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

对该项目的非技术性说明，解释了该项目的意义和重要性。大气粉尘是通过各种自然和人为过程在低地产生的。一旦被输送到高山环境，风媒粉尘就会产生一系列影响，包括改变地表水的pH值和化学成分，促进土壤形成，降低雪的反射特性。在落基山脉，最近对湖泊沉积物记录的研究表明，在过去的几个世纪里，粉尘沉积的速度有所增加，将低地盆地的人类土地利用与山区的粉尘沉积联系在一起。该项目将分析乌伊塔山积尘的数量和分布，以确定尘埃沉降率和性质的区域和年际变化。还将对高山湖泊的岩心进行调查，以确定过去数千年来随着大陆冰川消退和人类居住增加而风生沉积的变化。鉴于越来越多的证据表明，尘埃沉积在高山生态系统的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。这个项目将在一个以本科为主的机构进行，并将培养下一代研究科学家。项目的技术描述本项目将使用大量现有的湖泊沉积物岩心和土壤数据，以及新的粉尘和土壤收集，以检验三个互补的假说：1)粉尘通量和地球化学性质主要受美国西部区域源区内的干旱控制；2)来自Uintas高海拔湖泊的冰后沉积记录将记录物理性质的同步变化，反映由古气候变异性驱动的区域粉尘系统的变化；3)非冰川Uinta山顶高地长期(约106-107年)的风化作用导致了大气尘埃输送的元素积木形成成土粘土。六名本科生将接受研究技术培训，每个人都将完成独立研究，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.