Use of Modern Pollen Samples and Estimated Pollen Representation Factors as Aids in the Interpretation of Cultural Activity in Local Pollen Diagrams

Abstract

Modern pollen samples from mown and grazed vegetation in western Norway were compared with a fossil pollen diagram to illustrate the possibilities of vegetation and land-use reconstruction using modern analogues. Numerical methods and estimated pollen representation factors were used. Good modern analogues were found for fossil pollen assemblages from as far back as the Iron Age, and periods with different land-use practices (mowing or grazing) were clearly separated. The example demonstrates that the use of modern pollen samples from a wide range of vegetation types can assist in making the interpretation of anthropogenic activity from pollen diagrams more consistent and quantitative.