Note: Intro -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Contents -- Contributors -- Part I Can We Draw a Robust Picture of Last Glacial Maximum Climate Conditions in South America? -- 1 Moisture Pattern During the Last Glacial Maximum in South America -- 1.1 Introduction -- 1.2 Modern Climate -- 1.3 Evidence of Regional Paleoclimatic Changes -- 1.3.1 Northern South America -- 1.3.2 Amazon Basin -- 1.3.3 Southern Brazil -- 1.3.4 Central Andes: Peru, Bolivia and North Chile -- 1.3.5 Central Plains of Argentina -- 1.3.6 Southern South America -- 1.4 Discussion -- 1.5 Conclusion -- References -- 2 Orbital and Millennial-Scale Precipitation Changes in Brazil from Speleothem Records -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Climate Signals Recorded in Brazilian Speleothems -- 2.2.1 Climate Variability in South America Based on 0 18 O in Precipitation -- 2.2.2 Factors Affecting the Isotopic Composition of Dripwaters and Modern Speleothems -- 2.2.3 The Influence of Rainfall Amount on Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca Ratios in Speleothems -- 2.3 Paleoclimatic Changes from Speleothem Records -- 2.3.1 U/Th Chronology of Speleothems -- 2.3.2 Stable Isotope Records -- 2.3.3 Speleothem Growth Intervals -- 2.3.4 Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca Ratios -- 2.4 Discussion -- 2.4.1 Long-Term Paleoclimatic Changes -- 2.4.2 Millennial-Scale Abrupt Changes in Climate -- 2.4.3 Broader Significance of Precipitation Changes Based on Speleothem Records -- 2.5 Conclusions -- References -- 3 Chronologies of the Last Glacial Maximum and its Termination in the Andes (1055S) Based on Surface Exposure Dating -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Geography and Current Climate in the Andes -- 3.3 Surface Exposure Dating -- 3.3.1 Principle -- 3.3.2 Scaling and Systematic Uncertainties -- 3.3.3 Scatter in Exposure Ages and Geomorphological Uncertainties -- 3.4 Chronologies of the LGM. , 3.4.1 Exposure Ages from the Tropical Andes of Peru and Bolivia -- 3.4.1.1 Comparison with Radiocarbon Chronologies -- 3.4.1.2 The Role of Temperature and Precipitation for Glaciation in the Southern Tropical Andes -- 3.4.2 Exposure Ages from the Subtropical Andes -- 3.4.3 Exposure Ages from the Patagonian Andes and Tierra del Fuego -- 3.5 Conclusions -- References -- 4 Vegetation and Fire at the Last Glacial Maximum in Tropical South America -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Methods and Approach -- 4.3 Last Glacial Maximum Pollen-Based Vegetation Reconstructions -- 4.3.1 Andean Records -- 4.3.1.1 Bolivian Altiplano -- 4.3.1.2 Bolivian/Peruvian Cloud Forests -- 4.3.1.3 Colombian Montane Forests -- 4.3.2 Lowland Records -- 4.3.2.1 Amazon Rainforests -- 4.3.2.2 Savanna/Woodland/Thorn-Scrub -- 4.3.2.3 Atlantic Forests and Campos Grasslands of SE Brazil -- 4.4 Model Simulations of Last Glacial Maximum Vegetation -- 4.4.1 Colombia -- 4.4.2 Amazon Basin -- 4.5 Last Glacial Maximum Fires -- 4.6 Implications and Conclusions -- 4.6.1 Last Glacial Maximum Climate -- 4.6.2 Biogeography, Biodiversity, and Carbon Cycling -- References -- 5 Re-evaluation of Climate Change in Lowland Central America During the Last Glacial Maximum Using New Sediment Cores from Lake Petn Itz, Guatemala -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.1.1 The Lake Petán Itzá Scientific Drilling Project (PISDP) -- 5.2 Did Montane and Lowland Regions Experience the Same Degree of Last Glacial Maximum Cooling ? -- 5.2.1 Glaciological Evidence -- 5.2.2 Palynological Evidence -- 5.3 Was the LGM Characterized by Aridity? -- 5.4 Precession as a Long-Term Driver of Precipitation Change in Central America -- 5.5 Short-Term Drivers of Precipitation and Temperature -- 5.6 Conclusions -- References. , 6 Glacial to Holocene Paleoceanographic and Continental Paleoclimate Reconstructions Based on ODP Site 1233/GeoB 3313 Off Southern Chile -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Regional Setting -- 6.3 Material and Methods -- 6.4 Results and Discussion -- 6.4.1 Glacial -- 6.4.1.1 Regional Aspects -- 6.4.1.2 Link to the High Latitudes -- 6.4.1.3 Link to the Tropics -- 6.4.2 Termination 1 -- 6.4.2.1 Regional Aspects -- 6.4.2.2 Link to the High Latitudes -- 6.4.2.3 Link to the Tropics -- 6.4.3 Holocene -- 6.4.3.1 Regional Aspects -- 6.4.3.2 Link to the High Latitudes -- 6.4.3.3 Link to the Tropics -- References -- Part II The High Latitudes-Tropics and Tropics-Tropics Teleconnections over the Last Deglaciation and Last Glacial Maximum -- 7 Teleconnections into South America from the Tropics and Extratropics on Interannual and Intraseasonal Timescales -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 Mechanisms of Tropics-Tropics and Tropics-High Latitudes Teleconnections -- 7.2.1 Walker and Hadley Circulation Cells -- 7.2.2 Rossby Wave Propagation -- 7.3 Teleconnections with South America on Interannual Time Scales -- 7.3.1 Southern Hemisphere Observed Interannual Variability -- 7.3.2 El Niño/Southern Oscillation Teleconnections with South America -- 7.3.2.1 Northern South America and the Tropics-Tropics Teleconnection -- 7.3.2.2 Southeastern South America and the Tropics-Extratropics Teleconnection -- 7.3.2.3 Central-East Brazil and the Influence of Regional Processes During the Summer Monsoon -- 7.4 Teleconnections with South America on Intraseasonal Time Scales -- 7.4.1 Southern Hemisphere Observed Intraseasonal Variability -- 7.4.2 Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) -- 7.5 Final Remarks -- References -- 8 South American Climate Variability and Change: Remote and Regional Forcing Processes -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Decomposition of the South American Precipitation Climatology. , 8.3 Regional Forcing of South American Climate Variability -- 8.4 Remote Forcing of South American Climate Variability -- 8.4.1 Sea Surface Temperature Forcing -- 8.4.2 High Latitude Forcing -- 8.4.3 Africa and South America: An Intercontinental Teleconnection -- 8.5 Concluding Remarks -- References -- 9 Sensitivity of South American Tropical Climate to Last Glacial Maximum Boundary Conditions: Focus on Teleconnections with Tropics and Extratropics -- 9.1 Introduction -- 9.2 Model Description and Simulated Thermo-Dynamical Structure of the Atmosphere -- 9.2.1 The Model and Experimental Set Up -- 9.2.2 Simulated Pre-industrial (PI) Climate -- 9.3 Response of Tropical South American Climate to Last Glacial Maximum Forcings -- 9.3.1 The Last Glacial Maximum -- 9.3.2 Sensitivity to Last Glacial Maximum Reduced Greenhouse Gases -- 9.3.3 Sensitivity to Last Glacial Maximum Land Ice -- 9.4 Summary and Conclusion -- References -- 10 Similarities and Discrepancies Between Andean Ice Cores Over the Last Deglaciation: Climate Implications -- 10.1 Introduction and Motivations -- 10.2 Isotopic Composition of Andean Ice Cores: A Common LGM to Holocene Signal, Some Discrepancies Along the Deglaciation -- 10.2.1 An Important Caveat About Andean Ice Cores Dating -- 10.2.2 The Glacial-Interglacial Transition as Recorded in the Isotopic Composition of Andean Ice Cores -- 10.2.3 Deglaciation as Recorded in Andean Ice Cores: Deciphering the Greenland and Antarctic Aspects? -- 10.3 Discussion in Terms of Global Climate Mechanisms and Local Climate Influences -- 10.3.1 Influence of Insolation on LGM Precipitation -- 10.3.2 A Mechanism for Wet Southern Tropics and Cold Northern High Latitudes During LGM -- 10.3.3 Is a Climate Reversal Expected in the Isotopic Composition of Andean Ice Cores? -- 10.3.4 The Specificity of Sajama: Local Conditions and/or Pacific Influence?. , 10.4 Conclusions -- References -- Part III Characteristics of the Holocene Climate. Focus on Global Events: Are They Widespread, Comparable and Synchroneous in South America? -- 11 Mid-Holocene Climate of Tropical South America: A Model-Data Approach -- 11.1 Introduction -- 11.2 Methodology -- 11.3 Results -- 11.3.1 Present Tropical South America Climate as Simulated by IPSL Model (CTL) -- 11.3.2 ITCZ and ZCAS at the Mid-Holocene -- 11.3.3 Atmospheric Mean and Transient Circulation -- 11.4 Comparison with Paleoclimate Data -- 11.4.1 Precipitation -- 11.4.2 Temperature and Cold Outbreaks -- 11.5 Conclusions -- References -- 12 Millennial-Scale Ecological Changes in Tropical South America Since the Last Glacial Maximum -- 12.1 Introduction -- 12.2 Rate-of-Change Analysis -- 12.3 Paleoecological Records -- 12.3.1 Andean vs Western Amazonian Changes -- 12.3.2 Drivers of Change -- 12.3.2.1 Temperature -- 12.3.2.2 Precipitation -- 12.3.2.3 Fire -- 12.3.2.4 Human Disturbance -- 12.4 Overview -- References -- 13 The Nature and Origin of Decadal to Millennial Scale Climate Variability in the Southern Tropics of South America: The Holocene Record of Lago Umayo, Peru -- 13.1 Introduction -- 13.2 Precipitation in Tropical South America During the Late Quaternary and its Relationship to Tropical Atlantic Variability -- 13.3 Reconstruction of Holocene Precipitation in the Northern Altiplano, Lago Umayo, Peru -- 13.3.1 Regional Setting of Lago Umayo -- 13.3.2 Methods -- 13.3.3 The Oxygen Isotopic Model -- 13.3.4 Model Results and Validation -- 13.4 Discussion -- 13.5 Conclusions -- References -- 14 Hydrological Variability in South America Below the Tropic of Capricorn (Pampas and Patagonia, Argentina) During the Last 13.0 Ka -- 14.1 Introduction -- 14.2 Modern Climate of Southern South America -- 14.3 Paleoclimate Archives. , 14.3.1 Subtropical Latitudes: Pampean Plains.