This set of preliminary, broad-scale vegetation/ecosystem map reconstructions covers several time frames, the Last Glacial Maximum (18,000 14C years ago), the early Holocene (8,000 14C years ago), and the mid Holocene (5,000 14C years ago). For comparison, 'present-potential' maps that may be regarded as approximating the late Holocene vegetation distribution as it would - or might - have been without agricultural modification are included. The reconstructions emphasize radiocarbon-dated evidence - whether palynological, sedimentological or zoological and, while subject to considerable speculation due to sparse data coverage in many areas, they represent perhaps the nearest representation available to a 'consensus picture' as based on published review sources and advice from approximately 100 specialists in all branches of the study of Quaternary environments. The Atlas is divided into six regions, Europe, Eurasia, Africa, Australasia, North America and South America, each of which is accompanied by a detailed key of that region's vegetation types, as well as a description of the subregion's principal sources of paleovegetative evidence. The site also covers the spatial resolution of the sites maps, geographical boundaries in relation to climate transitions, no-analogue vegetation types, and the prevalent uncertainties surrounding various debates in paleovegetation and paleoclimatology.
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