Abstract
The Atacama Desert of the Central Andes (18°S to 28°S) has become a focal point of environmental research in recent years. Indeed, this area is a key site in several respects. It is located between the tropical and extratropical precipitation belts; the vertical gradients of ecozones range from sea level at the Pacific Coast up to high mountains that reach into the mid-troposphere at 6000 m elevation. The prominent mountain chain of the Andes stretches N-S, perpendicular to the zonal westerly airflow of the mid-latitudes, which creates distinct environmental gradients at meso-and micro-scales. Due to their sensitive location at the juncture between tropical and extratropical climate zones, paleoclimate records from this area may potentially provide important insights into the dynamics of the large-scale atmospheric circulation in the Central Andes in the past. This region therefore provides an ideal natural laboratory for paleoclimatologists.
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Grosjean, M., Veit, H. (2005). Water Resources in the Arid Mountains of the Atacama Desert (Northern Chile): Past Climate Changes and Modern Conflicts. In: Huber, U.M., Bugmann, H.K.M., Reasoner, M.A. (eds) Global Change and Mountain Regions. Advances in Global Change Research, vol 23. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3508-X_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3508-X_10
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