Environment and climate change during the late Holocene in Hjaltadalur, Skagafjörður, northern Iceland

• Published in: Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography
• Main Authors: Hellqvist, Magnus, Hättestrand, Martina, Norström, Elin, Almgren, Elisabeth, Johansson, Jenny N., Traustadottir, Ragnheidur
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Kulturgeografiska institutionen 2020
• Subjects: Late Holocene; Iceland; Hjaltadalur; environmental development; human settlement; Physical Geography; Naturgeografi; Climate Research; Klimatforskning; Skagafjörður
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-316984; https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.2020.1723984

We present an overview of the local environmental development of the valley of Hjaltadalur, situated in Skagafjorour, northern Iceland. The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge about the valley region before and during human settlement in the ninth century. Four mires were investigated after which the Viovik peat bog was selected as the main site for evaluating changes in climate and landscape. The master core from Viovik (V-325) was dated and studied further through sediment analysis, loss-on-ignition (LOI), and pollen analysis. According to the age-depth model, based on three radiocarbon dates and analysis of two tephra layers, the 325 cm long Viovik core comprises approximately 5500 years. In the pollen percentage record, there is a decrease in birch (Betula) and an increase in grass (Poaceae) in the central part of the core, between Hekla 3 horizon at c. 2800 BP and the next dated level at c. 2000 BP. This change corresponds well with previously outlined environmental fluctuations, showing a transition from warm and dry climate to cool and humid climate at this time. Human activity is mainly reflected by a distinct peak in Lactucae pollen in the uppermost part of the core. This change in vegetation corresponds with earlier studies, showing that the vegetation changed dramatically after the colonization of Iceland in the ninth century (during Landnam period, 870-930 AD). The present study shows that a decline in birch started well before human settlement, although the subsequent Viking Age and later settlements continued the deforestation trend. Titel in accepted manuscript: Environment and climate change during the late Holocene in Hjaltadalur, Skagafjörður, north Iceland, interpreted from peat core analyses and pollen identification Hólarannsóknin