Research Article| March 01, 2007 Hydrologic response of the Crow Wing Watershed, Minnesota, to mid-Holocene climate change Mark Person; Mark Person 1Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Prasenjit Roy; Prasenjit Roy 2Chevron, ETC, Houston, Texas 77002, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Herb Wright; Herb Wright 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar William Gutowski, Jr.; William Gutowski, Jr. 4Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Emi Ito; Emi Ito 5Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Tom Winter; Tom Winter 6U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225-0046, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Donald Rosenberry; Donald Rosenberry 6U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225-0046, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Denis Cohen Denis Cohen 7Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (2007) 119 (3-4): 363–376. https://doi.org/10.1130/B26003.1 Article history received: 18 Mar 2006 rev-recd: 07 Sep 2006 accepted: 07 Oct 2006 first online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Mark Person, Prasenjit Roy, Herb Wright, William Gutowski, Emi Ito, Tom Winter, Donald Rosenberry, Denis Cohen; Hydrologic response of the Crow Wing Watershed, Minnesota, to mid-Holocene climate change. GSA Bulletin 2007;; 119 (3-4): 363–376. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B26003.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract In this study, we have integrated a suite of Holocene paleoclimatic proxies with mathematical modeling in an attempt to obtain a comprehensive picture of how watersheds respond to past climate change. A three-dimensional surface-water–groundwater model was developed to assess the effects of mid-Holocene climate change on water resources within the Crow Wing Watershed, Upper Mississippi Basin in north central Minnesota. The model was first calibrated to a 50 yr historical record of average annual surface-water discharge, monthly ground-water levels, and lake-level fluctuations. The model was able to reproduce reasonably well long-term historical records (1949–1999) of water-table and lake-level fluctuations across the watershed as well as stream discharge near the watershed outlet. The calibrated model was then used to reproduce paleo-groundwater and lake levels using climate reconstructions based on pollen-transfer functions from Williams Lake just outside the watershed. Computed declines in mid-Holocene lake levels for two lakes at opposite ends of the watershed were between 6 and 18 m. Simulated streamflow near the outlet of the watershed decreased to 70% of modern average annual discharge after ∼200 yr. The area covered by wetlands for the entire watershed was reduced by ∼16%. The mid-Holocene hydrologic changes indicated by these model results and corroborated by several lake-core records across the Crow Wing Watershed may serve as a useful proxy of the hydrologic response to future warm, dry climatic forecasts (ca. 2050) made by some atmospheric general-circulation models for the glaciated Midwestern United States. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.