Paleolimnology is the multidisciplinary science that studies past environmental conditions from the evidence preserved in lake sediments. It addresses a very broad range of issues relating to former ecosystem composition and development, lake ontogeny, the variability of catchment and land use processes, climate change, water quality trends, pollution studies, and even the hydrocarbon potential of ancient lake sediments. Such diversity has led to the emergence of at least three major traditions within the subject. The first deals with trends in extant lakes, often investigating relatively short time scales (10–200 years) and allied to work by the limnological community. A second strand studies ancient lake basins, an area merging with the sub-discipline of limnogeology, and usually the realm of sedimentology. The third tradition considers the evidence of climate change preserved by lakes, usually with a recent or Quaternary perspective, using tools that bridge the aforementioned areas...
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Barker, P. (2009). Paleolimnology. In: Gornitz, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4411-3_175
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