Kam-biu Liu | Louisiana State University (original) (raw)
Papers by Kam-biu Liu
Climatic Change, 1996
Equatorial air temperatures at low elevations in the New World tropics are shown by pollen and ot... more Equatorial air temperatures at low elevations in the New World tropics are shown by pollen and other data to have been significantly lowered in long intervals of the last glaciation. These new data show that long recognized evidence for cooling at high elevations in the tropics were symptomatic of general tropical cooling and that they did not require appeal to altered lapse rates or other special mechanisms to be made to conform with conclusions that equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were scarcely changed in glacial times. The new data should be read in conjunction with recent findings that Caribbean (SSTs) were lowered in the order of 5 ° C, contrary to previous interpretations. Thus these accumulating data show that low latitudes as well as high were cooled in glaciations. In part the earlier failure to find evidence of low elevation cooling in the lowland tropics resulted from the data being masked by strong signals for aridity given by old lake levels in parts of Africa and elsewhere. Global circulation models used to predict future effects of greenhouse warming must also be able to simulate the significant cooling of the large tropical land masses at glacial times with reduced greenhouse gas concentrations. Plants and animals of the Amazon forest and similar ecosystems are able to survive in wide ranges of temperatures, CO2 concentrations, and disturbance, though associations change constantly.
Journal of Biogeography, 2005
Aim To provide a greater understanding of the modern pollen rain for the central Andes region of... more Aim To provide a greater understanding of the modern pollen rain for the central Andes region of South America, thus laying the groundwork for future pollen studies and the derivation of pollen-climate transfer functions and response surfaces.Location Peru, Bolivia and Chile.Methods Standard palynological techniques for surface soil sampling and discriminant analysis.Results Statistical analysis of the 40 surface samples revealed four palynologically distinct assemblages: (1) the Yungas on the eastern slopes of the Andes; (2) the puna grasslands of the Altiplano; (3) the Coastal Deserts to the west of the Andes; and (4) the Southern Bolivian Highlands.Main conclusions The Yungas group is characterized by high percentages of Urticaceae/Moraceae pollen and fern spores along with trace amounts of pollen from common zoophilous lowland taxa such as Piperaceae, Bignoniaceae and Malpighiaceae. The puna assemblage of the Altiplano is characterized by the dominance of grass (Poaceae) in combination with moderate frequencies of Asteraceae pollen, which tend to increase slightly towards the southern (drier) locations of the Altiplano. Lower percentages of grass pollen and the greater prevalence of Asteraceae, Solanaceae, and the Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae families define the coastal deserts to the west of the Andes. Samples taken from the Southern Bolivian Highlands are characterized by the dominance of Solanaceae in the area, in combination with the pollen of other xerophytic taxa.
Quaternary Research, 2002
Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research, 2003
Pollen, a regular component of tropical ice cores, has been shown to have great potential as a se... more Pollen, a regular component of tropical ice cores, has been shown to have great potential as a sensitive paleoenvironmental proxy in ice-core research. However, questions remain as to the modern dispersal and depositional patterns of pollen on high-alpine tropical ice caps. This information is vital to the accurate interpretation of the environmental reconstructions being derived from fossil pollen. In this study, 11 surface snow samples were collected around the caldera rim at the summit of Mt. Parinacota along the Bolivian-Chilean border. Results show that pollen concentration and assemblage are uniform in samples taken from the southwestern quadrant and the entire eastern half of the mountain. However, the pollen signatures are significantly different in the northwestern quadrant, probably due to long- distance transport of xerophytic Compositae shrub pollen from the prevailing winds. The sections of the mountain not directly impacted by the prevailing northwesterlies reflect a more locally influenced pollen assemblage dominated by grasses. These results are consistent with previousfindings from the Quelccaya Ice Cap and confirm the importance of the prevailing winds in the dispersal and deposition of pollen on these high-alpine tropical ice caps.
Journal of Historical Geography, 2003
Physical Geography, 2002
... Several studies have been published on high-alpine pollen dispersal (Markgraf, 1980; Jackson,... more ... Several studies have been published on high-alpine pollen dispersal (Markgraf, 1980; Jackson, 1991; Fall, 1992; Horn, 1993; Flenley, 1996), however ... We also thank Mary Lee Eggart for cartographic assistance, as well as Sally Horn and an anonymous reviewer for constructive ...
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 2008
Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2003
Thirty-four grass species were collected for phytolith analysis from a variety of coastal environ... more Thirty-four grass species were collected for phytolith analysis from a variety of coastal environments in the southeastern USA (Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana), including salt marshes, freshwater/brackish marshes, pine/oak forests, maritime hardwood forests, and sand dunes. Phytoliths produced by these modern grasses include a large diversity of shapes and types. We propose a preliminary relationship between modern coastal plant communities and their predominant phytolith contents. The dominant grasses of coastal sand dunes, such as Uniola paniculata, produce primarily flat tower and two-horned tower phytoliths. Rondel/saddle ellipsoid phytoliths are mainly produced by Spartina alterniflora, the most common plant in coastal salt marshes. Rondel and spool/horned tower phytoliths are common in brackish marsh grasses. Plants from interdune meadow produce primarily dumbbell phytoliths, as well as small cross and Cyperaceae-type phytoliths. These results provide a basis for the interpretation of fossil phytolith assemblages and the reconstruction of coastal environmental changes.
Annals of The Association of American Geographers, 1985
Journal of Climate, 2000
The authors provide a statistical and physical basis for understanding regional variations in maj... more The authors provide a statistical and physical basis for understanding regional variations in major hurricane activity along the U.S. coastline on long timescales. Current statistical models of hurricane activity are focused on the frequency of events over the entire North Atlantic basin. The exception is the lead author's previous work, which models the occurrence of hurricanes over the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the southeast U.S. coast separately. Here the authors use statistics to analyze data from historical and paleoclimatic records to expand this work. In particular, an inverse correlation in major hurricane activity across latitudes at various timescales is articulated. When activity is above normal at high latitudes it tends to be below normal at low latitudes and vice versa. Past research, paleoclimatic records, and historical data hint at the potential of using the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) as an indicator of where storms will likely track over long timescales. An excited (relaxed) NAO is associated with higher (lower) latitude recurving (nonrecurving) storms. The Gulf (East) Coast is more susceptible to a major hurricane strike during a relaxed (excited) NAO.
Geology, 1998
... Kam-biu Liu Zuju Yao Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Ba... more ... Kam-biu Liu Zuju Yao Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 Lonnie G. Thompson ... Hou Hsioh-Yu, 1983, Vegetation of China with refer-ence to its geographical distribution: Missouri Botanical Garden Annals, v ...
International Conference on Computer Technology and Development, 3rd (ICCTD 2011), 2011
American Journal of Climate Change, 2013
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2006
Quaternary Research, 1990
Quaternary Research, 2002
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, 2009
Professional Geographer, 2005
Pollen collected from snow samples on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in 2000 and 2001 reveals significant ... more Pollen collected from snow samples on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in 2000 and 2001 reveals significant interannual variability in pollen assemblage, concentration, and provenance. Samples from 2000, a La Niña year, contain high pollen concentrations and resemble samples from the Andean forests (Yungas) to the east. Samples from 2001, an El Niño year, contain fewer pollen and resemble those from
Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 2000
Climatic Change, 1996
Equatorial air temperatures at low elevations in the New World tropics are shown by pollen and ot... more Equatorial air temperatures at low elevations in the New World tropics are shown by pollen and other data to have been significantly lowered in long intervals of the last glaciation. These new data show that long recognized evidence for cooling at high elevations in the tropics were symptomatic of general tropical cooling and that they did not require appeal to altered lapse rates or other special mechanisms to be made to conform with conclusions that equatorial sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were scarcely changed in glacial times. The new data should be read in conjunction with recent findings that Caribbean (SSTs) were lowered in the order of 5 ° C, contrary to previous interpretations. Thus these accumulating data show that low latitudes as well as high were cooled in glaciations. In part the earlier failure to find evidence of low elevation cooling in the lowland tropics resulted from the data being masked by strong signals for aridity given by old lake levels in parts of Africa and elsewhere. Global circulation models used to predict future effects of greenhouse warming must also be able to simulate the significant cooling of the large tropical land masses at glacial times with reduced greenhouse gas concentrations. Plants and animals of the Amazon forest and similar ecosystems are able to survive in wide ranges of temperatures, CO2 concentrations, and disturbance, though associations change constantly.
Journal of Biogeography, 2005
Aim To provide a greater understanding of the modern pollen rain for the central Andes region of... more Aim To provide a greater understanding of the modern pollen rain for the central Andes region of South America, thus laying the groundwork for future pollen studies and the derivation of pollen-climate transfer functions and response surfaces.Location Peru, Bolivia and Chile.Methods Standard palynological techniques for surface soil sampling and discriminant analysis.Results Statistical analysis of the 40 surface samples revealed four palynologically distinct assemblages: (1) the Yungas on the eastern slopes of the Andes; (2) the puna grasslands of the Altiplano; (3) the Coastal Deserts to the west of the Andes; and (4) the Southern Bolivian Highlands.Main conclusions The Yungas group is characterized by high percentages of Urticaceae/Moraceae pollen and fern spores along with trace amounts of pollen from common zoophilous lowland taxa such as Piperaceae, Bignoniaceae and Malpighiaceae. The puna assemblage of the Altiplano is characterized by the dominance of grass (Poaceae) in combination with moderate frequencies of Asteraceae pollen, which tend to increase slightly towards the southern (drier) locations of the Altiplano. Lower percentages of grass pollen and the greater prevalence of Asteraceae, Solanaceae, and the Chenopodiaceae/Amaranthaceae families define the coastal deserts to the west of the Andes. Samples taken from the Southern Bolivian Highlands are characterized by the dominance of Solanaceae in the area, in combination with the pollen of other xerophytic taxa.
Quaternary Research, 2002
Arctic Antarctic and Alpine Research, 2003
Pollen, a regular component of tropical ice cores, has been shown to have great potential as a se... more Pollen, a regular component of tropical ice cores, has been shown to have great potential as a sensitive paleoenvironmental proxy in ice-core research. However, questions remain as to the modern dispersal and depositional patterns of pollen on high-alpine tropical ice caps. This information is vital to the accurate interpretation of the environmental reconstructions being derived from fossil pollen. In this study, 11 surface snow samples were collected around the caldera rim at the summit of Mt. Parinacota along the Bolivian-Chilean border. Results show that pollen concentration and assemblage are uniform in samples taken from the southwestern quadrant and the entire eastern half of the mountain. However, the pollen signatures are significantly different in the northwestern quadrant, probably due to long- distance transport of xerophytic Compositae shrub pollen from the prevailing winds. The sections of the mountain not directly impacted by the prevailing northwesterlies reflect a more locally influenced pollen assemblage dominated by grasses. These results are consistent with previousfindings from the Quelccaya Ice Cap and confirm the importance of the prevailing winds in the dispersal and deposition of pollen on these high-alpine tropical ice caps.
Journal of Historical Geography, 2003
Physical Geography, 2002
... Several studies have been published on high-alpine pollen dispersal (Markgraf, 1980; Jackson,... more ... Several studies have been published on high-alpine pollen dispersal (Markgraf, 1980; Jackson, 1991; Fall, 1992; Horn, 1993; Flenley, 1996), however ... We also thank Mary Lee Eggart for cartographic assistance, as well as Sally Horn and an anonymous reviewer for constructive ...
Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 2008
Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 2003
Thirty-four grass species were collected for phytolith analysis from a variety of coastal environ... more Thirty-four grass species were collected for phytolith analysis from a variety of coastal environments in the southeastern USA (Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana), including salt marshes, freshwater/brackish marshes, pine/oak forests, maritime hardwood forests, and sand dunes. Phytoliths produced by these modern grasses include a large diversity of shapes and types. We propose a preliminary relationship between modern coastal plant communities and their predominant phytolith contents. The dominant grasses of coastal sand dunes, such as Uniola paniculata, produce primarily flat tower and two-horned tower phytoliths. Rondel/saddle ellipsoid phytoliths are mainly produced by Spartina alterniflora, the most common plant in coastal salt marshes. Rondel and spool/horned tower phytoliths are common in brackish marsh grasses. Plants from interdune meadow produce primarily dumbbell phytoliths, as well as small cross and Cyperaceae-type phytoliths. These results provide a basis for the interpretation of fossil phytolith assemblages and the reconstruction of coastal environmental changes.
Annals of The Association of American Geographers, 1985
Journal of Climate, 2000
The authors provide a statistical and physical basis for understanding regional variations in maj... more The authors provide a statistical and physical basis for understanding regional variations in major hurricane activity along the U.S. coastline on long timescales. Current statistical models of hurricane activity are focused on the frequency of events over the entire North Atlantic basin. The exception is the lead author's previous work, which models the occurrence of hurricanes over the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and the southeast U.S. coast separately. Here the authors use statistics to analyze data from historical and paleoclimatic records to expand this work. In particular, an inverse correlation in major hurricane activity across latitudes at various timescales is articulated. When activity is above normal at high latitudes it tends to be below normal at low latitudes and vice versa. Past research, paleoclimatic records, and historical data hint at the potential of using the North Atlantic oscillation (NAO) as an indicator of where storms will likely track over long timescales. An excited (relaxed) NAO is associated with higher (lower) latitude recurving (nonrecurving) storms. The Gulf (East) Coast is more susceptible to a major hurricane strike during a relaxed (excited) NAO.
Geology, 1998
... Kam-biu Liu Zuju Yao Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Ba... more ... Kam-biu Liu Zuju Yao Department of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 Lonnie G. Thompson ... Hou Hsioh-Yu, 1983, Vegetation of China with refer-ence to its geographical distribution: Missouri Botanical Garden Annals, v ...
International Conference on Computer Technology and Development, 3rd (ICCTD 2011), 2011
American Journal of Climate Change, 2013
Quaternary Science Reviews, 2006
Quaternary Research, 1990
Quaternary Research, 2002
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, 2009
Professional Geographer, 2005
Pollen collected from snow samples on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in 2000 and 2001 reveals significant ... more Pollen collected from snow samples on the Quelccaya Ice Cap in 2000 and 2001 reveals significant interannual variability in pollen assemblage, concentration, and provenance. Samples from 2000, a La Niña year, contain high pollen concentrations and resemble samples from the Andean forests (Yungas) to the east. Samples from 2001, an El Niño year, contain fewer pollen and resemble those from
Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 2000