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A new approach to detecting vegetation and land-use change using high-resolution lipid biomarker records in stalagmites

Lookup NU author(s): Alison Blyth, Dr Andrew Baker

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Abstract

A hundred-year stalagmite lipid biomarker record from Mechara, southeastern Ethiopia, is presented. The record has been recovered at a 10-yr temporal resolution, marking the first time this has been achieved in stalagmite biomarker work and providing the first opportunity to investigate the relationship between stalagmite lipid records and hydrological transport lags, a vital issue in interpreting palaeoenvironmental signals. Preserved plant-derived n-alkanes and n-alkanols show clear changes in composition over time, relating to known land-use changes in the area, particularly the expansion of agriculture in the early twentieth century. The level of environmental detail provided by this technique, combined with the long-term chronological framework offered by stalagmites, holds significant promise for the investigation of early human environments and their associated climatic and anthropogenic controls. © 2007 University of Washington.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Blyth AJ, Asrat A, Baker A, Gulliver P, Leng MJ, Genty D

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Quaternary Research

Year: 2007

Volume: 68

Issue: 3

Pages: 314-324

ISSN (print): 0033-5894

ISSN (electronic): 1096-0287

Publisher: Academic Press

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2007.08.002

DOI: 10.1016/j.yqres.2007.08.002

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