NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — UNLV paleoclimatologists reveal how the Grand Canyon helps predict future climate change. The corresponding study was published in the scientific journal Nature.
The valleys of the Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, attract the attention and surprise of scientists and other researchers. However, according to recent research, its wonders extend even deeper, into mysterious caves. It was here, beneath millions of years of accumulated layers, that researchers found clues to a better understanding of future climate change.
A research team led by UNLV paleoclimatologist Professor Matthew Lachnet has recovered an ancient stalagmite from a Grand Canyon cave. This stalagmite became a kind of time capsule, allowing researchers to look into nature’s past.
By analyzing the chemical composition of the stalagmite, scientists were able to reconstruct the climate changes that occurred after the last ice age. They found that between 8,500 and 14,000 years ago, during a period known as the early Holocene, water levels entered the cave, indicating rapid warming and increased summer rainfall.
These results are of great importance, since the water that today replenishes underground reserves mainly comes from winter melting snow. However, during the early Holocene, summer and winter precipitation contributed to groundwater recharge. This means that future warming predicted due to climate change could lead to increased summer precipitation and higher groundwater levels.
“What was surprising about our results was that during the last warm period both the summer monsoon and cave infiltration increased, suggesting that summer was important for groundwater recharge in the Grand Canyon, although this is not the case today. important season for replenishing stocks,” emphasized Professor Lachnet.
Stalagmites have proven to be valuable witnesses to climate change. They grow over the years, accumulating calcite minerals from water droplets, and accurately record the history of precipitation. Analysis of uranium-234 isotopes allows researchers to estimate changes in precipitation between summer and winter, as well as the rate of groundwater recharge.
Today, summer water infiltration is of little importance to groundwater recharge in the Grand Canyon region. However, as temperatures rise and summer precipitation increases, the appearance of the Grand Canyon may change. How the projected decrease in winter precipitation and snow cover will affect groundwater is a question that requires further research.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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