Abstract
Dust as a proxy for climate change: A record of Australian dust deposition in New Zealand during the Holocene
2005 Kaikoura Abstracts, p.52
Geological Society of New Zealand 50th Anniversary Conference, 2005 (Kaikoura, New Zealand)
2005
Abstract
The aridity of the Australian continent means dust storms are a common occurrence (McTainsh et al., 1989), with dust transport to New Zealand reported on numerous occasions resulting in red coloured snow and haze (Marx and McGowan, 2005). Contemporary dust events in Australia are strongly influenced by environmental conditions within dust source areas, in particular periods of drought, or increased windiness, to which dust transport rates rapidly respond (McTainsh et al., 2005). Therefore, dust deposition chronologies can be used as an excellent proxy for palaeoenvironmental conditions, such as the degree of aridity in dust source areas and changes in wind strength and dust transport pathways in response to changing synoptic circulation patterns. We present an 8000 year record of Australian dust deposition extracted from an omobrotrophic peat bog in Central Otago, New Zealand. Using novel tertiary and binary trace element mixing models dust extracted from the bog is provenanced to specific dust source areas within Australia on a catchment-geologic scale. Changing rates of dust deposition, along with the switching on or off of particular dust source areas within Australian are thus used to interpret paleoenvironmental conditions within the region.
Details
- Title
- Dust as a proxy for climate change: A record of Australian dust deposition in New Zealand during the Holocene
- Authors
- Samuel K Marx (Author) - University of QueenslandH A McGowan (Author) - University of QueenslandB S Kamber (Author) - Laurentian University
- Publication details
- 2005 Kaikoura Abstracts, p.52
- Conference details
- Geological Society of New Zealand 50th Anniversary Conference, 2005 (Kaikoura, New Zealand)
- Publisher
- Geoscience Society of New Zealand
- Date published
- 2005
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99450010702621
- Output Type
- Abstract
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