A river flowing through a desert: late Quaternary environments in the Nile basin – current understanding and unresolved questions

Martin A.J. Williams

doi:10.54991/jop.2021.22

Authors

Martin A.J. Williams Earth Sciences, School of Physical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54991/jop.2021.22

Keywords:

Nile, Floods, Sapropels, Blue Nile, White Nile, Atbara

Abstract

Late Quaternary environments in the Nile Basin reflect the influence of the African summer monsoon upon plant cover, sediment yield and flood discharge in the Ethiopian and Ugandan headwaters of the Nile. Intervals of prolonged and very high Nile flow coincide with times of stronger summer monsoon and have been dated using a combination of ¹⁴C, OSL and ¹⁰Be methods. Periods of high Nile flow into the eastern Mediterranean coincide with the formation of highly organic sedimentary layers termed sapropels. Ages obtained so far for these times of sustained middle to late Pleistocene high flow in the Blue and White Nile are broadly coeval with sapropel beds S8 (ca 217 ka), S7 (ca 195 ka), S6 (ca 172 ka), S5 (ca 124 ka), S4 (ca 102 ka) S3 (ca 81 ka), S2 (ca 55–50 ka) and S1 (10–6.5 ka). Sapropel 5 (ca 124 ka) was synchronous with extreme Blue Nile floods and the formation of the 386 m lake in the lower White Nile Valley, as well as with a prolonged wet phase in the eastern Sahara. Fluctuations in Nile flow and sapropel formation reflect the influence of the precessional cycle upon the East African monsoon.

Between 75 ka and 19 ka the climate in the Nile headwaters region became progressively colder and drier. During the Last Glacial Maximum, Lake Tana in Ethiopia and Lake Victoria in Uganda became dry, flow in the White Nile was reduced to a trickle, and the Blue Nile and Atbara became highly seasonal bed–load rivers. The return of the summer monsoon at 14.5 ka ushered in extreme Blue Nile floods, widespread flooding across the Nile Basin and the formation of the 382 m lake in the lower White Nile Valley. There was a brief return to aridity during the Younger Dryas (12.8–11.5 ka), after which the climate again became wetter and widespread flooding in the Nile Valley resumed. The early Holocene floods were later followed by the incision and creation of the modern relatively narrow flood plain.

सारांश

नाईल बेसिन में अंतिम क्वाटर्नरी वातावरण, पौधों के आवरण, तलछट उपज और बाढ़ निर्वहन पर नाईल के इथियोपियन और युगांडा के हेडवाटर में अफ्रीकी ग्रीष्मकालीन मानसून के प्रभाव को दर्शाता है। लंबे और बहुत उच्च नाईल प्रवाह के अंतराल तीव्र ग्रीष्मकालीन मानसून के समय के साथ मेल खाते हैं और ¹⁴C, OSL और ¹⁰Be विधियों के संयोजन का उपयोग करके आयु निर्धारित किए गए हैं। पूर्वी भूमध्य सागर में उच्च नाईल प्रवाह की अवधि उच्च जैविक अवसादी परतों के निर्माण के साथ मेल खाती है जिसे सैप्रोपेल कहा जाता है। नीले और सफेद नाइल में मध्य और अंतिम प्लीस्टोसीन उच्च प्रवाह की इन अवधियों के लिए अब तक प्राप्त आयु मोटे तौर पर सैप्रोपेल बेड S8 (ca 217 ka), S7 (ca 195 ka), S6 (ca 172 ka), S5 (ca 172 ka), S5 (ca 172 ka), S5 के समान है। सीए 124 केए), एस4 (सीए 102 केए) एस3 (सीए 81 केए), एस2 (सीए 55-50 केए) और एस1 (10-6.5 केए)। Sapropel 5 (ca 124 ka) ब्लू नाइल बाढ़ और निचली सफेद नाइल घाटी में 386 मीटर झील के निर्माण के साथ-साथ पूर्वी सहारा में लंबे समय तक नम चरण के समकालिक था। नाइल नदी के प्रवाह में उतार-चढ़ाव और सैप्रोपेल निर्माण पूर्वी अफ्रीकी मानसून पर पूर्ववर्ती चक्र के प्रभाव को दर्शाता है।

75 ka और 19 ka के बीच नाइल नदी के ऊपरी जल क्षेत्र में जलवायु उत्तरोत्तर ठंडी और शुष्क होती गई। लास्ट ग्लेशियल मैक्सिमम के दौरान, इथियोपिया में टाना झील और युगांडा में विक्टोरिया झील सूख गई, व्हाइट नाइल में प्रवाह कम हो गया, और ब्लू नाइल और अटबारा अत्यधिक मौसमी बेड-लोड नदियाँ बन गईं। 14.5 ka पर ग्रीष्मकालीन मानसून की वापसी ने ब्लू नाइल बाढ़ की शुरुआत की, नाइल बेसिन में व्यापक बाढ़ और निचली व्हाइट नाइल घाटी में 382 मीटर झील का निर्माण हुआ। यंगर ड्रायस (12.8–11.5 ka) के दौरान शुष्कता में एक संक्षिप्त वापसी हुई, जिसके बाद जलवायु फिर से नम हो गई और नाइल घाटी में व्यापक बाढ़ फिर से शुरू हो गई। प्रारंभिक होलोसीन बाढ़, बाद में कटाव और आधुनिक अपेक्षाकृत संकीर्ण बाढ़ के मैदान के निर्माण द्वारा अनुसरित थी।

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