| Thesis Abstract–Idaho State University (2022)
Stable isotope analysis of lake sediments was applied to provide a record of
environmental changes in south-central Alaska following deglaciation from the Last Glacial
Maximum. This record reveals unique insights on climate variability from the water-balance
perspective, including abrupt climate reversals in the late-glacial period, with water supply
lowest in the early Holocene and generally increasing towards the present. Significant Holocene
changes in regional moisture supply correspond with inferred changes in atmospheric circulation
over the North Pacific. These alterations in water balance appear to be highly influential on
nutrient sourcing to the lake basin through time, indicating the impact of climate change on
carbon and nitrogen exchanges between terrestrial and aquatic systems.
Key Words:
Stable Isotope Analysis
Limnology
Climate Variability
Glaciation
Water Balance
Aleutian Low
Nutrient Cycling |