High- and low-latitude forcings drive Atacama Desert rainfall variations over the past 16,000 years
Francisco J. González-Pinilla, Claudio Latorre, Maisa Rojas, John Houston, M. Ignacia Rocuant, Antonio Maldonado, Calógero M. Santoro, Jay Quade, Julio L. Betancourt
Abstract
paleomiddens. A transient climate simulation shows that pluvials identified at 15.9 to 14.8, 13.0 to 8.6, and 8.1 to 7.6 ka B.P. can be linked to North Atlantic (high-latitude) forcing (e.g., Heinrich Stadial 1, Younger Dryas, and Bond cold events). Holocene pluvials at 5.0 to 4.6, 3.2 to 2.1, and 1.4 to 0.7 ka B.P. are not simulated, implying low-latitude internal variability forcing (i.e., ENSO regime shifts). These results help constrain future central Andean hydroclimatic variability and hold promise for reconstructing past climates from rodent middens in desert ecosystems worldwide.