Suchań

Study of the evolution of the forest cover and settlement/land use in the area around the site at Suchań will be undertaken. Evidence from maps, air photography and fieldwork will be used to select potential sites for the palynology research. Depending on the type of reservoir, coring will be made using the Instorf sampler or the gravitational sampler. A palynological expert study will be made prior to selecting the profile best suited for research. Selection will be guided by the potential to obtain a well developed undisturbed palynological sequence corresponding to the first millennium AD and presence of material suitable for radiocarbon dating using the AMS method. Laboratory work and examinations under the microscope will be made in keeping with accepted standards. The Laboratory of Palaeoecology and Archaeobotany has the newest generation equipment with Nomarski Interference Contrast, and a significant reference collection of palynology slides, guaranteeing a high level of palynotaxonomic determinations. The adopted standard will be to count c. 1000 pollen grains in each pollen spectrum, the accompanying pollen and spores of herbaceous plants, and a wide range of non-pollen palynomorphs (PPS). For a sufficiently accurate age assessment at least six radiocarbon dates (AMS) will have to be determined for each profile.