Persistent millennial-scale climatic variability over the past 25,000 years in Southern Africa

Holmgren, Karin; Lee‐Thorp, Julia A.; Cooper, G.R.J.; Lundblad, Katarina; Partridge, T. C.; Scott, Louis; Sithaldeen, Riashna; Talma, A.S.; Tyson, Peter

doi:10.1016/s0277-3791(03)00204-x

Cited by 318 publications

(305 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…2006GC001465 conditions and corresponds very closely in time to the inferred lowstand conditions in Lake Malawi (see above). Additional evidence for aridity at this time comes from the Tswaing (Pretoria) Saltpan [Partridge et al, 1997] and Wonderkrater [Holmgren et al, 2003], South Africa, and from Botswana and Namibia [Shi et al, 1998;Thomas and Shaw, 2002].…”

Section: North Of the Equatormentioning

confidence: 90%

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An abrupt change in the African monsoon at the end of the Younger Dryas

Talbot

Filippi

Jensen

et al. 2007

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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[1] High-resolution studies of variations in the elemental and stable carbon-and nitrogen-isotope composition of organic matter in cores from Lakes Malawi, Tanganyika, and Bosumtwi (tropical Africa) indicate an abrupt change in the wind-driven circulation of these lakes that, within the limits of available chronologies, was contemporaneous with the end of the Younger Dryas in the northern hemisphere. The change was also coincident with shifts in surface winds recorded in cores from off the west and northeast coasts of Africa. A range of other proxies indicate that these changes in wind regime were accompanied by a marked increase in precipitation in the northern tropics. Africa south of 5°-10°S, on the other hand, initially suffered drought conditions. Together, the evidence suggests an abrupt northward translation of the African monsoon system at circa 11.5 ± 0.25 ka B.P. The data assembled here contribute to a growing body of work showing that the Younger Dryas was a major climatic excursion in tropical Africa. Furthermore, they add substance to recent suggestions that climatic events in the southern hemisphere may have played a significant role in the abrupt demise of the Younger Dryas.

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Section: North Of the Equatormentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Shaded zone: end of Younger Dryas (circa 11.5 ± 0.25 ka). Holmgren et al [2003]; (e) ODP core 1084B [Farmer et al, 2005]). Note how in comparison with the Gulf of Guinea (Figure 6), the records shown in Figures 5a -5c and 5e suggest a more gradual transition from the cool, dry, windy conditions of the YD.…”

Section: North Of the Equatormentioning

confidence: 99%

An abrupt change in the African monsoon at the end of the Younger Dryas

Talbot

Filippi

Jensen

et al. 2007

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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“…Records from stalagmites (e.g. Holmgren et al, 2003;Lee-Thorp et al, 2001;Talma and Vogel, 1992) provide precisely dated, high-resolution records of climate variability in South Africa during the Holocene and the late glacial (last ~30 kyr). According to these studies, temperatures were 5 to 7°C lower than today during the Last Glacial Maximum, then increased in a two step warming at ~17 and 13.5 kyr BP.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Records of humidity changes in South Africa are rarer and less clear (Partridge et al, 1999). The available speleothem records (Holmgren et al, 1995;Holmgren et al, 2003;Talma and Vogel, 1992) contain hiatuses and do not cover complete glacial/interglacial cycles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrological changes in southern Africa over the last 200 Ka as recorded in lake sediments from the Tswaing impact crater

Kristen

Fuhrmann

Thorpe

et al. 2007

South African Journal of Geology

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Sediments from Lake Tswaing (25°24'30'' S, 28°04'59'' E) document hydrological changes in southern Africa over the last 200 kyr. Using high-resolution XRFscanning, basic geochemistry (TIC, TOC, TN), organic petrology and Rock-Eval pyrolysis, we identify intervals of decreased carbonate precipitation, increased detrital input, decreased salinity and decreased autochthonous (algal and bacterial) organic matter content that represent periods of less stable water column stratification and

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“…Overflowing of Lake Victoria occurred into the Nile River System in the north (Pickford et al, 1993) and Malagarasi river system in the south (Stager et al, 1986). As in the case of Western Africa, there are many gaps in palaeohydrology for the southern part of the continent (Gasse, 2000;Holmgren et al, 2003) and very few reported aquatic fossil records (Stewart, 2001). Although no direct evidence suggests the southern part of Africa was affected dramatically in the same way during the Pleistocene as other parts of the continent (Stewart, 2001), the Zambezi, Okavango and Kafue rivers system is thought to have formed an ancient major southern drainage that connected the Congo system via Lake Tanganyika and the east coast rivers (Bell-Cross, 1972;Banister and Clarke, 1980).…”

Section: Evolutionary and Conservation Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mitochondrial DNA variation of the common hippopotamus: evidence for a recent population expansion

et al. 2005

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Mitochondrial DNA control region sequence variation was obtained and the population history of the common hippopotamus was inferred from 109 individuals from 13 localities covering six populations in sub-Saharan Africa. In all, 100 haplotypes were defined, of which 98 were locality specific. A relatively low overall nucleotide diversity was observed (p ¼ 1.9%), as compared to other large mammals so far studied from the same region. Within populations, nucleotide diversity varied from 1.52% in Zambia to 1.92% in Queen Elizabeth and Masai Mara. Overall, low but significant genetic differentiation was observed in the total data set (F ST ¼ 0.138; P ¼ 0.001), and at the population level, patterns of differentiation support previously suggested hippopotamus subspecies designations (F CT ¼ 0.103; P ¼ 0.015). Evidence that the common hippopotamus recently expanded were revealed by: (i) lack of clear geographical structure among haplotypes, (ii) mismatch distributions of pairwise differences (r ¼ 0.0053; P ¼ 0.012) and site-frequency spectra, (iii) Fu's neutrality statistics (F S ¼ À155.409; Po0.00001) and (iv) Fu and Li's statistical tests (D * ¼ À3.191; Po0.01, F * ¼ À2.668; P ¼ 0.01). Mismatch distributions, site-frequency spectra and neutrality statistics performed at subspecies level also supported expansion of Hippopotamus amphibius across Africa. We interpret observed common hippopotamus population history in terms of Pleistocene drainage overflow and suggest recognising the three subspecies that were sampled in this study as separate management units in future conservation planning. Heredity (2005) 95, 206-215.

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Persistent millennial-scale climatic variability over the past 25,000 years in Southern Africa

Cited by 318 publications

References 77 publications

An abrupt change in the African monsoon at the end of the Younger Dryas

An abrupt change in the African monsoon at the end of the Younger Dryas

Hydrological changes in southern Africa over the last 200 Ka as recorded in lake sediments from the Tswaing impact crater

Mitochondrial DNA variation of the common hippopotamus: evidence for a recent population expansion

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