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A 3600-year record of drought in southern Pacific Costa Rica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2020

Zachary P. Taylor ,
Chad S. Lane  and
Sally. P. Horn
Zachary P. Taylor*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Science and Studies, Berry College, Mount Berry, Georgia30149, USA
Chad S. Lane
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of North Carolina–Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina28403, USA
Sally. P. Horn
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee37996, USA
*
*Corresponding author email address: [email protected] (Z.P. Taylor).
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Abstract

We analyzed the δ2H composition of n-alkanes isolated from Laguna Zoncho, a small lake in southern Pacific Costa Rica, to reconstruct paleohydrology. Using a core that spans the past 3600 years, we found evidence of dry periods, most notably during the Terminal Classic Drought (TCD; ~1200 cal yr BP) and the Little Ice Age (~400 cal yr BP). Previous work at Laguna Zoncho, using bulk sedimentary δ13C and geochemical analysis, found that agriculture began to decline during the TCD. Our δ2H records confirm the occurrence of arid conditions coincident with the TCD at Laguna Zoncho and show that, despite receiving more than 3000 mm of precipitation per year, this region is susceptible to multidecadal droughts.

Keywords

Costa RicaPrehistoric droughtLake sedimentsTerminal Classic DroughtStable hydrogen isotope analysis
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 98 , November 2020 , pp. 36 - 48
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Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020

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