Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Preliminary evidence of environmental changes at Lake Bambili (Cameroon, West Africa) since 24,000 BP

  • Published:
Journal of Paleolimnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Preliminary analyses of diatoms, phytoliths, and siliceous protozoan plate records in a 16 m sediment core from Lake Bambili (Cameroon, West Africa; 2264 m AMSL) provide evidence of pronounced climatic changes in the West Cameroon Highlands since ~24,000 14 C yrs BP. Percentages of planktonic diatoms rose with increased precipitation:evaporation ratios around 24,000 BP, ~15,000-9500 BP, and ~2400-2000 BP. Since 15,000 BP, Bambili appears to have experienced climatic changes of comparable timing and magnitude, but with signs in opposition to those registered in the West African lowlands. Much of this pattern may be attributable to variability in montane stratiform cloud formation, which in turn is related to paleo-wind regimes and upwelling dynamics in the Gulf of Guinea.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bush, A. B. G. & S. G. H. Philander, 1998. The role of oceanatmosphere interactions in tropical cooling during the Last Glacial Maximum. Science 279: 1341–1344.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, J. R. & P. Denny, 1983. Freshwater algae of Sierra Leone IV. Bacillariophyceae. Nova Hedwigia 73: 281–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dean, W. E., Jr. 1974. Determination of carbonate and organic matter in calcareous sediments and sedimentary rocks by loss on ignition: comparison with other methods. J. Sediment. Petrol. 44: 242–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixit, S. & J. P. Smol, 1994. Diatoms as indicators in the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program-Surface Waters (EMAPSW). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 31: 275–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, M. S. V. & J. P. Smol, 1987. Siliceous protozoan plates in lake sediments. Hydrobiologia 154: 13–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douglas, M. S. V. & J. P. Smol, 1988. Siliceous protozoan and chrysophycean microfossils from the recent sediments of Sphagnum dominated Lake Colden, N.Y. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 23: 855–859.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elenga, H., D. Schwartz & A. Vincens, 1994. Pollen evidence of late Quaternary vegetation and inferred climate changes in Congo. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 109: 345–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairbanks, R. G., 1989. A 17,000 year glacio-eustatic sea level record: influence of glacial melting rates on the Younger Dryas event and deep-ocean circulation. Nature 342: 637–642.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gasse, F., 1986. East African diatoms: Taxonomy, ecological distribution. Bibliotheca Diatomologica, Band 11. J. Cramer, Stuttgart.

  • Gasse, F., R. Téhet, A. Durand, E. Gibert & J.-C. Fontes, 1990. The arid-humid transition in the Sahara and the Sahel during the last deglaciation. Nature 346: 141–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gasse, F., S. Juggins & L. Ben Khelifa, 1995. Diatom-based transfer functions for inferring past hydrochemical characteristics of African Lakes. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 117: 31–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haworth, E. Y., 1977. The sediments of Lake George (Uganda). V. The diatom assemblages in relation to the ecological history. Arch. Hydrobiol. 80: 200–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hustedt, F., 1949. Sãsswasser Diatomeen aus dem Albert-National Park und Belgische-Kongo. Expl. du Parc Nat. Albert, Miss.H. Damas (1935–1936) 8: 1–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, T. C., C. A. Scholz, M. R. Talbot, K. Kelts, G. Ngobi, K. Beuning, I. Ssemmanda & J. A. McGill, 1996. Late Pleistocene desiccation of Lake Victoria and rapid evolution of cichlid fishes. Science 273: 1091–1093.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendall, R. L., 1969. An ecological history of the Lake Victoria basin. Ecol. Monogr. 39: 121–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kling, G. W., 1987a.Comparative limnology of lakes in Cameroons, West Africa. Doctoral Dissertation, Duke University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kling, G. W., 1987b. Seasonal mixing and catastrophic degassing in tropical lakes, Cameroon, West Africa. Science 237: 1022–1024.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lézine, A.-M. & C. Vergnaud-Grazzini, 1993. Evidence of forest extension in West Africa since 22,000 BP: a pollen record from the eastern tropical Atlantic. Quat. Sci. Rev. 12: 203–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maley, J., 1982. Dust, clouds, rain types, and climatic variations in tropical North Africa. Quat. Res. 18: 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maley, J., 1987. Fragmentation de la foret dense humide africaine et extension des biotopes montagnards au Quaternaire recent: nouvelles donnees polliniques et chronologiques. Implications, paleoclimatiques et biogeographiques. Paleoecol. Afr. 18: 307–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maley, J., 1989. Late Quaternary climatic changes in the African rain forest: forest refugia and the major role of sea surface termperature variations. pp. 585–616 in Leinen M. & M. Sarntheim, (eds), Paleoclimatology and Paleometeorology: Modern and past patterns of global atmospheric transport. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

  • Maley, J., 1992. Mise en évidence d'une péjoration climatiqueentre ca. 2500 et 2000 ans B.P. en Afrique tropicale humide. Bull. Soc. Géol. France 163: 363–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maley, J., 1997. Middle to late Holocene changes in tropical Africa and other continents: paleomonsoon and sea surface temperature variations. In Dalfes H. N., G. Kukla & H. Weiss (eds), Third Millennium BC Climate Change and Old World Collapse. NATO ASI Ser. 149. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maley, J. & P. Brenac, 1998. Vegetation dynamics, palaeoenvironments and climatic changes in the forests of western Cameroon during the last 28,000 years B.P. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 99: 157–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moeyersons, J., 1997. Geomorphological processes and their palaeoenvironmental significance at the Shum Laka cave (Bamenda, western Cameroon). Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 133: 103–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newsome, D., 1986. A soil profile from Bambili gallery forest. Ch. 3 in Baker R. G. E., K. Richards & C.A. Rimes (eds.), The Hull University Cameroun Expedition: 1981–82. Final Report. Unpublished, University of Hull, Dept. of Geography, Misc. Ser. No. 30.

  • Nicholson, S. E. & H. Flohn, 1980. African environmental and climatic changes and the general atmospheric circulation in late Pleistocene and Holocene. Climatic Change 2: 313–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nkwi, P. & J.-P. Warnier, 1982. Elements for a history of western grassfields. University of Yaounde Publications.

  • Oslisly, R., 1995. The middle Ogooué valley, Gabon: cultural changes and palaeoclimatic implications of the last four millenia. Azania 29–30: 324–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oslisly, R., (in press). The history of human settlement in the middle Ogooue Valley (Gabon): implications for the environment. In Weber W., L. White, A. Vedder & H. Simons Morland (eds.), African Rain Forest Ecology and Conservation. Yale University Press.

  • Patrick, R. & C. W. Reimer, 1966. The diatoms of the United States. Vol. 1, Monographs of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Sutter House, Lititz, U.S.A.

  • Patrick, R. & C. W. Reimer, 1975. The diatoms of the United States. Vol. 2, Monographs of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Sutter House, Lititz, U.S.A.

  • Perrott, R. A. & F. A. Street-Perrott, 1982. New evidence for a late Pleistocene wet phase in northern intertropical Africas. In Coetzee J. A. & E.M. van Zinderen Bakker (eds.), Palaeoecology of Africa and the Surrounding Islands 14: 57–75.

  • Richards, K., 1986. Ch. 2 in Baker R. G. E., K. Richards & C. A. Rimes (eds.), The Hull University Cameroun Expedition: 1981–82. Final Report. Unpublished, University of Hull, Dept. of Geography, Miscellaneous Series No. 30.

  • Servant, M., J. Maley, B. Turcq, M. L. Absy, P. Brenac, M. Fournier & M. P. Ledru, 1993. Tropical forest changes during the Late Quaternary in African and South American lowlands. Global Planet. Change. 7: 25–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stager, J.C., 1984. The diatom record of Lake Victoria (East Africa): the last 17,000 years. pp. 455–476in Mann D. G. (ed), Proceedings of the Seventh International Diatom Symposium, Philadelphia, 1982. Strauss & Cramer, Koenigstein.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stager, J. C., 1988. Environmental changes at Lake Cheshi, Zambia since 40,000 years B.P. Quat. Res. 29: 54–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stager, J. C., P. R. Reinthal & D. A. Livingstone, 1986. A 25,000 year history for Lake Victoria, East Africa, and somecomments on its significance for the evolution of cichlid fishes. Fresh. Biol. 16: 15–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stager, J. C., B. Cumming & L. D. Meeker, 1997. An 11,400-year, high-resolution diatom record from Lake Victoria, East Africa. Quat. Res. 47: 81–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stager, J. C. & P. A. Mayewski, 1997. Abrupt early to mid-Holocene climatic transition registered at the equator and the poles. Science 276: 1834–1836.

    Google Scholar 

  • Street-Perrott, F. A., Y. Huang, R. A. Perrott, G. Eglington, P. Barker, L. B. Khelifa, D. D. Harkness & D. O. Olago, 1997. Impact of lower atmospheric carbon dioxide on tropical mountain ecosystems. Science 278: 1422–1426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbot, M. R., 1981. Holocene changes in tropical wind intenstiy and rainfall: evidence from Southeast Ghana. Quat. Res. 16: 201–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbot, M. R. & T. Johannessen, 1992. A high resolution paleoclimatic record for the last 27,500 years in tropical West Africa from the carbon and nitrogen isotopic composition of lacustrine organic matter. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 100: 23–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbot, M. R., D. A. Livingstone, P. G. Palmer, J. Maley, J. M. Melack, G. Delibrias & S. Gulliksen, 1984. Preliminary results from sediment cores from Lake Bosumtwi, Ghana. In Coetzee J. A. & E. M. van Zinderen Bakker, (eds.), Palaeoecology of Africa and the Surrounding Islands 16: 173–192.

  • Talling, J. F., 1966. The annual cycle of stratification and phytoplankton growth in Lake Victoria (East Africa). Int. Rev. ges Hydrobiol. 51: 545–621.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, D. M., 1990. Late Quaternary pollen records from two Ugandan mires: evidence for environmental change in the Rukiga Highlands of southwest Uganda. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 80: 283–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vyverman, W. & K. Sabbe, 1995. Diatom-temperature transfer functions based on the altitudinal zonation of diatom assemblages in Papua New Guinea: a possible tool in there construction of regional palaeoclimatic changes. J. Paleolimnol. 13: 65–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zogning, A., P. Giresse, J. Maley & F. Gadel, 1997. The late Holocene palaeoenvironment in the Lake Njupi area, west Cameroon: implications regarding the history of Lake Nyos. J. African Earth Sci. 24: 285–300.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Math/Science Division, Paul Smith's College, Paul Smiths, NY, 12970, USA

    J. Curt Stager

Authors
  1. J. Curt Stager
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stager, J.C. Preliminary evidence of environmental changes at Lake Bambili (Cameroon, West Africa) since 24,000 BP. Journal of Paleolimnology 22, 319–330 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008098211671

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008098211671

Search

Navigation