Palaeoecology: Reconstructing Past Environments

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The Irish landscape as we know it today is governed by what has happened in the past. Both climate change and anthropogenic factors have played significant roles in shaping the development of the landscape. The objectives of this module are to introduce the student to palaeoenvironmental methods, in particular pollen analysis, as a means of interpreting the past 15, 000 years of vegetation and environmental change in Ireland. The course will consist of a series of c.20 lectures. In addition to the lectures, 3 laboratory-based 2-hour sessions will form part of the course where students will use microscope techniques to identify and count fossil pollen grains. They will also participate in one 2-hour field class on campus. Details on dates, times etc to follow.