LATE GLACIAL/ EARLY HOLOCENE CLIMATE TRENDS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN OBTAINED FROM FORAMINIFERA

The Mediterranean basin is located in the transition zone between a humid climate to the north (North Atlantic climate system) and an arid climate to the south (North African monsoonal climate). Any change in climate is amplified in this region due to a moving boundary between these two climate systems. Climate variability is important in areas where water is limited, which has a great effect on the organisms living in the Mediterranean region. In addition, the record of human history in this area is extensive and includes the first development and spread of agriculture. Many studies hypothesize that abrupt climatic events in the past have coincided with social reorganizations. Hence, an understanding of abrupt climate changes in the past may help modern humans adjust to present climate changes.

Faunal techniques were used to obtain a high-resolution record of environmental conditions in the Mediterranean during the late Glacial and early Holocene. Preliminary results from faunal assemblages from the Tyrrhenian Sea and Ionian Seas indicate a general warming trend through time with several sharp climatic changes in the early Holocene. These data are consistent with published alkenone records in the Mediterranean Basin.