Book contents
- Quaternary Environmental Change in Southern AfricaPhysical and Human Dimensions
- Quaternary Environmental Change in Southern Africa
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- 1 The context of Quaternary environmental change in southern Africa
- 2 A brief geological history of southern Africa
- 3 A continental-scale perspective on landscape evolution in southern Africa during the Cenozoic
- 4 Hominin origins and evolution during the Neogene
- 5 Hominin evolution in Africa during the Quaternary
- 6 Quaternary environmental change on the southern African coastal plain
- 7 Dating the southern African landscape
- 8 Glacial and periglacial geomorphology
- 9 Colluvial deposits and slope instability
- 10 Desert dune environments
- 11 Changes in fluvial systems during the Quaternary
- 12 Wetlands in southern Africa
- 13 Sandy coasts
- 14 Environmental change during the Pleistocene and Holocene: Estuaries and lagoons of southern Africa
- 15 Soils and duricrusts
- 16 Karstic systems
- 17 Terrestrial ecosystem changes in the late Quaternary
- 18 Faunal evidence for mid- and late Quaternary environmental change in southern Africa
- 19 Pollen, charcoal and plant macrofossil evidence of Neogene and Quaternary environments in southern Africa
- 20 Minerogenic microfossil records of Quaternary environmental change in southern Africa
- 21 Development of the archaeological record in southern Africa during the Earlier Stone Age
- 22 Development of the archaeological record during the Middle Stone Age of South Africa
- 23 Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers and herders
- 24 Southernmost Africans, archaeology and the environment during the Holocene
- 25 Landscape–climate–human relations in the Quaternary of southern Africa
- Index
- References
12 - Wetlands in southern Africa
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2016
Book contents
- Quaternary Environmental Change in Southern AfricaPhysical and Human Dimensions
- Quaternary Environmental Change in Southern Africa
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- 1 The context of Quaternary environmental change in southern Africa
- 2 A brief geological history of southern Africa
- 3 A continental-scale perspective on landscape evolution in southern Africa during the Cenozoic
- 4 Hominin origins and evolution during the Neogene
- 5 Hominin evolution in Africa during the Quaternary
- 6 Quaternary environmental change on the southern African coastal plain
- 7 Dating the southern African landscape
- 8 Glacial and periglacial geomorphology
- 9 Colluvial deposits and slope instability
- 10 Desert dune environments
- 11 Changes in fluvial systems during the Quaternary
- 12 Wetlands in southern Africa
- 13 Sandy coasts
- 14 Environmental change during the Pleistocene and Holocene: Estuaries and lagoons of southern Africa
- 15 Soils and duricrusts
- 16 Karstic systems
- 17 Terrestrial ecosystem changes in the late Quaternary
- 18 Faunal evidence for mid- and late Quaternary environmental change in southern Africa
- 19 Pollen, charcoal and plant macrofossil evidence of Neogene and Quaternary environments in southern Africa
- 20 Minerogenic microfossil records of Quaternary environmental change in southern Africa
- 21 Development of the archaeological record in southern Africa during the Earlier Stone Age
- 22 Development of the archaeological record during the Middle Stone Age of South Africa
- 23 Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers and herders
- 24 Southernmost Africans, archaeology and the environment during the Holocene
- 25 Landscape–climate–human relations in the Quaternary of southern Africa
- Index
- References
Summary
Abstract
In southern Africa, wetlands of different types are an integral part of the drainage network, yet evolve and are sensitive to different combinations of geologic, climatic, geomorphic, edaphic and hydrologic controls. Understanding of these controls can help in the interpretation of environmental and climatic records from different wetland types, given that wetland sensitivity to environmental and climatic changes may vary throughout their ‘life cycle’. The chapter discusses inland wetland records from dated sites in South Africa in order to consider their significance for reconstructing late glacial and Holocene climates; and the relationship of wetlands to preservation of the Pleistocene archaeological record. Wetlands are sensitive to degradation under contemporary environmental and climatic changes, which may impact on their hydrological and ecological function as well as the integrity of associated archaeological sites.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Quaternary Environmental Change in Southern AfricaPhysical and Human Dimensions, pp. 188 - 202Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2016
References
Allan, D. E. G., Seaman, M. T. and Kaletja, B. (1995). The endorheic pans of South Africa. In Wetlands of South Africa, ed. Cowan, G.. Pretoria: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, pp. 75–101.Google Scholar
Ashley, G. M., Mworia, J. M., Muasya, A. M., Owen, R. B., Driese, S. G., Hover, V. C., Renaut, R. W., Goman, M. F., Mathai, S. and Blatt, S. H. (2004). Sedimentation and recent history of a freshwater wetland in a semi-arid environment: Loboi Swamp, Kenya, East Africa. Sedimentology, 51, 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bird, M. S. and Day, J. A. (2014). Wetlands in changed landscapes: The influence of habitat transformation on the physico-chemistry of temporary depression wetlands. PLoS ONE, 9(2): e88935, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088935.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boardman, J. (2014). How old are the gullies (dongas) of the Sneeuberg uplands, Eastern Karoo, South Africa? Catena, 113, 79–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Butzer, K. W. (1984). Archeogeology and Quaternary environment in the interior of southern Africa. In Southern African Prehistory and Paleoenvironments, ed. Klein, R. G.. Rotterdam: Balkema, pp. 1–64.Google Scholar
Dippenaar, M. A. (2014). Towards hydrological and geochemical understanding of an ephemeral palustrine perched water table “wetland” (Lanseria Gneiss, Midrand, South Africa). Environmental Earth Sciences, 72, 2447–2456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Douglas, R. M. (2006). Formation of the Florisbad spring and fossil site – an alternative hypothesis. Journal of Archaeological Science, 33, 696–706.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Douglas, R. M., Holmes, P. J. and Tredoux, M. (2010). New perspectives on the fossilization of faunal remains and the formation of the Florisbad archaeological site, South Africa. Quaternary Science Reviews, 29, 3275–3285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellery, W. N., Grenfell, S. E., Grenfell, M. C., Humphries, M. S., Barnes, K., Dahlberg, A. and Kindness, A. (2012). Peat formation in the context of the development of the Mkuze floodplain on the coastal plain of Maputaland, South Africa. Geomorphology, 141–142, 11–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finné, M., Norström, E., Risberg, J. and Scott, L. (2010). Siliceous microfossils as late-Quaternary paleo-environmental indicators at Braamhoek wetland, South Africa. The Holocene, 20, 747–760.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goudie, A. S. and Thomas, D. S. G. (1985). Pans in southern Africa with particular reference to South Africa and Zimbabwe. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie, N.F., 29, 1–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenfell, M. C., Ellery, W. and Grenfell, S. E. (2008). Tributary valley impoundment by trunk river floodplain development: A case study from the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg foothills, eastern South Africa. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 33, 2029–2044.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenfell, M. C., Ellery, W. N. and Grenfell, S. E. (2009). Valley morphology and sediment cascades within a wetland system in the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg Foothills, Eastern South Africa. Catena, 78, 20–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenfell, S. E. and Ellery, W. N. (2009). Hydrology, sediment transport dynamics and geomorphology of a variable flow river: The Mfolozi River, South Africa. Water SA, 35, 271–282.Google Scholar
Grenfell, S. E., Ellery, W. N. and Grenfell, M. C. (2009). Geomorphology and dynamics of the Mfolozi River floodplain, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Geomorphology, 107, 226–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenfell, S. E., Ellery, W. N., Grenfell, M. C., Ramsay, L. F. and Flügel, T. J. (2010). Sedimentary facies and geomorphic evolution of a blocked-valley lake: Lake Futululu, northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Sedimentology, 57, 1159–1174.Google Scholar
Grundling, P., Grootjans, A. P., Price, J. S. and Ellery, W. N. (2013). Development and persistence of an African mire: How the oldest South African fen has survived in a marginal climate. Catena, 110, 176–183.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, P. and Barker, C. H. (2006). Geological and geomorphological controls on the physical landscape of the Free State. South African Geographical Journal, 88, 3–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphries, M. S., Kindness, A., Ellery, W. N., Hughes, J. and Benitez-Nelson, C. R. (2011a). 137Cs and 210Pb derived sediment accumulation rates and their role in the long-term development of the Mkuze River floodplain, South Africa. Geomorphology, 119, 88–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphries, M. S., Kindness, A., Ellery, W. N. and Hughes, J. C. (2011b). Sediment geochemistry, mineral precipitation and clay neoformation on the Mkuze River floodplain, South Africa. Geoderma, 157, 15–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kristen, I., Fuhrmann, A., Thorpe, J., Röhl, U., Wilkes, H. and Oberhänsli, H. (2007). Hydrological changes in southern Africa over the last 200 Ka as recorded in lake sediments from the Tswaing impact crater. South African Journal of Geology, 110, 311–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuman, K. and Clarke, R. J. (1996). Florisbad – New investigations at a Middle Stone Age Hominid site in South Africa. Geoarchaeology, 1, 103–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuman, K., Inbar, M. and Clarke, R. J. (1999). Palaeoenvironments and cultural sequence of the Florisbad Middle Stone Age Hominid site, South Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science, 26, 1409–1425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lane, E. W. (1955). The importance of fluvial morphology in hydraulic engineering. Proceedings, American Society of Civil Engineers, 81, Paper 745, 17pp.Google Scholar
McCarthy, T. S. (2013). The Okavango Delta and its place in the geomorphological evolution of southern Africa. South African Journal of Geology, 116, 1–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, T. S. and Ellery, W. N. (1995). Sedimentation on the distal reaches of the Okavango Fan, Botswana, and its bearing on calcrete and silcrete (ganister) formation. Journal of Sedimentary Research, A65, 77–90.Google Scholar
McCarthy, T. S., Ellery, W. N., Backwell, L., Marren, P., de Klerk, B., Tooth, S., Brandt, D. and Woodborne, S. (2010). The character, origin and palaeoenvironmental significance of the Wonderkrater spring mound, South Africa. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 58, 115–126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, T. S. and Hancox, P. J. (2000). Wetlands. In The Cenozoic of Southern Africa, ed. Partridge, T. C. and Maud, R. R.. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 218–235.Google Scholar
McCarthy, T. S., Tooth, S., Jacobs, Z., Rowberry, M. D., Thompson, M., Brandt, D., Hancox, P. J., Marren, P. M., Woodborne, S. and Ellery, W. N. (2011). The origin and development of the Nyl River floodplain wetland, Limpopo Province, South Africa: Trunk-tributary river interactions in a dryland setting. South African Geographical Journal, 93, 172–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, T. S., Tooth, S., Kotze, D. C., Collins, N. B., Wandrag, G. and Pike, T. (2010). The role of geomorphology in evaluating remediation options for floodplain wetlands: The case of Ramsar-listed Seekoeivlei, eastern South Africa. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 18, 119–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, S. A. (2013). The status of wetlands, threats and the predicted effect of global climate change: The situation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Aquatic Science, 75, 95–112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohamed, Y. and Savenije, H. H. G. (2014). Impact of climate variability on the hydrology of the Sudd wetland: Signals derived from long term (1900–2000) water balance computations. Wetlands and Ecological Management, 22, 191–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, R. P. C. and Mngomezulu, D. (2003). Threshold conditions for initiation of valley-side gullies in the Middle Veld of Swaziland. Catena, 50, 401–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neumann, F. H., Botha, G. A. and Scott, L. (2014). 18,000 years of grassland evolution in the summer rainfall region of South Africa: Evidence from Mahwaqa Mountain, KwaZulu-Natal. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 23, 665–681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norström, E., Scott, L., Partridge, T. C., Risberg, J. and Holmgren, K. (2009). Reconstruction of environmental and climate changes at Braamhoek wetland, eastern escarpment South Africa, during the last 16,000 years with emphasis on the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 271, 240–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ollis, D., Snaddon, K., Job, N. and Mbona, N. (2013). Classification system for wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems in South Africa. Pretoria: SANBI Biodiversity Series 22, 110pp.Google Scholar
Rabumbulu, M. and Holmes, P. J. (2012). Depositional environments of the Florisbad Spring site and surrounds: A revised synthesis. South African Geographical Journal, 94, 191–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Republic of South Africa (1998). The National Water Act. Act No. 36 of 1998. Pretoria: Government Gazette.Google Scholar
Riddell, E. S., Everson, C., Clulow, A. and Mengistu, M. (2013). The hydrological characterisation and water budget of a South African rehabilitated headwater wetland system. Water SA, 39, 57–66.Google Scholar
Rodnight, H., Duller, G. A. T., Tooth, S. and Wintle, A. G. (2005). Optical dating of a scroll-bar sequence on the Klip River, South Africa, to derive the lateral migration rate of a meander bend. The Holocene, 15, 802–811.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, K. H. (1997). Freshwater wetlands. In Vegetation of Southern Africa, ed. Cowling, R. M., Richardson, D. M. and Pierce, S. M.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 322–347.Google Scholar
Rowberry, M. D., McCarthy, T. S., Thompson, M., Nomnganga, A. and Moyo, L. (2011). The spatial and temporal characterisation of flooding within the floodplain wetland of the Nyl River, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Water SA, 37, 445–451.Google Scholar
Schumm, S. A. (1979). Geomorphic thresholds: The concept and its applications. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, NS, 4, 485–515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, L., Holmgren, K., Talma, A. S., Woodborne, S. and Vogel, J. C. (2003). Age interpretation of the Wonderkrater spring sediments and vegetation change in the Savanna Biome, Limpopo Province, South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 99, 484–488.Google Scholar
Scott, L. and Nyakale, M. (2002). Pollen indications of Holocene palaeoenvironments at Florisbad spring in the central Free State, South Africa. The Holocene, 12, 497–503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slingerland, R. and Smith, N. D. (1998). Necessary conditions for a meandering-river avulsion. Geology, 26, 435–438.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tooth, S., Brandt, D., Hancox, P. J. and McCarthy, T. S. (2004). Geological controls on alluvial river behaviour: A comparative study of three rivers on the South African Highveld. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 38, 79–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tooth, S. and McCarthy, T. S. (2007). Wetlands in drylands: Geomorphological and sedimentological characteristics, with emphasis on examples from southern Africa. Progress in Physical Geography, 31, 3–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tooth, S., McCarthy, T. S., Brandt, D., Hancox, P. J. and Morris, R. (2002). Geological controls on the formation of alluvial meanders and floodplain wetlands: The example of the Klip River, eastern Free State, South Africa. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 27, 797–815.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tooth, S., Rodnight, H., Duller, G. A. T., McCarthy, T. S., Marren, P. M. and Brandt, D. (2007). Chronology and controls of avulsion along a mixed bedrock-alluvial river. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 119, 452–461.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tooth, S., Rodnight, H., McCarthy, T. S., Duller, G. A. T. and Grundling, A. T. (2009). Late Quaternary dynamics of a South African floodplain wetland and the implications for assessing recent human impacts. Geomorphology, 106, 278–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vandaele, K., Poesen, J., Govers, G. and van Wesemael, B. (1996). Geomorphic threshold conditions for ephemeral gully incision. Geomorphology, 16, 161–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weitz, J. and Demlie, M. (2014). Conceptual modelling of groundwater–surface water interactions in the Lake Sibayi Catchment, Eastern South Africa. Journal of African Earth Sciences, 99, 613–624.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zucca, C., Canu, A. and Della Peruta, R. (2006). Effects of land use and landscape on spatial distribution and morphological features of gullies in an agropastoral area in Sardinia (Italy). Catena, 68, 87–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Accessibility standard: Unknown
Why this information is here
This section outlines the accessibility features of this content - including support for screen readers, full keyboard navigation and high-contrast display options. This may not be relevant for you.Accessibility Information
Accessibility compliance for the HTML of this chapter is currently unknown
and may be updated in the future.
- 9
- Cited by