The Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences and environmental changes based on core studies in the Gavkhouni Playa (Central Iran)

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahereh Jalilian ◽  
Alireza Taghian ◽  
Razyeh Lak ◽  
Javad Darvishi Khatooni
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Central Iran ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences

Submerged landscapes of the eastern Adriatic – from the river across the lake all the way to the sea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Slobodan Miko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Integrated System ◽  
Submarine Channels ◽  
Side Scan Sonar ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
Marine Sedimentation ◽  
Geophysical Surveys

<p>Submerged paleolandscapes constitute records of long-term paleoenvironmental change, climate, and sea level. To date, there is a very limited knowledge concerning the submerged karst paleolandscapes of the eastern Adriatic coast and the Late Quaternary sedimentary sequences along the eastern part of the Mid Adriatic Deep (MAD). We aim to improve this through the project “Sediments between source and sink during a Late Quaternary eustatic cycle: The Krka and the Mid Adriatic Deep System” (QMAD). The QMAD project supports multidisciplinary research by application of the high-resolution geophysical surveys (multibeam, side-scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler), in combination with sedimentological, petrophysical, geochemical (trace elements and isotopes), micropaleontological (ostracod and foraminifera), mineralogical and aDNA techniques. This suite of analyses will enable tracking of the paleoenvironmental evolution from fluvial/lake to deeper marine environments, on a short transect less than 100 km in length (Lake Prokljan in the Krka River estuary to the eastern part of MAD). The submerged Late Pleistocene and Holocene environments that occur include isolation basins, lagoons, deltas, estuaries, submarine channels and shelf. The continuous marine sedimentation during the Late Quaternary is investigated in the MAD. In the case of the central part of the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea (Krka catchment - MAD) these different environments compose an integrated system; thus, they can’t be analysed separately. The main goals of this project fill the existing gaps in understanding of the climatic and environmental changes, including sea-level related landscape changes and their interplay during the Late Quaternary eustatic cycle. More data on the Pleistocene environments, especially from the region of Krka estuary that was land during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), will complete the picture of the evolution and environmental adaptation of Paleolithic humans and their relationship with vegetation changes. Attention is also paid to potential anthropogenic environments, recent sedimentation rates, landscape features and artefacts. All results of the multi-proxy approach applied in this project will eventually be merged into a comprehensive Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstruction of the eastern Adriatic landscapes that contribute to the understanding of these changes in the Mediterranean region.</p>

Late Pleistocene and Holocene Paleoenvironments of Chalco Lake, Central Mexico

1993 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 332-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Socorro Lozano-Garcı́a ◽  
Beatriz Ortega-Guerrero ◽  
Margarita Caballero-Miranda ◽  
Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Activity ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Loss On Ignition ◽  
Southeastern Part ◽  
Saline Marsh

AbstractIn order to establish paleoenvironmental conditions during the late Quaternary, four cores from the Basin of Mexico (central Mexico) were drilled in Chalco Lake, located in the southeastern part of the basin. The upper 8 m of two parallel cores were studied, using paleomagnetic, loss-on-ignition, pollen, and diatom analyses. Based on 11 14C ages, the analyzed record spans the last 19,000 14C yr B.P. Volcanic activity has affected microfossil abundances, both directly and indirectly, resulting in absence or reduction of pollen and diatom assemblages. Important volcanic activity took place between 19,000 and 15,000 yr B.P. when the lake was a shallow alkaline marsh and an increase of grassland pollen suggests a dry, cold climate. During this interval, abrupt environmental changes with increasing moisture occurred. From 15,000 until 12,500 yr B.P. the lake level increased and the pollen indicates wetter conditions. The highest lake level is registered from 12,500 to ca. 9000 yr B.P. The end of the Pleistocene is characterized by an increase in humidity. From 9000 until ca. 3000 yr B.P. Chalco Lake was a saline marsh and the pollen record indicates warmer conditions. After 3000 yr B.P. the lake level increased and human disturbance dominates the lacustrine record.

scholarly journals Late Quaternary paleoenvironment of the Ross Sea continental shelf, Antarctica

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 275-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Nishimura ◽  
Toru Nakasone ◽  
Chikara Hiramatsu ◽  
Manabu Tanahashi
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ross Sea ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Sedimentary Environment ◽  
Sediment Cores ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometer

Based on sedimenlological and micropaleontological work on three sediment cores collected at about 167° Ε in the western Ross Sea, Antarctica, and accelerator mass spectrometer l4C ages of organic carbon, we have reconstructed environmental changes in the area during the late Quaternary. Since 38 ka BP at latest, this area was a marine environment with low productivity. A grounded ice sheet advanced and loaded the sediments before about 30-25 ka BP. After 25 ka BP, the southernmost site (76°46'S) was covered by floating ice (shelf ice), preventing deposition of coarse terrigenous materials and maintaining a supply of diatom tests and organic carbon until 20 ka BP. The northernmost site (74°33'S) was in a marine environment with a moderate productivity influenced by shelf ice/ice sheet after about 20 ka BP. Since about 10 ka BP, a sedimentary environment similar to the present-day one has prevailed over this area.

scholarly journals Influence of Quaternary environmental changes on mole populations inferred from mitochondrial sequences and evolutionary rate estimation

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Azusa Nakamoto ◽  
Masashi Harada ◽  
Reiko Mitsuhashi ◽  
Kimiyuki Tsuchiya ◽  
Alexey P. Kryukov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Land Bridge ◽  
Mismatch Distribution Analysis ◽  
Expansion Event

AbstractQuaternary environmental changes fundamentally influenced the genetic diversity of temperate-zone terrestrial animals, including those in the Japanese Archipelago. The genetic diversity of present-day populations is taxon- and region-specific, but its determinants are poorly understood. Here, we analyzed cytochrome b gene (Cytb) sequences (1140 bp) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to elucidate the factors determining the genetic variation in three species of large moles: Mogera imaizumii and Mogera wogura, which occur in central and southern mainland Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu), and Mogera robusta, which occurs on the nearby Asian continent. Network construction with the Cytb sequences revealed 10 star-shaped clusters with apparent geographic affinity. Mismatch distribution analysis showed that modes of pairwise nucleotide differences (τ values) were grouped into five classes in terms of the level, implying the occurrence of five stages for rapid expansion. It is conceivable that severe cold periods and subsequent warm periods during the late Quaternary were responsible for the population expansion events. The first and third oldest events included island-derived haplotypes, indicative of the involvement of land bridge formation between remote islands, hence suggesting an association of the ends of the penultimate (PGM, ca. 130,000 years ago) and last (LGM, ca. 15,000 years ago) glacial maxima, respectively. Since the third event was followed by the fourth, it is plausible that the termination of the Younger Dryas and subsequent abrupt warming ca. 11,500 years ago facilitated the fourth expansion event. The second event most likely corresponded to early marine isotope stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 53,000 years ago) when the glaciation and subsequent warming period were predicted to have influenced biodiversity. Utilization of the critical times of 130,000, 53,000, 15,000, and 11,500 years ago as calibration points yielded evolutionary rates of 0.03, 0.045, 0.10 and 0.10 substitutions/site/million years, respectively, showing a time-dependent manner whose pattern was similar to that seen in small rodents reported in our previous studies. The age of the fifth expansion event was calculated to be 5800 years ago with a rate of 0.10 substitutions/site/million years ago during the mid-Holocene, suggestive of the influence of humans or other unspecified reasons, such as the Jomon marine transgression.

Grass phytoliths in surface sediments of the Sunderbans, India and their implications in reconstructing past deltaic environmental changes

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110417
Author(s):  
Madhab Naskar ◽  
Ruby Ghosh ◽  
Sayantani Das ◽  
Dipak Kumar Paruya ◽  
Binod Saradar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Sediments ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Salinity Gradient ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Mangrove Ecosystem ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Tidal Influence ◽  
Mangrove Environment ◽  
Mangrove Associate

Reliability of grass phytoliths for discriminating different deltaic sub-environments has been assessed on the modern surface sediments collected along the salinity gradient of the Sunderbans delta, India. It has been observed that grass phytolith assemblages can successfully distinguish different deltaic sub-environments especially the true mangrove zones from the mangrove associate and non-mangrove zones with minor overlaps, which further corroborated with the results of discriminant analysis (DA). Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) performed on the surface grass phytolith data show that salinity is the most crucial environmental parameter influencing grass phytolith distribution in the deltaic sub-environments. The potential of modern grass phytolith data in reconstructing past deltaic environmental changes has been further assessed on a late Quaternary fossil phytolith spectra from the Sunderbans spanning a sedimentary record for the last ~13.6 ka. A true mangrove environment with discernible tidal influence has been revealed between 13.6 and 3.9 ka. Absence of true mangrove–indicator grass phytoliths between ~3.9 and 2.2 ka further suggests disappearance of mangrove vegetation from this part of the Sunderbans which might have recolonized during ~2.2–0.8 ka. A mangrove associated or non-mangrove environment with little or no tidal influence came into existence in the study area since 0.8 ka onwards. A comparison with some earlier records suggests that the present grass phytolith-based palaeoenvironmental data shows conformity with the past dynamics in mangrove ecosystem in the east coast of India in respect to relative sea level changes.

Late Quaternary vegetation dynamics in a biodiversity hotspot, the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jemma Finch ◽  
Melanie J. Leng ◽  
Rob Marchant
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Significant Loss ◽  
Environmental Stability ◽  
Forest Composition ◽  
Eastern Arc ◽  
Uluguru Mountains

AbstractLate Quaternary vegetation history and environmental changes in a biodiverse tropical ecosystem are inferred from pollen, charcoal and carbon isotope evidence derived from a ∼ 48,000-yr sedimentary record from the Uluguru Mountains, a component of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. Results indicate that Eastern Arc forest composition has remained relatively stable during the past ∼ 48,000 yr. Long-term environmental stability of the Eastern Arc forests has been proposed as a mechanism for the accumulation and persistence of species during glacial periods, thus resulting in the diverse forests observed today. The pollen and isotope data presented here indicate some marked changes in abundance but no significant loss in moist forest taxa through the last glacial maximum, thereby providing support for the long-term environmental stability of the Eastern Arc. Anthropogenic activities, including burning and forest clearance, were found to play a moderate role in shaping the mosaic of forest patches and high-altitude grasslands that characterise the site today; however, this influence was tempered by the inaccessibility of the mountain.

Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in the Southern Levant: synthesis, challenges, recent developments and perspectives

2010 ◽  
Vol 368 (1931) ◽  
pp. 5225-5248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire M. C. Rambeau
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Southern Levant ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Palaeoenvironmental Reconstruction ◽  
First Results ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Dead

Palaeoenvironmental research in the Southern Levant presents a series of challenges, partly due to the unequal distribution of palaeoenvironmental records and potential archives throughout the region. Our knowledge of climatic evolution, during the last approximately 25 000 years, is of crucial importance to understand cultural developments. More local, well-dated, multi-proxy studies are much needed to obtain an accurate picture of environmental change in respect of the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. This contribution reviews the current state of knowledge regarding Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental changes in the Southern Levant, including some examples of more recent developments in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in Israel and the Dead Sea area, and introduces the major challenges researchers face in the region. It also presents the first results of a new case study in Jordan, based on an analysis of peaty deposits located in the mountain slopes east of the Dead Sea. Such new studies help refine our knowledge of local environmental changes in the Southern Levant and especially the more arid areas, for which little information is presently available. More material suitable for palaeoenvironmental research, for example extensive tufa and travertine series, still awaits consideration in Jordan, opening up exciting perspectives for future research in the area.

scholarly journals Key Environmental Factors Controlling Planktonic Foraminiferal and Pteropod Community’s Response to Late Quaternary Hydroclimate Changes in the South Aegean Sea (Eastern Mediterranean)

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 709
Author(s):  
Christina Giamali ◽  
George Kontakiotis ◽  
Efterpi Koskeridou ◽  
Chryssanthi Ioakim ◽  
Assimina Antonarakou
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Planktonic Foraminifera ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
The South

A multidisciplinary study was conducted in order to investigate the environmental factors affecting the planktonic foraminiferal and pteropod communities of the south Aegean Sea. Aspects of the Late Quaternary paleoceanographic evolution were revealed by means of quantitative analyses of planktonic foraminiferal and pteropod assemblages (including multivariate statistical approach; principal component analysis (PCA)), the oxygen (δ18O) and carbon (δ13C) isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifera and related paleoceanographic (planktonic paleoclimatic curve (PPC), productivity (E-index), stratification (S-index), seasonality) indices, extracted by the gravity core KIM-2A derived from the submarine area between Kimolos and Sifnos islands. Focusing on the last ~21 calibrated thousands of years before present (ka BP), cold and eutrophicated conditions were identified during the Late Glacial period (21.1–15.7 ka BP) and were followed by warmer and wetter conditions during the deglaciation phase. The beginning of the Holocene was marked by a climatic amelioration and increased seasonality. The more pronounced environmental changes were identified during the deposition of the sapropel sublayers S1a (9.4–7.7 ka BP) and S1b (6.9–6.4 ka BP), with extremely warm and stratified conditions. Pteropod fauna during the sapropel deposition were recorded for the first time in the south Aegean Sea, suggesting arid conditions towards the end of S1a. Besides sea surface temperature (SST), which shows the highest explanatory power for the distribution of the analyzed fauna, water column stratification, primary productivity, and seasonality also control their communities during the Late Quaternary.

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