Extreme flooding in the Dolores River Basin, Colorado and Utah: insights from paleofloods, geochronology and hydroclimatic analysis Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Cline, Michael Logan Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 10/10/2021 03:39:40 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/195522 EXTREME FLOODING IN THE DOLORES RIVER BASIN, COLORADO AND UTAH: INSIGHTS FROM PALEOFLOODS, GEOCHRONOLOGY AND HYDROCLIMATIC ANALYSIS By Michael Logan Cline _____________________________ A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY & REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN GEOGRAPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2010 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Dissertation Committee, we certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Michael Logan Cline entitled Extreme flooding in the Dolores River Basin, Colorado and Utah: insights from paleofloods, geochronology and hydroclimatic analysis and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 8/12/2010 Victor R. Baker _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 8/12/2010 Connie Woodhouse _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 8/12/2010 Stephen Yool _______________________________________________________________________ Date: 8/12/2010 Katie Hirschboeck Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. ________________________________________________ Date: 8/12/2010 Dissertation Director: Vic Baker ________________________________________________ Date: 8/12/2010 Dissertation Director: Connie Woodhouse 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: Michael Logan Cline 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The single most important individual in my academic career has been Dr. Vic Baker, who inspired me to not only achieve the coveted ‘Ph.D.’ in my title, but to ponder truly scientific thoughts. Dr. Baker continually encouraged me to “listen to what nature is saying”, and when I finally figured out what he meant, I was able to ask better questions and provide better answers than I had previously considered. Dr. Baker provided a great deal of intellectual support, which translated into emotional support when I began to stumble through my research. I also wanted to acknowledge Pauline Baker for her kind words of support near the completion of this Ph.D. Dr Connie Woodhouse served as my Co-advisor with Dr. Baker. I hadn’t initially intended to delve into paleoclimate science, although her academic support made this possible. Her very insightful and critical reading of these manuscripts vastly improved the quality of the science. Dr. Katie Hirschboeck provide very useful comments, particularly nearing my defense date, and these comments all led to significant improvements of the manuscripts. She also clarified numerous key concepts for me, which has, and will continue to improve my writing. Dr. Steve Yool has always made himself available throughout my dissertation research and during coursework as well. His jubilant demeanor was always a pleasant reminder that academia doesn’t need to feel like a dark, lonely place. Finally, I want to thank my family and friends for their unwavering support. The love of my life, Amanda, was 110% supportive of my pursuing of a Ph.D., even at the worst of times, and never placed undue pressures on me. Without her support, I would have had no chance. The other love of my life—my son, Noah—arrived during the second year of my Ph.D. He might not understand this now, but he made my completion of this degree possible—talk about unwavering support! My Mother & Father, along with their spouses, provided a phenomenal amount of love and support. Their understanding of the stresses that accompany the Ph.D. process made my life much easier to cope with. Of course I can’t leave the rest of my family out. My sisters and brother in-laws made for many enjoyable Sunday evenings in Tucson. Both were always supportive and understanding of the stresses associated with this endeavor. Unfortunately for them, I am even more of a ‘know-it-all’ than I was before. My In-Laws were extremely supportive as well. Their presence in my life with Amanda and Noah has made so many things possible. Of course, I want to also thank my numerous field assistants: Steve Delong, James Tamerius, Derek Eysenbach and Jeff Garmany. Their unpaid help made much of the data collection possible, and the great conversations kept my morale up throughout this difficult process. Gosh, as I write this, I am realizing that the ‘perfect storm’ of people, and the support that came with them has made it possible for me to earn my Ph.D. Thanks everyone! 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................6 ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................9 1.1 Explanation of the problem .....................................................................................9 1.2 Background ...........................................................................................................10 1.2.1 Paleoclimate records ....................................................................................12 1.2.2 Paleoflood hydrology ...................................................................................13 1.2.3 Radiocarbon and Optically Stimulated Luminescence ................................15 1.2.4 Physiographic setting of the Dolores River Basin .......................................16 1.3 Approach ...............................................................................................................18 1.4 Future research directions......................................................................................20 1.5 Organization of the dissertation ............................................................................21 CHAPTER 2: PRESENT STUDY....................................................................................26 2.1 Description of Appendix A...................................................................................26 2.2 Description of Appendix B...................................................................................27 2.3 Description of Appendix C...................................................................................28 2.4 Important results and conclusions from this dissertation......................................29 WORKS CITED................................................................................................................34 APPENDIX A: HYDROCLIMATOLOGY IN THE DOLORES RIVER BASIN IN THE SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS, USA: HEMISPHERIC AND SYNOPTIC CONTROLS ON NONSTATIONARY PRECIPITATION AND STREAMFLOW REGIMES........................................................................................................................39 APPENDIX B: HOLOCENE PALEOFLOOD CHRONOLOGY BASED ON OPTICALLY STIMULATED LUMINESCENCE AND AMS 14C FOR THE DOLORES WATERSHED, CO AND UT, USA................................................................................99 APPENDIX C: LUMINESCENCE DATING OF HOLOCENE PALEOFLOOD DEPOSITS: DOLORES WATERSHED, CO AND UT................................................175 6 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1.1: Location map of the Dolores River Basin relative to the major ENSO- impacted regions of the western U.S.................................................................................24 FIGURE 1.2: Detailed digital elevation model of the Dolores River Basin with study sites and USGS stream gage locations.......................................................................................25 7 ABSTRACT The complex hydroclimatic response of the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) to climate circulation patterns and their descriptive indices creates significant challenges to water managers,