The palaeoecological and prehistoric context of minerogenic layers in blanket peat: a study from Loch Dee, southwest Scotland

Edwards, Kevin J.; Hirons, Kenneth R.; Newell, Patrick J

doi:10.1177/095968369100100105

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Equally, whilst a number of studies have reported evidence for instability in upland soils (Durno and McVean, 1959;Sugden, 1971 ;Mottershead, 1978;Ballantyne, 1986;Ballantyne and Whittington, 1988;Brazier et a/. 1988;Brazier and Ballantyne, 1989;Edwards et al, 1991), many are quite poorly dated, and correlation with causal factors remains insecure (Ballantyne, 1991). Some new data on these components of Holocene landscape evolution have been obtained from the east-central Grampians.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene landscape change at Carn Dubh, near Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland

Tipping¹

1995

J Quaternary Science

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Detailed palynological analyses, including pollen preservation and charcoal counts, and sedimentological analyses (loss-on-ignition, percentage dry weight, dry bulk density and humification), supported by 15 14C dates, were applied to a small upland (350 m OD) peat basin near Pitlochry, east-central Grampians, Scotland. Stratigraphical analyses and radiocarbon dating were also undertaken on the valley peat surrounding the basin.Organic sediment began to accumulate in the basin and on the valley floor at ca. 9800 yr BP.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Holocene landscape change at Carn Dubh, near Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland

Tipping¹

1995

J Quaternary Science

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“…Thin clastic deposits within the peat in BIV and BV may represent evidence for depositional events due to human activity and phases of reduced hillslope stability through, for example, woodland clearance (Edwards et al 1991) in the framework of salt mining (initiating in the Neolithic and widespread since the Iron Age). The exact timing of these events remains unclear but climatically driven lake level variations (Magny 2004) and moraine dam erosion may also play a role.…”

Section: Landscape Evolution In the Tks Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

From deglaciation to postglacial filling: post-LGM evolution of an isolated glacier system at the northern fringe of the Eastern Alps (Austria)

Bernsteiner

Götz

Salcher

et al. 2021

Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography

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During the last glacial maximum (LGM), large parts of the European Alps were occupied by an extensive interconnected system of valley glaciers. At lower elevations on the eastern fringe of the Alps, only a patchy pattern of isolated glaciers developed. Erosion by many of these smaller glaciers was however sufficient to excavate subglacial basins ('overdeepening') large enough to act as sedimentary archives of deglaciation processes. To constrain the deglaciation history and the post-LGM evolution of an isolated glacial system, we analyzed the geomorphology and the sedimentary record of a local overdeepening at the northern fringe of the Northern Calcareous Alps. We focus on the heavily silted lake system Taferlklaussee (TKS) (Höllengebirge massif, Austria) confined by a succession of terminal moraines and a steep headwall. Field techniques (mapping, Direct Current Resistivity, and core drilling), lab techniques (lithostratigraphic analyses and radiocarbon dating) and Geographic Information System (GIS) analyses are employed to document dynamics of erosion and sedimentation after deglaciation. We discuss drivers and controls of paraglacial landscape evolution. The almost complete postglacial (lake) record indicates abundant sediment input during the lateglacial and early Holocene, but strongly reduced dynamics since the Mid-Holocene. Sediment storage volumes range between 3.83 Mm³ and 5.75 Mm³ and lithology-specific mechanical denudation rates range between 0.8 mm/a and 1.7 mm/a depending on the scenario used. The study provides a well-constrained reference for the depositional dynamics of isolated LGM glacier systems of the Eastern Alps. It highlights the potential of using related sedimentary records to constrain the local variability in postglacial landscape evolution.

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“…Many pollen diagrams which cover the Mesolithic period display small reductions in woodland taxa, sometimes accompanied by expansions in charcoal values, and human activity is often surmised -indeed, lithic artefacts are sometimes known from the pollen sites themselves or their vicinity (e.g., Knox 1954;Edwards et al 1991;Tipping et al 1993;Edwards & Mithen 1995;Paterson 2011). Numerous studies which demonstrate inferred impacts upon woodland come from island locations.…”

Section: Human Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeoecological perspectives on Holocene environmental change in Scotland

Edwards

Bennett

Davies

2018

Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Socie

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Palaeoecology has been prominent in studies of environmental change during the Holocene epoch in Scotland. These studies have been dominated by palynology (pollen, spore and related bio-and litho-stratigraphic analyses) as a key approach to multi- and inter-disciplinary investigations of topics such as vegetation, climate and landscape change. This paper highlights some key dimensions of the pollen- and vegetation-based archive, with a focus upon woodland dynamics, blanket peat, human impacts, biodiversity and conservation. Following a brief discussion of chronological, climatic, faunal and landscape contexts, the migration, survival and nature of the woodland cover through time is assessed, emphasising its time-transgressiveness and altitudinal variation. While agriculture led to the demise of woodland in lowland areas of the south and east, the spread of blanket peat was especially a phenomenon of the north and west, including the Western and Northern Isles. Almost a quarter of Scotland is covered by blanket peat and the cause(s) of its spread continue(s) to evoke recourse to climatic, topographic, pedogenic, hydrological, biotic or anthropogenic influences, while we remain insufficiently knowledgeable about the timing of the formation processes. Humans have been implicated in vegetational change throughout the Holocene, with prehistoric woodland removal, woodland management, agricultural impacts arising from arable and pastoral activities, potential heathland development and afforestation. The viability of many current vegetation communities remains a concern, in that Scottish data show reductions in plant diversity over the last 400 years, which recent conservation efforts have yet to reverse. Palaeoecological evidence can be used to test whether conservation baselines and restoration targets are appropriate to longer-term ecosystem variability and can help identify when modern conditions have no past analogues.

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The palaeoecological and prehistoric context of minerogenic layers in blanket peat: a study from Loch Dee, southwest Scotland

Cited by 13 publications

References 22 publications

Holocene landscape change at Carn Dubh, near Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland

Holocene landscape change at Carn Dubh, near Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland

From deglaciation to postglacial filling: post-LGM evolution of an isolated glacier system at the northern fringe of the Eastern Alps (Austria)

Palaeoecological perspectives on Holocene environmental change in Scotland

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