DOCSLIB.ORG

Analysis of Laminated Sediments from Lake DV09, Northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Analysis of Laminated Sediments from Lake DV09, Northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada Analysis of Laminated Sediments from Lake DV09, Northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada Colin John Courtney Mustaphi Master’s of Science in Geography candidate Supervisor: Dr. Konrad Gajewski Department of Geography, University of Ottawa Committee Members: Dr. Luke Copland Department of Geography, University of Ottawa Dr. Mike Sawada Department of Geography, University of Ottawa A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master’s of Science in Geography December 2008 © Colin John Courtney Mustaphi, Ottawa, Canada, 2008 Abstract A 147cm sediment core from Lake DV09, northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada (75° 34’34”N, 89° 18’55”W) contains annually-laminated (varved) sediments, providing a 1600-year record of climate variability. A minerogenic lamina deposited during the annual thaw period and a thin deposit of organic matter deposited during the summer and through the winter, together form a clastic-organic couplet each year. The thinnest varves occur from AD800-1050, and the thickest from AD1100-1300, during the Medieval Warm Period. The relative sediment density is also highest during this period suggesting increased sediment transport energy. The coldest period of the Little Ice Age appears to be during the AD1600s. Varve widths over the past century indicate climate warming in the region. ii Document Format and Structure This document presents the results from the analysis of several sediment cores from Lake DV09, located on northern Devon Island, Canada. It has been divided into 6 chapters, each of which builds upon the previous in order to logically present all of the information. Tables and figures are found at the end of each chapter in the order they appear within the text. Chapter 1 begins by describing the methods and results of the currently available literature pertaining to studies of varved lake sediments in the Canadian Arctic, and finishes with a detailed geographic description of the study site, Lake DV09. Chapter 2 details the methods used to obtain and study the sediment cores from the lake. Chapter 3, entitled “Post-glacial sedimentology of Lake DV09, northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada” describes the results from the analysis of several sediment cores and is aimed at establishing an overall sediment history of the lake. Chapter 4, entitled “A 1600-year climate-proxy record inferred from the annually- laminated sediments of Lake DV09, northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada” investigates the most recent sediment of the stratigraphy, in particular, it aims to describe and interpret the annually-laminated (varved) sequence that has been preserved in the sediments of Core B. The thickness of these varves is then used to infer the paleoclimate of northern Devon Island. The record is then compared to numerous other Arctic proxy and climate records to look at the climate dynamics of the past 1600 years. This chapter was combined with Chapter 3 to form a paper that will be submitted to an academic journal; but in this document they are separated to allow for an extensive description of methods, results and discussion, as well as to establish a stratigraphic context to the varve study. Chapter 5, “A preliminary exploration of the red-noise spectra of DV09 varve series in the context of other annual series from northern Canada and Greenland” appears as a separate chapter. It is an extension of the description of the DV09 varve width series and comparison to other proxy-climate records found in the previous chapter. It is described as a preliminary exploration because interpretation of the results at this time is difficult due to the current lack of an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms and processes that may be causing cyclicity in the records. Chapter 6 summarizes the discussion from each of the three results chapters (Chapters 3- 5) and is followed by a reference list for this document and a series of pertinent appendices, which are referred to in the text. iii Acknowledgements This research program was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences (CFCAS). A tuition bursary from Ultramar Inc. also helped in making this research possible. Logistical support was provided by the Polar Continental Shelf Project (PCSP Contribution number 04508). We thank P.B. Hamilton and T. Malik for help in the field; M. Frappier, C. Prince, M.-C. Roch, B. O’Neil, T. Paull, and J. McGuinness for help in the laboratory; A. Trudel for supervising the x-radiography; and J. Bunbury for ostracode identifications. A huge thank you to K. Gajewski for supporting and guiding me through the world of academic research, and to my committee members L. Copland and M. Sawada for their helpful suggestions along the way. I am indebted to all of those who are mentioned throughout the cited works in this paper and I further thank those researchers who have provided me with paleoclimatic datasets. Of course this would not be possible without the support of my family and friends, and that of the members of the LPC. iv Abstract ……………………………………………………………… ii Acknowledgments ……………………………………………………… iv Table of Contents ……………………………………………………… v List of Figures ……………………………………………………… vii List of Tables ……………………………………………………… viii List of Equations and Appendices ……………………………………… ix 1 Introduction ……………………………………………………… 1 1.1 Literature Review ……………………………………………… 2 1.2 Study Site ……………………………………………………… 13 1.2.1 Regional Setting……………………………………… 13 1.2.2 Quaternary History ……………………………… 13 1.2.3 Geological Setting ……………………………… 14 1.2.4 Climate and Vegetation ……………………………… 14 1.2.5 Lake DV09 ……………………………………… 15 2 Methods ……………………………………………………………… 21 2.1 Field Method ……………………………………………… 21 2.1.1 Core Collection ……………………………………… 21 2.2 Laboratory Methods ……………………………………… 22 2.2.1 Non-invasive Methods ……………………………… 22 2.2.1.1 Magnetic Susceptibility ……………… 22 2.2.1.2 Core Description ……………………… 24 2.2.1.3 Core Imaging ……………………………… 24 2.2.1.4 X-radiography and Image Greyscaling 25 2.2.2 Invasive Methods ……………………………… 26 2.2.2.1 Particle Size Distribution (PSD) ……… 26 2.2.2.2 Loss-on-ignition Analysis (LOI) ……… 26 2.2.2.3 Biogenic Silica (BSi) ……………………… 27 2.2.2.4 Description of Subfossils ……………… 29 2.2.2.4.1 Diatoms ……………………… 29 2.2.3 Chronostratigraphic Techniques ……………… 30 2.2.3.1 Radiometric Dating ……………………… 30 2.2.3.1.1 210Pb Dating ……………………… 30 2.2.3.1.2 14C Dating ……………………… 31 2.2.3.2 Varve Chronology ……………………… 32 2.2.3.2.1 Varve Delineation ……………… 32 2.2.3.2.2 Varve Counting ……………… 33 2.2.3.2.3 Measuring the Varve Width Series 34 2.2.3.2.3 Crossdating Multiple Series 34 v Results (1) Post-glacial sedimentology of Lake DV09, northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada 3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………… . 38 3.2 Methods …………………………………………………………………….. 40 3.2.1 Field Methods and Sediment Description …………………………. 40 3.3 Results ……………………………………………………………………... 42 3.3.1 General Sediment Stratigraphy …………………………………… 43 3.3.2 Sedimentology of Core T …………………………………………… 44 3.3.3 Other Measurements ……………………………………………. 46 3.3.4 Chronostratigraphy ……………………………………………. 46 3.4 Discussion ……………………………………………………………………… 48 3.4.1 Lake Ontology …………………………………………………….. 48 3.4.2 Interpretation of the Sedimentology ………………………….. 49 3.5 Conclusions……………………………………………………………………… 50 Results (2) A 1600-year climate-proxy record inferred from the annually-laminated sediments of Lake DV09, northern Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada 4.1 Abstract ……………………………………………………………………… 57 4.2 Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 58 4.3 Methods ……………………………………………………………………… 60 4.3.1 Field methods and sediment description ……………...…………… 60 4.3.2 Varve Chronology…………………………………………………….. 61 4.4 Results ……………………………………………………………………… 62 4.4.1 Sediment Stratigraphy ….………………………………………… 62 4.4.2 Chronology …………………………………………………….. 64 4.4.3 Magnetic Susceptibility …………………………………………….. 66 4.5 Discussion ……………………………………………………………………… 66 4.5.1 Interpretation of the Varved Sediments of Lake DV09 …………. 66 4.5.2 Climate and Varve Width Variability …………………………… 69 4.5.3 Chronology …………………………………………………….. 70 4.5.4 Interpretation of the DV09 Varve Record …………………………... 71 4.5.5 Comparison with Other Arctic Climate and Proxy Records …………. 73 4.6 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………… 79 4.7 Acknowledgments ……………………………………………………………... 80 Results (3) A preliminary exploration of the red-noise spectra of DV09 varve series in the context of other annual series from northern Canada and Greenland 5.1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………… 90 5.2 Method and Data ……………………………………………………………… 90 5.3 Results ………………………………………………………………………. 91 5.4 Discussion ………………………………………………………………………. 91 5.4.1 Cycles in the DV09 Varve Width Data …………………………… 91 5.4.2 Cycles in Other Arctic Paleoclimatic Datasets …………………... 93 5.5 Conclusions ……………………………………………………………… 93 6 Summary and Conclusions ………………………………………… 97 7 References ………………………………………………………… 98 8 Appendices ………………………………………………………… 109 vi List of Figures Figure 1.1 Regional Map ……………………………………… 16 Figure 1.2 Estimated regional uplift chronology ……………………… 17 Figure 1.3 Photo of Lake DV09 ……………………………………… 18 Figure 1.4 Local topography and surface hydrology ……………… 19 Figure 1.5 Air photo of study site ……………………………… 20 Figure 2.1 Lake DV09 coring sites ……………………………… 36 Figure 3.1 Magnetic susceptibility and general stratigraphy of all cores 53 Figure 3.2 Sedimentological analyses of Core T ……………… 54 Figure 3.3 Relative sediment density of Cores B, P, and S
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Reconstructing Quaternary Environments
    Reconstructing Quaternary Environments Third Edition John Lowe arid Mike Walker 13 Routledge jjj % Taylor & Francis Croup LONDON AND NEW YORK Contents List offigures and tables xv Preface to the third edition xxvn Acknowledgements xxix Cover image details xxx 1 The Quaternary record 1 1 1 Introduction 1 1 2 Interpreting the Quaternary record 2 1 3 The status of the Quaternary in the geological timescale 2 1 4 The duration of the Quaternary 3 1 5 The development of Quaternary studies 5 151 Historical developments 5 152 Recent developments 7 1 6 The framework of the Quaternary 9 17 The causes of climatic change 13 1 8 The scope of this book 16 Notes 17 2 Geomorphological evidence 19 2 1 Introduction 19 2 2 Methods 19 22 1 Field methods 19 22 11 Field mapping 19 2 2 12 Instrumental levelling 20 222 Remote sensing 22 2 2 2 1 Aerial photography 22 2 2 2 2 Satellite imagery 22 2 2 2 3 Radar 23 2 2 2 4 Sonar and seismic sensing 24 2 2 2 5 Digital elevation/terrain modelling 24 2 3 Glacial landforms 26 23 1 Extent of ice cover 27 2 3 2 Geomorphological evidence and the extent of ice sheets and glaciers during the last cold stage 30 2 3 2 1 Northern Europe 30 2 3 2 2 Britain and Ireland 33 vi CONTENTS 2 3 2 3 North America 35 2 3 3 Direction of ice movement 39 2 3 3 1 Striations 40 2 3 3 2 Friction cracks 40 2 3 3 3 Ice moulded (streamlined) bedrock 40 2 3 3 4 Streamlined glacial deposits 42 2 34 Reconstruction offormer tee masses 43 2 3 4 1 Ice sheet modelling 43 2 3 4 2 Ice caps and glaciers 47 23 5 Palaeochmatic inferences using former glacier
    [Show full text]
  • The Timing, Dynamics and Palaeoclimatic Significance of Ice Sheet Deglaciation in Central Patagonia, Southern South America
    The timing, dynamics and palaeoclimatic significance of ice sheet deglaciation in central Patagonia, southern South America Jacob Martin Bendle Department of Geography Royal Holloway, University of London Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Royal Holloway, University of London September, 2017 1 Declaration I, Jacob Martin Bendle, hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it are entirely my own unless otherwise stated. Chapters 3-7 of this thesis form a series of research papers, which are either published, accepted or prepared for publication. I am responsible for all data collection, analysis, and primary authorship of Chapters 3, 5, 6 and 7. For Chapter 4, I contributed datasets, and co-authored the paper, which was led by Thorndycraft. Detailed statements of contribution are given in Chapter 1 of this thesis, for each research paper. I wrote the introductory (Chapters 1 and 2), synthesis (Chapter 8) and concluding (Chapter 9) chapters of the thesis. Signed: ..................................................................................... Date:.............................. (Candidate) Signed: ..................................................................................... Date:.............................. (Supervisor) 2 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I am very grateful to my supervisors Varyl Thorndycraft, Adrian Palmer, and Ian Matthews, whose tireless support, guidance and, most of all, enthusiasm, have made this project great fun. Through their company in the field they have contributed greatly to this thesis, and provided much needed humour along the way. For always giving me the freedom to explore, but wisely guiding me when required, I am very thankful. I am indebted to my brother, Aaron Bendle, who helped me for five weeks as a field assistant in Patagonia, and who tirelessly, and without complaint, dug hundreds of sections – thank you for your hard work and great company.
    [Show full text]
  • 40Ar/39Ar Dating of the Late Cretaceous Jonathan Gaylor
    40Ar/39Ar Dating of the Late Cretaceous Jonathan Gaylor To cite this version: Jonathan Gaylor. 40Ar/39Ar Dating of the Late Cretaceous. Earth Sciences. Université Paris Sud - Paris XI, 2013. English. NNT : 2013PA112124. tel-01017165 HAL Id: tel-01017165 https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01017165 Submitted on 2 Jul 2014 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Université Paris Sud 11 UFR des Sciences d’Orsay École Doctorale 534 MIPEGE, Laboratoire IDES Sciences de la Terre 40Ar/39Ar Dating of the Late Cretaceous Thèse de Doctorat Présentée et soutenue publiquement par Jonathan GAYLOR Le 11 juillet 2013 devant le jury compose de: Directeur de thèse: Xavier Quidelleur, Professeur, Université Paris Sud (France) Rapporteurs: Sarah Sherlock, Senoir Researcher, Open University (Grande-Bretagne) Bruno Galbrun, DR CNRS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (France) Examinateurs: Klaudia Kuiper, Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Pays-Bas) Maurice Pagel, Professeur, Université Paris Sud (France) - 2 - - 3 - Acknowledgements I would like to begin by thanking my supervisor Xavier Quidelleur without whom I would not have finished, with special thanks on the endless encouragement and patience, all the way through my PhD! Thank you all at GTSnext, especially to the directors Klaudia Kuiper, Jan Wijbrans and Frits Hilgen for creating such a great project.
    [Show full text]
  • Dating Glacial Landforms I: Archival, Incremental, Relative Dating Techniques and Age- Equivalent Stratigraphic Markers
    TREATISE ON GEOMORPHOLOGY, 2ND EDITION. Editor: Umesh Haritashya CRYOSPHERIC GEOMORPHOLOGY: Dating Glacial Landforms I: archival, incremental, relative dating techniques and age- equivalent stratigraphic markers Bethan J. Davies1* 1Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX *[email protected] Manuscript Code: 40019 Abstract Combining glacial geomorphology and understanding the glacial process with geochronological tools is a powerful method for understanding past ice-mass response to climate change. These data are critical if we are to comprehend ice mass response to external drivers of change and better predict future change. This chapter covers key concepts relating to the dating of glacial landforms, including absolute and relative dating techniques, direct and indirect dating, precision and accuracy, minimum and maximum ages, and quality assurance protocols. The chapter then covers the dating of glacial landforms using archival methods (documents, paintings, topographic maps, aerial photographs, satellite images), relative stratigraphies (morphostratigraphy, Schmidt hammer dating, amino acid racemization), incremental methods that mark the passage of time (lichenometry, dendroglaciology, varve records), and age-equivalent stratigraphic markers (tephrochronology, palaeomagnetism, biostratigraphy). When used together with radiometric techniques, these methods allow glacier response to climate change to be characterized across the Quaternary, with resolutions from annual to thousands of years, and timespans applicable over the last few years, decades, centuries, millennia and millions of years. All dating strategies must take place within a geomorphological and sedimentological framework that seeks to comprehend glacier processes, depositional pathways and post-depositional processes, and dating techniques must be used with knowledge of their key assumptions, best-practice guidelines and limitations.
    [Show full text]
  • Varves in Lake Sediments E a Review
    Quaternary Science Reviews 117 (2015) 1e41 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quascirev Invited review Varves in lake sediments e a review * Bernd Zolitschka a, , Pierre Francus b, c, Antti E.K. Ojala d, Arndt Schimmelmann e a Geomorphology and Polar Research (GEOPOLAR), Institute of Geography, University of Bremen, Celsiusstraße FVG-M, D-28359 Bremen, Germany b Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Quebec-City, Quebec G1K 9A9, Canada c GEOTOP Research Center, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8, Canada d Geological Survey of Finland, FI-02151 Espoo, Finland e Indiana University, Department of Geological Sciences, 1001 East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-1405, USA article info abstract Article history: Downcore counting of laminations in varved sediments offers a direct and incremental dating technique Received 13 August 2014 for high-resolution climatic and environmental archives with at least annual and sometimes even sea- Received in revised form sonal resolution. The pioneering definition of varves by De Geer (1912) had been restricted to rhyth- 20 March 2015 mically deposited proglacial clays. One century later the meaning of ‘varve’ has been expanded to include Accepted 22 March 2015 all annually deposited laminae in terrestrial and marine settings. Under favourable basin configurations Available online 11 April 2015 and environmental conditions, limnic varves are formed due to seasonality of depositional processes from the lake's water column and/or transport from the catchment area. Subsequent to deposition of Keywords: Varve topmost laminae, the physical preservation of the accumulating varved sequence requires the sustained Varve formation absence of sediment mixing, for example via wave action or macrobenthic bioturbation.
    [Show full text]
  • Age of the Laschamp Excursion Determined by U-Th Dating of a Speleothem Geomagnetic Record from North America
    Age of the Laschamp excursion determined by U-Th dating of a speleothem geomagnetic record from North America Ioan Lascu1,2,3*, Joshua M. Feinberg1,2, Jeffrey A. Dorale4, Hai Cheng2,5, and R. Lawrence Edwards2 1Institute for Rock Magnetism, University of Minnesota, 100 Union Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA 2Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, 310 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA 3Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK 4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Iowa, 115 Trowbridge Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA 5Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China ABSTRACT over traditional paleomagnetic archives (Lascu The Laschamp geomagnetic excursion was the first short-lived polarity event recognized and Feinberg, 2011). They are crystalline, and and described in the paleomagnetic record, and to date remains the most studied geomag- therefore the issues associated with remanence netic event of its kind. In addition to its geophysical significance, the Laschamp is an im- acquisition in soft sediments are avoided. The portant global geochronologic marker. The Laschamp excursion occurred around the time time lag between the deposition of magnetic of the demise of Homo neanderthalensis, in conjunction with high-amplitude, rapid climatic particles on speleothem surfaces and their oscillations leading into the Last Glacial Maximum, and coeval with a major supervolcano encapsulation in the crystalline structure is eruption in the Mediterranean. Thus, precise determination of the timing and duration of short, as demonstrated by actively growing the Laschamp excursion would help in elucidating major scientific questions situated at stalagmites that record the magnetic direction the intersection of geology, paleoclimatology, and anthropology.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Late Pleistocene Climate Variations M
    Exploring Late Pleistocene climate variations M. Sarnthein, J. Kennett, J. Chappell, T. Crowley, W. Curry, J.C. Duplessy, P. Grootes, I. Hendy, C. Laj, J. Negendank, et al. To cite this version: M. Sarnthein, J. Kennett, J. Chappell, T. Crowley, W. Curry, et al.. Exploring Late Pleistocene climate variations. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2000, 81 (51), pp.625. 10.1029/EO081i051p00625-01. hal-03245041 HAL Id: hal-03245041 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03245041 Submitted on 2 Jun 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Copyright Eos, Vol. 81, No. 51, December 19, 2000 EOS, TRANSACTIONS, AMERICAN GEOPHYSICAL UNION VOLUME 81 NUMBER 51 DECEMBER 19, 2000 PAGES 625-640 Earth's system in this manner. For example, Exploring Late Pleistocene there is mounting evidence that changes in the system were associated with abrupt switches in the strength of the North Atlantic Climate Variations thermohaline circulation and "The Great Ocean Conveyor" [van Kreveldet a/., 2000, PAGES 625,629-630 record of this unexpected climatic behavior and references therein]. Recent evidence has been found in many regions (Figure 1), has emerged that perhaps even the source The origin of much of the variability in late including polar ice sheets; marine sediments of oceanic shallow intermediate waters has Quaternary climate remains a major question of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans; likewise oscillated in close concert with these in the understanding of processes of past and and in terrestrial lakes and bogs.
    [Show full text]
  • Dating Glacial Landforms II: Radiometric Techniques
    TREATISE ON GEOMORPHOLOGY, 2ND EDITION. Editor: Umesh Haritashya CRYOSPHERIC GEOMORPHOLOGY: Dating Glacial Landforms II: radiometric techniques Bethan J. Davies1* 1Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX *[email protected] Manuscript Code: 40050 Abstract Numerical ages for glacial landforms are required to position palaeo ice extent at a given point in space and time. Radiometric methods, when appropriately calibrated and measured, allow intra- and inter-regional correlation and the production of large empirical datasets across varied and fragmented Quaternary deposits. This chapter focuses on radiocarbon ages for terrestrial and marine environments, cosmogenic nuclide dating (including exposure ages of bedrock and glacially transported boulders, and burial dating for glacial sediments), optically stimulated luminescence dating of glaciofluvial outwash, and Argon/Argon or Potassium/Argon dating of moraines interbedded with volcanic sequences. For each method, the key principles and concepts are outlined, sampling methodologies are discussed, calibration techniques and protocols are provided, and quality assurance protocols are suggested. All dating stratigraphies should take place within a geomorphological and sedimentological framework, and dating techniques must be used with knowledge of their key assumptions, best-practice guidelines and limitations. Combining glacial geomorphology with carefully constructed numerical age chronologies allows the timing of significant stabilisations of outlet glaciers at moraines to be characterised, whilst vertical transects down mountain ranges provide information on past rates and magnitudes of ice-mass thinning. These typically more expensive methods may be used with great effect in conjunction with archival, relative and incremental dating techniques, and with age-equivalent stratigraphic markers.
    [Show full text]
  • Geochronological Database and Classification System for Age Uncertainties in Neotropical Pollen Records
    1 Geochronological database and classification system for age 2 uncertainties in Neotropical Pollen records 3 Flantua, S.G.A.1, Blaauw, M2, Hooghiemstra, H.1 and Data Contributors3 4 [1]{Research group of Palaeoecology and Landscape Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and 5 Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), University of Amsterdam, Science Park 904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, 6 the Netherlands.} 7 [2]{School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast, UK} 8 [3] {Original depth files were provided by studies from the following data contributors (in 9 alphabetic order): H. Behling, J-C. Berrío, C. Brunschön, A. Cleef, C. González-Arango, Z., 10 González-Carranza, R.A.J. Grabandt, K. Graf, A. Gómez, W. Gosling, B.S.C., Hansen, K.F. 11 Helmens, N. Jantz, P. Kuhry, B.W. Leyden, A. Melief, M.C. Moscol-Olivera, H. Niemann, F. 12 Rodriguez, V. Rull, M.L. Salgado-Labouriau, J.B. Salomons, E.J. Schreve-Brinkman, D. Urrego, 13 L.E. Urrego, T. Van der Hammen, C. Velásquez-Ruiz, M.I. Vélez, A. Villota, M. Wille, J.J. 14 Williams.} 15 Correspondence to: S.G.A. Flantua ([email protected]) 16 17 Abstract 18 The newly updated inventory of palaeoecological research in Latin America offers an important 19 overview of sites available for multi-proxy and multi-site purposes. From the collected literature 20 supporting this inventory, we collected all available age model metadata to create a chronological 21 database of 5116 control points (e.g. 14C, tephra, fission track, OSL, 210Pb) from 1097 pollen 22 records. Based on this literature review, we present a summary of chronological dating and 23 reporting in the Neotropics.
    [Show full text]
  • Earth's Climate History
    LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP Earth’s Climate History: How do we know what we know? What DO we know? Why does past climate matter to us today? Presented by: Carole Mandryk and Dr. Russanne Low September 20, 2011 Earth’s Climate History: How do we know what we know? Presented by: Dr. Russanne Low and Dr. Carole Mandryk Tuesday, September 20, 2011 6:30 p.m. ‐ 8:00 p.m. Eastern time Overview • How do we know what we know? • What DO we know? • Why does past climate matter to us today? Presenters: Russanne Low, Asst. Professor, School of Carole Mandryk, Research Fellow, Center Natural Resources, University of Nebraska, for Climate Change Communication, Lincoln; Senior Scientist, Institute for Global George Mason University Environmental Strategies Arlington, VA [email protected] [email protected] Who are your students? A. Elementary B. Middle/High School C. College Level D. Informal E. Other Why does past climate matter today? In order to truly understand what is happening, or will happen now, we must be able to answer the question: “Is the Current Climate Change Unusual Compared to Earlier Changes in Earth’s History?” (2007 IPCC FAQ 6.2) How many of you have heard someone who questions whether the current climate changes are caused primarily by human activities and claim, “Climate changes all the time”? Why does past climate matter today? They are right. Earth’s climate does change all the time – on many different time scales. But because they don’t understand HOW – and equally important – WHY – Earth’s climate has changed in the past they miss the crucial point… Why does past climate matter today? Climate scientists know the changes of the last 150 years are NOT just nature changing all the time because they know what those past climate changes have been.
    [Show full text]
  • Jgsindia. Subdivision Version
    Final version. MW/19.10.18 Formal subdivision of the Holocene Series/Epoch: a summary Mike Walker1*, Phil Gibbard2, Martin J. Head3, Max Berkelhammer4, Svante Björck5, Hai Cheng6, Les C. Cwynar7, David Fisher8, VasiliOs Gkinis9, Antony Long10, John LOwe11, Rewi Newnham12, SUne Olander RasmUssen13, Harvey Weiss14 1. School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, Trinity Saint David, University of Wales, Lampeter, Wales SA48 7EJ, UK, and Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales SY23 3DB UK; [email protected] 2. Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB1 3ER, England: [email protected] 3. Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario LS2 3A1, Canada: [email protected] 4. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois 60607, USA: [email protected] 5. Department of Geology, Quaternary Sciences, Lund University, Sölveg 12, SE-22362, Lund, Sweden: [email protected] 6. Institute of Global Change, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xian, Shaanxi 710049, China, and Department of Earth Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA: [email protected] 7. Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 5A3, Canada: [email protected] 8. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 615, Canada: [email protected] 9. Centre for Ice and Climate, The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark: [email protected] 10.Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK: [email protected] 11.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Climate Dynamics in the Late Quaternary L
    The History of Climate Dynamics in the Late Quaternary L. Labeyrie Laboratoire Mixte CEA-CNRS, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Domaine du CNRS, Batiment 12, av. de la Terrasse, FR-91198 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France J. Cole Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Gould-Simpson, room 208, Tuscon, AZ 85721-0077, United States of America K. Alverson PAGES International Project Office, Bärenplatz 2, CH 3011, Bern, Switzerland T. Stocker Climate and Environmental Physics, University of Bern Sidlerstrasse 5, 3012 Bern, Switzerland Contributors: J. Allen, E. Balbon, T. Blunier, E. Cook, E. Cortijo, R. D'Arrigo, Z. Gedalov, K. Lambeck, D. Paillard, J.L. Turon, C. Waelbroeck, U. Yokohama 3.1 Introduction Climate variability, defined as changes in integral driver of glacial/interglacial cycles by the properties of the atmosphere, is only one small SPECMAP group (Imbrie et al. 1992, Imbrie et al. realization of the workings of the much larger earth 1993). Until recently there has been relatively little system. Parts of the other components (ice, ocean, knowledge of past climatic variability on decadal to continents) have much slower response times millennial time scales, a major problem considering (decadal to millennia). True understanding of cli- that these are time scales on which climate is mate dynamics and prediction of future changes greatly affected by energy and material exchanges will come only with an understanding of the work- between the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and ings of the earth system as a whole, and over both biosphere. the past and present time scales. Such understand- The field has evolved rapidly in recent years.
    [Show full text]