Description: The climate of the Sahara and Arabian deserts during the Little Ice Age is not well known, due to a lack of annually resolved natural and documentary archives. We present an annual reconstruction of temperature and aridity derived from Sr/Ca and oxygen isotopes in a coral of the desert-surrounded northern Red Sea. Our data indicate that the eastern Sahara and Arabian Desert did not experience pronounced cooling during the late Little Ice Age (~1750-1850), but suggest an even more arid mean climate than in the following ~150 years. The mild temperatures are broadly in line with predominantly negative phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation during the Little Ice Age. The more arid climate is best explained by meridional advection of dry continental air from Eurasia. We find evidence for an abrupt termination of the more arid climate after 1850, coincident with a reorganization of the atmospheric circulation over Europe.

Description: Explanations of the Classic Maya civilization demise on the Yucatán Peninsula during the Terminal Classic Period (TCP; ~CE 750-1050) are controversial. Multiyear droughts are one likely cause, but the role of the Caribbean Sea, the dominant moisture source for Mesoamerica, remains largely unknown. Here we present bimonthly-resolved snapshots of reconstructed sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity (SSS) variability in the southern Caribbean from precisely dated fossil corals. The results indicate pronounced interannual to decadal SST and SSS variability during the TCP, which may be temporally coherent to precipitation anomalies on the Yucatán. Our results are best explained by changed Caribbean SST gradients affecting the Caribbean low-level atmospheric jet with consequences for Mesoamerican precipitation, which are possibly linked to changes in Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation strength. Our findings provide a new perspective on the anomalous hydrological changes during the TCP that complement the oft-suggested southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. We advocate for a strong role of Caribbean SST and SSS condition changes and related ocean-atmosphere interactions that notably influenced the propagation and transport of precipitation to the Yucatán Peninsula during the TCP.

Description: Morocco is an area subject to recurrent severe droughts, desertification and an increasing land degradation. It is within a Mediterranean hotspot of biodiversity as it harbors many threatened endemic species such as the argan tree (Argania spinosa). In this context, past climate records are needed to analyze the impact of climate variability on the occurrence and future persistence of these endemic species. In order to evaluate the impact of past climate changes on the endemic Argan tree in southern Morocco, we reconstructed its modern range using an extensive pollen dataset. The modern pollen distribution off southwestern Morocco was then utilized to interpret the high-resolution pollen record with complementary micro-charcoal and XRF element records from a marine sediment core GeoB8601-3 off Cape Ghir in southwestern Morocco covering the last three millennia. This multi-proxy study has shown clear evidence of wetter conditions resulting in higher fluvial input which could be correlated with a negative mode of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), in contrast to the published pollen and XRF element records from another nearby core that showed limited effect of climate changes. On the other hand, clear opposite trend between the pollen occurrences of Argania spinosa and the fire frequency was observed throughout our fossil record. The increase of Argania spinosa pollen occurrences, along with herbaceous taxa, and lower fire frequency might suggest an increase in human impact on the landscape leading to a sparse vegetation cover and subsequently increased erosion. The reconstructed pollen-based vegetation, micro-charcoal-based fire activities and geochemical changes in our marine record suggest interplay of climate and anthropogenic effects on the landscape.