Western patagonia: A key area for understanding quaternary paleoclimate at southern mid-latitudes

Paleoclimate research in the Andean region south of 401 S is key to understanding the climatic evolution of the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Studies in this region are of pivotal importance for determining the mechanisms responsible of climate changes at regional, hemispheric, and global scales during the Quaternary. This monumental task requires a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the modern environments (meteorology, glaciology, oceanography, modern biota) on and around the Patagonian icefields, and past variations in climate through the development of multiple climate proxies (stratigraphic analysis of ice and sediment cores, paleoecological studies, tree ring chronologies, among others).