New Long Pond, Massachesetts Lake Level data during the Holocene Newby, P.E.; Donnelly, J.P.; Shuman, B.N.; MacDonald, D. Newby, P.E. Donnelly, J.P. Shuman, B.N. MacDonald, D. Other Hydroclimate Reconstruction earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (age,null,null,calendar year before present,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (lake level,null,range upper bound,centimeter,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (lake level,null,null,centimeter,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,Elevation below modern; Multi-core sediment stratigraphy constrains lake elevation) earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (lake level,null,range lower bound,centimeter,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,Elevation below modern; Multi-core sediment stratigraphy constrains lake elevation) earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (lake level,null,range upper bound,centimeter,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,Elevation below modern; Multi-core sediment stratigraphy constrains lake elevation) earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (lake level,null,range lower bound,centimeter,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (lake level,null,null,centimeter,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,climate reconstructions|lake levels|paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/lake levels (New Long Pond, Massachusetts>LATITUDE 41.85>LONGITUDE -70.6777) A principal method for studying past hydroclimatic change is the reconstruction of paleo-lake levels. Here, we provide high-resolution lake-level records from New Long Pond and Rocky Pond in southeastern Massachusetts, which each contain evidence for multiple, sub-centennial-to-millennial scale low stands during the transition between the Late Pleistocene (15.0 ka) and Middle Holocene (ca 7.0 ka). Data from New Long Pond also demonstrate sedimentary evidence for a drop in water levels in the early to mid AD 20th century, when long-term trends in instrumental data show lower-than-average precipitation in the northeastern United States. Local data show the most precipitous declines in precipitation and groundwater levels are concurrent with the most severe drought in the AD 1960s, which occurred during a period of low sea-surface temperatures in the western North Atlantic. Ground penetrating radar and sediment core data indicate five intervals with numerous paleo-shoreline deposits between ca 15.0 and 7.0 ka, similar to the layer deposited in the AD 1960s. Many of the intervals of low lake levels coincide with proposed meltwater release events or abrupt climate oscillations in the circum North Atlantic. For example, we document at least three low stands during the Younger Dryas (12.9-11.6 ka) and in association with the "9.2" and "8.2" ka events. The combined evidence of (1) concurrent paleo-droughts in southeastern New England with documented North Atlantic abrupt cooling events and (2) recent drought with the modern association of low sea-surface temperatures indicates that freshening and cooling of the western North Atlantic is a viable mechanism for decreasing moisture within the region. Large-scale changes in seasonality and ice sheet extent also may have increased the susceptibility of the northeast to dry conditions triggered by changes in the North Atlantic. STUDY NOTES: Lake level units are in "cm below modern level", so positive values indicate a drop in lake level. Contributed as part of the PAGES2k North American Hydroclimate synthesis project. NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Newby, P.E. Investigator : Donnelly, J.P. Investigator : Shuman, B.N. Investigator : MacDonald, D. 2017-11-15 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/23074 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/pages2k/NAm2kHydro-2017/data-version-1.0.0/NewLong.Newby.2014.lpd https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/pages2k/NAm2kHydro-2017/noaa-templates/data-version-1.0.0/NewLong.Newby.2014.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/pages2k/NAm2kHydro-2017/data-version-1.0.0/NewLong.Newby.2014.lpd https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/pages2k/NAm2kHydro-2017/noaa-templates/data-version-1.0.0/NewLong.Newby.2014.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/23074 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/pages2k/NAm2kHydro-2017/data-version-1.0.0/NewLong.Newby.2014.lpd https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/pages2k/NAm2kHydro-2017/noaa-templates/data-version-1.0.0/NewLong.Newby.2014.txt Newby, Paige E., Jeffrey P. Donnelly, Bryan N. Shuman, and Dana MacDonald2009Evidence of centennial-scale drought from southeastern Massachusetts during the Pleistocene/Holocene transitionQuaternary Science Reviews2817-181675-169210.1016/j.quascirev.2009.02.020 Newby, Paige E., Bryan N. Shuman, Jeffrey P. Donnelly, Kristopher B. Karnauskas, and Jeremiah Marsicek2014Centennial-to-millennial hydrologic trends and variability along the North Atlantic Coast, USA, during the HoloceneGeophysical Research Letters411210.1002/2014GL060183 START YEAR: 11900 cal yr BP * END YEAR: 50 cal yr BP -70.6777 41.85 -70.6777 41.85