Holocene Environmental and Climatic Changes at Gorgo Basso, a Coastal Lake in Southern Sicily, Italy. Tinner, W., van Leeuwen , J. F. N., Colombaroli, D., Vescovi, E., van der Knaap , W. O., Henne, P. D., Pasta, S., D'Angelo, S., & La Mantia, T. Quaternary Science Reviews, 28(15-16):1498–1510, July, 2009.
doi  abstract   bibtex   
We used a new sedimentary record to reconstruct the Holocene vegetation and fire history of Gorgo Basso, a coastal lake in south-western Sicily (Italy). Pollen and charcoal data suggest a fire-prone open grassland near the site until ca 10,000~cal yr BP (8050~cal BC), when Pistacia shrubland expanded and fire activity declined, probably in response to increased moisture availability. Evergreen Olea europaea woods expanded ca 8400 to decline abruptly at 8200~cal yr BP, when climatic conditions became drier at other sites in the Mediterranean region. Around 7000~cal yr BP evergreen broadleaved forests (Quercus ilex, Quercus suber and O. europaea) expanded at the cost of open communities. The expansion of evergreen broadleaved forests was associated with a decline of fire and of local Neolithic (Ficus carica-Cerealia based) agriculture that had initiated ca 500 years earlier. Vegetational, fire and land-use changes ca 7000~cal yr BP were probably caused by increased precipitation that resulted from (insolation-forced) weakening of the monsoon and Hadley circulation ca 8000-6000~cal yr BP. Low fire activity and dense coastal evergreen forests persisted until renewed human activity (probably Greek, respectively Roman colonists) disrupted the forest ca 2700~cal yr BP (750 BC) and 2100~cal yr BP (150 BC) to gain open land for agriculture. The intense use of fire for this purpose induced the expansion of open maquis, garrigue, and grassland-prairie environments (with an increasing abundance of the native palm Chamaerops humilis). Prehistoric land-use phases after the Bronze Age seem synchronous with those at other sites in southern and central Europe, possibly as a result of climatic forcing. Considering the response of vegetation to Holocene climatic variability as well as human impact we conclude that under (semi-)natural conditions evergreen broadleaved Q. ilex-O. europaea (s.l.) forests would still dominate near Gorgo Basso. However, forecasted climate change and aridification may lead to a situation similar to that before 7000~cal yr BP and thus trigger a rapid collapse of the few relict evergreen broadleaved woodlands in coastal Sicily and elsewhere in the southern Mediterranean region.
@article{tinnerHoloceneEnvironmentalClimatic2009,
  title = {Holocene Environmental and Climatic Changes at {{Gorgo Basso}}, a Coastal Lake in Southern {{Sicily}}, {{Italy}}},
  author = {Tinner, Willy and {van Leeuwen}, Jacqueline F. N. and Colombaroli, Daniele and Vescovi, Elisa and {van der Knaap}, W. O. and Henne, Paul D. and Pasta, Salvatore and D'Angelo, Stefania and La Mantia, Tommaso},
  year = {2009},
  month = jul,
  volume = {28},
  pages = {1498--1510},
  issn = {0277-3791},
  doi = {10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.02.001},
  abstract = {We used a new sedimentary record to reconstruct the Holocene vegetation and fire history of Gorgo Basso, a coastal lake in south-western Sicily (Italy). Pollen and charcoal data suggest a fire-prone open grassland near the site until ca 10,000~cal yr BP (8050~cal BC), when Pistacia shrubland expanded and fire activity declined, probably in response to increased moisture availability. Evergreen Olea europaea woods expanded ca 8400 to decline abruptly at 8200~cal yr BP, when climatic conditions became drier at other sites in the Mediterranean region. Around 7000~cal yr BP evergreen broadleaved forests (Quercus ilex, Quercus suber and O. europaea) expanded at the cost of open communities. The expansion of evergreen broadleaved forests was associated with a decline of fire and of local Neolithic (Ficus carica-Cerealia based) agriculture that had initiated ca 500 years earlier. Vegetational, fire and land-use changes ca 7000~cal yr BP were probably caused by increased precipitation that resulted from (insolation-forced) weakening of the monsoon and Hadley circulation ca 8000-6000~cal yr BP. Low fire activity and dense coastal evergreen forests persisted until renewed human activity (probably Greek, respectively Roman colonists) disrupted the forest ca 2700~cal yr BP (750 BC) and 2100~cal yr BP (150 BC) to gain open land for agriculture. The intense use of fire for this purpose induced the expansion of open maquis, garrigue, and grassland-prairie environments (with an increasing abundance of the native palm Chamaerops humilis). Prehistoric land-use phases after the Bronze Age seem synchronous with those at other sites in southern and central Europe, possibly as a result of climatic forcing. Considering the response of vegetation to Holocene climatic variability as well as human impact we conclude that under (semi-)natural conditions evergreen broadleaved Q. ilex-O. europaea (s.l.) forests would still dominate near Gorgo Basso. However, forecasted climate change and aridification may lead to a situation similar to that before 7000~cal yr BP and thus trigger a rapid collapse of the few relict evergreen broadleaved woodlands in coastal Sicily and elsewhere in the southern Mediterranean region.},
  journal = {Quaternary Science Reviews},
  keywords = {*imported-from-citeulike-INRMM,~INRMM-MiD:c-4711819,charcoal,climate-change,holocene,pollen,sicily},
  lccn = {INRMM-MiD:c-4711819},
  number = {15-16}
}
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