Collaborative Research: The Role of Aquifers in Paleoclimatic Reconstructions of Glaciated Watersheds

This award is for a collaborative experiment (University of Minnesota and Iowa State University) using a Coupled Land Atmosphere Simulation Program (CLASP) to make direct comparisons between simulated paleo lake-levels and hydrochemistry with those inferred from high-resolution lake-core records. The study will quantitatively evaluate how aquifer systems influence lake-level fluctuations within glaciated watersheds by applying CLASP to the well studied Crow Wing watershed in north-central Minnesota and by comparing the CLASP model results to paleoclimatic reconstructions from proxy records preserved in lake sediments. By simulating the hydrologic fluctuations of individual lakes and streams, the model will permit the most comprehensive evaluation of paleo atmospheric general circulation model reconstruction of Holocene climatic change at the regional scale.