Late glacial climate estimates for southern Nevada the ostracode fossil record

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:60985

Forester, R M ^[1]; Smith, A J ^[2]

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1. Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
2. Kent State Univ., OH (United States)

Climate change plays an important role in determining the possible long term hydrological performance of the potential high level nuclear waste repository within Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Present-day global circulation results in this region having an arid to semi-arid climate characterized by hot and relatively dry summers. Global circulation during the late glacial (about 14 to 20 ka) was very different from the present-day. Preliminary study of late-glacial fossil ostracodes from {open_quotes}marsh deposits{close_quotes} in the upper Las Vegas Valley suggests mean annual precipitation may have been four times higher, while mean annual temperature may have been about 10{degrees}C cooler than today. A major difference between present-day and late-glacial climate was likely the existence of cooler, cloudier, and wetter summers in the past.

• Research Organization: American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States); American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 60985
• Report Number(s): CONF-940553--Vol.4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CLIMATIC CHANGE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CRUSTACEANS
FOSSILS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
POPULATION DENSITY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SHELLS
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project