An official website of the United States government
For the past few decades, many researchers have sought to understand how tropical hydroclimate responds to climate change via lakes, marine sediments, and speleothems records. Speleothem δ18O records throughout South America have shown that regional rainfall responds to Northern Hemisphere forcing on the millennial scale. Areas under the influence of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone (SACZ) have also shown a close relationship with local insolation on longer timescales. However, apart from the Cruz et al. (2007) record in Southern Brazil, long-term speleothem records throughout the continent have relied primarily on stable oxygen isotopes and are therefore limited to describing large-scale regional variability in rainfall. As such, many areas in South America still lack long-term records of local hydroclimate, which is critical to understanding how different components of the monsoon system respond to orbital and millennial-scale climate change. One proxy that has gained more attention in recent years is trace metal-to-calcium ratios (TM/Ca). Sr, Mg, and Ba to Ca ratios in speleothems are known in certain situations to respond to the degree of Prior Calcite Precipitation (PCP) above a drip site, a phenomenon directly tied to local aridity. In this study, we have obtained high-resolution TM/Ca measurements to pair with stable isotopes from samples spanning 23 to 66 ka from Huagapo Cave in the Peruvian Andes (11.27°S; 75.79°W). TM/Ca ratios in these samples are strongly correlated (R2>0.89), making them suitable for use as PCP proxies. We see that decreases in δ18O during Heinrich events are accompanied by a drop in TM/Ca. The period defined by the MIS 4/3 transition is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in TM/Ca and δ18O. TM/Ca and δ18O negatively correlate with local insolation for the entire record. Interestingly, the Paraíso Cave record from the Amazon Basin shows no correlation between regional or local hydroclimate and insolation during the last glacial period. The discrepancy between the two records and the close relationship between TM/Ca, δ18O, and local insolation in Huagapo samples, may call for a revised interpretation of Andes speleothem δ18O variability, which was originally thought to reflect rainout over the Amazon Basin.
more »
« less
Stalagmite Records of Hydroclimate from the Peruvian Andes During the Last Deglaciation
Abstract The termination of the last glacial period is marked by the northward migration of the ITCZ and the weakening of the South American Summer Monsoon (SASM). The transition between the wetter glacial period and the more arid Holocene period across the South American continent is punctuated by several abrupt millennial-scale tropical hydroclimatic events. While the Northern Hemisphere temperature forcing of these millennial-scale events is generally accepted, recently, equatorial forcing mechanisms have been put forward. In particular, the dipole between northeastern Brazil and the western Andes of Peru is absent during Heinrich 1, with wet conditions recorded in both regions. To explain this anomalous atmospheric behavior, researchers have suggested changes in the ENSO and Walker circulation over South America and questioned whether the ‘amount effect’ relationship between δ18O and precipitation persists through time. To better resolve tropical hydroclimate changes over the last glacial termination, more robust paleoclimate proxies are needed. Here, we present a new paleo-precipitation reconstruction based on trace metal (Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca, and Ba/Ca) and isotope (δ18O and δ13C) speleothem records from Antipayarguna cave in the Peruvian Andes (3800 masl). Our records date from 2,600 to 4,700 and 7,700 to 19,000 years BP, with an average age resolution of 44 years. These records overlap the previously published speleothem records from nearby Pacupahuain and Huagapo caves. The Antipayarguna δ18O data are highly correlated with southern hemisphere summer insolation and the Huascaran ice core δ18O record. The Antipayarguna trace metal ratios and δ18O isotope values correlate well over most of the record, suggesting that the δ18O at our site reflects the amount of local precipitation. However, at the end of the Younger Dryas (11.5-10.3 ka) and Heinrich Stadial 1 (16.4-14.9 ka), there is a decoupling of these proxies. These anomalies may be due to changes in δ18O caused by shifts in moisture source region or precipitation condensation factors (e.g. convergence level or subcloud evaporation). Alternatively, this could be due to a change in trace metal sources. We explore potential causes for these brief decoupling events through comparison with other paleoclimate records.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2102996
- PAR ID:
- 10615405
- Publisher / Repository:
- 2024 Fall Meeting, AGU
- Date Published:
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- speleothem paleoclimatology
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Washington DC
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Glacial-interglacial transitions and abrupt millennial-scale events are the most prominent features in many paleoclimate records. Understanding these oscillations requires high-resolution time series from multiple locations to constrain the latitudinal response to forcings. Few high-resolution records exist from the Southern Hemisphere tropics that predate the last two glaciations. We present a high-resolution speleothem oxygen and carbon isotope record from Huagapo Cave in the Central Peruvian Andes covering Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 glacial and MIS 9 interglacial (339 to 249 ka). Uranium-series dates on three stalagmites (n=18) with small age uncertainty ±1% allows us to resolve abrupt climate events similar in structure and duration to Dansgaard-Oescchger and Heinrich events. The South American Summer Monsoon (SASM) controls modern hydroclimate variability in the Andes, and previous records from Huagapo Cave have provided records of past SASM variability. Termination three (T-III) in our record has a steep increase in δ18O values of 5‰, punctuated by two stadial event decreases of ~3‰ (S8.1 and S8.2). This pattern is mirrored in the δ13C record, indicating that these millennial-scale events record hydroclimate and vegetation productivity changes. The same structure as our T-III record is found in other records globally, where they are noted to be Heinrich-like events. Frequency analysis indicates that the occurrence of these abrupt events changes between glacial cycles. Precession is weakly expressed in the δ18O record during MIS 8; similar to speleothem records from the region dating to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Global ice cover and sea levels were similar in the LGM and MIS 8, but the Milankovitch insolation forcing differed. This change in SASM behavior is not observed in the East Asian monsoon, where the precession signal is dominant throughout. Interglacial precessional control is apparent during the latter half of MIS 9 and during Huagapo Cave intervals dating to MIS 6 and 7. These data indicate that the response to high-latitude forcing in the Southern Hemisphere tropics fluctuates through time, and potential explanations for low-latitude sensitivity to forcing factors are further explored.more » « less
-
Abstract Oxygen isotope speleothems have been widely used to infer past climate changes over tropical South America (TSA). However, the spatial patterns of the millennial precipitation and precipitationδ18O (δ18Op) response have remained controversial, and their response mechanisms are unclear. In particular, it is not clear whether the regional precipitation represents the intensity of the millennial South American summer monsoon (SASM). Here, we study the TSA hydroclimate variability during the last deglaciation (20–11 ka ago) by combining transient simulations of an isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model (iCESM) and the speleothem records over the lowland TSA. Our model reasonably simulates the deglacial evolution of hydroclimate variables and water isotopes over the TSA, albeit underestimating the amplitude of variability. North Atlantic meltwater discharge is the leading factor driving the TSA’s millennial hydroclimate variability. The spatial pattern of both precipitation andδ18Opshow a northwest–southeast dipole associated with the meridional migration of the intertropical convergence zone, instead of a continental-wide coherent change as inferred in many previous works on speleothem records. The dipole response is supported by multisource paleoclimate proxies. In response to increased meltwater forcing, the SASM weakened (characterized by a decreased low-level easterly wind) and consequently reduced rainfall in the western Amazon and increased rainfall in eastern Brazil. A similar dipole response is also generated by insolation, ice sheets, and greenhouse gases, suggesting an inherent stability of the spatial characteristics of the SASM regardless of the external forcing and time scales. Finally, we discuss the potential reasons for the model–proxy discrepancy and pose the necessity to build more paleoclimate proxy data in central-western Amazon. Significance StatementWe want to reconcile the controversy on whether there is a coherent or heterogeneous response in millennial hydroclimate over tropical South America and to clearly understand the forcing mechanisms behind it. Our isotope-enabled transient simulations fill the gap in speleothem reconstructions to capture a complete picture of millennial precipitation/δ18Opand monsoon intensity change. We highlight a heterogeneous dipole response in precipitation andδ18Opon millennial and orbital time scales. Increased meltwater discharge shifts ITCZ southward and favors a wet condition in coastal Brazil. Meanwhile, the low-level easterly and the summer monsoon intensity reduced, causing a dry condition in the central-western Amazon. However, the millennial variability of hydroclimate response is underestimated in our model, together with the lack of direct paleoclimate proxies in the central-west Amazon, complicating the interpretation of changes in specific paleoclimate events and posing a challenge to constraining the spatial range of the dipole. Therefore, we emphasize the necessity to increase the source of proxies, enhance proxy interpretations, and improve climate model performance in the future.more » « less
-
Abstract The low latitude Indian Ocean is warming faster than other tropical basins, and its interannual climate variability is projected to become more extreme under future emissions scenarios with substantial impacts on developing Indian Ocean rim countries. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to understand the drivers of regional precipitation in a changing climate. Here we present a new speleothem record from Anjohibe, a cave in northwest (NW) Madagascar well situated to record past changes in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). U‐Th ages date speleothem growth from 27 to 14 ka. δ18O, δ13C, and trace metal proxies reconstruct drier conditions during Heinrich Stadials 1 and 2, and wetter conditions during the Last Glacial Maximum and Bølling–Allerød. This is surprising considering hypotheses arguing for southward (northward) ITCZ shifts during North Atlantic cooling (warming) events, which would be expected to result in wetter (drier) conditions at Anjohibe in the Southern Hemisphere tropics. The reconstructed Indian Ocean zonal (west‐east) sea surface temperature (SST) gradient is in close agreement with hydroclimate proxies in NW Madagascar, with periods of increased precipitation correlating with relatively warmer conditions in the western Indian Ocean and cooler conditions in the eastern Indian Ocean. Such gradients could drive long‐term shifts in the strength of the Walker circulation with widespread effects on hydroclimate across East Africa. These results suggest that during abrupt millennial‐scale climate changes, it is not meridional ITCZ shifts, but the tropical Indian Ocean SST gradient and Walker circulation driving East African hydroclimate variability.more » « less
-
Global warming during the Last Glacial Termination was interrupted by millennial-scale cool intervals such as the Younger Dryas and the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR). Although these events are well characterized at high latitudes, their impacts at low latitudes are less well known. We present high-resolution temperature and hydroclimate records from the tropical Andes spanning the past ~16,800 y using organic geochemical proxies applied to a sediment core from Laguna Llaviucu, Ecuador. Our hydroclimate record aligns with records from the western Amazon and eastern and central Andes and indicates a dominant long-term influence of changing austral summer insolation on the intensity of the South American Summer Monsoon. Our temperature record indicates a ~4 °C warming during the glacial termination, stable temperatures in the early to mid-Holocene, and slight, gradual warming since ~6,000 y ago. Importantly, we observe a ~1.5 °C cold reversal coincident with the ACR. These data document a temperature change pattern during the deglaciation in the tropical Andes that resembles temperatures at high southern latitudes, which are thought to be controlled by radiative forcing from atmospheric greenhouse gases and changes in ocean heat transport by the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript
- Conference Paper:
- The DOI is not currently available.
