Glacial history of the tropical Andes, Peru

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"Elucidating the role of the tropics in global climate change is essential for constraining future climate trajectories. It is now recognised that during the Late Pleistocene, major shifts in tropical temperature and precipitation occurred, and this has challenged the typical view of tropical climate stability during this time. The geographical and altitudinal extent of modern glaciers in the northern Andes reflects the sensitivity of the cryosphere to climate. Because tropical glaciers are highly sensitive to variations in the tropical hydrological cycle, as determined by changes in atmospheric circulation and regional moisture patterns, they, and the geomorphic signature they leave on the landscape, are useful indicators of both present and past environmental conditions (e.g. Rodbell et al., 2009; Smith et al., 2005, 2008). Despite their importance for understanding past climate in the tropics, little work has been undertaken on the timing and nature of palaeo-glaciological events in the tropical Andes. This PhD project will target a formerly glaciated region in northern Peru at ~5 S. The student will couple glacial geomorphology, near-surface geophysics and geochronology to build a regional glacial history of the most recent glaciation. The studentship will address the following research questions: 1. What was the local last glacial maximum (LLGM) in northern Peru? 2. Is there evidence for Younger Dryas/Holocene glacial readvances in the tropics of South America? 3. What climate parameters control the initiation and termination of glaciation in the tropics?"