Present position:

Universitair Hoofddocent Paleo-ecologie,
Department of Paleoecology and Landscape Ecology,
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics,
Universiteit van Amsterdam,
Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam,
The Netherlands

Academic record and employment:

'Doctoraal examen' (compare MSc) cum laudeon 24-5-1972 at Universiteit van Amsterdam.

PhD: on 3-11-1976 at Universiteit van Amsterdam.

• Part-time research position at the 'Instituut voor Prae- en Protohistorie' (1-1-1975 to 1-7-1978) and also a part-time position at the Department of Palynology and Paleo/Actuo-Ecology (1-3-1975 to 1-7-1978).
• From 1-7-1978 untill present: full-time position at Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics.

Bas van Geel (1947) is a Quaternary paleoecologist/paleoclimatologist who studied Late Glacial and Holocene lake deposits, fens, bogs and archaeological sites. During the last 35 years links were made between paleoecology, paleoclimatology, environmental archeology and isotope physics. In palynological studies van Geel also explored non-pollen palynomorphs, in combination with macrofossil analysis. Among the newly distinguished non-pollen palynomorphs are representatives of cyanobacteria, fungi and algae.

Van Geel published, together with the isotope physicist Mook, the perspectives of  14C wiggle-match dating of organic deposits. Although initially from a theoretical point of view, they already realised the potential value of this dating strategy. Not only because dating of organic deposits would become more precise, but especially because making a direct link between sediment and peatbog studies and changes in atmospheric 14C concentration (mainly brought about by changing solar activity) would allow a step forward to be made in understanding climate change in the past. Together with van der Plicht (Groningen) considerable progress was made in understanding solar forcing as a factor in climate change. It became evident that the Subboreal-Subatlantic climatic transition (850 yr BC) was triggered by a sudden decline of solar activity, and the socio-economic effects of that climatic change for Late Bronze Age farming communities in areas that were already marginal from a hydrological point of view became evident. Also the expansion of theCentralAsianhorse-riding Scythian culture could be linked to the abrupt climatic shift around 850 yr BC. Summarising the research by van Geel concerns two (connected) main lines:

1. exploration of the paleoecological indicator value of all available microfossils and macrofossils in fine-resolution palynological studies of lake deposits, fens, bogs and archaeological sites. 
2. 14C wiggle-match dating and the study of ∆14C as a climate proxy (solar forcing of climate change and climatic teleconnections).

Selection of publications:

• van Geel, B., Coope, G.R and van der Hammen, T. 1989. Palaeoecology and stratigraphy of the Lateglacial type section at Usselo (the Netherlands). Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 60: 25-129.
• van Geel, B., Buurman, J. and Waterbolk, H.T., 1996. Archaeological and palaeoecological indications for an abrupt climate change in The Netherlands and evidence for climatological teleconnections around 2650 BP. Journal of Quaternary Science 11: 451-460.
• van Geel, B., Raspopov, O.M., Renssen, H., van der Plicht, J., Dergachev, V.A. and Meijer, H.A.J., 1999. The role of solar forcing upon climate change. Quaternary Science Reviews 18: 331-338.
• van Geel, B., 2001. Non-pollen palynomorphs. In: J.P. Smol, H.J.B. Birks and W.M. Last (eds.) Tracking environmental change using lake sediments. Volume 3: Terrestrial, algal and silicaceous indicators. Kluwer, Dordrecht, p. 99-119.
• Mauquoy, D., van Geel, B., Blaauw, M. and van der Plicht, J., 2002. Evidence from northwest European bogs shows ‘Little Ice Age’ climatic changes driven by variations in solar activity. The Holocene 12: 1-6.
• van Geel, B., Buurman, J. Brinkkemper, O., Schelvis, J., Aptroot, A., van Reenen, G. and Hakbijl, T., 2003. Environmental reconstruction of a Roman Period settlement site in Uitgeest (The Netherlands), with special reference to coprophilous fungi. Journal of Archaeological Science 30: 873-883.
• van derPlicht, J., van Geel, B., Bohncke,S.J.P., Bos, J.A.A., Blaauw, M., Speranza, A.O.M., Muscheler, R. and Björck, S., 2004. Early Holocene solar forcing of climate change in Europe. Journal of Quaternary Science 19: 263-269.
• van Geel, B., Bokovenko, N.A., Burova, N.D., Chugunov, K.V., Dergachev, V.A., Dirksen, V.G.,Kulkova, M., Nagler, A., Parzinger, H., van der Plicht, J., Vasiliev, S.S. and Zaitseva, G.I., 2004. Climate change and the expansion of the Scythian culture after 850 BC, a hypothesis. Journal of Archaeological Science 31: 1735-1742.
• van Geel, B. and Aptroot, A., 2006. Fossil ascomycetes in Quaternary deposits. Nova Hedwigia 82: 313-329.
• van Geel, B., Aptroot, A., Baittinger, C., Birks, H.H., Bull, I.D., Cross, H.B., Evershed, R.P., Gravendeel, B., Kompanje, E.J.O., Kuperus, P., Mol, D., Nierop, K.G.J., Pals, J.P., Tikhonov, A.N., van Reenen, G. and van Tienderen, P.H., 2008. The ecological implications of a Yakutian mammoth’s last meal. Quaternary Research 69: 361-376.