Article: Collapse of civilisations linked to monsoon changes

[Robert Kar]

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Collapse of civilisations linked to monsoon changes
a.. 11:13 04 January 2007=20
b.. NewScientist.com news service=20
c.. Catherine Brahic=20 The downfall of the one of the
greatest Chinese dynasties may have been = catalysed by
severe changes in climate. The same climate changes may =
have simultaneously led to the end of the Maya
civilisation depicted in = Mel Gibson's new film
Apocalypto.=20

So says Gerald Haug of the GeoForschungsZentrum in Germany and
= colleagues, who studied geological records of monsoons over
the past = 16,000 years. They have found a startling
correlation between climate = extremes and the fall of two
great civilisations: the Tang dynasty in = China and the Maya
of South America. "It blew me away," says Haug.

The records show that around the time that these civilizations
went into = decline, they experienced stronger than average
winds in the winter and = weaker summer monsoon rains. These
weak rains would have reduced crop = yields.

Records of monsoons beyond the last 50 years are difficult to
obtain. = Looking for signs of monsoon trends in geological
records going back = thousands of years can help solve this
problem. In China, stalagmites = provide the best available
historical record of summer monsoon rains, = says Haug, as
more rain increases the amount of water dripping down from =
the roofs of caves. But until now, there has been no reliable
estimate = of winter winds.=20

Iron and titanium Haug and his colleagues solved this problem
by studying the sediments = deposited at the bottom of Lake
Hugauang Maar in southeastern China. The = sediments are made
up primarily of material deposited there by winter = monsoon
winds because the catchment area is small, meaning very few =
streams bring in sediments from other sources. As a result,
the = sediments provide an accurate historical record of the
strength of the = winter monsoon winds.

The researchers looked at iron and titanium levels in a
sediment core = that was extracted from the lake floor. The
oxidation level of the iron = told them how much oxygen was
present in the lake waters when the = sediments were
deposited, and therefore how much wind was stirring up = the
lake surface. Titanium in particles is non-reactive and the =
quantities accumulated in the layers of sediment provided
another = measure of wind strength.

When they compared the 16,000 years represented by the mud
core, the = researchers found that years of strong winter
winds corresponded very = closely to strong summer rains and
vice versa. "Our sediment data = provides a mirror image to
summer records in stalagmites," explains = Haug.=20

The researchers believe the only coherent explanation for the
summer and = winter trends and is a shift in the position of a
band of low-pressure = that girdles the Earth, known as the
inter-tropical convergence zone, or = ITCZ.=20

They found that when warm temperatures in the Northern
hemisphere = indicated a northward shift of the ITCZ, summer
monsoon rains were = strong and winter monsoon winds were
weak. "It seems possible that major = shifts in ITCZ catalysed
simultaneous events in civilisations on = opposite sides of
the Pacific Ocean," conclude the researchers in a = paper in
Nature.=20

Catalysing effect Previously, Haug had shown that the
repetitive periods of decline of the = Mayan civilisation in
Latin America corresponded to dry periods on that =
continent.=20

The Maya civilisation and Tang dynasty were contemporary and
there is a = striking similarity between the Chinese and Latin
American climate data. = These include a general shift towards
a drier climate around AD 750 and = three very dry periods
between then and AD 910, the last of which = coincides with
both the Maya and the Tang collapse.

"I am not a historian," cautions Haug, but "there is a
coincidence at = least". He says his work is part of "a
growing piece of evidence that = climate has catalysing effect
on societies".

Analysing historical monsoon records can be extremely useful
in making = future climate predictions. For instance, some
researchers suggest that = strong summer monsoon rains are
preceded by weak winter winds. If true, = this theory could
prove extremely useful in preparing agriculture for a =
difficult year ahead.=20

Journal reference: Nature (vol 445, p 74)

Source: NewScientist http://environment.newscientist.com/arti-
cle/dn10884?DCMP=3DNLC-nletter&ns= ref=3Ddn10884

--=20 Posted by Robert Karl Stonjek

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content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.3790.1218" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY> <DIV id=3DartHeadline> <H1
class=3Dinline><FONT size=3D5>Collapse of civilisations linked
to = monsoon=20 changes</FONT></H1></DIV> <UL class=3D"notlist
highlight" id=3Dartdetails>
<LI>11:13 04 January 2007=20
<LII>NewScientist.com news service=20
<LII><A>Catherine Brahic</B> </LI></UL>
<DIV>
<DIW>The downfall of the one of the greatest Chinese
dynasties may have = been=20 catalysed by severe changes
in climate. The same climate changes may = have=20
simultaneously led to the end of the Maya civilisation
depicted in Mel = Gibson's=20 new film
<I>Apocalypto</I>. </P>
<DIX>So says Gerald Haug of the GeoForschungsZentrum in
Germany and = colleagues,=20 who studied geological
records of monsoons over the past 16,000 years. = They
have=20 found a startling correlation between climate
extremes and the fall of = two great=20 civilisations:
the Tang dynasty in China and the Maya of South
America. =
=93It blew=20
me away," says Haug.</P>
<DIY>The records show that around the time that these
civilizations went = into=20 decline, they experienced
stronger than average winds in the winter and = weaker=20
summer monsoon rains. These weak rains would have reduced
crop = yields.</P>
<DIZ>Records of monsoons beyond the last 50 years are
difficult to obtain. = Looking=20 for signs of monsoon
trends in geological records going back thousands = of
years=20 can help solve this problem. In China,
stalagmites provide the best = available=20 historical
record of summer monsoon rains, says Haug, as more rain =
increases the=20 amount of water dripping down from the
roofs of caves. But until now, = there has=20 been no
reliable estimate of winter winds. </P>
<DIZ1><FONT size=3D4>Iron and titanium</FONT></H5>
<DIZ>Haug and his colleagues solved this problem by studying
the sediments =

deposited at the bottom of Lake Hugauang Maar in southeastern
China. The =

sediments are made up primarily of material deposited there by
winter = monsoon=20 winds because the catchment area is small,
meaning very few streams = bring in=20 sediments from other
sources. As a result, the sediments provide an = accurate=20
historical record of the strength of the winter monsoon
winds.</P>
<DIZ>The researchers looked at iron and titanium levels in a
sediment core = that=20 was extracted from the lake
floor. The oxidation level of the iron told = them how=20
much oxygen was present in the lake waters when the
sediments were = deposited,=20 and therefore how much
wind was stirring up the lake surface. Titanium = in=20
particles is non-reactive and the quantities accumulated
in the layers = of=20 sediment provided another measure
of wind strength.</P>
<DIZ>When they compared the 16,000 years represented by the
mud core, the=20 researchers found that years of strong
winter winds corresponded very = closely to=20 strong
summer rains and vice versa. "Our sediment data provides
a mirror = image=20 to summer records in stalagmites,"
explains Haug. </P>
<DIZ>The researchers believe the only coherent explanation for
the summer = and=20 winter trends and is a shift in the
position of a band of low-pressure = that=20 girdles the
Earth, known as the inter-tropical convergence zone, or =
ITCZ. </P>
<DIZ>They found that when warm temperatures in the Northern
hemisphere = indicated a=20 northward shift of the ITCZ,
summer monsoon rains were strong and winter = monsoon=20
winds were weak. "It seems possible that major shifts in
ITCZ catalysed=20 simultaneous events in civilisations on
opposite sides of the Pacific = Ocean,"=20 conclude the
researchers in a paper in <I>Nature</I>. </P>
<DIZ1><FONT size=3D4>Catalysing effect</FONT></H5>
<DIZ>Previously, Haug had shown that the repetitive periods of
decline of = the=20 Mayan civilisation in Latin America
corresponded to dry periods on that=20 continent. </P>
<DIZ>The Maya civilisation and Tang dynasty were contemporary
and there is = a=20 striking similarity between the
Chinese and Latin American climate data. = These=20
include a general shift towards a drier climate around AD
750 and three = very dry=20 periods between then and AD
910, the last of which coincides with both = the Maya=20
and the Tang collapse.</P>
<DIZ>"I am not a historian," cautions Haug, but "there is a
coincidence at = least".=20 He says his work is part of
"a growing piece of evidence that climate = has=20
catalysing effect on societies".</P>
<DIZ>Analysing historical monsoon records can be extremely
useful in = making future=20 climate predictions. For
instance, some researchers suggest that strong =
summer=20 monsoon rains are preceded by weak winter
winds. If true, this theory = could=20 prove extremely
useful in preparing agriculture for a difficult year =
ahead. </P>
<DIZ>Journal reference: <I>Nature</I> (vol 445, p 74)</P>
<DIZ>Source: NewScientist<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://environment-
.newscientist.com/article/dn10884?DCMP=3DNLC-nl= etter&a-
mp;nsref=3Ddn10884">http://environment.newscientist.com/-
article/dn=
10884?DCMP=3DNLC-nletter&amp;nsref=3Ddn10884</A></P>
<DIZ><BR>-- <BR>Posted by<BR>Robert Karl
Stonjek</P></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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[Chris]

This warrior class dominates Britain and workers are kept down
by knifing them in the brain in early life. It is all fixed.

Innovation is forcebly restricted by birth to the aristocrats
and as a consequence development is arrested.

Business have to be run by aristcrats (by birth defined by
lineage) and no "worker" ever gets anywhere.

Not a democracy but a theocracy. Ruled by aristocrats with a
divine right to do exactly as they please.

That is why in the United States of America guns are free
issue to keep the british aristcrats down - I suggest you in
america exclude aristcrats from Britain and ignore their
advice - its the money and their empire they want.

Perhaps global warming will bake them out.

"Day Brown" <daybrown@hughes.net> wrote in message
news:1168040407.928335.37560@s80g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Thanx for such an informative post Robert. The missing
> element in this analysis is alluded to in Jared Diamond's
> look at the Maya. The alpha male warrior class in charge of
> these empires setup extensive monoculture so as to have the
> most slaves for the least amount of input. Corn (maize) is
> really good for this, providing lotsa carbs so that the
> slaves have the energy to build monumental architecture, but
> lacking the higher quality proteins for optimal mental
> development.
>
> The middens of primitive less well organized hunter or
> agrarian tribes show a wide variety of wild foods in the
> diet which we now know provide necessary trace minerals like
> zinc, iron, copper, manganese, etc that are metabolized by
> some of the 150 or so neurotransmitters that have been
> identified in the laying down of new neural pathways during
> learning.
>
> This suggests part of the reason for the innovation that
> occurs after a steep alpha male power structure collapses.
> They no longer have what to us would look like agribusiness
> tracts of corn, but scatter back into the boonies where they
> regain access to the wild foods, which they spend so much
> time gathering rather than doing stonework to pander to the
> egos of the warrior class. The leaders also have the "not
> invented here" attitude about innovation.
>
> We see the same kind of societal breakdown in the fall of
> the early Egyptian dynasty when the climate change didnt
> dump as much rain on the watershed of the Nile. And there is
> a crisis in the 5th century as well, a cool down that had a
> lot to do with the fall of Rome. Diamond shows how the
> Greenland Norse (who were also dominated by the warrior
> class) failed to adopt Inuit methods and quite literally
> starved in the mini-ice age while the Inuit florished.
>
> Repeatedly in many other examples besides those you cited,
> we see where the alpha male warrior class, full of
> conviction, determination, and confidence, are really good
> at conquering an empire. But when conditions change
> fundamental economic realities, they fail to adapt because
> of the rigidity of their group think.
>
> It is curious to note that the Chalcolithic tels of SE
> Europe show *continuous* occupation for 4,000 years, up
> until 5000 years ago, and the rise of the warrior class. The
> dendochronology shows that there were periods of climate
> change between 8000 & 4000 BCE, but... it did *NOT* result
> in societal collapse. Partly this is explained by the bone
> middens which show that despite organized large scale grain
> growing, they still found the time to go into the forests to
> bring back wild foods. But then, this culture was
> matriarchic, and not into monumental stonework. As a result,
> they never developed the usual slave class, and never
> practiced monoculture, so that a crop failure didnt lead to
> collapses like those you refer to. But of course, with the
> wider diet more like the hominids evolved to survive on,
> their mental faculties were optimized, and they were
> psychologically flexible enough to adapt to changes in the
> weather.