The steady loss - Palynological investigation into the main triggers of changes in vegetation and pastoral activity during the Norse period in southern Greenland
Krüger, Sascha ; Schneider, Tobias ; Bradley, Raymond S. ; Castañeda, Isla S. ; Feeser, Ingo ; Madsen, Christian Koch ; Strunk, Astrid LU
; Zhao, Boyang
and Jessen, Catherine
LU
(2024)
In Quaternary Environments and Humans
2(5).
- Abstract
Pastoral farming formed a key element of Norse subsistence strategies in South Greenland but with climatic changes of the Little Ice Age they may have reached their limit. Most recently, studies into hydrological changes across the Norse period (10th-15th century AD) revealed a severe drying trend that was coincident with the Norse demise during the early to mid-15th century AD. This study examines lake sediments from a central area of the Norse Eastern Settlement in Greenland. By means of palynology this study investigates whether climatic changes were responsible for decreasing hay yields and a consequent lack of winter fodder. The results suggest that droughts were likely only minor drivers of vegetation change. In fact, we... (More)
Pastoral farming formed a key element of Norse subsistence strategies in South Greenland but with climatic changes of the Little Ice Age they may have reached their limit. Most recently, studies into hydrological changes across the Norse period (10th-15th century AD) revealed a severe drying trend that was coincident with the Norse demise during the early to mid-15th century AD. This study examines lake sediments from a central area of the Norse Eastern Settlement in Greenland. By means of palynology this study investigates whether climatic changes were responsible for decreasing hay yields and a consequent lack of winter fodder. The results suggest that droughts were likely only minor drivers of vegetation change. In fact, we demonstrate a complex entanglement of cooling trends, substrate impoverishment in the catchment of the sampled lake and human adaptation processes. The latter is manifested in a shift in usage of the farm towards a shieling/ dairy production. We conclude that the high amount of labour required to maintain hay yields while counterbalancing the lack of soil nutrients and the shortening of the growing season could be among the many driving forces in the process of Norse farming reorganization in South Greenland. Furthermore, the results allow for the discussion of a potential first palynological evidence of Norse water management in South Greenland.
(Less)
- author
- Krüger, Sascha
; Schneider, Tobias
; Bradley, Raymond S.
; Castañeda, Isla S.
; Feeser, Ingo
; Madsen, Christian Koch
; Strunk, Astrid
LU
; Zhao, Boyang
and Jessen, Catherine
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-10
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Greenland, Holocene, Norse Eastern Settlement, Palaeoecology, Palynology, Pastoral activity, Vegetation change
- in
- Quaternary Environments and Humans
- volume
- 2
- issue
- 5
- article number
- 100018
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105025418644
- ISSN
- 2950-2365
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100018
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
- id
- 0cf8b9fa-a758-4633-adc2-f1aefc9037a6
- date added to LUP
- 2026-03-05 15:47:40
- date last changed
- 2026-03-19 21:12:57
@article{0cf8b9fa-a758-4633-adc2-f1aefc9037a6,
abstract = {{<p>Pastoral farming formed a key element of Norse subsistence strategies in South Greenland but with climatic changes of the Little Ice Age they may have reached their limit. Most recently, studies into hydrological changes across the Norse period (10th-15th century AD) revealed a severe drying trend that was coincident with the Norse demise during the early to mid-15th century AD. This study examines lake sediments from a central area of the Norse Eastern Settlement in Greenland. By means of palynology this study investigates whether climatic changes were responsible for decreasing hay yields and a consequent lack of winter fodder. The results suggest that droughts were likely only minor drivers of vegetation change. In fact, we demonstrate a complex entanglement of cooling trends, substrate impoverishment in the catchment of the sampled lake and human adaptation processes. The latter is manifested in a shift in usage of the farm towards a shieling/ dairy production. We conclude that the high amount of labour required to maintain hay yields while counterbalancing the lack of soil nutrients and the shortening of the growing season could be among the many driving forces in the process of Norse farming reorganization in South Greenland. Furthermore, the results allow for the discussion of a potential first palynological evidence of Norse water management in South Greenland.</p>}},
author = {{Krüger, Sascha and Schneider, Tobias and Bradley, Raymond S. and Castañeda, Isla S. and Feeser, Ingo and Madsen, Christian Koch and Strunk, Astrid and Zhao, Boyang and Jessen, Catherine}},
issn = {{2950-2365}},
keywords = {{Greenland; Holocene; Norse Eastern Settlement; Palaeoecology; Palynology; Pastoral activity; Vegetation change}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{5}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Quaternary Environments and Humans}},
title = {{The steady loss - Palynological investigation into the main triggers of changes in vegetation and pastoral activity during the Norse period in southern Greenland}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100018}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.qeh.2024.100018}},
volume = {{2}},
year = {{2024}},
}