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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

USGS2021

Diatom record of holocene moisture variability in the San Bernardino Mountains, California, USA.

Lower Bear Lake, in the San Bernardino Mountains, contains a Holocene paleohydrology record for southern California. The diatom and sediment geochemistry record indicates that the region experienced a wet Early Holocene followed by a gradual decrease in precipitation, which was punctuated by four strong and five weak pluvial episodes. The Lower Bear Lake record is compared with that of Silver Lake, a Mojave River terminal lake with headwaters in the San Bernardino Mountains, which exhibited several pluvial events at roughly the same time. The comparison is extended to records in relative proximity to Bear Lake (Dry Lake, Lake Elsinore, and San Joaquin marsh) and to two lakes with headwaters in the Sierra Nevada (Tulare Lake and Owens Lake). All exhibit a wet Early and early Middle Holocene wet interval and gradual drying through the remainder of the Holocene but differ in the expression of the pluvial episodes observed at Lower Bear Lake. The pluvial episodes are likely the result of changes in the storm track that affects the frequency and magnitude of winter storms in the area. These episodes are controlled by complex oceanic and atmospheric interactions and may be the result of the synchronous interaction of several teleconnections.

California↗

USGS2021

Middle Holocene hydrologic changes catalyzed by river avulsion in Big Soda Lake, Nevada, USA

Big Soda Lake is a 63 m deep, 1.6 km 2 maar lake in the Great Basin of Nevada, USA. Water level in the lake is controlled by groundwater inputs from the surrounding aquifer and the only surface water input is rainfall, which is negligible. A core taken in 2010 records an 8.75 m depositional history of the lake. A radiocarbon date on fossil pollen from 8.4 m below the sediment water interface (BSWI) of 14,740 (+1120/−825) cal yr BP suggests that the core may cover the latest Pleistocene and Holocene depositional history of the lake. Stable isotope values of oxygen and carbon (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) on authigenic calcite, diatom assemblages, and sedimentary structures all show consistent hydrological change from initially saline water at the bottom of the core to fresh/brackish water at about 6 m BWSI, back to saline water at 4.3 m. At 4.3 m depth, the bedding and color of the core change abruptly, and the stable- isotope and diatom assemblages indicate a consistently hypersaline lake until near the top of the core, when fresh water entered the lake due to irrigation and canal building in the twentieth century. The stable isotopes of the calcite abruptly change from inversely varying isotopic compositions below 4.3 m depth to covarying above. This break between relatively fresh and saline conditions in the lake occurs during the middle Holocene, although the exact timing of the transition is unknown due to variability in the 14 C age determinations. The cause for such an abrupt change is difficult to explain through climate shifts, as evidence suggests climate in the Great Basin was different from what the Big Soda Lake record indicates in the Early Holocene. It is hypothesized that the Walker River flowed to the Carson River basin before 5600 cal yr BP, with water either flowing directly into the lake or raising the groundwater table sufficiently to freshen Big Soda Lake. The initial increase in salinity likely was caused by decreased flow of the Walker River due to Middle Holocene aridity. The lake level lowered slowly, and more saline conditions prevailed until 4.3 m depth when water from the Walker River stopped flowing into the Carson River basin. Above 4.3 m depth, diatom and isotopic evidence indicates that the lake became consistently saline. The isotopic and diatom assemblage transitions observed in Big Soda Lake sediment are not consistent with climate reconstructions and demonstrate that hydrologic shifts in a basin can be an important driver of change regardless of climatic conditions. However, climate shifts may also play a role in the hydrologic changes by supplying more or less water to river courses that may induce river avulsion.

Nevada↗

USGS2000

Late Holocene hydrous mafic magmatism at the Paint Pot Crater and Callahan flows, Medicine Lake Volcano, N. California and the influence of H2O in the generation of silicic magmas

This paper characterizes late Holocene basalts and basaltic andesites at Medicine Lake volcano that contain high pre-eruptive H 2 O contents inherited from a subduction related hydrous component in the mantle. The basaltic andesite of Paint Pot Crater and the compositionally zoned basaltic to andesitic lavas of the Callahan flow erupted approximately 1000 14 C years Before Present ( 14 C years B . P .). Petrologic, geochemical and isotopic evidence indicates that this late Holocene mafic magmatism was characterized by H 2 O contents of 3 to 6 wt% H 2 O and elevated abundances of large ion lithophile elements (LILE). These hydrous mafic inputs contrast with the preceding episodes of mafic magmatism (from 10,600 to ∼3000 14 C years B . P .) that was characterized by the eruption of primitive high alumina olivine tholeiite (HAOT) with low H 2 O (<0.2 wt%), lower LILE abundance and different isotopic characteristics. Thus, the mantle-derived inputs into the Medicine Lake system have not always been low H 2 O, primitive HAOT, but have alternated between HAOT and hydrous subduction related, calc-alkaline basalt. This influx of hydrous mafic magma coincides temporally and spatially with rhyolite eruption at Glass Mountain and Little Glass Mountain. The rhyolites contain quenched magmatic inclusions similar in character to the mafic lavas at Callahan and Paint Pot Crater. The influence of H 2 O on fractional crystallization of hydrous mafic magma and melting of pre-existing granite crust beneath the volcano combined to produce the rhyolite. Fractionation under hydrous conditions at upper crustal pressures leads to the early crystallization of Fe-Mg silicates and the suppression of plagioclase as an early crystallizing phase. In addition, H 2 O lowers the saturation temperature of Fe and Mg silicates, and brings the temperature of oxide crystallization closer to the liquidus. These combined effects generate SiO 2 -enrichment that leads to rhyodacitic differentiated lavas. In contrast, low H 2 O HAOT magmas at Medicine Lake differentiate to iron-rich basaltic liquids. When these Fe-enriched basalts mix with melted granitic crust, the result is an andesitic magma. Since mid-Holocene time, mafic volcanism has been dominated primarily by hydrous basaltic andesite and andesite at Medicine Lake Volcano. However, during the late Holocene, H 2 O-poor mafic magmas continued to be erupted along with hydrous mafic magmas, although in significantly smaller volumes.

California↗

USGS2008

Patch-reef morphology as a proxy for Holocene sea-level variability, Northern Florida Keys, USA

A portion of the northern Florida Keys reef tract was mapped with the NASA Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) and the morphology of patch reefs was related to variations in Holocene sea level. Following creation of a lidar digital elevation model (DEM), geospatial analyses delineated morphologic attributes of 1,034 patch reefs (reef depth, basal area, height, volume, and topographic complexity). Morphometric analysis revealed two morphologically different populations of patch reefs associated with two distinct depth intervals above and below a water depth of 7.7 m. Compared to shallow reefs, the deep reefs were smaller in area and volume and showed no trend in topographic complexity relative to water depth. Shallow reefs were more variable in area and volume and became flatter and less topographically complex with decreasing water depth. The knoll-like morphology of deep reefs was interpreted as consistent with steady and relatively rapidly rising early Holocene sea level that restricted the lateral growth of reefs. The morphology of shallow 'pancake-shaped' reefs at the highest platform elevations was interpreted as consistent with fluctuating sea level during the late Holocene. Although the ultimate cause for the morphometric depth trends remains open to interpretation, these interpretations are compatible with a recent eustatic sea-level curve that hindcasts fluctuating late Holocene sea level. Thus it is suggested that the morphologic differences represent two stages of reef accretion that occurred during different sea-level conditions. ?? 2008 Springer-Verlag.

Coral Reefs↗

USGS2004

A Holocene history of dune-mediated landscape change along the southeastern shore of Lake Superior

Causal links that connect Holocene high stands of Lake Superior with dune building, stream damming and diversion and reservoir impoundment and infilling are inferred from a multidisciplinary investigation of a small watershed along the SE shore of Lake Superior. Radiocarbon ages of wood fragments from in-place stumps and soil O horizons, recovered from the bottom of 300-ha Grand Sable Lake, suggest that the near-shore inland lake was formed during multiple episodes of late Holocene dune damming of ancestral Sable Creek. Forest drownings at ~3000, 1530, and 300 cal. years BP are highly correlated with local soil burial events that occurred during high stands of Lake Superior. During these and earlier events, Sable Creek was diverted onto eastward-graded late Pleistocene meltwater terraces. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) reveals the early Holocene valley of Sable Creek (now filled) and its constituent sedimentary structures. Near-planar paleosols, identified with GPR, suggest two repeating modes of landscape evolution mediated by levels of Lake Superior. High lake stands drove stream damming, reservoir impoundment, and eolian infilling of impoundments. Falling Lake Superior levels brought decreased sand supply to dune dams and lowered stream base level. These latter factors promoted stream piracy, breaching of dune dams, and aerial exposure and forestation of infilled lakebeds. The bathymetry of Grand Sable Lake suggests that its shoreline configuration and depth varied in response to events of dune damming and subsequent dam breaching. The interrelated late Holocene events apparent in this study area suggest that variations in lake level have imposed complex hydrologic and geomorphic signatures on upper Great Lakes coasts.

Geomorphology↗

USGS2010

Holocene coastal dune fields used as indicators of net littoral transport: West Coast, USA

Between Point Grenville, Washington, and Point Conception, California (1500 km distance) 21 dune fields record longshore transport in 20 littoral cells during the late Holocene. The direction of predominant littoral transport is established by relative positions of dune fields (north, central, or south) in 17 representative littoral cells. Dune field position is north of cell midpoints in northernmost Oregon and Washington, but is south of cell midpoints in southern Oregon and California. Downdrift sand trapping occurs at significant changes in shoreline angle and/or at bounding headlands that project at least 2.5 km seaward from the general coastal trend. Sand bypassing occurs around small headlands of less than 0.5 km in projection distance. A northward shift of the winter low-pressure center in the northeast Pacific Ocean is modeled from 11 ka to 0 ka. Nearshore current forcing in southern Oregon and northern California switched from northward in earliest Holocene time to southward in late Holocene time. The late Holocene (5-0 ka) is generally characterized by net northward littoral drift in northernmost Oregon and Washington and by net southward littoral drift in southernmost Oregon and California. A regional divergence of net transport direction in central Oregon, i.e. no net drift, is consistent with modeled wind and wave forcing at the present time (0 ka). ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

Geomorphology↗

USGS2012

Rocky Mountain hydroclimate: Holocene variability and the role of insolation, ENSO, and the North American Monsoon

Over the period of instrumental records, precipitation maximum in the headwaters of the Colorado Rocky Mountains has been dominated by winter snow, with a substantial degree of interannual variability linked to Pacific ocean–atmosphere dynamics. High-elevation snowpack is an important water storage that is carefully observed in order to meet increasing water demands in the greater semi-arid region. The purpose here is to consider Rocky Mountain water trends during the Holocene when known changes in earth's energy balance were caused by precession-driven insolation variability. Changes in solar insolation are thought to have influenced the variability and intensity of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and North American Monsoon and the seasonal precipitation balance between rain and snow at upper elevations. Holocene records are presented from two high elevation lakes located in northwest Colorado that document decade-to-century scale precipitation seasonality for the past ~ 7000 years. Comparisons with sub-tropical records of ENSO indicate that the snowfall-dominated precipitation maxima developed ~ 3000 and 4000 years ago, coincident with evidence for enhanced ENSO/PDO dynamics. During the early-to-mid Holocene the records suggest a more monsoon affected precipitation regime with reduced snowpack, more rainfall, and net moisture deficits that were more severe than recent droughts. The Holocene perspective of precipitation indicates a far broader range of variability than that of the past century and highlights the non-linear character of hydroclimate in the U.S. west.

Colorado↗

USGS2016

Lake oxygen isotopes as recorders of North American Rocky Mountain hydroclimate: Holocene patterns and variability at multi-decadal to millennial time scales

Lake sediment oxygen isotope records (calcium carbonate-δ 18 O) in the western North American Cordillera developed during the past decade provide substantial evidence of Pacific ocean–atmosphere forcing of hydroclimatic variability during the Holocene. Here we present an overview of 18 lake sediment δ 18 O records along with a new compilation of lake water δ 18 O and δ 2 H that are used to characterize lake sediment sensitivity to precipitation-δ 18 O in contrast to fractionation by evaporation. Of the 18 records, 14 have substantial sensitivity to evaporation. Two records reflect precipitation-δ 18 O since the middle Holocene, Jellybean and Bison Lakes, and are geographically positioned in the northern and southern regions of the study area. Their comparative analysis indicates a sequence of time-varying north–south precipitation-δ 18 O patterns that is evidence for a highly non-stationary influence by Pacific ocean–atmosphere processes on the hydroclimate of western North America. These observations are discussed within the context of previous research on North Pacific precipitation-δ 18 O based on empirical and modeling methods. The Jellybean and Bison Lake records indicate that a prominent precipitation-δ 18 O dipole (enriched-north and depleted-south) was sustained between ~ 3.5 and 1.5 ka, which contrasts with earlier Holocene patterns, and appears to indicate the onset of a dominant tropical control on North Pacific ocean–atmosphere dynamics. This remains the state of the system today. Higher frequency reversals of the north–south precipitation-δ 18 O dipole between ~ 2.5 and 1.5 ka, and during the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age, also suggest more varieties of Pacific ocean–atmosphere modes than a single Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) type analogue. Results indicate that further investigation of precipitation-δ 18 O patterns on short (observational) and long (Holocene) time scales is needed to improve our understanding of the processes that drive regional precipitation-δ 18 O responses to Pacific ocean–atmosphere variability, which in turn, will lead to a better understanding of internal Pacific ocean–atmosphere variability and its response to external climate forcing mechanisms.

North American Rocky Mountain↗

USGS2008

Loess record of the Pleistocene-Holocene transition on the northern and central Great Plains, USA

Various lines of evidence support conflicting interpretations of the timing, abruptness, and nature of climate change in the Great Plains during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Loess deposits and paleosols on both the central and northern Great Plains provide a valuable record that can help address these issues. A synthesis of new and previously reported optical and radiocarbon ages indicates that the Brady Soil, which marks the boundary between late Pleistocene Peoria Loess and Holocene Bignell Loess, began forming after a reduction in the rate of Peoria Loess accumulation that most likely occurred between 13.5 and 15 cal ka. Brady Soil formation spanned all or part of the B??lling-Aller??d episode (approximately 14.7-12.9 cal ka) and all of the Younger Dryas episode (12.9-11.5 cal ka) and extended at least 1000 years beyond the end of the Younger Dryas. The Brady Soil was buried by Bignell Loess sedimentation beginning around 10.5-9 cal ka, and continuing episodically through the Holocene. Evidence for a brief increase in loess influx during the Younger Dryas is noteworthy but very limited. Most late Quaternary loess accumulation in the central Great Plains was nonglacigenic and was under relatively direct climatic control. Thus, Brady Soil formation records climatic conditions that minimized eolian activity and allowed effective pedogenesis, probably through relatively high effective moisture. Optical dating of loess in North Dakota supports correlation of the Leonard Paleosol on the northern Great Plains with the Brady Soil. Thick loess in North Dakota was primarily derived from the Missouri River floodplain; thus, its stratigraphy may in part reflect glacial influence on the Missouri River. Nonetheless, the persistence of minimal loess accumulation and soil formation until 10 cal ka at our North Dakota study site is best explained by a prolonged interval of high effective moisture correlative with the conditions that favored Brady Soil formation. Burial of both the Brady Soil and the Leonard Paleosol by renewed loess influx probably represents eolian system response that occurred when gradual change toward a drier climate eventually crossed the threshold for eolian activity. Overall, the loess-paleosol sequences of the central and northern Great Plains record a broad peak of high effective moisture across the late Pleistocene to Holocene boundary, rather than well-defined climatic episodes corresponding to the B??lling-Aller??d and Younger Dryas episodes in the North Atlantic region. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quaternary Science Reviews↗

USGS2020

Holocene paleoclimate change in the western US: The importance of chronology in discerning patterns and drivers

Sediment in lakes and meadows forms a powerful archive that can be used to reconstruct environmental change through time. Reconstructions of lake level, of chemical, biological, and hydrological conditions, and of surrounding vegetation provide detailed information about past climate conditions, both locally and regionally. Indeed, most of our current knowledge of centennial- to millennial-scale climate variability in the arid western United States, where information about past hydroclimate is particularly important, comes from such sediment-based reconstructions. The pressing need for robust, precise predictions of future conditions is a significant motivation for paleoclimate science, and current research questions frequently require Holocene reconstructions to be resolved at sub-centennial timescales. Increasingly, regional syntheses seek to identify synoptic-scale patterns similar to those defined from modern observations (seasonal, interannual, multi-decadal, etc.) or to compare with the output of climate model simulations. However, the age control on existing records, especially those more than about 20 years old, is often sufficient only for millennial-scale interpretation. Here we assess the age control for 84 published and unpublished records from lakes and meadows in the Great Basin, California, and desert southwest, and use Bayesian modeling to evaluate the 95% uncertainty ranges for the 42 best-dated records. In the Late Holocene, about half of the 42 records have <400-year mean uncertainty ranges; however, high-precision age control is especially critical for young records, used to develop an accurate understanding of a proxy’s response to known climate variations. In the Middle Holocene, records vary from 400 to >800-year mean uncertainty and records of the Early Holocene have 600- to >1400-year mean uncertainty ranges. We find that the largest control on modeled uncertainties is dating density, with at least 2 dates/kyr being optimal and suggest obtaining “range-finder” dates at the onset of a study to better predict the total number of dates needed for an adequate age model. Such a density avoids a commonly observed phenomenon of significant peaks in uncertainty arising in gaps between age control points. Analysis of the uncertainties associated with proxy shifts reveal that more than half are >400 years. Although such large uncertainties currently prevent sub-centennial interpretations in most cases, increased dating density, strategic use of limited funds (including budgeting for a 2 date/kyr minimum at the proposal stage), construction of age-depth models with Bayesian methods, and critical evaluation of chronological uncertainty will shed light on past climate variability at finer timescales, enhancing our understanding of global and regional drivers of western U.S. climate.

California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah↗

USGS2021

Multi-proxy record of Holocene paleoenvironmental conditions from Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, USA

A composite 11.82 m-long (9876–-67 cal yr BP) sediment record from Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming was analyzed using a robust set of biological and geochemical proxies to investigate the paleoenvironmental evolution of the lake and its catchment in response to long-term climate forcing. Oxygen isotopes from diatom frustules were analyzed to reconstruct Holocene climate changes, and pollen, charcoal, diatom assemblages, and biogenic silica provided information on terrestrial and limnological responses. The long-term trends recorded in the terrestrial and limnic ecosystems over the last 9800 years reflect the influence of changes in the amplification of the seasonal cycle of insolation on regional climate. The early Holocene (9880–6700 cal yr BP) summer insolation maximum and strengthening of the northeastern Pacific subtropical high-pressure system created warm dry conditions and decreasing summer insolation in the middle (6700–3000 cal yr BP) and late (3000–-67 cal yr BP) Holocene resulted in progressively cooler, wetter conditions. Submillenial climate variation is also apparent, with a wetter/cooler interval between 7000 and 6800 cal yr BP and warmer and/or drier conditions from 4500 to 3000 cal yr BP and at ca. 1100 cal yr BP. These data show that the Yellowstone Lake basin had a climate history typical of a summer-dry region, which helps to better define the spatial variability of Holocene climate in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Wyoming↗

USGS2023

Polar bear's range dynamics and survival in the Holocene

Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the apex predator of the Arctic, largely dependent on sea-ice. The expected disappearance of the ice cover of the Arctic seas by the mid 21st century is predicted to cause a dramatic decrease in the global range and population size of the species. To place this scenario against the backdrop of past distribution changes and their causes, we use a fossil dataset to investigate the polar bear's past distribution dynamics during the Late Glacial and the Holocene. Fossil results indicate that during the last deglaciation, polar bears were present at the southwestern margin of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet, surviving until the earliest Holocene. There are no Arctic polar bear findings from 8000–6000 years ago (8–6 ka), the Holocene's warmest period. However, fossils that date from 8-9 ka and 5–6 ka suggest that the species likely survived this period in cold refugia located near the East Siberian Sea, northern Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago. Polar bear range expansion is documented by an increase in fossils during the last 4000 years in tandem with cooling climate and expanding Arctic sea ice. The results document changes in polar bear's distribution in response to Late Glacial and Holocene Arctic temperature and sea ice trends.

Quaternary Science Reviews↗

USGS2017

Development of the mixed conifer forest in northern New Mexico and its relationship to Holocene environmental change

Chihuahueños Bog (2925 m) in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico contains one of the few records of late-glacial and postglacial development of the mixed conifer forest in southwestern North America. The Chihuahueños Bog record extends to over 15,000 cal yr BP. An Artemisia steppe, then an open Picea woodland grew around a small pond until ca. 11,700 cal yr BP when Pinus ponderosa became established. C/N ratios, δ 13 C and δ 15 N values indicate both terrestrial and aquatic organic matter was incorporated into the sediment. Higher percentages of aquatic algae and elevated C/N ratios indicate higher lake levels at the opening of the Holocene, but a wetland developed subsequently as climate warmed. From ca. 8500 to 6400 cal yr BP the pond desiccated in what must have been the driest period of the Holocene there. C/N ratios declined to their lowest Holocene levels, indicating intense decomposition in the sediment. Wetter conditions returned after 6400 cal yr BP, with conversion of the site to a sedge bog as groundwater levels rose. Higher charcoal influx rates after 6400 cal yr BP probably result from greater biomass production rates. Only minor shifts in the overstory species occurred during the Holocene, suggesting that mixed conifer forest dominated throughout the record.

Quaternary Research↗

USGS2012

Holocene alluvial stratigraphy and response to climate change in the Roaring River valley, Front Range, Colorado, USA

Stratigraphic analyses and radiocarbon geochronology of alluvial deposits exposed along the Roaring River, Colorado, lead to three principal conclusions: (1) the opinion that stream channels in the higher parts of the Front Range are relics of the Pleistocene and nonalluvial under the present climate, as argued in a water-rights trial USA v. Colorado, is untenable, (2) beds of clast-supported gravel alternate in vertical succession with beds of fine-grained sediment (sand, mud, and peat) in response to centennial-scale changes in snowmelt-driven peak discharges, and (3) alluvial strata provide information about Holocene climate history that complements the history provided by cirque moraines, periglacial deposits, and paleontological data. Most alluvial strata are of late Holocene age and record, among other things, that: (1) the largest peak flows since the end of the Pleistocene occurred during the late Holocene; (2) the occurrence of a mid- to late Holocene interval (~2450–1630(?) cal yr BP) of warmer climate, which is not clearly identified in palynological records; and (3) the Little Ice Age climate seems to have had little impact on stream channels, except perhaps for minor (~1 m) incision. Published

Colorado↗

USGS2017

Holocene fire occurrence and alluvial responses at the leading edge of pinyon–juniper migration in the Northern Great Basin, USA

Fire and vegetation records at the City of Rocks National Reserve (CIRO), south-central Idaho, display the interaction of changing climate, fire and vegetation along the migrating front of single-leaf pinyon ( Pinus monophylla ) and Utah juniper ( Juniperus osteosperma ). Radiocarbon dating of alluvial charcoal reconstructed local fire occurrence and geomorphic response, and fossil woodrat ( Neotoma ) middens revealed pinyon and juniper arrivals. Fire peaks occurred ~ 10,700–9500, 7200–6700, 2400–2000, 850–700, and 550–400 cal yr BP, whereas ~ 9500–7200, 6700–4700 and ~ 1500–1000 cal yr BP are fire-free. Wetter climates and denser vegetation fueled episodic fires and debris flows during the early and late Holocene, whereas drier climates and reduced vegetation caused frequent sheetflooding during the mid-Holocene. Increased fires during the wetter and more variable late Holocene suggest variable climate and adequate fuels augment fires at CIRO. Utah juniper and single-leaf pinyon colonized CIRO by 3800 and 2800 cal yr BP, respectively, though pinyon did not expand broadly until ~ 700 cal yr BP. Increased fire-related deposition coincided with regional droughts and pinyon infilling ~ 850–700 and 550–400 cal yr BP. Early and late Holocene vegetation change probably played a major role in accelerated fire activity, which may be sustained into the future due to pinyon–juniper densification and cheatgrass invasion.

Idaho↗

USGS2003

Middle to late Holocene coastal evolution along the south coast of Upolu Island, Samoa

Stratigraphic surveys and sedimentological analyses of coastal sediments and reef cores along the south coast of Upolu Island, Samoa, reveal that during the middle Holocene this coast was characterised by barrier spits, open lagoons, and estuaries. These estuarine systems matured during the late Holocene, with progressive sedimentation and inlet closure, leading to the dominance of mangrove swamps in the past 1000 years. Contemporaneous with the transition of open estuaries to mangrove swamps was the aggradation and progradation of coastal plains. The coastal progradation since 700-1000 years BP is best explained by increased sediment availability and reduced incident wave energy at the shore resulting from the shallowing and subsequent cessation of reef crest accretion following the mid-Holocene sea-level highstand ca. ???4500 yr BP. A small relative sea-level (RSL) lowering since 700-1000 years may have contributed to the positive sediment budget. This study highlights the need for island-wide coastal surveys to assess the relative roles of RSL, sediment budgets, and hydrodynamics on coastal evolution and stability. Differences in coastal evolution around Upolu Island may also be influenced by differential tectonic movements associated with late Holocene volcanism, coseismicity, and/ or submarine landslides. ?? 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marine Geology↗

USGS2006

Holocene history of drift ice in the northern North Atlantic: Evidence for different spatial and temporal modes

We present new high-resolution proxy data for the Holocene history of drift ice off Iceland based on the mineralogy of the <2-mm sediment fraction using quantitative X-ray diffraction. These new data, bolstered by a comparison with published proxy records, point to a long-term increasing trend in drift ice input into the North Atlantic from 6 to 5 ka toward the present day at sites influenced by the cold east Greenland Current. This feature reflects the late Holocene Neoglacial or cooling period recorded in ice cores and further terrestrial archives on Greenland. In contrast, a decrease in drift ice during the same period is recorded at sites underlying the North Atlantic Drift, which may reflect a warming of this region. The results document that Holocene changes in iceberg rafting and sea ice advection did not occur uniformly across the North Atlantic. Centennial-scale climate variability in the North Atlantic region over the last ???4 kyr is linked to the observed changes in drift ice input. Increased drift ice may have played a role in the increase of cold intervals during the late Holocene, e.g., the Little Ice Age cooling. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

Paleoceanography↗

USGS2019

Holocene sedimentary architecture and paleoclimate variability at Mono Lake, California

Mono Lake occupies an internally drained basin on the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada, and it is sensitive to climatic changes affecting precipitation in the mountains (largely delivered in the form of snowpack). Efforts to recover cores from the lake have been impeded by coarse tephra erupted from the Mono Craters, and by disruption of the lake floor due to the uplift of Paoha Island ~300 yr ago. In this study, we describe the stratigraphy of cores from three recent campaigns, in 2007, 2009, and 2010, and the extents and depths of the tephras and disturbed sediments. In the most successful of these cores, BINGO-MONO10-4A-1N (BINGO/10-4A, 2.8 m water depth), we used core stratigraphy, geochemistry, radiocarbon dates, and tephrostratigraphy to show that the core records nearly all of the Holocene in varying proportions of detrital, volcanic, and authigenic sediment. Both the South Mono tephra of ca. 1350 cal yr B.P. (calibrated years before A.D. 1950) and the 600-yr-old North Mono–Inyo tephra are present in the BINGO/10-4A core, as are several older, as-yet-unidentified tephras. Laminated muds are inferred to indicate a relatively deep lake (³10 m over the core site) during the Early Holocene, similar to many records across the region during that period. The Middle and Late Holocene units are more coarsely bedded, and coarser grain size and greater and more variable amounts of authigenic carbonate detritus in this interval are taken to suggest lower lake levels, possibly due to lower effective wetness. A very low lake level, likely related to extreme drought, is inferred to have occurred sometime between 3500 and 2100 cal yr B.P. This interval likely corresponds to the previously documented Marina Low Stand and the regional Late Holocene Dry Period. The BINGO/10-4A core does not preserve a complete record of the period encompassing the Medieval Climate Anomaly, the Little Ice Age, and the historical period, probably due to erosion because of its nearshore position.

Califiornia↗