Abstract
A sediment sequence from a small forest lake in southwestern Sweden was investigated to explore the effects of forestry and land-use on catchment erosion and delivery of organic and minerogenic matter to the lake. Catchment-scale vegetation changes during the last 1,100 years were reconstructed quantitatively at 50-year resolution using pollen analysis and the Landscape reconstruction algorithm (LRA). Variations in terrestrial organic matter input to lake sediments were assessed by total organic carbon (TOC) content and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios. Changes in minerogenic matter were analysed using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) scanning. The results show that Skogaryd was not intensively used for agriculture throughout the past 1,100 years, but its land-use changes were very sensitive to societal changes. Between ca. ad 950 and 1350, local land-use was characterized by small-scale agricultural activities associated with the Medieval expansion, and enhanced soil erosion was recorded by increased K, Ti and Rb deposition. Around ad 1350 much of the farmland was abandoned, most likely in response to outbreaks of plague. The abandonment of farmland caused increased coniferous woodland cover and lower soil erosion. From the 16th century land-use expanded and gradually intensified, concurrent with a population increase documented in the study area between ca. ad 1600 and 1850. Intensive exploitation of the forest led to soil erosion and increased terrestrial organic and minerogenic matter export to the lake. These processes peaked with the artificial drainage of a nearby wetland for agricultural purposes. During the 20th century, modern forestry management started with the plantation of conifers, and soil erosion declined.
Highlights
IntroductionForest clearance and industrialization have been the main cause of vegetation changes during the past 1,000 years in Europe
Human activities including agriculture, forest clearance and industrialization have been the main cause of vegetation changes during the past 1,000 years in Europe
We explore how land-use changes have affected soil erosion in the catchment and nutrient input to the lake, through pollen analysis and catchment-related geochemical proxies obtained from the sediments from lake Skottenesjön in the Skogaryd Research Catchment (SRC)
Summary
Forest clearance and industrialization have been the main cause of vegetation changes during the past 1,000 years in Europe. The Landscape reconstruction algorithm (LRA) has been developed to quantify vegetation cover based on pollen assemblages, pollen productivity and dispersal (Sugita 2007a, b). Frequent applications in Europe have shown that LRA gives a better estimate of past land cover and can discriminate between local and regional changes (e.g. Nielsen and Odgaard 2010; Overballe-Petersen et al 2013; Cui et al 2013, 2014; Hultberg et al 2015; Mazier et al 2015; Mehl et al 2015; Abraham et al 2017; Fredh et al 2017, 2019; Hjelle and Lødøen 2017). The application of LRA makes it possible to quantify past local land-use changes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
