An Interpretation of Paleo and Future Climatology of Mayo Village

Paleoclimate of Mayo Village During Late Cretaceous Period (100 MYA)

The entire planet during the Cretaceous Period (100 MYA) was described as "greenhouse world" because of the high concentration of CO2 (g) from volcanic activity. The enhanced CO2 (g) in the atmosphere caused increased absorption of incoming and outgoing solar radiation, warming the entire planet and raising sea level. Warm, salty, shallow seas expanded across the globe and wind patterns were different due to altered tectonic locations.

Graphic Source: PaleoGeography and Geologic Evolution of
NorthAmerica: Late Cretaceous (100Ma).
http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/namK100.jpg. Updated: 2011 JUL.
Accessed: 2011 DEC 6.

Westerly winds developed only seasonally leading to ocean circulation dominated by sub tropical gyres. The result of warm, high salinity seawater in combination with paleo-wind patterns enhanced themohaline circulation and global heat transport leading to decreased temperature gradient between the poles and equator.  Annual temperature averages around globe were 68-86° F warmer (WOW!), and annual precipitation was 28% more than the present.  
Mayo Village's paleo-lat/long is relatively the same as today: ~ 64° N, 135 °  W. Mayo's west coast tectonic locale has not changed too much in the last 100 Ma, but the climate has.  In fact flora and fauna fossil analysis has indicated that arctic latitudes experienced annual average temperatures around 77°  F, little to no cold season, and no permafrost. The warmer temperatures are a consequence of enhanced global heat transport, increased levels of atmospheric CO2(g),  and lack of albedo (to warm to snow!).  

Graphic Source: Karen Carr Studio Inc.
http://www.karencarr.com/tmpl1.php?CID=411.
Accessed: 2011 DEC 10. 

Maritime Mayo had less of an annual temperature range, higher temperatures and magnified precipitation amounts.The picture presented here is an interpretation by an Australian museum of what the Arctic vegetation looked like during the Cretaceous period. Other climatic factors influencing Mayo were very different than present day.  Absence of the present day Rocky Mountain Range in addition to shallow sea inundation made Mayo's topography relatively different than what it is at the present. Lack of orographic blocking and coastal locale caused the paleoclimate to be more humid and characteristically maritime  instead of present day semi arid,  continental. In fact, isotopic analysis of O16 indicates that annual average global precipitation was 28% more than presently.  The Yukon was not a source region for cP air masses as they it is today. Instead paleo-air masses effecting climate in this region were most likely similar to mT air masses of the present. 

This is a subjective climograph I constructed for this area. In order to figure out relative average paleo-temperatures for Mayo I added ~68°  F to current day average temperatures and resulted in an average annual paleo-temperature of around 78°  F, very close to the 77°  F annual average arctic paleotemperature. To figure out the average paleo-precipitation amounts I used current data from Kodiak, AK weather station because it appears to have a similar present day,  maritime locale as Mayo  and than added 28% of that amount to account for the increased global paleo-precipitation amounts. 
Graphic Source: Composed by Qwyla Foutch, Data Source: Weather Channel: Kodiak AK. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USAK0133 and http://www.worldweather.org/083/c01232.htm. Environment Canada. Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000Accessed: 2011 DEC 12.

Present day climograph illustrates Mayo's large annual temperature range and low precipitation amounts. These are all due to the region's high latitude location, current wind and pressure systems, and  topography.
Graphic Source:  Composed by Qwula Foutch. Data Source:
http://www.worldweather.org/083/c01232.htm. Environment Canada.
Predicted FuturaClimate of Mayo Village, YT Based on Predicted Tectonic Movement

Above is  graphic representation of where Mayo (black star) will be located in 100 Ma. The future Mayo is still in the Northern Hemisphere but has shifted southwest to a new lat/long locale of ~ 50 ° N, 145-150 °  W.   The predicted change in Mayo's location will alter  wind patterns and ocean circulation. Presently Mayo is effected by the Polar Easterlies and polar ocean gyres that mitigate anticyclonic pressure systems. In the future, the region's climate will most be effected by the Westerlies and  the futuristic  North Pacific Ocean Current. 

Graphic Sources: Comparison of Today and 100 Ma from now. http://www.physics.uc.edu/~hanson/ASTRO/LECTURENOTES/ET/S04/Earth/comp1.html.
Accessed: 2011 DEC 10.

 

The future mid latitude location of Mayo will change which air masses and jet streams influence the weather phenomena. Future tectonic arrangement will cause the North Pacific Ocean current to transport warm water from the equator to Mayo at an enhanced velocity. Weather will likely increase in severity as  summer time, mT and cT air masses conflict with mP air masses.  Future midlatitude cyclones bearing lots of moisture from the cold, polar oceans and warm, equator ocean will change the Yukon regions winter climate into a stormy, icy, humid climate. Enhanced solar angle and heating of the land will result in low pressure during the summer that will continue to encourage milder, but  cool and humid conditions one could expect to experience near coastal, northwestern US. I found these digital graphics online that mimic what I would expect Mayo Lake to look like in 100 million years from now. 

Graphic Source: Sadhu Ramasamy.  The traveler on Planet Earth. http://my.opera.com/sadhuvan/blog/index.dml/tag/MY%20FAVOUR. Accessed: 2011 DEC 15.

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In 100 million years Mayo will be located on the south side, of the west coast within the North American Plate. The above video illustrates extensional forces and spreading within the North American Continent. This spreading out of the land will result in Horst/Graben systems i.e. Basin and Range type provinces with hills and lowlands. It is most wise to assume that the previous Rocky Mountain Range has already eroded and formed rock units that have been exposed through extensional tectonic processes. Mayo's future locale will be within this undulating topography. If Mayo is located within a lowland area, on the leeward side of a mountain it will be less effected by the increased precipitation caused by future atmospheric and ocean systems, and will be subjected to cold ponding. If Mayo is located on the windward side of a mountain range, the temperature and precipitation will increase substantially from current day averages. Fog (advection,sea, upslope) will become more prevalent throughout the area because of the conflicting oceanic temperatures, air masses and rugged topography. If Mayo

Graphic Source: YouTube, Citation: McDougal Littel. "Exploring Earth" http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es0807/

es0807page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization. Accessed: 2011 DEC 11.

Above is a subjective climograph I constructed using my interpretation of what the climate will be like in Mayo 100 Ma from now.  I increased the precipitation amounts to reflect what I believe to be a wet, stormy climate during the winter because of Mayo's new mide latitude, maritime locale between a polar ocean and warmer, subtropical North Pacific ocean. I also raised future temperatures to reflect a midlatitude, maritime, possibly highland locale. The annual temperature average reflects an increase from past conditions, as well as a decrease in range  because of the regions closer proximity to the equator. 

Graphic Source: Qwyla Foutch. Interpretative Climograph of Mayo 100 Ma into the Future.

Additional Sources:

Bice KL, Bralower TJ, Duncan RA, et al. Cretaceous Climate Ocean Dynamics: Future Directions for IODP. 2002 JUL 14-17. http://www.whoi.edu/ccod/CCOD_report.html#top Accessed: 2011 DEC 5.

Greenhouse Earth 100 MYA. School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai’i at Manoa. PPT. Accessed: 2011 DEC 5. www.soest.hawaii.edu/GG/FACULTY/POPP/Lecture9.ppt

Ludvigson G.A. Global Climate Change and the Cretaceous Greenhouse World. Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 1999. http://www.igsb.uiowa.edu/Mapping/greenhse/grnhouse.htm Accessed: 2011 DEC 5.