DISQOVER Workshop September 2017

Aims and scope

The R-package DISQOVER is a collection of quantitative methods in palynology. We started its development for three main reasons:

1. to provide implementations that are easy to use and that can be automatised to handle large data sets
2. to provide full flexibility in the underlying parameters, including pollen dispersal
3. to stimulate critical discussion on the methods and parameters as a basis of future development.

The workshop will introduce the methods that are currently available in DISQOVER (and those that are still in development), including their theoretical background.  We will provide sample data for illustration, but you are very welcome to bring your own pollen data to work with. Besides instructions on how to use DISQOVER, the workshop will focus on the impact of parameter selection. We will explore effects of e.g. PPEs, dispersal model, size of the sampling area and calculation methods on model outcomes. We aim to develop a joint set of data to test and discuss, hopefully covering a broad geographic range. Based on the results we consider preparing a workshop publication.

Program

Day 1: Calibrating PPEs with both surface and core data

Day 2: Regional scale vegetation reconstruction with EDA, ROPES and REVEALS

Day 3: Local scale vegetation reconstruction with Marco Polo and LRA

Day 4: Summary, the way forward and future cooperation

Place and dates

The workshop will take place at the University of Greifswald/ NE Germany, September 7. to 10. (so for those who join the PMP meeting in Torun and the following excursion Belovezha National Park, there is enough time to travel to Greifswald).

Costs

Workshop attendees will carry their own costs for travel and stay. We charge a small fee of 20 Euro to cover expenditures.

Dates and Organisers

If interested to participate, please contact us (Martin Theuerkauf, Almut Mrotzek and John Couwenberg) until July 2017. The number of participants is limited to 15.