Melanie J Leng
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 1542341 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Melanie J Leng |
| NOMBRES | Melanie J |
| APELLIDO | Leng |
| FIRMA | LENG M J |
| AFILIACIONES | British Geological Survey |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1115-5166 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 56 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 243 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 56 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1998 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2024 |
| ÍNDICE H | 8 |
A record of change in oyster environment through high-resolution geochemical analysis of Late-Holocene sediments from Coastal Ghana
The near-coast environments where oysters occur are among the most impacted by humans globally, especially during the Late-Holocene. Yet, in West Africa, there is no documented historical record of change in these environments. We provide insight into the changing geochemical conditions of two oyster environments through high-resolution analysis of total organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ 13 C, δ 15 N), …
Investigating the potential of oxygen-isotope records from anthropogenic lakes as tracers of 20th century climate change
Historical climate change in southern England was investigated using ostracod oxygen-isotope (δ 18 O) records from two anthropogenic lakes in Hampshire, southern England. A strong relationship is observed between δ 18 O ostracod , δ 18 O precipitation and δ 18 O lake_water in the contemporary environment and therefore δ 18 O ostracod from the sedimentary record of these systems has the potential to reflect past climate variability. The possibilit…
Reconstructing postglacial hydrologic and environmental change in the eastern Kenai Peninsula lowlands using proxy data and mass balance modeling
Despite extensive paleoenvironmental research on the postglacial history of the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, uncertainties remain regarding the region's deglaciation, vegetation development, and past hydroclimate. To elucidate this complex environmental history, we present new proxy datasets from Hidden and Kelly lakes, located in the eastern Kenai lowlands at the foot of the Kenai Mountains, including sedimentological properties (magnetic susceptibi…
Stalagmite evidence for Early Holocene multidecadal hydroclimate variability in Ethiopia
A multiproxy oxygen and carbon isotope (δ 13 C and δ 18 O), growth rate, and trace element stalagmite paleoenvironmental record is presented for the Early Holocene from Ethiopia. The annually laminated stalagmite grew from 10.6 to 10.4 ka and from 9.7 to 9.0 ka with a short hiatus at ~9.25 ka. Statistically significant and coherent spectral frequencies in δ 13 C and δ 18 O are observed at 15–25 and 19–23 years, respectively. The observed ~1‰ ampl…
Urbanization and seasonality strengthens the CO 2 capacity of the Red River Delta, Vietnam
Tropical rivers are dynamic CO 2 sources. Regional patterns in the partial pressure of CO 2 ( p CO 2 ) and relationships with other a/biotic factors in densely populated and rapidly developing river delta regions of Southeast Asia are still poorly constrained. Over one year, at 21 sites across the river system in the Red River Delta (RRD), Vietnam, we calculated p CO 2 levels from temperature, pH, and total alkalinity and inter-linkages between p…
Climate and human exploitation have regulated Atlantic salmon populations in the River Spey, Scotland, over the last 2000 years
Historical salmon catch records suggest that climatic variability, and more recently human exploitation, control patterns of abundance in Atlantic salmon populations. We present the first long-term (2000-year) reconstruction of Atlantic Salmon population variations based on a Marine Derived Nutrient (MDN) lake sediment record. Our record is constructed from nitrogen isotopes (δ 15 N) measured from a lake sediment core, which we compare with an es…
Diatoms in a sediment core from a flood pulse wetland in Malaysia record strong responses to human impacts and hydro‐climate over the past 150 years
Rapid development and climate change in southeast Asia is placing unprecedented pressures on freshwater ecosystems, but long term records of the ecological consequences are rare. Here we examine one basin of Tasik Chini (Malaysia), a UNESCO‐designated flood pulse wetland, where human disturbances (dam installation, iron ore mining, oil palm and rubber cultivation) have escalated since the 1980s. Diatom analysis and organic matter geochemistry (δ …
Holocene glacier fluctuations and environmental changes in subantarctic South Georgia inferred from a sediment record from a coastal inlet
The subantarctic island of South Georgia provides terrestrial and coastal marine records of climate variability, which are crucial for the understanding of the drivers of Holocene climate changes in the subantarctic region. Here we investigate a sediment core (Co1305) from a coastal inlet on South Georgia using elemental, lipid biomarker, diatom, and stable isotope data to infer changes in environmental conditions and to constrain the timing of l…
Δ 18 O-inferred salinity from Littorina littorea (L.) gastropods in a Danish shell midden at the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition
Norsminde Fjord has received extensive geoarchaeological investigation, hosting one of the classic Stone Age shell midden sites in Denmark, and one of the best examples of the widespread oyster decline at the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. Here, intra-shell δ 18 O (and δ 13 C) analyses from the common periwinkle Littorina littorea (L.) are used to infer inter-annual environmental changes at the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition (four from each pe…
A century of anthropogenic environmental change in tropical Asia
The environmental ramifications of rapid development on the functioning of warm tropical freshwater ecosystems are poorly understood. Here, a multi-proxy palaeolimnological approach is used to examine the nature and degree of anthropogenic environmental change in a tropical lowland reservoir in Singapore. Singapore has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past century, transitioning from a country with a largely agrarian landscape to one …
Seasonal scheduling of shellfish collection in the Middle and Later Stone Ages of southern Africa
Assessing human impact on Rostherne Mere, UK, using the geochemistry of organic matter
Seasonality of Holocene hydroclimate in the Eastern Mediterranean reconstructed using the oxygen isotope composition of carbonates and diatoms from Lake Nar, central Turkey
A positive shift in the oxygen isotope composition ( δ 18 O) of lake carbonates in the Eastern Mediterranean from the early to late Holocene is usually interpreted as a change to drier (reduced precipitation and evaporation (P/E)) conditions. However, it has also been suggested that changes in the seasonality of precipitation could explain these trends. Here, Holocene records of δ 18 O from both carbonates and diatom silica, from Lake Nar in cent…
Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the alluvial landscape of Neolithic Çatalhöyük, central southern Turkey
Early Holocene palaeoseasonality inferred from the stable isotope composition of Unio shells from Çatalhöyük, Turkey
Seasonal δ13C and δ18O data are presented from 14 Unio sub-fossil shells unearthed at the archaeological site of Çatalhöyük in central Turkey, spanning the occupation period ca. 9150–8000 cal years BP. The shells likely lived in the small lakes/wetlands around the site before being gathered and taken to Çatalhöyük. Wet-dry seasonal cycles are clearly apparent in the δ18Oshell profiles with low winter values reflecting winter precipitation and hig…
Climatic variability during the last millennium in Western Iceland from lake sediment records
The aim of this research was to create a decadal-scale terrestrial quantitative palaeoclimate record for NW Iceland from lake sediments for the last millennium. Geochemical, stable isotope and chironomid reconstructions were obtained from a lake sequence constrained by tephra deposits on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, western Iceland. Obtaining a quantitative record proved problematic, but the qualitative chironomid record showed clear trends associa…
A multi-proxy analysis of the Holocene humid phase from the United Arab Emirates and its implications for southeast Arabia's Neolithic populations
Human impact on the hydroenvironment of Lake Parishan, SW Iran, through the late-Holocene
A multiproxy record from Lake Parishan, SW Iran, shows human impact on the lake and its catchment over the last 4000 years. The Parishan record provides evidence of changes in lake hydrology, from ostracod, diatom and isotope analyses, that are directly linked to human activity in the catchment; recorded by pollen and charcoal and supported by regional archaeological and historical data. The lake ostracod fauna is particularly sensitive to human-…
Oxygen isotopes in Molluscan shell
Oxygen isotope geochemistry of Molluscan shell is an essential part of environmental archaeology and over the last decade has contributed significantly to the understanding of the past inhabitants of our planet. From the analysis of collected (and disposed of) shells we can gain information on environmental data from the species assemblages and also from the shell chemistry. In particular, intra-seasonal information can be gained from shells by a…
A matter of taste? Mode and periodicity of marine mollusc exploitation on the Mediterranean island of Favignana (Ègadi Islands, Italy) during its isolation in the early Holocene
The exploitation of marine molluscs by Mediterranean hunter-gatherers increased from the Upper Palaeolithic onwards, although their role in subsistence has rarely been investigated fully. An ideal area to address this issue is the archipelago of the Ègadi Islands, most of which were isolated by Post-Glacial sea level rise. Here we report on the results of the study of the mollusc assemblage recovered during the 1972 excavations at Grotta d’Orient…
Mid-Holocene sea surface conditions and riverine influence on the inshore Great Barrier Reef
We present measurements of Sr/Ca, δ 18 O, and spectral luminescence ratios (G/B) from a mid-Holocene Porites sp. microatoll recovered from the nearshore Great Barrier Reef (GBR). These records were used as proxies to reconstruct sea surface temperature (SST), the δ 18 O of surrounding seawater (δ 18 O sw ), and riverine influence, respectively, and compared with records from a modern Porites sp. microatoll growing in the same environment. Strong …
Is there an isotopic signature of the Anthropocene
We consider whether the Anthropocene is recorded in the isotope geochemistry of the atmosphere, sediments, plants and ice cores, and the time frame during which any changes are recorded, presenting examples from the literature. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have become more depleted since the 19th century, with the rate of change accelerating after ~ad 1950, linked to increased emissions from fossil fuel consumption and increased production …
Recent palaeolimnological change recorded in Lake Xiaolongwan, northeast China
Lake Xiaolongwan is a closed maar lake located in the Long Gang Volcanic Field, northeast China. Core XLW2 was collected in 2007 from the central region of the lake and provides a palaeoecological reconstruction over the past ca. 130 years (dated using radiometric methods: 210Pb and 137Cs). Diatom floristic changes and catchment productivity (carbon isotope ratios) were analysed within the core. Indicators of atmospheric pollution (XRF and SCP in…
An early MIS 3 pluvial phase in Southeast Arabia
Holocene-aged human footprints from the Cuatrociénegas Basin, NE Mexico
The tempo of Holocene climatic change in the eastern Mediterranean region
This study presents results from a multi-proxy analysis of cores taken in a crater-lake sequence from Eski Acigöl in centr-al Turkey which cover the period from pre-c. 16000 cal. yr BP to the present. The sediments comprise an upper unit of enerally non-laminated, banded to massive silts and peats of mid- to late-Holocene age, overlying a laminated unit of late-Pleistocene to early/mid-Holocenie age. The laminae, comprising mainly aragonite. amor…
The use of oxygen, strontium and lead isotopes to provenance ancient glasses in the Middle East
Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the alluvial landscape of Neolithic Çatalhöyük, central southern Turkey
Oxygen isotopes in Molluscan shell
Oxygen isotope geochemistry of Molluscan shell is an essential part of environmental archaeology and over the last decade has contributed significantly to the understanding of the past inhabitants of our planet. From the analysis of collected (and disposed of) shells we can gain information on environmental data from the species assemblages and also from the shell chemistry. In particular, intra-seasonal information can be gained from shells by a…
Is there an isotopic signature of the Anthropocene
We consider whether the Anthropocene is recorded in the isotope geochemistry of the atmosphere, sediments, plants and ice cores, and the time frame during which any changes are recorded, presenting examples from the literature. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have become more depleted since the 19th century, with the rate of change accelerating after ~ad 1950, linked to increased emissions from fossil fuel consumption and increased production …
Marine Resources in the Mesolithic and Neolithic at the Grotta Dell’uzzo (Sicily)
Oxygen isotopes in shell carbonate samples from the marine rocky‐shore intertidal gastropod Monodonta turbinata (Born) are investigated in both modern analogue specimens and in archaeological specimens from the Grotta dell’Uzzo (Sicily). Variations in shell edge values of δ 18 O in living specimens collected monthly over two years are closely correlated with monthly seawater temperatures measured at the time of collection, showing that the specie…
Holocene-aged human footprints from the Cuatrociénegas Basin, NE Mexico
Modern and early-middle Holocene shells of the freshwater mollusc Unio, from Çatalhöyük in the Konya Basin, Turkey
Oxygen and carbon isotope composition of authigenic carbonate from an Ethiopian lake
The oxygen and carbon isotope composition of sedimentary carbonates formed in Lake Hayq, a closed-basin lake in northern Ethiopia, suggests marked variation in the balance between precipitation and evaporation during the last 2000 years. Diatom stratigraphy shows that the lake remained deep enough to support planktonic taxa, and was never saline. The record suggests that rainfall was higher than that of the twentieth century during most of this t…
Reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from the Pearl River Estuary, southern China, using diatoms and carbon isotope ratios
This study employs a multiproxy approach in the reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from sedimentary sequences obtained from the Pearl River Estuary, southern China. A set of modern surface sediment samples were collected within and outside the estuary, and a sediment core was obtained from the mouth of the estuary. A range of modern environmental variables were recorded including water salinity (summer, winter and annual average) and wate…
A matter of taste? Mode and periodicity of marine mollusc exploitation on the Mediterranean island of Favignana (Ègadi Islands, Italy) during its isolation in the early Holocene
The exploitation of marine molluscs by Mediterranean hunter-gatherers increased from the Upper Palaeolithic onwards, although their role in subsistence has rarely been investigated fully. An ideal area to address this issue is the archipelago of the Ègadi Islands, most of which were isolated by Post-Glacial sea level rise. Here we report on the results of the study of the mollusc assemblage recovered during the 1972 excavations at Grotta d’Orient…
Evaluating socio-economic change in the Andes using oribatid mite abundances as indicators of domestic animal densities
Seasonality of Holocene hydroclimate in the Eastern Mediterranean reconstructed using the oxygen isotope composition of carbonates and diatoms from Lake Nar, central Turkey
A positive shift in the oxygen isotope composition ( δ 18 O) of lake carbonates in the Eastern Mediterranean from the early to late Holocene is usually interpreted as a change to drier (reduced precipitation and evaporation (P/E)) conditions. However, it has also been suggested that changes in the seasonality of precipitation could explain these trends. Here, Holocene records of δ 18 O from both carbonates and diatom silica, from Lake Nar in cent…
A 9000-year oxygen and carbon isotope record of hydrological change in a small Ethiopian crater lake
The stable isotope composition of authigenic calcites in a core from Lake Tilo, a small crater lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, provides a subcentury scale record of lake response to climatic change over the last 8850 14 C yrs (9850 cal. yrs). An unusually high range of δ 18 O and δ 13 C values (~15,) is attributed, in part, to major changes in hydrothermal groundwater flux. Although hydrothermal groundwater influx to the lake was high during t…
Seasonal scheduling of shellfish collection in the Middle and Later Stone Ages of southern Africa
Assessing human impact on Rostherne Mere, UK, using the geochemistry of organic matter
Early Holocene palaeoseasonality inferred from the stable isotope composition of Unio shells from Çatalhöyük, Turkey
Seasonal δ13C and δ18O data are presented from 14 Unio sub-fossil shells unearthed at the archaeological site of Çatalhöyük in central Turkey, spanning the occupation period ca. 9150–8000 cal years BP. The shells likely lived in the small lakes/wetlands around the site before being gathered and taken to Çatalhöyük. Wet-dry seasonal cycles are clearly apparent in the δ18Oshell profiles with low winter values reflecting winter precipitation and hig…
Climatic variability during the last millennium in Western Iceland from lake sediment records
The aim of this research was to create a decadal-scale terrestrial quantitative palaeoclimate record for NW Iceland from lake sediments for the last millennium. Geochemical, stable isotope and chironomid reconstructions were obtained from a lake sequence constrained by tephra deposits on the Snæfellsnes peninsula, western Iceland. Obtaining a quantitative record proved problematic, but the qualitative chironomid record showed clear trends associa…
Human impact on the hydroenvironment of Lake Parishan, SW Iran, through the late-Holocene
A multiproxy record from Lake Parishan, SW Iran, shows human impact on the lake and its catchment over the last 4000 years. The Parishan record provides evidence of changes in lake hydrology, from ostracod, diatom and isotope analyses, that are directly linked to human activity in the catchment; recorded by pollen and charcoal and supported by regional archaeological and historical data. The lake ostracod fauna is particularly sensitive to human-…
Mid-Holocene variability of the East Asian monsoon based on bulk organic δ 13 C and C/N records from the Pearl River estuary, southern China
Understanding the mid-Holocene dynamics of the East Asian monsoon (EAM) is integral to improving models of the Holocene development of the global climate system. Here we reconstruct the mid-Holocene EAM history from the Pearl River estuary, southern China, using bulk organic carbon isotopes (δ 13 C), total carbon to total nitrogen (C/N) ratios and total organic carbon (TOC) concentration. Sedimentary δ 13 C, C/N and TOC are potentially good indic…
Diatoms in a sediment core from a flood pulse wetland in Malaysia record strong responses to human impacts and hydro‐climate over the past 150 years
Rapid development and climate change in southeast Asia is placing unprecedented pressures on freshwater ecosystems, but long term records of the ecological consequences are rare. Here we examine one basin of Tasik Chini (Malaysia), a UNESCO‐designated flood pulse wetland, where human disturbances (dam installation, iron ore mining, oil palm and rubber cultivation) have escalated since the 1980s. Diatom analysis and organic matter geochemistry (δ …
Isotopic variation in modern lake waters from western Greenland
The stable-isotope composition of lake waters along Sïndre Strïmfjord in western Greenland have been measured both spatially (coast to ice sheet) and temporally (up to five times between 1998–2000) and the data compared to local climatic information. There is a climatic gradient along Sïndre Strïmfjord, with the head of the fjord characterised by a low Arctic continental climate, while the coast has a more maritime climate (increased precipitatio…
Interpreting stable-isotope records from freshwater snail-shell carbonate
The oxygen and carbon stable-isotope ratios from fossil snail shells within a small intramontane lake in southwest Turkey are used to highlight the potential, and problems, of using freshwater snail carbonate as a palaeoenvironmental proxy. Two species (Gyraulus piscinarum and Valvata cristata) yielded different isotope ratios at the same sampling intervals, probably due to differences in water-isotope composition between different microhabitats.…
Carbon and oxygen isotope variations within the shell of an African land snail (Limicolaria kambeul chudeauiGermain)
Stable isotope analyses at high-resolution intervals along the growth axis of a shell of the land snail Limicolaria kambeul chudeaui Germain, collected in Ethiopia, show a cyclic pattern of d 18 O variation. The cycles have regular periodicity but vary in amplitude. The shape and amplitude of the shell d 18 O cycles is consistent with seasonal changes in the amount and isotopic composition of the rainfall, coupled with tempera ture and evaporativ…
Variation in isotopic composition (C, O and Sr) of Holocene Mactra isabelleana (Bivalvia) from the coast of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
The 13 C/ 12 C and 18O/ 16 O ratios of carbonate (incremental growth bands and whole shells) of the bivalve Mactra isabelleana collected from Holocene (including modern) littoral deposits along the coastal area of Buenos Aires Province, close to the Rió de la Plata river, reflect different environments which stayed relatively constant throughout the Holocene. Differences in 13 C/ 12 C and 18O/ 16 O ratios along the growth axis of two shells from …
Carbon and oxygen isotope variations within the shell of an African land snail (Limicolaria kambeul chudeauiGermain)
Stable isotope analyses at high-resolution intervals along the growth axis of a shell of the land snail Limicolaria kambeul chudeaui Germain, collected in Ethiopia, show a cyclic pattern of d 18 O variation. The cycles have regular periodicity but vary in amplitude. The shape and amplitude of the shell d 18 O cycles is consistent with seasonal changes in the amount and isotopic composition of the rainfall, coupled with tempera ture and evaporativ…
Variation in isotopic composition (C, O and Sr) of Holocene Mactra isabelleana (Bivalvia) from the coast of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
The 13 C/ 12 C and 18O/ 16 O ratios of carbonate (incremental growth bands and whole shells) of the bivalve Mactra isabelleana collected from Holocene (including modern) littoral deposits along the coastal area of Buenos Aires Province, close to the Rió de la Plata river, reflect different environments which stayed relatively constant throughout the Holocene. Differences in 13 C/ 12 C and 18O/ 16 O ratios along the growth axis of two shells from …
A 9000-year oxygen and carbon isotope record of hydrological change in a small Ethiopian crater lake
The stable isotope composition of authigenic calcites in a core from Lake Tilo, a small crater lake in the Ethiopian Rift Valley, provides a subcentury scale record of lake response to climatic change over the last 8850 14 C yrs (9850 cal. yrs). An unusually high range of δ 18 O and δ 13 C values (~15,) is attributed, in part, to major changes in hydrothermal groundwater flux. Although hydrothermal groundwater influx to the lake was high during t…
The tempo of Holocene climatic change in the eastern Mediterranean region
This study presents results from a multi-proxy analysis of cores taken in a crater-lake sequence from Eski Acigöl in centr-al Turkey which cover the period from pre-c. 16000 cal. yr BP to the present. The sediments comprise an upper unit of enerally non-laminated, banded to massive silts and peats of mid- to late-Holocene age, overlying a laminated unit of late-Pleistocene to early/mid-Holocenie age. The laminae, comprising mainly aragonite. amor…
Interpreting stable-isotope records from freshwater snail-shell carbonate
The oxygen and carbon stable-isotope ratios from fossil snail shells within a small intramontane lake in southwest Turkey are used to highlight the potential, and problems, of using freshwater snail carbonate as a palaeoenvironmental proxy. Two species (Gyraulus piscinarum and Valvata cristata) yielded different isotope ratios at the same sampling intervals, probably due to differences in water-isotope composition between different microhabitats.…
Oxygen-isotope (δ18O) evidence of Holocene hydrological changes at Signy Island, maritime Antarctica
A record of Holocene hydrological changes has been produced from variations in oxygen-isotope composition (δ 18 O) preserved in freshwater lake sediments from maritime Antarctica. Small amounts (<5%) of authigenic carbonate have been extracted from a non-marl sediment core from Sombre Lake, Signy Island (60°43'S, 45°38'W). Oxygen-isotope and particle-size analysis provide a sensitive record of hydrological events in the lake arising from local an…
Isotopic variation in modern lake waters from western Greenland
The stable-isotope composition of lake waters along Sïndre Strïmfjord in western Greenland have been measured both spatially (coast to ice sheet) and temporally (up to five times between 1998–2000) and the data compared to local climatic information. There is a climatic gradient along Sïndre Strïmfjord, with the head of the fjord characterised by a low Arctic continental climate, while the coast has a more maritime climate (increased precipitatio…
Palaeoclimate interpretation of stable isotope data from lake sediment archives
Late Quaternary climate-driven environmental change in the Larsemann Hills, East Antarctica, multi-proxy evidence from a lake sediment core
Little is known about the response of terrestrial East Antarctica to climate changes during the last glacial–interglacial cycle. Here we present a continuous sediment record from a lake in the Larsemann Hills, situated on a peninsula believed to have been ice-free for at least 40,000 yr. A mutli-proxy data set including geochronology, diatoms, pigments and carbonate stable isotopes indicates warmer and wetter conditions than present in the early …
The use of oxygen, strontium and lead isotopes to provenance ancient glasses in the Middle East
A high-resolution late Holocene lake isotope record from Turkey and links to North Atlantic and monsoon climate
A high resolution proxy record of precipitation and evaporation variability through the past 1700 yr from δ18O analysis of a varved lake sequence from central Turkey shows rapid shifts between dry periods (AD 300–500 and AD 1400–1950) and wetter intervals (AD 560–750 and AD 1000–1350). Changes are consistent with changes in instrumental and proxy records of the Indian monsoon, dry summers in the Eastern Mediterranean being associated with periods…
A review of coastal palaeoclimate and relative sea-level reconstructions using δ13C and C/N ratios in organic material
Reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from the Pearl River Estuary, southern China, using diatoms and carbon isotope ratios
This study employs a multiproxy approach in the reconstruction of Holocene monsoon history from sedimentary sequences obtained from the Pearl River Estuary, southern China. A set of modern surface sediment samples were collected within and outside the estuary, and a sediment core was obtained from the mouth of the estuary. A range of modern environmental variables were recorded including water salinity (summer, winter and annual average) and wate…
Quantifying climatic change through the last glacial–interglacial transition based on lake isotope palaeohydrology from central Turkey
Questions remain as to the nature of climatic change through the last glacial–interglacial transition in the eastern Mediterranean region, particularly the relative contribution of evaporation and precipitation to regional water balance. Here changes in oxygen isotope values through this time period from Eski Acıgöl, a crater lake in central Turkey, are investigated using hydrological and isotope mass balance models. These allow changes in evapor…
A new approach to detecting vegetation and land-use Change using high-resolution lipid biomarker records in stalagmites
A hundred-year stalagmite lipid biomarker record from Mechara, southeastern Ethiopia, is presented. The record has been recovered at a 10-yr temporal resolution, marking the first time this has been achieved in stalagmite biomarker work and providing the first opportunity to investigate the relationship between stalagmite lipid records and hydrological transport lags, a vital issue in interpreting palaeoenvironmental signals. Preserved plant-deri…
A High-resolution diatom-inferred palaeoconductivity and lake level record of the Aral Sea for the Last 1600 yr
Formerly the world's fourth largest lake by area, the Aral Sea is presently undergoing extreme desiccation due to large-scale irrigation strategies implemented in the Soviet era. As part of the INTAS-funded CLIMAN project into Holocene climatic variability and the evolution of human settlement in the Aral Sea basin, fossil diatom assemblages contained within a sediment core obtained from the Aral Sea have been applied to a diatom-based inference …
Oxygen and carbon isotope composition of authigenic carbonate from an Ethiopian lake
The oxygen and carbon isotope composition of sedimentary carbonates formed in Lake Hayq, a closed-basin lake in northern Ethiopia, suggests marked variation in the balance between precipitation and evaporation during the last 2000 years. Diatom stratigraphy shows that the lake remained deep enough to support planktonic taxa, and was never saline. The record suggests that rainfall was higher than that of the twentieth century during most of this t…
North Atlantic region atmospheric circulation dynamics inferred from a late-Holocene lacustrine carbonate isotope record, northern Swedish Lapland
The first high-resolution record of climate variation based on the oxygen and carbon isotope composition of authigenic carbonate for northern Scandinavia is presented. Modern lake-water isotope data indicate that controls on its oxygen and hydrogen (δ 18 O w and δD w ) composition are unlikely to be evaporation or temperature, and its variations must therefore reflect changes in, or at the source of, precipitation. Substantial and persistent chan…
Seasonality and the isotope hydrology of Lochnagar, a Scottish mountain lake
The relationship between isotope ratios in precipitation and lake waters was monitored by bi-weekly measurements taken over a five and a half year period between May 2000 and September 2005 (a period of 1964 days) at Lochnagar, a remote mountain lake in eastern Scotland. Short-term changes in the oxygen isotope composition of lake water (δ 18 O L ) at Lochnagar follow a seasonal pattern similar to isotopes in local precipitation (δ 18 O P ), howe…
Evaluating socio-economic change in the Andes using oribatid mite abundances as indicators of domestic animal densities
Marine Resources in the Mesolithic and Neolithic at the Grotta Dell’uzzo (Sicily)
Oxygen isotopes in shell carbonate samples from the marine rocky‐shore intertidal gastropod Monodonta turbinata (Born) are investigated in both modern analogue specimens and in archaeological specimens from the Grotta dell’Uzzo (Sicily). Variations in shell edge values of δ 18 O in living specimens collected monthly over two years are closely correlated with monthly seawater temperatures measured at the time of collection, showing that the specie…
Stable isotope records of Late Quaternary climate and hydrology from Mediterranean lakes
A multiproxy palaeolimnological investigation of Holocene environmental change, between c. 10 700 and 7200 years BP, at Holebudalen, southern Norway
Geochemical analyses (x-ray fluorescence, δ 13 C and C/N ratios) were used to reconstruct early Holocene environments (between 10685 and 7260 cal. yr BP) at a small lake near Holebudalen, southern Norway. Results show a period of increasing stability, with reduced catchment inwash (shown by titanium and potassium minerals), vegetation stabilization and increasing aquatic productivity (C/N ratios). However, periods of instability (loss on ignition…
Late Quaternary vegetation dynamics in a biodiversity hotspot, the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania
Late Quaternary vegetation history and environmental changes in a biodiverse tropical ecosystem are inferred from pollen, charcoal and carbon isotope evidence derived from a ∼ 48,000-yr sedimentary record from the Uluguru Mountains, a component of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. Results indicate that Eastern Arc forest composition has remained relatively stable during the past ∼ 48,000 yr. Long-term environmental stability of the…
Lacustrine evidence of early-Holocene environmental change in northern Iceland
Early-Holocene warming in Iceland caused rapid glacial ice melt which led to exposed landscapes on which soils developed and floras quickly established. Our chironomid-based records from northern Iceland suggest temperatures were up to 2—2.5°C warmer than present throughout the first two millennia post deglaciation (~10 500 to 8500 cal. BP) while sedimentary and isotopic data indicate the development of soils within the local environment througho…
Geography (50 obras) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (47 obras) · Geology (40 obras) · Physical geography (37 obras) · Holocene (36 obras) · Oceanography (31 obras) · Isotope Analysis in Ecology (30 obras) · Climate change (24 obras) · Archaeology (22 obras) · Paleontology (22 obras)