Climatic fluctuations in the Central Region of Argentina in the last 1000 years

Several lines of evidence concur to explain the climatic fluctuations that occurred in the central region of Argentina during the last millennium. The investigation was advanced in two ways: on the one hand, a geographic model was elaborated; and on the other, a temporal sequence for various climatic situations was developed. During the last 1000 yr, two significant events related to global changes occurred: the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and the Little Ice Age (LIA). The Medieval Warm Period was characterized by a humid and warm climate in the plains and recession of the Andean glaciers. In contrast, during the Little Ice Age the plains had temperate, semi-arid to arid climates, and Andean glaciers advanced. In the western region, the fluvial-lacustrine systems were more extensive during cold events (LIA) and contracted during warm events (MWP). In contrast, in the eastern region the fluvial-lacustrine systems showed a diminution during cold events and increased their extent during warm episodes. During the LIA, the occurrence of two cold pulses separated by an intermediate period has been established. The first cold pulse extended from the beginning of the XV century to the end of the XVI century; the second cold pulse (the main one) began at the beginning of the XVIII century and lasted until the beginning of the XIX century. Both cold pulses can be related to the Sporer and Maunder Minimums respectively. These climatic changes modified the landforms, influenced the vegetation distribution and were one of the main factors for control of human activities during the last 1000 yr. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd and INQUA. All rights reserved.