Topographic Context Research Articles

Pit Lakes in Abandoned Slate Quarries in Northwestern Spain: Characteristics and Potential Uses

Human activities play a key role in landscape evolution. Mining is one of the most important of these since it changes large parts of the Earth’s surface. In abandoned mines and quarries, pit lakes are quite common due to water table blocking. These lakes have remarkable ecological characteristics, but they are still poorly understood. Northwestern Spain has a long tradition in the use of slate for roofs. This exploitation, mostly open-pit, has caused a great transformation in the landscape including the generation of pit lakes. In this work, 27 pit lakes in abandoned slate quarries areas have been analysed using orthophotos of different years, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) images and field work. In each lake, the topographic context, geomorphological dynamics, morphometric parameters (including depth), pH, and ecological variables were measured. Other uses for these quarry pit lakes and their significance as a new geo-ecological environment are also discussed. The results show different types of pit lakes and, consequently, different potential uses in each case. Only six offer good conditions for recreational uses, whereas the rest (21) show slope instability or poor water quality.

How old are the Mojave topographic dunes? The implications of new luminescence dating analyses from the Cady Mountains, Mojave Desert, southwest USA

The aeolian landforms of the Mojave Desert in the SW USA have been studied in detail over the last three decades, particularly in terms of their relationship to the region's topography and Pleistocene climate / sediment supply histories, as well as wider developments, such as the aeolian “sediment state” concept. In this context, the evolution of the Mojave River and its associated palaeolakes is thought to have been a key control on long-term sediment supply to aeolian systems, and luminescence dating chronologies for a range of (resulting) aeolian landforms have been related to these hydrological changes. Here we argue that at least some of these aeolian chronologies need to be re-assessed.We focus on luminescence chronologies for aeolian landforms within and marginal to the Cady Mountains, a mountain block adjacent to the Mojave River and palaeolake Manix, east of Barstow, California. We demonstrate that quartz in this locale exhibits several malign luminescence properties, and that low temperature K-feldspar infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) consistently exhibits high anomalous fading rates. Both contribute to age underestimation. We address these issues via post-infrared IRSL (pIRIR) and post-isothermal post-IR (pIt-IR) analyses of K-feldspars. The resulting ages span the last ~120 ka and imply phases of aeolian activity of a substantially greater antiquity than previously inferred. Notably, at one well-studied site – the Soldier Mountain sand ramp – the new ages suggest a landform dating not to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 1 or 2, as previously suggested, but more likely to MIS 5. The Cady Mountain record indicates that the only period of the last glacial cycle lacking evidence for aeolian sedimentation is ~40–9 ka, broadly consistent with expectations of increased regional humidity. These results also suggest that site topographic context may influence the age structure of aeolian deposits. In this instance, sand ramps consistently represent the oldest type of deposit (range ~ 40–120 ka), while early-mid Holocene dune accumulation is associated with sandsheets and valley-fill sands. Based on these findings, we argue that there is a need to critically re-assess the existing regional luminescence age database, and that there is potential to significantly revise our understanding of the region's aeolian system responses, and associated paleoenvironmental interpretations.

A Multimodal Approach to Rapidly Documenting and Visualizing Archaeological Caves in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Abstract. Clearing and construction activities related to the Maya Train (Tren Maya) project resulted in potential and inevitable impacts to archaeological caves sites in largely undeveloped areas of Quintana Roo. An effort coordinated by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) involved accelerated digital documentation of two caves – via SLAM-enabled mobile LiDAR scanning and targeted photogrammetry – to facilitate prompt visualization and evaluation of terrestrial and subterranean geospatial relationships. Mobile LiDAR is well suited to the challenges of capturing the complex, multilevel morphology of caves and was readily deployed across and through priority environments. Specific archaeological features – such as ancient Maya rock art and masonry shrines – were documented via photogrammetry, and the resulting higher-resolution models co-referenced with the georeferenced mobile LiDAR-generated point clouds of each cave and the surrounding topographic context. This integrative approach contributed to a more informed decision-making process, with respect to conservation and construction, and provided baseline data for future monitoring of the affected cave sites.

The Space of the Stylite

For scholars and students of Late Antiquity, the stylite’s column exerts a special appeal. Scholars have examined literary representations of stylites and sought out visual parallels for the phenomenon of column-standing. This article shows that topographical contexts were central to establishing the potency of the column as a holy object and the trajectory of stylitism in history. I employ the term topography broadly to encompass the physical characteristics of an area, the ways in which humans augmented physical characteristics through the built environment, and specific architectural organizations. I examine three topographical contexts and make three interconnected arguments. By selecting the hill adjacent to Telanissos as the location for his columns, the premier stylite Symeon (d. 459) participated in a long-standing regional tradition of activating the numinous power of high places and stone through cultic activity. The monumental pilgrimage complex built after Symeon’s death made the column a relic and integrated veneration of Symeon into liturgical ritual. The incorporation of stylites into northern Syria’s cenobitic communities circumscribed stylitism as a distinctly monastic vocation. These three contexts illustrate that the significance of the column was located in processes of production and reception. At the same time, stylite columns were not passive objects. They faced the gods of old; they enriched ecclesiastical rituals; they molded the bodies of those who activated them; they proclaimed the ascendancy of monastic institutions. As both products of their topography and agents within it, stylite columns constructed a distinctive Christian landscape in Syria’s limestone massif.

Uncertainty quantification of satellite InSAR‐monitoring of bridges: a case study

AbstractTraditional structural health monitoring (SHM) systems provide accurate and objective information to assess the condition state of bridges; however, they are expensive and typically installed only on strategic bridges. Innovative technologies offer a potential solution. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) takes multiple satellite radar images of a given area over time and extracts displacement time series of reflective point targets on the ground. The literature on InSAR‐based SHM of bridges lacks systematic studies aiming at quantifying the metrological uncertainty of the displacements measured. Furthermore, the topographic context and the magnitude of displacements of these structures between successive satellite passes significantly impact the uncertainty of results. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of InSAR‐based SHM of bridges by comparing displacement time series obtained from InSAR with those from an on‐site topographic system. Displacements are measured from a prestressed concrete bridge in the Alpine region. Moreover, this study models the deformed shape of the bridge based on satellite and on‐site measurements and compares the results to determine whether bridge distortions can be reconstructed using satellite data alone.

New opportunities for archaeological research in the Greater Ghingan Range, China: Application of UAV LiDAR in the archaeological survey of the Shenshan Mountain

The Greater Khingan Range, located in northeastern China, has long been argued by historians as the birthplace of many ancient nomadic people, such as Xianbei, Khitan, and Mongols, who had a profound impact on the historical course of China and Eurasian. However, till now, only a few archaeological traces of their past activities have been discovered and reported in the region, mainly because lush forest obscures most of the land and seriously impedes its archaeological survey and mapping. To account for the adverse effect of the forest, archaeologists have been applying LiDAR technology in other forested areas worldwide. Nevertheless, there has been a paucity of similar studies in China, particularly in the Greater Khingan Range—a region with great archaeological significance. This paper presents the first integrated application of UAV LiDAR and photogrammetry to detect and map the ancient sites hidden beneath the forest canopy in Shenshan Mountain, located southeast of the Greater Khingan Range. In conjunction with a detailed field survey, the UAV missions successfully revealed, with exceptional clarity, the extent and complexity of the archaeological structures under the forest as well as their topographic context, and thus delivered, for the first time, a holistic picture of the archaeological sites in the area, allowing defining a probable ancient ritual or worship landscape that may date back to the Liao period (907–1125). The successful application of UAV LiDAR in the study has further expanded the ‘world map’ of current global LiDAR archaeology, and has demonstrated for the first time the immense promise of UAV LiDAR for archaeological surveys and landscape archaeology in the area, highlighting new opportunities for archaeological research in the Greater Khingan Range.

The paraglacial adjustment of an Alpine lateral moraine, Bas Glacier d’Arolla, Switzerland

ABSTRACT Within Alpine catchments, glacial landforms are subject to post-depositional reworking during and following deglaciation. Ice-marginal moraines are thought to rapidly stabilise within ~200 years in this topographic context, although ice-proximal slopes are particularly prone to alteration by debris flows and solifluction. This study investigates landform transformation, documenting geomorphological change at the Bas Glacier d’Arolla, Switzerland. Gully development on a moraine slope was assessed using archive image sets obtained in 1977, 1988 and 2009 to derive historical elevation models. Raster differencing suggests that the mean rate of surface lowering on the upper moraine slope was 7.15 ± 1.83 m (± minimum level of detection) over the observation period (1977–2009), a rate of 0.22 m yr−1. The erosion of the landform resulted in an incontiguous moraine crestline. Whilst some landforms may undergo limited transformation upon deglaciation, selected sites are subject to rapid geomorphologic change, involving crestline retreat via the initial dissection by gullies, followed by the removal of inter-gully slopes.

Assessing Climate Change Exposure for the Adaptation of Conservation Management: The Importance of Scale in Mountain Landscapes

Vulnerability of mountain ecosystems to climate change depends on the capacity of topographic variation to provide heterogeneous microclimates and rates of climatic change. Accurate methods are therefore needed to assess climate at spatial resolutions relevant to ecological responses and environmental management. Here, we evaluate a mechanistic microclimate model (30 m resolution; Microclima) and mesoclimate data (1 km; CHELSA) against in situ temperatures, finding that both capture (whilst somewhat underestimating) variation well in observed ground-level maxima along a mountain ridge in 2011-13. We apply the models to estimate ecological exposure to recent temperature changes for four mountain areas of the Iberian Peninsula, based on analogous and non-analogous monthly maxima in 1980–1989 versus 2010–2019. The microclimate model revealed fine-resolution exposure to non-analogous conditions that were concealed in mesoclimate data, although whether exposure was greater at the micro- or mesoscale (and hence the types of organisms or management decisions affected) depended on the topographic context of each mountain range. Habitat type influenced microclimatic exposure, and hence may provide opportunities for conservation adaptation. These results suggest that mechanistic models are potentially useful tools to assess exposure to climate change at spatial resolutions that permit understanding and management of biodiversity responses in mountain ecosystems.

Предметный комплекс одежды в погребальной обрядности населения Верхнего Приобья эпохи раннего железа

The article characterizes the clothing assemblage in the burial rituals of the Early Iron Age population of the Upper Ob River region. The work draws from the materials found on the Bolsherechenskaya sites of the 8th (7th) — 3rd (2nd) centuries BC. Using this archaeological material, the author examines the event-driven sacralized actions with items of clothing at the stage preceding the burial, and directly during its implementation. The complex of these actions is subdivided into actions associated with symbolic damage to things; actions associated with a change in the symbolic status of things and actions that mark the high symbolic status of things. The clothing assemblage, revealed during the study of the burial, is differentiated into truly aesthetic and symbolically significant things. Whole things, as a rule, related to objects of art, are found in characteristic places of their lifetime use. Things with a symbolic status changed during the funerary rite are recorded in an unusual topographic context. Event sacralization can be viewed as an adaptive strategy for integrating things and ideas into the funerary practice of a multicultural community, consisting of certain ethno-territorial groups “with a consanguineous or neighboring type of community”.

Transept zachodni w romańskiej katedrze św. św. Wita, Wacława i Wojciecha na Praskim Grodzie

The Romanesque Cathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslaus and Adalbert in Prague was erected as a double-chancel basilica with western transept. Occidental transverse nave and two choirs is intrinsic and distinctive feature of this basilica that indicates architectural ideas from which the Cathedral had originated. Alas, the basilica has, hitherto, been rather interpreted in isolation and without considering the broader European architecture context and by detaching the western transept from its topographic context. This has discouraged scholars from rigorous analysis of the origins of the form, which resulted in the creation of arbitrary and stereotypical narrative instead. This paper presents new interpretation of the Cathedral which tracks the links between the basilica and double-choir churches with western transept in Central Europe. In addition, this research builds on spatial analysis which identifies the relationships between the Cathedral and the landform of Prague Castle.

Photographic feature: The Southwell Topple – reassessment of a very large coastal toppling failure on the Isle of Portland, UK

The Southwell Topple is a spectacular example of a toppling failure on the southeastern coastline of the Isle of Portland, on the south coast of England. Types of mass movements, which occur around almost the entire coastline of Portland and include some other much smaller but well-known topples, vary depending on local geological and topographical contexts. The ‘Southwell Landslide’ of 1734 (i.e. the Southwell Topple) differs in most respects from all the others, not least in its size. We examine the historical and geological contexts of the Southwell Topple in order to explain its origins and characteristics. The recently published bathymetric data from the DORIS project reveals the tectonic context for the landslide, particularly the frequent transform faults parallel to the southeastern coastline of Portland and the axis of the Shambles Syncline forming Portland's ‘central depression’. It appears that the Southwell Topple resulted from coast-parallel tectonic discontinuities – probably a single joint and/or transform fault – through the Portland Stone combined with preferential marine erosion of the underlying weaker Portland Sand.

Facies, composition and provenance of the Agnone Flysch in the context of the early Messinian evolution of the southern Apennine foredeep (Molise, Italy)

Clastic wedges deposited in deep-marine turbidite systems along the circum-Mediterranean region represent key tectonic elements that record the structural growing of the Apennine orogenic belt over the Adria margin. One of these clastic wedges is represented by the Agnone Flysch turbidite succession deposited in the Lagonegro-Molise foredeep basin in the early Messinian, for which the depositional facies and the related processes, as well as the sandstone and mudstone composition are poorly known. A combined sedimentology and sedimentary petrology study has been conducted on this turbidite succession that provides new insight to define the basin architecture and the provenance of the Agnone Flysch during late Miocene. Facies analysis suggests that this turbidite succession is constituted by depositional lobes that were emplaced in a sector of the basin showing a variable morphological confinement with frontal and lateral slope on which turbidite deposits onlapped. Consequently, this topographic context controlled the lateral and vertical distribution of turbidite facies, which record the effects of erosive processes, as well as impact, rebound and reflection processes, in turn related to the flow deceleration induced by structurally-controlled basin confinement. Detailed sandstones compositional analysis indicates a complex unroofing history that reflects structural changes in the source rock units and depositional basin physiography. By combining the sandstone composition with information deduced from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns after thermo-chemical treatments (heating and ethylene glycol treatments), it was possible to explain and predict the sedimentary evolution and geological processes affecting fine grained sediments and, thus, the relationship developed between source area and sedimentary basin. In particular, clay minerals data show that Agnone Flysch experienced an early diagenetic condition as showed by the occurrence of the I/S R0 and I/S R1 on the XRD pattern of the glycolated specimens. The sandstone composition (mainly quartzofeldspathic) shows an increase in the metamorphic rock fragments and a decrease of sedimentary lithics up-section. This compositional trend records, together with the paleocurrents data, a derivation of this material from a mountain range located in the Tyrrhenian sector and from the Calabrian arc terranes.

Predicting greater sage-grouse habitat selection at the southern periphery of their range.

Mapping suitable habitat is an important process in wildlife conservation planning. Species distribution reflects habitat selection processes occurring across multiple spatio‐temporal scales. Because habitat selection may be driven by different factors at different scales, conservation planners require information at the scale of the intervention to plan effective management actions. Previous research has described habitat selection processes shaping the distribution of greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage‐grouse) at the range‐wide scale. Finer‐scale information for applications within jurisdictional units inside the species range is lacking, yet necessary, because state wildlife agencies are the management authority for sage‐grouse in the United States. We quantified seasonal second‐order habitat selection for sage‐grouse across the state of Utah to produce spatio‐temporal predictions of their distribution at the southern periphery of the species range. We used location data obtained from sage‐grouse marked with very‐high‐frequency radio‐transmitters and lek location data collected between 1998 and 2013 to quantify species habitat selection in relation to a suite of topographic, edaphic, climatic, and anthropogenic variables using random forest algorithms. Sage‐grouse selected for greater sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) cover, higher elevations, and gentler slopes and avoided lower precipitations and higher temperatures. The strength of responses to habitat variables varied across seasons. Anthropogenic variables previously reported as affecting their range‐wide distribution (i.e., roads, powerlines, communication towers, and agricultural development) were not ranked as top predictors at our focal scale. Other than strong selection for sagebrush cover, the responses we observed differed from what has been reported at the range‐wide scale. These differences likely reflect the unique climatic, geographic, and topographic context found in the southern peripheral area of the species distribution compared to range‐wide environmental gradients. Our results highlight the importance of considering appropriateness of scale when planning conservation actions for wide‐ranging species.

Origin of loess deposits in the North Tian Shan piedmont, Central Asia

Loess deposits are widely distributed along the mountain piedmonts of Central Asia. The transport processes and origins of Central Asian loess sediments remain poorly understood. Here we investigate the origin and formation of loess along the northern piedmont of the Tian Shan based on trace element (including rare earth element) ratios and multidimensional scaling analysis. Our results indicate that the loess has undergone weak chemical weathering. Using a selection of geochemical fingerprinting techniques based on Pearson correlation and Kruskal–Wallis H tests, we establish a genetic link between alluvial-proluvial fans/plains, deserts, and loess along the Tian Shan piedmont in northern Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan. The unsorted sediments on the piedmont slopes and alluvial-proluvial plains are common sources for both deserts and loess to the north of the Tian Shan. Dune sediments are not the main source of the fine-grained loess. Origin and formation of Central Asian loess is strongly dependent on local topographic context and wind dynamics. Only once loess provenance and formation has been understood across both space and time can reliable interpretations of palaeoclimatic proxies in these deposits be made.

Geomorphometric characterisation of natural and anthropogenic land covers

The scientific community has widely discussed the role of abiotic and biotic forces in reshaping the Earth’s surface. Currently, the literature is debating whether humans are leaving a topographic signature on the landscape. Apart from the influence of humans on processes, does the resulting landscape bear an unmistakable signature of anthropogenic activities? This research analyses from a statistical point of view the morphological signature of anthropogenic and natural land covers in different topographic context, as a fundamental challenge in the emerging debate of human-environment relationships and the modelling of global environmental change. It aims to explore how intrinsically small-scale processes, related to land use, can influence the form of entire landscapes and to determine whether these processes create a distinctive topography. The work focusses on four study areas in floodplains, plain to hilly, hills and mountains, for which LiDAR-derived Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) are available. Surface morphology is described with different geomorphometric parameters (slope, mean curvature and surface peak curvature) and their frequency distribution. The results show that the distribution of geomorphometric indices can reveal anthropogenic land covers and landscapes. In most cases, different land covers show statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in their morphology. Finally, this study demonstrates the possibility to use a geomorphic analysis to quantify anthropogenic impact based on land covers in different landscape contexts. This provides useful insight into understanding the impact of human activities on the present morphology and offers a comprehensive understanding of coupling human-land interaction from a geomorphological point of view.

Evaluación del impacto del incendio Nilahue-Barahona mediante índices espectrales ex-antes y ex-post

This study assessed the impact of the Nilahue-Barahona fire, occurred during the summer of 2017, in VI Region of Chile. To do that, differentials of vegetation spectral indices were derived from Sentinel-2 optical satellite images acquired on ex-ante and ex-post dates. Differentials of vegetation state indices (of vigor, turgor and calcination) resulting from a subtraction between an image acquired before the fire and another one acquired once it was extinguished were used as a calcination severity measure of the vegetation. Meanwhile, indices’ differentials of the same indices resulting from a subtraction between the image acquired before the fire and another one acquired just one year before it were used as a recovery measure of the calcined vegetation. One year after the fire, the indices’ values showed an increase that accounted for the recovery of the burnt biomass. The mapping of the NDVI differentials obtained for the previously mentioned measures, combined with other relevant cartographic sources, contribute to explain the impact of this fire considering the preexisting vegetation communities and their topographic context. This study provides useful information to orientate subsequent selective restoration actions of the burnt ecosystems.

Multiple Representations of Topographic Pattern and Geographic Context Determine Barrier Dune Resistance, Resilience, and the Overlap of Coastal Biogeomorphic Models

We compared two biogeomorphic models that postulate how vegetation is intertwined in the response and recovery of barrier island dunes. Each model was developed in a separate coastal region using different methods. Both relied on simple elevational representations of topography. By comparing topographies among more islands of these two regions and by linking multiple representations of topographic pattern to resistance and resilience, we provide a synthesis that shows the validity of both models and the consequences of reifying one over the other. Using airborne LiDAR, topographic metrics based on point, patch, and gradient representations of topography were derived for fifty-two sites across eleven islands along the Georgia Bight and Virginia. These seventeen metrics were categorized in terms of resistance and resilience to disturbance from storm-forced high water levels and overwash. Resistance refers to intrinsic properties that directly counter expressions of power from disturbance. Resilience refers to the degrees of freedom to adjust and adapt to disturbance. Using a cross-scale data modeling approach, these data were visualized as topographic state space using multidimensional scaling. In this state space, similarity in topography as well as resistance and resilience were inferred through a site’s position along low-dimension axes representing geomorphic resistance and high-dimension axes representing the spatial landscape properties of biogeomorphic resilience. The two models overlap in how they account for barrier dune resistance and resilience along the U.S. south Atlantic coast. Islands of the Georgia Bight have a propensity for higher resistance and resilience. The Virginia islands have lower resistance and resilience. Key Words: barrier islands, biogeomorphology, cross-scale structure, dunes, resilience.

Searching for Viking Age Fortresses with Automatic Landscape Classification and Feature Detection

Across the world, cultural heritage is eradicated at an unprecedented rate by development, agriculture, and natural erosion. Remote sensing using airborne and satellite sensors is an essential tool for rapidly investigating human traces over large surfaces of our planet, but even large monumental structures may be visible as only faint indications on the surface. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of a machine learning approach using airborne laser scanning data to address a “needle-in-a-haystack” problem, which involves the search for remnants of Viking ring fortresses throughout Denmark. First ring detection was applied using the Hough circle transformations and template matching, which detected 202,048 circular features in Denmark. This was reduced to 199 candidate sites by using their geometric properties and the application of machine learning techniques to classify the cultural and topographic context of the features. Two of these near perfectly circular features are convincing candidates for Viking Age fortresses, and two are candidates for either glacial landscape features or simple meteor craters. Ground-truthing revealed the latter sites as ice age features, while the cultural heritage sites Borgø and Trælbanke urge renewed archaeological investigation in the light of our findings. The fact that machine learning identifies compelling new candidate sites for ring fortresses demonstrates the power of the approach. Our automatic approach is applicable worldwide where digital terrain models are available to search for cultural heritage sites, geomorphological features, and meteor impact craters.

Scale-Optimized Surface Roughness for Topographic Analysis

Surface roughness is a terrain parameter that has been widely applied to the study of geomorphological processes. One of the main challenges in studying roughness is its highly scale-dependent nature. Determining appropriate mapping scales in topographically heterogenous landscapes can be difficult. A method is presented for estimating multiscale surface roughness based on the standard deviation of surface normals. This method utilizes scale partitioning and integral image processing to isolate scales of surface complexity. The computational efficiency of the method enables high scale sampling density and identification of maximum roughness for each grid cell in a digital elevation model (DEM). The approach was applied to a 0.5 m resolution LiDAR DEM of a 210 km2 area near Brantford, Canada. The case study demonstrated substantial heterogeneity in roughness properties. At shorter scales, tillage patterns and other micro-topography associated with ground beneath forest cover dominated roughness scale signatures. Extensive agricultural land-use resulted in 35.6% of the site exhibiting maximum roughness at micro-topographic scales. At larger spatial scales, rolling morainal topography and fluvial landforms, including incised channels and meander cut banks, were associated with maximum surface roughness. This method allowed for roughness mapping at spatial scales that are locally adapted to the topographic context of each individual grid cell within a DEM. Furthermore, the analysis revealed significant differences in roughness characteristics among soil texture categories, demonstrating the practical utility of locally adaptive, scale-optimized roughness.

Heterogeneous vegetation sensitivity at local and regional scales: Implications for pollen-based climate reconstruction

Vegetation–climate relationships are often different at varying spatial scales, which is seldom taken into account in reconstructing past climate changes from fossil pollen spectra represent more local vegetation composition but using regional or extra-regional modern pollen–climate calibration set. In this paper, we employ 2620 surface pollen spectra and six pollen sequences from continental East Asia to reconstruct Holocene climate with modern analogue technique. A novel data set of vegetation sensitivity index (VSI) is introduced to examine vegetation–climate relationships in 0.5° search windows around the fossil sites (local) and in the tailored calibration sets (regional). Then, we compare them to the explanatory abilities of (reconstructed) climate variables on explaining the pollen variance in calibration sets and in the fossil pollen data sets using constrained ordination, cross-validation and significance test. By this procedure that we called local–regional–fossil comparison, we can better determine which variable reconstruction is valid and useful. In our cases, moisture variable reconstructions in temperate forest-steppe ecotone at the East Asian summer monsoon margin are reliable. Consistent Holocene moisture variations with a strong monsoon influence during 8.6–4.0 cal ka BP which can help us to better interpret human adaptations along the Great Wall. However, quantitative climate reconstructions at some sites are less reliable due to highly heterogeneous vegetation sensitivities surrounding the site, particularly for areas with complicated topographical contexts. We stress that vegetation sensitivities at local and regional scales both need to be investigated before conducting quantitative climate reconstruction.