Climate interpretations based on speleothem oxygen isotope records and isotope enable climate models

Abstract

The visit of Prof. Vuille to Instituto de Geociências is very relevant not just for development of scientific projects led by Prof. Cruz and collaborators, at several sites in South America, but also to contribute on the research by graduate students and post-doctorate fellows. He will give distinguished lecture in an ongoing paleoclimate course at the Instituto de Geociências on climatology and climate modeling. We intent to analyze the new data from speleothem isotope records and from simulations using models which include stable isotopic tracers such as GISS ModelE-R e outros SWING - Stable Water Isotope iNtercomparison Group - participants. By combining the results from proxy and model experiments we will be able to discuss with more confidence how the isotope ratios in speleothem can document changes in the hydrologic cycle associated with the past activity of South American Monsoon on time scales varying from centuries to few years. Prof. Vuille will also contribute on the ongoing calibration studies at three cave sites in Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso northern Peru and Colômbia that aim to evaluate the relationship between climatic parameters and the stable oxygen isotopes measure in water and modern speleothems (FAPESP grants n° 2011/50394, and 2012/01187-4) coordinated by Profs. Francisco Cruz and Ivo karmann, respectively, and also supported by Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement, França. Thus, the visit by prof. Vuille will result in great benefits to our group at Instituto de Geociências, especially in the production of high-impact international publications that will help to consolidate our institute as reference to the studies on paleoclimate changes. (AU)