Multi‐proxy study of Holocene environmental change and human activity in the Central Apennine Mountains,Italy

This paper describes a multi‐proxy palaeoecological investigation undertaken in conjunction with an archaeological survey of the Upper Sangro Valley in the Abruzzo National Park, Central Italy. Despite being a biodiversity hotspot and regarded as a near‐pristine area, the pollen, spore and diatom data all show major changes in the vegetation extending to over 2000 m a.s.l. during the mid to late Holocene. Although there are changes in ecological composition earlier in the Holocene they are different in type and magnitude from the changes which began about 800 cal a BC. The pollen and diatom evidence do not correlate well with regional palaeoclimate data, or on‐site isotopic evidence, but do appear to be related to Samnite (later Iron Age) clearance and upland grazing associated with transhumance and later annexation (and centuriation) of the lower slopes by Roman surveyors. The greatest change in vegetation was during the period c. AD 500–600 and corresponds with the Byzantine–Gothic Wars, and Lombard–Carolingian settlement reorganization into nucleated hilltop settlements which managed upland grazing. This pattern of intensive land use at all altitudes persisted until the early 20th century and only changed following rural depopulation after World War II. These data illustrate how cultural factors had a profound effect on this mountainous region which, in this case, far outweighed the effects of climatic fluctuations which are known to have occurred from both this study area and the region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Twentieth century changes in montane vegetation in the eastern Free State,South Africa,derived from palynology of hyrax dung middens

The dating and pollen analysis of a hyrax dung deposit in a mountain rock shelter (Rooiberg Shelter II) are compared with that in a previous study from the same mountain range at the rural town Clarens, in South Africa. Calibration of radiocarbon measurements from the dung deposit provides different possibilities for the age of the sequence. Unlikely dates can be eliminated on the basis of pollen stratigraphy, comparisons with a previously studied accumulation from the last 30 yr, artificially increased radiocarbon levels in the upper samples as result of nuclear arms testing after 1954, the presence of historically introduced exotic elements, and the assumption of a relatively constant rate of dung accumulation. According to these considerations we suggest that the dung started accumulating at the beginning of the twentieth century. The pollen contents show marked changes in composition, indicating mainly open grass vegetation with fynbos in the first half of this century and woody vegetation in the second half. A first marked increase of the woody component is estimated to have occurred around 1950, but it only became permanent in the 1960s. The fluctuating pollen sequence can best be interpreted in terms of the combined effects of rainfall changes, fire and stock grazing, the latter of which increased together with town expansion in the area during the course of this century. Considering historical events recorded in the area and the region in general, the results suggest that pollen in hyrax dung is a good recorder of vegetation change. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青海省海西州德令哈地区近千年来年降水量变化特征分析

试图揭示位于我国青藏高原东北部的青海省海西州德令哈地区近千年来世纪尺度年降水量变化规律。分析结果表明,该地区近千年年降水量变化存在显著的多尺度周期变化特征,其中以13～18世纪中的200年主控周期最为明显,并在15～17世纪达到最强,而近200年则以准120年的周期振荡为主,且在19世纪两种主要周期变化趋势相反,在近百年又趋向一致。年降水量序列的均值突变一般以30～100年尺度最为明显,世纪尺度的均值突变时段分别为公元1100～1111年、1403～1449年及1615～1661年,表现为年降水量的减少,以及公元1321～1348年、1497～1557年、1728～1743年及1885～1891年,表现为年降水量的增加。200年以上时间尺度的方差突变主要表现为序列的低频变化幅度,从公元1220年前后至1580年前后持续增大,且以15世纪的方差突变最为明显。     

Late survival of woodland contrasts with rapid limnological changes following settlement at Kalmanstjörn,Mývatnssveit,northeast Iceland

The settlement of Iceland is known to have had profound impacts on vegetation and landscape stability, but there remain uncertainties around the spatial variability and timing of environmental change, and the impacts of settlement on aquatic ecosystems. Here a new multiproxy palaeoenvironmental reconstruction spanning the last 3000 years is presented from Kalmanstjörn, a small lake in Mývatnssveit, northeast Iceland. Sedimentology, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs, and geochemical proxies, dated using tephrochronology, are used to reconstruct terrestrial vegetation, landscape stability and aquatic ecosystems. The data reveal complex environmental dynamics after settlement. At this site, substantial tree populations persisted until the late 15th century, in strong contrast to the rapid deforestation shown by almost all other records from Iceland. The eventual loss of woodland may have been caused by changes in direct human activity and the location of extensive grazing, in combination with Little Ice Age climatic cooling. The loss of woodland was accompanied by increased soil erosion. Conversely, the lake ecosystem showed an immediate response to settlement, becoming more productive for several centuries, perhaps in response to increased availability of nutrients from grazing herbivores. The late persistence of woodland in the Kalmanstjörn record adds to our understanding of the spatial variations in ecosystem responses to settlement in Iceland, while the evidence for decoupling of the aquatic and terrestrial systems suggests that palaeolimnological reconstructions focusing on aquatic ecosystem responses may be important new sources of information on the wider ecological consequences of human settlement.     

小冰期气候的研究

本文总结分析了近年来国内外对小冰期气候的研究，对亚洲、欧洲、北美、南美、非洲、北极地区及南极洲的各种重建气温序列进行了整理。所有序列均取１０００－１９８９年每５０年的平均值(最后一个仅有４０年)，并统一对近千年平均求距平。发现１７世纪及１９世纪的冷期有很大普遍性。平均比２０世纪后半低１．０℃左右。火山活动与太阳活动(¹⁴Ｃ)指数及平均气温序列的相关系数分别为－０．４９及－０．７３，说明这两个因素可能是小冰期形成的原因。     

20th century tree‐line advance and vegetation changes along an altitudinal transect in the Putorana Mountains,northern Siberia

Kirdyanov, A. V., Hagedorn, F., Knorre, A. A., Fedotova, E. V., Vaganov, E. A., Naurzbaev, M. M., Moiseev, P. A. & Rigling, A. 2012 (January): 20th century tree‐line advance and vegetation changes along an altitudinal transect in the Putorana Mountains, northern Siberia. Boreas, Vol. 41, pp. 56–67. 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2011.00214.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Ongoing climatic changes potentially affect tree‐line ecosystems, but in many regions the observed changes are superimposed by human activities. We assessed how the forest‐tundra ecotone has changed during the last century in the Putorana Mountains, northern Siberia, an extremely remote and untouched area in Eurasia. A space‐for‐time approach was used to determine the spatio‐temporal dynamics of forest structure and biomass along an altitudinal transect. From the closed larch forest to the upper tree line, the mean age of Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) decreased considerably from 220 to 50 years ago. At the current upper species line, there is a strong and successful germination of larch, with 1500 saplings per hectare, indicating an ongoing filling‐in, a densification of a formerly open forest and an upslope shift of the tree‐line position (approximately 30 to 50 m in altitude during the last century). The forest expansion coincided with large increases in winter precipitation during the 20th century. In contrast, tree growth rates were significantly positively related to summer temperatures, neither of which increased markedly. The total aboveground biomass decreased from approximately 40 t ha^?1 in the closed larch forest to 5 t ha^?1 at the tree line. Our study demonstrates that ongoing climatic changes lead to an upslope expansion of forests in the remote Putorana Mountains, which alters the stand structure and productivity of the forest‐tundra ecotone. These vegetation changes are very probably of minor importance for aboveground carbon sequestration, but soil carbon data are needed to estimate the impact of the forest expansion on the total ecosystem carbon storage.     

The impact of vertebrate herbivores on wetland vegetation in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana

Delta islands in the Atchafalaya and Wax Lake deltas in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana, are in an extremely dynamic successional phase. These islands initially supported large marshes dominated by the pioneering plant species Sagittaria latifolia and Sagittaria platyphylla. A general decrease in vegetated areas has occurred in the delta island marshes in the Atchafalaya Delta since about 1980, while in the Wax Lake Delta portion of the complex the vegetation still flourished. The Atchafalaya Delta provides an interesting setting for the study of herbivory because of the complex interaction of biotic and physical factors operating in this delta. We hypothesized that grazing by herbivores has a marked effect on vegetation in these developing marshes. To test this hypothesis, exclosures were erected on islands in both deltas in September 1985 and January 1986. Each set of exclosure treatments included an openly-grazed control area, an ungrazed area, an area allowing nutria grazing, and one allowing waterfowl grazing in each site. Results of the experiment, based on field sampling of vegetation, indicated decreases in plant biomass and changes in plant species composition in grazed treatments. Waterfowl and nutria reduced biomass aboul equally, but there was a more marked effect in the openly grazed areas. These findings may be extrapolated to sediment diversion areas along the Mississippi River.     

淮河流域近500年洪旱事件演变特征分析

为了认识淮河流域过去500年洪旱事件发生规律并鉴别当前的洪旱情势,收集并对比分析了流域实测降雨资料、重建历史雨季降雨资料、历史旱涝等级资料、历史洪旱文献记录和历史调查洪水资料等多源洪旱灾害数据。以重建历史雨季降雨资料和历史旱涝等级资料为主要依据,通过滑动平均、频率计算、小波分析和突变检验等方法,分析流域过去500年洪水干旱时空分布特征和演变规律。结果表明,17世纪淮河流域洪旱灾害最严重,但20世纪极端洪旱事件发生频次最多。淮河流域洪旱事件存在40年左右的稳定长周期,主周期从18世纪的15~20年逐渐减少到19世纪的5年周期,近20年来出现2~3年的主周期,洪旱灾害事件呈增加趋势,流域社会经济发展面临着严峻的洪旱灾害威胁。     

A multi‐proxy study of Holocene lake development,lake settlement and vegetation history in central Ireland

Stratigraphical investigations, geomorphological mapping, and diatom, plant macrofossil and pollen analyses were undertaken in and around two lakes in central Ireland to establish correlations between changes in lake conditions and catchment vegetation throughout the Holocene. Similar investigations of an adjacent mire reveal early Holocene changes in lake level and area. The palaeoecological data show high correlations related to variations in lake depth and area, catchment vegetation type, organic inputs and trophic status. Catchment‐scale deforestation is gradual and occurs through the Bronze and the Iron Ages, and the construction of a crannog in the early Medieval period (seventh century AD ) appears to be associated with a widespread increase in deforestation and mixed agriculture in the catchment. Both pollen and plant macrofossils suggest that one of the crannogs was used for crop storage in addition to domestic and any other activities. In the early to middle Holocene similarities in the proxy‐data appear to be climatically driven through changing lake levels and areal extent whereas the later Holocene record is clearly dominated by anthropogenic changes within the catchment and the construction of crannogs in the lakes. The advantages of combining multi‐proxy indicators of lake hydroecology with the vegetation record are illustrated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wind erosion and intensive prehistoric agriculture: A case study from the Kalaupapa field system,Moloka'i Island,Hawai'i

Wind erosion is a major problem for modern farmers, a key variable affecting nutrient levels in ecosystems, and a potentially major force impacting archaeological site formation; however, it has received scant consideration in geoarchaeological studies of agricultural development compared with more easily quantifiable environmental costs, such as vegetation change or fluvial erosion. In this study, soil nutrient analysis is used in the Kalaupapa field system, Moloka'i Island, Hawai'i, to detect an increase in wind erosion attributable to intensive agriculture following the burning of endemic forest. This practice began on a small scale in the 13th century A.D., expanded around cal A.D. 1450–1550, and continued until the near total abandonment of the fields after European contact in the 18th century. Nutrients that naturally occur in high amounts in coastal windward areas due to the long‐term, cumulative effect of sea spray were especially impacted. However, thanks to the unique landform of the Kalaupapa Peninsula, nutrient depletion in windward areas was offset by downwind enrichment and likely contributed to the long‐term sustainability of the system as a whole. Future research on tropical and arid agriculture should consider the cumulative environmental cost of increased eolian erosion attributable to anthropogenic landscape modification. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Pollen Evidence of Changing Holocene Monsoon Climate in Sichuan Province, China

Pollen evidence from Lake Shayema, Mianning County, was obtained to examine postglacial vegetation and climatic change in southwestern Sichuan, China. The sclerophyllous character of the region's warm temperate vegetation today is a reflection of extreme drought in spring before the onset of the Asian monsoons. The pollen record displays several changes in the vegetation over the last 11,000 yr. From 11,000 to 9100 yr B.P., cold-tolerant species, such as Abies , Betula, and deciduous oaks, dominated the vegetation. Between 9100 and 7800 yr B.P., the abundance of deciduous oaks decreased and evergreen oaks increased, as did Tsuga and mesic deciduous species. This change suggests a warming climate with increased precipitation. From 7800 to 4000 yr B.P., sclerophyllous species increased at the expense of mesic deciduous species, an indication that precipitation was becoming more seasonal. Except for increased disturbance starting ca. 1000 yr B.P., the predominance of sclerophyllous vegetation continued until today. The pollen results are compatible with proposed global circulation hypotheses of a strengthened monsoon system during the early to mid Holocene.     

A Late Holocene Paleoecological Record from Torrey Pines State Reserve, California

Paleoenvironments of the Torrey Pines State Reserve were reconstructed from a 3600-yr core from Los Peñasquitos Lagoon using fossil pollen, spores, charcoal, chemical stratigraphy, particle size, and magnetic susceptibility. Late Holocene sediments were radiocarbon dated, while the historical sediments were dated using sediment chemistry, fossil pollen, and historical records. At 3600 yr B.P., the estuary was a brackish-water lagoon. By 2800 yr B.P., Poaceae (grass) pollen increased to high levels, suggesting that the rising level of the core site led to its colonization by Spartina foliosa (cord-grass), the lowest-elevation plant type within regional estuaries. An increase in pollen and spores of moisture-dependent species suggests a climate with more available moisture after 2600 yr B.P. This change is similar to that found 280 km to the north at 3250 yr B.P., implying that regional climate changes were time-transgressive from north to south. Increased postsettlement sediment input resulted from nineteenth-century land disturbances caused by grazing and fire. Sedimentation rates increased further in the twentieth century due to closure of the estuarine mouth. The endemic Pinus torreyana (Torrey pine) was present at the site throughout this 3600-yr interval but was less numerous prior to 2100 yr B.P. This history may have contributed to the low genetic diversity of this species.     

人类活动与气候变化对科尔沁沙质草地植被的影响

1992—2006年在科尔沁沙地开展了草地放牧和封育试验,分析研究了人类放牧活动和气候变化对草地植被的影响。研究结果表明：①人类放牧活动对沙质草地植被具有显著影响,其中轻度放牧可使原退化草地植被盖度、高度、物种丰富度和多样性明显提高,中度放牧下虽然草地植被盖度和高度有所下降,但对物种丰富度和多样性无不良影响,持续过度放牧可以导致草地植被迅速破坏;②围栏封育可以促进退化草地植被盖度、高度、物种丰富度和植物多样性得到较快恢复,其恢复速度是草层高度＞植被盖度＞物种丰富度＞多样性;③暖湿气候有利于草地维持较高的植被盖度、高度、物种丰富度和多样性,而持续干旱会导致相应指标的明显下降,多雨时期气温变化对植被的影响较大,干旱时期降水变化对植被的作用较强。     

A high‐resolution pollen and geochemical analysis of late Holocene human impact and vegetation history in southern Cumbria,England

The historic era, which in Cumbria begins with the Roman invasion of AD 71, is a frequently neglected period in palaeoecological research, but its study can bring benefits in improving knowledge of landscape history and in understanding the significance and limitations of palaeoecological records. Pollen and geochemical data are presented for late Holocene records from Deer Dyke and Hulleter Mosses in southern Cumbria. The records show initially low levels of anthropogenic impact, followed by a phase of forest clearance and mixed agriculture from the 7th to 11th centuries AD. The timing of these clearances suggests that they were initially Anglo‐Saxon in origin, rather than Norse. Further clearances in the 16th century AD are interpreted as a response to monastic dissolution and late Tudor population pressures; the landscapes reached their contemporary form following extensive clearances in the 17th century AD. Silicon and titanium concentrations at Deer Dyke Moss were used to reconstruct past levels of atmospheric dust loading, which is broadly related to soil erosion. Geochemical influx was found to peak during periods of landscape transition rather than from established land use. This relationship with pollen data is thought to reflect the predominantly low levels of anthropogenic impact in the region, which changes as substantial woodland clearances during the 16th century AD and continuous land use pressure since then have greatly increased the supply of airborne dust. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A multidisciplinary approach to reveal the Sicily Climate and Environment over the last 20 000 years

We present a thorough review of the knowledge on the climate and environment in Sicily over the last 20 000 years, taking into account results of several studies carried using terrestrial and marine records. We obtain a coherent framework of the most important changes succeeded in the island, even if some points need further investigation. All the reconstructions of surface temperatures of the seas and the air surrounding Sicily point out severe climatic conditions during the last glacial period. The steppe- and semisteppe-like vegetation pattern testifies, together with additional evidence from geochemical data of lacustrine evidence, markedly arid conditions. Fi-nally, significant episodes of sea level drop connected Sicily to the Italian Peninsula and favoured the dispersion of faunal elements from southern Italy. The transition between the last glacial and the Holocene was not characterized by a gradual warming but was punctuated by two abrupt suborbital climatic fluctuations: Bølling-Allerød (warm) and Younger Dryas (cold), as recognized in the sediments recovered close to the northern and southern coast of Sicily. A denser arboreal cover is possibly indicated by the occurrence of dormouse and Arvicola remains. Finally the sensitivity of Sicily to climate perturbations is demonstrated by the occurrence of repeated subtle climatic anomalies during the Holocene, including the Little Ice Age, also known from historical chronicles. Forests, woods and Mediterranean maquis developed in the early-middle Holocene. Thereafter was a general decline of arboreal vegetation, following a general aridification trend that seems to be a common feature in southern Europe and North Africa. Science Greek colonization (7^th century before Christ), the landscape was intensively modelled for agriculture and breeding, leading to a significant loss of vegetation cover.     

季节性放牧对黄河源区高寒草甸植被耗水量及水分利用效率的影响

研究季节性放牧对植被耗水量、水分利用效率的影响,是探索如何提高高寒草甸水源涵养能力的重要内容之一。以青藏高原三江源高寒草甸季节性放牧样地与自然放牧样地为研究对象,分析了季节性放牧和自然放牧条件下高寒草甸植被耗水量、水分盈亏量、水分利用效率（WUE）的动态变化及其与环境因素的关系。结果表明：在植被生长季（5-9月）,季节性放牧样地和自然放牧样地植被耗水量在5月开始增加, 7月达最高,分别为160.94 mm和145.96 mm,季节性放牧样地植被总耗水量（395.52 mm）比自然放牧样地（348.14 mm）高13.61%。生长季平均来看,季节性放牧样地和自然放牧样地5-9月水分正盈余,分别为13.58 mm和70.96 mm,但在植物生长旺季（8月）略有亏缺。季节性放牧样地和自然放牧样地植被耗水量均与降水量呈弱的正相关关系。季节性放牧样地植被地上净初级生产量（ANPP）、地下净初级生产量（BNPP）和总的净初级生产量（NPP）比自然放牧样地分别高32.54 g·m^-2、5.96 g·m^-2、38.50 g·m^-2,季节性放牧样地ANPP的水分利用效率（WUE）比自然放牧样地高53.85%,而BNPP、NPP的WUE比自然放牧样地分别低13.06%和9.97%。这表明,季节性放牧可提高植被生产量和耗水量,但对高寒草甸WUE的影响因放牧方式不同导致地上、地下生物量分配格局不同而有所差异。     

公元1000—2000年中国北方地区极端干旱事件序列重建与分析

利用历史文献记录重建了公元1000—2000年中国北方地区极端干旱事件序列,在此基础上分析极端干旱事件的发生特征与规律。研究得出以下结论:(1)极端干旱事件在公元1000—2000年中存在200年左右的周期波动。在15世纪中期、17世纪初期和18世纪末期存在3次极端干旱事件高发期。(2)极端干旱事件的变动与中国东部地区干湿变化相一致,在偏干的时期极端干旱事件发生次数上升,在偏湿时则下降。(3)在中世纪暖期和现代暖期,温度愈高,极端干旱事件偏多;而在小冰期,则温度偏低的时期极端干旱事件多发。(4)西风带影响下的非季风区,干湿变化与极端干旱事件的关系与华北季风区相反,这可能与所谓的“丝绸之路遥相关”和NAO(NorthAtlanticOscillation,北大西洋涛动)的影响有关。     

祁连山中部公元904年以来树木年轮记录的旱涝变化

利用取自祁连山中部地区的树木年轮样本和该地区3个站点的降水资料,应用年轮气候学方法,重建了祁连山中部地区的降水量.自公元904年以来,该地区历经了31次相对干期和30次相对湿润期,其中,连续两个10a以上的干期有17次,湿润期12次,最长的干期是1540—1590年间,长达60a,最长的湿润期是1240—1270年、1860—1890年,各有40a.世纪尺度范围内,16世纪是最干的100a,有80a为少雨年;最湿润的是13世纪和19世纪,这期间有60a为多雨.自公元904年以来,降水量共发生了35次突变,16次是由旱向涝的突变,19次是由涝向旱的突变.平均约30a发生一次.11世纪是该地区降水的多变时期,15～16世纪是降水的相对稳定时段,20世纪又进入了降水的多变时期.     

Microscopic Examination of Ancient and Modern Irrigated Paddy Soils in South Korea,with Special Reference to the Formation of Silty Clay Concentration Features

Geoarchaeological investigations of Bronze Age (10th–4th centuries B.C.), early historical (4th–10th centuries A.D.), and premodern to modern paddy soils (11^th Century A.D. to contemporary) in South Korea were carried out to understand soil alteration by irrigated rice agriculture. After a review of ancient cultivation micromorphology, especially in the context of wet‐rice agriculture, paddy soils were examined from two archaeological sites, Gulhwa and Pyunggeo, which had been both intermittently occupied since the Bronze Age. This paper highlights anomalous pedofeatures (silty clay concentration features or SCCFs), repeatedly observed in both historical and modern paddy fields, which were studied using soil micromorphology, energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry (EDS), and microprobe analysis. Results suggest that there are several types of SCCFs, optically distinguishable from other textural pedofeatures. It is concluded that these SCCFs are probably associated with hydromorphic processes, formed under the influence of a tillage and repeated irrigation specific to paddy fields.     

Variations in climate since 1602 as reconstructed from tree rings

Spatial anomalies of tree-ring chronologies can provide information on high-frequency spatial anomalies in paleoclimate representing droughts, colder-than-normal intervals, and other synoptic-scale features. Examples are presented in which 65 tree-ring chronologies are calibrated with spatial anomalies in North American meteorological records of seasonal temperature and precipitation, and with sea-level pressure over the North American and North Pacific sectors. Multivariate transfer functions are obtained that scale and convert the past spatial variations in the tree-ring record into estimates of past variations in the meteorological record. Objective verifications of the reconstructions are obtained using independent meteorological observations for time periods other than those used in the calibration. Historical information or other proxy data from the 19th century are also used for verifying the decadal (or longer) and regional reconstructions and for identifying strengths and weaknesses of the various sources of information. The reconstructed winter and summer temperatures for the United States and southwestern Canada and winter precipitation for the Columbia Basin and California during the 17th through 19th centuries were found to differ from the 20th century means with large-scale variations evident. Extreme winters similar to 1976–1977 are also identified and found to be more frequent in the past, especially in the 17th century. The climatic reconstructions in this time domain are dominated by high-frequency, synoptic-scale fluctuations that can be interpreted as cyclonic-scale changes in atmospheric circulation. Such reconstructions may be useful for testing various climatic models and estimates developed primarily from 20th-century meteorological data against the longer estimated record for the 17th through 19th centuries.