A recent pollen diagram from Antarctica (King George Island,South Shetland Islands)

Abstract

A pollen diagram from King George Island, South Shetland Islands, is presented; it is the first from the Antarctic region. A basal radiocarbon date indicates a calibrated age of 300 years or less. Pollen of one or both of the native vascular plants and many long-distance transported types, mainly Nothofagus, are present in all samples. A total of 37 long-distance transported pollen and spore types were encountered in the samples from the section and in an additional modern moss sample collected on Deception Island, South Shetland Islands. Changes in local vegetation are recorded. The possibilities of reconstructing past human activities and past climatic change with the help of pollen diagrams are discussed.

Keywords

palynology pollen vegetation history Antarctic region South Shetland Islands Holocene.

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