HIGH RESOLUTION CLIMATE PROXIES FOR A LATE PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE LAKE, KAMPOOSA BOG, WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS

Members of the classes Gastropoda and Bivalvia are commonly studied in the fossil record by paleontologists, and can be used as biological indicators regarding past environmental changes. This study focuses on the sedimentary and fossil assemblages in a core from an inland lacustrine habitat located at Kampoosa Bog, Massachusetts. Kampoosa Bog is a relatively undisturbed Holocene lake that is now experiencing eutrophication. I hypothesize that the abrupt changes in fossil assemblages in the bog core reveal distinct alterations in climate and environment that are associated with the Younger-Dryas period. Loss on Ignition data from this study supports this association.

With the presence of a warmer, wetter climate (as evidenced by fossiliferous marls), gastropod and bivalve population composition increases and diversifies. During the times of cold, dry conditions, the gastropod and bivalve population is much decreased or non-existent. This study successfully showed that gastropods and bivalves are reliable environmental indicators, and that the changes in climate experienced at Kampoosa Bog are useful in understanding the Younger-Dryas to Holocene transition.