Human population dynamics in relation to Holocene climate variability in the North American Arctic and Subarctic
Autor: | Konrad Gajewski, Michelle D. Briere |
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Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
010506 paleontology
Archeology Global and Planetary Change geography education.field_of_study geography.geographical_feature_category 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences Population size Population Geology 01 natural sciences Human population dynamics Arctic 13. Climate action Paleoclimatology Sea ice Physical geography Neoglaciation education Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Holocene 0105 earth and related environmental sciences |
Zdroj: | Quaternary Science Reviews. 240:106370 |
ISSN: | 0277-3791 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106370 |
Popis: | Human paleodemographic changes were related to environmental fluctuations for the North American Arctic and boreal region, including Greenland. Using the frequency of archaeological radiocarbon dates as a proxy for population size, past changes in population were estimated and quantitatively examined in relation to reconstructions of temperature and sea ice conditions. This analysis was conducted across three spatial scales in order to better identify potential climate impacts on population size: the entire area, four major cultural-environmental regions and sixteen sub-regions. The timing of initial settlement differed by region, and population size fluctuated through time, but there was nevertheless an overall, accelerating increase in most areas. There was a high correspondence between millennial and centennial-scale climate variability and paleodemographic changes across the region, with population size generally increasing during warmer periods and decreasing during cooling episodes. Late Holocene cooling (neoglaciation) triggered a nearly-synchronous population decline across the entire region at 3.9 ka, a time when significant societal disruptions have been identified around the world, and are here shown in the Arctic. Decreasing temperatures and increased sea ice coverage also influenced large-scale migration patterns of Paleo-Inuit peoples as well as their cultural evolution. The growth of Paleo-Inuit populations after 3 ka during continued climate cooling is consistent with archaeological evidence suggesting Paleo-Inuit technological change enabled adaptations to increased sea ice. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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