A postglacial paleoenvironmental dataset from New England

Abstract

This paleoenvironmental database features postglacial lake-sediment records from 31 study sites located across New England. The study sites span an environmental gradient from the cooler, northern and inland part of the region to the warmer, southern and coastal areas of New England. Sediment-core chronologies were determined using 14C dating, 210Pb analysis, and pollen evidence. Detailed analyses of sediment lithology, pollen, and charcoal were used to reconstruct changes in climate, vegetation, and fire at centennial temporal scales and subregional spatial scales for the last 14,000 years. Analyses of paleoenvironmental data provide insights into the rates, patterns, and drivers of ecosystem change, helping us anticipate future ecosystem dynamics and guiding present-day conservation strategies and land management.

Keywords

• Charcoal
• eastern North America
• fire
• forest ecology
• lake sediments
• paleoclimate