The expansion of reservoirs to cope with droughts and water shortages is hotly debated in
many places around the world. We argue that there are two counterintuitive dynamics that …

We present a coevolutionary view of hydrologic systems, revolving around feedbacks
between environmental and social processes operating across different time scales. This …

The exhibition of increasingly intensive and complex niche construction behaviors through
time is a key feature of human evolution, culminating in the advanced capacity for ecosystem …

Prehistoric human activities were likely influenced by cyclic monsoon climate changes in
East Asia. Here we report a decadal-resolution Holocene pollen record from an annually …

The conventional wisdom says that the devolution of Classic Maya civilization occurred
because its population grew too large and dense to be supported by primitive neotropical …

History and archaeology have a well-established engagement with issues of premodern
societal development and the interaction between physical and cultural environments; …

Recent decades have seen the rapid expansion of scholarship that identifies societal
responses to past climatic fluctuations. This fast-changing scholarship, which was recently …

The ninth century collapse and abandonment of the Central Maya Lowlands in the Yucatán
peninsular region were the result of complex human–environment interactions. Large-scale …

Historical collapse of ancient states or civilizations has raised new awareness about its
possible relevance to current issues of sustainability, in the context of global change. This …

Climate change is often cited as a major factor in social change. The so-called 8.2 ka event
was one of the most pronounced and abrupt Holocene cold and arid events. The 9.2 ka …