Ecobreves – PERU: Climate in the Past

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

LIMA, Jun 30 2002 (IPS) - Scientists at the University of Piura, a northwestern department of Peru, are studying the climate conditions of the past using the rings in the cross sections of trees found in the regions arid forests. “The rings provide testimony about the climate in each year of the tree's live because its characteristics vary according to the seasonal rainfall it received,” explained Rodolfo Rodríguez, head of the research team.

Piura is one of the areas hardest hit by El Niño, a warm water current in the Pacific Ocean that causes climate extremes worldwide, including heavy rainfall and severe drought.