Funding is provided to obtain high-resolution speleothem climate proxy data from the southwestern United States (SW) for the past 50,000 years. Specifically, the researchers will examine the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Data from a recent pilot project, conducted by the researchers and based on speleothem growth rates, indicate that the transition across the Younger Dryas cold period was gradual and not abrupt, as previously concluded. The research team will also examine differences in the response of regional climate as a means to understand the drivers for abrupt climate change.
The project will provide data and a broader understanding of abrupt environmental change and its relation to hydrologic resources and monsoonal systems. The project will also provide education and training opportunities for a graduate student.
