Mapping the Distribution of Mammuthus and Mammut in North America in relation to Temperature during the Late Pleistocene using GIS and Examining Plausible Environments in the Current Climate.
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Graduate
Major
Environmental Geology
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Dr. Haluk Cetin
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Mammuthus and Mammut are widespread throughout the United States during the late Pleistocene, playing large roles in their ecosystems as primary grazers and browsers. A variety of studies have been conducted detailing the ecology of these animals; however, this study’s focus is on the distribution of these animals in relation to the temperature. Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized to map the fossil occurrences of both animals within North America taken from the public online database Paleobiology Database (PBDB). This was accompanied by paleoclimatology temperature data raster of the Last Glacial Maximum (21ka) and the Last Interglacial(129ka) courtesy of Paleoclim- a public collaboration detailing palaeoclimatological data from the Miocene and Pleistocene. These resources were imported into ArcGIS to analyze the location of the fossils and were considered with respect to temperature. Results showed that there was more variation in locality from the last Interglacial period for both animals compared to that of the Last Glacial Maximum. Taking both spreads into account, comments are made about plausible living environments for each genus within a current North American climate of they were alive today.
Fall Scholars Week 2025
Earth and Environmental Sciences Poster Session
Mapping the Distribution of Mammuthus and Mammut in North America in relation to Temperature during the Late Pleistocene using GIS and Examining Plausible Environments in the Current Climate.
Mammuthus and Mammut are widespread throughout the United States during the late Pleistocene, playing large roles in their ecosystems as primary grazers and browsers. A variety of studies have been conducted detailing the ecology of these animals; however, this study’s focus is on the distribution of these animals in relation to the temperature. Geographic Information System (GIS) was utilized to map the fossil occurrences of both animals within North America taken from the public online database Paleobiology Database (PBDB). This was accompanied by paleoclimatology temperature data raster of the Last Glacial Maximum (21ka) and the Last Interglacial(129ka) courtesy of Paleoclim- a public collaboration detailing palaeoclimatological data from the Miocene and Pleistocene. These resources were imported into ArcGIS to analyze the location of the fossils and were considered with respect to temperature. Results showed that there was more variation in locality from the last Interglacial period for both animals compared to that of the Last Glacial Maximum. Taking both spreads into account, comments are made about plausible living environments for each genus within a current North American climate of they were alive today.