Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T09:24:01.782Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Late Pleistocene Climate and Water Budget of the South American Altiplano

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Stefan Hastenrath  and
John Kutzbach
Stefan Hastenrath
Affiliation:
Department of Meteorology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 43706
John Kutzbach
Affiliation:
Department of Meteorology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 43706
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Geomorphic evidence from the Peruvian-Bolivian Altiplano indicates that during episodes prior to 28,000 and around 12,500-11,000 yr B.P., lakes covered an area about six and four times as large as at present, respectively. Within the constraints of the heat and water budget, model calculations are used to estimate the precipitation rate that would allow hydrologic equilibrium. On this basis it is suggested that rainfall on the Altiplano during the episodes of enlarged lakes was, respectively, some 300 and 200 mm annum−1 larger than at present, representing increases of about 75 and 50%, respectively. Field evidence suggests that the episodes of enlarged lakes on the Altiplano may have preceded or coincided with periods of maximum glaciation in the neigh-boring Andes. In this region with high elevation of the ice equilibrium line, increased precipitation is particularly conducive to glaciation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , November 1985 , pp. 249 - 256
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Atkinson, G. Sadler, J.C. (1970). Mean Cloudiness and Gradient-Level Wind Charts over the Tropics USAF, Air Weather Service Technical Report No. 215, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Barrett, E.C. (1974). Climatology from Satellites Methuen London Google Scholar
Budyko, M.I. (1974). Climate and Life Academic Press New York Google Scholar
Flohn, H. Fraedrich, K. (1966). Tagesperiodische Zirkulation und Niederschlagsverteilung am Victoria-See (Ostafrika) Meteorologische Rundschau 19, 157–165 Google Scholar
Graf, K. (1981). Palynological investigations of two post-glacial peat bogs near the boundary of Bolivia and Peru Journal of Biogeography 8, 353–368 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hastenrath, S. (1971). On the Pleistocene snowline depression in the arid regions of the South American Andes Journal of Glaciology 10, 255–267 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hastenrath, S. Kutzbach, J.E. (1983). Paleoclimatic estimates from water and energy budgets of East African lakes Quaternary Research 19, 141–153 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hastenrath, S. Lamb, P. (1977). Climatic Atlas of the Tropical Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans Univ. of Wisconsin Press Madison Google Scholar
Hastenrath, S. Lamb, P. (1978). Heat Budget Atlas of the Tropical Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans Univ. of Wisconsin Press Madison Google Scholar
Kessler, A. (1963). Über Klima und Wasserhaushalt des Altiplano (Bolivien, Peru) während des Hochstandes der letzten Vereisung Erdkunde 17, 165–173 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, A. Monheim, F. (1968). Der Wasserhaushalt des Titicasees nach neueren Messergebnissen Erdkunde 22, 275–281 Google Scholar
Kutzbach, J.E. (1980). Estimates of past climate at paleolake Chad, North Africa, based on a hydrological and energy-balance model Quaternary Research 14, 210–223 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lettau, H.H. (1969). Evapotranspiration climatonomy. 1. A new approach to numerical prediction of monthly evapotranspiration, runoff and soil moisture storage Montly Weather Review 97, 691–699 2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mercer, J. Palacios, O. (1977). Radiocarbon dating of the last glaciation in Peru Geology 5, 600–604 2.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NOAA-USAF, (1971). Global Atlas of Relative Cloud Cover 1967–1970 164–237 Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Sellers, W.O. (1965). Physical Climatology Univ. of Chicago Press Chicago Google Scholar
Servant, M. Fontes, J.C. (1978). Les lacs quatérnaires des hauts plateaux des Andes Boliviennes: premières interprétations paléoclimatiques Cahiers de l'ORSTOM, Sér. géol. 10, 9–23 Google Scholar
Servant, M. Fontes, J.C. Rieu, M. Saliège, J.F. (1981). Phases climatiques arides holocenes dans le sud-ouest de l'Amazonie (Bolivie) Comptes Rendues del'Académie des Sciences, Paris, Série II 292, 1295–1297 Google Scholar
Troll, K. (1928). Die zentralen Anden Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft für Erdkunde zu Berlin, Jubiläums—Sonderband 92–118 BerlinGoogle Scholar