Laguna Saladilla, Dominican Republic
Past Climate Research
My paleoclimatic research is primarily based on lacustrine records of climate change. These records typically span the Holocene and early Pleistocene. I have collected sediment cores from both North America and Central America. I study the pollen, diatoms, micro- and macroscopic charcoal, and other geochemical "proxies" to infer what environmental conditions were like in the past.
Publications
Here are a number of links to my various papers. I would also recommend checking out my academia.edu webpage for the latest papers as well as links to presentations materials.
Gilmore, K.P., Sullivan, D.G., Caffrey, M.A. 2022. Effects of Drought and Climate Variability on Prehistoric Human Adaptation and Population in the Upper Colorado River Basin, USA. Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.
Carmody, S.B., Caffrey, M.A., Lady, B.S., Horn, S.P. 2017. Palynological and chemical analyses of prehistoric pipe residues as evidence of tobacco use in Tennessee. Tennessee Archaeology 9: 7-15.
Caffrey, M.A., Horn, S.P. 2015. Holocene environmental change at Laguna Saladilla, coastal north Hispaniola. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 436: 9-22.
Caffrey, M.A., Horn, S.P. 2015. Long-term fire trends in Hispaniola and Puerto Rico from sedimentary charcoal: A comparison of three records. The Professional Geographer 67(2): 229-241.
Caffrey, M.A., Horn, S.P. 2013. The use of lithium heteropolytungstate in the heavy liquid separation of samples which are sparse in pollen. Palynology 37(1): 143-150.
Caffrey, M.A., Doerner, J.P. 2012. A 7000-year record of environmental change, Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, USA. Physical Geography 33(5): 438-456.
Caffrey, M.A., Horn, S.P. 2012. Buying and maintaining nail lacquer for laboratory use: A practical guide for palynologists. AASP Newsletter 45(1): 24-26.
Caffrey, M.A., Taylor, M.J., Sullivan, D.G. 2011. A 12,000-year record of vegetation and climate change from the Sierra de Los Cuchumatanes, Guatemala. Journal of Latin American Geography 10(2): 129-151.