Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Refreshments with Refreshing ‘Ologists: Ben Hatchett on ice ages and megadroughts

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

This post was written by Sarah Angulo, 2015 Mono Lake Intern.

Our lecture series continues this Wednesday, September 2 with our next presentation, Ice Ages and Megadroughts in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Starting at 4:00pm, Ph.D. student Ben Hatchett from the University of Nevada, Reno will be discussing his work in aligning Mono Lake’s past with that of nearby glacial moraines to paint a better picture of past climate changes.

Photo by Arya Degenhardt with aerial support by Lighthawk.
The Mono Basin’s interesting glacial history has left remnants on the landscape, like the moraines near Williams Butte. Photo by Arya Degenhardt with aerial support provided by Lighthawk.

Because terminal lakes such as Mono Lake and Walker Lake (in Nevada) have no outlet to the sea, their surface elevations reflect the climatic balance of precipitation and evaporation. Glacial moraines formed during ice ages offer a similar window from which we can view the millennial pulse of Earth’s climate cycles. Through studies of lake level and glacier size variability, we can better understand both how different the climate must have been during ice ages and megadroughts and how sensitive are these environments to changes in climate. Understanding these past climate events is crucial in planning for future climate changes. Ben will share with us new findings from studies of these lake systems from both ends of the “extreme climate” window that place our historical and current climate into a paleoclimate perspective.

If you’re in the area and want to learn more about this topic, be sure to join us in the Mono Lake Committee gallery. It’s free admission, and light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Can’t wait to see you!

2 Comments

  1. Alas… I can’t make the lecture this week, but would enjoy learning of the research Ben Hatchett has done and the discoveries found. If he has published his findings, I would appreciate hearing of the link to read.

    Best Wishes,
    Richard Beebe

  2. Hi Richard!

    Thank you for you interest. Ben Hatchett currently does not have anything published. He told me to let you know that there is a High Country News article with Scott Stine that also features some his research due to come out in the near future. Another option would be to send him an email. Contact me, Sarah, at Sarah.Angulo@monolake.org, and I can get you his information.