NDLI: Perennial stream discharge in the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile during the latest Pleistocene

Content Provider	PubMed Central
Author	Nester, Peter L. Eugenia, Gayó Latorre, Claudio Jordan, Teresa E. Blanco, Nicolás
Copyright Year	2007
Abstract	A large fraction of the vital groundwater in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile is likely composed of “fossil” or “ancient” reserves that receive little or no recharge in today's hyperarid climate. Here, we present evidence for latest Pleistocene perennial streamflow in canyons from the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Fluvial terraces in the Pampa del Tamarugal (PdT) basin (21°S) contain widespread fossil wood, in situ roots, and well preserved leaf litter deposits indicative of perennial surface flow currently absent in these channels. Nineteen radiocarbon dates on these deposits from four separate drainages within this endorheic basin indicate ages from 16,380 to 13,740 cal yr BP, synchronous with paleolake Tauca on the Bolivian Altiplano and other regional evidence for wetter conditions during the latest Pleistocene. Groundwater-fed riparian ecosystems and associated fluvial deposits abound today in the absence of direct rainfall in northern Atacama canyons with perennial discharge. Our relict riparian ecosystems from the PdT basin are indicative of conditions similar to these northern canyons. Given that discharge was higher than present during this time, we propose that these deposits represent the most important groundwater recharge events of the last 18,000 years. A lesser recharge event occurred during the Holocene, when phreatophytic trees also grew in these drainages between 1,070 and 700 cal yr BP, during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly. Taken together, our evidence lends further support for gradient changes in the equatorial Pacific as a major driver of hydrologic change in the Atacama on both centennial and millennial time scales.
Related Links	http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0705373104
Starting Page	19724
File Format	PDF
ISSN	10916490
e-ISSN	10916490
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Issue Number	50
Volume Number	104
Language	English
Publisher	National Academy of Sciences
Publisher Date	2007-12-11
Access Restriction	Open
Rights Holder	National Academy of Sciences
Subject Keyword	Research in Higher Education
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Multidisciplinary

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Perennial stream discharge in the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile during the latest Pleistocene.

The Atacama Desert in Northern Chile as an Analog Model of Mars

Bacterial Community Structure in the Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert, Chile▿

Emergence of social complexity among coastal hunter-gatherers in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile

“Climatic fluctuations in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert during the past 215 ka”

Life at the hyperarid margin: novel bacterial diversity in arid soils of the Atacama Desert, Chile

A new titanosaur sauropod from the Atacama Desert, Chile

Widespread glasses generated by cometary fireballs during the late Pleistocene in the Atacama Desert, Chile: COMMENT

Influence of Physical-Chemical Soil Parameters on Microbiota Composition and Diversity in a Deep Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert

Perennial stream discharge in the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile during the latest Pleistocene

Similar Documents

Perennial stream discharge in the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile during the latest Pleistocene.

The Atacama Desert in Northern Chile as an Analog Model of Mars

Bacterial Community Structure in the Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert, Chile▿

Emergence of social complexity among coastal hunter-gatherers in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile

“Climatic fluctuations in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert during the past 215 ka”

Life at the hyperarid margin: novel bacterial diversity in arid soils of the Atacama Desert, Chile

A new titanosaur sauropod from the Atacama Desert, Chile

Widespread glasses generated by cometary fireballs during the late Pleistocene in the Atacama Desert, Chile: COMMENT

Influence of Physical-Chemical Soil Parameters on Microbiota Composition and Diversity in a Deep Hyperarid Core of the Atacama Desert

Perennial stream discharge in the hyperarid Atacama Desert of northern Chile during the latest Pleistocene