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Stalagmites in Northeast Brazilian Caves Confirm 9,000-Year Model of Diminishing Rainfall Developed by UMass Amherst Geoscientists


February 24, 2009

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Until recently, researchers studying climate history in Brazil's dry Nordeste region expected it to have wet and dry periods similar to the rest of South America. But over the past 9,000 years, the region has shown just the opposite, drought when rain was expected, and vice versa. Geoscientists from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and the University of Sao Paolo, Brazil, with others, report this week that they've identified the cause as a surprising air circulation pattern.Full Story

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University of Massachusetts at Amherst

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