Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USA
Temperature-index modeling is used to determine the magnitude of temperature depression in the northern Sawatch Range required to maintain steady-state mass balances of six reconstructed glaciers at their extent during the local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM), dated at ~21 ka. Assuming no significant d...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Quaternary |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/2/4/36 |
| _version_ | 1819016028139552768 |
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| author | Keith A. Brugger Chester A. Ruleman Marc W. Caffee Cody C. Mason |
| author_facet | Keith A. Brugger Chester A. Ruleman Marc W. Caffee Cody C. Mason |
| author_sort | Keith A. Brugger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Temperature-index modeling is used to determine the magnitude of temperature depression in the northern Sawatch Range required to maintain steady-state mass balances of six reconstructed glaciers at their extent during the local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM), dated at ~21 ka. Assuming no significant differences in precipitation compared to modern values, mean annual temperatures in the region were on average 8.8 + 0.5/− 0.8 °C cooler than they are today. Allowing for modest (± 10 cm) increases or decreases in precipitation, required temperature depressions only differ by ±0.2 °C. Temperature depression in the northern Sawatch Range is consistent, although slightly greater, with those determined in other ranges in Colorado using similar approaches. The estimates presented here are, however, substantially less than those suggested by several downscaled simulations of global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate, that might be due to the need for improved calibration of such downscalings, or the models from which they are derived. Our estimates of LGM temperature depression are considerably greater than that previously determined in the study area and those in two other ranges in Colorado derived using different methodologies, the latter being most likely responsible for the discrepancies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T02:41:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2b92251f056944ad8ff7ee12592e3616 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-550X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T02:41:07Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Quaternary |
| spelling | doaj.art-2b92251f056944ad8ff7ee12592e36162022-12-21T19:18:40ZengMDPI AGQuaternary2571-550X2019-10-01243610.3390/quat2040036quat2040036Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USAKeith A. Brugger0Chester A. Ruleman1Marc W. Caffee2Cody C. Mason3Geology Discipline, University of Minnesota, Morris, MN 56267, USAU.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO 80225, USADepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USADepartment of Geosciences, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA 30118, USATemperature-index modeling is used to determine the magnitude of temperature depression in the northern Sawatch Range required to maintain steady-state mass balances of six reconstructed glaciers at their extent during the local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM), dated at ~21 ka. Assuming no significant differences in precipitation compared to modern values, mean annual temperatures in the region were on average 8.8 + 0.5/− 0.8 °C cooler than they are today. Allowing for modest (± 10 cm) increases or decreases in precipitation, required temperature depressions only differ by ±0.2 °C. Temperature depression in the northern Sawatch Range is consistent, although slightly greater, with those determined in other ranges in Colorado using similar approaches. The estimates presented here are, however, substantially less than those suggested by several downscaled simulations of global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate, that might be due to the need for improved calibration of such downscalings, or the models from which they are derived. Our estimates of LGM temperature depression are considerably greater than that previously determined in the study area and those in two other ranges in Colorado derived using different methodologies, the latter being most likely responsible for the discrepancies.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/2/4/36last glacial maximumpaleoclimatetemperature-index modelsawatch rangecolorado |
| spellingShingle | Keith A. Brugger Chester A. Ruleman Marc W. Caffee Cody C. Mason Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USA Quaternary last glacial maximum paleoclimate temperature-index model sawatch range colorado |
| title | Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USA |
| title_full | Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USA |
| title_fullStr | Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USA |
| title_short | Climate during the Last Glacial Maximum in the Northern Sawatch Range, Colorado, USA |
| title_sort | climate during the last glacial maximum in the northern sawatch range colorado usa |
| topic | last glacial maximum paleoclimate temperature-index model sawatch range colorado |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-550X/2/4/36 |
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