Transport of pollen from forests to the North American Arctic during the Holocene

Pollen grains are transported in the atmosphere, in some cases long distances from the source, and have been found in ice cores and over the ocean. Pollen grains of trees have been identified in Arctic sediments, far north of the latitudinal treeline. Because pollen grains can be identified to the species, genus or family of the plant that produced them, the source region for tree pollen in Arctic sediments can be identified. Analyses of Holocene pollen records from across the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) and Greenland show coherent patterns of long-distance pollen transport and deposition. Accumulation of long-distance pollen is generally greater in the CAA than in Greenland, due to the closer proximity of forested regions. The migration of trees following deglaciation affected the accumulation of long-distance pollen in Arctic sediments, as did changes in atmospheric circulation associated with disintegration of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Broad-scale changes in climate in both the source regions and the Arctic also influence long-distance pollen accumulation. • Holocene pollen records across the North American Arctic were used to analyze the space-time distribution of tree pollen. • Tree pollen in lake sediments of the Arctic can be used as tracers of past atmospheric circulation. • Distance to source populations is an important factor in determining pollen amounts in the Arctic.