Molecular views of past changes in the North American Monsoon

北美季风(NAM)为美国西南部和墨西哥东北部带来了急需的降雨，维持了农业、城市地区和索诺兰沙漠独特的生物群。该项目旨在阐明不结盟运动对过去气候变化的反应，希望改善对该地区未来气候变化的预测。具体地说，该项目将利用加利福尼亚州海湾和墨西哥边缘沉积物中沉积的树叶蜡的氢同位素组成，重建过去不结盟运动强度的变化。这项研究将侧重于了解季风对冰川等全球冷期和地区性暖期(如太阳辐射季节变化引起的暖期)的反应。古气候数据将与气候模拟模拟的结果相结合，以了解不结盟运动地区气候变化的机制。该项目将采用分层指导系统，邀请博士后助理、研究生、本科生和高中生参与研究要素。这将通过与亚利桑那州-索诺拉沙漠博物馆(ASDM)的伙伴关系来促进，该博物馆的教育使命补充了该项目的研究目标。参加ASDM初级讲解员计划的高中生将通过沙漠博物馆植物蜡项目直接参与拟议的研究，该项目是对植物蜡的现代研究，将为我们的古气候解释提供背景。研究小组还将与ASDM工作人员和青年讲解员合作开发索诺兰沙漠气候变化工具包，由青少年讲解员向博物馆的普通公众参观者展示。此外，首席调查员将继续在博物馆举办关于索诺拉气候和气候变化的公开讲座。

The North American monsoon (NAM) brings much-needed rain to the U.S. Southwest and northeastern Mexico, sustaining agriculture, urban areas, and the unique biome of the Sonoran Desert. This project aims to clarify the response of the NAM to climatic changes in the past, in hopes of improving predictions of future climate change in the region. Specifically, this project will reconstruct past changes in the intensity of the NAM through use of the hydrogen isotopic composition of leaf waxes deposited in sediments from the Gulf of California and the Mexican Margin. The research will focus on understanding the response of the monsoon to globally cool periods such as glaciations, and regionally warm periods such as those caused by seasonal changes in solar insolation. The paleoclimate data will be synthesized with output from climate modeling simulations to understand the mechanisms of climate change in the NAM region.This project will employ a tiered mentoring system to engage a postdoctoral associate, graduate students, undergraduates, and high school students in elements of the research. This will be facilitated by a partnership with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM), whose educational mission complements the research goals of this project. High school students participating in the ASDM Junior Docent program will be directly involved in the proposed research through the Desert Museum Plant Wax Project, a modern study of plant waxes that will provide context for our paleoclimate interpretations. The research team will also work with ASDM staff and the Junior Docents to develop a Sonoran Desert Climate Change Kit, which will be presented by the teen docents to the general public visitors of the Museum. Additionally, the Principal Investigator will continue to give public lectures at the Museum concerning Sonoran climate and climate change.