Modern pollen samples provide an invaluable research tool for helping to interpret the quaternary fossil pollen record, allowing investigation of the relationship between pollen as the proxy and the environmental parameters such as vegetation, land-use, and climate that the pollen proxy represents. The European Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) is a new initiative within the European Pollen Database (EPD) to establish a publicly accessible repository of modern (surface sample) pollen data. This new database will complement the EPD, which at present holds only fossil sedimentary pollen data. The EMPD is freely available online to the scientific community and currently has information on almost 5,000 pollen samples from throughout the Euro-Siberian and Mediterranean regions, contributed by over 40 individuals and research groups. Here we describe how the EMPD was constructed, the various tables and their fields, problems and errors, quality controls, and continuing efforts to improve the available data

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

A multi-proxy record is presented for approximately the last 4500 cal a BP from Lake Shkodra, Albania/\ud \ud Montenegro. Lithological analyses, C/N ratio and d13C of the organic and inorganic carbon component suggest that\ud \ud organic matter and bulk carbonate are predominantly authigenic. The d18O record of bulk carbonate indicates the\ud \ud presence of two prominent wet periods: one at ca. 4300 cal a BP and one at ca. 2500–2000 cal a BP. The latter phase is\ud \ud also found in southern Spain and Central Italy, and represents a prominent event in the western and central\ud \ud Mediterranean. In the last 2000 years, four relatively wet intervals occurred between ca. 1800 and 1500 cal a BP\ud \ud (150–450 AD), 1350–1250 (600–700 AD), 1100–800 (850–1150 AD), and at ca. 90 cal a BP (1860 AD). Between\ud \ud ca. 4100 and 2500 cal a BP d18O values are relatively high, with three prominent peaks indicating drier conditions at\ud \ud ca. 4100–4000 cal a BP, ca. 3500 and at ca. 3300 cal a BP. Four additional drier events are identified at 1850 (ca. 100\ud \ud AD), 1400 (ca. 550 AD), 1150 (800 AD) and ca.750 cal a BP (1200 AD). The pollen record does not show changes in\ud \ud accordance with these episodes owing to the poor sensitivity of vegetation in this area, which is dominated by an\ud \ud orographic rainfall effect and where changes in altitudinal vegetation belts do not affect the pollen rain in the lake\ud \ud catchment. However, since ca. 900 cal a BP a significant decrease in the percentage arboreal pollen and in pollen\ud \ud concentrations suggest major deforestation produced by human activities