On the design of paleoenvironmental data networks for estimating large-scale patterns of climate

Guidelines are determined for the spatial density and location of climatic variables (temperature and precipitation) that are appropriate for estimating the continental- to hemispheric-scale pattern of atmospheric circulation (sea-level pressure). Because instrumental records of temperature and precipitation simulate the climatic information that is contained in certain paleoenvironmental records (tree-ring, pollen, and written-documentary records, for example), these guidelines provide useful sampling strategies for reconstructing the pattern of atmospheric circulation from paleoenvironmental records. The statistical analysis uses a multiple linear regression model. The sampling strategies consist of changes in site density (from 0.5 to 2.5 sites per million square kilometers) and site location (from western North American sites only to sites in Japan, North America, and western Europe) of the climatic data. The results showed that the accuracy of specification of the pattern of sea-level pressure: (1) is improved if sites with climatic records are spread as uniformly as possible over the area of interest; (2) increases with increasing site density-at least up to the maximum site density used in this study; (3) is improved if sites cover an area that extends considerably beyond the limits of the area of interest. The accuracy of specification was lower for independent data than for the data that were used to develop the regression model; some skill was found for almost all sampling strategies.     

Late and middle Pleistocene ungulates dietary diversity in Western Europe indicate variations of Neanderthal paleoenvironments through time and space

Mesowear and microwear on enamel from 763 teeth of middle and late Pleistocene ungulates were analysed to infer the potential of dental wear analysis of faunal remains as a paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic proxy in relation to climatic changes and diversity of vegetation available in the environment. Fossil localities including levels belonging to two glacial and two interglacial stages were selected in Germany, France, and Spain. At a temporal scale, results indicate that the dietary diversity in ungulates is higher during interglacial phases (MIS 5 and 3) than during pleniglacial phases (MIS 8 and 4). Dietary diversity is concluded to be related to climate-driven vegetation changes which during interglacials lead to increased variety of potential food items available to ungulates. At the geographical scale, during interglacials, changes in diet composition are evident along geographical gradients. The corresponding dietary gradients are proposed to be related to climate and vegetation gradients reflecting more arid climates in the Mediterranean area compared to North-Western Europe. Species consistently represented at all localities investigated are Cervus elaphus (Cervidae, Artiodactyla) and Equus ferus (Equidae, Perissodactyla). C. elaphus populations are found to consistently have less abrasive diets than E. ferus populations but dietary traits of both species varied largely, revealing a significant plasticity in the feeding adaptation of both species. Those traits are concluded to be related to differences in vegetation structure at each locality and complement the evidence that ungulates have broader dietary habits than what is usually assumed.     

Quantitative reconstruction of mid-Holocene climatic variations in the northern Alpine foreland based on Lake Morat (Swiss Plateau) and Lake Annecy (French Pre-Alps) data

Vegetation and lake-level data from the sites of Lake Morat (Switzerland) and Lake Annecy (eastern France) are used to provide quantitative estimates of climatic variables over the period 6600-5500 cal. yr BP in the northern Subalpine zone, and to test the method of climate reconstruction based on modern pollen analogues constrained by lake-level data. The results obtained from both sites suggest: (1) that phases of higher lake level coincided with a cooling and a shortening of the growing season and an increase in annual precipitation, and (2) that during climatic reversals summer was more affected than winter. They also provide evidence of a sensitive method of reconstruction of climatic variables capable of capturing minor climatic oscillations such as reflected by weakly pronounced lake-level fluctuations. However, comparison of results obtained at Lake Morat and Lake Annecy, with each other and with results from other sites in central Europe, also clearly indicates that either anthropogenic disturbances of the vegetation cover or an overrepresentation of taxa due to particular site exposition can bias the reconstruction of variations in climatic parameters. In addition to pluri-centennial climatic oscillations, both the Lake Morat and Lake Annecy records show a general trend toward temperature cooling over the period considered. This may be related to a reduction in summer insolation induced by orbital factors. Finally, the quantitative estimates of climatic parameters reconstructed at Lake Morat and Lake Annecy help to increase our understanding of the possible impact of climatic oscillations on ancient agricultural communities.     

第四纪环境重建的良好代用指标——有壳变形虫记录与古生态学研究进展

有壳变形虫是一类广泛分布在淡水潮湿环境中的根足纲原生动物,具有较窄的生态幅、较短的生命周期,对环境变化敏感等特点,因此沉积物中保存的有壳变形虫化石可以提供高分辨率的环境信息。有壳变形虫化石在古湖泊学与人类活动、古水文、古温度、第四纪海平面变化的定量重建等方面具有独特而重要的研究价值。在欧洲和北美开展的大量研究已证实有壳变形虫是古环境变化的有效指示器。我国地域辽阔,生境多样,无论是开展现代有壳变形虫的生态学研究,还是沉积物中有壳变形虫记录的古环境重建,都有巨大的研究潜力。     

Pollen‐based biome reconstructions for Colombia at 3000, 6000, 9000, 12 000, 15 000 and 18 000 14C yr ago: Late Quaternary tropical vegetation dynamics

Colombian biomes are reconstructed at 45 sites from the modern period extending to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). The basis for our reconstruction is pollen data assigned to plant functional types and biomes at six 3000‐yr intervals. A reconstruction of modern biomes is used to check the treatment of the modern pollen data set against a map of potential vegetation. This allows the biomes reconstructed at past periods to be assessed relative to the modern situation. This process also provides a check on the a priori assignment of pollen taxa to plant functional types and biomes. For the majority of the sites, the pollen data accurately reflect the potential vegetation, even though much of the original vegetation has been transformed by agricultural practices. At 18 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, a generally cool and dry environment is reflected in biome, assignments of cold mixed forests, cool evergreen forests and cool grassland–shrub; the latter extending to lower altitudes than presently recorded. This signal is strongly recorded at 15 000 and 12 000 ¹⁴C yr BP, the vegetation at these times also reflecting a relatively cool and dry environment. At 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP there is a shift to biomes thought to result from slightly cooler environmental conditions. This trend is reversed by 6000 ¹⁴C yr BP; most sites, within a range of different environmental settings, recording a shift to more xeric biome types. There is an expansion of steppe and cool mixed‐forest biomes, replacing tropical dry forest and cool grassland–shrub biomes, respectively. These changes in biome assignments from the modern situation can be interpreted as a biotic response to mid‐Holocene climatic aridity. At 3000 ¹⁴C yr BP the shift is mainly to biomes characteristic of slightly more mesic environmental conditions. There are a number of sites that do not change biome assignment relative to the modern reconstruction, although the affinities that these sites have to a specific biome do change. These ‘anomalies’ are interpreted on a site‐by‐site basis. Spatially constant, but differential response of the vegetation to climatic shifts are related to changes in moisture sources and the importance of edaphic controls on the vegetation. The Late Quaternary reconstruction of large‐scale vegetation dynamics in Colombia allows an understanding of the environmental controls on these to be developed. In particular, shifts in the character of the main climatic systems that influence Colombian vegetation are described. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青藏高原现代表土中冷杉和云杉花粉的空间分布

文章通过对青藏高原北纬25°～45°,东经75°～106°范围内海拔1000～5700m的地区所采集的598个表土样品的孢粉分析,研究了现代表土中冷杉和云杉花粉的分布与植被、气候和海拔之间的关系。表土样品中冷杉和云杉花粉高含量范围对应着青藏高原南部和东部山地暗针叶林分布区,花粉等值线图较准确地反映了冷杉和云杉的丰富程度及其与植被、环境的关系;冷杉和云杉花粉百分含量随海拔和气候梯度变化表现出单峰分布模式,冷杉和云杉花粉百分含量大于20%的最适宜海拔高度是2500～4000m,最高含量中心限制在海拔3200m左右、年均温2～3℃范围内;较高的花粉百分含量带出现在年均温0～8℃、年均降水量400～850mm的区域。结果显示了青藏高原现代冷杉和云杉花粉的空间分布与植被、气候、海拔的空间变化之间很好的相关性,为利用花粉资料进行青藏高原地区的古气候重建提供了有益的资料     

The Impact of Climatic and Environmental Factors on n-Alkanes Indices in Southwestern Tibetan Plateau

n-Alkanes are widely used in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.However,our understanding of changes in the distribution of n-alkanes with climatic and environmental factors remains unclear in arid/semi-arid regions.We sampled 26 surface sediments from three climatic zones across the southwestern Tibetan Plateau to evaluate the sensitivity of chain length distributions of n-alkanes to climatic and environmental parameters.Our observations demonstrate that average chain length (ACL), proportion of aquatic macrophyte (Paq),carbon preference index (CPI) and ratio of the contents of nC27 and nC31 (nC27/nC31) are all sensitive to hydroclimatic conditions.In contrast to commonly-adopted assumptions,the correlations between these indices and hydrological parameters are not always good,which indicates that the interpretation of n-alkane indices is special on the southwestern Tibetan Plateau.These might be related to the vegetation characteristics and seasonality of biological activity,and need to be considered in paleoclimatic reconstruction.The impact of seasonal precipitation on n-alkanes indices was also evaluated.     

4000aB.P.前后降温事件与中华文明的诞生

4000aB .P .前后降温事件是世界上许多地区全新世人类演化史上的重要转折点之一 ,也是导致古埃及、两河流域和印度河流域等地区世界古文明衰落的主要原因。在中国 ,该降温事件导致了中原周围地区五大新石器文化的衰落和终结 ,但却加速和促进了中原地区以夏朝建立为标志的中华文明的诞生.     

Application of meteorological and vegetation indices for evaluation of drought impact: a case study for Rajasthan, India

Drought is a serious climatic condition that affects nearly all climatic zones worldwide, with semi-arid regions being especially susceptible to drought conditions because of their low annual precipitation and sensitivity to climate changes. Drought indices such as the standardized precipitation index (SPI) using meteorological data and vegetation indices from satellite data were developed for quantifying drought conditions. Remote sensing of semi-arid vegetation can provide vegetation indices which can be used to link drought conditions when correlated with various meteorological data based drought indices. The present study was carried out for drought monitoring for three districts namely Bhilwara, Kota and Udaipur of Rajasthan state in India using SPI, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), water supply vegetation index (WSVI) and vegetation condition index (VCI) derived from the Advanced Very High resolution Radiometer (AVHRR). The SPI was computed at different time scales of 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months using monthly rainfall data. The NDVI and WSVI were correlated to the SPI and it was observed that for the three stations, the correlation coefficient was high for different time scales. Bhilwara district having the best correlation for the 9-month time scale shows late response while Kota district having the best correlation for 1-month shows fast response. On the basis of the SPI analysis, it was found that the area was worst affected by drought in the year 2002. This was validated on the basis of NDVI, WSVI and VCI. The study clearly shows that integrated analysis of ground measured data and satellite data has a great potential in drought monitoring.     

环境磁学在古气候环境研究中的回顾与展望

基于磁性矿物的性质变化能敏感记录现在和地质历史时期的气候环境变化信息,环境磁学方法能鉴别环境演化过程中磁性物质在大气圈、水圈和岩石圈中运移、沉积和转化的过程,系统介绍了沉积物中磁性矿物的特征和鉴别方法以及主要的环境磁学参数和意义,着重回顾了环境磁学在以黄土、湖泊和海洋沉积物为载体的古气候环境研究中的应用及其取得的重要进展,指出了环境磁学在古气候环境研究过程中要加强多磁学参数综合应用,促进地质记录和磁学指标之间的定量研究,有利于理解不同沉积物的磁性矿物特征和环境变化过程的相关关系。同时强调沉积物还原成岩作用过程的环境磁学研究是目前以至今后发展的一个重要方向。     

Phytoliths and seeds in fluvial island paleoenviroment reconstruction (interaction with pollen analysis)

We tested the use of phytoliths and seeds as bioindicators in the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of fluvial islands and compared the results with those of facies and pollen analyses. The studied material was taken from a 215 cm core drilled in Mutum Island. The study included a) the quantification and identification of phytoliths and seeds, b) the determination of the distribution of biological material in the island sediment and sedimentary facies, c) the determination of organic material contents, and d) a chronological analysis with three ¹⁴C dates. This study also determined the distribution of seeds and phytoliths over the sedimentary environment succession. We identified the following distributions of seeds and phytoliths over the paleoenvironmental hydrach succession. 1) Channel paleoenvironment (eupotamic stage): the sediment was deposited under lotic flow conditions, with the occurrence of Podostemaceae phytoliths and a predominance of Poliygonaceae seeds. 2) Blind channel paleoenvironment (parapotamic stage): this environment, which occurred 725–935 cal yrs BP., demonstrated an increase in the quantity of Podostemaceae phytoliths and seed quantity alternations. 3) Lake paleoenvironment (paleopotamic stage): a change from the blind channel to lake environment occurred at 631–797 cal yrs BP. An increase in the phytolith concentration was associated with a saddle morphology peak and general decrease in seeds, except for over the 110-100 cm interval, with a high occurrence of Cecropiaceae and Lentibulariaceae seeds. 4) Present swamp environment (paleopotamic to terrestrial stage): the present environment was settled approximately 300 cal yrs BP. (uncertainties range) with phytoliths. The seed assemblage in the sediment resembles the current vegetation on the island. The variation in the types of phytoliths and seeds from the base to the top of the sedimentary column reflect changes in the vegetation with changes in the environmental conditions and the great potential for these structures to be paleoindicators in fluvial systems. The seed and phytolith data were compared with the pollen analysis results.     

Fossil insect evidence for late pleistocene paleoenvironments of the lamb spring site,Colorado

The study of Quarternary insect fossils has shown their value as paleoenvironmental indicators, especially during times of rapid climatic change, and this method is now being introduced into North America archeological studies. Abundant insect fossils have been recovered from 13,000 year old detrital organic materials from silty clays at the Lamb Spring site, south of Denver, Colorado. The spring deposits also contain bones of extinct camel and mammoth, thought to have been modified by human hunters. The late Pleistocene insect fauna from Lamb Spring comprises 71 identified taxa from 6 orders and 14 families, principally beetles, providing substantial paleoenvironmental data. The beetle fauna is a mixture of grassland and mountain elements, and they appear to represent an environment similar to that found today in high mountain valleys, such as South Park, Colorado. Based on this fauna, mean summer temperatures at 13,140 B.P. were probably 10°C cooler than present.     

树轮纤维素中氧同位素温度意义

树轮作为自然档案中的一种, 其同位素研究是较为新颖的领域文章比较系统地从树轮纤维素的提取、氧的来源、植物体内氧的分馏、与温度变化的关系等４ 个方面评述了树轮纤维素氧同位素组成的气候学意义已有的研究结果表明, 树轮纤维素氧同位素组成的变化是温度变化的良好载体, 但在定量恢复古温度变化时遇到了不少限制, 有待于进一步完善分馏模型     

Monsoon variability and chemical weathering during the late Pleistocene in the Goriganga basin, higher central Himalaya, India

Stable isotope analysis along with radiocarbon and luminescence dating of late Pleistocene lacustrine deposits at Burfu in the higher central Himalaya are used to interpret hydrologic changes in the lake basin. From 15.5 ka to ~ 14.5 ka the Burfu lake was largely fed by melting glaciers. A warming event at 14.5 ka suggests an enhanced monsoon and increased carbonate weathering. From ~ 13.5 ka to ~ 12.5 ka the isotopic data suggest large-amplitude climate variability. Following this, the isotope data suggest a short-lived, abrupt cooling event, comprising a ~ 300-yr intense cool period followed by a ~ 500-yr interval of moderate climate. A shift in isotope values at ~ 11.3 ka may signify a strengthening monsoon in this region. The inferred climatic excursions appear to be correlative, at least qualitatively, with global climatic events, and perhaps the Burfu lake sequence provides regional evidence of globally recorded excursions. This study also suggests a potential use of radiocarbon ages in specific environments as a paleoenvironmental proxy.     

Re-Os同位素在沉积地层精确定年及古环境反演中的应用进展

Re-Os同位素亲有机质的性质,使得富有机质沉积岩在沉积的过程中能够吸附富集海水中的Re、Os,沉积岩的沉积压实过程也是其中Re-Os同位素体系封闭计时的过程,沉积岩Re-Os同位素等时线年龄代表地层沉积时代,Os同位素初始比值187Os/188Os反映沉积时海水的Os同位素比值。Re-Os同位素体系在富有机质沉积岩中的成功应用,能够直接确定地层沉积时代,从而对地层界线进行直接厘定,并且能够对一些沉积矿床形成时代、冰川事件发生时代进行厘定和限制。通过沉积岩Re-Os同位素特征,可以对古环境进行反演,有助于了解全球大气海洋的演化,气候的变化,对研究生物灭绝等重大地质事件发生的时限和机制以及金属矿床的成矿物质来源具有重要意义。文章阐述了Re-Os同位素在富有机质沉积岩中应用的原理,并列举了Re-Os同位素在沉积地层精确定年及古环境反演中应用实例,说明了富有机质沉积岩Re-Os同位素分析精度及其影响因素,以使Re-Os同位素体系作为一种强有力的工具,解决更多的沉积地层时代问题以及更好地对古环境进行反演。     

基于植被结构分析法的生态植被与地下水关系研究——以鄂尔多斯盆地内蒙古能源基地为例

生态植被与地下水关系研究是干旱半干旱地区地下水合理开发利用的基础。以植被空间分布和地下水埋深为基础资料,本文尝试提出大尺度生态植被与地下水关系半定量化分析的新方法——植被结构分析法,并以鄂尔多斯盆地内蒙古能源基地为例进行了示范研究。利用植被结构图分析法,可在定量研究生态植被与地下水关系基础上,统计分析地下水开发后生态植被出现演替的临界水位,并预测生态植被的整体演化趋势。     

A deeply stratified archaeological and sedimentary sequence in the Delaware river valley of the middle Atlantic region,United States

A stratified sedimentary and archaeological sequence over seven meters thick is under investigation on Upper Shawnee Island in the Upper Delaware Valley, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Artifact deposits identified to date include Early Archaic (7380 B.C.), possible Middle Archaic (4300/3300 B.C.), Late Archaic (1565 B.C.), and Middle and Late Woodland components. This paper focuses on the Early Archaic deposits at approximately 4.3 meters below the surface and the implications that the entire profile has for paleoenvironmental change. The sedimentary sequence represents several major changes in depositional processes. Of special interest is a dramatic decrease in landscape stability and an increase in flood depositions during the mid-Holocene, circa 4300/3300 B.C. Similar changes are evident at archaeological sites in the Middle and Lower sections of the Delaware Valley and appear to be a reflection of regional climatic change.     

稳定碳同位素在第四纪古环境研究中的应用

文章对陆相沉积物、湖沼相沉积物以及脊椎动物牙齿中的δ13C研究作了系统的综述,特别对存在的问题提出了一些看法,认为黄土-古土壤序列中有机质δ13C与碳酸盐δ13C变化趋势相反的原因是CO2与碳酸盐交换平衡时的分馏系数在古土壤堆积时和黄土发育时不一致造成的;陆相沉积物的有机质δ13C较碳酸盐δ13C能更加直接地反映沉积时地表植被状况,陆相沉积物的碳酸盐δ13C在古生态中的应用还有待于对它的形成机制和形成过程进行进一步的研究;我国黄土高原末次冰期的气候不利于C4的生长.文章强调古环境、古生态研究应该从现代过程入手,了解现代植物δ13C与气候参数的关系以及现代C4植物的分布规律.同时还认为分子化石的稳定同位素研究这一新研究手段将会给第四纪研究带来更新的活力.