The North American monsoon is central to Southwestern climate and is a research focus in climatology. Of the various monsoon paleoclimate proxies, precisely dated and seasonally resolved tree-ring records offer unique opportunity for contextualizing modern instrumental observations and climate model projections. Focused on latewood, the dark-colored sub-annual component of conifer tree rings that forms in the late growing season, this dissertation research represents a systematic effort to diagnose the tree-growth response to monsoon climate, to develop a replicated network of monsoon-sensitive chronologies, and to characterize monsoon paleoclimate variability in the southwestern United States. A pilot study using latewood measurements from five locations assessed seasonal climate response sensitivity to various chronology development techniques. Results informed a protocol for chronology development, which was used to produce a unique network of 53 monsoon-sensitive latewood chronologies for the southwestern United States. A chronology subset was used to develop the first monsoon precipitation reconstruction for a large and important region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. This reconstruction revealed monsoon paleodroughts more persistent and extreme than any during the instrumental era and indicated that the southwestern decadal droughts of the last 470 years were characterized not just by cool-season precipitation deficits, but also by persistently dry monsoon conditions. The previously noted tendency for winter and summer precipitation to be out of phase was found to be unstable through time and anomalously strong during the recent instrumental era. The paleoclimatic significance of the new sub-annual chronology network was characterized in terms of chronology signal strength, climate response seasonality, and dominant spatiotemporal structure. With only a few exceptions, the latewood chronologies were found to contain monsoon-specific climate signal that was not available from previously existing records of annual tree-ring width. Principal components analysis revealed that the chronology network captures both temporal variability and spatial structure inherent to monsoon precipitation. As such, proxy data developed in this dissertation are unique are uniquely suited for studying spatiotemporal variability in monsoon paleoclimate. Outcomes from this dissertation are broadly relevant in environmental research and could potentially inform long-term strategies for adaptive management of natural resources.

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Thesis (Ph. D.-- Geosciences) University of Arizona, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 175-187).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1996. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [533]-552).

Thesis (M.A. in History)--University of California, Berkeley, May 1914.

This analysis of faunal remains from Goodman Point Pueblo (5MT604), a large village occupied just before the ancestral Puebloans permanently left southwestern Colorado at the end of the thirteenth century, explores the effect of dietary stress during abandonment in the Four Corners region. As archaeologists, we interpret what these former cultures were like and what resources they used through what they left behind. By specifically looking at faunal remains, or remains from food resources, environmental change and dietary stress can be assessed. Identifications of taxa identified at Goodman Point are made explicit via a systematic paleontology. This is followed by site-level taxonomic abundances and spatial analysis. Then, effects of technological innovations, environmental change, and sample quality are examined as alternate explanations of shifts in foraging efficiency, particularly related to animal hunting. Analyzing why and if the availability of faunal resources changes over time helps to clarify why the ancestral Puebloans left southwestern Colorado.

Mixosaurid ichthyosaurs (mixosaurs) are a dominant group of Middle Triassic marine reptiles that was widely distributed in both Tethyan and Panthalassic terranes. They are represented by many excellently preserved specimens from all around the world and have been studied for more than one hundred years. Even so, their morphology is not adequately known. The systematics of mixosaurs is not well understood and their phylogeny has been controversial. The nomination of several Chinese mixosaurs makes the situation even worse. This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive review of Chinese mixosaurs and discuss their phylogenetic relationships. The detailed anatomy of only valid Chinese mixosaurid species Mixosaurus panxianensis is well established in this thesis. Its ontogenetic changes are also noted and a better diagnosis is given. A new morphotype of mixosaurs from a recently discovered fossil Lagerst?tte, the Luoping biota, is described in detail. This morphotype is similar to M. panxianensis but consistent differences are also present. The ecological comparison to M. panxianensis demonstrates that this morphotype represents a new taxon that is different from M. panxianensis. A nearly complete and articulated specimen of Phalarodon atavus from the Middle Triassic Luoping biota, Yunnan, South China is described. This is the first specimen of P. atavus discovered outside the Germanic Basin. The discovery of this specimen demonstrates a cosmopolitan distribution of P. atavus across the whole Tethyan ocean. The new specimen is also the first one preserving the postcranial anatomy of this species, providing the potential to evaluate its swimming ability for the first time. Functional morphology shows that this species is well adapted for a pursuit attack of prey, consistent with the distribution pattern of the species. Tooth crown morphology suggests that P. atavus may prefer externally soft prey such as belemnoids. Mixosaurs are divided into three ontogenetic stages based on the humeral morphology. The juvenile stage is characterized by a textured dorsal humeral shaft surface. The subadult stage is characterized by a smooth humeral shaft in dorsal view with a rugose humeral head. The adult stage is characterized by a smooth humeral head. The consistent presence of the surface texture of ventral humeral shaft is most probably caused by the strong muscle insertion presumably related to the function of steering of the fore fins in mixosaurs. Five morphotypes of Chinese mixosaurs are recognized in this study. Twenty-five more or less new characters are introduced to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of mixosaurian-like specimens from China. The monophyly of mixosaurs including all studied Chinese morphotypes is well corroborated. Further investigation on the mixosaurs from Monte San Giorgio is recommended to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of mixosaurs. / published_or_final_version / Earth Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purposes of this descriptive study were to determine the reasons for which Anglo and Hispanic parents/guardians send their children to a Catholic high school in the southwestern United States and to investigate the effect of specific demographic elements upon the parents'/guardians' reasons. These elements were sex, age, and ethnicity of student; age, sex, ethnicity, religion, educational level, and social-economic status of parents/guardians; and marital status, family school affiliation, and family configuration, and family mobility. A modified Delphi procedure with two questionnaires was used to both identify the reasons and to investigate the possible effects of the demographic elements. A RVAX computer with SPSSX was used to apply measures of central tendency, factor analysis, and ANOVA to the data. The study revealed that the main reasons for this Catholic school choice were academics and discipline/environment. The secondary reasons were teachers/students, size and programs, and religious instruction and atmosphere. The two remaining reasons were dissatisfaction with public schools and family tradition. The study indicated that the interaction of age, sex, and ethnicity of students did significantly influence the evaluations of discipline/environment, religious instruction and atmosphere, and family tradition. In addition, the evaluations of the seven factors were significantly influenced by various combinations of family mobility, economic status, family configuration, marital status, religion, educational level, and ethnicity, age, and sex of parents/guardians. The study suggested that although parents/guardians in 1986 agree with those in a 1974 study that academics is important, they place much less importance upon religion. Other major findings suggested that the values of specific categories of parents/guardians cannot be accurately predicted and that it should not be assumed that Anglo and Hispanic students are sent to a Catholic school for different reasons. Finally, the study suggested that academics and discipline/environment, the main reasons for which parents/guardians make the Catholic school choice, should be a concern of all schools, whether they are parochial, private, or public.