Variability to sedimentary dynamics and climatic conditions during the last two millennia at sebkha Souassi in eastern Tunisia

Essefi Elhoucine, Yaicha Chokri, Jmaa Hayet Ben, Touir Jamel and Tagortig Mohamed Ali
Additional contact information
Yaicha Chokri: National Engineering School of Sfax, Road of Soukra, km 4 Zip code 3038, University of Sfax, Road of the Airport km 0.5, Zip code: 3029, Tunisia.
Jmaa Hayet Ben: Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Sfax, Road of the Airport 5, Zip code 3023, University of Sfax, Tunisia.
Touir Jamel: Laboratory of Water Energy and Environment, National Engineering School of Sfax, University of Sfax, Tunisia.
Tagortig Mohamed Ali: Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Monastir, Tahar Haded A venue,Zip code 5000, Monastir; University of Monastir. Road Sallem Bechir – B.P. n° 56 – 5000 Monastir, Tunisia.

Papers on Global Change IGBP, 2013, vol. 20, issue 1, 29-45

Abstract: This paper covers work intended to study the interplay of sedimentary dynamics and climatic variability over the last two millennia within Tunisia’s sebkha Souassi. Based on the Visual Core Description, and magnetic susceptibility, we date the core from sebkha Souassi to the last two millennia. Genetic grain-size distribution then provided a basis for the identification of six climatic stages, i.e. the Warming Present (WP), the Late Little Ice Age (Late LIA), the Early Little Ice Age (ELIA), the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA), the Dark Ages (DA), and the Roman Warm Period (RWP). The WP stretches across the uppermost 3 cm, with a high grey scale indicating a dry climate. The Late LIA is located between 3 and 7 cm, and the ELIA between 7 and 28 cm. Intermediate values for GS indicate that this stage may be classified as moderate. The MCA spanning from 28 to 40 cm is marked by a sharp decrease in GS indicative of a wet period. The DA appear along the part between 40 and 79 cm, a shift from light to dark sediments being recorded. The RWP in turn appears between 79 and 114 cm. Based on the grain-size distribution, two low-frequency cycles were identified, indicating radical global changes in climatic conditions, differential tectonics and groundwater fluctuations. High-frequency cycles in turn attest to local modifications of climatic conditions.

Date: 2013
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.2478/igbp-2013-0001 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:paoglc:v:20:y:2013:i:1:p:29-45:n:1

DOI: 10.2478/igbp-2013-0001

Access Statistics for this article

Papers on Global Change IGBP is currently edited by Małgorzata Gutry-Korycka

More articles in Papers on Global Change IGBP from Sciendo
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Peter Golla ().