HR: 09:00h
AN: PP21D-05    [Abstracts]
TI: High-resolution approaches to understanding short- and long-term trends in speleothem geochemical records
AU: * Fairchild, I J
EM: i.j.fairchild@bham.ac.uk
AF: University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT United Kingdom
AU: Baker, A
EM: a.baker.2@bham.ac.uk
AF: University of Birmingham, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT United Kingdom
AU: Mattey, D
EM: mattey@gl.rhul.ac.uk
AF: Royal Holloway University of London, Department of Geology, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX United Kingdom
AU: Sp”tl, C
EM: Christoph.Spoetl@uibk.ac.at
AF: Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck, Institut fr Geologie und Pal„ontologie, Leopold-Franzens-Universit„t Innsbruck, Innrain 52, Innsbruck, 6020 Austria
AU: McDermott, F
EM: frank.mcdermott@ucd.ie
AF: University College Dublin, Department of Geology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
AU: Baldini, L
EM: lisa.baldini@ucd.ie
AF: University College Dublin, Department of Geology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4 Ireland
AU: McMillan, E A
EM: e.a.mcmillan@esci.keele.ac.uk
AF: Keele University, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University, Staffs, ST5 5BG United Kingdom
AU: Frisia, S
EM: frisia@mtsn.tn.it
AF: Museo Tridentino, Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, via Calepina 14, 38100 Trento, Italy, Trento, 38100 Italy
AU: Andreo, B
EM: Andreo@uma.es
AF: University of Malaga, Departamento de GeologĦa. Facultad de Ciencias. Universidad de M laga., M laga, 29071 Spain
AU: Borsato, A
EM: borsato@mtsn.tn.it
AF: Museo Tridentino, Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, via Calepina 14, 38100 Trento, Italy, Trento, 38100 Italy
AB: Speleothem geochemical records can display and allow accurate dating of large-scale reorganizations of the climate system. Whilst large shifts in oxygen isotope composition in climatically sensitive (e.g. monsoonal) areas can be confidently interpreted in terms of the nature and sense of change, most more subtle variations cannot be unambiguously interpreted from low-resolution records. The use of high-resolution (sub-annual) records allows the processes involved in change to be more confidently interpreted and examples are given from work in several current European projects. Whilst some cave drip sites are well-mixed through the year, others reveal the seasonality of dripwater composition, and sub-annual oxygen isotope records can record the varying contributions of different seasons. When coupled with improved understanding of meteorological controls on rainfall composition, both the nature and mechanisms of climatic change can be tackled. Carbon isotopic patterns can be strongly influenced by seasonal patterns of cave ventilation that could reveal, e.g. intensity of winter cold. These are superimposed on the better-known vegetation effects. Trace element patterns depend strongly on cave physiology and both seasonal dryness and seasonally varying cave ventilation are key controls in different cases. Caves dominated by seasonal dryness lend themselves to parallel interpretation of longer-term aridity through Sr and Mg trends. In contrast, Alpine caves show interlinked hydrological and cave ventilation controls that can be distinguished by annual patterns of different trace species such as Pb, Y and P (hydrological control) and S (ventilation control). The multi-proxy approach calibrated with reference to modern dripwater behaviour and speleothems forming during the instrumental climatic period provides a sound basis for the interpretation of long-term trends.
DE: 1022 Composition of the hydrosphere
DE: 3344 Paleoclimatology (0473, 4900)
DE: 4914 Continental climate records
DE: 4958 Speleothems
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005