Coastal palaeoenvironmental record of the last 7 kyr BP in NW France: Sub-millennial climatic and anthropic Holocene signals

Fernane, Assia; Gandouin, Emmanuel; Penaud, Aurélie; Vliët-Lanoé, Brigitte van; Goslin, Jérôme; Vidal, Muriel; Delacourt, Christophe

doi:10.1177/0959683614551223

Cited by 15 publications

(28 citation statements)

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“…The GL marsh is therefore a perfect area to perform paleoenvironmental studies of the Holocene period using comprehensive sediment records. Additionally, several studies conducted around Brittany previously confirmed that coastal environments represent pertinent and key study areas to decipher Holocene climatic and/or anthropogenic changes (Sorrel et al, 2009(Sorrel et al, , 2012Baltzer et al, 2014;Fernane et al, 2014;Van Vliet-Lanoë et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Dark-gray bands represent sandy facies where no palynological studies have been conducted, a major sediment hiatus in Pors Milin related to the breaching of sandy dunes is recorded during the Bronze Age (cf. Fernane et al, 2014).…”

Section: Forcing Factors Responsible For Human Settlement and Departumentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Discussion 6.1. Mid-Holocene vegetation changes recorded at Guidel (6500-5000 cal BP) At a regional scale (Brittany), vegetation dynamics at Guidel show coherent palynological trends corresponding to Holocene climatic and anthropogenic forcing (Morzadec-Kerfourn, 1974;Fernane et al, 2014), however at a local scale substantial differences are observed. Indeed, important differences exist between sub-regional areas making it difficult to model vegetation dynamics for the entire Brittany region (Gaudin, 2004).…”

Section: Pollen Assemblages (Gl3 Core)mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Dotted lines mark three cold/humid periods (5.4, 5.8 and 6 ka BP) characterized by major storm events reported from the region during the Neolithic (cf. Van Vliet-Lanoë et al, 2014;Fernane et al, 2014). Light-gray bands represent agricultural activity collapses recorded at Guidel.…”

Section: Forcing Factors Responsible For Human Settlement and Departumentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate variability and storm impacts as major drivers for human coastal marsh withdrawal over the Neolithic period (Southern Brittany, NW France)

Fernane

Penaud

Gandouin

et al. 2015

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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International audienceRelationships between climate variations, vegetation dynamics, and early human activities during the Neolithic have been reconstructed from high-resolution pollen and foraminiferal records obtained from cores retrieved from coastal wetland located in southern Brittany (Guidel, NW France). Our data show that the area around Guidel corresponded to a dense temperate forest locally replaced by riparian forest in the marsh, without any human disturbance during the early Neolithic. During the mid-Neolithic, between 6500 and 5500 cal years BP, the first episode of probable human settlement is recorded, as suggested by the increase of anthropogenic plants. This early record of human impact is consistent with archeological studies that find a high concentration of funeral monuments around Guidel during this cultural period. This complex first phase is interrupted by the disappearance of anthropogenic influence coinciding with a cold/humid climate period in the region characterized by recurrent major storms. Then, at the transition between the middle to late Neolithic, at 5500 cal years BP, a second phase of human retreat is signaled by both vegetation dynamics and archeological records; this interval also coincides with a climatic deterioration marked by cold/humid conditions recorded in the region (Sorrel et al., 2012). The results of the present study imply that human settlement/departure over the Neolithic was probably influenced by climatic variations. During the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Middle Ages, a progressive decline of the arboreal forest synchronous with an increase of anthropogenic plants, confirms the high and persistent human activity around the site. Furthermore, our results at Guidel suggest a different anthropogenic trend recorded between north and south Brittany. The human impact is well recorded during the Neolithic at Guidel, while in northern Brittany human settlement is not recorded before the Bronze Age, consistent with existing archeological data. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Forcing Factors Responsible For Human Settlement and Departumentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Pollen Assemblages (Gl3 Core)mentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Forcing Factors Responsible For Human Settlement and Departumentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Climate variability and storm impacts as major drivers for human coastal marsh withdrawal over the Neolithic period (Southern Brittany, NW France)

Fernane

Penaud

Gandouin

et al. 2015

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…19 past human agricultural practices since the Neolithic (e.g. Fernane et al, 2014). Their general underrepresentation in modern BB sediments must be kept in mind when considering…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modern palynological record in the Bay of Brest (NW France): Signal calibration for palaeo-reconstructions

Lambert

Vidal

Penaud

et al. 2017

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology

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Modern palynological investigations (pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs) have been carried out for the first time in the entire Bay of Brest (BB; NW France), a semi-enclosed oceanic basin flooded during the Holocene that today is exposed to both marine (North Atlantic surface waters) and fluvial (Aulne and Elorn rivers) influences. Palynological analyses were conducted on 41 surface sediments collected in several mudded bays where low-energy conditions prevail, allowing for fine particle decantation, and also on 12 moss samples considered to be pollen rain collectors taken on the periphery of the BB. Furthermore, the BB allows a direct comparison between landscapes and fossilized pollen assemblages in sediments thanks to relatively small watersheds and well-studied vegetation cover on land. Our data display a well-known distortion between pollen taxa percentages calculated from palynological slides and current vegetation cover on land, with a particular overestimation of arboreal taxa as well as an underestimation of herbaceous ones, especially of cereal crops that represent a major component of the regional continental vegetation. Various factors may be involved, including pollen transport issues, taphonomic processes, and different pollination rates according to trees/herbaceous taxa. Under close examination, we find that while all surface sediments show the same major species, palynological maps established in the BB regarding some specific pollen taxa exhibit differences and upstream-downstream gradients. Also, the comparison between the pollen content in BB surface sediments and in mosses supports the hydrodynamic influence acting on the pollen distribution in sediments. More specifically, we suggest that some arboreal taxa reflect a watershed effect, especially Alnus, which seems to be highly correlated to river influences and could therefore be considered as a potential proxy for fluvial Holocene palaeo-discharges within the BB.Highlights ►Modern palynological (pollen, dinocysts) investigations in a NW French estuary ► Distortion between pollen taxa percentages and vegetation cover estimated on land ► Overestimation (/underestimation) of tree (/herbaceous) taxa in marine sediments ► Alnus as a potential proxy for fluvial Holocene palaeodischarge

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An interdisciplinary approach to Late/Final Neolithic coastal gallery graves in Brittany, Western France: The 3D structure, origin of stone material, and paleoenvironmental setting of the Kernic and Lerret monuments

et al. 2023

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This article presents an interdisciplinary study of two Late/Final Neolithic gallery graves (Kernic and Lerret) located on the orthwestern coast of Brittany (Western France). These monuments show striking similarities in terms of architectural style and geographical position. This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the construction strategy of these monuments by (i) determining the origin of the megalithic blocks using comparative petro‐structural analyses of blocks and surrounding rocks, (ii) reconstructing the coastal environment from sediment core analyses and (iii) defining the significance of these monuments in the territories from an intervisibility analysis. The study reveals marked differences between the two monuments studied. The Lerret gallery grave was erected close to a unique source of stone material on the margins of a marshland zone. In contrast, the Kernic monument, erected on the edge of an estuary, seems to have been built using a deliberate diversification of stone extraction sites. An intervisibility analysis shows a dense network of visual interconnections between a number of megalithic tombs present in the study area, where the two monuments occupy very distinct sites. The social implications of stone selection and the geographical location of Late/Final Neolithic funerary monuments are also discussed in an enlarged regional context.

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Coastal palaeoenvironmental record of the last 7 kyr BP in NW France: Sub-millennial climatic and anthropic Holocene signals

Abstract: et al.. Coastal palaeoenvironmental record of the last 7 kyr BP in NW France: Sub-millennial climatic and anthropic Holocene signals.

Cited by 15 publications

References 64 publications

Climate variability and storm impacts as major drivers for human coastal marsh withdrawal over the Neolithic period (Southern Brittany, NW France)

Climate variability and storm impacts as major drivers for human coastal marsh withdrawal over the Neolithic period (Southern Brittany, NW France)

Modern palynological record in the Bay of Brest (NW France): Signal calibration for palaeo-reconstructions

An interdisciplinary approach to Late/Final Neolithic coastal gallery graves in Brittany, Western France: The 3D structure, origin of stone material, and paleoenvironmental setting of the Kernic and Lerret monuments

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