Holocene climatic events in Northern Arabia - Environmental changes and human response

阿拉伯半岛在第四纪晚期经历了巨大的气候和地形变化。气候档案，如古湖泊和洞穴，表明了一个早期的全新世湿润时期和自那时以来的逐渐干旱，导致了今天阿拉伯主要地区的极度干旱条件。虽然有大量关于南部半岛的地方记录，但来自其北部的证据很少，关于潮湿条件的开始及其对自然景观和文化发展的影响的细节也不为人所知。这一建议旨在详细探索位于沙特阿拉伯西北部泰马的古湖或萨布哈独特的地理档案，这已经证明了其极好的适宜性。将生成与气候、景观和聚落有关的参数的高分辨率多代理记录，包括微相分布、碳酸盐(钙、镁、锶)、碳(总碳[TC]、总无机碳[TIC]、总有机碳[TOC])、稳定同位素(d13C、d15N、d18O)、指示性元素含量(微XRF)、磁化率、矿物学(X射线)、大型动物(腹足类贝壳、藤壶类)、介形类(多样性/丰度、瓣基同位素组成、痕量金属/钙比、瓣膜/壳比、幼体/成体比、溶解特征、筛孔分析、有孔虫(多样性/丰度，测试畸形)，硅藻(多样性/丰度，硅藻浓度，同位素组成，浮游生物/底栖动物比率)，回生硅藻，类脂生物标志物，花粉和无烟煤遗迹。这一记录，连同基于AMS-14C和OSL的可靠年表、绘制的以前湖泊水平的地貌特征图和泰马长期挖掘项目产生的广泛考古记录，将为一系列紧迫的研究问题提供答案，这些问题包括：局部和(超)区域尺度上的景观变化，早期全新世额外水分的来源，对快速气候变化的区域环境反应，以及气候和环境变化对聚落模式、社会技术演变和经济实践的影响。

The Arabian Peninsula experienced tremendous climatic and landscape changes during the late Quaternary. Climate archives, such as palaeo-lakes and speleothems, indicate an early Holocene humid period and gradual aridisation since then, leading to today's hyperarid conditions in major parts of Arabia. Whereas plenty of local records are available for the southern peninsula, evidence from its northern part is scarce and not many details regarding the onset of wet conditions and their impact on the physical landscape and cultural developments are known. This proposal aims at exploring the unique geoarchive of the palaeo-lake or sabkha, respectively, at Tayma (NW Saudi Arabia) in detail, which has already proven its excellent suitability. A high-resolution multi-proxy record of climate-, landscape-, and settlement-related parameters will be generated, including microfacies distribution, carbonate (Ca, Mg, Sr), carbon (total C [TC], total inorganic C [TIC], total organic C [TOC]), stable isotopes (d13C, d15N, d18O), indicative element content (micro-XRF), magnetic susceptibility, mineralogy (XRD), macrofauna (gastropod shells, barnacles), ostracods (diversity/abundance, valve-based isotopic composition, trace metal/Ca ratios, valve/carapace ratio, juvenile/adult ratio, dissolution features, sieve-pore analysis, noding, valve size distribution), foraminifers (diversity/abundance, test malformation), diatoms (diversity/abundance, diatom concentration, isotopic composition, planktic/benthic ratio), gyrogonites, lipid biomarkers, pollen and anthracological remains. This record, together with a robust AMS-14C- and OSL-based chronology, mapped geomorphic features of former lake level stands and the extensive archaeological record generated by a long-term excavation project at Tayma, will provide answers to a wide spectrum of burning research questions regarding landscape changes on a local and (supra-)regional scale, the source of additional early Holocene moisture, regional environmental response to rapid climate changes, and the influence on climatic and environmental changes on settlement patterns, socio-technological evolution, and economic practices.