QRC members lead and participate in a wide range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary research projects from the study of past earth climates and glaciations to shifts in the geographic distributions and evolution of vegetation and faunal communities, to the evolution and dispersals of the genus Homo and the increasing scales of human modification of earth environments through the Holocene. QRC provides a venue for meeting and collaborating with scholars across Quaternary disciplines. We are also fortunate to be able to provide seed funding and small grants for member research projects. We are especially happy to support grad student and junior scholar research activities, much of which leads to larger, external funding from agencies like the National Science Foundation.
Illuminating Denali Basal Ice stratigraphy with Electrical Conductivity Measurements
Abstract: North Pacific ice cores have provided critical insights into climate in a region where paleoproxies on >1000-year timescales are difficult to acquire. The Denali ice cores have been particularly impactful, with a robust timescale and demonstrated sensitivity to many critical climate, environmental, and human processes. Until recently the analysis of this record has been limited to the past 1200 years. New data indicates the bottom 10 m of the cores may contain a whole-Holocene record of climate variability. However, developing an accurate timescale for this old and highly compressed ice remains difficult. Here we propose to employ Electrical Conductivity Measurements (ECM) to resolve stratigraphy in remaining core samples. Our goal will be to understand if irregularities in the current timescale are caused by ice folding, or if another process, like climate shifts in the early Holocene, must be responsible. In addition to contributing to the Denali project directly, this work will fit into an ice core community effort to develop techniques extending ice core timescales in basal and disturbed ice.
Abstract: North Pacific ice cores have provided critical insights into climate in a region where paleoproxies on >1000-year timescales are difficult to acquire. The Denali ice cores have been particularly impactful, with a robust timescale and demonstrated sensitivity to many critical climate, environmental, and human processes. Until recently the analysis of this record has been limited to the past 1200 years. New data indicates the bottom 10 m of the cores may contain a whole-Holocene record of climate variability. However, developing an accurate timescale for this old and highly compressed ice remains difficult. Here we propose to employ Electrical Conductivity Measurements (ECM) to resolve stratigraphy in remaining core samples. Our goal will be to understand if irregularities in the current timescale are caused by ice folding, or if another process, like climate shifts in the early Holocene, must be responsible. In addition to contributing to the Denali project directly, this work will fit into an ice core community effort to develop techniques extending ice core timescales in basal and disturbed ice.