Abstract
The spatial distributions of modern pollen spectra in the Okhotsk basin were analyzed using surface materials obtained from 16 core tops from the Okhotsk Sea floor. The surface pollen is divided into a coastal group and a pelagic group. The coastal group, located within ~100 km from the nearest coast, is dominated by Betula and other deciduous pollen taxa, including pollen of taiga forest, which represents modern vegetation on the neighboring landmass. Assemblages in the pelagic group, in contrast, consist of Pinus and Picea. As these are exotic taxa, their concentrations in pelagic regions are low; these pollen groups, which reflect vegetation in Sakhalin and Siberia, are present only when the distance from land is sufficiently small (<100 km in this context). Pinus becomes dominant when the distance from the coast is greater. These patterns suggest a minimal influence of coastal currents on pollen assemblages in surface sediments in the study region.
