Widespread Deforestation in Pre-Columbian Central America (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Widespread Deforestation in Pre-Columbian Central America

Caption

New climate modeling shows that widespread deforestation in pre-Columbian Central America corresponded with decreased levels of precipitation. This image shows how much precipitation declined from normal across the region between 800 C.E. and 950 C.E. It was during this period of time that the Mayan civilization reached its peak population and abruptly collapsed.

Credit

Ben Cook, NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies

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