High‐resolution pollen analysis of tundra polygons from the North Slope of Alaska

Abstract

Modern and fossil pollen analyses have established the local vegetation succession and landscape evolution along the Meade River near Atqasuk, Alaska. Three data sets were analyzed: (1) a 142‐cm‐long peat deposit on the exposed river bluff face, (2) a short, 13‐cm peat monolith from the near‐surface sediment, and (3) a modern data set of surface samples collected along a transect representative of a geomorphic gradient of low‐center, transitional, and high‐center polygons. Pollen‐microfossil assemblages changed significantly along this gradient. Detailed analysis of the short pollen profile shows successional vegetation changes over the last 250 years. The long profile, a 9400‐year record of past vegetation, indicates that initially, the site was covered by shallow lakes. Eolian activity had a substantial effect on sediment deposition, but a period of rapid peat growth from 8500 to 5000 14C year B.P. is coincident with increased vegetation cover of mixed grass‐shrub tundra. Following this period, peat growth slowed, and shrub vegetation was replaced by tussock‐forming sedge vegetation.