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Environmental Impacts on the Development and Dune Activity of Oxbow Lake along the Southwest Coast of Lake Michigan at Saugatuck, Michigan USA

Baca, Kira J
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1365161018

Abstract Details

2013, Master of Science, University of Toledo, Geology.
Coastal dunes of Lake Michigan and corresponding down-wind lakes are studied for links between dune activity and climatic forcing; to date, little is certain about climate control on dune activity. By unveiling relationships between climate variables and dune activity, it becomes possible to associate the activity of dunes with certain climatic conditions. In this study wind, temperature, precipitation, drought, evaporation, and lake level are correlated individually with 210Pb/137Cs/7Be dated sand deposits from core samples taken in a small lake in the lee side of a dune ridge near Saugatuck, Michigan. Linear regressions were run to evaluate the strength of their relationship year-by-year, and offsets of one to two years. Visual correlations were also attempted by evaluating the trends in the annular data sets. While year-by-year R2 values were not strong, or mixed results made them inconclusive, visually examined trends showed more promising correlations. The strongest correlations existed between sand percent by weight, drought, and lake level. Discrepancies between trends were acceptable within the limits of associated error with isotopic dating methods, and showed a relationship between rising or high lake levels, wet conditions, and strong eolian activity (based on increased presence of sand in lake sediment). The implications of this research are that dune activity is linked to periods of wet conditions and storminess, and results can be used as a modern analogue for coastal dune activity during times of high lake level.
Timothy Fisher, PhD (Committee Chair)
David Krantz, PhD (Committee Member)
Johan Gottgens, PhD (Committee Member)
Richard Becker, PhD (Committee Member)
157 p.
Climate Change; Earth; Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Geography; Geological; Geology; Geomorphology; Paleoclimate Science
dune; climate; coastal; Michigan; Lake Michigan; Oxbow Lake; Suagatuck; coastal processes; sand signals; Glew; Livingstone; eolian; Pb210; age dating; gamma spectroscopy; climate change

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Baca, K. J. (2013). Environmental Impacts on the Development and Dune Activity of Oxbow Lake along the Southwest Coast of Lake Michigan at Saugatuck, Michigan USA [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1365161018

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Baca, Kira. Environmental Impacts on the Development and Dune Activity of Oxbow Lake along the Southwest Coast of Lake Michigan at Saugatuck, Michigan USA . 2013. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1365161018.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Baca, Kira. "Environmental Impacts on the Development and Dune Activity of Oxbow Lake along the Southwest Coast of Lake Michigan at Saugatuck, Michigan USA ." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1365161018

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1365161018
592
© 2013, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Environmental Impacts on the Development and Dune Activity of Oxbow Lake along the Southwest Coast of Lake Michigan at Saugatuck, Michigan USA by Kira J Baca is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.