Holocene lake records in the Northern Hemisphere of Africa

Regionally coherent, long-term changes in lake status during the Late Quaternary are in equilibrium with the climate. A new compilation of lake status data provides a record of climate change in the Northern Hemisphere of Africa. The majority of lakes were at high or intermediate levels between 10,000 and 6000 yr B.P. Wetter conditions were first registered in east Africa (between 0 degrees and 14 degreesN) and subsequently rose progressively in the Sahara and Sahel, where the response has been extended from 9500 to 7000 yr B.P. Between 7000 and 6500 yr B.P., there is an abrupt palustral episode. The majority of northern African lakes were at a high level at 6000 yr B.P, although some had already begun to fewer. The lakes show increasingly drier conditions after 6000 yr B.P. with the minimum lake levels being registered just after 4000 yr B.P. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.