RUI: Alpine Loess, Periglacial Uplands, and Exotic Additions: Investigating Past and Present Dust Deposition in the Alpine Zone of the Uinta Mountains, Utah

该项目的非技术描述，解释了该项目的意义和重要性大气尘埃是通过各种自然和人为过程在低地产生的。一旦到达高山环境，风载灰尘就会产生多种影响，包括改变地表水的 pH 值和化学成分、促进土壤形成以及降低雪的反射性能。在落基山脉，最近对湖泊沉积物记录的研究表明，过去几个世纪以来，灰尘沉积率有所增加，这将低地盆地的人类土地利用与山区的灰尘沉积联系起来。该项目将分析尤因塔山脉灰尘积聚的数量和分布，以确定灰尘沉积率和特性的区域和年际变化。还将对高山湖泊的岩心进行调查，以确定过去几千年来随着大陆冰川消退和人类居住增加，风沉积物的变化。 鉴于越来越多的证据表明灰尘沉积在高山系统生态中发挥着重要作用，该项目将为山区生态系统和周围盆地的管理提供有用的信息。该项目将在一个主要是本科院校进行，并将培训下一代研究科学家。该项目的技术描述该项目将使用大量现有的湖泊沉积物核心和土壤数据，以及新收集的灰尘和土壤数据，来测试三个补充假设：1）灰尘通量和地球化学特性主要受美国西部区域源区的干旱控制； 2）尤因塔斯高海拔湖泊的冰期后沉积记录将记录物理特性的同步变化，反映古气候变化驱动的区域尘埃系统的变化； 3）无冰川作用的尤因塔山顶高地的长期（~106 - 107年）风化导致大气尘埃带来的元素构建块形成成土粘土。六名本科生将接受研究技术培训，每人将完成独立研究，并有机会在专业会议上发表演讲。

A non-technical description of the project, which explains the project's significance and importanceAtmospheric dust is generated in lowlands through a variety of natural and human-induced processes. Once delivered to high mountain environments, wind-borne dust is responsible for a multitude of effects including altering the pH and chemistry of surface water, contributing to soil formation, and decreasing the reflective properties of snow. In the Rocky Mountains, recent study of lake sediment records suggests that rates of dust deposition have increased in the past few centuries, linking human land use in lowland basins with dust deposition in the mountains. This project will analyze the amount and distribution of dust accumulating in the Uinta Mountains to determine the regional and inter-annual variability in dust deposition rates and properties. Cores from alpine lakes will also be investigated to ascertain the changes in wind-borne deposits over the last several thousand years as continental glaciers receded and human habitation increased. Given the growing evidence that dust deposition plays an important role in the ecology of alpine systems, this project will provide useful information for management of mountain ecosystems and the surrounding basins. This project will be conducted at a primarily undergraduate institution and will train the next generation of research scientists.A technical description of the projectThis project will use an extensive set of existing lake-sediment cores and soils data, along with new collections of dust and soil, to test three complementary hypotheses: 1) Dust flux and geochemical properties are primarily controlled by aridity within regional source areas in the western United States; 2) Post-glacial sedimentary records from high-elevation lakes in the Uintas will record synchronous changes in physical properties that reflect variations in the regional dust system driven by paleoclimate variability; 3) Long-term (~106 - 107yrs) weathering on the unglaciated Uinta summit upland has resulted in the formation of pedogenic clays from elemental building blocks delivered by atmospheric dust. Six undergraduate students will receive training in research techniques and each will complete independent research along with the opportunity to present at professional meetings.