Differences between Last Glacial Maximum and present-day temperature and precipitation in southern South America

Abstract

This paper is the first analysis of differences between Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and present climates in southern South America considering the state-of-the-art PMIP3 paleoclimatic models. The study is focused on characteristics of temperature and precipitation over the portion of the continent to the south of 20°S at both sides of the Andes Cordillera. Results demonstrate that model outputs coincide with glacial conditions inferred from the very few paleorecords available in the region. Consequently, these models are a valuable tool for inferring additional conditions in areas where there is a lack of proxy information allowing the reconstruction of the past climate at regional scales. The analyzed PMIP3 models expose an LGM cooling of ∼2-5 °C throughout the year over almost all southern South America but differences are even more pronounced in areas around the southern Andes. Models also suggest that LGM precipitation was substantially lower than present over the portion of southern South America to the east of the Andes inferring reductions of ∼20–30% with respect to present-day values in subtropical areas and ∼40–50% in the southern tip of the continent.