DOCSLIB.ORG

Sea-Level Changes Over the Past 1,000 Years in the Pacific Author(S): Patrick D

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by University of the South Pacific Electronic Research Repository Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Inc. Sea-Level Changes over the past 1,000 Years in the Pacific Author(s): Patrick D. Nunn Source: Journal of Coastal Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Winter, 1998), pp. 23-30 Published by: Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4298758 . Accessed: 11/09/2013 18:35 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Inc. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Coastal Research. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 144.120.8.19 on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 18:35:10 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions JournalofCoastal Research 14 J 1 23-30 RoyalPalmBeach, Florida Winter1998 Sea-Level Changes over the Past 1,000 Years in the Pacific1 Patrick D. Nunn Department of Geography The University of the South Pacific P.O. Box 1168 Suva, FIJI ABSTRACTI Nunn, P.D., 1998. Sea-level changes over the past 1,000 years in the Pacific.Journal of CoastalResearch, 14(1), 23- ,S $00 ?00O av 30. Royal Palm Beach (Florida),ISSN 0749-0208. r???????* The absence of good informationabout sea-level change for the past 1,000 years in the Pacificis unfortunategiven our much clearer understandingof the earlier Holoceneand the past - 100 years. Yet such informationis neededif we are to be able to properlyunderstand the causes of late Neogene sea-level changes and to understandthe envi- ronmentaleffects of predictedfuture changes. Data are selected from sites in AmericanSamoa, Fiji, the GambierIslands, Guam,Kosrae, New Zealand,Rota and the Tuamotuswhich have been tectonicallystable for the past thousandyears. These data are plotted and a sea-level envelopedrawn to characterisethe most probablePacific-wide course of sea-level changefor the last millennium. Sea level was close to its present level - 1000 years BP, then rose to perhaps 0.9 m above around 700 BP. This periodof sea-level rise coincidedwith a periodof warmingnamed the Little ClimaticOptimum. The transitionto the Little Ice Age, when sea level stood lower, was markedby a transition around690 BP when sea level (and ground temperatures)fell rapidly.A lack of data fromthe following- 200 years suggest that sea level was lower than the level to which it rose duringthe early part of the Little Ice Age. A gradualfall occurredduring the later part of the Little Ice Age to as much as -0.9 m below present some 200 BP. The last part of the millenniumhas been charac- terised by a net rise of sea level. Several anomalousdates fromthe sites examined are most probablyexplicable by post-emergencecontamination of reef limestones. ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS: Pacific islands, last millennium, Little Climatic Optimum, Little Ice Age, anomalous dates. INTRODUCTION There are other reasons for studying sea-level changes over the past millennium. One is that the study of their environ- It is somewhat ironic that our knowledge of sea-level vari- mental effects will aid accurate prediction of the conse- ations over the past few thousand years, perhaps even during quences of future sea-level rise. Another is that an under- the latest Neogene (late Quaternary), is better known than standing of last millennium sea levels allows insights into those which occurred over the past 1,000 years. Admittedly, why environments changed. Further, the close relationship the latter changes were of much less magnitude than the for- between changing sea levels and changing earth surface tem- mer, but it is also an issue of precision. Latest Neogene sea- peratures over many time scales means that the record of level changes can be known only comparatively imprecisely changing sea levels over the last millennium can be used as and there are often disputes involving several thousand years a proxy for contemporary temperature changes which, in (or several metres) about particular events. This is obviously turn, permits insights into climate changes. not possible with a single 1,000-year period; many of the tech- This paper looks at sea-level changes over the past 1000 niques used to establish earlier palaeosea-level changes can years in the Pacific islands, then looks at the environmental not be used with such great effect for the last millennium. consequences of these and associated changes before going Yet it is doubly ironic to consider that the last 100 on years, to discuss future changes. for which there are comparatively large numbers of contin- ually-monitored series of sea-level data, is also better known THE HOLOCENE than the preceding 900 years. The existence of this "1,000- CONTEXT year hiatus" in our of sea-level understanding past changes It is now reasonably well established that all Pacific island is a major hindrance for the dis- only by successfully linking coasts experienced inundation associated with a sea level 1- tant to the recent past can we to understand properly hope 2 m higher than present around 4000-2000 years BP (NUNN, how sea level might in the future. change 1995). It seems increasingly possible, both from interpreta- tions of empirical data and from theoretical considerations, 97060 received and accepted in revision 7 May 1997. that Holocene sea level has oscillated for the past few thou- 1A contributionto the work of the INQUAQuaternary Shorelines sand years (FAIRBRIDGE, 1992; NUNN, 1995). West PacificSubcommission In some places, such as French Polynesia (PIRAZZOLIand This content downloaded from 144.120.8.19 on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 18:35:10 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 24 Nunn 20 N 'o HAWAI • ? Rota GUAM i NORT I PACIFI- C OCEANAT SKo•ae 0 PAPUA SNEW ? Wands WSTERN SAA a ENCH POLYNESIA I 4 "*ITuhi Ragnroa. wi <y FM -40 S wos Boy PACIFIC OCEAN SSOUTHf •S SZEAL Bquo"in Bay 140 E 160 E 1800 160W 140 W I rI Figure 1. The Pacific islands showing the sites from which dates of emerged shorelines have been used to construct the curve of sea-level changes for the past 1,000 years. No error margins are shown. MONTAGGIONI,1986), the fall to the present general level ocean islands such as those in Samoa (DALY, 1920, 1924, within the last 2,000 years occurred comparatively abruptly 1934). compared to the fall in other places, such as Fiji and else- Another major problem is not so much finding suitable where (NUNN, 1990a), which apparently occurred more gent- sites but finding suitable sites for which some dates of shore- ly. line displacement over the past 1,000 years have been ob- In most parts of the Pacific, the sea surface was probably tained. No studies in the Pacific islands to the author's at or close to its present level about 1200-900 years BP. Most knowledge have focused primarily on the last 1,000 years. records show little variation since that time. Dates from this time period have been incidental to studies focusing on the earlier Holocene. THE LAST MILLENNIUM:FINDING The locations of the "stable" sites selected for this study SUITABLE SITES are shown in Figure 1. Each site is discussed briefly below and the case for its tectonic stability over the last 1000 years Many Pacific islands are sites of dramatic, often sporadic, presented. tectonic change which has complicated the derivation of late sea-level records Yet other Neogene change (NUNN, 1994a). American Samoa islands, commonly in intraplate rather than plate-boundary locations, are believed to have been stable at least for much The Samoa islands form a somewhat atypical hotspot is- of the last few thousand years. Their shorelines can then be land chain. Hotspot volcanism is overprinted on a few islands considered to have registered Holocene eustatic changes rath- by anomalous yet superficial volcanism associated with the er than these confused with tectonic changes; this was one tearing of the westward-moving Pacific Plate as it has been reason why DALY chose to work on Pacific (and other) mid- simultaneously pulled down into the trench at the northern Journal of Coastal Research,Vol. 14, No. 1, 1998 This content downloaded from 144.120.8.19 on Wed, 11 Sep 2013 18:35:10 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Holocene Sea-Level Changes in the Pacific Basin 25 end of the Tonga Trench (NATLAND and TURNER, 1985; on the northeast barrier reef (PIRAZZOLIand MONTAGGIONI, KEATING, 1992; NUNN, 1997). Shorelines dating to a Holo- 1987). cene sea-level maximum around 1.5 m above present are found around the coasts of the islands in Western Samoa Guam (NUNN, 1991a) and have been observed in parts of American Guam is a large island in the northwest Pacific lying close Samoa (DALY,1924; KIRCHet al., 1990). This is good evidence to the convergent plate boundary in the region. No volcanism that these islands have been comparatively stable over the has occurred since the early Neogene (middle Miocene) but past few thousand years. uplift associated with forearc deformation occurred within The idea that the Samoa islands have been subsiding rap- the later Neogene. The record of mid-Holocene sea levels from idly over this time period arose from a misinterpretation of Aga Point suggests that late Holocene tectonism has been the only site in the islands at Mulifanua on Lapita Upolu minimal at this site and that the two dates from the last (NUNN, 1995).
Recommended publications
  • Sam White the Real Little Ice Age Between C.1300 and C.1850 A.D

    Sam White the Real Little Ice Age Between C.1300 and C.1850 A.D

    Journal of Interdisciplinary History, xliv:3 (Winter, 2014), 327–352. THE REAL LITTLE ICE AGE Sam White The Real Little Ice Age Between c.1300 and c.1850 a.d. the world became, on average, slightly but signiªcantly colder. The change varied over time and space, and its causes remain un- certain. Nevertheless, this cooling constitutes a meaningful climate event, with signiªcant historical consequences. Both the cooling trend and its effects on humans appear to have been particularly Downloaded from http://direct.mit.edu/jinh/article-pdf/44/3/327/1706251/jinh_a_00574.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 acute from the late sixteenth to the late seventeenth century in much of the Northern Hemisphere. This article explains why climatologists and historians are conªdent that these changes occurred. On close examination, the objections raised in this issue of the journal by Kelly and Ó Gráda turn out to be entirely unfounded. The proxy data for early mod- ern global cooling (such as tree rings and ice cores) are robust, and written weather descriptions and observations of physical phenom- ena (such as glacial movements and river freezings) by and large of- fer independent conªrmation. Kelly and Ó Gráda’s proposed alter- native measures of climate and climate change suffer from serious ºaws. As we review the evidence and refute their criticisms, it will become clear just how solid the case for the Little Ice Age (lia) has become. the case for the little ice age The evidence for early modern global cooling comes, ªrst and foremost, from extensive research into physical proxies, including ice cores, tree rings, corals, and speleothems (stalagmites and stalactites).
  • The Effects of the Cyclones of 1983 on the Atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia)

    The Effects of the Cyclones of 1983 on the Atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia)

    THE EFFECTS OF THE CYCLONES OF 1983 ON THE ATOLLS OF THE TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO (FRENCH POLYNESIA) J. F. DUPON ORSTOM (French Institute ofScientific Research for Development through cooperation), 213 Rue Lafayette - 75480 Paris Cedex 10, France Abstract. In the TUAMOTU Archipelago, tropical cyclones may contribute to the destruction as well as to some building up of the atolls. The initial occupation by the Polynesians has not increased the vulnerability of these islands as much as have various recent alterations caused by European influence and the low frequency of the cyclone hazard itself. An unusual series of five cyclones, probably related to the general thermic imbalance of the Pacific Ocean between the tropics struck the group in 1983 and demonstrated this vulnerability through the damage that they caused to the environment and to the plantations and settle­ ments. However, the natural rehabilitation has been faster than expected and the cyclones had a beneficial result in making obvious the need to reinforce prevention measures and the protection of human settle­ ments. An appraisal of how the lack of prevention measures worsened the damage is first attempted, then the rehabilitation and the various steps taken to forestall such damage are described. I. About Atolls and Cyclones: Some General Information Among the islands of the intertropical area of the Pacific Ocean, most of the low-lying lands are atolls. The greatest number of them are found in this part of the world. Most atolls are characterized by a circular string of narrow islets rising only 3 to 10 m above the average ocean level.
  • Sea Level and Climate Introduction

    Sea Level and Climate Introduction

    Sea Level and Climate Introduction Global sea level and the Earth’s climate are closely linked. The Earth’s climate has warmed about 1°C (1.8°F) during the last 100 years. As the climate has warmed following the end of a recent cold period known as the “Little Ice Age” in the 19th century, sea level has been rising about 1 to 2 millimeters per year due to the reduction in volume of ice caps, ice fields, and mountain glaciers in addition to the thermal expansion of ocean water. If present trends continue, including an increase in global temperatures caused by increased greenhouse-gas emissions, many of the world’s mountain glaciers will disap- pear. For example, at the current rate of melting, most glaciers will be gone from Glacier National Park, Montana, by the middle of the next century (fig. 1). In Iceland, about 11 percent of the island is covered by glaciers (mostly ice caps). If warm- ing continues, Iceland’s glaciers will decrease by 40 percent by 2100 and virtually disappear by 2200. Most of the current global land ice mass is located in the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets (table 1). Complete melt- ing of these ice sheets could lead to a sea-level rise of about 80 meters, whereas melting of all other glaciers could lead to a Figure 1. Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park, Montana; sea-level rise of only one-half meter. photograph by Carl H. Key, USGS, in 1981. The glacier has been retreating rapidly since the early 1900’s.
  • The Case of Ahe and Takaroa Atolls and Implications for the Cultured Pearl Industry

    The Case of Ahe and Takaroa Atolls and Implications for the Cultured Pearl Industry

    Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 182 (2016) 243e253 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecss Revisiting wild stocks of black lip oyster Pinctada margaritifera in the Tuamotu Archipelago: The case of Ahe and Takaroa atolls and implications for the cultured pearl industry * Serge Andrefou et€ a, , Yoann Thomas a, 1, Franck Dumas b,Cedrik Lo c a UMR-9220 ENTROPIE, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, UniversitedelaReunion, CNRS, Noumea, New Caledonia b Ifremer, DYNECO/DHYSED, Plouzane, France c Direction des Ressources Marines et Minieres, Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia article info abstract Article history: Spat collecting of the black lip oyster (Pinctada margaritifera) is the foundation of cultured black pearl Received 30 June 2015 production, the second source of income for French Polynesia. To understand spat collecting temporal Received in revised form and spatial variations, larval supply and its origin need to be characterized. To achieve this, it is necessary 14 May 2016 to account for the stock of oysters, its distribution and population characteristics (size distribution, sex- Accepted 19 June 2016 ratio). While the farmed stock in concessions can be easily characterized, the wild stock is elusive. Here, Available online 20 June 2016 we investigate the distribution and population structure of the wild stock of Ahe and Takaroa atolls using fine-scale bathymetry and in situ census data. Stocks were surprisingly low (~666,000 and ~1,030,000 Keywords: Invertebrate population oysters for Ahe and Takaroa respectively) considering these two atolls have both been very successful Aquaculture spat collecting atolls in the past.
  • The Cultural Landscapes of the Pacific Islands Anita Smith 17

    The Cultural Landscapes of the Pacific Islands Anita Smith 17

    World Heritage Convention Cultural Landscapes of the Pacific Islands ICOMOS Thematic study Anita Smith and Kevin L. Jones December 2007 ICOMOS 49-51 rue de la Fédération – 75015 Paris Tel +33 (0)1 45 67 67 70 – Fax +33 (0)1 45 66 06 22 www.icomos.org – [email protected] Contents Part 1: Foreword Susan Denyer 3 Part 2: Context for the Thematic Study Anita Smith 5 - Purpose of the thematic study 5 - Background to the thematic study 6 - ICOMOS 2005 “Filling the Gaps - An Action Plan for the Future” 10 - Pacific Island Cultural Landscapes: making use of this study 13 Part 3: Thematic Essay: The Cultural Landscapes of the Pacific Islands Anita Smith 17 The Pacific Islands: a Geo-Cultural Region 17 - The environments and sub-regions of the Pacific 18 - Colonization of the Pacific Islands and the development of Pacific Island societies 22 - European contact, the colonial era and decolonisation 25 - The “transported landscapes” of the Pacific 28 - Principle factors contributing to the diversity of cultural Landscapes in the Pacific Islands 30 Organically Evolved Cultural Landscapes of the Pacific 31 - Pacific systems of horticulture – continuing cultural landscapes 32 - Change through time in horticultural systems - relict horticultural and agricultural cultural landscapes 37 - Arboriculture in the Pacific Islands 40 - Land tenure and settlement patterns 40 - Social systems and village structures 45 - Social, ceremonial and burial places 47 - Relict landscapes of war in the Pacific Islands 51 - Organically evolved cultural landscapes in the Pacific Islands: in conclusion 54 Cultural Landscapes of the Colonial Era 54 Associative Cultural Landscapes and Seascapes 57 - Storied landscapes and seascapes 58 - Traditional knowledge: associations with the land and sea 60 1 Part 4: Cultural Landscape Portfolio Kevin L.
  • Volcanism and the Little Ice Age

    Volcanism and the Little Ice Age

    Volcanism and the Little Ice Age THOM A S J. CRO wl E Y 1*, G. ZIELINSK I 2, B. VINTHER 3, R. UD ISTI 4, K. KREUT Z 5, J. CO L E -DA I 6 A N D E. CA STE lla NO 4 1School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, UK; [email protected] 2Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, USA 3Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 4Department of Chemistry, University of Florence, Italy 5Department of Earth Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, USA 6Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Dakota State University, Brookings, USA *Collaborating authors listed in reverse alphabetical order. The Little Ice Age (LIA; ca. 1250-1850) has long been considered the coldest interval of the Holocene. Because of its proximity to the present, there are many types of valuable resources for reconstructing tem- peratures from this time interval. Although reconstructions differ in the amplitude Special Section: Comparison Data-Model of cooling during the LIA, they almost all agree that maximum cooling occurred in the mid-15th, 17th and early 19th centuries. The LIA period also provides climate scientists with an opportunity to test their models against a time interval that experienced both significant volcanism and (perhaps) solar insolation variations. Such studies provide information on the ability of models to simulate climates and also provide a valuable backdrop to the subsequent 20th century warming that was driven primarily from anthropogenic greenhouse gas increases. Although solar variability has often been considered the primary agent for LIA cooling, the most comprehensive test of this explanation (Hegerl et al., 2003) points instead to volcanism being substantially more important, explaining as much as 40% of the decadal-scale variance during the LIA.
  • Observed Climate Variations and Change

    Observed Climate Variations and Change

    7 Observed Climate Variations and Change C.K. FOLLAND, T.R. KARL, K.YA. VINNIKOV Contributors: J.K. Angell; P. Arkin; R.G. Barry; R. Bradley; D.L. Cadet; M. Chelliah; M. Coughlan; B. Dahlstrom; H.F. Diaz; H Flohn; C. Fu; P. Groisman; A. Gruber; S. Hastenrath; A. Henderson-Sellers; K. Higuchi; P.D. Jones; J. Knox; G. Kukla; S. Levitus; X. Lin; N. Nicholls; B.S. Nyenzi; J.S. Oguntoyinbo; G.B. Pant; D.E. Parker; B. Pittock; R. Reynolds; C.F. Ropelewski; CD. Schonwiese; B. Sevruk; A. Solow; K.E. Trenberth; P. Wadhams; W.C Wang; S. Woodruff; T. Yasunari; Z. Zeng; andX. Zhou. CONTENTS Executive Summary 199 7.6 Tropospheric Variations and Change 220 7.6.1 Temperature 220 7.1 Introduction 201 7.6.2 Comparisons of Recent Tropospheric and Surface Temperature Data 222 7.2 Palaeo-Climatic Variations and Change 201 7.6.3 Moisture 222 7.2.1 Climate of the Past 5,000,000 Years 201 7.2.2 Palaeo-climate Analogues for Three Warm 7.7 Sub-Surface Ocean Temperature and Salinity Epochs 203 Variations 222 7.2.2.1 Pliocene climatic optimum (3,000,000 to 4,300,000 BP) 203 7.8 Variations and Changes in the Cryosphere 223 7.2.2.2 Eemian interglacial optimum (125,000 to 7.8.1 Snow Cover 223 130,000 years BP) 204 7.8.2 Sea Ice Extent and Thickness 224 7.2.2.3 Climate of the Holocene optimum (5000 to 7.8.3 Land Ice (Mountain Glaciers) 225 6000 years BP) 204 7.8.4 Permafrost 225 7.9 Variations and Changes in Atmospheric 7.3 The Modern Instrumental Record 206 Circulation 225 7.9.1 El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Influences 226 7.4 Surface Temperature Variations and
  • The Fisheries Industry of French Polynesia 4

    The Fisheries Industry of French Polynesia 4

    SOUTH PAC/FH I THE FISHERIES INDUSTRY OF FRENCH POLYNESIA 4 by H, van Pel Fisheries Officer South Pacific Commission and L, C. Devambez Assistant Fisheries Officer South Pacific Commission Noumea South Pacific Commission 1957 U*~Mo'- ^-^ INTRODUCTION 1 GEOGRAPHY General ., .. 1 Tahiti and Moorea .. .. 2 Raiatea, Tahaa, Bora Bora 2 Takaroa, Takapoto ., , 2 Meteorological data 3 THE EXISTING FISHERIES INDUSTRY General , 3 Tahiti Cannery 5 Imports of canned fish, crustaceans and molluscs (Table i). .. 6 Mother of Pearl shell exports (Table II) 6 Production of Mother of Pearl Shell - Tuamotu/Gambier area (Table III) 7 OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Tahiti 10 Fish Consumption (Table IV) 14 Trochus niloticus 17 Fish Culture in Ponds 19 Raiatea 19 Tahaa 20 Bora Bora .. 20 Moorea .. .. 20 Tuamotu Islands - Mother of Pearl Oyster 21 Takaroa and Takapoto , 22 Trochus 28 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS A. Fish - Oysters - Crustacea 29 B. Mother of Pearl Oysters „ 29 C. Trochus .. .. 29 METEOROLOGICAL DATA APPENDIX I LIBRARY (i) SOUTH Pi 4., L t S * A HK YY T^4EE FISHERIES INDUSTRY OF FRENCH POLYNESIA SOUTH PACcinr"i ! COMM"SSiC'N INTRODUCTION At the request of the Administration of French Polynesia, we nade a general investigation of fisheries in Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Tahaa and Bora Bora in the Society Islands, and in the atolls of Takaroa and Takapoto in the Tuamotou archipelago . The above-mentioned islands were reached by seaplane or by ship, and local investigations were conducted using small boats and motorcars. The keenest interest in the survey and some very helpful encouragement was expressed by His Excellency the Governor of French Polynesia.
  • Law of Thesea

    Law of Thesea

    Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea Office of Legal Affairs Law of the Sea Bulletin No. 82 asdf United Nations New York, 2014 NOTE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Furthermore, publication in the Bulletin of information concerning developments relating to the law of the sea emanating from actions and decisions taken by States does not imply recognition by the United Nations of the validity of the actions and decisions in question. IF ANY MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THE BULLETIN IS REPRODUCED IN PART OR IN WHOLE, DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SHOULD BE GIVEN. Copyright © United Nations, 2013 Page I. UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA ......................................................... 1 Status of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, of the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the Convention and of the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the Convention relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks ................................................................................................................ 1 1. Table recapitulating the status of the Convention and of the related Agreements, as at 31 July 2013 ........................................................................................................................... 1 2. Chronological lists of ratifications of, accessions and successions to the Convention and the related Agreements, as at 31 July 2013 .......................................................................................... 9 a. The Convention ....................................................................................................................... 9 b.
  • The Little Ice Age and the Coming of the Anthropocene

    The Little Ice Age and the Coming of the Anthropocene

    Asian Review of World Histories 2:1 (January 2014), 1-16 © 2014 The Asian Association of World Historians doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12773/arwh.2014.2.1.001 The Little Ice Age and the Coming of the Anthropocene Ji-Hyung CHO Ewha Womans University Seoul, Korea (Republic of) [email protected] Abstract This paper examines the historical relationship between the Little Ice Age and the Anthropocene, which has not yet been studied. The Little Ice Age is the coldest multi-century period in the Holocene. The reforestation of huge farmlands, abandoned due to pandemics in the Americas, aggravated the cooling weather of the Little Ice Age. It was in the long and severe cold of the Little Ice Age that the transition from renewable energy to non-renewable energy was completed in Britain in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and when the pattern of linear growth in greenhouse gas concentrations was forged in the ecosystems of the Earth. The Little Ice Age forced humans to depend on fossil fuels while the advent of warmer and more stable climate in the Holocene enabled them to start agriculture in an energy revolution 11,000 years ago, thus making the coming of the Anthropocene possible. Keywords Anthropocene, Little Ice Age, greenhouse gas, wood, coal, fossil fuel, climate change In the last 11,000 years of human history, the Little Ice Age (LIA) is the coldest multi-century period and one of several global mil- Downloaded from Brill.com09/29/2021 01:24:16AM via free access 2 | ASIAN REVIEW OF WORLD HISTORIES 2:1 (JANUARY 2014) lennial-scale climate anomalies.1 The cooling climate and alpine glacial advances were recognized in many areas around the globe.
  • The Not Climate Change Collapse Dynas

    The Not Climate Change Collapse Dynas

    12 Anderson The Not So Little Little Ice Age 13 The Little Ice Age produced climatic conditions of severe The Not cooling and increased natural disasters during the decline of the Climate Change Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, triggering unrest in both the . Yuan and Ming people. The devastating climatic effects of the Collapse 1ng Little Ice Age led to serious economic, political, and social problems for both dynasties, resulting in a weakened government, Dynas dissatisfied and aggravated population, and depressed economic MARY ANDERSON state. 3 Did the Little Ice Age initiate the collapse of two consecutive Chinese dynasties: the Yuan dynasty and the Ming dynasty, although their downfalls were almost 3 00 years apart? The term "Little Ice Age" was coined by Dutch-born The decline of the Yuan dynasty in 1279 is paralleled with the American geologist F. E. Matthes in 1939 to describe the unstable decline of the Ming dynasty in 1678 nearly three centuries later climate interval during the Late Holocene linked with the period of from the analogous affects of the Little Ice Age. dramatic mountain-glacier expansion and retreat. 1 The period is With interest regarding China's path towards becoming a traditionally defined as the early 14th century through the mid 19th world power increasing in historical debates today, the research on century, although regions strongly impacted during this time Chinese dynastic cycles has received a rise in attention. Climate greatly varied on the timeline. The Yuan dynasty and the Ming change has also become an increasingly hot topic due to current dynasty are two distinguished Chinese dynastic cycles that both and predicted changes in temperatures, rainfall patterns, storm 4 fell during peaks of the Little Ice Age in China.
  • The 'Little Ice Age': Re-Evaluation of An

    The 'Little Ice Age': Re-Evaluation of An

    THE ‘LITTLE ICE AGE’: RE-EVALUATION OF AN EVOLVING CONCEPT THE ‘LITTLE ICE AGE’: RE-EVALUATION OF AN EVOLVING CONCEPT BY JOHN A. MATTHEWS1 AND KEITH R. BRIFFA2 1 Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, UK 2 Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK Matthews, J.A. and Briffa, K.R., 2005: The ‘Little Ice Age’: re- A controversial term evaluation of an evolving concept. Geogr. Ann., 87 A (1): 17–36. The term ‘little ice age’ was coined by Matthes ABSTRACT. This review focuses on the develop- (1939, p. 520) with reference to the phenomenon of ment of the ‘Little Ice Age’ as a glaciological and cli- glacier regrowth or recrudescence in the Sierra Ne- matic concept, and evaluates its current usefulness vada, California, following their melting away in in the light of new data on the glacier and climatic the Hypsithermal of the early Holocene. The mo- variations of the last millennium and of the Holocene. ‘Little Ice Age’ glacierization occurred raines on which Matthes based his initial concept over about 650 years and can be defined most pre- have been described more recently as a product of cisely in the European Alps (c. AD 1300–1950) when ‘neoglaciation’ (Porter and Denton 1967) and the extended glaciers were larger than before or since. term ‘Little Ice Age’ now generally refers only to ‘Little Ice Age’ climate is defined as a shorter time the latest glacier expansion episode of the late interval of about 330 years (c. AD 1570–1900) when Northern Hemisphere summer temperatures (land Holocene.