
Giovanni ZanchettaUniversity of Pisa | UNIPI · Department of Earth Sciences
Giovanni Zanchetta
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444
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Introduction
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January 2005 - April 2016
Publications
Publications (444)
Current warming and human activity have negatively impacted the hydrological budget 30 of some of the larger lakes in the Balkan region. To explore potential climatic analogues for the recent 31 climatic period we investigated a speleothem record from Golubarnica Cave in North Macedonia 32 focusing on hydrological changes occurring during the Medie...
Historical archives for the Roman Monarchic and Republican periods (753–29 BCE) offer a highly resolved series of observations of environmental and climatic phenomena in Central Italy. This paper presents a new collection of these historical archives, gathering 319 observations across the period. We introduce the historical character of these archi...
During the last 5 million years (Pliocene–Holocene), the Earth climate system has undergone a series of marked changes, including (i) the shift from the Pliocene warm state to the Pleistocene cold state with the intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation; (ii) the evolution of the frequency, magnitude, and shape of glacial–interglacial cycle...
In this paper, we provide chronological constraints to reconstruct the Late Middle Pleistocene to Holocene geomorphological, stratigraphical and tectonic evolution of the inner Sarno plain, along the Tyrrhenian flank of Southern Italy. These constraints derive from tephrostratigraphical analysis and ⁴⁰ Ar/ ³⁹ Ar dating of volcanic deposits, chronol...
The reconstruction of flood frequency beyond the Instrumental Era is challenging and mostly based on historical sources, but it rarely covers more than the last 1000 years when abundant documentation is preserved. To investigate the long‐term trends in flooding and obtain insight into current climatic changes it is necessary to extend these data to...
The U–Th and U–Pb dating methods are widely used for radiometric dating of Pleistocene carbonates, such as speleothems and corals. The U–Th dating method has been incrementally refined over recent decades, largely through advances in mass spectrometry, and is now capable of providing accurate and precise ages for carbonates as old as 640 ka in idea...
Carbonate aquifers represent an essential source of water supply worldwide, despite their high vulnerability to contamination and short-term climatic fluctuations. Multidisciplinary surveys coupling isotope geochemistry and hydrochemistry allow us to unravel solutes origin and processes affecting the water resource quality. Such an approach steers...
Although rare, temporally and taxonomically highly-resolved palaeoecological studies with high chronological precision are essential to perform detailed comparisons with precisely dated independent evidence such as archaeological findings, historical events, or palaeoclimatic data. Using a new highly-resolved and chronologically precise sedimentary...
Lahars represent some of the most dangerous phenomena in volcanic areas for their destructive power, causing dramatic changes in the landscape with no premonitory signs and impacting the population and infrastructure. In this regard, the Campanian Plain turns out to be very prone to the development of these phenomena, since the slopes of the Somma–...
The study of glacial to interglacial climate transitions is extremely important for understanding the full scale of climate variability from global to local scale. Unfortunately, there are large areas where multimillennial paleoclimate timeseries are unavailable. Southern Caucasus, is such a region as currently only a few continental climate time s...
During the Bronze and Iron Age, Sardinia was home of one of the most technologically advanced Mediterranean
societies (the Nuragic culture). Given its key geographical location, the island was also the fulcrum of deep
cultural exchanges. Toward the end of the Iron Age, Phoenicians, and especially Carthaginians and Romans,
massively frequented Sardi...
Combined natural processes and human activities shaped the late Holocene landscape history in many Mediterranean regions. This is especially true with areas subjected to specific human interest, such as coastal areas morphologically suitable to the establishment of harbours. Here, we test the hypothesis on the location of the Roman harbour Portus T...
In the lacustrine succession F4‐F5 of the Fucino Basin, central Italy, 20 visible tephra layers were identified in the time interval 250–315 ka (Marine Isotope Stages 8–9). Fifteen of them contained suitable material to explore their volcanic sources. Among these tephra some well‐known eruptions and eruptive sequences of the Roman and Roccamonfina...
A multiproxy record from a stalagmite collected from Torgashinskaya Cave (Southern Siberia, Russia) and growing between ca. 6 and 3.8 ka shows evidence for regional climatic changes occurring at ca. 5 ka. Interpretation of stable isotope ratios (δ18O and δ13C) and fluorescence data (intensity and wavelength of the emitted fluorescence) suggests tha...
This poster addresses the vital role of groundwater monitoring, particularly in its capacity to reconstruct circulation patterns and facilitate paleoenvironmental and paleohydrological studies. Focused on the Renella Cave karst system, the monthly data collected from September 2020 to April 2022 contributes to an in-depth understanding of these sub...
The Mediterranean basin is indicated as a hot spot of climate change, which is an area whose climate is especially responsive to variations. The insular environment is one of the most threatened by the current climate change, especially in terms of drought events, with serious consequences for water scarcity and water stress. This issue is even enh...
The last deglaciation (Termination I) saw rapid northern latitude temperature changes and ice-sheet loss, coupled with changes in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. However, the modes, timing and sustaining mechanisms that propagated these changes to the Mediterranean region are far from well understood. Here, we compare two high-reso...
13 Lahars represent some of the most dangerous phenomena in volcanic areas for their destructive 14 power, causing dramatic changes in the landscape with no premonitory signs and impacting on 15 population and infrastructures. In this regard, the Campanian Plain turns out to be very prone to the 16 development of these phenomena, since the slopes o...
Speleothems are cave carbonate deposits that can be precisely dated and efficiently record past climatic and environmental conditions, mostly throughout measurements of oxygen and carbon stable isotopes. The δ18O variability recorded in Mediterranean speleothems is generally attributed to variations in cave drip water δ18O (and precipitation δ18O),...
A first synthesis of available data for the period of Rome’s expansion in Italy (about 400–29 b.c.e.) shows the role of climate and environment in early Roman imperialism. Although global indices suggest a warmer phase with relatively few short-term climate events occuring around the same time as the expansion, local data emphasize the highly varia...
After eight decades since its discovery in 1939, new investigations have been undertaken at Grotta Guattari (Latium, central Italy), a coastal cave by the Tyrrhenian Sea coast and one of the iconic sites of the Italian prehistory, as it yielded an almost complete skull and other remains of Neanderthals. The new excavations of the innermost and unto...
This article presents data from monthly monitoring carried out on cave and stream waters belonging to the Renella Cave karst system from September 2020 to April 2022. Additionally, old data pertaining to cave waters from previous published work are discussed. The aim is to develop a dataset for future climatic and hydrological studies on the Renell...
Volcanic ashes can threaten the human respiratory system through inhalation. In this study we investigated the physical and chemical characteristics of volcanic ashes from the Pomici di Avellino (PdA) eruption, an Early Bronze Age (ca. 3.9 ka) Plinian event from Somma-Vesuvius volcano, southern Italy, whose wide dispersal affected most of the Itali...
A tephra layer was recovered within the Holocene fluvial succession of
the Cerro Colorado Cultural and Natural Reserve in the Córdoba Province
(Argentina). Radiocarbon dating on organic matter preserved within the
paleosoil beneath the tephra layer indicate that the ash layer is younger
than ca. 4700 cal yr BP. Radiocarbon ages, Sr and Nd isoto...
In the last few years, several works have analyzed rainfall regime changes with the increase of temperature as a result of global warming. These changes, documented mainly in northern Europe, still need to be clarified in the Mediterranean area. Many studies have identified sometimes contradictory trends according to the type of data used, the meth...
Identifying potential dust sources of Loess-Paleosol-Sequences (LPS) is important to understand past climatic and
environmental conditions. For loess deposits of Central Italy different hypothesis on particle sources have been
proposed, but none of them has been tested using a comprehensive geochemical approach yet.
Here we present geochemical, min...
The variability of the northern westerlies has been considered as one of the key elements for modern and past climate evolution. Their multiscale behavior and underlying control mechanisms, however, are incompletely understood, owing to the complex dynamics of Atlantic sea-level pressures. Here, we present a multi-annually resolved record of the we...
Thirty‐two tephra layers were identified in the time‐interval 313–366 ka (Marine Isotope Stages 9–10) of the Quaternary lacustrine succession of the Fucino Basin, central Italy. Twenty‐seven of these tephra layers yielded suitable geochemical material to explore their volcanic origins. Investigations also included the acquisition of geochemical dat...
The Fucino Basin, central Italy, with its long and continuous history of Quaternary sediment accumulation, is one of the richest Mediterranean Middle Pleistocene tephra records. Here, we present a new detailed investigation of tephra layers (tephras) of the 250–170 thousand years before present (ka) interval, corresponding to the entire Marine Isot...
Studies of the upper 447 m of the DEEP site sediment succession from central Lake Ohrid, Balkan Peninsula, North Macedonia and Albania provided important insights into the regional climate history and evolutionary dynamics since permanent lacustrine conditions established at 1.36 million years ago (Ma). This paper focuses on the entire 584‐m‐long D...
The deuterium excess is a function of the isotopic composition of oxygen and hydrogen in water. Traditionally, the d-excess is used worldwide to constrain the moisture sources of precipitation, as it mainly depends on the relative humidity and surface sea temperature at the evaporative sources, that control diffusion of the water molecules across t...
Current global warming causes a change in atmospheric dynamics, with consequent variations in the rainfall regimes. Understanding the relationship between global climate patterns, global warming, and rainfall regimes is crucial for the creation of future scenarios and for the relative modification of water management. The aim of this study is to im...
The deuterium excess (d) is a function of δ18O and δ2H in water and it is used worldwide to constrain the moisture sources of precipitation, as it mainly depends on relative humidity and surface sea temperature at the evaporative sources. A case in point is precipitation deriving from vapor originating over the eastern Mediterranean Sea, characteri...
The Sicily region (central Mediterranean) is at high risk of drying and desertification caused by current warming and land management. The aim of this study is to place current climatic changes within the past trajectories and natural climatic variability of the Holocene. For this we re‐examine a sediment core retrieved at Lake Pergusa covering the...
A full review of the 79 CE Plinian eruption of Vesuvius is presented through a multidisciplinary approach, exploiting the integration of historical, stratigraphic, sedimentological, petrological, geophysical, paleoclimatic, and modelling studies dedicated to this famous and devastating natural event. All studies have critically been reviewed and in...
Explosive activity preceding the ~40 ka Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) eruption in the Neapolitan volcanic area, Southern Italy, has long been speculated based on the occurrences of widespread tephra layers, with a Campanian geochemical signature, such as the C-22, X-5, and X-6, preserved in Mediterranean Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 sedimentary records...
There is still a paucity of hydrological data explaining the relationship between (rapid, millennial‐scale) climate forcing and Mediterranean rainfall since the Last Glacial. We show that distinct lake‐level fluctuations at Lake Trasimeno (Italy) are associated with changing aridity in the central Mediterranean during the last ˜47 800 years. The la...
Tephrochronology relies on the availability of the stratigraphical, geochemical and geochronological datasets of volcanic deposits, three preconditions which are both often only fragmentary accessible. This study presents the tephrochronological dataset from the Lake Ohrid (Balkans) sediment succession continuously reaching back to 1.36 Ma. 57 teph...
The reconstruction of millennial-scale interactions between ecosystems and societies can provide unique and valuable references for understanding the creation of cultural landscapes and help elucidate their value, weaknesses and legacies. Among the most emblematic forms of Mediterranean land use, olive groves and pastoralism have occupied a promine...
The stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen in precipitation are widely used to track processes occurring within the hydrological cycle and understand regional atmospheric patterns that influence a specific area. Moreover, the oxygen isotopic composition of continental carbonates is extensively used for palaeohydrological reconstruction. Nevertheles...
Relative sea‐level (RSL) evolution during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5 in the Mediterranean basin is still not fully understood despite a plethora of morphological, stratigraphic and geochronological studies carried out on highstand deposits of this area. In this review we assembled a database of 323 U/Th‐dated samples (e.g. corals, molluscs, spel...
Identification of the remnant traces of paleo-glaciers provides important proxies to understand the response of the environment to rapid climate changes. We present a 1:25,000 scale geomorphological map covering ∼12.5 km² of the upper part of Mount Bistra (North Macedonia) on the basis of remote sensing analyses and geomorphological surveys. Partic...
Accurately reconstructing the scale and timing of dynamic processes, such as Middle-Late Pleistocene explosive volcanism and rapid climatice change, requires rigorous and independent chronological constraints. In this framework, the study of distal volcanic ash layers, or tephra, transported and deposited over wide regions during explosive volcanic...
In this paper we illustrate the stratigraphy, geochronology, and geochemistry (major, minor, trace elements and Sr-isotopes) of a Holocene tephra layer found within coastal sedimentary deposits north of Caleta Olivia (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina). The stratigraphic succession comprises beach deposits with basal erosive surface resting on the loc...
Glacial-interglacial variations in ice volume and sea level are essential components of the Pleistocene global climate evolution. Deciphering the timing of change of these key climate parameters with respect to the insolation forcing is central to understanding the processes controlling glacial terminations. Here we exploit the sensitivity of the P...
Stable water isotopes of precipitation are widely used to track processes occurring within the hydrological cycle and to understand regional atmospheric patterns that influence a specific area. Moreover, the use of the oxygen isotopic composition in continental carbonates (e.g. speleothems) is a well-established practice to reconstruct climatic var...
Identifying the hydrological and environmental response of the European Alpine region to different combinations of climate boundary conditions is crucial to advance the reliability of predictive climate models and thus shape climate adaptation policies that will impact millions of people in seven countries. Here we present a high-resolution multipr...
The original article has been corrected. During proof correction of the article, mistakes in the author affiliations of Petra Bajo, John C. Hellstrom, Robert Wiśniewski, Anthony E. Fallick, Stefano Natali, and Marco Luppichini were introduced. Please find the correct affiliations here as well.
Integrating palaeoclimatological proxies and historical records, which is necessary to achieve a more complete understanding of climate impacts on past societies, is a challenging task, often leading to unsatisfactory and even contradictory conclusions. This has until recently been the case for Italy, the heart of the Roman Empire, during the trans...
A sedimentary sequence of fluvial deposits preserved in the Corchia Cave (Alpi Apuane) provides new chronological constraints for the evolution of the cave system and the timing and rate of uplift of this sector of the Alpi Apuane since the late Pliocene. Supported by magnetostratigraphic analysis performed on fine-grained fluvial deposits, and by...
As a means for investigating human mobility during late the Neolithic to the Copper Age in central and southern Italy, this study presents a novel dataset of enamel oxygen and carbon isotope values (δ18Oca and δ13Cca) from the carbonate fraction of biogenic apatite for one hundred and twenty-six individual teeth coming from two Neolithic and eight...
The stable isotope composition of living and of Holocene Mytilidae shells was measured in the area of Camarones (Chubut, Argentina). The most striking results were the high δ 18 O values measured in samples older than ca. 6.1 cal ka BP. In the younger samples, the δ 18 O values remained substantially stable and similar to those of living specimens....
The timing, duration and evolution of sea level during the Marine Isotope Stage 5e (MIS 5e) highstand is a subject of intense debate. A major problem in resolving this debate is the difficulty of chronologically constraining the sea level fall that followed the peak of the highstand. This was mainly controlled by ice-sheet dynamics, the understandi...
Few palaeoclimate archives beyond the polar regions preserve continuous and datable palaeotemperature proxy time series over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles. This hampers efforts to develop a more coherent picture of global patterns of past temperatures. Here we show that Mg concentrations in a subaqueous speleothem from an Italian cave track...
The scarcity of high-resolution empirical data directly tracking diversity over time limits our understanding of speciation and extinction dynamics and the drivers of rate changes. Here, we analyze a continuous species-level fossil record of endemic diatoms from ancient Lake Ohrid, along with environmental and climate indicator time series since la...
Southern Tuscany (Italy) is an important metallogenic district that hosts relevant S-polymetallic deposits that have intensely been exploited for centuries. Consequently, potential toxic elements, such as Hg and As, are widely distributed in the surrounding environment. In this paper, an extensive sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical stu...