The state of knowledge on the deglaciation of America in 2017

Abstract

This work presents a summary of all contributions included in this Special Issue on the deglaciation of America. It analyses the differences and coincidences between the phases of glacial evolution and their chronology in each of the regions studied, and seeks a possible explanation for asynchronies, according to the opinions of the authors of the contributions. Most of the papers show significant diversity within each region due to local factors and different approaches to their study. Often, local differences are even more important than differences with other regions. In North and Central America glacial evolution appears quite uniform, in line with the evolution of the temperature in the North Atlantic. The differences found between some regions may be due to slight variations in the impact of the temperature of the Atlantic in each region, and to differences in approaching their study. The glacial evolution of the Andes presents a greater diversity, probably due to the existence of arid areas along most of the mountain range, which show a greater sensitivity to the reception of humidity than to temperature in their glacial balance. In general, researchers have detected an attenuation of the influence of the temperature of the North Atlantic towards the south, and of the Antarctic Cold Reversal towards the north.