The case for abrupt reorganizations of the global climate system rests on the rapidity of glacial terminations and the interhemispheric synchroneity and symmetry of ice-age climatic change. The primary goal of this project is to test this case by establishing a precise anatomy of Southern Hemisphere mid-latitude paleoclimate in the Chilean Andes. If an abrupt reorganization of termination, the perfected Chilean paleoclimatic record should match that of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly the North may show no such correlation. This would be a strong argument against the global mode-switch hypothesis and could alternatively reflect forcing by Antarctic sea ice.
