P2C2: Testing the Timing of the Devils Hole Climate Record

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

This project generally aims to reassess the iconic Devils Hole, Nevada record of climate and hydrology as it is one of the longest continuous records of terrestrial climate change available to researchers. The Devils Hole record has stimulated a quarter of a century of debate with regard to implications about the causes of regional and global climate change and its relationship, or lack thereof, to orbital forcing. The researchers and their collaborators have collected preliminary data that suggests that specific critical portions of this record have anomalous ages, which, if corrected, would change the interpretation of the record dramatically. The anomalies are associated with samples collected at significant depth below the water table. Those collected near the surface do not appear to have anomalous ages. The research team proposes to test for these anomalies by analyzing cores collected at different depths and obtain a record with an accurate chronology from the shallowest of the cores. They further propose to extend the record back in time to cover the past one million years and increase the resolution of the record substantially. The research team also plans to construct a record of fluctuations in the ground water table at Devils Hole. Although there are many subtleties to the scientific discussion, the crux of the debate is the degree to which orbital forcing may have played a role in the observed environmental changes. The Broader Impacts include helping to better understand the factors that control climate and rainfall in a region where water resources are critical, mentoring a postdoctoral research scholar, and the production of a film on cave climate science featuring underwater research at Devils Hole.