Evidence for change in climate variability during the late-holocene inferred from a sequence of Lake Michigan dune ridges
- Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN (United States)
The timing of ridge formation at a sequence of northern Lake Michigan foredune ridges was calibrated with the historical lake-level record and with climate records to reconstruct a history of climate-related lake-level variation. Foredune ridges are constructed during receding and low lake levels related to regional drought. Shore recession during high lake levels may promote eolian erosion which modifies the shore-parallel foredune ridges into parabolic dunes. A chronology of ridge formation over the last 2400 years indicates that parabolic dunes developed only during periods of frequent ridge formation and drought. Analysis of ridge formation during the historical record of lake-level variation suggest that this association results from increase variability in regional water balances as opposed to variation in sediment supply. Periods of high variability in regional water balances occurred between 380 BC and AD 20, AD 20, AD 20-300, AD 880-990, AD 1180-1280, and AD 1520-1650.
- OSTI ID:
- 7266107
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940894-; CODEN: BECLAG
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America; (United States), Vol. 75:2; Conference: Annual Ecological Society of America (ESA) meeting: science and public policy, Knoxville, TN (United States), 7-11 Aug 1994; ISSN 0012-9623
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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