Research Portal

Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Standard Standard

Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. / Marshall, M.H.; Lamb, H.F.; Huws, D.G. et al.
In: Global and Planetary Change, Vol. 78, No. 3-4, 01.08.2011, p. 147-161.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

HarvardHarvard

Marshall, MH, Lamb, HF, Huws, DG, Davies, SJ, Bates, R, Bloemendal, J, Boyle, J, Lengb, MJ, Umer, M & Bryant, C 2011, 'Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile', Global and Planetary Change, vol. 78, no. 3-4, pp. 147-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.06.004

APA

Marshall, M. H., Lamb, H. F., Huws, D. G., Davies, S. J., Bates, R., Bloemendal, J., Boyle, J., Lengb, M. J., Umer, M., & Bryant, C. (2011). Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. Global and Planetary Change, 78(3-4), 147-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.06.004

CBE

Marshall MH, Lamb HF, Huws DG, Davies SJ, Bates R, Bloemendal J, Boyle J, Lengb MJ, Umer M, Bryant C. 2011. Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. Global and Planetary Change. 78(3-4):147-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.06.004

MLA

Marshall, M.H. et al. "Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile". Global and Planetary Change. 2011, 78(3-4). 147-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.06.004

VancouverVancouver

Marshall MH, Lamb HF, Huws DG, Davies SJ, Bates R, Bloemendal J et al. Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. Global and Planetary Change. 2011 Aug 1;78(3-4):147-161. doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.06.004

Author

Marshall, M.H. ; Lamb, H.F. ; Huws, D.G. et al. / Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. In: Global and Planetary Change. 2011 ; Vol. 78, No. 3-4. pp. 147-161.

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Late Pleistocene and Holocene drought events at Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile

AU - Marshall, M.H.

AU - Lamb, H.F.

AU - Huws, D.G.

AU - Davies, S.J.

AU - Bates, R.

AU - Bloemendal, J.

AU - Boyle, J.

AU - Lengb, M.J.

AU - Umer, M.

AU - Bryant, C.

PY - 2011/8/1

Y1 - 2011/8/1

N2 - Magnetic and geochemical core data spanning the last 17,000 years are correlated with new seismic stratigraphy from Lake Tana, Ethiopia, to infer past lake-level change and hence effective precipitation. The data confirm that low lake-level coincides with Heinrich Event 1 (H1) in the North Atlantic, as previously shown from diatom and pollen evidence (Lamb et al., 2007). The lake deepened at 15.3 cal kyr BP and abruptly returned to freshwater conditions, when the lake overflowed into the Blue Nile. Low runoff and lake levels and therefore rainfall are inferred between 13.0 and 12.5 cal kyr BP and may represent southerly suppression of the ITCZ and the associated monsoon front at the time of the Younger Dryas. Two drought episodes occurred at 8.4 and 7.5 cal kyr BP, and are also interpreted as a southward shift in the monsoon front. The first of these events appears to have preceded and been more significant than the 8.2 cal kyr BP. Precipitation declined after 6.8 cal kyr BP, although we do not see an abrupt end to the African Humid Period. This period culminated in a dry episode at ~ 4.2 cal kyr BP, supporting the view that reduced Nile flow was a contributing factor to the demise of the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

AB - Magnetic and geochemical core data spanning the last 17,000 years are correlated with new seismic stratigraphy from Lake Tana, Ethiopia, to infer past lake-level change and hence effective precipitation. The data confirm that low lake-level coincides with Heinrich Event 1 (H1) in the North Atlantic, as previously shown from diatom and pollen evidence (Lamb et al., 2007). The lake deepened at 15.3 cal kyr BP and abruptly returned to freshwater conditions, when the lake overflowed into the Blue Nile. Low runoff and lake levels and therefore rainfall are inferred between 13.0 and 12.5 cal kyr BP and may represent southerly suppression of the ITCZ and the associated monsoon front at the time of the Younger Dryas. Two drought episodes occurred at 8.4 and 7.5 cal kyr BP, and are also interpreted as a southward shift in the monsoon front. The first of these events appears to have preceded and been more significant than the 8.2 cal kyr BP. Precipitation declined after 6.8 cal kyr BP, although we do not see an abrupt end to the African Humid Period. This period culminated in a dry episode at ~ 4.2 cal kyr BP, supporting the view that reduced Nile flow was a contributing factor to the demise of the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

U2 - 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.06.004

DO - 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.06.004

M3 - Article

VL - 78

SP - 147

EP - 161

JO - Global and Planetary Change

JF - Global and Planetary Change

SN - 0921-8181

IS - 3-4

ER -