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This paper presents sedimentological and paleobotanical studies of the deposits from Last Glaciation (Late Nemunas, Late Weichselian) in the middle reaches of the River Nemunas in southern Lithuania. Spores, pollen, and other palynomorphs in the intercalated sediments between the diamicton (glacial till) beds were analyzed, and the paleogeographical and paleoclimatic conditions of their sedimentation were assessed using the modern analog technique (MAT). The two till layers from the Last Glaciation, characterized by significant differences in their composition, testify to a difference in glacier movement paths in the region. The continuous sedimentation process between glacial tills provides evidence of global climate changes during the Last Glaciation and the restructuring of glacial lobes during deglaciation in the southeastern part of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet. The sedimentation process and vegetation composition bear witness to an open landscape of steppe-tundra, scattered wooded areas, and the emergence of thermophilic vegetation afterward, suggesting increased annual temperatures and higher humidity. The available data enable the identification of the Balbieriškis interstage period within the Late Nemunas Glaciation (Upper Nemunas Formation) between the Grūda and Baltija stages (Grūda and Baltija subformations) in the regional Quaternary stratigraphic scheme. This period correlates with the Marine Isotope Stage 2 (MIS 2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variability and dynamics of the Asian monsoon (AM, hereafter indicates both of the summer and winter monsoons.) at orbital and millennial timescales has attracted wide interest. Chinese loess deposits, covering an area of ~500 × 103 km2 and with a thickness of several tens to more than three hundred meters, is an ideal continental archive to reconstruct AM variations during the Quaternary epoch. Over the past thirty years, since the earliest paper published in an international journal that linked the Asian monsoon and Chinese loess deposits, many studies have been undertaken focusing on this research topic. These results have greatly deepened our understanding of the variations of the AM climate and their driving mechanisms during the past ~2.6 Myr. In this paper, we emphasize recent progress on the AM variability and dynamics revealed by Chinese loess records; in particular, we discuss the reliability and precision of the timescale and the monsoon proxy indicators for the loess-paleosol sequences, which are two fundamental aspects for understanding AM behavior. We analyze what we know and discuss what we do not know about the AM. We refine the timescale for the typical loess-paleosol sequence in the central Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), which can be used as a new timescale to study palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental changes in the monsoonal Asia. We conclude that low-latitude insolation changes induced by precession, and global ice volume, temperature at high-latitudes, as well as sea-level changes forced variations of the AM at orbital time scales. High-latitude cooling events and low-latitude hydroclimate process at millennial time scales, such as climate changes associated with Heinrich events and Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles in Northern Atlantic and Greenland, have also modulated AM variability. We suggest that high-latitude forcing of AM variations occurs through ocean and atmospheric circulation linkages, although the roles of atmospheric CO 2 , ocean and vegetation feedbacks need further investigation. In future study, high-resolution independent dating, novel proxy indices and transient numerical simulations are still basic tools to understand the loess deposition and AM variations that require considerably more work. Issues such as reliable spatial comparison and regional linkages of records (dependent on precise and accurate numerical chronologies), and quantitative reconstruction of the AM variations, should be given priority in the study the past climate change in Asia, and low-latitude hydroclimate process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents new data and reviews previously obtained results on the late glacial to Holocene history of peatlands in the southern part of the Baikal region under conditions of regional climate changes. To better understand climate signals, we have combined vegetation and geochemical variation data in 4.6 m thick peat deposits in the Vydrino bog located on the Tankhoi piedmont plain south of Lake Baikal. The territory has been swamped since 13.1 cal ka BP when the peatland started developing as a fen upon a sedimentary substrate. The 13.1–9.5 cal kyr climate record included two events of warming separated by an excursion of dry cold climate. Warming continued till 9.0 cal ka BP and eutrophic peat formation occurred in favorable temperature and moisture conditions. Another warming episode between 9.0 and 8.4 cal ka BP ended up with the Holocene climate optimum while the bog became mesotrophic. About 7.3–6.5 cal ka BP, the temperature and moisture inputs were no longer optimal for fir and spruce forests in the Vydrino area, which led to dramatic changes in landscape and vegetation. The wet and warm climate gradually became drier and colder from 6.5 to 2.3 cal ka BP, with a brief warm excursion about 5.5–5.3 cal ka BP. The peat deposition was interrupted in a cold climate from ∼2.3 cal ka BP to ∼0.7 cal ka BP, and the bog became oligotrophic afterwards. The newly obtained data allowed us to compare the paleoclimatic indicators available for the south Baikal region to determine their compatibility and inconsistency. In addition, we provide a general view to the quality of the climate and environmental reconstructions in the Baikal region by comparison of the data on its peatland study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On shorter time scales, the karst carbon cycle coupled with photosynthesis, is a potential carbon sink. The surface water biological carbon pump (BCP) plays an important role by transforming dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to organic carbon (OC), forming a stable carbon sink through a series of biogeochemical processes on shorter timescales (i.e., years to thousands of years). A comprehensive understanding of the karst carbon sink (KCS) is important in understanding its role in the global carbon budget and carbon neutrality. In this paper, we review the current progress and prospect future research of KCS. The world is facing a quick change in climate and rapid variation in land-use, so the interaction mechanism between the above two and KCS needs to be further understood. Manual intervention to increase KCS also deserves attention. Meanwhile, due to the complexity of the karst system and karst carbon cycle, a comprehensive (water, rock, soil, atmosphere, biology) karst carbon cycle monitoring system needs to be established, integrating different types of carbon sink (e.g., soil, forest, karst) under a research framework. An in-depth understanding of these aspects will help KCS better serve the sustainable development of human society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the first results from the Aguilón P5 (Zaragoza) cave site on the northern slope of the Iberian System (NE Iberia). The fieldwork carried out since 2010 on several archaeological layers containing remnants of human occupations has revealed lithic remains, processed faunal bones and charred plant remains from combustion events. Due to the lithic tool assemblage and radiocarbon dating (>50.0–41.9 kyr BP), the attribution of this human occupation to the Mousterian techno-complex is clear, contemporary with other important Late Mousterian sites in the Ebro Basin (NE Iberia) and Mediterranean region. Preliminary results concerning stratigraphic, chronometric, techno-tipological and palaeoenvironmental data from the last human occupations of the cave (archaeological layers "cnc", "mcp" and "e") are provided in this paper. To contextualize the Neanderthal occupation of the Aguilón P5 cave, a timeline of Middle Paleolithic in the Iberian System is proposed. A total of 45 dates from 19 stratigraphic units (including speleothems) are available from 10 sites. Chronometric dating series allow us to establish the temporary framework of Mousterian industries in the Iberian System coinciding with the abrupt climate changes related to Heinrich Events which characterize MIS 3. In summary, this paper provides new chronometric and archaeological information about Neanderthal settlement and subsistence in an under-investigated region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how significant are the ecological and climatic variables to influence the stable isotopes of guanacos. Lama guanicoe bone collagen carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios are assumed as a macro regional average value in west Argentina, mostly as a baseline to model archaeological human diet. If stable isotopes on mammals reflex ecology and climate, we need to know how those variables influence mammals bone stable isotope ratio. This paper analyses the 13C/12C and 15 N/14N ratio on bone collagen on 122 guanacos from Northwest Patagonia during the Holocene. The results confirm significant variation in both isotopes between Monte and Andean-Patagonian specimens. Guanacos from Monte shows higher δ13C and δ15N than those from Andean-Patagonian. Temporal trends indicate variation through Holocene but this variation is not spatially homogeneous. In this paper we suggest that Medieval Climatic Anomaly had stronger effect in Monte desert than in Patagonia desert, generating driest and/or hottest conditions between 1250 and 600 years BP. Those variations need to be considered to reconstruct human diet at least during the second part of the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lateglacial period is marked by strong changes in environment and climate in Europe, associated to the different steps of the deglaciation. This paper aims to reconstruct the vegetation and climate changes from the deglaciation to the early Holocene (15.2–10.8 ka cal BP) in Western Europe. Pollen investigations are performed at a centennial resolution on a sedimentary core from the Lapsou peat bog (Cantal, France). The chronology is well constrained from three radiocarbon dates and a double tephra layer. The pollen record and quantitative climate reconstructions evidence strong changes associated with the Lateglacial period, in agreement with the regional vegetation and climate dynamics. At the onset of Lateglacial Interstadial (14.5–14.1 ka cal BP), a Juniperus - Betula succession is attributed to the Bølling. Associated climate reconstructions indicate a winter warming of 10 °C and precipitations above 1000 mm. A development of Pinus forests is then evidenced for the Allerød, for which rather constant warm conditions and lower precipitations (drop of 200 mm) are reconstructed. A two-phase pattern characterizes the Younger Dryas (12.6–11.5 ka cal BP): after a first phase with rather constant vegetation and climate conditions compared to the Allerød, a more steppic vegetation developed from 12.2 ka cal BP, indicating a marked cooling and a pronounced aridity (precipitations around 400 mm). Finally, the reconstruction of a cool deciduous forest dominated by Betula and temperate climate conditions defines the early Holocene. A comparison with chironomid-inferred reconstructions of July temperature from the close La Roustière site allows to support pollen-inferred climate quantifications, also showing the interest of applying multi-proxy approach in palaeo-environmental studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sedimentary sequence of La Narce du Béage Basin is one of the few natural archives covering the last 18 ka cal. BP in the French Massif Central. This paper focuses on the palaeoecological reconstruction of environmental and climatic changes affecting this shallow periglacial lake from the Late-Glacial to the Early Holocene. After field surveys and geophysical mapping, two cores (cores A and D) were extracted and dated. Plant macrofossils, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs (NPPs) and diatom assemblages were compared within the cores to study vegetation, temperature, pH, water level and ice cover changes through time. During the Oldest Dryas (18–14.75 ka cal. BP), climatic conditions were the coldest with a short ice-free season allowing the development of periphytic diatoms only (ecologically comparable to Arctic ones). A cold and dry steppe landscape – exposed to severe erosion – comprised an herbaceous and shrub flora (e.g. Artemisia , Chenopodiaceae, Helianthemum, Ephedra, Hippophaë, Juniperus). Animal presence is suggested by coprophilous fungi. Periphytic diatoms and allochtonous pollen (Cedrus) underline windy conditions, and the possible erosion of neo-formed soils. Then, during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial (14.75–12.7 ka cal. BP), the ice-free season increased and some trees/shrubs (Salix, Betula and Juniperus) established locally within open grasslands. During the Younger Dryas (12.7–11.7 ka cal. BP) cooler conditions favoured steppe taxa again (Helianthemum, Achillea, Artemisia , Caryophyllaceae, Ranunculaceae) and erosion increased. The ice cover on the lake prevailed even if the conditions were not as cold as during the Oldest Dryas. During the Preboreal (11.7–10 ka cal. BP) Isoëtes echinospora and I. lacustris developed in the eulittoral zone of the lake, which was surrounded by a swamp forest (with Betula nana and B. pubescens). Pinus sylvestris, Betula pendula, Corylus avellana and trees from the Quercetum mixtum rapidly established in the uplands. Occurrences of Gaeumannomyces and Xylomyces fungi – both phytopathogens on broadleaved trees – and decreasing herb values indirectly hint at a close forest canopy. At the beginning of the Boreal (10 ka cal. BP), aquatic and semi-aquatic taxa developed on open water due to longer ice-free seasons (diatoms, micro-algae, Alisma plantago-aquatica, Potamogeton, Typha). The final terrestrialization towards a mire occurred as a consequence of the Holocene warming and related to water chemistry changes (acidification, eutrophication). • During the last deglaciation, a very shallow lake established as demonstrated by palaeoecological data, such as epiphytic diatoms, living on rocks. • Late-Glacial steppe landscape with severe erosion, open grassland and possible mega-herbivore presence. Arctic-like conditions. • Development of shrubs or trees during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial and reduced ice-free season. • Dry and cold conditions persisted from the Younger Dryas to the Early Preboreal. Oligotrophic flora (Isoetids) established in the eulittoral zone. • During the post-glacial warming, the lake tended to acidify. Peat flora and organic matter accumulated and led to the terrestrialization of the lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present the full sequence of Eemian succession from the Kozłów palaeolake – one of the key sites for Eemian Interglacial in this part of Poland. In the paper, previous palynological and diatom assessments were supplemented by further pollen, Cladocera and macrofossil analysis. This enabled detailed reconstruction of a palaeolake functioning under changes of climate and other environmental conditions during MIS 5e. All identified alterations of trophy, depth and aquatic vegetation within the reservoir point to dynamic changes in early stages of lake functioning, relatively stable conditions in mid-Eemian and gradual lake shallowing starting from Caprinus phase. Thus, Kozlów palaeolake joins the noble group of sites with exceptionally well-recognized multi-proxy records of the Eemian Interglacial environment, and has the potential to become a benchmark for this part of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of faunal communities of the past, and how they have changed to become what they are now, is fundamental to the understanding of the changes in ecosystems that we are witnessing and that are coming in the future. In this paper, we present the small mammal assemblage from Grotta del Sambuco (Massa Marittima, Grosseto), belonging to two archaeologic stratigraphic Units, 5 and 6, both dated to Marine Isotope Stage 2. The assemblage from Unit 6 can be defined as "non-analogue", due to the occurrence of the Narrow-headed Vole Lasiopodomys anglicus and the Southern Birch Mouse Sicista subtilis. Non-analogue communities (i.e., with no equivalent in present time) are frequent during Late Pleistocene in the Italian Peninsula. Starting with Grotta del Sambuco, we describe some of the different factors leading to the origins and disappearance of past non-analogue small mammal assemblages in Italy. Climatic changes and the consequent shifts in geographic distributions of the species play a major role in shaping these communities, eventually leading to extirpation and extinction of cold- or continental-adapted species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yiluo region in the middle Yellow River has been a core area of archaeological inquiry for understanding the origins of the first dynastic states in China. In order to investigate the social changes on a regional scale, a systematic full-coverage regional survey project was carried out from 1997 to 2018, covering an area of 1183 km2 in the Yiluo region. This paper analyzes the settlement patterns of 451 sites of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages (ca. 6000–200 cal. BC), providing the most comprehensive pictures yet, of the spatial and temporal relationships of settlement distribution during a nearly 6000-year time span. The paper demonstrates a developmental trajectory from a landscape dotted with scattered, small Neolithic villages to a highly centralized dynastic heartland in early Chinese civilization. The evolutionary pathways were not straightforward, but were characterized by episodic fluctuations in population density, and the rise and fall of complex societies. Holocene climatic fluctuations may have played significant roles affecting human activities, but it is the human responses to external challenges in various ways that ultimately determined the trajectories of social evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The main aim of this paper is to evaluate if certain processes that were documented in a specific area of Central-Southern Patagonia during the Late Holocene were also registered in a broader spatial scale. Previous investigations carried out in our study area located in Central-Western Santa Cruz province, Patagonia, have stated that climatic fluctuations during the Late Holocene (last 2500 years) were the cause of a reduction of hunter-gatherers' residential mobility. The new climatic conditions were characterized by important environmental droughts, which increased during the Mediaeval Climatic Anomaly, circa 900 years BP. This reduction in mobility resulted in concentrations of populations in low altitude basins and increased logistical and seasonal mobility, defined as a process of extensification. In this paper we take a broad spatial perspective to evaluate to what extent the low residential mobility identified in our research area had a correlation in a larger regional scale. Also we assess if this lead to a regional differentiation among hunter-gatherer populations, previous to European contact (450 years BP). In order to achieve these aims, we undertake a coarse grain analysis, using available data published on the composition and distribution of the archaeological record for Central-Southern Patagonia, an area of about 450.000 km2. Specifically, we consider evidence about technology, zooarchaeology, rock art, mortuary record and paleodietary studies. The analysis indicates that a reduced residential mobility could have occurred in certain areas of the study region, linked to the aforementioned climatic changes. On the issue of regional differentiation, the archaeological record highlights the complexity of this process. There are a variety of arguments both for and against the idea of a process of regionalization in Central-Southern Patagonia in the Late Holocene. We propose a process of differentiation of populations with low residential mobility which nonetheless remained connected through the circulation of goods, information and people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Precession-forced change in insolation has driven de-intensification of the Asian Monsoon systems during the Holocene. Set against this backdrop of a weakening monsoon, Indus Civilisation populations occupied a number of urban settlements on the Ghaggar-Hakra plains during the mid-Holocene from 4.5 ka until they were abandoned by around 3.9 ka. Regional climatic variability has long been cited as a potential factor in the transformation of Indus society, however there remain substantial gaps in the chronological framework for regional climatic and environmental change at the northern margin of the Thar Desert. This makes establishing a link between climate, environment and society challenging. This paper presents 24 optically stimulated luminescence ages from a mixture of 11 fluvial and aeolian sedimentological sites on the Ghaggar-Hakra floodplain/interfluve, an area which was apparently densely populated during the Indus urban phase and subsequently. These ages identify fluvial deposition which mostly pre-dates 5 ka, although fluvial deposits are detected in the Ghaggar palaeochannel at 3.8 ka and 3.0 ka, post-dating the decline of urbanism. Aeolian accumulation phases occur around 9 ka, 6.5 ka, 2.8 ka and 1.7 ka. There is no clear link to a 4.2 ka abrupt climate event, nor is there a simple switch between dominant fluvial deposition and aeolian accumulation, and instead the OSL ages reported present a view of a highly dynamic geomorphic system during the Holocene. The decline of Indus urbanism was not spatially or temporally instantaneous, and this paper suggests that the same can be said for the geomorphic response of the northern Thar to regional climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, it has been unclear as to how the world's first cities, in southern Mesopotamia, not only arose in a fluvial environment but also how this environment changed. This paper seeks to understand the long-term fluvial history of the region around Uruk, a major early city, in relation to water-human interactions. This paper applies geomorphological, historical and archaeological approaches and reveals that the Uruk region in southern Mesopotamia had been under the influence of freshwater fluvial environment since the early Holocene. It further demonstrates how canals and long-term human activities since the mid Holocene have been superimposed on the natural river channel patterns. Fieldwork has been conducted to ground-truth features identified applying remote sensing techniques. Five sediment cores were analysed to elucidate palaeoenvironmental changes. Radiocarbon ages for organic samples suggest that the oldest sediment layers, at a depth of 12.5 m, are from the Early Holocene, while results from diatom analyses imply that the whole sediment column was deposited in a freshwater environment. Intensive networks of palaeochannels and archaeological sites within the study area have been reconstructed and these networks have been divided into four different time intervals based on changes in channel courses. The first is from the early 4th to the late 1st millennium BCE; the second is from the late 1st millennium BCE to the middle 2nd millennium CE; the third lasted from after the Islamic period until the 1980s; the fourth is from the 1980s until the present. Key results include evidence for freshwater environments and favourable settlement conditions had already formed by the 8th millennium BCE. The favourable settlement environment resulted in stable (long-lived) canals between the 4th millennium BCE and 1st millennium CE. A significant settlement and irrigation expansion occurred in the early 1st millennium CE. Major abandonment ensued in the late 1st millennium CE and lasted until the mid 2nd millennium CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetic susceptibility of the loess-paleosol sequence is considered a significant indicator for recording paleoclimate, and the relationship is different between magnetic susceptibility and climate variation in diverse regions. A deep analysis of the composition, content, and evolution mechanism of magnetic minerals is helpful to enhance our understanding of magnetic signals in different regions. This paper presents a systematic study of environmental magnetism and geochemical elements in the loess-paleosol sequence of the Attock (ATT) area in the Peshawar Basin, northern Pakistan, exploring the significance and limitation of magnetic susceptibility as a proxy index of paleoclimate and the variation mechanism of magnetic susceptibility. The results showed that: 1) the ATT section had a magnetic mineral composition similar to that of the Chinese Loess Plateau; however, the contents of different minerals were distinguishable. The loess layer contained a specific amount of magnetite and maghemite and a handful of goethite and hematite. Additionally, the content of soft magnetic minerals was relatively higher than that of paleosol; the paleosol contained maghemite and nearly no magnetite. Furthermore, it contained more hematite and goethite, and the hard magnetic and paramagnetic minerals were dominant; 2) the effective humidity of the pedogenic environment in the ATT section fluctuated around the magnetic susceptibility wetting critical value F (B–C region), resulting in a poor relationship between magnetic susceptibility and climate; 3) Rb/Sr, K/Na, the coefficient of eluviation, and the content of <2 μm particles were well correlated with the stratum and can be used as paleoclimatic variation indicators in this area. Understanding the B–C region is helpful to comprehend the complex relationship between magnetic signals and climate in some areas and better interpret the environmental information carried by magnetic signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of the results obtained by collaborative use of integrative multidisciplinary investigation of a highly unique geological section discovered in the south-eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. The main aim of this study is to identify the Late Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic changes in the study area during one of the most controversial periods in the Late Pleistocene history, which is the MIS 5. Our approach to achieving the goal is based on the investigation of feldspar-based infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) dated records of pollen-induced palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental proxies. Palynological analysis and IR-OSL dates of 29 samples for the first time produced a detailed, characterised and dated sequence of palynological zones M6 to M8 ranging from ca. 94 ka to ca. 70 ka and made it possible to determine the chronological sequence of climate changes in this interval. Representative pollen spectra from 69 samples provided convincing evidence of a warm interval of interglacial rank at least during the latter half of MIS 5. The data obtained in the present study from well-preserved deposits of the second half of MIS 5 provided a novel insight into the palaenvironmental conditions during this period. These results seem to contradict the widely held view according to which the last interglacial stage with the climate conditions similar or warmer than today corresponds to only a small part of marine isotope stage (MIS) 5 of the deep-sea stratigraphy, i.e. MISs 5e lasting ca. 11 ka, and the period from 100 ka to 80 ka is attributed to an Early Weichselian glaciation, which in Northern Eurasia reached its maximum at about 90 ka. However, the findings obtained during the present study are also convincingly confirmed by those of our previous long-term investigations of warm climate-related shell-bearing deposits of various origins from Northern Eurasia including climatically highly sensitive Eurasian Arctic palaeo-shelf area. These results indicated that the overwhelming majority of the warm climate-related dates (ca. 82%) is also concentrated in the latter half of MIS 5 in the time range between 110 ka and 70 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neolithization processes are among the most significant changes that have occurred in human history. The timing, order, and appearance of new behavioral elements and causes of behavioral change have been widely investigated. In the Japanese Archipelago, transitions from the Upper Paleolithic to Jomon show the first appearances of Neolithic behavioral elements. Research has commonly yielded inter-regional perspectives comparing technological changes with climate and landscape changes. This paper provides intra-regional comparisons of different environmental variables with technological changes focusing on southern Kyushu, Japan. This paper compares data on climate fluctuations, sea level changes, volcanic eruptions and impacts, and biomes with data on the appearance of and changes in pottery technology and variability, supplemented with studies of stone tools and archaeological features. Results suggest that climatic fluctuations, sea level changes, and biome variability may have had significant impacts on behavioral changes and that volcanic eruptions should be evaluated on an intra-regional and site-based scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the second half of the Upper Paleolithic, Europe seems to have been divided in two vast techno-cultural entities with their particular chronological sequence: the Western Europe “classical sequence” and the Epigravettian sequence in the South. Essentially because of an imbalance of data and differences in methodologies between these two regions, their Upper Paleolithic sequences have rarely been compared. Thanks to the development of lithic technology in Europe and a recent active research about the Late-Glacial, it is today possible to attempt such a challenging exercise of comparing these two long sequences. In this paper, we solely focus on the Late Glacial. If the rare existing attempts of comparison focused on typology of lithic assemblages, our paper aims for a more global approach of lithic industries, based on recent technological studies. This approach allows highlighting key elements in term of human behaviors. Our data suggest a similar process of change between Western Europe and the Epigravettian during GI-1 (Bølling–Allerød). All the criteria of the so called “azilianization process” are actually present in the Epigravettian evolution sequence. This similar trend within both evolution sequences stopped abruptly, during the GS-1 (Younger Dryas). During this period and the very beginning of the Holocene (Preboreal), a massive return of blades and bladelets with high qualitative standards occurred in Western Europe while the simplification process is still in course in the Epigravettian region. In this paper, we attempt to compare the various responses of vegetation to the major climatic instability of the Late Glacial across Europe using a critical survey of the available environmental data. Considering the boundary that could have represented the Alps between Epigravettian and the Western Europe sequence, two high-resolution environmental sequences from north and south of the Alps are especially examined. Are the differences in terms of environmental changes between these two areas significant? Did they play a role in human behaviors and motivate technological changes? The comparison of palaeoenvironmental data with archaeological results tends to comfort some hypothesis of environmental determinism proposed by scholars, but also provide new elements moderating regional models that cannot really be applied at a continental scale. Climatic correlations with socioeconomic changes highlighted in this paper are no more than one possible way of investigation that will need to be tested and discussed in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northern edge of the East Asian monsoon region is also a transition zone of temperate continental and monsoon climate, which is a sensitive zone of global climate and ecological environment change. It is an urgent problem to find out the long-term climate change rules of this region. Using 101 tree core samples obtained from 54 trees, a 343-year tree-ring width chronology of the Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco (1673–2016) in the Wula Mountains, Inner Mongolia, China was established. The analysis shows that the radial growth of P. orientalis is closely related to hydrothermal conditions, the average minimum temperature and relative humidity are the main factors that determine the growth of P. orientalis. Based on the strong correlation between the tree-ring indices and the annual average minimum temperature (r = −0.870, p < 0.001), we reconstructed an average annual minimum temperature series from 1673 to 2016 using a linear regression equation, and the reconstructed equation can explain 75.724% of the variance, respectively. According to the data from the past 343 years, the changes in the annual average minimum temperature series had the cycles of 58.6-, 7.7-, 3.4-, 3.1-, 2.2-, and 2.1-years; the series showed three warm periods (1824–1830, 1909–1922, and 1986–2011) and 4 cold periods (1703–1712, 1731–1738, 1754–1763, and 1937–1951). The low temperature periods recorded in the reconstructed series for the 17th and 18th centuries are consistent with the Little Ice Age that occurred in the northern hemisphere, and the heating rate significantly increased at the end of the 20th century. In addition, the cold and warm periods recorded by the reconstruction result is basically consistent with the extreme climate events recorded in the historical documents of the region and the reconstruction results in other regions. In this paper, the world's first chronology of P. orientalis tree ring width was established. A historical sequence of annual average minimum temperature of 343 years was reconstructed in a typical region of the East Asian monsoon climate. It fills in the blank of reconstruction sequence and variation characteristics of mean minimum temperature in the northern edge of East Asian monsoon and transition zone of temperate continental and monsoon climate in recent four centuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chaco Region is the third biogeographic and morpho-structural territory of South America after the Amazon and Cerrado savannahs. This region is one of the few areas in the world where the transition from the tropics to temperate zones does not consist of a desert but of semi-arid woodlands and savannahs. The modern biodiversity patterns of the region were severely affected by the climatic and environmental changes that occurred during the Quaternary. Remains of an extinct megamammal Neosclerocalyptus sp. (Upper Pleistocene) and charred fossil woods inside of sedimentary nodules, was recently discovered in Chaco Argentina. The aim of paper is the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of quaternary sedimentation in the western Chaco through the taxonomic identification of charred woods and siliceous microfossils analysis. Twenty-three charcoal fragments related to Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Fabaceae, Rhamnaceae and Malvaceae were identified. The phytolith analysis showed that Poaceae elements were the most abundant compared to the other herbaceous and non-herbaceous elements, along with algae and sponge microfossils. Eco-anatomic features of the charcoals and the microfossil remains suggest that environment and climate conditions existed in the area during the Upper Pleistocene were similar to the current one. Finally, the results reveal the presence of natural wildfires during the Quaternary in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern Arctic Indigenous peoples face many interconnected pressures, not the least of which is anthropogenic climate change, which is emerging as one of the most dramatic drivers of social and economic change in recent memory. In this paper, we investigate whether or not insights into premodern strategies for coping with climate change—and especially the "deeper histories" of traditional ways-of-knowing—can play a useful role in future planning, management and mitigation efforts. We do this in two ways. First, we assess this special issue's 17 archaeological case studies, in order to determine whether they are conducted within a framework that is consistent with approaches to resilience in studies of modern Arctic communities. Second, we focus on three climate-driven challenges faced by Canadian Arctic Inuit: safe travel, food security and food safety. For each, we identify specific ways in which studies of past social-ecological systems intersect with modern climate adaptation. We conclude that since archaeological insights highlight the operation of decision-making processes within long-term culture-adaptive trajectories, they can offer unique insights into the much shorter-term processes currently underway. While we highlight many potential directions for productive collaboration, much more work is required in local and regional settings to demonstrate the full potential of archaeology for future-oriented planning and mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is myriad evidence that global warming is exerting a profoundly disruptive influence on the lifeways of modern native (Yup'ik) communities living in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) delta of southwestern Alaska. Yup'ik subsistence is intimately tied to seasonal change and the ability to accurately predict the availability of plant and animal resources. It therefore seems reasonable to suggest that periods of climatic instability such as the Little Ice Age (LIA) may have had a deleterious effect on Yup'ik communities in the past. However, at present there are no palaeotemperature records that document the localised climatic changes of the last millennium in the Y-K Delta region. This lack of data hinders our understanding of the archaeological record from the site of Nunalleq, which is situated at the heart of the delta and was occupied during the LIA. To address this oversight, this paper presents the results of a Coleoptera (beetle) based climate reconstruction from a peat profile in the vicinity of Nunalleq to investigate the magnitude of Late Holocene climatic changes. Using the Mutual Climatic Range (MCR) method, we reconstruct mean summer and winter temperatures from the mid-15th to late-19th centuries. The results indicate that the past environments of Nunalleq were characterised by a climate significantly cooler than the present. The earliest definitive evidence for Little Ice Age cooling dates from the late 16th century, when mean summer temperatures were at least 1.2ᵒC below the modern mean. Temperatures appear to have remained lower than modern until the early 19th century. The coolest Nunalleq record – 1.3ᵒC below the modern mean summer temperatures – is centred on AD 1815, after which there is evidence for climatic amelioration. These data present differences with observations from other regions of Alaska and underline the importance of more local palaeoclimate reconstructions, particularly when interrogating the relationships between past climatic and social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most parts of the Circumpolar Arctic have only discontinuous evidence for long-term human settlement. In contrast, Northern Norway has an unbroken archaeological record that extends back to the early Holocene. Numerous high-resolution archaeological and palaeoenvironmental records have been generated by commercial excavations and surveys, offering archaeologists unique opportunities to investigate long-term human ecodynamics in an Arctic coastal setting. To date, however, deeper analysis of the new datasets has yet to be undertaken. This paper aims to present a new synthesis of early and mid Holocene archaeological and paleoenvironmental sequences for Western Finnmark (11500-2000 cal BP). This enables us to identify three major phases of culture change that broadly correlate with climatic and environmental shifts. We then present emerging results from our multi-scalar analysis of the processes driving these transformations. At supra-regional and regional scales, our palaeodemographic modelling indicates major population events centered around 6000 cal BP and 4000 cal BP. At intra-regional scales, we are identifying spatial clustering of prehistoric settlements into local socio-economic communities. At the scale of local settlements, our analysis of house-pit chronologies is clarifying the degree of simultaneous occupation and re-use. We also draw on recent research into rock art and ritual landscapes in an effort to reconstruct the relationship between settlement clusters and general interaction patterns. Integration of these diverse lines of evidence is generating a vivid picture of thriving Arctic coastal communities, with indications that the timing and pace of cultural responses to climatic and environmental changes were more complex than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeoclimatic records from southern tip of South America during the Last Holocene, indicate important climate intervals, such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age, which offered new scenarios to hunter-gatherer groups who inhabited the region. The aim of this paper is to explore the social practices carried out by hunter-fisher-gatherer societies of the southern part of the Atlantic Coast of Tierra del Fuego island (53–55°S, 66–74°W) in order to deal with these environmental changes. From our perspective, foragers have played an active role in designing strategies to cope with environmental fluctuations. Consequently, we argue that in a context of ecological uncertainty, these societies would have developed flexible strategies in terms of subsistence, technology and settlement patterns. In order to test this proposal, zooarchaeological and technological analysis of different archaeological assemblages dated between the 1300 to 220 BP were undertaken. The results show that these hunter-fisher-gatherer societies exploited a broad range of faunal resources using a versatile technology which encompassed tools with low production values and high use values. Likewise, the analysis of landscape organization revealed a settlement strategy centered on the most productive habitats, which were preferentially reoccupied. We suggest that these strategies, supported by cumulative knowledge and material conditions, could have enhanced social resilience and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Neo-Inuit (ca. AD 1250 to present) responses to the decreased temperatures of the Little Ice Age (LIA) climate change episode (ca. AD 1300–1900) in the Foxe Basin region of central Nunavut, Arctic Canada. Cooler temperatures (and increased sea ice) would be expected to have reduced both bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) and Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) habitats, forcing Neo-Inuit to refocus their hunting activities on landfast-ice-dwelling small seals (e.g., Pusa hispida) during winter months. However, an analysis of faunal remains from Foxe Basin's largest-known Neo-Inuit (Thule, historic and modern Inuit) archaeological site, Pingiqqalik (NgHd-1), reveals a long-term subsistence economy based largely on multi-seasonal walrus hunting. Two interrelated factors may explain these results: (1) a system of recurring polynyas provided a degree of ecological stability for local walrus populations, and (2) the development of a distinctive walrus caching regime—a form of which continues among the region's contemporary Inuit—allowed residents to adeptly exploit an ecological niche, thereby ensuring food security. Together, these factors likely insulated northern Foxe Basin Neo-Inuit from the worst effects of the LIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the way in which Pleistocene climate change and glaciations in Dinaric Mountains was reflected in the deposition of alluvial sediments in the Sava river Valley, using a case study of Belgrade Groundwater Source (BGS), the largest and most downstream alluvial water supply source along the Sava river. A stratigraphic analysis of the Quaternary sediments from two boreholes on this site, based on sediment dating, lithological members identification, grain size distribution analysis was performed. Comparison with the results of dating of the moraines and glacial outwash, the remnants of glaciations in Dinaric mountains of Montenegro, by Hughes et al. and Adamson et al. showed a good match, as the dating of the last four sedimentation cycles yielded the 13.2 ka (start of MIS1), 80.9 ka (MIS 5a), 137.5 (end of MIS6 or start of MIS5) and 193.4 ka (MIS 7) ages, corresponding to MIS1, MIS 5a, end of MIS6 and start of MIS5, and MIS7 stages for glacial outwash, and to MIS2, MIS5b and MIS5d, end of MIS6 and start of MIS5, and MIS8 stages for the moraines. The ages of older cycles were presented as a hypothesis based on aforementioned succession of ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater represents the most important freshwater resource. In this paper, we applied a spatial approach based on the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology to assess the groundwater vulnerability in the Grand Est region from northeastern France. Aquifers media (AM), potential infiltration map (PIM), pollution load index (PLI), and effective precipitation (EP) were the main parameters used in the calculation of groundwater vulnerability. This study proposes a spatial-temporal analysis including past (1961–1990), near future (2011–2040), and more distant future (2041–2070), thereafter called the 1990s, the 2020s, and the 2050s. To validate the results, groundwater monitoring stations data of Nitrate (NO 3 −), dated from 2005 to 2012, was used as reference datasets. The validation of the groundwater vulnerability map was based on pixel pair comparison (PPC) method and it indicates 42.85% perfect confidence and 50% good confidence for the groundwater vulnerability map in 2020s period. The high groundwater vulnerability was found in the Rhine, Marne, and Aube Valleys, while the low and very low vulnerability was depicted in the Vosges, Ardennes Mountains, and some territories form the central region for all three periods. Application of the proposed framework indicates increases of vulnerability up to 60% between 1990s and 2020s and up to 80% between 1990s and 2050s scenarios. The output maps and findings could be useful for the future environmental plans of the region and, in addition, could help mitigate the problems related to water resources, considering the climate expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addressing the controversial issues of the Late Pleistocene paleogeography of the Caspian basin, an important role is given to the results of the spore-pollen analysis and based on them reconstructions of climate and vegetation changes in the Northern Caspian region during the development of the Early Khvalynian transgression. In this paper we present the main results of the palynological study of deposits (chocolate clays and the overlying and underlying layers from the Srednyaya Akhtuba section) of maximum stage of the Early Khvalynian transgression; the materials are illustrated by pollen diagram with the data of spore-pollen analysis and the detailed list of palynoflora recovered from the studied Lower Khvalynian sequences, and complemented with photographs of pollen belonging to the principal autochtonous taxa and, for comparison, to some redeposited palynomorphs. Palynological materials indicate subaqual (brackish marine and freshwater) sedimentation of the sediments studied in periglacial landscapes and, for the most part, under very harsh climatic conditions. The performed climate-stratigraphic reconstructions do not contradict the data of absolute dating on the accumulation of the studied deposits during the Late Valdai (Ostashkov) late Glacial period. During this interval in the territory of the study area, plant communities of the glacial climate — tundra-steppe, periglacial forest-steppe, periglacial steppe, periglacial parklands and periglacial forests — were developed. The widespread occurrence in the composition of the periglacial vegetation cover of the studied region of the yernik formations from Betula nana and shrub communities from Betula fruticosa , B. nana , Alnaster fruticosus , Juniperus , etc. testifies to the severe climatic conditions and, possibly, the existence of sporadic permafrost in the cold stages (stadials) of the Ostashkov Late Glacial period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme weather and climate events, although rare at any particular location, can lead to different amount of loss to exposed human and natural systems, even to disasters. In this paper, the most authoritative definitions of "extreme events" given by the World Meteorological Organization and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have been considered, as well as the underlying basic concepts, i.e., selected intensity levels, selected percentiles, multiples of the standard deviation, return period, distribution tails, imprint left, cause-effect relationships, natural disasters. Definitions and criteria have been tested with real world case studies using long instrumental records (300 years of daily temperature and 200 years of daily precipitation in Bologna, Italy) and proxy series (1000 years of Venice lagoon frozen over and 300 years of Po River outflow). The analysis reveals that each definition leads to particular consequences, e.g., in the peak over threshold theory, if the threshold is expressed in absolute terms, the number of extreme events may change with the climate period as tested with the Venice case study; as opposed, the relative definition based on percentiles or standard deviation will keep unchanged this frequency. Again, considering extreme events those external to the 10th or 90th percentile of the distribution may lead to a return period too short, e.g., 10 days for daily records, while a 10 years return period would require 1st or 99th percentiles, as tested with the daily temperature and precipitation in Bologna. In addition, the distribution of a series may substantially change shape passing from daily to monthly and yearly averages as tested with the series taken as examples. The specific case of proxies is also considered analysing their uncertainties and categorization. The lagoon frozen over as a consequence of exceptionally severe winters constitutes an example of extremes based on an absolute threshold, as well as cause-effect relationship, and the return period was highly affected by the change of climate periods. The example of the overflow of the Po River suggests that the occurrence of extremes, and their intensity, may be altered by other factors that concur to the final result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bugs database project started in the late 1980s as what would now be considered a relatively simple system, albeit advanced for its time, linking fossil beetle species lists to modern habitat and distribution information. Since then, Bugs has grown into a complex database of fossils records, habitat and distribution data, dating and climate reference data wrapped into an advanced software analysis package. At the time of writing, the database contains raw data and metadata for 1124 sites, and Russell Coope directly contributed to the analysis of over 154 (14%) of them, some 98790 identifications published in 231 publications. Such quantifications are infeasible without databases, and the analytical power of combining a database of modern and fossil insects with analysis tools is potentially immense for numerous areas of science ranging from conservation to Quaternary geology. BugsCEP, The Bugs Coleopteran Ecology Package, is the latest incarnation of the Bugs database project. Released in 2007, the database is continually added too and is available for free download from http://www.bugscep.com. The software tools include quantitative habitat reconstruction and visualisation, correlation matrices, MCR climate reconstruction, searching by habitat and retrieving, among other things, a list of taxa known from the selected habitat types. It also provides a system for entering, storing and managing palaeoentomological data as well as a number of expert system like reporting facilities. Work is underway to create an online version of BugsCEP, implemented through the Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database (SEAD) project (http://www.sead.se). The aim is to provide more direct access to the latest data, a community orientated updating system, and integration with other proxy data. Eventually, the tools available in the offline BugsCEP will be duplicated and Bugs will be entirely in the web. This paper summarises aspects of the current scope, capabilities and applications of the BugsCEP database and software, with special reference to and quantifications of the contributions of Russell Coope to the field of palaeoentomology as represented in the database. The paper also serves to illustrate the potential for the use of BugsCEP in biographical studies, and discusses some of the issues relating to the use of large scale sources of quantitative data. All datasets used in this article are available through the current version of BugsCEP available at http://www.bugscep.com. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Hongze Lake is the fourth largest freshwater lake in China. The water level of Hongze Lake has changed significantly in the past centuries, and the maximum water level (MWL) is influenced by both natural and anthropogenic factors. This paper explores the changes and driving factors (including natural changes and human activities) of Hongze Lake water level, using the annual MWL data from both historical documents and gauged records, and investigates the relationship between the Hongze Lake MWL and the flood/drought disasters of the Huai River basin, Meiyu length, and human activities. The results shows that during the 1736–1953 period, river changes, such as the Yellow River's capture of the Huai River, contributed substantially to the changes of Hongze Lake water level. The MWL correlated also well with climate changes (e.g. flood/drought changes, Meiyu length) during this period. During 1954–2005, the flood/drought series in the Huai River basin is consistent with the flood season/annual precipitation, but the annual MWL of Hongze Lake is not. This is because a large number of hydraulic projects have been constructed around the Hongze Lake during this period, and thus the MWL is greatly influenced by artificial regulations since the 1950s. The paper comes to the conclusion that the changes of the MWL were mainly driven by natural changes before the 1950s. Anthropogenic activities (especially hydraulic engineering) have played a more and more important role in the MWL changes in the past 50 years. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper is a synthesis of the previously published and unpublished materials dealing with the stratigraphy of the Upper Pleistocene (Upper Neopleistocene according to the Russian stratigraphic scheme) of the Southern Urals. It is the second review about the characteristics of the Pleistocene deposits of the easternmost part of Europe. It follows a previous paper concerning the biostratigraphy of the Late Middle Pleistocene of this region. The deposits which constitue the regional stratigraphic units are characterized. The results of the mammalian, malacological and palynological investigations as well as the radiocarbon data provide the basis for the stratigraphical subdivision and the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironments. The main geological and biotical events of the Southern Urals region which took place during Late Pleistocene are characterized in the paper. Erosional processes became active at the beginning of Kushnarenkovo time when uplift took place in the Urals and when the Late Chosarian regression began on the Caspian Sea basin territory. Fluvial deposits can be observed at the base of the second terrace which developed above the floodplain. A soil was formed on the subhorizontal surfaces. Forest-steppe and steppe landscapes characterized this interval. The climate was warm and humid. The Saigatka horizon formed under cold conditions. Slope processes and solifluction were the main relief-forming processes and fluvial erosion processes became weaker. Floodplain sediments accumulated in the river valleys and formed the upper parts of the second terraces above the floodpain which were intensively eroded. The plains were covered by steppe and the mountainous areas were occupied by tundra and forest–tundra landscapes. The next erosional cycle began during the following Tabulda period, because of the lowering of base level of the erosion and increased uplift of the territory. The fluvial sediments now form the lower parts of the first terraces above the floodplain. A soil was formed on the watersheds. Sites contain Late Palaeolithic artifacts. The floral association was close to Southern Uralian flora of the present-day. The climate was moderately warm in the plains and drier and cooler in the mountains. The subsequent Kudashevo event can be correlated with the Late Glacial when the climate became colder. Loess-like sediments and floodplain deposits form the upper parts of the first terrace above the floodplain and cover the watersheds, where they contain cryogenic structures. The climate was moderately cold. Late Palaeolithic sites attributed to the Kudashevo time are known in the Southern Urals region. The stratigraphical positions of the main Upper Neopleistocene localities of the Southern Urals are discussed. The Southern Urals subdivisions are correlated with the Western European stratigraphical scheme (Eemian–Weichselian interval). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present paper focuses on the analysis of dryness/wetness in the Yangtze River Basin from 1960 to 2005 using monthly precipitation data observed at 135 gauges uniformly distributed over the area. The spatial and temporal variation of dryness/wetness has been assessed by means of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI). The principal component analysis (PCA) and wavelet transform analysis were applied to the SPI series computed on both 6-month and 12-month time scales. The results demonstrated noticeable spatial patterns with three sub-regions characterized by different climatic variability: the southeastern downstream part of the basin, the midstream and the western upstream part of the study area. In the upstream and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Basin, an obvious trend towards wetter conditions has been detected from 1990 onward. In addition, inter-decadal changes are obvious, indicating 7–8 years fluctuation in most parts of the region sporadically distributed in the studied period in 95% confidence level. The results of this paper will be helpful for an efficient water resources management under different conditions. Furthermore, three sub-regions should be separately considered in the watershed planning process for mitigating the adverse impacts of future extreme drought or flood occurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Under the Out-of-Africa scenario, various routes have been supposed for the exit of the African Homo sapiens. The Mediterranean coast of North Africa, the Sahara, the Nile Valley, the Red Sea coast, and the Bab el Mandab could have been corridors leading out of Africa. Even though data are still too scanty, heterogeneous, and patchy to support one hypothesis against the others, scholars have tended to search for “the” route out of Africa, as if one passageway would rule out possible others. However, a single-dispersal model may not be correct as early modern humans may have found different ways to leave their native lands. If North Africa can contribute to an understanding of the adaptational dynamics of modern human peopling and their radiation towards different parts of Eurasia, other regions, such as the Horn of Africa, may be contemplated as well. This paper focuses on the events that took place in North Africa. In this region, anatomically modern humans were not always successful once they departed from Africa and moved towards the temperate, and dry, latitudes of the eastern Mediterranean basin in the Levant. Two distinct movements have been recognised within the Out-of-Africa 2 model, one occurring between c. 130 and 80 ka, the other taking place after 50 ka. The two phenomena were separated by an abrupt climatic transition that affected the south-western Mediterranean basin during the transition from MIS 5a to MIS 4, around 74 ka. As these two events exhibit very distinct features and are divided by a long time span, it seems reasonable to refer to the first event as “Out of Africa 2a” and to the second one as “Out of Africa 2b”. During the first migration out of Africa, modern humans seem to have failed in the competition for resources against Neanderthals, whereas they succeeded in their second migration. This paper examines some of the reasons of the failure of the Out-of-Africa-2a migration and, on the other hand, of the success of the Out-of-Africa-2b movement with particular attention to North Africa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The application of phytolith analysis in wetlands to reconstruct the paleoenvironment relies on the research of phytoliths of modern wetland plants. In this paper, 31 selected wetland plant species, belonging to 14 families and 26 genera, were studied. An inventory of phytolith types is provided and type-frequencies are assessed. There are 19 main kinds of phytoliths in this paper: elongate, cross, bilobate, scutiform phytoliths, lanceolate, fusiform phytolith, rondels, achene phytolith, silicified stomata, conical phytoliths, tracheid phytoliths, epidermal cells, trapeziform crenate, cylindrical polylobate, wavy trapezoid, cuneiform bulliform cells, sleeper-type, saddle and silicified hair cells. The taxonomic diagnostic potential of phytoliths (where the silicified stomata are outside) was tested by cluster analysis, which, to a certain extent supported the hypothesis that plant species can be identified on the basis of type, presence and frequency. Conical phytoliths were analyzed separately and results showed that Cyperaceae species can be distinguished by conical phytoliths at the species level. Silicified stomata dimensions were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, which found large disparities in the length and width, and a size category system of silicified stomata dimensions was developed, classifying the major groups into four subgroups. The current study shows that size and shape can be used to assign some of the silicified stomata to their respective genera. The percentage of stomata was also analyzed and the results revealed that there are more stomata in hydrophytes than mesophytes. These results reinforce the utility of using phytoliths as significant indicators for wetland plants and offer the potential of phytolith analysis for paleoenvironment and paleoclimate reconstruction in this region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents the first result of a study of two long-term natural archives in the southwestern part of the Western Siberian Plain. Bchron age models based on 17 AMS dates allowed us to determine a chronology of changes in properties of lake and peat deposits. Significant changes in the Holocene were identified according to geochemical indices, accumulation rates, and compositions of the plant macrofossils of sediment cores in Lake Kyrtyma and Oshukovskoe peat bog. Sediments with a low content of organic matter and maximum weathering accumulated in the Late Glacial, below the border of the Holocene. The transition to the Holocene manifested as a black organic gyttja with ostracods and marked warming ∼12–11.2 ka BP. At about 11.2–10.1 ka BP it was replaced by the Preboreal oscillation. Subsequent changes in lake sedimentation were associated with general warming and an unstable hydrological regime. An increase in humidification ∼8.2 ka BP was reflected by lake level rise and contributed to swamping of the watersheds. The aridest Holocene phase at ∼7.1–5.5 ka BP was reliably recorded by geochemical data, but poorly reflected in the stratigraphy of both profiles. Subsequent cooling and the resulting decrease in evaporation began at ∼5.5–4.9 ka BP. A pronounced cardinal shift in sedimentation conditions due to a gradual increase in precipitation was recorded at ∼4.9–2.8 ka BP, though short-term fluctuations towards dryness were also marked at ∼3.5–3.3 ka BP. The most significant increase in humidification and cooling began at 2.8 ka BP. Geochemical indices in the lacustrine sediments are climate sensitive and allowing us to obtain enough reliable data associated with changes in sedimentation environments. The stratigraphy of peat reflected the nuances of climatic changes less clearly and primarily demonstrated the stages of bog self-development; however, sphagnum peat provided a better-resolution record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Henan area is climatologically situated in the transition between northern and southern China and the transition is reported to be highly sensitive to climate changes during the Holocene. To better understand the Holocene climatic and environmental changes in Henan area where high-quality data are lacking, this paper first reviewed those published palaeoenvironmental records in attempt to provide a low-resolution framework of the Holocene environmental changes in Henan area, and then synthesized the moisture proxy records from the surrounding areas in attempt to define a high-resolution trend of the Holocene moisture variation for our target site (i.e., Zhengzhou within Henan area). Two major conclusions can be drawn. First, the high-resolution Holocene moisture curve for our target site well follows the general moisture trend of China and the curve is well corroborated by two recently-reported data sets: one from Mangshan loess-palaeosol sequence and another from Laomu-Dongshiya Cave. Second, our synthesis supports an earlier notion stating that the "Holocene Moisture Optimum" in China was a delayed response to the oceanic "Holocene Thermal Optimum". The latter might in turn be a delayed response to the summer insolation peak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4.2 ka event was one of Holocene abrupt-change events and characterized by dry and cool climatic conditions in many parts of the world. The event was reported to have played important roles in the collapses of those major ancient civilizations. This paper first attempts to portray a global picture of this "4.2 ka Event" and then reviews those reliably-dated sequences containing "4.2 ka Event" retrieved from the domains of four major civilizations. This review further confirms the proposition advocated by the International Stratigraphy Committee that 4.2 ka was the chronological divider between the warmer-wetter middle Holocene and the cooler-drier late Holocene. This review also lends a further support to early proposals that the declines or disruptions of Ancient Egyptian Culture, Mesopotamian Culture, and Ancient Indian Culture at ∼4.2 ka BP were directly or indirectly associated with the "4.2 ka Event". In Chinese cultural domain, the derailment of nearly all of the well-developed Neolithic cultures at ∼4.2 ka BP was also chronologically correlated with the proxy data-recorded abrupt climatic change at ∼4.2 ka BP. But, it should be admitted that either drying or cooling or drying and cooling at ∼4.2 ka BP might not be sufficient to collapse these well-developed cultures in presently warm and wet southern China. Surely, further studies are needed for constraining the climatic and environmental variables at ∼4.2 ka BP not only in southern China but also in the adjacent Central Plains of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between climate changes and human responses has been hotly debated. This paper expands this topic by reviewing and presenting case studies in the middle and lower Yellow River, Henan and Shandong provinces. We first review the paleoenvironmental data of both regions and then use the Sanyangzhuang site, Henan, and the Chengziya and Jiaojia sites, Shandong, as examples of human activities and sedimentary histories. Comparisons between the paleoenvironmental and archaeological data reveal that the changes in human occupation at these sites did not occur synchronously with climatic and paleoenvironmental changes. On the one hand, human activities were influenced by extreme climate-related events such as floods. However, humans also show great resilience by returning to the same sites or continuing cultivation at the same sites. Changes in temperature and precipitation did not result in settlement abandonments. On the other hand, human activities ceased to exist in periods of land and climate stabilities. With their increasing capacity to modify landscapes through time, human decisions and activities become equally important as climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Holocene histories of vegetation, human activity, and climate inland of the Nobi Plain, central Japan, were investigated using pollen, charcoal, and chronological (radiocarbon and pottery) analyses of the Arao-Minami archaeological sediment layers. This site was home to a large regional community from the Yayoi to Kofun periods. Agricultural production of buckwheat began before the Middle Yayoi (∼200 BC). Cultivated Poaceae increased in the warm period at ca. 2.2–1.7 cal ka BP (ca. 250 BC to ca. 250 AD), based on the pollen-based climate indices. This can be regarded as intensified wet rice agriculture occurring at this period because the archaeological examinations report the existence of paddy-field remains and rice phytoliths from the Late Yayoi to Early Kofun. This period approximately corresponds to the Roman Warm Period. Primary natural forests, such as Quercus subg. Lepidobalanus , Quercus subg. Cyclobalanopsis , Cupressaceae, and Cryptomeria , as well as cultivated Poaceae gradually decreased from ca. 1.7 to ca. 1.2 cal ka BP (ca. 250 AD to 750 AD), which corresponds to the Dark Age Cold Period. In contrast, an expansion of Pinus conifer forests and temporal rises of accumulation rates occurred in this period. Based on the evidences, we propose that the agriculture at this site temporarily changed to slash-and-burn cultivation at a nearby mountain, associated with the cold climate. In the warm period from ca. 1.2 cal ka BP (ca. 750 AD), cultivated Poaceae increased again, suggesting a return to wet rice agriculture around the site. In this paper, we conclude that ancient people who lived inland of the Nobi Plain adapted to global climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation–climate relationships are often different at varying spatial scales, which is seldom taken into account in reconstructing past climate changes from fossil pollen spectra represent more local vegetation composition but using regional or extra-regional modern pollen–climate calibration set. In this paper, we employ 2620 surface pollen spectra and six pollen sequences from continental East Asia to reconstruct Holocene climate with modern analogue technique. A novel data set of vegetation sensitivity index (VSI) is introduced to examine vegetation–climate relationships in 0.5° search windows around the fossil sites (local) and in the tailored calibration sets (regional). Then, we compare them to the explanatory abilities of (reconstructed) climate variables on explaining the pollen variance in calibration sets and in the fossil pollen data sets using constrained ordination, cross-validation and significance test. By this procedure that we called local–regional–fossil comparison, we can better determine which variable reconstruction is valid and useful. In our cases, moisture variable reconstructions in temperate forest-steppe ecotone at the East Asian summer monsoon margin are reliable. Consistent Holocene moisture variations with a strong monsoon influence during 8.6–4.0 cal ka BP which can help us to better interpret human adaptations along the Great Wall. However, quantitative climate reconstructions at some sites are less reliable due to highly heterogeneous vegetation sensitivities surrounding the site, particularly for areas with complicated topographical contexts. We stress that vegetation sensitivities at local and regional scales both need to be investigated before conducting quantitative climate reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, archaeologists have studied how ancient humans have shaped, and been shaped by, their surrounding environments in an effort to provide valuable insight into the patterns of human-environment interaction during prehistoric and historical periods. Along the Heihe River in Hexi Corridor of northwest China, archaeologists have found many ancient cities that are good places to explore changes in human settlement patterns in relation to environment change in historical periods. In this paper, we present our investigation of seven ancient cities to clarify the chronology of these cities and their strategy for wood use in the area through the application of radiocarbon dating and charcoal identification. Our results suggest that the ages of many cities are younger than previous estimates, and humans mainly used Tamarix and mixed Tamarix and broad leaf trees in the lower and middle reaches of the Heihe River basin between ∼ AD 240–1380 respectively, and roughly matches the modern spatial distribution of natural woody vegetation in the area. In comparison to the results of archaeological, paleoclimatic and historical studies in Hexi Corridor, we propose that ancient human strategies for wood use and their impact on environment of the Heihe Basin are primarily relevant to human lifestyles rather than climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate variability has played a vital role in the expansion and collapse of human civilizations across the World since ancient times. The Indus Civilization in South Asia has been the focus of investigations to archaeologists, historians, and anthropologists. But little attention was paid earlier to the role of climate variability in shaping the course of this well-established urban civilization. In this paper, we have presented a review of literature to understand various factors that affected the evolution of this cultural enigma. We suggest that the climate change in the region was a major controlling factor in determining the fate of Indus civilization settlements. The transformation of hunter-gatherers into pastoral community between 7000 and 3200 B.C.E., the establishment of village habitations along the Indus River and its tributaries in the Early Harappan phase, urbanization and shifting towards Ghaggar-Hakra rivers in the Mature Harappan phase, and final displacement towards Ganga-Yamuna doab (interfluve) region as village culture were largely modulated by the changing strength of the Indian summer monsoon and amount of precipitation in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In northwestern China, many historical nomadic kingdoms and Chinese dynasties sought to control the Heihe River basin, an important location on the eastern part of the ancient Silk Road. Archaeologists have argued that changes in material culture are tied to the frequent turnover in polities in the area, but no published evidence supports these claims. In this paper, we evaluate the relative importance of environmental and political factors in determining the spatiotemporal pattern of archaeological sites in the middle and lower reaches of the Heihe River basin by using previously published high-resolution paleoclimate records and a variety of historical documents. Our results indicate that humans intensively exploited the Heihe River basin during Han dynasty (202BC–AD 220). Following the Han dynasty, during the Wei-Jin (AD 222–589) and Sui-Tang (AD 581–907) periods the number of archaeological sites. In the Western Xia-Yuan period (AD 1038–1368), people mainly settled in the lower reaches of the Heihe River basin and only returned to the middle reaches of the Heihe River basin during the Ming and Qing dynasties (AD 1368–1912). Although climate change and the local environment affected human activities in Heihe River basin, geopolitical events, such as forced mass migrations, are more responsible for influencing the distribution of archaeological sites over the past 2000 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Chaco plain is a sedimentary basin filled by alluvial fans repeatedly generated by large rivers during the late Quaternary under diverse climatic conditions. The Eastern Chaco is characterized by semi-deciduous forests intermingled with extensive palm-savannas, grasslands, and wetlands. These vegetation patterns of the Chaco have been proposed to be the result of the Pleistocene-Holocene alluvial dynamics of the plain as well as of the intensive migration of fluvial belts of the main rivers. In this paper we present silica microfossil records from a Pleistocene-Holocene sedimentary sequence from the Eastern Chaco Region. Results show that phytoliths were the most abundant elements compared to the other siliceous and non-siliceous microfossils. Differences in the microfossil associations suggest that climate changes along the Late Quaternary were given mainly by humidity changes, and that rivers migrated mostly during the Holocene. Grasslands and wetlands predominated in the described paleocommunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A ′New Implemented Spatial-Temporal On Regions–Climate Effect on Groundwater' approach has been developed in the present work to assess the impact of climate on groundwater resources in Emilia-Romagna region. The assessment used in this paper is based on effective precipitation and De Martonne Aridity Index, both of them analyzed in three time periods (past, present, and future) using the spatial distribution of these parameters at a regional scale. In addition, the actual crop evapotranspiration using the Budyko method has completed to incorporate the land cover contribution at the evapotranspiration phenomena and further, the effective precipitation pattern was subtracted and defined for the Emilia-Romagna region. The examination of the actual crop evapotranspiration during the three periods show a slight decrease in the maximum values, from 817 mm (in the past) to 762 mm (in the present) and 751 mm (in the future). There was a decrease in the maximum effective precipitation between past and present from 2263 mm to 1922 mm, while for the future the effective precipitation indicates values which reach 1885 mm. The De Martonne Aridity Index indicates a significant decrease during the past (24.8–140.5), present (21.8–136.8), and future (20.5–127.1). These descending values suggest the aridization of the Emilia-Romagna in the northern, eastern, and central sides, where the index values fall below 28 and where the sub-humid and Mediterranean climates were identified. In order to assess the climate change effect on groundwater resources, an improved method based on inference matrix tool was proposed to combine the climate index and the effective precipitation parameter at spatial scale. Through this approach, the very high and high impact of climate change on groundwater resources were verified during all the three periods in the North and Northeast parts of the region, whereas the low impact was verified more in the South and the West sides. Moreover, the spatial distribution of the problematic areas extends in the present and future period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper explores the relationship between past climate and prehistoric Mediterranean agriculture by adapting a process-based dynamic vegetation model to estimate potential agricultural productivity under climate scenarios that characterize the extremes of Mediterranean climate in the Holocene. We adapt LPJmL (the Lund-Potsdam-Jena-managed-land model [Bondeau et al., 2007]), a process-based dynamic vegetation model, to the modeling of potential agricultural productivity in the past. Calibrating this model for past crops and agricultural practices and using a downscaling approach to produce high spatiotemporal resolution paleoclimate data, we produce quantitative estimates of potential yields under past climatic conditions derived from four Holocene climatic extremes (warm/wet, warm/dry, cold/wet, and cold/dry) under two different assumptions (approximate high and low limits) about the intensity of agricultural practice. We here discuss this process with reference to a case study in Provence, examining the methodology and data requirements for modeling past agriculture using LPJmL and considering the implications of the range of variability in potential agricultural productivity under distinct climate conditions. We focus particularly on comparing the range of variability induced by climatic shifts with that achievable through changes in agricultural practices as a means of approaching questions of past vulnerability and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The accumulated archaeological records have shown that hunter-gatherer societies turned from mobile to sedentary ways of life through the transition from the terminal Pleistocene to the initial Holocene (ca. 15–8 ka) in Japanese Archipelago. This paper discusses the historical processes seen among prehistoric human cultures, societies, subsistence and environmental changes in this transitional period, namely the shift to the ‘Jomon’ culture. After the AT eruption, which is a huge volcanic eruption in Southern Kyushu in ca. 25000 14C BP, population contraction of large mammals as well as a rapid shift to cold/dry condition and expansion of coniferous forest pushed hunter-gatherers to change their hunting target from large mammals by broad foraging to middle to small mammals in small areas, and formed ‘matured’ regional societies. The ‘Jomon’ culture is thought to have stemmed from these societies, but is more varied, regional, and sophisticated than the Palaeolithic one resulting from the complex environmental change of the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. The emergence of oceanic climate and fine-grained ecological settings shaped the unique culture. For example, the spread of broadleaf forests supplied plentiful nuts, and continental shelves formed through coastal transgression furnished ample marine resources. Because these new ecological settings were formed, the ‘Jomon’ population could have become dependent on gathering and fishing, and shifted to a sedentary subsistence strategy. Furthermore, increase of precipitation and diverse rainfall patterns encouraged diverse ecological settings, leading to the formation of various regional Jomon cultures. This paper presents such complex trajectories for the ‘Jomon’ culture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a 600-year well-dated, high-resolution Central Balkan paleo-record including the Little Ice Age (LIA; 1450–1850 CE). Utilizing pollen-based REVEALS modeling estimates, geochemical indicators, rarefaction analyses and the AMS 14 C-based Bacon age model, this first-hand record from the Sava Basin reveals the transformation of the Central Balkan landscape involving linkages between changing climatic and socio-political regimes. The pre-LIA interval (1370–1418 CE) in the Sava Region reveals a wooded steppe and increased cultivation under warmer/stable climatic and socio-political conditions. In contrast, the LIA interval in the region is expressed through continuous transitions between forest and grassland, extensive land erosion and stressed agriculture, potentially as a collective artifact of the climatic variability and human impact associated with socio-political stressors of the time. The post-LIA/Industrial Era interval (1850–2012 CE) in the Sava Region shows an overall increase in woodland as well as agriculture following the exit of the Ottomans. However, increased population pressures and the subsequent onset of the Industrial Revolution as well as increased trade led to intense deforestation throughout the 20 th century, which continued during the Socialist period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Erdos Larus Relictus National Nature Reserve is the only internationally important lake wetland for the protection of the Larus Relictus and its breeding habitat. With Bojiang Lake shrinkage in the reserve in the last decade, the breeding ground had been seriously endangered. In order to investigate the dynamic changes and driving forces of the lake area, this paper studied the changes of the lake area from 1973 to 2013 using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index from the Landsat remote sensing data, and then analyzed the relations between the lake area and the basin precipitation, temperature and vegetation by cumulative departure from the mean analysis and correlation analysis. The results suggested that Bojiang Lake area mainly experienced the three periods: the rapidly expanding period (1973–1979), the stable period (1980–1998) and the shrinking period (1999–2013). Bojiang Lake water area ranged from 0 to 13.38 km 2 . As the suitable breeding habitat for Larus Relictus, the lake area should be in the range of 5.49–11.31 km 2 . In the corresponding three periods, precipitation, temperature and vegetation changes had the different characteristics, and the correlations between lake area and precipitation, temperature and vegetation had obvious differences. Precipitation changes were the main factor of Bojiang Lake area variations in the period of 1973–1979 and 1980–1998, while vegetation changes were the main driving forces during 1999–2013. The influences of the other anthropogenic interventions (water consumption, the building of silt-trap dams, etc.) on the lake area variations should be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]