A high-resolution stable isotope record of climate change from northwestern New Jersey

This thesis examines climate variations in the mid-latitude terrestrial realm preserved in lacustrine sediments of northwestern New Jersey and how these records correlate to the Greenland ice cores. Glovers Pond, a small marl lake situated just north of the terminal moraine from the maximum Wisconsinan glaciation has preserved a record of climatic change in its sediments from about 19,000 years BP. High-resolution stable isotope data from cores are remarkably similar to events recorded in the oxygen isotope data from the GISP-2 ice cores, including the Boiling-Allerod warming, the Younger Dryas cold period, and the Pre-Boreal Oscillation. Radiocarbon ages from terrestrial macrofossils indicate these events are consistent with dates from the Greenland ice cores suggesting New Jersey and Greenland may be responding to similar driving mechanisms affecting climate.; A quantitative model of Glovers Pond was developed to estimate the response of oxygen and carbon isotopes to changes in the parameters associated with lake chemistry. Model generated results were compared to actual delta 13C and delta18O values from the freshwater bivalve, Pyganodon lacustris, and Chara sp., which have the potential of capturing sub-monthly changes in water chemistry. The delta 18O and delta13C values of the bivalve and the Chara sp. show variable correlation to model generated delta 18O and delta13C values but show a good correlation to lake level data reflected in water chemistry.; An alternate model allowed modifications to temperature and precipitation, represented as equations, to changes associated with climatic events to determine the responsiveness of the oxygen and carbon isotope reservoirs. The model, based on current conditions is able to generate data that is consistent with isotope data collected from the lake sediments and can be used to model the effects of precipitation and temperature changes associated with climatic events. Therefore, oxygen and carbon isotope data from Glovers Pond can be modeled to better understand changes observed in the stable isotope data over the last 19,000 years. The proximity of Glovers Pond to both the margin of the Laurentide ice sheet and to the North Atlantic makes this paleoclimate proxy record valuable for understanding the relation between ocean circulation and continental climate change.