Paleoclimatic changes based on speleothem isotopic records and their implications for paleoecology in southeastern Bahia since the Last Glacial Period

• Grant number: 24/02865-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Francisco William da Cruz Junior
• Grantee: Nathalia Stadler
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências (IGC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ), characterized by a band of convective with a northwest-southeast direction, extends from the Amazon to the subtropical Atlantic, is a fundamental role in the South America rainfall distribution. Its activity is associated with most of the South American Monsoon System (SMAS) precipitation. Variations in the intensity and average position of this important climate feature affect the rainfall distribution pattern throughout Brazil, especially during the southern summer. Increasing paleoclimatic studies based on speleothem isotopic records indicate a strong control of insolation and the influence of sea surface temperature (SST) on precipitation associated with SMAS. However, little is known about paleoclimatic changes, especially variations in temperature, in one of the most important centers of endemism, the Atlantic Forest zone in the southeast Bahia. This project aims to contribute to the establishment of patterns of rainfall changes, as well as paleotemperature in regions located in the Atlantic Forest biome domain, investigating the occurrence of possible climatic scenarios favorable for the dispersal of species, between this biome and the Amazon Forest, through areas currently covered by the Cerrado or Caatinga.