Publication

Back to overview

Pollen-based climate reconstruction techniques for late Quaternary studies

Type of publication Peer-reviewed
Publikationsform Original article (peer-reviewed)
Author Chevalier Manuel, Davis Basil A.S., Heiri Oliver, Seppä Heikki, Chase Brian M., Gajewski Konrad, Lacourse Terri, Telford Richard J., Finsinger Walter, Guiot Joël, Kühl Norbert, Maezumi S. Yoshi, Tipton John R., Carter Vachel A., Brussel Thomas, Phelps Leanne N., Dawson Andria, Zanon Marco, Vallé Francesca, Nolan Connor, Mauri Achille, de Vernal Anne, Izumi Kenji, Holmström Lasse, et al. ,
Project HORNET Holocene Climate Reconstruction for the Northern Hemisphere Extra-tropics
Show all

Original article (peer-reviewed)

Journal Earth-Science Reviews
Volume (Issue) 210
Page(s) 103384 - 103384
Title of proceedings Earth-Science Reviews
DOI 10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103384

Open Access

URL http://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103384
Type of Open Access Publisher (Gold Open Access)

Abstract

Fossil pollen records are well-established indicators of past vegetation changes. The prevalence of pollen across environmental settings including lakes, wetlands, and marine sediments, has made palynology one of the most ubiquitous and valuable tools for studying past environmental and climatic change globally for decades. A complementary research focus has been the development of statistical techniques to derive quantitative estimates of climatic conditions from pollen assemblages. This paper reviews the most commonly used statistical techniques and their rationale and seeks to provide a resource to facilitate their inclusion in more palaeoclimatic research. To this end, we first address the fundamental aspects of fossil pollen data that should be considered when undertaking pollen-based climate reconstructions. We then introduce the range of techniques currently available, the history of their development, and the situations in which they can be best employed. We review the literature on how to define robust calibration datasets, produce high-quality reconstructions, and evaluate climate reconstructions, and suggest methods and products that could be developed to facilitate accessibility and global usability. To continue to foster the development and inclusion of pollen climate reconstruction methods, we promote the development of reporting standards. When established, such standards should 1) enable broader application of climate reconstruction techniques, especially in regions where such methods are currently underused, and 2) enable the evaluation and reproduction of individual reconstructions, structuring them for the evolving open-science era, and optimising the use of fossil pollen data as a vital means for the study of past environmental and climatic variability. We also strongly encourage developers and users of palaeoclimate reconstruction methodologies to make associated programming code publicly available, which will further help disseminate these techniques to interested communities.
-