The results are presented of a detailed plant macrofossil analysis of a(14C dated Holocene organic sequence from a sub-Antarctic island, South Georgia. In the peat infilling of a rock basin 31 bryophyte species and many of the principal species of the present-day angiosperm flora, associated with bog communities, have been identified. The zonation of the bryophytes and the seeds and fruits shows a striking correspondence with the sediment stratigraphy, and indicates five ecological phases. The first four reflect a succession from a minerotrophic shallow pool to an ombrotrophic W arnstorfia-Polytrichum bog. After the deposition of a greyish-brown layer, c. 2200 14C years BP, a wet Deschampsia-Warnstorfia-Sanionia-Rostkovia bog came into existence, which is still present today. The ecological phases are radiocarbon dated. They can be interpreted in terms of climate development during the Holocene. Climate ameliorated rapidly at about 10 000 14C years BP followed by a drier period. Around 7000 14C years BP the climate became wetter and the following c. 2500years probably represent the climatic optimum. Between 4500 and 2600 14C years BP, drier conditions prevailed at the study site. The most striking change occurred at 2600 14C years BP when a marked change in vegetation and ecology indicates much wetter conditions.

Holocene palaeoecology and climate history of South Georgia (sub-Antarctica) based on a macrofossil record of bryophytes and seeds

Lateglacial and Holocene fluvial dynamics in the Lower Scheldt basin (N-Belgium) and their impact on the presence, detection and preservation potential of the archaeological record

The infill of abandoned river channels is the main information source on postglacial vegetation and landscape evolution in inland northern Belgium. Palynological studies of these deposits also contribute to a better understanding of the environmental context of the numerous archaeological sites in this area. The results are presented of palynological analyses, including pollen, spores, non-pollen palynomorphs and microcharcoal from the palaeochannel infill at seven sites in the Scheldt and Durme valleys in northern Belgium. Based on the regional vegetation evolution and radiocarbon dating, a biozonation for the Scheldt Basin is constructed encompassing the final Late-glacial and Holocene period. The local taxa show a hydroseral succession from open-water environment, through reed or sedge fen to carr forest. Salix and Viburnum opulus were important elements in the Early Holocene riparian and carr vegetation, but are often underrepresented in pollen diagrams from larger valleys. There are indications for human disturbance and agriculture between 7,000 and 6,400 cal bp. The simultaneous decline of elm and lime in the study area around 4,000 cal bp can be linked to human impact.

Postglacial evolution of vegetation and environment in the Scheldt Basin (northern Belgium)

Peat layers are well represented in the Holocene coastal deposits of the southern North Sea and provide evidence as to the extent and nature of the fens and bogs that occupied the region in the mid and late Holocene. While natural processes contributed to their demise, without human interference extensive areas of peatland would remain. We review the characteristics of the vegetation of these peatlands along with the processes that influenced their development. Spatial and temporal trends are explored through the use of palaeogeographic maps from three areas: the East Anglian Fenland, the Romney Marsh area and the Netherlands. The palaeoecological evidence indicates that eutrophic vegetation promoted by rising relative sea level (RSL) dominated in the mid Holocene, with a trend towards the development of oligotrophic and ombrotrophic vegetation in the late Holocene as the rate of RSL rise declined. Nevertheless, areas of eutrophic vegetation appear capable of long-term stability with areas of fen woodland and herbaceous fen persisting at some locations for several thousand years in the mid and late Holocene. Areas of active peat growth in the region are now largely confined to small remnants within agricultural settings. To retain their characteristic biodiversity these remnants have been managed using traditional practices, although their small size and fragmented distribution limits their biodiversity value. Biodiversity concerns and the ecosystem services peatlands provide, notably carbon sequestration and flood attenuation, underlie recent restoration projects. These efforts are likely to receive additional impetus as a consequence of rising water levels, given projected rates of RSL rise. Future large-scale restoration can be informed by a greater understanding of the processes that formed and sustained coastal peatlands in the past. We identify advances in palaeoenvironmental research that could enhance restoration efforts and help maximise the ecosystem services delivered through such projects.

Coastal peat-beds and peatlands of the southern North Sea: their past, present and future

This paper describes the landscape evolution of the Waasland Scheldt polders in the north of Belgium from the Late Glacial – early Holocene to the present time, and the effects of this changing landscape on the human settlement. The regional landscape evolution has been visualised in a series of palaeogeographical maps for successive time frames. Two different map series were produced: a series of Holocene palaeogeographical reconstructions (11,000–950 cal BP) based on geotechnical, geological and archaeological data, and a series of post-Medieval landscape reconstructions (16th- to 19th-century) based on historical maps, land registers and soil data. Additional palaeoenvironmental information from fossil pollen and plant remains allowed reconstruction of the vegetation and wetland changes, particularly for the middle to late Holocene. Peat growth was the main key to understanding the landscape evolution of the Waasland Scheldt polders. Whereas the landscape evolution during the Holocene was mainly sea-level driven, the transformation of the landscape during the last millennium was largely due to human interventions.

/pdf/holocene-landscape-evolution-of-an-estuarine-wetland-in-36h3t61xpp.pdf

Holocene landscape evolution of an estuarine wetland in relation to its human occupation and exploitation: Waasland Scheldt polders, northern Belgium

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/2043339/file/6767432.pdf

Noodonderzoek van een wetland site in Bazel-Sluis (Kruibeke, Oost- Vlaanderen, B) : een nieuwe kijk op de neolithisatie in Vlaanderen

The fluvial environment of Early Holocene small- to middle-sized lowland rivers in northwest Europe is mostly unstudied due to a lack of preserved and accessible deposits. A rescue excavation in the Scheldt valley in northern Belgium offered the opportunity to study a Boreal alluvial succession in detail. The results of palaeoecological and sedimentological analyses (diatoms, pollen, botanical macro-remains, molluscs, grain size) characterize the biotic and physical environment in the middle reach of this medium-sized river system. Although the Early Holocene in the Scheldt Basin has often been portrayed as a period of fluvial stability with marshy conditions and diffuse discharge, this study showed evidence of point bar formation by a small, low-energy meandering river between similar to 9.5 and similar to 8.8cal. ka BP. The point bar was at least temporarily vegetated and shows a shift from herbaceous riparian vegetation to an open willow-dominated alluvial forest. This evidence points to a more open vegetation and a more energetic environment than traditionally described for rivers of this size and age. A link to the 9.3 ka BP cooling event is suggested and possible reasons for the scarcity of records of this type of deposits are discussed.

Ecology and fluvial dynamics of an Early Holocene medium‐sized European lowland river valley (Upper Scheldt, northern Belgium)

Debruyne S., Annaert R., Clerbaut T., Haneca K. & Lentacker A. 2015: 'Daar bij Groot Cueteghem. Een rurale nederzetting uit de vroege en volle middeleeuwen te Hove', in: Relicta. Archeologie, Monumenten- en Landschapsonderzoek in Vlaanderen, volume 14, pp. 205-286, Brussel, 2015.
ISSN 1783 6425

https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/7284452/file/8613422.pdf

Daar bij Groot Cueteghem : een rurale nederzetting uit de vroege en volle middeleeuwen te Hove

The Environment and its Exploitation Along the Lower Scheldt River During the Roman Period (Wichelen, Belgium – Late 1st to 3rd Centuries AD)

Ecology and fluvial dynamics of an Early Holocene medium-sized European lowland river valley (Upper Scheldt, northern Belgium)

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