Tapping outstanding new lake records of annual- to millennial-scale Holocene climate variability in the north Pacific region

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Understanding climate variability over a wide range of timescales is a primary objective of climate science research because it is likely to improve our ability to foresee future climate. The investigators will document past (Holocene = 12,000 years) climate changes on time scales ranging from annual to millennial using evidence from sediments stored in lakes around Anchorage, Alaska, where climate closely tracks the broader North Pacific region. In addition, the sedimentary records contain information about: (1) ash-fall hazards from Cook Inlet volcanoes, (2) the magnitude and frequency of major earthquakes, (3) changes in glacier meltwater input to Eklutna Lake, a major source of electricity and freshwater for Anchorage, and (4) long-term environmental variability, which serves as a baseline reference for recent ecosystem changes. The project will support early-career scientists and will train graduate and undergraduate students.This study will take advantage of the best annually laminated (varved) sediment -- among the most valuable sources of proxy climate data -- ever recovered from Alaska. Fluctuations in varve thickness and grain size of sediments recovered from the glacier-fed study lakes reflect major hydroclimate changes. In addition, new sediment cores from non-glacial lakes will provide a multi-proxy approach to understanding how shifts in the mean state of climate during the Holocene were associated with changes in north Pacific climate variability.