ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES INFERRED FROM POLLEN RECORDS IN THE SOUTH YELLOW SEA SINCE LATE PLEISTOCENE

Pollen analysis was carried out for the 71.2m long core DLC70-3 in the South Yellow Sea (SYS). Together with dating data, foraminifera and grain size proxies, the long pollen record reveals the paleoenvironmental changes in the study area since the late Pleistocene. Pollen assemblages could reflect the vegetation landscape along the continental margin of SYS, and the whole sequence was dominated by herbaceous pollens of over-presentation, while woody pollen was of low-presentation. Except for the sedimentary hiatus during the glacial maximum, pollen assemblages and other indicators of DLC70-3 core varied significantly since the MIS5 period:The characteristics of pollen assemblages were similar in the subinterglacial stages of MIS5 and MIS3 and in MIS2/1 periods, with high abundance of deciduous and evergreen trees, Artemisia, Dinoflagellate and foraminifera, indicating a relatively warm climate in the littoral or shallow sea environment of a relatively stable sedimentary dynamics;However, pollen assemblages were consistent in sub-glacial stages of MIS5 and MIS3 and in MIS4 periods, characterized by the increase in conifers or Abies, relatively high content of mesophytic and aquatic herbs, but low concentration or even disappearance of foraminifera, implying a relatively cold climate in the coastal lakes or marshes with complex depositional environments. Meanwhile, comparison with other palynological results from the Bohai Sea and South Yellow Sea areas shows that content of conifers and broadleaved trees fluctuated during the glacial-interglacial cycles, and variation of herbs could indicate the vegetation evolution in the local coastal areas and reflect the sea level changes to a certain extent.