Paleoclimatic significance of Late Quaternary eolian deposition on the Piedmont and High Plains, Central United States

Forman, Steven L.; Oglesby, Robert J.; Markgraf, Vera; Stafford, Thomas W.

doi:10.1016/0921-8181(94)00015-6

Cited by 117 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Stratigraphic studies in eastern Colorado document regional, episodic eolian deposition around 6 ka (Jorgenson, 1992). Carbon dating of buried organic matter and thermoluminescence dating of sands in eastern Colorado and Nebraska also confirm the existence of mid-Holocene dune mobility at 6 ka (Forman et al, 1995). Model simulations Bartlein et al, 1998) suggest that at 6 ka the U.S. High Plains were 1 to 2 • C warmer than today during the summer growing season months of June, July, and August.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Response of Nebraska Sand Hills Natural Vegetation to Drought, Fire, Grazing, and Plant Functional Type Shifts as Simulated by the Century Model

et al. 2004

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Abstract. The Nebraska Sand Hills exist in a semi-arid climatic environment and the land surface is grassland growing on sandy soils. These soils have been periodically active throughout the Holocene, but are currently stabilized by the vegetation. However, a shift in climate could cause grassland death and eventual sand dune remobilization. Our studies used the CENTURY nutrient cycling and ecosystem model to investigate the impacts of drought, plant functional type, fire, grazing, and erosion on Nebraska Sand Hills vegetation and dune stability. Fire and grazing alone had little impact on the vegetation, but when combined with mild drought, biomass decreased. Overall biomass increased if one plant functional type was allowed to dominate the ecosystem. Addition of as little as 1 mm of erosion per year under current climate conditions decreases vegetation as much as a drought 20 percent drier than the worst of the 1930s drought years in Nebraska.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Response of Nebraska Sand Hills Natural Vegetation to Drought, Fire, Grazing, and Plant Functional Type Shifts as Simulated by the Century Model

et al. 2004

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“…For example, it has been hypothesized that the early Holocene was characterized by a significant decrease in the number of large storms over the U.S. midcontinent, because of increased zonal circulation and an eastward shift in the Bermuda high, relative to the present day [Knox, 1983;Forman et al, 1995]. Evidence from midcon- ?This is mean annual runoff, used in width-discharge relationship.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A stochastic approach to modeling the role of rainfall variability in drainage basin evolution

Tucker¹,

Bras²

2000

Water Resources Research

302

402

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Abstract. We develop a simple stochastic theory for erosion and sediment transport, based on the Poisson pulse rainfall model, in order to analyze how variability in rainfall and runoff influences drainage basin evolution. Two cases are considered: sediment transport by runoff in rills and channels and particle detachment from bedrock or cohesive soils. Analytical and numerical results show that under some circumstances, rainfall variability can have an impact equal to or greater than that of mean rainfall amount. The predicted sensitivity to rainfall variability is greatest when (1) thresholds for runoff generation and/or particle detachment are significant and/or (2) erosion and transport are strong nonlinear functions of discharge. In general, sediment transport capacity is predicted to increase with increasing rainfall variability. Depending on the degree of nonlinearity, particle detachment capacity may either increase or decrease with increasing rainfall variability. These findings underscore the critical importance of hydrogeomorphic thresholds and other sources of nonlinearity in process dynamics. The morphologic consequences of rainfall variability are illustrated by incorporating the pulse rainfall theory into a landscape simulation model. The simulation results imply that, all else being equal, catchments experiencing a shift toward greater climate variability will tend to have (1) higher erosion rates, (2) higher drainage density (because of increased runoff erosion efficiency), and ultimately (3) reduced relief. The stochastic approach provides a useful method for incorporating physically meaningful climate data within the current generation of landscape evolution models.

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“…Recent studies in the Nebraska Sand Hills suggest that dunes were active there during the mid-Holocene, as well as before and after this period (Loope et al, 1995;Stokes and Swinehart, 1997). In Colorado, there are few eolian sands dated directly to the mid-Holocene, but these localities combined with soil-geomorphic relations indicate the possibility of mid-Holocene dune activity (Madole, 1995;Forman et al, 1995;Muhs et al, 1996). On the Southern High Plains of Texas, Holliday (1995b) reports that eolian sand deposition into draws was at a maximum during the early to mid-Holocene, widespread by &7500 yr BP, but most important from 6500 to 4500 yr BP.…”

Section: Paleoclimatic Implications Of Northwesterly Paleowindsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, dunes in the Great Bend Sand Prairie with relatively well developed A/Bt/C soil pro"les (the Pratt series, a Psammentic Haplustalf) are not likely to be of late Holocene age, because such pro"les probably take several thousands of years to develop, based on data from Colorado (Madole, 1995;Forman et al, 1995;Muhs et al, 1996). Therefore, we hypothesize that eolian sand movement out of the Arkansas River was at a maximum during the mid-Holocene, under drier conditions and northwesterly winds, due to a greater residence time of dry, Paci"c-derived air over the region.…”

Section: Paleoclimatic Implications Of Northwesterly Paleowindsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA

Arbogast

Muhs

2000

Quaternary International

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Paleoclimatic significance of Late Quaternary eolian deposition on the Piedmont and High Plains, Central United States

Cited by 117 publications

References 53 publications

Response of Nebraska Sand Hills Natural Vegetation to Drought, Fire, Grazing, and Plant Functional Type Shifts as Simulated by the Century Model

Response of Nebraska Sand Hills Natural Vegetation to Drought, Fire, Grazing, and Plant Functional Type Shifts as Simulated by the Century Model

A stochastic approach to modeling the role of rainfall variability in drainage basin evolution

Geochemical and mineralogical evidence from eolian sediments for northwesterly mid-Holocene paleowinds, central Kansas, USA

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