Monitoring recent pollen preservation changes at Star Carr: a comment on Albert et al. (2016)

The early Mesolithic site at Star Carr, North Yorkshire, is famous for the exceptional preservation of a wide range of organic materials in the waterlogged deposits at the edge of a former lake. Recent concerns over the effects of oxidation and acidification of the deposits on their artefactual and environmental archives prompted Albert et al. [Albert, B. et al., 2016. Degradation of the wetland sediment archive at Star Carr: an assessment of current palynological preservation. J. Archaeol. Sci. Rep. 6, 488-495] to compare the current state of pollen preservation with that in sequences analysed in the 1990s, demonstrating significant levels of deterioration. However, the methods of analysis adopted in their study are not in all respects comparable to those used previously, with implications for interpretation of the character and extent of deterioration. This paper compares the methods used in the two studies, examining which differences between the pollen sequences provide good indicators of deterioration, and which may be ascribed instead to methodological differences or variability of lake-edge vegetation.