Early Local Last Glacial Maximum in the Tropical Andes

TitleEarly Local Last Glacial Maximum in the Tropical Andes
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2005
AuthorsSmith, J. A., Seltzer G. O., Farber D. L., Rodbell D. T., & Finkel E. R. C.
JournalScience
Volume308
Pagination678-681
AbstractThe local last glacial maximum in the tropical Andes was earlier and less extensive than previously thought, based on 106 cosmogenic ages (from beryllium-10 dating) from moraines in Peru and Bolivia. Glaciers reached their greatest extent in the last glacial cycle ~34,000 years before the present and were retreating by ~21,000 years before the present, implying that tropical controls on ice volumes were asynchronous with those in the Northern Hemisphere. Our estimates of snowline depression reflect about half the temperature change indicated by previous widely cited figures, which helps resolve the discrepancy between estimates of terrestrial and marine temperature depression during the last glacial cycle.
URLhttp://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/308/5722/678