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Replicability and variability of the recent macrofossil and proxy‐climate record from raised bogs: field stratigraphy and macrofossil data from Bolton Fell Moss and Walton Moss, Cumbria, England
Author(s) -
Barber Keith,
DumaynePeaty Lisa,
Hughes Paul,
Mauquoy Dmitri,
Scaife Rob
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1417(1998110)13:6<515::aid-jqs393>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - macrofossil , bog , subfossil , ombrotrophic , geology , peat , physical geography , moss , testate amoebae , sedimentology , dalradian , proxy (statistics) , holocene , paleontology , archaeology , ecology , geography , machine learning , metamorphism , computer science , biology
Replication of results is a basic tenet of science, but in palaeoecology this is very time‐consuming and the ‘signal’ is subject to ‘noise’. The derivation of proxy‐climate signals from ombrotrophic peat was carried out originally using samples from open peat faces where the stratigraphic relationships could be easily observed. Now that such sections are rare and often degraded there is a need to demonstrate that data can be replicated from core profiles. Ten short cores taken from two adjacent bogs have been analysed for macrofossils and show a coherent series of changes, which are also similar to previous profiles from the same sites. It is concluded that variation between profiles is slight and less than observations of present vegetation mosaics might suggest. Recommendations for a standard approach to fieldwork on raised bogs that emphasises the utility of subfossil pool layers are proposed and the need for a secure chronology is stressed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.