Prehistoric agriculture development in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau,southwest China: Archaeobotanical evidence

The origin, development and expansion of prehistoric agriculture in East Asia have been widely investigated over the past two decades using archaeobotanical analysis from excavated Neolithic and Bronze Age sites. Research on prehistoric agriculture has predominantly focused in the valleys of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. Agricultural development during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau of southwest China, an important passageway for human migration into Southeast Asia, still remains unclear. In this paper, based on macrofossil and microfossil analysis and radiocarbon dating at the Shilinggang site, we investigate plant subsistence strategies in the Nujiang River valley during the Bronze Age period. Combined with previous archaeobotanical studies in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, we explore agricultural development processes in this area during the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Our results indicate that rice and foxtail millet were cultivated in Shilinggang around 2500 cal a BP. Three phases of prehistoric agricultural development in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau can be identified: rice cultivation from 4800–3900 cal a BP, mixed rice and millet crop(foxtail millet and broomcorn millet) cultivation from 3900–3400 cal a BP, and mixed rice, millet crop and wheat cultivation from 3400–2300 cal a BP. The development of agriculture in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods was primarily promoted by prehistoric agriculture expansion across Eurasia, agricultural expansion which was also affected by the topographic and hydrological characteristics of the area.     

Luminescence and radiocarbon chronologies for the Xindian Culture site of Lamafeng in the Guanting Basin on the NE edge of the Tibetan Plateau

The archaeological Lajia and Lamafeng sites were situated in the Guanting Basin in the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and were in the second terrace of the Yellow River. The Lamafeng site is only 1500 m away from Lajia site. The Lajia site belongs to typical Qijia culture (4100–3600 cal a BP). Many human skeletons were found in the Lajia site. These remains presented a state of unnatural deaths. They were all buried in-situ. The Lajia site recorded a prehistoric natural disaster, and the cause of which was probably a combination of earthquake and flooding due to the outburst of a lake that had been dammed by a landslide on the Yellow River. The Lajia site was abandoned by the prehistoric people after the disaster, but follow-up cultural relics were not found. Lamafeng site is a representative of Xindian Culture (3400–2600 cal a BP). The investigation of the Xindian Culture is intensive. However, the chronological data is still very limited, and no luminescence data has been reported so far. In the current study, both optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) (three samples) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) (five charcoal samples) dating are applied to samples from Lamafeng archaeological site. The results showed that: (1) For the sample from the cultural layer, within error margins OSL and ¹⁴C ages are in good agreement. The ¹⁴C ages show that the cultural layer has an age range of ∼2400–2300 cal a BP. (2) The Lamafeng site was inhabited by the people of Xindian Culture, which indicated that the natural disaster occurred in the Qijia culture period did not completely destroy the prehistoric culture in the basin. (3) There was an enhanced extreme flood activity during Qijia and Xindian Culture periods, and the extreme flood period was ended at 2.6 ± 0.2 ka.     

Rapid climate change-induced collapse of hunter-gatherer societies in the lower Mississippi River valley between ca. 3300 and 2780 cal yr BP

Hunter-gatherer communities in the American Southeast reached an apogee of social and political complexity in the period between ca. 4200 and 3000 cal yr BP. In the lower Mississippi Valley(LMV) the Poverty Point culture defined this period of socio-political elaboration. However, following a significant period of climate change that led to exceptional flooding and a major reorganization of the course of the Mississippi River, this culture collapsed beginning ca. 3300–3200 cal yr BP and the LMV was abandoned for the subsequent 500 years. In this study, we use data from the Jaketown site in the Yazoo Basin of west-central Mississippi to refine the chronology of the climate event that caused the collapse of the Poverty Point culture. A large flood buried Poverty Point-era occupation deposits at Jaketown around 3310 cal yr BP. Lateral migration of the Mississippi River during flooding led to inundation of the Yazoo Basin and re-occupation of ancient river courses. A coarse sand stratum topped by a more than a meter-thick fining upward sediment package marks a crevasse deposit caused by a rupture of the natural levee at Jaketown. This levee breach was part of a larger pattern of erratic flooding throughout the LMV and is associated with major landscape evolution and the abandonment of Poverty Point sites within the valley. Early Woodland peoples re-colonized the crevasse surface after ca. 2780 cal yr BP. Following this event, the Jaketown site and the eastern Yazoo Basin witnessed a period of landscape stability that lasts to this day. These archaeological data demonstrate how climate change and natural disasters can lead to socio-political dissolution and reorganization even in relatively small-scale hunter-gatherer populations.     

History and possible mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the Tibetan Plateau

Prehistoric human history on the Tibetan Plateau is a hotly debated topic. Archaeological research on the plateau during the past few decades has enormously improved our understanding of the topic and makes it possible for us to consider the processes and mechanisms of prehistoric human migration to the region. By reviewing the published archaeological research on the Tibetan Plateau, we propose that the first people on the plateau initially spread into the He-Huang region from the Chinese Loess Plateau, and then moved to the low elevation Northeastern Tibetan Plateau and perhaps subsequently to the entire plateau. This process consisted of four stages.(1) During the climatic amelioration of the Last Deglacial period(15–11.6 ka BP), Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers with a developed microlithic technology first spread into the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau.(2) In the early-mid Holocene(11.6–6 ka BP), Epipaleolithic microlithic hunter-gatherers were widely distributed on the northeastern plateau and spread southwards to the interior plateau, possibly with millet agriculture developed in the neighboring low elevation regions.(3) In the mid-late Holocene(6–4 ka BP), Neolithic millet farmers spread into low elevation river valleys in the northeastern and southeastern plateau areas.(4) In the late Holocene(4–2.3 ka BP), Bronze Age barley and wheat farmers further settled on the high elevation regions of the Tibetan Plateau, especially after 3.6 ka BP. Finally, we suggest that all of the reported Paleolithic sites earlier than the LGM on the Tibetan Plateau need further examination.     

Pollen-inferred vegetation and environmental changes in the central Tibetan Plateau since 8200 yr BP

The ecotone between alpine steppe and meadow in the central Tibetan Plateau is sensitive to climate changes. Here we used the pollen records from three lakes in this region to reconstruct the evolution of local vegetation and climate since 8200 cal. yr BP. The history of temperature and precipitation was reconstructed quantitatively with multi-bioclimatic indexes and a transfer function from pollen records. Results show that the steppe/meadow dominated during the period of 8200–6500 cal. yr BP, especially 8200–7200 cal. yr BP, indicating the central Tibetan Plateau was controlled by strong monsoon. The steppe dominated during the periods of 6000–4900, 4400–3900, and 2800–2400 cal. yr BP. The steppe decreased gradually and the meadow expanded during the period of 4900–4400 cal. yr BP. Three century-scale drought events occurred during 5800–4900, 4400–3900 and 2800 cal. yr BP, respectively. The first time when the regional climate shifted to the present level was at 6500 cal. yr BP in the central Plateau. Since 3000 cal. yr BP, the temperature and precipitation have decreased gradually to the present level. However, the cold climate between 700–300 cal. yr BP likely corresponds to the Little Ice Age. Supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences 100 Talents Project (Grant No. 29082762), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40671196, 40372085, 49371068, 49871078), and U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant Nos. ATM-9410491, ATM-008194)     

Spatial and temporal distribution of Neolithic sites in coastal China: Sea level changes,geomorphic evolution and human adaption

The East China coastal plain is one of the most important Neolithic culture areas in China, where rich archaeological sites including those producing the earliest domesticated rice are observed. It is also a place where landscape has experienced dramatic evolution during the Holocene when both sea level and climate changed, such that it is an ideal place for studying human-environment interaction. This study investigated over 2000 sites of pre-history and Shang and Zhou Dynasties, with 655 of which being Neolithic ages, by using DEM and GIS methods. The results suggest that the spatial and temporal distribution of Neolithic sites has largely been controlled by landscape evolution(particularly changes in coastal line), which ultimately governed by sea level changes. During early Holocene, Neolithic sites sparsely distributed in the intermountain basins of east Zhejiang Province, far from the influence of ocean. Over the period of 9–7 ka, the coastal plain(including the shelf) was largely submerged,only the feet of low hills to the south and southwest of the study area, and islands protruding the estuary, cradled limited number of settlements with characteristic "maritime components". At about 7 ka, sea level rise decelerated prominently, while sediments supply in the drainage remained high value, the combination of which led to land formation and propagation. Vast space during this period facilitated the growth of settlements in both size and number. In the mean time, however, the coastal plain was vulnerable to extreme environmental events such as storms and flooding owning to its geomorphic nature, which exerted great influence on the rise and fall of Neolithic culture.     

Assessment of long‐term Holocene soil erosion rates in Polish loess areas using sedimentary archives from closed depressions

Soil erosion is a particularly important problem in the loess areas of Central Europe. Numerous studies of past and present soil erosion based on colluvial sediments have so far been conducted. The main problem is the fact that colluvia usually do not represent the complete sedimentation record. Closed depressions (CDs) collect all colluvial sediments from their catchment, therefore, constitute sediment stores enabling the calculation of soil erosion rates. Colluvial sediments and fossil soils, infilling four CDs in the Polish loess belt, were OSL and C‐14 dated. Human settlements near the studied CDs were analyzed. Phases of soil erosion and colluviation from the Neolithic (5400–2900 bc ), from the Middle Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age (1600–0 bc ), and from the Early Middle Ages to Modern Times (500 AD until today) were documented within the CDs studied. Phases of low soil erosion rate and pedogenesis occurred from the Late Vistulian to the Early Neolithic and from the Iron Age to Early Middle Ages. This study reveals that these phases are not synchronous with the soil erosion phases in Central Europe, as the latter mainly occurred in the Bronze Age, Roman Period and Middle Ages. The obtained soil erosion rates were compared with erosion rates in different areas of Central Europe. This study indicates that in loess regions with long‐term agricultural land use, mean erosion rates (i.e. 3.7–5.9 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1) from the Middle Ages to Modern Times were ten times higher than during the entire prehistoric period (0.39–0.67 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1). The mean soil erosion rates for forested CDs was 0.24–0.74 t ha^‐1 yr^‐1. Soil erosion phases are most probably caused by human activities (i.e. land use change) but the early Holocene erosion phase (7.96 +/‐ 0.67 kyr) could have been induced by a climatic fluctuation (e.g. a 8.2 kyr Bond event). Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the history of cultural exchange in prehistoric Eurasia from the perspectives of crop diffusion and consumption

The history of cultural exchange in prehistoric Eurasia(CEPE) has been widely investigated. Based on archaeological evidence, this process is thought to date back to at least the early Bronze Age, although details about timings and routes remain unclear. It is likely that CEPE promoted the spread and exchange of crops that originated in different parts of Eurasia; since these remains can be definitely identified and directly dated, they provide ideal research materials to explore the history of CEPE. In this paper, we review the available archaeobotanical evidence and direct radiocarbon dates for crop remains, alongside carbon isotopic data from human bones unearthed from prehistoric sites in Eurasia, in order to investigate the history of the spread of millet crops, and wheat and barley, that were first domesticated in the eastern and western parts of Eurasia during prehistoric times.In combination with other archaeological evidences, we discuss the history of CEPE. Our results suggest that wheat and barley were domesticated in western Asia around 10500 a BP, spread into Europe and western Central Asia before 8000 a BP, and reaching eastern Central Asia and northwestern China between 4500 and 4000 a BP. Data show that both broomcorn and foxtail millet were domesticated in eastern Asia before 7700 a BP, spread into eastern Central Asia between 4500 and 4000 a BP, and into western Asia and Europe prior to 3500 a BP. Wheat, barley, and millet crops were first utilized together in eastern Kazakhstan within Central Asia around 4400 a BP, the region where earliest CEPE is likely to have taken place. These crops were mixedly used mainly in eastern central Asia and northwest China between 4500 and 3500 a BP, and then across the Eurasia before 2200 a BP. The results of this study suggest that transcontinental CEPE might have been initiated during the fifth millennium, before intensifying during the Bronze Age to lay the foundations for the creation of the ancient Silk Road during the Han Dynasty(between 202 BC and 220AD).     

A high-resolution climatic change since the Late Glacial Age inferred from multi-proxy of sediments in Qinghai Lake

The study of climatic changes since the Late Glacial Age has become one of the hotspots of the PAGES in recent years.Deep-sea cores from the high-latitude area show that the climate was very unstable during the transitional period from the Late Glacial Age to the Holocene[1,2],which has also been testified by the geological records from ocean sediments,ice cores and terrestrial sections in different latitudes of the earth[3—8].What’s more,climatic instability also ex-isted in the Holoce…     

Age determination for a Neolithic site in northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau using a combined luminescence and radiocarbon dating

The archaeological Shaliuheqiaodong site, located at the junction between the estuary of Shaliu River and the northeast bedrock terrace of Qinghai Lake, is one of the earliest Neolithic Age sites in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), which is critical for understanding patterns of prehistoric human inhabitation in the high plateau extreme environments. There are only two published radiocarbon ages by far for chronological control. Recently, a new section (Gangcha section) was found, with abundant charcoals and fish bones well-preserved in the matrix of aeolian sediments, providing a good opportunity for a combined study of luminescence and radiocarbon dating. In the current study, we obtained three luminescence ages on aeolian sediment, six radiocarbon ages (three on charcoals and three on fish bones). Our results showed that the luminescence ages (average of 3.2 ± 0.2 ka) are in agreement with charcoal radiocarbon ages (3165–3273 cal a BP) where applicable, and that the lake reservoir effect age of radiocarbon dating was approximately 0.3–0.7 cal ka BP and an average of 0.4 cal ka BP at ∼3.2 cal ka BP (age difference between that of charcoals and fish bones). The prehistoric residence in Qinghai Lake area seemed to be sequenced from 15 ka BP to 3.1 ka BP, based on our data and previously published data altogether. The obvious baked vestiges on the bones of fish and animals, as well as a number of artifacts, indicate that naked carps had become a food resource for prehistoric people at least since 3.2 cal ka BP.     

Human activity during the late Pleistocene in the Lop Nur region,northwest China: Evidence from a buried stone artifact

The Lop Nur region, in the east part of Tarim Basin, was an important transportation junction between west and east, north and south Eurasia. However, previous studies on prehistoric human activity have concentrated mostly on the Bronze Age, whereas that during the Stone Age remains largely unresearched. Here, we present a new direct evidence of human activity in the late Pleistocene, recorded on a grinding stone buried in a lacustrine sediment section of the Lop Nur region. The grain size distribution of the sediment section indicates that the site was probably in the center of a lake with weak hydrodynamic environment. Therefore, the stone artifact can only be carried to here by people instead of river and it was never move as soon as left here. Results of radiocarbon dating, the evident stratigraphic relations between the stone artifact and the sedimentary formation, indicate that the human activity could extend to approximately 13 ka BP. Furthermore, the results of starch-grain and use-wear analyses suggest that ancient humans gathered seeds of Triticeae, roots, and tubers and used the grinding stone to simply process selected plant as plant foodstuffs during this period. It implies that the environmental conditions in the river delta of the Lop Nur were inhabitable during the late Pleistocene.     

Holocene high lake-levels and pan-lake period on Badain Jaran Desert

Many lakes exist in southeastern Badain Jaran Desert and its hinterland, including 110 perennial lakes and some seasonal or extinct lakes. Geomorphological, sedimentological, and bioglyph evidence obtained from field investigations on Badain Jaran Desert lake group, alongside measurements and dating performed on lake relic, prove that these lakes expanded while the climate was relatively wet during early and middle Holocene. The dating results suggest that the pan-lake period of the Badain Jaran Desert began at 10 cal kyr BP, before which the limnic peat period occurred(11–10 cal kyr BP). Many lakes reached their maximal water-level during 8.6–6.3 cal kyr BP and retreated or dried up in the late Holocene(about 3.5–0 cal kyr BP). During that period, the precipitation at Badain Jaran Desert may have reached 200 mm yr~(-1) for 7.7–5.3 cal kyr BP, inferred from both the age and precipitation rate of calcareous root tubes. The water balance calculation shows that wetter and warmer climate and the increase of underground water recharge were key factors in maintaining and developing the lake group at both centennial and millennial time scales. Furthermore, lake surface expansion and the increasing fresh water availability set the background for the prosperous prehistoric culture.     

Subsistence strategies of prehistoric hunter-gatherers on the Tibetan Plateau during the Last Deglaciation

The study of prehistoric hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies on the Tibetan Plateau is important for understanding the mechanisms and processes of human adaption to high altitude environments.But to date,only a few Paleolithic sites have been found on the Tibetan Plateau with clear stratigraphy and reliable dating.These sites are mainly distributed in the Qinghai Lake Basin on the northeastern part of the plateau,and the sporadic fauna and flora remains excavated provide limited information about the subsistence strategies of hunter-gatherers.In 2014,relatively abundant animal remains were unearthed in the Lower Cultural Layer (LCL,15400-13100 cal yr BP) of the"151 site"located in the Qinghai Lake Basin,providing important information about human subsistence strategies on the Tibetan Plateau during the Last Deglaciation.Zooarchaeological analysis of these faunal remains indicates that hunter-gatherers at the"151 site"mainly targeted large ungulates of Bos and wild horse/ass,and only brought back the most nutritious parts of animal carcasses including upper and intermediate limb bones,heads,and trunks (ribs and vertebrae).People then processed and consumed the carcasses around single hearths.Our comprehensive analyses of contemporaneous sites in the Qinghai Lake Basin show that a subsistence strategy involving opportunistic hunting of ungulates,high mobility,and short occupation of campsites was used by terminal Pleistocene huntergatherers to adapt to the high-altitude environment on the Tibetan Plateau.This subsistence strategy may have been a first step of gradual hunter-gatherer adaptation to the extreme conditions on the Tibetan Plateau after the Last Glacial Maximum,and laid the foundation for the widespread distribution of hunter-gatherers on the plateau during the Holocene.     

Climate variability recorded by n-alkanes of paleolake sediment in Qaidam Basin on the northeast Tibetan Plateau in late MIS3

Here we combine n-alkanes preserved in a shell bar section from Qarhan paleolake, Qaidam Basin with the other sedimentary proxies to elucidate the lake evolution process during the period 39.7 to 17.5 14C ka BP (calibrated age ranges from 43.5 to 22.4 cal. ka BP). In different stages, the n-alkane homologues exhibited different distribution modes indicative of variations in the surrounding vegetation and the hydrologic condition of the lake. The n-alkanes proxies (CPIh, ACLh, Paq) have the same trends as th...     

Holocene vegetation succession and responses to climate change in the northern sector of Northeast China

Sediment pollen samples from the Huola Basin in the northern sector of northeast China, and surface pollen samples from its environs, were analyzed to reconstruct accurately the historical response of vegetation to climate change since 9100 cal yr BP. Pollen analysis of the Huola Section indicates that vegetation experienced a transformation from early-mid Holocene warm-cold mixed vegetation to late Holocene cold-temperate vegetation. From 9100 to 6000 cal yr BP, the study area was warmer and moister than at present, developing Corylus, Carpinus, Pinus, Picea, Betula and Larix-dominated forests. Two cooling events at 6000–5000 and 3500–2500 cal yr BP led to a decrease in Corylus, Carpinus and other warmth-loving vegetation, whereas cold temperate forests composed of Larix and Betula expanded. After 2500 cal yr BP, Larix and Betula dominated cold-temperate vegetated landscapes. The Holocene warm period in NE China(9100–6000 cal yr BP) suggests that such warming could have resulted in a strengthening of the influence from East Asian Summer Monsoon on northernmost NE China and would have benefited the development of warm-temperate forest vegetation and an improved plant load, which also provides the similarity model for the possible global warming in the future.     

Volcanic tsunamis and prehistoric cultural transitions in Cook Inlet,Alaska

The 1883 eruption of Augustine Volcano produced a tsunami when a debris avalanche traveled into the waters of Cook Inlet. Older debris avalanches and coeval paleotsunami deposits from sites around Cook Inlet record several older volcanic tsunamis. A debris avalanche into the sea on the west side of Augustine Island ca. 450 years ago produced a wave that affected areas 17 m above high tide on Augustine Island. A large volcanic tsunami was generated by a debris avalanche on the east side of Augustine Island ca. 1600 yr BP, and affected areas more than 7 m above high tide at distances of 80 km from the volcano on the Kenai Peninsula. A tsunami deposit dated to ca. 3600 yr BP is tentatively correlated with a southward directed collapse of the summit of Redoubt Volcano, although little is known about the magnitude of the tsunami. The 1600 yr BP tsunami from Augustine Volcano occurred about the same time as the collapse of the well-developed Kachemak culture in the southern Cook Inlet area, suggesting a link between volcanic tsunamis and prehistoric cultural changes in this region of Alaska.     

Sediment accumulation rates in subarctic lakes: Insights into age-depth modeling from 22 dated lake records from the Northwest Territories,Canada

Age-depth modeling using Bayesian statistics requires well-informed prior information about the behavior of sediment accumulation. Here we present average sediment accumulation rates (represented as deposition times, DT, in yr/cm) for lakes in an Arctic setting, and we examine the variability across space (intra- and inter-lake) and time (late Holocene). The dataset includes over 100 radiocarbon dates, primarily on bulk sediment, from 22 sediment cores obtained from 18 lakes spanning the boreal to tundra ecotone gradients in subarctic Canada. There are four to twenty-five radiocarbon dates per core, depending on the length and character of the sediment records. Deposition times were calculated at 100-year intervals from age-depth models constructed using the ‘classical’ age-depth modeling software Clam. Lakes in boreal settings have the most rapid accumulation (mean DT 20 ± 10 yr/cm), whereas lakes in tundra settings accumulate at moderate (mean DT 70 ± 10 yr/cm) to very slow rates, (>100 yr/cm). Many of the age-depth models demonstrate fluctuations in accumulation that coincide with lake evolution and post-glacial climate change. Ten of our sediment cores yielded sediments as old as c. 9000 cal BP (BP = years before AD 1950). From between c. 9000 cal BP and c. 6000 cal BP, sediment accumulation was relatively rapid (DT of 20–60 yr/cm). Accumulation slowed between c. 5500 and c. 4000 cal BP as vegetation expanded northward in response to warming. A short period of rapid accumulation occurred near 1200 cal BP at three lakes. Our research will help inform priors in Bayesian age modeling.     

从古文化遗址看阳澄湖地区环境变迁与湖群形成

通过阳澄湖地区新石器时代古遗址的时空分布特征,遗址地层中沉积特征和动植物遗存,来阐明７－４ｋａＢ．Ｐ．湖区环境由水域面积较广的湖沼环境,向陆域面积逐渐扩大的环境转变,直至新石器末期,被较大规模水侵淹没的过程,阳澄湖及周围湖荡主要形成于宋代,在原娄江河道基础上,河道阻塞,洪水泛滥扩展而成湖。     

MIS-3晚期以来乌伦古湖古湖相沉积记录的初步研究

通过对现代乌伦古湖附近出露的古湖相沉积剖面的AMS~(14)C测年,粒度、总有机碳、总有机氮以及碳酸盐等环境代用指标的分析及其与全新世钻孔沉积记录的对比研究,结果发现:乌伦古湖在MIS-3晚期的33600-22500 cal a BP以及冰后期至早中全新世的16500-6500 cal a BP期间,维持着湖相沉积环境,湖面约比现在湖面高40 m.33600-22500 cal a BP的MIS-3晚期,气候相对温暖,乌伦古湖呈现高湖面特征,湖泊沉积物来源以流水搬运为主;22500-16500 cal a BP的末次冰期冰盛期,气候寒冷干燥,湖泊沉积物来源以风力搬运为主;16500-6500 cal a BP的冰后期以及早、中全新世期间,气候回暖,湖泊沉积物主要来源于河流径流作用.6500-5500 cal a BP,受高温干旱事件的影响,湖面收缩、水位剧降,除沉积中心外的其它钻孔位置出现沉积中断.5500 cal a BP后气候转冷变湿,湖泊重新恢复到现在的状态.乌伦古湖MIS-3晚期以来的古湖相沉积环境变化及其反映的古气候万年尺度上的干湿变化与周边区域气候环境变化记录有很好的一致性,响应了区域环境变化和全球气候突变事件.季风和西风的强度消长变化及其引起的环流条件改变以及温度变化引起的蒸发效应可能是区域气候环境变化的主要原因.这一古湖相沉积记录的研究可为MIS-3晚期以来北疆地区的古湖泊演化以及长时间尺度上西风和季风环流相互关系及其影响区的气候环境演化提供地质证据.     

全新世高温期环境变化对太湖流域新石器文化的影响

从太湖流域新石器时代(包括马家浜、崧泽和良渚三个文化期)文化遗址的分布范围、遗址数量、生产方式和文化特征等多方面,分析了全新世高温期(8—3ka B.P.)环境变化对本地区新石器时期古文化发展的影响。结果表明,全新世高温期暖湿而且较为稳定的气候环境,有利于先民们的生活,促使了本地区新石器文化的飞跃发展,包括原始农业、家畜业的产生和发展,先民们活动范围扩大和遗址数量增加等等。但高温期中存在气候剧烈波动阶段和气候迅速变化的低温事件,以及伴随它们出现的各种严重自然灾害,严重阻碍和限制了古文化的发展,甚至是毁灭性的打击,使得文化性质发生根本的变化。