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Climate-driven ecosystem succession in the Sahara: The past 6000 years

Kroepelin, S ; Verschuren, D ; Lezine, A -M ; Eggermont, H ; Cocquyt, C ; Francus, P ; Cazet, J -P ; Fagot, M ; Rumes, B and Russell, J M , et al. (2008) In Science 320(5877). p.765-768
Abstract
Desiccation of the Sahara since the middle Holocene has eradicated all but a few natural archives recording its transition from a "green Sahara" to the present hyperarid desert. Our continuous 6000- year paleoenvironmental reconstruction from northern Chad shows progressive drying of the regional terrestrial ecosystem in response to weakening insolation forcing of the African monsoon and abrupt hydrological change in the local aquatic ecosystem controlled by site- specific thresholds. Strong reductions in tropical trees and then Sahelian grassland cover allowed large- scale dust mobilization from 4300 calendar years before the present ( cal yr B. P.). Today's desert ecosystem and regional wind regime were established around 2700 cal yr B.... (More)
Desiccation of the Sahara since the middle Holocene has eradicated all but a few natural archives recording its transition from a "green Sahara" to the present hyperarid desert. Our continuous 6000- year paleoenvironmental reconstruction from northern Chad shows progressive drying of the regional terrestrial ecosystem in response to weakening insolation forcing of the African monsoon and abrupt hydrological change in the local aquatic ecosystem controlled by site- specific thresholds. Strong reductions in tropical trees and then Sahelian grassland cover allowed large- scale dust mobilization from 4300 calendar years before the present ( cal yr B. P.). Today's desert ecosystem and regional wind regime were established around 2700 cal yr B. P. This gradual rather than abrupt termination of the African Humid Period in the eastern Sahara suggests a relatively weak biogeophysical feedback on climate. (Less)
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Science
volume
320
issue
5877
pages
765 - 768
publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
external identifiers
  • wos:000255644400031
  • scopus:44049087992
  • pmid:18467583
ISSN
1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.1154913
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4eaf529e-998d-49ec-a2e5-dd048bf298e0 (old id 1204980)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:01:41
date last changed
2022-04-14 07:30:24
@article{4eaf529e-998d-49ec-a2e5-dd048bf298e0,
  abstract     = {{Desiccation of the Sahara since the middle Holocene has eradicated all but a few natural archives recording its transition from a "green Sahara" to the present hyperarid desert. Our continuous 6000- year paleoenvironmental reconstruction from northern Chad shows progressive drying of the regional terrestrial ecosystem in response to weakening insolation forcing of the African monsoon and abrupt hydrological change in the local aquatic ecosystem controlled by site- specific thresholds. Strong reductions in tropical trees and then Sahelian grassland cover allowed large- scale dust mobilization from 4300 calendar years before the present ( cal yr B. P.). Today's desert ecosystem and regional wind regime were established around 2700 cal yr B. P. This gradual rather than abrupt termination of the African Humid Period in the eastern Sahara suggests a relatively weak biogeophysical feedback on climate.}},
  author       = {{Kroepelin, S and Verschuren, D and Lezine, A -M and Eggermont, H and Cocquyt, C and Francus, P and Cazet, J -P and Fagot, M and Rumes, B and Russell, J M and Darius, F and Conley, Daniel and Schuster, M and von Suchodoletz, H and Engstrom, D R}},
  issn         = {{1095-9203}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5877}},
  pages        = {{765--768}},
  publisher    = {{American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}},
  series       = {{Science}},
  title        = {{Climate-driven ecosystem succession in the Sahara: The past 6000 years}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1154913}},
  doi          = {{10.1126/science.1154913}},
  volume       = {{320}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}