Thompson also pointed to the timing of past climate changes in South America and the rise and fall of early cultures in the region.
Evidence from the ice cores from Quelccaya suggest that cultures might have grown during wet periods in the Peruvian Highlands and waned when the climate became drier. Conversely, cultures appeared to grow in the country’s coastal regions when the climate became wetter and were lost as drying increased.
“This suggests that there could have been persistent climate periods that allowed these cultures to flourish under certain conditions and fail under others,” he said.
Thompson leads a new expedition next week to two new sites in the Andes in hopes of drilling cores that will show more detailed records of both events.
The evidence that researchers have, both from ice cores and from the rapid retreat of glaciers, show that high-altitude ice fields reflect similar changes that are currently visible all across the temperate portions of the globe.
“The ice caps are sentinels of the earth’s overall climate,” he said. “And the data shows that at all of these sites, the rate at which the ice is vanishing is accelerating.
“To me, these are indicators that these areas are already being adversely impacted by changes in our current climate.”
Alan of IN @ Nov 08, 2009 21:58:39 PM
dan of FL @ Aug 17, 2009 22:15:39 PM
Bob of MN @ Aug 17, 2009 22:13:04 PM