His research interests include paleoecology and paleoclimatology of arid regions. For over a decade, he has been using rodent middens from the Atacama Desert to learn about the desert’s hydrological cycle over the last 40-50 ka. Claudio Latorre also specializes in plant macrofossil analyses and the applications of stable isotopes in these environments. His appointment to the SSC will strengthen and stimulate PAGES Focus 4.