Non-pollen palynomorphs (NPP) in pollen slides form a large, inhomogeneous group of remains of organisms that represents a memory of former, often strictly local environmental conditions. A systematic approach of NPP documentation led to a strong development of the field in the last 40 years, and the total amount of NPP exceeds 1300. A large number of NPP remains unknown and identified NPP belong to a wide variety of taxonomic groups such as Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, Hyphomycetes, Zygomycetes, Cyanobacteria, green algae, cysts of dinoflagellates, roundworms, flatworms, testate amoebae, rotifers, and tardigrades. We give an overview, illustrate and discuss the palaeoenvironmental indicator value of a selection of NPP important for environmental reconstructions at, or close to, archaeological sites in connection with human impact.

Non-Pollen Palynomorphs

This review paper examines thermal conditions (active layer and permafrost), internal composition (rock and ice components), kinematics and rheology of creeping perennially frozen slopes in cold mountain areas. The aim is to assemble current information about creep in permafrost and rock glaciers from diverse published sources into a single paper that will be useful in studies of the flow and deformation of subsurface ice and their surface manifestations not only on Earth, but also on Mars. Emphasis is placed on quantitative information from drilling, borehole measurements, geophysical soundings, photogrammetry, laboratory experiments, etc. It is evident that quantitative holistic treatment of permafrost creep and rock glaciers requires consideration of: (a) rock weathering, snow avalanches and rockfall, with grain-size sorting on scree slopes; (b) freezing processes and ice formation in scree at sub-zero temperatures containing abundant fine material as well as coarse-grained blocks; (c) coupled thermohydro-mechanical aspects of creep and failure processes in frozen rock debris; (d) kinematics of non-isotropic, heterogeneous and layered, ice-rich permafrost on slopes with long transport paths for coarse surface material from the headwall to the front and, in some cases, subsequent re-incorporation into an advancing rock glacier causing corresponding age inversion at

Permafrost creep and rock glacier dynamics

High mountains represent one of the most dynamic environments on earth. Monitoring their terrain changes is necessary to understand mass-transport systems, to detect related environmental variability, and to assess natural hazards. Here, we apply standard software to automatically generate digital elevation models (DEM) from aerial photography and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) satellite stereo imagery. By comparison to a photogrammetrically derived DEM, an accuracy of ±60 m RMS of the ASTER DEM was found for rough high-mountain topography, and ±18 m RMS for moderately mountainous terrain. Differences between multi-temporal DEMs are used to determine vertical terrain changes. Horizontal movements are computed from multi-temporal orthoimages. The techniques are applied for three case studies. (1) The flow-field of Tasman glacier, New Zealand, as measured from ASTER data, showed glacier speeds of up to 250 m per year and a surprising minimum speed in the middle of the glacier. (2) The velocity-field of creeping mountain permafrost in Val Muragl, Swiss Alps, with speeds of up to 0.5 m per year was determined with high resolution from aerial stereo imagery and provided new insights in the spatial coherence of permafrost creep. (3) Deformations of up to 0.1 m per year on a large landslide near Aletsch glacier, Swiss Alps, could be detected. As a rule of thumb, we estimate the achieved accuracy for elevation changes and horizontal displacements to approximate the size of one image pixel, i.e. 15 m for ASTER and 0.2–0.3 m for the here-used aerial photography.

Monitoring high-mountain terrain deformation from repeated air- and spaceborne optical data: examples using digital aerial imagery and ASTER data

Aerial photogrammetry is an established tool for area-wide mapping and monitoring of permafrost geometry, thickness changes and surface creep. This study applies commercial software for the automatic generation of elevation models from digital imagery and presents a newly developed tool for digital measurement of surface displacements from repeated orthophotos. The accuracy and quality of automatically-derived geometry and velocity data are compared to conventionally-derived elevation and velocity data from the Muragl rock glacier in the Swiss Alps. The analysis reveals that for thickness changes and velocities digital photogrammetry provides at least the same accuracy as the reference data. Under unfavourable terrain and image conditions, such as steep slopes, shadows or snow cover, the reliability of the automatically-derived data is significantly lower than the operator-measured ones. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. R ´ ESUM ´ E

Surface Geometry, Thickness Changes and Flow Fields on Creeping Mountain Permafrost: Automatic Extraction by Digital Image Analysis

On the response of rockglacier creep to surface temperature increase

Within the framework of core-drilling through the permafrost of the active rock glacier Murtel Corvatsch in the Swiss Alps, subfossil stem remains of sever different bryophyte species were found at a depth of 6 m below surface and about 3 m below the permafrost table in samples from massive ice. The composition of the moss species points to the former grow th of the recovered mosses in the nearest surroundings of the drill site. A total of 127 pollen and spores captured by the mosses and representing 23 taxa were determined. The local vegetation during deposition time must be characterized as a moss-rich alpine grassland meadow rich in Cyperaceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Asteraceae, comparable to today's flora present around the study site. For 14 C analysis, accelerator mass spectrometry had to be used due to the small sample mass (about 0.5 mg Carbon content. The mean conventional 14 C age of 2250 ± 100 years (1σ variability corresponds to ranges in the calibrated calendar age of 470 -170 BC and 800 BC to AD 0 at statistical probabilities of 68% % and 5% respectively. This result is compared with the present-day flow field as determined by high-precision photogrammetry and with information about the thickness, vertical structur and flow of the permafrost from borehole measurements. Tota l age of the rock glacic as a landform is on order of 10 4 years; the development of the rock glacier most probably started around the onset of the Holocene, when the area it now occupies became definitely deglaciated. The bulk of the ice/rock mixture within the creeping permafrost must be several thousand years old. Characteristic average values are estimated for 1) surface velocities through time (cm a 1 ), (2) long-term ice and sediment accretion rates mm a 1 ) on the debris cone from which the rock glacier develops,, (3) retreat rates (1 2 mm a 1 ) of the cliff which supplies the debris to the debris cone and rock glacier, and (4) ice content of the crecping ice/rock mixture (50 -90% by volume). The pronounced supersaturation of the permafrost explains the steady-state creep mode of the rock glacier.

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Pollen analysis and 14C age of moss remains in a permafrost core recovered from the active rock glacier Murtèl-Corvatsch, Swiss Alps: geomorphological and glaciological implications

Neorhabdocoela oocytes — palaeoecological indicators found in pollen preparations from Holocene freshwater lake sediments

Within th e fra mework of cor e-drilling through the perm afrost of the act ive rock glacier MurteI -Con'atsch in the Swiss Alps, subf ossil stem remain s of seven di fferent bryo phyte specie s were found at a depth of 6 m below surface and about 3 m below the permaf rost table in samples from massive ice. The compo sition of the moss spe­ cies points to th e former gro wth of the recovered mosses in th e nearest surr oundi ngs of the drill site. A total of 127 pollen and spores captured by the mosses and representing 23 taxa were det ermined. The local vegetation during depo sit ion time must be chara cterized as a mos s-rich alpine gra ssland meadow rich in Cype race ae, Poaceae, Chenop odia ceae and Aste raceae, comparable to today's flora present around th e study site. For 14 C analysis, acceler ator mass spect rometry had to be used due to the small sample mass (about 0.5 mg Carbon con tent). The mean con vent ional 14 C age of 2250 ± 100 years (I (J variabil­ ity) cor res ponds to rang es in the cal ibrated calendar age of47 0-170 BC and 800 BC toAD 0 at stat istical pro babi litie s of68% and 95%, respec ti vely. This result is compared with th e present -day now field as dete rmined by high-pr ecision photogram metry and with inf or­ mation about the thick ness, vertical structure and flow of the perm afrost from borehole meas urements.1 otal age of the rock glacier as a land form is on the

Jean Nicolas Haas

Papers

Pollen analysis and 14C age of moss remains in a permafrost core recovered from the active rock glacier Murtèl-Corvatsch, Swiss Alps: geomorphological and glaciological implications

Neorhabdocoela oocytes — palaeoecological indicators found in pollen preparations from Holocene freshwater lake sediments

Pollen analysis and 14e age of moss remains in a pertnafrost core recovered frotn the active rock glacier Murtel-Corvatsch,