Early urban impact on Mediterranean coastal environments

• DOI: 10.1038/srep03540
• Publication Date: 2013-12-18T10:06:28Z
• Authors: David Kaniewski; Elise Van Campo; Christophe Morhange; Joël Guiot; Dov Zviely; Idan Shaked; Thierry Otto; Michal Artzy
• Keywords: Underpinning; Urban ecosystem; Port (circuit theory)

Abstract A common belief is that, unlike today, ancient urban areas developed in a sustainable way within the environmental limits of local natural resources and ecosystem's capacity to respond. This long-held paradigm based on weak knowledge processes underpinning emergence life rise an urban-adapted environment beyond city boundaries. Here, we report 6000-year record changes around port Akko (Acre), Israel, analyse ecological patterns stemming from growth life. We show that early development deeply transformed pre-existing ecosystems, swiftly leading already governed by its own rules this, since cities.