Present-day events and the evaluation of Holocene palaeoclimatic proxy data

Reconstruction of Holocene climatic changes should be based on correlation of proxy data representing various sediment facies and ecosystem characteristics. In addition to long-term fluctuations in such data, various extreme events, such as downpours, floods, and slope failures, whose type and frequency fluctuate in time, have also been recorded. Events may reflect global, regional or local changes. Examples from Poland are used to illustrate general principles. The observation of present-day processes and their erosional or deposition effects linked with proxy indicators from the past should help in interpretation of environmental changes in the Holocene and to inferences about the causative mechanisms.