The holocene: an environmental history / Neil Roberts

Bibliografía: páginas 347-351 e índice: páginas 58-364

Glosario: páginas 353-357

Technical boxes.. Preface to the third edition.. Acknowledgements.. About the companion website.. 1 Introduction.. Sources of information on past environments.. Nature and society.. The significance of the Holocene.. References.. 2 Reconstructing Holocene environments.. Dating the past.. Historical and archaeological dating.. Radiometric dating methods.. Dendrochronology and radiocarbon calibration.. Other dating methods.. Conclusion.. Palaeoecological techniques.. Pollen analysis.. Plant remains.. Creatures great and small.. Freshwater and marine organisms.. Geological techniques.. Ice and ocean.. Stable isotope analysis.. Geomorphology and climate.. Geo-archaeology.. Modelling the past.. Models of environmental reconstruction.. Computer model simulations.. Conclusion.. References.. 3 The Pleistocene prelude (>11700 Cal. yr bp.. Ice Age environments.. The glacial-interglacial cycle.. Understanding the causes of long-term climatic change.. The Last Glacial Maximum and after.. The terminal Pleistocene: páginas 5000-11700 Cal. yr bp.. The Late Glacial in the North Atlantic region.. Terminal Pleistocene climatic oscillation: a globally synchronous event?.. Adjustment of geomorphic systems.. Human ecology at the end of the Pleistocene.. Megafaunal extinctions.. References.. 4 Early Holocene adaptations: páginas 1700-6000 Cal. yr bp.. Changes in the physical environment.. Ice sheets and sea levels.. Human adaptations to coastal environments.. Lake ontogeny and soil development.. The return of the forests.. Europe.. Eastern North America.. Dry Mediterranean woodland.. Tropical forests.. Factors affecting forest re-advance.. The ecology of Mesolithic Europe.. The early Holocene in the tropics.. Saharan palaeoecology.. Early Holocene climates: Pattern and process.. Conclusion.. References.. 5 The first farmers.. Agricultural origins.. Southwest Asia.. China and South Asia.. Mesoamerica .. Tropical domesticates

Independent innovation or diffusion?.. The role of environmental change in early agriculture.. Early agricultural impacts.. European agricultural dispersals.. Ecological consequences of early European agriculture.. Conclusion.. References.. 6 The taming of nature: páginas 000-1000 Cal. yr bp.. Introduction.. Changes in the natural environment.. Climate and vegetation.. The origin and development of blanket mires.. Coasts and rivers.. Cultural evolution.. Hydraulic civilisation in Mesopotamia.. Environmental impact in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica.. Pastoral nomadism.. Mediterranean ecosystems.. The making of the landscape: The British Isles.. The primaeval forest.. Shaugh Moor - a Bronze Age landscape.. The environmental impact of permanent agricultural clearance.. Conclusion.. References.. 7 The impact of modern times: páginas 000-0 Cal. yr bp.. Introduction.. Climatic changes in historical times.. Climate history and global warming.. Consequences of medieval and Little Ice Age climate change.. Expansion at the periphery.. Conquest of the Northlands.. The Pacific.. Ecological imperialism.. Land-use history and soil erosion.. Pollution histories.. Eutrophication: natural or cultural?.. Acidification and atmospheric pollution.. References.. 8 The environmental future: A Holocene perspective.. Holocene environmental crises.. Environmental conservation and Holocene.. Environmental history.. References.. Appendix: Calibration table for radiocarbon ages.. Glossary.. Index

The Holocene provides students, researchers and lay-readers with the remarkable story of how the natural world has been transformed since the end of the last Ice Age around 15,000 years ago. This period has witnessed a shift from environmental changes determined by natural forces to those dominated by human actions, including those of climate and greenhouse gases. Understanding the environmental changes - both natural and anthropogenic - that have occurred during the Holocene is of crucial importance if we are to achieve a sustainable environmental future. Revised and updated to take full account of the most recent advances, the third edition of this classic text includes substantial material on the scientific methods that are used to reconstruct and date past environments, as well as new concepts such as the Anthropocene. The book is fully-illustrated, global in coverage, and contains case studies, a glossary and more than 500 new references. eng