Miniconference on Aquifers as Archives of Paleoclimate

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Isotopic and elemental composition of groundwater are influenced by climatic conditions at the time of recharge and are therefore potential indicators for climate change. To date little work has been done to unravel climate information contained in deep circulating groundwater. However, it has been successfully demonstrated that in selected aquifers the isotopic composition of groundwater and the concentrations of dissolved noble gases can be related to paleotemperatures and/or past atmospheric circulation patterns. These studies raised hopes that groundwater as an archive of paleoclimate may play an important role in future climate research, but they also indicate that there are still many open questions that must be addressed. This award supports a meeting at Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University to explore the potential and strategies for future paleoclimate research in this area.