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Current practices in building and reporting age-depth models

Part of: 50th Anniversary issue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2020

Terri Lacourse Open the ORCID record for Terri Lacourse [Opens in a new window]  and
Konrad Gajewski Open the ORCID record for Konrad Gajewski [Opens in a new window]
Terri Lacourse*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology and Centre for Forest Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, CanadaV8W 2Y2
Konrad Gajewski
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaK1N 6N5
*
Corresponding author at: tlacours@uvic.ca (T. Lacourse)
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Abstract

Age-depth models provide essential temporal frameworks in paleoenvironmental science. We use a sample of 80 recently-published age-depth models to comment on current practices in building and reporting radiocarbon-based age-depth models. We address options for model building, sampling strategies, dating densities, and best practices for reporting age-depth models and associated data. Our review reveals incomplete reporting of 14C ages, model-building methods, age-depth models and associated meta-data in many recent studies. All information needed to evaluate, reproduce and update an age-depth model should accompany every published model. We also present a case study of building age-depth models for a lake sediment core that has both 14C ages and an independent varve chronology. The case study illustrates that choosing the ‘best model’ is not a simple task, and that model accuracy is ultimately controlled by differences between 14C ages and true age that likely occur in many late Quaternary records.

Keywords

age-depth modellingchronologyaccumulation ratesradiocarbon datingvarves
Type
Contribution to the QR Forum
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 96: 50th Anniversary Issue , July 2020 , pp. 28 - 38
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020

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