The Acridian plagues, a new Holocene and Pleistocene palaeoclimatic indicator

The Acridian plagues, a new Holocene and Pleistocene palaeoclimatic indicator

Five palaeosols, intercalated within the Quaternary dune beds of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (Canary Islands), off the Moroccan coast, mark wetter climatic episodes. In all of them, billions of calcified insect ootheca testify to past occurrences of Acridian plagues, such as those reaching the weste...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Global and planetary change 2010-07, Vol.72 (4), p.318-320
Main Authors: Meco, Joaquín, Petit-Maire, Nicole, Ballester, Javier, Betancort, Juan F., Ramos, Antonio J.G.
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Acridian plagues
Archaeology and Prehistory
Canary Islands
Coastal environments
Dunes
Holocene
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humidity
Indicators
Infestation
Insects
palaeoclimatic indicator
Pleistocene
Rainfall
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Summary:Five palaeosols, intercalated within the Quaternary dune beds of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (Canary Islands), off the Moroccan coast, mark wetter climatic episodes. In all of them, billions of calcified insect ootheca testify to past occurrences of Acridian plagues, such as those reaching the western Sahara following heavy rainfall events over the Sahel. The most massive infestation is in the Holocene, and should coincide with the climax of Saharo–Sahelian humidity at the peak of the present interglacial.
ISSN:0921-8181
1872-6364