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Period AD (period + ad)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	50%
Earth and Environmental Science	50%

Selected Abstracts

The origins of Christian commemoration in late antique Britain

EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE, Issue 2 2001
Mark A. Handley
The corpus of approximately 250 Christian inscriptions, dating from before c.700, from western Britain has been interpreted as the result of contact between Britain and Gaul. This article will show that Christian commemoration was neither a new, post-Roman introduction into Britain nor the product of contact with Gaul. Rather, it will show that the inscriptions should be seen as part of a larger pattern of epigraphic practice also evidenced in Spain, Italy and North Africa during late antiquity. Where earlier scholars have argued that Christian inscriptions in Britain begin in the period AD 420,40, it will demonstrate that they are more likely to date from the late fourth century, a conclusion with important implications for the study of western Britain. [source]

Dendrogeomorphic reconstruction of past debris-flow activity using injured broad-leaved trees

EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 4 2010
Estelle Arbellay
Abstract Tree-ring records from conifers have been regularly used over the last few decades to date debris-flow events. The reconstruction of past debris-flow activity was, in contrast, only very rarely based on growth anomalies in broad-leaved trees. Consequently, this study aimed at dating the occurrence of former debris flows from growth series of broad-leaved trees and at determining their suitability for dendrogeomorphic research. Results were obtained from gray alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench), silver birch and pubescent birch (Betula pendula Roth and Betula pubescens Ehrh.), aspen (Populus tremula L.), white poplar, black poplar and gray poplar (Populus alba L., Populus nigra L. and Populus x canescens (Ait.) Sm.), goat willow (Salix caprea L.) and black elder (Sambucus nigra L.) injured by debris-flow activity at Illgraben (Valais, Swiss Alps). Tree-ring analysis of 104 increment cores, 118 wedges and 93 cross-sections from 154 injured broad-leaved trees allowed the reconstruction of 14 debris-flow events between AD 1965 and 2007. These events were compared with archival records on debris-flow activity at Illgraben. It appears that debris flows are very common at Illgraben, but only very rarely left the channel over the period AD 1965,2007. Furthermore, analysis of the spatial distribution of disturbed trees contributed to the identification of six patterns of debris-flow routing and led to the determination of preferential breakout locations of events. The results of this study demonstrate the high potential of broad-leaved trees for dendrogeomorphic research and for the assessment of the travel distance and lateral spread of debris-flow surges. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

ENSO history recorded in Agathis australis (kauri) tree rings.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
Part A: kauri's potential as an ENSO proxy
Abstract Although many of the main characteristics of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon have been established, uncertainties remain concerning its multidecadal- to millennial-scale evolution. Because of the shortness of the instrumental record, we need to resort to proxy-based reconstructions to investigate ENSO's history prior to the mid 19th century, but the available proxy data is limited in both time and space. Here we investigate the potential for ENSO reconstruction from the tree rings of Agathis australis (kauri). Kauri is a long-lived endemic New Zealand conifer and grows in an ENSO teleconnection region not previously represented in ENSO multi-proxy studies. A high quality 423 year kauri regional master chronology (AD 1580,2002) is constructed. Statistical analysis of the period AD 1876,2002 confirms previous findings that kauri tree rings carry a strong regional-scale climate signal and that ENSO is a significant contributor (predominantly via the western pole of the Southern Oscillation). Kauri carries a signal of both ENSO phases, but with a slight El Niño bias. Growth sensitivity is primarily registered through a five-season window, extending from March (prior to growth initiation in September) through to the following May, with strongest relationships across the middle three seasons (June,February). Relationships appear to be stationary. We conclude that kauri has sufficient ENSO event capture skill to make it a useful addition to future multi-proxy ENSO reconstruction efforts. It may also have potential for stand-alone reconstruction of multidecadal- to millennial-scale evolution of ENSO activity, especially ENSO robustness. Copyright © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society [source]

TOWARDS A NEW APPROACH TO ARCHAEOMAGNETIC DATING IN EUROPE USING GEOMAGNETIC FIELD MODELLING*

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 2 2009
A. LODGE
We introduce a new approach to producing secular variation curves for archaeomagnetic dating, using global geomagnetic field modelling techniques. Using published palaeosecular variation curves for five European locations as input, and a previous global model for regularization, we produce a model for the period ad 0,1900, which reproduces the input curves within their 95% confidence intervals, and successfully fits data from other regions in Europe. Our global model performs as well as a previous regional model, but additionally ensures consistency with physical constraints. We show that the curves currently used for dating are not mutually consistent, and therefore that in the future this new approach will provide more reliable curves for archaeomagnetic dating. [source]