SESS 5_16022011_edi as.pub Il Quaternario Italian Journal of Quaternary Sciences 24, (Abstract AIQUA, Roma 02/2011), Congresso AIQUA Il Quaternario Italiano: conoscenze e prospettive Roma 24 e 25 febbraio 2011 THE CLIMATIC CHANGES BETWEEN 5 AND 3 KYR CAL BP IN CENTRAL MEDITERRANEAN: NEW DATA Giovanni Zanchetta 1, N. Russell Drysdale 2, Laura Sadori 3, Carlo Giraudi 4, Ilaria Isola 5 & Eleonora Regattieri 1 1Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, University of Pisa, Via S. Maria 53, 56126 Pisa, Italy 2Department of Resource Management and Geography, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia 3 Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale, Università “La Sapienza”, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Roma, Italy 4ENEA, C.R. Casaccia, Strada provinciale Anguillarese,00123 Santa Maria di Galeria, Roma; 5Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Pisa, Via della Faggiola 32, 56126 Pisa, Italy Corresponding author: G. Zanchetta ABSTRACT: Zanchetta et al., The climatic changes between 5 and 3 kyr cal bp in central Mediterranean: new data. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2011) Middle Holocene to Late Holocene transition is particularly relevant because marks the passage at two distinct climatic modes. The collation of new and the revision of old data indicates that in central Mediterranean this period is characteri- sed by a series of dry/wet climatic phases with pronounced climatic deterioration centred at ca. 4 and 3.5-3.3 ka cal BP. RIASSUNTO: Zanchetta et al., I cambiamenti climatici tra 5 e 3 ka cal bp nel Mediterraneo centrale alla luce dei nuovi dati. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2011) Il periodo di transizione tra l’Olocene medio e l’Olocene superiore è particolarmente interessante in quanto rappresenta il passaggio tra due modi di funzionamento climatico. La revisione dei dati disponibili in letteratura associati a nuovi dati recentemente ottenuti nel mediterraneo centrale permette di osservare che questo periodo è caratterizzato da una com- plessa successione di fasi più aride e più umide con almeno due momenti di pronunciata fase di deterioramento climati- co a ca. 4 e 3,5-3,3 ka cal BP. Keywords: Central mediterranean, climatic changes, Holocene Parole chiave: Mediterraneo centrale, cambiamenti climatici, Olocene The predictions on future climate suggest that changes in rainfall and water resources will have important socio-economic and political impacts over the Mediterranean region (e.g. LIONELLO et al., 2006). Therefore, understanding the past cli- matic and hydrological variability in this area is an essential prerequisite for establishing future cli- mate scenarios and the possible impact on human society. Of particular relevance is the study of the last ca 5000-6000 years because the boundary conditions of the climate system did not change dramatically (in comparison to larger glacial– interglacial changes or at the beginning of Holo- cene), and represent the period of general estab- lishment of an environment and climate which can be compared directly to modern condition (e.g. WANNER et al., 2008). Climatic change between ca 5 and 3 ka is of particular interest with a succes- sion of dry/wet oscillations, which may have had profound effect on civilizations (e.g. STAUBWASSER & WEISS, 2006). The complexity of this period over Central Mediterranean has been recently pointed our by MAGNY et al., (2009). Data from Balkans lakes (Shkodra, Prespa, Ohrid, LENG et al., 2010; ZANCHETTA et al., submitted), speleothems from Apuan Alps (DRYSDALE et al., 2007; ZANCHETTA et al., 2007) which indicate that prominent event of climatic deteriorations (including the renewal growth of the Calderone Glacier, marking the onset of the Apennine “Neoglacial” GIRAUDI et al., 2011) occurred at ca 4 ka, 3.5-3.3 ka. In may record pos- sessing poor chronological resolutions potentially these events may appears progressively dia- chronic or can be easily confounded, but the detailed tephrostratigraphy available for this period (ZANCHETTA et al., 2011) can help in solving some the dilemma. REFERENCES DRYSDALE R.N., ZANCHETTA G., HELLSTROM J.C., MAAS R., FALLICK A.E., PICKETT M., CARTWRIGHT I. & PICCINI L. (2006) - Late Holocene drought responsible for the collapse of Old World civilizations is recorded in an Italian cave flowstone. Geology 34, 101-104. LIONELLO P., MALANOTTE-RIZZOLI P. & BOSCOLO, R. (2006) - Mediterranean Climate Variability. 4, Elsevier, The Netherlands. GIRAUDI C., MAGNY M., ZANCHETTA G. & DRYSDALE R.N. (2011) - The Holocene climatic evolution of Mediterra- nean Italy: A review of the continental geological data. The Holocene, DOI: 10.1177/0959683610377529. LENG M.J., BANESCHI I., ZANCHETTA G., JEX C., WAGNER H. & VOGEL H. (2010) - Late Quaternary palaeoenviron- mental reconstruction from Lakes Ohrid and Prespa (Macedonia/Albania border) using stable isotopes. Bio- geosciences in press. MAGNY M., VANNIERE B., ZANCHETTA G., FOUACHE E., 223 - 224 224 Ms. received: Testo ricevuto il TOUCHIAS G., PETRIKA L., COUSSOT C., WALTER- SIMONNET A-V. & ARNOUD F. (2009) - Possible com- plexity of the climatic event around 4300-3800 cal. BP in the central and western Mediterranean. The Holo- cene, 19, 1-11. STAUBWASSER M. & WEISS H. (2006) - Holocene climate and cultural evolution in late prehistoric–early historic West Asia. Quaternary Research, 66, 372–387. WANNER H., BEER J., BÜTIKOFER J., CROWLEY, T.J., CUBASCH, U., FLÜCKIGE J., GOOSSE H., GROSJEAN H., JOOS F., KAPLAN J.O., KÜTTEL M., MÜLLER S., PRENTICE C., SOLOMINA O., STOCKER T.F., TARASOV P., WAGNER M. & WIDMANN M. (2008) - Mid- to Late Holocene cli- mate change: an overview. Quaternary Science Re- views, 27, 1791–1828. ZANCHETTA G., DRYSDALE R.N., HELLSTROM J.C., FALLICK A.E., ISOLA I., GAGAN M. & PARESCHI M.T. (2007) - En- hanced rainfall in the western Mediterranean during deposition of Sapropel S1: stalagmite evidence from Corchia Cave (Central Italy). Quaternary Science Re- view, 26, 279-286. ZANCHETTA G., SULPIZIO R., ROBERTS N., CIONI R., EA- STWOOD W.J., SIANI G., CARON B., PATERNE M. & SAN- TACROCE R. (2011) - Tephrostratigraphy, chronology and climatic events of the Mediterranean basin during the Holocene: an overview. The Holocene, DOI: 10.1177/0959683610377531. January 5, 2011 5 gennaio 2011 Zanchetta et al.