HR: 1340h
AN: U13B-1165    [Abstracts]
TI: Gains in efficiency and scientific potential of continental climate reconstruction provided by the LRC LacCore Facility, University of Minnesota
AU: * Noren, A
EM: noren021@umn.edu
AF: University of Minnesota Department of Geology and Geophysics, Limnological Research Center 500 Pillsbury Dr SE Rm 672, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
AU: Brady, K
EM: brad0311@umn.edu
AF: University of Minnesota Department of Geology and Geophysics, Limnological Research Center 500 Pillsbury Dr SE Rm 672, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
AU: Myrbo, A
EM: amyrbo@umn.edu
AF: University of Minnesota Department of Geology and Geophysics, Limnological Research Center 500 Pillsbury Dr SE Rm 672, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
AU: Ito, E
EM: eito@umn.edu
AF: University of Minnesota Department of Geology and Geophysics, 310 Pillsbury Dr SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
AB: Lacustrine sediment cores comprise an integral archive for the determination of continental paleoclimate, for their potentially high temporal resolution and for their ability to resolve spatial variability in climate across vast sections of the globe. Researchers studying these archives now have a large, nationally-funded, public facility dedicated to the support of their efforts. The LRC LacCore Facility, funded by NSF and the University of Minnesota, provides free or low-cost assistance to any portion of research projects, depending on the specific needs of the project. A large collection of field equipment (site survey equipment, coring devices, boats/platforms, water sampling devices) for nearly any lacustrine setting is available for rental, and Livingstone-type corers and drive rods may be purchased. LacCore staff can accompany field expeditions to operate these devices and curate samples, or provide training prior to device rental. The Facility maintains strong connections to experienced shipping agents and customs brokers, which vastly improves transport and importation of samples. In the lab, high-end instrumentation (e.g., multisensor loggers, high-resolution digital linescan cameras) provides a baseline of fundamental analyses before any sample material is consumed. LacCore staff provide support and training in lithological description, including smear-slide, XRD, and SEM analyses. The LRC botanical macrofossil reference collection is a valuable resource for both core description and detailed macrofossil analysis. Dedicated equipment and space for various subsample analyses streamlines these endeavors; subsamples for several analyses may be submitted for preparation or analysis by Facility technicians for a fee (e.g., carbon and sulfur coulometry, grain size, pollen sample preparation and analysis, charcoal, biogenic silica, LOI, freeze drying). The National Lacustrine Core Repository now curates ~9km of sediment cores from expeditions around the world, and stores metadata and analytical data for all cores processed at the facility. Any researcher may submit sample requests for material in archived cores. Supplies for field (e.g., polycarbonate pipe, endcaps), lab (e.g., sample containers, pollen sample spike), and curation (e.g., D-tubes) are sold at cost. In collaboration with facility users, staff continually develop new equipment, supplies, and procedures as needed in order to provide the best and most comprehensive set of services to the research community.
UR: http://www.laccore.org
DE: 1616 Climate variability (1635, 3305, 3309, 4215, 4513)
DE: 1637 Regional climate change
DE: 1694 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1845 Limnology (0458, 4239, 4942)
DE: 4914 Continental climate records
SC: Union [U]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting