Abstract:

Iceland is an ideal setting to investigate naturally occurring shifts in climate and environment due its sensitive location, the geochronological potential of tephra and its human-free Holocene (following the documented settlement c. 871 AD). This investigation is based on a strategic network of tephrochronologically constrained lake records from around Iceland which span the Late Glacial and Holocene. The aims of this project are twofold: i) to better understand the glacial and volcanic history of Iceland following its dynamic deglaciation during the Late Glacial –Early Holocene and ii) investigate the impact of explosive volcanism, humans and land-use on the pristine natural environment. While these lake records are high resolution multiproxy recorders of natural and anthropogenic shifts through the last 14 ka BP, the application of environmental DNA on the sediment sequences allows for an unprecedented understanding of species colonization, vegetation establishment / resilience, as well as human impact and land-use.

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