Cited by 334Geology and Paleoclimatology ResearchPleistocene-Era Hominins and ArchaeologySoil and Environmental Studies

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Dynamics of Green Sahara Periods and Their Role in Hominin Evolution

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Larrasoaña, Juan C., Roberts, Andrew P., Rohling, Eelco J.·2013·PLoS ONE

DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0076514PMC PMC3797788

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Abstract

Astronomically forced insolation changes have driven monsoon dynamics and recurrent humid episodes in North Africa, resulting in green Sahara Periods (GSPs) with savannah expansion throughout most of the desert. Despite their potential for expanding the area of prime hominin habitats and favouring out-of-Africa dispersals, GSPs have not been incorporated into the narrative of hominin evolution due to poor knowledge of their timing, dynamics and landscape composition at evolutionary timescales. We present a compilation of continental and marine paleoenvironmental records from within and around North Africa, which enables identification of over 230 GSPs within the last 8 million years. By combining the main climatological determinants of woody cover in tropical Africa with paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic data for representative (Holocene and Eemian) GSPs, we estimate precipitation regimes and habitat distributions during GSPs. Their chronology is consistent with the ages of Saharan archeological and fossil hominin sites. Each GSP took 2-3 kyr to develop, peaked over 4-8 kyr, biogeographically connected the African tropics to African and Eurasian mid latitudes, and ended within 2-3 kyr, which resulted in rapid habitat fragmentation. We argue that the well-dated succession of GSPs presented here may have played an important role in migration and evolution of hominins.

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Authors: Larrasoaña, J. C., Roberts, A. P., & Rohling, E. J.
Affiliations: Australian National University (AU)
Corresponding author: Larrasoaña, Juan C.
ORCID: Larrasoaña, Juan C.
Roberts, Andrew P.
Rohling, Eelco J.
Venue: PLoS ONE
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published: 2013-10-16
Volume: 8
Issue: 10
Pages: e76514
ISSN: 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0076514
PMC: PMC3797788
OpenAlex: W2018031694
Cited by: 334
References: 104
Citations by year: 2026: 17 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 35 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 40 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 2
FWCI: 8.25
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: gold
doi.org
Licence: cc-by
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (unspecified)
Locations: PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (acceptedVersion)
ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Institutional Archive of Ifremer (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Zaguan (Universidad de Zaragoza) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders: Natural Environment Research Council (NE/I009906/1, NE/H004424/1, NE/E01531X/1)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
Social Sciences › Anthropology › Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil and Environmental Studies
Keywords: hominin evolution, monsoon dynamics, insolation forcing, savannah expansion, paleoenvironmental records, paleoclimate, woody cover, precipitation regime, habitat fragmentation, dispersal out of Africa, Holocene, Last Interglacial, North Africa, paleoecology
MeSH terms: Africa, Northern, Animals, Climate, Biological Evolution, Rain, Time Factors, Tropical Climate, Hominidae, Ecosystem, Phylogeography

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Dynamics of Green Sahara Periods and Their Role in Hominin Evolution

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