A Late glacial and Holocene diatom record from Clettnadal, Shetland Islands, northern Scotland

The study was undertaken as part of a wider palaeoecological investigation of Late glacial and Holocene lake sediments from a site on the exposed Atlantic coast of the Shetland Islands. The diatom data presented here define a sequence of assemblages, commencing at c. 15.8 cal ka BP, which reflects lithological variation in the section, in particular the Late glacial alternation of minerogenic and more organic horizons. Cliff retreat caused drainage of the lake sometime after c. 4.0 cal ka BP. Almost all taxa recorded are small benthic and tychoplanktonic diatoms: Fragilaria (sensu lato), Achnanthes (s.l.) and some Navicula spp. predominate in the Late glacial. Different benthos become dominant in the Holocene, but no plankton developed. Stauroforma was the commonest genus present, and results indicate a relationship between the occurrence of two types, Stauroforma A and Stauroforma B, and the severity of prevailing environmental conditions. The lithology and associated assemblages suggest a sequence including the classic north European Bølling and Allerød' warmer periods, followed by the Loch Lomond Stadial. Subsequently, the temporal diatom succession resembles the pattern described in modern linear transects across the circumpolar treeline in north America and Asia, both in type of assemblage and some dominant species.