Lop Nur in NW China: Its Natural State, and a Long History of Human Impact

Mischke, Steffen; Liu, Chenglin; Zhang, Jiafu

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-42254-7_7

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The results of this study show that changes in regional water availability have potential to profoundly impact human societies in drylands, as was the case for the Xiaohe Culture. In the context of global warming, a number of arid areas are predicted to experience a decline in water resources and resulting ecological degradation (Boomer et al, 2000; Day et al, 2021; Mischke, 2020; Rao et al, 2019; Van Loon et al, 2016). The history of human-environment interactions in the Tarim Basin emphasizes the need for the careful management of the water resources in ecologically fragile drylands, particularly the watershed terminus area, which is facing major environmental deterioration due to recent climatic changes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydro-climatic aspects of prehistoric human dynamics in the drylands of the Asian interior

Qin

et al. 2022

The Holocene

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The causes of prehistoric human migrations in the drylands of the Asian interior have long been debated among multidisciplinary scholars. The Bronze Age Xiaohe settlements (ca. 4000–3300 cal yr BP) are situated in the extremely arid Tarim Basin of northwest China and exemplify a societal collapse which included a long-distance movement along river catchments. Here, we present the results of stable carbon isotope values (δ13C) of archaeobotanical remains, sedimentary faces analysis from the Tarim River catchment, and a compilation of palaeo-environmental evidence in order to investigate potential relationships between regional environmental changes and the response of prehistoric societies in this arid region. Results suggest that the early Xiaohe population was forced to migrate as a consequence of the deterioration of hydrological conditions around settlements. The decline of Xiaohe Culture occurred in the context of decreasing water availability in the basin interior due to climatic change lasting several hundred years. Results are potentially significant for the management of ecologically fragile dryland habitats, particularly the watershed terminus area, threatened by ongoing climate change, specifically in the context of the need to manage scarce water resources to promote sustainable socioeconomic development.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydro-climatic aspects of prehistoric human dynamics in the drylands of the Asian interior

Qin

et al. 2022

The Holocene

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“…Geological evidence, including ostracods, indicated the change from a perennial large and brackish to a saline lake until ca. 2000 years ago, and the water inflow in Lop Nur was probably controlled mainly by the intensity of farming activities in the lake's catchment after the Han Dynasty (Liu et al, 2016;Mischke et al, 2020Mischke et al, , 2019.…”

Section: Water Use and Water Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonmarine Ostracoda as proxies in (geo‐)archaeology — A review

2022

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Ostracods as bioindicators are extremely useful for reconstructing palaeoenvironment and palaeoclimate and can also indicate the provenance of sediments and materials, for example, in studies on ancient commercial networks. Ostracods are small crustaceans that live in almost all aquatic habitats, both natural and man‐made. Due to their calcitic carapace, they have high fossilization potential, and their use in geoarchaeology has been steadily increasing during the last decades. Their small size needs mean that only small volumes of sediment samples are needed, and species‐specific ecological tolerances and preferences allow detailed palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Typical methods of their application are palaeoecological analyses of associations based on ecological information and taphonomy, morphometric variability and stable isotope and chemistry analyses of their shells. The present paper aims to present an overview of applications of non‐marine ostracods in (geo‐)archaeological research, recommending sampling and analytical techniques for addressing archaeological research questions on palaeoclimate, habitat and landscape changes, water availability and quality, land use and other anthropogenic impacts, the provenance of materials and commercial networks to promote the application of Ostracoda in geoarchaeology/environmental archaeology.

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“…Today, the previous Loptuq habitat has been destroyed. The enormous Chinese immigration to Xinjiang since the 1950s increased the need for arable land and irrigation, and the waters of the Tarim River were deflected from its course (Mischke et al 2020;Zhang 2006). Plant and animal life decreased critically or disappeared.…”

Section: Geography and Populationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fisher-foragers Amidst the Reeds: Loptuq Perception of Waterscapes in the Lower Tarim Area

Svanberg

Ståhlberg

2020

EBL

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Toponyms and hydronyms encode important information about human perceptions of the environment in a specific context. This article discusses the Loptuq, a group of Turkic-speakers, who until the 1950s lived as fishers-foragers at the Lower Tarim River, Eastern Turkestan (contemporary Xinjiang, China), and their use of common reed (Phragmites australis) as an example for the close connection between language, culture, social relations, economic activities, and human perceptions about the surrounding environment. Operating in lakes and swamps for their economic activities (fishing, hunting, foraging, and occasional transport), exploring and observing vegetation and animal life, the Loptuq developed and transmitted information through naming their habitat. Today both their habitat and the earlier knowledge have disappeared, but the perceptions and uses of resources can at least partly be reconstructed through foreign explorers’ narratives and field notes.

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Lop Nur in NW China: Its Natural State, and a Long History of Human Impact

Cited by 6 publications

References 41 publications

Hydro-climatic aspects of prehistoric human dynamics in the drylands of the Asian interior

Hydro-climatic aspects of prehistoric human dynamics in the drylands of the Asian interior

Nonmarine Ostracoda as proxies in (geo‐)archaeology — A review

Fisher-foragers Amidst the Reeds: Loptuq Perception of Waterscapes in the Lower Tarim Area

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