Pollenzone

Pollen zones are distinguishable by different distribution of pollen in different depths of sediments in lakes or bogs zones. In this way, temporal vegetation trends can develop.

History of Research

This line of research by working the Swedish scientist Axel Blytt (1876 ) and Rutger Sernander was founded (1908 ). They first divided only the Holocene due to decomposition phases of peat at different depths in a proto- or Vorwäremphase, a meso- or heat phase and a telokratische or Nachwärmephase, called Blytt - Sernander sequence.

The research has been both expanded below in the Late Glacial time, as refined by more detailed analyzes of pollen layers to the actual Palynology and performed separately for different areas:

In Sweden, mainly led Nilsson (1935, 1964) and Lennart by Post ( 1944), the work continues, especially for Denmark Knud Jessen ( 1935) and John Iversen (1954 ) for the British Isles Jessen ( 1949) and Harry Godwin (1956 ), for Germany Franz Firbas (1949 ) and Fritz Overbeck (1975).

An excellent overview of the German research history to the present day contains the dissertation by Heike Schneider ( 2002).

The Palynology is now applied worldwide.

Operation

Using a hollow core drill core samples are drawn from bogs or lake sediments ( sediments ). These are suspended in thin layers and the pollen contained and mineral constituents isolated and counted.

Importance

The Palynology provides for each study area a series of statements about the vegetation and mineral entries, the conclusions on the local climate permit (so-called climate proxies ). The number of available pollen diagrams today is barely manageable.

Palynological research contribute significantly to the bio - and klimatostratigraphischen outline of their area, but are unsuitable because of their spatial and time-limited validity for a continental or even global chronostratigraphic subdivision.

In addition, the pollen zones of different researchers, even for comparable regions often agree neither content nor temporally consistent (eg, there are around 1000 (!) Years different datings for Meiendorf, Oldest Dryas, Bølling, or the Atlantic period ). This is except for the locally different conditions on a variety of dating methods in the last decades that are also often poorly described, especially with quotations from other sources.

Example British Isles

For the British Isles Godwin found (1940 ) the following pollen zones:

Documents

• Archaeobotany
• Dating ( Archaeology )
• Climate history
• Paleobotany
• Paleontology