Palynological investigations of Lake 578, southern Greenland, 2019-2023

This study examines lake sediments from a central area of the Norse Eastern Settlement in Greenland. By means of palynology the study investigates whether climatic changes were responsible for decreasing hay yields and a consequent lack of winter fodder. The results suggest that droughts were likely only minor drivers of vegetation change. In fact, we demonstrate a complex entanglement of cooling trends, substrate impoverishment in the catchment of the sampled lake and human adaptation processes. The latter is manifested in a shift in usage of the farm towards a shieling/ dairy production. We conclude that the high amount of labour required to maintain hay yields while counterbalancing the lack of soil nutrients and the shortening of the growing season could be among the many driving forces in the process of Norse farming reorganization in South Greenland. Furthermore, the results suggest the first palynological evidence of Norse water management in South Greenland. Coring took place in September 2019, while the palynological analysis was conducted between 2022 and 2023. The study is related to the preceding work by Zhao et al. 2022.
Any further details can be found in:
Krüger et al. (subm), The steady loss – Palynological investigation into the main triggers of changes in vegetation and pastoral activity during the Norse period in southern Greenland. Quaternary Science Reviews