Articles | Volume 13, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1285-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1285-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Sep 2017
Research article |
| 28 Sep 2017
Examining bias in pollen-based quantitative climate reconstructions induced by human impact on vegetation in China
Institute of Geological Sciences, Palaeontology, Free University of
Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
Qinghai Xu
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Nihewan Archaeology, Hebei Normal University,
Shijiazhuang 050024, China
Pavel E. Tarasov
Institute of Geological Sciences, Palaeontology, Free University of
Berlin, 12249 Berlin, Germany
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- Assessing the impact of human activities on surface pollen assemblages in Qinghai Lake Basin, China H. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3046
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24 citations as recorded by crossref.
- The Holocene evolution of precipitation in the Central Plains of China likely resembled that of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River: Evidence from a high-resolution pollen record P. Chen & Z. Hui https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110420
- Delayed response of river sediment to drainage reorganization in the arid and semi-arid regions M. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.110017
- Mid-Holocene precipitation variations in the Luoyang Basin within the Central Plains of China: a pollen-based reconstruction Z. Yong et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-023-06876-7
- A novel approach for quantitatively distinguishing between anthropogenic and natural effects on paleovegetation B. Fan et al. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae135
- Holocene precipitation variations in the northwestern half of the Chinese Loess Plateau: Pollen-based reconstructions Z. Yong & Z. Feng https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.176249
- A Cool-Arid Climate with Large Temperature Seasonality Implied by Arboreal Pollen in the Early Holocene, North-Central China F. Tian et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-023-1920-3
- Precipitation variations around ∼4.2 ka BP in the Luoyang Basin: A pollen-based quantitative reconstruction L. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.113087
- Authenticity of the Great Flood during the late Longshan era H. Ni et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-025-2391-7
- Late Holocene vegetation succession and climate change in the Central Plains of China: Evidence from a high-resolution pollen record P. Chen et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.108589
- Modern alluvial pollen distribution in Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) floodplain and its paleoenvironmental significance S. Kumar et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2019.04.008
- Wet mid–late Holocene in central Asia supported prehistoric intercontinental cultural communication: Clues from pollen data F. Tian et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105852
- Population expansion as a main driver for the shift of agricultural strategies through the Yangshao culture (6.8-4.7 ka BP) in the west Central Plain of China Y. Sun et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2025.106256
- A pollen-based reconstruction of middle to late holocene precipitation dynamics in Anyang archaeological area, Central Plains, China S. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2024.05.014
- Challenges and opportunities in Quaternary palynology Q. Xu et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-023-1310-4
- Soil-surface pollen assemblages and quantitative relationships with vegetation and climate from the Inner Mongolian Plateau and adjacent mountain areas of northern China L. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109600
- Hydroclimatic instability accelerated the socio-political decline of the Tang Dynasty in northern China M. Kempf et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-03038-x
- Disentangling regional and local vegetation signals in surface pollen assemblages from a mountain–basin system in the Sanmenxia Basin, China J. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.113709
- Heterogeneous vegetation sensitivity at local and regional scales: Implications for pollen-based climate reconstruction W. Ding et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2018.07.002
- Modern pollen assemblages from human-influenced vegetation in northwestern China and their relationship with vegetation and climate X. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-018-0672-0
- The impact of methodological decisions on climate reconstructions using WA-PLS M. Turner et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2020.44
- Influence of human impacts on modern pollen assemblages and an assessment of their reliability in reconstructing climate in eastern China M. Su et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2023.09.011
- Modern pollen-vegetation coverage relationships and its application for Holocene vegetation reconstructions in the central Tianshan Mountains X. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111963
- Assessing the impact of human activities on surface pollen assemblages in Qinghai Lake Basin, China H. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3046
- Improving the quality of pollen-climate calibration-sets is the primary step for ensuring reliable climate reconstructions X. Cao et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2018.09.007
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 12 Sep 2026
Short summary
Pollen-based past climate reconstruction for regions with long-term human occupation is always controversial. We examined the bias induced by the human impact on vegetation in a climate reconstruction for temperate eastern China by comparing the deviations in the reconstructed results for a fossil record based on two pollen–climate calibration sets. Climatic signals in pollen assemblages are indeed obscured by human impact; however, the extent of the bias could be assessed.
Pollen-based past climate reconstruction for regions with long-term human occupation is always...
