The Effects of Human and Natural Change on Western Connecticut Lakes

By using a combination of sedimentological, palynological, geochemical and geophysical techniques we attempt to quantify natural and anthropogenic influences on the vegetation of western Connecticut.  Our first study site is Mudge Pond north of Sharon, CT, which is located in a carbonate dominated watershed.
Sediment magnetic techniques will be used to reconstruct changes in land-use, erosion rates and storm events.  This information will be combined with the results of charcoal and stable isotope analyses, performed on authigenic carbonates, which will allow us to reconstruct changes in fire severity and summer temperatures.  Our study initially focusses on a high-resolution reconstruction of the last 2000 years, but will be extended later to cover the entire Holocene and late-Pleistocene.