P2C2: Holocene and Late Pleistocene Climate Change in Tropical South America Based on Speleothems from the Peruvian Andes

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project explores the use of speleothems from caves in the central Peruvian Altiplano to produce high resolution time series of delta oxygen-18 isotopes over the Holocene and Late Pleistocene time periods. The researcher, and his colleagues, postulate that the time series would be a direct proxy for regional delta oxygen-18 of precipitation, which is correlative with both the amount of precipitation on the Altiplano and to the intensity and mean location of the South American Summer Monsoon (SASM). The specific aims of the research are to investigate the use of delta oxygen-18 to potentially produce: i) decadally-resolved records of the Holocene to investigate sub-orbital climate variability; ii) 500-year annually-resolved series during the early and late Holocene and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and last interglacial to study El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability; iii) 50-year resolution records of the glacial transition to better define the nature and timing of this critical climate transition in the tropics; and iv) 50-year resolution records of climate during the last glacial period, the last interglacial period, and beyond. The primary broader impacts involve supporting a female graduate student in her studies and the development of English and Spanish language versions of a study guide for Haugapo Cave in Peru to be used locally and elsewhere.