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palaeoecology Quick reference
A Dictionary of Ecology (5 ed.)
...The application of ecological concepts to fossil and sedimentary evidence to study the interactions of Earth surface, atmosphere, and biosphere in former (prehistoric)...
Holocene In the Sahara Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...and degree of aridity, and, if so, why, and to what extent such mechanisms are liable to operate again in the future. [See Deserts .] Over the last two decades, multidisciplinary studies of geologic records (paleolacustrine and eolian sediments, vegetal and animal remains, prehistoric settlements) have allowed scientists to attest to alternate expansions (during the glacial phases) or reductions (during the interglacials) of the arid and hyperarid areas, over the last climatic cycle, as summed up by Petit-Maire ( 1994 ). Some questions remain to be answered...
Human Life and Climate Reference library
Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather (2 ed.)
...evolution of other tools, especially spears, the bow and arrow, axes, skin scrapers, and sewing needles. Hunting provided the raw materials for both clothes and shelter, but it was not until people learned to domesticate plants that technological innovations began to release prehistoric cultures from the limits imposed by climate and other elements of the natural environment. Certainly more than 7,000 years ago, and perhaps as early as 12,000 years ago, agriculture emerged in several regions, especially the Tigris-Euphrates River Valley in what is now southern...
Medieval Climate Optimum Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Global Change
...10.1126/science.145.3628.123. Oglivie, A. , and G. Farmer . “Documenting the Medieval Climate.” In Climates of the British Isles: Present, Past and Future , edited by M. Hulme and E. Barrow , pp. 112–133. London: Routledge, 1997. Woodbury, R. B. “ Climatic Changes and Prehistoric Agriculture in the Southwestern United States. ” Annals New York Academy of Sciences 95.1 (1961), 705–709. Andrew S....
Medieval Climatic Optimum Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
.... Science 145 (1964), 123–129. Oglivie, A. , and G. Farmer . Documenting the Medieval Climate. In Climates of the British Isles: Present, Past and Future , edited by M. Hulme and E. Barrows , pp. 112–133. London: Routledge, 1997. Woodbury, R. B. Climatic Changes and Prehistoric Agriculture in the Southwestern United States . Annals, New York Academy of Sciences 95 (1961), 705–709. Andrew S....
Soils Reference library
Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather (2 ed.)
...iron chemistry and mineralogy of paleosols provide important clues about the evolution of the atmosphere by serving as a measure of changing levels of primordial atmospheric oxygen. The impact of prehistoric and historic human societies on the landscape is reasonably well documented. The transformation of alfisols to spodosols by soil acidification during prehistoric times in western portions of Europe has been linked to human manipulation of the landscape. The clearing of deciduous woodland in northeastern England, followed by the invasion of...
Sea Level Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...E. Sea-Level Changes . Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1974. An invaluable reference text that includes a chapter on the prediction of storm surges and tsunamis. Louwe Kooijmans, L. P. The Rhine/Meuse Delta: Four Studies on Its Prehistoric Occupation and Holocene Geology . Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1974. A scholarly and skillful thesis in which prehistoric settlement patterns in the Netherlands are related to patterns of sedimentation in a deltaic coastal lowland. A model for investigations in other parts of the world. Masters, P. M. , and N. C. Flemming , eds. Quaternary...
Australia and Global Change Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Global Change
...may have created firebreaks that conserved some fire-sensitive habitats such as rainforest, which would otherwise have been destroyed by a natural fire regime. Because of the long history of Aboriginal fire management, contemporary vegetation patterns can be considered as prehistoric legacies. At the time of the late-eighteenth-century European discovery and colonization of Australia there were 0.3 to 1.5 million indigenous hunter-gatherers on the whole continent. In 200 years the population has grown to over 21 million people. Most contemporary Australians...
Land Use Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Global Change
...as Transformed by Human Action: Global and Regional Changes in Biosphere over the Past 300 Years , edited by B. L. Turner II , et al., pp. 236–252. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1990. Martin, P. S. , and R. G. Klein , eds. Quaternary Extinctions: A Prehistoric Revolution . Tuscon: University of Arizona Press, 1984. Meyer, W. B. , and B. L. Turner II . “ Human Population Growth and Global Land-Use/Cover Change. ” Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 23 (1992), 39–61. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.es.23.110192.000351. Meyer, W. B. , and...
Extinctions of Animals Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Global Change
...of Animals Spectacular examples of extinction are known from the geological record, but extinction continues today, accelerated by the expansion of human influence over the nonhuman natural world. Prehistoric Times Some workers believe that the human role in animal extinctions goes back to the Paleolithic (Stone Age) in the Late Pleistocene. They believe that the chronology of extinction closely follows that of the spread of humans and the development of hunting. They also maintain that there are no known continents or islands in which accelerated...
Volcanoes Reference library
Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather (2 ed.)
...even for the biggest historic eruptions. Recently it has been suggested that for the El Chichón and Agung cases, subtracting the warming effects of El Niño from the temperature record makes the volcanic signal clearer. Simple models suggest that eruptions on the scale of large prehistoric events have the potential to alter climate to a much greater degree than has been observed following historic events. A mounting body of proxy data suggests that the climatic and environmental changes produced by eruptions in the early Middle Ages may have been dramatic....
Easter Island Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...Teller , M. E. Prentice , J. Jackson , and C. Chew . The Late Quaternary Vegetational and Climatic History of Easter Island . Journal of Quaternary Science 6 (1991), 85–115. Heyerdahl, T. Easter Island: The Mystery Solved . London: Souvenir Press, 1989. Irwin, G. The Prehistoric Exploration and Colonisation of the Pacific . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992. McCall, G. Rapanui: Tradition and Survival on Easter Island , 2d ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1994. Meadows, D. , D. Meadows , and J. Randos . Beyond the Limits ....
Fire Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...tens of thousands of years in some areas in the Americas (Coutinho, 1990). These sorts of aboriginal burning activities undoubtedly led to an increased frequency of ignitions on native shrublands, grasslands, and forests and hence a fire regime that was much altered from the prehistoric situation. This alteration would inevitably have produced changes in the vegetation, and some authors have argued that some changes may have been massive (e.g., Flannery, 1994; Pyne, 1995). While the magnitude of the effects of aboriginal burning on vegetation change will...
Metals Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...lustrous, tough, ductile, malleable, fusible, and good conductors of heat and electricity. Although about half of all chemical elements possess some of these properties, those that we conventionally call “metals” exhibit two or more of these properties. Metal usage began in prehistoric times, but was restricted to the very small amounts that were found in the native, or free, state. Metals only came into prominence with the development of smelting between 5,500 and 3,000 bp , and large-scale employment in numerous applications only appeared after the...
Mediterranean Environments Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Global Change
...have also had a profound influence on biodiversity ( Rundel et al., 1998 ). Elsewhere, human occupation of Mediterranean-type landscapes may have had less impact, at least until the period of colonial occupation. This is certainly true of South Africa, where the impact of prehistoric cultures has been limited in comparison with the Mediterranean basin. The influence of European settlers, however, has been very marked. For example, widespread changes in vegetation in the catchment of the Verlorenvlei River in the western Cape lowland fynbos occurred as a...
Biological Diversity Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Global Change
...to justify considerable losses of biodiversity, particularly over the short term. Think of the human-dominated landscapes of western Europe or Indonesia, which provide many ecological services and even aesthetic pleasures, but with a very depleted flora and fauna compared to prehistoric times. Threats to Biological Diversity Loss of biological diversity has become a global concern. Although it is true that all species will become extinct (just as all individuals will die), there is little doubt that industrial humans have accelerated the rate of extinction 2...
Volcanoes Reference library
The Oxford Companion to Global Change
...General circulation models of temperature changes expected under this aerosol cloud predicted Northern Hemisphere surface cooling of as much as 0.5°C, and this appears to have been verified by the meteorological data. Simple models suggest that eruptions on the scale of large prehistoric events might alter climate to a much greater degree than has been observed following historical events. How large an impact can volcanic eruptions have on surface temperature, precipitation, and weather patterns—through either short-term effects from individual events or...
Biological Diversity Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...be used to justify considerable losses of biodiversity, particularly over the short term. Thus, the human-dominated landscapes of western Europe or Indonesia, which provide many ecological services and even aesthetic pleasures, have a very depleted flora and fauna compared to prehistoric times. Threats to Biological Diversity Loss of biological diversity has become a global concern. Although it is true that every species will someday become extinct (just as every individual will die), there is little doubt that industrial humans have accelerated the rate of...
Mediterranean Environments Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...human occupation of mediterranean-type landscapes may have had rather less impact, at least until the period of colonial occupation. This is certainly true of South Africa, where, despite the fact that southern Africa is the evolutionary home of modern humans, the impact of prehistoric cultures has been relatively limited by comparison with the Mediterranean basin. The influence of European settlers, however, has been very marked. For example, widespread changes in vegetation in the catchment of the Verlorenvlei River in the western Cape lowland fynbos ...
Volcanoes Reference library
Encyclopedia of Global Change
...General circulation models of temperature changes expected under this aerosol cloud predicted Northern Hemisphere surface cooling of as much as 0.5°C, and these appear to have been verified by the meteorological data. Simple models suggest that eruptions on the scale of large prehistoric events have the potential to alter climate to a much greater degree than has been observed following historical events. How large an impact on climate can volcanic eruptions have in terms of affecting surface temperature, precipitation, and weather patterns—either short-term...
