In the first study to examine ice cores from the summit of the highest tropical mountain in the world, new evidence provides unique insight into the climate record of the Amazon Basin over the last six decades.
Nestled within the central Peruvian Andes lies Nevado Huascarán, a tropical mountain whose glaciers preserve the climate histories of the entire region. Researchers have long been interested in studying this area, because unlike ice cores recovered from the poles, core samples taken from tropical areas of the world can reveal a wealth of information about phenomena like El Niño and seasonal monsoons.
The study, by researchers from The Ohio State University and published in JGR Atmospheres, involves four ice core samples – two from mountain col, which is the lowest point between two ridges, and for the first time, two from the summit, nearly 7,000 meters above sea level.
The researchers compared the oxygen-stable isotope records preserved in glacial ice at these different elevations on the mountain. Scientists who study ice cores use isotopes as a proxy for temperature change over time, but in tropical regions interpreting the isotope records can be a more complex process.
Read more at Ohio State University
Photo Credit: MrBasically via Wikimedia Commons
