Holocene sea level and environmental change on the west coast of South Africa: evidence from plant biomarkers, stable isotopes and pollen

Carr, Andrew S.; Boom, Arnoud; Chase, Brian M.; Meadows, Michael E.; Grimes, Hannah L.

doi:10.1007/s10933-015-9833-7

Cited by 40 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The overall EV13 proxy data (Wündsch et al ., , ; Kirsten et al ., ) indicate that the Eilandvlei system was significantly impacted by a strong marine influence for much of the early to mid‐Holocene. Estuarine sites situated along the west and southern Cape coasts provide further evidence for rising sea levels from ∼8500 to 4000 cal a BP (Reddering, ; Compton, ; Meadows and Baxter, ; Carr et al ., ). During these phases, the landscape surrounding Eilandvlei would probably have been very dynamic (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The anti‐phase relationship with Seweweekspoort (Fig. ) and sites in the WRZ, such as De Rif (Chase et al ., ) and Verlorenvlei (Stager et al ., ; Carr et al ., ), breaks down within the last millennium. At Eilandvlei, Seweweekspoort and Verlorenvlei in particular, indications of wetter conditions shift to more generally humid conditions between 1200 and 800 cal a BP (ad 850 to ad 1100), intensifying from ∼630 cal a BP (ad 1300) and reaching maxima for the last 2000 years between 260 and 100 cal a BP (ad 1700 to ad 1850), at the end of the Little Ice Age (Matthews and Briffa, ; Nash et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Salicornia (Slenzka et al, 2013). The high percentages of Amaranthaceae within the late Holocene record (zone EV13-B) is probably in large part related to receding sea levels after the mid-Holocene highstand (Baxter and Meadows, 1999;Compton, 2001;Carr et al, 2015). Salt-tolerant Amaranthaceae species were able to colonize dry pans and tidal mud flats that would have emerged around Eilandvlei during lagoonal phases.…”

Section: Late Holocene: 4700-100 Cal a Bpmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Major atmospheric (white arrows) and oceanic (blue arrows) circulation systems and the austral summer positions of the Inter‐Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the Congo Air Boundary (CAB) are indicated. B. Aridity index map of the south‐western Cape (Zomer et al ., ), with lower values indicating drier conditions (black box in A), and the locations of published palaeoenvironmental and archaeological records from the region: 1 Elands Bay Cave (Parkington et al ., ), 2 Grootdrift (Meadows et al ., ), 3 Verlorenvlei (Stager et al ., ; Carr et al ., a), 4 Klaarfontein Springs (Meadows and Baxter, ), 5 Pakhuis Pass (Scott and Woodborne, ,b), 6 Sneeuberg Vlei and Driehoek Vlei (Meadows and Sugden, ), 7 De Rif (Quick et al ., ; Valsecchi et al ., ; Chase et al ., ), 8 Truitjes Kraal (Meadows et al ., ), 9 Katbakkies (Meadows et al ., ; Chase et al ., ), 10 Rietvlei (Schalke, ), 11 Cape Flats (Schalke, ), 12 Princess Vlei (Neumann et al ., ; Kirsten and Meadows, ), 13 Cape Hangklip (Schalke, ), 14 Die Kelders (Klein and Cruz‐Uribe, ), 15 The Agulhas Plain vleis and lunettes (Soetendalsvlei, Voëlvlei, Renosterkop and Soutpan) (Carr et al ., ,b), 16 Blombos Cave (Henshilwood et al ., ), 17 Rietvlei‐Still Bay (Quick et al ., ), 18 Pinnacle Point (Bar‐Matthews et al ., ; Rector and Reed, ; Matthews et al ., ), 19 Seweweekspoort (Chase et al ., , , in press), 20 Cango Cave (Talma and Vogel, ) and Boomplaas Cave (Deacon et al ., ), 21 Norga peats (Scholtz, ), 22 Groenvlei (Martin, ; Wündsch et al ., ), 23 Vankervelsvlei (Irving and Meadows, ; Quick et al ., ), 24 Nelson Bay Cave (Cohen and Tyson, ), 25 Klasies River Mouth (Deacon et al ., ) and 26 Uitenhage Aquifer (Heaton et al ., ; Stute and Talma, ). C. Wilderness lakes region, indicating the location of Eilandvlei and the current distribution of dominant vegetation types (Mucina and Rutherford, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this, significant advances have been made over the last few years and higher resolution records are emerging (e.g. Chase et al, 2011Chase et al, , 2013Chase et al, , 2015aNeumann et al, 2011;Valsecchi et al, 2013;Carr et al, 2015;Quick et al, 2015). Important questions remain, however, regarding the past dynamics of temperate and tropical systems in the region, particularly at the WRZ-SRZ interface, and their impact on regional environments (Chase et al, 2017(Chase et al, , 2018.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A high-resolution record of Holocene climate and vegetation dynamics from the southern Cape coast of South Africa: pollen and microcharcoal evidence from Eilandvlei

et al. 2018

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The southern Cape is a particularly dynamic region of South Africa in terms of climate change as it is influenced by both temperate and tropical circulation systems. This paper presents pollen and microcharcoal data generated from a sediment core extracted from the coastal lake Eilandvlei spanning the last ∼8900 years. With an average sample resolution of 57 years, this record represents the highest resolution record of Holocene vegetation change from the region. The data indicate that cool, seasonal and moderately dry conditions characterized the Wilderness Embayment from ∼8900 to 8000 cal a BP. Afrotemperate forests expanded from ∼8000 cal a BP until 4700 cal a BP. This humid period is followed by indications of more arid and seasonal conditions until 3500 cal a BP. A long‐term increase in forest taxa suggests steadily increasing moisture availability across the late Holocene. Strong affinities are noted with records from more tropical regions of South Africa, suggesting that tropical systems are of importance in maintaining higher moisture availability in the region. An important mechanism of climate change is the Agulhas Current, which transmits what appears to be a localized signal of tropical variability to the southern Cape coast.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Late Holocene: 4700-100 Cal a Bpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A high-resolution record of Holocene climate and vegetation dynamics from the southern Cape coast of South Africa: pollen and microcharcoal evidence from Eilandvlei

et al. 2018

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A late Pleistocene–Holocene multi‐proxy record of palaeoenvironmental change from Still Bay, southern Cape Coast, South Africa

Quick

Carr

Meadows

et al. 2015

J Quaternary Science

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Holocene variability in climate and oceanic conditions in the winter rainfall zone of South Africa—inferred from a high resolution diatom record from Verlorenvlei

Kirsten

Kasper

Cawthra

et al. 2020

J Quaternary Science

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We present a diatom record from a well-dated 15.25 m composite sedimentary core from Verlorenvlei, a shallow coastal lake on the west coast of South Africa. We show that fluctuations in the diatom record occur in response to changes in sea level, ocean-atmosphere interactions and latitudinal shifts in the wind belts. During the early to mid-Holocene, the system primarily responds to sea level changes. A marine community that favours high nutrients is evident, particularly during 9200-8000, 7420-7000 and 6200-5600 cal a BP, corroborating periods of Benguela upwelling linked to fluctuations in the southeast trade winds. Increases in bioproductivity (%TOC, C/N) and fresher-water diatoms are associated with wetter conditions over the region and the northward migration of the southern westerly wind belt, most notably between 8000 and 7500 cal a BP and over the last 700 years. The latter trends are concomitant with changes in the extent of Antarctic sea ice and availability of moisture in southern South America. During the late Holocene, as sea levels stabilised to modern levels, climate variability is more strongly evident. The body of evidence further reveals the sensitivity of the region to high-latitude atmospheric mechanisms, but also showcases the significance of the southeast trade winds. Figure 4. Downcore percentage abundance of key diatom species of the VER14 composite core relative to age (cal a BP) and depth (cm) based on salinity preferences. Where: Aulacoseira group = A. granulata, A. granulata v. angustissma, A. ambigua; Fragilaria sensu lato (= Staurosirella pinnata, Pseudostaurosira elliptica); Diploneis (agg) (= Diploneis crabro, D. caffra and D. interrupta); and Coscinodiscus species (= C. nodulifer, C. perforatus, C. radiatus). The community is subdivided into three biological zones based on CONISS. [Color figure can be viewed at wileyonlinelibrary.com]

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Holocene sea level and environmental change on the west coast of South Africa: evidence from plant biomarkers, stable isotopes and pollen

Cited by 40 publications

References 54 publications

A high-resolution record of Holocene climate and vegetation dynamics from the southern Cape coast of South Africa: pollen and microcharcoal evidence from Eilandvlei

A high-resolution record of Holocene climate and vegetation dynamics from the southern Cape coast of South Africa: pollen and microcharcoal evidence from Eilandvlei

A late Pleistocene–Holocene multi‐proxy record of palaeoenvironmental change from Still Bay, southern Cape Coast, South Africa

Holocene variability in climate and oceanic conditions in the winter rainfall zone of South Africa—inferred from a high resolution diatom record from Verlorenvlei

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