Meadow, marsh and lagoon: Late Holocene coastal changes and human–environment interactions in northern Denmark

Coastal challenges ill West Crete ill the last 4000 years can be described as a series of 11 relatively small (25 cm on the average) land subsidences alternating with short (150-250 year long) relatively still stands of the sea level. At 1500 B.P. an up to 9 m episodic relative land uplift and tilting of this part of the island occurred, but since then no significant coastal changes have been identified. There is strong evidence that these Late Holocene coastal changes are not a product of fluctuations of sea level, but reflect palaeoseismic events. The sequence of the latter is at variance with models of seismic deformation deduced from a wide range of observations in different tectonic environments, including coastal uplifts near major trenches: according to these models, strain buildup and release through earthquakes is described as a cyclic and rather uniform process, the earthquake cycle. In this process, the permanent seismic deformation accumulates after each earthquake to produce geological features, while the long-term deformation rate is approximately equal to the short term one. Obviously this is not the case with West Crete. The unusual pattern of seismic deformation in this island has been observed in other cases as well, but its explanation is not easy. The juxtaposition of different earthquake cycles, variations in the source and rate of stress or internal deformation of the uplifted hanging wall of a thrust in the pre-seismic period are some possible explanations for this unusual pattern of earthquake cycle in Greece.

Paleoenvironmental evolution and prehistoric human environment, in the embayment of Palamari (Skyros Island, Greece) during Middle-Late Holocene

Quaternary International ◽

10.1016/j.quaint.2009.08.015 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 216 (1-2) ◽

pp. 41-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Kosmas Pavlopoulos ◽

Maria Triantaphyllou ◽

Panagiotis Karkanas ◽

Katerina Kouli ◽

George Syrides ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Human Environment ◽

Paleoenvironmental Evolution

Late Holocene droughts and cave ice harvesting by Ancestral Puebloans

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-76988-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Bogdan P. Onac ◽

Steven M. Baumann ◽

Dylan S. Parmenter ◽

Eric Weaver ◽

Tiberiu B. Sava

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

New Mexico ◽

Native Americans ◽

Water Availability ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Human Environment ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Ancestral Puebloan ◽

Ancestral Puebloans ◽

Marginal Environment

AbstractWater availability for Native Americans in the southwestern United States during periods of prolonged droughts is poorly understood as regional hydroclimate records are scant or contradicting. Here, we show that radiocarbon-dated charcoal recovered from an ice deposit accumulated in Cave 29, western New Mexico, provide unambiguous evidence for five drought events that impacted the Ancestral Puebloan society between ~ AD 150 and 950. The presence of abundant charred material in this cave indicates that they periodically obtained drinking water by using fire to melt cave ice, and sheds light on one of many human–environment interactions in the Southwest in a context when climate change forced growing Ancestral Puebloan populations to exploit water resources in unexpected locations. The melting of cave ice under current climate conditions is both uncovering and threatening a fragile source of paleoenvironmental and archaeological evidence of human adaptations to a seemingly marginal environment.

Developing a Chronology Integrating Archaeological and Environmental Data from Different Contexts: The Late Holocene Sequence of Ounjougou (Mali)

Radiocarbon ◽

10.1017/s0033822200055855 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 457-470 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Sylvain Ozainne ◽

Laurent Lespez ◽

Yann Le Drezen ◽

Barbara Eichhorn ◽

Katharina Neumann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Environmental Data ◽

Human Environment ◽

Current State ◽

History Of ◽

Anthropogenic Fires ◽

Holocene Stratigraphy ◽

State Of Research ◽

A Site

At Ounjougou, a site complex situated in the Yamé River valley on the Bandiagara Plateau (Dogon country, Mali), multidisciplinary research has revealed a rich archaeological and paleoenvironmental sequence used to reconstruct the history of human-environment interactions, especially during the Late Holocene (3500–300 cal BC). Geomorphological, archaeological, and archaeobotanical data coming from different sites and contexts were combined in order to elaborate a chronocultural and environmental model for this period. Bayesian analysis of 54 14C dates included within the general Late Holocene stratigraphy of Ounjougou provides better accuracy for limits of the main chronological units, as well as for some particularly important events, like the onset of agriculture in the region. The scenario that can be proposed in the current state of research shows an increasing role of anthropogenic fires from the 3rd millennium cal BC onwards, and the appearance of food production during the 2nd millennium cal BC, coupled with a distinctive cultural break. The Late Holocene sequence ends around 300 cal BC with an important sedimentary hiatus that lasts until the end of the 4th century cal AD.

Vegetation history and human-environment interactions through the late Holocene in Konar Sandal, SE Iran

Quaternary Science Reviews ◽

10.1016/j.quascirev.2018.06.026 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 194 ◽

pp. 143-155 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Karolina Gurjazkaite ◽

Joyanto Routh ◽

Morteza Djamali ◽

Alireza Vaezi ◽

Yoann Poher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Vegetation History ◽

Human Environment

High and Medium Resolution Satellite Imagery to Evaluate Late Holocene Human–Environment Interactions in Arid Lands: A Case Study from the Central Sahara

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs9040351 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 351 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Stefano Biagetti ◽

Stefania Merlo ◽

Elhadi Adam ◽

Augustin Lobo ◽

Francesc C. Conesa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Satellite Imagery ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Arid Lands ◽

Human Environment ◽

Medium Resolution ◽

Central Sahara

A late-Holocene pollen record from the western Qilian Mountains and its implications for climate change and human activity along the Silk Road, Northwestern China

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/0959683618761548 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (7) ◽

pp. 1141-1150 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jun Zhang ◽

Xiaozhong Huang ◽

Zongli Wang ◽

Tianlong Yan ◽

En’yuan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Qilian Mountains ◽

Archaeological Sites ◽

Pollen Record ◽

Human Environment ◽

Plant Remains ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

History Of ◽

The Silk Road

The sparsity of long-term reliable climatic records hampers our understanding of human–environment interactions in the semi-arid Hexi Corridor, NW China. Here, we present a late-Holocene pollen record from a small alpine lake, Tian’E, in the western Qilian Mountains. The chronology is provided by nine accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dates from terrestrial plant remains. The ratios of Artemisia and Amaranthaceae (A/C) are used to reconstruct the history of regional humidity: An unstable climate occurred during 1530–1270 BC; there were three relatively wet periods, at 1270 BC–AD 400, AD 1200–1350, and AD 1600–present; and there were two dry periods, from AD 400 to 1200 and from AD 1350 to 1600. Comparison with tree-ring data indicates that continuous droughts were responsible for the abandonment of several archaeological sites and ancient cities in the region, including the major city of Dunhuang, which was abandoned in AD 1372 and AD 1524 for nearly 200 years.

Late Holocene vegetation, climate dynamics, and human-environment interaction along Konkan coast, India

10.1016/b978-0-323-90085-0.00012-7 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 629-655

Author(s):

Ruta B. Limaye ◽

K.P.N. Kumaran ◽

Sharad N. Rajaguru

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Climate Dynamics ◽

Environment Interaction ◽

Human Environment

The impact of the Late Holocene coastal changes on the rise and decay of the ancient city of Histria (southern Danube delta)

Quaternary International ◽

10.1016/j.quaint.2012.11.039 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 293 ◽

pp. 245-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Alfred Vespremeanu-Stroe ◽

Luminiţa Preoteasa ◽

Diana Hanganu ◽

Anthony G. Brown ◽

Iulian Bîrzescu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Danube Delta ◽

Ancient City ◽

Coastal Changes ◽

The Impact

Late Holocene environmental change and anthropogenic: Ecosystem interaction on the Laikipia Plateau, Kenya

AMBIO ◽

10.1007/s13280-021-01554-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Veronica Muiruri ◽

Rob Marchant ◽

Stephen M. Rucina ◽

Louis Scott ◽

Paul J. Lane

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Fungal Spores ◽

Fungal Spore ◽

Land Use Management ◽

Limited Information ◽

East African ◽

Human Environment ◽

Ecological Changes ◽

Negative Impacts

AbstractEast African ecosystems have been shaped by long-term socio-ecological–environmental interactions. Although much previous work on human–environment interrelationships have emphasised the negative impacts of human interventions, a growing body of work shows that there have also often been strong beneficial connections between people and ecosystems, especially in savanna environments. However, limited information and understanding of past interactions between humans and ecosystems of periods longer than a century hampers effective management of contemporary environments. Here, we present a late Holocene study of pollen, fern spore, fungal spore, and charcoal analyses from radiocarbon-dated sediment sequences and assess this record against archaeological and historical data to describe socio-ecological changes on the Laikipia Plateau in Rift Valley Province, Kenya. The results suggest a landscape characterised by closed forests between 2268 years before present (cal year BP) and 1615 cal year BP when there was a significant change to a more open woodland/grassland mosaic that continues to prevail across the study area. Increased amounts of charcoal in the sediment are observed for this same period, becoming particularly common from around 900 cal year BP associated with fungal spores commonly linked to the presence of herbivores. It is likely these trends reflect changes in land use management as pastoral populations improved and extended pasture, using fire to eradicate disease-prone habitats. Implications for contemporary land use management are discussed in the light of these findings.