Unsatisfactory field data in a calibration model for inferring past temperatures from chironomid assemblages in northern Fennoscandia: a comment on Olander, Birks, Korhola and Blom

Olander et al. (1999) used single temperature measurements of surface water to represent mean July temperatures of lake waters in Lapland. It is emphasized that this is not an appropriate basis for calibration of temperatures indicated by chironomid assemblages and to draw conclusions about past air...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Holocene
Main Author: Seppälä, Matti
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications 2001
Subjects:
Paleontology
Earth-Surface Processes
Ecology
Archeology
Global and Planetary Change
Birks
Korhola
Fennoscandia
Lapland
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/095968301680223576
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1191/095968301680223576
Description
Summary:Olander et al. (1999) used single temperature measurements of surface water to represent mean July temperatures of lake waters in Lapland. It is emphasized that this is not an appropriate basis for calibration of temperatures indicated by chironomid assemblages and to draw conclusions about past air temperatures. Air temperatures at the study sites were estimated and calculated yet the role of variations in topography has been omitted. The parameters used, such as lake depth, distance beyond tree-line and pH look good but are inaccurate and therefore problematic in statistical evaluations. The authors have not considered the role of the ice cover on the lakes.

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