The Ka'ena Highstand of O'ahu, Hawai'i: Further Evidence of Antarctic Ice Collapse during the Middle Pleistocene

Marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 may well represent one of the most significant interglacial highstand events of the past million years. Ocean volume changes charted from coastal exposures imply partial or complete melting of some of the world's major ice caps during a middle Pleistocene interglacial. The coastal geology of both Bermuda and the Bahamas yields evidence of an MIS 11 highstand 20 m higher than present. Further support for this catastrophic episode in sea-level history is revealed in subtidal and intertidal deposits at +28 ± 2 m in O'ahu, Hawai'i. The stratigraphy, petrology, and uplift history of the Hawaiian deposits strongly suggest a correlation with MIS 11, and a compilation of amino acid racemization, uranium/thorium (alpha and mass spectrometry), and electron spin resonance ages shows a scatter between 300 and 550 kyr. When corrected for uplift, the Ka'ena Highstand succession at Wai'anae Health Center (OWH1) reveals a "stepping up" of sea level through the interglaciation, similar to that described in the Bahamas. Previous studies on O'ahu attributed all 28 m elevation of the Ka'ena Highstand to uplift since 0.5 Ma, but now it appears that only 8 m of that was caused by uplift, and the remaining 20 m by eustatic sea-level rise. These findings from O'ahu strengthen evidence for the complete disintegration of the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets and partial melting of the East Antarctic ice sheet during the middle Pleistocene. If the instability of polar ice sheets can be linked to prolonged warm interglaciations as the data suggest, then existing conservative predictions for the magnitude of sea-level change by future "greenhouse" warming are seriously underestimated

The biogeography and geomorphology of the Niobrara River Valley near Valentine, Nebraska.

Within the study area located near Valentine, Nebraska, the Niobrara River is deeply entrenched in Tertiary siltstones and sandstones, and covered with Pleistocene and Holocene eolian deposits of sand and loess. The 100 m depth of the valley reflects the entrenchment. Periods of equilibrium of the river are indicated by the numerous benchlands that lie within and adjacent to the valley. Mass wasting in the forms of landslides and creep significantly alter the form of these terracelands when it is combined with the shifting of the river and saturation by groundwater. Many of the terraces have been correlated with climatic events of the Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. There is some evidence of uplift in the area. The stratigraphy of the low terraces reflects the overall downcutting interspersed with periods of aggradation. Some elements of vegetative community are unique to the grasslands, to Nebraska, and to the Great Plains. Representatives of the Rocky Mountain, eastern deciduous, and northern forests interact with variables of topography, stratigraphy, and microclimate. Active landslides and newly exposed terraces are revegetated in a definite sequence from annuals to hardwood forests or to grasslands in some cases. The parallel zones of woody vegetation on the right bank is disrupted by mass wasting events. The paper birch is a Pleistocene relic and thrives in the valley under stringent habitat requirements such as north facing slopes, springs, and shade of other trees. The results of this study are numerous and diverse. However, in a synthesis, they present a concept of the dynamic interaction of the physical and biological factors in the area. From these individual factors, a grander hypothesis was formulated that describes the Niobrara River as the principal contributor of sand in the formation of the Nebraska Sandhills

On the MBM12 Young Association

I present a comprehensive study of the MBM12 young association (MBM12A). By combining infrared (IR) photometry from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) survey with new optical imaging and spectroscopy, I have performed a census of the MBM12A membership that is complete to 0.03 Msun (H~15) for a 1.75deg X 1.4deg field encompassing the MBM12 cloud. I find five new members with masses of 0.1-0.4 Msun and a few additional candidates that have not been observed spectroscopically. From an analysis of optical and IR photometry for stars in the direction of MBM12, I identify M dwarfs in the foreground and background of the cloud. By comparing the magnitudes of these stars to those of local field dwarfs, I arrive at a distance modulus 7.2+/-0.5 (275 pc) to the MBM12 cloud; it is not the nearest molecular cloud and is not inside the local bubble of hot ionized gas as had been implied by previous distance estimates of 50-100 pc. I have also used Li strengths and H-R diagrams to constrain the absolute and relative ages of MBM12A and other young populations; these data indicate ages of 2 +3/-1 Myr for MBM12A and 10 Myr for the TW Hya and Eta Cha associations. MBM12A may be a slightly evolved version of the aggregates of young stars within the Taurus dark clouds (~1 Myr) near the age of the IC 348 cluster (~2 Myr).Comment: to be published in The Astrophysical Journal, 41 pages, 14 figures, also found at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/sfgroup/preprints.htm

Interferometric Observations of the T Tauri Stars in the MBM 12 Cloud

We have carried out a millimeter interferometric continuum survey toward 7 YSOs in the MBM 12 cloud. Thermal emissions associated with 2 YSOs were detected above the 3-$\sigma$ level at 2.1 mm, and one also showed a 1.3 mm thermal emission. Another object was marginally detected at 2.1 mm. Spectral energy distributions of the YSOs are well fitted by a simple power-law disk model. Masses of the circumstellar disks are estimated to be an order of 0.05 M_{\sun}. The circumstellar disks in the MBM 12 cloud have properties in common with the disks in nearby star-forming regions, in terms of disk parameters such as a disk mass, as well as an infrared excess.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted by ApJ Letter