RESUMO
Small pollen grains and fine particles of the organic matrix in samples of a coarse detritus mud and a blanket peal deposit were removed by sieving through 30µ polyester mesh after digestion with KOH and acetolysis during standard pollen pre-treatment. The technique enhanced the number of large pollen grains m the sample. There was also an increase in the range of taxa which produce huge grains. The method provided a means of estimating the ratio of any scarce large pollen grain to the total grain sum in samples prepared by standard methods of pre-treatment.
RESUMO
Active peat erosion is widespread in the Wicklow mountains, and it has been suggested that peat accumulation has slowed or ceased in the area associated with the erosive processes. Analysis of the recent deposition of pollen and magnetic minerals at three sites shows that significant quantities of peat (6.5 to 16.5 cm) have accumulated within the last 150 years. The fallout of magnetic pollutants is far below that found in the Pennine peats, ruling out certain hypotheses about the causes of montane blanket peat erosion.
