A late quaternary pollen diagram from northwestern Syria

This paper deals with the palynological investigation of a 12 m long core from the Ghab valley, north-western Syria. The core covers the greater part of the last glacial period and the Postglacial. The pollen diagram reflects an alternation of periods in which steppe vegetations expanded and those in which forests increased. Tree growth was determined by humidity rather than by temperature. On the whole, the second part of the last glacial was drier than the first part. The period preceding the Late-glacial was especially unfavourable for tree growth.