Extracted Data Points

  • Study reconstructed nearly 4,000 years of climate and vegetation history of Majuli Island, Assam
  • Majuli Island is the world's largest inhabited river island
  • Scientists from Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences (BSIP), Lucknow conducted the study
  • BSIP is an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
  • Collected 150 cm deep sediment core from Sakali Wetland on Majuli Island
  • Used pollen analysis to reconstruct past vegetation and grain-size studies to understand river dynamics and flood intensity
  • Study covers period from 4040 to 500 cal. yrs. BP
  • Early warm and humid phase identified from 4040–2260 cal. yrs. BP with dense forest cover
  • Relatively moist period during 1100–500 cal. yrs. BP corresponding to Medieval Climatic Anomaly
  • Last around 500 years show declining temperature and precipitation, consistent with Little Ice Age
  • Increased anthropogenic influence and expansion of scattered vegetation observed in last 500 years
  • Grain-size data indicate shift from low- to high-energy fluvial conditions over time
  • Study demonstrates synchronicity between local vegetation dynamics and major global climatic events
  • Research published in Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology (Elsevier)
  • Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2026.105536