Handbook of Holocene Palaeoecology and Palaeohydrology

This handbook reviews the key palaeoecological methods applied to primarily organic lake and mire deposits. Particular attention is paid to Holocene environmental changes in the temperate zone, but most methods can be applied to older Quaternary deposits and to areas outside the temperate zone. The need for uniform methods of correlating stratigraphical data on a continental scale is emphasized. The first part of the book concentrates upon the theoretical background to environmental change, examining relationships between physical and biological environments and how they are affected by changes in climate, hydrology and human impact. The research strategy applied to palaeoecological studies of lakes and mires is then considered, introducing the concept of 'reference sites' for stratigraphical correlations. Recommended methods for dealing with these sites are described in subsequent sections. These include sampling and mapping techniques, stratigraphical methods, dating methods, and physical, chemical and biological methods. The numerical treatment of biostratigraphical data is discussed in the final section. The content is based upon the work of the International Geological Correlation Programme Project 158B.