Universität zu Köln

Engel, Max ORCID: 0000-0002-2271-4229, Matter, Albert, Parker, Adrian G., Parton, Ash, Petraglia, Michael D., Preston, Gareth W. and Preusser, Frank (2017). Lakes or wetlands? A comment on The middle Holocene climatic records from Arabia: Reassessing lacustrine environments, shift of ITCZ in Arabian Sea, and impacts of the southwest Indian and African monsoons' by Enzel et al. Glob. Planet. Change, 148. S. 258 - 268. AMSTERDAM: ELSEVIER. ISSN 1872-6364

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Abstract

Enzel et al. (2015) reassess sedimentary records of Early to Mid-Holocene lake sites in Arabia based on a reinterpretation of published multiproxy data and a qualitative analysis of satellite imagery. The authors conclude that these sites represent palaeo-wetland environments rather than palaeolakes and that the majority of the Arabian Peninsula experienced no or, if at all, only a very minor increase of rainfall at that time mainly due to eastward expansion of the East African Summer Monsoon. We disagree with their reassessment and identify several cases where unequivocal evidence for early Late Pleistocene and Early to Mid-Holocene perennial lake environments in Arabia, lasting for centuries to millennia, was neglected by Enzel et al. (2015). Here we summarize findings which indicate the presence of lakes from the sites of Jubbah, Tayma, Mundafan (all Saudi Arabia), Wahalah, Awafi (both UAE), and the Wahiba Sands (Oman), supported by evidence including occurrence of barnacle colonies in living position, remnant bioclastic shoreline deposits, undisturbed varve formation, shallowing-up lacustrine sequences, various aquatic freshwater, brackish and saline micro- and macrofossils, such as ichnofaunal remains, which are the result of prolonged field-based research. While the precise depth, hydrology and ecology of these water bodies is still not entirely resolved, their perennial nature is indicative of a markedly increased precipitation regime, which, in combination with more abundant groundwater and increased spring outflow in terminal basins fed by charged aquifers, was sufficient to overcome evaporative losses. The palaeolakes' influence on sustaining prehistoric populations is corroborated by the presence of rich archaeological evidence. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Engel, Max UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-2271-4229 UNSPECIFIED Matter, Albert UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Parker, Adrian G. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Parton, Ash UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Petraglia, Michael D. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Preston, Gareth W. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Preusser, Frank UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-247445
DOI:	10.1016/j.gloplacha.2016.11.001
Journal or Publication Title:	Glob. Planet. Change
Volume:	148
Page Range:	S. 258 - 268
Date:	2017
Publisher:	ELSEVIER
Place of Publication:	AMSTERDAM
ISSN:	1872-6364
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language WAHIBA SAND SEA; SAUDI-ARABIA; HUMAN OCCUPATION; STABLE-ISOTOPES; PERSIAN-GULF; KHALI DESERT; HUMID PERIOD; THAR DESERT; PLEISTOCENE; QUATERNARY Multiple languages Geography, Physical; Geosciences, Multidisciplinary Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/24744