Glacial records of global climate: A 1500-year tropical ice core record of climate

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Human Ecology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02168764· OSTI ID:7109794

Thompson, L G; Davis, M E; Mosley-Thompson, E ^[1]

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1. Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)

A general discussion is given of climate variability over the last 1500 years as interpreted from two ice cores from the Quelccaya ice cap, Peru. The possible role of climatic variability in prehistory over this period is discussed with emphases on (1) relationships between climate and the rise and decline of coastal and highland cultures; (2) the possible causes of two major dust events recorded in the quelccaya ice cores around AD 920 and AD 600; (3) implications of climatic variation for the occupation and abandonment of the Gran Pajaten area. The remarkable similarity between changes in highland and coastal cultures and changes in accumulation as determined from the Quelccaya ice cores implies a strong connection between human activities and climate in this region of the globe. Two ice cores drilled to bedrock from the 6047 masl col of Huascaran in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru in 1993 offer the potential of an annual to decadal climatic and environmental record which should allow the study of human-climate and human-environmental relationships over 10,000+ years. The 1991 and 1993 evidence from the Quelccaya ice cap indicates that recent and rapid warming is currently underway in the tropical Andes. Thus, many of the unique glacier archives are in imminent danger of being lost forever.

• OSTI ID: 7109794
• Journal Information: Human Ecology; (United States), Journal Name: Human Ecology; (United States) Vol. 22:1; ISSN 0300-7839; ISSN HMECAJ
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290202 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Sociology-- (1992-)
290300* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CLIMATIC CHANGE
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
ICE
ICE CAPS
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
PALEONTOLOGY