Abstract: The in-depth model study of Holocene climatic and environmental change requires more exact strata age in the lake. However, the ¹⁴C dating of lake sediments is one of the main methods for dating, and different methods of ¹⁴C dating result in various inaccuracy. To explore more reasonable ways of ¹⁴C dating of the lakes in arid areas, based on some samples of Barkol Lake, the article compared the pollen concentrates for AMS ¹⁴C dating, the whole sample analysis method for ¹⁴C dating and the terrestrial higher plant residues for ¹⁴C dating. Our dating results reveal that AMS ¹⁴C ages of the pollen concentrates are consistently 780 years older than those of the whole samples in the same layer, which is similar to the "carbon pool" effect calculated through the ¹⁴C ages of whole samples subtract the ¹⁴C ages of terrestrial higher plant residues; for the AMS ¹⁴C ages of the pollen concentrates are very close to the ¹⁴C ages of terrestrial higher plant residues, the pollen concentrates are expected to be reliable dating material in the dating process of the lakes in arid areas.