Global Change

Project Title: Spatial and Temporal Effects of Climate Change on Great Lakes Wetlands

Principal Investigator: Dr. Douglas A. Wilcox

Co-Investigators: Dr. Todd A. Thompson, Indiana Geological Survey; Dr. Steve J. Baedke, James Madison University; Dr. Robert K. Booth, Lehigh University; Dr. Kenneth Lepper, North Dakota State University; Dr. Erin Argyilan, Indiana University Northwest; Dr. James E. Meeker, Northland College; Martha L. Carlson, USGS-GLSC

Introduction

Our past work in chronosequences of ridges and swales produced a 4700-yr record of lake levels that serves as a proxy for climate change in the upper Great Lakes; paleoecological data that showed the response of wetland plant communities to past climate changes; modern vegetation data that correlated present plant communities with those characterized in the paleoecological record; and hydrologic data that suggested the importance of ground water in determining the localized response to climate change.  The objectives for this study are to meet the critical needs identified by our past work: develop a better understanding of ground-water influences, isostatic rebound, and tectonic events; obtain better resolution of lake level and climate changes over the past 1500 years and during the abrupt climate change from 4500 to 4000 years ago; implement testate amoebae paleohydrologic methods to develop additional proxies for climate change; implement all study methods at at least one site that contains a nearly complete record of ridges and swales; and develop meteorological transfer functions for our climate proxies to assist in management applications.  We are developing ground-water hydrology methodologies in two previously studied ridge and swale sites; conducting peatland paleohydrologic studies at several additional sites to develop strong and spatially explicit records of climate change; vibra-coring several additional ridge and swale systems to address the hydrograph, climate proxy, isostatic rebound, and tectonism questions; and conducting these and additional paleoecology and plant ecology studies at sites on Lake Huron that contains over 100 beach ridges encompassing the abrupt lake-level fall from 4500 to 4000 years ago and containing a large number of beach ridges and wetlands from the most recent 1500 years.  We will then develop the transform functions to assist management.  Study results will address sensitivity, causal mechanism, variability, and paleo-approach goals of the 5-yr Global Change Program; climate variability/change, water cycle, and ecosystems goals of the USCCSPSP; and will continue to assist in DOI and federal land-management decision-making.

Contact Information

Dr. Douglas A. Wilcox
USGS-Great Lakes Science Center
1451 Green Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone: 734-214-7256
Fax: 734-994-8780
E-mail: douglas_wilcox@usgs.gov