IUPUI Scientists Document the Impacts of Climate Change on Maize-Dependent Native American Populations During the Holocene
IUPUI scientists used sediments from Martin Lake in northeastern Indiana to document precipitation patterns over the past 2100 years in the midwestern United States. The researchers hypothesize that the rise and decline of Mississipppian culture followed changing patterns of precipitation that initially favored, and later discouraged, maize cultivation. Maize (corn) is a water-intensive crop. To read more about this study, link here for a general description, or here to read the actual research paper.
