scholarly journals First investigation of perennial ice in Winter Wonderland Cave, Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 863-881
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Munroe
Keyword(s):  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Recent Change ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Uinta Mountains ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Cave Environment ◽  
Ice Field ◽  
Madison Limestone ◽  
Δ18o And Δd ◽  
Perennial Ice

Abstract. Winter Wonderland Cave is a solution cave at an elevation of 3140 m above sea level in Carboniferous-age Madison Limestone on the southern slope of the Uinta Mountains (Utah, USA). Temperature data loggers reveal that the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) in the main part of the cave is −0.8 ∘C, whereas the entrance chamber has a MAAT of −2.3 ∘C. In contrast, the MAAT outside the cave entrance was +2.8 ∘C between August 2016 and August 2018. Temperatures in excess of 0 ∘C were not recorded inside the cave during that 2-year interval. About half of the accessible cave, which has a mapped length of 245 m, is floored by perennial ice. Field and laboratory investigations were conducted to determine the age and origin of this ice and its possible paleoclimate significance. Ground-penetrating-radar (GPR) surveys with a 400 MHz antenna reveal that the ice has a maximum thickness of ∼ 3 m. Samples of rodent droppings obtained from an intermediate depth within the ice yielded radiocarbon ages from 40±30 to 285±12 years. These results correspond with median calibrated ages from CE 1560 to 1830, suggesting that at least some of the ice accumulated during the Little Ice Age. Samples collected from a ∼ 2 m high exposure of layered ice were analyzed for stable isotopes and glaciochemistry. Most values of δ18O and δD plot subparallel to the global meteoric waterline with a slope of 7.5 and an intercept of 0.03 ‰. Values from some individual layers depart from the local waterline, suggesting that they formed during closed-system freezing. In general, values of both δ18O and δD are lowest in the deepest ice and highest at the top. This trend is interpreted as a shift in the relative abundance of winter and summer precipitation over time. Calcium has the highest average abundance of cations detectable in the ice (mean of 6050 ppb), followed by Al (2270 ppb), Mg (830 ppb), and K (690 ppb). Most elements are more abundant in the younger ice, possibly reflecting reduced rates of infiltration that prolonged water–rock contact in the epikarst. Abundances of Al and Ni likely reflect eolian dust incorporated in the ice. Liquid water appeared in the cave in August 2018 and August 2019, apparently for the first time in many years. This could be a sign of a recent change in the cave environment.

scholarly journals First Investigation of Perennial Ice in Winter Wonderland Cave, Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Munroe
Keyword(s):  
Main Part ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Uinta Mountains ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Water Line ◽  
Cave Environment ◽  
Δ18o And Δd ◽  
Perennial Ice

Abstract. Winter Wonderland Cave is a solution cave at an elevation of 3140 m above sea level in Carboniferous-age Madison Limestone on the southern slope of the Uinta Mountains (Utah, USA). Temperature dataloggers reveal that the mean annual air temperature (MAAT) in the main part of the cave is −0.8 °C, whereas the entrance chamber has a MAAT of −2.3 °C. The MAAT outside the cave entrance was +2.8 °C between August 2016 and August 2018. Temperature in excess of 0 °C were not recorded inside the cave during that 2-year interval. About half of the accessible cave, which has a mapped length of 245 m, is floored by perennial ice. Field and laboratory investigations were conducted to determine the age and origin of this ice and its possible paleoclimate significance. Ground penetrating radar surveys with a 400-MHz antenna reveal that the ice has a maximum thickness of ~ 3 m. Samples of packrat (Neotoma) droppings obtained from the ice in the main part of the cave yielded radiocarbon ages from 40 ± 30 to 285 ± 12 years. These results correspond with median calibrated ages from AD 1645 to 1865, suggesting that most of the ice accumulated during the Little Ice Age. Samples collected from a ~ 2-m high exposure of layered ice were analysed for stable isotopes and glaciochemistry. Most values of δ18O and δD range plot subparallel to the global meteoric water line with a slope of 7.5 with an intercept of 0.03 ‰. Values from some individual layers depart from this local water line suggesting that they formed during close-system freezing. In general, values of both δ18O and δD are lowest in the deepest ice, and highest at the top. This trend is interpreted as a shift in the relative abundance of depleted winter precipitation and enriched summer precipitation over time. Calcium has the highest average abundance of cations detectable in the ice (mean of 6050 ppb), followed by Al (2270 ppb), Mg (830 ppb), and K (690 ppb). Most elements are more abundant in the younger ice, possibly reflecting reduced rates of infiltration that prolonged water-rock contact in the epikarst. Abundances of Al and Ni likely reflect eolian dust incorporated in the ice. Liquid water appeared in the cave in August 2018 and August 2019, apparently for the first time in many years. This could be a sign of a significant change in the cave environment.

scholarly journals Ice genesis and its long-term dynamics in Scărişoara Ice Cave, Romania

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 1909-1929
Author(s):  
A. Perşoiu ◽  
A. Pazdur
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Lake Ice ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Paleoclimatic Significance ◽  
Basal Melting ◽  
Perennial Ice ◽  
Level Monitoring

Abstract. The paleoclimatic significance of the perennial ice deposit in Scărişoara Ice Cave has been remarked since the early 20th century, but a clear understanding of the processes involved in the genesis, age and long-term dynamics of ice hampered all attempts to extract valuable data on past climate and vegetation changes. In this paper, we present a model of ice genesis and dynamics, based on stable isotopes, ice level monitoring (modern and archived) and radiocarbon dating of organic matter found in the ice. Ice in Scărişoara Ice Cave mostly consists of layers of lake ice, produced as liquid water freezes from top to bottom in mid-autumn, a mechanism that was also acting in the past, during the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. The ice block is not stable in shape and volume, being continuously modified by ablation on top, basal melting and lateral flow. Radiocarbon dating shows that the ice block is older than 1200 years, the rate of ice flow and basal melting suggesting that the ice could be much older.

scholarly journals Historical Variations of Lemon Creek Glacier, Alaska, and Their Relationship to the Climatic Record

1964 ◽  
Vol 5 (37) ◽  
pp. 77-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin J. Heusser ◽  
Melvin G. Marcus
Keyword(s):  
Field Research ◽  
Focus Of Attention ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Related Research ◽  
Olympic Mountains ◽  
Temperature Trends ◽  
Ice Field ◽  
Climatic Record ◽  
Last Ice Age

AbstractLemon Creek Glacier served as the focus of attention of the Juneau Ice Field Research Project from 1953 through 1958, during which period glaciological and related research was accomplished. This paper provides an historical framework for those studies by (1) considering variations of Lemon Creek Glacier in recent centuries and during millennia since the last ice age, and (2) describing certain relationships which appear to exist between these variations and the climatic record.It is found that Lemon Creek Glacier has been receding intermittently since a maximumc. 1750 and by 1958 had lostc. 25 per cent of the former area. Most rapid recession occurred during the periods 1891–1902 and 1929–58. Behaviour of the glacier sincec. 1750 reveals a parallelism with glaciers in most of the regions where temperature trends have been graphed as well as with other glaciers of the Juneau Ice Field. The advances of the 1950’s observed in the Rocky, Cascade and Olympic Mountains do not, however, show up in the Juneau area. Lemon Creek Glacier has not advanced more than 375 m. beyond the 1750 position, if at all, during the last 10,000 yr.

Last glacial maximum climate inferences from cosmogenic dating and glacier modeling of the western Uinta ice field, Uinta Mountains, Utah

2008 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt A. Refsnider ◽  
Benjamin J.C. Laabs ◽  
Mitchell A. Plummer ◽  
David M. Mickelson ◽  
Bradley S. Singer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Last Glacial Maximum ◽  
Glacial Maximum ◽  
Mountain Pass ◽  
Uinta Mountains ◽  
Terminal Moraine ◽  
Maximum Extent ◽  
Last Glacial ◽  
The North ◽  
Ice Field ◽  
Exposure Ages

During the last glacial maximum (LGM), the western Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah were occupied by the Western Uinta Ice Field. Cosmogenic10Be surface-exposure ages from the terminal moraine in the North Fork Provo Valley and paired26Al and10Be ages from striated bedrock at Bald Mountain Pass set limits on the timing of the local LGM. Moraine boulder ages suggest that ice reached its maximum extent by 17.4±0.5 ka (± 2σ).10Be and26Al measurements on striated bedrock from Bald Mountain Pass, situated near the former center of the ice field, yield a mean26Al/10Be ratio of 5.7±0.8 and a mean exposure age of 14.0±0.5 ka, which places a minimum-limiting age on when the ice field melted completely. We also applied a mass/energy-balance and ice-flow model to investigate the LGM climate of the western Uinta Mountains. Results suggest that temperatures were likely 5 to 7°C cooler than present and precipitation was 2 to 3.5 times greater than modern, and the western-most glaciers in the range generally received more precipitation when expanding to their maximum extent than glaciers farther east. This scenario is consistent with the hypothesis that precipitation in the western Uintas was enhanced by pluvial Lake Bonneville during the last glaciation.

Late-Holocene seasonal moisture variability: Range Creek Canyon, Utah, USA

The Holocene ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 095968362097276
Author(s):  
Mariangelica Groves ◽  
Andrea R Brunelle ◽  
Mitchell J Power ◽  
Kenneth L Petersen ◽  
Zachary J Lundeen
Keyword(s):  
Zea Mays ◽  
Colorado Plateau ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
Pinus Edulis ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Climatic Zones ◽  
Elemental Ratios ◽  
Moisture Conditions

A 3300 year-long reconstruction of paleoenvironmental moisture conditions was constructed from a sediment core from North Gate Bog (NGB) in the northern section of Range Creek Canyon within the Colorado Plateau. The methods used to analyze the record include loss on ignition (LOI), magnetic susceptibility (MS), elemental analysis with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), charcoal influx, isotopic analysis, elemental ratios and pollen percentages, influx, and ratios. This study adds two new insights to the paleoenvironmental record of the northern section of the Colorado Plateau. First, four climatic zones were established. Zone 1 (3300–2750 cal yr BP) had 100-year wet to dry variations with droughts recorded from 3300–3200, 3000–2900, and 2800–2700 cal yr BP. Zone 2 (2750–1600 cal yr BP) had an overall dry period with an 800-year transition to increased warmth and winter moisture. Zone 3 (1600–850 cal yr BP) had an overall warm, wet, summer precipitation climate conducive to the establishment of Zea Mays and Pinus edulis, two staple foods of the Fremont culture. The Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) registered warm and wet in this part of the Colorado Plateau. Zone 4 (850–0 cal yr BP) had a sharp transition to a drier climate from 850 to 400 cal yr BP. During the Little Ice Age (LIA), wetter climate taxon increases such as Artemisia, Cyperaceae, and Pinus edulis. The second overall finding in this study was that NGB was a place of human activity including Fremont farming. The identification of a Zea mays pollen grain confirms the archeological presumptions that this higher elevation site was used to farm corn along with other sites in Range Creek Canyon (RCC). The post Fremont occupation period was marked by a sharp increase in organic material and a return of pinyon-juniper woodlands.

Quantitative estimates of temperature and precipitation changes over the last millennium from pollen and lake-level data at Lake Joux, Swiss Jura Mountains

2011 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Magny ◽  
Odile Peyron ◽  
Emilie Gauthier ◽  
Boris Vannière ◽  
Laurent Millet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Level ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Last Millennium ◽  
Temperature Minimum ◽  
Jura Mountains ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Modern Analogue ◽  
Swiss Jura

AbstractThis paper presents quantitative climate estimates for the last millennium, using a multi-proxy approach with pollen and lake-level data from Lake Joux (Swiss Jura Mountains). The climate reconstruction, based on the Modern Analogue Technique, indicates warmer and drier conditions during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). MWP was preceded by a short-lived cold humid event around AD 1060, and followed by a rapid return around AD 1400 to cooler and wetter conditions which generally characterize the Little Ice Age (LIA). Around AD 1450 (solar Spörer minimum), the LIA attained a temperature minimum and a summer precipitation maximum. The solar Maunder minimum around AD 1690 corresponded at Joux to rather mild temperatures but maximal annual precipitation. These results generally agree with other records from neighbouring Alpine regions. However, there are differences in the timing of the LIA temperature minimum depending on the proxy and/or the method used for the reconstruction. As a working hypothesis, the hydrological signal associated with the MWP and LIA oscillations at Lake Joux may have been mainly driven by a shift around AD 1400 from positive to negative NAO modes in response to variations in solar irradiance possibly coupled with changes in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.

Late Glacial and Late Holocene Moraines in the Cerros Cuchpanga, Central Peru

1984 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.E. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Little Ice Age ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Late Glacial ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Valley Bottom ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Western Cordillera ◽  
Limestone Bedrock ◽  
Ice Field

Small ice fields on the western cordillera northeast of Lima were expanded to three times their present size in the recent past, and the regional snow line was probably about 100 m lower than it is today. Outwash from the expanded glaciers formed deltas of silt in valley-bottom lakes. When the ice lobes retreated, the reduced outwash was trapped behind recessional moraines, and the clear meltwater infiltrated into the limestone bedrock and emerged at the heads of the deltas in spring pools. The delta surfaces then became covered with peat, and radiocarbon dates for the base of the peat (1100 ± 70 and 430 ± 70 yr B.P. for two different deltas) indicate that the maximum ice advance was older than those dates and, thus, older than the Little Ice Age of many north-temperate regions. Much older moraines date from expansion of the same local summit glaciers to even lower levels in the main valleys, which had previously been inundated by the cordilleran ice field. The cordilleran deglaciation and this expansion of local glaciers probably occurred between 12,000 and 10,000 yr ago, on the basis of slightly contradictory radiocarbon dates.

scholarly journals Holocene Hydroclimate in the Southeastern United States During Abrupt Climate Events: Evidence From New Speleothem Isotopic Records From Alabama

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Medina-Elizalde ◽  
Stefan Perritano ◽  
Matthew DeCesare ◽  
Josué Polanco-Martinez ◽  
Gabriela Serrato-Marks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Southeastern United States ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Winter Precipitation ◽  
Meridional Overturning Circulation ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Spring Precipitation

Abstract We present new high-resolution absolute-dated stalagmite δ18O and δ13C records from the southeastern United States (SE US) spanning the last 12 thousand years (ka). A local relationship between annual rainfall amount and its amount-weighed δ18O composition exists on interannual timescales, driven mostly by an amount effect during summer and spring seasons, and by an isotopically depleted composition of fall and winter precipitation. Based on a novel interpretation of modern rainfall isotopic data, stalagmite δ18O variability is interpreted to reflect the relative contribution of summer and spring precipitation combined relative to combined fall and winter precipitation. Precipitation amount in the SE US increases during the Younger Dryas, the 8.2 ka and Little Ice Age abrupt cooling events. High precipitation during these events reflects enhancement of spring and summer precipitation while the contribution of fall and winter rainfall remained unchanged or decreased slightly. Results from this study support model simulation results that suggest increased precipitation in the SE US during Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) slowdown/shutdown (LeGrande et al., 2006; Renssen et al., 2002; Vellinga and Wood, 2002). In association with Northern Hemisphere mid-latitude cooling from the Early to mid-Holocene, annual precipitation in the SE US decreases, a pattern distinctive from that observed during abrupt cooling events related to AMOC shifts. Long-term hydroclimate change in the SE US is likely sensitive to summer insolation reduction as inferred for other tropical and subtropical regions. This study has implications for our understanding of the sensitivity of subtropical hydroclimate to factors both internal and external to the climate system in a warmer climate.

scholarly journals High-throughput sequencing of fungal communities across the perennial ice block of Scărișoara Ice Cave

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (77) ◽  
pp. 134-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Mondini ◽  
Johanna Donhauser ◽  
Corina Itcus ◽  
Constantin Marin ◽  
Aurel Perșoiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Climate Variations ◽  
Operational Taxonomic Units ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Low Diversity ◽  
Fungal Distribution ◽  
Perennial Ice

ABSTRACTThis survey presents the first high-throughput characterisation of fungal distribution based on ITS2 Illumina sequencing of uncultured microbiome from a 1500 years old perennial ice deposit in Scărișoara Ice Cave, Romania. Of the total of 1 751 957 ITS2 sequences, 64% corresponded to 182 fungal operational taxonomic units, showing a low diversity, particularly in older ice strata, and a distinct temporal distribution pattern. Ascomycota was the major phylum in all ice samples, dominating the 400 and 1500 years old ice strata deposited during the cold Little Ice Age (LIA) and Dark Ages Cold Period, while Basidiomycota was mostly present in 900-years old ice formed during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). Chytridiomycota and Mucoromycota phyla were present in recently formed and 400-years old ice, respectively. Among the 80 identified genera, Cryptococcus victoriae, commonly found in glacial habitats, was identified in all strata. A positive correlation between fungal distribution and ice conductivity, Ca, Na and Sr concentrations was observed across the ice block, with pH values trailing climate variations during LIA and MWP, respectively. Our record highlighted the presence of a complex climate and environmental-driven fungal community in perennial ice strata accumulated during the last 1500 years in Scărișoara Ice Cave.

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