A HOLOCENE RECORD OF CLIMATE-CHANGE, FIRE ECOLOGY AND HUMAN ACTIVITY FROM MONTANE FLAT TOP BOG, MAUI

A sediment core from a high-elevation bog on Maui in the Hawaiian Isla nds contains evidence for drier conditions between 9.4-5.8 kyr BP, fol lowed by a wetter interval between 5.8-2.2 kyr BP, and a variable late Holocene. These precipitation changes may be a reflection of vertical displacements of the upper boundary of the mid-Pacific Trade Wind Inv ersion (TWI) cloud layer. Fires, probably volcanically ignited, occurr ed in the forests prior to human arrival. Polynesian activity in this high-elevation, remote site was apparently limited, with no pollen, ch arcoal, or sedimentological evidence for local anthropogenic disturban ce. After European contact, grass fires increased and introduced plant species invaded the site. Values for Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in sediments throughout the Holocene indicate low trace-metal deposition from atmos pheric particulates at the site, even in the twentieth century.