Paleo Records Of GLacier And Climate changes Inferred from Alaskan Lakes (PROGLACIAL)

The extent of glacier cover is a prime indicator of climate. Our project focuses on reconstructing glacier fluctuations in Alaska, the Arctic region of the United States, as evidence for past climate changes extending back for thousands of years. The research team will estimate past glacier fluctuations by studying sediment carried by meltwater streams and deposited in glacier-fed lakes. The project also aims to further develop the ability to reconstruct the extent of glacier cover within the catchment of glacier-fed lakes using basic sedimentary indicators of glacier rock-flour abundance. By sampling glacier-fed lakes along an environmental gradient of heavily to sparsely glaciated catchments in Alaska, the research team will systematically acquire quantitative information about these well-known glacial indicators, which vary with glacier size and other environmental variables. In addition to rock-flour indicators, the sediment will be analyzed for terrestrial and aquatic productivity indicators, including organic pigments and biogenic silica abundance. These records will be used to address fundamental questions related to the timing and extent of climate changes in Alaska that occurred following the last major ice age.