PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE CHILEAN PATAGONIAN COMMON ERA ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS USING SCANNING X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS OF LATE HOLOCENE LACUSTRINE RECORDS

The megadrought occurring in Central Chile since 2010 is affecting more than 10 million people, impacting water resources, and shifting ecosystems. The southern-hemisphere westerly winds (SWW) are the strongest time-averaged oceanic winds on Earth and hit continental landmasses only in southern South America, delivering moisture for the region's winter rains and providing snowpack and fresh water to the entire west coast of southern South America. These winds play a significant role in shaping the climate and weather patterns of the southern hemisphere and are an essential factor in the transport of heat and moisture around the globe. Previous studies and current wind observations show a strong positive correlation between the north-south movement of the SWW and precipitation on the seaward side of the Chilean Patagonia. Given the sparse spatial coverage of accurate meteorological stations recording localized modern climate information (such as precipitation and temperature) in the Chilean region, it is critical to find other avenues to investigate past climate variability and the mechanisms affecting the region to better predict future change. In addition, there are currently only a few high-resolution paleo-reconstructions of Chilean hydroclimate, with tree-ring and pollen datasets being the primary records. Here we present and discuss results from the preliminary study of five lakes in Chilean Patagonia using scanning X-ray Fluorescence. These lakes (Lago Verde Tolhuaca, Lago Frio, Lago San Pedro, Lago NN Tantauco, and Lago Esponja) are spread across a wide latitude and elevation range, allowing variation in climate and environmental changes to track differences in SWW intensity and volcanic activity during the last 2000 years. These data lay the groundwork for the reconstruction of the Chilean regional paleoclimate using high-resolution techniques to elucidate the relationship between rainfall, temperature, changing vegetation regimes, and SWW intensity in the region.