Elsevier S & T

Tropical and sub-tropical West Africa - Marine and continental changes during the Late Quaternary

Giresse, P.

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Table of contents
  • Cover
  • Contentsv
  • Acknowledgmentsvii
  • Introductionix
  • Part I Present Terrestrial Environments1
  • Chapter 1 Geological and Morphological Setting3
  • 1. General Geological Setting3
  • 2. Morphological Setting3
  • Chapter 2 Atmospheric Circulation, Climatic Mechanisms, and African Climate7
  • 1. Atmospheric Mass and Flows7
  • 2. Climatic Mechanisms and Seasonal Variations9
  • 3. Climatic Zonation and Annual Rainfall Variability10
  • Chapter 3 Characteristics of the Soils and Present Day Vegetation of Tropical West Africa15
  • 1. Characteristics of the Soils of Tropical West Africa15
  • 2. Present Day Vegetation15
  • Chapter 4 Present Fluxes of Suspended and Dissolved Matter in Rivers19
  • 1. Discharges and River Flow19
  • 2. Suspended Matter Fluxes23
  • 3. Dissolved Material Export24
  • 4. General Budget, Remarks28
  • Chapter 5 Present Aeolian Dust Transport29
  • 1. Kinetic Energy of the Wind29
  • 2. Vertical and Areal Atmospheric Distribution of Saharan and Namibian Dust32
  • 3. Particle-Size, Mineralogy, Source Area35
  • 4. Distribution of Wind-Borne Dusts on the African Continent39
  • Part II Present Oceanic Environments41
  • Chapter 6 Atlantic Ocean Circulation – Leakage with Climatic Fluctuations43
  • 1. Deep-Water Mass Circulation43
  • 2. Dynamic of Surface Circulation45
  • 3. Heat Transfer and Ocean-Climate System48
  • 4. Associated Productivity Pattern50
  • Chapter 7 Suspended Matter and Particle Fluxes in the Eastern Atlantic55
  • 1. Surface Suspended Matter55
  • 2. Suspended Matter in the Deep-Water58
  • Chapter 8 Present Oceanic Deposition61
  • 1. Distribution of Wind-Borne Dust (mainly from Saharan Region)61
  • 2. River Transported Mineral Debris (Clay Minerals, Quartz)65
  • 3. Calcium Carbonates68
  • 4. Organic Carbon70
  • 5. Biogenic Opal73
  • 6. Classification and General Distribution of Bottom Sediments Beyond the Continental Shelf74
  • 7. Sediment Depositional Processes (Turbidity Currents, Pelagic Setting, and Non-Deposition)76
  • 8. Weight Rates of Deposition and Fluxes80
  • Part III Deep-Sea Record of Late Quaternary Change83
  • Chapter 9 Changes Deduced from Foraminiferal Assemblages, their Isotopic Composition and from Alkeno85
  • 1. Oxygen Isotope Records of Foraminifers from Deep-Sea Sediments85
  • 2. Planktonic and Benthic Foraminiferal Fauna Composition96
  • 4. Estimated Sea Surface Temperatures and Function Transfer, 0–20,000 yr BP-CLIMAP Reconstruction101
  • 5. Carbon Isotope Records of Foraminifer from Deep-Sea Sediments115
  • 6. Evidence from Alkenones for Sea Surface Temperatures125
  • Chapter 10 Changes Deduced from Other Planktonic Components133
  • 1. Diatom Flora133
  • 2. Radiolarian Fauna138
  • 3. Coccolithophoridae and Dinoflagellate Flora140
  • Chapter 11 An Attempt to Model Glacial-Holocene Contrasts in Surface Waters of the Eastern Atlantic147
  • 1. Temperature Difference in Surface Waters between Present Day and Last Glacial Maximum147
  • 2. Displacement of the Benguela Current – Precessional Forcing, Scales and Processes148
  • 3. Events in an Ice-Age Cycle150
  • 4. Younger Dryas Event in the Tropical Atlantic Waters151
  • 5. Climatic Fluctuations After 3,000 yr BP152
  • Chapter 12 Changes Deduced from Pollen155
  • 1. Some Long-Term Records155
  • 2. Last 150,000 yr Time Slices of Vegetation Changes158
  • 3. General Vegetation Changes Recorded in Marine and Terrestrial Sites163
  • Chapter 13 Changes Deduced from Atmospheric Dust Transport165
  • 1. Long-Term Trends165
  • 2. Changes During the Last 125,000 Years170
  • 3. Equatorial Records from Deep-Sea Sediments174
  • 4. Southern Hemisphere Records from Deep-Sea Sediments175
  • Chapter 14 Changes Deduced from Carbonate Depositional System177
  • 1. Long-Term General Fluctuations in the Lysocline and the CCD177
  • 2. Sharp Fluctuations in CaCO3 Content Below or Near the CCD178
  • 3. Fluctuations in Carbonate Contents in Sediments Above the CCD180
  • Chapter 15 Changes Deduced from Other Biogenic Components183
  • 1. Organic Carbon Accumulation183
  • 2. Biogenic Opal Accumulation193
  • Chapter 16 Changes Deduced from Clay Minerals Assemblages203
  • 1. Long-Term Clay Minerals Changes – A Summary203
  • 2. Clay Minerals Changes During Pleistocene Times203
  • 3. Clay Mineral Changes During the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition206
  • Chapter 17 Sediment Accumulation Rates and Fluxes213
  • 1. Long-Term Records of Mass Fluxes and Sediment Accumulation Rates213
  • 2. Mass Fluxes and Sediment Accumulation Rates in the Pleistocene214
  • 3. Late Quaternary Mass Fluxes and Sediment Accumulation Rates217
  • Part IV Land-Ocean Boundary: Continental Shelf and Shoreline Records of Late Quaternary Changes225
  • Chapter 18 Sea Level Fluctuation on the Atlantic Margin of Africa During the Past 125,000 Years227
  • 1. Onshore Quaternary Shorelines Evidences227
  • 2. Submarine Quaternary Shoreline Evidences230
  • Chapter 19 Successive Continental Shelf Sedimentation Related to Climatic and Sea Level Changes233
  • 1. Introduction233
  • 2. The Northern Arid Zone233
  • 3. The Tropical Humid Zone237
  • 4. The Southern Arid Zone244
  • Chapter 20 Neoformation Processes (Green Clay Grains, Phosphate, and Carbonate)249
  • 1. Green Clay Grains249
  • 2. Phosphates258
  • 3. Chemical Carbonates262
  • Part V Terrestrial Evidence of Late Quaternary Changes265
  • Chapter 21 Records in Lake Deposits267
  • 1. Tropical Belt Records267
  • 2. Lacustrine Records in the Sahel and Southern Sahara289
  • 3. Attempt of Assessment of Paleohydrological Data from the African Tropics299
  • Chapter 22 Inferences from Coastal Peats, Soils, Alluvial Deposits and Other Terrestrial Evidences301
  • 1. Coastal Peat Palaeoenvironments301
  • 2. Soils and Palaeosoils304
  • 3. Stone-Line (Stone-Layer) Complexes308
  • 4. Alluvial Terraces313
  • Part VI Climatic Evolution and Human Presence321
  • Chapter 23 Lithic Artefact Dating and Environment Context323
  • 1. Early Stone Age – Acheulian Techno-Complex324
  • 2. Middle Stone Age and Late Stone Age – Environmental Diversification328
  • 3. Neolithic and Iron Age: Early Farmers and Iron-Working People334
  • 4. Provisional Overall Picture of Human Development and Climatic Trend Interference337
  • Chapter 24 Landscape and Recent Human Development Implications339
  • 1. Tropical Deforestation in West Africa339
  • 2. Global Climate Sensivity to Tropical Deforestation341
  • 3. Human Impact on Erosion and Runoff344
  • 4. Erosivity Contiguous to the New Urban Centres348
  • 5. Specific Erosion of the Sides of Lakes on the Cameroon Line348
  • 6. Impact of River Control in West Africa352
  • Chapter 25 Anthropogenic Action and Global Change355
  • 1. Human Interference as a Possible Global Forcing Factor355
  • 2. Climatic Changes During the Last Thousand Years355
  • 3. Since When did the Ancestors Disturb the Natural System?357
  • References359
  • Index387
Book details
  • Vendor Elsevier S & T
  • SKU 9780444529848
  • ISBN-13 9780080556031
  • Author Giresse, P.
  • Category Science
  • Subject Geology

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West Africa and the eastern Atlantic stretching from Mauritania in the north to Namibia in the south offer a large latitudinal stretch incorporating nearly symmetrical climatic gradients from the Equator. On the time scale of Quaternary Glacial and Interglacial cycles, today, we possess well-documented and recently published marine sedimentary records showing changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulations and terrestrial fluxes. Deep-sea sediment records contain a wide range of palaeoenvironmental indicators like oxygen and carbon isotopes, alkenones, foraminiferal and other planktonic assemblages over time periods up to and greater than 125,000 years. These are signals of temperature and circulation shifts and allow Interglacial and Glacial comparisons on a regional and inter-hemispheric scale. However, this effort to synthesize the existing knowledge cannot yet aspire to a global modelling. Linking with terrestrial records, albeit spatially patchy and generally lacking a firm chronology, this book points to shorter time scale chronologies from lakes, marshes and river deposits. Diverse and not very wellknown literature, both French and English, is reported here. Lastly, the book records recent knowledge of the first steps of human occupation of frequently hostile environments and considers the environmental impact of ancient and modern societies.

* Covers the recent studies about marine Quaternary environments off West Africa, as well as continental Quaternary environments of tropical and sub-tropical West Africa (over 10,000 to 100,000 years)

* Compares the parallel between palae-oenvironmental trends according to latitudinal gradients