Stratigraphy, Extent, and Paleoclimatic Implications of Middle Pleistocene Glacial/Interglacial Conditions, Coastal NW Alaska

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The interbedded glaciogenic and marine sediments exposed in many places along western Alaska comprise the best-known Arctic record of late-Cenozoic regional climatic change and eustatic sea-level fluctuations. Western Alaska is one of few areas in Arctic North America where both terrestrial and oceanic records can be clearly resolved. Based upon regional stratigraphic work completed over the last two years, it is now known that glaciation about 500,000 years ago throughout western Alaska was an order of magnitude more extensive than any subsequent glaciation. This award supports an investigation of the well exposed stratigraphy sedimentology, and paleoecology of sediments representing this interglacial/glacial transition to better understand the regional climatic setting that culminated in the last extensive early to middle Pleistocence glacial events in northwestern North America. Marine micro and macrofossils and terrestrial pollen, beetles, and plant macrofossils collected from nearshore prodeltaic deposits will be examined to reconstruct land-sea climatic conditions during this transitional period. Data collected from this project will provide proxy data for understanding regional paleoclimatic conditions with implications for evaluating paleosnowlines, climatic gradients through the Bering Strait, and changing paleogeography at a time of climatic transition.