Coastal Evolution in a Mediterranean Microtidal Zone: Mid to Late Holocene Natural Dynamics and Human Management of the Castelló Lagoon, NE Spain
Ana Ejarque|Ramón Julià|Jane M. Reed|Francesc Mesquita‐Joanes|Javier Marco-Barba|Santiago Riera
We present a palaeoenvironmental study of the Castelló lagoon (NE Spain), an important archive for understanding long-term interactions between dynamic littoral ecosystems and human management. Combining geochemistry, mineralogy, ostracods, diatoms, pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, charcoal archaeo-historical datasets we reconstruct: 1) transition from marine to marginal environment ~3150 cal BC 17th century AD; 2) fluctuations in salinity; 3) natural anthropogenic forces contributing these changes. From Late Neolithic Medieval period ecosystem was driven by changing influence land mainly exploited grazing, with little evidence impact on woodland. Land-use exploitation adapted coastal dynamics, maximum flooding hampering agropastoral activities ~1550 ~150 BC. In contrast, societies actively controlled dynamics become major agent landscape transformation after period. The removal woodlands 8th followed expansion agrarian industrial activities. Regional mining smelting polluted heavy metals ~11th onwards. milling industry agricultural lands led channelization river Muga into ~1250 AD. This caused its freshwater lake, increased nutrient load, infilling drainage great part lagoon. By tracking shift towards anthropogenically-controlled system around ~750 yr ago, this points out Mediterranean lagoons as ancient heavily-modified systems, impacts controls covering multi-centennial even millennial timescales. Finally, contributed future construction reliable seashell-based chronologies NE Spain calibrating Banyuls-sur-Mer ΔR offset ceramic imports Emporiae archaeological site.
PLOS ONE|Europe PMC (PubMed Central)|HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)|HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)|Dipòsit Digital de la Universitat de Barcelona (Universitat de Barcelona)|HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)|HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe)|PubMed Central|Repository@Hull (Worktribe) (University of Hull)|PubMed