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This paper explores the strategies implemented by hunter-gatherer groups in Southern Patagonia during the Late Holocene in relation to the circulation of goods and information. Previous archaeological investigations have revealed important changes in human mobility and land-use patterns during this period, associated with increasingly dry environmental conditions. In this context, we undertake a broad spatial scale analysis of the circulation of goods and information through the integrated examination of two lines of evidence: rock art and lithic raw materials. Specifically, we consider the distribution of engravings and black obsidian artefacts assigned to the Late Holocene. The former can offer certain insights into the circulation of information, and the latter are indicative of the circulation of goods. Our analysis suggests that during this period different strategies were developed by hunter-gatherer groups to face the changing environment. Several implications concerning social interaction and the movement of people during this period in Southern Patagonia are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we summarize our own and published data on the composition and proportion of rodent remains in fossil assemblages from the second half of the Late Holocene from cave localities in the northeastern part of European Russia as well as rodent assemblages of recent decades based on materials obtained from raptor pellets. It has been established that in the second half of the Late Holocene, the local rodent fauna of the modern taiga zone consisted of forest and intrazonal species in equal proportions, while in the subarctic part, with an insignificant participation of tundra species (up to 8%). In the modern tundra zone (the arctic part of the region), tundra rodent species predominated at that time with a significant participation of forest (up to 33%) and intrazonal species. The presence of tundra species in the Late Holocene local faunas in the north of the taiga zone (the subarctic part of the region) distinguishes them from the modern assemblages, in which only forest and intrazonal species were found, in equal proportions. This feature is probably due to the southward shift of the boundary between tundra and taiga zones during cooling periods in the second half of the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the implications of the conformation of formal burial areas in the southernmost limit of agricultural dispersion in South America. Previous research proposed the development of cemeteries or formal burial areas due to specialization in using specific habitats and the development of territorial ownership. From a paleoecological background, we hypothesize that hunter‐gatherers intensified resource exploitation and develop territoriality in population growth and pressure over resources. The expectation is that formal burial areas emerged in this context to legitimize the ties with the territory and ensure exclusive access to the land and its resources. To evaluate this hypothesis, we analyzed a mortuary context from southern Mendoza (Central Western Argentina), named Ojo de Agua, by describing the site's characteristics, burial modality, presence of grave goods, age at death profile, and evidence of violence. This site has two main conditions for handling our hypothesis: (1) the chronology and spatial localization coincide with the temporal and geographic dispersion of pre‐Hispanic cultigens; (2) systematic procedures during fieldwork led us to access a significant amount of information not available in other mortuary contexts of the area. Our results point to Ojo de Agua as a cemetery that emerged in the frame of increasing territoriality and conflict with neighboring groups and permitted us to improve our knowledge about the dynamic relationship between human population, environment, and cultural responses in the context of intensification and contact with food production. These results deepen recent studies in the same line but with a greater resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most visible remains of past coastal economies across the coast of northern Australia, mounds of shell dominated by roughback cockles (Tegillarca granosa) have featured often in explanations for Late Holocene Indigenous subsistence strategies. Recently more detailed local and regional studies continue to build a picture of some variations to this dominance, which demonstrate the breadth of marine species exploited, the extensive ecological knowledge of past economies, and the persistence of cultural traditions in human societies. This paper describes one such study, of mounds composed predominantly of another species of bivalve, the rounded toothed pearl-shell (Isognomon ephippium), found on Larrakia Country near Darwin, Northern Territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jizera River in Czechia is a typical mid‐sized Central European watercourse. Its floodplain shows a morphological contrast between the laterally stable low‐sinuous current channel and preserved palaeomeanders. The aim of this paper was to date and explain the obvious metamorphosis of the channel pattern from meandering to low‐sinuous. We analysed the morphology of the lower river reach using a digital terrain model (DTM) and historical maps from the 1840s. Furthermore, the floodplain architecture was described based on the DTM, geophysical imaging (ground penetrating radar, GPR), sediment lithology and anthropogenic contamination using geochemical proxies, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The geochemical proxies were processed using log‐ratio methods from the compositional data analysis toolbox. According to our results the Jizera River showed signs of systematic lateral floodplain reworking during the Late Holocene with only minor aggradation, although parts of the catchment are covered by easily erodible loess. Interestingly, vertical aggradation did not show a significant increase during the last millennium. In the main study area, this limited vertical aggradation resulted in the preservation of palaeomeander fragments and palaeochannel belts with 100–200 m mean width in the 300–600 m wide floodplain, which are recognisable in the topography and in subsurface GPR imaging. This channel meandering took place between around 4 and 1.2 ka, and the transition towards the laterally stable modern channel with low sinuosity occurred around 1.2 ka. This timing indicates a climatic rather than anthropogenic impact, which was rather weak around that time. One likely cause for this transition was the influx of material from ravines incised into the sandstone valley edges during past climatic extremes. Subsequently, the re‐establishment of a meandering pattern was possibly prevented by a combination of low fluvial activity and the construction of weirs that reduced stream power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioarchaeological research of bone growth patterns provides information on the health status and disease of past populations. Recent studies have pointed out the potential of metric analysis of nonadult vertebrae as indicators of stress during different stages of ontogeny, highlighting that most vertebral measurements present low sexual dimorphism, a stable and known pattern of growth and give useful information even in incomplete spines. The aims of this paper are first, to construct a vertebral growth profile for nonadults of a skeletal series of Patagonian Late Holocene hunter‐gatherers from Salitroso Lake (SAC); second, to compare it to the ones obtained in other archaeological and modern populations with different stress experiences; and third, building on this, to assess whether individuals with evidence of stress experienced in early development demonstrate different patterns in vertebral growth than those without. Two spinal dimensions are used: vertebral body height (VBH) and transverse diameter of the neural canal (TDNC) in a sample of 23 nonadult skeletons with ages previously estimated from dental and bone indicators. The vertebral dimensions of 20 adults between 18 and 35 years of age were also measured as reference information. Results show that the growth of the VBH is steady over the years and reaches adulthood size by approximately 16 years of age whereas TDNC dimensions do not experience marked fluctuations in size throughout life and adult dimensions are reached at approximately 4 years of age as expected. The vertebral growth pattern observed in SAC is similar to that obtained in other archaeological samples from very different settings but experiencing relatively high nutritional or pathological stress in early stages of life. However, it is markedly different, and systematically smaller, to the 20th century sample pattern, probably responding to a secular trend in the modern population with a more stable access to resources and medical treatment. Finally, SAC individuals with systemic stress markers do not tend to exhibit smaller vertebral dimensions than those without them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patagonian shrub and ecotonal communities were sensitive to past environmental changes and thus may also be affected by future ones. Therefore, their paleoecological study constitutes a valuable tool to understand the way in which these plant communities respond to the forcings responsible for environmental variability. The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the vegetation dynamics of the Pueyrredón Lake area (47°25′55′′ S; 72°0.7′7′′ W) for the last 3000 cal yr BP and to contextualize these changes in a regional paleoclimatic framework. The results indicate that at the beginning of the 2900 cal yr BP, the vegetation in the northwest of Santa Cruz, Argentinian Patagonia, was represented by a grass-shrub steppe associated with forest–shrub steppe ecotonal elements. This information correlates with the larger-scale environmental inferences described for the period, which indicate an increase in moisture availability due to the weakening of the westerly winds. A marked change to arid conditions is indicated in the last 1050 cal yr BP, with the establishment and development of different shrub steppe communities and the lack of ecotonal elements. Although vegetation was sensitive to changes in moisture conditions related to the variability of the westerly winds, there is evidence of differences in the composition of shrub vegetation regarding the sequences analyzed. Variations in pollen proportions of the shrub steppes in the Pueyrredón Lake area suggest that changes in vegetation are not only due to climate variability but also local factors in the areas where shrub communities grow. The integration of the information with other Patagonian sequences allowed to frame these changes in a regional context. The results obtained provide useful information to understand the way vegetation changed in the past and the manner in which it may respond to future changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific knowledge advances by the discussions on hypotheses, methods, and results, wherein the contradictory plays a positive role developing new theoretical-methodological approaches. In a positive debate to the progress of the science, the agreements and disagreements must only permeate the scientific scope and based on ethics to be away from the conflicts of interest. From this perspective, after knowing the submission titled Comments on Souza et al. (2022) "Recent geomorphological changes in the Paraiba do Sul delta, South America East Coast" to the journal Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment (PPG), which addressed several issues concerning the results published in that article, we wrote this response to clarify the doubts related to the original paper. The comment's authors focus mainly on da Rocha et al. (2019), a locally published article that did not fully encompass the complexity of processes and geomorphological dynamics related to the delta evolution. Furthermore, it did not present the parameters used in the geochronological analyses in accordance with the international literature. Finally, the discussions presented in the original article contribute to advances in knowledge about the responses of the Paraíba do Sul delta to the Little Ice Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to reconstruct the alluvial activity for the Lilas river, the second-largest catchment of Euboea Island (Central Western Aegean Sea), for approximately the last three and a half millennia. The middle reaches (Gides basin) exhibit several historical alluvial terraces that were first recognised in the 1980s but have remained poorly studied, resulting in uncertain chronological control of palaeofluvial activity. In order to reconstruct the past fluvial dynamics of the Lilas river, a ca. 2.5 m thick stratigraphic profile has been investigated for granulometry and magnetic parameters. Absolute dating of the sediments was possible by applying Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The results reveal: (i) two coarse-grained aggradational episodes dated from the Mycenaean/Early Iron Age and the Roman periods, respectively, (ii) a phase of rapid fine-grained vertical accretion corresponding to the Late Byzantine to early Venetian periods, (iii) potential evidence for final alluvial deposition from the Little Ice Age/Ottoman period, and (iv) two major incision episodes inferred from Ancient Greek times and most of the Byzantine period. Based on the published core material, the paper also evaluates the direct impacts of the Late Holocene alluviation recorded mid-stream on the fluvial system situated downstream in the deltaic area. Sediment sourcing is attempted based on the magnetic properties of the catchment lithology and of alluvium collected upstream along the main stream bed. Finally, the present paper discusses the possible links between Late Holocene hydroclimatic oscillations and the aggradational/incision phases revealed in the Gides basin. Correlations are attempted with regional palaeoclimate records obtained for the Aegean. In addition to climatic variability, anthropogenic factors are considered: specific land use for agricultural purposes, in particular during the Mycenaean period, the Roman and the Late Byzantine/Early Venetian periods, might have enhanced sediment deposition. Archaeological information and pollen records were also evaluated to reconstruct regional land-use patterns and possible impacts on soil accumulation over the last 3.5 millennia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lower Usumacinta–Grijalva River Basin contains one of the richest biodiversity landscapes of the Maya region. Our research is based on (1) an integrative literature review of the geomorphological and archaeological papers published about the lower Usumacinta–Grijalva River Basin and (2) topographic analysis of digital elevation models using a geographical information system to explore the relationship between past human settlement and landscape accessibility along the coastal plain of Tabasco. This work provides a new synthesis of previous research and proposes new models for the geomorphic evolution of the lower Usumacinta–Grijalva River Basin in the context of four millennia of human land use and settlement. For the evolution of the strand-plain of the Usumacinta and Grijalva rivers, there are two published geochronological models that provide different chronologies. We discuss here how both geochronological models encompass Pre-Columbian human settlement in the delta. Interestingly, we notice that one of them overlaps a possible high-magnitude flood event (or events) that drove large geomorphic change around 750 CE (1200 BP), with implications for settlement patterns and chronology. Based on topographical analysis of the eastern-distal sector of the Usumacinta–Grijalva delta, we propose a new model for the evolution of this area with implications for the human occupation during the Mesoamerican Terminal Classic and Early Postclassic on the delta. As one of the main conclusions, we propose that the Pom–Atasta water bodies predate much of the Usumacinta–Grijalva delta and the most recent phase of delta building overlays the original lagoon barriers, resulting in a geomorphic setting more attractive to local human occupation after the Terminal Classic period. According to one of the geochronological models of the delta, this dates to ca. 900 CE, preceding the establishment of nearby settlements such as Atasta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the use of natural corridors is critical for characterizing the past use of marginally occupied landscapes at the Andean fringes of western Patagonia by the hunter-gatherer groups who inhabited this region. In this paper, we combine least-cost path models and archaeological surveys and excavations to determine the possible movements along the southern margin of General Carrera Lake. The methodology includes defining uncertainties that allow for modeling a set of equiprobable routes, thereby avoiding problems with errors and biases from predictors, such as slope, land-use cover, and seasonality. The results identify mobility corridor bottlenecks, i.e., geographical areas with a high probability of travel routes with equiprobable routes that converge. In addition, we identify areas where travel routes are likely to diverge into multiple semi-parallel routes. The study of archaeological sites provides stratigraphic data to control for the chronology and characteristics of mobility along this transect. The correlation between archaeological sites and paths, specifically for the control and winter scenarios, shows the quality of these route predictions. These results indicate the repeated use of internodal spaces that were effectively incorporated into mobility during the last three millennia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alluvial sedimentary records in the North China Plain are essential in expanding flood history and understanding hazard patterns in the Yellow River basin where inundation risk exists and would probably increase under future global change. A detailed study of the Longwangmiao profile in the lower Yellow River floodplain reveals ancient flooding records over the late Holocene. Slackwater deposits are distinguished by typical sedimentary features and share similarities with those in the upper and middle Yellow River. This indicates that the traditional method can still be applied for paleoflood research beyond the gorge. However, unlike confined bedrock gorges, multiphase flood deposits of slackwater and overbank deposits represent different stages of flood events. These sedimentary assemblages recorded six flooding periods, further confirmed by the analysis of grain size and geochemistry. The profile was broadly subdivided into two flood-poor phases (3.7–6.7 ka, 0.8–1.7 ka) and three flood-rich phases (before 6.7 ka, 1.7–3.7 ka, after 0.8 ka) based on the dating results. Compared with the existing related research in the nearby area, the synchronous deposition cycles of floods and inter-floods are mainly controlled by the hydrodynamic conditions of the old Yellow River course. This study provides an analogue of paleoflood research in the lower Yellow River and similar alluvial plains. It explores the potential of interlinking paleoflood records in the whole Yellow River basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redevelopment of a property in Elands Bay village reuealed the buried contextuaremains of previously unknown shell middens. Although subsequent archaeological excauations recovered only ci small sample, the ca 3000 cal BP assemblage adds nteailingfully to the local cultural sequence. The shallow depth of the shell-supported lenses suggests single occupation events. A modest but noticeable aniount of terrestrial witt marine vertebrate remains of small prey was recovered, along with a few cultural artefacts. Much of the excavated volumes comprise marine shell, amoug which large-sized black mussels (Choromytilus settlemeridionalis) are domintint. A limited number of limpets anti afeze Cape rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) mandibles also form part of tile marine invertebrate assemblage. The choice of settlement close to the shoreline and a focus on black mussels reflect some of the hallmarks of sites dated to the beginning of the megamidden period. Beyond the interpretation of its contents, this rescued material increases the evidence of occupation behind the northern shore Of Elands Bay and indicates that similar sites may lie buried beneath both the village and the adjacent ditnes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first petrographic study of pottery made by hunter–gatherer societies that inhabited the eastern Pampa–Patagonia transition regions (Buenos Aires province, Argentina), between c.1900 and 400 radiocarbon‐years bp. The data show that the potters maintained technical choices during this period as part of a technological tradition. With this common knowledge, local fabric recipes coexisted linked to the regularity of the use of raw materials in accordance with the geology of the research area. Furthermore, the finding of archaeological clay doughs would indicate the in situ production of vessels in the residential contexts of these pre‐Hispanic populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate changes over the past two millennia in the central part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence are documented in this paper with the aim of determining and understanding the natural climate variability and the impact of anthropogenic forcing at a regional scale. The palynological content (dinocysts, pollen, and spores) of the composite marine sediment core MSM46-03 collected in the Laurentian Channel was used to reconstruct oceanographic and climatic changes with a multidecadal temporal resolution. Sea-surface conditions, including summer salinity and temperature, sea-ice cover, and primary productivity, were reconstructed from dinocyst assemblages. Results revealed a remarkable cooling trend of about 4°C after 1230 cal yr BP (720 CE) and a culmination with a cold pulse dated to 170-40 cal yr BP (1780-1910 CE), which likely corresponds to the regional signal of the Little Ice Age. This cold interval was followed by a rapid warming of about 3°C. In the pollen assemblages, the decrease of Pinus abundance over the past 1700 yr suggests changes in wind regimes, likely resulting from increased southerly incursions of cold and dry Arctic air masses into southeastern Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents excavation results from a midden site on the central Queensland coast at Wunjunga, dating to 1,500 BP, and examines the implications for Late Holocene coastal occupation and open site preservation. We propose that although there is clear evidence for environmental factors such as cyclonic events having heavily impacted open midden sites in the region in the Late Holocene, the apparent proliferation of post-500 BP sites in this part of the central coast is not solely a signature of a post-cyclonic landscape but may also be linked to broader socio-cultural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The La Guillerma archaeological locality is located in the northeast sector of Buenos Aires province (Argentina). Two of its sites (LG1 and LG5), dated between ca. 1400- and 600-years BP, have a great amount of faunal remains including deer, rodents, fish and small birds that are subjected to taphonomic agents and processes (e.g., weathering, manganese, roots). Previous studies have shown osteophagic behaviour in different insects (e.g., Coleoptera, Blattodea). In this paper, we evaluate their incidence on La Guillerma faunal assemblage. We performed an analysis on marks that were identified in bone remains of various taxa and applied the criteria for identifying bone alteration by insects (i.e., by measuring each trace and comparing them with the types of insect marks described in the literature). Fifteen specimens (LG1 = 6 and LG5 = 9) exhibited different types of modifications (e.g., pits with striae in base, pits with emanating striae, striations) that are related to the action of insects. Although the proportion of affected bones is low in relation to the total sample, we highlight our study as the first detailed analysis of insect marks on archaeological bones from Argentina. We also emphasize the significance of addressing insect-produced modifications on Argentinean archaeological sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir 14C age offsets track past changes in atmospheric carbon content, air–water gas exchange, and freshwater circulation in water bodies. Determination of a freshwater reservoir correction (FWRC) is a crucial step in age-model development to provide accurate climate-proxy records. We employ published, recent water column 14C measurements from Lake Superior, and reassess unpublished and published 14C measurements of live-collected, pre-bomb bivalve shells dated from lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, to provide the most comprehensive, consistent snapshot of the mid twentieth century (pre-bomb) FWRC for the Laurentian Great Lakes assembled to date. We also use mollusk/ostracod and wood shell ages from the bottom 60 cm of a 1218 cm core from Lake Erie's eastern basin to estimate a late Holocene FWRC. The FWRC for all live-collected samples were recalculated in a consistent-manner using the IntCal20 atmospheric 14C curve. The revised corrections provide modest revisions (± 10%) of published values. The revised FWRC values document a generally increasing trend along the circulation pathway from Lake Superior to Michigan, Huron, and Erie with average FWRC in 14C years of 206 ± 55 for Lake Superior, 247 ± 81 for Lake Michigan, 365 ± 41 in Green Bay, 340 ± 72 for northern Lake Huron, 321 ± 71 in Georgian Bay, to 443 ± 62 in southern Lake Huron. For Lake Erie, the average FWRC for the western basin is 455 ± 52 14C years, for the central basin 676 ± 52 14C years, and 748 ± 76 14C years for the eastern basin. In Lake Ontario, the average FWRC for the western part of the lake is 540 ± 55 14C years, smaller than the value observed for Lake Erie. The late Holocene FWRC for eastern Lake Erie is estimated between 440 ± 124 14C years and 306 ± 124 14C years, which is smaller than the pre-bomb value. This study provides a conceptual framework and statistical model to explain the observed pattern of FWRC in the Great Lakes. Higher FWRC values are encountered in basins surrounded by more carbonate bedrock and higher inflow rates, mostly from upstream lakes. On a basin-wide scale, there is a statistically significant positive linear relation for the observed FWRC, which depends on the fractional area of carbonate bedrock within each Great Lake watershed and the inflow rate to each basin, accounting for essentially all the variance in the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archaeology in Oceania is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Intersecciones en Antropología is the property of Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

High‐quality records of hydroclimate variability in central Mexico during the last 2000 years are necessary to better understand human–environment interactions in Mesoamerica. Of particular interest are the climatic conditions during the Epiclassic period (ad 600–900), as droughts have been associated with a cultural demise occurring around ad 900–1000. We reconstruct the hydroclimate history of the last 2000 years based on a sediment record from a drought‐sensitive lake located near one of the most important Epiclassic city‐states in Mesoamerica. Titanium concentrations, pollen and diatoms give a consistent environmental signal of five droughts occurring at about: (i) ad 50–250, (ii) ad 700–950, (iii) ad 1200–1300, (iv) ad 1450–1550 and (v) ad 1760–1820. Some droughts were associated with cooler climatic conditions, and all of them framed major historical events. Our results show that the great cultural development of the Epiclassic period (ad 600–900) was framed by a scenario of drought conditions followed by abandonment at ad 900–1000. A brief return to moister conditions is recorded before another drought during the time of the fall of the city‐state of Tula (1200). European contact (1521) and the War of Independence (1810–20) also occurred during times of drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Holocene fossil pollen records from the Zemu glacier, located in Yabuk, North Sikkim, in the eastern Himalayas, effectively generated quantitative climate reconstructions based on the transfer function model. The transfer function model was developed by establishing a modern pollen–climate calibration set from the temperate alpine belt of North Sikkim. A redundancy analysis was carried out to detect the pattern of variation of climatic variables in the modern pollen datasets. The mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean temperature of the warming month (MTWA) had the strongest influence on the composition of the modern pollen samples among the climatic variables considered in the analysis. Proxy data in the form of fossil pollen records were analyzed for reconstructing past climate based upon the relationships between modern pollen vegetation assemblages and climatic patterns. Transfer functions for MAP and MTWA were developed with the partial least squares (PLS) approach, and model performance was assessed using leave-one-out cross-validation. The validated model was used to reconstruct MAP and MTWA for the last 2992 cal years BP (1042 BC) in North Sikkim. The variability observed in the reconstructions was analyzed for past global climatic events. It was further compared with the available regional and hemispheric proxy-based climate reconstructions. The reconstructions captured comparable Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA)-like events from the Zemu glacier region. The fossil pollen data and climate reconstructions were further compared with the mineral magnetism data of the subsurface sediment profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Holocene fossil pollen records from the Zemu glacier, located in Yabuk, North Sikkim, in the eastern Himalayas, effectively generated quantitative climate reconstructions based on the transfer function model. The transfer function model was developed by establishing a modern pollen–climate calibration set from the temperate alpine belt of North Sikkim. A redundancy analysis was carried out to detect the pattern of variation of climatic variables in the modern pollen datasets. The mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean temperature of the warming month (MTWA) had the strongest influence on the composition of the modern pollen samples among the climatic variables considered in the analysis. Proxy data in the form of fossil pollen records were analyzed for reconstructing past climate based upon the relationships between modern pollen vegetation assemblages and climatic patterns. Transfer functions for MAP and MTWA were developed with the partial least squares (PLS) approach, and model performance was assessed using leave-one-out cross-validation. The validated model was used to reconstruct MAP and MTWA for the last 2992 cal years BP (1042 BC) in North Sikkim. The variability observed in the reconstructions was analyzed for past global climatic events. It was further compared with the available regional and hemispheric proxy-based climate reconstructions. The reconstructions captured comparable Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA)-like events from the Zemu glacier region. The fossil pollen data and climate reconstructions were further compared with the mineral magnetism data of the subsurface sediment profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The loess-paleosol proxy records from mid-latitude Asia have been instrumental in the reconstruction of regional paleoclimate evolution and its relationship with global climatic changes. The present study explores the discrete occurrence of a loess and paleosol sequence (LPS) in the Southern Zanskar Range (SZR), NW Himalaya. Stratigraphic variations in sediment texture, supplemented with geochemical, organic and magnetic proxies, indicate two broad phases of loess accretion (L-1) and paleosol formation (PS-1). The older phase of loess accretion (L-1) is dated between 2.5 ± 0.3 ka and >2.0 ka, whereas the L-2, which fully transformed into the modern soil (MS) probably deposited during the Little Ice Age (LIA) phase. The textural attributes (high sand content) of loess indicate source proximal deposition, whereas the geochemical and magnetic proxies point towards the pre-depositional weathering (in the source area). The PS-1 dated to 2189 ± 296 cal yr BP indicates improved moisture conditions, whereas the MS is assigned to post LIA warm phase. These findings provide an important step towards better understanding the sensitivity of loess accretion and paleosol formation in the SZR linked to late Holocene climate variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first millennium AD encompasses the Roman period (12 BC to AD 450) and the Early Middle Ages (AD 450 to 1050). In the Netherlands, this millennium saw population growth, steep decline and subsequent revival. In addition, many changes occurred in the physical landscape, marking a transition from a mainly natural prehistorical lowland landscape to an increasingly human-affected landscape. This paper synthesises the main landscape changes and human–landscape interactions in the Netherlands during this dynamic period. The degree of landscape change is compared between the coastal plain, the delta and the Pleistocene sand area. Human activities caused major often unintended geomorphological changes in all studied landscapes. Landscape sensitivity to human impact, however, strongly varied as a function of preceding landscape state. The most prominent changes took place in many parts of the coastal plain, where back-barrier peatlands transformed into open tidal basins. Presence of compaction-prone peat and intensified artificial drainage led to subsidence. This precondition and slow anthropogenic forcing combined, made the area more sensitive to stochastically occurring storms, which could serve as tipping points for large-scale drowning. Eventually, major peatlands turned into tidal areas that for many centuries would remain unsuitable for habitation. Human-induced peatland subsidence also led to the formation of the new Hollandse IJssel and Lek river branches. This marked a major reorganisation of the river network in the lower Rhine–Meuse delta. In the middle and upstream parts of the delta, the landscape was more stable. Yet, settlements on the natural levees show adaption to increasing flooding frequency from the Late Roman period onwards. The settlements shifted towards higher positions, while route networks between them largely remained intact. Smaller-scale landscape changes were found in the Pleistocene sand area. Here, local sand drifting occurred, most frequently occurring close to human movement corridors. Drift sand intensity became larger as population density increased after c.AD 900. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first millennium AD encompasses the Roman period (12 BC to AD 450) and the Early Middle Ages (AD 450 to 1050). In the Netherlands, this millennium saw population growth, steep decline and subsequent revival. In addition, many changes occurred in the physical landscape, marking a transition from a mainly natural prehistorical lowland landscape to an increasingly human-affected landscape. This paper synthesises the main landscape changes and human–landscape interactions in the Netherlands during this dynamic period. The degree of landscape change is compared between the coastal plain, the delta and the Pleistocene sand area. Human activities caused major often unintended geomorphological changes in all studied landscapes. Landscape sensitivity to human impact, however, strongly varied as a function of preceding landscape state. The most prominent changes took place in many parts of the coastal plain, where back-barrier peatlands transformed into open tidal basins. Presence of compaction-prone peat and intensified artificial drainage led to subsidence. This precondition and slow anthropogenic forcing combined, made the area more sensitive to stochastically occurring storms, which could serve as tipping points for large-scale drowning. Eventually, major peatlands turned into tidal areas that for many centuries would remain unsuitable for habitation. Human-induced peatland subsidence also led to the formation of the new Hollandse IJssel and Lek river branches. This marked a major reorganisation of the river network in the lower Rhine–Meuse delta. In the middle and upstream parts of the delta, the landscape was more stable. Yet, settlements on the natural levees show adaption to increasing flooding frequency from the Late Roman period onwards. The settlements shifted towards higher positions, while route networks between them largely remained intact. Smaller-scale landscape changes were found in the Pleistocene sand area. Here, local sand drifting occurred, most frequently occurring close to human movement corridors. Drift sand intensity became larger as population density increased after c.AD 900. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rocky Mountain National Park contains a dense record of prehistoric Native American archaeological locales and biological resources, but questions remain about the past use of the Park's ice patches by ancient humans and animals. Our survey of 30 locations in the Park revealed that the majority of ice patches are small in size and contain lim ited evidence of past visitation by mobile peoples, but moderate use by game. In this paper, we present new radiocarbon dates for materials documented in the recently melted forefield of the ROMO 9 ice patch, a mid-sized ice body located in alpine tundra along the Continental Divide. Dated materials include timber-sized pine trees, keratin and bone collagen from large game (bighorn sheep, elk), and a possible wooden artifact made from Mountain mahogany. Results suggest most finds date to several periods of known neoglaciation, during the mid-Holocene (c. 4150 cal BP) and the Little Ice Age (c. 115 cal BP). Our results corroborate past findings on mid-Holocene timberline in the Colorado Front Range, as well as the paucity of archaeological evidence from small ice patches in Colorado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Documenta Praehistorica is the property of Documenta Praehistorica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A 2,000 year-long oceanographic history, in sub-centennial resolution, from a Canadian Beaufort Sea continental shelf site (60meters water depth) near the Mackenzie River outlet is reconstructed from ostracode and foraminifera faunal assemblages, shell stable isotopes (δ18O, δ13C) and sediment and sediment biogenic silica. The chronology of three sediment cores making up the composite section was established using 137Cs and 210Pb dating for the most recent 150 years and combined with linear interpolation of radiocarbon dates from bivalve shells and foraminifera tests. Continuous centimeter-sampling of the multicore and high-resolution sampling of a gravity and piston core yielded a time-averaged faunal record of every ~40 years from 0 to 1850 CE and every ~24 years from 1850 to 2013 CE. Proxy records were consistent with temperature oscillations and related changes in organic carbon cycling associated with the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age (LIA). Abundance changes in dominant microfossil species, such as the ostracode Paracyprideis pseudopunctillata and agglutinated foraminifers Spiroplectammina biformis and S. earlandi, are used as indicators of less saline, and possibly corrosive/turbid bottom conditions associated with the MCA (~800-1200 CE) and the most recent ~60 years (1950-2013).During these periods, pronounced fluctuations in these species suggest that prolonged seasonal sea-icemelting, changes in riverine inputs and sediment dynamics affected the benthic environment. Taxa analyzed for stable oxygen isotope composition of carbonates show the lowest δ18O values uring intervals within the MCA and the highest during the late LIA, which is consistent with a 1° to 2°C cooling of bottom waters. Faunal and isotopic changes during the cooler LIA(1300-1850 CE) are most apparent at ~1500-1850 CE and are particularly pronounced during 1850 to ~1900 CE, with a ~0.5 per mil increase in δ18O values of carbonates from median values in the analyzed taxa. This very cold 50-year period suggests that enhanced summer sea ice suppressed productivity, which is indicated by low sediment biogenic silica values and lower δ13C values in analyzed species. From 1900CEto present, declines in calcareous faunal assemblages and changes in dominant species (Cassidulina reniforme and P. pseudopunctillata) are associated with less hospitable bottom waters, indicated by a peak in agglutinated foraminifera from 1950-1990 CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a difficult and hot issue in the hydrological studies of arid areas to choose suitable methods to evaluate the recharge of atmospheric precipitation to groundwater and its response to climate change in desert areas. This study reviews the theories and problems of vadose (unsaturated)-zone tracing methods selected by predecessors in hydrological studies and takes the deserts in middle latitudes of northern China as an example to extract decadal, centennial, and millennian information of atmospheric precipitation to groundwater recharge on a regional scale since the late Holocene. The fluctuations of atmospheric precipitation and chronological sequences of desert unsaturated zone were estimated by using the chlorine mass balance (CMB) theory. It indicates that the Badain Jaran Desert in the central Alashan Plateau and the surrounding Gobi deserts have experienced fluctuations of groundwater recharge on a centennial scale during the late Holocene period from about 700 to 2000 years ago. Multiple CMB profile records can identify four periods of relative wetness (1330–1430, 1500–1620, 1700–1780, and 1950–1990) and three periods of relative drought (1430–1500, 1620–1700, and 1900–1950) over the past millennium. These records are consistent with other paleoclimatic records in the northern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and relatively correspond to those in the eastern part of China. This indicates that groundwater recharge in the Alashan Plateau broadly reflects the degree of climatic variability in northwest China over the centennial scale and may be affected by the changes in the intensity of the East Asian summer monsoon. The estimated average recharge rate of precipitation in the Alashan Plateau in the last millennium is about 1.3~2.6 mm/a, which brings new geological evidence for understanding the source of groundwater recharge in the region but is quite different from other environmental records. It should be noted that there are uncertainties in the CMB records of the vadose zone profiles, mainly due to the assumption of atmospheric Cl input in the CMB estimation and the selection of the homogeneous vadose profile (piston flow). This study suggests that this uncertainty and its error should be extensively tested in the future by comparing deterministic data (such as regional reference stations) with large-scale random atmospheric Cl input backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To complement discussions about vegetation history and climate variations in south Greenland, especially during the Norse settlement, we developed a sedimentological multiproxy approach to study a 4300-year-old lacustrine core comprising pollen analysis, NPPs analysis, physical measurements (magnetic susceptibility, density, and grain size), and geochemical analyses (X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analyses). Sediment archives were retrieved from a river-fed lake, Lake Qallimiut, located in the outer fjords of the Vatnahverfi area. The pollen analysis indicated a transition from juniper and willow cover to a dwarf birch forest. Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) suggested grazing pressure and the presence of wild herbivores between 2300 and 1800 cal. BC. From ca. 1000 cal. AD, the presence of Norse farmers was evidenced in this area by archaeological surveys, and pollen analyses confirm the presence of human activities from the 11th century to the end of the 13th century. However, human impact progressively vanished between the 12th and 13th centuries, much earlier than at the other Vatnahverfi sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Packages of fluvial systems in the Lower Ganga plains (LGP) archive the changes in stratigraphic architecture induced by perturbations in the climatic system. In some parts of this landscape, where the fluvial sequences predominate, the role of climate in landsculpting is strongly indicated by the presence of sediment architecture. The present study is focused on the formation of alluvial plains of the Ajay River in the Rarh region that represent a region's environmental templates for understanding the landscape of LGP. The sedimentological, geomorphological, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronological investigations were attempted to document sedimentation patterns and the timing of deposition. The stratigraphic data from two exposed cliff sections and three boreholes are compared with proxy records to understand the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) controls on alluvial sedimentation for the last ~2.4 ka. The fluvial packages in the study area correspond to two significant channel phases: Period‐I (2.4–1.3 ka) and Period‐II (800–200 years ago). Period‐I is characterized by the episodes of floodplain development and lateral migration of the trunk river during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) I, especially around 2 ka corresponding to the Roman Warm (RW) period in the Indian subcontinent. The sediment filling was high during ~2.4 ka due to ISM intensification, but in the later stage, the sedimentation was at a fairly steady rate. Conversely, Period‐II is characterized by flooding phenomena and aggradation of channel bodies across much of the present valley area during the last 800 years. The distinct flood events occurred during the times of significant shifts in ISM, from fluvial dormancy to sudden outbursts of monsoons (end of Little Ice Age [LIA] ~ 19th century), indicating that climatic patterns can be associated with the occurrences of abrupt flood events. The alluvial records fit well with the historical, instrumental, and published proxy data on the ISM validating the chronology and the potential of sedimentary archives for further studies related to the palaeoenvironment and palaeogeography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-proxy study of sediment cores from Lake Isoba (43° 02′ N, 5° 18′ W; 1400 m a.s.l.) allows a detailed assessment of the past hydrological and environmental dynamics in north-western Iberia resulting from the interplay between climate variability and anthropogenic impact. The combination of diatom stratigraphy, sedimentology and high-resolution elemental geochemistry along with a robust chronological framework (established by 210Pb, 137Cs and 14C dating) provides a detailed environmental reconstruction for the past ~ 500 years. Abrupt changes in the fossil diatom assemblages indicate a high sensitivity of this small lake to past environmental change and allow identifying four major stages related to the main climate fluctuations of the Little Ice Age (LIA) and recent warming. High lake levels, enhanced runoff and higher productivity characterised the middle phase of the LIA (~ 1550 to 1630 CE), indicating an overall wet climate. Conversely, shallow lake levels, decreased runoff and relatively low productivity prevailed during the last phase of the LIA and the onset of the Industrial Era (~ 1630 to 1925 CE), likely due to colder and drier conditions. High lake levels and higher carbonate input occurred after ~ 1925 CE until the 1980s CE, when our data show an abrupt drop in lake levels probably caused by a regional negative rainfall anomaly related to climate warming during the past decades. Finally, since ~ 1997 CE a remarkable and abrupt increase in the lake nutrient load and turbidity is detected, probably associated with the replacement of transhumant sheep flocks with staying cattle. The main environmental changes reconstructed at Lake Isoba mostly agree with other palaeoclimatic records from northern Spain. However, the hydrological patterns reconstructed are opposed to those observed on the northern slopes of the Cantabrian Mountains. The recent and strong impact of land-use changes on the lake, causing more ecological disruptions than previous climate changes, is noteworthy and demonstrates the high sensitivity of mountain lakes to human activities in a global change context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) is a preindustrial phase of pronounced natural climate variability with a core period from 1000 to 1200 CE. The paper presents a synthesis that integrates palaeotemperature records from the Greater Mediterranean Region encompassing the past 1,500 years based on multiproxy data from 79 published land and marine sites. MCA warming dominated the Western Mediterranean (Iberia, NW Africa) as well as the northern land areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean region. MCA cooling prevailed in the Canary Current Upwelling System, southern Levant, and some sea areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. Previous palaeoreconstructions suggest persistent positive Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO+) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO+) conditions during the MCA, while the Little Ice Age was dominated by an AMO− and NAO− regime. During the past 150 years, AMO+ conditions are typically associated with warming episodes in the Mediterranean area. A similar relationship appears to have also been established during the MCA as the majority of all Mediterranean land sites experienced warm climate conditions. In contrast, the NAO typically leads to a characteristic west‐east temperature dipole pattern in the basin, as documented for the last decades. During NAO+ conditions the Western Mediterranean is generally warm (and dry), while large parts of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean are cold. Similar trends seem to have been developed during the MCA when the NAO+ regime led to consistent warming in the Western Mediterranean, while a significant number of sites with MCA cooling existed in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. Plain Language Summary: Mediterranean climate has been warming significantly over the past 100 years with anthropogenic climate change having become a key issue. In order to better understand modern climatic change, developments need to be placed into a longer‐term preindustrial context to compare with times when human CO2 emissions did not yet play a major role for climate. This paper integrates data on Medieval temperature trends from 79 published Mediterranean land and marine sites. Our synthesis shows that the Western Mediterranean (Iberia, Northwest Africa) as well as the northern land areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean region have experienced a warm phase 1000–1200 CE, corresponding to the so‐called "Medieval Climate Anomaly." Contemporaneous cooling occurred in other parts of the Greater Mediterranean region, namely, in the southern Levant, some sea areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean, and the Canary Current Upwelling System. The regional differences in Medieval Mediterranean temperature trends show a pattern, which partly resembles modern multidecadal temperature variability in the area. The main drivers of these patterns appear to be Atlantic ocean cycles (AMO, NAO), which episodically shift between positive and negative phases and lead to characteristic temperature effects in the region. Key Points: The Western Mediterranean and northern land areas of the Central and Eastern Mediterranean region were warming during Medieval timesMedieval cooling prevailed in Canary Current Upwelling System, south Levant and some sea areas of the Central and Eastern MediterraneanPositive phases of the AMO and NAO ocean cycles appear to have led to temperature patterns in Medieval times similar to those of today [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lagoon environments were places recurrently visited and inhabited by hunter-gatherer groups throughout different areas of North Patagonia. These places were very important in the life of these mobile groups; they were part of their itineraries and they regularly returned to their shores. The Somuncurá plateau's lagoons (Rio Negro province, Argentina) represent one of these spaces, where, in addition to a vital resource such as water, it can be found a greater variety and biological abundance, facilitating a certain shelter during mobility. The Laguna Azul site is one of these places, where the hunting blinds (known as "parapetos") are the most outstanding anthropic modification of the landscape. In this paper, we present the results obtained from the lithic material recovered from one of these structures, which is the most abundant material in the record. The knowledge about the specific uses of these stone tools, obtained through the functional analysis, is deepened to determine trends in the manufacturing process and designs chosen. The studies developed in this paper will expand the understanding about the technological decisions implemented by the hunter-gatherers that inhabited the Somuncurá plateau during the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ameghiniana is the property of Argentine Paleontological Association / Asociacion Paleontologica Argentina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The generation of reliable age models for palaeoenvironmental and archaeological records in the Eurasian Arctic is often problematic when using conventional dating techniques. Tephrochronology can potentially improve the chronologies of such records and synchronise disparate sedimentary archives. However, to date, systematic tephra studies are lacking for this region. This paper presents the first cryptotephra data from the White Sea region (northwestern Russia) based on a peat core spanning the past ~1800 years. We identify seven geochemical glass populations that derive from six Icelandic volcanoes and correlate four of them to north European tephra isochrons; these include Askja ad 1875, the basaltic component of the ad 877 Landnám tephra, and tephras BTD‐15 (c. ad 1750–1650) and SL‐2/SB‐2 (ad 803–767) from unknown eruptions of Katla and Snæfellsjökull, respectively. The remaining three populations originate from Grímsvötn, Hekla and Katla; however, their attribution to individual eruptions remains ambiguous. These findings highlight the potential to extend the Late Holocene tephrochronological framework of northern Europe to the west Eurasian Arctic. The detection of at least three basaltic tephras in the core suggests that basaltic shards can be transported over larger distances than previously known and that peatlands are well suited to preserve such components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a dataset collected and constructed as part of a PhD research project in Environmental Sciences. Applying a multidisciplinary approach that combines archaeological and geomorphological data, this project aimed to reconstruct the Late Holocene landscape evolution in the Central Po Plain (Italy). The dataset was collected digitising the information retrieved from various sources such as scientific literature, regional databases and terrain surveys. In particular, the geoarchaeological data consist of a record of 761 archaeological sites and a soil map reporting the different sediment types of the area. Natural and anthropogenic landscape features developed by human-environmental interplay are organised in paleochannels, watercourses and channelisation. This dataset represents one of the first open-access data collection available in Italy and can be reused by any researchers working in fluvial landscape studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In studies of socioeconomic change along the late Holocene Northwest Coast (NWC), a model based on the link between more intensive use of abundant salmon and development of 'complex' socioeconomic traits has been frequently cited. Both characteristics have been documented in many Marpole period sites. Recent research has however cast doubt on this model, finding little evidence of either intensification or of widespread abundance of salmon relative to other fish in NWC sites, including Marpole period sites. Here we present new data on Maplebank, a large, stratified archaeological site on Vancouver Island. Our data indicate that Maplebank has surprisingly high proportions of salmon to other fish compared to other NWC sites, but little evidence of Marpole-like traits; clearly, Maplebank is not a good fit with the salmon intensification and socioeconomic complexity model. A more organic perspective taken in this paper demonstrates that over time, Maplebank's population and economy were primarily affected by localized geographic and climate changes. Our approach demonstrates that Maplebank—and likely Marpole sites—are best understood within the context of changing local geography, ecology and history over time, rather than through the lens of sociocultural complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multiproxy analysis—geomorphology, organic matter, and carbonate content, diatoms, pollen, and magnetic properties of sediments—of the Barrancas Pueblo profile, located in Barrancas, Jujuy, Argentina (S 23°18′08,7; W 66°05′15,2; 3666 m.a.s.l.) to explore local environmental change over the last few millennia. This study is part of a broader investigation of the environmental conditions that facilitated and/or triggered the development of a mixed herding and hunting economic strategy during the late Holocene. The results suggest ongoing local moisture availability for most of the late Holocene; between 2400 and 1500 BP there was a stable, low energy environment that supported a vegetated floodplain, resulting in high availability of pasture and water. However, throughout most of the studied period, there were punctual arid episodes and erosion of the river catchment. High environmental variability post‐3000 cal BP could have put a premium on strategies to reduce the risk associated with resource unpredictability, such as economic specialization and intensification and storage practices designed to control and mitigate resource variability. This process could have ultimately lead to the consolidation of the Andean pastoralist way of life ca. 3000–2500 BP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alluvial plains represent preferable areas for human settling for their suitability to agriculture activities, and many studies strengthen the interpretation of floodplains as complex human–water systems. The Late Holocene development of the Central Po Plain has a long-lasting connection with anthropogenic activities. In the study area, human land and water management, in association with different Late Holocene climate phases, deeply affected the geomorphological evolution of the Central Po Plain. The geomorphological and archaeomorphological features detected in this study represent valuable datasets of information about the evolution of this portion of the Po Plain in the Late Holocene. This paper aims to quantify the potential of archaeological and historical data in contextualising the anthropogenic geomorphological features and reconstructing how man affected the natural geomorphological processes. Through a multi-disciplinary approach that combines archaeomorphological and geomorphological investigations, we identify visible and invisible landforms developed in four different historical periods, and that corresponds to potential "geoarchaeomorphosites". In the study area, the modern landscape consists of a cultural palimpsest of four different palaeolandscape layers characterised by peculiar landforms. After an in-depth analysis of present and past geomorphic features deriving from the reciprocal interaction between human and floodplain dynamics since Prehistory, this study suggests geoconservation and valorisation practices. Finally, starting from potential geoarchaeomorphosites, four geo-educational itineraries are proposed to promote future geotourism projects of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increased permafrost temperatures have been reported in the circum-Arctic, and widespread degradation of permafrost peatlands has occurred in recent decades. The timing of permafrost aggradation in these ecosystems could have implications for the soil carbon lability upon thawing, and an increased understanding of the permafrost history is therefore needed to better project future carbon feedbacks. In this study, we have conducted high-resolution plant macrofossil and geochemical analyses and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of active layer cores from four permafrost peatlands in northern Sweden and Norway. In the mid-Holocene, all four sites were wet fens, and at least three of them remained permafrost-free until a shift in vegetation toward bog species was recorded around 800 to 400 cal. BP, suggesting permafrost aggradation during the Little Ice Age. At one site, Karlebotn, the plant macrofossil record also indicated a period of dry bog conditions between 3300 and 2900 cal. BP, followed by a rapid shift toward species growing in waterlogged fens or open pools, suggesting that permafrost possibly was present around 3000 cal. BP but thawed and was replaced by thermokarst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past vegetation and environmental changes and the role of climate as well as human activities are of major interest. The Hyrcanian region with a high number of endemic species has a poorly known paleoenvironmental history, especially the western region of northern Iran. This study aims to investigate a radiocarbon-dated sediment core of the Kholasht-Kouh Lake (KHL) for the recorded between ca. 510 and 1180 cal yr BP. KHL is located at 2000 m elevation and surrounded with steppe vegetation above the present-day forest line. Multi-proxy analyses including pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal, loss on ignition, and X-ray fluorescence were applied to reconstruct past environmental dynamics. The results indicate the dominance of herbaceous vegetation (mainly Poaceae, Artemisia, and Amaranthaceae) around the lake during the whole record, except for the period between 1010 and 740 cal yr BP. During this period of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (1000–700 cal yr BP) mixed forest increased, consisting mainly of Quercus, Fagus, Carpinus, and Juniperus. The K, Ti and Si elements (as indicators for increased in detrital inputs) suggest relatively humid condition between 1180 and 1010 cal yr BP. Furthermore, higher lake levels may indicate from low values of the Mn/Ti, Ca/Ti and Sr/Ti ratios. After 1010 until 740 cal yr BP the highest value of the Si/Fe ratio, suggested warmest period of the record. While the lowest value of the Si/Fe ratio, in line with the reduction of other elements and ratios, between 740 till 510 cal yr BP represented cold and dry period. Humans were present around the study area at least since beginning of the record, but did not played an important role impacting the vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detrital sediments of the Sea of Galilee are predominantly pedogenic products of settled dust and local bedrocks transported from Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights. Using the mineralogy, chemistry, and Nd and Sr isotope ratios of the core LK12-22 collected offshore of the Ginosar valley and of contemporaneous soils from the Nahal Tzalmon and Nahal Amud catchments, we reconstructed Late Holocene regional hydroclimate. The core samples span εNd isotope values of -6 to -2 and 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.7075 to 0.7077 between the isotope fields of the Terra rossa soils and basaltic soils. Sediments from the drier Iron Age and Arabic and Ottoman periods are closer in Nd-Sr isotope ratios of the basaltic soils, while those of the wetter Middle to Late Bronze and Roman-Byzantine periods are closer to the Terra rossa soils, reflecting enhanced mobilization of sediments from the Tzalmon catchment where Terra rossa-type soils accumulated. This result corroborates other regional data that indicate semiarid to temperate conditions in the south Levant during most of the Late Holocene. Wetter conditions over the Galilee Mountains and the Ginosar valley catchment during the Roman period could have promoted the flourishing farming-fishing society that heralded the rise of Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze potential Late Holocene metal contamination along a sediment core collected in the distal zone of Ria de Vigo (North Spain). Statistical treatment of the dataset based on a multiproxy approach enabled us to identify and disentangle factors influencing the depositional processes and the preservation of the records of this activity in the area over the last ≈3000 years bp. Some layers of the analyzed core have significant enrichment in Cu and a moderate enrichment in Ag, Mo, As, Sb, S, Zn, Ni, Sn, Cd, Cr, Co, Pb, and Li. The enrichment of these elements in some layers of this core may be related to mining activities that have taken place since classical times in the region. Successive phases of pollution were identified along the core KSGX24 related to the Late Bronze Age (≈3000–2450 years bp), Iron Age (≈2450–1850 years bp), Roman times (≈1850–1550 years bp), Middle Ages (≈1250–500 years bp), and industrial and modern (≈250–0 years bp) anthropic activities. The protection of the Cies Islands, the erosive and transport capacity of the rivers in the region, oscillations of the oceanographic and climatic regime, atmospheric contamination, and diagenetic sedimentary processes might have contributed to the accumulation and preservation of this record in the distal region of the Ria de Vigo. The studied core shows that the industrial and preindustrial anthropic impacts caused an environmental liability and contributed to the presence of moderate to heavy pollution of various metals in surface and subsurface sediment layers in the distal sector of the Ria de Vigo, which could be a hazard to biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding past forest dynamics and human influence is essential for future forest management and ecosystem conservation. This study aims to provide insights into the forest dynamics and agroforestry history in the highlands of Sumatra for the last 1800 years. We carried out palaeoecological multi-proxy analyses of pollen, spores, non-pollen palynomorphs, macro-charcoal, and X-ray fluorescence on a limnic sediment core taken from Danau Kecil in the submontane area of Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia. Our results provide an 1800-year record of forest dynamics under climate change and human influence including the transition from forest opening to shifting cultivation and eventually permanent agroforestry. Indicators for forest openings and secondary forest formation have been present since the beginning of records (AD 200). This is followed by the possible initiation of sugar palm (Arenga) cultivation (AD 400). Since AD 500, potential agroforestry and forest gardening practices have promoted major timber trees such as Lithocarpus/Castanopsis, Bischofia, and Dipterocarpaceae combined with sugar palm (Arenga). Permanent agroforestry systems were possibly established since AD 1760, evinced by an increase in commodity trees such as Dipterocarpaceae for resin production. With the Dutch invasion ca. AD 1900, agroforestry intensified and expanded to the Kerinci Valley. This was followed by land use intensification and potential rice cultivation around Danau Kecil since the 1940s. This study provides the first details on past forest dynamics around Danau Kecil since AD 200, showing among others how appropriate forest management and a closed canopy could reduce fire vulnerability in submontane rainforest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bubiyan Island, presently a vast sabkha and salt flat in the westernmost part of the Shatt Al-Arab delta, originated ca. 4000 cal yr BP as prodelta deposits from a paleochannel of the Euphrates River that flowed into a shallow sea. Southeastern Bubiyan Island first surfaced when spits and barrier islands formed on a 1-2m forebulge caused by heavy sediment load to the northwest; the spits and barriers delineated an incipient shoreline and sheltered a shallow lagoon. Progradation of southeastern Bubiyan Island began when the spits and barriers were gradually stranded as beach ridges during minor sea-level fluctuations and continued marginal uplift. AMS dating of the beach ridges, which are ~1-5 km from the present shoreline, implies that Late Holocene relative sea level fell in three phases: ca. 3700-3400 cal yr BP, ca. 2600-1000 cal yr BP, and ca. 600-500 cal yr BP. Prior to each phase, relative sea level apparently stabilized to near stillstands, allowing spits and barriers to accrete. Torpedo-jar pottery sherds scattered on some of the most prominent beach ridges indicate Sasanian (AD ca. 300-650; 1650-1300 cal yr BP) to early Islamic (AD ca. 650-800; 1300-1150 cal yr BP) periods of human presence, concurrent with the Second phase of beach-ridge formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions and sea-level changes over the last 5500 years. Multi-proxy investigations of sediment types, foraminiferal records, geochemistry parameters and paleotidal elevation changes were conducted on a short sediment core KHAR1 (225 cm long) retrieved from the intertidal area of the Al-Kharrar Lagoon. The sediment age was determined using 14C dating of marine mollusk shells. Results showed that two prominent warming events during AD 750–1500 and 1750–present and a cooling event during AD 1500–1750 were inferred from the variation of benthic foraminiferal composition in core KHAR1. Before 3000 BC interval, the core sediment was deposited under intertidal–subtidal conditions as indicated by the presence of terrestrial sediments (siliciclastic materials), a decrease in subtidal-deep species and a slight drop in the paleotidal elevation about 0.50 cm below the present lowest astronomical tide (LAT). From 3000 to 750 BC, deep-lagoonal species such as S. costigera, T. trigonula, T. serrulata and S. communis dominated this interval and co-occurred with a decrease in coarse sand and an increase in muddy substrates, indicating a prevalence of subtidal environmental conditions during the deposition of this interval. With the beginning of the 1st millennium, symbiotic (epiphytic) species started to increase, reaching the highest abundances between AD 800 and 1500. This increase in symbiotic species during the AD 800–1500 interval coincided with a stepwise increase in sea level and may indicate the prevalence of seagrasses associated with the occurrence of warm water due to climate warming prevailed in/around the lagoon during the deposition of this interval that corresponds to the 'Medieval Warm Period' (MWP). The MWP was followed by cooler (arid) conditions of the Little Ice Age (AD 1500–1750), causing a decrease in the abundance of the epiphytic species S. orbiculus and P. planatus (up to 14%) and a drop in paleotidal elevations. After this, the modern warming conditions prevailed until the present day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present a first assessment of the use of woody vegetation resources for combustion by hunter-gatherer societies in eastern areas of Tierra del Fuego. For this purpose, carbonized wood fragments from the archeological context of the Heshkaia 35 site (Moat Bay, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) were analyzed. Results show a local use of woody material from diverse plant species (Nothofagus pumilio, Nothofagus sp., Drymis winteri, and Maytenus magellanica). A comparison of these results with the data available from other archeological sites of the southern coast of Tierra del Fuego offers a comparative perspective on the management of these resources within the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with landscape and settlement development between ca. 300 BC and AD 600 in a defined area of the northern Czech Republic. Despite favourable natural conditions, human occupation of the area did not begin until the end of the first millennium BC. Natural soil and vegetation development therefore lasted longer than in the traditionally settled lowland areas. Initial settlement activity from the La Tène period caused substantial erosion of deforested luvisols and retisols, well-documented by an accumulation of eroded soil horizons in a local wetland. The erosion process continued for more than 500 years following the end of the La Tène settlement, despite the fact that archaeological research revealed no reliable evidence of occupation prior to the twelfth century AD. Pollen and sedimentary records from the wetland, however, clearly indicate the existence of settlement activity during the "archaeologically invisible" Roman and Migration periods. This case is not unique and underlines the importance of environmental analysis for the detection of settlement history, particularly during periods of poor archaeological visibility or in places that are difficult to research using standard archaeological methods. The change in conditions after the first deforestation and subsequent late prehistoric settlement triggered the degradation of the deforested luvisols and retisols and led to the diversification of the soil cover, which now also includes regosols, gleysols, and truncated luvisols and retisols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]