Ice Caps; Ice Cores; Isotopes; Little Ice Age; O-18/O-16; Oxygen; Paleoclimatology; Ratios | One of the most salient features in the last millennium of climate history is the Little Ice Age, a loosely-defined period of cold temperatures and increased climatic variability that has been documented in many parts of the globe. As this figure shows, the Little Ice Age is identified in the Quelccaya climate record as a period of colder (more negative) oxygen isotope ratio roughly bracketed between 1550 A.D. and 1900 A.D. The accumulation record is more complex, showing a pronounced wet period before 1700 followed by significantly drier conditions thereafter. | 
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