pollen-records
Pollen records are the preserved fossil and sediment archives of pollen grains deposited over geological time, allowing scientists to reconstruct past plant communities and vegetation history. By analyzing the types and abundances of pollen found in cores from bogs, lakes, and sediments, researchers can track how plant species distributions have shifted in response to climate change, glaciation, and other environmental pressures over thousands to millions of years. This palynological approach is fundamental to understanding plant biogeography, evolutionary history, and how flora may respond to future climate scenarios.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-05-06
Researchers have launched NAMPHORA, a comprehensive open database of 836 fossil and modern pollen records from Northern Africa, the Mediterranean, and Arabian regions, standardized across 853 pollen types and 13 plant traits. It fills critical gaps in understanding how vegetation and climate shifted across the Holocene, especially after the 'Green Sahara' ended roughly 5,500 years ago.
The database compiles 836 pollen records and 853 harmonized pollen types across all of Africa north of 7.52°N, making it the most complete resource for this region.
Northern Africa's vegetation experienced dramatic shifts approximately 5,500 years ago when the African Humid Period (the 'Green Sahara') ended.
All data includes 13 standardized plant functional traits and is freely accessible via R programming language through Zenodo, enabling reproducible research.