From the Roman Empire to the present
Two millennia of pollen-based environmental changes and climate-human interactions in the Po Delta area (NE Italy)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12265610 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marco Cacciari (0000-0002-2939-968X, University of Bologna, corresponding author), Alessandro Amorosi (0000-0002-2263-4691, University of Bologna), Marco Marchesini (University of Ferrara), Silvia Marvelli (Laboratorio di Palinologia, C.A.A. – Centro Agricoltura e Ambiente “Giorgio Nicoli”, Italy), Verónica Rossi (0000-0002-0987-6899, University of Bologna) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1225-1241 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Holocene (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0959-6836 • E-ISSN: 1477-0911 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09596836241254487 |
| OpenAlex | W4399756293 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 85 |
Holocene prodelta lobes are key sedimentary archives of environmental change that can be used effectively for high-resolution palynological investigations, as they: (i) consist almost entirely of mud, (ii) represent stratigraphically expanded successions, and (iii) are strictly related to river dynamics, thus reflecting vegetation changes in river catchments. In this study, we focussed on the ~20 m-thick prodelta succession of the modern Po Delta (NE Italy), fed by two river branches (Volano and Goro) that were mostly active during the past two millennia, a period of rapid acceleration of natural resources’ exploitation and climate variability. Forty-eight samples with mean temporal resolution of 50 years were analysed. Eleven ecological groups and four pollen zones were identified, with distinct peaks of the secondary-primary pollen ratio marking major floods during the Volano-Goro lobe switching and the Little Ice Age. Five vegetation phases were detected since the 1 st century AD. In the framework of a patchy natural-cultural landscape, patterns of wetland expansion/contraction reflect the combined effect of cool-wet oscillations (LALIA – Late Antique Little Ice Age), land management (reclamations) and river avulsion. Forest dynamics document warm conditions during the so-called ‘Roman Climate Optimum’ and ‘Medieval Warm Period’, although minor cool-wet episodes occurred in tune with solar minima, and bipartite climate conditions (cool-moist followed by cool-dry) characterized the LALIA. Since the 14 th century, despite human-induced forest shrinking, peaks of montane vegetation followed a centennial-scale cyclicity likely influenced by solar minima and major plagues
Ancient history · Archaeology · Biology · Climate change · Delta · Empire · Geography · Physical geography · Pollen · Roman Empire · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · History · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Ecology
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |