Study: Mayans may have died from drought, global warming
The State Column | Saturday, February 25, 2012
A team of scientists say that the Mayans may have been done in by a mild drought, possibly caused by global warming.
A newly released study finds that the Mayans may have experienced difficulties related to drought in the years leading up to its decline.
While it has been described as the most advanced civilization of the Americas, a new study claims that a mild drought may have been enough to cause the collapse of the great Mayan civilization. A team of scientists posit that a number of contributing factors may have played a role in the demise of one of Earth’s greatest civilization, but that an increased scarcity of water may have been the tipping point.
Upon examination of lake and cave sediment in the areas surrounding major Mayan cities, scientists were able to determine the amount of annual rainfall in the region. The team noted that sediment samples taken from the area reflected a 40 percent decline in annual precipitation, enough of a decline that many Mayan cities would have likely faced hardships. In particular, the drop would have been resulted in fewer tropical storms and heavy rainfalls, both of which are needed to water crops, say scientists.
Smaller amounts of rain meant that open water sources in pools and lakes evaporated faster than could be replaced by more precipitation, possibly resulting in increased warfare or social unrest.
Read more: http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/2012/02/25/study-mayans-may-have-died-from-drought-global-warming/#ixzz1nSbmckJ3
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If you are interested in studying more about stuff like this a friend of mine was reading a book called "Collapse" by Jared Diamond which is a study of past collapsed societies and why they ended. It doesn't take much to bring down a large culture or nation and the worst culprit appears to be drought. I would have thought that Flooding or tornadoes or hurricanes were the worst but apparently it is drought that tends to end civlizations. People fight over water and food and then that civilization is over.
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