Skip to main content
Log in

Deep solar activity minima, sharp climate changes, and their impact on ancient civilizations

  • Published:
Geomagnetism and Aeronomy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is shown that, over the past ∼10000 years (the Holocene), deep Maunder type solar minima have been accompanied by sharp climate changes. These minima occurred every 2300–2400 years. It has been established experimentally that, at ca 4.0 ka BP, there occurred a global change in the structure of atmospheric circulation, which coincided in time with the discharge of glacial masses from Greenland to North Atlantic and a solar activity minimum. The climate changes that took place at ca 4.0 ka BP and the deep solar activity minimum that occurred at ca 2.5 ka BP affected the development of human society, leading to the degradation and destruction of a number of ancient civilizations.

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

Access this article

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bond, G., Kromer, B., Beer, J., Muscheler, R., Evans, M., Showers, W., Hoffmann, Sh., Lotti-Bond, R., Hajdas, I., and Bonani, G., Persistent solar influence on North Atlantic climate during the Holocene, Science, 2001, vol. 294, pp. 2130–2136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeMenocal, P., Cultural responses to climate change during the Late Holocene, Science, 2001, vol. 292, pp. 667–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denton, G.H. and Karlen W., Holocene climate variations: Their pattern and possible cause, Quat. Res., 1973, vol. 3, p. 155. doi10.1016/0033-5894(73)90040-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dergachev, V.A. and Zaitseva, G.I., Natural climate changes in the Holocene and adaptation of cultures, in Sovremennye problemy arkheologii Rossii (Recent Problems of Russian Archeology), Novosibirsk: Inst. Arkheol. Etnogr. Sib. Otd. Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2006, vol. 1, pp. 195–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eronen, M., Zetterberg, P., Briffa, K.R., Lindholm, M., Meriläinen, J., and Timonen, M., The supra-long Scots pine tree-ring record for Finnish Lapland: Part 1. Chronology construction and initial references, The Holocene, 2002, vol. 12, pp. 673–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helama, S., Lindholm, M., Timonen, M., Merilainen, J., and Eronen, M., The supra-long Scots pine tree-ring record for Finnish Lapland: Part 2. Interannual to centennial variability in summer temperatures for 7500 years, The Holocene, 2002, vol. 12, pp. 681–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klimenko, V.V., Sharp cooling of the Northern Hemisphere in the Early Subatlantic Age (650–280 BC), Pages News, 2004, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 13–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langway, C.C., Oeschger, H., and Dansgaard, W., Greenland Ice Core: Geophysics, Geochemistry, and the Environment, Am. Geophys. Union, 1985.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mayewski, P.A., Rohling, E.E., Stager, J.C., Karlen, W., Maasch, K.A., Meeker, L.D., Meyerson, E.A., Gasse, F., van Kreveld, S., Holmgren, K., Lee-Thorp, J., Rosqvist, G., Rack, F., Staubwasser, M., Schneider, R.R., and Steig, E.J., Holocene climate variability, Quat. Res., 2004, vol. 62, no. 3, pp. 243–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peiser, B., Comparative analysis of Late Holocene environmental and social upheaval, Br. Arhaeol. Rep., Int. Ser., 1998, vol. 728, pp. 140–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raspopov, O.M., Dergachev, V.A., Kolström, T., Kuzmin, A.V., Lopatin, E.V., and Lisitsyna, O.V., Long-term solar activity variations as a stimulator of abrupt climate change, Russ. J. Earth Sci., 2007, vol. 9, p. ES3002. doi10.2205/2007ES000250

    Google Scholar 

  • Staubwasser, M., Sirocko, F., Grootes, P.M., and Segl, M., Climate change at the 4.2 ka BP termination of the Indus valley civilization and Holocene south Asian monsoon variability, Geophys. Res. Lett., 2003, vol. 30, no. 8, p. 1425. doi10.1029/2002GL016822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stuiver, M., Reimer, P., Bard, T., et al., INTCAL98 radiocarbon age calibration, 24 000–0 cal BP, Radiocarbon, 1998b, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 1041–1083.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Geel, B., Buurman, J., and Waterbolk, H.T., Archaeological and palaeoecological indicators for an abrupt climate change in the Netherlands and evidence for climatological teleconnections around 2650 BP, J. Quat. Sci., 1996, vol. 11, pp. 451–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Geel, B., Raspopov, O.M., van der Plicht, J., and Renssen, H.T., Solar forcing of abrupt climate change around 850 calendar years BC, Br. Archaeol. Rep., Int. Ser., 1998, vol. 728, pp. 169–171.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to O. M. Raspopov.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Raspopov, O.M., Dergachev, V.A., Zaitseva, G.I. et al. Deep solar activity minima, sharp climate changes, and their impact on ancient civilizations. Geomagn. Aeron. 53, 917–921 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793213080227

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793213080227

Keywords

Navigation