Reconstructing Long-Term Environmental and Climatic Change in the Great Lakes Region Through Paleoecology

In the Great Lakes region of North America, sediments preserved within lakes and wetlands have accumulated nearly continuously since the retreat of continental glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age approximately 14,000 years ago. These deposits are important archives of numerous biological and physical indicators (“proxies”) of past environmental and climate conditions. This talk will introduce the audience to the science of paleoecology – the study of past environmental conditions – and how it is used to better understand the dynamic nature of the past vegetation, landscapes, climates, and human impacts within the Great Lakes region. Through examples taken from current research projects, this talk will highlight the critical importance and relevance of paleoecology to present and future environmental and climate-change challenges within the Great Lakes region and beyond.