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Solar Modulation Of Little Ice Age Climate In The Tropical Andes, P. J. Polissar, M. B. Abbott, A. P. Wolfe, M. Bezada, V. Rull, Raymond S. Bradley
Solar Modulation Of Little Ice Age Climate In The Tropical Andes, P. J. Polissar, M. B. Abbott, A. P. Wolfe, M. Bezada, V. Rull, Raymond S. Bradley
Raymond S Bradley
The underlying causes of late-Holocene climate variability in the tropics are incompletely understood. Here we report a 1,500-year reconstruction of climate history and glaciation in the Venezuelan Andes using lake sediments. Four glacial advances occurred between anno Domini (A.D.) 1250 and 1810, coincident with solar-activity minima. Temperature declines of −3.2 ± 1.4°C and precipitation increases of ≈20% are required to produce the observed glacial responses. These results highlight the sensitivity of high-altitude tropical regions to relatively small changes in radiative forcing, implying even greater probable responses to future anthropogenic forcing.