The impact of agriculture on Post-Glacial lake sedimentation in Europe Term Paper

The impact of agriculture on Post-Glacial lake sedimentation in Europe - Term Paper Example In this study, the use of sediments from this high elevation lake in a paleoecological study provides an overview of climate change, vegetation and human influence. Early records show a domination of Pinus, and Betula pollens with deciduous Quercus and grasses or shrubs. Aquatic microfossils have indicated that wet seasons and high levels of the lake occurred in the years preceding 7800 cal yr BP. This was in the contrary to the occurrence of such climatic conditions in the lower elevation. These conditions appeared after 7800 cal yr BP. Lager disparities in the early Holocene seasonal insolation might have led to bigger snowpack and hence ensuing higher lake levels within the greater elevations. Dry conditions within high elevations began in 5700 cal yr BP accompanied by reduction in pollen in wetlands. The observed decline in mesophytes in this lake is a phenomenal also observed in other parts of Europe. This era marked the transition of mid to late Holocene. After 3700 years ago, human disturbance rapidly engulfed the Laguna de Rio Seco as evidenced by agricultural activities of herbivore grazing and pastoralism. Direct influence by humans in form of agricultural farming was extensive in the last hundred years as evidenced by Olea, Pinus and Zea mays pollen (Anderson, R., et al., 21). Introduction The production, movement and deposition of sediments within mountain ecosystems are impacted by various factors. These factors may be categorized into three groups including proximal, distal and local controls. Proximal factors are exemplified by climatic changes, glaciations, vegetation cover and relief. Distal factors are mostly dependent on altitudes and as such are affected by base levels. Finally, local controls are best portrayed by human influence such as agriculture and other human related activities. The paleoecological research and study of mountain ecosystems is vital for the documentation of effects related to climate warming. Moreover, these studies ai d in the prediction of future adverse impacts. There is the need to delink the relative impact of either climatic deviations or human disturbance from ecological shifts. A common approach is to carry out a comparison of ecological shifts before and after the growth of human activities. These ecological time zones are exemplified by glaciation and post glaciation period to the last millennia era. The later time periods have seen a gradual increase and intensified transformations in mountain ecology and ecosystems (Anderson et al., 29). A case study on impact of agriculture on post glacial sedimentation in lakes in Europe is well depicted in Sierra Nevada. This is a massive physical geographical feature which has a rich diversity in cultural heritage and biological components. Additionally, it is the highest range in Europe outside the Alps and is the biggest in size as a mountain range in southern Spain. This immense feature is located in the Andalucia region. It has had various inha bitants as early as Neolithic era or perhaps even earlier. Human exploitation on this vital area includes the eras of Chalcolithic, Argaric, Iron-Age, Romans, Goths and Christians. All the people who have inhabited this region have ensured that their activities have contributed to a change in the surrounding ecosystem particularly on sedimentation. Spanning to