Early anthropogenic impact on Western Central African rainforests 2,600 y ago

A potential human footprint on Western Central African rainforests before the Common Era has become the focus of an ongoing controversy. Between 3,000 y ago and 2,000 y ago, regional pollen sequences indicate a replacement of mature rainforests by a forest–savannah mosaic including pioneer trees. Although some studies suggested an anthropogenic influence on this forest fragmentation, current interpretations based on pollen data attribute the ‘‘rainforest crisis’’ to climate change toward a drier, more seasonal climate. A rigorous test of this hypothesis, however, requires climate proxies independent of vegetation changes. Here we resolve this controversy through a continuous 10,500-y record of both vegetation and hydrological changes from Lake Barombi in Southwest Cameroon based on changes in carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of plant waxes. δ¹³C-inferred vegetation changes confirm a prominent and abrupt appearance of C4 plants in the Lake Barombi catchment, at 2,600 calendar years before AD 1950 (cal y BP), followed by an equally sudden return to rainforest vegetation at 2,020 cal y BP. δD values from the same plant wax compounds, however, show no simultaneous hydrological change. Based on the combination of these data with a comprehensive regional archaeological database we provide evidence that humans triggered the rainforest fragmentation 2,600 y ago. Our findings suggest that technological developments, including agricultural practices and iron metallurgy, possibly related to the large-scale Bantu expansion, significantly impacted the ecosystems before the Common Era

Simulating carbon accumulation and loss in the central Congo peatlands

Peatlands of the central Congo Basin have accumulated carbon over millennia. They currently store some 29 billion tonnes of carbon in peat. However, our understanding of the controls on peat carbon accumulation and loss and the vulnerability of this stored carbon to climate change is in its infancy. Here we present a new model of tropical peatland development, DigiBog_Congo, that we use to simulate peat carbon accumulation and loss in a rain-fed interfluvial peatland that began forming ~20,000 calendar years Before Present (cal. yr BP, where ‘present’ is 1950 CE). Overall, the simulated age-depth curve is in good agreement with palaeoenvironmental reconstructions derived from a peat core at the same location as our model simulation. We find two key controls on long-term peat accumulation: water at the peat surface (surface wetness) and the very slow anoxic decay of recalcitrant material. Our main simulation shows that between the Late Glacial and early Holocene there were several multidecadal periods where net peat and carbon gain alternated with net loss. Later, a climatic dry phase beginning ~5200 cal. yr BP caused the peatland to become a long-term carbon source from ~3975 to 900 cal. yr BP. Peat as old as ~7000 cal. yr BP was decomposed before the peatland's surface became wetter again, suggesting that changes in rainfall alone were sufficient to cause a catastrophic loss of peat carbon lasting thousands of years. During this time, 6.4 m of the column of peat was lost, resulting in 57% of the simulated carbon stock being released. Our study provides an approach to understanding the future impact of climate change and potential land-use change on this vulnerable store of carbon

Interactions entre l érosion, l hydrologie lacustre et la végétation en zone tropicale (application au bassin de Masoko (Tanzanie) durant les derniers 45 000 ans)

Le lac de cratère Masoko (9S, sud de la Tanzanie) a fourni un enregistrement continu des changements environnementaux au cours des derniers 45 000 ans. Une approche pluridisciplinaire couplant les processus du bassin versant et les processus lacustres a mis en évidence les différents contrôles de la dynamique sédimentaire sur ce cratère. L étude détaillée des sédiments lacustres d une carotte composite, a permis à partir des paramètres magnétiques, géochimiques, et des assemblages polliniques, de reconstituer l histoire du climat et de la végétation dans cette région de l Afrique de l Est. A l échelle orbitale les fluctuations du lac Masoko et les changements qui affectent la végétation locale sont contrôlés par (i) l insolation aux basses latitudes, modulée par la précession et par (ii) les conditions aux limites liées aux variations glaciaires-interglaciaires (volume de glace, CO2). Les périodes qui coïncident avec un maximum d insolation durant l été austral sont caractérisées par des conditions humides dans les tropiques Sud. De même, durant les événements glaciaires les plus intenses (e.g., Dernier Maximum Glaciaire et Dryas Récent), la ceinture des pluies équatoriales s est déplacée vers le Sud, fournissant de l humidité aux tropiques de l hémisphère austral et desséchant les tropiques situés au nord de l équateur géographique. A l échelle millénaire à centennale, l analyse des signaux sédimentaires de Masoko montre de fortes cohérences avec les cycles d activité solaire. Ce résultat appuie les observations obtenues sur d autres lacs est-Africains et suggère un contrôle probable de l activité solaire sur le climat régional. Pour la période récente, le Petit Age Glaciaire se caractérise par un climat relativement sec, confirmant le synchronisme des changements hydrologiques régionaux durant cette période. Finalement, l impact anthropique est mis en évidence dans les sédiments du lac Masoko au cours des derniers 60 ans par l augmentation de l érosion.AIX-MARSEILLE3-BU Sc.St Jérô (130552102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Abrupt resumption of the African Monsoon at the Younger Dryas-Holocene climatic transition

International audienceA high-resolution sedimentary record from Lake Masoko (Tanzania), based on pollen assemblages and magnetic susceptibility, shows that the most prominent environmental change of the last 45 000 years occurred ca 11.7 cal. ka BP, near the end of the Younger Dryas event. During this climatic transition, the Masoko catchment vegetation changed from being intolerant to a long/severe dry season to being tolerant, while the inferred lake-dynamics indicates strengthened seasonal fluctuations and/or lower levels than before. Comparison of the Masoko record with other regional palaeoclimatic data shows that evidence of this climatic transition is widespread in tropical Africa. The proposed failure of the African Monsoon during the Younger Dryas, associated with a southward position/migration of the meteorological equator in East Africa, was followed by an abrupt and lasting resumption of monsoon activity, and more pronounced migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the African continent. Such a reorganisation of the atmospheric circulation, equally observed across the whole tropical region (South America, East and West Asia, and Africa), could have been a strong amplifier of northern high latitude changes in temperature and precipitation across this major climatic transition. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved