Botanical Guidebooks 26: 295–307, 2003 PRZYPISYWANIE WIEKU SPEKTROM W DIAGRAMIE PYŁKOWYM NA PODSTAWIE NIEWIELKIEJ LICZBY DAT RADIOWĘGLOWYCH DOROTA NALEPKA, ADAM WALANUS NALEPKA D., WALANUS A. Age determination of individual spectra in a pollen diagram based on a small number of radiocarbon dates. Botanical Guidebooks 26: 295–307. As a rule, a palynological proile contains tens to hundreds of pollen spectra. The proile is dated from two or three or more radiocarbon dates (or other “absolute” dates). The problem is how to assign ages to proile levels which have not been dated directly. Use of a few mathematical techniques for data interpolation, or even extrapolation, are sensible here; these may be polynomial curves (of order one to three or sometimes more), qubic splines or simple linear interpolation from date to date. Here an additional, subjective method is proposed, based on a competent author’s in- tuition when additional information about the proile is taken into account. To facilitate such an approach POLPAL-Wiek, the next in the POLPAL program series, has been created, where lithologi- cal boundaries are marked with lines in addition to 14 C rectangles and mathematical curves. It serves as an easy tool for creating the user’s own depth-age line, since use of the mouse is incorporated in the program. The result of spectra dating is stored in POLPAL format and can be used immediately for critical review against the background of the pollen curves. Dorota Nalepka, Instytut Botaniki im. W. Szafera, Polska Akademia Nauk, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Kraków; e-mail: nalepka@ib-pan.krakow.pl Adam Walanus, Instytut Archeologii, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski, K. Hoffmanowej 8, 35-016 Rzeszów; e-mail: walanus@univ.rzeszow.pl WSTĘP Najlepszą podstawą określenia wieku bezwzględnego skał są wyniki analiz radiometrycznych. W osadach górnego czwartorzędu są to analizy radiowęglo- we. Analiza pyłkowa wykonana z warstw geologicznych służy badaniu zmian roślinności i klimatu w przeszłości. Jeżeli są to warstwy datowane radiowęglowo,