Reconstructing the environmental history of the last glacial-interglacial transition: Evidence from the Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

Abstract

A new interpretation is presented of the Late Devensian (Late Weichselian/Wisconsinan) Lateglacial and early Flandrian (Holocene) environmental history of the Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. This reconstruction, based on pollen percentage, pollen concentration, pollen preservation and chemical data, differs in a number of respects from previous explanations of the Lateglacial environmental history of the island. The evidence suggests that throughout the Lateglacial and early Flandrian, variation in degree of exposure to prevailing westerly winds was the dominant factor influencing the development of regional vegetation patterns. The data provide a proxy climatic record for western Scotland during the last glacial-interglacial transition, and this is discussed in the context of both onshore and offshore evidence. The results from Skye demonstrate the importance of pollen preservation studies in the interpretation of pollen taphonomy, and in the evaluation of Lateglacial and early Flandrian radiocarbon dates.