3800 Years of quantitative precipitation reconstruction from the Northwest Yucatan Peninsula

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 31;8(12):e84333. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0084333. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Precipitation over the last 3800 years has been reconstructed using modern pollen calibration and precipitation data. A transfer function was then performed via the linear method of partial least squares. By calculating precipitation anomalies, it is estimated that precipitation deficits were greater than surpluses, reaching 21% and <9%, respectively. The period from 50 BC to 800 AD was the driest of the record. The drought related to the abandonment of the Maya Preclassic period featured a 21% reduction in precipitation, while the drought of the Maya collapse (800 to 860 AD) featured a reduction of 18%. The Medieval Climatic Anomaly was a period of positive phases (3.8-7.6%). The Little Ice Age was a period of climatic variability, with reductions in precipitation but without deficits.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Climate Change / history*
  • Climate Change / statistics & numerical data*
  • Fossils*
  • History, Ancient
  • Least-Squares Analysis
  • Mexico
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Pollen*
  • Rain*

Grants and funding

This work received funding from: Conacyt funding project 127613. www.conacyt.mx. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.