Cold, harsh climate once ruled ‘Lucknow region’, says study
LUCKNOW: And you thought the present City of Nawabs had always been a pleasant place to live in like it is now? No, says a study jointly conducted by scientists of Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (BSIP) and State Archaeological Department (UPSAD). The first-of-its-kind study reveals that climatic conditions that prevailed here thousands of years ago were too harsh to support any mechanism of life.
Carried out to decrypt the climatic history of the past 14,000 years, the study suggests that the region used to have extremely cold and dry climatic conditions and rainfall too scanty to support growth of trees.
“Evidences indicate that between 14,000 and 12,500 years BP (before present), there were just open grasslands with sparingly distributed trees,” reads the research published in April 2015 Quaternary International—the official journal of International Union for Quaternary Research, which publishes authentic scientific journals.
The study began in 2009 when a historical site in Hulas Khera village of Mohanlalganj, around 20-km from the city, witnessed massive excavation work. “It was high-potential excavation site, which indicated the presence of civilisation around 3,500 years BP, from pre-NBPW (Northern Black Polished Ware culture) to early medieval periods (1,000 years BP). Painted grey wares, pottery, coins, terracotta figurines and brick structures were recovered from the site,” said Dr RK Srivastav, excavation and exploration officer, UPSAD.
While at it, he said, the BSIP scientists were asked to enquire the climatic conditions that could possibly have prevailed in the past. Srivastav was also part of the research work.
For the study, BSIP scientists dug a 2.6-metre trench, near Hulas Khera site, adjacent to Karela jheel. “Around 26 samples were taken from the trench to study pollen grains, which can tell us all about the future. Six samples were taken to ascertain the date of the soil through carbon dating method,” said Dr MS Chauhan, a retired senior scientist of BSIP, who played a leading role in the research.
Why only pollens? “Because, pollens can withstand the vagaries of nature and can be preserved for several thousands of years. They have a hard coating, made of sporopollenin, which protects them during movement. The study of pollens can tell us about the climatic conditions of the past,” Chauhan explained.
The scientists also took pollen samples from the uppermost layer of the soil to ascertain the present climatic conditions.
During research, scientists found that while the uppermost layer had around 20% pollen, the bottom layer, estimated to be 14,000 years BP old, had just 3% pollens.
“This indicates that around 14,000 years back, there was very less rain to support the growth of the trees as compared to today,” said Chauhan.
“Since it (14,000 BP) was 4,000 years after Ice Age, which is believed to have lasted until 10,000 BP, the climatic conditions at that time used to be extremely cold for the survival of human beings,” he added.
Anil Kumar Pokhriyal, another scientist from BSIP who was part of the research, said between 8,700 and 4800 BP, maximum expansion of forests took place in Lucknow re gion and its climate became more hot and humid, making it favourable for survival of human beings. It’s during this period the advent of agriculture far ming took place.
Scientists reiterated that the research, which took six years to complete, was the lone effort made so far to understand climatic conditions in the region, which is now the state capital.