A great response from small ecosystem – the last 500 years of history of a kettle hole mire in W Russia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Mroczkowska ◽  
Piotr Kittel ◽  
Katarzyna Marcisz ◽  
Ekaterina Dolbunova ◽  
Emilie Gauthier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Peat Bogs ◽  
Kettle Hole ◽  
History Of ◽  
Palaeoenvironmental Changes

<p>Peatlands are natural geoarchives which record within organic deposits a picture of the past environmental changes. Depending on the preserved proxy, we are able to reconstruct various aspects of palaeoenvironmental changes, e.g. using pollen (vegetation composition), plant macrofossils (local vegetation changes), testate amoebae and zoological remains (hydrological changes) or XRF scanning (geochemical changes). Here, we investigated changes in land use and climate of western Russia using a range of biotic and abiotic proxies. This part of Europe is characterized by a continental climate, which makes this region very sensitive to climate change, in particular to precipitation fluctuations. Furthermore, in the last two centuries strong human impact in that area has been noticed.  </p><p>The Serteya kettle hole mire (55°40'N 31°30'E) is situated in the Smolensk Oblast in Western Dvina Lakeland. Study site is located close to the range of plant communities belonging to the hemiboreal zone, making it an ideal position to trace the plant succession of Eastern Europe. Preliminary dating of the material proves that the average rate of biogenic deposits in the reservoir was approx. 1 m per 600 years. The majority of the European peatlands was in some sense transformed as a result of drainage and land use practices in their basins. Serteya kettle hole mire allowed us to accurately track how a small ecosystem responds to palaeoenvironmental changes. Preliminary results will show the major fluctuations of the mire hydrology accompanied by the changes in the land use in the region. Our goal is also to determine the resistance and resilience of peat bogs to disturbances.</p>

Small peatland with a big story: 600-year paleoecological and historical data from a kettle-hole peatland in Western Russia

The Holocene ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 095968362110332
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Mroczkowska ◽  
Piotr Kittel ◽  
Katarzyna Marcisz ◽  
Ekaterina Dolbunova ◽  
Emilie Gauthier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Impact ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
The Past ◽  
Kettle Hole ◽  
Rapid Changes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Physical And Chemical

Peatlands are important records of past environmental changes. Based on a multiproxy analysis, the main factors influencing the evolution of a peatland can be divided into autogenic and allogenic. Among the important allogenic factors, apart from climate change, are deforestation and drainage, which are directly associated with human impact. Numerous consequences arise from these processes, the most important of which are physical and chemical denudation in the catchment and the related hydrological disturbances in the catchment and peatland. The present study determined how human activities and the past climatic variability mutually influenced the development of a small peatland ecosystem. The main goals of the study were: (1) to trace the local changes of the peatland history over the past 600 years, (2) to investigate their relationship with changes in regional hydroclimate patterns, and (3) to estimate the sensitivity of a small peatland to natural and human impact. Our reconstructions were based on a multiproxy analysis, including the analysis of pollen, macrofossils, Chironomidae, Cladocera, and testate amoebae. Our results showed that, depending on the changes in water level, the history of peatland can be divided into three phases as follows: 1/the phase of stable natural conditions, 2/phase of weak changes, and 3/phase of significant changes in the catchment. Additionally, to better understand the importance of the size of catchment and the size of the depositional basin in the evolution of the studied peatland ecosystem, we compared data from two peatlands – large and small – located close to each other. The results of our study indicated that “size matters,” and that larger peatlands are much more resilient and resistant to rapid changes occurring in the direct catchment due to human activities, whereas small peatlands are more sensitive and perfect as archives of environmental changes.

scholarly journals DeGreening: An Installation of Photographic Works

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadaf Pourghorbani
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Northern Province ◽  
Changing Environment ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
History Of ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Selection Of

This thesis is a supporting paper for a photographic exhibition that explores contemporary social and political issues in the country of Iran, through the depiction of a changing landscape. The work consists of photographs of the northern province of Gilan, Iran. As a critical body of work, the installation engages audiences to experience the changing environment and asks viewers to question the causes of the environmental changes in agricultural areas. A brief history of land use change in Iran during the White revolution is presented followed by a description of the current situation of farmlands in contemporary Iran. Goals for the project, methodology and issues of subjectivity are discussed. The shooting strategies, selection of the images, and presentation of the project is outlined. Finally, the essay discusses the project’s documentary relevance.

Paleoecology and high-resolution paleohydrology of a kettle peatland in upper Michigan

2004 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K. Booth ◽  
Stephen T. Jackson ◽  
Catherine E.D. Gray
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
History Of ◽  
Past Climate Variability

We investigated the developmental and hydrological history of a Sphagnum-dominated, kettle peatland in Upper Michigan using testate amoebae, plant macrofossils, and pollen. Our primary objective was to determine if the paleohydrological record of the peatland represents a record of past climate variability at subcentennial to millennial time scales. To assess the role of millennial-scale climate variability on peatland paleohydrology, we compared the timing of peatland and upland vegetation changes. To investigate the role of higher-frequency climate variability on peatland paleohydrology, we used testate amoebae to reconstruct a high-resolution, hydrologic history of the peatland for the past 5100 years, and compared this record to other regional records of paleoclimate and vegetation. Comparisons revealed coherent patterns of hydrological, vegetational, and climatic changes, suggesting that peatland paleohydrology responded to climate variability at millennial to sub-centennial time scales. Although ombrotrophic peatlands have been the focus of most high-resolution peatland paleoclimate research, paleohydrological records from Sphagnum-dominated, closed-basin peatlands record high-frequency and low-magnitude climatic changes and thus represent a significant source of unexplored paleoclimate data.

scholarly journals Traditional and Local Ecological Knowledge for Land Use Mapping

2015 ◽  
Vol 747 ◽  
pp. 306-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norizawati Mohd Ayob ◽  
Norhasimah Ismail ◽  
Tarmiji Masron
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
History Of ◽  
Global Environmental Changes

Land use changes are a key driver in global environmental changes and had a significant impact on the climate at all scales. Various human activities that took place thousands of years ago have an impact on the earth's surface. Today, with the limited supply and high demand, land use crisis became a big issue for the most countries. Changes in land use are not actually only providing a history of the area, but it also describes the way of life of its local communities. In the interdisciplinary research for land use study, cultural values, knowledge and perceptions of knowledge has been recognized as a major factor in determining the adopted approach applied in land use management in that area. Therefore, this paper tries to evaluate the role and potential of the integration of TLEK and GIS in mapping the series of changes in land use.Keyword: Local knowledge, TLEK, land use mapping & conceptual framework

Disentangling human-fire-climate linkages at mid-elevations in the Šumava Mountains of central Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vachel Kraklow ◽  
Alice Moravcová ◽  
Petr Kuneš ◽  
Dagmar Dreslerová ◽  
Walter Finsinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Central Europe ◽  
Water Table ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Fire Regimes ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Coprophilous Fungi ◽  
Human Land Use

<p>To distinguish human-caused from naturally-caused fire regimes, palaeoecological records must demonstrate that observed changes in vegetation and fire are in response to changes in human activity rather than driven by natural climate-fire relationships. Here, we use a high-resolution multi-proxy approach (testate amoebae derived depth to water table (DWT), macro- and micro-charcoal, charcoal morphologies, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and XRF) from Pékna, a mid-elevation peat bog situated near Lipno Reservoir - an area rich in human land use - to investigate human-driven vs. naturally-driven fire regimes in the Šumava Mountains. Our results span the entire Holocene and illustrate that humans have been consistently modifying the landscape since 5,500 cal yr BP. Specifically, during the mid-Holocene (7,000 – 4,000 cal yr BP) when water table was at its highest at Pékna, relatively frequent, low-severity fires occurred and was accompanied by the prolonged presence of coprophilous fungi, secondary human indicators and an opening of the forest, suggesting human activities. Human land use intensified ~1,500 cal yr BP as indicated by increases in primary human indicator species, an increase in early successional tree species (Pinus and Betula) indicating an opening of the forest canopy, and the development of regional mining is suggested by a marked increase in the concentration of lead (Pb). While water table depths decreased indicating drier conditions ~1,500 cal yr BP, local fires persisted, burning at low severities as indicated by the continued presence of charred herb macrofossils. The most intensive land use occurred in the last 500 years with the highest abundance of primary and secondary human indicator species, and coprophilious fungi. Locally, marked increases in the concentration of both redox-sensitive elements such as iron (Fe), calcium (Ca), sulphur (S), and chlorine (Cl), and detrital elements such as potassium (K), aluminum (Al) and Titanium (Ti) indicate major changes in the depositional environment over the last 500 years, possibly due to peat draining. However, this time period witnessed decreased biomass burning as a result of a more open landscape and less fuels to burn. These results contribute to a growing body of literature illustrating the importance of prehistoric impact in the mid-mountains of Central Europe.   </p>

Rapid Ecohydrological Response of a Mountaintop Peatland to Recent Climate Warming in Northeast China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingwan Yang ◽  
Hongyan Zhao ◽  
Zhengyu Xia ◽  
Zicheng Yu ◽  
Hongkai Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Northeast China ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Detrended Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Changbai Mountains ◽  
Recent Climate

<p>Montane bogs—peat-forming ecosystems located in high elevation and receiving their water supply mostly from meteoric waters—are unique archives of past environmental changes. Studying these ecosystems and their responses to recent climate warming will help improve our understanding of the sensitivity of high-elevation peatlands to regional climate dynamics. Here, we report a post-bomb radiocarbon-dated, high-resolution, and multi-proxy record in Laobaishan bog (LBS), a mountaintop bog from the Changbai Mountains Range in Northeast China. We analyzed plant macrofossils and testate amoebae of a 41-cm peat core dated between 1970 and 2009 to document the ecohydrological response of peatland to the anthropogenic warming in recent decades. We quantitatively reconstruct the surface wetness changes of LBS bog using the first axis of the detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of plant macrofossil assemblages and depth to water table (DWT) inferred by transfer function of testate amoebae assemblages. We distinguished two hydroclimate stages: the moist stage before the 1990s and the rapidly drying stage since the 1990s. During the moist stage, plant macrofossils were characterized by the low abundance of <em>Sphagnum capitifolium</em> and <em>Polytrichum strichum</em> that prefer dry habitats, and testate amoebae assemblages were dominated by low abundance of dry-adapted <em>Assulina muscorum</em> and <em>Corythion dubium</em>. High score of first axis and low DWT also suggested a moist habitat at LBS. After the transition into the drying stage, the abundance of <em>S. capitifolium</em> and <em>P. strichum</em> increased and that of <em>A. muscorum</em> and <em>C. dubium</em> showed similar trend. Score of first axis and DWT reconstructions show that LBS have experienced rapid surface desiccation since the 1990s. Based on the high-resolution gridded reanalysis data, these ecohydrological changes occurred with a rapid increase in temperature (~1°C) but without notable change in total precipitation during the growing season (May–September) since the 1990s. Besides, backward trajectory analysis showed no apparent changes in atmospheric circulation pattern since the 1990s, supporting our interpretation that the ecohydrological changes in LBS bog were induced by climate warming. These results demonstrate that the plant communities, microbial assemblages, and peatland hydrology of montane peatland show a sensitive response to climate warming that might be in larger amplitude than the low-elevation areas.</p>

scholarly journals The palaeoecological history of the Praz-Rodet bog (Swiss Jura) based on pollen, plant macrofossils and testate amoebae (Protozoa)

The Holocene ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. A.D. Mitchell ◽  
W. O. van der Knaap ◽  
J. F.N. van Leeuwen ◽  
A. Buttler ◽  
B. G. Warner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
History Of ◽  
Swiss Jura

scholarly journals DeGreening: An Installation of Photographic Works

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadaf Pourghorbani
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Northern Province ◽  
Changing Environment ◽  
Political Issues ◽  
History Of ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Selection Of

This thesis is a supporting paper for a photographic exhibition that explores contemporary social and political issues in the country of Iran, through the depiction of a changing landscape. The work consists of photographs of the northern province of Gilan, Iran. As a critical body of work, the installation engages audiences to experience the changing environment and asks viewers to question the causes of the environmental changes in agricultural areas. A brief history of land use change in Iran during the White revolution is presented followed by a description of the current situation of farmlands in contemporary Iran. Goals for the project, methodology and issues of subjectivity are discussed. The shooting strategies, selection of the images, and presentation of the project is outlined. Finally, the essay discusses the project’s documentary relevance.

scholarly journals Vegetation history of Central Chukotka deduced from permafrost paleoenvironmental records of the El'gygytgyn Impact Crater

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1409-1441 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Andreev ◽  
E. Morozova ◽  
G. Fedorov ◽  
L. Schirrmeister ◽  
A. A. Bobrov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Impact Crater ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Lacustrine Sediments ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Shrub Tundra ◽  
Dwarf Birch ◽  
History Of ◽  
Palynological Study

Abstract. Frozen sediments from three cores bored in permafrost surrounding of the El'gygytgyn Impact Crater Lake have been studied for pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils, and rhizopods. The palynological study of the cores contributes to a higher resolution of time intervals presented in a poor temporal resolution in the lacustrine sediments; namely the Allerød and succeeding periods. Moreover, permafrost records better reflect local environmental changes, thus, allowing more reliable reconstruction of the local paleoenvironments. The new data confirm that shrub tundra with dwarf birch, shrub alder and willow dominated in the lake surroundings during the Allerød warming. Younger Dryas pollen assemblages reflect abrupt changes to grass-sedge-herb dominated environments reflecting significant climate deterioration. Low shrub tundra with dwarf birch and willow dominate the lake vicinity at the onset of the Holocene. The founds of larch seeds indicate its local presence around 11 000 cal. yr BP and, thus a northward shift of treeline by about 100 km during the early Holocene thermal optimum. Forest tundra with larch and shrub alder stands grew in the area during the early Holocene. After ca. 3500 cal. yr BP similar-to-modern plant communities became common in the lake vicinity.

scholarly journals Hydrological dynamics and fire history of the last 1300 years in western Siberia reconstructed from a high-resolution, ombrotrophic peat archive

2015 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 312-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariusz Lamentowicz ◽  
Michał Słowiński ◽  
Katarzyna Marcisz ◽  
Małgorzata Zielińska ◽  
Karolina Kaliszan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fire History ◽  
Western Siberia ◽  
Plant Macrofossils ◽  
Testate Amoebae ◽  
Carbon Accumulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Fire Activity ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
History Of ◽  
In Fire

Siberian peatlands provide records of past changes in the continental climate of Eurasia. We analyzed a core from Mukhrino mire in western Siberia to reconstruct environmental change in this region over the last 1300 years. The pollen analysis revealed little variation of local pine-birch forests. A testate amoebae transfer function was used to generate a quantitative water-table reconstruction; pollen, plant macrofossils, and charcoal were analyzed to reconstruct changes in vegetation and fire activity. The study revealed that Mukhrino mire was wet until the Little Ice Age (LIA), when drought was recorded. Dry conditions during the LIA are consistent with other studies from central and eastern Europe, and with the pattern of carbon accumulation across the Northern Hemisphere. A significant increase in fire activity between ca. AD 1975 and 1990 may be associated with the development of the nearby city of Khanty-Mansiysk, as well as with the prevailing positive Arctic Oscillation.

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