Description
- Abstract:
- Today, more than any preceding time, understanding the response of terrestrial ecosystems to changes in climate is imperative due to the extremes to which we, as humans, are pushing the global climate system. Understanding the response of terrestrial ecosystems can be challenging, because for many ecosystems we have altered the landscape, and no natural analogues exist. In the past five years I have pioneered multiple biomarkers (i.e. alkenone unsaturation, compound specific H-isotopes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) for use in specific terrestrial environments. The records generated from these proxies show the influence of the waning of the Laurentide Ice Sheet on spring temperatures in the early Holocene and the influence of variability in the tropical Pacific ocean on both temperature and precipitation in the Northern Great Plains, U.S. The links shown here lead to new testable theories regarding the mechanisms of climate change. My dissertation presents the development of new organic biomarkers and new applications for existing biomarkers to create quantitative reconstructions of temperature (i.e. alkenone unsaturation ratio), growing season precipitation (i.e. H-isotopes of leaf waxes) for lakes of the Northern Great Plains, and wildfire (i.e. distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) in the southwestern United States where these records do not exist or extant proxies are confounded by other factors and provide limited information regarding links to global climate system. Finally, the closing chapter addresses the need for inspiring upcoming generations of scientists and bridging the gap between scientists and the general public by presenting an example of how primary teachers can use inquiry-based investigations centered on a local problem to engage students and teach content associated with state and national science standards.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2011)
Access Conditions
- Rights
- In Copyright
- Restrictions on Use
- Collection is open for research.
Citation
Toney, Jaime Lynn,
"Development and Application of Organic Biomarkers to Continental Paleoclimate Problems in the Interior of North America"
(2011).
Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z08050VN
Relations
Collection:
-
Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences department....