Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-fx4k7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-14T09:39:02.702Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A multi-proxy paleolimnological reconstruction of Holocene climate conditions in the Great Basin, United States

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Scott A. Reinemann*
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
David F. Porinchu
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Amy M. Bloom
Affiliation:
Department of Geography–Geology, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790-4400, USA
Bryan G. Mark
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Jason E. Box
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
*
Corresponding author. Fax: +1 614 292 6213. E-mail address: reinemann.2@osu.edu (S.A. Reinemann).

Abstract

A sediment core spanning ∼ 7000 cal yr BP recovered from Stella Lake, a small sub-alpine lake located in Great Basin National Park, Nevada, was analyzed for subfossil chironomids (non-biting midges), diatoms, and organic content (estimated by loss-on-ignition (LOI)). Subfossil chironomid analysis indicates that Stella Lake was characterized by a warm, middle Holocene, followed by a cool “Neoglacial” period, with the last two millennia characterized by a return to warmer conditions. Throughout the majority of the core the Stella Lake diatom-community composition is dominated by small, periphytic taxa which are suggestive of shallow, cool, alkaline, oligotrophic waters with extensive seasonal ice cover. A reconstruction of mean July air temperature (MJAT) was developed by applying a midge-based inference model for MJAT (two-component WA-PLS) consisting of 79 lakes and 54 midge taxa (r jack 2 = 0.55, RMSEP = 0.9°C). Comparison of the chironomid-inferred temperature record to existing regional paleoclimate reconstructions suggests that the midge-inferred temperatures correspond well to regional patterns. This multi-proxy record provides valuable insight into regional Holocene climate and environmental conditions by providing a quantitative reconstruction of peak Holocene warmth and aquatic ecosystem response to these changes in the Great Basin, a region projected to experience increased aridity and higher temperatures.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable