David Wahl
David is a research scientist at the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center. He received a PhD in Geography from UC Berkeley in 2005. Since joining the USGS in 2004, he has worked to understand drivers and impacts of Quaternary environmental change in North America. Now, his research focuses on reconstructing climate and anthropogenic environmental change.
After coming to the Menlo Park office of GMEG In 2004, David is currently focused on reconstructing climate and anthropogenic environmental change in the western US, Guatemala, and the central Pacific.
Professional Experience
2004 - Present, Research Geographer, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
2011 - Present, Assistant Adjunct Professor, Geography Department, UC Berkeley
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Geography, University of California, Berkeley, 2005
M.A., Geography, University of California, Berkeley, 2000
B.A., History, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 1996
Science and Products
Holocene environmental changes inferred from biological and sedimentological proxies in a high elevation Great Basin lake in the northern Ruby Mountains, Nevada, USA
Limiting age for the Provo shoreline of Lake Bonneville
Two Holocene paleofire records from Peten, Guatemala: Implications for natural fire regime and prehispanic Maya land use
A 3400 year paleolimnological record of prehispanic human–environment interactions in the Holmul region of the southern Maya lowlands
An 8700 year paleoclimate reconstruction from the southern Maya lowlands
Age, composition, and areal distribution of the Pliocene Lawlor Tuff, and three younger Pliocene tuffs, California and Nevada
Stratigraphy and depositional environments of the upper Pleistocene Chemehuevi Formation along the lower Colorado River
An analysis of modern pollen rain from the Maya lowlands of northern Belize
Upper Neogene tephrochronologic correlations in the northern Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico and southern Colorado
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 21
Holocene environmental changes inferred from biological and sedimentological proxies in a high elevation Great Basin lake in the northern Ruby Mountains, Nevada, USA
Multi-proxy analyses were conducted on a sediment core from Favre Lake, a high elevation cirque lake in the northern Ruby Mountains, Nevada, and provide a ca. 7600 year record of local and regional environmental change. Data indicate that lake levels were lower from 7600-5750 cal yr BP, when local climate was warmer and/or drier than today. Effective moisture increased after 5750 cal yr BP and remAuthorsDavid B. Wahl, Scott W. Starratt, Lysanna Anderson, Jennifer E. Kusler, Christopher C. Fuller, Jason A. Addison, Elmira WanLimiting age for the Provo shoreline of Lake Bonneville
Pluvial Lake Bonneville features a prominent shoreline at the Provo level, which has been interpreted as having formed during a period of threshold-stabilized overflow. The timing of Provo shoreline development is important for paleoclimate interpretations and for inferences on geomorphic process rates. Estimates for the timing of the shoreline formation, based on radiocarbon measurements from gasAuthorsDavid M. Miller, David B. Wahl, John McGeehin, Jose J. Rosario, Charles G. Oviatt, Lysanna Anderson, Liubov S. PresnetsovaTwo Holocene paleofire records from Peten, Guatemala: Implications for natural fire regime and prehispanic Maya land use
Although fire was arguably the primary tool used by the Maya to alter the landscape and extract resources, little attention has been paid to biomass burning in paleoenvironmental reconstructions from the Maya lowlands. Here we report two new well-dated, high-resolution records of biomass burning based on analysis of macroscopic fossil charcoal recovered from lacustrine sediment cores. The recordsAuthorsLysanna Anderson, David B. WahlA 3400 year paleolimnological record of prehispanic human–environment interactions in the Holmul region of the southern Maya lowlands
The timing, magnitude and drivers of late Holocene environmental change in the Holmul region of the southern Maya lowlands are examined by combining paleoenvironmental and archeological data. Environmental proxy analyses on a ~ 3350 cal yr lacustrine sediment record include pollen, charcoal, loss on ignition, magnetic suscep- tibility, and elemental geochemistry. Archeological evidence is derivedAuthorsDavid B. Wahl, Francisco Estrada-Belli, Lysanna AndersonAn 8700 year paleoclimate reconstruction from the southern Maya lowlands
Analysis of a sediment core from Lago Puerto Arturo, a closed basin lake in northern Peten, Guatemala, has provided an ∼8700 cal year record of climate change and human activity in the southern Maya lowlands. Stable isotope, magnetic susceptibility, and pollen analyses were used to reconstruct environmental change in the region. Results indicate a relatively wet early to middle Holocene followed bAuthorsDavid B. Wahl, Roger Byrne, Lysanna AndersonByEnergy and Minerals Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Energy Resources Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science CenterAge, composition, and areal distribution of the Pliocene Lawlor Tuff, and three younger Pliocene tuffs, California and Nevada
The Lawlor Tuff is a widespread dacitic tephra layer produced by Plinian eruptions and ash flows derived from the Sonoma Volcanics, a volcanic area north of San Francisco Bay in the central Coast Ranges of California, USA. The younger, chemically similar Huichica tuff, the tuff of Napa, and the tuff of Monticello Road sequentially overlie the Lawlor Tuff, and were erupted from the same volcanic fiAuthorsAndrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, Alan L. Deino, Robert J. Fleck, Robert J. McLaughlin, David Wagner, Elmira Wan, David B. Wahl, John W. Hillhouse, Michael PerkinsStratigraphy and depositional environments of the upper Pleistocene Chemehuevi Formation along the lower Colorado River
The Chemehuevi Formation forms a conspicuous, widespread, and correlative set of nonmarine sediments lining the valleys of the Colorado River and several of its larger tributaries in the Basin and Range geologic province. These sediments have been examined by geologists since J. S. Newberry visited the region in 1857 and are widely cited in the geologic literature; however their origin remains unrAuthorsDaniel V. Malmon, Keith A. Howard, P. Kyle House, Scott C. Lundstrom, Philip A. Pearthree, Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, Elmira Wan, David B. WahlAn analysis of modern pollen rain from the Maya lowlands of northern Belize
In the lowland Maya area, pollen records provide important insights into the impact of past human populations and climate change on tropical ecosystems. Despite a long history of regional paleoecological research, few studies have characterized the palynological signatures of lowland ecosystems, a fact which lowers confidence in ecological inferences made from palynological data. We sought to veriAuthorsT. Bhattacharya, T. Beach, David B. WahlUpper Neogene tephrochronologic correlations in the northern Rio Grande Rift, New Mexico and southern Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsJanet L. Slate, Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki, Elmira Wan, Daniel Koning, Sean D. Connell, David P. Dethier, David B. Wahl, Michael PerkinsNon-USGS Publications**
Hansen, R., S. Bozarth, J. Jacob, Wahl D. and T. Schreiner (2002) “Climatic and Environmental Variability in the Rise of Maya Civilization.” Ancient Mesoamerica 13: 273-295.Wahl, D., R. Byrne, T. Schreiner and R. Hansen (2006) “Holocene Vegetation Change in the Northern Peten and its Implications for Maya Prehistory.” Quaternary Research 65:380-389.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- News