Sedimentation and organic content in the mires and other sites of sediment accumulation in the Sydney region, eastern Australia, in the period after the Last Glacial Maximum

Mooney, Scott; Martin, Len; Goff, James; Young, Ann

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107216

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…The contemporary climate of the Sydney Basin is mild, warm, and temperate, with no distinct wet season (Climate-Data.org, 2020), though it does tend to rain slightly more in the summer months (December-February). Climate in the Sydney Basin is controlled primarily by the movements of the subtropical high-pressure belt, with rainfall mainly caused by the seasonal meridional movement of frontal systems between these high-pressure cells (Mooney et al, 2021). It is influenced by synoptic interannual variability of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) (BOM, 2021a).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The transition from an Indigenous to a European influenced fire regime at Lake Werri Berri, south-east Australia

et al. 2023

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The drivers of fire regimes prior to the European occupation of Australia are still contentious, with some advocating regimes dominated by anthropogenic ignitions and others advocating a climate source or mixture of these elements. Here, we examine an 850-year history of fire regimes at Lake Werri Berri in south-east Australia, prior to and following European occupation. Macroscopic charcoal and FTIR spectroscopy were used to infer broad changes of the fire regime in proximity to the lake. We found little change through much of the 850-year period and most interesting, no apparent change following the initial displacement of Indigenous peoples and the introduction of farming and woodcutting to the region by Europeans. From the mid-20th Century onwards, there was an increase in both area burnt and fire severity or intensity, likely the result of increased fuel load and connectivity following an extended period of increased precipitation and heavier recreational land usage, which likely led to an increase in anthropogenic ignitions.

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Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The transition from an Indigenous to a European influenced fire regime at Lake Werri Berri, south-east Australia

et al. 2023

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“…While comparatively less well-studied, the recovery of populations in the terminal Pleistocene formed the foundation of technological, social, and economic change observed at from the mid-Holocene to the time of European invasion 20 . Recent research is beginning to show a delayed recovery from the Last Glacial Maximum, of the order of several thousand years, and the continued use of cryptic refugia up to the early Holocene 14,21 . A synthesis of palaeoenvironmental records from the Sydney Basin suggests that Last Glacial Maximumlike conditions might have remained in this region until ~ 14 ka 21 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent research is beginning to show a delayed recovery from the Last Glacial Maximum, of the order of several thousand years, and the continued use of cryptic refugia up to the early Holocene 14,21 . A synthesis of palaeoenvironmental records from the Sydney Basin suggests that Last Glacial Maximumlike conditions might have remained in this region until ~ 14 ka 21 . It does not appear to be until Meltwater Pulse 1A (14.8 ka) and the subsequent inundation of approximately 2 million km 2 of the continental shelf that changes in the archaeological record are observed, and a broader use of the landscape becomes evident 22 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stochastic population projections in Sahul refine the human-refugia hypothesis for early Last Glacial Maximum

Bradshaw¹,

Williams²,

Ulm³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Pleistocene archaeology in Australia has focussed on the survival and behaviour of Indigenous populations across Sahul during the Last Glacial Maximum (28.6 ± 2.8 ka to 17.7 ± 2.2 ka). A long-standing conceptual model proposes people occupied ecological refugia while abandoning drier regions during extreme climatic conditions, with inferred patterns of subsequent recovery essential for describing the evolution of societies in the Holocene. Radiocarbon-derived population estimates partially support the conceptual model while genetic evidence does not, but how human populations were influenced by the Last Glacial Maximum remains untested. To test the refugia hypothesis, we developed a spatial-demographic model of human movement to project population patterns across Sahul from 40,000 years ago (ka) to the mid-Holocene (5 ka). The model predicts little population change in eastern Sahul or New Guinea during the Last Glacial Maximum. However, extensive movement and potential abandonment in the central-western deserts and the north-northwest coastal regions are predicted during the first half of the Last Glacial Maximum (~ 26–20 ka), with some recovery after 15 ka. The demographic implications to societies appear to have extended beyond the Last Glacial Maximum, with increasing populations not evident until the early Holocene in many regions. Our model describes a complex pattern where large areas of Sahul provided refugia that maintained populations throughout the Last Glacial Maximum, providing a possible explanation for the disparity between archaeological and genomic evidence. There was also a correlation between predicted rates of population change and those derived from radiocarbon dates, supporting the realism of applying dates to infer past demography.

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“…Within swamps, fire is a recurrent disturbance (Mooney et al, 2021) that shapes subcommunity distributions (Keith and Myerscough, 1993). Swamp-woodland mosaics are likely sensitive to climatic moisture and fire history (Keith et al, 2010) and recent longwall underground coal extraction has caused subsidence, diminishing water resources and homogenising of the hydrological gradient, effects that persist long after coal extraction (Mason et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These groundwater-dependent and peat-accumulating wetlands support mosaics of wet heath communities comprising sclerophyll shrubs and graminoids that range from Ti-tree thicket and Cyperoid heath in the wettest conditions to Restioid heath, Sedgeland and Banksia thicket in drier conditions (Keith and Myerscough, 1993). Within swamps, fire is a recurrent disturbance (Mooney et al, 2021) that shapes subcommunity distributions (Keith and Myerscough, 1993). Swamp-woodland mosaics are likely sensitive to climatic moisture and fire history (Keith et al, 2010) and recent longwall underground coal extraction has caused subsidence, diminishing water resources and homogenising of the hydrological gradient, effects that persist long after coal extraction (Mason et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of hydrological change in fire-prone wetland vegetation: an empirical simulation

Mason

Popović²,

McGillycuddy³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Upland swamps are peat-accumulating, groundwater-dependent and fire-prone wetland ecosystems. Drying caused by anthropogenic processes such as underground mining, ditching and climate change may disrupt surface and groundwater flows effecting a bottom-up control on wetland expression. Fire is an endogenous, recurring disturbance that drives a top-down consumptive force in many of these systems. When compounded with anthropogenic drying, fire may facilitate permanent community transitions. A dearth of ecological data and temporal lags have hampered our ability to predict risks associated with multiple disturbances in wetland plant communities. We collected intact wetland mesocosms from valley floors and lower slopes of four undisturbed swamp sites. We transferred the mesocosms to a glasshouse and established three different soil moisture availability levels to simulate wetland drainage. After 20 months of the hydrological treatment, we simulated a fire event by sequentially applying biomass removal (clipping), heat and smoke to half of the mesocosms. We monitored species biomass, richness and composition over a 3.5-year time frame. We found evidence of a temporal lag in biomass response to low water availability and synergistic hydrological and fire effects on species richness. In unburnt conditions, richness declined with low water availability but was maintained under high and medium water availability. After simulated fire in medium water availability, however, richness also declined and converged with depauperate low water mesocosm richness. Representation by many obligate swamp species declined in low compared with high water availability mesocosms over time, an effect that was amplified by the fire treatment. Synthesis: Our evidence of lagged effects of hydrological change on wetland vegetation and compounding effects of fire should be considered in impact assessments, monitoring programs and ecosystem management to avoid irreversible wetland change in drying environments.

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Sedimentation and organic content in the mires and other sites of sediment accumulation in the Sydney region, eastern Australia, in the period after the Last Glacial Maximum

Cited by 8 publications

References 95 publications

The transition from an Indigenous to a European influenced fire regime at Lake Werri Berri, south-east Australia

The transition from an Indigenous to a European influenced fire regime at Lake Werri Berri, south-east Australia

Stochastic population projections in Sahul refine the human-refugia hypothesis for early Last Glacial Maximum

Effects of hydrological change in fire-prone wetland vegetation: an empirical simulation

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