Comparison between current climate characteristics and fossil pollen findings in the west of Black Sea Region: The environment of Abant and Yeniçağa lakes

Anatolia is a geographical area that shows diversity in terms of both climate and vegetation cover. Climatic conditions and vegetation have undergone many changes from past to present. Changes caused by human have also been added to these changes since the Holocene. The study area, located in the inner part of the Western Black Sea Region, is among the rich areas of Turkey in terms of vegetation. Extensive studies in this area are important in terms of revealing and evaluating the history of this richness. The aim of this thesis is to determine the climate changes in the region by examining the changes in the vegetation around the Abant and Yeniçağa lakes, located in the west of the Black Sea Region, with the data of pollen analysis. The climate data used in the study were obtained from the Turkish State Meteorological Service. These climate data were used to determine the current climate characteristics of the region and to reveal the climate types in the study area. Climate analyzes are shown with figures, tables and graphics. Data used for fossil pollen analyzes were obtained from the European Pollen Database (EPD). The diagrams of the percentage values of pollen at the depths of the Abant and Yeniçağa lakes were created by using the Tilia program. By interpreting the pollen diagrams, a comparison was made between past climate characteristics and current climate characteristics based on vegetation change. The ecological characteristics of the fossil pollens, which are still distributed in Anatolia today, were examined and compared with the current vegetation around Abant and Yeniçağa lakes. It was concluded that the effects of climate changes that took place in the world from the beginning of the Holocene to the present are also seen in the Western Black Sea Region.