RESEARCH FIELD

Palynology

Palynology is the scientific study of pollen grains, spores, and other palynomorphs — microscopic resistant organic particles produced by plants, fungi, and algae — preserved in sediments, peat, soils, ice cores, and archaeological deposits. The distinctive morphology of pollen grains enables identification to family or genus level under light microscopy, and the exceptional preservation of the sporopollenin exine wall allows recovery from deposits hundreds of millions of years old. Quaternary palynology reconstructs past vegetation and climate changes from pollen assemblages in lake and peat sediment cores, providing archives of how plant communities and climate have responded to orbital forcing, deglaciation, and human land use over thousands of years. These palaeoclimate reconstructions calibrate climate models and inform projections of future vegetation responses to warming. Forensic palynology exploits the geographic specificity of pollen assemblages to establish provenance of soils, food products, honey, or human remains in criminal investigations. Aeropalynology monitors airborne pollen concentrations relevant to allergic respiratory disease. Digital image analysis and machine-learning-based pollen identification are accelerating the traditionally labour-intensive taxonomy. Funding comes from environmental research councils, archaeological foundations, forensic services, and public health agencies.