Late Quaternary Vegetation Dynamics of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Northern Vancouver Island, and the Continental Shelf of British Columbia, Canada

Late Quaternary Vegetation Dynamics of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Northern Vancouver Island, and the Continental Shelf of British Columbia, Canada PDF Author: Terri Lacourse
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Paleobotany
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Paleoecological analyses and radiocarbon dating of late-Quaternary sediments from the Queen Charlotte Islands (QCI), northern Vancouver Island, and the continental shelf along the coast of British Columbia reveal substantial changes in vegetation and climate over the last 14,000 14C yr (17,000 cal yr). Extensive portions of the shelf were subaerially exposed at the end of the last glaciation due to lowering of relative sea level by as much as 150 m. AMS radiocarbon ages indicate that the shelf in Hecate Strait was exposed between at least 14,330 and 12,860 14C yr BP. Cyperaceae were locally abundant on the exposed shelf, and fossil Pediastrum algae indicate the presence of freshwater. Interpretation of pollen from late-glacial lake sediments in the southern QCI suggest a succession from herb tundra dominated by Cyperaceae to dwarf shrub tundra including Salix and Empetrum before the development of Pinus contorta woodland. Fossil stomata suggest that Pinus contorta grew locally by 13,040 ± 305 14Cyr BPI and an in situ Pinus stump and associated plant macrofossils demonstrate that forests grew on the adjacent shelf 12,200 14C yr BP. Submerged lake sediments in Logan Inlet record the transition from Pinus contorta woodland to Picea forests about 11,200 14C yr BP. Northern Vancouver Island also supported Pinus contorta woodland during the late-glacial period. Mixed coniferous forests dominated by Pinus contorta with Alnus and pteridophytes occupied the shelf north of Vancouver Island 10,500 14C yr BP. Warming in the early Holocene allowed the northward extension of Pseudoiwga menziesiii, although Picea, Tsuga heterophylla, and Alnus rubra dominated regional forests. By 7500 14C yr BPI shade-tolerant Tsuga heterophylla was the dominant forest tree. A cooler and wetter climate in the late Holocene facilitated development of temperate coniferous rainforest. This research, in combination with earlier studies, demonstrates that portions of the continental shelf were ice-free and vegetated between 14,300 and 9,500 14C yr BP; moderate climatic conditions supported diverse and productive vegetation while adjacent mainland areas remained glaciated. Stratigraphic sequences spanning the last glaciation are still required to confirm the existence of continuous late Pleistocene glacial refugia in the QCI region.

Late Quaternary Vegetation Dynamics of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Northern Vancouver Island, and the Continental Shelf of British Columbia, Canada

Late Quaternary Vegetation Dynamics of the Queen Charlotte Islands, Northern Vancouver Island, and the Continental Shelf of British Columbia, Canada PDF Author: Terri Lacourse
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Paleobotany
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Paleoecological analyses and radiocarbon dating of late-Quaternary sediments from the Queen Charlotte Islands (QCI), northern Vancouver Island, and the continental shelf along the coast of British Columbia reveal substantial changes in vegetation and climate over the last 14,000 14C yr (17,000 cal yr). Extensive portions of the shelf were subaerially exposed at the end of the last glaciation due to lowering of relative sea level by as much as 150 m. AMS radiocarbon ages indicate that the shelf in Hecate Strait was exposed between at least 14,330 and 12,860 14C yr BP. Cyperaceae were locally abundant on the exposed shelf, and fossil Pediastrum algae indicate the presence of freshwater. Interpretation of pollen from late-glacial lake sediments in the southern QCI suggest a succession from herb tundra dominated by Cyperaceae to dwarf shrub tundra including Salix and Empetrum before the development of Pinus contorta woodland. Fossil stomata suggest that Pinus contorta grew locally by 13,040 ± 305 14Cyr BPI and an in situ Pinus stump and associated plant macrofossils demonstrate that forests grew on the adjacent shelf 12,200 14C yr BP. Submerged lake sediments in Logan Inlet record the transition from Pinus contorta woodland to Picea forests about 11,200 14C yr BP. Northern Vancouver Island also supported Pinus contorta woodland during the late-glacial period. Mixed coniferous forests dominated by Pinus contorta with Alnus and pteridophytes occupied the shelf north of Vancouver Island 10,500 14C yr BP. Warming in the early Holocene allowed the northward extension of Pseudoiwga menziesiii, although Picea, Tsuga heterophylla, and Alnus rubra dominated regional forests. By 7500 14C yr BPI shade-tolerant Tsuga heterophylla was the dominant forest tree. A cooler and wetter climate in the late Holocene facilitated development of temperate coniferous rainforest. This research, in combination with earlier studies, demonstrates that portions of the continental shelf were ice-free and vegetated between 14,300 and 9,500 14C yr BP; moderate climatic conditions supported diverse and productive vegetation while adjacent mainland areas remained glaciated. Stratigraphic sequences spanning the last glaciation are still required to confirm the existence of continuous late Pleistocene glacial refugia in the QCI region.

Haida Gwaii

Haida Gwaii PDF Author: Daryl W. Fedje
Publisher: UBC Press
ISBN: 0774809221
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
Over the last ten years there has been intensive field research in archaeology and paleo-geography in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), primarily by agencies such as Parks Canada, but also by consultantas and other independent researchers. Members of the Haida Nation have participated directly in this field work. Haida Gwaii presents the results of this research and carefully integrates the results with earlier archaeological, ethnohistorical, and paleo-environmental work in the region. The book presents as complete a picture as possible of past environments and culture on Haida Gwaii from the late glacial through the prehistoric and protohistoric periods preceding the period of direct European contact. While this is a scientific text, Haida tradition is covered to a limited extent through the inclusion of a previously unpublished Haida origin myth. The collection makes a significant contribution to understanding the natural history of Haida Gwaii, from new data on ice retreat, shoreline and sea level change, faunal communities, and culture history, to broader inferences made from these data regarding the late glacial and early post-glacial history of the entire coast.

Trekking the Shore

Trekking the Shore PDF Author: Nuno F. Bicho
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441982191
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 498

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Book Description
Human settlement has often centered around coastal areas and waterways. Until recently, however, archaeologists believed that marine economies did not develop until the end of the Pleistocene, when the archaeological record begins to have evidence of marine life as part of the human diet. This has long been interpreted as a postglacial adaptation, due to the rise in sea level and subsequent decrease in terrestrial resources. Coastal resources, particularly mollusks, were viewed as fallback resources, which people resorted to only when terrestrial resources were scarce, included only as part of a more complex diet. Recent research has significantly altered this understanding, known as the Broad Spectrum Revolution (BSR) model. The contributions to this volume revise the BSR model, with evidence that coastal resources were an important part of human economies and subsistence much earlier than previously thought, and even the main focus of diets for some Pleistocene and early Holocene hunter-gatherer societies. With evidence from North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, this volume comprehensively lends a new understanding to coastal settlement from the Middle Paleolithic to the Middle Holocene.

Waterlogged

Waterlogged PDF Author: Jenny M. Cohen
Publisher: Washington State University Press
ISBN: 1636820689
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
On the Northwest Coast in antiquity, an estimated 85 percent of objects were made entirely from materials that normally do not survive the ravages of time. Fortunately, the region’s wetlands, silt-laden rivers, high groundwater levels, and abundant rainfall provide ideal conditions for long-term preservation of waterlogged wood. Few archaeologists intentionally search for them, yet every Northwest Coast archaeologist may encounter waterlogged cultural remains--even inland, away from the coast. Those who investigate can uncover artifacts, structures, and environmental remains missing from the usual reconstructions of past lifeways. Currently, wet-site archaeology is not widely taught at North American universities. Waterlogged helps bridge that gap. Sixteen archaeologists who work on the Northwest Coast discuss their research in regional and global perspectives, share highlights of their findings, provide guidance on how to locate wet sites, and outline procedures for recovering and caring for perishable waterlogged artifacts. The volume offers practical information about logistics, equipment, and supplies, including a wet-site field kit list. Waterlogged presents previously unpublished original research spanning the past ten thousand years of human presence on the Northwest Coast. Examples include the first fish trap features in the region to be identified as longshore weirs, a complete 750-year-old basket cradle from the lower Fraser Valley, wooden self-armed fishhooks from the Salish Sea, and a paleoethnobotanical study at the 10,500-year-old Kilgii Gwaay wet site on Haida Gwaii. Contributors also discuss insider-vs.-outsider perceptions of wetlands in Cowichan traditional territory on Vancouver Island, a habitation site in a disappearing wetland in the Fraser Valley, a collaborative project on the Babine River in the Fraser Plateau, and Early and Middle Holocene waterlogged materials from British Columbia’s central coast.

Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology

Quaternary Glaciations - Extent and Chronology PDF Author: J. Ehlers
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0444534474
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1128

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Book Description
The book presents an up-to-date, detailed overview of the Quaternary glaciations all over the world, not only with regard to stratigraphy but also with regard to major glacial landforms and the extent of the respective ice sheets. The locations of key sites are included. The information is presented in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a Geographical Information System (GIS) such as ArcView or ArcGIS. The accompanying text supplies the information on how the data were obtained (geomorphology, geological mapping, air photograph evaluation, satellite imagery), how the features were dated (14C, TL, relative stratigraphy) and how reliable they are supposed to be. All references to the underlying basic publications are included. Where controversial interpretations are possible e.g. in Siberia or Tibet, this is pointed out. As a result, the information on Quaternary glaciations worldwide will be much improved and supplied in a uniform digital format. The information on the glacial limits is compiled in digital form by the coordinators of the project, and is available for download at: http://booksite.elsevier.com/9780444534477/ Completely updated detailed coverage of worldwide Quaternary glaciations Information in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a GIS such as ArcView or ArcGis Step-by-step guideline how to open and use ArcGis files Possibility to convert the shapefiles into GoogleEarth kmz-files Availability of chronological controls

North Pacific Environment and Paleoclimate from the Late Pleistocene to Present

North Pacific Environment and Paleoclimate from the Late Pleistocene to Present PDF Author: Miriam Jones
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889633373
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
The vast area of the North Pacific, spanning ~55˚ longitude, represents a challenge for documenting and understanding the geologic history of ocean, atmosphere, and terrestrial environmental change. Nevertheless, its importance for many issues, including our fundamental understanding of ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns and teleconnections with natural modes of climate variability through time, has led to a steady rise in the numbers of study sites and proxy types. By bringing together a wide range of proxies and timescales that examine the impacts of paleoclimate on ecosystems, water, carbon, and humans, and interactions between marine and terrestrial processes, this Research Topic contributes to an improved understanding of the region’s significance at global, hemispheric, and regional scales.

Continental Shelves of the World

Continental Shelves of the World PDF Author: F.L. Chiocci
Publisher: Geological Society of London
ISBN: 1862396868
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
The world's continental shelves are the sites of vast resources of food, energy and minerals, the exploitation of which is continuously increasing. Fluctuating global sea levels throughout the Quaternary period produced multiple transgressive and regressive cycles that profoundly affected and shaped these shelves. The complex interactions among climate, sea level, tectonics, oceanography and sediment input have formed distinctive sediment packages on each shelf and provide a guide to the interpretation of older shelf sequences throughout the geological record. This Memoir compiles studies on 23 selected shelves from all the continents, focusing on their evolution and examining the patterns of sedimentation during the past approximately 125 000 years. In addition to providing basic background information for each area, the chapters consider specific aspects of continental shelf research, from seismic stratigraphy to geomorphology, from palaeoceanography to palaeo sea-level reconstruction and from palaeontology to geochemistry.

Dissertation Abstracts International

Dissertation Abstracts International PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 918

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Book Description


The Archaeology of Anthropogenic Environments

The Archaeology of Anthropogenic Environments PDF Author: Rebecca M. Dean
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 428

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Book Description


From the Yenisei to the Yukon

From the Yenisei to the Yukon PDF Author: Ted Goebel
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603443215
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 410

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Book Description
Who were the first people who came to the land bridge joining northeastern Asia to Alaska and the northwest of North America? Where did they come from? How did they organize technology, especially in the context of settlement behavior? During the Pleistocene era, the people now known as Beringians dispersed across the varied landscapes of late-glacial northeast Asia and northwest North America. The twenty chapters gathered in this volume explore, in addition to the questions posed above, how Beringians adapted in response to climate and environmental changes. They share a focus on the significance of the modern-human inhabitants of the region. By examining and analyzing lithic artifacts, geoarchaeological evidence, zooarchaeological data, and archaeological features, these studies offer important interpretations of the variability to be found in the early material culture the first Beringians. The scholars contributing to this work consider the region from Lake Baikal in the west to southern British Columbia in the east. Through a technological-organization approach, this volume permits investigation of the evolutionary process of adaptation as well as the historical processes of migration and cultural transmission. The result is a closer understanding of how humans adapted to the diverse and unique conditions of the late Pleistocene.