Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization
International audience The impact of climate change on the development and disintegration of Maya civilization has long been debated. The lack of agreement among existing palaeoclimatic records from the region has prevented a detailed understanding of regional-scale climatic variability, its climati...
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ftunivtoulouse2:oai:HAL:hal-01860353v1 2024-05-19T07:44:55+00:00 Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization Nooren, Kees Hoek, Wim, Z Dermody, Brian, J Galop, Didier Metcalfe, Sarah Islebe, Gerald Middelkoop, Hans Universiteit Utrecht / Utrecht University Utrecht Géographie de l'environnement (GEODE) Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) University of Nottingham, UK (UON) ECOSUR Unidad Chetumal EI Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología Mexico (CONACYT)-Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología Mexico (CONACYT) 2018 https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353 https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/document https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/file/Climate_impact_on_the_development_of_Pre-Classic_M%20DGALOP.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2018-15 en eng HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union (EGU) info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/cp-2018-15 hal-01860353 https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353 https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/document https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/file/Climate_impact_on_the_development_of_Pre-Classic_M%20DGALOP.pdf doi:10.5194/cp-2018-15 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 1814-9340 EISSN: 1814-9359 Climate of the Past Discussions https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353 Climate of the Past Discussions, 2018, 14 (8), pp.1253-1273. ⟨10.5194/cp-2018-15⟩ Pre-Classic Maya period Central Maya Lowlands climate record beach ridges palaeo-precipitation 500-yr periodicity 2.8 ka event [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environment and Society [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2018 ftunivtoulouse2 https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2018-15 2024-04-22T00:21:18Z International audience The impact of climate change on the development and disintegration of Maya civilization has long been debated. The lack of agreement among existing palaeoclimatic records from the region has prevented a detailed understanding of regional-scale climatic variability, its climatic forcing mechanisms, and its impact on the ancient Maya. We present two new palaeo-precipitation records for the Central Maya Lowlands, spanning the Pre-Classic period (1800 BCE – 250 CE), a key epoch in the development of Maya civilization. Lake Tuspan’s diatom record is indicative of precipitation changes at a local scale, while a beach ridge elevation record from world’s largest late Holocene beach ridge plain provides a regional picture. We identify centennial-scale variability in palaeo-precipitation that significantly correlates with the North Atlantic δ14C atmospheric record, with a comparable periodicity of approximately 500 years, indicating an important role of North Atlantic atmospheric-oceanic forcing on precipitation in the Central Maya Lowlands. The Early Pre-Classic period was characterized by relatively dry conditions, shifting to wetter conditions during the Middle Pre-Classic period, around the well-known 850 BCE (2.8 ka) event. We propose that this wet period may have been unfavorable for agricultural intensification in the Central Maya Lowlands, explaining the relatively delayed development of Maya civilization in this area. A return to relatively drier conditions during the Late Pre-Classic period coincides with rapid agricultural intensification in the region and the establishment of major cities. Article in Journal/Newspaper North Atlantic Université Toulouse 2 - Jean Jaurès: HAL |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Université Toulouse 2 - Jean Jaurès: HAL |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtoulouse2 |
language |
English |
topic |
Pre-Classic Maya period Central Maya Lowlands climate record beach ridges palaeo-precipitation 500-yr periodicity 2.8 ka event [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environment and Society [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography |
spellingShingle |
Pre-Classic Maya period Central Maya Lowlands climate record beach ridges palaeo-precipitation 500-yr periodicity 2.8 ka event [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environment and Society [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography Nooren, Kees Hoek, Wim, Z Dermody, Brian, J Galop, Didier Metcalfe, Sarah Islebe, Gerald Middelkoop, Hans Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization |
topic_facet |
Pre-Classic Maya period Central Maya Lowlands climate record beach ridges palaeo-precipitation 500-yr periodicity 2.8 ka event [SHS.ARCHEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Archaeology and Prehistory [SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environment and Society [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography |
description |
International audience The impact of climate change on the development and disintegration of Maya civilization has long been debated. The lack of agreement among existing palaeoclimatic records from the region has prevented a detailed understanding of regional-scale climatic variability, its climatic forcing mechanisms, and its impact on the ancient Maya. We present two new palaeo-precipitation records for the Central Maya Lowlands, spanning the Pre-Classic period (1800 BCE – 250 CE), a key epoch in the development of Maya civilization. Lake Tuspan’s diatom record is indicative of precipitation changes at a local scale, while a beach ridge elevation record from world’s largest late Holocene beach ridge plain provides a regional picture. We identify centennial-scale variability in palaeo-precipitation that significantly correlates with the North Atlantic δ14C atmospheric record, with a comparable periodicity of approximately 500 years, indicating an important role of North Atlantic atmospheric-oceanic forcing on precipitation in the Central Maya Lowlands. The Early Pre-Classic period was characterized by relatively dry conditions, shifting to wetter conditions during the Middle Pre-Classic period, around the well-known 850 BCE (2.8 ka) event. We propose that this wet period may have been unfavorable for agricultural intensification in the Central Maya Lowlands, explaining the relatively delayed development of Maya civilization in this area. A return to relatively drier conditions during the Late Pre-Classic period coincides with rapid agricultural intensification in the region and the establishment of major cities. |
author2 |
Universiteit Utrecht / Utrecht University Utrecht Géographie de l'environnement (GEODE) Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J) Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) University of Nottingham, UK (UON) ECOSUR Unidad Chetumal EI Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR) Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología Mexico (CONACYT)-Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología Mexico (CONACYT) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nooren, Kees Hoek, Wim, Z Dermody, Brian, J Galop, Didier Metcalfe, Sarah Islebe, Gerald Middelkoop, Hans |
author_facet |
Nooren, Kees Hoek, Wim, Z Dermody, Brian, J Galop, Didier Metcalfe, Sarah Islebe, Gerald Middelkoop, Hans |
author_sort |
Nooren, Kees |
title |
Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization |
title_short |
Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization |
title_full |
Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization |
title_fullStr |
Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization |
title_full_unstemmed |
Climate impact on the development of Pre-Classic Maya civilization |
title_sort |
climate impact on the development of pre-classic maya civilization |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353 https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/document https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/file/Climate_impact_on_the_development_of_Pre-Classic_M%20DGALOP.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2018-15 |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_source |
ISSN: 1814-9340 EISSN: 1814-9359 Climate of the Past Discussions https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353 Climate of the Past Discussions, 2018, 14 (8), pp.1253-1273. ⟨10.5194/cp-2018-15⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/cp-2018-15 hal-01860353 https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353 https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/document https://univ-tlse2.hal.science/hal-01860353/file/Climate_impact_on_the_development_of_Pre-Classic_M%20DGALOP.pdf doi:10.5194/cp-2018-15 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2018-15 |
_version_ |
1799484820972109824 |