Numerical analysis of modern and fossil pollen data from the Tibetan plateau

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

SHEN, C.

Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, State Univ. of New York, Albany, Etats-Unis

Nanjing Inst. of Geology and Paleontology, Nanjing, Chine

LIU, K.-B.

Dept. of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, State Univ., Louisiana, Etats-Unis

TANG, L.

Nanjing Inst. of Geology and Paleontology, Nanjing, Chine

OVERPECK, J.T.

Inst. for the Study of Planet Earth and Dept. of Geosciences, Univ. of Arizona, Etats-Unis

Description :
This study applies a number of multivariate numerical techniques in the analysis of modern and fossil pollen data for the purpose of paleovegetational reconstruction in the Tibetan Plateau. Modern pollen spectra from 227 sampling sites in the Tibetan Plateau were classified into groups using cluster analysis and detrended correspondence analysis. By comparing the quantitatively derived groups with local vegetation types at sampling locations, the modern pollen spectra were assigned into 5 major vegetation types : shrubland, forest, meadow, steppe, and desert. These were used as a priori groups for discriminant analysis. The discriminant functions were then applied to a fossil pollen record from Yidun Glacial Lake near the Sichuan-Tibet border to reconstruct the major pattern of vegetational changes since the last glacial maximum. The results demonstrate that discriminant analysis is a useful technique for reliable reconstruction of paleovegetation in the Tibetan Plateau.

Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Annals of the Association of American Geographers, issn : 0004-5608, 2008, vol. 98, n°. 4, p. 755-772, nombre de pages : 18, Références bibliographiques : 52 ref.

Date :
2008

Editeur :
Pays édition : Etats-Unis, Washington, DC, Association of American Geographers

Langue :
Anglais