This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Carson, E. C. Articles by Munroe, J. S. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Tree-ring based streamfiow reconstruction for Ashley Creek, northeastern Utah: implications for palaeohydrology of the southern Uinta Mountains

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Geology and Geophysics, Lewis G. Weeks Hall, 1215 W. Dayton Street, Madison WI 53706, USA; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Geography, Science Hall, 550 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706 USA; San Jacinto College Geology Department, 5800 Uvalde Road, Houston TX 77049, USA eric.carson{at}sjcd.edu

Jeffrey S. Munroe

Middlebury College, Department of Geology, Bicentennial Hall, Middlebury VT 05753, USA

Two ring-width chronologies from Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menzeisii) and one from pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) were used to reconstruct mean annual discharge of Ashley Creek in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, for the years AD 1637-1970. A backward-elimination multiple linear-regression model identified six statistically significant variables, including annual lags ranging from 1 to +2 years. The final model explains 71% of variability (R² adjusted for degrees of freedom lost) when regressed against the annual discharges recorded for 1915-72. Statistical analysis of the model reconstruction using the reduction-of-error statistic, the Durbin-Watson statistic and the hypergeometric distri bution all indicate fidelity of the model for reconstructing discharge. The Lilliefors' test indicates that years of extreme discharge (greater than the 90th percentile or less than the 10th percentile) are non-randomly distributed between 1637 and 1970. Persistent years of above-median discharge as well as non-random clustering of years above the 90th percentile occurred from 1692-1704 and 1898-1945. Analysis of the modern gauge data set shows that mean annual discharge on Ashley Creek explains between 81% and 91% of the variations of mean annual discharge on the other main stream in the southern Uinta Mountains, indicating that reconstructed mean annual discharge on Ashley Creek is representative of palaeohydrologic conditions across the south flank of the range. These data suggest that the southern Uinta Mountains experienced persistent below-median discharge for 1741-1897, through the peak of the ‘Little Ice Age’ as identified in numerous surrounding mountain ranges in the Central Rockies. This interpretation agrees with lichenometric evidence for extremely limited ‘Little Ice Age’ glacial activity in the Uintas, indicating that the range experienced unusually warm/dry conditions at this time.

Key Words: Pseudotsuga menzeisii • Pinus edulis • dendroclimatology • palaeohydrology • drought • Uinta Mountains • Utah

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. C. Carson, J. C. Knox, and D. M. Mickelson Response of bankfull flood magnitudes to Holocene climate change, Uinta Mountains, northeastern Utah GSA Bulletin, September 1, 2007; 119(9-10): 1066 - 1078. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]