Mire Development and Environmental Change, Barrington Tops, New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Sediments began accumulating in nine mires on Barrington Tops, on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales, before 11,000 yr B.P., and peat became common in the region by 8600 yr B.P. Sedimentation rates were low, but increased markedly about 3000 yr B.P. and again around 500 yr B.P. as a result of regional climatic change. A comparison of the results with other environmental data from the region suggests that conditions in the early Holocene were warmer and moister than at present, but that cooler and drier environments developed about 3000 yr B.P. In the last 500 yr a slight warming and either increased precipitation or cloudiness has become evident.