18 research outputs found

    An overview of Alpine and Mediterranean palaeogeography, terrestrial ecosystems and climate history during MIS 3 with focus on the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition

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    This paper summarizes the current state of knowledge about the millennial scale climate variability characterizing Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) in S-Europe and the Mediterranean area and its effects on terrestrial ecosystems. The sequence of Dansgaard-Oeschger events, as recorded by Greenland ice cores and recognizable in isotope profiles from speleothems and high-resolution palaeoecological records, led to dramatic variations in glacier extent and sea level configuration with major impacts on the physiography and vegetation patterns, both latitudinally and altitudinally. The recurrent succession of (open) woodlands, including temperate taxa, and grasslands with xerophytic elements, have been tentatively correlated to GIs in Greenland ice cores. Concerning colder phases, the Greenland Stadials (GSs) related to Heinrich events (HEs) appear to have a more pronounced effect than other GSs on woodland withdrawal and xerophytes expansion. Notably, GS 9-HE4 phase corresponds to the most severe reduction of tree cover in a number of Mediterranean records. On a long-term scale, a reduction/opening of forests throughout MIS 3 started from Greenland Interstadials (GIs) 14/13 (ca. 55\u201348 ka), which show a maximum in woodland density. At that time, natural environments were favourable for Anatomically Modern Humans (AMHs) to migrate from Africa into Europe as documented by industries associated with modern hominin remains in the Levant. Afterwards, a variety of early Upper Palaeolithic cultures emerged (e.g., Uluzzian and Proto-Aurignacian). In this chronostratigraphic framework, attention is paid to the Campanian Ignimbrite tephra marker, as a pivotal tool for deciphering and correlating several temporal-spatial issues crucial for understanding the interaction between AMHs and Neandertals at the time of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition

    Elaborazioni geografiche paleoambientali in Europa durante l'Ultimo Periodo Glaciale attraverso l'utilizzo di strumenti GIS

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    Questa tesi di dottorato si focalizza sull’elaborazione e lo sviluppo di ricostruzioni paleo ed ecogeografiche in Europa per l’intervallo di tempo compreso tra 54 (corrispondente al GI14) e 14,7 ka cal BP (Heinrich event 1, H1). Attraverso l’elaborazione di dati spaziali fisiografici e l’interpolazione di dati paleoecologici e paleoclimatici, è stato possibile ottenere un quadro multi-scala integrato per finestre temporali di interesse. L’elaborato si compone di tre progetti a scale nominali differenti. Un primo progetto a scala europea, verte sulle dinamiche uomo ambiente nel corso del tempo, suddividendo i dati cronostratigrafici secondo finestre basate sull’alternanza di stadiali ed interstadiali (GS/GI), con focus sugli Heinrich events (HS) (Rasmussen et al. 2014). I dati paleoecologici e paleoclimatici risultano fondamentali per inquadrare i contesti ecogeografici nei quali si è sviluppata la storia delle popolazioni umane a scala europea durante il MIS3 ed il MIS2. Sono stati quindi selezionati 77 record paleoecologici distribuiti nel territorio europeo in grado di coprire con una discreta risoluzione almeno una delle finestre temporali determinate. Per ogni record si è provveduto a derivare le curve cumulative accorpando rispettivamente taxa arborei (%TR), arbustivi (%SH), erbacei (%HE) e tenendo separati i taxa di vegetazione xerofita (%XE) in una curva apposita. Oltre a queste, è stata derivata una curva cumulata dei principali taxa di piante termofile (%Temp) (deciduous Quercus, Tilia, Ulmus e Corylus), la curva cumulata di Pinus type (sylvestris/mugo e cembra) e la curva di Artemisia. L’occupazione umana è stata determinata in base a 6108 datazioni 14C, calibrate con IntCal20 (Reimer et al. 2020) tramite software OxCal versione 4.4 (Ramsey 2009) con intervallo di confidenza del 95%. Ad ogni cultura materiale o facies caratteristica è stata assegnata una specifica combinazione di simboli e segni, applicando, in linea di massima, una gradazione del colore rosso per i depositi assegnati ai Neanderthal e blu per i primi AMH. Il colore verde servirà per indicare le culture del Paleolitico Superiore Medio mentre le gradazioni di giallo/arancio saranno applicate per il Paleolitico Superiore Recente. Gli elementi fisiografici e geomorfologici del paesaggio, dalle calotte glaciali ai corsi fluviali, qualora fossero stati disponibili sono stati raccolti ed adattati al database qui costruito. I dati non disponibili sono stati generati in formato vettoriale. A scala italiana, il secondo progetto descrive in maniera integrata gli antichi paesaggi in cui si vissero le due specie di Homo (Neanderthal e sapiens), per comprendere le diverse forme di mobilità umana, la percorribilità dei territori, lo sfruttamento delle risorse e le possibilità di approvvigionamento in relazione all’ambiente e alle sue trasformazioni. - Dati vettoriale inerenti ad elementi fisiografici, quali ghiacciai, corsi e bacini d’acqua dolce, linee di costa sono stati raccolti ed omogeneizzati per essere integrati nel database. - Per gli elementi sprovvisti di restituzioni grafiche digitali compatibili con l’ambiente GIS si è provveduto alla loro creazione. All’interno di questo progetto è stata prodotta una nuova carta della calotta alpina durante l’Ultimo Massimo Glaciale (LGM) con scala di risoluzione 1:100.000, raffigurante le masse glaciali alla loro massima estensione, escludendo i nunatak. Infine, un terzo progetto si focalizza sull’area geografica compresa tra il Monte Baldo ed i Colli Berici, ricostruendo il paesaggio durante il l’interstadiale 12 (GI12) nel tentativo di comprendere la mobilità locale dei gruppi neandertaliani, l’occupazione delle grotte e lo sfruttamento del territorio. Le mappe prodotte costituiranno, inoltre, un substrato operativo per molteplici utilizzi, anche in considerazione di importanti requisiti quali la multi-scalarità, l’integrabilità e l’aggiornabilità.This PhD thesis proposes and develops paleo- and eco-geographic reconstructions of European environments between 54 (corresponding to GI14), and 14,7 ka cal BP (Heinrich event 1, H1). Physiological spatial vector data were processed along with paleoecological and paleoclimatic interpolation to obtain a multi-scale picture of given temporal windows (time frames). A total of three projects are presented in the paper, each with a different nominal scale. The first project, on a European scale, discusses the temporal dynamics of man-environment, subdividing the chronostratigraphic data based on stadial/ interstadial windows (GS/GI), especially Heinrich events (HS) (Rasmussen et al. 2014). Paleoeconomic and paleoclimatic data play a crucial role in framing the ecogeographic contexts in which European human populations developed during MIS3 and MIS2. Afterwards, in order to cover at least one of the determined time windows with a high degree of precision, 77 paleoecological records were selected from the European territory. In each record, the cumulative curves were derived by merging arboreal (%TR), shrubby (%SH), herbaceous (%HE) taxa and keeping xerophyte taxa separate (%XE). Additionally, two cumulative curves were constructed: one for the main thermophilic plant taxa (deciduous Quercus, Tilia, Ulmus and Corylus), another one for the Pinus (sylvestris/mugo and cembra) and Artemisia types. OxCal software version 4.4 (Ramsey 2009) was used to determine the human occupancy based on 6108 14C dates – calibrated with IntCal20 (Reimer et al. 2020) and 95% confidence range. Each material culture or characteristic facies has been assigned a specific combination of symbols and signs, generally grading from red for Neanderthal deposits to blue for the first AMH deposits. Indicators of the Middle Upper Paleolithic cultures will be green, whereas those identifying the Recent Upper Paleolithic will be yellow/ orange. In the database, the physiographic and geomorphological elements of the landscape e.g., ice caps, river courses, ecc. have been collected and adapted (where available). Moreover, unavailable data were derived in vector format. The second project, carried out on an Italian scale, presents in an integrated way the ancient landscapes in which the two species of Homo lived (Neanderthal and Sapiens), in order to comprehend the different forms of human mobility, the practicability of the territories, the exploitation of resources, and the supply possibilities in relation to the environment and its changes. In order to be included in the database, vector data pertaining to physiographic components (e.g., glaciers, freshwater courses and basins, coasts) were gathered and homogenised. All elements that lacked digital graphic renderings suitable for the GIS environment were generated. Furthermore, a new map of the Alpine cap during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was created, depicting the glacier masses at their greatest extent (nunataks excluded), at a resolution scale of 1:100,000. Finally, the third project focuses on the region between Monte Baldo and the Berici Hills. It simulates the landscape during Interstate 12 (GI12), in an effort to comprehend the regional mobility of Neanderthal groups, the occupation of caves, and the land use. The generated maps will also serve as a functional base for a variety of applications, taking into account important requirements such as multi-scalarity, integrability, and upgradability

    Elaborazioni geografiche paleoambientali in Europa durante l'Ultimo Periodo Glaciale attraverso l'utilizzo di strumenti GIS

    No full text
    Questa tesi di dottorato si focalizza sull’elaborazione e lo sviluppo di ricostruzioni paleo ed ecogeografiche in Europa per l’intervallo di tempo compreso tra 54 (corrispondente al GI14) e 14,7 ka cal BP (Heinrich event 1, H1). Attraverso l’elaborazione di dati spaziali fisiografici e l’interpolazione di dati paleoecologici e paleoclimatici, è stato possibile ottenere un quadro multi-scala integrato per finestre temporali di interesse. L’elaborato si compone di tre progetti a scale nominali differenti. Un primo progetto a scala europea, verte sulle dinamiche uomo ambiente nel corso del tempo, suddividendo i dati cronostratigrafici secondo finestre basate sull’alternanza di stadiali ed interstadiali (GS/GI), con focus sugli Heinrich events (HS) (Rasmussen et al. 2014). I dati paleoecologici e paleoclimatici risultano fondamentali per inquadrare i contesti ecogeografici nei quali si è sviluppata la storia delle popolazioni umane a scala europea durante il MIS3 ed il MIS2. Sono stati quindi selezionati 77 record paleoecologici distribuiti nel territorio europeo in grado di coprire con una discreta risoluzione almeno una delle finestre temporali determinate. Per ogni record si è provveduto a derivare le curve cumulative accorpando rispettivamente taxa arborei (%TR), arbustivi (%SH), erbacei (%HE) e tenendo separati i taxa di vegetazione xerofita (%XE) in una curva apposita. Oltre a queste, è stata derivata una curva cumulata dei principali taxa di piante termofile (%Temp) (deciduous Quercus, Tilia, Ulmus e Corylus), la curva cumulata di Pinus type (sylvestris/mugo e cembra) e la curva di Artemisia. L’occupazione umana è stata determinata in base a 6108 datazioni 14C, calibrate con IntCal20 (Reimer et al. 2020) tramite software OxCal versione 4.4 (Ramsey 2009) con intervallo di confidenza del 95%. Ad ogni cultura materiale o facies caratteristica è stata assegnata una specifica combinazione di simboli e segni, applicando, in linea di massima, una gradazione del colore rosso per i depositi assegnati ai Neanderthal e blu per i primi AMH. Il colore verde servirà per indicare le culture del Paleolitico Superiore Medio mentre le gradazioni di giallo/arancio saranno applicate per il Paleolitico Superiore Recente. Gli elementi fisiografici e geomorfologici del paesaggio, dalle calotte glaciali ai corsi fluviali, qualora fossero stati disponibili sono stati raccolti ed adattati al database qui costruito. I dati non disponibili sono stati generati in formato vettoriale. A scala italiana, il secondo progetto descrive in maniera integrata gli antichi paesaggi in cui si vissero le due specie di Homo (Neanderthal e sapiens), per comprendere le diverse forme di mobilità umana, la percorribilità dei territori, lo sfruttamento delle risorse e le possibilità di approvvigionamento in relazione all’ambiente e alle sue trasformazioni. - Dati vettoriale inerenti ad elementi fisiografici, quali ghiacciai, corsi e bacini d’acqua dolce, linee di costa sono stati raccolti ed omogeneizzati per essere integrati nel database. - Per gli elementi sprovvisti di restituzioni grafiche digitali compatibili con l’ambiente GIS si è provveduto alla loro creazione. All’interno di questo progetto è stata prodotta una nuova carta della calotta alpina durante l’Ultimo Massimo Glaciale (LGM) con scala di risoluzione 1:100.000, raffigurante le masse glaciali alla loro massima estensione, escludendo i nunatak. Infine, un terzo progetto si focalizza sull’area geografica compresa tra il Monte Baldo ed i Colli Berici, ricostruendo il paesaggio durante il l’interstadiale 12 (GI12) nel tentativo di comprendere la mobilità locale dei gruppi neandertaliani, l’occupazione delle grotte e lo sfruttamento del territorio. Le mappe prodotte costituiranno, inoltre, un substrato operativo per molteplici utilizzi, anche in considerazione di importanti requisiti quali la multi-scalarità, l’integrabilità e l’aggiornabilità.This PhD thesis proposes and develops paleo- and eco-geographic reconstructions of European environments between 54 (corresponding to GI14), and 14,7 ka cal BP (Heinrich event 1, H1). Physiological spatial vector data were processed along with paleoecological and paleoclimatic interpolation to obtain a multi-scale picture of given temporal windows (time frames). A total of three projects are presented in the paper, each with a different nominal scale. The first project, on a European scale, discusses the temporal dynamics of man-environment, subdividing the chronostratigraphic data based on stadial/ interstadial windows (GS/GI), especially Heinrich events (HS) (Rasmussen et al. 2014). Paleoeconomic and paleoclimatic data play a crucial role in framing the ecogeographic contexts in which European human populations developed during MIS3 and MIS2. Afterwards, in order to cover at least one of the determined time windows with a high degree of precision, 77 paleoecological records were selected from the European territory. In each record, the cumulative curves were derived by merging arboreal (%TR), shrubby (%SH), herbaceous (%HE) taxa and keeping xerophyte taxa separate (%XE). Additionally, two cumulative curves were constructed: one for the main thermophilic plant taxa (deciduous Quercus, Tilia, Ulmus and Corylus), another one for the Pinus (sylvestris/mugo and cembra) and Artemisia types. OxCal software version 4.4 (Ramsey 2009) was used to determine the human occupancy based on 6108 14C dates – calibrated with IntCal20 (Reimer et al. 2020) and 95% confidence range. Each material culture or characteristic facies has been assigned a specific combination of symbols and signs, generally grading from red for Neanderthal deposits to blue for the first AMH deposits. Indicators of the Middle Upper Paleolithic cultures will be green, whereas those identifying the Recent Upper Paleolithic will be yellow/ orange. In the database, the physiographic and geomorphological elements of the landscape e.g., ice caps, river courses, ecc. have been collected and adapted (where available). Moreover, unavailable data were derived in vector format. The second project, carried out on an Italian scale, presents in an integrated way the ancient landscapes in which the two species of Homo lived (Neanderthal and Sapiens), in order to comprehend the different forms of human mobility, the practicability of the territories, the exploitation of resources, and the supply possibilities in relation to the environment and its changes. In order to be included in the database, vector data pertaining to physiographic components (e.g., glaciers, freshwater courses and basins, coasts) were gathered and homogenised. All elements that lacked digital graphic renderings suitable for the GIS environment were generated. Furthermore, a new map of the Alpine cap during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was created, depicting the glacier masses at their greatest extent (nunataks excluded), at a resolution scale of 1:100,000. Finally, the third project focuses on the region between Monte Baldo and the Berici Hills. It simulates the landscape during Interstate 12 (GI12), in an effort to comprehend the regional mobility of Neanderthal groups, the occupation of caves, and the land use. The generated maps will also serve as a functional base for a variety of applications, taking into account important requirements such as multi-scalarity, integrability, and upgradability

    The Lower and Middle Palaeolithic settlements in the Baldo-Lessini mountains. Results from a GIS investigation

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    On the Monti Lessini and the Monte Baldo, two mountain areas of the Veneto Pre-Alps, studies grounded on human ecology, landscape use and site catchment analysis are still sparse or standing at a preliminary state. A factor of bias is the limitation of the archaeological record that was subject to many paleoenvironment processes, compromising its conservation, with substantial loss of information in the open-air sites. In order to shed light on the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic settlements in these sectors we apply GIS analysis of location features, as a support provided by the methodological innovation in archaeological research. The analysis is significant for the comprehension of territoriality and also provides tools available for the protection of archaeological and cultural heritage in these areas. Site location preferences are the result of a complex decision-making process. Using a methodology based on territorial and employment parameters, already successfully applied in other contributions, the results obtained are key issues in the understanding of subsistence strategies, territorial occupation and settlement patterns during the Lower and Middle Palaeolithic

    Lake evolution and landscape history in the lower Mincio River valley, unravelling drainage changes in the central Po Plain (N-Italy) since the Bronze Age

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    The Etruscan harbour of Forcello in lower valley of the Mincio River, N-Italy, was active between 540 and 390 yr BC. The stratigraphic investigations revealed that the settlement occupied a hill on the shore of a large lake. The lake sediments and the palaeoecological record, supported by radiocarbon ages, documented the basin origin in the Middle Bronze Age as well as the development of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation trhough the Iron Age and the Roman age, until the Late Middle Age reclamation. The lake expanded during the early Iron Age, after the diversion of the Po River at Guastalla. The bed-load and sedimentation rates in the Po river system has been related to the lake development through damming at the confluence with the Mincio River. This circumstance allowed a new assessment of the Late Holocene palaeodrainage changes in the Central Po Plain. Subsidence related to local tectonics in the axial portion of the river network is a triggering factor, coupled with an increase of bed-load discharge. The latter resulted from a complex response to rising base-level of the Po Plain fluvial system, induced by increasing sea level. Bronze Age human pressure on forest may also have contributed to this bed-load increase

    Human settlement and vegetation-climate relationships in the Greenland Stadial 5 at the Piovesello site (Northern Apennines, Italy)

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    The Gravettian settlements of Europe are considered as an expression of human adaptation to harsh climates. In Southern Europe, however, favorable vegetation-climate conditions supported hunters-gatherer subsistence and the maintenance of their large-scale networks. This was also the case of the North-Adriatic plain and the Apennine mountain ridge in Italy. Traditionally considered lacking evidence, the northern part of the Apennine ridge has recently yielded the Early Gravettian site of Piovesello, located at 870 m a.s.l. Survey and excavation revealed lithic artifacts in primary position embedded in loamy sediments. Radiocarbon dating, anthracological and extended palynological and microcharcoal analyses have been integrated to reconstruct the palaeoecological context of this camp which was probably positioned above the timberline in an arid rocky landscape, bounding the fronts of local glaciers close to their maximum expansion at the time of Greenland Stadial (GS) 5 (32.04 - 28.9 ka cal BP). Human activity left ephemeral traces represented by lithic artefacts, charcoal, and the introduction of radiolarites from sources in proximity to the site and of chert from very far western sources. Evidence from Piovesello contributes to the reconstruction of human and vegetation ecology during Late Pleistocene glaciations and also provides hints for the historical biogeography of petrophytic plants and their orographic relics in the northern Apennine

    A prognostic score from a multicentric retrospective analysis of patients affected by sarcoma with metachronous lung metastases undergoing metastasectomy

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    BackgroundDespite the lack of evidence-based on prospective randomized studies, surgery has become the cornerstone of the treatment in patients with pulmonary oligometastatic sarcomas. Our study aimed to construct a composite prognostic score for metachronous oligometastatic sarcoma patients. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on data patients who underwent radical surgery for metachronous metastases in six research institutes from January 2010 to December 2018. The log-hazard ratio (HR) obtained from the Cox model was used to derive weighting factors for a continuous prognostic index designed to identify differential outcome risks. ResultsA total of 251 patients were enrolled in the study. In the multivariate analysis, a longer disease-free interval (DFI) and a lower neutrophil-to-lymphocytes ratio (NLR) were predictive of a better overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). A prognostic score was developed based on DFI and NLR data, identifying 2 risk class groups for DFS (3-years DFS 20.2% for the high-risk group [HRG]and 46.4% for the low-risk group [LRG] [<0.0001]) and 3 risk groups for OS (3 years OS 53.9% for the HRG vs. 76.9% for the intermediate-risk group and 100% of the LRG (p < 0.0001)). ConclusionThe proposed prognostic score effectively predicts outcomes for patients with lung metachronous oligo-metastases from the surgically treated sarcoma

    Hunter-gatherers across the great Adriatic-Po region during the Last Glacial Maximum: Environmental and cultural dynamics

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    During the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 30 to 16.5 ka ago), the Great Adriatic-Po Region (GAPR) was deeply affected by the spread of glaciers from the Alps to the southern foreland and by the dropping of the sea level to ~ -120 m amsl. The combination of these two events triggered the aggradation of the Great Po Plain (GPP), a vast flat area between the Alpine chain, the Italian Peninsula and the north-western Balkan Peninsula, physically and ecologically featured through a range of palaeogeographic and palaeoecological conditions. The low-elevated Prealpine sectors and the Alpine foothills supported more extensive forest stands, due to increased orographic rainfall. These were open boreal forests which persisted throughout the LGM, while open woodlands, steppes, semideserts and wetlands occupied the lowlands. A complex ecogradient, including both an Alpine and a continental timberline, is documented by the fossil records at the NE Alpine border, with a larch-pine forest-steppe belt, in contact with steppes and loess areas extending in the plain, on the dry extreme of the gradient. Still, edaphic wetlands occupied the waterlogged silty soils in the lowlands. Other areas, marked by active geodynamic processes, supported semideserts, i.e. grooves of xerophytic herbs and shrubs. Enhanced aridity and the development of deflation areas, prompted the accretion of loess cover at the northern and southern margins of the GPP. Fauna recorded the gradual disappearance of mammoth, woolly rhino and giant deer, together with cave bear. Gravettian and Epigravettian hunter-gatherer groups inhabited the GPP, although their presence and settlement dynamics at the margins and across this region has long been questioned. As a matter of fact, a handful of archaeological sites composes a patchy record of the peopling of the plain itself. At the northern rim of the GAPR, characterized by a well-developed karst region, several caves and rock shelters record the presence of hunters of bisons and horses at the margins of the GPP and ibexes and cave bears in some hilly landscapes. Nonetheless, evidence of contacts across this area is provided by the exploitation of chert sources and by stylistic and technical similarities in the lithic industries. The work resumes the currently available multidisciplinary data and adds new petroarchaeological evidence for reconstructing the settlement dynamics of the Gravettian - Epigravettian hunter-gatherers in this vast region up to the early Late Glacial, when the Prealpine and the Apennine foothills, along with the Dinarids, were persistently settled

    The fast-acting “pulse” of Heinrich Stadial 3 in a mid-latitude boreal ecosystem

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    A 3800 year-long radiocarbon-dated and highly-resolved palaeoecological record from Lake Fimon (N-Italy) served to investigate the effects of potential teleconnections between North Atlantic and mid-to-low latitudes at the transition from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 to 2. Boreal ecosystems documented in the Fimon record reacted in a sensitive way to millennial and sub-millennial scale Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation patterns. The high median time-resolution of 58 years allows the identification of five abrupt event-boundaries (i.e., main forest expansion and decline excursions) synchronous with the sharp stadial/interstadial (GS/GI) transitions within dating uncertainties. During Heinrich Stadial 3 (HS 3) we reconstruct more open and dry conditions, compared to the other GS, with a dominant regional scale fire signal. Linkages between local fires and climate-driven fuel changes resulted in high-magnitude fire peaks close to GI/GS boundaries, even exacerbated by local peatland conditions. Finally, palaeoecological data from the HS 3 interval unveiled an internal variability suggesting a peak between 30,425 and 29,772 cal BP (2\u3c3 error) which matches more depleted \u3b418O values in alpine speleothems. We hypothesise that this signal, broadly resembling that of other mid-latitudes proxies, may be attributed to the southward shift of the Northern Hemisphere storm tracks and the associated delayed iceberg discharge events as documented during other HS

    The fast\u2011acting \u201cpulse\u201d of Heinrich Stadial 3 in a mid\u2011latitude boreal ecosystem

    No full text
    A 3800 year-long radiocarbon-dated and highly-resolved palaeoecological record from Lake Fimon (N-Italy) served to investigate the effects of potential teleconnections between North Atlantic and mid-to-low latitudes at the transition from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 to 2. Boreal ecosystems documented in the Fimon record reacted in a sensitive way to millennial and sub-millennial scale Northern Hemisphere atmospheric circulation patterns. The high median time-resolution of 58 years allows the identification of five abrupt event-boundaries (i.e., main forest expansion and decline excursions) synchronous with the sharp stadial/interstadial (GS/GI) transitions within dating uncertainties. During Heinrich Stadial 3 (HS 3) we reconstruct more open and dry conditions, compared to the other GS, with a dominant regional scale fire signal. Linkages between local fires and climate-driven fuel changes resulted in high-magnitude fire peaks close to GI/GS boundaries, even exacerbated by local peatland conditions. Finally, palaeoecological data from the HS 3 interval unveiled an internal variability suggesting a peak between 30,425 and 29,772 cal BP (2\u3c3 error) which matches more depleted \u3b418O values in alpine speleothems. We hypothesise that this signal, broadly resembling that of other mid-latitudes proxies, may be attributed to the southward shift of the Northern Hemisphere storm tracks and the associated delayed iceberg discharge events as documented during other HS
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