Evidence for decreased precipitation variability in the Yucatan Peninsula during the mid-Holocene

Abstract

The Yucatán Peninsula (YP) harbors diverse ecosystems, including the Mesoamerican barrier reef and tropical rainforests, and has been inhabited by Maya societies for thousands of years. Biological systems and human societies in the region developed under limited surface and groundwater availability and have therefore been vulnerable to hydroclimate extremes. Under future climate warming scenarios, the YP is projected to receive less wet season precipitation compared to current precipitation (Karmalkar et al., 2011). The important role of hydroclimate variability in shaping the past, present, and future of human societies and