scholarly journals Charcoal Production During the Norse and Early Medieval Periods in Eyjafjallahreppur, Southern Iceland

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 659-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J Church ◽  
A J Dugmore ◽  
K A Mairs ◽  
A R Millard ◽  
G T Cook ◽  
...  

Timber procurement and the use of woodlands are key issues in understanding the open landscapes of the Norse and Medieval periods in the North Atlantic islands. This paper outlines evidence for the timing and mechanisms of woodland use and deforestation in an area of southern Iceland, which is tracked through the mapping and analysis of charcoal production pits. Precise dating of the use of these charcoal production pits within a Bayesian framework is demonstrated through the combination of tephrochronology, sediment accumulation rates, and multiple radiocarbon dates on the archaeological charcoal. Two phases of charcoal production and woodland exploitation have been demonstrated, the first within the first 2 centuries of settlement (cal AD 870–1050) and the second phase over 100 yr later (cal AD 1185–1295). The implications for using charcoal as a medium for 14C dating in Iceland and the wider North Atlantic are then explored. Archaeobotanical analysis of the charcoal sampled from the pits has indicated that birch roundwood was the dominant wood used, that the roundwood was stripped from larger shrubs/trees in late spring/early summer, and that certain sizes and ages of roundwood were harvested. Finally, the timing of the charcoal production is placed into the wider debate on deforestation across Iceland during the Norse and early Medieval periods.

1994 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
He Yuanqing ◽  
Wilfred H. Theakstone

Winter snow cover at Austre Okstindbreen is influenced strongly by patterns of atmospheric circulation, and by air temperatures during precipitation. Differences of circulation over the North Atlantic and Scandinavia during the winters of 1988–89 and 1989–90 were reflected in the ionic and isotopic composition of snow that accumulated at the glacier. Early summer ablation did not remove, or smooth out, all the initial stratigraphic differences. In the first half of the 1988–89 winter, most air masses took a relatively short route between a marine source and Okstindan; late winter snowfalls were from air masses which had taken a longer continental route. The snow that accumulated in the first half of the 1989–90 winter was associated with air masses which had followed longer continental routes, and so brought higher concentrations of impurities from forests, lakes and crustal material. The ablation season began earlier in 1990 than in 1989, and summer winds and rain supplied more impurities to the snowpack surface.


1996 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
Karen Luise Knudsen ◽  
Keld Conradsen ◽  
, Susanne Heier Nielsen ◽  
Marit-Solveig Seidenkrantz

Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from the Skagen record contribute to the understanding of Late Quatemary climatic changes and variations in the oceanographic circulation pattem in the entire North Atlantic region. The Skagen cores penetrated c. 192 m of Quatemary sediments comprising two marine Late Quaternary records: A 7 m marine unit (185.3-178.3 m) comprised the entire last interglacial, including its lower and upper transitions (Late Saalian-Eemian-Early Weichselian), while the upper 132 m of marine deposits covered the last about 15,000 years from the Late Weichselian through the Holocene, including the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Results from the study of lithology, foraminifera, stable isotope measurements and radiocarbon dates are reviewed while emphasizing the most important contributions to the general understanding of the North Atlantic Quatemary history


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1539-1553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria-Angela Bassetti ◽  
Serge Berné ◽  
Marie-Alexandrine Sicre ◽  
Bernard Dennielou ◽  
Yoann Alonso ◽  
...  

Abstract. Expanded marine Holocene archives are relatively scarce in the Mediterranean Sea because most of the sediments were trapped in catchment areas during this period. Mud belts are the most suitable targets to access expanded Holocene records. These sedimentary bodies represent excellent archives for the study of sea–land interactions and notably the impact of the hydrological activity on sediment accumulation. We retrieved a 7.2 m long sediment core from the Rhône mud belt in the Gulf of Lions in an area where the average accumulation rate is ca. 0.70 m 1000 yr−1. This core thus provides a continuous and high-resolution record of the last 10 ka cal BP. A multiproxy dataset (XRF core scan, 14C dates, grain size and organic-matter analysis) combined with seismic stratigraphic analysis was used to document decadal to centennial changes in the Rhône hydrological activity. Our results show that (1) the early Holocene was characterized by high sediment delivery likely indicative of local intense (but short-duration) rainfall events, (2) important sediment delivery around 7 ka cal BP presumably related to increased river flux, (3) a progressive increase in continental/marine input during the mid-Holocene despite increased distance from river outlets due to sea-level rise possibly related to higher atmospheric humidity caused by the southward migration of the storm tracks in the North Atlantic, (4) multidecadal to centennial humid events took place in the late Holocene. Some of these events correspond to the cold periods identified in the North Atlantic (Little Ice Age, LIA; Dark Ages Cold Period) and also coincide with time intervals of major floods in the northern Alps. Other humid events are also observed during relatively warm periods (Roman Humid Period and Medieval Climate Anomaly).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Meirelles

<p>Climate change cause large, long-term impacts on human well-being and adds more pressure to terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The archipelago of the Azores is located in the subtropical region of the North Atlantic and is therefore highly influenced by the North Atlantic Subtropical Anticyclone. As it is an almost stationary high pressure system, whose development and orientation determine the nature and characteristics of the air masses that reach the region. The motivation for this research has two phases; the first was to study the effects of some meteorological parameters (temperature, radiation, wind speed, humidity, precipitation, evaporation, tank temperature and tank level) for the period 2010-2012, on the biodiversity of phytoplankton communities in relation to the abundance of these organisms in the lagoons of Fogo, Furnas, and Sete Cidades of the island of São Miguel - Azores, for the period 2010-2012, using an analysis in Principal  Components, which will allow correlating the meteorological parameters and the abundance of phytoplankton. The phytoplankton and meteorological community data were obtained from the website of the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change of the Azores Government. In a second phase, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis of the ERA5 project (ECMWF Re-Analyzes) was used for the 1979-2019 observation period and for the Azores region. For this region, the deviations of the surface air temperature, average annual precipitation and climatological extremes were calculated, this referring to the maximum number of consecutive days with precipitation <1 mm, and also, the number of tropical nights using the ERA5 reanalysis series in the period 1979-2019 with reference to 1961-1990. Projections were also estimated up to 2100 and according to scenarios RCP 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5 for the referred parameters. Finally, variations for the end of the century (2071-2100) were estimated with reference to the most recent situation of 1991-2020.</p><p>The thermal balance of a lagoon is associated with climatic and meteorological conditions. Much of the biological processes in the lagoons are directly affected by thermal changes in the water, and therefore, indirectly affected by climatic variation. Understanding the interaction between the lagoon-atmosphere system is important to predict the consequences of the effects of climate change on the abundance of phytoplankton. In this study, a positive correlation was verified between precipitation and abundance of Bacillariophyta, Dinophyta and Cryptophyta. From the calculations performed, the average of the models results in an increase in the maximum number of consecutive days with low rainfall (<1mm) from + 0.2 to 4.8 days / year until the year 2100, with a lower abundance of these algae being expected. On the other hand, Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta and Chrisophyta are well correlated with high values ​​of air temperature, lagoon water temperature and solar radiation. Thus, it is estimated an increase in the abundance of these algae, due to the forecasts of several models, that point to an increase in the average annual temperature in this region between 1 and 3 K until the year 2100, with reference to the period from 1961 to 1990.</p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 414-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony R. Marshak ◽  
Jason S. Link ◽  
Rebecca Shuford ◽  
Mark E. Monaco ◽  
Ellen Johannesen ◽  
...  

Abstract The Ecosystem Approach to Management (EAM) has emerged over the past decades, largely to promote biodiversity conservation, and more recently sectoral tradeoffs in the management of marine ecosystems. To ascertain the state of practice of EAM operationalization, a workshop was held, which included a pre-workshop online survey. The survey gauged international participants’ perspectives regarding capacity, knowledge, and application of EAM. When asked about the subject, most survey respondents had a general understanding of EAM, and provided a clear definition. Major perceived challenges to EAM objectives by those surveyed included limited knowledge, conflicting interests, insufficient communication, and limited organizational legal frameworks or governance structures. Of those directly involved in an ecosystem approach, the majority responded that processes were in place or developed for application of integrated knowledge toward assessing key issues within their respective sectors (i.e. fisheries, conservation, energy), and that capacity was generally high. Our results show that most respondents, irrespective of sector or geography, see value in considering an integrated, broader ecosystem approach as they manage their sector. Although many participants were from the North Atlantic region, our results suggest that much of the international community is converging toward continued understanding of broad-scale, integrated approaches to marine resource management.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Bassetti ◽  
S. Berné ◽  
M. A. Sicre ◽  
B. Dennielou ◽  
Y. Alonso ◽  
...  

Abstract. Expanded marine Holocene archives are relatively scarce in the Mediterranean Sea because most of the sediments were trapped in catchment areas during this period. Mud belts are most suitable targets to access expanded Holocene records. These sedimentary bodies represent excellent archives for the study of sea-land interactions and notably the impact of the hydrological activity on sediment accumulation. We retrieved a 7.2 m-long sediment core from the Rhone mud belt in the Gulf of Lions in an area where the average accumulation rate is of ca. 0.70 m/1000 years. This core thus provides a continuous and high-resolution record of the last 10 ka cal BP. A multi-proxy dataset (XRF-core scan, 14C dates, grain size and organic matter analysis) combined with seismic stratigraphic analysis was used to document decadal to centennial changes of the Rhone hydrological activity. Our results show that 1) the Early Holocene was characterized by high sediment delivery likely indicative of local intense (but short duration) rainfall events , 2) important sediment delivery around 7 ka cal BP roughly presumably related to increased river flux, 3) a progressive increase of continental/marine input during the Mid-Holocene despite increased distance from river outlets due to sea-level rise possibly related to higher atmospheric humidity caused by the southward migration of the storm tracks in the North Atlantic, 4) multi-decadal to centennial humid events in the Late Holocene. Some of these events correspond to the cold periods identified in the North Atlantic (Little Ice Age, LIA; Dark Age) and also coincide with time intervals of major floods a in the Northern Alps. Other humid events are also observed during relatively warm periods (Roman Humid Period and Medieval Climate Anomaly).


Author(s):  
Olivier Marchal ◽  
Ning Zhao

AbstractRadiocarbon dates of fossil carbonates sampled from sediment cores and the seafloor have been used to infer that deep ocean ventilation during the last ice age was different from today. In this first of paired papers, the time-averaged abyssal circulation in the modern Atlantic is estimated by combining a hydrographic climatology, observational estimates of volume transports, Argo float velocities at 1000 m, radiocarbon data, and geostrophic dynamics. Different estimates of modern circulation, obtained from different prior assumptions about the abyssal flow and different errors in the geostrophic balance, are produced for use in a robust interpretation of fossil records in terms of deviations from the present-day flow, which is undertaken in the second paper.For all estimates, the meridional transport integrated zonally and averaged over a hemisphere, 〈Vk〉, is southward between 1000-4000 m in both hemispheres, northward between 4000-5000 m in the South Atlantic, and insignificant between 4000-5000 m in the North Atlantic. Estimates of 〈Vk〉 obtained from two distinct prior circulations - one based on a level of no motion at 4000 m and one based on Argo oat velocities at 1000 m - become statistically indistinguishable when Δ14C data are considered. The transport time scale, defined as τk = /〈Vk〉, where is the volume of the kth layer, is estimated to about a century between 1000-3000 m in both the South and North Atlantic, 124±9 yr (203±23 yr) between 3000-4000 m in the South (North) Atlantic, and 269±115 yr between 4000-5000 m in the South Atlantic.


1994 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
He Yuanqing ◽  
Wilfred H. Theakstone

Winter snow cover at Austre Okstindbreen is influenced strongly by patterns of atmospheric circulation, and by air temperatures during precipitation. Differences of circulation over the North Atlantic and Scandinavia during the winters of 1988–89 and 1989–90 were reflected in the ionic and isotopic composition of snow that accumulated at the glacier. Early summer ablation did not remove, or smooth out, all the initial stratigraphic differences. In the first half of the 1988–89 winter, most air masses took a relatively short route between a marine source and Okstindan; late winter snowfalls were from air masses which had taken a longer continental route. The snow that accumulated in the first half of the 1989–90 winter was associated with air masses which had followed longer continental routes, and so brought higher concentrations of impurities from forests, lakes and crustal material. The ablation season began earlier in 1990 than in 1989, and summer winds and rain supplied more impurities to the snowpack surface.


Geosciences ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 505
Author(s):  
Svenja Papenmeier ◽  
H. Christian Hass

The Paleo Elbe Valley is the most prominent subsurface structure in the southern North Sea. During the Weichselian (marine isotope stage (MIS) 2), the valley traversed the exposed sea floor and drained the southern margin of the Scandinavian ice sheet. Today the valley is filled with up to 16 m thick sediments, but the responsible processes and drivers remain unknown. To unravel these processes and describe the valley’s evolution with Holocene transgression, we use shallow seismic data and vertical high-resolution grain-size core data. At the base of the western shore, supralittoral fine sands are overlain by a thin layer of clay dated to 9.8 cal. ka BP. The major sediment package consists of marine silt with internal seismic reflectors inclined in a northeastern direction, indicating a sediment transport from the southwest. The valley infill started when the western shore was flooded around 9.6 cal. ka BP and can be divided into two phases. During the first one (9.6–8.1 cal. ka BP) the sedimentation rate was highly driven by wind and waves. The second phase (8.1–5.0 cal. ka BP) was mainly tidal dominated but shows also storm event deposits in the north. Around 5.0 cal. ka BP the valley was almost filled.


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