Late Holocene hydroclimate change inferred from δ18O of lake sediments, Lost River Range, Idaho

High-resolution paleohydrological records are needed to assess the frequency and magnitude of past droughts in Idaho and the northern Rocky Mountain region, but are scarce in this semi-arid region. Sediments from Lost Keys Pond (LKP) can be used to reconstruct hydroclimate. LKP is closed to surface outflow and is therefore sensitive to precipitation minus evaporation; surface water is enriched in δ18O compared to the local meteoric waters. In summer 2011 several sediment cores were collected from LKP using a square rod piston corer; the focus of this analysis is an 82-cm Bolivia core. This core contains thinly banded to laminated, authigenic carbonate mud, a recorder of lake δ18O at the time of deposition. This core was sampled for δ18O and /δ13C at 0.5 cm intervals, and the <20 um fraction was isolated to avoid any detrital carbonate. Based on the current age model, sampling at this interval records sub-decadal (5-10 year) hydroclimate variability. The δ18O signal recovered has 5‰ variability over the length of the record, including several major fluctuations in last 1,000 years. During this period, several major dry and wet periods have been recorded occurring over multidecadal timescales, with a trend toward increasing aridity. The δ18O and δ13C records in the lowest decimeter are divergent and mirror each other, above this interval isotopic records have strong covariance. This pattern may be indicative of a change from surface outflow to no surface outflow conditions. The age model is being refined to better assess how this record correlates with other regional records, and ultimately improve our understanding of past atmospheric circulation.