The Quaternary Climate of Israel

Israel is located in the southern sector of the LevantLevant, spanning the climatic transition between the hyperarid Sahara Desert in the south and the moderate Mediterranean climate in the north. Past changes in the locus of this climatic transition zone have been recorded at numerous sites in Israel and its surroundings, reflecting major Quaternary climateQuaternary climate changes that have impacted regional fauna, flora, and hominid migration patterns, and influenced the cultural history of this region. Importantly, two uniquely resolved, continuous and long records—the Dead Sea sediments and concomitant cave deposits—serve as globally prominent archives of subtropical continental climate, which together with numerous additional regional climate reconstructions provide a highly detailed record of Quaternary climateQuaternary climate change in the Levant. In this chapter, the main archives and observations that provide the basis for regional climate reconstruction are described, and used to provide an overview of climate patterns in the southern LevantLevant throughout the Quaternary.