. The taxonomic richness (Ntaxatotal and Ntaxaexploited) and the taxonomic heterogeneity or Shannon-Wiener index are estimated in order to consider dietary generalization or specialization, and ternary diagrams are used to categorize subsistence patterns of particular sites and regions. The archaeological database is composed of 78 sites which are represented by 110 stratigraphic contexts. Our results demonstrate that although some quantitative differences between regions are observed, artiodactyls (camelids and deer) were the most frequently consumed animal resource in Argentina. Early hunter-gatherers did not follow a specialized predation strategy in megamammals. A variety in subsistence systems, operating in parallel with a strong regional emphasis is shown, according to specific environmental conditions and cultural trajectories.

Characterising Late-Holocene glacier variability in the southern tropical Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromley, G.; Winckler, G.; Hall, B. L.; Schaefer, J. M.

2011-12-01

Accurate resolution of both the timing and magnitude of Late-Holocene climate events, such as the Little Ice Age, is vital in order to test different hypotheses for the causes and propagation of such climate variability. However, in contrast to higher latitudes, well-dated records from the tropics are relatively rare and the overall climatic structure of the last millennium remains unresolved. Much of this uncertainty stems from difficulties associated with radiocarbon dating in these dry, often high-altitude environments, a situation that now is being addressed through the application and refinement of cosmogenic surface-exposure methods. We present detailed Late-Holocene moraine records, resolved with radiocarbon and surface-exposure dating, from sites across the Andes of southern Peru. Specifically, we describe glacial records from both the arid Western Cordillera, where glaciation is limited by moisture availability, and the humid Eastern Cordillera, where ablation is controlled primarily by air temperature. In both locations, the most recent advance is marked by two to three unweathered terminal moraines located several hundred metres beyond the modern ice margins. Our chronology indicates that, while the advance occurred broadly in step with the classic 'Little Ice Age', the maximum glacial extent in southern Peru was achieved relatively early on and that the 18th and 19th centuries were dominated by glacier retreat. In a broader temporal context, our data also confirm that, in contrast to northern temperate latitudes, the event in southern Peru was the most recent significant interruption in a progressive Holocene retreat. The consistency in glacier response between the different climate zones suggests (i) that this pattern of Late-Holocene climate variability was of at least regional extent and (ii) that temperature fluctuations were the primary driving mechanism.

Multiproxy records of Holocene climate and glacier variability from sediment cores in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southern Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schweinsberg, A. D.; Licciardi, J. M.; Rodbell, D. T.; Stansell, N.; Tapia, P. M.

2012-12-01

Sediments contained in glacier-fed lakes and bogs provide continuous high-resolution records of glacial activity, and preserve multiproxy evidence of Holocene climate change. Tropical glacier fluctuations offer critical insight on regional paleoclimatic trends and controls, however, continuous sediment records of past tropical climates are limited. Recent cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure ages of moraine sequences in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southern Peru (13°20'S latitude) reveal a glacial culmination during the early Holocene and a less extensive glaciation coincident with the Little Ice Age of the Northern Hemisphere. Here we supplement the existing 10Be moraine chronology with the first continuous records of multiproxy climate data in this mountain range from sediment cores recovered from bogs in direct stratigraphic contact with 10Be-dated moraines. Radiocarbon-dated sedimentological changes in a 2-meter long bog core reveal that the Holocene is characterized by alternating inorganic and organic-rich laminae, suggesting high-frequency climatic variability. Carbon measurements, bulk density, and bulk sedimentation rates are used to derive a record of clastic sediment flux that serves as a proxy indicator of former glacier activity. Preliminary analyses of the bog core reveal approximately 70 diatom taxa that indicate both rheophilic and lentic environments. Initial results show a general decrease in magnetic susceptibility and clastic flux throughout the early to mid-Holocene, which suggests an interval of deglaciation. An episode of high clastic flux from 3.8 to 2.0 ka may reflect a late Holocene glacial readvance. Volcanic glass fragments and an anomalous peak in magnetic susceptibility may correspond to the historical 1600 AD eruption of Huaynaputina. Ten new bog and lake sediment cores were collected during the 2012 field expedition and analytical measurements are underway. Ongoing efforts are focused on analyzing diatom assemblage data, developing

Catastrophic event recorded among Holocene eolianites (Sidi Salem Formation, SE Tunisia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frébourg, Gregory; Hasler, Claude-Alain; Davaud, Eric

2010-03-01

A high-energy deposit cuts through the early Holocene eolianites of the Sidi Salem Formation which forms a ridge along the southeastern coast of Tunisia. The sedimentary structures as well as the paleo-altitude and paleo-location of the outcrop state for a subaqueous deposition by an unusually large catastrophic event. Regarding its age and the related uncertainties, it could be either an exceptional storm, or a landslide or impact triggered tsunami. The mega-tsunami of the 8000 BP collapse of the Valle del Bove valley (Etna Volcano) could be this event, for its matching age and calculated run-up height.

Final Laurentide ice-sheet deglaciation and Holocene climate-sea level change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ullman, David J.; Carlson, Anders E.; Hostetler, Steven W.; Clark, Peter U.; Cuzzone, Joshua; Milne, Glenn A.; Winsor, Kelsey; Caffee, Marc A.

2016-01-01

Despite elevated summer insolation forcing during the early Holocene, global ice sheets retained nearly half of their volume from the Last Glacial Maximum, as indicated by deglacial records of global mean sea level (GMSL). Partitioning the GMSL rise among potential sources requires accurate dating of ice-sheet extent to estimate ice-sheet volume. Here, we date the final retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet with 10Be surface exposure ages for the Labrador Dome, the largest of the remnant Laurentide ice domes during the Holocene. We show that the Labrador Dome deposited moraines during North Atlantic cold events at ∼10.3 ka, 9.3 ka and 8.2 ka, suggesting that these regional climate events helped stabilize the retreating Labrador Dome in the early Holocene. After Hudson Bay became seasonally ice free at ∼8.2 ka, the majority of Laurentide ice-sheet melted abruptly within a few centuries. We demonstrate through high-resolution regional climate model simulations that the thermal properties of a seasonally ice-free Hudson Bay would have increased Laurentide ice-sheet ablation and thus contributed to the subsequent rapid Labrador Dome retreat. Finally, our new 10Be chronology indicates full Laurentide ice-sheet had completely deglaciated by 6.7 ± 0.4 ka, which re quires that Antarctic ice sheets contributed 3.6–6.5 m to GMSL rise since 6.3–7.1 ka.

From the Holocene Thermal Maximum to the Little Ice Age: 11000 years of high resolution marine and terrestrial paleoclimate reconstruction using biomarkers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moossen, H. M.; Abell, R.; Quillmann, U.; Andrews, J. T.; Bendle, J. A.

2011-12-01

Holocene climate change is of significantly smaller amplitude than the Pleistocene Glacial-Interglacial cycles, but climatic variations have affected humans over at least the last 4000 years. Studying Holocene climate variations is important to disentangle climate change caused by anthropogenic influences from natural climate change. Sedimentary records stemming from fjords afford the opportunity to study marine and terrestrial paleo-climatic changes and linking the two together. Typically high sediment accumulation rates of fjordic environments facilitate resolution of rapid climate change (RCC) events. The fjords of Northwest Iceland are ideal for studying Holocene climate change as they receive warm water from the Irminger current, but are also influenced by the east Greenland current which brings polar waters to the region (Jennings et al., 2011). In the Holocene, Nordic Seas and the Arctic have been sensitive to climate change. The 8.2 ka event, a cool interval, highlights the sensitivity of that region. Recent climate variations such as the Little Ice Age have been detected in sedimentary records around Iceland (Sicre et al., 2008). We reconstruct Holocene marine and terrestrial climate change producing high resolution (1sample/ 30 years) records from 10700 cal a BP to 300 cal a BP using biomarkers. Alkenones, terrestrial leaf wax components, GDGTs and C/N ratios from a sediment core (MD99-2266) from the mouth of the Ìsafjardardjúp fjord were studied. For more information on the core and evolution of the fjord during the Holocene consult Quillmann et al., (2010) The average chain length (ACL) of terrestrial n-alkanes indicates changes in aridity, and the alkenone unsaturation index represents changes in sea surface temperature. These independent records exhibit similar trends over the studied time period. Our alkenone derived SST record shows the Holocene Thermal Maximum, Holocene Neoglaciation as well as climate change associated with the Medieval Warm

Holocene paleoclimate inferred from salinity histories of adjacent lakes in southwestern Sicily (Italy)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curry, B Brandon; Henne, Paul; Mezquita-Joanes, Francesc; Marrone, Federico; Pieri, Valentina; La Mantia, Tommaso; Calo, Camilla; Tinner, Willy

2016-01-01

Marked uncertainties persist regarding the climatic evolution of the Mediterranean region during the Holocene. For instance, whether moisture availability gradually decreased, remained relatively constant, or increased during the last 7000 years remains a matter of debate. To assess Holocene limnology, hydrology and moisture dynamics, the coastal lakes Lago Preola and Gorgo Basso, located in southwestern Sicily, were investigated through several stratigraphic analyses of ostracodes, including multivariate analyses of assemblages, transfer functions of salinity, and biochemical analyses of valves (Sr/Ca, δ18O and δ13C). During the early Holocene, the Gorgo Basso and Lago Preola ostracode records are similar. After an initial period of moderate salinity (1690–6100 mg/l from ca. 10,000–8190 cal yr BP), syndepositional or diagenetic dissolution of ostracode valves suggests that salinity declined to <250 mg/L from ca. 8190 to 7000 cal yr BP at both sites. After ca. 6250 cal yr BP, the ostracode records are strikingly different. Lago Preola became much more saline, with paleosalinity values that ranged from 2270 to about 24,420 mg/L. We suggest that Lago Preola's change from a freshwater to mesosaline lake at about 6250 cal yr BP was related to sea level rise and resulting intrusion of seawater-influenced groundwater. In contrast, Gorgo Basso remained a freshwater lake. The salinity of Gorgo Basso declined somewhat after 6250 cal yr BP, in comparison to the early Holocene, ranging from about 550 to 1680 mg/L. Cypria ophtalmica, a species capable of rapid swimming and flourishing in waters with low dissolved oxygen levels, became dominant at approximately the time when Greek civilization took root in Sicily (2600 cal yr BP), and it completely dominates the record during Roman occupation (roughly 2100 to 1700 cal yr BP). These freshwater conditions at Gorgo Basso suggest high effective moisture when evergreen olive-oak forests collapsed in response

Holocene paleoclimate inferred from salinity histories of adjacent lakes in southwestern Sicily (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curry, Brandon; Henne, Paul D.; Mesquita-Joanes, Francesc; Marrone, Federico; Pieri, Valentina; La Mantia, Tommaso; Calò, Camilla; Tinner, Willy

2016-10-01

Marked uncertainties persist regarding the climatic evolution of the Mediterranean region during the Holocene. For instance, whether moisture availability gradually decreased, remained relatively constant, or increased during the last 7000 years remains a matter of debate. To assess Holocene limnology, hydrology and moisture dynamics, the coastal lakes Lago Preola and Gorgo Basso, located in southwestern Sicily, were investigated through several stratigraphic analyses of ostracodes, including multivariate analyses of assemblages, transfer functions of salinity, and biochemical analyses of valves (Sr/Ca, δ18O and δ13C). During the early Holocene, the Gorgo Basso and Lago Preola ostracode records are similar. After an initial period of moderate salinity (1690-6100 mg/l from ca. 10,000-8190 cal yr BP), syndepositional or diagenetic dissolution of ostracode valves suggests that salinity declined to <250 mg/L from ca. 8190 to 7000 cal yr BP at both sites. After ca. 6250 cal yr BP, the ostracode records are strikingly different. Lago Preola became much more saline, with paleosalinity values that ranged from 2270 to about 24,420 mg/L. We suggest that Lago Preola's change from a freshwater to mesosaline lake at about 6250 cal yr BP was related to sea level rise and resulting intrusion of seawater-influenced groundwater. In contrast, Gorgo Basso remained a freshwater lake. The salinity of Gorgo Basso declined somewhat after 6250 cal yr BP, in comparison to the early Holocene, ranging from about 550 to 1680 mg/L. Cypria ophtalmica, a species capable of rapid swimming and flourishing in waters with low dissolved oxygen levels, became dominant at approximately the time when Greek civilization took root in Sicily (2600 cal yr BP), and it completely dominates the record during Roman occupation (roughly 2100 to 1700 cal yr BP). These freshwater conditions at Gorgo Basso suggest high effective moisture when evergreen olive-oak forests collapsed in response to increased Greco

Variability of 14C reservoir age and air-sea flux of CO2 in the Peru-Chile upwelling region during the past 12,000 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carré, Matthieu; Jackson, Donald; Maldonado, Antonio; Chase, Brian M.; Sachs, Julian P.

2016-01-01

The variability of radiocarbon marine reservoir age through time and space limits the accuracy of chronologies in marine paleo-environmental archives. We report here new radiocarbon reservoir ages (ΔR) from the central coast of Chile ( 32°S) for the Holocene period and compare these values to existing reservoir age reconstructions from southern Peru and northern Chile. Late Holocene ΔR values show little variability from central Chile to Peru. Prior to 6000 cal yr BP, however, ΔR values were markedly increased in southern Peru and northern Chile, while similar or slightly lower-than-modern ΔR values were observed in central Chile. This extended dataset suggests that the early Holocene was characterized by a substantial increase in the latitudinal gradient of marine reservoir age between central and northern Chile. This change in the marine reservoir ages indicates that the early Holocene air-sea flux of CO2 could have been up to five times more intense than in the late Holocene in the Peruvian upwelling, while slightly reduced in central Chile. Our results show that oceanic circulation changes in the Humboldt system during the Holocene have substantially modified the air-sea carbon flux in this region.

Holocene surface-rupturing earthquakes along the Yadong Cross Structure (Himalaya)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferry, M. A.; Roth, T.; Jean-Francois, R.; Cattin, R.

2017-12-01

The Himalayan Arc accommodates 2 cm/yr of shortening from the India-Eurasia collision, mostly along the Main Himalayan Thust. Perpendicularly to the main structures, regional cross structures formed by en échelon grabens and half-grabens mark Quaternary extension from central Tibet to the Himalayas. The Yadong-Gulu Rift system is the most striking one with a total length of 500 km. Its southernmost segment -the 100-km-long Yadong half-graben- entrenches through the Himalayas and forms a 500-to-1500-m-deep asymmetric basin. The average basin surface elevation of 4500 m contrasts with high reliefs of the Jomolhari range that reach 7326 m. They are separated by the N15 Yadong normal fault (also called Jomolhari Fault System, JFS) that forms spectacular triangular facets and affects glacial landforms. Though observed as early as the 1980s, offset moraines were never studied in detail in terms of measured displacement or age determination. Recent efforts from paleoclimate studies yielded a high-resolution framework to identify the various stages of Holocene glacial advances and associated moraine formation. These landforms display specific geomorphometric features recognized regionally (ELA, rugosity, crest freshness) that allow correlating across the various glacial valleys within the Yadong Rift and across similar settings in western Bhutan and eastern Nepal. This serves as a robust basis to place our moraine sequence within the Holocene paleoclimatic record and propose formation ages. By combining satellite images from Sentinel-2 (10 m, visible and NIR), Pléiades (0.5 m, visible) and a Pléiades-derived tri-stereo photogrammetric DEM (1 m), we map the fault trace and affected landforms in details and extract topographic profiles to measure vertical offsets. Paleoclimatic age constraints yield age-vs-displacement measurements along the whole 100-km-long JFS and define a chronology of Holocene deformation events. Within the limits of our observations, we conclude

Past collapse and late Holocene reestablishment of the Petermann Ice Tongue, Northwest Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reilly, B. T.; Stoner, J. S.; Mix, A. C.; Jakobsson, M.; Jennings, A. E.; Walczak, M.; Dyke, L. M.

2017-12-01

Petermann Glacier, Northwest Greenland, has been a stable outlet glacier of the Greenland Ice Sheet on historical timescales. Yet, anomalous calving events in 2010 and 2012 and oceanographic studies over the last decade indicate that Petermann Glacier and its ice tongue are especially sensitive to ice-ocean interactions, leading many to speculate on its future stability. To place these observations in the context of a longer timeframe and better understand the sensitivity of Petermann Glacier to future climate change, a 2015 international and interdisciplinary expedition of the Icebreaker Oden collected a suite of sediment cores from Petermann Fjord, spanning the mid to late Holocene and forming a transect from beneath the modern ice tongue to the mouth of the fjord (25 - 80 km from the modern grounding line). We characterize the stratigraphy ( 5.5 - 6.5 m at piston core sites) using a combination of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning geochemistry, computed tomography (CT) scanning, and particle-size specific magnetic measurements on these cores and nearby terrestrial samples. Age-depth modeling, based on radiocarbon dated benthic foraminifera, is in progress with reservoir age corrections assessed using paleomagnetic comparisons to regional and global records. We observe changes in the composition and spatial pattern of ice rafted debris (IRD) and sediment fabric that reveal a dynamic history. Following early Holocene deglaciation of the region, a paleo-ice tongue broke up and an extended period of seasonally open marine conditions ensued through the middle Holocene. This ice-tongue collapse was followed by a large increase in the relative abundance of Petermann sourced IRD of non-local granitic composition. This granitic IRD component steadily declined through the middle Holocene, reaching negligible contributions when the ice tongue was reestablished in the late Holocene. Regional paleoenvironmental studies suggest warmer oceanographic and atmospheric conditions

7300 years of vegetation history and climate for NW Malta: a Holocene perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambin, B.; Andrieu-Ponel, V.; Médail, F.; Marriner, N.; Peyron, O.; Montade, V.; Gambin, T.; Morhange, C.; Belkacem, D.; Djamali, M.

2015-09-01

This paper investigates the Holocene vegetation dynamics for Burmarrad in north-west Malta and provides a pollen-based quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction for this centrally located Mediterranean archipelago. The pollen record from this site provides new insight into the vegetation changes from 7280 to 1730 cal BP which correspond well with other regional records. The climate reconstruction for the area also provides strong correlation with southern (below 40° N) Mediterranean sites. Our interpretation suggests an initially open landscape during the early Neolithic, surrounding a large palaeobay, developing into a dense Pistacia scrubland ca. 6700 cal BP. From about 4450 cal BP the landscape once again becomes open, coinciding with the start of the Bronze Age on the archipelago. This period is concurrent with increased climatic instability (between 4500 and 3700 cal BP) which is followed by a gradual decrease in summer moisture availability in the late Holocene. During the early Roman occupation period (1972 to 1730 cal BP) the landscape remains generally open with a moderate increase in Olea. This increase, corresponds to archaeological evidence for olive oil production in the area, along with increases in cultivated crop taxa and associated ruderal species, as well as a rise in fire events. The Maltese archipelago provides important insight into vegetation, human impacts and climatic changes in an island context during the Holocene.

7300 years of vegetation history and climate for NW Malta: a Holocene perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gambin, B.; Andrieu-Ponel, V.; Médail, F.; Marriner, N.; Peyron, O.; Montade, V.; Gambin, T.; Morhange, C.; Belkacem, D.; Djamali, M.

2016-02-01

This paper investigates the Holocene vegetation dynamics for Burmarrad in Northwest Malta and provides a pollen-based quantitative palaeoclimatic reconstruction for this centrally located Mediterranean archipelago. The pollen record from this site provides new insight into the vegetation changes from 7280 to 1730 cal BP which correspond well with other regional records. The climate reconstruction for the area also provides strong correlation with southern (below 40° N) Mediterranean sites. Our interpretation suggests an initially open landscape during the early Neolithic, surrounding a large palaeobay, developing into a dense Pistacia scrubland ca. 6700 cal BP. From about 4450 cal BP the landscape once again becomes open, coinciding with the start of the Bronze Age on the archipelago. This period is concurrent with increased climatic instability (between 4500 and 3700 cal BP) which is followed by a gradual decrease in summer moisture availability in the late Holocene. During the early Roman occupation period (1972-1730 cal BP) the landscape remains generally open with a moderate increase in Olea. This increase corresponds to archaeological evidence for olive oil production in the area, along with increases in cultivated crop taxa and associated ruderal species, as well as a rise in fire events. The Maltese archipelago provides important insight into vegetation, human impacts, and climatic changes in an island context during the Holocene.

Early Holocene vegetation - climate interactions in the central part of European Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novenko, Elena; Olchev, Alexander

2017-04-01

The new Early Holocene vegetation and climate reconstruction (approximately 10100 -7800 cal. yr. BP) for the forest zone the central European Russia are based on pollen records from three key regions located in taiga, mixed coniferous-broadleaved and broadleaved forest zones. The climatic parameters (the mean annual temperature and precipitation) and total forest coverage during the early Holocene were reconstructed using the Best Modern Analogue technique. Information about moistening conditions was revealed from reconstructions of actual evapotranspiration (ET) and potential evaporation (PET). For calculation of the annual ET and PET rates of the forest landscapes a regression model was applied. The model is based on nonlinear approximations of annual values of ET and PET provided by the Levenberg-Marquardt method using the results of numerical simulations of ET and PET carried out by a Mixfor-SVAT model for the forests with different species compositions under various thermal and moistening conditions. Mixfor-SVAT is an one-dimensional model of the energy, H2O and CO2 exchange between vertically structured mono- and multi-specific forest stands and the atmosphere (Olchev et al., 2002). Obtained results showed that the considered period was characterized by relatively low air temperatures and high precipitation compared with modern conditions. Analysis of the long-term pattern of the mean annual temperature for all three regions reveal two synchronous significant cooling periods observed in 9100-9300 cal. yr. BP and 8100-8500 cal. yr. BP as well as rapid growth of the air temperature in 8100-7800 cal. yr. BP, when the annual temperatures increased by 3°C during about 300 years. The cooling phase of 8100-8500 cal. yr. BP could be corresponded to the distinct "8.2 ka event" widely recorded across Europe. Periods of climate warming are coincided with periods of precipitation rise whereas the cool phases are characterized by its decrease. The lowest ET and PET rates

The cultural and chronological context of early Holocene maize and squash domestication in the Central Balsas River Valley, Mexico

PubMed Central

Ranere, Anthony J.; Piperno, Dolores R.; Holst, Irene; Dickau, Ruth; Iriarte, José

2009-01-01

Molecular evidence indicates that the wild ancestor of maize is presently native to the seasonally dry tropical forest of the Central Balsas watershed in southwestern Mexico. We report here on archaeological investigations in a region of the Central Balsas located near the Iguala Valley in Guerrero state that show for the first time a long sequence of human occupation and plant exploitation reaching back to the early Holocene. One of the sites excavated, the Xihuatoxtla Shelter, contains well-stratified deposits and a stone tool assemblage of bifacially flaked points, simple flake tools, and numerous handstones and milling stone bases radiocarbon dated to at least 8700 calendrical years B.P. As reported in a companion paper (Piperno DR, et al., in this issue of PNAS), starch grain and phytolith residues from the ground and chipped stone tools, plus phytoliths from directly associated sediments, provide evidence for maize (Zea mays L.) and domesticated squash (Cucurbita spp.) in contexts contemporaneous with and stratigraphically below the 8700 calendrical years B.P. date. The radiocarbon determinations, stratigraphic integrity of Xihuatoxtla's deposits, and characteristics of the stone tool assemblages associated with the maize and squash remains all indicate that these plants were early Holocene domesticates. Early agriculture in this region of Mexico appears to have involved small groups of cultivators who were shifting their settlements seasonally and engaging in a variety of subsistence pursuits. PMID:19307573

Holocene reef accretion: southwest Molokai, Hawaii, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Engels, Mary S.; Fletcher, Charles H.; Field, Michael E.; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Grossman, Eric E.; Rooney, John J.B.; Conger, Christopher L.; Glenn, Craig

2004-01-01

Two reef systems off south Molokai, Hale O Lono and Hikauhi (separated by only 10 km), show strong and fundamental differences in modern ecosystem structure and Holocene accretion history that reflect the influence of wave-induced near-bed shear stresses on reef development in Hawaii. Both sites are exposed to similar impacts from south, Kona, and trade-wind swell. However, the Hale O Lono site is exposed to north swell and the Hikuahi site is not. As a result, the reef at Hale O Lono records no late Holocene net accretion while the reef at Hikauhi records consistent and robust accretion over late Holocene time. Analysis and dating of 24 cores from Hale O Lono and Hikauhi reveal the presence of five major lithofacies that reflect paleo-environmental conditions. In order of decreasing depositional energy they are: (1) coral-algal bindstone; (2) mixed skeletal rudstone; (3) massive coral framestone; (4) unconsolidated floatstone; and (5) branching coral framestone-bafflestone. At Hale O Lono, 10 cores document a backstepping reef ranging from ∼ 8,100 cal yr BP (offshore) to ∼ 4,800 cal yr BP (nearshore). A depauperate community of modern coral diminishes shoreward and seaward of ∼ 15 m depth due to wave energy, disrupted recruitment activities, and physical abrasion. Evidence suggests a change from conditions conducive to accretion during the early Holocene to conditions detrimental to accretion in the late Holocene. Reef structure at Hikauhi, reconstructed from 14 cores, reveals a thick, rapidly accreting and young reef (maximum age ∼ 900 cal yr BP). Living coral cover on this reef increases seaward with distance from the reef crest but terminates at a depth of ∼ 20 m where the reef ends in a large sand field. The primary limitation on vertical reef growth is accommodation space under wave base, not recruitment activities or energy conditions. Interpretations of cored lithofacies suggest that modern reef growth on the southwest corner of Molokai, and by

Holocene Activity of the Quelccaya Ice Cap: A Working Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lowell, T. V.; Smith, C. A.; Kelly, M. A.; Stroup, J. S.

2012-12-01

The patterns and magnitudes of past climate change in the topics are still under discussion. We contribute here by reporting on patterns of glacier length changes of the largest glacier in the tropics, Quelccaya Ice Cap (~13.9°S, 70.9°W, summit at 5645 m). This ice cap has several local domes that may have different patterns of length changes because of differing elevations of the domes (high to the north, lower to the south). Prior work (Mark et al. 2003, Abbott et al., 2004; Thompson et al., 2005; Buffen, et al., 2009), new radiocarbon ages, and stratigraphic and geomorphic relationships are used to determine the general pattern of length changes for the outlets from this ice cap. We exploit geomorphic relationships and present new radiocarbon ages on interpreted stratigraphic sections to determine the pattern of length changes for this ice cap. Ice retreated during late glacial times (Rodbell and Seltzer, 2000; Kelly et al., in press). By 11,400 yr BP it had reached a position ~1.2 km beyond its present (2000 AD) extent. While length during the early Holocene is problematic, present evidence permits, but does not prove, extents of 0.5 to 1.0 km down-valley from the present margin. Between 6400 and 4400 yr BP the ice cap was smaller than present, but it advanced multiple times during the late Holocene. Lengths of up to 1 km beyond present were achieved at 3400 yr BP and ~500 yr BP. Additionally, the ice advanced to 0.8 km beyond its present margin at 1600 yr BP. Because these glaciers were temperate, we take these lengths to represent primarily changes in temperature. This may suggest that lowering insolation values in the northern hemisphere during the Holocene provide a first order control on tropical temperatures. Alternatively, it may be that major reorganization of the topical circulation belts about 5000 yr BP yields two configurations of the QIC and hence Holocene temperatures - one at the present ice margin and and the second about 1 km beyond the

Lacustrine Records of Holocene Mountain Glacier Fluctuations from Western Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schweinsberg, A.; Briner, J. P.; Bennike, O.

2014-12-01

Recent studies have focused on documenting fluctuations of the Greenland Ice Sheet margin throughout the Holocene but few data exist that constrain past changes of local glaciers independent of the ice sheet. Our research combines proglacial lake sediment analysis with cosmogenic 10Be dating of Holocene moraines and radiocarbon dating of ice-cap-killed vegetation with an overall objective to use this multi-proxy approach to generate a detailed record of the coupled climate-glacier system through the Holocene. Here, we present lacustrine records of mountain glacier variability from continuous pro-glacial lake sediment sequences recovered from two glaciated catchments in northeastern Nuussuaq, western Greenland. We use radiocarbon-dated sediments from Sikuiui and Pauiaivik lakes to reconstruct the timing of advance and retreat of local glaciers. Sediments were characterized with magnetic susceptibility (MS), gamma density, Itrax XRF and visible reflectance spectroscopy at 0.2 cm intervals and sediment organic matter at 0.5 cm intervals. Basal radiocarbon ages provide minimum-age constraints on deglaciation from Sikuiui and Pauiaivik lakes of ~9.6 and 8.7 ka, respectively. Organic-rich gyttja from deglaciation until ~5.0 ka in Pauiaivik Lake suggests minimal glacial extent there while slightly elevated MS values from ~9.0 - 7.0 ka in Sikuiui Lake may reflect early Holocene glacial advances. Minerogenic sediment input gradually increases starting at ~5.0 ka in Pauiaivik Lake, which we interpret as the onset of Neoglaciation in the catchment. Furthermore, a distinct episode of enhanced glacial activity from ~4.0 - 2.2 ka in Sikuiui Lake may be correlative to a period of persistent snowline lowering evidenced by radiocarbon dates of ice-killed vegetation from nearby ice cap margins. Results from these lacustrine records and our ice-killed vegetation dataset suggest a middle Holocene onset of Neoglaciation ~5.0 - 4.0 ka in this region. We are supplementing these records

Late Pleistocene - Holocene development of the Tista megafan (West Bengal, India): 10Be cosmogenic and IRSL age constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrahami, Rachel; Huyghe, Pascale; van der Beek, Peter; Lowick, Sally; Carcaillet, Julien; Chakraborty, Tapan

2018-04-01

The Himalayan proximal foreland is characterized by Quaternary megafans, of which the formational mechanisms remain debated. The Tista megafan spreads over more than 16,000 km2 from the mountain front, where it is strongly incised, to the confluence of the Tista River with the Jamuna/Brahmaputra River, and stores sediments produced in the Sikkim Himalaya. We propose a scenario for the late Pleistocene - Holocene development of the Tista megafan based on new 10Be cosmogenic and Infra-Red Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) age constraints, and discuss the main potential controls on its evolution. We suggest that two distal lobes developed successively downstream from a common proximal lobe. Deposition in the proximal lobe took place since at least ∼135 ka and incision began at 3.7-0.7+1.0 ka. The western distal lobe of the megafan was deposited early in the history of the megafan, when the Sikkim Himalaya catchment was drained by a tributary of the Ganga River, and was abandoned in the early Holocene (10-11 ka). The eastern, recent (<1 ka), and little incised lobe was built after the main Tista drainage system shifted eastward through nodal avulsions and can be considered still active. Approximately synchronous incision between terraces in the hinterland and megafan surfaces suggests that incision propagated rapidly through the system. Our data do not evidence a direct link between incicion and tectonic processes. Aggradation and incision episodes appear more compatible with a climatic control, through changes in monsoon intensity and associated sediment flux. Depositional episodes in the Tista megafan, as elsewhere in the Himalaya and its foreland, appear to correlate with periods of strong monsoon precipitation and associated high sediment flux toward the foreland. Abandonment and incision of megafan surfaces and hinterland terraces appear associated to both the onset and the ending of phases of strong monsoon precipitation, during which the balance between water and

Transition from a warm and dry to a cold and wet climate in NE China across the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Yanhong; Pancost, Richard D.; Naafs, B. David A.; Li, Qiyuan; Liu, Zhao; Yang, Huan

2018-07-01

Northeast (NE) China lies in the northernmost part of the East Asian Summer monsoon (EASM) region. Although a series of Holocene climatic records have been obtained from lakes and peats in this region, the Holocene hydrological history and its controls remain unclear. More specifically, it is currently debated whether NE China experienced a dry or wet climate during the early Holocene. Here we reconstruct changes in mean annual air temperature and peat soil moisture across the last ∼13,000 year BP using samples from the Gushantun and Hani peat, located in NE China. Our approach is based on the distribution of bacterial branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) and the abundance of the archaeal isoprenoidal (iso)GDGT crenarchaeol. Using the recently developed peat-specific MAATpeat temperature calibration we find that NE China experienced a relatively warm early Holocene (∼5-7 °C warmer than today), followed by a cooling trend towards modern-day values during the mid- and late Holocene. Moreover, crenarchaeol concentrations, brGDGT-based pH values, and the distribution of 6-methyl brGDGTs, all indicate an increase in soil moisture content from the early to late Holocene in both peats, which is largely consistent with other data from NE China. This trend towards increasing soil moisture/wetter conditions across the Holocene in NE China records contrasts with the trends observed in other parts of the EASM region, which exhibit an early and/or mid-Holocene moisture/precipitation maximum. However, the Holocene soil moisture variations and temperature-moisture relationships (warm-dry and cold-wet) observed in NE China are similar to those observed in the core area of arid central Asia which is dominated by the westerlies. We therefore propose that an increase in the intensity of the westerlies across the Holocene, driven by increasing winter insolation, expanding Arctic sea ice extent and the enhanced Okhotsk High, caused an increase in moisture

High Arctic Holocene temperature record from the Agassiz ice cap and Greenland ice sheet evolution

PubMed Central

Lecavalier, Benoit S.; Fisher, David A.; Milne, Glenn A.; Vinther, Bo M.; Tarasov, Lev; Lacelle, Denis; Main, Brittany; Zheng, James; Bourgeois, Jocelyne; Dyke, Arthur S.

2017-01-01

We present a revised and extended high Arctic air temperature reconstruction from a single proxy that spans the past ∼12,000 y (up to 2009 CE). Our reconstruction from the Agassiz ice cap (Ellesmere Island, Canada) indicates an earlier and warmer Holocene thermal maximum with early Holocene temperatures that are 4–5 °C warmer compared with a previous reconstruction, and regularly exceed contemporary values for a period of ∼3,000 y. Our results show that air temperatures in this region are now at their warmest in the past 6,800–7,800 y, and that the recent rate of temperature change is unprecedented over the entire Holocene. The warmer early Holocene inferred from the Agassiz ice core leads to an estimated ∼1 km of ice thinning in northwest Greenland during the early Holocene using the Camp Century ice core. Ice modeling results show that this large thinning is consistent with our air temperature reconstruction. The modeling results also demonstrate the broader significance of the enhanced warming, with a retreat of the northern ice margin behind its present position in the mid Holocene and a ∼25% increase in total Greenland ice sheet mass loss (∼1.4 m sea-level equivalent) during the last deglaciation, both of which have implications for interpreting geodetic measurements of land uplift and gravity changes in northern Greenland. PMID:28512225

Interpreting the Holocene fluctuations of Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru: using a combination of glacial and non-glacial lake records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroup, J. S.; Kelly, M. A.; Lowell, T. V.; Smith, C.; Beal, S. A., Jr.; Tapia, P. M.

2016-12-01

The past fluctuations of Quelccaya Ice Cap (QIC) are an indicator of tropical paleoclimate. At QIC, ice core and glacial geological records provide late Holocene climate constraints. However, early and middle Holocene QIC fluctuations are less well-known. To interpret past QIC fluctuations, we present Holocene-long lake sediment records from Challpacocha, a lake fed by QIC meltwater, and Yanacocha, a lake that has not received meltwater during the Holocene. To assess the clastic sediment delivered to Challpacocha by QIC meltwater, we compare visual stratigraphy, X-ray fluorescence chemistry, grainsize, loss on ignition and clastic flux records from both lakes (additional Yanacocha proxies are presented by Axford et al. (this meeting, abstract 157985)). We compare the meltwater derived clastic sediment record from Challpacocha with moraine and stratigraphic records of past ice extents during the late Holocene. This comparison indicates that clastic sediment flux in Challpacocha increased during QIC recession and decreased during QIC advance, or significantly reduced QIC extent. We then use the Challpacocha clastic sediment record to interpret early and middle Holocene QIC fluctuations. Based on the Challpacocha sediment record, combined with prior work, we suggest that from 11 to 6.5 ka QIC was similar to or smaller than its late Holocene extent. From 6.9 to 6.5 ka QIC may have been absent from the landscape. At 3-2.4 and 0.62-0.31 ka QIC experienced the most extensive Holocene fluctuations. We compare the clastic sediment fluxes from Challpacocha and Pacococha (a nearby lake fed by QIC; Rodbell et al., 2008) to infer QIC expansion between 6.5-5 ka. This is supported by 14C ages of in-situ subfossil plants which indicate ice advance at 6.3-4.7 ka (Thompson et al., 2006, 2013; Buffen et al., 2009). Our study highlights the value of using multiple datasets to improve lake sediment record interpretations.

Sea-level change and demography during the last glacial termination and early Holocene across the Australian continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Alan N.; Ulm, Sean; Sapienza, Tom; Lewis, Stephen; Turney, Chris S. M.

2018-02-01

Future changes in sea-level are projected to have significant environmental and social impacts, but we have limited understanding of comparable rates of change in the past. Using comprehensive palaeoenvironmental and archaeological datasets, we report the first quantitative model of the timing, spatial extent and pace of sea-level change in the Sahul region between 35-8 ka, and explore its effects on hunter-gatherer populations. Results show that the continental landmass (excluding New Guinea) increased to 9.80 million km2 during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), before a reduction of 2.12 million km2 (or ∼21.6%) to the early Holocene (8 ka). Almost 90% of this inundation occurs during and immediately following Meltwater Pulse (MWP) 1a between 14.6 and 8 ka. The location of coastlines changed on average by 139 km between the LGM and early Holocene, with some areas >300 km, and at a rate of up to 23.7 m per year (∼0.6 km land lost every 25-year generation). Spatially, inundation was highly variable, with greatest impacts across the northern half of Australia, while large parts of the east, south and west coastal margins were relatively unaffected. Hunter-gatherer populations remained low throughout (<30,000), but following MWP1a, increasing archaeological use of the landscape, comparable to a four-fold increase in populations, and indicative of large-scale migration away from inundated regions (notably the Bass Strait) are evident. Increasing population density resulting from MWP1a (from 1/655 km2 to 1/71 km2) may be implicated in the development of large and complex societies later in the Holocene. Our data support the hypothesis that late Pleistocene coastal populations were low, with use of coastal resources embedded in broad-ranging foraging strategies, and which would have been severely disrupted in some regions and at some time periods by sea-level change outpacing tolerances of mangals and other near-shore ecological communities.

Appalachian Piedmont landscapes from the Permian to the Holocene

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cleaves, E.T.

1989-01-01

Between the Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers and from the Blue Ridge to the Fall Zone, landscapes of the Piedmont are illustrated for times in the Holocene, Late Wisconsin, Early Miocene, Early Cretaceous, Late Triassic, and Permian. Landscape evolution took place in tectonic settings marked by major plate collisions (Permian), arching and rifting (Late Triassic) and development of the Atlantic passive margin by sea floor spreading (Early Cretaceous). Erosion proceeded concurrently with tectonic uplift and continued after cessation of major tectonic activity. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf sediments record three major erosional periods: (1) Late Triassic-Early Jurassic; (2) Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous; and (3) Middle Miocene-Holocene. The Middle Miocene-Holocene pulse is related to neotectonic activity and major climatic fluctuations. In the Piedmont upland the Holocene landscape is interpreted as an upland surface of low relief undergoing dissection. Major rivers and streams are incised into a landscape on which the landforms show a delicate adjustment to rock lithologies. The Fall Zone has apparently evolved from a combination of warping, faulting, and differential erosion since Late Miocene. The periglacial environment of the Late Wisconsin (and earlier glacial epochs) resulted in increased physical erosion and reduced chemical weathering. Even with lowered saprolitization rates, geochemical modeling suggests that 80 m or more of saprolite may have formed since Late Miocene. This volume of saprolite suggests major erosion of upland surfaces and seemingly contradicts available field evidence. Greatly subdued relief characterized the Early Miocene time, near the end of a prolonged interval of tropical morphogenesis. The ancestral Susquehanna and Potomac Rivers occupied approximately their present locations. In Early Cretaceous time local relief may have been as much as 900 m, and a major axial river draining both the Piedmont and Appalachians flowed southeast

Holocene palaeoenvironmental history of the Amazonian mangrove belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, Marcelo Cancela Lisboa; Pessenda, Luiz Carlos Ruiz; Behling, Hermann; de Fátima Rossetti, Dilce; França, Marlon Carlos; Guimarães, José Tasso Felix; Friaes, Yuri; Smith, Clarisse Beltrão

2012-11-01

Wetland dynamic in the northern Brazilian Amazon region during the Holocene was reviewed using palynological, carbon and nitrogen isotopes records, and C/N ratio previously published. The integration of 72 radiocarbon dates recorded in 34 sediment cores sampled along the marine and fluvial littoral, and mainly influenced by the Amazon River, reveals that marine influence and mangrove vegetation were wider than today on the mouth of Amazon River between >8990-8690 and 2300-2230 cal yr BP, forming a continuous mangrove belt along the northern Brazilian Amazon littoral. The establishment of this mangrove strip is a direct consequence of the marine incursion caused by post-glacial sea-level rise possibly associated with tectonic subsidence during the Early and Middle Holocene. In the Late Holocene, in areas influenced by the Amazon River discharge, the mangroves were replaced by freshwater vegetation, and the coast morphology evolved from an estuarine dominated into a rectilinear coast due to coastal progradation. Nevertheless, the marine-influenced littoral, which is currently dominated by mangroves and salt-marsh vegetation, has persistently had brackish water vegetation over tidal mud flats throughout the entire Holocene. Likely, the fragmentation of this continuous mangrove line during the Late Holocene was caused by the increase of river freshwater discharge associated to the change from dry into wet climates in the Late Holocene. This caused a significant decrease of tidal water salinity in areas near the mouth of Amazon River. These changes in the Amazon discharge are probably associated with dry and wet periods in the northern Amazon region during the Holocene.

A comparison of Holocene fluctuations of the eastern and western margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, L.; Kelly, M. A.; Lowell, T. V.; Hall, B. L.; Applegate, P. J.; Howley, J.; Axford, Y.

2013-12-01

insolation during the Holocene. The western GrIS margin retreated significantly and Bregne ice cap likely disappeared during the warm early to middle Holocene. 10Be ages (10.7 ka) outboard of the late Holocene moraines at Bregne ice cap compared to those outside of the LIA moraines near Kangerlussuaq (6.8 ka) differ by ~4 kyr. This disparity in ages may have been caused by a large late Holocene advance in eastern Greenland, or perhaps the western GrIS margin retreated farther inland during the middle Holocene. Decreasing Northern Hemisphere summer insolation during the late Holocene, combined with a strong, cold East Greenland Current near Scoresby Sund may have influenced a significant ice cap advance. The temporal pattern of the responses of the eastern and western ice margins to Holocene climate changes may be indicative of how the GrIS will respond to future changes.

Role of ice sheet dynamics in the collapse of the early-Holocene Laurentide Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matero, I. S. O.; Gregoire, L. J.; Cornford, S. L.; Ivanovic, R. F.

2017-12-01

The last stage of the deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) during the early Holocene Thermal Maximum ( 9000 to 7000 years ago) provides an analogy and insight to the possible responses of contemporary ice sheets in a warming climate. What makes LIS particularly interesting is that meltwater from the collapse of an ice saddle over Hudson Bay was recently shown to be the primary forcing for the period of abrupt northern hemisphere cooling known as the 8.2 ka event. The evolution of the LIS during this period was likely influenced by its interaction with marginal lakes and the ocean, and its major ice stream, which exported ice towards Hudson Strait. Accurately simulating the early Holocene LIS evolution thus requires a model such as BISICLES, capable of accurately and efficiently resolving ice stream dynamics and grounding line migration thanks to the combined use of higher order physics and adaptive mesh refinement. We drive the BISICLES model using a positive degree day mass balance scheme with monthly precipitation and temperature from the HadCM3 climate model under climatic conditions from 10,000 to 8,000 years ago. We test the effect of varying the initial topographies and ice thicknesses from different timeslices in the ICE-6Gc reconstruction. We also test different parameterisations for the basal friction based on the thicknesses of the underlying sediments. These simulations evaluate the role of the Hudson Strait ice stream, ice sheet dynamics and interactions with the adjacent proglacial Lake Agassiz and North Atlantic Ocean in the collapse of the LIS. Our results highlight that the choice of parameterisation for basal friction has major effects on ice sheet dynamics and evolution.

Timing and paleoclimatic significance of Holocene glacier fluctuations in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southern Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licciardi, J. M.; Taggart, J. R.; Schaefer, J. M.; Lund, D. C.

2009-12-01

Past fluctuations in climatically sensitive tropical glaciers provide important insight into regional paleoclimatic trends and forcings, but well-dated chronologies are scarce, particularly during the Holocene. We have established precise cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure ages of moraine sequences in the Cordillera Vilcabamba (13°20’S latitude), located in the outer tropics of southern Peru. Results indicate the dominance of two major glacial culminations and associated climatic shifts in the Vilcabamba, including an early Holocene glacial interval and a somewhat less extensive glaciation late in the ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) period. Lichenometric measurements on the youngest moraines support the 10Be ages, but uncertainties in the lichen ages arise from the lack of a local lichen growth curve. The Peruvian glacier chronologies differ from a recently-developed New Zealand record but are broadly correlative with well-dated glacial records in Europe, suggesting climate linkages between the tropics and the North Atlantic region. For the latest Holocene, our leading hypothesis is that climate forcings involving southward migration of the Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone can explain concurrent glaciations in tropical South America and northern high latitudes, but the influence of other climate drivers such as the El Niño/Southern Oscillation may have also played a role. Estimated differences between equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) on modern glaciers and those inferred for expanded latest Holocene glaciers reveal an ELA rise of 165-200 m since the LIA, suggesting that temperatures 1.1-1.3°C cooler than present could have sustained glaciers at their LIA maximum positions if temperature was the only control, and thus providing an upper bound on temperature depression during the LIA. However, further work is required to constrain the likely role of precipitation changes. These new Peruvian glacier chronologies and ELA reconstructions complement ice core and

Late Glacial to Early Holocene socio-ecological responses to climatic instability within the Mediterranean basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernández-López de Pablo, Javier; Jones, Samantha E.; Burjachs, Francesc

2018-03-01

The period spanning the Late Glacial and the Early Holocene (≈19-8.2 ka) witnessed a dramatic sequence of climate and palaeoenvironmental changes (Rasmussen et al., 2014). Interestingly, some of the most significant transformations ever documented in human Prehistory took place during this period such as the intensification of hunter-gatherer economic systems, the domestication process of wild plants and animals, and the spread of farming across Eurasia. Understanding the role of climate and environmental dynamics on long-term cultural and economic trajectories, as well as specific human responses to episodes of rapid climate change, still remains as one of the main challenges of archaeological research (Kintigh et al., 2014).

Holocene moisture variations over the arid central Asia revealed by a comprehensive sand-dune record from the central Tian Shan, NW China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Hao; Shen, Ji; Chen, Jianhui; Tsukamoto, Sumiko; Yang, Linhai; Cheng, Hongyi; Frechen, Manfred

2017-10-01

Arid central Asia (ACA) is one of the largest arid (desert) areas in the world, and its climate is dominated by the westerlies. In this study, we examined sand dune evolution from the Bayanbulak Basin in the Tian Shan (Xinjiang, NW China), aiming to infer the Holocene moisture history of the ACA. Combined with stratigraphic observation and environmental proxies analysis (grain size, magnetic susceptibility and total organic content), large numbers of luminescence ages from multiple sites (eight sections, 79 samples) were applied to reconstruct the evolution of the sand dune accumulation in the study basin. The overall results imply very dry conditions characterized by sand dune accumulation at ∼12-6.5 ka, a wet interval between ∼6.5 and 0.8 ka when soil formation occurred, and decreased moisture during the last 0.8 ka. This moisture variation pattern is generally consistent with that inferred from many lacustrine records in the core zone of ACA, suggesting a widespread dry period in the early-to-middle Holocene and relatively wet middle-to-late Holocene. Thus, the moisture history derived from the current sand dune system contrasts with that in Asian monsoon areas, which are characterized by a strong monsoon (high precipitation) in the early and mid-Holocene and a weak monsoon (low precipitation and dry climate) during the late Holocene. Our results strongly suggest that the winter solar insolation and the external boundary conditions such as atmospheric CO2 concentration, ice sheets, and meltwater fluxes, have been major influential factors triggering the Holocene moisture evolution in the core zone of ACA.

Holocene multidecadal and multicentennial droughts affecting Northern California and Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benson, L.; Kashgarian, Michaele; Rye, R.; Lund, S.; Paillet, F.; Smoot, J.; Kester, C.; Mensing, S.; Meko, D.; Lindstrom, S.

2002-01-01

Continuous, high-resolution ??18O records from cored sediments of Pyramid Lake, Nevada, indicate that oscillations in the hydrologic balance occurred, on average, about every 150 years (yr) during the past 7630 calendar years (cal yr). The records are not stationary; during the past 2740 yr, drought durations ranged from 20 to 100 yr and intervals between droughts ranged from 80 to 230 yr. Comparison of tree-ring-based reconstructions of climate change for the past 1200 yr from the Sierra Nevada and the El alpais region of northwest New Mexico indicates that severe droughts associated with Anasazi withdrawal from Chaco Canyon at 820 cal yr BP (calendar years before present) and final abandonment of Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and the Kayenta area at 650 cal yr BP may have impacted much of the western United States.During the middle Holocene (informally defined in this paper as extending from 8000 to 3000 cal yr BP), magnetic susceptibility values of sediments deposited in Pyramid Lake's deep basin were much larger than late-Holocene (3000-0 cal yr BP) values, indicating the presence of a shallow lake. In addition, the mean ?? 18O value of CaCO3 precipitated between 6500 and 3430 cal yr BP was 1.6??? less than the mean value of CaCO3 precipitated after 2740 cal yr BP. Numerical calculations indicate that the shift in the ??18O baseline probably resulted from a transition to a wetter (> 30%) and cooler (3-5??C) climate. The existence of a relatively dry and warm middle-Holocene climate in the Truckee River - Pyramid Lake system is generally consistent with archeological, sedimentological, chemical, physical, and biological records from various sites within the Great Basin of the western United States. Two high-resolution Holocene-climate records are now available from the Pyramid and Owens lake basins which suggest that the Holocene was characterized by five climatic intervals. TIC and ??18O records from Owens Lake indicate that the first interval in the early Holocene

Holocene multidecadal and multicentennial droughts affecting Northern California and Nevada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benson, Larry; Kashgarian, Michaele; Rye, Robert; Lund, Steve; Paillet, Fred; Smoot, Joseph; Kester, Cynthia; Mensing, Scott; Meko, Dave; Lindström, Susan

2002-02-01

Continuous, high-resolution δ18O records from cored sediments of Pyramid Lake, Nevada, indicate that oscillations in the hydrologic balance occurred, on average, about every 150 years (yr) during the past 7630 calendar years (cal yr). The records are not stationary; during the past 2740 yr, drought durations ranged from 20 to 100 yr and intervals between droughts ranged from 80 to 230 yr. Comparison of tree-ring-based reconstructions of climate change for the past 1200 yr from the Sierra Nevada and the El Malpais region of northwest New Mexico indicates that severe droughts associated with Anasazi withdrawal from Chaco Canyon at 820 cal yr BP (calendar years before present) and final abandonment of Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and the Kayenta area at 650 cal yr BP may have impacted much of the western United States.During the middle Holocene (informally defined in this paper as extending from 8000 to 3000 cal yr BP), magnetic susceptibility values of sediments deposited in Pyramid Lake's deep basin were much larger than late-Holocene (3000-0 cal yr BP) values, indicating the presence of a shallow lake. In addition, the mean δ18O value of CaCO 3 precipitated between 6500 and 3430 cal yr BP was 1.6‰ less than the mean value of CaCO 3 precipitated after 2740 cal yr BP. Numerical calculations indicate that the shift in the δ18O baseline probably resulted from a transition to a wetter (>30%) and cooler (3-5°C) climate. The existence of a relatively dry and warm middle-Holocene climate in the Truckee River-Pyramid Lake system is generally consistent with archeological, sedimentological, chemical, physical, and biological records from various sites within the Great Basin of the western United States. Two high-resolution Holocene-climate records are now available from the Pyramid and Owens lake basins which suggest that the Holocene was characterized by five climatic intervals. TIC and δ18O records from Owens Lake indicate that the first interval in the early Holocene

Holocene warming in western continental Eurasia driven by glacial retreat and greenhouse forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Jonathan L.; Lachniet, Matthew S.; Chervyatsova, Olga; Asmerom, Yemane; Polyak, Victor J.

2017-06-01

The global temperature evolution during the Holocene is poorly known. Whereas proxy data suggest that warm conditions prevailed in the Early to mid-Holocene with subsequent cooling, model reconstructions show long-term warming associated with ice-sheet retreat and rising greenhouse gas concentrations. One reason for this contradiction could be the under-representation of indicators for winter climate in current global proxy reconstructions. Here we present records of carbon and oxygen isotopes from two U-Th-dated stalagmites from Kinderlinskaya Cave in the southern Ural Mountains that document warming during the winter season from 11,700 years ago to the present. Our data are in line with the global Holocene temperature evolution reconstructed from transient model simulations. We interpret Eurasian winter warming during the Holocene as a response to the retreat of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets until about 7,000 years ago, and to rising atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and winter insolation thereafter. We attribute negative δ18O anomalies 11,000 and 8,200 years ago to enhanced meltwater forcing of North Atlantic Ocean circulation, and a rapid decline of δ13C during the Early Holocene with stabilization after about 10,000 years ago to afforestation at our study site. We conclude that winter climate dynamics dominated Holocene temperature evolution in the continental interior of Eurasia, in contrast to regions more proximal to the ocean.

Inter-group violence among early Holocene hunter-gatherers of West Turkana, Kenya.

PubMed

Mirazón Lahr, M; Rivera, F; Power, R K; Mounier, A; Copsey, B; Crivellaro, F; Edung, J E; Maillo Fernandez, J M; Kiarie, C; Lawrence, J; Leakey, A; Mbua, E; Miller, H; Muigai, A; Mukhongo, D M; Van Baelen, A; Wood, R; Schwenninger, J-L; Grün, R; Achyuthan, H; Wilshaw, A; Foley, R A

2016-01-21

The nature of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers remains disputed, with arguments in favour and against the existence of warfare before the development of sedentary societies. Here we report on a case of inter-group violence towards a group of hunter-gatherers from Nataruk, west of Lake Turkana, which during the late Pleistocene/early Holocene period extended about 30 km beyond its present-day shore. Ten of the twelve articulated skeletons found at Nataruk show evidence of having died violently at the edge of a lagoon, into which some of the bodies fell. The remains from Nataruk are unique, preserved by the particular conditions of the lagoon with no evidence of deliberate burial. They offer a rare glimpse into the life and death of past foraging people, and evidence that warfare was part of the repertoire of inter-group relations among prehistoric hunter-gatherers.

Pollen evidence for a mid-Holocene East Asian summer monsoon maximum in northern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Ruilin; Xiao, Jule; Fan, Jiawei; Zhang, Shengrui; Yamagata, Hideki

2017-11-01

There is a controversy regarding whether the high precipitation delivered by an intensified East Asian summer monsoon occurred during the early Holocene, or during the middle Holocene, especially in the context of the monsoonal margin region. The conflicting views on the subject may be caused by chronological uncertainties and ambiguities in the interpretation of different climate proxies measured in different sedimentary sequences. Here, we present a detailed record of the Holocene evolution of vegetation in northern China based on a high-resolution pollen record from Dali Lake, located near the modern summer monsoon limit. From 12,000-8300 cal BP, the sandy land landscape changed from desert to open elm forest and shrubland, while dry steppe dominated the hilly lands and patches of birch forest developed in the mountains. Between 8300 and 6000 cal BP, elm forest was extensively distributed in the sandy lands, while typical steppe covered the hilly lands and mixed coniferous-broadleaved forests expanded in the mountains. Our pollen evidence contradicts the view that the monsoonal rainfall increased during the early Holocene; rather, it indicates that the East Asian summer monsoon did not become intensified until ∼8000 cal BP in northern China. The low precipitation during the early Holocene can be attributed to the boundary conditions, i.e., to the remnant high-latitude Northern Hemisphere ice sheets and the relatively low global sea level.

Implications of (reworked) aeolian sediments and paleosols for Holocene environmental change in Western Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klinge, Michael; Lehmkuhl, Frank; Schulte, Philipp; Hülle, Daniela; Nottebaum, Veit

2017-09-01

In the semi-arid to semi-humid regions of western Mongolia four different geomorphological aeolian and fluvial archives were investigated in order to gain environmental information of landscape evolution during the late glacial and the Holocene. These archives, which contain aeolian deposits, fluvial sediments, and paleosols, are situated upon glacial moraines, fluvial terraces, floodplains, or mountain slopes. While radiometric dating provides information about the age of the sediment and paleosols, grain size and element distribution provide information about the sediment source and soil development. Extensive aeolian sediment transport occurred from 17 to 10 ka during the late glacial when climate was cold and dry. Since that period the developing steppe and alpine meadow vegetation served as a dust trap. During the warm and wet early to mid-Holocene sediment transport was reduced under a dense vegetation cover. All paleosols of the investigated archives show late Holocene ages which point to an environmental turning point around 3 ka. Since then, the Neoglacial period started with cooler climate conditions and periglacial processes intensified again. Recognizable glacier advances occurred during the Little Ice Age several centuries ago. Since then, global climate change leads to warmer and more arid conditions. During the late Holocene, a new period of strong geomorphological activity started and huge quantities of aeolian, colluvial and fluvial sediment accumulated. These intensified soil relocation processes cannot be explained exclusively by climate change because there are no explicit indications found in the palynological and lacustrine records of Mongolia. This discrepancy suggests that the additional factor of human impact has to be considered, which amplified the climate signal on the landscape. Simultaneously, when the enhanced geomorphological processes occurred, the prehistoric people changed from hunting and gathering to livestock husbandry. A first

Holocene carbon dynamics at the forest-steppe ecotone of southern Siberia.

PubMed

Mackay, Anson William; Seddon, Alistair W R; Leng, Melanie J; Heumann, Georg; Morley, David W; Piotrowska, Natalia; Rioual, Patrick; Roberts, Sarah; Swann, George E A

2017-05-01

The forest-steppe ecotone in southern Siberia is highly sensitive to climate change; global warming is expected to push the ecotone northwards, at the same time resulting in degradation of the underlying permafrost. To gain a deeper understanding of long-term forest-steppe carbon dynamics, we use a highly resolved, multiproxy, palaeolimnological approach, based on sediment records from Lake Baikal. We reconstruct proxies that are relevant to understanding carbon dynamics including carbon mass accumulation rates (CMAR; g C m -2  yr -1 ) and isotope composition of organic matter (δ 13 C TOC ). Forest-steppe dynamics were reconstructed using pollen, and diatom records provided measures of primary production from near- and off-shore communities. We used a generalized additive model (GAM) to identify significant change points in temporal series, and by applying generalized linear least-squares regression modelling to components of the multiproxy data, we address (1) What factors influence carbon dynamics during early Holocene warming and late Holocene cooling? (2) How did carbon dynamics respond to abrupt sub-Milankovitch scale events? and (3) What is the Holocene carbon storage budget for Lake Baikal. CMAR values range between 2.8 and 12.5 g C m -2  yr -1 . Peak burial rates (and greatest variability) occurred during the early Holocene, associated with melting permafrost and retreating glaciers, while lowest burial rates occurred during the neoglacial. Significant shifts in carbon dynamics at 10.3, 4.1 and 2.8 kyr bp provide compelling evidence for the sensitivity of the region to sub-Milankovitch drivers of climate change. We estimate that 1.03 Pg C was buried in Lake Baikal sediments during the Holocene, almost one-quarter of which was buried during the early Holocene alone. Combined, our results highlight the importance of understanding the close linkages between carbon cycling and hydrological processes, not just temperatures, in southern Siberian environments

Insight into the latitudinal distribution of methane emissions throughout the Holocene from ice core methane records.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sowers, T. A.; Vladimirova, D.; Blunier, T.

2017-12-01

During the preAnthropogenic era (prior to 1600AD) the interpolar CH4 gradient (IPG) is effectively dictated by the ratio of tropical to Pan Arctic CH4 emissions. IPG records from ice cores in Greenland and Antarctica provide fundamental information for assessing the latitudinal distribution of CH4 emissions and their relation to global climate change. We recently constructed a high-resolution (100yr) record of IPG changes throughout the Holocene using the ReCAP (E. Greenland) and WAIS (W. Antarctica) ice cores. Contemporaneous samples from both cores were analyzed on the same day to minimize analytical uncertainties associated with IPG reconstructions. CH4results from the WAIS core were indistinguishable from previous results suggesting our analytical scheme was intact (± 3ppb). Our reconstructed IPG showed early Holocene IPG values of 65ppb declining throughout the Holocene to values approximating 45 ppb during the latest portion of the Holocene (preAnthropogenic). We then utilized an eight box atmospheric methane box model (EBAMM) to quantify emission scenarios that agree with ice core CH4 records (concentration, IPG and isotopic composition). Our results are consistent with the idea that early Holocene peatland development in the PanArctic regions followed glacier retreat near the end of the last glacial termination contributing an additional 20Tg of CH4/yr relative to the late Holocene. In addition, we had to invoke elevated biomass burning emissions (40Tg/yr) during the early Holocene to account for the elevated d13CH4 values.

The variability of the North Atlantic Oscillation throughout the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wassenburg, Jasper; Dietrich, Stephan; Fietzke, Jan; Fohlmeister, Jens; Wei, Wei; Jochum, Klaus Peter; Scholz, Denis; Richter, Detlev; Sabaoui, Abdellah; Lohmann, Gerrit; Andreae, Meinrat; Immenhauser, Adrian

2013-04-01

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) has a major impact on Northern Hemisphere winter climate. Trouet et al. (2009) reconstructed the NAO for the last millennium based on a Moroccan tree ring PDSI (Palmer Drought Severity Index) reconstruction and a Scottish speleothem record. More recently, Olsen et al. (2012) extended the NAO record back to 5.2 ka BP based on a lake record from West Greenland. It is, however, well known that the NAO exhibits non-stationary behavior and the use of a single location for a NAO reconstruction may not capture the complete variability. In addition, the imprint of the NAO on European rainfall patterns in the Early and Mid Holocene on (multi-) centennial timescales is still largely unknown. This is related to difficulties in establishing robust correlations between different proxy records and the fact that proxies may not only reflect winter conditions (i.e., the season when the NAO has the largest influence). Here we present a precisely dated, high resolution speleothem δ18O record from NW Morocco covering the complete Early and Mid Holocene. Carbon and oxygen isotopes were measured at a resolution of 15 years. A multi-proxy approach provides solid evidence that speleothem δ18O values reflect changes in past rainfall intensity. The Moroccan record shows a significant correlation with a speleothem rainfall record from western Germany, which covers the entire Holocene (Fohlmeister et al., 2012). The combination with the extended speleothem record from Scotland, speleothem records from north Italy and the NAO reconstruction from West Greenland (Olsen et al., 2012) allows us to study the variability of the NAO during the entire Holocene. The relation between West German and Northwest Moroccan rainfall has not been stationary, which is evident from the changing signs of correlation. The Early Holocene is characterized by a positive correlation, which changes between 9 and 8 ka BP into a negative correlation. Simulations with the state

Tracking Nile Delta Vulnerability to Holocene Change

PubMed Central

Marriner, Nick; Flaux, Clément; Morhange, Christophe; Stanley, Jean-Daniel

2013-01-01

Understanding deltaic resilience in the face of Holocene climate change and human impacts is an important challenge for the earth sciences in characterizing the full range of present and future wetland responses to global warming. Here, we report an 8000-year mass balance record from the Nile Delta to reconstruct when and how this sedimentary basin has responded to past hydrological shifts. In a global Holocene context, the long-term decrease in Nile Delta accretion rates is consistent with insolation-driven changes in the ‘monsoon pacemaker’, attested throughout the mid-latitude tropics. Following the early to mid-Holocene growth of the Nile’s deltaic plain, sediment losses and pronounced erosion are first recorded after ~4000 years ago, the corollaries of falling sediment supply and an intensification of anthropogenic impacts from the Pharaonic period onwards. Against the backcloth of the Saharan ‘depeopling’, reduced river flow underpinned by a weakening of monsoonal precipitation appears to have been particularly conducive to the expansion of human activities on the delta by exposing productive floodplain lands for occupation and irrigation agriculture. The reconstruction suggests that the Nile Delta has a particularly long history of vulnerability to extreme events (e.g. floods and storms) and sea-level rise, although the present sediment-starved system does not have a direct Holocene analogue. This study highlights the importance of the world’s deltas as sensitive archives to investigate Holocene geosystem responses to climate change, risks and hazards, and societal interaction. PMID:23922692

Early Holocene Great Salt Lake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oviatt, Charles G.; Madsen, David B.; Miller, David; Thompson, Robert S.; McGeehin, John P.

2015-01-01

Shorelines and surficial deposits (including buried forest-floor mats and organic-rich wetland sediments) show that Great Salt Lake did not rise higher than modern lake levels during the earliest Holocene (11.5–10.2 cal ka BP; 10–9 14C ka BP). During that period, finely laminated, organic-rich muds (sapropel) containing brine-shrimp cysts and pellets and interbedded sodium-sulfate salts were deposited on the lake floor. Sapropel deposition was probably caused by stratification of the water column — a freshwater cap possibly was formed by groundwater, which had been stored in upland aquifers during the immediately preceding late-Pleistocene deep-lake cycle (Lake Bonneville), and was actively discharging on the basin floor. A climate characterized by low precipitation and runoff, combined with local areas of groundwater discharge in piedmont settings, could explain the apparent conflict between evidence for a shallow lake (a dry climate) and previously published interpretations for a moist climate in the Great Salt Lake basin of the eastern Great Basin.

Holocene climatic fluctuations and periodic changes in the Asian southwest monsoon region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenxiang; Niu, Jie; Ming, Qingzhong; Shi, Zhengtao; Lei, Guoliang; Huang, Linpei; Long, Xian'e.; Chang, Fengqin

2018-05-01

Climatic changes in the Asian southwest monsoon (ASWM) during the Holocene have become a topic of recent studies. It is important to understand the patterns and causes of Holocene climatic changes and their relationship with global changes. Based on the climate proxies and wavelet analysis of Lugu Lake in the ASWM region, the climatic fluctuations and periodic changes in the ASWM region during the Holocene have been reconstructed with a high-precision chronology. The results indicate the intensification of ASWM began to increase with Northern Hemisphere low-latitude solar insolation (LSI) and solar activity during the early Holocene, and gradually decreased during the late Holocene, exhibiting an apparent synchrony with numerous records of ASWM region. Meanwhile, an apparent 1000-a quasi-periodic signal is present in the environment proxies, and it demonstrates that the environmental change in the ASWM region has been driven mainly by LSI and solar activity.

Aeolian processes during the Holocene in Gannan Region, Eastern Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, S.; Cheng, T.; Li, S.; Liang, M.

2016-12-01

Aeolian desertification occurring in the Tibetan Plateau has received attention recently for it has become a severe environmental problem by accelerating the grassland degradation and eco-environment damage. The Gannan Region is located in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau with a mean altitude of 3500m. It is highly sensitive to global environmental change and human disturbance. Serious soil erosion and desertification and extensive land degradation have caused heavy eco-environmental impacts. To investigate the evolution of the desertification in Holocene in the Plateau is of great importance for understanding the desertification trend under the global changes in the Tibetan Plateau. Loess and aeolian sands is a key geological archive related to desertification processes and the past environment changes. In this study a typical 8.5m-thick loess-sands profile named MQQ, was selected at the Maqu city. It is situated on the first terrace (T1) of the Yellow River. Detailed accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dating of bulk organic matter content has shown the Aeolian sediments of the MQQ section occurring since the early Holocene. the mass-specific frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility (χfd) and grainsize records show a clear upward increase in the contents of superparamagnetic grains and fine fractions in grain size, which indicates a gradual wetting trend during the Holocene.The sediment rates change from very high in the early Holocene to low values after 8.2 ka. The wetting process can be divided into three steps: 10.0-8.2 ka, 8.2-3.0 ka and 3.0-present. It indicates that the climate in the eastern Tibetan Plateau was dry during the early Holocene. After that the climate was getting wet gradually. The variations of the westerlies and the Asian monsoon may cause the environmental change in this region.

Late Holocene methane rise caused by orbitally controlled increase in tropical sources.

PubMed

Singarayer, Joy S; Valdes, Paul J; Friedlingstein, Pierre; Nelson, Sarah; Beerling, David J

2011-02-03

Considerable debate surrounds the source of the apparently 'anomalous' increase of atmospheric methane concentrations since the mid-Holocene (5,000 years ago) compared to previous interglacial periods as recorded in polar ice core records. Proposed mechanisms for the rise in methane concentrations relate either to methane emissions from anthropogenic early rice cultivation or an increase in natural wetland emissions from tropical or boreal sources. Here we show that our climate and wetland simulations of the global methane cycle over the last glacial cycle (the past 130,000 years) recreate the ice core record and capture the late Holocene increase in methane concentrations. Our analyses indicate that the late Holocene increase results from natural changes in the Earth's orbital configuration, with enhanced emissions in the Southern Hemisphere tropics linked to precession-induced modification of seasonal precipitation. Critically, our simulations capture the declining trend in methane concentrations at the end of the last interglacial period (115,000-130,000 years ago) that was used to diagnose the Holocene methane rise as unique. The difference between the two time periods results from differences in the size and rate of regional insolation changes and the lack of glacial inception in the Holocene. Our findings also suggest that no early agricultural sources are required to account for the increase in methane concentrations in the 5,000 years before the industrial era.

Lacustrine records of continental climate in northwest Greenland through the Holocene and Last Interglacial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFarlin, J. M.; Axford, Y.; Osburn, M. R.; Lasher, G. E.; Francis, D. R.; Kelly, M. A.; Osterberg, E. C.

2015-12-01

Lake sediment records provide opportunities for high-resolution observations of paleoclimate that help to place modern climate change in geologic context. Here we present a terrestrial record of July air temperature for northwest Greenland (Nunatarssuaq, ~25 km east of the Thule Air Base) through the Holocene and a prior warm period, inferred from subfossil insect remains (Chironomidae) preserved in lacustrine sediments. In addition, we discuss ongoing work in characterizing the sources and isotopic composition of leaf waxes preserved in the same sediments. Multiple parallel sediment cores were collected in the summers of 2012 and 2014 from Wax Lips Lake (informal name), a non-glacial lake situated <2 km from the current margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Radiocarbon ages were obtained on aquatic mosses from intact laminae, and indicate that the record spans the Holocene, beginning at ~10.4 ka, as well as an interval beyond the range of 14C (>44 ka) and thus predates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Our results demonstrate temperatures warmer than present through the early and mid Holocene followed by cooling in the late Holocene. Material that pre-dates the LGM contains insect assemblages indicating temperatures warmer than the warmest millennia of the Holocene. We interpret this material as most likely dating to the Last Interglacial Period (MIS 5). Along with assemblages of Chironomidae, we find subfossil Chaoboridae in one section of the pre-LGM sediments, suggesting exceptionally warm conditions based upon the distribution of modern-day Chaoborus. We find abundant n-alkanes and n-acids are preserved in the Holocene and pre-LGM sediments, allowing for complementary compound-specific δD analyses and identification of organic matter source in addition to chironomid derived temperature records.

Holocene temperature history at the west Greenland Ice Sheet margin reconstructed from lake sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axford, Y.; Losee, S.; Briner, J. P.; Francis, D.; Langdon, P. G.; Walker, I.

2011-12-01

Paleoclimate proxy data can help reduce uncertainties regarding how the Greenland Ice Sheet, and thus global sea level, will respond to future climate change. Studies of terrestrial deposits along Greenland's margins offer opportunities to reconstruct both past temperature changes and the associated changes in Greenland Ice Sheet extent, thus empirically characterizing the ice sheet's response to temperature change. Here we present Holocene paleoclimate reconstructions developed from sediment records of five lakes along the western ice sheet margin, near Jakobshavn Isbræ and Disko Bugt. Insect (Chironomidae, or non-biting midge) remains from North Lake provide quantitative estimates of summer temperatures over the past ca. 7500 years at multi-centennial resolution, and changes in sediment composition at all five lakes offer evidence for glacier fluctuations, changes in lake productivity, and other environmental changes throughout the Holocene. Aims of this study include quantification of warmth in the early to mid Holocene, when summer solar insolation forcing exceeded present-day values at northern latitudes and the local Greenland Ice Sheet margin receded inboard of its present position, and the magnitude of subsequent Neoglacial and Little Ice Age cooling that drove ice sheet expansion. We find that the Jakobshavn Isbrae region experienced the warmest temperatures of the Holocene (with summers 2 to 3.5 degrees C warmer than present) between ~6000 and 4000 years ago. Neoglacial cooling began rather abruptly ~4000 years ago and intensified 3000 years ago. Our proxy data suggest that the coldest summers of the Holocene occurred during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Jakobshavn region. These results agree well with previous glacial geologic studies reconstructing local ice margin positions through the Holocene. Such reconstructions of paleoclimate and past ice sheet extent provide targets for testing and improving ice sheet models.

Pacific southwest United States Holocene summer paleoclimate inferred from sediment calcite oxygen isotopes (Lake Elsinore, CA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirby, M.; Patterson, W. P.; Lachniet, M. S.; Anderson, M.; Noblet, J. A.

2017-12-01

Records of past climate inform on the natural range and mechanisms of climate change. In the arid Pacific southwest United States (pswUS), there exist a variety of Holocene records that infer past winter conditions (moisture and/or temperature). Holocene records of summer climate, however, are rare excepting short-lived (<500-1000 yrs) tree ring PDSIs and some pollen-inferred temperature reconstructions. As climate changes due to anthropogenic forcing, the severity of drought is expected to increase in the already water-stressed pswUS. Hot droughts are of considerable concern as summer temperatures rise. As a result, understanding how summer conditions changed in the past is critical to understanding future predictions under varied climate forcings. Here, we present a 9800 year delta-18O(calcite) record from Lake Elsinore, CA. This isotope record is interpreted to reflect late-spring to summer conditions, especially evaporation. Modern water isotope data support this interpretation. Our results reveal a three-part Holocene consisting of a highly evaporative early Holocene, a cooler mid-Holocene, and evaporative late Holocene. Coupled with an inferred winter wetness (run-off) record from Kirby et al. (2010), we estimate the severity of centennial scale Holocene dryness (i.e. dry winters plus hot summers = severe drought). The most severe droughts occur in the early Holocene, decline in the mid-Holocene, and return in the late Holocene. An independently dated isotope record from Lake Elsinore's littoral zone (Kirby et al. 2004) shows similar changes providing confidence in our longer record. Various forcing mechanisms are examined to explain the Elsinore summer record including insolation, Pacific SSTs, and trace gas radiative forcing.

Low reservoir ages for the surface ocean from mid-Holocene Florida corals

USGS Publications Warehouse

Druffel, E.R.M.; Robinson, L.F.; Griffin, S.; Halley, R.B.; Southon, J.R.; Adkins, J.F.

2008-01-01

The 14C reservoir age of the surface ocean was determined for two Holocene periods (4908-4955 and 3008-3066 calendar (cal) B.P.) using U/Th-dated corals from Biscayne National Park, Florida, United States. We found that the average reservoir ages for these two time periods (294 ?? 33 and 291 ?? 27 years, respectively) were lower than the average value between A.D. 1600 and 1900 (390 ?? 60 years) from corals. It appears that the surface ocean was closer to isotopic equilibrium with CO2 in the atmosphere during these two time periods than it was during recent times. Seasonal ??18O measurements from the younger coral are similar to modern values, suggesting that mixing with open ocean waters was indeed occurring during this coral's lifetime. Likely explanations for the lower reservoir age include increased stratification of the surface ocean or increased ??14C values of subsurface waters that mix into the surface. Our results imply that a more correct reservoir age correction for radiocarbon measurements of marine samples in this location from the time periods ???3040 and ???4930 cal years B.P. is ???292 ?? 30 years, less than the canonical value of 404 ?? 20 years. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.

Holocene record of glacier variability from lake sediments reveals tripartite climate history for Svalbard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Bilt, Willem; Bakke, Jostein; Vasskog, Kristian; D`Andrea, William; Bradley, Raymond; Olafsdottir, Sædis

2016-04-01

The Arctic is responding sensitively to ongoing global climate change, warming and moistening faster than any other region on the planet. Holocene proxy paleoclimate time series are increasingly used to put this amplified response in perspective by understanding Arctic climate processes beyond the instrumental period. Glaciers rapidly respond to climate shifts as demonstrated by their current demise around the world. This response has a composite climate signature, marked by shifts in hydroclimate (winter precipitation) as well as (summer) temperature. Attendant changes in glacier size are recorded by variations in glacigenic rock flour that may be deposited in downstream lakes. Here, we present a Holocene reconstruction of glacier activity, based on sediments from Hajeren, a glacier-fed lake on northwest Spitsbergen in the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Owing to undisturbed sediments and robust age control, we could resolve variability on a sub-centennial scale. To ensure the accurate detection of glacier activity, we applied a toolbox of physical, magnetic and geochemical proxies in conjunction with multivariate statistics. Our findings indicate a three-stage Holocene climate history for Svalbard, driving by melt water pulses, episodic Atlantic cooling and a decline in orbitally driven summer insolation. Correspondence between inferred advances, including a Holocene glacier maximum around 9.5 ka BP, suggests forcing by the melting LIS during the Early Holocene. Following a late Holocene Thermal Maximum around 7.4 ka BP, glaciers disappeared from the catchment. Glaciers reformed around 4.2 ka BP during the regional onset of the Neoglacial, supporting previous findings. This transition did, however, not mark the onset of persistent glacier activity in the catchment, but a series of centennial-scale cycles of growth and decay, including events around 3.3 and 1.1 ka BP. As orbitally driven insolation declined towards the present, the glaciation threshold

Holocene glacier and climate variations in Vestfirðir, Iceland, from the modeling of Drangajökull ice cap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Leif S.; Flowers, Gwenn E.; Jarosch, Alexander H.; Aðalgeirsdóttir, Guðfinna Th; Geirsdóttir, Áslaug; Miller, Gifford H.; Harning, David J.; Thorsteinsson, Thorsteinn; Magnússon, Eyjólfur; Pálsson, Finnur

2018-06-01

Drangajökull is a maritime ice cap located in northwest (Vestfirðir) Iceland. Drangajökull's evolution is therefore closely linked to atmospheric and ocean variability. In order to better constrain the Holocene climate and glacier history of Vestfirðir we model the past evolution of Drangajökull ice cap. Simulations from 10 ka to present are forced by general circulation model output, ice-core-based temperature reconstructions, and sea-surface temperature reconstructions. Based on these 10-thousand year simulations, Drangajökull did not persist through the Holocene. We estimate that air temperatures were 2.5-3.0 °C higher during the Holocene Thermal Maximum than the local 1960-1990 average. Simulations support Drangajökull's late Holocene inception between 2 and 1 ka, though intermittent ice likely occupied cirques as early as 2.6 ka. Drangajökull is primarily a Little Ice Age ice cap: it expanded between 1300 and 1750 CE, with the most rapid growth occurring between 1600 and 1750 CE. The maximum Holocene extent of Drangajökull occurred between 1700 and 1925 CE, despite the lowest late Holocene temperatures, occurring between 1650 and 1720 CE. Between 1700 and 1925 CE temperatures were likely 0.6-0.8 °C lower than the 1950-2015 reference temperature. The modern equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is bracketed by topographic thresholds: a 1 °C temperature increase from the modern ELA would eliminate the ice cap's accumulation area, while a reduction of 0.5 °C would lead to the rapid expansion of the ice cap across Vestfirðir. The proximity of Drangajökull to topographic thresholds may explain its late inception and rapid expansion during the Little Ice Age.

Major hydrological regime change along the semiarid western coast of South America during the early Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega, Cristina; Vargas, Gabriel; Rutllant, José A.; Jackson, Donald; Méndez, César

2012-11-01

Water availability in the semiarid western coast of Chile (30-32°S) is conditioned by high interannual precipitation variability, reflecting the transition between arid subtropical and moist mid-latitude climates in the Southeastern Pacific Ocean. A paleoclimate reconstruction based on the latest Pleistocene-Holocene geological record from the Quebrada Santa Julia archeological site in Chile (31°50'S) and on modern meteorological mechanisms producing alluvial episodes in this region indicates a major change in the rainfall regime shortly after 8600 cal yr BP. This, together with other paleoclimate proxies along the west coast of South America (34°-14°S), suggests La Niña-like conditions 13,000-8600 cal yr BP. Based on sedimentological and geomorphologic evidence, we hypothesized that the absence of heavy rainfall events in northern Chile and the new hydrological regime that prevailed ca. 8600-5700 cal yr BP in north-central Chile resulted from an increase in the large-scale westerly flow over central Chile, as expected in near-neutral ENSO conditions. This atmospheric circulation anomaly is compatible with an equatorward shift of the influence of the Southeast Pacific Subtropical Anticyclone relative to the early Holocene, prior to the onset of modern ENSO variability.

Holocene Erosion Patterns in European Alps Viewed from Lake Sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnaud, F.; Poulenard, J.; Giguet-Covex, C.; Wilhelm, B.; Revillon, S.; Jenny, J. P.; Revel, M.; Enters, D.; Bajard, M.; Fouinat, L.; Doyen, E.; Simonneau, A.; Chapron, E.; Vannière, B.; Sabatier, P.

2016-12-01

In this paper we review the scientific efforts that were led over the last decades to reconstruct erosion from continuous alpine lake sediment records. Whereas most available geological records of Holocene terrigenous input focused in climate we propose a regional approach without any a priori regarding erosion forcing factors. In that aim, we integrated a set of sediment sequences from various environment along an altitudinal gradient from 200 up to 2400m asl in Northern French Alps. Altogether our data point climate change as one of the main factor of erosion variability. In particular, the last two cold spells that occurred during the early middle age (Dark Age) and between the 14th and the 20th century AD (Little Ice Age) appear to be outstanding compared to any other periods of enhanced erosion along the Holocene. The climatic forcing of those erosion phases is supported by an increase in the contribution of glacier-eroded material at a regional scale. However, at local scales, our data point the growing importance, since at least the mid Bronze Age (ca. 3500 cal. BP) of human activities as a major erosion factor. This influence peaked during the late Iron Age and Antiquity periods (200 BC - 400 AD) when we record a regional generalised period of enhanced erosion in response to the development of pasturing activities. Thanks to provenance and weathering markers, we evidenced a strong relationship between the changes in ecosystems, soil development and erosion patterns. We hence showed the vegetal colonisation of bared soil led to a period of intense weathering while new soils were under formation between 11,000 and 8,000 cal. BP. Soils then knew an optimum until the onset of the Neoglacial at ca. 4,500 cal. BP prior to decline under both climate and human pressures. Altogether our data point the complexity of processes that affected the Earth critical zone along the Holocene and especially since humans became a major geologic agent. However, we highlight the

Holocene Vegetation and Fire Dynamics on the Chilcotin Plateau, BC, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, K. J.; Hebda, R.; Hawkes, B.

2014-12-01

The Chilcotin Plateau is a high elevation plateau in the west central interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is characterised by a continental climate and located in a rainshadow setting. Pine-dominated forests dominate. The region is prone to frequent fires and mountain pine beetle outbreaks. Several surface sediment cores and an overlapping Livingstone sediment core were collected from centrally-located Scum Lake and analysed for pollen, charcoal and insect remains. During the early-Holocene warm-dry interval, a non-arboreal vegetation community dominated by grass and sage dominated and surface fire disturbance was frequent. Model predictions suggest that non-arboreal vegetation may expand in this region in the future, suggesting that the fire regime will likewise change as in the early-Holocene. In the mid-Holocene, pine, possibly Pinus ponderosa, increased in abundance, suggesting that a surface fire regime persisted at that time. Pinus contorta pollen increased in the late-Holocene, representing the establishment of the modern forest and mixed/crown fire regime. Fire return intervals typically ranged between 20-100 years, consistent with tree-ring based observation (40-70 years). Analyses of the surface cores revealed that identifiable mountain pine beetle remains were rare, suggesting that alternative approaches may be required to assess to insect disturbance through time.

Optically stimulated luminescence dating of aeolian sand in the otindag dune field and holocene climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhou, Y.L.; Lu, H.Y.; Mason, J.; Miao, X.D.; Swinehart, J.; Goble, R.

2008-01-01

The dune system in Otindag sand field of northern China is sensitive to climate change, where effective moisture and related vegetation cover play a controlling role for dune activity and stability. Therefore, aeolian deposits may be an archive of past environmental changes, possibly at the millennial scale, but previous studies on this topic have rarely been reported. In this study, thirty-five optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of ten representative sand-paleosol profiles in Otindag sand field are obtained, and these ages provide a relatively complete and well-dated chronology for wet and dry variations in Holocene. The results indicate that widespread dune mobilization occurred from 9.9 to 8.2 ka, suggesting a dry early Holocene climate. The dunes were mainly stabilized between 8.0 and 2.7 ka, implying a relatively wet climate, although there were short-term penetrations of dune activity during this wet period. After ???2.3 ka, the region became dry again, as inferred from widespread dune activity. The "8.2 ka" cold event and the Little Ice Age climatic deterioration are detected on the basis of the dune records and OSL ages. During the Medieval Warm Period and the Sui-Tang Warm Period (570-770 AD), climate in Otindag sand field was relatively humid and the vegetation was denser, and the sand dunes were stabilized again. These aeolian records may indicate climate changes at millennial time scale during Holocene, and these climatic changes may be the teleconnection to the climate changes elsewhere in the world. ?? Science in China Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH 2008.

Holocene paleoenvironments of Northeast Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baker, R.G.; Bettis, E. Arthur; Schwert, D.R.; Horton, D.G.; Chumbley, C.A.; Gonzalez, Luis A.; Reagan, M.K.

1996-01-01

This paper presents the biotic. sedimentary, geomorphic, and climatic history of the upper part of the Roberts Creek Basin, northeastern Iowa for the late-glacial and Holocene, and compares these records with a C-O isotopic sequence from Coldwater Cave. 60 km northwest of Roberts Creek. The biotic record (pollen, vascular plant and bryophyle macrofossils. and insects) is preserved in floodplain alluvium that underlies three constructional surfaces separated by low scarps. Each surface is underlain by a lithologically and temporally distinct alluvial fill. The highest surface is underlain by the Gunder Member of the Deforest Formation, dating from 11 000 to 4000 yr BP; beneath the intermediate level is the Roberts Creek Member, dating from 4000 to 400 yr BP; and the lowest level is underlain by the Camp Creek Member, deposited during the last 380 yr. Pollen and plant macrofossils in the alluvial fill show that a typical late-glacial spruce forest was replaced by Quercus and Ulmus in the early Holocene. This early-to-middle Holocene forest became dominated by mesic elements such as Acer saccharum, Tilia americana, Ostrya virginiana, and Carpinus caroliniana as late as 5500 yr BP; in contrast, the closest sites to the west and north were at their warmest and driest and were covered by prairie vegetation between 6500 and 5500 yr BP. After 5500 yr BP, the forest in the Roberts Creek area was replaced by prairie, as indicated by a rich assemblage of plant macrofossils, although only Ambrosia and Poaceae became abundant in the pollen record. The return of Quercus ??? 3000 BP (while nonarboreal pollen percentages remained relatively high) indicates that oak savanna prevailed with little change until settlement time. The bryophyte assemblages strongly support the vascular plant record. Rich fen species characteristic of boreal habitats occur only in the late-glacial. They are replaced by a number of deciduous-forest elements when early-to-middle Holocene forests were

Exploring Holocene climate fluctuations registered in Bosnian stalagmites adopting a multiproxy approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiarini, Veronica; Couchoud, Isabelle; Drysdale, Russell; Bajo, Petra; Milanolo, Simone; Hellstrom, John; De Waele, Jo

2016-04-01

The central Mediterranean area, a crucial region for present day and future climate change, has been characterised by contrasting patterns between northern and southern climate influences over the Holocene (e.g. Magny et al., 2012; Peyron et al., 2013). Several records from the Italian Peninsula identify this phenomenon: relatively dry conditions experienced during the first half of the Holocene are followed by an increase in moisture in the northern regions, while in the southern portion of the Peninsula the opposite trend occurs. On the Balkan side of the Adriatic Sea, this contrasting pattern is less well documented. The available studies focused on lake sediments show a more gradual and less warm early Holocene and more stable conditions during the early-mid Holocene compared to Italy (Bordon et al., 2009; Vogel et al., 2010). Several speleothems have been collected from Banja Stijena and Govještica Caves (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Preliminary U-Th dating allowed to choose the five most promising samples for further study. Stable oxygen and carbon isotopes have been analysed along the stalagmite growth axes and trace elements of one sample have been investigated. Air-mass back-trajectory analyses of present day precipitation in the area have been performed in association with GNIP rainfall isotope data analyses, with the aim of understanding the parameters driving rainfall stable oxygen isotope composition variations. Considering the impossibility of having a detailed monitoring of cave conditions due to the practical difficulties of identifying the original location of the samples collected, petrographic observations have been coupled with δ13C and δ18O in order to improve the understanding of the environmental processes recorded by these samples, as suggested in Frisia (2015) and Borsato et al. (2015). Here we will present the results of these multiproxy analyses, exploring the potential of these samples in recording regional climate fluctuations and

Holocene Vegetation and Climate History of the Northern Bighorn Basin, Southern Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyford, Mark E.; Betancourt, Julio L.; Jackson, Stephen T.

2002-09-01

Records of Holocene vegetation and climate change at low elevations (<2000 m) are rare in the central Rocky Mountain region. We developed a record of Holocene vegetation and climate change from 55 14C-dated woodrat middens at two low-elevation sites (1275 to 1590 m), currently vegetated by Juniperus osteosperma woodlands, in the northern Bighorn Basin. Macrofossil and pollen analyses show that the early Holocene was cooler than today, with warming and drying in the middle Holocene. During the Holocene, boreal ( Juniperus communis, J. horizontalis) and montane species ( J. scopulorum) were replaced by a Great Basin species ( J. osteosperma). J. osteosperma colonized the east side of the Pryor Mountains 4700 14C yr B.P. Downward movement of lower treeline indicates wetter conditions between 4400 and 2700 14C yr B.P. Increased aridity after 2700 14C yr B.P. initiated expansion of J. osteosperma from the east to west side of the Pryor Mountains.

Holocene vegetation and climate history of the northern Bighorn Basin, southern Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lyford, M.E.; Betancourt, J.L.; Jackson, S.T.

2002-01-01

Records of Holocene vegetation and climate change at low elevations (<2000 m) are rare in the central Rocky Mountain region. We developed a record of Holocene vegetation and climate change from 55 14C-dated woodrat middens at two low-elevation sites (1275 to 1590 m, currently vegetated by Juniperus osteosperma woodlands, in the northern Bighorn Basin. Macrofossil and pollen analyses show that the early Holocene was cooler than today, with warming and drying in the middle Holocene. During the Holocene, boreal (Juniperus communis, J. horizontalis) and montane species (J. scopulorum) were replaced by a Great Basin species (J. osteosperma). J. osteosperma colonized the east side of the Pryor Mountains 4700 14C yr B.P. Downward movement of lower treeline indicates wetter conditions between 4400 and 2700 14C yr B.P. Increased aridity after 2700 14C yr B.P. initiated expansion of J. osteosperma from the east to west side of the Pryor Mountains. ?? 2002 University of Washington.

Analysis and Characterization of Organic Carbon in Early Holocene Wetland Paleosols using Ramped Pyrolysis 14C and Biomarkers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vetter, L.; Schreiner, K. M.; Fernandez, A.; Rosenheim, B. E.; Tornqvist, T. E.

2014-12-01

Radiocarbon analyses are a key tool for quantifying the dynamics of carbon cycling and storage in both modern soils and Quaternary paleosols. Frequently, bulk 14C dates of paleosol organic carbon provide ages older than the time of soil burial, and 14C dates of geochemical fractions such as alkali and acid extracts (operationally defined as humic acids) can provide anomalously old ages when compared to coeval plant macrofossil dates. Ramped pyrolysis radiocarbon analysis of sedimentary organic material has been employed as a tool for investigating 14C age spectra in sediments with multiple organic carbon sources. Here we combine ramped pyrolysis 14C analysis and biomarker analysis (lignin-phenols and other cupric oxide products) to provide information on the source and diagenetic state of the paleosol organic carbon. We apply these techniques to immature early Holocene brackish wetland entisols from three sediment cores in southeastern Louisiana, along with overlying basal peats. Surprisingly, we find narrow 14C age spectra across all thermal aliquots from both paleosols and peats. The weighted bulk 14C ages from paleosols and overlying peats are within analytical error, and are comparable to independently analyzed 14C AMS dates from charcoal fragments and other plant macrofossils from each peat bed. Our results suggest high turnover rates of carbon in soils relative to input of exogenous carbon sources. These data raise broader questions about processes within the active soil and during pedogenesis and burial of paleosols that can effectively homogenize radiocarbon content in soils across the thermochemical spectrum. The concurrence of paleosol and peat 14C ages also suggests that, in the absence of peats with identifiable plant macrofossils, ramped pyrolysis 14C analyses of paleosols may be used to provide ages for sea-level indicators.

Southern westerly winds: a pacemaker of Holocene glacial fluctuations in Patagonia?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sagredo, E. A.; Reynhout, S.; Kaplan, M. R.; Patricio, M. I.; Aravena, J. C.; Martini, M. A.; Schaefer, J. M.

2017-12-01

A well-resolved glacial chronology is crucial to compare sequences of glacial/climate events within and between regions, and thus, to unravel mechanisms underlying past climate changes. Important efforts have been made towards understanding the Holocene climate evolution of the Southern Andes; however, the timing, patterns and causes of glacial fluctuations during this period still remain elusive. Recent advances in terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating, together with the establishment of a Patagonian 10Be production rate, have opened new possibilities for establishing high-resolution glacial chronologies at centennial/decadal scale. Here we present a 10Be surface exposure chronology of fluctuations of a small, climate-sensitive mountain glacier at Mt. Fitz Roy area (49.3°S), spanning from the last glacial termination to the present. Thirty new 10Be ages show glacial advances and moraine building events at 17.1±0.9 ka, 13.5±0.5 ka, 10.2±0.7 ka or 9.9±0.5 ka, 6.9±0.2 ka, 6.1±0.3 ka, 4.5±0.2 ka and 0.5±0.1 ka. Similar to the pattern observed in New Zealand, this sequence features progressively less extensive glacial advances during the late-glacial and early Holocene, followed by advances of roughly similar extent during the mid- to late-Holocene. We suggest that while the magnitude of Holocene glacial fluctuations in Patagonia is modulated by SH summer insolation ("modulator"), the specific timing of these glacial events is influenced by centennial-scale shifts of the Southern Westerly Winds ("pacemaker").

El Niño evolution during the Holocene revealed by a biomarker rain gauge in the Galápagos Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Z.; Leduc, G.; Sachs, J. P.

2014-12-01

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) represents the largest perturbation to the climate system on an inter-annual time scale, but its evolution since the end of the last ice age remains debated due to the lack of unambiguous ENSO records lasting longer than a few centuries. Changes in the concentration and hydrogen isotope ratio of lipids produced by the green alga Botryococcus braunii, which blooms during El Niño rains in the Galápagos Islands, indicate that the early Holocene (9200-5600 yr BP) was characterized by alternating extremes in the intensity and/or frequency of El Niño events that lasted a century or more. Our data from the core of the ENSO region thus calls into question earlier studies that reported a lack of El Niño activity in the early Holocene. In agreement with other proxy evidence from the tropical Pacific, the mid-Holocene (5600-3500 yr BP) was a time of consistently weak El Niño activity, as were the Early Middle Ages (~1000-1500 yr BP). El Niño activity was moderate to high during the remainder of the last 3500 years. Periods of strong or frequent El Niño tended to occur during peaks in solar activity and during extended droughts in the United States Great Plains linked to La Niña. These changing modes of ENSO activity at millennial and multi-centennial timescales may have been caused by variations in the seasonal receipts of solar radiation associated with the precession of the equinoxes and/or changes in solar activity, respectively.

Implications of S1 tephra findings in Dead Sea and Tayma palaeolake sediments for marine reservoir age estimation and palaeoclimate synchronisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neugebauer, Ina; Wulf, Sabine; Schwab, Markus J.; Serb, Johanna; Plessen, Birgit; Appelt, Oona; Brauer, Achim

2017-08-01

Here we report on the first findings of a cryptotephra in the Holocene lacustrine sediment records of the Dead Sea and Tayma palaeolake (NW Arabian Peninsula). The major element glass composition of this rhyolitic tephra is identical to the distal 'S1' tephra layer identified in the Yammoûneh palaeolake (Lebanon), in a marine sediment record from the SE Levantine basin and in the Sodmein Cave archaeological site in Egypt. The S1 tephra corresponds to the early Holocene 'Dikkartın' dome eruption of the Erciyes Dağ volcano in central Anatolia (Turkey) and has been dated in the marine record at 8830 ± 140 cal yr BP. We present new age estimates of the S1 tephra based on radiocarbon dating of terrestrial plant remains and pollen concentrates revealing ages of 8939 ± 83 cal yr BP in the Dead Sea sediments and 9041 ± 254 cal yr BP in Tayma. The precise date from the Dead Sea allows refining the early Holocene marine reservoir age in the SE Levantine Sea to ca. 320 ± 50 years. Synchronisation of marine and terrestrial palaeoclimate records in the eastern Mediterranean region using the S1 tephra further suggests a time-transgressive expansion of the early Holocene humid period.

The Brazilian megamastofauna of the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and its relationship with the early human settlement of the continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hubbe, Alex; Hubbe, Mark; Neves, Walter A.

2013-03-01

One of the most intriguing questions regarding the Brazilian Late Quaternary extinct megafauna and Homo sapiens is to what extent they coexisted and how humans could have contributed to the former's extinction. The aim of this article is to review the chronological and archaeological evidences of their coexistence in Brazil and to evaluate the degree of direct interaction between them. Critical assessment of the Brazilian megafauna chronological data shows that several of the late Pleistoscene/early Holocene dates available so far cannot be considered reliable, but the few that do suggest that at least two species (Catonyx cuvieri, ground sloth; Smilodon populator, saber-toothed cat) survived until the beginning of the Holocene in Southeast Brazil. Archaeological data indicates that the first human groups arrived in Brazil and were inhabiting this region during the last millennia of the Pleistocene and, consequently, they coexisted with the extinct fauna in some parts of Brazil for at least one thousand years. There is no robust evidence favoring any kind of direct interaction between humans and megafauna prior to their extinction. To date, it is not possible to properly judge the indirect influence of humans (landscape transformation, introduction of predators, among others) in this extinction event. Intense and to some extent unique climate changes between the Last Glacial Maximum and the Holocene favors the interpretation that they had a major contribution to the megafauna extinction, although the scarcity of data impedes the proper testing of this hypothesis.

Warm Mediterranean mid-Holocene summers inferred from fossil midge assemblages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samartin, Stéphanie; Heiri, Oliver; Joos, Fortunat; Renssen, Hans; Franke, Jörg; Brönnimann, Stefan; Tinner, Willy

2017-02-01

Understanding past climate trends is key for reliable projections of global warming and associated risks and hazards. Uncomfortably large discrepancies between vegetation-based summer temperature reconstructions (mainly based on pollen) and climate model results have been reported for the current interglacial, the Holocene. For the Mediterranean region these reconstructions indicate cooler-than-present mid-Holocene summers, in contrast with expectations based on climate models and long-term changes in summer insolation. We present new quantitative and replicated Holocene summer temperature reconstructions based on fossil chironomid midges from the northern central Mediterranean region. The Holocene thermal maximum is reconstructed 9,000-5,000 years ago and estimated to have been 1-2 °C warmer in mean July temperature than the recent pre-industrial period, consistent with glacier and marine records, and with transient climate model runs. This combined evidence implies that widely used pollen-based summer temperature reconstructions in the Mediterranean area are significantly biased by precipitation or other forcings such as early land use. Our interpretation can resolve the previous discrepancy between climate models and quantitative palaeotemperature records for millennial-scale Holocene summer temperature trends in the Mediterranean region. It also suggests that pollen-based evidence for cool mid-Holocene summers in other semi-arid to arid regions of the Northern Hemisphere may have to be reconsidered, with potential implications for global-scale reconstructions.

Holocene climatic change, aeolian sedimentation and the nomadic Anthropocene in Eastern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmkuhl, F.; Schlütz, F.

2009-04-01

Geomorphological and palynological studies from the Nianbaoyeze Shan in Eastern Tibet provides detailed information on the Holocene landscape and vegetation development of a mountain system located on the westernmost boundary of the modern forest belt. In addition, detailed sedimentological work was done on a section south of the Anyemachin Shan further west. Our study provides detailed information on the late glacial landscape and vegetation development of eastern Tibet. Based on a suite of geomorphological and palynological proxy data from the Nianbaoyeze Shan on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (33°N/101°E, 3300-4500 m asl) we reconstruct recent landscape dynamics as a function of climate change and the longevity of human influence. Study results constrain several major phases of aeolian sedimentation between 50 - 15 ka and various glacier advances during the Late Pleistocene, the Holocene and the Little Ice Age (LIA). Increased aeolian deposition was primarily associated with periods of more extensive glacial ice extent. Fluvial and alluvial sediment pulses also document an increase of erosion starting at about 4000 cal yr B.P. coinciding with cooling (Neoglacial) and a growing anthropo-zoogenic influence. Evidence for periglacial mass movements indicate that the late Holocene cooling started at around 2000 cal yr B.P. demonstrating increased surface activity under the combined effects of human influence and climate deterioration (LIA). In a section south of the Anyemachin about 150 km further west Holocene silt and paleosols development match to these results but showing higher Holocene aeolian activity. The Holocene vegetation history started with an open landscape dominated by pioneer shrubs along braided rivers (<10,600 - 9800 cal yr B.P.), followed by the spreading of conifers (Picea, Juniperus, Abies) and Betula-trees accompanied by a successive closing of the vegetation cover by Poaceae, Cyperaceae and herbs (9800 - 8300 cal yr B.P.). First

Holocene climate variability and oceanographic changes off western South Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xueqin; Dupont, Lydie; E Meadows, Michael; Schefuß, Enno; Bouimetarhan, Ilham; Wefer, Gerold

2017-04-01

South Africa is located at a critical transition zone between subtropical and warm-temperate climate zones influenced by the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Presently, the seasonal changes of atmospheric and oceanic systems induce a pronounced rainfall seasonality comprised of two different rainfall zones over South Africa. How did this seasonality develop during the Holocene? To obtain a better understanding of how South African climates have evolved during the Holocene, we conduct a comprehensive spatial-temporal approach including pollen and dinoflagellate cyst records from marine sediment samples retrieved from the Namaqualand mudbelt, a Holocene terrigenous mud deposit on the shelf of western South Africa. The representation of different vegetation communities in western South Africa is assessed through pollen analysis of surface sediments. This approach allows for climate reconstructions of the summer rainfall zone (SRZ) using Group 1 (Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Phragmites-type and Typha) and winter rainfall zone (WRZ) using Group 2 (Restionaceae, Ericaceae, Anthospermum, Stoebe/Elytropappus-type, Cliffortia, Passerina, Artemisia-type and Pentzia-type) from a single marine archive. The fossil pollen data from gravity core GeoB8331-4 indicate contrasting climate patterns in the SRZ and WRZ especially during the early and middle Holocene. The rainfall amount in the SRZ is dominated by insolation forcing, while in the WRZ it is mainly attributed to the latitudinal position of the southern westerlies. Dinoflagellate cyst data show significantly different oceanographic conditions associated with climate changes on land. High percentages of autotrophic taxa like Operculodinium centrocarpum and Spiniferites spp. indicate warm and stratified conditions during the early Holocene, suggesting reduced upwelling. In contrast, the middle Holocene is characterized by a strong increase in heterotrophic taxa in particular Lejeunecysta paratenella and Echinidinium spp., indicating cool

Contrasting Responses of the Humboldt Current Ecosystem between the Holocene and MIS5e Interglacials Revealed from Multiple Sediment Records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salvatteci, R.; Schneider, R. R.; Blanz, T.; Martinez, P.; Crosta, X.

2016-12-01

The Humboldt Current Ecosystem (HCE) off Peru yields about 10% of the global fish catch, producing more fish per unit area than any other region in the world. The high productivity is maintained by the upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water from the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ), driven by strong trade winds. However, the potential impacts of climate change on upwelling dynamics and oceanographic conditions in the near future are uncertain, threatening local and global economies. Here, we unravel the response of the HCE to contrasting climatic conditions during the last two interglacials (i.e. Holocene and MIS5e) providing an independent insight about the relation between climatic factors and upwelling and productivity dynamics. For this purpose, we used multiple cores to reconstruct past changes in OMZ and upwelling intensity, productivity and fish biomass variability. Chronologies for the Holocene were obtained by multiple 14C ages and laminae correlations among cores, while for the MIS5e they were mainly done by correlation of prominent features in several proxies with other published records. We used a multiproxy approach including alkenones to reconstruct sea surface temperatures, δ15N as a proxy for water column denitrification, redox sensitive metals as proxies for sediment redox conditions, and diatom and fish debris assemblages to reconstruct ecological changes. The results show a very different response of the HCE to climate conditions during the last 2 interglacials, likely driven by changes in Tropical Pacific dynamics. During the Holocene we find that 1) the Late Holocene exhibits higher multi-centennial scale variability compared to the Early Holocene, 2) increased upwelling and a weak OMZ during the mid-Holocene, and 3) long term increase in productivity (diatoms and fishes) from the Early to the Late Holocene. During the MIS5e we find an 1) intense OMZ, 2) strong water column stratification, 3) high siliceous biomass, and 4) low fish biomass compared

Holocene paleoenviroments of northwest Iowa

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baker, R.G.; Bettis, E.A. III; Schwert, D.P.

1996-05-01

This paper presents the biotic, sedimentary, geomorphic, and climatic history of the upper part of the Roberts Creek Basin, northeastern Iowa for the late-glacial and Holocene, and compares these records with a C-O isotopic sequence from Coldwater Cave, 60 km northwest of Roberts Creek. the biotic record (pollen, vascular plant and bryophyte macrofossils, and insects) is preserved in floodplain alluvium that underlies three constructional surfaces separated by low scarps. Each surface is underlain by a lithologically and temporally distinct alluvial fill. The highest surface is underlain by the Gunder Member of the Deforest Formation, dating from 11,000 to 4000 yrmore » BP; beneath the intermediate level is the Roberts Creek Member, dating from 4000 to 400 yr BP; and the lowest level is underlain by the Camp Creek Member, deposited during the last 380 yr. Pollen and plant macrofossils in the alluvial fill show that a typical late-glacial spruce forest was replaced by Quercus and Ulmus in the early Holocene. This early-to-middle Holocene forest became dominated by medic elements such as Acer saccharum, Tila americana, Ostyra virginiana, and Carpinus caroliniana as late as 5500 yr BP; in contrast, the closest sites to the west and north were at their warmest and driest were covered by prairie vegetation between 6500 and 5500 yr BP. After 5500 yr BP, the forest in the roberts Creek area was replaced by prairie, as indicated by a rich assemblage of plant macrofossils, although only Ambrosia and Poaceae became abundant in the pollen record. The return of Quercus {approx} 3000 BP (while nonarboreal pollen percentages remained relatively high) indicates the oak savanna prevailed with little change until settlement time. 83 refs., 17 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Argon geochronology of late Pleistocene to Holocene Westdahl volcano, Unimak Island, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Calvert, Andrew T.; Moore, Richard B.; McGimsey, Robert G.

2005-01-01

High-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of selected lavas from Westdahl Volcano places time constraints on several key prehistoric eruptive phases of this large active volcano. A dike cutting old pyroclastic-flow and associated lahar deposits from a precursor volcano yields an age of 1,654+/-11 k.y., dating this precursor volcano as older than early Pleistocene. A total of 11 geographically distributed lavas with ages ranging from 47+/-14 to 127+/-2 k.y. date construction of the Westdahl volcanic center. Lava flows cut by an apparent caldera-rim structure yielded ages of 81+/-5 and 121+/-8 k.y., placing a maximum date of 81 ka on caldera formation. Late Pleistocene and Holocene lavas fill the caldera, but most of them are obscured by the large summit icecap.

Lake Sediment Particle Size Analysis for Holocene Paleoenvironmental Study of Steens Mountain, Eastern Oregon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, J.; Stoner, J. S.; Reilly, B. T.; Hatfield, R. G.; Konyndyk, D.; Abbott, M. B.; Finkenbinder, M. S.; Hillman, A. L.

2016-12-01

In order to better understand climate trends in the late Pleistocene and Holocene in southeast Oregon, we present a sedimentological analysis of Fish Lake, Harney County, Oregon. Fish Lake (42° 44' 15" N, 118° 38' 57" W, 2,246.7 m) sits on the west slope of Steens Mountain, a fault-block mountain of Miocene basalt, adjacent to a glacial moraine. The present environment is high desert with sub alpine steppe vegetation, receiving approximately 12" of precipitation annually. The lake was cored in August 2013 with a series of overlapping drives, correlated by six distinct tephra and magnetic susceptibility. The composite section provides a 7.5 m continuous record of at least the last 13 ka, constrained by an age model built with 13 terrestrial macrofossil 14C dates. The recovered sediments, consisting of fine terrigenous and biogenous material in varying proportions, were analyzed with computed tomography (CT) scans, x-ray fluorescence (XRF) scans, magnetic measurements, loss on ignition (LOI), and sediment grain-size. CT and LOI data reveal a low density, high organic interval in the early Holocene ( 8.5-11 ka) with relatively coarse and well-sorted grain-size, suggesting an extended period of low lake level and low precipitation. Sediment grain-sizes are variable through the middle and late Holocene with high amplitude longer period features from 3 ka to the present. We investigate these grain-size fluctuations in the context of regional Holocene records.

NW Pacific mid-depth ventilation changes during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rella, S.; Uchida, M.

2010-12-01

During the last 50 years the oxygen content of North Pacific Intermediate Water primarily originating in the Okhotsk Sea has declined suggesting decreased mid-depth water circulation, likely leading to changes in biological productivity in the NW Pacific realm and a decrease in CO2 drawdown. It is therefore of high interest to elucidate the climate-oceanic interconnections of the present interglacial period (Holocene) in the NW Pacific, in order to predict possible future climate and surface productivity changes associated with a decrease in mid-depth ventilation in this ecologically sensitive region. However, such efforts have been hampered so far by the lack of appropriate sediment cores with fast sedimentation rates during the Holocene. Core CK05-04 that was recovered in 2005 from off Shimokita peninsula, Japan, at ~1000 m depth shows sedimentation rates of ~80 cm/kyr during the Holocene and therefore presents an ideal opportunity to reconstruct for the first time the Holocene ventilation history of the NW Pacific Ocean. We employ Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy (NIES-TERRA, Tsukuba) radiocarbon analysis of co-existing benthic and planktonic foraminifera to conclude on the ventilation age of the mid-depth water using benthic-planktonic radiocarbon age differences. At the conference we would like to present the results.

Holocene vegetation history from fossil rodent middens near Arequipa, Peru

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holmgren, C.A.; Betancourt, J.L.; Rylander, K.A.; Roque, J.; Tovar, O.; Zeballos, H.; Linares, E.; Quade, Jay

2001-01-01

Rodent (Abrocoma, Lagidium, Phyllotis) middens collected from 2350 to 2750 m elevation near Arequipa, Peru (16??S), provide an ???9600-yr vegetation history of the northern Atacama Desert, based on identification of >50 species of plant macrofossils. These midden floras show considerable stability throughout the Holocene, with slightly more mesophytic plant assemblages in the middle Holocene. Unlike the southwestern United States, rodent middens of mid-Holocene age are common. In the Arequipa area, the midden record does not reflect any effects of a mid-Holocene mega drought proposed from the extreme lowstand (100 m below modern levels, >6000 to 3500 yr B.P.) of Lake Titicaca, only 200 km east of Arequipa. This is perhaps not surprising, given other evidence for wetter summers on the Pacific slope of the Andes during the middle Holocene as well as the poor correlation of summer rainfall among modern weather stations in the central AndesAtacama Desert. The apparent difference in paleoclimatic reconstructions suggests that it is premature to relate changes observed during the Holocene to changes in El Nin??o Southern Oscillation modes. ?? 2001 University of Washington.

The Biogeophysical Climatic Impacts of Anthropogenic Land Use Change during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Clare; Singarayer, Joy; Valdes, Paul; Kaplan, Jed; Branch, Nicholas

2016-04-01

The first agricultural societies were established around 10ka BP and had spread across much of Europe and southern Asia by 5.5ka BP with resultant anthropogenic deforestation for crop and pasture land. Various studies have attempted to assess the biogeochemical implications for Holocene climate in terms of increased carbon dioxide and methane emissions. However, less work has been done to examine the biogeophysical impacts of this early land use change. In this study, global climate model simulations with HadCM3 were used to examine the biogeophysical effects of Holocene land cover change on climate, both globally and regionally, from the early Holocene (8 ka BP) to the early industrial era (1850 CE). Two experiments were performed with alternative descriptions of past vegetation: (i) potential natural vegetation simulated by TRIFFID but no land-use changes, and (ii) where the anthropogenic land use model, KK10 (Kaplan et al., 2009, 2011*) has been used to set the HadCM3 crop regions. Snapshot simulations have been run at 1,000 year intervals to examine when the first signature of anthropogenic climate change can be detected both regionally, in the areas of land use change, and globally. Results indicate that in regions of early land disturbance such as Europe and S.E. Asia detectable temperature changes, outside the normal range of variability, are encountered in the model as early as 7ka BP in the June/July/August (JJA) season and throughout the entire annual cycle by 2-3ka BP. Areas outside the regions of land disturbance are also affected, with virtually the whole globe experiencing significant temperature changes (predominantly cooling) by the early industrial period. Large-scale precipitation features such as the Indian monsoon, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), and the North Atlantic storm track are also impacted by local land use and remote teleconnections. We investigated how advection by surface winds, mean sea level pressure (MSLP) anomalies

Holocene Geomorphic and Stratigraphic Framework of Archeological Sites Along the Missouri River, Central South Dakota

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-01

South Dakota 13 2 Description of the Lower Brule Section MT-i, now submerged by the waters of Lake Sharpe, Lyman County, South Dakota 15 3 Sequence...MT-i, now submerged by the waters of Lake Sharpe, Lyman County, South Dakota Unit # Description Thickness 1 Gray, thinbedded Cretaceous Pierre Shale...14,000 10000 C- 14 YBP WISCONSlNAN HOLOCENE AGE LATE EARLY MIDDLE LATE 10 M.I1. AGGIE BROWN PICK CITY OW MID.UPE MBR MEMBER M EMBER RIVERDALE MEMBER OAHE

Last glacial maximum and Holocene lake levels of Owens Lake, eastern California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bacon, S.N.; Burke, R.M.; Pezzopane, S.K.; Jayko, A.S.

2006-01-01

Stratigraphic investigations of fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine sediments exposed in stream cuts, quarry walls, and deep trenches east of the Sierra Nevada in Owens Valley near Lone Pine, California have enabled the reconstruction of pluvial Owens Lake level oscillations. Age control for these sediments is from 22 radiocarbon (14C) dates and the identification and stratigraphic correlation of a tephra, which when plotted as a function of age versus altitude, define numerous oscillations in the level of pluvial Owens Lake during the latest Pleistocene and early Holocene. We have constructed a lake-level altitude curve for the time interval ???27,000 cal yr BP to present that is based on the integration of this new stratigraphic analysis with published surface stratigraphic data and subsurface core data. Pluvial Owens Lake regressed from its latest Pleistocene highstands from ???27,000 to ???15,300 cal yr BP, as recorded by ???15 m of down cutting of the sill from the altitudes of ???1160 to 1145 m. By ???11,600 cal yr BP, the lake had dropped ???45 m from the 1145 m sill. This lowstand was followed by an early Holocene transgression that attained a highstand near 1135 m before dropping to 1120 m at 7860-7650 cal yr BP that had not been recognized in earlier studies. The lake then lowered another ???30 m to shallow and near desiccation levels between ???6850 and 4300 cal yr BP. Fluvial cut-and-fill relations north of Lone Pine and well-preserved shoreline features at ???1108 m indicate a minor lake-level rise after 4300 cal yr BP, followed by alkaline and shallow conditions during the latest Holocene. The new latest Quaternary lake-level record of pluvial Owens Lake offers insight to the hydrologic balance along the east side of the southern Sierra Nevada and will assist regional paleoclimatic models for the western Basin and Range. ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oceanographic variability on the West Antarctic Peninsula during the Holocene and the influence of upper circumpolar deep water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peck, Victoria L.; Allen, Claire S.; Kender, Sev; McClymont, Erin L.; Hodgson, Dominic A.

2015-07-01

Recent intensification of wind-driven upwelling of warm upper circumpolar deep water (UCDW) has been linked to accelerated melting of West Antarctic ice shelves and glaciers. To better assess the long term relationship between UCDW upwelling and the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, we present a multi-proxy reconstruction of surface and bottom water conditions in Marguerite Bay, West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), through the Holocene. A combination of sedimentological, diatom and foraminiferal records are, for the first time, presented together to infer a decline in UCDW influence within Marguerite Bay through the early to mid Holocene and the dominance of cyclic forcing in the late Holocene. Extensive glacial melt, limited sea ice and enhanced primary productivity between 9.7 and 7.0 ka BP is considered to be most consistent with persistent incursions of UCDW through Marguerite Trough. From 7.0 ka BP sea ice seasons increased and productivity decreased, suggesting that UCDW influence within Marguerite Bay waned, coincident with the equatorward migration of the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds (SWW). UCDW influence continued through the mid Holocene, and by 4.2 ka BP lengthy sea ice seasons persisted within Marguerite Bay. Intermittent melting and reforming of this sea ice within the late Holocene may be indicative of episodic incursions of UCDW into Marguerite Bay during this period. The cyclical changes in the oceanography within Marguerite Bay during the late Holocene is consistent with enhanced sensitively to ENSO forcing as opposed to the SWW-forcing that appears to have dominated the early to mid Holocene. Current measurements of the oceanography of the WAP continental shelf suggest that the system has now returned to the early Holocene-like oceanographic configuration reported here, which in both cases has been associated with rapid deglaciation.

Holocene glacier history of the Lago Argentino basin, Southern Patagonian Icefield

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strelin, Jorge A.; Kaplan, Michael R.; Vandergoes, Marcus J.; Denton, George H.; Schaefer, Joerg M.

2014-10-01

We present new geomorphic, stratigraphic, and chronologic data for Holocene glacier fluctuations in the Lago Argentino basin on the eastern side of the southern Patagonian Andes. Chronologic control is based on 14C and surface-exposure 10Be dating. After the Lateglacial maximum at 13,000 cal yrs BP, the large ice lobes that filled the eastern reaches of Lago Argentino retreated and separated into individual outlet glaciers; this recession was interrupted only by a stillstand or minor readvance at 12,200 cal yrs BP. The eight largest of these individual outlet glaciers are, from north to south: Upsala, Agassiz, Onelli, Spegazzini, Mayo, Ameghino, Perito Moreno, and Grande (formerly Frías). Holocene recession of Upsala Glacier exposed Brazo Cristina more than 10,115 ± 100 cal yrs BP, and reached inboard of the Holocene moraines in Agassiz Este Valley by 9205 ± 85 cal yrs BP; ice remained in an inboard position until 7730 ± 50 cal yrs BP. Several subsequent glacier readvances are well documented for the Upsala and Frías glaciers. The Upsala Glacier readvanced at least seven times, the first being a relatively minor expansion - documented only in stratigraphic sections - between 7730 ± 50 and 7210 ± 45 cal yrs BP. The most extensive Holocene advances of Upsala Glacier resulted in the deposition of the Pearson 1 moraines and related landforms, which are divided into three systems. The Pearson 1a advance occurred about 6000-5000 cal yrs BP and was followed by the slightly less-extensive Pearson 1b and 1c advances dated to 2500-2000 and 1500-1100 cal yrs BP, respectively. Subsequent advances of Upsala Glacier resulted in deposition of the Pearson 2 moraines and corresponding landforms, also separated into three systems, Pearson 2a, 2b, and 2c, constructed respectively at ˜700, >400, and <300 cal yrs BP to the early 20th century. Similar advances are also recorded by moraine systems in front of Grande Glacier and herein separated into the Frías 1 and Frías 2a, 2b

Holocene temperature variability revealed by brGDGTs in subtropical southwestern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, X.; Zhao, C.

2017-12-01

Subtropical areas are important source region of moisture and heat in global climate system. Paleoclimate reconstructions from these regions, especially quantitative records, would not only help to better understand the nature of climate system through time, but also provide important constraining dataset for long-term ecosystem variations in these ecological important areas. To date, quantitative climate records with reliable chronological controls are still limited from terrestrial archives in subtropical areas. Here we present a 50-year-resolution quantitative temperature record throughout the Holocene based on branched GDGTs at a small alpine lake, Tiancai Lake (26°38'E, 99°43'N, 3898 m.a.s.l) in southwestern China. The record is based on a temporal calibration between instrumental mean annual air temperature (MAAT) and brGDGT compounds (GDGT-IIIa, GDGT-IIa', GDGT-IIb, GDGT-Ia and GDGT-Ic). The MAAT was relatively low -0.6 ° between 11 and 7.5 ka, then abruptly increased 1 ° to 4 °until 7 ka. The MAAT was relatively warm 2° between 7 and 1 ka, then decreased to 1° over the last 1 ka. The Middle to Late Holocene was 3 ° warmer than the Early Holocene. The MAAT variation at Lake Tiancai is supported by changes in evergreen oaks and Tsuga from the same sediment core, suggesting that the growth of cold-tolerant forest in place of subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest has been driven by the decrease in MAAT. The early Holocene cold interval revealed by our record and pollen data is different with the chironomid-based summer temperature reconstruction from the same lake, the latter has been driven by summer insolation. This difference suggests that a pronounced winter contribution to the mean annual temperature during the early Holocene, which was probably caused by a low winter insolation, and strengthened by a sparse vegetation cover and influences of winter ice/snow cover in tropical high latitude regions.

Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisses, A.; Kell, A.; Kent, G.

Amy Eisses, Annie Kell, Graham Kent, Neal Driscoll, Robert Karlin, Rob Baskin, John Louie, and Satish Pullammanappallil, 2011, Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada: presented at Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting, San Diego, Oct. 23-26.

Anthropogenic impact and lead pollution throughout the Holocene in Southern Iberia.

PubMed

García-Alix, A; Jimenez-Espejo, F J; Lozano, J A; Jiménez-Moreno, G; Martinez-Ruiz, F; García Sanjuán, L; Aranda Jiménez, G; García Alfonso, E; Ruiz-Puertas, G; Anderson, R Scott

2013-04-01

Present day lead pollution is an environmental hazard of global proportions. A correct determination of natural lead levels is very important in order to evaluate anthropogenic lead contributions. In this paper, the anthropogenic signature of early metallurgy in Southern Iberia during the Holocene, more specifically during the Late Prehistory, was assessed by mean of a multiproxy approach: comparison of atmospheric lead pollution, fire regimes, deforestation, mass sediment transport, and archeological data. Although the onset of metallurgy in Southern Iberia is a matter of controversy, here we show the oldest lead pollution record from Western Europe in a continuous paleoenvironmental sequence, which suggests clear lead pollution caused by metallurgical activities since ~3900 cal BP (Early Bronze Age). This lead pollution was especially important during Late Bronze and Early Iron ages. At the same time, since ~4000 cal BP, an increase in fire activity is observed in this area, which is also coupled with deforestation and increased erosion rates. This study also shows that the lead pollution record locally reached near present-day values many times in the past, suggesting intensive use and manipulation of lead during those periods in this area. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring Holocene Indian Summer Monsoon Precipitation through Lake Sedimentary Proxies, Eastern Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perello, M. M.; Bird, B. W.; Lei, Y.; Polissar, P. J.; Thompson, L. G.; Yao, T.

2017-12-01

The Tibetan Plateau is the headwaters of several major river systems in South Asia, which serve as essential water resources for more than 40% of the world's population. The majority of regional precipitation that sustains these water resources is from the Indian summer monsoon (ISM), which can experience considerably variability in response to local and remote forcings and teleconnections. Despite the ISM's importance, its sensitivity to long term and abrupt changes in climatic boundary conditions is not well established with the modern instrumental record or the available body of paleoclimate data. Here, we present results from an ongoing study that utilizes lake sediment records to provide a longer record of relative levels of precipitation and lake level during the monsoon season. The sediments cores used in this study were collected from five lakes along an east-west transect in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau (87-95°E). Using these records, we assess temporal and spatial variability in the intensity of the ISM throughout the Holocene on decadal frequencies. Multiple proxies, including sedimentology, grain size, geochemistry, terrestrial and aquatic leaf wax isotopes, and diatom community assemblages, are used to assess paleo-precipitation and lake level. Preliminary records from our lakes indicate regional trends in monsoon strength, with higher lake levels in the Early Holocene, but with greater variability in the Late Holocene than in other regional paleoclimate records. We have also observed weak responses in our lakes to the Late Holocene events, the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age. These paleoclimate reconstructions furthers our understanding of strong versus weak monsoon intensities and can be incorporated in climate models for predicting future monsoon conditions.

Alkenone-based reconstructions show four-phase Holocene temperature history for Arctic Svalbard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Bilt, W. G. M.; D'Andrea, W. J.; Bakke, J.; Balascio, N.; Werner, J.; Bradley, R. S.

2016-12-01

Situated at the crossroads of global oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns, the Arctic is a key component of Earth`s climate system. Amplified by sea-ice feedbacks, even modest shifts in regional heat budget drive large climate responses. This is highlighted by the dramatic response of the Arctic to global warming. Assessing the signature of underlying forcings require paleoclimate records, allowing us to expand our knowledge beyond the short instrumental period and contextualize ongoing warming. However, such data are scarce and sparse in the Arctic, limiting our ability to address these issues. We present two quantitative Holocene-length summer temperature reconstructions from the Arctic Svalbard archipelago. Temperature estimates are based on alkenone unsaturation ratios measured on sediment cores from two lakes. Our data reveal a dynamic Holocene temperature history, with reconstructed lake water temperatures spanning a range of 6-8 °C, and characterized by four phases. The Early Holocene was marked by an early ( 10.5 ka cal. BP) onset of insolation-driven Hypsithermal conditions, likely compounded by strengthening oceanic heat transport. This warm interval was interrupted by cooling between 10.5-8.3 ka cal. BP that we attribute to cooling effects from the melting Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Temperatures declined throughout the Middle Holocene, following a gradual trend that was accentuated by two cooling steps between 7.8-7 ka cal. BP and 4.4-3.5 ka cal. BP. These transitions coincide with a strengthening influence of Arctic water and sea-ice in the adjacent eastern Fram Strait. During the Late Holocene (past 4 ka), temperature change decoupled from the still-declining insolation, and fluctuated around cold mean conditions. This study improves our understanding of Arctic climate dynamics by demonstrating that Holocene Svalbard temperatures were governed by an alternation of forcing mechanism.

Holocene Mass Transport Deposits in Western Norwegian fjords and lakes revealing prehistoric earthquake history of Scandinavia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellwald, B.; Hjelstuen, B. O.; Sejrup, H. P.; Kuvås, J.; Stokowy, T.

2016-12-01

The sensitivity of fjord sediments to seismic shaking makes fjord systems appropriate study sites when extending regional earthquake catalogs back in time and when estimating recurrence rates of prehistoric earthquakes in intraplate settings. In this study we compiled evidence of 140 postglacial mass movement events and their associated mass transport deposits (MTDs) from previously analyzed and new sediment cores and high-resolution seismic profiles from 22 fjord systems and six lakes in Western Norway. Evaluation of trigger mechanisms make us infer that most of these mass movement events were initiated by regional earthquakes, and that both climate-related processes and tsunamis most likely can be excluded as trigger mechanism for most of the events. A total of 33 individual earthquakes has been identified, which most likely outbalance the historically recorded events in magnitude, thus indicating magnitudes >6. Frequency plots of MTDs suggest high seismic activity in the early Holocene (11000-9700 cal. yrs BP), followed by seismic quiescence in the mid-Holocene before a seismic reactivation took place at 4000 cal. yrs BP. Coevally-triggered MTDs at 8100 cal. yrs BP are identified in all the archives, and are correlating with the age of the offshore Storegga slide. We estimate earthquake recurrence rates of 1/80 years directly after the last deglaciation of Western Norway (12800-11600 ca. yrs BP), 1/200 years for the early Holocene and 1/300 years for the last 4000 years. Our compilation suggests that the mid-Holocene is characterized by low seismic activity, suggesting recurrence rates of 1/1300 years. Comparisons of the Western Norwegian dataset with paleoseimologic studies of other previously glaciated intraplate settings indicate that both Scandinavia and the Alps show similar trends as Western Norway, whereas Eastern Canada is not correlating with the paleoseismologic trend of this study, which could be explained by different deglaciation histories.

Late Pleistocene-Holocene paleobiogeography of the genus Apodemus in Central Europe

PubMed Central

Knitlová, Markéta; Horáček, Ivan

2017-01-01

Wood mice of the genus Apodemus are an essential component of small mammal communities throughout Europe. Molecular data suggest the postglacial colonization of current ranges from south European glacial refugia, different in particular species. Yet, details on the course of colonization and Holocene history of particular species are not available, partly because of a lack of reliable criteria for species identification in the fossil record. Using a sample of extant species, we analyzed variation patterns and between-species overlaps for a large set of metric and non-metric dental variables and established the criteria enabling the reliable species identification of fragmentary fossil material. The corresponding biometrical analyses were undertaken with fossil material of the genus (2528 items, 747 MNI) from 22 continuous sedimentary series in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, from LGM to Recent. In Central Europe, the genus is invariantly absent in LGM assemblages but regularly appears during the Late Vistulian. All the earliest records belong to A. flavicollis, the species clearly predominating in the fossil record until the Late Holocene. A. uralensis accompanied it in all regions until the late Boreal when disappeared from the fossil record (except for Pannonia). A few items identified as A. sylvaticus had already appeared in the early Holocene assemblages, first in the western part of the region, yet the regular appearance of the species is mostly in the post-Neolithic age. A. agrarius appeared sparsely from the Boreal with a maximum frequency during the post-Neolithic period. The results conform well to the picture suggested by molecular phylogeography but demonstrate considerable differences among particular species in dynamic of the range colonization. Further details concerning Holocene paleobiogeography of individual species in the medium latitude Europe are discussed. PMID:28282422

A high-resolution speleothem record of western equatorial Pacific rainfall: Implications for Holocene ENSO evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Sang; Hoffmann, Sharon S.; Lund, David C.; Cobb, Kim M.; Emile-Geay, Julien; Adkins, Jess F.

2016-05-01

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the primary driver of interannual climate variability in the tropics and subtropics. Despite substantial progress in understanding ocean-atmosphere feedbacks that drive ENSO today, relatively little is known about its behavior on centennial and longer timescales. Paleoclimate records from lakes, corals, molluscs and deep-sea sediments generally suggest that ENSO variability was weaker during the mid-Holocene (4-6 kyr BP) than the late Holocene (0-4 kyr BP). However, discrepancies amongst the records preclude a clear timeline of Holocene ENSO evolution and therefore the attribution of ENSO variability to specific climate forcing mechanisms. Here we present δ18 O results from a U-Th dated speleothem in Malaysian Borneo sampled at sub-annual resolution. The δ18 O of Borneo rainfall is a robust proxy of regional convective intensity and precipitation amount, both of which are directly influenced by ENSO activity. Our estimates of stalagmite δ18 O variance at ENSO periods (2-7 yr) show a significant reduction in interannual variability during the mid-Holocene (3240-3380 and 5160-5230 yr BP) relative to both the late Holocene (2390-2590 yr BP) and early Holocene (6590-6730 yr BP). The Borneo results are therefore inconsistent with lacustrine records of ENSO from the eastern equatorial Pacific that show little or no ENSO variance during the early Holocene. Instead, our results support coral, mollusc and foraminiferal records from the central and eastern equatorial Pacific that show a mid-Holocene minimum in ENSO variance. Reduced mid-Holocene interannual δ18 O variability in Borneo coincides with an overall minimum in mean δ18 O from 3.5 to 5.5 kyr BP. Persistent warm pool convection would tend to enhance the Walker circulation during the mid-Holocene, which likely contributed to reduced ENSO variance during this period. This finding implies that both convective intensity and interannual variability in Borneo are driven by

Holocene Glacier Fluctuations in the Peruvian Andes Indicate Northern Climate Linkages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licciardi, Joseph M.; Schaefer, Joerg M.; Taggart, Jean R.; Lund, David C.

2009-09-01

The role of the tropics in triggering, transmitting, and amplifying interhemispheric climate signals remains a key debate in paleoclimatology. Tropical glacier fluctuations provide important insight on regional paleoclimatic trends and forcings, but robust chronologies are scarce. Here, we report precise moraine ages from the Cordillera Vilcabamba (13°20‧S) of southern Peru that indicate prominent glacial events and associated climatic shifts in the outer tropics during the early Holocene and late in the “Little Ice Age” period. Our glacier chronologies differ from the New Zealand record but are broadly correlative with well-dated glacial records in Europe, suggesting climate linkages between the tropics and the North Atlantic region.

Tracking the impact of mid- to late Holocene climate change and anthropogenic activities on Lake Holzmaar using an updated Holocene chronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, Sushma; Baier, Janina

2014-11-01

The mid- to late Holocene interval is characterised by a highly variable climate in response to a gradual change in orbital insolation. The seasonal impact of these changes on the Eifel Maar region is not yet well documented largely due to uncertainties about the completeness of this archive ("missing varves" in the well known Lake Holzmaar) and a limited understanding of the factors (e.g. temperature, precipitation) influencing the seasonality archived within the lamination/varves. In this study we approach these challenges from a different perspective. Using detailed microfacies investigations we: (1) demonstrate that the ambiguity about the "missing varves" is related to the climate induced complex biotic and abiotic laminations that led to mis-identification of varves; (2) use a combination of detailed microfacies investigations (varve structure, seasonality of biotic and abiotic signals), lamination quality, varve counts on multiple cores, published and new radiocarbon dates to develop a continuous master chronology based on the Bayesian modelling approach. The dates of major climate, volcanic, and archaeological event(s) determined using our model are in good agreement with the independently determined ages of the same events from other archives, confirming the accuracy of our age model; (3) test the sensitivity of the seasonal proxies to the available data on mid-Holocene changes in temperature and precipitation; (4) demonstrate that the changes in lake eutrophicity are correlative with temperature changes in NW Europe and probably triggered by solar variability; and (5) show that the early Iron Age onset of eutrophication in Lake Holzmaar was climate induced and began several decades before the impact of anthropogenic activity was seen in the form of intensified detrital erosion in the catchment area. Our work has implications for understanding the impact of climate change and anthropogenic activities on limnological systems.

The Holocene Minimum of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet: Radiocarbon Model Ages for Subglacial Sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tulaczyk, S. M.; Stansell, N.; Scherer, R. P.; Powell, R. D.

2017-12-01

It is commonly assumed that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is at the present time as small as it has been since at least the last interglacial period about 125,000 years ago. Yet, our recent analyses of subglacial sediments recovered from beneath the ice sheet indicate regionally widespread presence of radiocarbon. This unstable isotope with half life of 5,730 years should decay to nil if the analyzed subglacial sediment samples have been isolated beneath the ice sheet from the atmosphere and the ocean for 125,000 years (over 20 half lives). However, the apparent radiocarbon ages for these samples are in the range of about 20,000-30,000 years BP, based on radiocarbon Fraction Modern (FM) of a few to several percent. The apparent sediment ages cannot be taken at face value because: (1) they overlap with the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) when WAIS is known to have extended over 1,000 km past the sediment sampling locations, and (2) Antarctic glacigenic sediments commonly contain significant admixture of old, radiocarbon-dead organic matter. The latter biases apparent radiocarbon ages because it violates the assumption that the initial radiocarbon fraction in a sample was equal to FM. To mitigate the problem with apparent ages, we assume that initial radiocarbon fraction in subglacial sediments was equal to that determined by us independently in J-9 sediments from beneath the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) and calculate radiocarbon 'model ages' between 1,000 and 6,000 years BP. This period of time overlaps with a regional climatic optimum and with late phases of post-LGM glacioisostatic adjustment in the region (e.g., Kingslake et al., this session). We propose that the grounding line of WAIS, at least on the RIS side, retreated in mid/late Holocene more than 300 km beyond its current position and then re-advanced to reach its modern geometry. This implies that the main body of WAIS was significantly smaller than today in mid/late Holocene and that the ice sheet is capable of

The Holocene Records of Glycerol Dialkyl Glycerol Tetraethers From the Northern Chukchi Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Y.; Yamamoto, M.; Nam, S.; Polyak, L. V.

2013-12-01

We analyzed glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) in Cores HOTRAX 05-01 JPC5 and JPC 8, and ARA02B 01-GC in the northern Chukchi Sea. All of the three cores showed a similar changing pattern in GDGT composition during the Holocene. In the beginning of early Holocene, both isoprenoid and branched GDGT concentrations were low, and BIT and CBT were relatively high. The similar composition is found in modern sediments from the western Arctic Ocean north of 75°N, suggesting that the northern Chukchi Sea was covered by perennial sea ice. GDGT concentration increased, and BIT and CBT decreased during the early Holocene and reached the same level as those in modern sediments at 8 ka. TEX86 and CBT/MBT indices showed millennial-scale variation. We interpret that these proxies did not simply indicate temperatures but were affected by the relative contribution of different sediment sources. Millennial-scale variability likely reflected changes in sediment transport in the northern Chukchi Sea.

Early-Holocene intensified Indian summer monsoon and its impact on vegetation: study based on hydrogen and carbon isotope values in long chain alkane from relict lake sediments in the Central Himalaya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanyal, P.; Ghosh, S.; Bhushan, R.; Juyal, N.

2017-12-01

The early Holocene was characterized by intensified monsoon, however none of the paleoclimatic records showed the magnitude required to shape the observed landform in the Ganges plain and sediment discharge in the Bay of Bengal. The Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission data suggests that the Central Himalaya ( 2 km altitude) is characterized by high rainfall and hence paleoclimate proxies from this region would provide excellent opportunity to reconstruct the Holocene monsoon. An attempt has been made, for the first time, to reconstruct the Holocene monsoon using n-alkane δDC29 values of lake sediments from Benital area in the Central Himalaya which receives ca. 80% of the mean annual rainfall during summer monsoon. The n-alkane δDC29 values indicated that early Holocene (ca. 9 ka) was characterised by a wet phase with 70% increase in the rainfall followed by the dry middle-late Holocene which is in agreement with existing continental records. However, the change in intensity as inferred in the present study is maximum compared to the existing records. The comparison of δDC29values and the solar insolation data at 30 °N latitude suggested that migration of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone controlled the variation in monsoonal rainfall. Comparison with the modern plants, the δ13CC29 values indicated that during ca. pre and post 7 ka the lake catchment was dominated by woody and non-woody plants, respectively. The cross plot between δDC29 and δ13CC29 indicated that at higher rainfall, the δ13CC29 values of catchment vegetation were less-responsive.

Early to Middle Holocene sea level fluctuation, coastal progradation and the Neolithic occupation in the Yaojiang Valley of southern Hangzhou Bay, Eastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yan; Sun, Qianli; Fan, Daidu; Dai, Bin; Ma, Fuwei; Xu, Lichen; Chen, Jing; Chen, Zhongyuan

2018-06-01

The Yaojiang Valley (YJV) of southern Hangzhou Bay was the birthplace of the well-known Hemudu Culture (HC), one of the representatives of Neolithic civilization in eastern China. To explore the magnitude of natural environmental effects on the HC trajectory, the palaeo-embayment setting of the YJV was studied in detail for the first time in terms of 3D Holocene strata supported by a series of new radiocarbon-dated cores. The results indicated that the local relative sea level rose rapidly during the Early Holocene in the YJV, reached its maximum flooding surface ca. 7900 cal yr BP, and then remained stable ca. 7900-7600 cal yr BP. Thereupon, an estuary stretching inland was first formed by marine transgression, and then, it was transformed to an alluvial-coastal plain by regressive progradation. The alluvial plain was initiated in the foothills and then spread towards the valley centre after sea level stabilization ca. 7600 cal yr BP. Accompanying these natural environmental changes, the earliest arrivals of foragers in the valley occurred no later than ca. 7000 cal yr BP. They engaged in rice farming and fostered the HC for approximately two millennia from ca. 7000-5000 cal yr BP as more lands developed from coastal progradation. The rise and development of the HC are closely associated with the sea level-induced landscape changes in the YJV in the Early-Middle Holocene, but the enigmatic exodus of the HC people after ca. 5000 cal yr BP is still contentious and possibly linked with the rapid waterlogging and deterioration of this setting in such a low-lying coastal plain as well as with associated social reasons.

Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene lake-level fluctuations in the Lahontan Basin, Nevada: Implications for the distribution of archaeological sites

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, K.D.; Goebel, Thomas; Graf, K.; Smith, G.M.; Camp, A.J.; Briggs, R.W.; Rhode, D.

2008-01-01

The Great Basin of the western U.S. contains a rich record of late Pleistocene and Holocene lake-level fluctuations as well as an extensive record of human occupation during the same time frame. We compare spatial-temporal relationships between these records in the Lahontan basin to consider whether lake-level fluctuations across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition controlled distribution of archaeological sites. We use the reasonably well-dated archaeological record from caves and rockshelters as well as results from new pedestrian surveys to investigate this problem. Although lake levels probably reached maximum elevations of about 1230-1235 m in the different subbasins of Lahontan during the Younger Dryas (YD) period, the duration that the lakes occupied the highest levels was brief Paleoindian and early Archaic archaeological sites are concentrated on somewhat lower and slightly younger shorelines (???1220-1225 in) that also date from the Younger Dryas period. This study suggests that Paleoindians often concentrated their activities adjacent to large lakes and wetland resources soon after they first entered the Great Basin. ?? 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Fossil insects may provide unique information on structures and disturbances in past forest ecosystems - examples from Holocene studies in southern Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemdahl, Geoffrey; Gustavsson, Gunnar; Olsson, Fredrik; Gaillard, Marie-José

2010-05-01

well with the data of Holocene megaherbivores bone finds in southern Sweden. Obligate insects on heather-covered heath confirm the interpretation of Calluna pollen during the Bronze Age as representing heath land rather than bog vegetation. Changes in the abundance of aquatic and hydrophilic species exhibit trends that correlate with regional lake-level fluctuations. These results suggest that the forests of the early Holocene were more open than often proposed by palynologists, grazing by megaherbivores and fire being two very important disturbances in these ecosystems. In contrast, there is no indication of grazing during Mid-Holocene, while fire is still frequent at sites dominated by pine (see Cui et al. BG 6.2). Late Holocene is characterized by human-induced fire and grazing. References: Gaillard and Lemdahl 1994. The Holocene 4, 53-68. Gustavsson, Lemdahl and Gaillard 2009. The Holocene 19, 691-702. Olsson and Lemdahl 2009. Journal of Quaternary Science 24, 612-625. Whitehouse 2006. Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 1755-1789.

Holocene hydrological changes and human presence in NW Arabia: Insights from lipid biomarker analysis of the Tayma palaeolake sediment record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dräger, Nadine; Schwab, Valérie F.; Plessen, Birgit; Neugebauer, Ina; Dinies, Michèle; Engel, Max; Brauer, Achim; Gleixner, Gerd

2017-04-01

Holocene hydrological changes in NW Arabia and their influence on human migration and settlement are scarcely studied due to the lack of suitable climate archives. In particular, mechanisms and sources of increased moisture availability as well as the onset of oasis cultivation and culture during the early Holocene humid period are still not well understood. Here, we present the first Holocene lipid biomarker record of the Arabian Peninsula from the Tayma palaeolake sediment sequence. We applied a combined approach of aquatic, terrestrial and faecal lipid biomarker and compound specific hydrogen isotope analyses, which allow tracing both hydrological and anthropogenic signals in the sediment deposits. Our investigations focused on the early Holocene annually laminated (varved) sediment section (ca. 8500 to 8000 cal. a BP) presenting a phase of maximum lake levels probably caused by increased moisture availability (Dinies et al., 2015; Engel et al., 2012). During the early Holocene high lake level phase our results show increased concentrations of long-chain n-alkanes and faecal biomarkers suggesting grassland expansion and probably human occupation. The increase in grassland during this time is further supported by results from pollen analysis (Dinies et a., 2015). However, the increase in n-alkanes and faecal biomarkers did not occur simultaneously. While the rise of n-alkane concentrations predates the onset of varved sediments by about one century, the increase in faecal biomarker coincides with the beginning of varve preservation. Moreover, comparisons with sedimentological and geochemical data (i.e. diatom layer thickness, organic carbon content, δ13Ccarbonate) suggest a coincidence of highest concentrations of faecal biomarkers and increased lake productivity. We discuss possible causes for these coincidences including prehistoric human activities as well as climate and environmental changes. This study is a contribution to the research project "CLEAR

Holocene Climate in Northwest Greenland Inferred from Oxygen Isotopes of Preserved Aquatic Organic Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lasher, G. E.; Axford, Y.; McFarlin, J. M.; Kelly, M. A.; Osterberg, E. C.; Farnsworth, L. B.; Kotecki, P.

2015-12-01

Oxygen isotopes of paleo lake-water archived in subfossil aquatic organic material offer new insights into Arctic Holocene climate history. Here we present new constraints on the timing and magnitude of Holocene climate change in NW Greenland inferred from δ18O of chironomid head capsules, Cladocera ephippia, and aquatic macrophytes. δ18O of chironomids from surface sediments of multiple lakes in the region show consistent enrichment relative to lake-water (-18 to -22 ‰), on the order of 23 ‰. Lake-water δ18O collected during the summer of 2014 is comparable to modern and historical seasonal local meteoric water, and landscape position suggests dominantly precipitation inputs. Sediment cores recovered from two small, non-glacial lakes in 2014 near Thule Air Base capture continuous 7.7 kyr and 10.4 kyr records. δ18O of chironomids and macrophytes from Secret Lake decreases after 6 ka by 3 ‰ into the Neoglacial. Early Holocene values from Wax Lips Lake (informal name) are 3 to 4 ‰ higher than modern and decrease to the present, except for a large negative excursion ~5 ka. This is contemporaneous with a major change in stratigraphy and the hypothesized transient incursion of a regional, ice-dammed glacial lake system. At both lakes, declining δ18O from the early/middle to late Holocene is clearly recorded in multiple aquatic materials and is greater in magnitude than the mid to late Holocene changes in δ18O of the nearest ice core records (Agassiz and Camp Century, ~2 ‰). The temperature change of 4 to 6 °C inferred from this new δ18O approach is also larger than, but within the error of, chironomid assemblage based temperatures from Wax Lips Lake by McFarlin et al. (this meeting). This may indicate larger temperature changes at the ice sheet's margin than inferred from high-elevation ice core sites and/or some overprinting by enhanced evaporation of lake-water in the warmer climate of the early Holocene.

Preliminary Study of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene Plant Food Strategies in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi Tang, M.; Liu, X.; Fritz, G.; Zhao, Z.

2017-12-01

In recent decades, studies on the domestication and early cultivation of seed crops have contributed significantly to how we understand human-plant interactions, and their impact on human social organisation and the environment. It is becoming clear, however, that plants have been critical to the human diet for much longer and in more diverse ways than previously assumed. This paper is a preliminary attempt at identifying and addressing early prehistoric plant food strategies in China. In particular, very little is known about the use of vegetatively propagated plants, despite their significant representation in modern crops. Many ingredients of Chinese medicine are also roots and tubers (or vegetative storage organs, VSOs). Unlike seed crops, however, we lack a systematic criterion for examining diagnostic characters of different VSO taxa in the archaeological record. To address this issue, we characterized commonly consumed and historically significant VSOs in China, by studying experimentally charred modern samples under the optical microscope and scanning electron microscope. We then compared the characteristics of these modern VSO samples against plant remains from Late Pleistocene to early Holocene archaeological sites in China, such as Zengpiyan (Guangxi), Zhaoguodong (Guizhou), and Jiahu (Henan) sites. We found that different taxa of VSOs can be differentiated by using multiple lines of evidence, including: shape and size of various cells, texture and arrangement of cell walls, as well as anatomical arrangements of organs, especially the vascular bundles. Though identification can be difficult when fragile cell structures have collapsed or deteriorated, more robust features are often preserved for diagnosis. Our results suggest that the potential for studying the role of vegetatively propagated plants in early human-environmental interactions is overlooked, and can be expanded significantly with further investment in their systematic identification.

Chronological constraints on the Holocene glacier dynamics of the Argentière Glacier (Mont Blanc massif, France) based on cosmogenic nuclide dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Protin, Marie; Schimmelpfennig, Irene; Mugnier, Jean-Louis; Ravanel, Ludovic; Deline, Philip; Le Roy, Melaine; Moreau, Luc; Aster Team

2017-04-01

While reconstruction of glacier fluctuations during the Holocene provides important information about the glacier response to natural climate change, it is still a challenge to accurately constrain chronologies of past glacier advances and retreats. Moraine deposits and roches moutonnées represent valuable geomorphic markers of advanced glacier extensions, while the currently ongoing glacier melt uncovers proglacial bedrock that can be used as a new archive to investigate the durations when a glacier was in retreated position during the Holocene. Our study focuses on the Mont-Blanc massif (MBM), located in the Western Alps and hosting some of the largest glaciers of Europe. Chronologies of Holocene glacier fluctuations in this area are still sparse, even if recent studies considerably improved the temporal reconstruction of Holocene advances of some glaciers in the MBM and locations near-by (e.g. Le Roy et al., 2015). Here we present preliminary 10Be exposure ages obtained from moraine boulders, roches moutonnées and pro- and subglacial bedrock in the area of the Argentière Glacier, located on the north-western flank of the MBM. The ages of moraine boulders and roche moutonnée surfaces outboard of the investigated moraines suggest that the Early Holocene deglaciation of this area started around 11 ka ago. Also, 10Be measurements of recently deglaciated bedrock surfaces indicate that the glacier was at a position at least as retracted as today for a minimum duration of 7 ka throughout the Holocene. The 10Be measurement of one sample from a surface that is currently still covered by 60 m of ice suggests that the glacier was shorter than today for at least a duration of 3 ka. These first results will soon be completed with in situ 14C measurements, which will allow us to quantify and take into account subglacial erosion rates and thus to more accurately determine the cumulative duration of pro- and subglacial bedrock exposure during the Holocene.

Late glacial and Early Holocene climatic conditions along the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet, registered by glacial extents in Milne Land, east Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, L.; Kelly, M. A.; Lowell, T. V.

2010-12-01

to 10,410 yr, indicating that glacial advances occurred during the late Younger Dryas and early Holocene time. The ELA depression of 3-4°C associated with these advances indicates strong seasonality during this time period. These new ages do not show an influence of 10Be inherited from prior periods of exposure, an issue that has hindered applications of 10Be dating in the region in the past. Thus, these ages demonstrate clear evidence for advances of late glacial and early Holocene cooling that must have also influenced the margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Patterns of human occupation during the early Holocene in the Central Ebro Basin (NE Spain) in response to the 8.2 ka climatic event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Sampériz, P.; Utrilla, P.; Mazo, C.; Valero-Garcés, B.; Sopena, MC.; Morellón, M.; Sebastián, M.; Moreno, A.; Martínez-Bea, M.

2009-03-01

The Central Ebro River Basin (NE Spain) is the most northern area of truly semi-arid Mediterranean climate in Europe and prehistoric human occupation there has been strongly influenced by this extreme environmental condition. Modern climate conditions single out this region due to the harsh environment, characterised by the highest absolute summer temperatures of the Ebro River Basin. The Bajo Aragón region (SE Ebro River Basin) was intensively populated during the Early Holocene (9400-8200 cal yr BP) but the settlements were abandoned abruptly at around 8200 cal yr BP. We propose that this "archaeological silence" was caused by the regional impact of the global abrupt 8.2 ka cold event. Available regional paleoclimate archives demonstrate the existence of an aridity crisis then that interrupted the humid Early Holocene. That environmental crisis would have forced hunter-gatherer groups from the Bajo Aragón to migrate to regions with more favourable conditions (i.e. more humid mountainous areas) and only return in the Neolithic. Coherently, archaeological sites persist during this crisis in the nearby Iberian Range (Maestrazgo) and the North Ebro River area (Pre-Pyrenean mountains and along the northwestern Ebro Basin).

Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisses, A.; Kell, A.; Kent, G.

Amy Eisses, Annie Kell, Graham Kent, Neal Driscoll, Robert Karlin, Rob Baskin, John Louie, and Satish Pullammanappallil, 2011, Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada: Geothermal Resources Council Transactions, 35, 7 pp. Preprint at http://crack.seismo.unr.edu/geothermal/Eisses-GRCpaper-sm.pdf The Pyramid Lake fault zone lies within a vitally important area of the northern Walker Lane where not only can transtension can be studied through a complex arrangement of strike-slip and normal faults but also geothermal activity can be examined in the extensional regime for productivity. This study used advanced and economical seismic methodsmore » in attempt to develop the Paiute Tribe’s geothermal reservoir and to expand upon the tectonics and earthquake hazard knowledge of the area. 500 line-kilometers of marine CHIRP data were collected on Pyramid Lake combined with 27 kilometers of vibrator seismic on-land data from the northwest side of the basin were collected in 2010 that highlighted two distinct phases of faulting. Preliminary results suggest that the geothermal fluids in the area are controlled by the late Pleistoceneto Holocene-aged faults and not through the mid-Miocene-aged conduits as originally hypothesized.« less

High-resolution proxy record of Holocene climate from a loess section in Southwestern Nebraska, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miao, X.; Mason, J.A.; Johnson, W.C.; Wang, Hongfang

2007-01-01

Multi-proxy analysis was used to produce a high-resolution paleoclimatic record from an exceptionally thick section of the Holocene Bignell Loess near Wauneta, Southwestern Nebraska, in the central Great Plains. The Wauneta section has excellent age control, based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon dating, and records multiple episodes of rapid loess deposition alternating with slower deposition and soil formation. The lowermost and uppermost OSL ages obtained from the Bignell Loess are 10,250 ?? 610??years (5.9??m depth) and 100 ?? 10??years (0.1??m depth), respectively. As a result, the Holocene has been temporally confined. Stratigraphically, the Bignell Loess overlies the Late Pleistocene Peoria Loess (deposited ??? 21-14??ka), and the two units are separated by the Brady Soil which is distinguished by its color and other pedogenic features. L*a*b* color parameters and organic carbon content of Bignell Loess are sensitive proxies to differentiate drought-induced aeolian sediment layers from the intercalated soil horizons. Soil organic carbon-derived ??13C data suggest that the C3-dominated floral environment during Peoria Loess deposition shifted dramatically to a C4-dominated environment during Brady Soil formation in response to a warming trend. Even greater C4 abundance characterized the late Holocene. High-resolution ??13C data support the contention that C3 vs. C4 vegetation change in the Holocene reflects ecosystem response to frequent vegetation disturbance under arid conditions. Time series analysis reveals that ??13C and color parameters display high frequency variation with periodicities of 103-118??years and 103??years, respectively. Similar periodicities were also reported in studies of North Dakota lakes, though the physical mechanism responsible is uncertain. Comparison of Bignell Loess color and tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) allows evaluation of a proposed teleconnection between drought in the Great

Reconstruction of glacier variability from lake sediments reveals dynamic Holocene climate in Svalbard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Bilt, Willem G. M.; Bakke, Jostein; Vasskog, Kristian; D'Andrea, William J.; Bradley, Raymond S.; Ólafsdóttir, Sædis

2015-10-01

The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth. Holocene proxy time-series are increasingly used to put this amplified response in perspective by understanding Arctic climate processes beyond the instrumental period. However, available datasets are scarce, unevenly distributed and often of coarse resolution. Glaciers are sensitive recorders of climate shifts and variations in rock-flour production transfer this signal to the lacustrine sediment archives of downstream lakes. Here, we present the first full Holocene record of continuous glacier variability on Svalbard from glacier-fed Lake Hajeren. This reconstruction is based on an undisturbed lake sediment core that covers the entire Holocene and resolves variability on centennial scales owing to 26 dating points. A toolbox of physical, geochemical (XRF) and magnetic proxies in combination with multivariate statistics has allowed us to fingerprint glacier activity in addition to other processes affecting the sediment record. Evidence from variations in sediment density, validated by changes in Ti concentrations, reveal glaciers remained present in the catchment following deglaciation prior to 11,300 cal BP, culminating in a Holocene maximum between 9.6 and 9.5 ka cal BP. Correspondence with freshwater pulses from Hudson Strait suggests that Early Holocene glacier advances were driven by the melting Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). We find that glaciers disappeared from the catchment between 7.4 and 6.7 ka cal BP, following a late Hypsithermal. Glacier reformation around 4250 cal BP marks the onset of the Neoglacial, supporting previous findings. Between 3380 and 3230 cal BP, we find evidence for a previously unreported centennial-scale glacier advance. Both events are concurrent with well-documented episodes of North Atlantic cooling. We argue that this brief forcing created suitable conditions for glaciers to reform in the catchment against a background of gradual orbital cooling. These findings highlight the

A high-resolution Late Glacial to Holocene record of environmental change in the Mediterranean from Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacey, Jack H.; Francke, Alexander; Leng, Melanie J.; Vane, Christopher H.; Wagner, Bernd

2015-09-01

Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania) is the oldest extant lake in Europe and exhibits an outstanding degree of endemic biodiversity. Here, we provide new high-resolution stable isotope and geochemical data from a 10 m core (Co1262) through the Late Glacial to Holocene and discuss past climate and lake hydrology (TIC, δ13Ccalcite, δ18Ocalcite) as well as the terrestrial and aquatic vegetation response to climate (TOC, TOC/N, δ13Corganic, Rock Eval pyrolysis). The data identifies 3 main zones: (1) the Late Glacial-Holocene transition represented by low TIC and TOC contents, (2) the early to mid-Holocene characterised by high TOC and increasing TOC/N and (3) the Late Holocene-Present which shows a marked decrease in TIC and TOC. In general, an overall trend of increasing δ18Ocalcite from 9 ka to present suggests progressive aridification through the Holocene, consistent with previous records from Lake Ohrid and the wider Mediterranean region. Several proxies show commensurate excursions that imply the impact of short-term climate oscillations, such as the 8.2 ka event and the Little Ice Age. This is the best-dated and highest resolution archive of past Late Glacial and Holocene climate from Lake Ohrid and confirms the overriding influence of the North Atlantic in the north-eastern Mediterranean. The data presented set the context for the International Continental scientific Drilling Program Scientific Collaboration On Past Speciation Conditions in Lake Ohrid project cores recovered in spring-summer 2013, potentially dating back into the Lower Pleistocene, and will act as a recent calibration to reconstruct climate and hydrology over the entire lake history.

Human-environment interaction during the Mesolithic- Neolithic transition in the NE Iberian Peninsula. Vegetation history, climate change and human impact during the Early-Middle Holocene in the Eastern Pre-Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Revelles, J.; Burjachs, F.; Palomo, A.; Piqué, R.; Iriarte, E.; Pérez-Obiol, R.; Terradas, X.

2018-03-01

The synthetic analysis of several pollen records from sub-Mediterranean lowland Pre-Pyrenean regions evidences expansion of forests during the Early Holocene in Northeastern Iberia and the establishment of dense deciduous broadleaf forests during the Holocene Climate Optimum. Pollen records show the broadleaf deciduous forests resilience against cooling phases during the Mid-Holocene period, with slight regressions of oak woodlands and expansion of conifers or xerophytic taxa contemporary to some cooling episodes (i.e. 8.2 and 7.2 kyr cal. BP). Major vegetation changes influenced by climate change occurred in the transition to the Late Holocene, in terms of the start of a succession from broadleaf deciduous forests to evergreen sclerophyllous woodlands. The lack of evidence of previous occupation seems to support the Neolithisation of the NE Iberian Peninsula as a result of a process of migration of farming populations to uninhabited or sparsely inhabited territories. In that context, remarkable changes in vegetation were recorded from 7.3 kyr cal. BP onwards in the Lake Banyoles area, where the establishment of permanent farming settlements caused the deforestation of oak woodlands. In La Garrotxa region, short deforestation episodes affecting broadleaf deciduous forests, together with expansion of grasslands and presence of Cerealia-t were documented in the period 7.4-6.0 kyr cal. BP. Finally, in the coastal area, where less evidence of Early Neolithic occupations is recorded, evidence of Neolithic impact is reflected in the presence of Cerealia-t in 6.5-6.2 kyr cal. BP, but no strong human transformation of landscape was carried out until more recent chronologies.

Rapid Holocene thinning of outlet glaciers followed by readvance in the western Ross Embayment, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, R. S.; Whitmore, R.; Mackintosh, A.; Norton, K. P.; Eaves, S.; Stutz, J.

2017-12-01

Investigating Antarctic deglaciation following the LGM provides an opportunity to better understand patterns, mechanisms and drivers of ice sheet retreat. In the Ross Sea sector, geomorphic features preserved on the seafloor indicate that streaming East Antarctic outlet glaciers once extended >100 km offshore of South Victoria Land prior to back-stepping towards their modern configurations. In order to adequately interpret the style and causes of this retreat, the timing and magnitude of corresponding ice thickness change is required. We present new constraints on ice surface lowering from Mawson Glacier, an outlet of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet that flows into the western Ross Sea. Surface-exposure (10Be) ages from samples collected in elevation transects above the modern ice surface reveal that rapid thinning occurred at 5-8 ka, broadly coeval with new ages of grounding-line retreat at 6 ka and rapid thinning recorded at nearby Mackay Glacier at 7 ka. Our data also show that a moraine formed near to the modern ice margin of Mawson Glacier at 0.8 ka, which, together with historical observations, indicates that glaciers in this region readvanced during the last thousand years. We argue that 1) the accelerated thinning of outlet glaciers was driven by local grounding-line retreat through overdeepened basins during the early-mid Holocene, and 2) the glaciers subsequently readvanced, possibly linked to late Holocene sea-ice expansion, before retreating to their current positions. Our work demonstrates that these outlet glaciers were closely coupled to environmental and topography-induced perturbations near their termini throughout the Holocene.

Quantification of Holocene Asian monsoon rainfall from spatially separated cave records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Chaoyong; Henderson, Gideon M.; Huang, Junhua; Xie, Shucheng; Sun, Ying; Johnson, Kathleen R.

2008-02-01

A reconstruction of Holocene rainfall is presented for southwest China — an area prone to drought and flooding due to variability in the East Asian monsoon. The reconstruction is derived by comparing a new high-resolution stalagmite δ18O record with an existing record from the same moisture transport pathway. The new record is from Heshang Cave (30°27'N, 110°25'E; 294 m) and shows no sign of kinetic or evaporative effects so can be reliably interpreted as a record of local rainfall composition and temperature. Heshang lies 600 km downwind from Dongge Cave which has a published high-resolution δ18O record (Wang, Y.J., Cheng, H., Edwards, R.L., He, Y.Q., Kong, X.G., An, Z.S., Wu, J.Y., Kelly, M.J., Dykoski, C.A., Li, X.D., 2005. The Holocene Asian monsoon: links to solar changes and North Atlantic climate. Science 308, 854-857). By differencing co-eval δ18O values for the two caves, secondary controls on δ18O (e.g. moisture source, moisture transport, non-local rainfall, temperature) are circumvented and the resulting Δ δ18O signal is controlled directly by the amount of rain falling between the two sites. This is confirmed by comparison with rainfall data from the instrumental record, which also allows a calibration of the Δ δ18O proxy. The calibrated Δ δ18O record provides a quantitative history of rainfall in southwest China which demonstrates that rainfall was 8% higher than today during the Holocene climatic optimum (≈ 6 ka), but only 3% higher during the early Holocene. Significant multi-centennial variability also occurred, with notable dry periods at 8.2 ka, 4.8-4.1 ka, 3.7-3.1 ka, 1.4-1.0 ka and during the Little Ice Age. This Holocene rainfall record provides a good target with which to test climate models. The approach used here, of combining stalagmite records from more than one location, will also allow quantification of rainfall patterns for past times in other regions.

The Caribbean conundrum of Holocene sea level.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, Luke; Mound, Jon

2014-05-01

In the tropics, pre-historic sea-level curve reconstruction is often problematic because it relies upon sea-level indicators whose vertical relationship to the sea surface is poorly constrained. In the Caribbean, fossil corals, mangrove peats and shell material dominate the pre-historic indicator record. The common approach to reconstruction involves the use of modern analogues to these indicators to establish a fixed vertical habitable range. The aim of these reconstructions is to find spatial variability in the Holocene sea level in an area gradually subsiding (< 1.2 mm yr-1) due the water loading following the deglaciation of the Laurentide ice sheet. We construct two catalogues: one of published Holocene sea-level indicators and the other of published, modern growth rates, abundance and coverage of mangrove and coral species for different depths. We use the first catalogue to calibrate 14C ages to give a probabilistic age range for each indicator. We use the second catalogue to define a depth probability distribution function (pdf) for mangroves and each coral species. The Holocene indicators are grouped into 12 sub-regions around the Caribbean. For each sub-region we apply our sea-level reconstruction, which involves stepping a fixed-length time window through time and calculating the position (and rate) of sea-level (change) using a thousand realisations of the time/depth pdfs to define an envelope of probable solutions. We find that the sub-regional relative sea-level curves display spatio-temporal variability including a south-east to north-west 1500 year lag in the arrival of Holocene sea level to that of the present day. We demonstrate that these variations are primarily due to glacial-isostatic-adjustment induced sea-level change and that sub-regional variations (where sufficient data exists) are due to local uplift variability.

Optically stimulated luminescence age controls on late Pleistocene and Holocene coastal lithosomes, North Carolina, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mallinson, D.; Burdette, K.; Mahan, S.; Brook, G.

2008-01-01

Luminescence ages from a variety of coastal features on the North Carolina Coastal Plain provide age control for shoreline formation and relative sea-level position during the late Pleistocene. A series of paleoshoreline ridges, dating to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a and MIS 3 have been defined. The Kitty Hawk beach ridges, on the modern Outer Banks, yield ages of 3 to 2??ka. Oxygen-isotope data are used to place these deposits in the context of global climate and sea-level change. The occurrence of MIS 5a and MIS 3 shorelines suggests that glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) of the study area is large (ca. 22 to 26??m), as suggested and modeled by other workers, and/or MIS 3 sea level was briefly higher than suggested by some coral reef studies. Correcting the shoreline elevations for GIA brings their elevation in line with other sea-level indicators. The age of the Kitty Hawk beach ridges places the Holocene shoreline well west of its present location at ca. 3 to 2??ka. The age of shoreline progradation is consistent with the ages of other beach ridge complexes in the southeast USA, suggesting some regionally contemporaneous forcing mechanism. ?? 2007 University of Washington.

A Holocene history of dune-mediated landscape change along the southeastern shore of Lake Superior

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loope, Walter L.; Fisher, Timothy G.; Jol, Harry M.; Anderton, John B.; Blewett, William L.

2004-01-01

Causal links that connect Holocene high stands of Lake Superior with dune building, stream damming and diversion and reservoir impoundment and infilling are inferred from a multidisciplinary investigation of a small watershed along the SE shore of Lake Superior. Radiocarbon ages of wood fragments from in-place stumps and soil O horizons, recovered from the bottom of 300-ha Grand Sable Lake, suggest that the near-shore inland lake was formed during multiple episodes of late Holocene dune damming of ancestral Sable Creek. Forest drownings at ~3000, 1530, and 300 cal. years BP are highly correlated with local soil burial events that occurred during high stands of Lake Superior. During these and earlier events, Sable Creek was diverted onto eastward-graded late Pleistocene meltwater terraces. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) reveals the early Holocene valley of Sable Creek (now filled) and its constituent sedimentary structures. Near-planar paleosols, identified with GPR, suggest two repeating modes of landscape evolution mediated by levels of Lake Superior. High lake stands drove stream damming, reservoir impoundment, and eolian infilling of impoundments. Falling Lake Superior levels brought decreased sand supply to dune dams and lowered stream base level. These latter factors promoted stream piracy, breaching of dune dams, and aerial exposure and forestation of infilled lakebeds. The bathymetry of Grand Sable Lake suggests that its shoreline configuration and depth varied in response to events of dune damming and subsequent dam breaching. The interrelated late Holocene events apparent in this study area suggest that variations in lake level have imposed complex hydrologic and geomorphic signatures on upper Great Lakes coasts.

Incremental Holocene slip rates from the Hope fault at Hossack Station, Marlborough fault zone, South Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatem, A. E.; Dolan, J. F.; Langridge, R.; Zinke, R. W.; McGuire, C. P.; Rhodes, E. J.; Van Dissen, R. J.

2015-12-01

The Marlborough fault system, which links the Alpine fault with the Hikurangi subduction zone within the complex Australian-Pacific plate boundary zone, partitions strain between the Wairau, Awatere, Clarence and Hope faults. Previous best estimates of dextral strike-slip along the Hope fault are ≤ ~23 mm/yr± 4 mm/year. Those rates, however, are poorly constrained and could be improved using better age determinations in conjunction with measurements of fault offsets using high-resolution imagery. In this study, we use airborne lidar- and field-based mapping together with the subsurface geometry of offset channels at the Hossack site 12 km ESE of Hanmer Springs to more precisely determine stream offsets that were previously identified by McMorran (1991). Specifically, we measured fault offsets of ~10m, ~75 m, and ~195m. Together with 65 radiocarbon ages on charcoal, peat, and wood and 25 pending post-IR50-IRSL225 luminescence ages from the channel deposits, these offsets yield three different fault slip rates for the early Holocene, the late Holocene, and the past ca. 500-1,000 years. Using the large number of age determinations, we document in detail the timing of initiation and abandonment of each channel, enhancing the geomorphic interpretation at the Hossack site as channels deform over many earthquake cycles. Our preliminary incremental slip rate results from the Hossack site may indicate temporally variable strain release along the Hope fault. This study is part of a broader effort aimed at determining incremental slip rates and paleo-earthquake ages and displacements from all four main Marlborough faults. Collectively, these data will allow us to determine how the four main Marlborough faults have work together during Holocene-late Pleistocene to accommodate plate-boundary deformation in time and space.

Palaeomagnetic refinement of the eruption ages of Holocene lava flows, and implications for the eruptive history of the Tongariro Volcanic Centre, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greve, Annika; Turner, Gillian M.; Conway, Chris E.; Townsend, Dougal B.; Gamble, John A.; Leonard, Graham S.

2016-11-01

We present a detailed palaeomagnetic study from 35 sites on Holocene lava flows of the Tongariro Volcanic Centre, central North Island, New Zealand. Prior to the study the eruption ages of these flows were constrained to within a few thousand years by recently published high-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronological data and tephrostratigraphic controls. Correlation of flow mean palaeomagnetic directions with a recently published continuous sediment record from Lake Mavora, Fiordland, allows us to reduce the age uncertainty to 300-500 yr in some cases. Our refined ages significantly improve the chronology of Holocene effusive eruptions of the volcanoes of the Tongariro Volcanic Centre. For instance, differences in the palaeomagnetic directions recorded by lavas from the voluminous Iwikau and Rangataua members suggest that individual effusive periods lasted up to thousands of years and that these bursts have been irregularly spaced over time. While over the last few millennia the effusive eruptive activity from Mt Ruapehu has been relatively quiet, the very young age (200-500 BP) of a Red Crater sourced flow suggests that effusive activity around Mt Tongariro lasted into the past few centuries. This adds an important hazard context to the historical record, which has otherwise comprised frequent relatively small, tephra producing, explosive eruptions without the production of lava flows.

Holocene shifts of the southern westerlies across the South Atlantic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voigt, Ines; Chiessi, Cristiano M.; Prange, Matthias; Mulitza, Stefan; Groeneveld, Jeroen; Varma, Vidya; Henrich, Ruediger

2015-02-01

The southern westerly winds (SWW) exert a crucial influence over the world ocean and climate. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of the Holocene temporal and spatial evolution of the SWW remains a significant challenge due to the sparsity of high-resolution marine archives and appropriate SWW proxies. Here we present a north-south transect of high-resolution planktonic foraminiferal oxygen isotope records from the western South Atlantic. Our proxy records reveal Holocene migrations of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC), a highly sensitive feature for changes in the position and strength of the northern portion of the SWW. Through the tight coupling of the BMC position to the large-scale wind field, the records allow a quantitative reconstruction of Holocene latitudinal displacements of the SWW across the South Atlantic. Our data reveal a gradual poleward movement of the SWW by about 1-1.5° from the early to the mid-Holocene. Afterward, variability in the SWW is dominated by millennial scale displacements on the order of 1° in latitude with no recognizable longer-term trend. These findings are confronted with results from a state-of-the-art transient Holocene climate simulation using a comprehensive coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model. Proxy-inferred and modeled SWW shifts compare qualitatively, but the model underestimates both orbitally forced multimillennial and internal millennial SWW variability by almost an order of magnitude. The underestimated natural variability implies a substantial uncertainty in model projections of future SWW shifts.

Buried paleoindian-age landscapes in stream valleys of the central plains, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mandel, R.D.

2008-01-01

A systematic study of late-Quaternary landscape evolution in the Central Plains documented widespread, deeply buried paleosols that represent Paleoindian-age landscapes in terrace fills of large streams (> 5th order), in alluvial fans, and in draws in areas of western Kansas with a thick loess mantle. Alluvial stratigraphic sections were investigated along a steep bio-climatic gradient extending from the moist-subhumid forest-prairie border of the east-central Plains to the dry-subhumid and semi-arid shortgrass prairie of the west-central Plains. Radiocarbon ages indicate that most large streams were characterized by slow aggradation accompanied by cumulic soil development from ca. 11,500 to 10,000??14C yr B.P. In the valleys of some large streams, such as the Ninnescah and Saline rivers, these processes continued into the early Holocene. The soil-stratigraphic record in the draws of western Kansas indicates slow aggradation punctuated by episodes of landscape stability and pedogenesis beginning as early as ca. 13,300??14C yr B.P. and spanning the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary. The development record of alluvial fans in western Kansas is similar to the record in the draws; slow aggradation was punctuated by multiple episodes of soil development between ca. 13,000 and 9000??14C yr B.P. In eastern Kansas and Nebraska, development of alluvial fans was common during the early and middle Holocene, but evidence shows fan development as early as ca. 11,300??14C yr B.P. Buried soils dating between ca. 12,600 and 9000??14C yr B.P. were documented in fans throughout the region. In stream valleys across the Central Plains, rapid alluviation after ca. 9000??14C yr B.P. resulted in deeply buried soils that may harbor Paleoindian cultural deposits. Hence, the paucity of recorded stratified Paleoindian sites in the Central Plains is probably related to poor visibility (i.e., deep burial in alluvial deposits) instead of limited human occupation in the region during the terminal

Holocene evolution of Apalachicola Bay, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Osterman, L.E.; Twichell, D.C.; Poore, R.Z.

2009-01-01

A program of geophysical mapping and vibracoring was conducted to better understand the geologic evolution of Apalachicola Bay. Analyses of the geophysical data and sediment cores along with age control provided by 34 AMS 14C dates on marine shells and wood reveal the following history. As sea level rose in the early Holocene, fluvial deposits filled the Apalachicola River paleochannel, which extended southward under the central part of the bay and seaward across the continental shelf. Sediments to either side of the paleochannel contain abundant wood fragments, with dates documenting that those areas were forested at 8,000 14C years b.p. As sea level continued to rise, spits formed of headland prodelta deposits. Between ???6,400 and ???2,500 14C years b.p., an Apalachicola prodelta prograded and receded several times across the inner shelf that underlies the western part of the bay. An eastern deltaic lobe was active for a shorter time, between ???5,800 and 5,100 14C years b.p. Estuarine benthic foraminiferal assemblages occurred in the western bay as early as 6,400 14C years b.p., and indicate that there was some physical barrier to open-ocean circulation and shelf species established by that time. It is considered that shoals formed in the region of the present barrier islands as the rising sea flooded an interstream divide. Estuarine conditions were established very early in the post-glacial flooding of the bay. ?? 2009 US Government.

Holocene evolution of the northeastern corner of the Nile Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sneh, A.; Weissbrod, T.; Ehrlich, A.; Horowitz, A.; Moshkovitz, S.; Rosenfeld, A.

1986-09-01

The constructive phase of the modern Nile Delta, as manifested in a 48-m section drilled east of the Suez Canal, commenced in very early Holocene times. Sands rich in marine fauna were deposited in the littoral zone and the shoreline was more than 20 km landward of its present-day position. Subsequently, clays and silts were dumped from the Nile distributaries and the marine faunal spectrum became very limited and brackish. Later in early and middle Holocene times the sediments deposited were rich in freshwater, delta-plain diatoms and pollen and in allochthonous fern spores from the tropics, indicating proximity of a distributary mouth. The middle part of the section (22.5-17.5 m) is very poor in faunal and floral remains; pollen grains from sabkha vegetation are abundant. The environment, which seems lagoonal and slightly hypersaline, is related to the sea regression in middle Holocene times. Euryhaline pelecypods, dating from about 3000 yr B.P., are abundant around the 8-m depth. Upward, there is an increase in pollen grains from sabkhas; the section is poor in diatoms and those present are mostly euryhaline and lagoonal. Allochthonous spores derived from the nearby Pelusiac Branch are abundant. Between 3000 and 2000 yr B.P. the constructive phase of the modern delta terminated and winnowed sands began accreting in front of the delta plain.

Aquatic ecosystem responses to Holocene climate change and biome development in boreal, central Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, Anson W.; Bezrukova, Elena V.; Leng, Melanie J.; Meaney, Miriam; Nunes, Ana; Piotrowska, Natalia; Self, Angela; Shchetnikov, Alexander; Shilland, Ewan; Tarasov, Pavel; Wang, Luo; White, Dustin

2012-05-01

Boreal ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate change, and severe ecological impacts in the near future are virtually certain to occur. We undertook a multiproxy study on an alpine lake (ESM-1) at the modern tree-line in boreal, southern Siberia. Steppe and tundra biomes were extensive in eastern Sayan landscapes during the early Holocene. Boreal forest quickly expanded by 9.1 ka BP, and dominated the landscape until c 0.7 ka BP, when the greatest period of compositional turnover occurred. At this time, alpine meadow landscape expanded and Picea obovata colonised new habitats along river valleys and lake shorelines, because of prevailing cool, moist conditions. During the early Holocene, chironomid assemblages were dominated by cold stenotherms. Diatoms for much of the Holocene were dominated by alkaliphilous, fragilarioid taxa, up until 0.2 ka BP, when epiphytic species expanded, indicative of increased habitat availability. C/N mass ratios ranged between 9.5 and 13.5 (11.1-15.8 C/N atomic ratios), indicative of algal communities dominating organic matter contributions to bottom sediments with small, persistent contributions from vascular plants. However, δ13C values increased steadily from -34.9‰ during the early Holocene (9.3 ka BP) to -24.8‰ by 0.6 ka BP. This large shift in magnitude may be due to a number of factors, including increasing within-lake productivity, increasing disequilibrium between the isotopic balance of the lake with the atmosphere as the lake became isotopically ‘mature’, and declining soil respiration linked to small, but distinct retreat in forest biomes. The influence of climatic variables on landscape vegetation was assessed using redundancy analysis (RDA), a linear, direct ordination technique. Changes in July insolation at 60 °N significantly explained over one-fifth of the variation in species composition, while changes in estimates of northern hemisphere temperature and ice-rafted debris events in the North Atlantic

Testing the apatite depletion hypothesis for early Holocene ecosystem acidification using the lake sediment record at Krâkenes, Norway.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thrasher, I. M.; Boyle, J. F.; Chiverrell, R. C.; Plater, A. J.

2009-04-01

Lakes created by retreating ice at the end of the last glaciation underwent rapid acidification during the first few thousand years of their existence, a phenomenon that has been attributed in part to progressive leaching of soil bases since it was discovered more than 80 years ago. Though a role for leaching is still acknowledged, the most recent studies see this as subordinate to the effects of biological and climatic changes initiated by deglaciation, chiefly primary vegetation succession and species immigration. However, we propose a simpler alternative explanation, based on the geochemical modelling of runoff acidity. This shows that the extent and timing of early Holocene lake acidification in eight published palaeoecological records can be explained by leaching of the calcium phosphate mineral apatite from the granitic till soils of their catchments, at a rate controlled by simple dissolution kinetic factors. If confirmed, this hypothesis has important implications for our understanding of long-term lake ecosystem development. Not only does it mean that the mechanism is inherently irreversible, in contrast to the alternative ecological and climatic mechanisms which are not. Also, it reinforces the view that long-term ecosystem modelling cannot safely neglect nutrient limitation, as is currently the practice in widely used global dynamic vegetation models. Here we present a NERC-funded programme of research that uses the sediment mineral record of Kråkenes (western Norway), the best studied early Holocene lake sediment sequence in the world, to provide a simple, critical and unambiguous test of this hypothesis.

Quantitative Holocene climatic reconstructions for the lower Yangtze region of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianyong; Dodson, John; Yan, Hong; Wang, Weiming; Innes, James B.; Zong, Yongqiang; Zhang, Xiaojian; Xu, Qinghai; Ni, Jian; Lu, Fengyan

2018-02-01

Quantitative proxy-based and high-resolution palaeoclimatic datasets are scarce for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River (LYR) basin. This region is in a transitional vegetation zone which is climatologically sensitive; and as a birthplace for prehistorical civilization in China, it is important to understand how palaeoclimatic dynamics played a role in affecting cultural development in the region. We present a pollen-based and regionally-averaged Holocene climatic twin-dataset for mean total annual precipitation (PANN) and mean annual temperature (TANN) covering the last 10,000 years for the LYR region. This is based on the technique of weighted averaging-partial least squares regression to establish robust calibration models for obtaining reliable climatic inferences. The pollen-based reconstructions generally show an early Holocene climatic optimum with both abundant monsoonal rainfall and warm thermal conditions, and a declining pattern of both PANN and TANN values in the middle to late Holocene. The main driving forces behind the Holocene climatic changes in the LYR area are likely summer solar insolation associated with tropical or subtropical macro-scale climatic circulations such as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH), and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Regional multi-proxy comparisons indicate that the Holocene variations in precipitation and temperature for the LYR region display an in-phase relationship with other related proxy records from southern monsoonal China and the Indian monsoon-influenced regions, but are inconsistent with the Holocene moisture or temperature records from northern monsoonal China and the westerly-dominated region in northwestern China. Overall, our comprehensive palaeoclimatic dataset and models may be significant tools for understanding the Holocene Asian monsoonal evolution and for anticipating its future dynamics in eastern Asia.

Holocene age of the Yuha burial: Direct radiocarbon determinations by accelerator mass spectrometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stafford, Thomas W.; Jull, A.J.T.; Zabel, T.H.; Donahue, D.J.; Duhamel, R.C.; Brendel, K.; Haynes, C.V.; Bischoff, J.L.; Payen, L.A.; Taylor, R.E.

1984-01-01

The view that human populations may not have arrived in the Western Hemisphere before about 12,000 radiocarbon yr BP1,2 has been challenged by claims of much greater antiquity for a small number of archaeological sites and human skeleton samples. One such site is the Homo sapiens sapiens cairn burial excavated in 1971 from the Yuha desert, Imperial County, California3-5. Radiocarbon analysis of caliche coating one of the bones of the skeleton yielded a radiocarbon age of 21,500??1,000 yr BP4, while radiocarbon and uranium series analyses of caliche coating a cairn boulder yielded ages of 22,125??400 and 19,000??3,000 yr BP, respectively5. The late Pleistocene age assignment to the Yuha burial has been challenged by comparing the cultural context of the burial with other cairn burials in the same region6, on the basis of the site's geomorphological context and from radiocarbon analyses of soil caliches. 7,8 In rebuttal, arguments in defence of the original age assignment have been presented9,10 as well as an amino acid racemization analysis on the Yuha skeleton indicating an age of 23,600??2,600 yr BP11. The tandem accelerator mass spectrometer at the University of Arizona has now been used to measure the ratio of 14C/13C in several organic and inorganic fractions of post-cranial bone from the Yuha H. sapiens sapiens skeleton. Isotope ratios from six chemical fractions all yielded radiocarbon ages for the skeleton of less than 4,000 yr BP. These results indicate that the Yuha skeleton is of Holocene age, in agreement with the cultural context of the burial, and in disagreement with the previously assigned Pleistocene age of 19,000-23,000 yr. ?? 1984 Nature Publishing Group.

Contrasting Holocene environmental histories may explain patterns of species richness and rarity in a Central European landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hájek, Michal; Dudová, Lydie; Hájková, Petra; Roleček, Jan; Moutelíková, Jitka; Jamrichová, Eva; Horsák, Michal

2016-02-01

The south-western part of the White Carpathians (Czech Republic, Slovakia) is known for its exceptional grassland diversity and occurrence of many species with disjunct distribution patterns, including isolated populations of continental forest-steppe species. The north-eastern part of the mountain range lacks many of these species and has clearly lower maxima of grassland species richness. While climatic and edaphic conditions of both regions largely overlap, their specific environmental history has been hypothesized to explain the exceptional richness in the south-western part. We explored an entire-Holocene record (9650 BC onwards), the first one from the north-eastern part, to find out whether differences in history may explain regional patterns of species rarity and richness. We analysed pollen, macrofossils and molluscs and dated the sequence with 13 radiocarbon dates. We further reconstructed past human activities using available archaeological evidence. Based on this analysis, the Early-Holocene landscape was reconstructed as semi-open with broad-leaved trees (elm and lime) appearing already around 9500 BC. Lime reached a relative abundance of as much as 60% around 8700 BC. All analysed proxies support the existence of dense lime-dominated woodland during the forest optimum starting after climate moistening around 6800 BC, some 2200 years before the first signs of slight forest opening in the Late Neolithic. During the Bronze and Iron Ages, human pressure increased, which led to a decrease in lime and an increase in oak, hornbeam, grasses and grassland snails; nevertheless, forests still dominated the landscape and beech spread when human impact temporarily decreased. Colonisation after AD 1350 created the modern grassland-rich landscape. All available evidence confirmed an early post-Glacial expansion of broad-leaved trees, supporting the hypothesis on their glacial refugia in the Carpathians, as well as presence of closed-canopy forest well before the

Holocene Fluctuations of North Ice Cap, a Proxy for Climate Conditions along the Northwestern Margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, M. A.; Osterberg, E. C.; Lasher, G. E.; Farnsworth, L. B.; Howley, J. A.; Axford, Y.; Zimmerman, S. R. H.

2015-12-01

North Ice Cap (~76.9°N, 68°W, summit elevation 1322 m asl), a small, independent ice cap in northwestern Greenland, is located within ~25 km of the Greenland Ice Sheet margin and Harald Molkte Bræ outlet glacier. We present geochronological, geomorphic and sedimentological data constraining the Holocene extents of North Ice Cap and suggest that its past fluctuations can be used as a proxy for climate conditions along the northwestern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Prior work by Goldthwait (1960) used glacial geomorphology and radiocarbon ages of subfossil plants emerging along shear planes in the ice cap margin to suggest that that North Ice Cap was not present during the early Holocene and nucleated in the middle to late Holocene time, with the onset of colder conditions. Subfossil plants emerging at shear planes in the North Ice Cap margin yield radiocarbon ages of ~4.8-5.9 cal kyr BP (Goldthwait, 1960) and ~AD 1000-1350 (950-600 cal yr BP), indicating times when the ice cap was smaller than at present. In situ subfossil plants exposed by recent ice cap retreat date to ~AD 1500-1840 (450-110 cal yr BP) and indicate small fluctuations of the ice cap margin. 10Be ages of an unweathered, lichen-free drift <100 m from the present North Ice Cap margin range from ~500 to 8000 yrs ago. We suggest that the drift was deposited during the last ~500 yrs and that the older 10Be ages are influenced by 10Be inherited from a prior period of exposure. We also infer ice cap fluctuations using geochemical data from a Holocene-long sediment core from Deltasø, a downstream lake that currently receives meltwater from North Ice Cap. The recent recession of the North Ice Cap margin influenced a catastrophic drainage of a large proglacial lake, Søndre Snesø, that our field team documented in August 2012. To our knowledge, this is the first significant lowering of Søndre Snesø in historical time.

Holocene climate variability in the western Mediterranean through a multiproxy analysis from Padul peat bog (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos-Román, María J.; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; Camuera, Jon; García-Alix, Antonio; Anderson, R. Scott; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco J.; Sachse, Dirk

2017-04-01

The Iberian Peninsula, located in the Mediterranean area, is an interesting location for paleoclimate studies due to its geographic situation between arid and humid climates. Sediments from peat bogs and lakes from Sierra Nevada, in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, have been very informative in terms of how vegetation and wetland environments were impacted by Holocene climate change. These studies are essential if we want to understand the past climate change in the area, which is the key to identify the possible environmental response of the Sierra Nevada ecosystems to future climate scenarios. Padul basin, located in the southwest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, contains a ca. 100 m-thick peat bog sedimentary sequence that was deposited during the past 1 Ma making this area interesting for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions. A new 43 m-long sedimentary record has recently been retrieved from the Padul peat bog. In this study we have developed a multiproxy analysis of the Holocene part of the Padul-15-05 core including pollen analysis, XRF-core scanner, magnetic susceptibility and organic geochemistry, supported by an age control based on AMS radiocarbon dates, providing with information about vegetation and climate variability during the past 9.9 cal ka BP. This multiproxy reconstruction of the Padul-15-05 evidences the Mediterranean as a sensitive area with respect to global-scale climate system, showing relevant climate episodes such as the ca. 8, 7.5, 6.5 and 5.5 cal ka BP events during the early and middle Holocene. The trend to aridification to the late Holocene is interrupted by more arid and humid periods as the Iberian Roman Humid Period (from ca. 3 to 1.6 cal ka BP), the Dark Ages (from ca. 1.5 to 1.1 cal ka BP), the Medieval Climate Anomaly (from ca. 1.1 to 1.3 cal ka BP) and the Little Ice Age period (from ca. 500 to 100 cal yr BP).

Modelling river discharge and precipitation from estuarine salinity in the northern Chesapeake Bay: Application to Holocene palaeoclimate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Saenger, C.; Cronin, T.; Thunell, R.; Vann, C.

2006-01-01

Long-term chronologies of precipitation can provide a baseline against which twentieth-century trends in rainfall can be evaluated in terms of natural variability and anthropogenic influence. However, there are relatively few methods to quantitatively reconstruct palaeoprecipitation and river discharge compared with proxies of other climatic factors, such as temperature. We developed autoregressive and least squares statistical models relating Chesapeake Bay salinity to river discharge and regional precipitation records. Salinity in northern and central parts of the modern Chesapeake Bay is influenced largely by seasonal, interannual and decadal variations in Susquehanna River discharge, which in turn are controlled by regional precipitation patterns. A power regressive discharge model and linear precipitation model exhibit well-defined decadal variations in peak discharge and precipitation. The utility of the models was tested by estimating Holocene palaeoprecipitation and Susquehanna River palaeodischarge, as indicated by isotopically derived palaeosalinity reconstructions from Chesapeake Bay sediment cores. Model results indicate that the early-mid Holocene (7055-5900 yr BP) was drier than the late Holocene (1500 yr BP - present), the 'Mediaeval Warm Period' (MWP) (1200-600 yr BP) was drier than the 'Little Ice Age' (LIA) (500-100 yr BP), and the twentieth century experienced extremes in precipitation possibly associated with changes in ocean-atmosphere teleconnections. ?? 2006 Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.

Alkenone-based reconstructions reveal four-phase Holocene temperature evolution for High Arctic Svalbard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Bilt, Willem G. M.; D'Andrea, William J.; Bakke, Jostein; Balascio, Nicholas L.; Werner, Johannes P.; Gjerde, Marthe; Bradley, Raymond S.

2018-03-01

Situated at the crossroads of major oceanic and atmospheric circulation patterns, the Arctic is a key component of Earth's climate system. Compounded by sea-ice feedbacks, even modest shifts in the region's heat budget drive large climate responses. This is highlighted by the observed amplified response of the Arctic to global warming. Assessing the imprint and signature of underlying forcing mechanisms require paleoclimate records, allowing us to expand our knowledge beyond the short instrumental period and contextualize ongoing warming. However, such datasets are scarce and sparse in the Arctic, limiting our ability to address these issues. Here, we present two quantitative Holocene-length paleotemperature records from the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago, situated in the climatically sensitive Arctic North Atlantic. Temperature estimates are based on U37K unsaturation ratios from sediment cores of two lakes. Our data reveal a dynamic Holocene temperature evolution, with reconstructed summer lake water temperatures spanning a range of ∼6-8 °C, and characterized by four phases. The Early Holocene was marked by an early onset (∼10.5 ka cal. BP) of insolation-driven Hypsithermal conditions, likely compounded by strengthening oceanic heat transport. This warm interval was interrupted by cooling between ∼10.5-8.3 ka cal. BP that we attribute to cooling effects from the melting Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. Temperatures declined throughout the Middle Holocene, following a gradual trend that was accentuated by two cooling steps between ∼7.8-7 ka cal. BP and around ∼4.4-4.3 ka cal. BP. These transitions coincide with a strengthening influence of Arctic water and sea-ice in the adjacent Fram Strait. During the Late Holocene (past 4 ka), temperature change decoupled from the still-declining insolation, and fluctuated around comparatively cold mean conditions. By showing that Holocene Svalbard temperatures were governed by an alternation of forcings, this study

Holocene deglacial history of the northeast Antarctic Peninsula - A review and new chronological constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Joanne S.; Bentley, Michael J.; Roberts, Stephen J.; Binnie, Steven A.; Freeman, Stewart P. H. T.

2011-12-01

The northeast Antarctic Peninsula (NEAP) region is currently showing signs of significant environmental change, evidenced by acceleration of glacial retreat and collapse of both Larsen-A and -B ice shelves within the past 15 years. However, data on the past extent of the eastern margin of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) and its Holocene retreat history are sparse, and hence we cannot yet put the recent changes into a long-term context. In order to investigate the timing of deglaciation, we present 16 new cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure ages from sites on northern James Ross Island (Cape Lachman, Johnson Mesa and Terrapin Hill) and Seymour Island. The majority of the ages cluster around 6-10 ka, with three significantly older (25-31 ka). We combine these ages with existing terrestrial and marine radiocarbon deglaciation ages, and a compilation of existing swath bathymetry data, to quantify the temporal and spatial character of the regional glacial history. Ice had begun to retreat from the outer shelf by 18.3 ka, reaching Seymour Island by ˜8 ka. Northern James Ross Island began to deglaciate around the time of the Early Holocene Climatic Optimum (c. 11-9.5 ka). Deglaciation continued, and a transition from grounded to floating ice in Prince Gustav Channel occurred around 8 ka, separating the James Ross Island ice cap from the APIS. This occurred shortly before Prince Gustav Channel ice shelf began to disintegrate at 6.2 ka. Our results suggest there may be a bathymetric control on the spatial pattern of deglaciation in the NEAP.

New Data on Vegetation and Climate Reconstruction in the Baikal-Patom Highland (Eastern Siberia) in the Last Glacial Maximum and Early Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henry, A.; Bezrukova, E. V.; Teten'kin, A. V.; Kuz'min, M. I.

2018-02-01

The first results of anthracological investigation for Eastern Siberia on the carbonaceous remains of woody and shrubby plants at the archaeological sites Kovrizhka III and IV in the lower reaches of the Vitim River are presented. The results of anthracological studies enabled us to obtain new data on changes in vegetation and climate along the lower reaches of the Vitim River. As a result, new data on human habitation in the lower reaches of the Vitim River in the last glacial maximum and early Holocene were obtained.

Middle-Late Holocene environmental history of Kulunda (Southwestern Siberia): vegetation, climate, humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rudaya, N.; Nazarova, L.; Papin, D.; Nourgaliev, D.

2012-04-01

Environmental reconstruction of Mid-Late Holocene vegetation and climate was inferred from pollen records of Lake Big Yarovoe (Kulunda steppe, Southwestern Siberia). Reconstruction suggests generally prevalence of steppe during last 4.45 ka. Relatively warm and dry climate, open semi-desert and dry steppes with patchy birch forest spread between 4.45 and 3.80 ka BP. The largest development of conifers forest started in Kulunda after 3.80 ka BP. Constant presence of dark-coniferous trees Abies and especially Picea between 3.80 and 2.7 ka BP indicates the most humid period in the region during studied time. Onset of the Late Holocene is characterised by dominance of steppe with birch and pine forests in lowlands and river valleys. After AD 1860, open steppe and semi-desert vegetation with fragmentary birch forest have been dominated parallel to sharp reduction of conifers in Kulunda. These results are in agreement with general scheme of Holocene environmental history of surrounding areas including Baraba forest-steppe, Kazakh Upland and Altai Mountains. Territory of Kulunda consists many archaeological sites of Bronze, Iron and Middle Ages. Second half of Bronze Age (4.45-3.80 ka BP) was represented by local human cultures or migrants from the North Kazakhstan. The main archaeological culture of Kulunda alike in the whole Ob`-Irtysh interfluve in this period was Elunino culture. The economical activities of Elunino community were connected with animal breeding especially with sheep and goats. The most humid period (~1795-710 BC; 3.8-2.7 ka BP) in Kulunda corresponded to the end of early Bronze Age and to the onset of the Iron Age. In 18 century BC Andronovo culture, associated with the Indo-Iranians and migrants from Central Kazakhstan, spread in the region. Cattle breeding economy was distinctive features of Andronovo people, however, increase of sheep, goats and horses with transition to nomadic life style was characteristic of the late Bronze Age. This trend is in

Climate and marine biogeochemistry during the Holocene from transient model simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Segschneider, Joachim; Schneider, Birgit; Khon, Vyacheslav

2018-06-01

Climate and marine biogeochemistry changes over the Holocene are investigated based on transient global climate and biogeochemistry model simulations over the last 9500 years. The simulations are forced by accelerated and non-accelerated orbital parameters, respectively, and atmospheric pCO2, CH4, and N2O. The analysis focusses on key climatic parameters of relevance to the marine biogeochemistry, and on the physical and biogeochemical processes that drive atmosphere-ocean carbon fluxes and changes in the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). The simulated global mean ocean temperature is characterized by a mid-Holocene cooling and a late Holocene warming, a common feature among Holocene climate simulations which, however, contradicts a proxy-derived mid-Holocene climate optimum. As the most significant result, and only in the non-accelerated simulation, we find a substantial increase in volume of the OMZ in the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP) continuing into the late Holocene. The concurrent increase in apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and age of the water mass within the EEP OMZ can be attributed to a weakening of the deep northward inflow into the Pacific. This results in a large-scale mid-to-late Holocene increase in AOU in most of the Pacific and hence the source regions of the EEP OMZ waters. The simulated expansion of the EEP OMZ raises the question of whether the deoxygenation that has been observed over the last 5 decades could be a - perhaps accelerated - continuation of an orbitally driven decline in oxygen. Changes in global mean biological production and export of detritus remain of the order of 10 %, with generally lower values in the mid-Holocene. The simulated atmosphere-ocean CO2 flux would result in atmospheric pCO2 changes of similar magnitudes to those observed for the Holocene, but with different timing. More technically, as the increase in EEP OMZ volume can only be simulated with the non-accelerated model simulation, non-accelerated model

Late-glacial and Holocene records of fire and vegetation from Cradle Mountain National Park, Tasmania, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, Laura N.; Chin, Hahjung; Haberle, Simon; Whitlock, Cathy

2017-12-01

Fire activity was reconstructed at five sites and vegetation history at three sites in northwest Tasmania, Australia in order to examine the climate and human drivers of environmental change in the region. Watershed-scale reconstructions of fire were compared to regional vegetation history. Fire activity was very low until ca. 12,000 cal yr BP. An early-Holocene fire maximum, ca. 11,800-9800 cal yr BP, occurred during the warmest interval of the Holocene as recorded by regional paleoclimate proxy records. This period of elevated burning was also coincident with an increase in arboreal sclerophyll plant taxa. A maximum in rainforest taxa occurred at ca. 8500-5800 cal yr BP concurrent with sharply diminished biomass burning compared with the early Holocene. The increase in rainforest taxa is attributed to elevated effective moisture during this period. Conditions were drier and variable in the late Holocene as compared with earlier periods. A rise in fire activity at ca. 4800-3200 cal yr BP was accompanied by an increase in sclerophyll taxa and decline of rainforest and subalpine taxa. Elevated palynological richness during the late Holocene co-occurred with high levels of charcoal suggesting that fires promoted high floristic diversity. At Cradle Mountain, there is no clear evidence that fire regimes or vegetation were extensively modified by humans prior to European settlement. Climate was the primary driver of fire activity over millennial timescales as explained by the close relationship between charcoal and climate proxy data.

Mid-Holocene drying of the U.S. Great Basin recorded in Nevada speleothems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steponaitis, Elena; Andrews, Alexandra; McGee, David; Quade, Jay; Hsieh, Yu-Te; Broecker, Wallace S.; Shuman, Bryan N.; Burns, Stephen J.; Cheng, Hai

2015-11-01

Lake level records point to dramatic changes in Great Basin water balance over the last 25 ka, but the timing and pace of Holocene drying in the region remains poorly documented. Here we present stable isotope and trace metal data from two Lehman Caves, NV speleothems that provide a well-dated record of latest Pleistocene to mid-Holocene hydroclimate in the U.S. Great Basin. Together the stalagmites span the interval between 16.4 ka and 3.8 ka, with a hiatus from 15.0 ka to 12.7 ka. Mg/Ca and δ13C covary throughout the records, consistent with control by the extent of degassing and prior calcite precipitation (PCP); measurements of modern cave and soil waters support PCP as the primary control on drip-water trace-element composition. We therefore interpret Mg/Ca and δ13C as reflecting infiltration rates, with higher values corresponding to drier periods. Both Mg/Ca and δ13C indicate a wet period at the beginning of the record (12.7-8.2 ka) followed by pronounced drying after 8.2 ka. This mid-Holocene drying is consistent with records from around the western United States, including a new compilation of Great Basin lake-level records. The strong temporal correspondence with the collapse of the Laurentide ice sheet over Hudson Bay suggests that this drying may have been triggered by northward movement of the winter storm track as a result of ice sheet retreat. However, we cannot rule out an alternative hypothesis that wet early Holocene conditions are related to equatorial Pacific sea-surface temperature. Regardless, our results suggest that Great Basin water balance in the early Holocene was driven by factors other than orbital changes.

Holocene environmental change resets lichen surface dates on Recess Peak glacial deposits in the Sierra Nevada, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scuderi, Louis A.; Fawcett, Peter J.

2013-09-01

Development of an accurate chronology for glacial deposits in the Sierra Nevada has long been problematic given the lack of suitable organic material for radiocarbon dating. Lichenometry initially appeared promising as ages showed an increase from cirque headwalls to down-canyon moraines. However, while Recess Peak lichen age estimates range from 2 to 3 ka, recent work shows these deposits to be at least 10 ka older. Here, we present evidence for a late Holocene reset of Recess Peak lichen ages by significant post-depositional climate change. Following late-Pleistocene deposition of Recess Peak moraines, warming through the mid-Holocene allowed forests to advance into shallow basins eliminating local inverted tree lines. This produced a partial canopy where shading killed the original post-Pleistocene crustose lichen colonies. Late-Holocene cooling resulted in forest retreat from these basins as alpine tree line fell. Lichens then recolonized the re-exposed Recess Peak deposits. We conclude that while Recess Peak lichen ages are accurate to within the dating uncertainty of the technique, existing lichen ages actually date the timing of post-mid-Holocene cooling and recolonization, and not the original emplacement of these deposits. Thus, applications of Lichenometry should consider post-depositional environmental change when interpreting the meaning of these dates.

The dating and interpretation of Chusang indicates permanent human occupation of the interior of the Tibetan Plateau in the early Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Michael; Aldenderfer, Mark; Wang, Zhijun; Hoffmann, Dirk; Dahl, Jenny; Degering, Detlev; Haas, Randy; Schlütz, Frank; Gliganic, Luke; May, Jan-Hendrik

2017-04-01

central plateau. We suggest that migration onto the plateau during the early Holocene was enabled by the wetter regional climate at that time. These findings challenge (i) current models of the occupation of the Tibetan Plateau and (ii) the original dating of Chusang that - based on OSL multi-grain dating - suggests and an age for the imprints of ca. 20 ka. 1. Aldenderfer, M. (2011): Peopling the Tibetan plateau: Insights from archaeology. High Alt. Med. Biol. 12, 141-147. 2. Chen, F. H. et al. (2015): Agriculture facilitated permanent human occupation of the Tibetan Plateau after 3600 B.P. Science 347, 248-250. 3. Meyer, M.C. et al. (2017): Permanent human occupation of the central Tibetan Plateau in the early Holocene. Science 355, 64-67. 4. Lu, D. et al. (2016): Ancestral Origins and Genetic History of Tibetan Highlanders. The American Journal of Human Genetics 99, 580-594. 5. Xiang, K. et al. (2013): Identification of a Tibetan-specific mutation in the hypoxic gene EGLN1 and its contribution to high-altitude adaptation. Molecular biology and evolution 30, 1889-1898.

Late Holocene dune mobilizations in the northwestern Negev dunefield, Israel: A response to combined anthropogenic activity and short-term intensified windiness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roskin, Joel; Katra, Itzhak; Blumberg, Dan G.

2013-04-01

The study of the effects of past climates on ancient cultures is usually based on geologic records pertaining to rainfall and temperature fluctuations and shifts. This study proposes a paradigm of anthropogenic activity and windiness fluctuations to explain aeolian sedimentation and dune mobilization in the northwestern (NW) Negev Desert dunefield (Israel). The proposed paradigm contributes a different approach to estimating the effect of climate changes on the unprecedented agricultural and urban settlement expansion during the late Roman to Early Islamic period in the northern and central Negev Desert. This study builds upon the late Holocene cluster of luminescence ages of Roskin et al. (Age, origin and climatic controls on vegetated linear dunes in the northwestern Negev Desert (Israel), Quaternary Science Reviews 30 (2011), 1649-1674) coupled with analysis of archaeological finds and historical texts. We suggest that whereas the NW Negev dunefield was generally stable during the Holocene, intermittent dune mobilization during the late Holocene, at ~1.8 ka and mostly 1.4-1.1 ka (~600-900 CE), are linked to periods of human occupation. The idea that the last glacial dune encroachments alone that formed the NW Negev dunefield is connected to cold-event windy climates that may have intensified East Mediterranean cyclonic winter storms, cannot explain the late Holocene dune mobilizations. We conceptually model a connection between late Holocene dune mobilization, widespread anthropogenic occupation and activity, and windiness. We maintain that historic grazing and uprooting shrubs for fuel in the past by nomads and sedentary populations led to decimation of dune stabilizers, biogenic soil crusts and vegetation, causing dune erodibility and low-grade activity. Short-term events of amplified wind power in conjunction with periods of augmented anthropogenic activity that triggered major events of dune mobilization (elongation) and accretion have been preserved in the

Onset and Multiple Fluctuations of Holocene Glaciation in the Sierra Nevada, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowerman, N. D.; Clark, D. H.

2004-12-01

Multiple sediment cores from two paternoster tarns (First and Second lakes) in North Fork Big Pine Creek, Sierra Nevada, preserve the most detailed and complete record of Holocene glaciation yet recovered in the range; they indicate that the glacier was absent during the early Holocene, reformed in the late Holocene, and experienced several expansions and contractions, culminating with the Matthes maximum during the last ˜200 years. The lakes are fed by outwash from the Palisade Glacier, the largest ( ˜1.3 km2) and presumably longest-lived glacier in the Sierra Nevada, and capture essentially all of the rock flour produced by the glacier. Distinct late-Holocene (Matthes) and late-Pleistocene (Recess Peak) moraines lie between the modern glacier and the lakes. Thus, the lakes have received continuous sedimentation since the retreat of the Tioga glacier ( ˜15,000 yr B.P.), and therefore capture rock flour related to all subsequent advances. First and Second lakes occupy relatively deep bedrock basins at 3036 m and 3066 m asl., respectively. Third Lake, a shallow (<3 m deep), moraine-dammed lake that lies directly above Second Lake, is the only lake between the Palisade Glacier and the lower lakes. As such, it captures the coarsest (sand/gravel bedload) outwash, but abundant suspended sediment (silt/clay) continues to the lower lakes. We cored the lakes using both Reasoner and Livingston corers, to sediment depths of up to ˜5 m. The deepest cores bottomed in coarse, inorganic sand and silt that we interpret as outwash or slopewash related to Tioga deglaciation. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) analyses of the sediment cores indicate that both lakes record multiple late-Holocene peaks in MS, with the most recent peak being the largest. They also retain outwash near the base related to the more extensive Recess Peak advance. MS peaks in Sierran lakes typically indicate greater abundances of clastic (vs. organic) sediment. The peaks in our cores thus imply 4-5 periods of

Seasonal Transitions and the Westerly Jet in the Holocene East Asian Summer Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, W.; Chiang, J. C. H.

2015-12-01

The Holocene East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) was characterized by a trend to weaker monsoon intensity paced by orbital insolation. Here, we attribute the stronger EASM intensity in the early-mid Holocene to changes in the timing of the transition between the EASM seasonal stages - Spring, pre Mei- Yu, Mei-Yu, and Summer - during that time. Following the recent 'jet transition hypothesis' (Chiang et al., 2015), we explore the role of north-south displacement of the westerlies relative to the Tibetan Plateau that is hypothesized to control the downstream EASM seasonality changes across the Holocene. To this end, we analyze model simulations of the Holocene EASM, compare the simulated Holocene climate with the paleodata observations, and examine the role of atmospheric circulation and specifically the westerlies in modulating the East Asia summer climate. The PMIP3 climate model simulations suggest that, compared to the pre-industrial, the Mei-Yu onset and the transition from Mei-Yu to Summer rainfall occur earlier in the mid-Holocene. The advanced seasonal rainfall transition is accompanied by the weakened and northward-shifted upstream westerlies. In our atmospheric general circulation model (coupled to a slab ocean) simulations of various time periods across the Holocene (9ka, 6ka, 3ka, and pre-industrial), we quantitatively show that the timing and the length of each rainfall stage are closely related to the jet position over East Asia. We also show that the simulated changes in the maximum annual rainfall band and dust emission over East Asia largely agree with the paleo-proxy observations. In addition, we find that changes to the seasonal rainfall transitions, latitudinal westerly position, and stationary eddy activity over East Asia co-vary across the Holocene. In particular, we argue that the changes in the rainfall seasonal transitions are tied to an altered stationary wave pattern, resembling today's the so-called 'Silk Road Pattern', riding along the

Drivers of Holocene sea-level change in the Caribbean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Khan, Nicole; Ashe, Erica; Horton, Benjamin P.; Dutton, Andrea; Kopp, Robert E.; Brocard, Gilles; Engelhart, Simon E.; Hill, David F.; Peltier, W.R.; Vane, Christopher H.; Scatena, Fred N.

2017-01-01

We present a Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) database for the Caribbean region (5°N to 25°N and 55°W to 90°W) that consists of 499 sea-level index points and 238 limiting dates. The database was compiled from multiple sea-level indicators (mangrove peat, microbial mats, beach rock and acroporid and massive corals). We subdivided the database into 20 regions to investigate the influence of tectonics and glacial isostatic adjustment on RSL. We account for the local-scale processes of sediment compaction and tidal range change using the stratigraphic position (overburden thickness) of index points and paleotidal modeling, respectively. We use a spatio-temporal empirical hierarchical model to estimate RSL position and its rates of change in the Caribbean over 1-ka time slices. Because of meltwater input, the rates of RSL change were highest during the early Holocene, with a maximum of 10.9 ± 0.6 m/ka in Suriname and Guyana and minimum of 7.4 ± 0.7 m/ka in south Florida from 12 to 8 ka. Following complete deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) by ∼7 ka, mid-to late-Holocene rates slowed to < 2.4 ± 0.4 m/ka. The hierarchical model constrains the spatial extent of the mid-Holocene highstand. RSL did not exceed the present height during the Holocene, except on the northern coast of South America, where in Suriname and Guyana, RSL attained a height higher than present by 6.6 ka (82% probability). The highstand reached a maximum elevation of +1.0 ± 1.1 m between 5.3 and 5.2 ka. Regions with a highstand were located furthest away from the former LIS, where the effects from ocean syphoning and hydro-isostasy outweigh the influence of subsidence from forebulge collapse.

Discontinuity surfaces and event stratigraphy of Okha Shell Limestone Member: Implications for Holocene sea level changes, western India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhonde, Uday; Desai, Bhawanisingh G.

2011-08-01

The Okha Shell Limestone Member of Chaya Formation is the coarse grained, shell rich deposit commonly recognized as the beach rocks. It has been age bracketed between Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Late Quaternary sea level changes have been studied with beach rocks along the Saurashtra coastal region. The present study has been carried out in the Okhamandal area of the Saurashtra peninsula especially on the Okha Shell Limestone Member as exposed at various locations along the coast from north to south. Temporal and spatial correlations of the observations have revealed three events in the Okha Shell Limestone Member of Chaya Formation that are correlated laterally. The events show depositional breaks represented by discontinuity surfaces, the taphofacies varieties and ichnological variations. The present study in the context of available geochrnological data of the region suggests a prominent depositional break representing low sea level stand (regression) during an Early Holocene during the deposition of Okha Shell Limestone Member.

Cyclic changes of Asian monsoon intensity during the early mid-Holocene from annually-laminated stalagmites, central China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dianbing; Wang, Yongjin; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. L.; Kong, Xinggong

2015-08-01

Climate during the early Holocene was highly variable due to the complex interplay of external and internal forcing mechanisms. The relative importance for them on the Asian monsoon (AM) evolution yet remains to be resolved. Here we present two-to six-yr-resolution oxygen isotope (δ18O) records of five stalagmites, four of which are annually-laminated, from Qingtian Cave, central China, revealing detailed AM variability between 10.9 and 6.1 ka BP. Over the contemporaneous periods, the δ18O records agree well with each other at multi-decadal to centennial timescales. When pieced together with the previously published isotopic data from the same cave, the final δ18O record reveals detailed AM variability from the last deglaciation to the mid-Holocene, consistent with other cave records. The most striking feature of the δ18O record is the recurrence of centennial-scale oscillations, especially during the annually-counted period (8.8-6.1 ka BP). Cross-wavelet analyses between the δ18O record and solar proxies show strong coherence at 200-yr cycle, suggesting that solar output was actively involved as a primary contributor. The AM depression at 8.2 ka BP is indistinguishable in amplitude and pattern from a series of weak AM events after 8 ka BP. We speculate that these centennial-scale AM changes might be regulated by the positive feedbacks of oceanic/atmospheric interactions to the solar activity under the condition of the retreat of continental ice-sheets.

Holocene Enviromental Changes in AN Amazonian Floodplain Lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreira, L.; Moreira-Turcq, P. F.; Turcq, B.; Cordeiro, R. C.

2011-12-01

not change, suggesting the permanence of a flooded vegetation. The carbon flux increases significantly, reaching peaks of 17 g C/m2/year. The Aulacoseira sp became dominant reaching a peak in this phase. These characteristics show conditions progressively wetter during the Late Holocene. The shift from a shorter annual water levels during the Early-Mid Holocene (phase III) to a long annual high water levels since 3200 years cal BP can suggest a climate change from a drier Early-mid Holocene to a wetter Late Holocene.

The biogeophysical climatic impacts of anthropogenic land use change during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. C.; Singarayer, J. S.; Valdes, P. J.; Kaplan, J. O.; Branch, N. P.

2015-10-01

The first agricultural societies were established around 10 ka BP and had spread across much of Europe and southern Asia by 5.5 ka BP with resultant anthropogenic deforestation for crop and pasture land. Various studies have attempted to assess the biogeochemical implications for Holocene climate in terms of increased carbon dioxide and methane emissions. However, less work has been done to examine the biogeophysical impacts of this early land use change. In this study, global climate model simulations with HadCM3 were used to examine the biogeophysical effects of Holocene land cover change on climate, both globally and regionally, from the early Holocene (8 ka BP) to the early industrial era (1850 CE). Two experiments were performed with alternative descriptions of past vegetation: (i) potential natural vegetation simulated by TRIFFID but no land-use changes, and (ii) where the anthropogenic land use model, KK10 (Kaplan et al., 2009, 2011) has been used to set the HadCM3 crop regions. Snapshot simulations have been run at 1000 year intervals to examine when the first signature of anthropogenic climate change can be detected both regionally, in the areas of land use change, and globally. Results indicate that in regions of early land disturbance such as Europe and S.E. Asia detectable temperature changes, outside the normal range of variability, are encountered in the model as early as 7 ka BP in the June/July/August (JJA) season and throughout the entire annual cycle by 2-3 ka BP. Areas outside the regions of land disturbance are also affected, with virtually the whole globe experiencing significant temperature changes (predominantly cooling) by the early industrial period. Large-scale precipitation features such as the Indian monsoon, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), and the North Atlantic storm track are also impacted by local land use and remote teleconnections. We investigated how advection by surface winds, mean sea level pressure (MSLP) anomalies

Midwestern Holocene paleoenvironments revealed by floodplain deposits in northeastern Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chumbley, C.A.; Baker, R.G.; Bettis, E. Arthur

1990-01-01

Pollen analysis of pond deposits in the upper reaches of a stream from northeastern Iowa, an area beyond the last glacial margin, provides a nearly complete record of vegetational changes during the last 12.5 thousand years. Sixty-one radiocarbon dates provide good chronological control. Spruce forest was replaced by deciduous forest before 9 1 thousand years ago, followed by prairie from 5.4 to 3.5 thousand years ago, and oak savanna from 3.5 thousand years ago until presettlement times. The prairie invasion was nearly 3 thousand years later here than at other sites in Iowa and Minnesota, documenting a late Holocene, rather than an early-middle Holocene, period of maximum warmth and dryness for the southern part of the upper Midwest.

Ages, distributions, and origins of upland coastal dune sheets in Oregon, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, C.D.; Stock, E.; Price, D.M.; Hart, R.; Reckendorf, F.; Erlandson, J.M.; Hostetler, S.W.

2007-01-01

A total of ten upland dune sheets, totaling 245??km in combined length, have been investigated for their origin(s) along the Oregon coast (500??km in length). The ages of dune emplacement range from 0.1 to 103??ka based on radiocarbon (36 samples) and luminescence (46 samples) dating techniques. The majority of the emplacement dates fall into two periods of late-Pleistocene age (11-103??ka) and mid-late-Holocene age (0.1-8??ka) that correspond to marine low-stand and marine high-stand conditions, respectively. The distribution of both the late-Pleistocene dune sheets (516??km2 total surface area) and the late-Holocene dune sheets (184??km2) are concentrated (90% of total surface area) along a 100??km coastal reach of the south-central Oregon coast. This coastal reach lies directly landward of a major bight (Heceta-Perpetua-Stonewall Banks) on the continental shelf, at depths of 30-200??m below present mean sea level (MSL). The banks served to trap northward littoral drift during most of the late-Pleistocene conditions of lowered sea level (- 50 ?? 20??m MSL). The emerged inner-shelf permitted cross-shelf, eolian sand transport (10-50??km distance) by onshore winds. The depocenter sand deposits were reworked by the Holocene marine transgression and carried landward by asymmetric wave transport during early- to mid-Holocene time. The earliest dated onset of Holocene dune accretion occurred at 8??ka in the central Oregon coast. A northward migration of Northeast Pacific storm tracks to the latitude of the shelf depocenter (Stonewall, Perpetua, Heceta Banks) in Holocene time resulted in eastward wave transport from the offshore depocenter. The complex interplay of coastal morphology, paleosea-level, and paleoclimate yielded the observed peak distribution of beach and dune sand observed along the south-central Oregon coast. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The 3.6 ka Aniakchak tephra in the Arctic Ocean: a constraint on the Holocene radiocarbon reservoir age in the Chukchi Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearce, Christof; Varhelyi, Aron; Wastegård, Stefan; Muschitiello, Francesco; Barrientos, Natalia; O'Regan, Matt; Cronin, Thomas M.; Gemery, Laura; Semiletov, Igor; Backman, Jan; Jakobsson, Martin

2017-04-01

The caldera-forming eruption of the Aniakchak volcano in the Aleutian Range on the Alaskan Peninsula at 3.6 cal kyr BP was one of the largest Holocene eruptions worldwide. The resulting ash is found as a visible sediment layer in several Alaskan sites and as a cryptotephra on Newfoundland and Greenland. This large geographic distribution, combined with the fact that the eruption is relatively well constrained in time using radiocarbon dating of lake sediments and annual layer counts in ice cores, makes it an excellent stratigraphic marker for dating and correlating mid-late Holocene sediment and paleoclimate records. This study presents the outcome of a targeted search for the Aniakchak tephra in a marine sediment core from the Arctic Ocean, namely Core SWERUS-L2-2-PC1 (2PC), raised from 57 m water depth in Herald Canyon, western Chukchi Sea. High concentrations of tephra shards, with a geochemical signature matching that of Aniakchak ash, were observed across a more than 1.5 m long sediment sequence. Since the primary input of volcanic ash is through atmospheric transport, and assuming that bioturbation can account for mixing up to ca. 10 cm of the marine sediment deposited at the coring site, the broad signal is interpreted as sustained reworking at the sediment source input. The isochron is therefore placed at the base of the sudden increase in tephra concentrations rather than at the maximum concentration. This interpretation of major reworking is strengthened by analysis of grain size distribution which points to ice rafting as an important secondary transport mechanism of volcanic ash. Combined with radiocarbon dates on mollusks in the same sediment core, the volcanic marker is used to calculate a marine radiocarbon reservoir age offset ΔR = 477 ± 60 years. This relatively high value may be explained by the major influence of typically carbon-old Pacific waters, and it agrees well with recent estimates of ΔR along the northwest Alaskan coast

Holocene climatic variations in the Western Cordillera of Colombia: A multiproxy high-resolution record unravels the dual influence of ENSO and ITCZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz, Paula; Gorin, Georges; Parra, Norberto; Velásquez, Cesar; Lemus, Diego; Monsalve-M., Carlos; Jojoa, Marcela

2017-01-01

The Páramo de Frontino (3460 m elevation) in Colombia is located approximately halfway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. It contains a 17 kyr long, stratigraphically continuous sedimentary sequence dated by 30 AMS 14C ages. Our study covers the last 11,500 cal yr and focuses on the biotic (pollen) and abiotic (microfluorescence-X or μXRF) components of this high mountain ecosystem. The pollen record provides a proxy for temperature and humidity with a resolution of 20-35 yr, and μXRF of Ti and Fe is a proxy for rainfall with a sub-annual (ca. 6-month) resolution. Temperature and humidity display rapid and significant changes over the Holocene. The rapid transition from a cold (mean annual temperature (MAT) 3.5 °C lower than today) and wet Younger Dryas to a warm and dry early Holocene is dated at 11,410 cal yr BP. During the Holocene, MAT varied from ca. 2.5 °C below to 3.5° above present-day temperature. Warm periods (11,410-10,700, 9700-6900, 4000-2400 cal yr BP) were separated by colder intervals. The last 2.4 kyr of the record is affected by human impact. The Holocene remained dry until 7500 cal yr BP. Then, precipitations increased to reach a maximum between 5000 and 4500 cal yr BP. A rapid decrease occurred until 3500 cal yr BP and the late Holocene was dry. Spectral analysis of μXRF data show rainfall cyclicity at millennial scale throughout the Holocene, and at centennial down to ENSO scale in more specific time intervals. The highest rainfall intervals correlate with the highest activity of ENSO. Variability in solar output is possibly the main cause for this millennial to decadal cyclicity. We interpret ENSO and ITCZ as the main climate change-driving mechanisms in Frontino. Comparison with high-resolution XRF data from the Caribbean Cariaco Basin (a proxy for rainfall in the coastal Venezuelian cordilleras) demonstrates that climate in Frontino was Pacific-driven (ENSO-dominated) during the YD and early Holocene, whereas it was Atlantic

Synthesizing late Holocene paleoclimate reconstructions: Lessons learned, common challenges, and implications for future research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodysill, J. R.

2017-12-01

Proxy-based reconstructions provide vital information for developing histories of environmental and climate changes. Networks of spatiotemporal paleoclimate information are powerful tools for understanding dynamical processes within the global climate system and improving model-based predictions of the patterns and magnitudes of climate changes at local- to global-scales. Compiling individual paleoclimate records and integrating reconstructed climate information in the context of an ensemble of multi-proxy records, which are fundamental for developing a spatiotemporal climate data network, are hindered by challenges related to data and information accessibility, chronological uncertainty, sampling resolution, climate proxy type, and differences between depositional environments. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) North American Holocene Climate Synthesis Working Group has been compiling and integrating multi-proxy paleoclimate data as part of an ongoing effort to synthesize Holocene climate records from North America. The USGS North American Holocene Climate Synthesis Working Group recently completed a late Holocene hydroclimate synthesis for the North American continent using several proxy types from a range of depositional environments, including lakes, wetlands, coastal marine, and cave speleothems. Using new age-depth relationships derived from the Bacon software package, we identified century-scale patterns of wetness and dryness for the past 2000 years with an age uncertainty-based confidence rating for each proxy record. Additionally, for highly-resolved North American lake sediment records, we computed average late Holocene sediment deposition rates and identified temporal trends in age uncertainty that are common to multiple lakes. This presentation addresses strengths and challenges of compiling and integrating data from different paleoclimate archives, with a particular focus on lake sediments, which may inform and guide future paleolimnological studies.

Contrasting early Holocene temperature variations between monsoonal East Asia and westerly dominated Central Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jiaju; An, Chen-Bang; Huang, Yongsong; Morrill, Carrie; Chen, Fa-Hu

2017-12-01

Numerous studies have demonstrated that there are major differences in the timing of maximum Holocene precipitation between the monsoonal East Asia and westerly dominated Central Asia, but it is unclear if the moisture differences are also associated with corresponding temperature contrasts. Here we present the first alkenone-based paleotemperature reconstructions for the past 21 kyr from Lake Balikun, central Asia. We show, unlike the initiation of Holocene warm conditions at ∼11 kyr BP in the monsoon regions, the arid central Asia remained in a glacial-like cold condition prior to 8 kyr BP and experienced abrupt warming of ∼9 °C after the collapse of the Laurentide ice sheet. Comparison with pollen and other geochemical data indicates the abrupt warming is closely associated with major increase in the moisture supply to the region. Together, our multiproxy data indicate ∼2 thousand years delay of temperature and moisture optimum relative to local summer insolation maximum, suggesting major influence of the Laurentide ice sheet and other high latitude ice sheet forcings on the regional atmospheric circulation. In addition, our data reveal a temperature drop by ∼4 °C around 4 kyr BP lasting multiple centuries, coinciding with severe increases in aridity previously reported based on multiproxy data. In contrast, model simulations display a much less pronounced delay in the initiation of Holocene warm conditions, raising unresolved questions about the relative importance of local radiative forcing and high-latitude ice on temperature in this region.

A Late Glacial to Holocene record of environmental change from Lake Dojran (Macedonia, Greece)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francke, A.; Wagner, B.; Leng, M. J.; Rethemeyer, J.

2013-02-01

A Late Glacial to Holocene sediment sequence (Co1260, 717 cm) from Lake Dojran, located at the boarder of the F.Y.R. of Macedonia and Greece, has been investigated to provide information on climate variability in the Balkan region. A robust age-model was established from 13 radiocarbon ages, and indicates that the base of the sequence was deposited at ca. 12 500 cal yr BP, when the lake-level was low. Variations in sedimentological (H2O, TOC, CaCO3, TS, TOC/TN, TOC/TS, grain-size, XRF, δ18Ocarb, δ13Ccarb, δ13Corg) data were linked to hydro-acoustic data and indicate that warmer and more humid climate conditions characterised the remaining period of the Younger Dryas until the beginning of the Holocene. The Holocene exhibits significant environmental variations, including the 8.2 and 4.2 ka cooling events, the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. Human induced erosion processes in the catchment of Lake Dojran intensified after 2800 cal yr BP.

Denali fault slip rates and Holocene-late Pleistocene kinematics of central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matmon, A.; Schwartz, D.P.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Finkel, R.; Lienkaemper, J.J.; Stenner, Heidi D.; Dawson, T.E.

2006-01-01

The Denali fault is the principal intracontinental strike-slip fault accommodating deformation of interior Alaska associated with the Yakutat plate convergence. We obtained the first quantitative late Pleistocene-Holocene slip rates on the Denali fault system from dating offset geomorphic features. Analysis of cosmogenic 10Be concentrations in boulders (n = 27) and sediment (n = 13) collected at seven sites, offset 25-170 m by the Denali and Totschunda faults, gives average ages that range from 2.4 ± 0.3 ka to 17.0 ± 1.8 ka. These offsets and ages yield late Pleistocene-Holocene average slip rates of 9.4 ± 1.6, 12.1 ± 1.7, and 8.4 ± 2.2 mm/yr-1 along the western, central, and eastern Denali fault, respectively, and 6.0 ± 1.2 mm/yr-1 along the Totschunda fault. Our results suggest a westward decrease in the mean Pleistocene-Holocene slip rate. This westward decrease likely results from partitioning of slip from the Denali fault system to thrust faults to the north and west. 2006 Geological Society of America.

New insights into broad spectrum communities of the Early Holocene Near East: The birds of Hallan Çemi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeder, Melinda A.; Spitzer, Megan D.

2016-11-01

The Early Holocene in Near East was a pivotal transitional period that witnessed dramatic changes in climate and environment, human settlement, major changes in subsistence strategies focusing on a broad range of different plant and animal resources, and a radical restructuring of social relations. The remarkable corpus of avifauna from the Early Holocene site of Hallan Çemi in southeastern Turkey sheds new light on key issues about this dynamic period that has been termed the ;Broad Spectrum Revolution;. The avifauna from this important site demonstrate how Hallan Çemi occupants took advantage of the site's strategic location at the junction of multiple environmental zones by extracting a diverse range of seasonally available resources from both near-by and more distant eco-zones to cobble together a stable subsistence economy capable of supporting this small community throughout the year. They give testimony to the impacts of resource utilization over time, especially on species unable to rebound from sustained human hunting. At the same time, they show how Hallan Çemi residents mitigated these impacts by replacing depleted resources with alternative, more resilient ones that could be more sustainably harvested. They open a window onto the growing investment in feasting and ritual activity that helped bind this community together. In so doing they provide a means of empirically evaluating the efficacy of contrasting explanatory frameworks for the Broad Spectrum Revolution that gave rise to the subsequent domestication of plant and animals in the Near East. Contrary to frameworks that cast these developments as responses to resource depression, lessons learned from the Hallan Çemi avifauna lend support to frameworks that emphasize the human capacity to strategically target, capitalize, and improve upon circumscribed resource rich environments in a way that permits more permanent occupation of these niches. And they underscore the degree to which social and

Early Holocene hydroclimate of Baffin Bay: Understanding the interplay between abrupt climate change events and ice sheet fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corcoran, M. C.; Thomas, E. K.; Castañeda, I. S.; Briner, J. P.

2017-12-01

Understanding the causes of ice sheet fluctuations resulting in sea level rise is essential in today's warming climate. In high-latitude ice-sheet-proximal environments such as Baffin Bay, studying both the cause and the rate of ice sheet variability during past abrupt climate change events aids in predictions. Past climate reconstructions are used to understand ice sheet responses to changes in temperature and precipitation. The 9,300 and 8,200 yr BP events are examples of abrupt climate change events in the Baffin Bay region during which there were multiple re-advances of the Greenland and Laurentide ice sheets. High-resolution (decadal-scale) hydroclimate variability near the ice sheet margins during these abrupt climate change events is still unknown. We will generate a decadal-scale record of early Holocene temperature and precipitation using leaf wax hydrogen isotopes, δ2Hwax, from a lake sediment archive on Baffin Island, western Baffin Bay, to better understand abrupt climate change in this region. Shifts in temperature and moisture source result in changes in environmental water δ2H, which in turn is reflected in δ2Hwax, allowing for past hydroclimate to be determined from these compound-specific isotopes. The combination of terrestrial and aquatic δ2Hwax is used to determine soil evaporation and is ultimately used to reconstruct moisture variability. We will compare our results with a previous analysis of δ2Hwax and branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers, a temperature and pH proxy, in lake sediment from western Greenland, eastern Baffin Bay, which indicates that cool and dry climate occurred in response to freshwater forcing events in the Labrador Sea. Reconstructing and comparing records on both the western and eastern sides of Baffin Bay during the early Holocene will allow for a spatial understanding of temperature and moisture balance changes during abrupt climate events, aiding in ice sheet modeling and predictions of future sea level

Late glacial and Holocene history of the Greenland Ice Sheet margin, Nunatarssuaq, Northwestern Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farnsworth, L. B.; Kelly, M. A.; Axford, Y.; Bromley, G. R.; Osterberg, E. C.; Howley, J. A.; Zimmerman, S. R. H.; Jackson, M. S.; Lasher, G. E.; McFarlin, J. M.

2015-12-01

Defining the late glacial and Holocene fluctuations of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) margin, particularly during periods that were as warm or warmer than present, provides a longer-term perspective on present ice margin fluctuations and informs how the GrIS may respond to future climate conditions. We focus on mapping and dating past GrIS extents in the Nunatarssuaq region of northwestern Greenland. During the summer of 2014, we conducted geomorphic mapping and collected rock samples for 10Be surface exposure dating as well as subfossil plant samples for 14C dating. We also obtained sediment cores from an ice-proximal lake. Preliminary 10Be ages of boulders deposited during deglaciation of the GrIS subsequent to the Last Glacial Maximum range from ~30-15 ka. The apparently older ages of some samples indicate the presence of 10Be inherited from prior periods of exposure. These ages suggest deglaciation occurred by ~15 ka however further data are needed to test this hypothesis. Subfossil plants exposed at the GrIS margin on shear planes date to ~ 4.6-4.8 cal. ka BP and indicate less extensive ice during middle Holocene time. Additional radiocarbon ages from in situ subfossil plants on a nunatak date to ~3.1 cal. ka BP. Geomorphic mapping of glacial landforms near Nordsø, a large proglacial lake, including grounding lines, moraines, paleo-shorelines, and deltas, indicate the existence of a higher lake level that resulted from a more extensive GrIS margin likely during Holocene time. A fresh drift limit, characterized by unweathered, lichen-free clasts approximately 30-50 m distal to the modern GrIS margin, is estimated to be late Holocene in age. 10Be dating of samples from these geomorphic features is in progress. Radiocarbon ages of subfossil plants exposed by recent retreat of the GrIS margin suggest that the GrIS was at or behind its present location at AD ~1650-1800 and ~1816-1889. Results thus far indicate that the GrIS margin in northwestern Greenland

Sequence stratigraphy and environmental background of the late Pleistocene and Holocene occupation in the Southeast Primor'ye (the Russian Far East)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chlachula, Jiri; Krupyanko, Alexander A.

2016-06-01

and the early Palaeo-Metal (Bronze Age) periods. This trend corroborates the documented climate deterioration between 3,400 and 2,600 cal yrs BP, causing a regional aridification with a parkland-steppe broadening in the main SE Primor'ye river valleys. The late Holocene climate development persisted until the Little Ice Age which led to formation of the present settlement ecosystems with mixed (oak/cedar/fir-dominated) temperate maritime woodlands.

A multi-proxy record of Holocene hydroclimate change from a windward montane wetland, Molokai, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beilman, D. W.; Kallstrom, R.; Elison Timm, O.; Nichols, J. E.; Massa, C.

2016-12-01

A core raised from a windward mountain bog on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii was studied to reconstruct changes in hydroclimate and ecosystem response. The 250-cm radiocarbon-dated profile shows that formation of peat (organic matter greater than 90% and bulk density below 0.2 g cm-3) began around 10,000 years ago, in response to wetter conditions needed to waterlog and stabilize soil organic matter, and has continued through the Holocene. A previously-published pollen record from this site has no chronological information, but suggests that the dominant forest species have been present throughout but varied substantially in their relative abundance over Holocene time. The stable carbon isotope value of organic matter (δ13COM) showed a pattern of increasingly more-positive values from 10,000 to 8000 years ago, consistent with decreased stomatal conductance in woody vegetation and an early Holocene drying trend. An overall Holocene decrease in rainfall over the Pacific near Hawaii is also observed in transient model simulations forced by insolation, greenhouse gases and ice. Between 4000 and 2000 years ago, more-negative δ13COM values and a maximum in organic carbon accumulation suggest a period of somewhat wetter climate that seems to have ended around 2,000 years ago. The distribution and abundance of leaf wax compounds including alkyl lipids in the profile suggests a lower relative abundance of woody species 8000 to 3000 years ago and a shift towards more woody inputs preceding the arrival of humans. Taken together, evidence from this windward location shows an overall decrease in rainfall during the Holocene in general agreement with other Hawaii proxy data and model simulations. But these new data also show important millennial-scale changes in hydroclimate and ecosystem responses. Comparison to proxy records at leeward Hawaii locations revealed an onset of peat formation at around the same time at a similar elevation in the early Holocene, but both

Heat export from the tropics drives mid to late Holocene palaeoceanographic changes offshore southern Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perner, Kerstin; Moros, Matthias; De Deckker, Patrick; Blanz, Thomas; Wacker, Lukas; Telford, Richard; Siegel, Herbert; Schneider, Ralph; Jansen, Eystein

2018-01-01

The Leeuwin Current (LC), an eastern boundary current, transports tropical waters from the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) towards southern latitudes and modulates oceanic conditions offshore southern Australia. New, high-resolution planktic foraminifer assemblage data and alkenone-derived sea surface temperatures (SST) provide an in-depth view on LC variability and mechanisms driving the current's properties during the mid to late Holocene (last c. 7.4 ka BP). Our marine reconstructions highlight a longer-term mid to late Holocene reduction of tropical heat export from the IPWP area into the LC. Mid Holocene (c. 7.4 to 3.5 ka BP) occurrence of high SSTs (>19.5 °C), tropical planktic foraminifera and a well-stratified water column document an enhanced heat export from the tropics. From c. 3.5 ka BP onwards, a weaker LC and a notably reduced tropical heat export cause oceanic cooling offshore southern Australia. The observed mid to late Holocene trends likely result from large-scale changes in the IPWP's heat storage linked to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon. We propose that a strong and warm LC occurs in response to a La Niña-like state of ENSO during the mid Holocene. The late Holocene LC cooling, however, results from a shift towards an El Niño-like state and a more variable ENSO system that causes cooling of the IPWP. Superimposed on these longer-term trends we find evidence of distinct late Holocene millennial-scale phases of enhanced El Niño/La Niña development, which appear synchronous with northern hemispheric climatic variability. Phases of dominant El Niño-like states occur parallel to North Atlantic cold phases: the '2800 years BP cooling event', the 'Dark Ages' and the 'Little Ice Age', whereas the 'Roman Warm Period' and the 'Medieval Climate Anomaly' parallel periods of a predominant La Niña-like state. Our findings provide further evidence of coherent interhemispheric climatic and oceanic conditions during the mid to late

Variability of East Asian summer monsoon precipitation during the Holocene and possible forcing mechanisms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Fuzhi; Ma, Chunmei; Zhu, Cheng; Lu, Huayu; Zhang, Xiaojian; Huang, Kangyou; Guo, Tianhong; Li, Kaifeng; Li, Lan; Li, Bing; Zhang, Wenqing

2018-03-01

Projecting how the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) rainfall will change with global warming is essential for human sustainability. Reconstructing Holocene climate can provide critical insight into its forcing and future variability. However, quantitative reconstructions of Holocene summer precipitation are lacking for tropical and subtropical China, which is the core region of the EASM influence. Here we present high-resolution annual and summer rainfall reconstructions covering the whole Holocene based on the pollen record at Xinjie site from the lower Yangtze region. Summer rainfall was less seasonal and 30% higher than modern values at 10-6 cal kyr BP and gradually declined thereafter, which broadly followed the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. Over the last two millennia, however, the summer rainfall has deviated from the downward trend of summer insolation. We argue that greenhouse gas forcing might have offset summer insolation forcing and contributed to the late Holocene rainfall anomaly, which is supported by the TraCE-21 ka transient simulation. Besides, tropical sea-surface temperatures could modulate summer rainfall by affecting evaporation of seawater. The rainfall pattern concurs with stalagmite and other proxy records from southern China but differs from mid-Holocene rainfall maximum recorded in arid/semiarid northern China. Summer rainfall in northern China was strongly suppressed by high-northern-latitude ice volume forcing during the early Holocene in spite of high summer insolation. In addition, the El Niño/Southern Oscillation might be responsible for droughts of northern China and floods of southern China during the late Holocene. Furthermore, quantitative rainfall reconstructions indicate that the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) simulations underestimate the magnitude of Holocene precipitation changes. Our results highlight the spatial and temporal variability of the Holocene EASM precipitation and potential forcing

Vegetation Response and Landscape Dynamics of Indian Summer Monsoon Variations during Holocene: An Eco-Geomorphological Appraisal of Tropical Evergreen Forest Subfossil Logs

PubMed Central

Kumaran, Navnith K. P.; Padmalal, Damodaran; Nair, Madhavan K.; Limaye, Ruta B.; Guleria, Jaswant S.; Srivastava, Rashmi; Shukla, Anumeha

2014-01-01

The high rainfall and low sea level during Early Holocene had a significant impact on the development and sustenance of dense forest and swamp-marsh cover along the southwest coast of India. This heavy rainfall flooded the coastal plains, forest flourishing in the abandoned river channels and other low-lying areas in midland.The coastline and other areas in lowland of southwestern India supply sufficient evidence of tree trunks of wet evergreen forests getting buried during the Holocene period under varying thickness of clay, silty-clay and even in sand sequences. This preserved subfossil log assemblage forms an excellent proxy for eco-geomorphological and palaeoclimate appraisal reported hitherto from Indian subcontinent, and complements the available palynological data. The bulk of the subfossil logs and partially carbonized wood remains have yielded age prior to the Holocene transgression of 6.5 k yrs BP, suggesting therein that flooding due to heavy rainfall drowned the forest cover, even extending to parts of the present shelf. These preserved logs represent a unique palaeoenvironmental database as they contain observable cellular structure. Some of them can even be compared to modern analogues. As these woods belong to the Late Pleistocene and Holocene, they form a valuable source of climate data that alleviates the lack of contemporaneous meteorological records. These palaeoforests along with pollen proxies depict the warmer environment in this region, which is consistent with a Mid Holocene Thermal Maximum often referred to as Holocene Climate Optimum. Thus, the subfossil logs of tropical evergreen forests constitute new indices of Asian palaeomonsoon, while their occurrence and preservation are attributed to eco-geomorphology and hydrological regimes associated with the intensified Asian Summer Monsoon, as recorded elsewhere. PMID:24727672

A Tibetan lake sediment record of Holocene Indian summer monsoon variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bird, Broxton W.; Polisar, Pratigya J.; Lei, Yanbin; Thompson, Lonnie G.; Yao, Tandong; Finney, Bruce P.; Bain, Daniel J.; Pompeani, David P.; Steinman, Byron A.

2014-08-01

Sedimentological data and hydrogen isotopic measurements of leaf wax long-chain n-alkanes (δDwax) from an alpine lake sediment archive on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (Paru Co) provide a Holocene perspective of Indian summer monsoon (ISM) activity. The sedimentological data reflect variations in lake level and erosion related to local ISM rainfall over the Paru Co catchment, whereas δDwax reflects integrated, synoptic-scale ISM dynamics. Our results indicate that maximum ISM rainfall occurred between 10.1 and ˜5.2 ka, during which time there were five century-scale high and low lake stands. After 5.2 ka, the ISM trended toward drier conditions to the present, with the exception of a pluvial event centered at 0.9 ka. The Paru Co results share similarities with paleoclimate records from across the Tibetan Plateau, suggesting millennial-scale ISM dynamics were expressed coherently. These millennial variations largely track gradual decreases in orbital insolation, the southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), decreasing zonal Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) gradients and cooling surface air temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau. Centennial ISM and lake-level variability at Paru Co closely track reconstructed surface air temperatures on the Tibetan Plateau, but may also reflect Indian Ocean Dipole events, particularly during the early Holocene when ENSO variability was attenuated. Variations in the latitude of the ITCZ during the early and late Holocene also appear to have exerted an influence on centennial ISM rainfall.

Holocene sea-level changes in the Falkland Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newton, Tom; Gehrels, Roland; Daley, Tim; Long, Antony; Bentley, Mike

2014-05-01

present sea level. RSL then fell slowly during the middle and late Holocene, eroding the elevated tidal flat deposits in places, and allowing development of thin salt marsh deposits and encroachment of freshwater marsh. Our new sea-level index points are roughly in agreement with GIA model predictions but place tight constraints on the timing of early Holocene RSL rise and the height and timing of the maximum Holocene RSL position.

Early Deglaciation of Drangajökull, Vestfirðir, Iceland: Smaller than Present by 9.2 ka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harning, D.; Geirsdottir, A.; Miller, G. H.; Zalzal, K.

2016-12-01

The Holocene histories of Iceland's largest ice caps suggest rapid early Holocene deglaciation and disappearance by 9 ka, other than possible small remnants of Vatnajökull. The least documented is Drangajökull, Vestfirðir, NW Iceland, where our team has been working since 2010. A recent study claims Drangajökull behaved differently than the other Iceland ice caps, deglaciating much later, and persisting through the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM). We test this postulate through a suite of sediment cores from threshold lakes both proximal and distal to the ice cap's contemporary margin. Distal lakes document rapid early Holocene deglaciation across the southern highland plateau, with the northern margin of the ice cap reaching a size comparable to Drangajökull's contemporary limit by 10.3 ka. A proximal lake to the north records a transient readvance at 9.6 ka, likely in association with meltwater pulses from the disintegrating Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). Two other southeastern proximal lakes, whose catchments extend well beneath the modern ice cap, demonstrate that Drangajökull was already smaller than present before 9.2 ka. Supporting evidence for local early Holocene warmth is derived from biological summer temperature proxies in a lake record, with age control (tephra/14C) demonstrating continuous sediment accumulation from 10.3 ka to present. Peak warmth (HTM) inferred from elevated algal productivity occurred between 8.9 and 7.2 ka. The record of terrestrial warmth closely aligns with regional SST and precipitation records that together with lake sediment characteristics provide firm evidence that Drangajökull responded similarly to Iceland's other large ice caps. Drangajökull was smaller than its contemporary margin before 9.2 ka, and likely disappeared entirely during the warmer and drier summers between 9 and 7 ka, reforming in the Late Holocene.

Holocene moisture and East Asian summer monsoon evolution in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau recorded by Lake Qinghai and its environs: A review of conflicting proxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Fahu; Wu, Duo; Chen, Jianhui; Zhou, Aifeng; Yu, Junqing; Shen, Ji; Wang, Sumin; Huang, Xiaozhong

2016-12-01

Climatic and environmental changes in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau are controlled by the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) and the westerlies, two key circulation components of the global climate system which directly affect a large human population and associated ecosystems in eastern Asia. During the past few decades, a series of Holocene palaeoclimatic records have been obtained from sediment cores from Lake Qinghai and from various other geological archives in the surrounding area of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. However, because of uncertainties regarding the sediment chronologies and the climatic significance of the proxies used, the nature of Holocene climatic changes in the region remains unclear and even controversial. Here we review all major classes of the published data from drilled cores from Lake Qinghai, as well as other evidence from lakes and aeolian deposits from surrounding areas, in order to reconstruct changes in moisture patterns and possible summer monsoon evolution in the area during the Holocene. Combining the results of moisture and precipitation proxies such as vegetation history, pollen-based precipitation reconstruction, aeolian activity, lake water depth/lake level changes, salinity and sediment redness, we conclude that moisture and precipitation began to increase in the early Holocene, reached their maximum during the middle Holocene, and decreased during the late Holocene - similar to the pattern of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in northern China. It is clear that the region experienced a relatively dry climate and weak EASM during the early Holocene, as indicated by relatively low tree pollen percentages and fluctuating pollen concentrations; generally low lake levels of Lake Qinghai and the adjacent Lake Hurleg and Lake Toson in the Qaidam Basin; and widely distributed aeolian sand deposition in the Lake Qinghai Basin and the nearby Gonghe Basin to the south, and in the eastern Qaidam Basin to the west. We argue that the

Holocene multidecadal- to millennial-scale variations in Iceland-Scotland overflow and their relationship to climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mjell, Tor Lien; Ninnemann, Ulysses S.; Eldevik, Tor; Kleiven, Helga Kikki F.

2015-05-01

The Nordic Seas overflows are an important part of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation. While there is growing evidence that the overflow of dense water changed on orbital time scales during the Holocene, less is known about the variability on shorter time scales beyond the instrumental record. Here we reconstruct the relative changes in flow strength of Iceland-Scotland Overflow Water (ISOW), the eastern branch of the overflows, on multidecadal-millennial time scales. The reconstruction is based on mean sortable silt (SS>¯) from a sediment core on the Gardar Drift (60°19'N, 23°58'W, 2081 m). Our SS>¯ record reveals that the main variance in ISOW vigor occurred on millennial time scales (1-2 kyr) with particularly prominent fluctuations after 8 kyr. Superimposed on the millennial variability, there were multidecadal-centennial flow speed fluctuations during the early Holocene (10-9 kyr) and one prominent minimum at 0.9 kyr. We find a broad agreement between reconstructed ISOW and regional North Atlantic climate, where a strong (weak) ISOW is generally associated with warm (cold) climate. We further identify the possible contribution of anomalous heat and freshwater forcing, respectively, related to reconstructed overflow variability. We infer that ocean poleward heat transport can explain the relationship between regional climate and ISOW during the middle to late Holocene, whereas freshwater input provides a possible explanation for the reduced overflow during early Holocene (8-10 kyr).

Unexpected early extinction of the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) in Sweden and climatic impact on its Holocene range.

PubMed

Sommer, Robert S; Lindqvist, Charlotte; Persson, Arne; Bringsøe, Henrik; Rhodin, Anders G J; Schneeweiss, Norbert; Siroký, Pavel; Bachmann, Lutz; Fritz, Uwe

2009-03-01

Using ancient DNA sequences of subfossil European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) from Britain, Central and North Europe and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating for turtle remains from most Swedish sites, we provide evidence for a Holocene range expansion of the pond turtle from the southeastern Balkans into Britain, Central Europe and Scandinavia, according to the 'grasshopper pattern' of Hewitt. Northeastern Europe and adjacent Asia were colonized from another refuge located further east. With increasing annual mean temperatures, pond turtles reached southern Sweden approximately 9800 years ago. Until approximately 5500 years ago, rising temperatures facilitated a further range expansion up to Ostergötland, Sweden (approximately 58 degrees 30'N). However, around 5500 years ago pond turtle records suddenly terminate in Sweden, some 1500 years before the Holocene thermal maximum ended in Scandinavia and distinctly earlier than previously thought. This extinction coincides with a temporary cooling oscillation during the Holocene thermal maximum and is likely related to lower summer temperatures deteriorating reproductive success. Although climatic conditions improved later again, recolonization of Sweden from southern source populations was prevented by the Holocene submergence of the previous land connection via the Danish Straits that occurred approximately 8500 years ago.

Isotopic chemical weathering behaviour of Pb derived from a high-Alpine Holocene lake-sediment record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutjahr, Marcus; Süfke, Finn; Gilli, Adrian; Anselmetti, Flavio; Glur, Lukas; Eisenhauer, Anton

2017-04-01

Several studies assessing the chemical weathering systematics of Pb isotopes provided evidence for the incongruent release of Pb from source rocks during early stages of chemical weathering, resulting in runoff compositions more radiogenic (higher) than the bulk source-rock composition [e.g. 1]. Deep NW Atlantic seawater Pb isotope records covering the last glacial-interglacial transition further support these findings. Clear excursions towards highly radiogenic Pb isotopic input in the deep NW Atlantic seen during the early Holocene, hence after the large-scale retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in North America, are interpreted to be controlled by preferential release of radiogenic Pb from U- and Th-rich mineral phases during early stages of chemical weathering that are less resistant to chemical dissolution than other rock-forming mineral phases [2-4]. To date, however, no terrestrial Pb isotope record exists that could corroborate the evidence from deep marine sites for efficient late deglacial weathering and washout of radiogenic Pb. We present a high-resolution adsorbed Pb isotope record from a sediment core retrieved from Alpine Lake Grimsel (1908 m.a.s.l.) in Switzerland, consisting of 117 Pb compositions over the past 10 kyr. This high-Alpine study area is ideally located for incipient and prolonged chemical weathering studies. The method used to extract the adsorbed lake Pb isotope signal is identical to previous marine approaches targeting the authigenic Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides fraction within the lake sediments [5, 6]. The Pb isotope compositions are further accompanied by various elemental ratios derived from the same samples that equally trace climatic boundary conditions in the Grimsel Lake area. The Pb isotopic composition recorded in Lake Grimsel is remarkably constant throughout the majority of the Holocene until ˜2.5 ka BP, despite variable sediment composition and -age, and isotopically relatively close to the signature of the granitic source rock

The 3.6 ka Aniakchak tephra in the Arctic Ocean: A constraint on the Holocene radiocarbon reservoir age in the Chukchi Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pearce, Christof; Varhelyi, Aron; Wastegård, Stefan; Muschitiello, Francesco; Barrientos Macho, Natalia; O'Regan, Matt; Cronin, Thomas M.; Gemery, Laura; Semiletov, Igor; Backman, Jan; Jakobsson, Martin

2017-01-01

The caldera-forming eruption of the Aniakchak volcano in the Aleutian Range on the Alaskan Peninsula at 3.6 cal kyr BP was one of the largest Holocene eruptions worldwide. The resulting ash is found as a visible sediment layer in several Alaskan sites and as a cryptotephra on Newfoundland and Greenland. This large geographic distribution, combined with the fact that the eruption is relatively well constrained in time using radiocarbon dating of lake sediments and annual layer counts in ice cores, makes it an excellent stratigraphic marker for dating and correlating mid–late Holocene sediment and paleoclimate records. This study presents the outcome of a targeted search for the Aniakchak tephra in a marine sediment core from the Arctic Ocean, namely Core SWERUS-L2-2-PC1 (2PC), raised from 57 m water depth in Herald Canyon, western Chukchi Sea. High concentrations of tephra shards, with a geochemical signature matching that of Aniakchak ash, were observed across a more than 1.5 m long sediment sequence. Since the primary input of volcanic ash is through atmospheric transport, and assuming that bioturbation can account for mixing up to ca. 10 cm of the marine sediment deposited at the coring site, the broad signal is interpreted as sustained reworking at the sediment source input. The isochron is therefore placed at the base of the sudden increase in tephra concentrations rather than at the maximum concentration. This interpretation of major reworking is strengthened by analysis of grain size distribution which points to ice rafting as an important secondary transport mechanism of volcanic ash. Combined with radiocarbon dates on mollusks in the same sediment core, the volcanic marker is used to calculate a marine radiocarbon reservoir age offset ΔR = 477 ± 60 years. This relatively high value may be explained by the major influence of typically "carbon-old" Pacific waters, and it agrees well with recent estimates of ΔR along the northwest

Holocene cultural history of Red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) and its domestic descendant in East Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, Joris; Lebrasseur, Ophélie; Deng, Hui; Larson, Greger

2016-06-01

Nearly three decades ago, zooarchaeologists postulated that chicken husbandry was practiced in Northern China by ∼8.0 ka calBP. Recently, ancient mitogenome analyses of galliform remains suggested that Red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) was already present in the Yellow River basin several millennia earlier, shortly after the onset of the Holocene. If these conclusions are correct, the origins of chicken domestication and husbandry in the region may have been spurred by agricultural innovations in the lower Yellow River basin including millet cultivation, pig husbandry, and dog breeding. In addition, the dispersal of poultry farming from East Asia to Asia Minor and Europe could therefore date to the Neolithic along ancient trade routes across Central Asia rather than via South Asia and Mesopotamia. For this scenario to be plausible, the post-Pleistocene climatic conditions must have been favourable to allow for a northward extension of the native distribution of tropical Red jungle fowl currently not found north of ∼25°N. This study combines Holocene palaeoclimate and archaeofaunal archives with new zooarchaeological insights alongside a discussion of methodological issues and cultural aspects in order to revisit the hypothesis of an early Holocene Gallus domestication and Neolithic poultry husbandry in Northern China. Our results regarding the natural and cultural history of Red jungle fowl and domestic chickens in East Asia, and the timing of chicken dispersal across the Old World suggest that an early Holocene domestication of chickens is problematic at best. We conclude by postulating an alternative model for the early exploitation of a key domestic species in present-day East Asia.

Holocene moisture changes in western China, Central Asia, inferred from stalagmites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Yanjun; Chiang, John C. H.; Breitenbach, Sebastian F. M.; Tan, Liangcheng; Cheng, Hai; Edwards, R. Lawrence; An, Zhisheng

2017-02-01

Central Asia lies at the convergence between the Mediterranean and Asian monsoon climates, and there is a complex interaction between the westerlies with the monsoon to form the climate of that region and its variability. The region is highly vulnerable to changes in rainfall, highlighting the need to understand the underlying controls. We present a stalagmite-based δ18O record from Kesang Cave in western China, using MC-ICP-MS U-series dating and stable isotope analysis. Stalagmite calcite δ18O largely documents changes in the δ18O of precipitation. δ18O in stalagmites was low during the early and middle Holocene (10.0-3.0 ka BP), and shifted to higher values between 3.0 and 2.0 ka BP. After 2.0 ka BP, δ18O fluctuates with distinct centennial-scale variations. Drawing from results of state-of-the-art atmospheric general circulation model simulations for the preindustrial period and 9 ka BP, we propose that changes in moisture source regions and the wetter climate both contributed to the isotopic depletion of precipitation during the early and middle Holocene. Multiple records from surrounding regions indicate a generally wetter climate during the early and mid- Holocene, supporting our interpretation on the speleothem δ18O. Changes in precipitation seasonality do not appear to be a viable explanation for the observed changes, nor increased penetration of monsoonal moisture to the study site. We speculate that the climatic regime shifted around 3.0-2.0 ka BP towards a drier climate, resulting in temperature having dominant control on precipitation δ18O. The demise of three settlements around 500AD at the margin of Tarim Basin coincided with a period of decreased precipitation and increased temperature that likely affected local water resources, underscoring the potential impact of climate on human habitation in this region.

Short communication: Massive erosion in monsoonal central India linked to late Holocene land cover degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giosan, Liviu; Ponton, Camilo; Usman, Muhammed; Blusztajn, Jerzy; Fuller, Dorian Q.; Galy, Valier; Haghipour, Negar; Johnson, Joel E.; McIntyre, Cameron; Wacker, Lukas; Eglinton, Timothy I.

2017-12-01

Soil erosion plays a crucial role in transferring sediment and carbon from land to sea, yet little is known about the rhythm and rates of soil erosion prior to the most recent few centuries. Here we reconstruct a Holocene erosional history from central India, as integrated by the Godavari River in a sediment core from the Bay of Bengal. We quantify terrigenous fluxes, fingerprint sources for the lithogenic fraction and assess the age of the exported terrigenous carbon. Taken together, our data show that the monsoon decline in the late Holocene significantly increased soil erosion and the age of exported organic carbon. This acceleration of natural erosion was later exacerbated by the Neolithic adoption and Iron Age extensification of agriculture on the Deccan Plateau. Despite a constantly elevated sea level since the middle Holocene, this erosion acceleration led to a rapid growth of the continental margin. We conclude that in monsoon conditions aridity boosts rather than suppresses sediment and carbon export, acting as a monsoon erosional pump modulated by land cover conditions.

Toward explaining the Holocene carbon dioxide and carbon isotope records: Results from transient ocean carbon cycle-climate simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menviel, L.; Joos, F.

2012-03-01

The Bern3D model was applied to quantify the mechanisms of carbon cycle changes during the Holocene (last 11,000 years). We rely on scenarios from the literature to prescribe the evolution of shallow water carbonate deposition and of land carbon inventory changes over the glacial termination (18,000 to 11,000 years ago) and the Holocene and modify these scenarios within uncertainties. Model results are consistent with Holocene records of atmospheric CO2 and δ13C as well as the spatiotemporal evolution of δ13C and carbonate ion concentration in the deep sea. Deposition of shallow water carbonate, carbonate compensation of land uptake during the glacial termination, land carbon uptake and release during the Holocene, and the response of the ocean-sediment system to marine changes during the termination contribute roughly equally to the reconstructed late Holocene pCO2 rise of 20 ppmv. The 5 ppmv early Holocene pCO2 decrease reflects terrestrial uptake largely compensated by carbonate deposition and ocean sediment responses. Additional small contributions arise from Holocene changes in sea surface temperature, ocean circulation, and export productivity. The Holocene pCO2 variations result from the subtle balance of forcings and processes acting on different timescales and partly in opposite direction as well as from memory effects associated with changes occurring during the termination. Different interglacial periods with different forcing histories are thus expected to yield different pCO2 evolutions as documented by ice cores.

Ice-borne prehistoric finds in the Swiss Alps reflect Holocene glacier fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grosjean, Martin; Suter, Peter J.; Trachsel, Mathias; Wanner, Heinz

2007-03-01

During the hot summer of 2003, reduction of an ice field in the Swiss Alps (Schnidejoch) uncovered spectacular archaeological hunting gear, fur, leather and woollen clothing and tools from four distinct windows of time: Neolithic Age (4900 to 4450 cal. yr BP), early Bronze Age (4100-3650 cal. yr BP), Roman Age (1st-3rd century AD), and Medieval times (8-9th century AD and 14-15th century AD). Transalpine routes connecting northern Italy with the northern Alps during these slots is consistent with late Holocene maximum glacier retreat. The age cohorts of the artefacts are separated which is indicative of glacier advances when the route was difficult and not used for transit. The preservation of Neolithic leather indicates permanent ice cover at that site from ca. 4900 cal. yr BP until AD 2003, implying that the ice cover was smaller in 2003 than at any time during the last 5000 years. Current glacier retreat is unprecedented since at least that time. This is highly significant regarding the interpretation of the recent warming and the rapid loss of ice in the Alps. Copyright

Climate and Fuel Controls on North American Paleofires: Smoldering to Flaming in the Late-Glacial-Holocene Transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, Y. M.; Peteet, D. M.; Arimoto, R.; Cao, J. J.; An, Z. S.; Sritrairat, S.; Yan, B. Z.

2016-01-01

Smoldering and flaming fires, which emit different proportions of organic (OC) and black carbon (BC, in the form of char and soot), have long been recognized in modern wildfire observations but never in a paleo-record, and little is known about their interactions with climate. Here we show that in the late glacial-early Holocene transition period, when the climate was moist, relatively high quantities of char were deposited in Linsley Pond, Connecticut, USA while soot was more abundant during the warmer and drier early Holocene interval. The highest soot mass accumulation rates (MARs) occurred at the beginning of the Holocene as fuel availability increased through the climatic transition when boreal forests were locally extirpated. These variations with time are related to the different formation pathways of char and soot, which are governed by combustion efficiency. This study provides an approach for differentiating smoldering from flaming combustion in paleo-wildfire reconstructions. Our results suggest that climate and fuel loads control the occurrence of different wildfire types and precipitation may play a key role.

Climate and Fuel Controls on North American Paleofires: Smoldering to Flaming in the Late-glacial-Holocene Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Y. M.; Peteet, D. M.; Arimoto, R.; Cao, J. J.; An, Z. S.; Sritrairat, S.; Yan, B. Z.

2016-02-01

Smoldering and flaming fires, which emit different proportions of organic (OC) and black carbon (BC, in the form of char and soot), have long been recognized in modern wildfire observations but never in a paleo-record, and little is known about their interactions with climate. Here we show that in the late glacial-early Holocene transition period, when the climate was moist, relatively high quantities of char were deposited in Linsley Pond, Connecticut, USA while soot was more abundant during the warmer and drier early Holocene interval. The highest soot mass accumulation rates (MARs) occurred at the beginning of the Holocene as fuel availability increased through the climatic transition when boreal forests were locally extirpated. These variations with time are related to the different formation pathways of char and soot, which are governed by combustion efficiency. This study provides an approach for differentiating smoldering from flaming combustion in paleo-wildfire reconstructions. Our results suggest that climate and fuel loads control the occurrence of different wildfire types and precipitation may play a key role.

Climate and Fuel Controls on North American Paleofires: Smoldering to Flaming in the Late-glacial-Holocene Transition.

PubMed

Han, Y M; Peteet, D M; Arimoto, R; Cao, J J; An, Z S; Sritrairat, S; Yan, B Z

2016-02-10

Smoldering and flaming fires, which emit different proportions of organic (OC) and black carbon (BC, in the form of char and soot), have long been recognized in modern wildfire observations but never in a paleo-record, and little is known about their interactions with climate. Here we show that in the late glacial-early Holocene transition period, when the climate was moist, relatively high quantities of char were deposited in Linsley Pond, Connecticut, USA while soot was more abundant during the warmer and drier early Holocene interval. The highest soot mass accumulation rates (MARs) occurred at the beginning of the Holocene as fuel availability increased through the climatic transition when boreal forests were locally extirpated. These variations with time are related to the different formation pathways of char and soot, which are governed by combustion efficiency. This study provides an approach for differentiating smoldering from flaming combustion in paleo-wildfire reconstructions. Our results suggest that climate and fuel loads control the occurrence of different wildfire types and precipitation may play a key role.

Revised age of deglaciation of Lake Emma based on new radiocarbon and macrofossil analyses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Elias, S.A.; Carrara, P.E.; Toolin, L.J.; Jull, A.J.T.

1991-01-01

Previous radiocarbon ages of detrital moss fragments in basal organic sediments of Lake Emma indicated that extensive deglaciation of the San Juan Mountains occurred prior to 14,900 yr B.P. (Carrara et al., 1984). Paleoecological analyses of insect and plant macrofossils from these basal sediments cast doubt on the reliability of the radiocarbon ages. Subsequent accelerator radiocarbon dates of insect fossils and wood fragments indicate an early Holocene age, rather than a late Pleistocene age, for the basal sediments of Lake Emma. These new radiocarbon ages suggest that by at least 10,000 yr B.P. deglaciation of the San Juan Mountains was complete. The insect and plant macrofossils from the basal organic sediments indicate a higher-than-present treeline during the early Holocene. The insect assemblages consisted of about 30% bark beetles, which contrasts markedly with the composition of insects from modern lake sediments and modern specimens collected in the Lake Emma cirque, in which bark beetles comprise only about 3% of the assemblages. In addition, in the fossil assemblages there were a number of flightless insect species (not subject to upslope transport by wind) indicative of coniferous forest environments. These insects were likewise absent in the modern assemblage. ?? 1991.

Inception of a global atlas of Holocene sea levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Nicole; Rovere, Alessio; Engelhart, Simon; Horton, Benjamin

2017-04-01

Determining the rates, mechanisms and geographic variability of sea-level change is a priority science question for the next decade of ocean research. To address these research priorities, the HOLocene SEA-level variability (HOLSEA) working group is developing the first standardized global synthesis of Holocene relative sea-level data to: (1) estimate the magnitudes and rates of global mean sea-level change during the Holocene; and (2) identify trends in spatial variability and decipher the processes responsible for geographic differences in relative sea-level change. Here we present the preliminary efforts of the working group to compile the database, which includes sea-level index points and limiting data from a range of different indicators across seven continents from the Last Glacial Maximum to present. We follow a standard protocol that incorporates full consideration of vertical and temporal uncertainty for each sea-level index point, including uncertainties associated with the relationship of each indicator to past sea-level and the methods used to date each indicator. We describe the composition of the global database, identify gaps in data availability, and highlight our effort to create an online platform to access the data. These data will be made available in a special issue of Quaternary Science Reviews and archived on NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) in early 2018. We also invite researchers who collect or model Holocene sea-level data to participate. Long-term, this effort will enhance predictions of 21st century sea-level rise, and provide a vital contribution to the assessment of natural hazards with respect to sea-level rise and coastal response.

The influence of Late Pleistocene geomorphological inheritance and Holocene hydromorphic regimes on floodwater farming in the Talgar catchment, southeast Kazakhstan, Central Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macklin, Mark G.; Panyushkina, Irina P.; Toonen, Willem H. J.; Chang, Claudia; Tourtellotte, Perry A.; Duller, Geoff A. T.; Wang, Hong; Prins, Maarten A.

2015-12-01

In comparison to Southwest Asia and the Indian subcontinent, the relationship between Holocene river dynamics, climate change and floodwater farming in Central Asia is significantly under researched. To address this, a multi-disciplinary research project was begun in 2011 centred on the Talgar catchment, a south-bank tributary of the Ili River, southeast Kazakhstan. Building on archaeological excavations and surveys conducted over the past 20 years, we have undertaken investigations of Holocene human adaptations to changing hydromorphic regimes in the Tien Shan piedmont region, Central Asia. Fluvial geochronologies have been reconstructed over the last 20,000 years using Optically Stimulated Luminescence and 14C dating, and are compared with human settlement histories from the Eneolithic to the medieval period. Phases of Late Pleistocene and Holocene river aggradation at c. 17,400-6420, 4130-2880 and 910-500 cal. BC and between the mid-18th and early 20th centuries were coeval with cooler and wetter neoglacial episodes. Entrenchment and floodplain soil development (c. 2880-2490 cal. BC and cal. AD 1300-1640) coincided with warmer and drier conditions. Prior to the modern period, floodwater farming in the Talgar River reached its height in the late Iron Age (400 cal. BC - cal. AD 1) with more than 70 settlement sites and 700 burial mounds. This period of agricultural expansion corresponds to a phase of reduced flooding, river stability and glacier retreat in the Tien Shan Mountains. Late Iron age agriculturists appear to have been opportunistic by exploiting a phase of moderate flows within an alluvial fan environment, which contained a series of partially entrenched distributary channels that could be easily 'engineered' to facilitate floodwater farming. Holocene climate change was therefore not a proximate cause for the development and demise of this relatively short-lived (c. 200 years) period of Iron Age farming. River dynamics in the Tien Shan piedmont are

Evidence for insolation and Pacific forcing of late glacial through Holocene climate in the Central Mojave Desert (Silver Lake, CA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirby, Matthew E.; Knell, Edward J.; Anderson, William T.; Lachniet, Matthew S.; Palermo, Jennifer; Eeg, Holly; Lucero, Ricardo; Murrieta, Rosa; Arevalo, Andrea; Silveira, Emily; Hiner, Christine A.

2015-09-01

Silver Lake is the modern terminal playa of the Mojave River in southern California (USA). As a result, it is well located to record both influences from the winter precipitation dominated San Bernardino Mountains - the source of the Mojave River - and from the late summer to early fall North American monsoon at Silver Lake. Here, we present various physical, chemical and biological data from a new radiocarbon-dated, 8.2 m sediment core taken from Silver Lake that spans modern through 14.8 cal ka BP. Texturally, the core varies between sandy clay, clayey sand, and sand-silt-clay, often with abrupt sedimentological transitions. These grain-size changes are used to divide the core into six lake status intervals over the past 14.8 cal ka BP. Notable intervals include a dry Younger Dryas chronozone, a wet early Holocene terminating 7.8 - 7.4 cal ka BP, a distinct mid-Holocene arid interval, and a late Holocene return to ephemeral lake conditions. A comparison to potential climatic forcings implicates a combination of changing summer - winter insolation and tropical and N Pacific sea-surface temperature dynamics as the primary drivers of Holocene climate in the central Mojave Desert.

The evolution of Saharan dust input in Lanzarote (Canary Islands): Lower Holocene triggering by human activity in the northwest Sahara?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Suchodoletz, H.; Oberhänsli, H.; Faust, D.; Zöller, L.; Hambach, U.; Fuchs, M.

2009-04-01

A Holocene increase of Saharan dust input to the area of the Canary islands is accompanied by a strong coarsening of this material during the Early Holocene as recorded in loess-like sediments deposited on Lanzarote. Whereas natural causes can be ruled out for the coarsening that is exceptional during the period of the last 180 ka, it is assumed that anthropogenic activity strongly mobilized dust in an area on the pathway of dust prior to its arrival in Lanzarote comprising parts of Western Sahara and northern Mauritania. Although scarce archaeological data from the coastal area of that region do not point to strong anthropogenic activity during the Early Holocene yet, a high density of unexplored archaeological remains reported from the coastal hinterlands does not exclude this hypothesis. Thus, the results of this study highlight the need of further archaeological investigations in that Saharan region.

Estuarine development and early Holocene transgression across an aeolianite substrate, Caesarea, central Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goff, John A.; Austin, James A.; Goodman-Tchernov, Beverly N.

2018-04-01

Estuaries are important features on the coastal landscape due to their potential for rich, diverse, and abundant resources. The modern coast of the southeast Mediterranean is largely devoid of estuaries except in rare circumstances where ample sands are delivered to the shore, such as east of the Nile Delta. Whether or not today's condition is reflective of that present during lower sea-levels is greatly speculative in part due to a dearth of high-resolution sub-surface mapping in the shallower (< 45 m) continental shelf. We report here on a multibeam bathymetry and near-surface seismic stratigraphy survey offshore of Caesarea, along the central Israeli coast; within which we find evidence of preserved estuarine sediments in water depths 45-10 mbsl, both within paleo-channels of the Crocodile and Hadera rivers, and more broadly across the shelf. These water depths correspond to early Holocene dates ( 10.5-7.5 ka) which, based on global sea-level curves, was a period of rapid ( 1-1.7 cm/yr) sea-level rise. Now-submerged aeolianite ridges (locally referred to as 'kurkar'), cemented aeolian deposits formed during pre-Last-Glacial-Maximum (LGM) seaward advance (regression) of the coastline, likely provided some offshore barrier for estuarine development. These were insufficient, however, to account for all the estuarine deposition interpreted, leading us to hypothesize that sand-constructed barrier islands were also present as sea-level rose during the Holocene. This supply of sand, clearly greater than what is evident today, could have originated from sea-level rise phase eroding Nile Delta sediments transported northward by littoral currents, or from increased output from local rivers during wetter climatic conditions. We also observe a transition from linear, shore-parallel aeolianite ridge morphology features on land and in shallow water, to nested, arcuate features below 30 mbsl. Whereas the linear ridges are thought to be coastal foredune remnants abandoned by

Origin and dynamics of the northern South American coastal savanna belt during the Holocene - the role of climate, sea-level, fire and humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alizadeh, Kamaleddin; Cohen, Marcelo; Behling, Hermann

2015-08-01

Presence of a coastal savanna belt expanding from British Guiana to northeastern Brazil cannot be explained by present-day climate. Using pollen and charcoal analyses on an 11.6 k old sediment core from a coastal depression in the savanna belt near the mouth of the Amazon River we investigated the paleoenvironmental history to shed light on this question. Results indicate that small areas of savanna accompanied by a forest type composed primarily by the genus Micropholis (Sapotaceae) that has no modern analog existed at the beginning of the Holocene. After 11,200 cal yr BP, savanna accompanied by few trees replaced the forest. In depressions swamp forest developed and by ca 10,000 cal yr BP replaced by Mauritia swamps. Between 8500 and 5600 cal yr BP gallery forest (composed mainly of Euphorbiaceae) and swamp forest succeeded the treeless savanna. The modern vegetation with alternating gallery forest and savanna developed after 5600 cal yr BP. We suggest that the early Holocene no-analog forest is a relict of previously more extensive forest under cooler and moister Lateglacial conditions. The early Holocene savanna expansion indicates a drier phase probably related to the shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) towards its northernmost position. The mid-Holocene forest expansion is probably a result of the combined influence of equatorwards shift of ITCZ joining the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ). The ecosystem variability during the last 5600 cal yr BP, formed perhaps under influence of intensified ENSO condition. High charcoal concentrations, especially during the early Holocene, indicate that natural and/or anthropogenic fires may have maintained the savanna. However, our results propose that climate change is the main driving factor for the formation of the coastal savanna in this region. Our results also show that the early Holocene sea level rise established mangroves near the study site until 7500 cal yr BP and promoted swamp formation in

The roles of fire in Holocene ecosystem changes of West Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dupont, L. M.; Schefuß, E.

2018-01-01

The climate changes associated with the Holocene wet phase in the Sahara, the African Humid Period, are subject to ongoing debate discussing interactions between climate and vegetation and possible feedbacks between vegetation, albedo, desertification, and dust. However, very little attention has been given to the role of fire in shaping the land cover, although it is known that fires are important in the formation and consolidation of the African savanna. To fill this gap, we investigated the interaction between precipitation changes, vegetation shifts, and fire occurrence in West Africa by combining stable isotope measurements on plant waxes with pollen and micro-charcoal counts of marine sediments retrieved offshore of Cape Blanc. Our study focuses on the roles of fire at the dry limit of savanna during the Holocene evolution of precipitation changes indicating that the impact of fire during a relative wet climate differs from that during aridification. During the humid early Holocene, increased savanna extension and diversification ran parallel to increased fire occurrence. In contrast, after aridification of northern Africa started at the end of the African Humid Period, a maximum in fire occurrence correlated with a deterioration of the vegetation promoting desertification.

Holocene reef growth over irregular Pleistocene karst confirms major influence of hydrodynamic factors on Holocene reef development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salas-Saavedra, Marcos; Dechnik, Belinda; Webb, Gregory E.; Webster, Jody M.; Zhao, Jian-xin; Nothdurft, Luke D.; Clark, Tara R.; Graham, Trevor; Duce, Stephanie

2018-01-01

Many factors govern reef growth through time, but their relative contributions are commonly poorly known. A prime example is the degree to which modern reef morphology is controlled by contemporary hydrodynamic settings or antecedent topography. Fortunately, reefs record essential information for interpreting palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironment within their structure as they accrete in response to environmental change. Five new cores recovered from the margin of Heron Reef, southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR), provide new insights into Holocene reef development and relationships between Holocene reefs and Pleistocene antecedent topography, suggesting much more irregular underlying topography than expected based on the configuration of the overlying modern reef margin. Cores were recovered to depths of 30 m and 94 new 230Th ages document growth between 8408 ± 24 and 2222 ± 16 yrs. BP. One core penetrated Pleistocene basement at ∼15.3 m with Holocene reef growth initiated by ∼8.4 ka BP. However, 1.83 km west along the same smooth margin, four cores failed to penetrate Pleistocene basement at depths between 20 and 30 m, suggesting that the margin at this location overlies a karst valley, or alternatively, the antecedent platform does not extend there. A 48 m-long margin-perpendicular transect of three cores documents the filling of this topographic low, at least 30 m beneath the current reef top, with seaward lateral accretion at a rate of 34.3 m/ka. Cores indicate steady vertical and lateral accretion between 3.2 and 1.8 ka BP with no evidence of the hiatus in reef flat progradation seen in most other offshore reefs of the GBR at that time. These cores suggest that the relative protection afforded by the valley allowed for unconsolidated sediment to accumulate, enabling continuous progradation even when other areas of the reef flat appear to have 'turned off'. Additionally, the cores suggest that although reefs in the southern GBR clearly owe their location to

Climate variability during the deglaciation and Holocene in a high-altitude alpine lake deduced from the sedimentary record from Laguna Seca, Sierra Nevada, southern Iberian Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Camuera, Jon; Jiménez-Moreno, Gonzalo; José Ramos-Román, María; García-Alix, Antonio; Jiménez-Espejo, Francisco; Anderson, R. Scott

2017-04-01

High-resolution X-ray fluorescence (XRF), magnetic susceptibility (MS), color and lithological analyses have been carried out on a 3.6 m-long sediment core from Laguna Seca, a high-elevation dry lake from Sierra Nevada mountain range, southern Spain. This is the longest sedimentary record retrieved from an alpine lake in southern Iberian Peninsula. Besides, alpine lakes are very sensitive environments to climate changes and previous studies showed that Laguna Seca could provide an excellent record to identify millennial-scale climate variations during deglaciation and the whole Holocene. XRF analyses, in particular high calcium and low K/Ca ratios, show aridity phases, very well represented during Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Younger Dryas (YD). Arid events are also shown at ca. 8.1 ka BP, ca. 4.4 ka BP and the latest Holocene. On the other hand, negative values in calcium and positive values in K/Ca appear in the Bølling-Allerød (BA) and during the early Holocene until ca. 6 ka BP, indicating more humidity and higher run-off. A progressive aridification trend is also observed in the Holocene, changing from more humid conditions during the early Holocene to more aridity during the late Holocene.

The Wasatch fault zone, utah-segmentation and history of Holocene earthquakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Machette, M.N.; Personius, S.F.; Nelson, A.R.; Schwartz, D.P.; Lund, W.R.

1991-01-01

The Wasatch fault zone (WFZ) forms the eastern boundary of the Basin and Range province and is the longest continuous, active normal fault (343 km) in the United States. It underlies an urban corridor of 1.6 million people (80% of Utah's population) representing the largest earthquake risk in the interior of the western United States. We have used paleoseismological data to identify 10 discrete segments of the WFZ. Five are active, medial segments with Holocene slip rates of 1-2 mm a-1, recurrence intervals of 2000-4000 years and average lengths of about 50 km. Five are less active, distal segments with mostly pre-Holocene surface ruptures, late Quaternary slip rates of 6.5 have occurred since 1860. Although the time scale of the clustering is different-130 years vs 1100 years-we consider the central Nevada-eastern California Seismic Belt to be a historic analog for movement on the WFZ during the past 1500 years. We have found no evidence that surface-rupturing events occurred on the WFZ during the past 400 years, a time period which is twice the average intracluster recurrence interval and equal to the average Holocene recurrence interval. In particular, the Brigham City segment (the northernmost medial segment) has not ruptured in the past 3600 years-a period that is about three times longer than this segment's average recurrence interval during the early and middle Holocene. Although the WFZ's seismological record is one of relative quiescence, a comparison with other historic surface-rupturing earthquakes in the region suggests that earthquakes having moment magnitudes of 7.1-7.4 (or surface-wave magnitudes of 7.5-7.7)-each associated with tens of kilometers of surface rupture and several meters of normal dip slip-have occurred about every four centuries during the Holocene and should be expected in the future. ?? 1991.

A high resolution Late Glacial to Holocene record of climatic and environmental change in the Mediterranean from Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacey, Jack; Francke, Alexander; Leng, Melanie; Vane, Chris; Wagner, Bernd

2015-04-01

Lake Ohrid (Macedonia/Albania) is one of the world's oldest lakes and is renowned for its high degree of biological diversity. It is the target site for the ICDP SCOPSCO (Scientific Collaboration on Past Speciation Conditions in Lake Ohrid) project, an international research initiative to study the links between geology, environment and the evolution of endemic taxa. In 2011 a 10-meter core was recovered from the western shore of Lake Ohrid adjacent to the Lini Peninsula. Here we present high-resolution stable isotope and geochemical data from this core through the Late Glacial to Holocene to reconstruct past climate and hydrology (TIC, δ18Ocalcite, δ13Ccalcite) as well as the terrestrial and aquatic vegetation response to climate (TOC, TOC/N, δ13Corganic, Rock-Eval pyrolysis). The data identify 3 main zones: (1) the Late Glacial-Holocene transition represented by low TIC, TOC and higher isotope values, (2) the early to mid-Holocene characterised by higher TOC, TOC/N and lower δ18Ocalcite, and (3) the late Holocene which shows a marked decrease in TIC and TOC. In general there is an overall trend of increasing δ18Ocalcite from 9 ka to present, suggesting progressive aridification through the Holocene, which is consistent with previous records from Lake Ohrid and the wider Mediterranean region. Several proxies show commensurate excursions that imply the impact of short-term climate oscillations, such as the 8.2 ka event and the Little Ice Age. This is the best-dated and highest resolution archive of Late Glacial and Holocene climate from Lake Ohrid and confirms the overriding influence of the North Atlantic in the north-eastern Mediterranean. The data presented set the context for the SCOPSCO project cores recovered in spring-summer 2013 dating back into the Lower Pleistocene, and will act as a recent calibration to reconstruct climate and hydrology over the entire lake history.

Wetlands sediment record from the upper Yarlung Tsangpo valley, southwest Tibetan Plateau, reveals mid-Holocene Epipaleolithic human occupation coincident with increased early and mid-Holocene wetness driven by enhanced Indian Monsoon rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hudson, A. M.; Olsen, J. W.; Quade, J.; Lei, G.; Huth, T.; Zhang, H.; Perreault, C.

2016-12-01

The headwaters of the Yarlung Tsangpo river valley, located in the southwestern Tibetan Plateau, are characterized by a cold and dry climate, but contain abundant river-marginal wetlands environments, which fluctuate in extent in response to changes in local water table elevation. This region receives 80% of precipitation from the Indian Monsoon, which forms the dominant control on moisture availability, and hence wetlands extent. Our paleowetlands record, based on 14C dating of organic-rich paleowetlands deposits, provides a novel record of Holocene monsoon intensity. The wetlands deposits consist of four sedimentary units that indicate decreasing wetlands extent and monsoon intensity since 10.4 ka BP. Wet conditions occurred at ˜10.4 ka BP, ˜9.6 ka BP and ˜7.9-4.8 ka BP, with similar-to-modern conditions from ˜4.6-2.0 ka BP, and drier-than-modern conditions from ˜2.0 ka BP to present. Wetland changes correlate with monsoon intensity changes identified in nearby records, with weak monsoon intervals corresponding to desiccation and erosion of wetlands deposits. Dating of in situ ceramic and microlithic artifacts in wetlands sediments at multiple sites indicates Epipaleolithic human occupation of the YT valley after 6.6 ka BP. Artifact typology study reveals a similar microlithic technology was employed across the high plateau interior, but XRF obsidian provenance reveals separate northeast and southwest lithic conveyance zones. This indicates widespread colonization of the high, arid Tibetan Plateau interior by one or more highly mobile human populations during the early and mid-Holocene, coincident with favorable warm, wet climate conditions.

Seasonal Transitions and the Westerly Jet in the Holocene East Asian Summer Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, J. C. H.; Kong, W.; Swenson, L. M.

2016-12-01

The Holocene East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) evolution was previously characterized as a trend towards weaker monsoon intensity paced by orbital insolation. We argue that this evolution is more accurately characterized as changes in the transition timing and duration of the EASM seasonal stages (Spring, pre Mei-Yu, Mei-Yu, Midsummer), and tied to the north-south displacement of the westerlies relative to Tibet. To this end, we employ atmospheric general circulation model time-slice simulations across the Holocene, and objectively identify the transition timing and duration of the EASM seasonal stages. Compared to the late Holocene, we find an earlier onset of Mei-Yu and an earlier transition from Mei-Yu to Summer in the early-mid Holocene, resulting in a shortened Mei-Yu and prolonged Summer stage. These changes are accompanied by an earlier northward positioning of the westerlies relative to Tibet. Our hypothesis provides a more satisfactory explanation for two key observations of Holocene East Asian climate: the `asynchronous Holocene optimum', and changes to East Asian dustiness. Our results highlight a key difference in the way that the East Asian monsoon dynamically responds to precessional insolation changes compared to the other monsoons. For other monsoon systems, changes to the land-ocean contrast drive changes to monsoon intensity. While this also occurs for the East Asian monsoon, more importantly changes to the meridional position of the westerlies relative to the Tibetan Plateau determine the timing of seasonal transitions; a northward shift triggers earlier seasonal rainfall transitions and in particular a shorter Mei-Yu and longer Midsummer stage. By similar reasoning, changes to obliquity also strongly affect East Asian summer monsoon seasonality, with a larger tilt resulting in earlier northward shift of the westerlies.

Climate and vegetation change during the Holocene in southern Iberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiménez Moreno, Gonzalo; Anderson, R. Scott; Ramos-Roman, María J.; Camuera, Jon; Garcia-Alix, Antonio; Jimenez-Espejo, FranciscoJ.; Toney, Jaime L.; Mesa-Fernandez, Jose Manuel; Manzano, Saul; Carrion, Jose S.

2017-04-01

Detailed pollen analysis has been carried out on several sediment cores taken from high-elevation alpine lakes and bog areas located in Sierra Nevada and coastal and offshore environments from southern Spain. The early Holocene is characterized in these records by the highest abundance of arboreal pollen, indicating the warmest and wettest conditions in the area at that time. The pollen records show a progressive aridification trend since the beginning of the middle Holocene through a decrease in forest species and the increase in xerophytes. The progressive aridification is punctuated by millennial-scale periodically enhanced droughts that coincide in timing and duration with well-known arid events in the Mediterranean and other areas. A relatively humid period occurred during the Iberian-Roman Humid Period. The Medieval Climate Anomaly (900-1300 AD) was characterized by a wet phase at first, coinciding with a solar minimum, and a later arid phase, coinciding with the Medieval solar Maximum and a positive NAO. The Little Ice Age (1300-1850 AD) was markedly wetter than earlier, as shown by the increase in tree pollen, coinciding with a phase of negative NAO and the Maunder solar minimum. This study shows that vegetation and climate in the Western Mediterranean are modulated by solar and atmospheric factors. Out-of-trend vegetation changes are observed in the last centuries, which probably indicate the high-impact of humans in the Sierra Nevada, with pasturing leading to nutrient enrichment and eutrophication of the wetlands, Olea cultivation at lower elevations and Pinus reforestation.

Holocene aggradation of the Dry Tortugas coral reef ecosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brock, J.C.; Palaseanu-Lovejoy, M.; Poore, R.Z.; Nayegandhi, A.; Wright, C.W.

2010-01-01

Radiometric age dating of reef cores acquired at the Dry Tortugas coral reef ecosystem (DTCRE) was merged with lidar topographic mapping to examine Holocene reef development linked to spatial variation in growth and erosion under the control of sea level. Analysis of variance of lidar topography confirmed the presence of three distinct terraces on all three major DTCRE banks (Loggerhead Bank, Garden Bank, and Pulaski Bank). Reef building on the middle terrace (T2) began atop Pleistocene edifices on Loggerhead Bank by 8.0 ka (thousands of years ago) and on Garden Bank by 7.2 ka at elevations of about −16.0 m and −11.9 m, respectively, relative to present mean sea level. Following this initiation at different elevations, T2 aggraded vertically on both banks at different rates during the early Holocene under foundering conditions until a highstand at 5.2 ka, resulting in a 2.21 m offset in present mean T2 elevation between these banks. Initiation of an upper terrace (T1) occurred on both Loggerhead Bank and Garden Bank in association with sea-level fall to a lowstand at near 4.8 ka. This upper terrace initiated on Garden Bank at about 5.0 ka and then grew upward at rate of 2.5 mm year−1 until approximately 3.8 ka. On Loggerhead Bank, the upper T1 terrace formed after 4.5 ka at a higher vertical aggradation rate of 4.1 mm year−1, but at a lower elevation than on Garden Bank. Terrace T1 aggraded on Loggerhead Bank below the elevation of lowstands during late Holocene sea-level oscillation, and consequently erosion on Loggerhead Bank was minimal and likely limited to the crest of the upper terrace. In contrast, after 3.8 ka terrace T1 on Garden Bank likely tracked sea level and consequently underwent erosion when sea level fell to second, third and fourth lowstands at 3.3, 1.1, and 0.3 ka.

Late-Glacial to Early Holocene Climate Changes from a Central Appalachians Pollen and Macrofossil Record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kneller, Margaret; Peteet, Dorothy

1997-01-01

A Late-glacial to early Holocene record of pollen, plant macrofossils and charcoal, based on two cores, is presented for Browns Pond in the central Appalachians of Virginia. An AMS radiocarbon chronology defines the timing of moist and cold excursions, superimposed upon the overall warming trend from 14,200 to 7,500 C-14 yr B.P. This site shows cold, moist conditions from approximately 14,200 to 12,700 C-14 yr B.P., with warming at 12,730, 11,280 and 10,050 C-14 yr B.P. A decrease in deciduous broad-leaved tree taxa and Pinus strobus (haploxylon) pollen, simultaneous with a re-expansion of Abies denotes a brief, cold reversal from 12,260 to 12,200 C-14 yr B.P. A second cold reversal, inferred from increases in montane conifers, is centered at 7,500 C-14 yr B.P. The cold reversals at Browns Pond may be synchronous with climate change in Greenland, and northwestern Europe. Warming at 11,280 C-14 yr B.P. shows the complexity of regional climate responses during the Younger Dryas chronozone.

Holocene extinction dynamics of Equus hydruntinus, a late-surviving European megafaunal mammal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crees, Jennifer J.; Turvey, Samuel T.

2014-05-01

The European wild ass (Equus hydruntinus) is a globally extinct Eurasian equid. This species was widespread in Europe and southwest Asia during the Late Pleistocene, but its distribution became restricted to southern Europe and adjacent geographic regions in the Holocene. Previous research on E. hydruntinus has focused predominantly on its taxonomy and Late Pleistocene distribution. However, its Holocene distribution and extinction remain poorly understood, despite the fact that the European wild ass represents one of Europe's very few globally extinct Holocene megafaunal mammal species. We summarise all available Holocene zooarchaeological spatio-temporal occurrence data for the species, and analyse patterns of its distribution and extinction using point pattern analysis (kernel density estimation and Clark Evans index) and optimal linear estimation. We demonstrate that the geographic range of E. hydruntinus became highly fragmented into discrete subpopulations during the Holocene, which were associated with separate regions of open habitat and which became progressively extinct between the Neolithic and Iron Age. These data challenge previous suggestions of the late survival of E. hydruntinus into the medieval period in Spain, and instead suggest that postglacial climate-driven vegetational changes were a primary factor responsible for extinction of the species, driving isolation of small remnant subpopulations that may have been increasingly vulnerable to human exploitation. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Late Quaternary species extinctions in Eurasia, suggesting that they were temporally staggered and distinct in their respective extinction trajectories.

Holocene disturbance dynamics from a pine-dominated forest in central British Columbia, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, K. J.; Hebda, N.; Condor, N.; Hebda, R.; Hawkes, B.

2013-12-01

A lake sediment record was retrieved from the Sub-Boreal Pine-Spruce biogeoclimatic zone on the Chilcotin Plateau in central British Columbia, Canada. The record is being analyzed for charcoal, pollen, and magnetic susceptibility, as well as insect and mollusc content. The oldest radiocarbon age is 9.2 cal BP, illustrating that the record spans most of the Holocene. Regarding fire disturbance, charcoal fragments are persistent throughout the core, revealing that fire disturbance has characterized the site for millennia. In total, 74 fire events were recognized. During the warm dry early Holocene, fire frequency was 12-15 fires 2000 yr-1 and peak magnitudes were low, possibly in response to a more open landscape. A change in fire regime occurred at ca. 5000 cal BP, as fire frequency increased, peaking at ca. 20 fires 2000 yr-1 by 3000 cal BP. Peak magnitude likewise increased notably, possibly in response to the development of denser forest cover. On-going analysis of pollen will better constrain the vegetation history in this poorly sampled region. In contrast to charcoal, which was pervasive, Dendroctonus ponderosae (mountain pine beetle) remains were absent in both modern and paleo samples. Given that several insect outbreaks have occurred in the region in the last 100 years, the scarcity of remains is likely related to taphonomic issues.

A multiproxy fjord sediment record of Holocene climate change from the subantarctic Auckland Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Browne, I. M.; Moy, C. M.; Wilson, G. S.; Neil, H.; Riesselman, C. R.

2014-12-01

The Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds (SHWW) and the associated oceanic fronts have a major influence on atmospheric and oceanic circulation in the Southern Hemisphere. Sediment cores recovered from fjords along the eastern margin of the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands (51°S, 166°E) are ideally located to sensitively record changes in the strength and position of the SHWW throughout the Holocene. A 5.75m core from Hanfield Inlet preserves both marine and terrestrial environmental components, which we use to develop a multiproxy record of past climatic conditions. This core, composed entirely of brown marine mud and silt, was recovered from a depth of 44m. Based on the entrance sill depth of the fjord (10mbsl) and our knowledge of regional sea level rise, we infer that the base of the core will be early Holocene in age, which will be confirmed using radiocarbon age dating. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages (125-500μm fraction) in surface and downcore samples are dominated by three taxa, Nonionellina flemingi, Cassidulina carinata and Quinqueloculina seminula. These species are either shallow infaunal or infaunal. We will use stable carbon (δ¹³C) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotope geochemistry of the benthic foraminifera Nonionellina flemingi, Bolivina cf. earlandi, Trifarina angulosa, Bulimina marginata f. marginata and Cibicides species (all identified from Rose Bengal stained box-core samples) to reconstruct water column fluctuations associated with frontal migration. These results will compliment bulk sediment C and N concentration and isotope reconstructions of terrestrial organic matter delivery to fjord sub-basins over the past 12,000 years.

Holocene dinoflagellate cyst record of climate and marine primary productivity change in the Santa Barbara Basin, southern California.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pospelova, Vera; Mertens, Kenneth N.; Hendy, Ingrid, L.; Pedersen, Thomas F.

2015-04-01

High-resolution sedimentary records of dinoflagellate cysts and other marine palynomorphs from the Santa Barbara Basin (Ocean Drilling Program Hole 893A) demonstrate large variability of primary productivity during the Holocene, as the California Current System responded to climate change. Throughout the sequence, dinoflagellate cyst assemblages are characterized by the dominance of cysts produced by heterotrophic dinoflagellates, and particularly by Brigantedinium, accompanied by other upwelling-related taxa such as Echinidinium and cysts of Protoperidinium americanum. During the early Holocene (~12-7 ka), the species richness is relatively low (16 taxa) and genius Brigantedinium reaches the highest relative abundance, thus indicating nutrient-rich and highly productive waters. The middle Holocene (~7-3.5 ka) is characterized by relatively constant cyst concentrations, and dinoflagellate cyst assemblages are indicative of a slight decrease in sea-surface temperature. A noticeable increase and greater range of fluctuations in the cyst concentrations during the late Holocene (~3.5-1 ka) indicate enhanced marine primary productivity and increased climatic variability, most likely related to the intensification of El Niño-like conditions. Keywords: dinoflagellate cysts, Holocene, North Pacific, climate, primary productivity.

Holocene alluvial stratigraphy and response to climate change in the Roaring River valley, Front Range, Colorado, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Madole, Richard F.

2012-01-01

Stratigraphic analyses and radiocarbon geochronology of alluvial deposits exposed along the Roaring River, Colorado, lead to three principal conclusions: (1) the opinion that stream channels in the higher parts of the Front Range are relics of the Pleistocene and nonalluvial under the present climate, as argued in a water-rights trial USA v. Colorado, is untenable, (2) beds of clast-supported gravel alternate in vertical succession with beds of fine-grained sediment (sand, mud, and peat) in response to centennial-scale changes in snowmelt-driven peak discharges, and (3) alluvial strata provide information about Holocene climate history that complements the history provided by cirque moraines, periglacial deposits, and paleontological data. Most alluvial strata are of late Holocene age and record, among other things, that: (1) the largest peak flows since the end of the Pleistocene occurred during the late Holocene; (2) the occurrence of a mid- to late Holocene interval (~2450–1630(?) cal yr BP) of warmer climate, which is not clearly identified in palynological records; and (3) the Little Ice Age climate seems to have had little impact on stream channels, except perhaps for minor (~1 m) incision. Published

Holocene alluvial stratigraphy and response to climate change in the Roaring River valley, Front Range, Colorado, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madole, Richard F.

2012-09-01

Stratigraphic analyses and radiocarbon geochronology of alluvial deposits exposed along the Roaring River, Colorado, lead to three principal conclusions: (1) the opinion that stream channels in the higher parts of the Front Range are relics of the Pleistocene and nonalluvial under the present climate, as argued in a water-rights trial USA v. Colorado, is untenable, (2) beds of clast-supported gravel alternate in vertical succession with beds of fine-grained sediment (sand, mud, and peat) in response to centennial-scale changes in snowmelt-driven peak discharges, and (3) alluvial strata provide information about Holocene climate history that complements the history provided by cirque moraines, periglacial deposits, and paleontological data. Most alluvial strata are of late Holocene age and record, among other things, that: (1) the largest peak flows since the end of the Pleistocene occurred during the late Holocene; (2) the occurrence of a mid- to late Holocene interval (~ 2450-1630(?) cal yr BP) of warmer climate, which is not clearly identified in palynological records; and (3) the Little Ice Age climate seems to have had little impact on stream channels, except perhaps for minor (~ 1 m) incision.

Alpine Holocene Tree Ring Isotope Records - A Synthesis of a Multi-Proxy Approach in Dendroclimatology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziehmer, Malin Michelle; Nicolussi, Kurt; Schlüchter, Christian; Leuenberger, Markus

2017-04-01

cellulose content is determined for each individual sample and carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratios are measured simultaneously (Loader et al., 2015). The isotope records of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen show distinct low-frequency trends for the Early- and Mid-Holocene, but the individual series per proxy are often offset in their isotopic signature. As the sampling sites in our study are distributed along a SW-NE transect, the influence of the site conditions (latitude, longitude, elevation, exposition) and the tree species is tested and subsequently a correction is applied to the individual series. In addition, the tree-ring width records operate as a helpful tool in detecting and attributing the influence of larch budmoth outbreaks on the cellulose content and isotope records. We here present a synthesis of the applied multi-proxy approach and its ability to reconstruct Holocene climate variability for the time span from 9000 to 3500 years b2k covering the Early-Holocene (9000 to 7200 years b2k) and Mid-Holocene (7200 to 4200 years b2k) and the transition to the late Holocene (4200 to 3500 years b2k) as well as the recent 400 years including the modern warming. References Becker, B., & Kromer, B. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 1993, 103(1): 67-71 Boettger, T., et al. Anal. Chem., 2007, 79: 4603-4612 Büntgen, U. et al. Science, 2011, 331(6017): 578-582 Laumer, W., et al. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 2009, 23: 1934-1940 Loader, N.J., et al. Anal. Chem., 2015, 87: 376-380 Nicolussi K., et al. The Holocene, 2009, 19(6): 909-920

South Asian climate change at the end of urban Harappan (Indus valley) civilization and mechanisms of Holocene monsoon variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staubwasser, M.; Sirocko, F.; Erlenkeuser, H.; Grootes, P. M.; Segl, M.

2003-04-01

Planktonic oxygen isotope ratios from the well-dated laminated sediment core 63KA off the river Indus delta are presented. The record reveals significant climate changes in the south Asian monsoon system throughout the Holocene. The most prominent event of the early-mid Holocene occurred after 8.4 ka BP and is within dating error of the GISP/GRIP event centered at 8.2 ka BP. The late Holocene is generally more variable and the largest change of the entire Holocene occurred at 4.2 ka BP. This event is concordant with the end of urban Harappan civilization in the Indus valley. Opposing isotopic trends across the northern Arabian Sea surface indicate a reduction in Indus river discharge at that time. Consequently, sustained drought may have initiated the archaeologically recorded interval of southeastward habitat tracking within the Harappan cultural domain. The hemispheric significance of the 4.2 ka BP event is evident from concordant climate change in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. The remainder of the late Holocene shows drought cycles of approximately 700 years that are coherent with the evolution of cosmogenic radiocarbon production rates in the atmosphere. This suggests that solar variability is one fundamental cause behind late Holocene rainfall changes over south Asia.

Holocene climate dynamics in the central part of the East European plain (Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novenko, Elena

2013-04-01

The Holocene climate and vegetation dynamics in the broad-leaved forest zone of the central part of the East European plain have been reconstructed on the base of pollen, plant macrofossil, testate amoebae and radiocarbon data from the mire Klukva (N 53.834812, E 36.252488), located in the kast depression in the Upper Oka River basin (Tula region, European Russia). The reconstruction of main parameters of past climate (the mean annual temperature precipitation) was carried out by the "Best Modern Analog" approach. Reconstructions of vegetation show that in the early Holocene the territory was occupied mainly by birch and pine-birch forests. Significant changes in the plant cover of the Upper Oka River basin are attributed to the 7.5 cal kyr BP). The climatic conditions were favorable for development of the broad-leaved forests those persisted in this area up to industrial period. In the 17th century, when the population density greatly increased and watersheds were ploughed, natural vegetation communities were gradually destroyed and transformed into agricultural landscapes. According to obtained climatic reconstructions the period 10-8.5 cal kyr BP was relatively cold and wet, when the mean annual temperature was in 3°C lower and precipitation was in 50-100 mm higher then nowadays. The significant climate warming occurred in about 7.0-5.0 cal kyr BP (The Holocene thermal maximum): the mean annual temperature in 2°C exceeded the modern value and precipitation was close to that. The environment conditions were drier due to decrease of effective moisture. In the second part of the Holocene the sequence of second-, and even third-order climatic oscillations expressed against the background of the overall slight trend towards cooling have been determined. The most pronounced cool and wet intervals were reconstructed in 2.5-2.0 cal kyr BP and 1.5-1.3 cal kyr BP. The mean annual temperature decreased in 1.5-2 °C and precipitation rose in 200 mm in compare to modern

Large floods and climatic change during the Holocene on the Ara River, Central Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grossman, Michael J.

2001-07-01

A reconstruction of part of the Holocene large flood record for the Ara River in central Japan is presented. Maximum intermediate gravel-size dimensions of terrace and modern floodplain gravels were measured along an 18-km reach of the river and were used in tractive force equations to estimate minimum competent flood depths. Results suggest that the magnitudes of large floods on the Ara River have varied in a non-random fashion since the end of the last glacial period. Large floods with greater magnitudes occurred during the warming period of the post-glacial and the warmer early to middle Holocene (to ˜5500 years BP). A shift in the magnitudes of large floods occurred ˜5500-5000 years BP. From this time, during the cooler middle to late Holocene, large floods generally had lower magnitudes. In the modern period, large flood magnitudes are the largest in the data set. As typhoons are the main cause of large floods on the Ara River in the modern record, the variation in large flood magnitudes suggests that the incidence of typhoon visits to the central Japan changed as the climate changed during the Holocene. Further, significant dates in the large flood record on the Ara River correspond to significant dates in Europe and the USA.

Late Pleistocene and Holocene vegetation and climate changes in the Lake Baikal region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demske, D.; Heumann, G.; Granoszewski, W.; Mamakowa, K.; Piotrowska, N.; Bluszcz, A.; Goslar, T.

2003-04-01

Palynological high-resolution records from Lake Baikal sediments document strong vegetational changes during the transitions from an open landscape to Late Glacial shrublands and Holocene forests. For three core sites, investigated within EU-Project CONTINENT, sporomorph concentrates were used for AMS 14C dating of environmental changes. The pollen record from the northern lake site, located in vicinity to the Barguzin Mountains, shows pronounced maxima of Salix and Picea corresponding to late Pleistocene warming. A peak maximum in Alnus fruticosa during the Younger Dryas cooling coincided with low abundance of green algae in the lake and a decline in Picea trees. Fern-rich forests with Picea, Larix and Betula developed during early Holocene. With an abrupt expansion of Pteridium ferns Abies appeared in the northeastern Baikal region, reflecting optimum conditions for dark taiga. Among pines Pinus sibirica prevailed prior to the spread of P. sylvestris. Expansion of pines points to a distinct decrease in precipitation. A palynological sequence from the same site reflects the vegetation development during the last interglacial, with differences indicated by higher abundance of Abies. The upper part of the interglacial record comprises the transition to stadial conditions. Further pollen spectra are probably equivalent to first interstadials of the early glacial period (Zyryansk). Comparison with southern sites, in vicinity to the Selenga Delta and the Khamar-Daban Mountains, reveals that regional and temporal differentiation of Holocene vegetation development and climate conditions was closely related to the distribution of mountain ranges.

A temperature reversal within the rapid Younger Dryas-Holocene warming in the North Atlantic?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Jessie H.; Cwynar, Les C.

2016-12-01

The onset of the Holocene has been generally considered rapid and uninterrupted in the circum-Atlantic region. Loss-on-ignition (LOI - an index of organic carbon) profiles from 18 lateglacial-aged lakes in Nova Scotia, Canada, together with chironomid-inferred temperature reconstructions at 5 sites, demonstrate that the rapid warming from the Younger Dryas (GS-1) to the Holocene was interrupted by a cooling of 1.6-6.4 °C in summer surface lake water temperature. The resulting inflection or reversal on the rising temperature curve has also been identified at 35 sites outside Nova Scotia from terrestrial and marine settings, indicating that this cool step is a robust feature throughout the North Atlantic and is likely the result of major oceanic and atmospheric reorganization of the Holocene climate system.

Do schizophrenia patients age early?

PubMed

Shivakumar, Venkataram; Kalmady, Sunil V; Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan; Ravi, Vasanthapuram; Gangadhar, Bangalore N

2014-08-01

The etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia is poorly understood. Within the proposed "neurodegeneration paradigm", observations have been put forth for "accelerated aging" in this disorder. This proposition is largely based on the neuroscience research that demonstrates progressive changes in brain as well as other systemic abnormalities supportive of faster aging process in patients with this disorder. In this review, we have summarized the literature related to the concept of early aging in schizophrenia. These studies include P300 abnormalities & visual motion discrimination, neuroimaging findings, telomere dynamics as well as neuropathology of related brain regions. We also propose a role of vitamin D, neuroimmunological changes and elevated oxidative stress as well as mitochondrial dysfunction in addition to the above factors with 'vitamin-D deficiency' as the central paradox. Put together, the evidence supporting early aging in schizophrenia is compelling and this requires further systematic studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Peat in the ?Niayes? of Senegal: depositional environment and Holocene evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lézine, A.-M.; Chateauneuf, J.-J.

The "Niayes" peat deposits north of Dakar, in Senegal, provide an unusual opportunity to study the continental and littoral detrital environment of the Holocene in West Africa. These organic deposits, that may attain a thickness of 10m, accumulated in Late Pleistocene interdune basins whose extend morphology depend closely upon the palaeohydrologic evolution of and the continental model for this zone during the Holocene. The present sub-Canarian climate of this region allows the preservation of an azonal vegetation of Guinean chorological affinity that is evidence of the wider development of now more southerly vegetation during the older Holocene. The nature of the sedimentary facies of these peatfields is closely related to the altitude of the basins of accumulation and the position of the fresh/salt water interface which conditions the recharge of the shallow aquifer. Thus, fresh-water and mangrove-swamp peats exist more or less closely associated according to the site. 14C age determinations gives ages for these deposits between 12000 B.P. and the present, and detailed palynological studies have shown that there were two periods of climatic optimum, one between 9000 and 7000 B.P. and one between 4000 and 2000 B.P. The highly variable rates of sedimentation (0.2-12,5 mm/y for the continental zones and 2 mm/y for the mangrove swamps) are related to the paleotopography of the water-table or to very local fluctuations of sea level. The evolution of the vegetal biomass, evaluated both qualitatively (relative representation of the various vegetation levels) and quantitatively (concentration of pollen per gram of dry sediment) during the course of the Holocene enables reconstruction of the complete climatic and hydrologic history of the region up to the dawn of the Present.

Charcoal Reflectance Reveals Early Holocene Boreal Deciduous Forests Burned at High Intensities

PubMed Central

Hudspith, Victoria A.; Belcher, Claire M.; Kelly, Ryan; Hu, Feng Sheng

2015-01-01

Wildfire size, frequency, and severity are increasing in the Alaskan boreal forest in response to climate warming. One of the potential impacts of this changing fire regime is the alteration of successional trajectories, from black spruce to mixed stands dominated by aspen, a vegetation composition not experienced since the early Holocene. Such changes in vegetation composition may consequently alter the intensity of fires, influencing fire feedbacks to the ecosystem. Paleorecords document past wildfire-vegetation dynamics and as such, are imperative for our understanding of how these ecosystems will respond to future climate warming. For the first time, we have used reflectance measurements of macroscopic charcoal particles (>180μm) from an Alaskan lake-sediment record to estimate ancient charring temperatures (termed pyrolysis intensity). We demonstrate that pyrolysis intensity increased markedly from an interval of birch tundra 11 ky ago (mean 1.52%Ro; 485°C), to the expansion of trees on the landscape ∼10.5 ky ago, remaining high to the present (mean 3.54%Ro; 640°C) irrespective of stand composition. Despite differing flammabilities and adaptations to fire, the highest pyrolysis intensities derive from two intervals with distinct vegetation compositions. 1) the expansion of mixed aspen and spruce woodland at 10 cal. kyr BP, and 2) the establishment of black spruce, and the modern boreal forest at 4 cal. kyr BP. Based on our analysis, we infer that predicted expansion of deciduous trees into the boreal forest in the future could lead to high intensity, but low severity fires, potentially moderating future climate-fire feedbacks. PMID:25853712

Charcoal reflectance reveals early holocene boreal deciduous forests burned at high intensities.

PubMed

Hudspith, Victoria A; Belcher, Claire M; Kelly, Ryan; Hu, Feng Sheng

2015-01-01

Wildfire size, frequency, and severity are increasing in the Alaskan boreal forest in response to climate warming. One of the potential impacts of this changing fire regime is the alteration of successional trajectories, from black spruce to mixed stands dominated by aspen, a vegetation composition not experienced since the early Holocene. Such changes in vegetation composition may consequently alter the intensity of fires, influencing fire feedbacks to the ecosystem. Paleorecords document past wildfire-vegetation dynamics and as such, are imperative for our understanding of how these ecosystems will respond to future climate warming. For the first time, we have used reflectance measurements of macroscopic charcoal particles (>180μm) from an Alaskan lake-sediment record to estimate ancient charring temperatures (termed pyrolysis intensity). We demonstrate that pyrolysis intensity increased markedly from an interval of birch tundra 11 ky ago (mean 1.52%Ro; 485°C), to the expansion of trees on the landscape ~10.5 ky ago, remaining high to the present (mean 3.54%Ro; 640°C) irrespective of stand composition. Despite differing flammabilities and adaptations to fire, the highest pyrolysis intensities derive from two intervals with distinct vegetation compositions. 1) the expansion of mixed aspen and spruce woodland at 10 cal. kyr BP, and 2) the establishment of black spruce, and the modern boreal forest at 4 cal. kyr BP. Based on our analysis, we infer that predicted expansion of deciduous trees into the boreal forest in the future could lead to high intensity, but low severity fires, potentially moderating future climate-fire feedbacks.

The Lateglacial and Holocene history of annually laminated Lake Tiefer See

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theuerkauf, Martin; Dräger, Nadine; Lampe, Reinhard; Lorenz, Sebastian; Kienel, Ulrike; Schult, Manuela; Słowiński, Michał; Wulf, Sabine; Zawiska, Izabela; Brauer, Achim

2015-04-01

Lake Tiefer See (N 53.59, E 12.53) is one of the rare lakes with a long sequence of annually laminated Holocene sediments in northern Central Europe. The lake is a valuable link between laminated lakes in more oceanic climates of the Eifel region and NW Germany and laminated lakes in the more continental climate of Poland. It thus provides great potential to study past climate, vegetation and human land use along that climate transition. The sediments of Lake Tiefer See show repeated changes in varve quality and composition. To disentangle in how far these changes relate to either past climate change, lake water level fluctuations or to changes in the local environment caused by e.g. human activity, we studied 16 sediment cores taken mainly from the lake margin. Almost all cores show interruptions in sedimentation namely during the mid-Holocene, suggesting that the lake water level has been lowered during this period. However, peat-gyttia alternations point at lake level fluctuations also during the early and late Holocene. Discontinuous sedimentation in cores from intermediate depth points at recurring slumping events. The pollen record additionally indicates prominent alternations in land use intensity throughout the late Holocene. By testing correlation between the hydrological changes, changes in land use intensity and changes in the sediment record we discuss effects of climate change and further factors on varve formation in Lake Tiefer See. This study is a contribution to the Virtual Institute of Integrated Climate and Landscape Evolution Analysis -ICLEA- of the Helmholtz Association; grant number VH-VI-415.

Late Holocene and recent rainforest cultural landscapes of North Queensland, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinberger, L. M.; Moss, P. T.; Haberle, S.; Cosgrove, R.; Ferrier

2011-12-01

The tropical rainforests of North Queensland, Australia, have been environments of significant human activity for several thousand years. Palaeoecological research has highlighted the long-term effects of Quaternary climate change on these environments at a broad spatial scale, including the expansion of tropical rainforest across the region following the termination of the Last Glacial Maximum. However, identifying the effects of a hunter-gatherer Aboriginal population has been more difficult. Palaeoecological suggestions of Pleistocene Aboriginal burning, based on pollen and charcoal records, have relied on coincident timing with a general narrative of colonisation rather than direct links with archaeological evidence. Current research is explicitly examining the environmental consequences of human activity in North Queensland rainforests by producing local palaeoecological data directly linked to sites and periods of human occupation. Pollen, macrocharcoal and phytolith records have been produced from sites of human activity within the rainforest. Late Holocene Aboriginal occupation of the rainforest is demonstrated to have had significant cultural links to patches of open vegetation that existed within the rainforest. While these patches are likely to have originated as edaphically controlled remnants of Pleistocene vegetation, their expansion and maintenance in the late Holocene is associated with increasing intensity of Aboriginal occupation of the rainforest. Late Holocene Aboriginal rainforest occupation is also contrasted with the historical European colonisation of the rainforest in the late 19th century, which resulted in the most significant environmental changes in the region since the early Holocene. Historical and ethnographic records provide important cultural context for understanding the transition between Aboriginal and European cultural landscapes of the rainforest.

Holocene Climate, Fire and Vegetation Change Inferred from Lacustrine Proxies in the Tropical Andes, Laguna Yanacocha, SE Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axford, Y.; Isaacson, M.; Matthews-Bird, F.; Schellinger, G. C.; Carrio, C. L.; Kelly, M. A.; Lowell, T. V.; Beal, S. A., Jr.; Stroup, J. S.; Tapia, P. M.

2016-12-01

We present a 12,000-year long paleoenvironmental reconstruction from a small high-elevation lake in southeastern Peru. Climate and environmental change are inferred from chironomid species assemblages, charcoal abundance, size and morphology, and the abundance of some important pollen and spore types (Poaceae, Asteraceae, Isoetes). We employ a new chironomid training set developed for tropical South America (Matthews-Bird et al. 2016) to interpret shifts in chironomid assemblages. The sedimentary record from Yanacocha was first discussed by Beal et al. (2014), who reconstructed Hg deposition and measured metals, biogenic silica and loss-on-ignition through the Holocene. Additional downcore proxies are presented by Stroup et al. (this meeting). Yanacocha sits at 4910 m asl and less than 2 km from Quelccaya Ice Cap (QIC), but the lake's watershed has been topographically isolated from glacier meltwater since 12.3 ka. We compare our inferences from biological proxies with independent constraints on paleoclimate derived from published reconstructions of QIC fluctuations. Previous studies found that temperature was the primary driver of late Holocene fluctuations of QIC (e.g., Stroup et al. 2014), but records from the broader region indicate the Holocene also saw major changes in hydroclimate. Most modern precipitation at Yanacocha derives from the Amazon Basin to the east, and El Niño years are associated with drier conditions. Holocene sediments at Yanacocha likely thus record both changes in temperature and hydroclimate. Vegetation was sparse and no charcoal was preserved prior to 11.7 ka, whereas the early Holocene saw the highest overall pollen concentrations of the entire record and the onset of charcoal preservation. An increase in charcoal abundance, decrease in pollen concentrations, and shifts in vegetation and chironomid assemblages at Yanacocha suggest drier conditions from 9 to 3.5 ka, consistent with widespread regional evidence for early to middle

Late Holocene sedimentation in a high Arctic coastal setting: Simpson Lagoon and Colville Delta, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanna, Andrea J. M.; Allison, Mead A.; Bianchi, Thomas S.; Marcantonio, Franco; Goff, John A.

2014-02-01

Arctic coastal environments near major river outfalls, like Simpson Lagoon, Alaska and the adjacent Colville River Delta, potentially contain high-resolution sediment records useful in elucidating late Holocene Arctic sediment transport pathways and coupled terrestrial-ocean evidence of paleoclimate variability. This study utilizes a multi-tracer geochronology approach (137Cs, 239,240Pu, and 14C) tailored for high-latitude environments to determine the age models for cores collected from Simpson Lagoon, and to date seismic boundaries in shallow acoustic reflection data (CHIRP) to examine late Holocene infill patterns. Modern (~100 y) sediment accumulation rates range from <0.02 to 0.46±0.04 cm y-1, with a primary depocenter in western Simpson Lagoon adjacent to the Colville Delta and a secondary depocenter in eastern Simpson Lagoon. CHIRP reflectors, age-constrained by 14C analysis, reveal rapid late Holocene (0-3500 y BP) transgression consistent with high modern shoreline retreat rates. The western depocenter contains >5 m of late Holocene interbedded sediments, likely derived primarily from the Colville River, with onset of accumulation occurring prior to ~3500 y BP. A paleo-high in central Simpson Lagoon, separating the two depocenters, was subaerially exposed prior to ~600 y BP. The millimeters-per-year sedimentation rates across the lagoon, coupled with the undisturbed, interbedded sediment record, indicate that these settings hold great potential to develop new Arctic paleoenvironmental records.

Holocene paleoceanography of Bigo Bay, west Antarctic Peninsula: Connections between surface water productivity and nutrient utilization and its implication for surface-deep water mass exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sunghan; Yoo, Kyu-Cheul; Lee, Jae Il; Khim, Boo-Keun; Bak, Young-Suk; Lee, Min Kyung; Lee, Jongmin; Domack, Eugene W.; Christ, Andrew J.; Yoon, Ho Il

2018-07-01

Paleoceanographic changes in response to Holocene climate variability in Bigo Bay, west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) were reconstructed through geochemical, isotopic, sedimentological, and microfossil analysis. Core WAP13-GC47 is composed of 4 lithologic units. Unit 4 was deposited under ice shelf settings. Unit 3 represents the mid-Holocene open marine conditions. Unit 2 indicates lateral sediment transport by a glacier advance during the Neoglacial period. The chronological contrast between the timing of open marine conditions at core WAP13-GC47 (ca. 7060 cal. yr BP at 540 cm) and the ages of calcareous shell fragments (ca. 8500 cal. yr BP) in Unit 2b suggests sediment reworking during the Neoglacial period. Unit 1 was deposited during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and the Little Ice Age (LIA). Surface water productivity, represented by biogenic opal and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations, increased and bulk δ15N (nitrate utilization) decreased during the warmer early to middle Holocene and the MWP. In contrast, surface water productivity decreased with increased bulk δ15N during the colder Neoglacial period and LIA in Bigo Bay. The nitrate utilization was enhanced during cold periods in association with strong surface water stratification resulting from increased sea ice meltwater discharge or proximity to an ice shelf calving front in Bigo Bay. Reduced nitrate utilization during warm periods is related to weak stratification induced by less sea ice meltwater input and stronger Circumpolar Deep Water influence.

Middle to late Holocene fluctuations of the Vindue glacier, an outlet glacier of the Greenland Ice Sheet, central East Greenland.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levy, L.; Hammer, S. K.; Kelly, M. A.; Lowell, T. V.; Hall, B. L.; Howley, J. A.; Wilcox, P.; Medford, A.

2014-12-01

The margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet are currently responding to present-day climate changes. Determining how the ice sheet margins have responded to past climate changes provides a means to understand how they may respond in the future. Here we present a multi-proxy record used to reconstruct the Holocene fluctuations of the Vindue glacier, an ice sheet outlet glacier in eastern Greenland. Lake sediment cores from Qiviut lake (informal name), located ~0.75 km from the present-day Vindue glacier margin contain a sharp transition from medium sand/coarse silt to laminated gyttja just prior to 6,340±130 cal yr BP. We interpret this transition to indicate a time when the Vindue glacier retreated sufficiently to cease glacial sedimentation into the lake basin. Above this contact the core contains laminated gyttja with prominent, ~0.5 cm thick, silt layers. 10Be ages of boulders on bedrock located between Qiviut lake and the present-day ice margin date to 6.81 ± 0.67 ka (n = 3), indicating the time of deglaciation. These ages also agree well with the radiocarbon age of the silt-gyttja transition in Qiviut lake cores. 10Be ages on boulders on bedrock located more proximal to the ice margin (~0.5 km) yield ages of 2.67 ± 0.18 ka (n = 2). These ages indicate either the continued recession of the ice margin during the late Holocene or an advance at this time. Boulders on the historical moraines show that ice retreated from the moraine by AD 1620 ± 20 yrs (n = 2). These results are in contrast with some areas of the western margin of the ice sheet where 10Be ages indicate that the ice sheet was behind its Historical limit from the middle Holocene (~6-7 ka) to Historical time. This may indicate that the eastern margin may have responded to late Holocene cooling more sensitively or that the advance associated with the Historical moraines overran any evidence of late Holocene fluctuations along the western margin of the ice sheet.

Holocene vegetation change in the northern Peten and its implications for Maya prehistory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahl, David; Byrne, Roger; Schreiner, Thomas; Hansen, Richard

2006-05-01

An ˜8400 cal yr record of vegetation change from the northern Peten, Guatemala, provides new insights into the environmental history of the archaeological area known as the Mirador Basin. Pollen, loss on ignition, and magnetic susceptibility analyses indicate warm and humid conditions in the early to mid-Holocene. Evidence for a decrease in forest cover around 4600 cal yr B.P. coincides with the first appearance of Zea mays pollen, suggesting that human activity was responsible. The period between 3450 cal yr B.P. and 1000 cal yr B.P. is characterized by a further decline in forest pollen types, includes an abrupt increase in weedy taxa, and exhibits the highest magnetic susceptibility values since the early Holocene, all of which suggest further agricultural disturbance in the watershed. A brief drop in disturbance indicators around 1800 cal yr B.P. may represent the Preclassic abandonment of the area. Changing pollen frequencies around 1000 cal yr B.P. indicate a cessation of human disturbance, which represents the Late Classic collapse of the southern Maya lowlands.

Impact of Arctic shelf summer stratification on Holocene climate variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thibodeau, Benoit; Bauch, Henning A.; Knies, Jochen

2018-07-01

Understanding the dynamic of freshwater and sea-ice export from the Arctic is crucial to better comprehend the potential near-future climate change consequences. Here, we report nitrogen isotope data of a core from the Laptev Sea to shed light on the impact of the Holocene Siberian transgression on the summer stratification of the Laptev Sea. Our data suggest that the oceanographic setting was less favourable to sea-ice formation in the Laptev Sea during the early to mid-Holocene. It is only after the sea level reached a standstill at around 4 ka that the water column structure in the Laptev Sea became more stable. Modern-day conditions, often described as "sea-ice factory", were reached about 2 ka ago, after the development of a strong summer stratification. These results are consistent with sea-ice reconstruction along the Transpolar Drift, highlighting the potential contribution of the Laptev Sea to the export of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean.

Pottery use by early Holocene hunter-gatherers of the Korean peninsula closely linked with the exploitation of marine resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shoda, Shinya; Lucquin, Alexandre; Ahn, Jae-ho; Hwang, Chul-joo; Craig, Oliver E.

2017-08-01

The earliest pottery on the Korean peninsula dates to the early Holocene, notably later than other regions of East Asia, such as Japan, the Russian Far East and Southern China. To shed light on the function of such early Korean pottery and to understand the motivations for its adoption, organic residue analysis was conducted on pottery sherds and adhered surface deposit on the wall of pottery vessels (foodcrusts) excavated from the Sejuk shell midden (7.7-6.8ka calBP) on the southeastern coast and the Jukbyeon-ri site (7.9-6.9ka calBP) on the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula, that represents the earliest pottery assemblages with reliable radiocarbon dates. Through chemical and isotopic residue analysis, we conclude that the use of pottery at these sites was oriented towards marine resources, supported by lipid biomarkers typical of aquatic organisms and stable carbon isotope values that matched authentic marine reference fats. The findings contrast with other archaeological evidence, which shows that a wider range of available food resources were exploited. Therefore, we conclude pottery was used selectively for processing aquatic organisms perhaps including the rendering of aquatic oils for storage. Early pottery use in Korea is broadly similar to other prehistoric temperate hunter-gatherers, such as in Japan, northern Europe and northern America. However, it is also notable that elaborately decorated red burnished pottery excavated from isolated location at the Jukbyeon-ri site had a different usage pattern, which indicates that division of pottery use by vessel form was established even at this early stage.

Geomorphic and sedimentary responses of the Bull Creek Valley (Southern High Plains, USA) to Pleistocene and Holocene environmental change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arauza, Hanna M.; Simms, Alexander R.; Bement, Leland C.; Carter, Brian J.; Conley, Travis; Woldergauy, Ammanuel; Johnson, William C.; Jaiswal, Priyank

2016-01-01

Fluvial geomorphology and stratigraphy often reflect past environmental and climate conditions. This study examines the response of Bull Creek, a small ephemeral creek in the Oklahoma panhandle, to environmental conditions through the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Fluvial terraces were mapped and their stratigraphy and sedimentology documented throughout the course of the main valley. Based on their elevations, terraces were broadly grouped into a late-Pleistocene fill terrace (T3) and two Holocene fill-cut terrace sets (T2 and T1). Terrace systems are marked by similar stratigraphies recording the general environmental conditions of the time. Sedimentary sequences preserved in terrace fills record the transition from a perennial fluvial system during the late glacial period and the Younger Dryas to a semiarid environment dominated by loess accumulation and punctuated by flood events during the middle to late Holocene. The highest rates of aeolian accumulation within the valley occurred during the early to middle Holocene. Our data provide significant new information regarding the late-Pleistocene and Holocene environmental history for this region, located between the well-studied Southern and Central High Plains of North America.

Pleistocene and Holocene Iberian flora: a complete picture and review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González Sampériz, Penélope

2010-05-01

A detailed analysis of the location and composition of Iberian vegetation types during the whole Pleistocene and Holocene periods shows a complex patched landscape with persistence of different types of ecosystems, even during glacial times. In addition, recent, high-resolution palaeoecological records are changing the traditional picture of post-glacial vegetation succession in the Iberian Peninsula. The main available charcoal and pollen sequences include, coniferous and deciduous forest, steppes, shrublands, savannahs and glacial refugia during the Pleistocene for Meso-thermophytes (phytodiversity reservoirs), in different proportions. This panorama suggests an environmental complexity that relates biotic responses to climate changes forced by Milankovitch cycles, suborbital forcings and by the latitudinal and physiographic particularities of the Iberian Peninsula. Thus, many factors are critical in the course of vegetational developments and strong regional differences are observed since the Early Pleistocene. Currently, the flora of Iberia is located in two biogeographical/climatic regions: the Eurosiberian and the Mediterranean. The first one includes northern and northwestern areas of the peninsula, where post-glacial responses of vegetation are very similar to Central Europe, although with some particularities due to its proximity to both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean region. The second one comprises the main territory of Iberia and shows more complex patterns and singularities, now and in the past. Steppe landscapes dominated extensive areas over all the territory during the cold spells of the Quaternary, especially during the Late Pleistocene up to the Last Glacial Maximum, but differences in composition of the dominant taxa (Compositae versus Artemisia) are observed since the Early Pleistocene, probably related to moisture regional gradients. Coastal shelves and intramountainous valleys, even in continental areas, are spots of floristic

A High-Resolution Stalagmite Holocene Paleoclimate Record from Northern Venezuela with Insights into the Timing and Duration of the 8.2 ka Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Retrum, J. B.; Gonzalez, L. A.; Edwards, R.; Cheng, H.; Tincher, S. M.; Urbani, F.

2013-12-01

The dearth of studies and data in the tropics hinders our understanding of atmospheric and oceanic interactions between the low latitudes and the rest of the globe. To understand better the interactions, specifically between the Caribbean and the North Atlantic, three stalagmites were collected from Cueva Zarraga in the Falcón Mountains of northwestern Venezuela and analyzed to determine local paleoclimatic history. Stalagmites ages were determined by U/Th disequilibrium and show a nearly complete Holocene record. The stalagmites have an average temporal resolution of 10.8 years/mm and ranges from 2.1 to 62.7 years. Both the carbon and oxygen isotope records preserve quasi-millennial oscillations and show a major depletion shift from the last glacial period into the Holocene, suggesting warmer and wetter conditions during the Holocene. The preservation of quasi-millennial oscillations and of high frequency multi-decadal changes by the δ13C indicates that the soil-vegetation-stalagmite system is acting as an amplifier of the climatic signal produced by climatic events and changes. In the early Holocene, the δ18O record shows a depletion trend from ~ 11,000 to 8,000 cal yr BP before reaching the Holocene Thermal Maximum. A prominent δ18O enrichment event is recorded in all the stalagmites that correspond to the 8.2 ka event. The 8.2 ka event is represented by a double peak with duration of ~ 180 years. Other short-term δ18O enrichment events likely correspond to Bond events 1, 2, 5, and 6. The late Holocene record, like other Caribbean records, indicates that the climate system diverges from insolation and may represent an atmospheric rearrangement that resulted in ENSO increase instability or in reduced seasonal movement of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Today, Cueva Zarraga is at the northern extent of the ITCZ and has two rainy seasons. The δ18O enrichment events during the Holocene suggest drier conditions southern displacement of the ITCZ

Holocene climate variability, vegetation dynamics and fire regime in the central Pyrenees: the Basa de la Mora sequence (NE Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez-Sanz, A.; González-Sampériz, P.; Moreno, A.; Valero-Garcés, B.; Gil-Romera, G.; Rieradevall, M.; Tarrats, P.; Lasheras-Álvarez, L.; Morellón, M.; Belmonte, A.; Sancho, C.; Sevilla-Callejo, M.; Navas, A.

2013-08-01

High resolution multiproxy data (pollen, sedimentology, geochemistry, chironomids and charcoal) from the Basa de la Mora (BSM) lake sequence (42° 32' N, 0° 19' E, 1914 m a.s.l.) show marked climate variability in the central southern Pyrenees throughout the Holocene. A robust age model based on 15 AMS radiocarbon dates underpins the first precise reconstruction of rapid climate changes during the Holocene from this area. During the Early Holocene, increased winter snowpack and high snowmelt during summer, as a consequence of high seasonality, led to higher lake levels, a chironomid community dominated by non-lacustrine taxa (Orthocladiinae) related to higher inlet streams, and a forested landscape with intense run-off processes in the watershed. From 9.8 to 8.1 cal ka BP, climate instability is inferred from rapid and intense forest shifts and high fluctuation in surface run-off. Shifts among conifers and mesophytes reveal at least four short-lived dry events at 9.7, 9.3, 8.8 and 8.3 cal ka BP. Between 8.1 and 5.7 cal ka BP a stable climate with higher precipitation favoured highest lake levels and forest expansion, with spread of mesophytes, withdrawal of conifers and intensification of fires, coinciding with the Holocene Climate Optimum. At 5.7 cal ka BP a major change leading to drier conditions contributed to a regional decline in mesophytes, expansion of pines and junipers, and a significant lake level drop. Despite drier conditions, fire activity dropped as consequence of biomass reduction. Two arid intervals occurred between 2.9 and 2.4 cal ka BP and at 1.2-0.7 cal ka BP (800-1300 AD). The latter coincides with the Medieval Climate Anomaly and is one of the most arid phases of the Holocene in BSM sequence. Anthropogenic disturbances were small until 700 AD, when human pressure over landscape intensified, with Olea cultivation in the lowlands and significant deforestation in highlands. Colder and unfavourable weather conditions during the second part of the

Multiproxy Reduced-Dimension Reconstruction of Holocene Tropical Pacific SST Fields and Indian Monsoon Variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gill, E.; Rajagopalan, B.; Molnar, P. H.; Marchitto, T. M., Jr.; Kushnir, Y.

2016-12-01

We develop a multiproxy reduced-dimension methodology that blends magnesium calcium (Mg/Ca) and alkenone (UK'37) paleo sea surface temperature (SST) records from the eastern and western equatorial Pacific to recreate snapshots of full field SSTs and zonal wind anomalies from 10 to 2 ka BP in 2000-year increments. In the reconstruction, the zonal SST difference (average west Pacific SST minus average east Pacific SST) is largest at 10 ka (0.26°C), with coldest SST anomalies of -0.9°C in the eastern equatorial Pacific and concurrent easterly maximum zonal wind anomalies of 7 m s-1 throughout the central Pacific. From 10 to 2 ka, the entire equatorial Pacific warms, but at a faster rate in the east than in the west. These patterns are broadly consistent with previous inferences of reduced El Niño-Southern Oscillation variability associated with a cooler and/or "La Niña-like" state during the early to middle Holocene. At present there is a strong negative correlation between tropical pacific SSTs and Indian summer monsoon strength. Assuming ENSO-monsoon teleconnections were the same during early Holocene, we would expect a cooler tropical Pacific to enhance the summer Indian monsoon. To test this idea, we used the same tropical Pacific SST proxy records and a similar reduced-dimension technique to reconstruct fields of Arabian Sea wind-stress curl and Indian summer monsoon precipitation. Reconstructions for 10 ka reveal wind-stress curl anomalies of 30% greater than present day off the coastlines of Oman and Yemen, which suggest greater coastal upwelling and an enhanced monsoon jet during this time. Spatial rainfall reconstructions reveal the greatest difference in precipitation at 10 ka over the core monsoon region ( 20-60% greater than present day). Specifically, reconstructions from 10 ka reveal 40-60% greater rainfall over North West India, a region home to abundant paleo-lake records spanning the Holocene but is at present remarkably dry ( 200-450 mm of annual

Holocene fire occurrence and alluvial responses at the leading edge of pinyon–juniper migration in the Northern Great Basin, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Weppner, Kerrie N.; Pierce, Jennifer L.; Betancourt, Julio L.

2013-01-01

Fire and vegetation records at the City of Rocks National Reserve (CIRO), south-central Idaho, display the interaction of changing climate, fire and vegetation along the migrating front of single-leaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla) and Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). Radiocarbon dating of alluvial charcoal reconstructed local fire occurrence and geomorphic response, and fossil woodrat (Neotoma) middens revealed pinyon and juniper arrivals. Fire peaks occurred ~ 10,700–9500, 7200–6700, 2400–2000, 850–700, and 550–400 cal yr BP, whereas ~ 9500–7200, 6700–4700 and ~ 1500–1000 cal yr BP are fire-free. Wetter climates and denser vegetation fueled episodic fires and debris flows during the early and late Holocene, whereas drier climates and reduced vegetation caused frequent sheetflooding during the mid-Holocene. Increased fires during the wetter and more variable late Holocene suggest variable climate and adequate fuels augment fires at CIRO. Utah juniper and single-leaf pinyon colonized CIRO by 3800 and 2800 cal yr BP, respectively, though pinyon did not expand broadly until ~ 700 cal yr BP. Increased fire-related deposition coincided with regional droughts and pinyon infilling ~ 850–700 and 550–400 cal yr BP. Early and late Holocene vegetation change probably played a major role in accelerated fire activity, which may be sustained into the future due to pinyon–juniper densification and cheatgrass invasion.

A Chronology of Late-Glacial and Holocene Advances of Quelccaya Ice Cap, Peru, Based on 10Be and Radiocarbon Dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, M. A.; Lowell, T. V.; Schaefer, J. M.

2007-12-01

The Quelccaya Ice Cap region in the southeastern Peruvian Andes (~13-14°S latitude) is a key location for the development of late-glacial and Holocene terrestrial paleoclimate records in the tropics. We present a chronology of past extents of Quelccaya Ice Cap based on ~thirty internally consistent 10Be dates of boulders on moraines and bedrock as well as twenty radiocarbon dates of organic material associated with moraines. Based on results from both dating methods, we suggest that significant advances of Quelccaya Ice Cap occurred during late-glacial time, at ~12,700-11,400 yr BP, and during Late Holocene time ~400-300 yr BP. Radiocarbon dating of organic material associated with moraines provides maximum and minimum ages for ice advances and recessions, respectively, thus providing an independent check on 10Be dates of boulders on moraines. The opportunity to use both 10Be and radiocarbon dating makes the Quelccaya Ice Cap region a potentially important low-latitude calibration site for production rates of cosmogenic nuclides. Our radiocarbon chronology provides a tighter constraint on maximum ages of late-glacial and Late Holocene ice advances. Upcoming field research will obtain organic material for radiocarbon dating to improve minimum age constrains for late-glacial and Late Holocene ice recessions.

Relative sea-level changes and glacio-isostatic adjustment on the Magdalen Islands archipelago (Atlantic Canada) from MIS 5 to the late Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rémillard, Audrey M.; St-Onge, Guillaume; Bernatchez, Pascal; Hétu, Bernard; Buylaert, Jan-Pieter; Murray, Andrew S.; Lajeunesse, Patrick

2017-09-01

The Magdalen Islands (Québec, Canada) in the centre of the Gulf of St. Lawrence are located in a strategic position for providing an overview of the relative sea-level (RSL) history of the Maritime Provinces of eastern Canada. Although data are available for the coastal terrestrial areas of the Maritimes, data from the Gulf are very scarce and both the RSL and glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA) models extrapolate for this central region. This study provides new stratigraphic and chronological data from four outcrops and two coring sites on the Magdalen Islands. In addition to the five samples used mainly for age control purposes, nine new luminescence ages are presented. With these new data added to the available literature, a new RSL curve is reconstructed for the LGM to the late Holocene period and a partial curve is proposed for the interval between the late MIS 4 to the MIS 3. Data also indicate a few insights for the MIS 5 period. Results reveal that for the LGM to the late Holocene, the curve corresponds to the J-shaped curve scenario recognized in the literature. The RSL changes during this period are the result of glacio-isostatic rebound, migration and collapse of the peripheral forebulge, and eustatic sea-level changes. For the LGM to the early Holocene, glacio-isostatic depression curves displaying a few local differences are also proposed. For the late Holocene, the data constrain the curve between two types of indicators, i.e. marine and terrestrial, and indicate that the RSL has risen at least 3 m during the last two millennia. Sediments dated to the MIS 5 and the interval between the late MIS 4 and the MIS 3 illustrate that the GIA following the LGM also occurred for the MIS 5 interglacial and the MIS 3 interstadial. Finally, recent GIA models are discussed in light of the results of this paper.

Holocene Migrations of Creosote Bush and Pinyon Pines in the Western United States: Implications for the Next Century.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, K. L.; Arundel, S.; Cannella, J.; Fisher, J.; Spaulding, W. G.

2002-12-01

The biogeographic histories of plant species of the arid western United States are becoming evident as more local paleoecological series are developed and compiled into regional databases. Plant macrofossils from packrat (Neotoma spp.) middens have been especially useful for reconstructing past distributions of arid and semi-arid species such as creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and one and two-needle pinyon pines (Pinus monophylla, P. edulis). These records document the late Wisconsinan ranges of these species and their subsequent Holocene migrations into their current ranges. Creosote bush grew in the lower Colorado River Valley during the late Wisconsinan (Isotope Stage 2). Starting around 11,000 yr B.P., it migrated northward into its present range. By 6000 yr B.P. it grew at higher elevations than at present in the central Mojave Desert, but did not reach its extreme northern limits until around 4000 yr B.P. Other populations, such as near the shrubs upstream limit along the Colorado River, were not established until the last 2500 years. Its arrival at its most northerly sites lagged well behind other desert thermophiles. Single-needle pinyon (Pinus monophylla) migrated northward from the Mojave Desert into the Great Basin arriving near its current northeastern limit in the eastern Great Basin as early as 7000 yr B.P. It migrated more slowly in the western Great Basin possibly not reaching its northwestern limit until the last 2000 years. Colorado pinyon (Pinus edulis) migrated from near its current southern boundary northward reaching the eastern Grand Canyon as early as 10,600 yr B.P. It is not recorded from central Utah until after 7000 yr B.P. It evidently moved northward slowly, arriving at some northerly and easterly stands only within the last 1000 years. These migrational histories reflect a combination of dispersal limitations and gradual climatic changes. But the long migration times required, coupled with their expansion above their modern

Reproducibility of Holocene atmospheric CO 2 records based on stomatal frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Friederike; Kouwenberg, Lenny L. R.; van Hoof, Thomas B.; Visscher, Henk

2004-10-01

The majority of the stomatal frequency-based estimates of CO2 for the Holocene do not support the widely accepted concept of comparably stable CO2 concentrations throughout the past 11,500 years. To address the critique that these stomatal frequency variations result from local environmental change or methodological insufficiencies, multiple stomatal frequency records were compared for three climatic key periods during the Holocene, namely the Preboreal oscillation, the 8.2 kyr cooling event and the Little Ice Age. The highly comparable fluctuations in the palaeo-atmospheric CO2 records, which were obtained from different continents and plant species (deciduous angiosperms as well as conifers) using varying calibration approaches, provide strong evidence for the integrity of leaf-based CO2 quantification.

Early-Mid Holocene climatic variations in Tasmania, Australia: multi-proxy records in a stalagmite from Lynds Cave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Qikai; Zhao, Jian-xin; Collerson, K. D.

2001-12-01

Mass spectrometric uranium-series dating and C-O isotopic analysis of a stalagmite from Lynds Cave, northern Tasmania, Australia provide a high-resolution record of regional climate change between 5100 and 9200 yr before present (BP). Combined δ18O, δ13C, growth rate, initial 234U/238U and physical property (color, transparency and porosity) records allow recognition of seven climatic stages: Stage I (>9080 yr BP) - a relatively dry period at the beginning of stalagmite growth evidenced by elevated 234U/238U; Stage II (9080-8600 yr BP) - a period of unstable climate characterized by high-frequency variability in temperature and bio-productivity; Stage III (8600-8000 yr BP) - a period of stable and moderate precipitation and stable and high bio-productivity, with a continuously rising temperature; Stage IV (8000-7400 yr BP) - the warmest period with high evaporation and low effective precipitation (rainfall less evaporation); Stage V (7400-7000 yr BP) - the wettest period with highest stalagmite growth and enhanced but unstable bio-productivity; Stage VI (7000-6600 yr BP) - a period with a significantly reduced precipitation and bio-productivity without noticeable change in temperature; Stage VII (6600-5100 yr BP) - a period of lowest temperature and precipitation marking a significant climatic deterioration. Overall, the records suggest that the warmest climate occurred between 8000 and 7400 yr BP, followed by a wettest period between 7400 and 7000 yr BP. These are broadly correlated with the so-called 'Mid Holocene optimum' previously proposed using pollen and lake level records. However, the timing and resolution of the speleothem record from Lynds Cave are significantly higher than in both the pollen and lake level records. This allows us to correlate the abrupt change in physical property, δ18O, δ13C, growth rate, and initial 234U/238U of the stalagmite at ˜8000 yr BP with a global climatic event at Early-Mid Holocene transition.

Early-Life Intelligence Predicts Midlife Biological Age

PubMed Central

Caspi, Avshalom; Belsky, Daniel W.; Harrington, Honalee; Houts, Renate; Israel, Salomon; Levine, Morgan E.; Sugden, Karen; Williams, Benjamin; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E.

2016-01-01

Objectives: Early-life intelligence has been shown to predict multiple causes of death in populations around the world. This finding suggests that intelligence might influence mortality through its effects on a general process of physiological deterioration (i.e., individual variation in “biological age”). We examined whether intelligence could predict measures of aging at midlife before the onset of most age-related disease. Methods: We tested whether intelligence assessed in early childhood, middle childhood, and midlife predicted midlife biological age in members of the Dunedin Study, a population-representative birth cohort. Results: Lower intelligence predicted more advanced biological age at midlife as captured by perceived facial age, a 10-biomarker algorithm based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and Framingham heart age (r = 0.1–0.2). Correlations between intelligence and telomere length were less consistent. The associations between intelligence and biological age were not explained by differences in childhood health or parental socioeconomic status, and intelligence remained a significant predictor of biological age even when intelligence was assessed before Study members began their formal schooling. Discussion: These results suggest that accelerated aging may serve as one of the factors linking low early-life intelligence to increased rates of morbidity and mortality. PMID:26014827

Change in seasonality in the southwest tropical Pacific during the Holocene: a data -model comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Correge, T.; Deschamps, C.; Duprey, N.; Pujol, N.; Braconnot, P.; Charlier, K.; Lazareth, C. E.; Le Cornec, F.; Malaizé, B.

2012-12-01

Our ability to successfully predict future climate change relies heavily on the improvement of climate models. One way to do so is to compare model outputs with paleodata. The aim of the French ELPASO program (El Niño in the Past: Simulations and Observations) is to conduct such comparisons in the tropics to study the evolution of ENSO in the late Pleistocene, and more particularly during the Holocene, and the link to the background climate state (including the seasonal cycle). We generated multi-decadal time series of SST derived from Sr/Ca analyses of massive Porites corals from Vanuatu dating from 10 ka, 6.8 ka, 6.2 ka and 4.2 ka. For each time series, the mean seasonal cycle was calculated and compared to simulations from the IPSL-CM4 model (Braconnot et al., 2012; Luan et al., 2012). When insolation parameters (in particular precession) are taken into account for the 9.5 ka and 6 ka simulations, the model predicts that the seasonal cycle should be reduced in the southern hemisphere and enhanced in the northern hemisphere during the early and mid Holocene. In contrast, coral data from Vanuatu indicate enhanced mean seasonal cycles at 10 ka, 6.8 ka and 6.2 ka. The coral dating from 4.2 ka is the only one showing a reduced seasonal cycle compared to the present. Various scenarios will be proposed to reconcile this discrepancy. Braconnot, P. et al. Impact of Earth's orbit and freshwater fluxes on Holocene climate mean seasonal cycle and ENSO characteristics, Clim. Dynam., 38, 1081-1092, doi:10.1007/s00382-011-1029-x, 2012. Luan, Y. et al. 2012. Early and mid-Holocene climate in the tropical Pacific: seasonal cycle and interannual variability induced by insolation changes. Clim. Past, 8, 1093-1108 ; doi:10.5194/cp-8-1093-2012

Late Wisconsin and Early Holocene runoff through the upper Ohio River basin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kite, J.S.

A tentative absolute chronology is emerging from radiocarbon dates on glacial, alluvial and colluvial sediments in the upper Ohio River basin. Radiocarbon dates for Gallipolis Lock and Dam indicate the river eroded down to its present bedrock floor before 22,400 yr B.P. Data from several sites indicate aggradation began soon after 22,400 yr B.P., coincident with, or just before, a glacier advance into the upper Ohio basin. Sand and gravel aggraded in glaciated tributaries and the main valley, whereas silt, fine sand, and clay accumulated in unglaciated tributaries. Slope instability and colluvial deposition were extensive at this time. Aggradation continuedmore » until 25 to 40 m of sediments filled the Ohio River Valley. The paucity of radiocarbon dates prohibits precise determination of when peak aggradation occurred and how that peak related to glacial and climatic events. Although the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated out of the basin by about 14,000 yr B.P., the river remained braided until at least 13,000 yr B.P., possibly because of slope instability in a cold late Wisconsin climate or the time required for the river to adjust to reduced outwash sediment supply. Coarse late-glacial channel deposits may reflect increased flood discharges after 13,000 B.P. and onset of the transition from a braided system to a meandering channel. However, the upper Ohio River seems not to have taken on its modern morphology until the early Holocene. Most dated overbank deposits on tributaries are younger than 10,000 yr B.P.; most on the Ohio River are younger than 8,500 yr B.P.« less

High-resolution Record of Holocene Climate, Vegetation, and Fire from a Raised Peat Bog, Prince Edward Island, Canadian Maritimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peros, M. C.; Chan, K.; Ponsford, L.; Carroll, J.; Magnan, G.

2014-12-01

Raised peat bogs receive all precipitation and nutrients from the atmosphere and are thus widely used archives for information on past environments and climates. In this paper we provide high-resolution multi-proxy data from a raised bog from northeastern Prince Edward Island, located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. We studied testate amoeba (a proxy for water table depth), macrocharcoal (a proxy for local-scale fire), peat humification (a proxy for decomposition), plant macrofossils (indicative of local-scale vegetation), and organic matter content (yielding carbon accumulation rates) from a 5.5 m long core lifted from the center of Baltic Bog. Eleven AMS radiocarbon dates show that peat accumulation began before 9000 cal yr BP and continued almost uninterrupted until the present. The macrofossil data show that a transition from a sedge-dominated fen to a sphagnum-dominated bog occurred around 8000 cal yr BP, and sphagnum remained dominant in the bog throughout most of the Holocene. A testate amoeba-based reconstruction of water table depth indicates that conditions were drier during the early Holocene (~8000 to 5000 cal yr BP) and became gradually wetter into the late Holocene. In addition, a number of higher frequency shifts in precipitation are inferred throughout the Holocene on the basis of the testate amoeba and humification results. The macrocharcoal evidence indicates fire—probably in the surrounding forest—was relatively more common during the early Holocene, perhaps due to drier climate conditions. A large influx of charcoal at around 2000 cal yr BP suggests the presence of one or more major fires at this time, and a concurrent decrease in the rate of peat accumulation indicates the fire may have affected the bog itself. The data from Baltic Bog is broadly comparable to other proxy data (in particular pollen studies) from the Canadian Maritimes. This work is important because it: 1) helps us better understand the role of hydroclimatic

Holocene history and environmental reconstruction of a Hercynian mire and surrounding mountain landscape based on multiple proxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dudová, Lydie; Hájková, Petra; Opravilová, Věra; Hájek, Michal

2014-07-01

We discovered the first peat section covering the entire Holocene in the Hrubý Jeseník Mountains, representing an island of unique alpine vegetation whose history may display transitional features between the Hercynian and Carpathian regions. We analysed pollen, plant macrofossils (more abundant in bottom layers), testate amoebae (more abundant in upper layers), peat stratigraphy and chemistry. We found that the landscape development indeed differed from other Hercynian mountains located westward. This is represented by Pinus cembra and Larix during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, the early expansion of spruce around 10,450 cal yr BP, and survival of Larix during the climatic optimum. The early Holocene climatic fluctuations are traced in our profile by species compositions of both the mire and surrounding forests. The mire started to develop as a calcium-rich percolation fen with some species recently considered to be postglacial relicts (Meesia triquetra, Betula nana), shifted into ombrotrophy around 7450 cal yr BP by autogenic succession and changed into a pauperised, nutrient-enriched spruce woodland due to modern forestry activities. We therefore concluded that its recent vegetation is not a product of natural processes. From a methodological viewpoint we demonstrated how using multiple biotic proxies and extensive training sets in transfer functions may overcome taphonomic problems.

Holocene temperature shifts around Greenland: Paleolimnological approaches to quantifying past warmth and documenting its consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axford, Y.; Lasher, G. E.; McFarlin, J. M.; Francis, D. R.; Kelly, M. A.; Langdon, P. G.; Levy, L.; Osburn, M. R.; Osterberg, E. C.

2015-12-01

Insolation-driven warmth across the Arctic during the early to middle Holocene (the Holocene Thermal Maximum, or HTM) represents a geologically accessible analog for future warming and its impacts. Improved constraints on the magnitude and seasonality of HTM warmth around Greenland's margins can advance the use of paleoclimate data to test and improve climate and ice sheet models. Here we present an overview of our recent efforts to reconstruct climate through the Holocene around the margins of the Greenland Ice Sheet using multiple proxies in lake sediments. We use insect (chironomid) assemblages to derive quantitative estimates of Holocene temperatures at sites with minimal soil and vegetation development near the eastern, northwestern and western margins of the ice sheet. Our chironomid-based temperature reconstructions consistently imply HTM July air temperatures 3 to 4.5 °C warmer than the pre-industrial late Holocene in these sectors of Greenland. The timing of reconstructed peak warmth differs between sites, with onset varying from ~10 ka to ~6.5 ka, but in good agreement with glacial geology and other evidence from each region. Our reconstructed temperature anomalies are larger than those typically inferred from annually-integrated indicators from the ice sheet itself, but comparable to the few other quantitative summer temperature estimates available from beyond the ice sheet on Greenland. Additional records are needed to confirm the magnitude of HTM warmth and to better define its seasonality and spatial pattern. To provide independent constraints on paleotemperatures and to elucidate additional aspects of Holocene paleoclimate, we are also employing oxygen isotopes of chironomid remains and other aquatic organic materials, and molecular organic proxies, in parallel (see Lasher et al. and McFarlin et al., this meeting). Combined with glacial geologic evidence, these multi-proxy records elucidate diverse aspects of HTM climate around Greenland - including

Holocene water mass history off NE Greenland - A first high-resolution sediment record from the western Fram Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zehnich, Marc; Palme, Tina; Spielhagen, Robert F.; Hass, H. Christian; Bauch, Henning A.

2017-04-01

While the Holocene history of the eastern Fram Strait seems well investigated, no high-resolution paleoenvironmental records were available from the western Fram Strait so far. A new sedimentary record, obtained during expedition PS93.1 (2015) of RV Polarstern on the outermost NE Greenland shelf, allows for the first time to reconstruct Holocene changes in near-surface salinities, temperature, stratification and water masses (polar waters vs. Atlantic Water), potentially related to variations of the freshwater and sea ice export from the Arctic Ocean. The 260 cm long sedimentary record from site PS93/025 (80.5°N, 8.5°W) was investigated for sediment composition, foraminifer contents, grain size variations (sortable silt) and the isotopic composition of planktic foraminifers. Radiocarbon datings reveal an age of 10.2 cal-ka for the core base and continuous sedimentation throughout most of the Holocene. The sediments are generally very fine-grained (<2% sand). The grain size record reveals a fining-upwards trend and sediments from <6.5 cal-ka consist of <0.5% coarse fraction. A comparison of foraminifer and coarse fraction abundances shows strong similarities. Apparently the contribution of coarse terrestrial material from iceberg transport was extremely low throughout the last 10.2 cal-ka. Foraminifer abundances (both planktic and benthic) are high in Early Holocene sediments until ca. 7 cal-ka and decrease rapidly thereafter. This is interpreted to reflect a relatively strong advection of Atlantic Water to the NW Fram Strait, which correlates well with similar findings on the eastern side of the Arctic Gateway. Sortable silt grain sizes are high (27-32 µm) in the older part of the record and gradually decrease between 7 cal-ka and 4 cal-ka. After ca. 4 cal-ka, sortable silt shows values of 20-22 µm and little variation. Considering also the grain-size distribution curves, we propose a decline of bottom current velocities on the outer NE Greenland shelf after 7

Early-Life Intelligence Predicts Midlife Biological Age.

PubMed

Schaefer, Jonathan D; Caspi, Avshalom; Belsky, Daniel W; Harrington, Honalee; Houts, Renate; Israel, Salomon; Levine, Morgan E; Sugden, Karen; Williams, Benjamin; Poulton, Richie; Moffitt, Terrie E

2016-11-01

Early-life intelligence has been shown to predict multiple causes of death in populations around the world. This finding suggests that intelligence might influence mortality through its effects on a general process of physiological deterioration (i.e., individual variation in "biological age"). We examined whether intelligence could predict measures of aging at midlife before the onset of most age-related disease. We tested whether intelligence assessed in early childhood, middle childhood, and midlife predicted midlife biological age in members of the Dunedin Study, a population-representative birth cohort. Lower intelligence predicted more advanced biological age at midlife as captured by perceived facial age, a 10-biomarker algorithm based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and Framingham heart age (r = 0.1-0.2). Correlations between intelligence and telomere length were less consistent. The associations between intelligence and biological age were not explained by differences in childhood health or parental socioeconomic status, and intelligence remained a significant predictor of biological age even when intelligence was assessed before Study members began their formal schooling. These results suggest that accelerated aging may serve as one of the factors linking low early-life intelligence to increased rates of morbidity and mortality. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Reconciling divergent trends and millennial variations in Holocene temperatures.

PubMed

Marsicek, Jeremiah; Shuman, Bryan N; Bartlein, Patrick J; Shafer, Sarah L; Brewer, Simon

2018-01-31

Cooling during most of the past two millennia has been widely recognized and has been inferred to be the dominant global temperature trend of the past 11,700 years (the Holocene epoch). However, long-term cooling has been difficult to reconcile with global forcing, and climate models consistently simulate long-term warming. The divergence between simulations and reconstructions emerges primarily for northern mid-latitudes, for which pronounced cooling has been inferred from marine and coastal records using multiple approaches. Here we show that temperatures reconstructed from sub-fossil pollen from 642 sites across North America and Europe closely match simulations, and that long-term warming, not cooling, defined the Holocene until around 2,000 years ago. The reconstructions indicate that evidence of long-term cooling was limited to North Atlantic records. Early Holocene temperatures on the continents were more than two degrees Celsius below those of the past two millennia, consistent with the simulated effects of remnant ice sheets in the climate model Community Climate System Model 3 (CCSM3). CCSM3 simulates increases in 'growing degree days'-a measure of the accumulated warmth above five degrees Celsius per year-of more than 300 kelvin days over the Holocene, consistent with inferences from the pollen data. It also simulates a decrease in mean summer temperatures of more than two degrees Celsius, which correlates with reconstructed marine trends and highlights the potential importance of the different subseasonal sensitivities of the records. Despite the differing trends, pollen- and marine-based reconstructions are correlated at millennial-to-centennial scales, probably in response to ice-sheet and meltwater dynamics, and to stochastic dynamics similar to the temperature variations produced by CCSM3. Although our results depend on a single source of palaeoclimatic data (pollen) and a single climate-model simulation, they reinforce the notion that climate

Reconciling divergent trends and millennial variations in Holocene temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsicek, Jeremiah; Shuman, Bryan N.; Bartlein, Patrick J.; Shafer, Sarah L.; Brewer, Simon

2018-02-01

Cooling during most of the past two millennia has been widely recognized and has been inferred to be the dominant global temperature trend of the past 11,700 years (the Holocene epoch). However, long-term cooling has been difficult to reconcile with global forcing, and climate models consistently simulate long-term warming. The divergence between simulations and reconstructions emerges primarily for northern mid-latitudes, for which pronounced cooling has been inferred from marine and coastal records using multiple approaches. Here we show that temperatures reconstructed from sub-fossil pollen from 642 sites across North America and Europe closely match simulations, and that long-term warming, not cooling, defined the Holocene until around 2,000 years ago. The reconstructions indicate that evidence of long-term cooling was limited to North Atlantic records. Early Holocene temperatures on the continents were more than two degrees Celsius below those of the past two millennia, consistent with the simulated effects of remnant ice sheets in the climate model Community Climate System Model 3 (CCSM3). CCSM3 simulates increases in ‘growing degree days’—a measure of the accumulated warmth above five degrees Celsius per year—of more than 300 kelvin days over the Holocene, consistent with inferences from the pollen data. It also simulates a decrease in mean summer temperatures of more than two degrees Celsius, which correlates with reconstructed marine trends and highlights the potential importance of the different subseasonal sensitivities of the records. Despite the differing trends, pollen- and marine-based reconstructions are correlated at millennial-to-centennial scales, probably in response to ice-sheet and meltwater dynamics, and to stochastic dynamics similar to the temperature variations produced by CCSM3. Although our results depend on a single source of palaeoclimatic data (pollen) and a single climate-model simulation, they reinforce the notion that

A previously unrecognized path of early Holocene base flow and elevated discharge from Lake Minong to Lake Chippewa across eastern Upper Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loope, Walter L.; Jol, Harry M.; Fisher, Timothy G.; Blewett, William L.; Loope, Henry M.; Legg, Robert J.

2014-01-01

It has long been hypothesized that flux of fresh meltwater from glacial Lake Minong in North America's Superior Basin to the North Atlantic Ocean triggered rapid climatic shifts during the early Holocene. The spatial context of recent support for this idea demands a reevaluation of the exit point of meltwater from the Superior Basin. We used ground penetrating radar (GPR), foundation borings from six highway bridges, a GIS model of surface topography, geologic maps, U.S. Department of Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service soils maps, and well logs to investigate the possible linkage of Lake Minong with Lake Chippewa in the Lake Michigan Basin across eastern Upper Michigan. GPR suggests that a connecting channel lies buried beneath the present interlake divide at Danaher. A single optical age hints that the channel aggraded to 225 m as elevated receipt of Lake Agassiz meltwater in the Superior Basin began to wane <10.6 ka. The large supply of sediment required to accommodate aggradation was immediately available at the channel's edge in the littoral shelves of abandoned Lake Algonquin and in distal parts of post-Algonquin fans. As discharge decreased further, the aggraded channel floor was quickly breached and interbasin flow to Lake Chippewa was restored. Basal radiocarbon ages on wood from small lakes along the discharge path and a GIS model of Minong's shoreline are consistent with another transgression of Minong after ca. 9.5 ka. At the peak of the latter transgression, the southeastern rim of the Superior Basin (Nadoway Drift Barrier) failed, ending Lake Minong. Upon Minong's final drop, aggradational sediments were deposited at Danaher, infilling the prior breach.

Holocene Relative Sea-Level Changes from Near-, Intermediate-, and Far-Field Locations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, J. S.; Khan, N.; Shaw, T.; Ashe, E.; Vacchi, M.; Peltier, W. R.; Kopp, R. E.; Horton, B.

2015-12-01

Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) records exhibit spatial and temporal variability that arises mainly from the interaction of eustatic (land ice volume and thermal expansion) and isostatic (glacio- and hydro-) factors. We fit RSL histories from near-, intermediate-, and far-field locations with noisy-input Gaussian process models to assess rates of RSL change from selected study areas. Records from near-field regions (e.g., Antarctica, Greenland, Canada, Sweden, and Scotland) reveal a complex pattern of RSL fall from a maximum marine limit due to the net effect of eustatic sea-level rise and glacial-isostatic uplift with rates of RSL fall as great as -69 ± 9 m/ka. Intermediate-field regions (e.g., mid-Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States, Netherlands, Southern France, St. Croix) display variable rates of RSL rise from the cumulative effect of isostatic and eustatic factors. Fast rates of RSL rise (up to 10 ± 1 m/ka) are found in the early Holocene in regions near the center of forebulge collapse. Far-field RSL records exhibit a mid-Holocene highstand, the timing (between 8 and 4 ka) and magnitude (between <1 and 6 m) of which varies across South America, Africa, Asia and Australia regions.

Geomorphic Parameters for Developing a Hydrologic Model to Infer Holocene Climate Variability, Middle Snake River near Bliss, Idaho

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bullard, T. F.; Bacon, S. N.; Kimball, V. R.

2015-12-01

The geomorphology and stratigraphy preserved in a canyon reach of the Middle Snake River provide model parameter constraints for estimating Holocene paleohydrology. Channel constrictions, which acted as hydraulic weirs throughout the Holocene, were created in this reach by the Bonneville Flood (~17.5 ka) that left very large (>10 m) slabs of basalt and 2-3 m diameter boulder deposits near the canyon floor. Post-Bonneville Flood landforms and deposits that formed during the Holocene are situated less than ~30 m above river level (arl) in this reach and include fluvial and boulder terraces, alluvial fans, and incised tributary alluvial units. Relative topographic position of these geomorphic features, cross-cutting relations, multiple buried soils, depositional and erosional contacts, and radiocarbon dates from terraces (Qt) and alluvial fans provide a geomorphic and stratigraphic framework and a Holocene chronology for this area. The relative stratigraphic position of a massive silty sand that overlies Bonneville Flood gravel in Qt5 (~20 m arl) and Qt4 (~10 m arl) deposits and comprises all of Qt3 (~5 m arl) deposits indicates changes in Holocene discharge; longitudinal profiles of fluvial terraces graded to hydraulic constrictions provide reasonable estimates of paleo-stage. Fifteen radiocarbon dates yielded ages of ~8670 and ~3500 cal yr BP for Qt4 deposits and ~1100 and ~100 cal yr BP for Qt3 deposits and help define periods of episodic cutting and filling. Timing of Qt4 and Qt3 cut-and-fill episodes and alluvial fan formation correlates well with Holocene global and regional paleoclimate events inferred from Great Basin lake histories including wet periods from ~9.0 to 8.0 ka and ~4.2 to 2.5 ka, the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (~1.2 to 0.8 ka), and the Little Ice Age (~0.3 to 0.6 ka). The fluvial geomorphology documented in this study will be used to develop a watershed-scale hydrologic model to infer paleoprecipitation in the region during the Holocene.

Holocene environmental changes in northern Lebanon as inferred from a multiproxy study on lacustrine-palustrine sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal, L.; Hage-Hassan, J.; Gasse, F. A.; Demory, F.; van Campo, E.; Develle, A.; Elias, A.

2013-12-01

The reconstruction of the Levantine post-glacial environmental evolution is essential to understand the interactions between variability of regional water cycle, dynamics of the global climate, and cultural evolution. Here, we present an Holocene record from the karstic Yammouneh basin (34.06N-34.09N; 36.0E-36.03E, 1360 m a.s.l.), located on the eastern flank of Mount Lebanon (northern Levant). Two new sedimentary profiles (from 1 gully and 1 trench) complement former data from 2 trenches and 1 core collected in different points of the basin (Daeron et al., 2007; Develle et al., 2009, 2010). A total of 42 AMS 14C dating (partly carbonized wood) provide a solid chronology from the YD to present. Holocene sediments (1.5 to 3.6 m thick) consist of pale lacustrine chalk interrupted by an ash layer and remarkable centimetric beds of ocher to dark brown silty clays used, in addition to 14C ages, as stratigraphical markers. Lacustrine biogenic remains are diversified and abundant (ostracods, gastropods, charophytes, chlorophyceae, plant debris...) all reflecting a freswater, generally shallow waterbody. We analysed the sediment mineralogy, TOM contents, magnetic properties (magnetic susceptibility and its frequency dependence), pollen and calcite oxygen isotope composition derived from ostracod shells. Results reveal the following main features : 1- intervals dominated by authigenic calcite suggest that the major water supply was the karstic springs, which still deliver Ca-rich water and low surface runoff; 2- the lake oxygen isotope composition has been impacted by the source isotope composition throughout the Holocene and by increased inland rainfall during the early Holocene; 3- a decideous oak forest, implying much more soil water availability than today, was developed around the lake from ca. 11.5 to 9.5 kyr (the very bad pollen preservation after 8.3 kyr reflects oxidation or frequent oscillations of the water level); 4- four paleosols evidenced from lithofacies and

Early Holocene change in atmospheric circulation in the Northern great plains: An upstream view of the 8.2 ka cold event

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dean, W.E.; Forester, R.M.; Bradbury, J.P.

2002-01-01

Elk Lake, in northwestern Minnesota, contains numerous proxy records of climatic and environmental change contained in varved sediments with annual resolution for the last 10,000 years. These proxies show that about 8200 calendar years ago (8.2 cal. ka; 7300 radiocarbon years) Elk Lake went from a well-stratified lake that was wind-protected in a boreal forest to a well-mixed lake in open prairie savanna receiving northwesterly wind-blown dust, probably from the dry floor of Lake Agassiz. This change in climate marks the initiation of the widely recognized mid-Holocene "altithermal" in central North America. The coincidence of this change with the so-called 8.2 cal. ka cold event, recognized in ice-core and other records from the circum-North Atlantic, and thought by some to be caused by catastrophic discharge of freshwater from proglacial lakes Agassiz and Ojibway, suggests that the two "events" might be related. Our interpretation of the Elk Lake proxy records, and of other records from less accurately dated sites, suggests that change in climate over North America was the result of a fundamental change in atmospheric circulation in response to marked changes in the relative proportions of land, water, and, especially, glacial ice in North America during the early Holocene. This change in circulation probably post-dates the final drainage of proglacial lakes along the southern margin of the Laurentide ice sheet, and may have produced a minor perturbation in climate over Greenland that resulted in a brief cold pulse detected in ice cores. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Glacier History of the Northern Antarctic Peninsula Region Since the End of the Last Ice Age and Implications for Southern Hemisphere Westerly-Climate Changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, M. R.; Schaefer, J. M.; Strelin, J. A.; Peltier, C.; Southon, J. R.; Lepper, K. E.; Winckler, G.

2017-12-01

For the area around James Ross Island, we present new cosmogenic 10Be exposure ages on glacial deposits, and 14C ages on associated fossil materials. These data allow us to reconstruct in detail when and how the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet retreated around the Island as the last Ice Age ended, and afterward when local land-based glaciers fluctuated. Similar to other studies, we found widespread deglaciation during the earliest Holocene, with fjords and bays becoming ice free between about 11,000 and 8,000 years ago. After 7,000 years ago, neoglacial type advances initiated. Then, both expansions and ice free periods occurred from the middle to late Holocene. We compare the new glacier record to those in southern Patagonia, which is on the other side of the Drake Passage, and published Southern Ocean marine records, in order to infer past middle to high latitude changes in the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies. Widespread warmth in the earliest Holocene, to the north and south of the Drake Passage, led to small glacier systems in Patagonia and wide-ranging glacier recession around the northern Antarctic Peninsula. We infer that this early Holocene period of overall glacier recession - from Patagonia to the northern Peninsula - was caused by a persistent far-southerly setting of the westerlies and accompanying warm climates. Subsequently, during the middle Holocene renewed glacier expansions occurred on both sides of the Drake Passage, which reflects that the Westerlies and associated colder climate systems were generally more equatorward. From the middle to late Holocene, glacier expansions and ice free periods (and likely related ice shelf behavior) document how the Westerlies and associated higher-latitude climate systems varied.

Sensitivity of sediment magnetic records to climate change during Holocene for the northern South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouyang, Tingping; Li, Mingkun; Zhao, Xiang; Zhu, Zhaoyu; Tian, Chengjing; Qiu, Yan; Peng, Xuechao; Hu, Qiao

2016-05-01

Magnetic property has been proved to be a sensitive proxy to climate change for both terrestrial and marine sediments. Based on the schedule frame established by AMS 14C dating of foraminifera, detail magnetic analyses were performed for core PC24 sediments at sampling intervals of 2 cm to discuss magnetic sensitivity of marine sediment to climate during Holocene for the northern South China Sea. The results indicated that: 1) Concentration dependent magnetic parameters are positive corresponding to variation of temperature. The frequency dependent susceptibility coefficient basically reflected the variation in humidity; 2) XARM/SIRM was more sensitive to detrital magnetite particles and SIRM/X was more effective to biogenic magnetite particles. Variations of XARM/SIRM and SIRM/X are corresponding to precipitation and temperature, respectively; 3) the Holocene Megathermal in the study area was identified as 7.5-3.4 cal. ka BP. The warmest stage of Holocene for the study area should be during 6.1 to 3.9 cal. ka BP; 4) The 8 ka cold event was characterized as cold and dry during 8.55 to 8.25 cal. ka BP; 5) During early and middle Holocene, the climate combinations were warm dry and cold wet. It turned to warm and wet after 2.7 cal. ka BP.

Late Pleistocene/Holocene craniofacial morphology in Mesoamerican Paleoindians: implications for the peopling of the New World.

PubMed

González-José, Rolando; Neves, Walter; Lahr, Marta Mirazón; González, Silvia; Pucciarelli, Héctor; Hernández Martínez, Miquel; Correal, Gonzalo

2005-12-01

Several studies on craniofacial morphology showed that most Paleoindians, who were the first settlers of the New World, clearly differ from modern Amerindians and East Asians, their supposed descendants and sister group, respectively. Here we present new evidence supporting this view from the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene horizon from Mexico, as well as from the most complete set of dated Paleoindian remains. We analyzed the phenotypic resemblance of early Mexicans with other South Paleoamerican and modern human series. Two independent approaches to the data were used. In the first case, individual specimens were tested for morphological similarity with a set of modern reference samples. In the second analysis, Mexican specimens were treated as a sample in order to compute minimum genetic distances. Results from both approaches tend to associate early Mexican skulls with Paleoindians from Brazil, an Archaic sample from Colombia, and several circum-Pacific populations. These results give support to a model in which morphologically generalized groups of non-Northeast Asian descent (the so-called Paleoamericans) entered the continent first, and then dispersed from North to South America through Central America. The large geographic dispersal of Paleoamericans, and their presence in Mexico in the Early Holocene, raise new issues about the continent's settlement scenario. 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Holocene sea-level changes along the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel, southernmost South America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, Stephen C.; Stuiver, Minze; Heusser, Calvin J.

1984-07-01

Radiocarbon-dated marine sediments from five coastal sites along the Strait of Magellan and Beagle Channel in southernmost Chile permit construction of a curve of relative sea-level fluctuations during the Holocene. Morphologic and stratigraphic data point to coastal submergence during the early Holocene as the sea rose to a maximum level at least 3.5 m higher than present about 5000 yr ago. Progressive emergence then followed during the late Holocene. Data from widely separated localities define a smooth curve, the form of which is explainable in terms of isostatic and hydroisostatic deformation of the crust resulting from changing ice and water loads. Apparently anomalous data from one site located more than 100 km behind the outer limit of the last glaciation may reflect isostatic response to deglaciation. The sea-level curve resembles one derived by Clark and Bloom (1979, In "Proceedings of the 1978 International Symposium on Coastal Evolution in the Quaternary, Sao Paulo, Brasil," pp. 41-60. Sao Paulo) using a spherical Earth model, both in amplitude and in the timing of the maximum submergence.

The Early Anthropogenic Hypothesis: Challenges and Responses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruddiman, William F.

2007-12-01

Ruddiman (2003) proposed that late Holocene anthropogenic intervention caused CH4 and CO2 increases that kept climate from cooling and that preindustrial pandemics caused CO2 decreases and a small cooling. Every aspect of this early anthropogenic hypothesis has been challenged: the timescale, the issue of stage 11 as a better analog, the ability of human activities to account for the gas anomalies, and the impact of the pandemics. This review finds that the late Holocene gas trends are anomalous in all ice timescales; greenhouse gases decreased during the closest stage 11 insolation analog; disproportionate biomass burning and rice irrigation can explain the methane anomaly; and pandemics explain half of the CO2 decrease since 1000 years ago. Only ˜25% of the CO2 anomaly can, however, be explained by carbon from early deforestation. The remainder must have come from climate system feedbacks, including a Holocene ocean that remained anomalously warm because of anthropogenic intervention.

Recent and Holocene Climate Change Controls on Vegetation and Carbon Accumulation in Alaskan Coastal Muskegs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peteet, Dorothy M.; Nichols, Jonathan E.; Moy, Christopher M.; McGeachy, Alicia; Perez, Max

2015-01-01

Pollen, spore, macrofossil and carbon data from a peatland near Cordova, Alaska, reveal insights into the climate-vegetation-carbon interactions from the initiation of the Holocene, c. the last 11.5 ka, to the present (1 ka = 1000 calibrated years before present where 0 = 1950 CE). The Holocene period is characterized by early deposition of gyttja in a pond environment with aquatics such as Nuphar polysepalum and Potamogeton, and a significant regional presence of Alnus crispa subsp. sinuata. Carbon accumulation (50 g/m2/a) was high for a short interval in the early Holocene when Sphagnum peat accumulated, but was followed by a major decline to 13 g/m2/a from 7 to 3.7 ka when Cyperaceae and ericads such as Rhododendron (formerly Ledum) groenlandicum expanded. This shift to sedge growth is representative of many peatlands throughout the south-central region of Alaska, and indicates a drier, more evaporative environment with a large decline in carbon storage. The subsequent return to Sphagnum peat after 4 ka in the Neoglacial represents a widespread shift to moister, cooler conditions, which favored a resurgence of ericads, such as Andromeda polifolia, and increased carbon accumulation rate. The sustained Alnus expansion visible in the top 10 cm of the peat profile is correlative with glacial retreat and warming of the region in the last century, and suggests this colonization will continue as temperature increases and ice melts.

Holocene glaciation of the central Sierra Nevada, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowerman, Nicole D.; Clark, Douglas H.

2011-05-01

Sediment cores from two bedrock-dammed lakes in North Fork Big Pine Creek, Sierra Nevada, California, preserve the most detailed and complete record of Holocene glaciation yet recovered in the region. The lakes are fed by outwash from the Palisade Glacier, the largest (˜1.3 km 2) and presumably longest-lived glacier in the range, and capture essentially all of the rock flour it produces. Distinct late-Holocene (Matthes) and late-Pleistocene (Recess Peak) moraines lie between the modern glacier and the lakes. The lakes have therefore received continuous sedimentation from the basin since the retreat of the Tioga glacier (Last Glacial Maximum) and capture rock flour related to all post-LGM advances. A total of eight long cores (up to 5.5 m sediment depth) and one short surface sediment short core preserve a coherent record of fluctuating rock flour flux to the lakes through the Holocene. Age constraints on rock flour spikes in First and Second lakes based on 31 14C-dated macrofossils indicate Holocene glaciation began ˜3200 cal yr B P, followed by a possible glacier maximum at ˜2800 cal yr B P and four distinct glacier maxima at ˜2200, ˜1600, ˜700 and ˜250-170 cal yr. B.P., the most recent maximum being the largest. Reconstruction of the equilibrium-line altitudes (ELA) associated with each distinct advance recorded in the moraines (Recess Peak, Matthes, and modern) indicates ELA depressions (relative to modern) of ˜250 m and 90 m for Recess Peak and Matthes advances, respectively. These differences represent decreases in summer temperatures of 1.7-2.8 °C (Recess Peak) and 0.2-2° (Matthes), and increases in winter precipitation of 22-34 cm snow water equivalent (s.w.e.) (Recess Peak) and 3-26 cm s.w.e. (Matthes) compared to modern conditions. Although small, these changes are significant and similar to those noted in the Cascade Range to the north, and represent a significant departure from historical climate trends in the region.

A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walter Anthony, K. M.; Zimov, S. A.; Grosse, G.; Jones, Miriam C.; Anthony, P.; Chapin, F. S.; Finlay, J. C.; Mack, M. C.; Davydov, S.; Frenzel, P.F.; Frolking, S.

2014-01-01

Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch1,2,3,4. However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon5, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we use field observations of Siberian permafrost exposures, radiocarbon dating and spatial analyses to quantify Holocene carbon stocks and fluxes in lake sediments overlying thawed Pleistocene-aged permafrost. We find that carbon accumulation in deep thermokarst-lake sediments since the last deglaciation is about 1.6 times larger than the mass of Pleistocene-aged permafrost carbon released as greenhouse gases when the lakes first formed. Although methane and carbon dioxide emissions following thaw lead to immediate radiative warming, carbon uptake in peat-rich sediments occurs over millennial timescales. We assess thermokarst-lake carbon feedbacks to climate with an atmospheric perturbation model and find that thermokarst basins switched from a net radiative warming to a net cooling climate effect about 5,000 years ago. High rates of Holocene carbon accumulation in 20 lake sediments (47±10 grams of carbon per square metre per year; mean±standard error) were driven by thermokarst erosion and deposition of terrestrial organic matter, by nutrient release from thawing permafrost that stimulated lake productivity and by slow decomposition in cold, anoxic lake bottoms. When lakes eventually drained, permafrost formation rapidly sequestered sediment carbon. Our estimate of about 160petagrams of Holocene organic carbon in deep lake basins of Siberia and Alaska increases the circumpolar peat carbon pool estimate for permafrost regions by over 50 per cent (ref. 6). The carbon in perennially frozen drained lake sediments may become vulnerable to mineralization as permafrost disappears7

The Holocene warm-humid phases in the North China Plain as recorded by multi-proxy records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Jianxin; Zhou, Shangzhe; Chang, Hong

2009-02-01

The grain size and palinology of sediment and the frequency of 14C dada provide an integrated reconstruction of the Holocene warm-humid phases of the North China Plain. Two clear intense and long-lasting warm-humid phases were identified by comprehensive research in this region. The first phase was dated back to the early Holocene (9 000-7 000 a BP), and the second was centered at 5 000-3 000 a BP. The warm-humid episode between 9 000 and 7 000 a BP was also recognized at other sites showing global climatic trends rather than local events. Compared with the concern to the warm-humid phase of the early Holocene, the second one was not paid enough attention in the last few decades. The compilation of the Holocene paleoclimate data suggests that perhaps the second warm-humid phase was pervasive in monsoon region of China. In perspective of environmental archaeology, much attention should be devoted to it, because the flourish and adaptation of the Neolithic cultures and the building up of the first state seem to corresponding to the general warm-humid climatic conditions of this period. In addition, a warm-humid interval at 7 200-6 500 a BP was recognized by the grain size data from three sites. However, this warm-humid event was not shown in pollen assemblage and temporal distribution of 14C data. Perhaps, the resolution for climatic reconstruction from pollen and temporal distribution of 14C data cited here is relatively low and small-amplitude and short-period climatic events cannot be well reflected by the data. Due to the difference in locality and elevation of sampling site, as well as in resolution of proxy records, it is difficult to make precise correlation. Further work is needed in the future.

Lake sediment-based Late Holocene glacier reconstruction reveals medieval retreat and two-phase Little Ice Age on subantarctic South Georgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Bilt, W. G. M.; Bakke, J.; Werner, J.; Paasche, O.; Rosqvist, G. N.; Vatle, S. S.

2016-12-01

Southern Ocean climate is rapidly changing. Yet beyond the instrumental period (± 100 years), our comprehension of climate variability in the region is restricted by a lack of high-resolution paleoclimate records. Alpine glaciers, ubiquitous on Southern Ocean islands, may provide such data as they rapidly respond to climate shifts, recording attendant changes in extent by variations in glacial erosion. Rock flour, the fine-grained fraction of this process, is suspended in meltwater streams and transfers this signal to the sediments of downstream lakes, continuously recording glacier history. Here, we use this relationship and present the first reconstruction of the Late Holocene (1250 cal. yr BP - present) glacier history of the Southern Ocean island of South Georgia, using sediments from the glacier-fed Middle Hamberg lake. Variations are resolved on multi-centennial scales due to robust chronological control. To fingerprint a glacial erosion signal, we employed a set of routinely used physical, geochemical and magnetic parameters. Using Titanium counts, validated against changes in sediment density and grain size distribution, we continuously reconstruct glacier variations over the past millennium. Refining local moraine evidence and supporting evidence from other Southern Hemisphere sites, this study shows a progressive diminishing of consecutive Late Holocene advances. These include a two-stage Little Ice Age, in agreement with other Southern Hemisphere glacier evidence. The presented record furthermore captures an unreported retreat phase behind present limits around 500 cal. yr BP.

Holocene paleoecology of an estuary on Santa Rosa Island, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, K.L.; Liu, Gaisheng

1994-01-01

The middle to late Holocene history and early Anglo-European settlement impacts on Santa Rosa Island, California, were studied through the analysis of sediments in a small estuarine marsh. A 5.4-m-long sediment core produced a stratigraphic and pollen record spanning the last 5200 yr. Three major zones are distinguishable in the core. The lowermost zone (5200 to 3250 yr B.P.) represents a time of arid climate with predominantly marine sediment input and high Chenopodiaceae and Ambrosia pollen values. The intermediate zone (3250 yr B.P. to 1800 A.D.) is characterized by greater fresh water input and high values for Asteraceae and Cyperaceae pollen and charcoal particles. The uppermost zone (1800 A.D. to present) documents the unprecedented erosion, sedimentation, and vegetation change that resulted from the introduction of large exotic herbivores and exotic plants to the island during Anglo-European settlement. The identification of pollen grains of Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana) documents the persistence of this endemic species on the island throughout the middle to late Holocene.

Late glacial to Holocene water level and climate changes in the Gulf of Gemlik, Sea of Marmara: evidence from multi-proxy data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filikci, Betül; Eriş, Kürşad Kadir; Çağatay, Namık; Sabuncu, Asen; Polonia, Alina

2017-10-01

Multi-proxy analyses of new piston core M13-08 together with seismic data from the Gulf of Gemlik provide a detailed record of paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic changes with special emphasis on the timing of the connections between the Sea of Marmara (SoM) and the Gulf of Gemlik during the late Pleistocene to Holocene. The deposition of a subaqueous delta sourced from the Armutlu River to the north is attributed to the lowstand lake level at -60 m in the gulf prior to 13.5 cal ka BP. On the basis of the seismic data, it is argued that the higher lake level (-60 m) in the gulf compared to the SoM level (-85 m) attests to its disconnection from the SoM during the late glacial period. Ponto-Caspian assemblages in the lacustrine sedimentary unit covering the time period between 13.5 and 12 cal ka BP represent a relict that was introduced into the gulf by a Black Sea outflow during the marine isotope stage 3 interstadial. Contrary to the findings of previous studies, the data suggest that such an outflow into the Gulf of Gemlik during the late glacial period could have occurred only if the SoM lake level (-85 m) was shallower than the sill depth (-55 m) of the gulf in the west. A robust age model of the core indicates the connection of the gulf with the marine SoM at 12 cal ka BP, consistent with the sill depth (-55 m) of the gulf on the global sea level curve. Strong evidence of a marine incursion into the gulf is well documented by the μ-XRF Sr/Ca data. The available profiles of elemental ratios in core M13-08, together with the age-depth model, imply that a warm and wet climate prevailed in the gulf during the early Holocene (12-10.1 cal ka BP), whereas the longest drought occurred during the middle Holocene (8.2-5.4 cal ka BP). The base of the main Holocene sapropel in the gulf is dated at 10.1 cal ka BP, i.e., 500 years younger than its equivalent in the SoM. The late Holocene is earmarked by warm and wet climate periods (5.0-4.2 and 4.2-2.7 cal ka BP) with some

A Tree-Ring Chronology and Paleoclimate Record for the Younger Dryas-Early Holocene Transition from Northeastern North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griggs, Carol; Peteet, Dorothy; Kromer, Bernd; Grote, Todd; Southon, John

2017-01-01

Spruce and tamarack logs dating from the Younger Dryas and Early Holocene (YDEH; approx. 12.9 - 11.3k cal a BP) were found at Bell Creek in the Lake Ontario lowlands of the Great Lakes region, North America. A 211-year tree-ring chronology dates to approx. 11 755 -11 545 cal a BP, across the YDEH transition. A 23-year period of higher year-to-year ring-width variability dates to around 11 650 cal a BP, infers strong regional climatic perturbations and may represent the end of the YD. Tamarack and spruce were dominant species throughout the YD - EH interval at the site, indicating that boreal conditions persisted into the EH, in contrast to geographical regions immediately south and east of the lowlands, but consistent with the Great Lakes interior lowlands. This infers that Bell Creek was at the eastern boundary of a boreal ecotone, perhaps a result of its lower elevation and the non-analog dynamics of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. This finding suggests that the ecotone boundary extended farther east during the YD - EH transition than previously thought.

Holocene history of North Ice Cap, northwestern Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corbett, L. B.; Kelly, M. A.; Osterberg, E. C.; Axford, Y.; Bigl, M.; Roy, E. P.; Thompson, J. T.

2013-12-01

Although much research has focused on the past extents of the Greenland Ice Sheet, less is known about the smaller ice caps on Greenland and how they have evolved over time. These small ice caps respond sensitively to summer temperatures and, to a lesser extent, winter precipitation, and provide valuable information about climatic conditions along the Greenland Ice Sheet margins. Here, we investigate the Holocene history of North Ice Cap (76°55'N 68°00'W), located in the Nunatarssuaq region near Thule, northwest Greenland. Our results are based on glacial geomorphic mapping, 10Be dating, and analyses of sediment cores from a glacially fed lake. Fresh, unweathered and unvegetated boulders comprise moraines and drift that mark an extent of North Ice Cap ~25 m outboard of the present ice margin. It is likely that these deposits were formed during late Holocene time and we are currently employing 10Be surface exposure dating to examine this hypothesis. Just outboard of the fresh moraines and drift, boulders and bedrock show significant weathering and are covered with lichen. Based on glacial geomorphic mapping and detailed site investigations, including stone counts, we suggest that the weathered boulders and bedrock were once covered by erosive Greenland Ice Sheet flow from southeast to northwest over the Nunatarssuaq region. Five 10Be ages from the more weathered landscape only 100-200 m outboard of the modern North Ice Cap margin are 52 and 53 ka (bedrock) and 16, 23, and 31 ka (boulders). These ages indicate that recent ice cover has likely been cold-based and non-erosive, failing to remove inherited cosmogenic nuclides from previous periods of exposure, although the youngest boulder may provide a maximum limiting deglaciation age. Sediment cores collected from Delta Sø, a glacially-fed lake ~1.5 km outside of the modern North Ice Cap margin, contain 130 cm of finely laminated sediments overlying coarse sands and glacial till. Radiocarbon ages from just above

Ground-Penetrating Radar Study of Fort Morgan Peninsula Holocene Beach Ridges as Sea-level Indicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Philbin, A.; Frederick, B.; Blum, M. D.; Tsoflias, G. P.

2017-12-01

Holocene sea-level change along the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) coast is controversial. One view interprets basal peats from the Mississippi Delta to indicate continual sea-level (SL) rise for the GoM as a whole. An alternate view proposes that data from the subsiding delta is primarily a subsidence signal, and that sandy non-deltaic shorelines indicate that regional SL reached present elevations by the middle Holocene, with minor oscillations since then. In fact, new regional long-term subsidence records from biostratigraphic indicators display significant subsidence in deltaic areas where basal-peat data were collected, and negligible rates along the GoM shoreline to the east. However, the use of sandy progradational shorelines, commonly known as "beach ridge systems", has been criticized for a lack of precise sea-level indicators, and therefore discounted. This research focuses on developing Holocene progradational sandy shorelines along the Alabama coast in the eastern GoM as SL indicators. Sandy shorelines in this area are ideal to examine SL change because they are well preserved, sufficiently distant from the subsiding delta, well mapped, and ages are known from previous work. Two-dimensional ground-penetrating radar imaging of well-dated beach-ridge successions is used here to examine and identify changes through time in the elevation of the shoreface clinoform topset-foreset break, which represents the transition between flat-lying foreshore and seaward-dipping shoreface facies, and forms in the intertidal zone. Beach-ridge successions with optical luminescence ages of ca. 5500-4800 yrs BP display topset-foreset breaks at current mean sea-level elevation, whereas beach-ridge successions from ca. 3500-2400 yrs BP display topset-foreset breaks that are 1 m above present mean SL and the elevation of modern topset-foreset breaks. These data support the view that current sea-level was reached by the middle Holocene, and was higher than present for at least

Similar speleothem δ18O signals indicating diverging climate variations in inland central Asia and monsoonal south Asia during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Liya; Zhang, Xiaojian

2017-04-01

High-resolution and precisely dated speleothem oxygen isotope (δ18O) records from Asia have provided key evidence for past monsoonal changes. It is found that δ18O records of stalagmites from Kesang Cave (42°52'N, 81°45'E, Xinjiang, China) in inland central Asia were very similar to those from Qunf Cave (17°10'N, 54°18'E, southern Oman) in South Asia, shifting from light to heavy throughout the Holocene, which was regarded as a signal that strong Asian summer monsoon (ASM) may have intruded into the Kesang Cave site and/or adjacent areas in inland central Asia to produce heavy rainfall during the high insolation times (e.g. the early Holocene). However, this is in contrast to conclusions based on other Holocene proxy records and modeling simulations, showing a persistent wetting trend in arid central Asia during the Holocene with a dryer condition in the early Holocene and the wettest condition in the late Holocene. With an analysis of model-proxy data comparison, we revealed a possible physical mechanism responsible for the Holocene evolution of moisture/precipitation in Asian summer monsoon (ASM)-dominated regions and that in the inland central Asia. It is revealed that a recurrent circumglobal teleconnection (CGT) pattern in the summertime mid-latitude circulation of the Northern Hemisphere was closely related to the ASM and the climate of inland central Asia, acting as a bridge linking the ASM to insolation, high-latitude forcing (North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST)), and low-latitude forcing (tropical Ocean SST). Also, the CGT influence speleothem δ18O values in South Asia via its effect on the amount of precipitation. In addition, the moisture source from the Indian Ocean is associated with relatively high δ18O values compared with that from the North Atlantic Ocean, leading to increased precipitation δ18O values. Hence, the CGT has probably been the key factor responsible for the in-phase relationship in speleothem δ18O values (Kesang Cave

Geochemical record of Holocene to Recent sedimentation on the Western Indus continental shelf, Arabian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limmer, David R.; BöNing, Philipp; Giosan, Liviu; Ponton, Camilo; KöHler, Cornelia M.; Cooper, Matthew J.; Tabrez, Ali R.; Clift, Peter D.

2012-01-01

We present a multiproxy geochemical analysis of two cores recovered from the Indus Shelf spanning the Early Holocene to Recent (<14 ka). Indus-23 is located close to the modern Indus River, while Indus-10 is positioned ˜100 km further west. The Holocene transgression at Indus-10 was over a surface that was strongly weathered during the last glacial sea level lowstand. Lower Holocene sediments at Indus-10 have higherɛNdvalues compared to those at the river mouth indicating some sediment supply from the Makran coast, either during the deposition or via reworking of older sediments outcropping on the shelf. Sediment transport from Makran occurred during transgressive intervals when sea level crossed the mid shelf. The sediment flux from non-Indus sources to Indus-10 peaked between 11 ka and 8 ka. A hiatus at Indus-23 from 8 ka until 1.3 ka indicates non-deposition or erosion of existing Indus Shelf sequences. HigherɛNdvalues seen on the shelf compared to the delta imply reworking of older delta sediments in building Holocene clinoforms. Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA), Mg/Al and Sr isotopes are all affected by erosion of detrital carbonate, which reduced through the Holocene. K/Al data suggest that silicate weathering peaked ca. 4-6 ka and was higher at Indus-10 compared to Indus-23. Fine-grained sediments that make up the shelf have geochemical signatures that are different from the coarser grained bulk sediments measured in the delta plain. The Indus Shelf data highlight the complexity of reconstructing records of continental erosion and provenance in marine settings.

El Niño controls Holocene rabbit and hare populations in Baja California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, Isaac A.; Broughton, Jack M.; Gruhn, Ruth

2015-07-01

The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a major source of climatic variation worldwide, with significant impacts on modern human and animal populations. However, few detailed records exist on the long-term effects of ENSO on prehistoric vertebrate populations. Here we examine how lagomorph (rabbit and hare) deposition rate, population age structure and taxonomic composition from Abrigo de los Escorpiones, a well-dated, trans-Holocene vertebrate fauna from northern Baja California, Mexico, vary as a function of the frequency of wet El Niño events and eastern Pacific sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) derived from eastern Pacific geological records. Faunal indices vary significantly in response to El Niño-based precipitation and SST, with substantial moisture-driven variability in the middle and late Holocene. The late Holocene moisture pulse is coincident with previously documented changes in the population dynamics of other vertebrates, including humans. As the frequency and intensity of ENSO is anticipated to vary in the future, these results have important implications for change in future vertebrate populations.

Vegetation response to early holocene warming as an analog for current and future changes: Special section

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cole, K.L.

2010-01-01

Temperatures in southwestern North America are projected to increase 3.5-4 ??C over the next 60-90 years. This will precipitate ecological shifts as the ranges of species change in response to new climates. During this shift, rapid-colonizing species should increase, whereas slow-colonizing species will at first decrease, but eventually become reestablished in their new range. This successional process has been estimated to require from 100 to over 300 years in small areas, under a stable climate, with a nearby seed source. How much longer will it require on a continental scale, under a changing climate, without a nearby seed source? I considered this question through an examination of the response of fossil plant assemblages from the Grand Canyon, Arizona, to the most recent rapid warming of similar magnitude that occurred at the start of the Holocene, 11,700 years ago. At that time, temperatures in southwestern North America increased about 4 ??C over less than a century. Grand Canyon plant species responded at different rates to this warming climate. Early-successional species rapidly increased, whereas late-successional species decreased. This shift persisted throughout the next 2700 years. I found two earlier, less-extreme species shifts following rapid warming events around 14,700 and 16,800 years ago. Late-successional species predominated only after 4000 years or more of relatively stable temperature. These results suggest the potential magnitude, duration, and nature of future ecological changes and have implications for conservation plans, especially those incorporating equilibrium assumptions or reconstituting past conditions. When these concepts are extended to include the most rapid early-successional colonizers, they imply that the recent increases in invasive exotics may be only the most noticeable part of a new resurgence of early-successional vegetation. Additionally, my results challenge the reliability of models of future vegetation and carbon

Preliminary results of potassium-argon age determinations from the Ugashik quadrangle, Alaska Peninsula: A section in The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1980

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wilson, Frederic H.; Shew, Nora B.

1982-01-01

Early and preliminary results of potassiumargon dating work on samples from 12 sites in the Ugashik quadrangle indicate a continuation of the geologic trends seen in the Chignik and Sutwik Island quadrangles to the south (Wilson, 1980). Tertiary volcanic and hypabyssal rocks apparently fall into two age groups: early Tertiary-late Eocene to earliest Miocene and late Tertiary and Quaternary-late Miocene to Holocene (fig. 53).

HOLOCENE MASS-WASTING EVENTS IN LAGO FAGNANO, TIERRA DEL FUEGO (54°S): IMPLICATIONS FOR PALEOSEISMICITY OF THE MAGALLANES-FAGNANO TRANSFORM FAULT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ariztegui, D.; Waldmann, N.; Austin, J. A.; Anselmetti, F.; Moy, C.; Dunbar, R. B.

2009-12-01

High-resolution seismic imaging and sediment coring in Lago Fagnano, located along the Magallanes-Fagnano plate boundary in Tierra del Fuego, have revealed a chronologic catalog of Holocene mass-wasting events. These event layers are interpreted as resulting from slope instabilities that load the slope-adjacent lake floor during mass flow deposition thus mobilizing basin floor sediments through gravity spreading. A total of 22 mass flow deposits have been identified combining results from an 800 km-long dense grid of seismic profiles with a series of sediment cores. Successions of up to 6 m-thick mass-flow deposits pond the basin floor spreading eastward and westward following the main axis of the eastern sub-basin of Lago Fagnano. An age model on the basis of information from previous studies and from new radiocarbon dating allowed establishing a well-constrained chronologic mass-wasting event catalogue covering the last ~15000 years. Simultaneously-triggered basin-wide lateral slope failure and the formation of multiple debris flow and megaturbidite deposits are interpreted as the fingerprint of paleo-seismic activity along the Magallanes-Fagnano transform fault that runs along the entire lake basin. The slope failures and megaturbidites are interpreted as recording large earthquakes occurring along the transform fault since the early Holocene. The results from this study provide new data about the frequency and possible magnitude of Holocene earthquakes in Tierra del Fuego, which can be applied in the context of seismic hazard assessment in southernmost Patagonia.

Floodplain construction of the Rio Grande at El Paso, Texas, USA: response to Holocene climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hall, Stephen A.; Peterson, John A.

2013-04-01

The Rio Grande is one of the larger rivers in North America, and the development of its floodplain is related to Holocene climate and climate change. The late Pleistocene through early Holocene channel is characterized by a meander or braided system with lateral cutting and backfilling, resulting in the valley-wide deposition of massive to cross-bedded, fine-to-medium textured sand. The late Pleistocene-early Holocene floodplain is also the sand source for the adjacent Bolson sand sheet. The sand sheet stopped accumulating new sand 5000 yrs ago, an event directly related to the shutting off of the sand supply caused by the deposition of overbank muds that covered and sealed the floodplain surface. During the middle Holocene, the river may have dried intermittently with the floodplain becoming deflated and local sand dunes forming on the floodplain. After 5000 yrs the climate was less arid and the river shifted to a regime of increased flooding and overbank deposition of silt and clay. By 2500 yrs, a late Holocene period of wet climate resulted in further overbank deposition and the formation of a cumulic Mollisol across the floodplain, the Socorro paleosol. The period of wet climate corresponds to the Audubon Neoglacial and active rock glaciers in the southern Rocky Mountains, speleothem growth in nearby caves, and other evidence for wet-cool conditions in the region. After 1000 yrs, the climate became drier, and the deposition and accumulation of overbank muds by the flooding Rio Grande came to a halt. Even though the river has flooded often in historic times, and presumably during late prehistoric times as well, there is little evidence for deposition of overbank sediments on the floodplain since A.D. 1000. Accordingly, the present-day surface of the Lower Valley is ten centuries old. Three channels occur on the US side of the Lower Valley floodplain, and during the past 2500 yrs stream flow has shifted from one to the other by the avulsion process of channel

Tephra-Producing Eruptions of Holocene Age at Akutan Volcano, Alaska; Frequency, Magnitude, and Hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waythomas, C. F.; Wallace, K. L.; Schwaiger, H.

2012-12-01

Akutan Volcano in the eastern Aleutian Islands of Alaska is one of the most historically active volcanoes in the Aleutian arc (43 eruptions in about the past 250 years). Explosive eruptions pose major hazards to aircraft flying north Pacific air routes and to local infrastructure on Akutan and neighboring Unalaska Island. Air travel, infrastructure, and population in the region have steadily increased during the past several decades, and thus it is important to better understand the frequency, magnitude, and characteristics of tephra-producing eruptions. The most recent eruption was a VEI 2 event on March 8-May 21, 1992 that resulted in minor ash emissions and trace amounts of proximal fallout. Nearly continuous low-level emission of ash and steam is typical of historical eruptions, and most of the historical events have been similar in magnitude to the 1992 event. The most recent major eruption occurred about 1600 yr. B.P. and likely produced the ca. 2-km diameter summit caldera and inundated valleys that head on the volcano with pyroclastic-flow and lahar deposits that are tens of meters thick. The 1600 yr. B.P. eruption covered most of Akutan Island with up to 2.5 m of coarse scoriaceous tephra fall, including deposits 0.5-1 m thick near the City of Akutan. Tephra-fall deposits associated with this eruption exhibit a continuous sequence of black, fine to coarse scoriaceous lapilli overlain by a lithic-rich facies and finally a muddy aggregate-rich facies indicating water involvement during the latter stages of the eruption. Other tephra deposits of Holocene age on Akutan Island include more than a dozen discrete fine to coarse ash beds and 3-6 beds of scoriaceous, coarse lapilli tephra indicating that there have been several additional major eruptions (>VEI 3) of Akutan Volcano during the Holocene. Radiocarbon dates on these events are pending. In addition to tephra falls from Akutan, other fine ash deposits are found on the island that originated from other

Holocene environmental changes in northern Lebanon as inferred from a multiproxy study on lacustrine-palustrine sediment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal, Laurence; Jenna, Hage-Hassen; Demory, François; Develle, Anne-Lise; van Campo, Elise; Elias, Ata

2016-04-01

The reconstruction of the Levantine post-glacial environmental evolution is essential to understand the interactions between variability of regional water cycle, dynamics of the global climate, and cultural evolution. We present a paleolacustrine record from the karstic Yammouneh basin (34.06N-34.09N; 36.0E-36.03E, 1360 m a.s.l.), located on the eastern flank of Mount Lebanon (northern Levant). Holocene sediments (retrieved from gully and a trenbch) (1.5 to 3.6 m thick) consist of pale lacustrine chalk interrupted by an ash layer and remarkable centimetric beds of ocher to dark brown silty clays used, in addition to 14C ages, as stratigraphical markers. Lacustrine biogenic remains are diversified and abundant (ostracods, gastropods, charophytes, chlorophyceae, plant debris…) all reflecting a freswater, generally shallow waterbody. We analysed the sediment mineralogy and geochemistry, TOM contents, magnetic properties, pollen and calcite oxygen isotope composition derived from ostracod shells. These sequences are compared to former data from 2 trenches and 1 core collected in different points of the basin (Daeron et al., 2007; Develle et al., 2009, 2010). A total of 42 AMS 14C dating (partly carbonized wood) provide a solid chronology from the YD to present. Results reveal the following main features : 1- intervals dominated by authigenic calcite suggest that the major water supply was the karstic springs, which still deliver Ca-rich water and low surface runoff; 2- the lake oxygen isotope composition has been impacted by the source isotope composition throughout the Holocene and by increased inland rainfall during the early Holocene; 3- a decideous oak forest, implying much more soil water availability than today, was developed around the lake from ca. 11.5 to 9.5 kyr (the very bad pollen preservation after 8.3 kyr reflects oxidation or frequent oscillations of the water level); 4- four paleosols evidenced from lithofacies and magnetic properties are identified

Holocene fire activity and vegetation response in South-Eastern Iberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil-Romera, Graciela; Carrión, José S.; Pausas, Juli G.; Sevilla-Callejo, Miguel; Lamb, Henry F.; Fernández, Santiago; Burjachs, Francesc

2010-05-01

Since fire has been recognized as an essential disturbance in Mediterranean landscapes, the study of long-term fire ecology has developed rapidly. We have reconstructed a sequence of vegetation dynamics and fire changes across south-eastern Iberia by coupling records of climate, fire, vegetation and human activities. We calculated fire activity anomalies (FAAs) in relation to 3 ka cal BP for 10-8 ka cal BP, 6 ka cal BP, 4 ka cal BP and the present. For most of the Early to the Mid-Holocene uneven, but low fire events were the main vegetation driver at high altitudes where broadleaved and coniferous trees presented a highly dynamic post-fire response. At mid-altitudes in the mainland Segura Mountains, fire activity remained relatively stable, at similar levels to recent times. We hypothesize that coastal areas, both mountains and lowlands, were more fire-prone landscapes as biomass was more likely to have accumulated than in the inland regions, triggering regular fire events. The wet and warm phase towards the Mid-Holocene (between ca 8 and 6 ka cal BP) affected the whole region and promoted the spread of mesophytic forest co-existing with Pinus, as FAAs appear strongly negative at 6 ka cal BP, with a less important role of fire. Mid and Late Holocene landscapes were shaped by an increasing aridity trend and the rise of human occupation, especially in the coastal mountains where forest disappeared from ca 2 ka cal BP. Mediterranean-type vegetation (evergreen oaks and Pinus pinaster- halepensis types) showed the fastest post-fire vegetation dynamics over time.

A model for the Holocene extinction of the mammal megafauna in Ecuador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ficcarelli, G.; Coltorti, M.; Moreno-Espinosa, M.; Pieruccini, P. L.; Rook, L.; Torre, D.

2003-03-01

This paper presents the results of multidisciplinary research in the Ecuadorian coastal regions, with particular emphasis on the Santa Elena Peninsula. The new evidence, together with previous data gathered on the Ecuadorian cordillera during the last 12 years, allows us to formulate a model that accounts for most of the mammal megafauna extinction at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. After the illustration of geomorphological and paleontological evidences of the area of the Santa Elena Peninsula (and other sites), and of a summary of the paleoclimatic data, the main results and conclusions of this work are: (1) Late Pleistocene mammal assemblages survived in the Ecuadorian coast until the Early Holocene sea level rise; (2) Prior to the extinction of most of the megafauna elements (mastodons, ground sloths, equids, sabre-tooth felids), the mammal communities at Santa Elena Peninsula comprise elements with differing habitat requirements, attesting conditions of high biological pressure; (3) At the El Cautivo site (Santa Elena Peninsula), we have discovered Holocene sediments containing the first known occurrences in Ecuador of lithic artifacts that are associated with mammal megafauna remains; (4) During the last 10,000 years, the coastal region of Ecuador underwent significant changes in vegetation cover. At the Pleistocene/Holocene transition the climate changed from very arid conditions to humid conditions. Our data indicates that the megafauna definitively abandoned the Cordillera areas around 12,000 yr BP due to t he increasing aridity, and subsequently migrated to coastal areas where ecological conditions still were suitable, Santa Elena Peninsula and mainly Amazonian areas being typical. We conclude that the unusual high faunal concentrations and the change to dense vegetation cover (due to a rapid increase in precipitation in the lower Holocene) at 8000-6000 yr BP, caused the final collapse and extinction of most elements of the mammal megafauna

Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene Migratory Behavior of Ungulates Using Isotopic Analysis of Tooth Enamel and Its Effects on Forager Mobility.

PubMed

Pilaar Birch, Suzanne E; Miracle, Preston T; Stevens, Rhiannon E; O'Connell, Tamsin C

2016-01-01

Zooarchaeological and paleoecological investigations have traditionally been unable to reconstruct the ethology of herd animals, which likely had a significant influence on the mobility and subsistence strategies of prehistoric humans. In this paper, we reconstruct the migratory behavior of red deer (Cervus elaphus) and caprids at the Pleistocene-Holocene transition in the northeastern Adriatic region using stable oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel. The data show a significant change in δ18O values from the Pleistocene into the Holocene, as well as isotopic variation between taxa, the case study sites, and through time. We then discuss the implications of seasonal faunal availability as determining factors in human mobility patterns.

Holocene and Last Interglacial climate of the Faroe Islands from sedimentary leaf wax hydrogen isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curtin, L.; D'Andrea, W. J.; de Wet, G.; Balascio, N.; Bradley, R. S.

2017-12-01

The climate of the North Atlantic region is extremely sensitive to changes in ocean and atmospheric circulation, and understanding past natural variability in North Atlantic climate provides important context for modern climate change. Here, we present Holocene and Eemian hydrogen isotope (δD) records from leaf waxes preserved in lacustrine sediments from the North Atlantic Faroe Islands and interpret them as a proxy for temperature and hydroclimate variability. In addition to helping to constrain the timing and amplitude of climate evolution during each of these interglacial periods, the data can be used to directly compare Eemian and Holocene climate using the same proxy from the same terrestrial location. Of the leaf waxes measured, the δD values of long-chain and mid-chain n-alkanes showed two different signals, which we interpret to represent leaf water δD values and lake water δD values, respectively. The δD values for long-chain and mid-chain fatty acids were most similar to the mid-chain n-alkanes, and likely represent a mixture of terrestrial and aquatic sources. Leaf wax-inferred δD values of precipitation during the early Holocene (10,000 to 8,000 cal yr BP) are 13‰ enriched compared to the remainder of the Holocene (after 8,000 cal yr BP), which show relatively stable values over time. Inferred lake water δD values decreased slowly over the late Holocene, suggesting a gradual transition to a wetter climate after 4,000 cal yr BP. At 2,000 cal yr BP there was a significant change in the distribution of leaf waxes that suggests a transition from shrubland to grassland, but which pre-dates the pollen evidence for this transition. The last interglacial period has been suggested as an analog for future climate conditions. We found that long-chain alkane δD values from the Eemian are most similar to the earliest Holocene, which corroborate previous pollen studies suggesting a warmer climate at the Faroe Islands during this period.

Quantifying the effects of land use and climate on Holocene vegetation in Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marquer, Laurent; Gaillard, Marie-José; Sugita, Shinya; Poska, Anneli; Trondman, Anna-Kari; Mazier, Florence; Nielsen, Anne Birgitte; Fyfe, Ralph M.; Jönsson, Anna Maria; Smith, Benjamin; Kaplan, Jed O.; Alenius, Teija; Birks, H. John B.; Bjune, Anne E.; Christiansen, Jörg; Dodson, John; Edwards, Kevin J.; Giesecke, Thomas; Herzschuh, Ulrike; Kangur, Mihkel; Koff, Tiiu; Latałowa, Małgorzata; Lechterbeck, Jutta; Olofsson, Jörgen; Seppä, Heikki

2017-09-01

Early agriculture can be detected in palaeovegetation records, but quantification of the relative importance of climate and land use in influencing regional vegetation composition since the onset of agriculture is a topic that is rarely addressed. We present a novel approach that combines pollen-based REVEALS estimates of plant cover with climate, anthropogenic land-cover and dynamic vegetation modelling results. This is used to quantify the relative impacts of land use and climate on Holocene vegetation at a sub-continental scale, i.e. northern and western Europe north of the Alps. We use redundancy analysis and variation partitioning to quantify the percentage of variation in vegetation composition explained by the climate and land-use variables, and Monte Carlo permutation tests to assess the statistical significance of each variable. We further use a similarity index to combine pollen-based REVEALS estimates with climate-driven dynamic vegetation modelling results. The overall results indicate that climate is the major driver of vegetation when the Holocene is considered as a whole and at the sub-continental scale, although land use is important regionally. Four critical phases of land-use effects on vegetation are identified. The first phase (from 7000 to 6500 BP) corresponds to the early impacts on vegetation of farming and Neolithic forest clearance and to the dominance of climate as a driver of vegetation change. During the second phase (from 4500 to 4000 BP), land use becomes a major control of vegetation. Climate is still the principal driver, although its influence decreases gradually. The third phase (from 2000 to 1500 BP) is characterised by the continued role of climate on vegetation as a consequence of late-Holocene climate shifts and specific climate events that influence vegetation as well as land use. The last phase (from 500 to 350 BP) shows an acceleration of vegetation changes, in particular during the last century, caused by new farming

Holocene sea level, a semi-empirical contemplation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bittermann, K.; Kemp, A.; Vermeer, M.; Rahmstorf, S.

2017-12-01

Holocene eustatic sea level from approximately -10,000-1800 CE was characterized by an increase of about 60m, with the rate progressively slowing down until sea level almost stabilizes between 500-1800 CE. Global and northern-hemisphere temperatures rose from the last glacial termination until the `Holocene Optimum'. From ­­there, up to the start of the recent anthropogenic rise, they almost steadily decline. How are the sea-level and temperature evolutions linked? We investigate this with semi-empirical sea-level models. We found that, due to the nature of Milankovitch forcing, northern-hemisphere temperature (we used the Greenland temperature by Vinther et al., 2009) is a better model driver than global mean temperature because the evolving mass of northern-hemisphere land ice was the dominant cause of Holocene global sea-level trends. The adjustment timescale for this contribution is 1200 years (900-1500 years; 90% confidence interval). To fit the observed sea-level history, the model requires a small additional constant rate (Bittermann 2016). This rate turns out to be of the same order of magnitude as reconstructions of Antarctic sea-level contributions (Briggs et al. 2014, Golledge et al. 2014). In reality this contribution is unlikely to be constant but rather has a dominant timescale that is large compared to the time considered. We thus propose that Holocene sea level can be described by a linear combination of a temperature driven rate, which becomes negative in the late Holocene (as Northern Hemisphere ice masses are diminished), and a positive, approximately constant term (possibly from Antarctica), which starts to dominate from the middle of the Holocene until the start of industrialization. Bibliography: Bittermann, K. 2016. Semi-empirical sea-level modelling. PhD Thesis University of Potsdam. Briggs, R.D., et al. 2014. A data-constrained large ensemble analysis of Antarctic evolution since the Eemian. Quaternary science reviews, 103, 91

Holocene millennial to centennial scale carbonate cycles (leeward margin, Great Bahama Bank)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, S.; Reijmer, J. J. G.

2003-04-01

The main research topic of this project is the evaluation of Holocene to Recent climatic variability and the impact on shallow-water sediment production of carbonate platforms. A 38m long sediment core (MD992201) was analyzed, obtained from 290m water depth on the leeward margin of Great Bahama Bank. Fourteen Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dates determined a core bottom age of 7,230 years BP and permitted the construction of a precise time frame. With a sampling interval of 5cm, a decadal time resolution could be achieved. Sedimentation rates varied between 3 to 14m/kyr. Carbonate content ranges from 96 to almost 100wt%, most of which is aragonite (83-92wt%). High Magnesium Calcite (HMC) makes up the second major fraction with 2-9wt%, while Low Magnesium Calcite occurs with minor percentages (0.5-4wt%). Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) of the aragonitic carbonate phase showed two different trends and two primary oscillatory signals. Aragonite production on Great Bahama Bank started at 7,230yr BP when the Holocene sea-level rise flooded the shallow platform top. The first eigenvector captures this long-term trend extending over the entire Mid to Late Holocene succession displaying the Holocene sea-level fluctuations. The second trend indicates millennial scale variations, which can be attributed to a combination of geomagnetic shielding and solar parameters. The two quasi-periodic signals show wavelengths of 400-600 years and approx. 210 years. These oscillations are interpreted in terms of instabilities of the thermohaline circulation and solar parameters, respectively. The oscillatory aragonite signals and oxygen isotope derived temperatures (planktonic foraminifers) agree with northern hemisphere temperature changes (e.g. Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age) and the delta-14C record of tree rings (e.g. Oort to Dalton solar minima). This study shows that carbonate platform systems not only respond to sea-level variations but also are precise recorders of

A multiple-proxy approach to understanding rapid Holocene climate change in Southeast Greenland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davin, S. H.; Bradley, R. S.; Balascio, N. L.; de Wet, G.

2012-12-01

The susceptibility of the Arctic to climate change has made it an excellent workshop for paleoclimatological research. Although there have been previous studies concerning climate variability carried out in the Arctic, there remains a critical dearth of knowledge due the limited number of high-resolution Holocene climate-proxy records available from this region. This gap skews our understanding of observed and predicted climate change, and fuels uncertainty both in the realms of science and policy. This study takes a comprehensive approach to tracking Holocene climate variability in the vicinity of Tasiilaq, Southeast Greenland using a ~5.6 m sediment core from Lower Sermilik Lake. An age-depth model for the core has been established using 8 radiocarbon dates, the oldest of which was taken at 4 m down core and has been been dated to approximately 6.2 kyr BP. The bottom meter of the core below the final radiocarbon date contains a transition from cobbles and coarse sand to organic-rich laminations, indicating the termination of direct glacial influence and therefore likely marking the end of the last glacial period in this region. The remainder of the core is similarly organic-rich, with light-to-dark brown laminations ranging from 0.5 -1 cm in thickness and riddled with turbidites. Using this core in tandem with findings from an on-site assessment of the geomorphic history of the locale we attempt to assess and infer the rapid climatic shifts associated with the Holocene on a sub-centennial scale. Such changes include the termination of the last glacial period, the Mid-Holocene Climatic Optimum, the Neoglacial Period, the Medieval Climatic Optimum, and the Little Ice Age. A multiple proxy approach including magnetic susceptibility, bulk organic geochemistry, elemental profiles acquired by XRF scanning, grain-size, and spectral data will be used to characterize the sediment and infer paleoclimate conditions. Additionally, percent biogenic silica by weight has been

Features of shoreline displacement in the Holocene of Franz josef Land Archipelago

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barliaev, A.; Anisimov, M.

2014-12-01

Changes in the global sea level after the LGM caused the significant alteration in relation of land and sea in Arctic. The rise of the sea level in Arctic was accompanied with present tectonic processes. Marine terraces are formed with the combination of eustatic sea level fluctuations and glacioisostatic uplift of the territory with the significant role of complicated tectonic block movements. There are nearly about 150 radiocarbon ages data for Franz-Josef Land archipelago now. The represented conclusions are a generalization of the published data and results of our field researches with series of new radiocarbon dates. We managed to collect valuable factual material during the Russian Arctic National Park expedition in 2012. The distinctions of post-glacial rise of different islands and peculiarities of Holocene deglaciation were identified with the help of marine terraces analysis. The altitude of the terraces with the same age on different islands exceeds 15 meters in some cases. However, analysis of the data suggests that the continuous series of raised beaches from 35 m a.s.l. formed during the last 10000 years. It is impossible to build up an univocal model of emergence isobases with the existing data. Alexandra Land Island was the special object of this investigation. The large beach ridge from Lunar Ice Cap to Kropotkina Ice Cap divides the island on two parts. The northern one is covered with marine sediments, whereas the southern - with glaciofluvial sediments with negligible areas of marine sediments. The difference between the terraces' ages of Alexandra Land on the Dezhneva Bay shore and the northern shore of island suggests that: 1) In the early Holocene the rate of the transgression exceeded the tectonic uplift of the territory; 2) Formation of the large central beach ridge occurred near 6700 years ago, the maximum marine limit in the Alexandra Land Island; 3) The rate of the tectonic rise of the territory exceeded the eustatic sea level rise in

Flowline Modeling of the Quelccaya Icecap to Constrain Tropical Climate Fluctuations During the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malone, A.; Pierrehumbert, R.; Insel, N.; Lowell, T. V.; Kelly, M. A.

2012-12-01

greater. An increase in the maximum precipitation of 30% is necessary to reproduce the nearest Holocene moraine and an increase in the maximum precipitation of 130% is necessary to reproduce the furthest Holocene moraine. Our results provide a range of values for the mean SST and maximum precipitation that can reproduce the location of Holocene glacial moraines, constraining some of the climate fluctuations in the tropics during the Holocene. These constraints can be used to test hypotheses for climate forcing mechanisms during Holocene events such as the Little Ice Age and possibly provide insight into future tropical climate fluctuations given current and future forcing mechanisms.

Great Basin Archaeology During the Middle Holocene: a Reflection of Environmental Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wriston, T.

2008-12-01

Varying types of proxy data in the Great Basin of the western United States suggest that the environment changed dramatically during the mid-Holocene. Lake, marsh, and spring systems dried; and dune fields, first established at the end of the Pleistocene, where again activated as sediments were swept from drying basin lowlands. Plant communities reorganized and migrated along elevation gradients to adapt to these changing conditions, and animal populations followed. However, recent data suggests that conditions during the middle Holocene were variable. Minimally, three distinct periods can be recognized, herein named: the Initial Middle Holocene (ca. 8000 to 5800 cal yr BP), the Middle Holocene Gap (ca. 5800 to 5200 cal yr BP), and the Terminal Middle Holocene (ca. 5200 to 4000 cal yr BP). Depending on location and the type of proxy data studied, these periods can vary in their character and timing, but their sequence is increasingly recognized in records of both regional and global-scale. The Initial Middle Holocene is the driest and most volatile of the three periods, with a shift from winter-to summer-dominated precipitation, often delivered by torrential storms. Conversely, the Middle Holocene Gap is a relatively mesic interval with increased winter precipitation and cooler temperatures. A shift towards drier conditions is again evidenced during the Terminal Middle Holocene; however, conditions are never again as dry or as volatile as during the Initial Middle Holocene. The archaeological signature of the Great Basin during the middle Holocene reflects adaptation to this changing environment. During the Initial Middle Holocene, archaeological sites are relatively scarce, and when present, are near water sources substantial enough to persist through the intense drought. The uplands became a focus of sustained seasonal use for the first time as increasingly diverse resources and environments are routinely exploited. It follows that milling gear is a regular and

Elucidating the Holocene Relative Sea-Level History of the US Atlantic Coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelhart, S. E.; Anderson, C.; Hill, D.; Horton, B. P.; Peltier, W. R.; van de Plassche, O.; Shennan, I.; Thieler, E. R.; Tornqvist, T. E.

2007-12-01

There is an urgent need for a re-assessment of the quality of Holocene relative sea-level (RSL) observations from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Holocene RSL data provide an essential benchmark to compare against other records of RSL change in the last 100-150 years. Only high quality sea-level data reveal spatial and temporal variations in crustal movements since the Last Glacial Maximum and provide a vital constraint upon dynamical models of the Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) process. We require an accurate model of the GIA process to inform the global data set currently being produced on the time dependence of the gravitational field of the planet by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). We have compiled database of 1400 possible sea-level index points for the Atlantic coast of the United States. These unvalidated data contain much scatter due to concepts inherent in their original interpretation. They rarely allow for other factors such as sediment compaction and tidal range variation. Following validation, results from Delaware and North Carolina show a rapid rise in RSL from the early to mid Holocene, with no evidence of sea- level above present. They also differ somewhat from GIA model predictions. Rates of RSL change during the late Holocene divide into three broad zones: (1) Maine to Boston, MA ~ RSL rise of less than 1 mm yr-1; (2) Cape Cod, MA to Maryland ~ RSL rise between 1 and 3 mm yr-1; and (3) North Carolina to South Carolina ~ RSL rise less than 1 mm yr-1. Comparison with tide-gauge records demonstrate an increase of at least 1 mm yr-1 at all sites since AD 1900.

Holocene evolution of Hans Tausen Iskappe (Greenland): merging constraints and models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zekollari, Harry; Lecavalier, Benoit S.; Huybrechts, Philippe

2017-04-01

In this study the Holocene evolution of Hans Tausen Iskappe (western Peary Land, Greenland) is investigated. Constraints on the ice cap evolution are combined with climatic records in a numerical ice flow - surface mass balance (SMB) model to better understand the palaeoenvironmental and climatic evolution of this region. Our simulations suggest that after disconnecting from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) the ice cap had roughly its present-day size and geometry around 8.5-9 ka ago. An ice core drilled to the bed indicates that the southern part of the ice cap subsequently disappeared during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) and this collapse can be reproduced, but the model suggests that the northern part of the ice cap most likely survived this warmer period. The late Holocene growth of the ice cap to its Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum neoglacial extent can be reproduced from the temperature reconstruction. The simulations suggest that over the last millennia the local precipitation may have been up to 70-80% higher than at present. By coupling the pre-industrial temperature forcing to a post-LIA warming trend, it is concluded that the warming between the end of the LIA and the period 1961-1990 was between 1 and 2°C. In all experiments the ice flow model complexity and horizontal resolution have only a minor effect on the long-term evolution of the ice cap, which is largely driven by SMB changes. On the other hand the glacial isostatic adjustments (GIA) need to be accounted for in a detailed manner, as this has a large impact on the modelled Holocene ice cap evolution.

A persistent northern boundary of Indian Summer Monsoon precipitation over Central Asia during the Holocene.

PubMed

Ramisch, Arne; Lockot, Gregori; Haberzettl, Torsten; Hartmann, Kai; Kuhn, Gerhard; Lehmkuhl, Frank; Schimpf, Stefan; Schulte, Philipp; Stauch, Georg; Wang, Rong; Wünnemann, Bernd; Yan, Dada; Zhang, Yongzhan; Diekmann, Bernhard

2016-05-13

Extra-tropical circulation systems impede poleward moisture advection by the Indian Summer Monsoon. In this context, the Himalayan range is believed to insulate the south Asian circulation from extra-tropical influences and to delineate the northern extent of the Indian Summer Monsoon in central Asia. Paleoclimatic evidence, however, suggests increased moisture availability in the Early Holocene north of the Himalayan range which is attributed to an intensification of the Indian Summer Monsoon. Nevertheless, mechanisms leading to a surpassing of the Himalayan range and the northern maximum extent of summer monsoonal influence remain unknown. Here we show that the Kunlun barrier on the northern Tibetan Plateau [~36°N] delimits Indian Summer Monsoon precipitation during the Holocene. The presence of the barrier relocates the insulation effect 1,000 km further north, allowing a continental low intensity branch of the Indian Summer Monsoon which is persistent throughout the Holocene. Precipitation intensities at its northern extent seem to be driven by differentiated solar heating of the Northern Hemisphere indicating dependency on energy-gradients rather than absolute radiation intensities. The identified spatial constraints of monsoonal precipitation will facilitate the prediction of future monsoonal precipitation patterns in Central Asia under varying climatic conditions.

Late Pleistocene - Holocene ruptures of the Lima Reservoir fault, SW Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anastasio, David J.; Majerowicz, Christina N.; Pazzaglia, Frank J.; Regalla, Christine A.

2010-12-01

Active tectonics within the northern Basin and Range province provide a natural laboratory for the study of normal fault growth, linkage, and interaction. Here, we present new geologic mapping and morphologic fault-scarp modeling within the Centennial Valley, Montana to characterize Pleistocene - Holocene ruptures of the young and active Lima Reservoir fault. Geologic relationships and rupture ages indicate Middle Pleistocene activity on the Henry Gulch (>50 ka and 23-10 ka), Trail Creek (>43 ka and ˜13 ka), and reservoir (˜23 ka) segments. Offset Quaternary deposits also record Holocene rupture of the reservoir segment (˜8 ka), but unfaulted modern streams show that no segments of the Lima Reservoir fault have experienced a large earthquake in at least several millennia. The clustered pattern of rupture ages on the Lima Reservoir fault segments suggests a seismogenic linkage though segment length and spacing make a physical connection at depth unlikely. Trail Creek and reservoir segment slip rates were non-steady and appear to be increasing. The fault helps accommodate differential horizontal surface velocity measured by GPS geodesy across the boundary between the northern Basin and Range province and the Snake River Plain.

The biogeophysical climatic impacts of anthropogenic land use change during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, M. Clare; Singarayer, Joy S.; Valdes, Paul J.; Kaplan, Jed O.; Branch, Nicholas P.

2016-04-01

The first agricultural societies were established around 10 ka BP and had spread across much of Europe and southern Asia by 5.5 ka BP with resultant anthropogenic deforestation for crop and pasture land. Various studies (e.g. Joos et al., 2004; Kaplan et al., 2011; Mitchell et al., 2013) have attempted to assess the biogeochemical implications for Holocene climate in terms of increased carbon dioxide and methane emissions. However, less work has been done to examine the biogeophysical impacts of this early land use change. In this study, global climate model simulations with Hadley Centre Coupled Model version 3 (HadCM3) were used to examine the biogeophysical effects of Holocene land cover change on climate, both globally and regionally, from the early Holocene (8 ka BP) to the early industrial era (1850 CE). Two experiments were performed with alternative descriptions of past vegetation: (i) one in which potential natural vegetation was simulated by Top-down Representation of Interactive Foliage and Flora Including Dynamics (TRIFFID) but without land use changes and (ii) one where the anthropogenic land use model Kaplan and Krumhardt 2010 (KK10; Kaplan et al., 2009, 2011) was used to set the HadCM3 crop regions. Snapshot simulations were run at 1000-year intervals to examine when the first signature of anthropogenic climate change can be detected both regionally, in the areas of land use change, and globally. Results from our model simulations indicate that in regions of early land disturbance such as Europe and south-east Asia detectable temperature changes, outside the normal range of variability, are encountered in the model as early as 7 ka BP in the June-July-August (JJA) season and throughout the entire annual cycle by 2-3 ka BP. Areas outside the regions of land disturbance are also affected, with virtually the whole globe experiencing significant temperature changes (predominantly cooling) by the early industrial period. The global annual mean temperature

Ocean as the main driver of Antarctic ice sheet retreat during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crosta, Xavier; Crespin, Julien; Swingedouw, Didier; Marti, Olivier; Masson-Delmotte, Valérie; Etourneau, Johan; Goosse, Hugues; Braconnot, Pascale; Yam, Ruth; Brailovski, Irena; Shemesh, Aldo

2018-07-01

Ocean-driven basal melting has been shown to be the main ablation process responsible for the recession of many Antarctic ice shelves and marine-terminating glaciers over the last decades. However, much less is known about the drivers of ice shelf melt prior to the short instrumental era. Based on diatom oxygen isotope (δ18Odiatom; a proxy for glacial ice discharge in solid or liquid form) records from western Antarctic Peninsula (West Antarctica) and Adélie Land (East Antarctica), higher ocean temperatures were suggested to have been the main driver of enhanced ice melt during the Early-to-Mid Holocene while atmosphere temperatures were proposed to have been the main driver during the Late Holocene. Here, we present a new Holocene δ18Odiatom record from Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, also suggesting an increase in glacial ice discharge since 4500 years before present ( 4.5 kyr BP) as previously observed in Antarctic Peninsula and Adélie Land. Similar results from three different regions around Antarctica thus suggest common driving mechanisms. Combining marine and ice core records along with new transient accelerated simulations from the IPSL-CM5A-LR climate model, we rule out changes in air temperatures during the last 4.5 kyr as the main driver of enhanced glacial ice discharge. Conversely, our simulations evidence the potential for significant warmer subsurface waters in the Southern Ocean during the last 6 kyr in response to enhanced summer insolation south of 60°S and enhanced upwelling of Circumpolar Deep Water towards the Antarctic shelf. We conclude that ice front and basal melting may have played a dominant role in glacial discharge during the Late Holocene.

Late Holocene eolian activity in the mineralogically mature Nebraska Sand Hills

USGS Publications Warehouse

Muhs, D.R.; Stafford, Thomas W.; Swinehart, J.B.; Cowherd, S.D.; Mahan, S.A.; Bush, C.A.; Madole, R.F.; Maat, P.B.

1997-01-01

The age of sand dunes in the Nebraska Sand Hills has been controversial, with some investigators suggesting a full-glacial age and others suggesting that they were last active in the late Holocene. New accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon ages of unaltered bison bones and organic-rich sediments suggest that eolian sand deposition occurred at least twice in the past 3000 14C yr B.P. in three widely separated localities and as many as three times in the past 800 14C yr at three other localities. These late Holocene episodes of eolian activity are probably the result of droughts more intense than the 1930s "Dust Bowl" period, based on independent Great Plains climate records from lake sediments and tree rings. However, new geochemical data indicate that the Nebraska Sand Hills are mineralogically mature. Eolian sands in Nebraska have lower K-feldspar (and K2O, Rb, and Ba) contents than most possible source sediments and lower K-feldspar contents than dunes of similar age in Colorado. The most likely explanation for mineralogical maturity is reduction of sand-sized K-feldspar to silt-sized particles via ballistic impacts due to strong winds over many cycles of eolian activity. Therefore, dunes of the Nebraska Sand Hills must have had a long history, probably extending over more than one glacial-interglacial cycle, and the potential for reactivation is high, with or without a future greenhouse warming. ?? 1997 University of Washington.

Clay aquitards as archives of holocene paleoclimate: delta18O and thermal profiling.

PubMed

Hendry, M Jim; Woodbury, A D

2007-01-01

Paleoclimatic conditions in the Holocene were reconstructed from a detailed vertical profile of pore water delta(18)O and a series of downhole thermal profiles at a thick, hydrogeologically simple, aquitard research site in the Northern Great Plains of Saskatchewan. Reconstructions were obtained using the theory of one-dimensional diffusive transport and an empirical Bayesian inversion technique. Inversion of the delta(18)O profile shows that input signal consists of a sudden increase of +6 per thousand (corresponding to a temperature increase of about 18 degrees C) at about 12,000 years before present (BP), after which no measurable change in delta(18)O is apparent to present day. This research shows, at this location, that there is no evidence of large amplitude temperature shifts in the Holocene and supports the commonly used assumption in ground water studies of constant atmospheric delta(18)O values throughout the Holocene. Inversion of the temperature profiles suggests the ground surface temperature increased primarily in the last half of the 20th century, with a peak temperature (about 3 degrees C) circa 1990. For both profiles, the ability to resolve historical variability decays rapidly with time. For the temperature profiles, the decay in resolution precluded the development of reliable estimates of climatic conditions prior to about 1950 and, in the case of the delta(18)O profile, it prevented the precise definition of climate changes (e.g., Hypsithermal and Little Ice Age) in the Holocene.

Glacial-interglacial changes and Holocene variations in Arabian Sea denitrification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaye, Birgit; Böll, Anna; Segschneider, Joachim; Burdanowitz, Nicole; Emeis, Kay-Christian; Ramaswamy, Venkitasubramani; Lahajnar, Niko; Lückge, Andreas; Rixen, Tim

2018-01-01

and late Holocene. This was probably caused by (i) reduced ventilation due to a longer residence time of OMZ waters and (ii) augmented by rising oxygen consumption due to enhanced northeast-monsoon-driven biological productivity. This concurs with the results of the Kiel Climate Model, which show an increase in OMZ volume during the last 9 kyr related to the increasing age of the OMZ water mass.

Holocene thinning of the Greenland ice sheet.

PubMed

Vinther, B M; Buchardt, S L; Clausen, H B; Dahl-Jensen, D; Johnsen, S J; Fisher, D A; Koerner, R M; Raynaud, D; Lipenkov, V; Andersen, K K; Blunier, T; Rasmussen, S O; Steffensen, J P; Svensson, A M

2009-09-17

On entering an era of global warming, the stability of the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) is an important concern, especially in the light of new evidence of rapidly changing flow and melt conditions at the GIS margins. Studying the response of the GIS to past climatic change may help to advance our understanding of GIS dynamics. The previous interpretation of evidence from stable isotopes (delta(18)O) in water from GIS ice cores was that Holocene climate variability on the GIS differed spatially and that a consistent Holocene climate optimum-the unusually warm period from about 9,000 to 6,000 years ago found in many northern-latitude palaeoclimate records-did not exist. Here we extract both the Greenland Holocene temperature history and the evolution of GIS surface elevation at four GIS locations. We achieve this by comparing delta(18)O from GIS ice cores with delta(18)O from ice cores from small marginal icecaps. Contrary to the earlier interpretation of delta(18)O evidence from ice cores, our new temperature history reveals a pronounced Holocene climatic optimum in Greenland coinciding with maximum thinning near the GIS margins. Our delta(18)O-based results are corroborated by the air content of ice cores, a proxy for surface elevation. State-of-the-art ice sheet models are generally found to be underestimating the extent and changes in GIS elevation and area; our findings may help to improve the ability of models to reproduce the GIS response to Holocene climate.

Recent evolution and divergence among populations of a rare Mexican endemic, Chihuahua spruce, following holocene climatic warming

Treesearch

F. Thomas Ledig; Virginia Jacob-Cervantes; Paul D. Hodgskiss

1997-01-01

Fragmentation and reduction in population size are expected to reduce genetic diversity. However, examples from natural populations of forest trees are scarce. The range of Chihuahua spruce retreated northward and fragmented coincident with the warming climate that marked the early Holocene. The isolated populations vary from 15 to 2441 trees, which provided an...

Holocene environmental change of the northern Caribbean inferred from the sediments of a flooded sinkhole, Cayo Coco, Cuba

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peros, M. C.; Agosta G'meiner, A. M.; Collins, S.

2016-12-01

We present new data on the Holocene environments of the northern Caribbean inferred from the sediments of a flooded sinkhole (Cenote Jennifer) on the island of Cayo Coco in north-central Cuba. Cenote Jennifer is located several meters above sea level and has an average depth of 13 meters. Water chemistry measurements indicate that the water in the sinkhole is highly stratified with a halocline at about 8 meters depth and an anoxic base. A series of sediment cores collected at the center of the sinkhole were analyzed for fossil pollen, microcharcoal, dinoflagellate cysts, elemental geochemistry (by high-resolution XRF core-scanning), and grain size and were dated by Pb-210 and AMS radiocarbon techniques (using well-preserved macrofossils of leaves, bark, and twigs). The results show that sediments first began to accumulate in Cenote Jennifer approximately 9000 years ago and continued until the present. The elemental geochemistry results record increases in elements such as Br, Cl, Ni, and Cu during the 8.2 kyr event which may reflect enhanced deep-ocean upwelling at this time. The fossil pollen data record a succession in vegetation that included cattail marsh, thorny coastal scrubland, dry evergreen forest, and secondary forest communities over the course of the Holocene. Changes in vegetation were driven mostly by relative sea level rise in the early Holocene but climate change was more important by the middle to late Holocene. Hundreds of mm- to cm-scale laminations are also present in the core, many of which represent past hurricane strikes. The microcharcoal and pollen evidence also suggests that prehistoric humans may have settled the area and practiced agriculture as early as 2800 cal yr BP. The findings from Cenote Jennifer highlight the utility of flooded sinkholes as paleoenvironmental archives in tropical kart regions and provide important new data on the hydroclimatology of the northern Caribbean.

Precise chronologies of Holocene glacial culminations in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southern Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licciardi, J. M.; Schaefer, J. M.; Schweinsberg, A. D.

2012-12-01

Records of past fluctuations in climatically sensitive tropical mountain glaciers are among the best indicators of regional paleoclimatic trends and controls. The majority of the world's present-day tropical glaciers are found in the Peruvian Andes, but accurate and precise chronologies of past glacial activity in this region remain relatively scarce, particularly during the Holocene. Here we present ~50 new 10Be exposure ages derived from boulders on well-preserved moraine successions in several glaciated drainages in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of southern Peru (13°20'S latitude). The new results suggest that prominent moraines in these valleys are correlative with previously published moraine ages near Nevado Salcantay in this range (Licciardi et al., 2009), but also expand on the initial surface exposure chronologies to reveal additional periods of glacier stabilization not found in previous work. A provisional composite chronology that merges the new and previously obtained moraine ages indicates at least five discrete glacial culminations from the Lateglacial to the late Holocene. Forthcoming 10Be ages from an additional ~50 samples collected from moraine boulders will increase the precision and completeness of the Vilcabamba moraine chronologies. Basal radiocarbon ages are being developed from bog and lake sediments in stratigraphic contact with the 10Be-dated moraines. These new 14C age data will help constrain the local cosmogenic 10Be production rate, thereby increasing the accuracy of the 10Be chronologies.

Holocene sea level, a semi-empirical contemplation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bittermann, Klaus; Kemp, Andrew; Vermeer, Martin; Rahmstorf, Stefan

2017-04-01

Holocene eustatic sea level from approximately -10,000-1800 CE was characterized by an increase of about 60 m, with the rate progressively slowing down until sea level almost stabilizes between 500-1800 CE. Global and northern-hemisphere temperatures rose from the last glacial termination until the 'Holocene Optimum'. From there, up to the start of the recent anthropogenic rise, they almost steadily decline. How are the sea-level and temperature evolutions linked? We investigate this with a semi-empirical sea-level model. We found that, due to the nature of Milankovitch forcing, northern-hemisphere temperature (we used the Greenland temperature by Vinther et al., 2009) is a better model driver than global mean temperature because the evolving mass of northern-hemisphere land ice was the dominant cause of Holocene global sea-level trends. The adjustment timescale for this contribution is 1200 years (900-1500 years; 90% confidence interval). To fit the observed sea-level history, the model requires a small additional constant rate (Bittermann 2016). This rate turns out to be of the same order of magnitude as reconstructions of Antarctic sea-level contributions (Briggs et al. 2014, Golledge et al. 2014). In reality this contribution is unlikely to be constant but rather has a dominant timescale that is large compared to the time considered. We thus propose that Holocene sea level can be described by a linear combination of a temperature driven rate, which becomes negative in the late Holocene (as Northern Hemisphere ice masses are diminished), and a positive, approximately constant term (possibly from Antarctica), which starts to dominate from the middle of the Holocene until the start of industrialization. Bibliography: Bittermann, K. 2016. Semi-empirical sea-level modelling. PhD Thesis University of Potsdam. Briggs, R.D., Pollard, D., & Tarasov, L. 2014. A data-constrained large ensemble analysis of Antarctic evolution since the Eemian. Quaternary science reviews

Late Holocene Climate Change Inferred From Varved Proglacial Lake Sediments on Northeastern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, E. K.; Briner, J. P.; Axford, Y.

2007-12-01

The Arctic has a disproportionately large response to changes in radiative forcing of climate, and glaciers and arctic lacustrine ecosystems respond sensitively to these changes. Lacustrine ecosystems throughout the Arctic are undergoing rapid regime shifts, including dramatically increased primary productivity and changing aquatic floral and faunal assemblages. Our work on organic lake sediments from northeast Baffin Island shows a large increase in primary productivity, changes in insect (Chironomidae) assemblages including the disappearance of cold stenotherms, and a rise in chironomid-inferred summer water temperatures of at least 1.5°C over the past 50 years, reaching temperatures that were unprecedented in the past 5000 years. Here, we pursue the use of varve thickness, an abiotic temperature proxy, to expand our understanding of late Holocene temperature changes on northeast Baffin Island. We obtained a 14C- and 239+240Pu-dated surface core/percussion core pair from a proglacial lake. Together these cores span > 8000 years and the sediments are varved, as verified by the 239+240Pu analysis, for at least the past 700 years. Magnetic susceptibility was high during the early Holocene, decreased to near-zero values during the mid-Holocene and increased during the past 2500 years to reach the highest values seen in the record around 1000 years ago. Loss-on- ignition had an opposite trend, with the highest values in the mid-Holocene. Sedimentation rate was constant during most of the Holocene (0.03 cm yr -1) and increased during the past 1000 years to 0.05 cm yr -1. These parameters indicate that following the absence of an active glacier during the middle Holocene, glacier activity initiated ~2500 years ago and reached peak activity over the last 1000 years. Our ongoing work to obtain a varve-thickness record for at least the last 700 years, and its calibration to a nearby weather station, will be presented.

A Holocene record of ocean productivity and upwelling from the northern California continental slope

USGS Publications Warehouse

Addison, Jason A.; Barron, John A.; Finney, Bruce P.; Kusler, Jennifer E.; Bukry, David; Heusser, Linda E.; Alexander, Clark R.

2018-01-01

The Holocene upwelling history of the northern California continental slope is examined using the high-resolution record of TN062-O550 (40.9°N, 124.6°W, 550 m water depth). This 7-m-long marine sediment core spans the last ∼7500 years, and we use it to test the hypothesis that marine productivity in the California Current System (CCS) driven by coastal upwelling has co-varied with Holocene millennial-scale warm intervals. A combination of biogenic sediment concentrations (opal, total organic C, and total N), stable isotopes (organic matter δ13C and bulk sedimentary δ15N), and key microfossil indicators of upwelling were used to test this hypothesis. The record of biogenic accumulation in TN062-O550 shows considerable Holocene variability despite being located within 50 km of the mouth of the Eel River, which is one of the largest sources of terrigenous sediment to the Northeast Pacific Ocean margin. A key time interval beginning at ∼2900 calibrated years before present (cal yr BP) indicates the onset of modern upwelling in the CCS, and this period also corresponds to the most intense period of upwelling in the last 7500 years. When these results are placed into a regional CCS context during the Holocene, it was found that the timing of upwelling intensification at TN062-O550 corresponds closely to that seen at nearby ODP Site 1019, as well as in the Santa Barbara Basin of southern California. Other CCS records with less refined age control show similar results, which suggest late Holocene upwelling intensification may be synchronous throughout the CCS. Based on the strong correspondence between the alkenone sea surface temperature record at ODP Site 1019 and the onset of late Holocene upwelling in northern California, we suggest that CCS warming may be conducive to upwelling intensification, though future changes are unclear as the mechanisms forcing SST variability may differ.

A Holocene record of ocean productivity and upwelling from the northern California continental slope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Addison, J. A.; Barron, J. A.; Finney, B.; Kusler, J. E.; Bukry, D.; Heusser, L. E.; Alexander, C. R., Jr.

2016-12-01

The Holocene upwelling history of the northern California continental slope is examined using a 7-m-long marine sediment core (TN062-O550; 40.9°N, 124.6°W, 550 m water depth) collected offshore from Eureka, CA, that spans the last 7,400 calibrated years before present (cal yrs BP). A combination of biogenic sediment concentrations (opal, total organic C, and total N), stable isotopes (organic matter δ13C and bulk sedimentary δ15N), and key microfossil indicators of upwelling were used to test the hypothesis that marine productivity in the California Current System (CCS) driven by coastal upwelling has co-varied with global Holocene millennial-scale warm intervals. Results show biogenic sediment accumulation in TN062-O550 varied considerably during the Holocene, despite being located within 50 km of the mouth of the Eel River, one of the largest sources of terrigenous sediment to the Northeast Pacific Ocean margin. A key time interval beginning at 2900 cal yr BP indicates the onset of modern upwelling in the CCS, and that this period also corresponds to the most intense period of upwelling in the last 7,400 years. When these results are placed into a regional CCS context during the Holocene, it was found that the timing of upwelling intensification as recorded in TN062-O550 corresponds closely to that seen at nearby ODP Site 1019 as well as in the Santa Barbara Basin of southern California. Other CCS records with less high-quality age control show similar results, which suggest late Holocene upwelling intensification may be synchronous throughout the CCS. Based on the strong correspondence between the alkenone-derived sea surface temperature record at ODP Site 1019 and the onset of late Holocene upwelling in northern California, we tentatively suggest that regional CCS warming may be conducive to upwelling intensification in the future.

Vegetation changes and timberline fluctuations in the Central Alps as indicators of holocene climatic oscillations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wick, L.; Tinner, W.

Pollen and plant-macrofossil data are presented for two lakes near the timberline in the Italian (Lago Basso, 2250 m) and Swiss Central Alps (Gouille Rion, 2343 m). The reforestation at both sites started at 9700-9500 BP with Pinus cembra, Larix decidua, and Betula. The timberline reached its highest elevation between 8700 and 5000 BP and retreated after 5000 BP, due to a mid-Holocene climatic change and increasing human impact since about 3500 BP (Bronze Age). The expansion of Picea abies at Lago Basso between ca. 7500 and 6200 BP was probably favored by cold phases accompanied by increased oceanicity, whereasmore » in the area of Gouille Rion, where spruce expanded rather late (between 4500 and 3500 BP), human influence equality might have been important. The mass expansion of Alnus viridis between ca. 5000 and 3500 BP probably can be related to both climatic change and human activity at timberline. During the early and middle Holocene a series of timberline fluctuations is recorded as declines in pollen and macrofossil concentrations of the major tree species, and as increases in nonarboreal pollen in the pollen percentage diagram of Gouille Rion. Most of the periods of low timberline can be correlated by radiocarbon dating the climatic changes in the Alps as indicated by glacier advances in combination with palynological records, solifluction, and dendroclimatical data. Lago Basso and Gouille Rion are the only sites in the Alps showing complete palaeobotanical records of cold phases between 10,000 and 2000 BP with very good time control. The altitudinal range of the Holocene treeline fluctuations caused by climate most likely was not more than 100 to 150 m. A possible correlation of a cold period at ca. 7500-6500 BP (Misox oscillation) in the Alps is made with paleoecological data from North American and Scandinavia and a climate signal in the GRIP ice core from central Greenland 8200 yr ago (ca. 7400 yr uncal. BP).« less

Variations in the Strength of the North Atlantic Bottom water during Holocene.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kissel, C.; Van Toer, A.; Michel, E.; Cortijo, E.

2012-04-01

One aspect of the Past4Future project is to combine multidisciplinary approaches to monitor changes in ocean circulation during previous interglacial periods. In the framework of this project, our study focusses on the changes in the strength of the North Atlantic deep water during the Holocene period using multiproxy analysis (magnetic and sedimentary). The main part of the study has been conducted on two cores located at the western termination of the northern deep channel of the Charlie-Gibbs fracture zone. This natural E-W corridor is bathed by the Iceland-Scotland overflow water (ISOW) when it passes westward out of the Iceland Basin into the western North Atlantic basin. At present, it is also described as the place where southern sourced silicate-rich Lower Deep Water (LDW) derived from the Antarctic Bottom Waters (AABW) are passing westward, mixing with the ISOW. One core had been taken by the R. V. Charcot in 1977 and the second one is a CASQ core taken during the IMAGES-AMOCINT MD168- cruise in the framework of the 06-EuroMARC-FP-008 Project on board the R.V. Marion Dufresne (French Polar Institute, IPEV) in 2008. Radiocarbon ages indicate an average sedimentation rate of about 90 cm/kyr during early Holocene and 50 cm/kyr through middle and late Holocene allowing a data resolution ranging from 40 to 100 years depending on the proxy. We coupled magnetic properties, anisotropy, sortable silt and benthic foraminifera isotopes. On the long term, a decrease in the amount of magnetic particles (normalized by the carbonate content) is first observed from 10 kyr to 8.6 kyr and then from 6 to 2 kyrs before reaching a steady state during the last two millenia. Following Kissel et al. (2009), this indicates a two steps decrease in the ISOW strength. The mean sortable silt shows exactly the same pattern indicating that not only the intensity of the ISOW but the whole deep water mass bathing the sites has decreased. On the short term, a first very prominent event

Coherent tropical-subtropical Holocene see-saw moisture patterns in the Eastern Hemisphere monsoon systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yongbo; Bekeschus, Benjamin; Handorf, Dörthe; Liu, Xingqi; Dallmeyer, Anne; Herzschuh, Ulrike

2017-08-01

The concept of a Global Monsoon (GM) has been proposed based on modern precipitation observations, but its application over a wide range of temporal scales is still under debate. Here, we present a synthesis of 268 continental paleo-moisture records collected from monsoonal systems in the Eastern Hemisphere, including the East Asian Monsoon (EAsM), the Indian Monsoon (IM), the East African Monsoon (EAfM), and the Australian Monsoon (AuM) covering the last 18,000 years. The overall pattern of late Glacial to Holocene moisture change is consistent with those inferred from ice cores and marine records. With respect to the last 10,000 years (10 ka), i.e. a period that has high spatial coverage, a Fuzzy c-Means clustering analysis of the moisture index records together with ;Xie-Beni; index reveals four clusters of our data set. The paleoclimatic meaning of each cluster is interpreted considering the temporal evolution and spatial distribution patterns. The major trend in the tropical AuM, EAfM, and IM regions is a gradual decrease in moisture conditions since the early Holocene. Moisture changes in the EAsM regions show maximum index values between 8 and 6 ka. However, records located in nearby subtropical areas, i.e. in regions not influenced by the intertropical convergence zone, show an opposite trend compared to the tropical monsoon regions (AuM, EAfM and IM), i.e. a gradual increase. Analyses of modern meteorological data reveal the same spatial patterns as in the paleoclimate records such that, in times of overall monsoon strengthening, lower precipitation rates are observed in the nearby subtropical areas. We explain this pattern as the effect of a strong monsoon circulation suppressing air uplift in nearby subtropical areas, and hence hindering precipitation. By analogy to the modern system, this would mean that during the early Holocene strong monsoon period, the intensified ascending airflows within the monsoon domains led to relatively weaker ascending or

Olea europaea L. in the North Mediterranean Basin during the Pleniglacial and the Early-Middle Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrión, Yolanda; Ntinou, Maria; Badal, Ernestina

2010-04-01

The paper aims to define the natural distribution of Olea europaea L. var. sylvestris (Miller) Lehr. in the North Mediterranean basin during the Pleniglacial and the Early-Middle Holocene by means of the identification of its wood-charcoal and/or wood at prehistoric sites. For this purpose we have reviewed the previously available information and we have combined it with new wood-charcoal analyses data. We have taken under consideration the presence and frequency of O. europaea L. in the available wood-charcoal sequences, the characteristics of the accompanying flora, the associated chrono-cultural contexts, the broader biogeographical context and the AMS dates provided by Olea wood-charcoal or endocarps. According to the available evidence, during the Middle and Late Pleniglacial (ca 59-11.5 ka cal. BP), Olea would have persisted in thermophilous refugia located in the southern areas of the North Mediterranean basin, the southern Levant and the north of Africa. The Last Glacial Maximum (ca 22-18 ka cal. BP) probably reduced the distribution area of Olea. During the Preboreal and the Boreal (ca 11 500-8800 cal. BP) the species started to expand in the thermomediterranean bioclimatic level. In the western Mediterranean, during the Atlantic period (ca 8800-5600 cal. BP), the species became very abundant or dominant in the thermophilous plant formations and expanded to favorable enclaves outside the limits of the thermomediterranean level.

Dating rice remains through phytolith carbon-14 study reveals domestication at the beginning of the Holocene

PubMed Central

Lu, Houyuan; Jiang, Leping; Zhang, Jianping; Huan, Xiujia; He, Keyang; Wang, Can; Wu, Naiqin

2017-01-01

Phytolith remains of rice (Oryza sativa L.) recovered from the Shangshan site in the Lower Yangtze of China have previously been recognized as the earliest examples of rice cultivation. However, because of the poor preservation of macroplant fossils, many radiocarbon dates were derived from undifferentiated organic materials in pottery sherds. These materials remain a source of debate because of potential contamination by old carbon. Direct dating of the rice remains might serve to clarify their age. Here, we first validate the reliability of phytolith dating in the study region through a comparison with dates obtained from other material from the same layer or context. Our phytolith data indicate that rice remains retrieved from early stages of the Shangshan and Hehuashan sites have ages of approximately 9,400 and 9,000 calibrated years before the present, respectively. The morphology of rice bulliform phytoliths indicates they are closer to modern domesticated species than to wild species, suggesting that rice domestication may have begun at Shangshan during the beginning of the Holocene. PMID:28559349

Dating rice remains through phytolith carbon-14 study reveals domestication at the beginning of the Holocene.

PubMed

Zuo, Xinxin; Lu, Houyuan; Jiang, Leping; Zhang, Jianping; Yang, Xiaoyan; Huan, Xiujia; He, Keyang; Wang, Can; Wu, Naiqin

2017-06-20

Phytolith remains of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) recovered from the Shangshan site in the Lower Yangtze of China have previously been recognized as the earliest examples of rice cultivation. However, because of the poor preservation of macroplant fossils, many radiocarbon dates were derived from undifferentiated organic materials in pottery sherds. These materials remain a source of debate because of potential contamination by old carbon. Direct dating of the rice remains might serve to clarify their age. Here, we first validate the reliability of phytolith dating in the study region through a comparison with dates obtained from other material from the same layer or context. Our phytolith data indicate that rice remains retrieved from early stages of the Shangshan and Hehuashan sites have ages of approximately 9,400 and 9,000 calibrated years before the present, respectively. The morphology of rice bulliform phytoliths indicates they are closer to modern domesticated species than to wild species, suggesting that rice domestication may have begun at Shangshan during the beginning of the Holocene.

Human responses to Middle Holocene climate change on California's Channel Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennett, Douglas J.; Kennett, James P.; Erlandson, Jon M.; Cannariato, Kevin G.

2007-02-01

High-resolution archaeological and paleoenvironmental records from California's Channel Islands provide a unique opportunity to examine potential relationships between climatically induced environmental changes and prehistoric human behavioral responses. Available climate records in western North America (7-3.8 ka) indicate a severe dry interval between 6.3 and 4.8 ka embedded within a generally warm and dry Middle Holocene. Very dry conditions in western North America between 6.3 and 4.8 ka correlate with cold to moderate sea-surface temperatures (SST) along the southern California Coast evident in Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Core 893A/B (Santa Barbara Basin). An episode of inferred high marine productivity between 6.3 and 5.8 ka corresponds with the coldest estimated SSTs of the Middle Holocene, otherwise marked by warm/low productivity marine conditions (7.5-3.8 ka). The impact of this severe aridity on humans was different between the northern and southern Channel Islands, apparently related to degree of island isolation, size and productivity of islands relative to population, fresh water availability, and on-going social relationships between island and continental populations. Northern Channel Islanders seem to have been largely unaffected by this severe arid phase. In contrast, cultural changes on the southern Channel Islands were likely influenced by the climatically induced environmental changes. We suggest that productive marine conditions coupled with a dry terrestrial climate between 6.3 and 5.8 ka stimulated early village development and intensified fishing on the more remote southern islands. Contact with people on the adjacent southern California Coast increased during this time with increased participation in a down-the-line trade network extending into the western Great Basin and central Oregon. Genetic similarities between Middle Holocene burial populations on the southern Channel Islands and modern California Uto-Aztecan populations suggest

Lake and Bog Sediment Records of Holocene Climate and Glacier Variability in the Cordillera Vilcabamba of Southern Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schweinsberg, A.; Licciardi, J. M.; Rodbell, D. T.; Stansell, N.

2013-12-01

Records of past fluctuations in climatically sensitive tropical glaciers are among the best indicators of regional paleoclimatic trends and forcings. However, continuous sediment records in this region remain limited, particularly during the Holocene. Here we present the first continuous records of glacier activity in the Cordillera Vilcabamba (13°20'S) of southern Peru from lake and bog sediment cores in stratigraphic contact with 10Be-dated moraines. Completed analyses include sediment lithostratigraphy, magnetic susceptibility, and biogenic silica, in conjunction with AMS radiocarbon dates on charcoal. Carbon measurements, bulk density, and bulk sedimentation rates are used to derive a record of clastic sediment flux that serves as a proxy indicator of former glacier activity. Visually distinct sedimentological variations, magnetic susceptibility peaks, and radiocarbon dates were correlated among adjacent cores to construct one composite record representative of each coring site. Three composite cores are presented: two from the Rio Blanco valley and one from the Yanama valley. Sediment records from these two glaciated valleys suggest a series of environmental changes during the last ~12,000 calendar years BP. Clastic sediment flux trends are broadly consistent with published evidence that the early to middle Holocene was relatively warm and arid in the southern Peruvian Andes. An episode of high clastic flux in the late Holocene may reflect enhanced glacial activity in response to the onset of cooler and wetter conditions. A prominent peak in magnetic susceptibility at 1660 cal yr BP is present in all composite cores and serves as a chronostratigraphic marker. In addition, our new basal radiocarbon ages place limits on the cosmogenic 10Be production rate in the high Andes, suggesting the cosmogenic 10Be production rate is considerably lower than previously published estimates.

Neoglacial Antarctic sea-ice expansion driven by mid-Holocene retreat of the Ross Ice Shelf.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bendle, J. A.; Newton, K.; Mckay, R. M.; Crosta, X.; Etourneau, J.; Anya, A. B.; Seki, O.; Golledge, N. R.; Bertler, N. A. N.; Willmott, V.; Schouten, S.; Riesselman, C. R.; Masse, G.; Dunbar, R. B.

2017-12-01

Recent decades have seen expanding Antarctic sea-ice coverage, coeval with thinning West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) ice shelves and the rapid freshening of surface and bottom waters along the Antarctic margin. The mid-Holocene Neoglacial transition represents the last comparable baseline shift in sea-ice behaviour. The drivers and feedbacks involved in both the recent and Holocene events are poorly understood and characterised by large proxy-model mismatches. We present new records of compound specific fatty acid isotope analyses (δ2H-FA), highly-branched isoprenoid alkenes (HBIs) TEX86L temperatures, grain-size, mass accumulations rates (MARs) and image analyses from a 171m Holocene sediment sequence from Site U1357 (IODP leg 318). In combination with published records we reconstruct Holocene changes in glacial meltwater, sedimentary inputs and sea-ice. The early Holocene (11 to 10 ka) is characterised by large fluctuations in inputs of deglacial meltwater and sediments and seismic evidence of downlapping material from the south, suggesting a dominating influence from glacial retreat of the local outlet glaciers. From 10 to 8 ka there is decreasing meltwater inputs, an onlapping drift and advection of material from the east. After ca. 8 ka positively correlated δ2H-FA and MARs infer that pulses of glacial melt correlate to stronger easterly currents, driving erosion of material from upstream banks and that the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) becomes a major influence. A large mid-Holocene meltwater pulse (preceded by warming TEX86L temperatures) is evident between ca. 6 to 4.5 ka, culminating in a rapid and permanent increase in sea-ice from 4.5 ka. This is coeval with cosmogenic nuclide evidence for a rapid thinning of the Antarctic ice sheet during the mid-Holocene (Hein et al., 2016). We suggest this represents a final major pulse of deglaciation from the Ross Ice Shelf, which initiates the Neoglacial, driving cool surface waters along the coast and greater sea

Changes in Ocean Circulation with an Ice-Free Arctic: Reconstructing Early Holocene Arctic Ocean Circulation Using Geochemical Signals from Individual Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral) Shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Livsey, C.; Spero, H. J.; Kozdon, R.

2016-12-01

The impacts of sea ice decrease and consequent hydrologic changes in the Arctic Ocean will be experienced globally as ocean and atmospheric temperatures continue to rise, though it is not evident to what extent. Understanding the structure of the Arctic water column during the early/mid Holocene sea ice minimum ( 6-10 kya), a post-glacial analogue of a seasonally ice-free Arctic, will help us to predict what the changes we can expect as the Earth warms over the next century. Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral; Nps) is a species of planktonic foraminifera that dominates assemblages in the polar oceans. This species grows its chambers (ontogenetic calcite) in the surface waters and subsequently descends through the water column to below the mixed layer where it quickly adds a thick crust of calcite (Kohfeld et al., 1996). Therefore, geochemical signals from both the surface waters and sub-mixed layer depths are captured within single Nps shells. We were able to target <5 μm - sized domains for δ18O using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), therefore capturing signals from both the ontogenetic and crust calcite in single Nps shells. This data was combined with laser ablation- inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) Mg/Ca profiles of trace metals through the two layers of calcite of the same shells, to determine the thermal structure of the water column. Combining δ18O, temperature, and salinity gradients from locations across the Arctic basin allow us to reconstruct the hydrography of the early Holocene Arctic sea ice minimum. These results will be compared with modern Arctic water column characteristics in order to develop a conceptual model of Arctic Ocean oceanographic change due to global warming. Kohfeld, K.E., Fairbanks, R.G., Smith, S.L., Walsh, I.D., 1996. Neogloboquadrina pachyderma(sinistral coiling) as paleoceanographic tracers in polar oceans: Evidence from northeast water polynya plankton tows, sediment traps, and surface sediments

Palaeoenvironmental implications of a Holocene sequence of lacustrine-peat sediments from the desert-loess transitional zone in Northern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Feifei; Lu, Ruijie; Liu, Xiaokang; Zhao, Chao; Lv, Zhiqiang; Gao, Shangyu

2018-05-01

A high-resolution lacustrine-peat record from the desert-loess transitional zone in Northern China was obtained to reconstruct Holocene environmental change in the region. AMS 14C dates are used to provide a chronology. The results indicate that the site was a desert environment before 12.2 cal kyr BP, and was then occupied by a paleolake which started to shrink, with a wetland occurring from 6.2 to 3.0 cal kyr BP. Subsequently, the site became a seasonally water-filled depression. Based on the lithology and measurements of grain size and total organic carbon content, the climate changed from arid to humid at 12.2 cal kyr BP, and became more humid after 8.3 cal kyr BP. From 6.2 to 3.0 cal kyr BP, precipitation decreased but the climate remained at an optimum. After 3.0 cal kyr BP, the climate was dry overall but with several humid intervals. A comparison of paleoclimatic records from lacustrine and aeolian deposits from the region reveals a discrepancy about the nature of the early Holocene climate, and we conclude that this is because lacustrine sediments responded more sensitively to precipitation than aeolian deposits when the temperature was low. The environmental evolution of the region was synchronous with changes in the Asian summer monsoon (ASM), but temperature also played a key role in the early Holocene.

Rocky Mountain hydroclimate: Holocene variability and the role of insolation, ENSO, and the North American Monsoon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, Lesleigh

2012-01-01

Over the period of instrumental records, precipitation maximum in the headwaters of the Colorado Rocky Mountains has been dominated by winter snow, with a substantial degree of interannual variability linked to Pacific ocean–atmosphere dynamics. High-elevation snowpack is an important water storage that is carefully observed in order to meet increasing water demands in the greater semi-arid region. The purpose here is to consider Rocky Mountain water trends during the Holocene when known changes in earth's energy balance were caused by precession-driven insolation variability. Changes in solar insolation are thought to have influenced the variability and intensity of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and North American Monsoon and the seasonal precipitation balance between rain and snow at upper elevations. Holocene records are presented from two high elevation lakes located in northwest Colorado that document decade-to-century scale precipitation seasonality for the past ~ 7000 years. Comparisons with sub-tropical records of ENSO indicate that the snowfall-dominated precipitation maxima developed ~ 3000 and 4000 years ago, coincident with evidence for enhanced ENSO/PDO dynamics. During the early-to-mid Holocene the records suggest a more monsoon affected precipitation regime with reduced snowpack, more rainfall, and net moisture deficits that were more severe than recent droughts. The Holocene perspective of precipitation indicates a far broader range of variability than that of the past century and highlights the non-linear character of hydroclimate in the U.S. west.

New residence times of the Holocene reworked shells on the west coast of Bohai Bay, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Zhiwen; Wang, Fu; Li, Jianfen; Marshall, William A.; Chen, Yongsheng; Jiang, Xingyu; Tian, Lizhu; Wang, Hong

2016-01-01

Shelly cheniers and shell-rich beds found intercalated in near-shore marine muds and sandy sediments can be used to indicate the location of ancient shorelines, and help to estimate the height of sea level. However, dating the deposition of material within cheniers and shell-rich beds is not straightforward because much of this material is transported and re-worked, creating an unknown temporal off-set, i.e., the residence time, between the death of a shell and its subsequent entombment. To quantify the residence time during the Holocene on a section of the northern Chinese coastline a total 47 shelly subsamples were taken from 17 discrete layers identified on the west coast of Bohai Bay. This material was AMS 14C dated and the calibrated ages were systematically compared. The subsamples were categorized by type as articulated and disarticulated bivalves, gastropod shells, and undifferentiated shell-hash. It was found that within most individual layers the calibrated ages of the subsamples got younger relative to the amount of apparent post-mortem re-working the material had been subject to. For examples, the 14C ages of the bivalve samples trended younger in this order: shell-hash → split shells → articulated shells. We propose that the younger subsample age determined within an individual layer will be the closest to the actual depositional age of the material dated. Using this approach at four Holocene sites we find residence times which range from 100 to 1260 cal yrs, with two average values of 600 cal yrs for the original 14C dates older than 1 ka cal BP and 100 cal yrs for the original 14C dates younger than 1 ka cal BP, respectively. Using this semi-empirical estimation of the shell residence times we have refined the existing chronology of the Holocene chenier ridges on the west coast of Bohai Bay.

Holocene climate variability in Texas, USA: An integration of existing paleoclimate data and modeling with a new, high-resolution speleothem record

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wong, Corinne I.; Banner, Jay L.; Musgrove, MaryLynn

2015-01-01

Delineating the climate processes governing precipitation variability in drought-prone Texas is critical for predicting and mitigating climate change effects, and requires the reconstruction of past climate beyond the instrumental record. We synthesize existing paleoclimate proxy data and climate simulations to provide an overview of climate variability in Texas during the Holocene. Conditions became progressively warmer and drier transitioning from the early to mid Holocene, culminating between 7 and 3 ka (thousand years ago), and were more variable during the late Holocene. The timing and relative magnitude of Holocene climate variability, however, is poorly constrained owing to considerable variability among the different records. To help address this, we present a new speleothem (NBJ) reconstruction from a central Texas cave that comprises the highest resolution proxy record to date, spanning the mid to late Holocene. NBJ trace-element concentrations indicate variable moisture conditions with no clear temporal trend. There is a decoupling between NBJ growth rate, trace-element concentrations, and δ18O values, which indicate that (i) the often direct relation between speleothem growth rate and moisture availability is likely complicated by changes in the overlying ecosystem that affect subsurface CO2 production, and (ii) speleothem δ18O variations likely reflect changes in moisture source (i.e., proportion of Pacific-vs. Gulf of Mexico-derived moisture) that appear not to be linked to moisture amount.

Holocene climate variability in Texas, USA: An integration of existing paleoclimate data and modeling with a new, high-resolution speleothem record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Corinne I.; Banner, Jay L.; Musgrove, MaryLynn

2015-11-01

Delineating the climate processes governing precipitation variability in drought-prone Texas is critical for predicting and mitigating climate change effects, and requires the reconstruction of past climate beyond the instrumental record. We synthesize existing paleoclimate proxy data and climate simulations to provide an overview of climate variability in Texas during the Holocene. Conditions became progressively warmer and drier transitioning from the early to mid Holocene, culminating between 7 and 3 ka (thousand years ago), and were more variable during the late Holocene. The timing and relative magnitude of Holocene climate variability, however, is poorly constrained owing to considerable variability among the different records. To help address this, we present a new speleothem (NBJ) reconstruction from a central Texas cave that comprises the highest resolution proxy record to date, spanning the mid to late Holocene. NBJ trace-element concentrations indicate variable moisture conditions with no clear temporal trend. There is a decoupling between NBJ growth rate, trace-element concentrations, and δ18O values, which indicate that (i) the often direct relation between speleothem growth rate and moisture availability is likely complicated by changes in the overlying ecosystem that affect subsurface CO2 production, and (ii) speleothem δ18O variations likely reflect changes in moisture source (i.e., proportion of Pacific-vs. Gulf of Mexico-derived moisture) that appear not to be linked to moisture amount.

Holocene temperature variations at a high-altitude site in the Eastern Alps: a chironomid record from Schwarzsee ob Sölden, Austria

PubMed Central

Ilyashuk, Elena A.; Koinig, Karin A.; Heiri, Oliver; Ilyashuk, Boris P.; Psenner, Roland

2011-01-01

Few well-dated, quantitative Holocene temperature reconstructions exist from high-altitude sites in the Central Eastern Alps. Here, we present a chironomid-based quantitative reconstruction of mean July air temperatures (TJuly) throughout the Holocene for a remote high-mountain lake, Schwarzsee ob Sölden, situated above the treeline at 2796 m a.s.l. in the Austrian Alps. Applying a chironomid-temperature inference model developed from lakes of the Alpine region to a high-resolution chironomid record from the lake provides evidence for early Holocene (ca 10000–8600 cal yr BP) TJuly of up to 8.5 °C, i.e. >4 °C above the modern (1977–2006) mean July temperature. The reconstruction reveals the so-called ‘8.2-ka cold event’ centered at ca 8250–8000 cal yr BP with temperatures ca 3 °C below the early-Holocene thermal maximum. Rather warm (ca 6 °C) and productive conditions prevailed during ca 7900–4500 cal yr BP. The chironomid record suggests a climate transition between ca 5200 and 4500 cal yr BP to cooler TJuly. A distinct cooling trend is evident from ca 4500 until ca 2500 cal yr BP. Thereafter, the study site experienced its coldest conditions (around 4 °C or less) throughout the rest of the Holocene, with the exception of the warming trend during the late 20th century. Beside other factors, the Northern Hemisphere summer insolation seems to be the major driving force for the long-term trends in TJuly at high altitudes in the Eastern Alps. Due to the extreme location of the lake and the limited temperature range represented by the applied calibration data set, the chironomid-based temperature reconstruction fails to track phases of the late-Holocene climatic history with TJuly cooler than 4 °C. Further chironomid-based palaeoclimate model and down-core studies are required to address this problem, provide more realistic TJuly estimates from undisturbed high-altitude lakes in the Alps, and extract a reliable regional

Digital database of the Holocene tephras of the Mono-Inyo Craters, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bursik, Marcus; Sieh, Kerry

2013-01-01

This digital product comprises a collection of age and isopach data for the Holocene tephras of the Mono-Inyo Craters, California. Data on the most recent eruptions from this volcanic chain are relatively comprehensive, getting less so the further back in time. For the most recent eruptions to about 1,500 years ago, tephra beds within separate eruptive sequences have been studied and isopached. Before this, from about 2,000 years ago to about 5,000 years ago, there are insufficient data for isopaching. However, one isolated tephra of about 9,000 years ago was studied and isopached in detail. Regarding ages, there are many tens of radiocarbon ages that have been obtained on the Holocene Mono-Inyo volcanic products. The vast majority of these radiocarbon dates are associated with tephras at locales that can be considered distal (basically where the primary tephra is less than several centimeters (cm) thick). These dates represent carbon that was sequestered perhaps within several hundred years of the eruption but do not represent the ages of separate eruptive pulses. There are two reasons for this. In some cases, it is clear that the dated material is not associated with the eruption products. This is the case in some lake strata where carbon is either not physically close to a given tephra layer or where an age for a tephra layer was obtained by interpolation assuming a sedimentation rate. In other cases, it is not clear that a given tephra layer represents a primary tephra; in such cases the layer could instead be redeposited. At most distal localities (beyond about 5 kilometers (km) from the chain), there was no record made of whether tephra was primary or redeposited, and at these distances where tephra is thin, it is generally redeposited during later events such as fires or thunderstorms. These age data are not appropriate for use in dating the eruptive history of the volcanic chain, and are therefore not included in the present contribution. The carbon age

Time-Transgressive Nature of the Magnetic Susceptibility Record across the Chinese Loess Plateau at the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition.

PubMed

Dong, Yajie; Wu, Naiqin; Li, Fengjiang; Huang, Linpei; Wen, Wenwen

2015-01-01

The loess stratigraphic boundary at the Pleistocene/Holocene transition defined by the magnetic susceptibility (MS) has previously been assumed to be synchronous with the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2/1 boundary, and approximately time-synchronous at different sections across the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). However, although this assumption has been used as a basis for proxy-age model of Chinese loess deposits, it has rarely been tested by using absolute dating methods. In this study, we applied a single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol to the 45-63 μm quartz grain-size fraction to derive luminescence ages for the last glacial and Holocene sections of three loess sections on a transect from southeast to northwest across the CLP. Based on the 33 closely spaced optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples from the three sections, OSL chronologies were established using a polynomial curve fit at each section. Based on the OSL chronology, the timing of the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary, as defined by rapid changes in MS values, is dated at ~10.5 ka, 8.5 ka and 7.5 ka in the Yaoxian section, Jingchuan and Huanxian sections respectively. These results are clearly inconsistent with the MIS 2/1 boundary age of 12.05 ka, and therefore we conclude that the automatic correlation of the Pleistocene/Holocene transition, as inferred from the MS record, with the MIS 2/1 boundary is incorrect. The results clearly demonstrate that the marked changes in MS along the southeast to northwest transect are time-transgressive among the different sites, with the timing of significant paleosol development as indicated by the MS record being delayed by 3-4 ka in the northwest compared to the southeast. Our results suggest that this asynchronous paleosol development during the last deglacial was caused by the delayed arrival of the summer monsoon in the northwest CLP compared to the southeast.

Early Executive Function at Age Two Predicts Emergent Mathematics and Literacy at Age Five

PubMed Central

Mulder, Hanna; Verhagen, Josje; Van der Ven, Sanne H. G.; Slot, Pauline L.; Leseman, Paul P. M.

2017-01-01

Previous work has shown that individual differences in executive function (EF) are predictive of academic skills in preschoolers, kindergartners, and older children. Across studies, EF is a stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than literacy. However, research on EF in children below age three is scarce, and it is currently unknown whether EF, as assessed in toddlerhood, predicts emergent academic skills a few years later. This longitudinal study investigates whether early EF, assessed at two years, predicts (emergent) academic skills, at five years. It examines, furthermore, whether early EF is a significantly stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than of emergent literacy, as has been found in previous work on older children. A sample of 552 children was assessed on various EF and EF-precursor tasks at two years. At age five, these children performed several emergent mathematics and literacy tasks. Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the relationships between early EF and academic skills, modeled as latent factors. Results showed that early EF at age two was a significant and relatively strong predictor of both emergent mathematics and literacy at age five, after controlling for receptive vocabulary, parental education, and home language. Predictive relations were significantly stronger for mathematics than literacy, but only when a verbal short-term memory measure was left out as an indicator to the latent early EF construct. These findings show that individual differences in emergent academic skills just prior to entry into the formal education system can be traced back to individual differences in early EF in toddlerhood. In addition, these results highlight the importance of task selection when assessing early EF as a predictor of later outcomes, and call for further studies to elucidate the mechanisms through which individual differences in early EF and precursors to EF come about. PMID:29075209

Early Executive Function at Age Two Predicts Emergent Mathematics and Literacy at Age Five.

PubMed

Mulder, Hanna; Verhagen, Josje; Van der Ven, Sanne H G; Slot, Pauline L; Leseman, Paul P M

2017-01-01

Previous work has shown that individual differences in executive function (EF) are predictive of academic skills in preschoolers, kindergartners, and older children. Across studies, EF is a stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than literacy. However, research on EF in children below age three is scarce, and it is currently unknown whether EF, as assessed in toddlerhood, predicts emergent academic skills a few years later. This longitudinal study investigates whether early EF, assessed at two years, predicts (emergent) academic skills, at five years. It examines, furthermore, whether early EF is a significantly stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than of emergent literacy, as has been found in previous work on older children. A sample of 552 children was assessed on various EF and EF-precursor tasks at two years. At age five, these children performed several emergent mathematics and literacy tasks. Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the relationships between early EF and academic skills, modeled as latent factors. Results showed that early EF at age two was a significant and relatively strong predictor of both emergent mathematics and literacy at age five, after controlling for receptive vocabulary, parental education, and home language. Predictive relations were significantly stronger for mathematics than literacy, but only when a verbal short-term memory measure was left out as an indicator to the latent early EF construct. These findings show that individual differences in emergent academic skills just prior to entry into the formal education system can be traced back to individual differences in early EF in toddlerhood. In addition, these results highlight the importance of task selection when assessing early EF as a predictor of later outcomes, and call for further studies to elucidate the mechanisms through which individual differences in early EF and precursors to EF come about.

Late Holocene Coral Growth Records from the Southeast Florida Continental Reef Tract, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modys, A.; Oleinik, A. E.; Manzello, D.; Enochs, I.; Kolodziej, G.; Carroll, R. J.

2017-12-01

The southeast Florida continental reef tract provides a unique opportunity to examine the past and present response of marginal coral reefs to environmental and climatic change. Here we compare growth records of radiometrically dated late Holocene (3.1 to 1.9 ka) and modern corals using cores extracted from the common reef-building coral species Pseudodiploria strigosa. In 2015 and 2016, a total of 4 modern and 5 subfossil cores were collected from two shallow-water sites (3.0 and 4.5 m depths) on the nearshore ridge complex (NRC) offshore northern Broward County, Florida. Using 3-D computerized tomography, skeletal extension rates were estimated from the thickness of high- and low-density growth bands and combined with density measurements to yield calcification rates. Our results indicate that mean linear extension, density, and calcification were significantly lower in the late Holocene corals (0.52±0.01 cm yr-1; 1.05±0.02 g cm-3; 0.55±0.01 g cm-2 yr-1) compared to today (0.64±0.02 cm yr-1; 1.20±0.02 g cm-3; 0.78±0.04 g cm-2 yr-1), despite shallower local water depths in the late Holocene. Based on the radiometric ages and presence of distinct burial notches on the subfossil corals, we suggest that late Holocene P. strigosa growth at this site was potentially suppressed by reduced sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and/or increased burial compared to present conditions.

A high resolution history of the El Niño - Southern Oscillation and of the solar activity during the Late Glacial - Early Holocene in the subtropical Andean region.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giralt, S.; Schimmel, M.; Hernández, A.; Bao, R.; Valero-Garcés, B. L.; Sáez, A.; Pueyo, J. J.

2009-04-01

High-resolution laminated lacustrine sediments are excellent archives of the past hydrological changes and they provide valuable insights about the climatic processes that trigger these changes. The paleoclimatic records located in the Southern Hemisphere are fundamental for understanding the evolution of the El Niño - Southern Oscillation (ENSO) since this climatic phenomena is the main cause of droughts and floods in many areas of South America and other regions of the world, like Spain and Egypt. Available regional paleoclimate reconstructions show that modern climatic patterns in South America were established during the Late Holocene. The laminated sediments of Lago Chungará (18° 15' S - 69° 10' W, 4520 m a.s.l., Chilean altiplano) have allowed us to characterize the evolution of this climatic phenomena for the transition Late Glacial - Early Holocene (12,300 - 9,500 calendar years BP) as well as its relationship with other climate forcings, namely the solar activity. The studied sediments correspond to the lowermost 2.4 m of 8 m long Kullemberg cores recovered from this lake. These sediments are mainly made up of greenish and whitish laminae and thin layers constituted by diatomaceous oozes with carbonates and organic matter, arranged in rhythms and cycles. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) (Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Rb, Sr, Zn, Sb and Ba) analyses, total organic carbon (TOC), total carbon (TC), x-ray diffraction (XRD), biogenic silica, stable isotopes (delta18O and delta13C) on carbonates and on diatoms (delta18O) and magnetic susceptibility were determined in order to characterize the sediments of Lago Chungará. Previous statistical studies (cluster and Principal Component Analyses (PCA)) were used to disentangle the paleoclimatic signal from the other ones (volcanic and tectonic). The chronological model framework was built using 6 radiocarbon dates, allowing us to establish that laminated couplets were deposited on a pluriannual basis. These couplets are

Palaeoclimate significance of speleothems in crystalline rocks: a test case from the Late Glacial and early Holocene (Vinschgau, northern Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koltai, Gabriella; Cheng, Hai; Spötl, Christoph

2018-03-01

Partly coeval flowstones formed in fractured gneiss and schist were studied to test the palaeoclimate significance of this new type of speleothem archive on a decadal-to-millennial timescale. The samples encompass a few hundred to a few thousand years of the Late Glacial and the early Holocene. The speleothem fabric is primarily comprised of columnar fascicular optic calcite and acicular aragonite, both indicative of elevated Mg / Ca ratios in the groundwater. Stable isotopes suggest that aragonite is more prone to disequilibrium isotope fractionation driven by evaporation and prior calcite/aragonite precipitation than calcite. Changes in mineralogy are therefore attributed to these two internal fracture processes rather than to palaeoclimate. Flowstones formed in the same fracture show similar δ18O changes on centennial scales, which broadly correspond to regional lacustrine δ18O records, suggesting that such speleothems may provide an opportunity to investigate past climate conditions in non-karstic areas. The shortness of overlapping periods in flowstone growth and the complexity of in-aquifer processes, however, render the establishment of a robust stacked δ18O record challenging.

Paleomagnetism of Holocene lava flows from the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Tungnaá lava sequence (Iceland): implications for flow correlation and ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinton, Annamaria; Giordano, Guido; Speranza, Fabio; Þórðarson, Þorvaldur

2018-01-01

The impact of Holocene eruptive events from hot spots like Iceland may have had significant global implications; thus, dating and knowledge of past eruptions chronology is important. However, at high-latitude volcanic islands, the paucity of soils severely limits 14C dating, while the poor K content of basalts strongly restricts the use of K/Ar and Ar/Ar methods. Even tephrochronology, based on 14C age determinations, refers to layers that rarely lie directly above lava flows to be dated. We report on the paleomagnetic dating of 25 sites from the Reykjanes Peninsula and the Tungnaá lava sequence of Iceland. The gathered paleomagnetic directions were compared with the available reference paleosecular variation curves of the Earth magnetic field to obtain the possible emplacement age intervals. To test the method's validity, we sampled the precisely dated Laki (1783-1784 AD) and Eldgjà (934-938 AD) lavas. The age windows obtained for these events encompass the true flow ages. For sites from the Reykjanes peninsula and the Tugnaá lava sequence, we derived multiple possible eruption events and ages. In the Reykjanes peninsula, we propose an older emplacement age (immediately following the 870 AD Iceland Settlement age) for Ogmundarhraun and Kapelluhraun lava fields. For pre-historical (older than the settlement age) Tugnaá eruptions, the method has a dating precision of 300-400 years which allows an increase of the detail in the chronostratigraphy and distribution of lavas in the Tugnaá sequence.

South America Monsoon variability on millennial to multi-centennial time scale during the Holocene in central eastern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strikis, N. M.; Cruz, F. W.; Cheng, H.; Karmann, I.; Vuille, M.; Edwards, R.; Wang, X.; Paula, M. S.; Novello, V. F.; Auler, A.

2011-12-01

A paleoprecipitation reconstruction based on high resolution and well-dated speleothem oxygen isotope records shows that the monsoon precipitation over central eastern Brazil underwent to strong variations on millennial to multi-centennial time-scales during the Holocene. This new record indicates that abrupt events of increase in monsoon precipitation are correlated to Bond events 6, 5 and 4 and also with 8.2 ky event during the early and mid-Holocene, with a mean amplitude of 1.5 % (PDB). The pacing and structure of such events are general consistent with variations in solar activity suggested by atmospheric Δ14 C records. In the late-Holocene, abrupt events of increase in monsoon precipitation peaking at 3.2, 2.7 and 2.3 ky B.P. are approximately synchronous with periods of low solar minima. In this regard, the most prominent event occurred during the late Holocene occurred at ~2.7 ky B.P. In addition, these positive anomalies of the precipitation recorded in central eastern Brazil are also in good agreement with variations in Titicaca lake level. The good correspondence between the speleothem and marine records imply that the variations in the north Atlantic sea surface temperature is the main forcing for abrupt millennial to multi-centennial precipitations variation within the region under influence of South American Monsoon.

Early Children's Literature and Aging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Sandra L.

2016-01-01

Increased longevity is a worldwide phenomenon placing emphasis on the need for preparation for life's later years. Today's children will be the older adults of tomorrow. A resource that can help to educate them about aging and prepare them for the long life ahead is early children's literature (Preschool-Primary). This literature can provide…

Optical dating of late Holocene storm surges from Schokland (Noordoostpolder, the Netherlands)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Biggelaar, Don; Kluiving, Sjoerd; van Balen, Roland; Kasse, Cronelils; Troelstra, Simon; Prins, Maarten; Wallinga, Jakob; Versendaal, Alice

2015-04-01

Storm surges have a major impact on land use and human habitation in coastal regions. Our understanding of this impact can be improved by correlating long-term historical storm records with sedimentary evidence of storm surges, but so far few studies use such an approach. Here we present detailed geological and historical data on late Holocene storm surges from the former island Schokland, located in the northern part of Flevoland (central Netherlands). During the late Holocene, Schokland transformed from a peat area that gradually inundated (~1200 yr ago) via an island in a marine environment (~400 yr ago) to a land-locked island in the reclaimed Province of Flevoland (~70 yr ago). Deposits formed between 1200 and 70 year ago on lower parts of the island, consist of a stacked sequence of clay and sand layers, with the latter being deposited during storm surges. We dated the sandy laminae of late Holocene storm surges in the clay deposit on Schokland to improve the age model of the island's flooding history during the last 1200 years. Samples for dating were obtained from a mechanical core at Schokland. The top of the peat underlying the clay and sand deposits was dated using 14C accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) of terrestrial plant and seed material. Sandy intervals of the flood deposits were dated using a series of ten quartz OSL ages, which were obtained using state-of-the-art methods to deal with incomplete resetting of the OSL signal. These new dates, together with laboratory analyses on the clay deposit (thermogravimetric analysis, grain-size analyses, foraminifera, bivalves and ostracods) and a literature study show that storm surges had a major impact on both the sedimentary and the anthropogenic history of Schokland. The results show that the stacked clay sequence is younger than expected, indicating either an increasing sedimentation rate or reworking of the clay by storm surges. Furthermore, the results indicate that a correlation can be made between

Natural and human controls of the Holocene evolution of the beach, aeolian sand and dunes of Caesarea (Israel)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roskin, J.; Sivan, D.; Shtienberg, G.; Roskin, E.; Porat, N.; Bookman, R.

2015-12-01

The study focuses on the Holocene appearance, chronology and drivers of beach sand deposition and inland aeolian sand transport around the Roman-Byzantine ruins of Caesarea, Israel. Beach sand, sand sheets, nebkha, linear and transverse dunes as well as parabolic and transverse interdunes along two transects were sampled in the current study down to their substrate. Sixteen new optically stimulated luminescence ages cluster at ∼5.9-3.3 ka, ∼1.2-1.1 ka (800-900 AD) and ∼190-120 years ago (1825-1895 AD) indicating times of middle and late Holocene sand sheet depositions and historical dune stabilization. The first age cluster indicates that beach sand accumulated when rates of global sea level rise declined around 6-5 ka. Until ∼4 ka sand sheets encroached up to 2.5 km inland. Historical and archaeological evidence points to sand mobilization since the first century AD. Sand sheets dating to 1.2-1.1 ka, coevally found throughout the dunefield represent sand stabilization due to vegetation reestablishment attributed to gradual and fluctuating decline in human activity from the middle Early Islamic period until the 10th century. Historical and chronological evidence of the existence of transverse and coppice dunes from the 19th century suggest that dunes only formed in the last few centuries. The study illustrates the initial role of natural processes, in this case decline in global sea level rise and the primary and later role of fluctuating human activity upon coastal sand mobility. The study distinguishes between sand sheets and dunes and portrays them as sensors of environmental changes.

Middle Holocene humidity increase in Florida: climate or sea-level?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donders, Timme H.

2014-11-01

Florida climate in highly sensitive to both high and low latitude climate perturbations due to its latitudinal position surrounded by water masses that transport heat northward. A well-studied aspect is that middle Holocene conditions became significantly wetter in Florida, initiating widespread peat accumulation in the Everglades. This environmental change has been attributed to various climate forcings, such as migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), increases in tropical storm intensity, position of the Bermuda High, intensification of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and post glacial sea level rise (SLR). Discerning between these forcings is only possible with quantitative reconstructions from a transect of sites that are affected differentially. Application of a transfer function on a north-to-south gradient of pollen records from Florida lakes here shows that the pattern of increasing precipitation during the middle Holocene cannot be explained by SLR, but that ENSO intensification is an important contributing factor. Seasonal-resolved proxy records with improved age models are urgently needed to further solve these issues.

Mid-Holocene to Present Climate Transition in Tropical South America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turcq, B.; Cordeiro, R.; Sifeddine, A.; Braconnot, P.; Dias, P. S.; Costa, R.; Jorgetti, T.

2008-12-01

The classical illustration of Holocene climate changes in tropical South America is the huge rising of Titicaca lake level from 4400 to 4000 cal BP. Because the Amazon basin is the source of Andean rainfalls we have explored Amazonian data of climate changes during the Holocene to better understand the cause of this abrupt transition. Amazonian data confirm the existence of mid-Holocene dryness: (1) lacustrine level studies show a lower precipitation/evaporation budget than present, with the lowest lake levels between 8500 and 6800 cal BP; (2) although the dominant Holocene vegetation has always been the rainforest in the heart of Amazonia, this forest expanded towards the northwestern and southwestern regions from 6800 to 1550 cal BP, moreover, pioneer elements of the rainforest developed during the mid-Holocene and the best example is those of Cecropia, between 9000 and 5000 cal BP. (3) soil d13C indicates a forest expansion over savannas areas in Roraima (north), Mato Grosso and Rondonia (southwest), during the Holocene. (4) the mid-Holocene (8000- 4000 cal BP) is characterized by repeated occurrences of forest fires, marked by the presence of charcoals in soils and lacustrine sediments. However these different records are not characterized by abrupt transitions at the end of the Middle Holocene in Amazonia. In the Andean records there is a clear north-south shift in the timing of the transition. Analysis of coupled Ocean Atmosphere Model simulations suggest that convection in Amazon basin is directly controlled by insolation leading to an almost linear response of local climate to the global forcing. Differently, in the eastern and south-western regions where the rain is brought by the South American Monsoon, the climate transition appears more abrupt. It may be because the involved climate mechanisms are more complex and depend on Ocean/Atmosphere/Vegetation coupled process (ITCZ position, ZCAS formation, etc.). Tectonic movements or threshold links to

Rock art at the pleistocene/holocene boundary in Eastern South America.

PubMed

Neves, Walter A; Araujo, Astolfo G M; Bernardo, Danilo V; Kipnis, Renato; Feathers, James K

2012-01-01

Most investigations regarding the first americans have primarily focused on four themes: when the New World was settled by humans; where they came from; how many migrations or colonization pulses from elsewhere were involved in the process; and what kinds of subsistence patterns and material culture they developed during the first millennia of colonization. Little is known, however, about the symbolic world of the first humans who settled the New World, because artistic manifestations either as rock-art, ornaments, and portable art objects dated to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition are exceedingly rare in the Americas. Here we report a pecked anthropomorphic figure engraved in the bedrock of Lapa do Santo, an archaeological site located in Central Brazil. The horizontal projection of the radiocarbon ages obtained at the north profile suggests a minimum age of 9,370 ± 40 BP, (cal BP 10,700 to 10,500) for the petroglyph that is further supported by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates from sediment in the same stratigraphic unit, located between two ages from 11.7 ± 0.8 ka BP to 9.9 ± 0.7 ka BP. These data allow us to suggest that the anthropomorphic figure is the oldest reliably dated figurative petroglyph ever found in the New World, indicating that cultural variability during the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in South America was not restricted to stone tools and subsistence, but also encompassed the symbolic dimension.

Rock Art at the Pleistocene/Holocene Boundary in Eastern South America

PubMed Central

Neves, Walter A.; Araujo, Astolfo G. M.; Bernardo, Danilo V.; Kipnis, Renato; Feathers, James K.

2012-01-01

Background Most investigations regarding the First Americans have primarily focused on four themes: when the New World was settled by humans; where they came from; how many migrations or colonization pulses from elsewhere were involved in the process; and what kinds of subsistence patterns and material culture they developed during the first millennia of colonization. Little is known, however, about the symbolic world of the first humans who settled the New World, because artistic manifestations either as rock-art, ornaments, and portable art objects dated to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition are exceedingly rare in the Americas. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we report a pecked anthropomorphic figure engraved in the bedrock of Lapa do Santo, an archaeological site located in Central Brazil. The horizontal projection of the radiocarbon ages obtained at the north profile suggests a minimum age of 9,370±40 BP, (cal BP 10,700 to 10,500) for the petroglyph that is further supported by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates from sediment in the same stratigraphic unit, located between two ages from 11.7±0.8 ka BP to 9.9±0.7 ka BP. Conclusions These data allow us to suggest that the anthropomorphic figure is the oldest reliably dated figurative petroglyph ever found in the New World, indicating that cultural variability during the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary in South America was not restricted to stone tools and subsistence, but also encompassed the symbolic dimension. PMID:22384187

Children of Two to Three Years of Age in France: Early Childhood Settings and Age Divisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garnier, Pascale; Rayna, Sylvie; Brougère, Gilles; Rupin, Pablo

2017-01-01

In a French early childhood care and education system that is strongly divided by age and institution, the current research studies the collective life of children at the pivotal age of two to three years of age in four different early childhood settings: (1) a group of "grands" (nursery) in a "crèche" (daycare centre), (2) a…