Holocene environmental changes and human activity at the Jijitan site in the Nihewan Basin, China

The Holocene ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1151-1159
Author(s):  
Jingyao Lu ◽  
Qinghai Xu ◽  
Yao Liu ◽  
Ya’nan Hu ◽  
Manyue Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Activity ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Peak Level ◽  
Northern China ◽  
High Northern Latitude ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Nihewan Basin

Knowledge of the relationship between human activities and environmental changes during the Holocene is important for understanding the survival and development of prehistoric humans. Using AMS 14C dating and pollen and charcoal analysis, we reconstructed the history of environmental changes and human activity during the Holocene at the Jijitan site in the Nihewan Basin. During 13,000–7500 cal. yr BP, the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) gradually intensified and precipitation increased, the vegetation changed from temperate grassland to wooded grassland and human activity remained at a low intensity. During 7500–5500 cal. yr BP, the EASM reached peak level, and the climate was warm and humid interval, and human activity intensified substantially. Within this interval, from 6600 to 6000 cal. yr BP, the forests were burned to increase the area of farmland. After 5500 cal. yr BP, the forest cover continued to gradually decrease due to the combined influences of the weakening EASM and increasing human activity. Comparison with regional climate records shows that the optimum period of forest development in northern China was approximately 8000–5000 cal. yr BP, indicating that the EASM reached a peak level in the mid-Holocene, which we suggest may have been due to the reduced influence of the high northern-latitude ice sheets and rising global sea level, rather than in the early Holocene.

Environmental evolution and anthropogenic forcing in the Garigliano coastal plain (Italy) during the Holocene

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110032
Author(s):  
Halinka Di Lorenzo ◽  
Pietro Aucelli ◽  
Giuseppe Corrado ◽  
Mario De Iorio ◽  
Marcello Schiattarella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Activity ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Pollen Data ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich

The Garigliano alluvial-coastal plain, at the Latium-Campania border (Italy), witnessed a long-lasting history of human-environment interactions, as demonstrated by the rich archaeological knowledge. With the aim of reconstructing the evolution of the landscape and its interaction with human activity during the last millennia, new pollen results from the coastal sector of the Garigliano Plain were compared with the available pollen data from other nearby sites. The use of pollen data from both the coastal and marine environment allowed integrating the local vegetation dynamics within a wider regional context spanning the last 8000 years. The new pollen data presented in this study derive from the analysis of a core, drilled in the coastal sector, which intercepted the lagoon-marshy environments that occurred in the plain as a response to the Holocene transgression and subsequent coastal progradation. Three radiocarbon ages indicate that the chronology of the analyzed core interval ranges from c. 7200 to c. 2000 cal yr BP. The whole data indicate that a dense forest cover characterized the landscape all along the Prehistoric period, when a few signs of human activity are recorded in the spectra, such as cereal crops, pasture activity and fires. The main environmental changes, forced by natural processes (coastal progradation) but probably enhanced by reclamation works, started from the Graeco-Roman period and led to the reduction of swampy areas that favoured the colonisation of the outer plain.

scholarly journals Optical Stimulation Luminescence Dating of Deltas Revealed the Early to Mid-Holocene Lake-level Fluctuations of Daihai, Inner Mongolia, Northern China

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shixin Huang ◽  
Xi Chun
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Monsoon Precipitation ◽  
Lake Level Fluctuations

Lake-level reconstruction of inland enclosed lakes especially for monsoon-sensitive areas is of great significance to reveal regional climate changes. Daihai, a typical enclosed lake at the marginal of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) area in north China, is sensitive to climate changes due to its unique regional characteristics. There were a series of lakeshore terraces, highstand lacustrine sediments, and braided river deltas, providing sufficient geomorphologic and stratigraphic evidence for the reconstruction of lake-level fluctuations of Daihai. Reconstructed lake-level variations during the early and mid-Holocene were constructed based on 22 quartz optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages from six well-preserved profiles around Daihai Basin. Our results indicated Daihai showed a relatively low level at 10.2 ka, and a gradually increasing lake level following the enhanced monsoon precipitation during the mid-Holocene. Specifically, the high lake level began to develop at 8.1 ka and reached the maximum at 5.2 ka, with ∼40 m higher than present. At this time, the lake area expanded to ∼400 km2, approximately six times as large as that of present, corresponding to the maximum monsoon precipitation and intensity of EASM during the mid-Holocene. However, our stratigraphic records showed a part of the depositional records in the north and east of the Daihai was missed after 5.2 ka, probably indicating a sudden drop of the Daihai lake level. These rapid level fluctuations were likely to be interpreted by some local scenarios and need to be further investigated in the future. Overall, the lake-level fluctuation of Daihai during the early and mid-Holocene was slightly different from that observed in the previously published regional records. Possibly, the interaction of the EASM and regional feedback from topography, and hydrology factors might have contributed to the spatial complexity and distinction.

Susceptibility of small boreal lakes to environmental changes as inferred from organic sediments of Lake Talvilampi (Finland)

The Holocene ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-473
Author(s):  
Krystyna Milecka ◽  
Joanna Mirosław-Grabowska ◽  
Edyta Zawisza ◽  
Grzegorz Kowalewski
Keyword(s):  
Human Activity ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Circle ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
The Impact

During the Holocene, multiple thermal changes commonly occurred in the northern hemisphere. They are well-recorded in lakes with minimum human impact from the Arctic Circle area. The development of these lakes reflects ecological and climatic changes occurring from the formation of the lakes until present-day times. All environmental fluctuations affect biodiversity and are reflected in the number and composition of species. The goals of this study were to detect the ecological changes in a small Finnish lake using pollen, Cladocera and geochemical analyses. The research area is located within the northern zone of boreal coniferous forest and is the most sparsely populated region of Finland. The lake is located in Kuusamo uplands, E Finland, near the polar circle and over 20 km from the Russian border. Indicators of cold water were found only during the initial stage, after the 8.2 ka event and then the temperature was higher. Trophy was high at the beginning of the lake development and then a significant increase in trophy was found after 2600 BP. The impact of human activity is hardly traceable in Arctic Circle Finland throughout the Holocene Thermal Maximum. During the late-Holocene (after 4200 yr cal. BP), this impact is still weak and, even as late as the 20th century, only a few traces of human activity are recorded. General conclusion is that long-term climatic shift has been the most important factor driving changes in the limnology of Lake Talvilampi.

Holocene temperature fluctuations in the northern Tibetan Plateau

2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Zhao ◽  
Zhonghui Liu ◽  
Eelco J. Rohling ◽  
Zicheng Yu ◽  
Weiguo Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Temperature Record ◽  
Monsoon Region ◽  
Asian Monsoon Region ◽  
Climate History ◽  
Northern Tibetan Plateau

Arid Central Asia (ACA) lies on a major climatic boundary between the mid-latitude westerlies and the northwestern limit of the Asian summer monsoon, yet only a few high-quality reconstructions exist for its climate history. Here we calibrate a new organic geochemical proxy for lake temperature, and present a 45-yr-resolution temperature record from Hurleg Lake at the eastern margin of the ACA in the northern Tibetan Plateau. Combination with other proxy data from the same samples reveals a distinct warm–dry climate association throughout the record, which contrasts with the warm–wet association found in the Asian monsoon region. This indicates that the climatic boundary between the westerly and the monsoon regimes has remained roughly in the same place throughout the Holocene, at least near our study site. Six millennial-scale cold events are found within the past 9000 yr, which approximately coincide with previously documented events of northern high-latitude cooling and tropical drought. This suggests a connection between the North Atlantic and tropical monsoon climate systems, via the westerly circulation. Finally, we also observe an increase in regional climate variability after the mid-Holocene, which we relate to changes in vegetation (forest) cover in the monsoon region through a land-surface albedo feedback.

scholarly journals The Elements and Color of Lacustrine Record Revealed Lake Environmental Changes in Semiarid Northern China: A Case Study From Chagan Nur Lake of Southern Mongolian Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Wang ◽  
Guoqiang Li ◽  
Xiaoyan Wang ◽  
Siyi Gou ◽  
Yanqing Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Surface Erosion ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Mongolian Plateau ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Precipitation Changes

The lakes at the southern Mongolian Plateau are sensitive to the variation of EASM changes during the Holocene, and hence the lacustrine records of these lakes provide prospects for understanding how lake environmental changes respond to EASM variation at different timescales. The interpretation of proxy indexes of lacustrine sediments is complex due to the various climatic or/and environmental factors influencing the processes during deposition and after deposition. In this study, the elements and colors of an 11.7-m lacustrine record from Chagan Nur at the southern Mongolian Plateau of northern China were analyzed to constrain the lake environmental changes during the Holocene. The results show that stable elements of Al, Si, K, Ti, Fe, and Rb are more related to surface erosion or/and vegetation coverage, and the variation of Sr is related to the lake-level change in Chagan Nur. The element and color of the lacustrine records show that a small and shallow lake environment occurred at Chagan Nur during 11.7–10.5 ka, the lake level had increased during 10.5–7 ka, and then the lake shrank with strength surface erosion during 7–6.2 ka and from 2 ka to the present. The lake level and surface erosion changes of Chagan Nur have shown a direct response to EASM precipitation changes as reconstructed from the pollen record from the Chagan Nur Lake and other records from northern China.

scholarly journals The sharp decline of East Asian summer monsoon at mid-Holocene indicated by the lake-wetland transition in the Sanjiang Plain, northeastern China

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 4595-4622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Q. Zhang ◽  
G. P. Wang ◽  
X. G. Lv ◽  
H. J. Jia ◽  
Q. H. Xu
Keyword(s):  
Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Sanjiang Plain ◽  
Sharp Decline ◽  
The Sanjiang Plain ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Asian Summer

Abstract. The timing of the waxing and wining of the East Asian summer monsoon during the Holocene is still under debate. In present study, we present the high-resolution grain-size and LOI records from a well-dated mud/peat profile to reveal the lake-wetland transition in the Sanjiang Plain and discuss its significance to Holocene monsoon evolutions. The results show that the shallow-water lakes have developed in low-lying areas of the plain before 4600 yr BP, corresponding to the Holocene monsoon maximum. Thereafter, the wetlands began to initiate with the extinction of the paleolakes, marking a lake-shrinking stage with the relative dry climate. Considering the prevalent monsoon climate in the Sanjiang Plain, we suggest the lake-wetland transition at 4600 yr BP indicate a sharp decline of the summer monsoon rather than the basin infilling process. Such a remarkable monsoon weakening event has been widely documented in northern China, and we associated it with the ocean–atmosphere interacting processes in low-latitude regions.

ESR dating of the Donggutuo Palaeolithic site in the Nihewan Basin, northern China

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Ru Liu ◽  
Gong-Ming Yin ◽  
Fang Fang ◽  
Pierre Voinchet ◽  
Cheng-Long Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Asia ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Paleomagnetic Data ◽  
Esr Dating ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
High Northern Latitude ◽  
Northern Latitude ◽  
Nihewan Basin ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Early Human

Abstract The fluvio-lacustrine sequences in the Nihewan Basin, northern China, provide important terrestrial archives about Palaeolithic settlements and, therefore, about early human occupation in high northern latitude in East Asia. Here we present detailed ESR dating of the Donggutuo Palaeolithic site, located in this basin. Four levels A, B, C and E of the Donggutuo archaeological layer yield ESR ages ranging from 1060±129 ka to 1171±132 ka with a mean of 1119±132 ka. The ages are consistent with the paleomagnetic data, which show that the Donggutuo Palaeolithic site lies just below the onset of the Jaramillo normal subchron (0.99–1.07 Ma). Furthermore, our results indicate that the reliable ESR dating range of bleached quartz using Ti-Li centre can be effectively extended to 1100 ka and the Ti-Li centre was zeroed before the last deposition, which requires improvement of the understanding of the bleaching mechanism conditions.

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