Doctoral Dissertation Research: Reconstructing the Paleoenvironmental History of the Cuenca Oriental in Mexico's Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt

博士论文研究：重建墨西哥跨墨西哥火山带昆卡东方古环境历史

• 批准号: 1333370
• 负责人: Roger Byrne
• 金额: $ 1.58万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-08-15 至 2015-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1333370&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Reconstructing; Paleoenvironmental

This doctoral dissertation research project will examine possible linkages between climate change and prehistoric societies in the Cuenca Oriental, an area of interior drainage in the eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Drought has been invoked to explain the abandonment of many areas of Mesoamerica, but direct evidence is only available for a handful of sites, and non-climatic explanations often have been proposed. This doctoral dissertation research project will focus on development of a multi-proxy record of human occupation and Holocene climate change from Aljojuca and Alchichica, two maar lakes located near Cantona, an archaeological site in the northeastern part of the Cuenca Oriental. During the late Classic period, Cantona was one of the largest cities in the Americas, but the site was abandoned several hundred years later, possibly as a result of drought. The doctoral student will develop a record of Holocene climate change by analyzing the fossil pollen content, stable isotope composition, and sediment chemistry of sediment cores from Aljojuca and Alchichica. Pollen slides will be scanned for corn pollen as an index of agricultural activity in the area. These data will help reconstruct the timing of past changes in climate as well as the history of human settlement in the region. The Aljojuca core has already been recovered by an international scientific team from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences. Radiocarbon dating reveals that the core spans approximately 6,200 years.This dissertation project will produce two new high-resolution, well-dated paleoenvironmental records from the eastern Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. These records will improve basic understanding of the timing of Holocene climate change in the region, especially the history of Mexico's summer rainfall regime. The project therefore will contribute to interdisciplinary debates in archaeology and geography about the role of climate change as a factor influencing human societies. The project will strengthen international collaborations among scientists in Mexico, Germany, and the U.S. Results will be disseminated through a variety of media for scholarly and public audiences, and they will be used in educational activities and lesson plans for undergraduate and K-12 students. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this project will provide support to enable a promising student to establish an independent research career.

这个博士论文研究项目将研究气候变化和史前社会之间的可能联系，在昆卡东方，在东部跨墨西哥火山带内部排水区。 干旱被用来解释中美洲许多地区被遗弃的原因，但只有少数几个地点有直接的证据，而且经常提出非气候的解释。 本博士论文研究项目将侧重于开发人类占领和全新世气候变化的多代理记录从Aljojuca和Alchichica，两个玛珥湖位于坎通纳附近，考古遗址在昆卡东方的东北部。 在古典时期晚期，坎通纳是美洲最大的城市之一，但数百年后，该遗址被遗弃，可能是由于干旱。 博士生将通过分析化石花粉含量，稳定同位素组成和沉积物化学的沉积物芯从Aljojuca和Alchichica开发全新世气候变化的记录。 将扫描花粉载玻片中的玉米花粉，作为该地区农业活动的指标。 这些数据将有助于重建过去气候变化的时间以及该地区人类定居的历史。 墨西哥国立自治大学和GFZ德国地球科学研究中心的一个国际科学小组已经发现了Aljojuca核心。放射性碳测年表明，核心跨度约6,200year.This论文项目将产生两个新的高分辨率，以及从东部跨墨西哥火山带的古环境记录。 这些记录将提高对该地区全新世气候变化时间的基本了解，特别是墨西哥夏季降雨状况的历史。 因此，该项目将有助于考古学和地理学关于气候变化作为影响人类社会的一个因素的作用的跨学科辩论。 该项目将加强墨西哥、德国和美国科学家之间的国际合作。研究结果将通过各种媒体向学术界和公众传播，并将用于本科生和K-12学生的教育活动和课程计划。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该项目将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个独立的研究生涯。