Expansion and contraction of the global desert belts occur at glacial – interglacial timescales. However, the magnitude of expansion, the rainfall and evaporation changes that drive this expansion, and the wider climatic feedbacks are not well constrained. In this talk, I will present geomorphological, hydrological and isotopic data from closed-basin lakes from across the world. Closed-basin lakes have no outlet and thus their size varies as a function of water availability (P-E). They form at the desert boundaries and are sensitive, and record, hydrological changes. Using this data, I will present a spatial and temporal reconstruction of desert expansion and contraction events during the late Quaternary, and quantify the hydrological variability driving these changes.
