The ''Pollen Analysis Circular'' was a mimeographed publication that maintained communications among scientists working on either side of the Atlantic Ocean during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and aided the early development of the field of

palynology Palynology is the study of microorganisms and microscopic fragments of mega-organisms that are composed of acid-resistant organic material and occur in sediments, sedimentary rocks, and even some metasedimentary rocks. Palynomorphs are the mic ...

. It was initiated by Paul Sears in 1943 and published somewhat regularly until May 1949 (No. 17), by which time scientific meetings had again become feasible. Publication was made possible by contributions and the efforts of many individuals at various institutions. It provided comments and discussion on the field, progress reports on research projects, lists and addresses of researchers in the field, bibliographies, obituaries, and other news items. A final issue, No. 18, was printed in January 1954.

History

The international scientific cooperation on which the field of palynology depended was interrupted by the onset of World War II. The ''Pollen Analysis Circular'' was a response to increased handicaps to travel during the late stages of World War II. Because palynology was a well established trans-Atlantic field by the time World War II broke out, workers in the United States, Britain, and Germany in particular, had difficulty maintaining contact with one another. The ''Pollen Analysis Circular'' allowed researchers in the

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to maintain contact with one another and maintain publication lists that had, until then, been published by Gunnar Erdtman as "Literature on Pollen Statistics and Related Topics". The first issue of the ''Pollen Analysis Circular'' was dated May 5, 1943 and published by Paul B. Sears (

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...

). Subsequent issues were generally edited by Sears, sometimes in cooperation with L.R. Wilson. In January 1945, the ''Pollen Analysis Circular'' was renamed the ''Pollen and Spore Circular'' to more accurately reflect its scope. After 1954, the Circular was incorporated into the '' Micropaleontologist'', soon renamed ''

Micropaleontology Micropaleontology (American spelling; spelled micropalaeontology in European usage) is the branch of paleontology (palaeontology) that studies microfossils, or fossils that require the use of a microscope to see the organism, its morphology and ...

'', published by the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

. The last issue of the ''Pollen and Spore Circular'' (#18) was edited by Calvin J. Heusser and announced the fusion, indicating that "the spore and pollen section will constitute four to six pages in each issue and contain essentially the same material" as in the ''Pollen and Spore Circular''. The final issue also included abstracts from the First Palynology Conference (February 25, 1953), held at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

as well as correspondence from researchers working as far afield as

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, and

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Highlights

It was in the pages of the ''Pollen Analysis Circular'' that the field of pollen analysis was given the modern name of ''

'' based on correspondence in issues 6, 7, and 8 between H.A. Hyde and D.A. Williams, who are credited with coming up with the name palynology, along with contributions by Ernst Antevs, Paul B. Sears, A. Orville Dahl, and L. R. Wilson.

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

The Pollen and Spore Circulars
online version provided by R. Scott Anderson. Retrieved 2011-12-18. Palynology Defunct journals Biology journals Academic journals established in 1943 Publications disestablished in 1954 English-language journals