New pollen, sedimentary, and radiocarbon records from the Marquesas Islands, East Polynesia: Implications for archaeological and palaeoclimate studies

A 750-year record of palaeo-environmental change on Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, reveals significant shifts in climate and human activity. Sediment cores from upland and lowland sites indicate alternating wet-dry-wet conditions, with rapid sedimentation beginning around the fourteenth century AD. Pollen analysis shows stable fern dominance but also arborescent species, while micro-charcoal evidence suggests regional burning until c. AD 1640, shifting to localized burning afterward. A major increase in pollen and spore deposition post-AD 1640 aligns with warm-wet conditions in the central eastern Pacific during the Little Ice Age. The study also provides insights into human activities, such as forest clearance for agriculture, dating back to the fourteenth century AD.

Allen, M. S., Butler, K., Flenley, J., & Horrocks, M. (2011). New pollen, sedimentary, and radiocarbon records from the Marquesas Islands, East Polynesia: Implications for archaeological and palaeoclimate studies. The Holocene, 21(3), 473–484. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683610385726