Palynological records from northwest African marine sediments: A general outline of the interpretation of the pollen signal

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Abstract
Pollen analysis of over 100 modern surface-sediment samples from the Atlantic off northwest Africa (between 35° and 4° N) has improved the understanding of the relation between modern pollen source areas, modern pollen transport and the modern distribution patterns of the pollen concerned in the marine sediments. Aeolian pollen transport is dom inant in this region and the distribution patterns reflect the modern average atmospheric circulation. Palaeoisopollen maps of the time slices of 9 ka BP and 18 ka BP monitor the atmospheric circulation during the last glacial-interglacial transition, providing evidence for the latitudinal position of the northeast trade winds and the African Easterly Jet, and the average northernmost and southernmost position of the intertropical convergence zone. In this way the number of major variables in time-series (continuous pollen records) was reduced to one; this has made it possible to interpret these records in terms of vegetational change, climatic humidity and changes in the intensity of the northeast trade winds.

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