Project funded by INQUA (Project 0704) and DRI

Introduction

Sand seas and dune fields contain the majority of aeolian sand in arid and semi-arid areas in low and mid latitudes. In addition, there are significant areas of dunes that have accumulated in past and present periglacial environments, as well as costal dune systems of varying extent. Their construction has been determined by climatic, tectonic, and sea level changes that have affected sand supply, availability, and mobility, as well as the preservation of deposits and landforms from prior episodes of aeolian construction.

As significant sedimentary deposits and landforms, sand seas and dune fields provide an archive of the effects of climate and sea level change on a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Dune systems provide a valuable source of information on past climate conditions, including evidence for periods of aridity and unique data on past wind regimes (Lancaster et al., 2002a; Sridhar et al., 2006).

Application of luminescence dating techniques has transformed studies of geomorphic and sedimentary environments in deserts and drylands and has necessitated a revision of conventional interpretations of sedimentary records and stratigraphic correlations (Singhvi and Porat, 2008). Although the exact interpretation of some luminescence ages is being debated, it now has become possible to develop detailed local and regional histories of dune development (e.g. and provide more precise correlations of periods of aeolian deposition to other palaeoclimatic proxies and records, including information on past vegetation communities, records of change in lacustrine and fluvial environments which act as sediment sources as well as complementary aeolian and other proxy records in ocean cores.

Although much new data has become available in recent years, paleoenvironmental reconstructions, especially in low latitudes, lag far behind the currently available information on periods of aridity and dune formation. Studies of the history and paleoenvironments of dune areas have progressed to the point at which is it possible and desirable to develop regional and global syntheses of periods of aeolian activity and stability, for correlation with other proxy records of climate change and for understanding the response of deserts and aeolian processes and landforms to climate change, including abrupt changes and possible future changes.

Objectives

The primary objective of this project is to develop a global database of geographically-located chronologic information on periods of aeolian sand deposition for desert and other inland dune fields and sand seas. The data will be accessed, analyzed, and visualized using a geographic information systems (GIS) approach.

The map database will incorporate information on dune chronology, dune trends, and stratigraphy as well as information on dune morphology and activity (active or stable), so enabling regional and global correlation of periods of dune development via construction of time-slice maps of dune activity and stability and their spatial extent. These compilations will be available for regional and global paleoclimate reconstructions using gridded data. All data and metadata will be accessible via a web interface in addition to a formal archive of the database at the World Data Center for Paleoclimatology.

To participate in the project, or for additional information please contact:

Nicholas Lancaster
Research Professor
Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences
Desert Research Institute
2215 Raggio Parkway
Reno, NV 89512-1095, USA
Nick.Lancaster@dri.edu