A high resolution late Holocene palaeo environmental record from the central Adriatic Sea

Oldfield, Frank; Asioli, Alessandra; Accorsi, Carla Alberta; Mercuri, Anna Maria; Juggins, Steve; Langone, Leonardo; Rolph, Tim; Trincardi, Fabio; Wolff, George A; Gibbs, Zoe; Vigliotti, L.; Frignani, M.; Post, Klaas; Branch, Nicholas

doi:10.1016/s0277-3791(02)00088-4

Cited by 201 publications

(122 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

116

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Such climatic conditions could explain the occurrence of laminated sediments at Lago dell'Accesa and could have advantaged fires, since dry summer conditions favour fire ignition and expansion. In agreement, charcoal series from around the Mediterranean basin in Sicily (Lago di Pergusa, Sadori and Giardini, 2006), Spain (Lake Siles; , and Turkey (Lake Van;Wick et al, 2003) also show high charcoal values during the early Holocene that were attributed to frequent fires. Similar results were obtained on the west coast of North America (Millspaugh et al, 2000;Gavin et al, 2003a;Whitlock et al, 2007;Anderson et al, 2008).…”

Section: Early Holocene Fire Regime and Climate Seasonalitysupporting

confidence: 69%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Climate versus human-driven fire regimes in Mediterranean landscapes: the Holocene record of Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany, Italy)

Vannière

Colombaroli

Chapron

et al. 2008

Quaternary Science Reviews

213

169

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A high-resolution sedimentary charcoal record from Lago dell'Accesa in southern Tuscany reveals numerous changes in fire regime over the last 11.6 kyr cal. BP and provides one of the longest gap-free series from Italy and the Mediterranean region. Charcoal analyses are coupled with gamma density measurements, organic-content analyses, and pollen counts to provide data about sedimentation and vegetation history. A comparison between fire frequency and lake-level reconstructions from the same site is used to address the centennial variability of fire regimes and its linkage to hydrological processes. Our data reveal strong relationships among climate, fire, vegetation, and land-use and attest to the paramount importance of fire in Mediterranean ecosystems. The mean fire interval (MFI) for the entire Holocene was estimated to be 150 yr, with a minimum around 80 yr and a maximum around 450 yr. Between 11.6 and 3.6 kyr cal. BP, up to eight high-frequency fire phases lasting 300-500 yr generally occurred during shifts towards low lake-level stands (ca 11,300, 10,700, 9500, 8700, 7600, 6200, 5300, 3400, 1800 and 1350 cal. yr BP). Therefore, we assume that most of these shifts were triggered by drier climatic conditions and especially a dry summer season that promoted ignition and biomass burning. At the beginning of the Holocene, high climate seasonality favoured fire expansion in this region, as in many other ecosystems of the northern and southern hemispheres. Human impact affected fire regimes and especially fire frequencies since the Neolithic (ca 8000-4000 cal. yr BP). Burning as a consequence of anthropogenic activities became more frequent after the onset of the Bronze Age (ca 3800-3600 cal. yr BP) and appear to be synchronous with the development of settlements in the region, slash-and-burn agriculture, animal husbandry, and mineral exploitation. The anthropogenic phases with maximum fire activity corresponded to greater sensitivity of the vegetation and triggered significant changes in vegetational communities (e.g. temporal declines of Quercus ilex forests and expansion of shrublands and macchia). The link between fire and climate persisted during the mid-and late Holocene, when human impact on vegetation and the fire regime was high. This finding suggests that climatic conditions were important for fire occurrence even under strongly humanised ecosystem conditions.

show abstract

Section: Early Holocene Fire Regime and Climate Seasonalitysupporting

confidence: 69%

“…In agreement, human influences on sedimentation processes are also recorded in the Adriatic region during this period (3800 cal. yr BP; Oldfield et al, 2003;Rolph et al, 2004). However, the first important settlement around Lago dell'Accesa occurred during the Villanova culture (2900-2700 cal.…”

Section: Holocene Fire Regime and Human Impactmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate versus human-driven fire regimes in Mediterranean landscapes: the Holocene record of Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany, Italy)

Vannière

Colombaroli

Chapron

et al. 2008

Quaternary Science Reviews

213

169

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The mixed oak forest was largely destroyed and the cleared areas used for cultivation and pastures, while the timber was probably employed in the building of settlements and manufacture of implements. Drastic changes in landscape vegetation during the Bronze Age were detected not only at our site but also in the Po Plain and in the northern and central Apennines (Oldfield et al 2003), in Central Italy (Lago di Mezzano- Sadori et al 2004) and north of the Alps (Gobet et al 2003;.…”

Section: Human Impact On Vegetation During the Bronze Agesupporting

confidence: 49%

Human impact during the Bronze Age on the vegetation at Lago Lucone (northern Italy)

Valsecchi

Tinner

Finsinger

et al. 2005

Veget Hist Archaeobot

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lake-sediment records were used to reconstruct human impact on the landscape around Lago Lucone (45 • 33 N, 10 • 29 E, 249 m a.s.l.), a former lake in the western amphitheatre system of the Lago di Garda. Presence of prehistoric human populations is attested by pile-dwelling settlements from the Early-Middle Bronze Age, with one settlement at a distance of only 100 m from the coring site. Pollen, plant-macrofossil and microscopic charcoal analyses were applied to a 250 cm sediment core with four dates providing the time control. A mixed oak forest that was important during the Early-Middle Holocene was cleared and replaced by open vegetation during the Bronze Age (∼2000-1100 b.c.) when open lands were estimated to have covered more than 60% of the total relevant pollen-source area. During a phase of high human impact, independent climatic proxies suggest warm and dry climatic conditions. Later, ca. 1100 b.c., palaeobotanical evidence indicates a sharp decrease in human pressure in the Lago Lucone area. The comparison with other sedimentary palaeocultural records shows that the period 1300-1100 b.c. was characterised by general declines of agricultural activities both south and north of the Alps. These declines have been previously attributed to a change towards wetter and colder climatic conditions in and around the Alps. However, the decline in human impact around Lago Lucone cannot be exclusively attributed to climatic variation. Therefore other V. Valsecchi ( ) · W. Tinner · W. Finsinger · B. Ammann

show abstract

“…However, when the 14 C method is applied to date samples equilibrated in marine or continental bodies of water, it requires a correction, called the reservoir age correction. While the correction for marine reservoir age is well established, many recent studies have focused on climate records in coastal areas, which are strongly influenced by continental river inputs (Spennemann and Head 1998;Oldfield et al 2003;Dezileau et al 2005;Sabatier et al 2008;Sorrel et al 2009). Indeed, a sample from an estuarine or lagoonal system could be affected by a reservoir age offset (R) due to a mixture between the marine reservoir effect (MRE) and the hardwater effect (HWE) (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene Variations of Radiocarbon Reservoir Ages in a Mediterranean Lagoonal System

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT.To obtain a precise radiocarbon Holocene chronology in coastal areas, it is necessary to estimate the modern 14 C reservoir age R(t) and its possible variations with time in relation to paleoenvironmental changes. The modern reservoir 14 C age was estimated by comparing AMS 14 C ages of 2 recent mollusk shells found in sediment cores sampled in the Palavasian lagoonal system (south of France) with ages derived from 210 Pb and 137 Cs data and historical accounts of identifiable storm events. The calculated modern R(t) value of 943 ± 25 14 C yr is about 600 yr higher than the global mean sea surface reservoir age. This high value, probably due to the relative isolation of the lagoon from marine inputs, is in good agreement with other R(t) estimates in Mediterranean lagoonal systems (Zoppi et al. 2001;Sabatier et al. 2008). 14 C ages were also obtained on a series of Holocene mollusk shells sampled at different depths of the ~8-m-long core PB06. Careful examination of the 14 C ages versus depth relationships suggests that R(t) in the past was lower and similar to the value presently measured in the Gulf of Lion (618 ± 30 14 C yr, Siani et al. 2000). The change in R(t) from 618 to 943 yr is thought to result from final closure of the coastal lagoon by the sandy barrier, due to the along-shore sediment transfer.

show abstract

A high resolution late Holocene palaeo environmental record from the central Adriatic Sea

Cited by 201 publications

References 47 publications

Climate versus human-driven fire regimes in Mediterranean landscapes: the Holocene record of Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany, Italy)

Climate versus human-driven fire regimes in Mediterranean landscapes: the Holocene record of Lago dell’Accesa (Tuscany, Italy)

Human impact during the Bronze Age on the vegetation at Lago Lucone (northern Italy)

Holocene Variations of Radiocarbon Reservoir Ages in a Mediterranean Lagoonal System

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About