Enhanced zoogeomorphological processes in North Africa in thehuman-impacted landscapes of the Anthropocene

Zerboni, Andrea; Nicoll, Kathleen

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2018.10.011

Cited by 39 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 119 publications

(182 reference statements)

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“…Bedrock and derived soil or dust across NW Africa exhibit generally more radiogenic 87 Sr/ 86 Sr signatures relative to seawater (Scheuvens et al, 2013), and respective weathering products transported by runoff can be assumed to show similar isotopic ratios. Indeed, recent evidence suggests that the mobilisation of weathering products may have been significantly amplified by increasing human activity and associated land-use for grazing during the mid-to late Holocene (Wright, 2017;Zerboni and Nicoll, 2019). Regardless, the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios are highly consistent amongst different bivalve samples, suggesting similar degrees of exposure to a non-marine Sr source during their lifetime ( Figure 4D).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Pronounced Northwest African Monsoon Discharge During the Mid- to Late Holocene

Höpker

Müller

et al. 2019

Front. Earth Sci.

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The mid-to late Holocene aridification pattern of NW Africa remains a matter of controversial debate. While many marine climate reconstructions indicate a relatively abrupt aridification at ∼5.5 ka BP, terrestrial palaeoclimate records rather show a spatially and temporally heterogeneous transition towards the modern arid state. To bridge conflicting evidence, we analysed high-resolution (sub-seasonal) ontogenetic oxygen isotope (δ 18 O) records and bulk 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of bivalve shells and fish otoliths of estuarine-associated species. Samples were excavated from archaeological deposits formed during the mid-to late Holocene in a large palaeo-estuary east of the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania. The mid-Holocene (∼5.2 ka BP) δ 18 O records indicated unrealistically high water temperatures when assuming a modern value for δ 18 O Seawater , suggesting a substantial input of isotopically lighter water to the study area. Respective salinity estimates consistently indicated persistent monsoonal discharge. Moreover, 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of bivalve shells deviated considerably from the rather stable global seawater composition, further supporting the presence of significant terrestrial runoff between 5.0 and 5.3 ka BP. Altogether, our results support doubts regarding an abrupt termination of the African Humid Period (AHP) in the coastal areas of NW Africa, and show that fully marine conditions were established along the Banc d'Arguin by ∼3.0 ka BP.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Pronounced Northwest African Monsoon Discharge During the Mid- to Late Holocene

Höpker

Müller

et al. 2019

Front. Earth Sci.

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“…Several small-scale landforms related to human (anthropogenic) and animal activities are present in the area. The latter are a result of zoogeomorphological processes (Butler, 1995) that in arid regions are particularly evident (Zerboni & Nicoll, 2019). Anthropogenic features include archaeological remains of ancient settlements on top of the Jebel Qara and along its wadis, and, more commonly, stone enclosures to corral stock.…”

Section: Zoogeomorphological and Anthropogenic Landformsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphology of the Jebel Qara and coastal plain of Salalah (Dhofar, southern Sultanate of Oman)

et al. 2020

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We present the results of the geomorphological mapping of a region of the Dhofar (Sultanate of Oman) including two contrasting physiographic units sharing a common drainage system into the Arabian Sea: the Jebel Qara limestone massif and the coastal plain of Salalah. Neogene to Quaternary tectonic activity controlled the formation of an extensive system of faults and caused the uplift of the Jebel Qara, forming structural escarpments. The massif underwent karstification and subsequent linear erosion. Today the Jebel is cut by a dendritic net of dry valleys, occasionally dammed by calcareous tufa dams. The transition between the southern escarpment of the Jebel and the plain below displays flat alluvial fans, bordered by a strip of beachrock, coastal dunes, and coastal lagoons, located in correspondence to estuaries. Dramatic soil erosion is evident, linked to intense human-triggered zoogeomorphological processes started in the Mid-Late Holocene after the introduction of pastoral land-use. ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…The northward expansion of the southwest African monsoon in the early to middle Holocene-the so called African Humid Period (AHP)-brought high rainfall to the central Sahara [21], thus recharging local aquifers [22,17]. The AHP was interrupted by transitory dry spells [23,24], and its termination occurred since ca. 5500 years cal.…”

Section: Geographic Climatic and Geologic Context Of The Tadrart Acacusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10,000 years BP permanent lakes were active. According to sedimentological data [27,56], many of the piezometric lakes among dunes suffered a strong drop in lake level and increasing desiccation at the end of the 9th millennium BP, as potential consequence of the cold/dry phase dated at 8.2 ka BP that triggered the interruption of the monsoon system [24]. After this disruption, the lake level rose again in the middle Holocene, but interdune lakes suffered strong seasonal level changes and at ca.…”

Section: Palaeoenvironmental Conditions and Changes In Fish Faunamentioning

confidence: 99%

Aquatic fauna from the Takarkori rock shelter reveals the Holocene central Saharan climate and palaeohydrography

Neer

Alhaique²,

Wouters

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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The abundant faunal remains from the Takarkori rock shelter in the Tadrart Acacus region of southwestern Libya are described. The material that covers the period between 10,200 to 4650 years cal BP illustrates the more humid environmental conditions in the Central Sahara during early and middle Holocene times. Particular attention is focussed on the aquatic fauna that shows marked diachronic changes related to increasing aridification. This is reflected in the decreasing amount of fish remains compared to mammals and, within the fish fauna, by changes through time in the proportion of the species and by a reduction of fish size. The aquatic fauna can, in addition, be used to formulate hypotheses about the former palaeohydrographical network. This is done by considering the possible location of pre-Holocene relic populations combined with observations on the topography and palaeohydrological settings of the Central Sahara.

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Enhanced zoogeomorphological processes in North Africa in thehuman-impacted landscapes of the Anthropocene

Cited by 39 publications

References 119 publications

Pronounced Northwest African Monsoon Discharge During the Mid- to Late Holocene

Pronounced Northwest African Monsoon Discharge During the Mid- to Late Holocene

Geomorphology of the Jebel Qara and coastal plain of Salalah (Dhofar, southern Sultanate of Oman)

Aquatic fauna from the Takarkori rock shelter reveals the Holocene central Saharan climate and palaeohydrography

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