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Late-glacial to holocene climate variability in western Ireland

dc.contributor.advisorPatterson, William P.en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSmol, Johnen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberPratt, Brian R.en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberHolmden, Chrisen_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberAnsdell, Kevin M.en_US
dc.creatorDiefendorf, Aaron F.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2005-04-20T14:37:29Zen_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-01-04T04:29:29Z
dc.date.available2005-04-22T08:00:00Zen_US
dc.date.available2013-01-04T04:29:29Z
dc.date.created2005-04en_US
dc.date.issued2005-04-11en_US
dc.date.submittedApril 2005en_US
dc.description.abstractIncreasing concerns over future anthropogenic effects on climate change as a result of increasing greenhouse gases generate concomitant efforts to better characterize recent climate in order to more accurately predict climate in the future. To this end, a multiproxy study of climate variability in western Ireland from lacustrine sediment was undertaken. The interpretation of paleoclimate records derived from lacustrine carbonate minerals is difficult without a good understanding of the mechanisms that generate variation in isotope values of modern surface waters. Variation in surface waters are ultimately incorporated into lacustrine sediment records conflated by temperature. Therefore, a study of the spatial distribution of ä18O and äD values of lake and river waters from 144 locations in Ireland has been conducted to provide insight into the behavior of lakes and rivers in Ireland, including source, recycling and loss through evapotranspiration. A 7.6 m sediment core was recovered from Lough Inchiquin that provides evidence for rapid and long-term climate change from the Late Glacial to the Holocene. This was determined using carbon and oxygen isotope analyses of lacustrine calcite as well as carbon from bulk organic sediment fractions. Several significant climate perturbations were identified in the ä18Ocalcite record such as the Oldest Dryas, Younger Dryas, and the 8.2 ka cold event. A previously undescribed climate anomaly between 7,300 to 6,700 cal. yr B.P. characterized by low ä18Ocalcite values with high frequency variability. Variations in carbon isotopes of calcite and bulk organics from the Late Glacial to the Holocene are significant in magnitude (~12‰) and have similar trends that record temporal shifts in the relative contributions of carbon from the weathering of limestone versus the weathering of terrestrial organic matter. ä13Ccalcite and ä13Corg suggest a rapid recovery of terrestrial vegetation following the Younger Dryas. Change in Ää13Ccalcite - org documents a rapid increase in exogenous fluxes of carbon into the lake at ~9 ka.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-04202005-143729en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.subjectbedrock weatheringen_US
dc.subjectatmospheric circulationen_US
dc.subject8200-yr eventen_US
dc.subjectPolar Fronten_US
dc.subjectpaleolimnologyen_US
dc.subjectpaleoecologyen_US
dc.subjectmarlen_US
dc.subjectlake sedimenten_US
dc.subjectevapotranspirationen_US
dc.subjectstable isotopesen_US
dc.subjectCounty Clareen_US
dc.subjectcharaphytesen_US
dc.titleLate-glacial to holocene climate variability in western Irelanden_US
dc.type.genreThesisen_US
dc.type.materialtexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentGeological Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineGeological Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Saskatchewanen_US
thesis.degree.levelMastersen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.Sc.)en_US

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