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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Sedimentology

2012

Lake sediments

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Biogeochemical Evidence For Prehistoric Human Impacts On The Environment In Northwestern Norway, Raymond S. Bradley, Robert D'Anjou, Nicholas L. Balascio, David B. Finkelstein Jan 2012

Biogeochemical Evidence For Prehistoric Human Impacts On The Environment In Northwestern Norway, Raymond S. Bradley, Robert D'Anjou, Nicholas L. Balascio, David B. Finkelstein

Raymond S Bradley

Disentangling the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activities on the environment is a major challenge in paleoenvironmental research. Here, we used fecal sterols and other biogeochemical compounds in lake sediments from northern Norway to identify both natural and anthropogenic signals of environmental change during the late Holocene. The area was first occupied by humans and their grazing animals at ∼2,250 ± 75 calendar years before 1950 AD (calendar years before present). The arrival of humans is indicated by an abrupt increase in coprostanol (and its epimer epicoprostanol) in the sediments and an associated increase in 5β-stigmastanol (and 5β-epistigmastanol), which …


A Mild Little Ice Age And Unprecedented Warmth In An 1800 Year Record From Svalbard, William J. D'Andrea, Raymond S. Bradley, David Vaillencourt, Nicholas L. Balascio, Al Werner, Steve Roof, Michael J. Retelle Jan 2012

A Mild Little Ice Age And Unprecedented Warmth In An 1800 Year Record From Svalbard, William J. D'Andrea, Raymond S. Bradley, David Vaillencourt, Nicholas L. Balascio, Al Werner, Steve Roof, Michael J. Retelle

Raymond S Bradley

The Arctic region is subject to a great amplitude of climate variability and is currently undergoing large-scale changes due in part to anthropogenic global warming. Accurate projections of future change depend on anticipating the response of the Arctic climate system to forcing, and understanding how the response to human forcing will interact with natural climate variations. The Svalbard Archipelago occupies an important location for studying patterns and causes of Arctic climate variability; however, available paleoclimate records from Svalbard are of restricted use due to limitations of existing climate proxies. Here we present a sub-decadal- to multidecadal-scale record of summer temperature …