London, Oct 2 : Some Caribbean forests were at their densest during the 'Little Ice Age', a new study by a palaeontologist from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has revealed.

During the course of her study, Maria Lozano-Garcia found that the normal dry season was either shorter or nonexistent during the Little Ice Age (1350-1850), as indicated by a sharp increase in the amount of pollen from both lowland and upland forests deposited in core-samples taken from Lago Verde.

Lago Verde is a small lake about 200 metres above sea level near the Gulf of Campeche. The lake level rose during this period.

She said this forest growth was unexpected, as other areas in the region were cool and dry.

From approximately 1350 to 1850, the Little Ice Age cooled low latitudes and dried the Caribbean including the Yucatan Peninsula.

Lozano-Garcia said the curious finding showed that the effects of climate change could vary from place to place.

She said greater forest density was most probably caused by increased rain.

She said an increase in winter winds, which boosted dry-season rainfall by blowing moist air up the steep volcanic slopes inland from the lake, possibly offset heavier rains in other seasons.

Human disturbance probably didn't influence forest growth, as few people lived in the area between about 800 and 1920, she said.

Lozano-Garcia said the findings also showed that seasonal effects could have an important impact on historical climate change, adding to the evidence that the impact of climate change varies from region to region.

The study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reports the New Scientist magazine. (With inputs from ANI)