A record of late Quaternary vegetation and climate change from Woods Lake, Seymour Inlet, coastal British Columbia, Canada

Late Quaternary vegetation and environmental history were studied from a lake basin infill in an unexplored area of Seymour Inlet, central coastal British Columbia. Pinus dominated the vegetation of the early late glacial, with a cool and moist climate, which terminated by 11,820 +/- 90 14C years BP. The late glacial, characterised by a mixed coniferous forest, showed slightly warmer but still cool conditions and increased moisture, interrupted by a warmer and drier interval. Alnus, Picea and Pteridium aquilinum dominated the vegetation of the early Holocene. Warmer and drier conditions prevailed in this phase, which was interrupted by an interval of cool and moist conditions. Increased moisture and decreased temperatures characterised the mid-Holocene, during which time Cupressaceae, Alnus, Tsuga heterophylla and Picea achieved dominance in regional forests. This represented a transitional stage to the late-Holocene Cupressaceae-Tsuga heterophylla -(Alnus) phase when modern climate under cool and moist conditions became established. The lithological and microfossil records indicate two marine inundations of the basin in the early late glacial and the late Holocene due to changes in relative sea level.