A HIGH-RESOLUTION HOLOCENE CLIMATIC RECORD FROM THE WHITE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

Evidence of millennial to centennial-scale climate oscillations has been found in marine sediment and glacial ice cores taken from the North Atlantic region. Whether or not these oscillations punctuate the Holocene climate of eastern North America remains to be determined. High elevation ponds located at ecotonal boundaries provide the most likely sites to register brief, small-magnitude climate fluctuations. Speck Pond (1050 masl) located in the White Mountains of Maine has yielded a complete Holocene record of climatic change. A high-resolution loss-on-ignition analysis from Speck Pond will be used to infer general trends of Holocene climate. A spectral analysis has been conducted to determine the dominant climate frequencies. A paleotemperature analysis using chironomids (midges) has also been completed for the most significant climate oscillation found. Surplus Pond (600 masl), a morphometrically similar site to Speck Pond will also be examined for Holocene climate variability. Preliminary data from Speck Pond suggest a rhythmic Holocene climate with a persistent ~1,400 year variance maxima oscillation and a 4.0 oC temperature decline through the 8200 event.