Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Hydrologic Variation In The Northern Great Plains During The Last Two Millennia, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Emi Ito, Zicheng Yu, Kathleen R. Laird, Daniel R. Engstrom

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Reconstructions of lake-water salinity at decadal resolution for the last 2,000 years are compared among three lakes in North Dakota to infer regional patterns of drought. The intersite comparisons are used to distinguish local variation in climate or hydrology from regional patterns of change. At one lake, diatom-inferred salinity and lake-water Mg/Ca inferred from ostracode shell chemistry are coherent, both in terms of direction and magnitude of change, indicating that each is a robust technique for reconstructing lake-water chemistry. The data show that the last 2,000 years have been characterized by frequent shifts between high and low salinity, suggesting shifts …