Paleoclimatic significance of high-latitude loess deposits

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7015068

Beget, J E

Loess deposits reflect changing environmental conditions in terrestrial regions, and contain long paleoclimatic records analogous to those found in marine sediments, lacustrine sediments, and ice sheets. Alaskan loess was deposited at rates of ca. 0.05-0.5 mm yr-l during the last 2-3 x 106 years; loess deposits contain some of the longest and most complete proxy climate records yet found. New analytical methods are used to reconstruct changes in climate and atmospheric regime including wind intensity, storminess, temperature, and precipitation. Loess also contains a history of permafrost and paleosol formation, volcanic eruptions, and paleoecologic changes in high latitude regions, as well as Quaternary fossils and early man sites and artifacts. Time-series analysis of proxy climate data from loess supports the astronomic model of climate change, although some transient climate events recorded in loess records are too short to be explained by orbital insolation forcing, and may instead correlate with rapid, short-term changes in atmospheric C02 and CH4 content.

• Research Organization: Alaska Univ., College, AK (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7015068
• Report Number(s): AD-P-007345/2/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540210 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (1990-)
58 GEOSCIENCES
580000 -- Geosciences
ALASKA
ALKANES
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLIMATIC CHANGE
DEPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISASTERS
DUSTS
FORECASTING
FOSSILS
HYDROCARBONS
ICE
MATHEMATICS
METHANE
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
PALEONTOLOGY
PERMAFROST
SEDIMENTS
SILT
STORMS
TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS
USA
VOLCANOES
WIND