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Paleoenvironmental Changes in the Lake Baringo Basin, Kenya, East Africa Since AD 1650: Evidence from the Paleorecord∗

2009; Routledge; Volume: 61; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00330120903143425

1467-9272

Lawrence M. Kiage, Kam‐biu Liu,

Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology

Abstract This article presents some of the findings of a multi-indicator investigation of the history of vegetational changes and land degradation in the Lake Baringo basin, Kenya, East Africa, during the Late Holocene. 14C- and 210Pb-dated record of the lithostratigraphy is used to reconstruct the paleoenvironment in the region of the lake. The stratigraphic record from Lake Baringo reveals the presence of two abrupt dry episodes at ca. AD 1650 and AD 1720 in east Africa that led to drying up of the lake. The record also shows evidence of a third period of desiccation at ca. AD 1880, which resulted in lowering of the lake level and is corroborated by oral tradition from the area. This article shows the potential of how the paleoenvironmental record can be combined with the historical record to understand East Africa's paleoenvironment. En este artículo se presentan algunos de los hallazgos logrados en una investigación de multi-indicadores de la historia de cambios vegetacionales y degradación de la tierra durante el Holoceno tardío en la cuenca del Lago Baringo de Kenya, África Oriental. El método 14C and 210Pb para datar la litoestratigrafía fue utilizado para reconstruir el paleoentorno en la región del lago. El registro estratigráfico del Lago Baringo revela dos episodios secos abruptos que ocurrieron en África Oriental alrededor de 1650 d.C. y 1720 d.C., durante los cuales el lago se secó. En los registros también se encuentra evidencia de un tercer período de desecación en ca. 1880 d.C., que ocasionó descenso en el nivel del lago, lo cual está corroborado en el área por tradición oral. Este artículo muestra el potencial que tienen los registros paleoambientales en combinación con los datos históricos para comprender el paleoentorno de África Oriental. Key Words: East AfricaLake Baringoland degradationpaleoenvironmentvegetation change关键词: 东非巴拉戈湖土地退化古环境植被变化Palabras clave: África OrientalLago Baringodegradación de la tierrapaleoentornocambios de la vegetación LAWRENCE M. KIAGE is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302. E-mail: lkiage@gsu.edu. His research interests include biogeography, palynology, paleotempestology, remote sensing, geographic information systems, and paleoecology. KAM-BIU LIU is the George William Barineau III Distinguished Professor, Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. E-mail: kliu1@lsu.edu. His research interests include biogeography, palynology, paleotempestology, and global environmental change. Notes aSediment age at depth is estimated based on pollen of introduced species. aDrought episodes not apparent in the stratigraphic record but available in oral history and recorded by early explorers. bData missing for several years. ∗The authors would like to thank Dr. Jason T. Knowles, James Kiage, and John Omonywa for their invaluable help in the field. Mary Lee Eggart and Clifford Duplechin are thanked for professional assistance with illustrations. This research was supported by generous grants from the National Science Foundation (Grant No. BCS-0503334), the Geological Society of America (Grant No. 7712-04), the Sigma-Xi National Research Society, the R. J. Russell Field Research Award-Louisiana State University, and the R. C. West Field Research Award-Louisiana State University.