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Published on: March 31, 2023
The fluvial record of climate change
M G Macklin1, J Lewin, J C Woodward
1Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Ceredigion SY23 3DB, UK. mvm@aber.ac.uk
Summary
Fluvial landforms reveal past climate changes across millennia. Analyzing river sediments provides crucial data for understanding hydrological shifts and informing climate science and resource management.
Area of Science:
- Earth Science
- Paleoclimatology
- Hydrology
Background:
- Fluvial landforms and sediments serve as archives of past hydrological conditions.
- Reconstructing past river behavior requires accounting for tectonic, base-level, and human influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore field stratigraphic evidence of past hydrological conditions across three distinct time scales: the later Pleistocene, the Holocene, and the historical/instrumental period.
- To demonstrate the discernibility of various climate forcing mechanisms and variability within the fluvial record.
Main Methods:
- Field stratigraphic analysis of fluvial landforms and sediments.
- Integration of data from diverse field studies covering different time scales.
Main Results:
- Evidence of Croll-Milankovitch forcing, Dansgaard-Oeschger and Heinrich events found in the fluvial record.
- Millennial- to centennial-scale Holocene climate variability, likely linked to solar and ocean circulation, is identifiable.
- Recent flood-event variability is also discernible in fluvial archives.
Conclusions:
- Fluvial palaeohydrology offers a robust method for reconstructing past climate and hydrological conditions.
- Despite advances, the full potential of fluvial palaeohydrology remains untapped, impacting climatology, public health, and resource management.
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