HR: 0800h
AN: PP11A-0216 [Abstracts]
TI: New Measurements from Old Boreholes: A Look at Interaction Between Surface Air Temperature and Ground Surface Temperature
AU: * Heinle, S M
EM: shannon.heinle@und.edu
AF: Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand
Forks, ND 58202,
AU: Gosnold, W D
EM: WillGosnold@mail.und.edu
AF: Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand
Forks, ND 58202,
AB:
We recently logged new field measurements of several boreholes throughout the Midwest, including North
Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska. We then compared these new measurements against measurements
previously obtained. Our comparisons included inverse modeling of past and recent measurements as well as
climate modeling based on past surface air temperatures obtained from the weather stations. The data show a
good correlation between climate warming in the last century and ground surface warming. Of particular
importance is that cooling of air temperatures beginning in the mid 1990s reflects in the ground surface
temperatures. The boreholes included in the study consist of three boreholes located in north central North
Dakota, including two deeper than 200 meters. Two boreholes in the southwestern part of South Dakota, and two
from southeastern South Dakota, all approximately 180 meters deep. Also included, were two boreholes (135
meters and over 200 meters deep) located in southwestern Nebraska, and two boreholes in the panhandle of
Nebraska, each over 100 meters deep. We obtained historical surface air temperature from climate stations
located near the boreholes, both from the United States Historical Climatology Network and from the Western
Regional Climate Center.
DE: 1699 General or miscellaneous
SC: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology [PP]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting