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Kevin J. Edwards - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Pollen, women, war and other things: reflections on the history of Palynology
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2018Co-Authors: Kevin J. EdwardsAbstract:The development of Palynology since its recognised launch in 1916 by Lennart von Post is examined in terms of its historiography, the biographies of pollen analysts and the role of those who have influenced the discipline. Emphasis is placed upon research beginnings in Scandinavia (especially Sweden), Great Britain and Ireland. Within an analytical narrative which includes archival and published sources, special consideration is given to a ‘proclamation’ on methodology which appeared in 1909, on a supposed geology/botany dichotomy stemming from von Post’s background, on the forgotten early practitioners in Britain and Ireland and their connections, on the role of women up to the end of the Second World War and on issues related to wartime hostilities. Present day Palynology can trace a continuity from von Post and palynologists are part of an extended disciplinary genealogy. Ignorance of these can be seen as a loss of heritage and to represent an intellectual impoverishment.
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Pollen, women, war and other things: reflections on the history of Palynology
Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 2018Co-Authors: Kevin J. EdwardsAbstract:The development of Palynology since its recognised launch in 1916 by Lennart von Post is examined in terms of its historiography, the biographies of pollen analysts and the role of those who have influenced the discipline. Emphasis is placed upon research beginnings in Scandinavia (especially Sweden), Great Britain and Ireland. Within an analytical narrative which includes archival and published sources, special consideration is given to a ‘proclamation’ on methodology which appeared in 1909, on a supposed geology/botany dichotomy stemming from von Post’s background, on the forgotten early practitioners in Britain and Ireland and their connections, on the role of women up to the end of the Second World War and on issues related to wartime hostilities. Present day Palynology can trace a continuity from von Post and palynologists are part of an extended disciplinary genealogy. Ignorance of these can be seen as a loss of heritage and to represent an intellectual impoverishment.
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How Palynology could have been paepalology: the naming of a discipline
Palynology, 2017Co-Authors: Kevin J. Edwards, Heather S. PardoeAbstract:From its ‘modern’ pollen-analytical beginnings, the science of what we now term Palynology wrestled with terminology and sought an acceptable name for the discipline. Starting in 1943, the mimeogra...
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Moving forwards? Palynology and the human dimension
Journal of Archaeological Science, 2015Co-Authors: Kevin J. Edwards, Chris Hunt, Ralph Fyfe, J. Edward SchofieldAbstract:For the greater part of the last century, anthropogenic Palynology has made a sustained contribution to archaeology and to Quaternary science in general, and pollen-analytical papers have appeared in Journal of Archaeological Science since its inception. The present paper focuses selectively upon three areas of anthropogenic Palynology, enabling some assessment as to whether the field is advancing: land-use studies, archaeological site study, and modelling. The Discussion also highlights related areas including palynomorph identification and associated proxies. There is little doubt that anthropogenic Palynology has contributed to the vitality of pollen analysis in general, and although published research can be replicative or incremental, site- and landscape-based studies offer fresh data for further analysis and modelling. The latter allows the testing of both palynological concepts and inferences and can inform archaeological discovery and imagination. Archaeological site studies are often difficult, but Palynology can still offer much to the understanding of occupation sites and the discernment of human behaviour patterns within sites.
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Holocene Palynology: I principles, population and community ecology, palaeoclimatology:
Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 1991Co-Authors: Glen M. Macdonald, Kevin J. EdwardsAbstract:The latter half of the past decade witnessed important progress in elucidating the principles of fossil pollen analysis and in the application of Palynology to the study of palaeoecology and palaeoclimatology. Areas with particularly notable efforts include: 1) the theoretical consideration of the spatial representation of fossil pollen records and the relationships of pollen proportions to the abundance of contributing plant populations; 2) the quest for palynological data with increasingly fine temporal and spatial resolution; 3) the development of large databases of modern and fossil pollen data for macroscale palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic studies; 4) the application of Palynology to questions of plant population biology, most notably the study of plant invasion and implications for invading and pre-existing plant populations; 5) the demonstration of the relatively ephemeral nature of major vegetation types; 6) the refinement and development of techniques for providing quantitative estimates of p...
Vaughn M. Bryant - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Forensic Palynology and the search for geolocation: Factors for analysis and the baby doe case
Forensic science international, 2019Co-Authors: Andrew R. Laurence, Vaughn M. BryantAbstract:First used over 50 years ago, forensic Palynology is an important tool for law enforcement agencies. In most countries that use forensic Palynology, microscopic pollen grains and spores are traditionally used in criminal investigations to link suspects to crime scenes or items. While still underutilized in many parts of the world, forensic Palynology is increasingly being used to determine the region of origin, or geolocation, for persons and items of interest. Drawing upon the experience of the authors using trace pollen and spores to geolocate forensic samples, the types, methods, and variables of this type of analysis are discussed and demonstrated using the Baby Doe case from Massachusetts, USA as a case study. This is not an exhaustive list and every forensic sample is unique so the methods and experience presented here are intended to be a guide for future forensic and anti-terrorism investigations as forensic Palynology becomes more commonplace in law enforcement agencies around the world.
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The Role of Palynology in Forensic Archaeology
Forensic Archaeology, 2019Co-Authors: Vaughn M. Bryant, Mary Katherine BryantAbstract:This chapter addresses the importance, techniques, applications, and advantages of using pollen trace evidence as part of forensic Palynology, within the context of archaeology. Topics covered include the origins of forensic Palynology, the evolution and expansion of that discipline, and the current methods used in criminal and civil investigations. Also addressed is a comprehensive review of the methods palynologists employ in the context of forensics. The strengths and limitations of each method are reviewed as well as its potential use in the future. Some significant criminal cases that have been aided by forensic Palynology are discussed along with the needed protocol regarding the collection, transport, storage, processing, and analysis of pollen as trace evidence. The chapter closes with a look toward the future of forensic Palynology utilizing new methodologies such as DNA isotope analyses, to gain added accuracy in the interpretation of samples and to increase the reliability and repeatability of pollen analysis.
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Forensic Palynology: why do it and how it works.
Forensic science international, 2006Co-Authors: Dallas C. Mildenhall, Patricia E.j. Wiltshire, Vaughn M. BryantAbstract:Abstract Forensic Palynology has been a law enforcement tool for over 50 years. Forensic Palynology is the application of pollen and spores in solving legal issues, either civil or criminal. Pollen and spores can be obtained from an extremely wide range of items, including bodies. Pollen and spores provide clues as to the source of the items and the characteristics of the environments from which the material on them is sourced. Their usefulness lies in a combination of their abundance, dispersal mechanisms, resistance to mechanical and chemical destruction, microscopic size, and morphology. Their often complex morphology allows identification to an individual parent plant taxon that can be related to a specific ecological habitat or a specific scene. Pollen and spore assemblages characterise different environments and scenes and can easily be picked up and transported away from scenes of interest without providing any visual clue to a suspect as to what has occurred. With so many publications and high-profile cases involving forensic Palynology and environmental analysis now receiving publicity, the future of this branch of forensic science is assured. Furthermore, with the development of multi-disciplinary approaches to environmental analyses of crime scenes, far more detailed information is now available to law enforcement agencies, enabling them to determine with greater accuracy what may have happened during the commission of criminal activities.
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Archaeological Palynology in the United States: A Critique
American Antiquity, 1993Co-Authors: Vaughn M. Bryant, Stephen A. HallAbstract:Common problem areas in archaeological Palynology include sampling, processing, counting, preservation, and interpretation. In this report, the authors present guidelines for researchers seeking pollen analyses, recommend the kinds of observations palynologists should make on their samples, and suggest ways of determining when samples should be considered invalid for paleoethnobotanical interpretations or paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
Li Yumei - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The past, present and future of Palynology in China—Concentrate on Quaternary Palynology
Chinese Science Bulletin, 2017Co-Authors: Kong Zhaochen, Zhang Yun, Duan Xiaohong, Li YumeiAbstract:Palynology is a branch of botany with an increasingly important role in the development of modern nature science. It was originally established in Europe during the early twentieth century and has flourished in China since the 1950s. This paper discusses the development of Palynology in China from the historical, contemporaneous, and future perspectives. Specifically, we focus on the development of Quaternary Palynology since 1979. Quaternary Palynology involves six research fields: plants and environment, Loess Plateau, ocean, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, global climate change, and environmental archaeology in this paper. Palynologists who study environmental changes mainly focus on the relationships among pollen, vegetation, and environment. The high-resolution analyses of pollen records in the surface soil and sediment profiles of Loess Plateaus have promoted the development of information about paleovegetation and paleoenvironment and enabled the comparison of past climate changes and effects of human activities with global changes. By analyzing pollen data from surface water samples and marine drilling cores, palynologists have made significant progress in elucidating the high-resolution evolutionary history of paleovegetation, paleoclimate, and paleomonsoon in South China Sea and its surrounding regions on the time scales of several million years. Such progress has benefitted research on global sea level changes. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau has been a hot area of research for several years. Palynologists have explored the vegetational, climatic, and environmental features of different periods, such as the Late Glacial, the Last Glacial Maximum, the Younger Dryas, and the Holocene Megathermal, to reveal the mechanism and process of the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. The application of Quaternary Palynology to environmental archeology not only facilitates understanding of the needs of the economic life and food structure of ancestral humans, the evolution of paleoenvironment and the rise and fall of culture, but also promotes current research on the origin of human, agricultural and civilization. Although Quaternary Palynology has made remarkable achievements in many research fields, three problems require urgent solutions. First, the low magnification and resolution of optical microscopy complicate palynological identification on the species level and introduce a degree of uncertainty to the reconstruction of paleovegetation, paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. Second, pollen does not show a simple linear relationship with vegetation. Thus, a reliable pollen-vegetation relationship model remains to be established. Third, research on modern pollen processes, which includes pollen production, transportation, source, deposition, and preservation, has a crucial role in the correct explanation of pollen data and quantitative reconstruction of the paleovegetation and paleoenvironment. Global changes and the impact of environmental evolution have provided excellent opportunities and new challenges for the development of Quaternary Palynology in the new century. These opportunities and challenges are as follows: First, the accuracy of pollen identification must be improved to establish a reliable pollen-vegetation relationship model. Second, systemic theoretical studies on modern pollen processes, such as pollen production, transportation, source, deposition, and preservation, should be conducted using surfaces, atmosphere, water, and rock as media. Third, the reconstruction of paleovegetation and paleoclimate from the qualitative and quantitative analyses of high-resolution pollen assemblages should receive additional efforts. Pollen records should be analyzed using various mathematical methods. Finally, to distinguish the role of climate change and human activities in vegetation and climate dynamics, human land use data, surface and fossil pollen data, and meteorological data can be combined to quantify paleovegetation and land use patterns using appropriate mathematical models. Therefore, only by relying on the integration of multidisciplinary data and academic cooperation with colleagues at home and abroad can we further improve the Quaternary palynological research in China and better serve the needs of our society and national strategies.
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the past present and future of Palynology in china concentrate on quaternary Palynology
Chinese Science Bulletin, 2017Co-Authors: Kong Zhaochen, Zhang Yun, Duan Xiaohong, Li YumeiAbstract:Palynology is a branch of botany with an increasingly important role in the development of modern nature science. It was originally established in Europe during the early twentieth century and has flourished in China since the 1950s. This paper discusses the development of Palynology in China from the historical, contemporaneous, and future perspectives. Specifically, we focus on the development of Quaternary Palynology since 1979. Quaternary Palynology involves six research fields: plants and environment, Loess Plateau, ocean, the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, global climate change, and environmental archaeology in this paper. Palynologists who study environmental changes mainly focus on the relationships among pollen, vegetation, and environment. The high-resolution analyses of pollen records in the surface soil and sediment profiles of Loess Plateaus have promoted the development of information about paleovegetation and paleoenvironment and enabled the comparison of past climate changes and effects of human activities with global changes. By analyzing pollen data from surface water samples and marine drilling cores, palynologists have made significant progress in elucidating the high-resolution evolutionary history of paleovegetation, paleoclimate, and paleomonsoon in South China Sea and its surrounding regions on the time scales of several million years. Such progress has benefitted research on global sea level changes. The uplift of the Tibetan Plateau has been a hot area of research for several years. Palynologists have explored the vegetational, climatic, and environmental features of different periods, such as the Late Glacial, the Last Glacial Maximum, the Younger Dryas, and the Holocene Megathermal, to reveal the mechanism and process of the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. The application of Quaternary Palynology to environmental archeology not only facilitates understanding of the needs of the economic life and food structure of ancestral humans, the evolution of paleoenvironment and the rise and fall of culture, but also promotes current research on the origin of human, agricultural and civilization. Although Quaternary Palynology has made remarkable achievements in many research fields, three problems require urgent solutions. First, the low magnification and resolution of optical microscopy complicate palynological identification on the species level and introduce a degree of uncertainty to the reconstruction of paleovegetation, paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. Second, pollen does not show a simple linear relationship with vegetation. Thus, a reliable pollen-vegetation relationship model remains to be established. Third, research on modern pollen processes, which includes pollen production, transportation, source, deposition, and preservation, has a crucial role in the correct explanation of pollen data and quantitative reconstruction of the paleovegetation and paleoenvironment. Global changes and the impact of environmental evolution have provided excellent opportunities and new challenges for the development of Quaternary Palynology in the new century. These opportunities and challenges are as follows: First, the accuracy of pollen identification must be improved to establish a reliable pollen-vegetation relationship model. Second, systemic theoretical studies on modern pollen processes, such as pollen production, transportation, source, deposition, and preservation, should be conducted using surfaces, atmosphere, water, and rock as media. Third, the reconstruction of paleovegetation and paleoclimate from the qualitative and quantitative analyses of high-resolution pollen assemblages should receive additional efforts. Pollen records should be analyzed using various mathematical methods. Finally, to distinguish the role of climate change and human activities in vegetation and climate dynamics, human land use data, surface and fossil pollen data, and meteorological data can be combined to quantify paleovegetation and land use patterns using appropriate mathematical models. Therefore, only by relying on the integration of multidisciplinary data and academic cooperation with colleagues at home and abroad can we further improve the Quaternary palynological research in China and better serve the needs of our society and national strategies.
Valentí Rull - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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High-impact Palynology in petroleum geology: Applications from Venezuela (northern South America)
AAPG Bulletin, 2002Co-Authors: Valentí RullAbstract:This article documents the application of high-impact Palynology (HIP) in the Maracaibo Basin of Venezuela and its influence on such exploration and production aspects as regional planning and strategies, risk reduction, optimal drilling decisions and investment, petroleum-system modeling, new discoveries, and secondary recovery by fluid injection, among others. High-impact Palynology has been defined as the coupling of high-resolution sequence biostratigraphy, multidisciplinary work, and the alignment of Palynology with the attainment of business goals. The first part of this article explains the high-resolution ecostratigraphic methods used and the concept of integrated work applied. The second part of the article shows the results obtained in selected case studies, which illustrate the advantages of HIP. Among the most relevant studies are high-resolution ecostratigraphic frames at a basin level, timing between structural trap formation and oil migration, differentiation of petroleum systems in adjacent reservoirs, the concept of palynoblocks in structurally complex areas to estimate missing sections, stratigraphical models for exploratory wells with better predictions of target horizons, fine-scale reservoir correlations, and discovery of new reservoirs. The use of HIP in other areas is recommended, with Palynology as a common in-house practice within multidisciplinary teams formed especially for each specific task.
Rosemary Falcon - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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petrology and Palynology of select coal samples from the permian waterberg coalfield south africa
International Journal of Coal Geology, 2019Co-Authors: Nicola J Wagner, James C. Hower, Cortland F Eble, Rosemary FalconAbstract:Abstract The petrology and Palynology of coals from the Permian-aged Waterberg Coalfield, situated in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, are considered. The Waterberg Coalfield contains a significant portion of the country's coal reserves, but is still comparatively underexplored. Detailed maceral analyses, combined maceral-microlithotype analyses, mean random and maximum vitrinite reflectance analyses, etching, and Palynology studies were undertaken on coals from four productive horizons. There is a general upward trend in vitrinite content through the sequence (15–59 vol% mineral matter free), dominated by collotelinite, along with a slight decrease in coal rank. The lower Vryheid Formation coal has a comparatively low mineral matter and high inertinite content, dominated by inertodetrinite. The upper Grootegeluk Formation samples contain above 35 vol% mineral matter, and liptinite contents ranging from 14 to 21 vol%. The use of blue-light fluorescence in conjunction with incident light (single-scan method) revealed that liptinite is intimately associated with inertodetrinite and mineral matter, specifically clays and occasionally pyrite. It is evident that the liptinite maceral content has previously been under-reported in the Waterberg coals. The palynofloras correlate with the well-studied Witbank Coalfield. The petrography, along with the Palynology, essentially confirm the palaeoenvironment of the Karoo Basin as progressing from a cooler, more oxidising environment, to a wetter, seasonal environment.
