High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky Mountains
Paleoclimate records from ice cores generally are considered to be the most direct indicators of environmental change, but are rare from mid-latitude, continental regions such as the western United States. High-elevation ice patches are known to be important archaeological archives in alpine regions...
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doaj-758ecfacf5df433a9d90fb0af57eccf52021-04-26T05:58:22ZengElsevierQuaternary Science Advances2666-03342021-04-013100021High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky MountainsNathan J. Chellman0Gregory T. Pederson1Craig M. Lee2David B. McWethy3Kathryn Puseman4Jeffery R. Stone5Sabrina R. Brown6Joseph R. McConnell7Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 89512, USA; Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, 89557, USA; Corresponding author. Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV, 89512, USA.U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, 59715, USAInstitute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, 80309, USADepartment of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, 59717, USAPaleoscapes Archaeobotanical Services Team, 80421, USADepartment of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, 47809, USADepartment of Science & Mathematics, Defiance College, Defiance, OH, 43512, USADivision of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 89512, USAPaleoclimate records from ice cores generally are considered to be the most direct indicators of environmental change, but are rare from mid-latitude, continental regions such as the western United States. High-elevation ice patches are known to be important archaeological archives in alpine regions and potentially could provide records important for Earth System Model evaluation and to understand linkages between climate and early human activities, but this potential largely is unexplored. Here we use a well-dated ice-core record from a shallow ice patch to investigate Rocky Mountain winter-season climate during the Holocene. Our records indicate that this ice patch consistently accumulated ice over the past 10 kyr, preserving a regionally representative climate record of stable water isotopes and ice accretion rates that documented generally cooler and wetter conditions during the early Holocene and 500 years of anomalous winter season warmth centered at 4100 cal yr BP followed by a rapid cooling and 1500 years of cooler and wetter winters.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666033420300216PaleoclimateWater isotopesIce coreRocky mountains |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Nathan J. Chellman Gregory T. Pederson Craig M. Lee David B. McWethy Kathryn Puseman Jeffery R. Stone Sabrina R. Brown Joseph R. McConnell |
spellingShingle |
Nathan J. Chellman Gregory T. Pederson Craig M. Lee David B. McWethy Kathryn Puseman Jeffery R. Stone Sabrina R. Brown Joseph R. McConnell High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky Mountains Quaternary Science Advances Paleoclimate Water isotopes Ice core Rocky mountains |
author_facet |
Nathan J. Chellman Gregory T. Pederson Craig M. Lee David B. McWethy Kathryn Puseman Jeffery R. Stone Sabrina R. Brown Joseph R. McConnell |
author_sort |
Nathan J. Chellman |
title |
High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky Mountains |
title_short |
High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky Mountains |
title_full |
High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky Mountains |
title_fullStr |
High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky Mountains |
title_full_unstemmed |
High elevation ice patch documents Holocene climate variability in the northern Rocky Mountains |
title_sort |
high elevation ice patch documents holocene climate variability in the northern rocky mountains |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Quaternary Science Advances |
issn |
2666-0334 |
publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
description |
Paleoclimate records from ice cores generally are considered to be the most direct indicators of environmental change, but are rare from mid-latitude, continental regions such as the western United States. High-elevation ice patches are known to be important archaeological archives in alpine regions and potentially could provide records important for Earth System Model evaluation and to understand linkages between climate and early human activities, but this potential largely is unexplored. Here we use a well-dated ice-core record from a shallow ice patch to investigate Rocky Mountain winter-season climate during the Holocene. Our records indicate that this ice patch consistently accumulated ice over the past 10 kyr, preserving a regionally representative climate record of stable water isotopes and ice accretion rates that documented generally cooler and wetter conditions during the early Holocene and 500 years of anomalous winter season warmth centered at 4100 cal yr BP followed by a rapid cooling and 1500 years of cooler and wetter winters. |
topic |
Paleoclimate Water isotopes Ice core Rocky mountains |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666033420300216 |
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