Research Ties Andean Drought To Greenland Warming During Last Glacial Period

A paper published by Arielle Woods, a PhD student in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has tied abrupt warming in Greenland ice cores to changes in tropical South American climate during the last glacial cycle. “Andean Drought and Glacial Retreat Tied to Greenland Warming During the Last Glacial Period,” examines sediment records from a lake in the Peruvian Andes to document how climate change has impacted drought conditions and glacial retreat.

Woods, who is lead author on the paper, worked with Mark Abbott, a professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science, postdoctoral associate Sophie Lehmann, and Pitt alum Nicholas Weidhaas, in addition to national and international collaborators, to complete the work. The paper was published in Nature Communications on Oct. 12.