Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-8r8nv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-10T05:32:23.064Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Frequency Distribution of Radiocarbon Dates as a Tool for Reconstructing Environmental Changes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Danuta J Michczyńska ,
Adam Michczyński  and
Anna Pazdur
Danuta J Michczyńska*
Affiliation:
Silesian University of Technology, Institute of Physics, Radiocarbon Laboratory, GADAM Centre of Excellence, Krzywoustego 2, 44–100 Gliwice, Poland
Adam Michczyński
Affiliation:
Silesian University of Technology, Institute of Physics, Radiocarbon Laboratory, GADAM Centre of Excellence, Krzywoustego 2, 44–100 Gliwice, Poland
Anna Pazdur
Affiliation:
Silesian University of Technology, Institute of Physics, Radiocarbon Laboratory, GADAM Centre of Excellence, Krzywoustego 2, 44–100 Gliwice, Poland
*
Corresponding author. Email: Danuta.Michczynska@polsl.pl
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

Large sets of radiocarbon dates of 1019 peat, 155 speleothem, and 100 tufa samples, as well as dates of 330 fluvial samples, were investigated in order to estimate environmental variability during the last 16,000 calendar years in Poland. All 14C dating was carried out in the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory, and results are stored in the RoS database. Probability density functions (PDFs) were created by summing up (on the calendar timescale) individual age probability distributions of all dates for different types of material and for different regions of Poland. We used an updated version of the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory calibration program GdCALIB. The 14C dates were calibrated using the IntCal04 calibration curve (Reimer et al. 2004), and results were compared with other paleoenvironmental records. The authors conclude that analyzing PDFs of different types of sediments can be helpful in the qualitative reconstruction of the past environment. The PDF for peat samples primarily reflects paleohydrological conditions; the PDFs for speleothem and tufa samples reflect changes in temperature and humidity, while analysis of the PDF created for fluvial data is in a general agreement with the PDFs constructed for peat samples.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 49 , Issue 2 , 2007 , pp. 799 - 806
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

References

Aitchison, TC, Leese, M, Michczyńska, DJ, Mook, WG, Otlet, RL, Ottaway, BS, Pazdur, MF, van der Plicht, J, Reimer, PJ, Robinson, SW, Scott, EM, Stuiver, M, Weninger, B. 1989. A comparison of methods used for calibration of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 31(3):846–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blunier, T, Chappellaz, J, Schwander, J, Stauffer, B, Raynaud, D. 1995. Variations in atmospheric methane concentration during the Holocene epoch. Nature 374(6517):46–9.Google Scholar
Davis, BAS, Brewer, S, Stevenson, AC, Guiot, J, data contributors. 2003. The temperature of Europe during the Holocene reconstructed from pollen data. Quaternary Science Reviews 22(15–17):1701–16.Google Scholar
Geyh, MA. 1980. Holocene sea-level history: case study of the statistical evaluation of 14C dates. Radiocarbon 22(3):695–704.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geyh, MA, Streif, H. 1970. Studies on coastal movements and sea-level changes by means of the statistical evaluations of 14C-data. Proceedings of the “Symposium on Coastal Geodesy.” Munich, 20–24 July 1970. p 599–611.Google Scholar
Goździk, J, Pazdur, MF. 1987. Frequency distribution of 14C dates from Poland in the time interval 12–45 kyr BP and its palaeogeographical implications. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Śląskiej, s. Matematyka-Fizyka, z. 56. Geochronometria 4:27–42.Google Scholar
Hercman, H. 2000. Reconstruction of paleoclimatic changes in Central Europe between 10 and 200 thousand years BP, based on analysis of growth frequency of speleothems. Studia Quaternaria 17:35–70.Google Scholar
Johnsen, SJ, Clausen, HB, Dansgaard, W, Gundestrup, NS, Hammer, CU, Andersen, U, Andersen, KK, Hvidberg, CS, Dahl-Jensen, D, Steffensen, JP, Shoji, H, Sveinbjörnsdóttir, ÁE, White, JWC, Jouzel, J, Fisher, D. 1997. The δ18O record along the Greenland Ice Core Project deep ice core and the problem of possible Eemian climatic instability. Journal of Geophysical Research 102(C12):26,397–410.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kra, R. 1988. The first American workshop on the International Radiocarbon Data Base. Radiocarbon 30(2):259–60.Google Scholar
Michczyńska, DJ, Pazdur, A. 2004. Shape analysis of cumulative probability density function of radiocarbon dates set in the study of climate change in Late Glacial and Holocene. Radiocarbon 46(2):733–44.Google Scholar
Michczyńska, DJ, Pazdur, MF, Walanus, A. 1990. Bayesian approach to probabilistic calibration of radiocarbon dates. PACT 29:69–79.Google Scholar
Michczyńska, DJ, Michczyński, A, Pazdur, A, Żurek, S. 2003. 14C dates of peat for reconstruction of environmental changes in the past. Geochronometria 22:47–54.Google Scholar
Michczyński, A, Michczyńska, DJ. 2006. The effect of PDF peaks' height increase during calibration of radiocarbon date sets. Geochronometria 25:1–4.Google Scholar
Michczyński, A, Pazdur, MF. 1989. Local microcomputer database for radiocarbon dates. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Śląskiej, Seria: Matematyka-Fizyka, z. 61. Geochronometria 6:27–35.Google Scholar
Michczyński, A, Pazdur, MF. 1994. Gliwice radiocarbon data bank—present status. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Śląskiej, Seria: Matematyka-Fizyka, z. 71. Geochronometria 10:47–59.Google Scholar
Pazdur, A. 2004. Archaeological cultures on the background of climatic changes in the Holocene, Poland. In: Scott, EM, Alekseev, A Yu, Zaitseva, G, editors. Impact of the Environment on Human Migration in Eurasia. NATO Science Series, IV. Earth and Environmental Sciences, Volume 42. Amsterdam: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p 309–21.Google Scholar
Pazdur, MF, Michczyńska, DJ. 1989. Improvement of the procedure for probabilistic calibration of radiocarbon dates. Radiocarbon 31(3):824–32.Google Scholar
Pazdur, MF, Porwoł, M. 1987. Microcomputer database system for radiocarbon dates: a pilot project. Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Śląskiej, Seria: Matematyka-Fizyka, z. 56. Geochronometria 4:19–25.Google Scholar
Pazdur, A, Pazdur, MF, Pawlyta, J, Górny, A, Olszewski, M. 1995. Paleoclimatic implications of radiocarbon dating of speleothems from the Cracow-Wieluń Upland, southern Poland. Radiocarbon 37(2):103–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pazdur, A, Goslar, T, Pawlyta, M, Hercman, H, Gradziński, M. 1999. Variations of isotopic composition of carbon in the karst environment from southern Poland, present and past. Radiocarbon 41(1):81–97.Google Scholar
Pazdur, A, Dobrowolski, R, Durakiewicz, T, Mohanti, M, Piotrowska, N, Das, S. 2002. Radiocarbon time scale for deposition of Holocene calcareous tufa from Poland and India (Orissa). Geochronometria 21:85–96.Google Scholar
Piotrowska, N, Szczepanek, M, Pazdur, A, Zajadacz, W. 2004. RoS—a new database system in the Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory. Geochronometria 23:51–7.Google Scholar
Ralska-Jasiewiczowa, M. 1989. Environmental changes recorded in lakes and mires of Poland during the last 13,000 years. Acta Palaeobotanica 29:1–120.Google Scholar
Reimer, PJ, Baillie, MGL, Bard, E, Bayliss, A, Beck, JW, Bertrand, CJH, Blackwell, PG, Buck, CE, Burr, GS, Cutler, KB, Damon, PE, Edwards, RL, Fairbanks, RG, Friedrich, M, Guilderson, TP, Hogg, AG, Hughen, KA, Kromer, B, McCormac, G, Manning, S, Bronk Ramsey, C, Reimer, RW, Remmele, S, Southon, JR, Stuiver, M, Talamo, S, Taylor, FW, van der Plicht, J, Weyhenmeyer, CE. 2004. IntCal04 terrestrial radiocarbon age calibration, 0–26 cal kyr BP. Radiocarbon 46(3):1029–58.Google Scholar
Starkel, L, Soja, R, Michczyńska, DJ. 2006. Past hydrological events reflected in Holocene history of Polish rivers. CATENA 66(1–2):24–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stolk, A, Törnqvist, TE, Hekhuis, KPV, Berendsen, HJA, van der Plicht, J. 1994. Calibration of 14C histograms: a comparison of methods. Radiocarbon 36(1):1–10.Google Scholar
Walker, AJ, Kra, R. 1988. Report on the International Radiocarbon Data Base (IRDB) Workshop, Archaeology and 14C Conference, Groningen, the Netherlands. Radiocarbon 30(2):255–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar