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The Little Ice Age in Southern South America: Proxy and Model Based Evidence

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Book cover Past Climate Variability in South America and Surrounding Regions

Part of the book series: Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research ((DPER,volume 14))

Abstract

In this chapter climatic changes over southern South America during the last millennium with focus on the period of the Little Ice Age (LIA 1550–1800 AD) are investigated. Results presented are based on proxy and modelling evidence. Proxy studies include a variety of different sites, ranging from geomorphological, lacustrine, pollen to tree ring reconstructions. These different sources of evidence are combined into a multi-proxy network. Based on this network, spatio-temporal climatic changes in southern South America are assessed for the last millennium. A climate model simulation of the last millennium is used to investigate the influence of external forcing parameters, such as solar, volcanic and greenhouse gases on the local climate in southern South America. To compare proxy-based results and the output of the global climate model on a common basis, conceptual and quantitative downscaling and upscaling models are established. Based on these methodological approaches both reconstruction methods indicate a period of wetter conditions in south-eastern South America during the period of the LIA. Investigating the driving mechanisms for hydrological changes during the LIA, large-scale atmospheric circulation changes of the Southern Hemispheric Westerlies (SHWs) over southern South America are indicated in modelling results. Changes of the SHWs during the LIA also fit into the spatial pattern indicated by different proxies with wetter conditions and cooler temperatures in south-eastern South America accompanied with drier and warmer conditions to the north.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the anonymous reviewer and Francoise Vimeux for their very valuable suggestions for improvement of the manuscript. The climate simulation of the last millennium with ECHO-G was carried out on a NEC-SX6 at the German Climate Computer Center (DKRZ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marum – Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Inka Meyer

  2. Institute for Coastal Research, GKSS Research Center, Geesthacht, Germany

    Sebastian Wagner

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  1. Inka Meyer
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Correspondence to Inka Meyer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. IRD, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191, France

    Francoise Vimeux

  2. L'Institut de Recherché pour le, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, 13545, France

    Florence Sylvestre

  3. IRD, CEA-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91191, France

    Myriam Khodri

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Meyer, I., Wagner, S. (2009). The Little Ice Age in Southern South America: Proxy and Model Based Evidence. In: Vimeux, F., Sylvestre, F., Khodri, M. (eds) Past Climate Variability in South America and Surrounding Regions. Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research, vol 14. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2672-9_16

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