P2C2: Testing the Timing of the Devils Hole Climate Record

该项目旨在重新评估内华达州标志性的魔鬼洞气候和水文记录，因为它是研究人员可获得的陆地气候变化最长的连续记录之一。“魔鬼洞”的记录激发了长达四分之一世纪的辩论，讨论区域和全球气候变化的原因及其与轨道强迫的关系。研究人员和他们的合作者已经收集了初步数据，表明该记录的特定关键部分具有异常的年龄，如果得到纠正，将大大改变对记录的解释。异常与在地下水位以下重要深度收集的样本有关。那些在地表附近收集的化石似乎没有异常的年龄。研究小组建议通过分析在不同深度收集的岩心来测试这些异常，并从最浅的岩心中获得准确的年代记录。他们还建议将记录时间向后延伸，以覆盖过去的100万年，并大幅提高记录的分辨率。研究小组还计划在魔鬼洞建立一个地下水位波动的记录。 尽管科学讨论有许多微妙之处，但争论的关键是轨道强迫在观测到的环境变化中可能发挥了多大作用。更广泛的影响包括帮助更好地了解在水资源至关重要的地区控制气候和降雨的因素，指导博士后研究学者，以及制作一部关于洞穴气候科学的电影，以魔鬼洞的水下研究为特色。

This project generally aims to reassess the iconic Devils Hole, Nevada record of climate and hydrology as it is one of the longest continuous records of terrestrial climate change available to researchers. The Devils Hole record has stimulated a quarter of a century of debate with regard to implications about the causes of regional and global climate change and its relationship, or lack thereof, to orbital forcing. The researchers and their collaborators have collected preliminary data that suggests that specific critical portions of this record have anomalous ages, which, if corrected, would change the interpretation of the record dramatically.The anomalies are associated with samples collected at significant depth below the water table. Those collected near the surface do not appear to have anomalous ages. The research team proposes to test for these anomalies by analyzing cores collected at different depths and obtain a record with an accurate chronology from the shallowest of the cores. They further propose to extend the record back in time to cover the past one million years and increase the resolution of the record substantially. The research team also plans to construct a record of fluctuations in the ground water table at Devils Hole. Although there are many subtleties to the scientific discussion, the crux of the debate is the degree to which orbital forcing may have played a role in the observed environmental changes.The Broader Impacts include helping to better understand the factors that control climate and rainfall in a region where water resources are critical, mentoring a postdoctoral research scholar, and the production of a film on cave climate science featuring underwater research at Devils Hole.