A new study reveals that an increase in the frequency of storms, along with a decrease in evaporation about 20 years ago, were likely significant factors that enabled the transition to permanent settlements and an agricultural society
The climate at the height of the last ice age in the Middle East, about 20 years ago, is often studied using indirect information collected from stalactite caves, lake levels, remnants of ancient vegetation, etc.. New research, by Dr. Assaf Hochman from the Hebrew University and Dr. Patrick Ludwig from the Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe, Germany, which was recently published in the scientific journal "Environmental Research Letters", Investigates the period for the first time using high spatial resolution climate models, simulating the conditions that prevailed at the height of the last ice age. According to the results of the study, an increase in the frequency of storms, along with a decrease in the amount of rain and its distribution throughout the season, apparently enabled the transition of humans to permanent settlements and an agricultural society.
The Middle East and Israel served as the main continental corridor for the migration of ancient humans from Africa towards Europe and Asia, as part of a process of transition from a society of small hunters to a society of permanent settlements and agriculture. Indeed, the first evidence of agricultural cultures was found in our regions. The climatic forecasts for this region indicate a transition to a warmer and drier climate, which is accompanied by a higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The researchers made use of two dedicated climate models that make it possible to make a comparison between the weather conditions then and now, thus examining differences between various variables such as temperature, evaporation, rain, frequency of storms and their intensity. The results show that dramatic changes in the ratio between the amounts of rain and evaporation (that is, much less evaporation throughout the year and especially in the summer as a result of a temperature lower than today by about 5 degrees) at the height of the last ice age, led to the formation of a wetter climate that was more comfortable for humans and therefore allowed, in addition to other factors, a transition For permanent settlements and an agricultural company.
Dr. Hochman: "The winter storms at that time were apparently more frequent than today, but with less rain in each storm. That is, the rain was more spread over the season, This is in contrast to short and intense storms that we have seen in recent years and are predicted to continue in the future. A better understanding of the climate of the past and the relationship between man and the climate and his natural environment in the last thousands of years helps in the assessments of climate changes in the present and in the future."
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