Steponas Kolupaila's contribution to hydrological science development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valiuškevičius, Gintaras

2017-08-01

Steponas Kolupaila (1892-1964) was an important figure in 20th century hydrology and one of the pioneers of scientific water gauging in Europe. His research on the reliability of hydrological data and measurement methods was particularly important and contributed to the development of empirical hydrological calculation methods. Kolupaila was one of the first who standardised water-gauging methods internationally. He created several original hydrological and hydraulic calculation methods (his discharge assessment method for winter period was particularly significant). His innate abilities and frequent travel made Kolupaila a universal specialist in various fields and an active public figure. He revealed his multilayered scientific and cultural experiences in his most famous book, Bibliography of Hydrometry. This book introduced the unique European hydrological-measurement and computation methods to the community of world hydrologists at that time and allowed the development and adaptation of these methods across the world.

Investigation into MIS 11 in the U.S. Great Basin Using Trace Elements and Stable Isotopes from two Lehman Caves Stalagmites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neary, A.; McGee, D.; Tal, I.; Shakun, J. D.

2015-12-01

Marine Isotope Stage 11 (MIS 11) represents a long interglacial period of high temperatures and muted orbital variability that occurred around 424-374 kya, and is referred to as a 'super-interglacial'. MIS 11 is marked by especially pronounced high latitude warming in the Northern Hemisphere from 410-400 ka and thus presents a natural experiment for investigating the response of Great Basin precipitation to high latitude temperatures.MIS 11 is recorded by stalagmites LC3 and BT1 from Lehman Caves in Great Basin National Park, Nevada. LC3 represents 378-413 ka, while BT1 has a bottom age of 410 ka. Ongoing U-Th dating will refine chronologies from these samples. We will present stable isotope (δ13C and δ18O) and trace element (Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca) data from these stalagmites to study changes in precipitation recorded in them. Previous studies have shown a relationship between Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, δ13C and prior calcite precipitation, and thus infiltration rates, in the cave system (Cross et al., 2015; Steponaitis et al., 2015). Meanwhile, δ18O has been shown to reflect larger scale atmospheric circulation.We will compare the records to previously published trace element and stable isotope data from more recent interglacials (Lachniet et al., 2014; Cross et al., 2015; Steponaitis et al., 2015) to test whether extensive high-latitude warming during MIS 11 was marked by anomalous precipitation patterns in the Great Basin. As they are coeval, we will also test the reproducibility between the stalagmites.References cited:Cross M., et al. (2015) Great Basin hydrology, paleoclimate, and connections with the North Atlantic: A speleothem stable isotope and trace element record from Lehman Caves, NV. Quaternary Science Reviews, in press.Steponaitis E., et al. (2015) Mid-Holocene drying the U.S. Great Basin recorded in Nevada speleothems. Quaternary Science Reviews, in press.Lachniet M. S., et al. (2014) Orbital control of western North America atmospheric circulation and climate

First Insights of the Eemian Hydroclimate of the Snowy Mountains, Australia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, M.; Wong, H.; McGrath, G. S.; McGowan, H. A.; Callow, J. N.

2016-12-01

Geologic archives from the Last Interglacial (LIG) provide an opportunity to investigate the likely impacts of a future warmer climate on the hydroclimate of regions sensitive to climate change. Here we present early results from the analysis of a stalagmite from the Yarrangobilly Caves complex in Kosciuszko National Park, Australia - a marginal alpine setting believed to be highly susceptible to the impacts of global warming. Five uranium-series dates show that this stalagmite grew continuously from 123.77 - 117.74 ka B.P. Trace element analysis (Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca) shows that Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca correlate at lags of 40 to 100 years during the period 122.21 ka - 120.37 ka (MIS 5e). Wavelet power spectra show significant periodicity at 60 years in both the Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca record during this time. During the period 120.2 ka - 119.8 ka the Sr/Ca record continues to display significant periodicity at 60 years, while similar periodicity at this scale in the Mg/Ca record is limited to 119.7 ka - 119.6 ka. While it has been suggested that Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca must covary and be in phase in order to interpret `wet' vs `dry' proxies (Tremaine & Froelich 2013), others have shown that Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca can move in and out of phase, attributed to wind-blown inputs of Sr (Frumkin & Stein 2004; Li et al. 2005; Cross et al. 2015). It has been suggested that, due to this and other factors that make Sr less likely to be concentrated during prior calcite precipitation, Mg/Ca may be a better indicator of infiltration rates (Steponaitis et al. 2015). The disconnect between Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca in our record suggests that they had different climatic forcings in south-east Australia during the LIG, and the breakdown in the relationship coincides with peak Mg/Ca in the record and peak SST in the Western Pacific (Lea 2004). Periodicity of 60 years is common in the global climate system and is thought to be astronomical in origin. This periodicity is similar also to the penta-decadal (50-70 yr) cycle of the