Publications by authors named "Charlie S Bristow"
West African monsoon dynamics inferred from abrupt fluctuations of Lake Mega-Chad.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
July 2015
Article Synopsis
- The African Humid Period, from the deglacial to mid-Holocene, marked a time of significantly wetter conditions in North Africa, with the lakes and landscapes differing greatly from today's arid environment.
- Evidence gathered indicates that Lake Mega-Chad reached its highest levels around 11.5 thousand years ago (ka), but experienced a sudden drop in water levels by around 5 ka, suggesting an abrupt end to the humid conditions.
- The study highlights the recent desiccation of the Bodélé Basin, where dust production and its ecological impacts might have been overstated or only recently emerged in the last 1,000 years.
Ancient watercourses and biogeography of the Sahara explain the peopling of the desert.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2011
Evidence increasingly suggests that sub-Saharan Africa is at the center of human evolution and understanding routes of dispersal "out of Africa" is thus becoming increasingly important. The Sahara Desert is considered by many to be an obstacle to these dispersals and a Nile corridor route has been proposed to cross it. Here we provide evidence that the Sahara was not an effective barrier and indicate how both animals and humans populated it during past humid phases.
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