A Pollen-Stratigraphic Study of Late-Quaternary Vegetational Change at Porter's Lake, Nova Scotia, with Reference to Marine Intrusion

Abstract

Late-Quaternary sea level rise has caused two marine intrusions into Porter's Lake, Nova Scotia (Smith 1984), resulting in an interesting ecological history. Stratigraphic studies of the lake include work on diatoms and Arcellaceans (thecamoebians). Pollen stratigraphy of one 10-m core (PL-4) is carried out to add detail to knowledge of late-Quaternary climate and vegetation in Nova Scotia, and to see whether the pollen record reflects changes in hydrology or the watershed subsequent to marine intrusion. The pollen diagram from Porter's Lake is similar to that from Penhorn Lake, a nearby freshwater lake. No conclusive evidence of marine intrusion is recorded in the core.

Keywords: Pages: 55 Supervisor: J. G. Ogden III