Quaternary paleoenvironments and paleoclimate in the Mediterranean area

ADELE BERTINI and NATHALIE COMBOURIEU-NEBOUT
(DST, Università di Firenze; UMR 7194 CNRS, Parigi)

The future of Mediterranean ecosystems and landscapes is clearly tied to water availability and global climate change. While modern vegetation data from the region provide a baseline for understanding relationships between aridity and vegetation composition, paleoecological records bring support for understanding vegetation responses at longer time scales. Paleoecological records show that aridity, as a feature of the Mediterranean basin, appeared early, gradually increasing up to the present time. Italy represents one of the most informative Mediterranean areas to: (i) reconstruct the response of vegetation to various climatic stresses; and (ii) assess the likely future behaviour of Mediterranean plants. Furthermore, the Italy's rich geological and stratigraphical record makes it (iii) a significant source of information on the history of Mediterranean.

This course focuses on understanding the:
1. response of vegetation/environment (from 2.6 Ma) to variations in climatic forcing on orbital and millennial/submillennial (e.g. Heinrich events, D-O, Bond cycles) timescales;
2. driving and environmental context of the phases of migration and successive colonization of hominins;
3. interglacial features from 2.6 Ma for a better evaluation of the future and length of the Holocene.

Quaternary paleoenvironments and paleoclimate in the Mediterranean area

PROGRAMMA

27.11.2017

14.30-17.30 (3 hours) - Introduction on paleoenvironment and paleoclimate changes in the Mediterranean during the Quaternary with special focus on the Italian peninsula. (“AULA E”)

28.11.2017

10.00-11.00 (1h) - From the samples to the palynological slides: illustration of the chemical-physical treatment of marine and continental sediments. (Laboratory of Palynology of the DST of Firenze).
11.00-13 (2h) - The palynological methods: Pollen, spores and dinocysts morphology, palynofacies; countings, palynological diagrams. (Stanza n. 96)
14.30-16.30 (2h) - Cases of study in the whole Mediterranean area and application of transfer functions to reconstruct paleoclimatic parameters (T, P, ...). (“AULA E”)
16.30-18.30 (2h) - The palynological methods: Pollen, spores and dinocysts morphology; palynofacies; countings, palynological diagrams. (“AULA E”)

29.11.2017

10.00-13.00 (3h) - The palynological methods: pollen, spores and dinocysts morphology, palynofacies; countings, palynological diagrams. (Stanza n. 96)
14.30-17.30 (3h) - Practical palynology: excercises, flora, vegetation, climate, human impact, comparison with other marine and continental proxies. (“AULA B”)
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Sede del seminario: Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, via G. La Pira 4 Firenze (Aule E e B, Laboratorio di Palinologia, Stanza n. 96) .
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Nota bene

In nero sono riportate le lezioni per un totale di 8 ore (1CFU) come inizialmente programmato per Corso di Dottorato.
Nell’ambito di Erasmus saranno effettuate anche ore di esercitazione (totale ore lezioni + esercitazioni: 16), specificate sopra in rosso. Queste ultime sono comunque aperte a tutti gli eventuali interessati.

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