Late Quaternary Environmental Change: Physical and Human Perspectives, 2nd Edition

Cover......Page 1
Late Quaternary Environmental Change......Page 2
Contents......Page 8
Preface to Second Edition......Page 12
Acknowledgements......Page 13
Introduction......Page 22
Earth science, geography and archaeology......Page 23
Changing perspectives in science......Page 26
The causes of environmental change: cycles, pattern and chance......Page 27
Questions of scale: space and time......Page 30
Environmental change and human perception......Page 32
Scope and structure of the book......Page 35
Note on dates......Page 37
Inductivism......Page 38
Falsification......Page 40
Chaos theory......Page 41
Uniformitarianism......Page 42
Fossil evidence......Page 43
Plant remains......Page 44
Fossil insects......Page 45
Mammalian remains......Page 47
Rhizopods or testate amoebae......Page 48
Diatoms......Page 49
Chironomids......Page 50
Charred particles (charcoal)......Page 51
Sedimentary evidence......Page 52
Lake sediments......Page 53
Cave sediments......Page 54
Periglacial deposits......Page 56
Alluvial deposits......Page 57
Aeolian deposits......Page 59
Coastal deposits and landforms......Page 60
Marine sediments......Page 61
Ice cores......Page 62
Microfossils in deep-ocean sediments......Page 63
Tree rings......Page 64
Peat......Page 65
Lake sediments and other isotopic studies......Page 66
Weather records......Page 67
Phenological records......Page 68
Instrumental records......Page 69
Assessment of proxy data sources......Page 70
Taphonomy......Page 71
Climatic inferences from historical data......Page 72
Dating of proxy records......Page 73
Radiocarbon dating......Page 74
Optical dating......Page 76
Other radiometric methods......Page 77
Dendrochronology......Page 78
Laminated lake sediments......Page 79
Annual layers in glacier ice......Page 80
Palaeomagnetism......Page 81
Artefact dating......Page 82
Notes......Page 84
Patterns of long-term climatic change......Page 85
Evidence for long-term climatic change......Page 86
The nature of long-term climatic change......Page 88
Climatic changes in the North Atlantic region during the last cold stage......Page 90
Greenland......Page 91
Europe......Page 93
The British Isles......Page 94
Northern United States, Canada and the Arctic......Page 95
Causes of long-term climatic change......Page 96
The astronomical theory......Page 98
The precession of the equinoxes......Page 99
The eccentricity of the orbit......Page 100
Deep-sea cores......Page 101
Ice-core data......Page 102
Modifications to the astronomical theory......Page 103
The Lateglacial climatic oscillation......Page 106
The early Holocene amelioration......Page 109
The Climatic Optimum (the Hypsithermal)......Page 110
The late Holocene deterioration......Page 112
The historical period......Page 114
Cyclical climatic change during the Holocene......Page 116
Quantitative changes in solar output......Page 117
Qualitative changes in solar output......Page 120
Volcanic aerosols......Page 121
Geomagnetism......Page 123
Ocean circulation......Page 124
Notes......Page 128
The British Isles......Page 130
North America......Page 131
Deglaciation: the ocean record......Page 132
The Lateglacial: Europe......Page 133
Periglacial activity......Page 134
Europe......Page 135
North America......Page 136
Components of sea-level change......Page 137
Glacio-isostatic changes......Page 138
Glacio-eustatic changes......Page 141
Vegetational and pedological changes......Page 144
Models of vegetational and pedological change......Page 145
The ‘cryocratic’ phase......Page 146
The ‘protocratic’ phase......Page 147
The ‘oligocratic phase’......Page 151
The fluvial record......Page 152
Glacial lakes......Page 154
Periglacial palaeohydrology......Page 156
Lateglacial palaeohydrology......Page 157
Holocene palaeohydrology......Page 158
How people cope......Page 161
Environmental change and human evolution......Page 165
People and the Lateglacial/Holocene transition......Page 168
Introduction......Page 171
South-west Asia......Page 173
Mesoamerica......Page 177
North America......Page 179
The Baltic......Page 180
‘Doggerland’, the Netherlands and north Germany......Page 182
The Severn Estuary and Somerset Levels......Page 185
Coastal change: causes and consequences......Page 187
Geohazards......Page 189
Volcanism......Page 190
Tsunamis and earthquakes......Page 193
Asteroids, comets and meteorites......Page 194
Coping with the cold......Page 195
Vinland and Greenland......Page 198
Iceland......Page 200
Britain and European mainland......Page 201
Introduction......Page 203
Environmental disturbance factors......Page 204
Late Pleistocene extinctions......Page 207
Holocene island extinctions......Page 212
Burning by hunter-gatherers......Page 214
Mesolithic forest clearance in the British Isles and continental Europe......Page 215
The transition to agriculture in central and north-west Europe......Page 218
The elm decline......Page 220
Clearance by early farmers......Page 224
Woodland management......Page 226
Woodland clearance in the Americas......Page 228
Biological consequences of clearance and farming......Page 231
Holocene pedogenesis......Page 233
Blanket bogs and raised mires......Page 237
The development of moorland......Page 240
The development of heathland......Page 242
The origins of grasslands......Page 244
Disturbance, human agency and the structuration of landscape......Page 245
Introduction......Page 247
Valley sediments in North America......Page 251
Mediterranean valleys......Page 253
Central and eastern continental Europe......Page 255
British Isles: colluviation in chalk landscapes......Page 256
British Isles: river valleys......Page 258
Aeolian sediments......Page 260
Lakes......Page 261
Erosion and flood: perception and response......Page 264
A time perspective for sustainability and biodiversity......Page 265
Archaeological sites in the landscape......Page 266
Palaeoenvironmental studies and nature conservation......Page 267
Environmental management and archaeological assessment......Page 270
In situ preservation......Page 271
National strategies for conservation......Page 272
International dimensions and World Heritage......Page 273
Wetland conservation......Page 275
Presenting the past......Page 277
Integrated perspectives......Page 278
Notes......Page 279
The greenhouse effect......Page 280
Atmospheric carbon dioxide......Page 281
Other atmospheric trace gases......Page 283
Methane......Page 284
Nitrous oxide......Page 285
Halocarbons and halogenated compounds......Page 286
Consequences of the greenhouse effect......Page 287
Global temperature changes......Page 288
Global precipitation changes......Page 290
Sea-level changes......Page 291
Hydrological changes......Page 293
Effects on forest ecosystems......Page 294
The ozone layer......Page 295
Acid deposition......Page 296
Bibliography......Page 298
Index......Page 358