Loess and Eolian Dust
Loess and Eolian dust refer to silt-sized material deposited on the Earth surface by winds. Extensive loess deposits formed during the Ice Ages in areas bordering large, continental glaciers. These deposits provide some of the most dramatic examples of changes in climate and the effect of processes that shape the landscape. Successive layers are often analyzed to provide a history of the winds and surface processes through time.
Obtaining Data at the World Data Center
Search Datasets
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Google Earth Map
Locate and download loess studies using a Google Earth map interface. Google Earth must be installed to use this search tool. -
Interactive Map
Select study locations by region, proximity to a point or, text-based attributes. -
Search All Paleoclimatology Data
Access a free text search of our entire study archive. -
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Catalog Service for the Web
Harvest paleoclimate study metadata records using an OGC web service.
Browse Datasets
- List of Loess Datasets by Title and Investigator
- Loess Datasets from Our FTP Site
- Stacked Lingtai/Zhaojiachuan, China Loess Quartz Grain Size and Magnetic Susceptibility Data, Text or Excel, Clemens et al. 2008
- DIRTMAP Global Eolian Flux Database, Last Glacial Maximum, Late Holocene, and Modern: Version 2 all data, or individual Version 2 tables by source type. (Version 1 database tables are also available)
- Lingtai, China Loess Stratigraphy and Description, Ding et al. 1999
- China Loess Plateau Data, Text or Excel, Guo et al. 2009
- China Loess Plateau Optical and Radiative Effects Data, Text or Excel, Qin et al. 2009
- Ili Basin and China Loess Plateau 80ky Magnetic Data, Text or Excel, Song et al. 2010
- China Loess Plateau 8my Magnetic Susceptibility Data, Text or Excel, Song et al. 2007
- China Loess Plateau Mass Accumulation Rate Data, Text or Excel, Sun and An 2005
- Lingtai Loess 7Ma MagSus, Grain Size, and Carbonate Data, Text or Excel, Sun et al. 2010
- China Loess Plateau 60KYr Grain Size Data, Text or Excel, Sun et al. 2012
- China Loess Plateau Grain Size and Magnetic Susceptibility Data, Text or Excel, Sun et al. 2010
- China Loess Plateau Grain Size and Magnetic Susceptibility Data, Text or Excel, Sun et al. 2006
- Mid-continent United States Peoria Loess Thickness Data, Kohfeld et al.
- Climate Forcing Ice Core Tropospheric Aerosol Data
Loess Projects
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Dust Indicators and Records from Terrestrial and MArine Palaeoenvironments (DIRTMAP) Database
An initiative to produce a data compilation of dust deposits from the Last Glacial Maximum, Holocene, and Modern periods. -
Mid-Continental USA Peoria Loess Thickness
Late Wisconsin (Peoria) Loess of the mid-continental USA represents the thickest deposition of last glacial loess in North America.
Contributing Data
Investigators who wish to contribute their data to our loess archive can find information on contributing below. Data and study description information can be contributed by emailing your data to paleo@noaa.gov.
